August  13,   2020

FORGIVENESS:

MORE  OR   LESS

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for this 19^th Thursday in Ordinary Time is, “Forgiveness:  More or Less.”

The gospel Matthew 18: 21 to 19:1 talks about forgiveness – so I figure I better look at forgiveness in this homily – and I better tie it in with peace the overarching theme of this year’s  retreat.

The first reading is from Ezekiel  12: 1-12.  He is a very interesting character to say the least. I’ve always thought about Ezekiel as a mime expert. 

Look up Marcel Marceau the great French  mime or pantomimist on Google. Or think about people statues you’ve seen on the streets of big cities – people dressed as the Statue of Liberty or a tree or Abraham Lincoln or what have you.

Mime is often silence – no words – so read the words of Ezekiel that way.

Someone said something like this,  “90% of communication is through the eyes and only 10 % is through the ears.”

Ezekiel seems to have known that.

[GESTURE: I don’t know. Maybe?]

Jesus is big with words – but he does paint pictures with his words – like today’s gospel about the man who is forgiven big time – and then goes out and won’t forgive little time.

We can picture him -  More or Less…..

Ezekiel is big with gestures – small skits and plays – like today’s first reading of him digging a hole in the wall in the night – but calling people to see him do his act – his skit - and then slipping through the hole in the wall with his baggage – and migrating elsewhere.

WORDS  ON  THE  BIG  WHITE  CARDBOARDS

I went through today’s first reading and today’s gospel and jotted down some of the words on big pieces of white cardboard – with words in bold black print.

Let me show them to you:

WALLS,  PAYBACK,  BAGGAGE,  HOLE,  EYES,  EARS,  EXILE MIGRATE, NIGHT,  DARKNESS,  BURDEN,  CAPTIVE,  DIG, PATIENCE,  ANGER, DEBT, HEART,  FORGIVE, LEAVE.

[I mime that I have these pieces of big white pieces of cardboard.]

NEXT  IMAGE:  CARDBOARD BOXES

I remember hearing a guy telling us in a talk something he had done.  He was transferred without warning from A to B.

Evidently he wasn’t happy with his change. He got his stuff to the new assignment, but he left about a dozen boxes outside his room – in the corridor.

He said that they remained there for about two years  – till one day – he brought them into his room.  Then he closed his door and looked at the boxes.  He said to himself: “Guess I wasn’t happy being changed to this place.”

Then he said he laughed.

NEXT  IMAGE: BAGGAGE  AT THE AIRPORT

I once went to the airport to pick someone up. I parked my car and went inside the terminal.  I was rather early, so  I sat down in a spot where I could see everything and everyone coming and going.

I love people watching at an airport.

I stationed myself in a seat where I could see people coming out from their flights – before headed for the baggage carousels downstairs.  It’s great watching people waiting for people – like I was.  Some had signs. When a group would come out into the terminal there would be people hugging and greeting each other.

Story…. Stories….  When was the last time the group or family or spouse or whoever saw this person who  is arriving by flight from somewhere over the rainbow?

I got a seat where I could also see people getting out of cars and grabbing wheels and carts to bring stuff from their cars into the terminal and head for the check-in counters.

Well I spot this lady getting out of cab. She grabs two of those carts with a platform for about 5 bags and  then a clothing rack for a lot of garment bags.

She was youngish so she was able to push one cart by one hand and pull the other cart by the other hand.

All together she had about 10 suitcases of various sizes and about 15 garment bags.

Where was she headed and for how long?

For good or to come back home again – if this was her home?

If she was coming back, would she have more or less?

I can still picture this gal going through life pushing and pulling her carts.

Life! 101

RETREAT HOUSE

People come on retreat to this retreat house with their suitcase or suitcases and maybe bags and maybe garment bags.

Will they go home with more or less than they arrived with.

QUESTION

Then there is what’s inside us.

What do we arrive with and what do we go home with?

More or less.

I’m still thinking of the person one of the guys mentioned in their talk.  An aunt held onto a gripe about getting a wedding invitation later than the others in the family and she ended up not talking to the other members of the family for 3 years.   

Then when she was invited to an anniversary she came back – without saying a word.

What was that about?

As priest I’ve heard similar stories dozens of time.

One of the questions in the examination of conscience or consciousness from Tuesday evening was something I’m still thinking about.  It was a good question – right in this area. The question: Is there anyone in my life back home still waiting for me to say, ‘I’m sorry!’”?

LIMA STAIRCASE

Last night I came down here to this chapel and counted the steps.

I was hoping there would be 1 step from the body of the church into the sanctuary.

There are two steps.

When I was preaching in all kinds of parishes around Ohio and the rest of the country,  I noticed in many grammar schools they had staircases with words on them – words you would see face to face as you walked up the stairs.

Just one word at a time: faith, hope, charity, patience, courage, understanding, respect.

Well, if I had a can of white paint and I could paint one word on the face of these two steps, what words would I paint.

Since the theme of the retreat is PEACE, I would paint the word PEACE.

Since the theme of this talk is FORGIVENESS, I would paint the word FORGIVENESS.

I would add that PEACE is the goat, the end, the hope and FORGIEVENSSS is the means, the way, to get there.

Notice in today’s gospel, Jesus says to forgive 77 times.

Remember Jesus also said if you’re coming to the altar and you got something against a brother or a sister, first go and be reconciled with your brother or sister and then come an offer your gift at the altar. [Confer Matthew  5:23.]

CONCLUSION

Enough already ….

The last sentence in today’s gospel is, “When Jesus finished these words, he left Galilee and went to the district of Judea across the Jordan.”

I hope you go home with less of the heavy stuff and more of the good stuff.