CHEWING ON THAT

 
 INTRODUCTION
 
The title of my homily is, “Chewing on That.”
 
In today’s first reading from the book of Revelation,  we have a familiar message and a scene we can easily picture.  John hears a voice from heaven. It says, “Take the scroll and eat it – chew on it - digest it – get it into your stomach – and then speak to the nations from your gut!”
 
We heard that same message from Ezekiel the Prophet. It’s in Chapter 3 of the Ezekiel scroll - verses 1, 2, and  3.
 
In both readings we hear that the scroll  will taste as sweet as honey – but in Revelation – a change occurs from Ezekiel – that what is digested – what is eaten – becomes sour.
 
Interesting.  Is that put there because the message that needs to be proclaimed in John’s Revelation is tough stuff – a mighty challenge?
 
A CHALLENGE
 
Instead of seeing the Bible as one book – or 60 or 70 scrolls – see it as  lots and lots of words and scenes and images. Take it a bite at a time. See it as different words.  In the Hebrew Bible there are 419, 687 words and in the Greek New Testament there are 138, 647 words. That’s a lot of words.
 
Chew the words. Digest them.  Savor them. Taste them. Bite into them. Swallow.  Absorb. Stomach them.  Ponder. Ruminate on the word.  Let them nourish you.
 
Let the words  become flesh!  Let the words become you.
 
You can’t eat – you can’t swallow – the whole Bible – all at once.
 
It’s hard enough  to digest both readings from weekday Masses – or the 3 readings we hear on Sundays.
 
As you might  know – if you have been blessed to have been invited and you attended a Bar or Bat Mitzvah – the kid being confirmed goes up to the tabernacle, opens it up, and takes out one of the many scrolls in that box - or someone hands it to them.
 
They carry it down and head for a pulpit. They unroll the scroll – and put their finger or a bronze or gold pointer on a text and read it out in Hebrew.
 
It’s a text they picked. It’s a text they memorized. It’s a text they studied. It’s a text that summarizes their hopes and dreams and vision for their  life.
 
We saw Jesus do just that in the Gospel of Luke – chapter 4.He goes back to his home town of Nazareth. He enters the synagogue. They hand him a copy of the Scroll of Isaiah.  He reads Isaiah 61:
 
“The spirit of the Lord has been given to me.
He  has anointed me to bring  good news to the poor,
to proclaim liberty to captives,
sight to the blind,
to give the  stepped-on freedom,
and to proclaim a year of favor from the Lord.”
 
When we hear that scene – when we picture that scene – when we chew on that scene and text – it too – like any text - can become us.
 
A challenge for you today. You’re in this house of prayer – like we heard in today’s gospel. If you could pick out – if you could  read out one text – one scripture text – that is you – that you have chewed upon  – stomached – digested – and have been nourished by – or challenged by – what would that one text be?
 
It’s you.
 
By naming it, you will be telling yourself a lot about yourself.
 
CONCLUSION
 
Mine is Galatians 6:2,  “Bear or carry one another’s burdens and in this way, you will fulfill the law of Christ.”