September 3, 2022 

Reflection

THE  CRY  FOR  OTHERS

At times it's nice to be alone.

But when we're alone and we don't want to be alone, then we wonder, "Where is everybody?:

When another is supposed to be there and he or she isn't, it's then we sometimes cry.

The baby does it in the crib.

The old do it in the nursing home.

The husband does it when his wife is dying of cancer in the  hospital room and he sees the whole empty future without her before him.

The teenage boy does it when he is dumped by his girl friend.

The cry for others is to respond - to wake up - to reach out - to grow up- to stop drinking too much - to stop overeating - and a hundred other cries.

Why tears?

What do tears produce?

A feel.... I feel like I'm doing something. I'm responding in some way.

I cry. Therefore I am.

I cry. Tears stop you for a moment and you know I'm here.

I cry and you know I exist.

I scream - and I stop traffic and the dance.

I cry and the other starts to think.

I cry. Therefore, you think. 

 September 3, 2022

Thought for Today

"The devil is an angel too."

Miguel de Unamuno [1864-1936]

Two Mothers

 September 2. 2022

Reflection

THE CRY  FOR  GOD

Everyone's prayer is, "De Profundis."

Out of  my depths - from my depths - especially when I feel an ocean of water - or doubts - or debts - or problems - are churning around me - and I have nothing or no one to grab onto.

De Profundis ....

Psalms 130 is everyone's prayer.

Is God in a helicopter hovering over a sinking ship - tossing down a rope or a basket to grab onto or get into.

Did the Jews have it right when they told the story of the baby Moses put in a basket - and sent out into the waters - and then that Moses is saved - and grows up - and then leads his people through the waters - to escape, to exit Egypt - for freedom.

Everyone screams out, "Oh my God!" - "OMG" - "Jesus Christ" - "Holy Moses" - "God, where are You" - or "Holy shit" - when disaster strikes.

The cries for God are many.

There are atheists in foxholes.

There are agnostics in foxholes.

There are people of faith in foxholes.

People scream.

People in foxholes scream.

Some for God.

The screams for God are shoutest loudest when the mud or the moment we are in - becomes what we don't expect and don't want.

Out of the depths I cry to you, O God.

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  PSALM  130  !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Out of the depths I cry to You, O God.

Lord. hear my cry.

Let Your ears be attentive to my cry for mercy.

If You, Lord, kept an account of my sins, who, O Lord, could hold up one's head.

But in You is forgiveness - therefore You are revered.

I wait for the Lord with all my soul

My hope is the fulfillment of God's word.

My soul waits for the Lord more eagerly than watchmen wait for the morning.

Like those who watch for the morning, O Israel, look for the Lord.

The Lord is love unfailing; great is his power to set us free.

He alone will set Israel free from all their sins.

September 2, 2022

Thought for Today 

"Over all, rocks, wood, and water. brooded the spirit of repose, and the silent energy of nature stirred the soul to its inmost depths."

Thomas Cole [1801-1848

Essay on American Scenery [1835]

September 1.  2022

Reflection

THE  CRY  OF  GOD

Is God one loud cry, so loud, we can't here it; so long, we're deaf to it?

Babies cry when they need.

One moment they are okay.

The next moment they cry - anywhere, anytime.

They simply want what they want when they want it.

The prophets in the Hebrew Scriptures are God's cry - God's cry for fairness, God's cry for awareness, God's cry for an end to crazy prayer and meaningless worship.

To stand in the dark - in the dark outside - to look into the night sky - to see as far as I can see - to stand there and to listen - till we hear God speaking - God whispering - God shouting

God will speak. God will scream. God will whisper. God will cry.

Listen.

Sit. Lie down. Close one's eyes. Be alone. Listen to God within and without. Pulsating. Weeping. Screaming - streaming - the words: "You are your brother's keeper. You are your sister's keeper."

God still hears, when we hear.

God still is, when we are the word made flesh in the here and now.

Jesus still goes about doing good, when we go about doing good.

Jesus still heals, when he hear and heal and help.

Jesus still feeds, when we feed.

Jesus still changes water into wine, when we change water into wine.

Jesus still forgives, when we forgive.

Jesus still brings peace, when we are peacemakers.

Jesus is the Cry of God, when I am the Cry of God.

I am the Cry of God.

 

 September 1. 2022

Th0ught  for Today

"I would rather believe that God did not exist than believe he was indifferent."

