INTRODUCTION
The title of my homily for this Easter Wednesday is,
“Scripture Cling.”
We priests are in
the business of Scripture Cling.
We know what static cling is. Cloth sticks to cloth and
sometimes to skin.
We try to make scriptures cling to life’s experiences and
life’s issues.
When we read the scriptures for the next day – in order
to come up with a homily – all kinds of past sermons – come clinging with the
words – we just read.
These words and phrases have lots of scripture cling:
Salt - Salt of the earth,
Mile - Extra mile,
Cheek –Turn the other cheek,
Good – Good Samaritan,
Cross – Take up your cross.
Rule - Golden Rule
Judge – Judge not – but Judge
Judy is moving in.
Seven – Forgive 70 x 7 times.
Stone – Let him or her without
sin cast the first stone. –
Caesar – Salad and Render to
Caesar the things …..
Two cents – Put your two cents
in..
Martha - Martha and Mary
Water – Walk on it or change
water into wine.
TODAY’S GOSPEL
Today’s gospel –Luke 24: 13-35 - tells the Emmaus story – and we know it by
heart – maybe using it as the talking that goes on at every funeral – people
working their way and walking through the stories of the person who died to try to figure out the other person’s life.
I remember a high school retreat where the kids told me
about a nun they nicknamed, Sister Mary Emmaus
- because in every religion class she brought up the Emmaus story.
There’s a great Community Life question: What scripture
story, line, passage, clings to us. Tell us the story. Which scripture passage do we own.
I remember Frank Miles - a Jesuit – who told me he owned about 75
scripture texts.
He didn’t use the word “cling” but those 75 stories clung to him.
TODAY’S FIRST READING
Today’s first reading – Acts 3: 1-10 – triggers for me a
story about Father Matt Meaghan. A guy named Louis E. Pirnak was being made a
Redemptorist Oblate - up in our church, Most Holy Redeemer, Manhattan, Lower East Side. Father Matt was preaching at a Mass for the occasion. Matt chose today’s first reading from Acts –
saying Louis was very generous. “Silver and gold Louis had and he gave
generously to the Redemptorists and to a lot of other people.”
Check out the organ in our chapel downstairs. It was donated to San Alfonso Retreat House in
memory of Louis E. Pirnak and Anna Pirnak.
I remember all this whenever I hear this first reading and the words from
Peter to the crippled man, “Silver and gold
I don’t have, but what do have, I give you: in the name of Jesus Christs the
Nazorean, rise and walk.”
CONCLUSION
Now that’s what I mean by "Scripture Cling."
