INTRODUCTION
The title of my homily is, “What’s He or She Like?”
That’s a question everyone asks at various times
throughout our lives.
“What’s he like?”
“What’s she like?”
EXAMPLES WHEN
WE ASK THE QUESTION
Your son or daughter announces they are dating someone.
“What’s he like?”
“What’s she like?”
You get a new pastor or a new boss or a new neighbor.
“What’s he like?”
“What’s she like?”
“What are they like?”
Your mom or dad gets remarried. What’s the new one like?
I was giving a priest retreat once. I’m babbling away with
a talk around 4 in the afternoon. A priest way back in right hand corner of
this big room holding about 90 priests
taps a priest on the shoulder in front of him - hands him a folded piece
of paper and whispers something to him and points to someone near the front of
the room. That priest does the same thing - passing the piece of paper - and
whispering - and the paper moved forwards. While speaking I’m watching this
note and this offertory procession moving towards the front. The
paper gets to a guy in the 4th row - who looks at the note - takes
out his ballpoint pen - writes something on the paper note and sends it back -
person to person. All this took about 5 minutes. It didn’t bother me - but it
did intrigue me. Interesting.
After the talk the original sender came up to me to sort
of apologize. He told me that they just heard they were getting a new bishop
and they were dying to find out about him. They knew the guy up in the 4th
row knew the bishop whom they were about to get and they wanted to know, “What
was he like?” Then he added that the guy in the front simply wrote, “Good guy!”
“What’s he like?”
“What’s she like?”
I remember being in a rectory basement with about 25
couples and kids enjoying a Super Bowl Game on TV. The highlight every year was
not the game but the commercials, the TV ads. I remember the one that got the
greatest reaction was a scene - I don’t remember what the commercial was for -
of two guys in an apartment. One says - “My new girlfriend is coming over with
her mom.” The other guy says, “What does
her mom look like?” The guy says, “I don’t know. I haven’t met her yet.” The
other guy says, “Well if you want to know what your girlfriend will look like
in 20 years, take a good look at her mother.”
The doorbell rings. The guy looks out the peephole and sees the face of
his girlfriend’s mom. Absolutely gorgeous and he gives with a great smile - a
thumbs up to his buddy. He opens the door and in comes his girlfriend and her
mom and dad - and her mom has a big…. Better not go any further behind that….
Well at that Super Bowl party, I noticed that here were mixed reactions to that TV commercial. Some
guys were laughing - some guys were very quiet.
“What’s he like?”
“What’s she like?”
How do we react to comments that trigger thoughts about
ourselves, or others, how we look, how
we are? Size and shape and personality?
What are we like?
Here’s a self test: Check three:
Sensitive?____ Aware?_____ Not aware? _____ Hurtful?
______ Listens? _____ Learns ______
Clown______ ? Prudent? ______ Smart?
_______
Stupid_________ Thoughtful_________
“What’s he like?”
“What’s she like?”
What am I like?
GOD? WHAT’S GOD
LIKE?
What’s God like?
If we read the scriptures, we’ll find out that there are
all kinds of descriptions of God - just as in the Koran and various other
sacred writings.
Today’s feast is, Christ the King. What kind of a king is Christ?
He was certainly not like King Saul or King David - kings
mentioned in today’s first reading - 2 Samuel 5:1-3
Last Wednesday - in the weekday gospel from Luke - we
heard the parable of the nobleman who went to a far country to obtain a
kingship. Before he left he gave 10 of his servants each a gold coin and told
them to trade with it till he gets back.
We also hear that this nobleman was despised. We also hear about him coming back
and asking each servant how each did. The first said, “Sir, your gold coin has
earned ten additional ones.” “Well done good servant,” the nobleman replied.
“You have been faithful in this very
small matter; take charge of ten cities.”
The second made 5 more and got charge of 5 cities. The next servant said
he was scared - scared of you - and because he was afraid - he stored the gold
coin away in a handkerchief. The nobleman got really angry - told his servants
to take that gold coin and give it to the guy with the 10. Then the parable has
the nobleman saying, “Now as for
those enemies of mine who don’t want me
as their king, bring them here and slay them before me.”
Uh oh! Is this mid-east way of thinking?
Uh oh! Is this the way some people see God?
If God is noble, if God is a king, if God is our Father,
what kind of person is God?
Do we have to die to find out?
As priest I’ve heard all kinds of descriptions about God?
I’ve heard all kinds of assumptions about God?
What is God really like? What’s been your experience of
God?
What is your image of Jesus? Is he the visible image of
the invisible God - as we heard in today’s second reading from Colossians 1:
12-20. If yes, the question still
remains: how you see Jesus? What is he like to you? What texts do you build
your image of Jesus on?
When I’m sitting with someone in counseling or what have
you, I sometimes ask: “Okay you die. You
meet God. What’s God like? What’s going to happen?”
There is often a pause right there.
It’s my experience that people often give God a good
report - but then comes the, “I hope so. I hope I’m right.”
If God is a Father, what kind of Father is God like?
Does how our own dad is make a difference?
If God is a Mother, and that image is in the scriptures,
and Pope John Paul I, described God that way, does how our own mom is make a
difference in our understanding of God?
What happens if mom is very tough and dad is a piece of
cake - or vice versa? How does that effect our image of God?
You’ve heard, I’ve heard 1,000 sermons - from deacons and
priests and preachers, does how they are make a difference.
CONCLUSION
How do I conclude this?
Be a thief…. Be a good thief.
Today’s gospel has the good thief on the cross saying,
“Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” And Jesus replies to him,
“Amen, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.” [ Cf. Luke
22:35-43.]
I noticed a lot of people made use of the holy doors in
this year of mercy. It ends this Sunday - more or less. So there will be no
more so called “Holy Doors of Mercy” for a while - but let’s hope our churches are always
places of welcome and places of mercy - please God forever.
However, the Stations of the Cross remain in all our churches.
I suggest whenever you come to church, sit under the 12th station
and say the prayer of the Good Thief. “Jesus remember me when you come into
your Kingdom” and hear Jesus say, “Today you will be with me in paradise.”
Then say, “But not yet, O God, not yet.”
Painting on top by Andrew Wyeth