George Sand

[Amandine Aurore Lucile Dupin,

Baronne Dudevant] 1804-1876

 

INFLUENCES:

HOW’D I GET TO BE

THE ME I GOT TO BE?

 

The title of my homily is for this 22 Wednesday in Ordinary Time is, “Influences: How’d I Get to Be the Me I Got to Be?”

To me that’s a great question. 

Hopefully, if we spend time and prayer – yes prayer – yes more pondering - we’ll come up with some good answers to that question.

The question came to me after reading today’s first reading – just a part of the 3^rd Chapter of 1^st Corinthians 3: 1-9.

Paul is talking about the building up of the Christian Church at Corinth.

It seems there is a fight or a struggle going on between those who liked Paul and those who liked Apollos. Some said, “I belong to Paul” and some said, “I belong to Apollos.” That indicates some kind of conflict.

If you read the 4 gospels – and the Acts of the Apostles – and the Letters of Paul and John, you’ll pick up hints and comments – that there were personal struggles going on between people – in the early church.

I like to ask people which of the 4 gospels do they like the most.

I like to ask people which of the 4 gospels influenced them the most.

Of course, we should step back a step and say what Paul would say, “It’s Christ! Have the mind of Christ as we heard in yesterday’s first reading.”

I like to ask people: “Whom did we get the gift of faith from?”

Mom? Dad? A grammar school nun? A priest? A parish? A community? A retreat? A book? An author? A tragedy? A death? St. Alphonsus?

We as priests should ponder whom we’re imitating?  Whose sounds are we making? Whose sermons are we echoing?

I was taking a long car ride trip once. I grabbed at the last minute some audio tapes from way back when. Surprise! I’m driving along, I’m listening to a tape on which John McCall the Jesuit tells a story.  It was a cassette tape I hadn’t listened to for 25 years. I laughed at myself because I’m listening to a story that I thought I had made it up. Nope. Not me. It was John’s story. So, thank you John for your story. Or was it yours?

Ooooooh!  Ooooops. We borrow from each other.

I always loved the words from Tennyson in his poem, “Ulysses!” iin which he says, “I am part of all that I have met.”

A couple of months ago, I watched a 55 minute tape of Dolly Parton, Linda Ronstadt, and Emmylou Harris. They tried to do an album together  in 1976-77 and it just didn’t work. Then they did it again 10 years later – 1987 - and it was wonderful this second time.

On that tape, they talked about their roots, their stories, their development.  They talked about who influenced them. Joan Baez, Bob Dylan and Pete Seeger were part of Emmylou Harris career, She didn’t come from a singing family – but she had a great voice. She got  into Rock – then country – meeting and singing with lots of people.

Emmylou Harris met Gram Parsons – who found her – and taught her so much – till he died from an overdose of drugs. Parson’s dad committed suicide and his mom died early of alcohol poison. Those were profound moments and experiences in their lives.

Linda Ronstadt and Dolly Parton grew up with music in their growing up – Dolly in Tennessee and Linda in Arizona.

It got me thinking.  I couldn’t help but wonder about whose preaching  - whose writings – whose conversations – whose life formed my life.

Enough….

A conclusion for this homily: it would be gratitude, more pondering, more prayer, more reading, more conversations about my opening question and the title of this homily: “Influences: How’d I Get to Be the Me I Got to Be?”

Whoever you are: Thank you!

August 31, 2022

Reflection

HIBERNATE

It was winter.

I found myself saying, "I'm tired."

I found myself saying, "It's cold."

I found myself saying, "I need to hibernate."

Then I laughed  - trying to remember if the Latin word that sounds like "hibernate" means "winter".  It does. "Hibernare" is the Latin verb for "to pass the winter".

Do bears have it right? Even though they wear those big fur coats, do they know the importance of hibernation?

Does the human body know we must sleep more - bundle up - hide - get under the covers - in the cold weather?

I know I don't get enough sleep - but do I need more sleep - in the winter?

Living in a 4 season zone on the planet, I have learned to appreciate each season - so bring on the cold - bring on the chill - bring on the ice breaking Spring - the March winds, the April showers - the hot summer - the Autumn leaves - the Prima Nix [Latin for the first snow of winter].

Balance: the seasons teach me balance.

Variety: the seasons teach me variety.

Deja Vu: every year  the seasons teach me repetition.  I've been here before - a year older - hopefully knowing cycles, circles, that much better.

Variety - repetition - getting used to - the experience of learning by experience.

Sleep and dreaming - walking while figuring - working to  make my dreams come true.

