January 21, 2019

RELIGION IS

TRICKY STUFF

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for this  2nd Monday in Ordinary Time is: Religion is tricky stuff.

Religion is tricky stuff.

EXAMPLE: DISTRACTIONS DURING PRAYER

Take the idea of distractions in prayer. 

Everyone has distractions during prayer. 

Then everyone has distractions from their distractions and then that triggers something else and on and on. 

Record a lunch conversation and see if anyone stays on track. 

So I’m saying that distractions are normal. They are to be expected. Someone says A. A triggers B and B triggers C. And on and on and on. It’s the way the mind work. Hey the mind takes in so much every day – and our memory stores everything. Someone says E and it triggers M. So distractions per se are not sins. People confess them – but they are just admitting they are human – and their mind can’t stay on the same track through the journey of life.

Now of course, we need to focus at times – like in public speaking – like in praying. It’s difficult, but it’s also a skill we can achieve. It's called single-mindedness.

And this is why dreams can be so interesting. Something happens on a Monday morning. Something happens on a Monday afternoon. Something happens on Monday evening. And in our dreams on Monday night we combine all three.

So distractions in prayer are not a sin. A sin - something that messes us up - could be in the choices we make in our distractions – the judgments – the inner comments about others. The put downs of others. The harboring of mistakes others make. That’s the stuff of sin – not the fact that we have distractions.

So worry about the content of your distractions.  Worry about the choices we make with our distractions -  when we find ourselves off course.

FOR EXAMPLE: FASTING

In today’s gospel the Pharisees are on Jesus’ case because his disciples aren’t fasting. We Pharisees fast. John’s disciples fast. How come your guys aren’t fasting?

Fasting, dieting, abstaining are normal things people do. They also can be religious practices. There is evidence that the Pharisees and others would fast two times a week. I think it was Monday and Thursday.

Fasting can be good.

Food is also good.

Fasting could be a good.

Wine could  also be a good.

OTHER EXAMPLES

Someone goes on a diet. It starts to get tough. They are off desserts or seconds or what have you. And they start to get testy. They start talking to themselves. “Look at her ... eating, and eating and eating. She ought to go on a diet.” “My sister is 15 pounds more than I am and she keeps on eating. Ugh. What a pig.”

Or someone goes off cigarettes and they are on everyone else’s case.

Religion can be tricky stuff. We can spend a lot of time whining and complaining about other people’s business and style and life.

Take nun’s veils and outfits. How come she’s  not wearing a nun’s outfit?

Take daily mass. We can sit here and say, “How come she doesn’t go to daily mass? She’s retired and she just lives a short distance from church and here I am morning after morning, making this sacrifice.

Take the rosary after mass. We can sit there and watch people going out and say, “How come they don't stay and pray?”

And Jesus gives them a strange response, “Nobody goes to a wedding and fasts. So relax. The time will come when the bridegroom will be taken away, and they will fast."

JESUS WOULD SAY

Where you ought to be fasting is right there in your gut. Fast from those thoughts - those things down there in the bottom of your belly - in your gut - in the deep recesses of the heart.

He got his message from Isaiah, who tells us this is the kind of fasting that God wants - these deep attitudinal issues - thought issues.

CONCLUSION

Jesus wants us to change our hearts and not our garments - to change the whole fabric of our being - not just a little new patch on an old way of thinking - but a whole new way of being - no new thoughts in old wine skins - but new wine in new wine skins.

And then the wedding, the celebration takes place, down there in the deep recesses - the inner room of our being - the wedding hall of our soul - where there ought to be music and dancing. Amen.