THE LETTER

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for this Tuesday after the Epiphany  is, “The Letter.”

Have you ever received  a love letter - which knocked you over - because of the person who sent it?

You believed the words. The words moved you and you knew you were loved. Tears came to your eyes …. A warm glow filled your heart and mind.

After you put that letter down - you realize that this is what you needed - this was what you wanted - this is what you longed for.

Another person told you they love you.

IT ALL DEPENDS

Today, a lot more people say, “I love you” than 50 years ago.

Is that true?  I don’t know, but that’s my perception.

However, like hugs, they can be shallow  throw a way’s or they can be depth charges that blow us up.

In other words, it’s my opinion that today’s “I love you's” are often throw away comments that often lack  depth.

SAMMY DAVIS JR.

I remember from years and years ago a moment on Johnny Carson’s night time TV  show. Johnny Carson had as a guest Sammy Davis Jr.  He was interviewing Sammy and Johnny asked him, “How come you tell everyone, ‘I love you!’ more than a lot of people?”

And Sammy Davis paused and said, “I’ll tell you why.  I had a friend in high school, a buddy, whom I really liked and I often wanted to tell him. ‘I appreciate you. I love you.’ But I didn’t and then he died suddenly in a car accident - and I resolved at that time to say to anyone I love, ‘I love you.’”

THE MOVIE: THE LETTER

The other evening  Father Joe Krastel and I were watching a western movie on TV.  

It was time to go to bed.  Joe left.  I got the wondering: “What movie is on TCM - channel 36 - Turner Classic Movies?”

The movie was from November  1940. It was an old black and white movie that I never heard of before. It was entitled The Letter. It stared Bette Davis and Herbert Marshall and some old time big time actors.

Bette Davis - plays the part of Leslie Crosbie. I missed 2/3 of the movie. I looked it up afterwards for more of the plot. Leslie cheats on her husband.  She falls  in love with another man. He is also married and loves his wife. she is just a moment.  Discovering this enrages Betty Davis.  Out of rage and anger, she kills this guy - shooting him 5 times - feeling she was lied to by this guy.

Her husband doesn’t know about the affair. He gets a great lawyer who gets her off in a trial on the grounds of self-defense.

After the trial, her husband finds out about all this.  He also finds out about The Letter. Her lawyer and Bette have to go to the wife of the man she killed to buy that letter - for $10,000. The Letter could be used to convict Bette.

I only saw some of the movie the other night, but I’ll try to catch the whole movie some time.

Without ruining the movie,  near the end it had some powerful lines and scenes.

One is this: Bette Davis’ husband - after finding out what had happened      -  says, “It’s amazing. You can be  married to someone for 10 years and you find out you do not know hardly anything about them.”

Another is this: Bette Davis’ husband says, “I could forgive you, but I have to know if you really love me.”

She says it.  Then she takes it back.  She falls apart and says how much she loved the man she murdered - and still loves him - and doesn’t love her husband.

CONCLUSION

When I read today’s two readings, the thoughts of this homily hit me.

In the first reading from the First Letter to John, we hear how much God loves us. We hear that God is love.  [Cf. 1 John 4: 7-10]

In today’s gospel from Mark we find out how far God will go for us - to feed us - to love us - to heal us - to watch over us. [Cf. Mark 6; 34-44]

Recalling the line from the movie, I believe God could say what Bette Davis’ husband says,  “It’s strange how  people can be with God for years without knowing how much God loves them.”    

Has God’s love overwhelmed you yet?  Amen.

Recommendation: Want to read a love letter to you?  Read the letter, called the First Letter of John, over and over again.