My body ages - with the seasons - with the years - and I need to settle in at times for long winter naps - knowing  some night will be the long sleep.

Bears wake up.

All of us need to wake up.

We need to know that the Resurrection and new life - is always on the other side of the lake.

 

August 31, 2022

Thought for Today

"We cannot tear out a single page of our life,   but we can throw the whole book in the fire."

George Sand

[Amandine Aurore Lucile Dupin,

Baronne Dudevant] 1804-1876

in Mauprat [1837]

 

DIFFICULT  SURGERY

VISIBLE AND INVISIBLE  REALITIES

 

The title of my thoughts for this 22 Tuesday in Ordinary Time  is: "Difficult Surgery - Visible and Invisible Realities."

 

Today’s readings are excellent because they both talk about the Spirit – the Spiritual – the deep inner invisible stuff inside all of us.

 

A surgeon, a MRI, a X-ray technician, or a sonar person in a hospital can see what’s inside a person. So too we can see what’s in a person’s wallet.

 

But, it’s the inner stuff – the invisible stuff – that’s tricky. We don’t see inner realities  till we spend some good time with each other.

 

St. Paul in today’s wonderful text from 1^st Corinthians – chapter 2 – talks about the Spirit of God. Listen to this sentence: “And we speak about them not with words taught by human wisdom, but with words taught by the Spirit, describing spiritual realities in spiritual terms.”

 

The Holy Spirit is the great teacher in the classroom called Life.

 

St. Paul says the natural man does not accept what pertains to the Spirit of God. Paul says that he sees that as foolishness, He cannot understand it.

 

In today’s gospel a man walks into the synagogue in Capernaum.

 

At first he’s part of the crowd. People can see him by his height, shape, clothes. They see the outer man.

 

Then the inner man starts screaming.  Luke tells us he has unclean demons inside of him.

 

Listen to this statement in today’s gospel from Luke: this man cries out in a loud voice, “What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth?  Have you come to destroy us. I know who you are – the Holy One of God.”

 

The Holy One of God – Jesus of Nazareth – sees what’s inside of us,  It’s the invisible stuff – our invisible realities. He can come to the inside of us and surgeon out the demons we have and enhance our gifts.

 

He has come to restore us – not destroy us.

 

What we need to do is to come into this synagogue – this upper room -  and let Jesus see and hear our spirits and our demons: a spirit of gratitude or the demon of ingratitude, a spirit of healthy anger or the demon of nasty anger about our everyday things we can’t control, the spirit of forgiveness and kindness or the demon of revenge and holding onto.

 

We need to let Jesus of Nazareth help us with envy, jealousy, pride, pain in the buttness, horses rear view mirrorness, etc., etc., etc.

 

In the last few years, I’ve heard politicians and others talk about giving our better angels the dance floor.

 

Last night I looked up who used and liked and proclaimed that image of better angels.  Lincoln gets big credit. But I read that he borrowed it from Dickens who used it in Barnaby Rudge.

 

So whoever, we need the grace to let our better angels dance inside us – and come out of us to fill the rooms we enter each day with the Peace and kindness of Jesus. Amen.

 August 30, 2022

Reflection

EXIT  SIGNS

Did people look for exit signs long before there were exit signs?  Long before they could read?

We get on the plane and there they are: Emergency Exits.

We go to a movie and there they are up front or off to the side, Exit signs.

We hope we never need them - but if there is a fire - or a crash - we want to be near one.

Sometimes the conversation is too long or too "itchy" or "whining" or "boring" and we start to look for exit signs. We look at our watch. We pick up our glass. We stretch. We stand up - if we were sitting.

We've been at the job - marriage - a relationship - too long. We want out.

Jesus left town at Nazareth - before they could throw him out of town.

Jesus forced people to drop rocks and leave the crowd of attackers.

Jesus told people whom he healed to go home and enjoy the rest of your lives with your families.

Jesus was always on the move - shaking dust from his feet - and the Pharisees and Scribes - saw his back and were filled with anger.

Jesus went out into the night - at the Last Supper.

Death is the last exit.

Is Resurrection the second best entrance?

We have to make an exit to hear and experience the answer to that question.

 August 30, 2022

Thought for Today

"There's only one real sin, and that is to persuade oneself that the second-best is anything but the second-best."

Doris Lessing [1919- ]

The Golden Notebook [1962]

 August 29, 2022

Reflection

CAR  RIDES

Car rides together became the main metaphor of his life - without knowing that it did.

