FIGURING  OUT  WHERE  PAUL 

OR  JESUS  GOT  THEIR  MATERIAL 

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily is this: “Figuring Out Where  Paul  or  Jesus Got Their Material.”

When I read the readings of the day, I like to read them out loud and try to figure out the experience that triggered such a thought.

That’s the thought that hit me from the readings for today’s readings for this 23 Thursday in Ordinary Time.

FOR EXAMPLE

For example, today’s first reading is from Colossians 3: 12-17. Did Paul have  a complaint or a whine or a gripe about someone and then realize he had to forgive them? Did that have to happen  before he could write, "bearing with one another and forgiving another, if one has a grievance against another"?

For example, today’s gospel is from Luke 6: 27-38. Did Jesus see a stall keeper in the marketplace who always seemed to give extra to all his customers - and as a result, he got all kinds of return customers?

I said Mass in Asbury Park yesterday for some of Mother Teresa’s nuns. Father John McGowan had taken me to their convent last week so that I would know where they were. On the way back from our dry run, Father Jack  pointed out Frank's on our way back from the Sister's place. He said, “Frank's is the place where the guys get donuts.” So I went in yesterday and ordered 6 donuts and the lady gave me 7 saying the jelly donuts were still hot. The message Jesus took out of a market experience was: the measure with which we measure will be measured out to us.  I was seeing a lady with a big heart and gave me extra jelly donuts. Neat.

In today's gospel, Jesus talked about people who lent stuff and then got angry with people who didn’t make returns. Did Jesus notice some person who gladly lent their neighbor a wheel barrel or a ladder or a plow - but go crazy when the person wouldn't return it?

IN OTHER WORDS

In other words did Paul and Jesus sit back and think out lessons from their experiences. I figure that I've preached well over 5000 times - and I'm sure for the first 10 years I preached on what I read in books, but at some point I had to switch over to preaching from experiences.

Father Jack McGowan in driving me to your place here at Lincroft, last week when he was showing me how to get here said, "There are homilies everywhere, everyday, in every place. You just have to see them."

Last night in preparing this homily, I’m thinking about conversations we have at the dinner table.  A says Blue Oldsmobile. That triggers in B the words Blue Nun wine. That triggers in C, an  ­Immaculate Heart of Mary Nun who wears a blue habit. That triggers in D  a  friend who was in an Oldsmobile car accident.

Isn’t that how conversations and life happens?

So when I read the readings the night before I have a Mass in the morning I just read the readings out loud for myself a few times and all kinds of memories are touched.

So today's gospel talks about not judging, forgiving, loving enemies - now that's the tough one - compared to loving those who are good to us.

What triggered that thought for Jesus?

Today's first reading talks about gentleness and patience.

Would living with a brother who was rough on everyone - and had no patience trigger mentioning that in a letter.

THE NEXT STEP

So there are homilies everywhere.

When Jack McGowan took me on a tour on how to get to this place as well as Holy Cross in Rumson, I jotted down directions in this pad.

I took out this pad at breakfast with the jelly donuts yesterday and a visiting young priest says, "That's Andy's GPS. And it's made of paper."

I was thinking: did Jesus have something like a pad in his pocket when he worked in the carpenter shop or when he walked through the town’s market or when he made trips to the mountains near Capernaum? Did he do that in his 20's and think about what he recently saw: brothers not talking to each other and father's trying to bring about reconciliation.

CONCLUSION:

So my  homily thought for today has been: the readings for the day give us possible hints not only for us  homily thoughts but possible experiences the author had.

So the homilist as well as the readers as well as the hearers of the daily readings ought to  listening and try to  figure out what triggered what?