[Read theGospel story for today's Mass: Luke 13: 10-17]
This is a simple meditation that I wrote this morning - instead of
a homily for this 30th Monday in Ordinary Time.
Begin by breathing. Become aware of your breathing.
Breathe in through your nose. Hold it. Then breathe out through your
lips. Hold the emptiness - all the way down to your tight
tummy. Breathe in. Hold your breath - tight
chest. Breathe out. Hold the emptiness.
Next: close your eyes. [Pause]
Become silent. [Pause]
Hear the silence. [Pause]
Eyes still closed…. [Pause]
Sitting there - be aware of your back and your
bones. [Pause]
Straighten up - feel your butt on the bench - and your back up
straight - up against the back of your bench. [Pause]
Keep breathing in [hold it] - breathing out.[Pause]
Eyes still closed - picture Jesus standing behind you - putting
his hands on your shoulders. Relax.[Pause]
Next hear Jesus asking you: “What are you holding on to … what’s
weighing you down …. Is there something on your back - in your being -
something that happened to you - something you did or said - 18 months or 18
years ago - or a long time ago?”[Pause]
Then hear Jesus says to you, “Let me take this sin,
this situation, this experience, this memory, this other person -
off your back - and don’t let it weigh you down - keep you down
- hold you down - any longer.” [Pause]
“Let me be the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of your world.
Amen.”
October 30, 2017
TODAY
Stop. Be. Sit and see. Sit and listen. Sit and taste the morning of a new day. Tell God, "Thanks for another day." Sip some tea or coffee. Hear God say, "All is good."
The title of my homily for this 30th Sunday in
Ordinary Time [A] is, “Catholic?
Noun or Adjective?
This sermon or homily might be confusing or a head scratcher. You might
find yourself thinking once or twice or more, “What the heck is he talking
about?”
My hope is you’ll do some thinking about what it means to
be catholic (adjective) or a Catholic (noun).
I get this question from today’s readings. But before I get to them, I want to add that I also got this question from C.S. Lewis’s
book, Mere Christianity.
But he applies it to the word, “Christian.” He asks, “Christian: noun or adjective?”
He prefers Christian to be a noun - and one is a
Christian if one is baptized.
C. S. Lewis then says we often use the word “Christian” as an adjective. For example, we say things like, “I wasn’t
being very Christian the other day - on the way I treated a person at work.”
C.S. Lewis would
prefer Christian to be used as a noun. Then if we are going to make a judgment
on a Christian, then we use adjectives like “good… bad … practicing … fallen away…” with the
noun “Christian”.
Next, in this homily I’m thinking of the word, “Catholic” - mainly as a noun. My main hope is
that we be good Catholics.
Yet we’ve all heard catholic used as an adjective. We’ve all heard people
describe themselves as a, “Catholic Christian.”
I would hope that
if people use catholic as an adjective - they would also use it as a noun and ask
themselves, “Am I a catholic Catholic?”
CATHOLIC
We all know the roots of the word, “catholic”.
Knowing that we can grasp “catholic” as an adjective as
well as a noun.
“Kata” is a Greek prefix
which means “with”. “Holos” is the Greek word for “whole”.
So a Catholic means being one with the whole world -
being one with all people - being open to all people - thinking universal - thinking global - and if we do that - if we
respect all people - then we’re living up to our name.
Tough task. Tough going.
Difficult to do.
Understanding - labeling oneself as a Catholic is what
I’m saying here. Then add the descriptive adjectives as in, “Fallen away
Catholic.” Or “practicing Catholic.” Then
we say things like, “I am a Roman
Catholic.” Or - when checking into a hospital, we state to the question of
religion: “Catholic.”
I am a Catholic - in case of an accident - please call a
priest.
ST. MARY’S
RECTORY
Last week we priests here at St. Mary’s went up to our
retreat house in New Jersey for a convocation for our Redemptorist Baltimore
Province.
We Redemptorists are growing in South America - Africa -
and Asia - and declining in Europe and the United States and Canada.
Last week I looked around and saw a great cast of
characters. I looked around and I saw a
lot of different shades of brown. I looked around and I saw a lot of people of various ages and
shapes - hair and no hair. I listened to
people with different accents - and different theologies and philosophies and
ways of doing and seeing life.
Take the Redemptorists here at St. Mary’s - here in our
rectory on Duke of Gloucester Street - whom you experience if you come here for
Mass in this parish on a regular basis.
We have Father William Guri from Zimbabwe in Africa. He’s
part time - because he’s going to school to get his doctorate in pastoral
counseling at Loyola of Baltimore.