He drove alone to work ....

Together with his girl friend in his first car - it cost just $1,ooo - an old Pinto - dark blue - noisy rattle inside - never did figure out what caused it.

Together on weekends after they got married - a better car of course - when going to see friends, parents, family ....

But the metaphor really rolled in when he and his wife and their four kids went together to parents - and he  yell out, "I need you. Is there a map there. I'm looking for Route 435.

And then when his parents were really getting older and sick - and they had to drive to Rhode Island - every other weekend - and their kids were gone.

She would be knitting - he thinking about their life time - and the times of their lives together.

Sometimes good silence together - sometimes good talks together - good understandings together - these car rides together.

They winked at each other - when other couples said thy hated car time together - she always yelling, "You're too close to the car in front of you."  He really hated her constant refrain, "Slow down!"

Car - a metaphor of freedom - that first car he had when he was off to college.

Car - a metaphor of time together - now a Volvo - their old age car together as retired folks.

Let the good times roll.

 August 29,  2022

Thought for Today

"I know nothing except the fact of my ignorance."

Socrates

in Diogenes Laertius, 

Lives of the Philosophers,

Book 2, section 32.

 August 28, 2022

Reflection

ACT  YOUR  AGE

We know what it means when we heard as kids,  "Act your age!"

What about 67?

We see or hear about men - but also some women - who switch back to act 20 years younger and they have what is called "The Mid-life Crisis."

What about 67?

How does someone who is 67 or 70 act?

We hear that retirement age might be delayed.  We hear that it's good to keep on working, if we can. We hear that second careers are a smart move for health - both physical and mental health.

What about 67?

I love to meet people in their 70's who are alive and young at heart.

How about people in their 80's?

Victor  is 94 - and he sleeps more -  but he seems to be very much alive mentally. And he takes a good walk every day.  He still drives.  His wife Nancy is in her 70's. That helps.

Act your age.

Jesus says, "Unless you be like little children, you won't see the kingdom of God."

Someone said that a person who stays, "young at heart" can be called "Kingdom Person",  Is that true?

What does it mean to be young at heart - to be a child at heart?

Watch children.

Watch their sense of imagination - play - scream for fairness, etc.

I want that. 

Amen. 

At 67, 87, and 97.

August 27,  2022

Reflection 

CONSEQUENCES

"There are consequences!"

That's one of life's top ten truisms.

"There are consequences."

If you drink a lot of alcohol, you can crash a car, say the wrong thing, or wake up in a place you have no idea where you are and how you got there.

If you order sushi, you get sushi.

If you order steak, you get steak.

If you become pregnant, there are consequences.

If you walk a half-an-hour every day, there are consequences,

If you don't walk, there are consequences.

If you lie, there are consequences.

If you tell the truth, there are consequences.

They say the teenage brain lacks physical "something" and as a result they can mess up the consequences of their choices and actions.

Us older folks often don't stop to think that this other person - especially a teenager thinks differently than I think.

How do we get kids to stop before they act - and ask, :What are the consequences of A or B or C or D?"

Trusting in the principle of  cause and effect - i.e.:  there are consequences, maybe just repeating over and over again, "There are consequences" will bring about good consequences.

 August 28, 2022

Thought for Today

"At 50, everyone has the face he deserves."

George Orwell (1903-1950)

Last words in his notebook, April 17, 1949

in Collected Essays, Journalism and Letters ...

(1968) vol. 4

 August 26, 2022

SELF  RECONSTRUCTION 

If we can self-destruct, we can self-reconstruct.

New Orleans was recently based by a big storm. It will come back. It always has. How fast? How much? How? We'll see.

People recover from drugs and drink.

N.I.H. has come up with a good pill for AIDS.

More research and more testing is in progress.

The cut can heal. The leg can mend. The marriage can improve.

There is atrophy and entrophy - but there is also new beginnings and new life.

Then there are the buds and leaves of Spring.

Saul fell to the ground and stood up a humbled man.

Counseling helps some people.

12 Step Programs help some people.

Prayer helps.

God helps.

Streets are repaired - sometimes totally redone.

It takes time for consstruction and reconstruction.

There is the second draft in writing.

There's editing and re-editing.

Disgrace happens - grace can appear.

Hail Mary full of Grace.

December 8, 2006

St. Mary's Upper Chapel

7:50 A.M.

 August 27, 2022

Thought for Today

"The Lord has more truth yet to break forth out of his holy word."

John Robinson [1586-1625]

alleged address to the departing pilgrims, 1620

August 26, 2022

Thought for Today 

"No one can make you feel inferior without your consent."

Eleanor Roosevelt  [1884-1962]

Catholic Digest, 1962

August 25, 2022

Reflection 

SELF-DESTRUCTION

Does every person have a tendency to self-destruct - at least a a tiny bit from time to time.

We do self-destruct.

We are going to die - at some point.

We certainly can fight it - by exercise and good eating habits.

We can also wallow in couches and stuff our bodies with chips and dips.

The Berlin Wall came down. The Iron Curtain opened.

Surprise! Islam appears. Threats happen. September 11 becomes a big moment on our calendars.

We go to confession. We come out refreshed.

Then deja vu appears again and again and again.

There is a crack in everything - eventually.

Everything and everyone has a fatal flaw.

We have our Achilles Heel.

St. Paul in his letter to the Romans articulated this clearly in Chapter 7 verse 15.

We hurt the ones we love.

We damage our relationships at times.

We slip and slide from time to time.

The banana gets bruised and turns brown.

Tsunamis, tidal waves, floods, hit us - and we stand in the water or the water's edge as we feel the unsure of life.

Words clan become daggers.

Comments can cut and even crush.

To be human is to be caught in sin and grace.

We can also do well.

Hail Mary, full of Grace.

December 8, 2006,

St. Mary's Annapolis,

Upper Chapel, 7:45 A.M.

 August 25, 2022

Thought for Today

"Perhaps it is no wonder that women were first at the Cradle and the Cross.  They had never known a man like this man  -  there has never been such another ... who never made jokes about them, never treated them either as 'The woman, God help us', or 'The ladies, God bless them!"

Dorothy Sayers, in J. Morley 

and H. Ward {eds} Collecting Women  

(1986) attributed,

 August 24, 2022

Thought for Today

"Many people  believe that  they are attracted by God, or by Nature, when they are only repelled by man."

William Ralph Inge 

More Lay Thoughts of a Dean (1931) pt. 4, ch. 1

 August 24, 2022

Reflection

DOG  BITES  MAN

I had an interesting dream last night.

I wake up -  remembering this part of the dream. I'm in Brooklyn and I'm in a car with two kids.

The kid who is driving opens up the window. 

We go by a white poodle like dog.

The driver slows down and starts saying things to the dog.

The dog leaps at the car window.

Halfway through the open window the dog is biting me on the left side of my face. His teeth are grabbing my left cheek. 

I'm sitting in the right front seat of the car.

I say, "Roll up the window!"

I'm wondering if it's a roll up window or are there buttons?

Realizing it's buttons I say, "Push it up!"

If he pushes the window up half way, we can capture the dog. He can prevent it from falling into the car or onto the street.

Then I say, "Get me to the hospital for a rabies shot!"

I add, "I think Lutheran Hospital is that way."

Instead, the kid is driving towards 95 Street.

I then think of Victory Memorial Hospital where I was born. Maybe we can see a Blue Hospital Sign for Victory - but I say again, "Lutheran is down by the water - around 44 to 48 Street."

I wake up thinking about the dream. Then I wonder about whether this kid is under 18.

I wake up thinking that in the dream I realized we have the dog who bit me in the car. That might be helpful in finding out about rabies.

I wake up thinking about last night. I come into the common room and John Hamrogue is watching ZTV - but surfing.

He asks, "Anything you want?"

I said, "No."

So he has on something - switching- switching - and then he says, "Do you want the college basketball game?

It's Bucknell vs. Wake Forest and I said, "Okay."

We're watching it for about 4 minutes.

Then he switches  and surfs - without asking.

He goes by Frontline - which triggers, "This is the program mentioned in the paper about Jim Wet - and the program I heard mentioned on NPR the other day - and the question was, "Is this entrapment?"

He's watching it and when he figures out what it is - he wants to switch - I'm not sure if there was a comment.

He says, "Man bites dog."

And then comes the gesture of putting the clicker on someone else's chair.

He does that and walks out.

I watched the rest of the program on Jim West. It was quite interesting. I also like Frontline for its documentaries.

Did his walking out - after the comment, Man bites dog" find its way into my dream.

Was I supposed to bite the dog?

Did the Frontline part of the story about Jim West in the ca with the one kid triggering the kids in the car part of my dream

Life is funny.

You might never know what you're biting into till you dream.