We now have Father Luyen Dau who came to America from
Vietnam when he was around 17.
When I eat with them I hate to say, “What did you say?”
when I don’t get what they are saying - with their accents.
We now have Father Ronald Bonneau from Vermont. He’s one
of the many French Canadian background folks in New England - people who came
down from Quebec for work, when work was scarce up there. He was working in
Toronto the last few years in our Novitiate. He spent a good bit of his life as
priest in Paraguay.
We have Father Micky Martinez from Paraguay who does most
of the Latino work here - but does some English Masses and a day of Duty. His
first language is Guarani Indian in Paraguay. Spanish is his second language -
but he also speaks English and Italian and maybe more languages.
Father David Verghese is of India Indian background. His parents
are doctors from India. They settled down in South County, Maryland. Most
Indian Catholics are in the Kerala area of India.
There’s more. We have Father Olive who is in residence.
He’s of French and St. Thomas, Virgin
Island background.
Father Pat Flynn is still on our roster - but time will
tell if he gets back - with his health problems. He’s from South Africa - with
Lebanese and Irish roots.
Father Tizio is from Brooklyn with Italian background -
his dad coming from Sicily.
Father Eric Hoog is of Hungarian background and
Philadelphia background. He has worked in the Islands of the Caribbean - as
well as a Naval chaplain all over the world.
Father Joseph Krastel is from Baltimore and is of German
Background. He has worked up here the United States and down in the Caribbean.
Father Charlie Hergenroeder is of German ancestry and is
from Baltimore. He has worked in Brazil and up here in the States.
And I’m from Brooklyn, but my mom and dad are from Galway
- on the water - Ireland - and they spoke Gaelic - but didn’t teach it to us.
I mention all these names and a tiny bit about who these
men are - because it’s so varied - as in an group of people.
I consider it a blessing that I have been stationed with
and met so many Redemptorists of lots of different backgrounds. It’s an
education living and working with people of such diverse background. That’s the
heart of my talk today.
I think it has made me more catholic - adjective.
Driving up to New Jersey for that big time meeting we had last week, Father Joe Krastel and I stopped at the rest
stop on 95 just before the Delaware Memorial Bridge. I said to Joe, “If anyone
wants to see how America is, just grab a seat at this rest stop and look
around: Chinese, Latino, Gringo, and a lot more people of all kinds of
backgrounds: Muslim, Red Neck, folks in
wheel chairs - young, old, trucks,
buses, Lexus and Smart Cars.
MAJOR QUESTIONS
How have you been challenged - changed - by the different
people you have met and interacted in your life?
Do we have a narrow or a broad view of who we are
interested in, comfortable with, talk with on a regular basis?
Are we xenophobic - that is scared of people from
elsewhere?
We are citizens of a specific country; are we in favor of our country broadening
itself - taking in a lot of different people from different cultures?
How do we see the Catholic Church [Catholic being used as
an adjective there]?
TODAY’S
READINGS
Now we can revisit today’s readings.
Today’s first reading from Exodus begins with this
message: “You shall not molest or oppress an alien, for you were once aliens yourselves
in the land of Egypt.
It challenges us to be respectful, decent, hospitable,
towards people we interact with.
Are we?
How many times have we thought and talked about the
immigrant, the alien, the different from us?
What was the tone and themes of those conversations.
Just read the Letters to the Editor in any United States’
newspaper.
If a priest says what Pope Francis says about caring for
refugees, immigrants, illegal aliens, when he voices comments about walling out
people, I guarantee he’ll be blasted as
being political - using the “bully pulpit” and he get turned into the bishop.
In today’s second reading from the First Letter of St. Paul to the Thessalonians - perhaps the
earliest New Testament document - we hear how the Early Church - was made up of
folks from many different places - for example, Macedonia, Achaia. We heard Paul saying that we have to learn
how to imitate him. In another letter he says that he’s imitating Christ. [Cf.
1 Corinthians 11:1.]
Read all the letters of Paul - as well as the Acts of the
Apostles - as we hear about how people couldn’t tolerate each other - struggled
with different cultures - and manners.
In today’s gospel we have the moment someone asked Jesus
point blank, “Which is the most important commandment?”
This scene appears in 3 gospels, but each time it’s a
different person who asks Jesus that question.
In today’s gospel (Matthew), it’s a Pharisee, a scholar, who asks Jesus the
question. In Mark it’s a scribe - those
who could write. In Luke it’s a lawyer.
The Gospels mention all kinds of groups in Palestine in
the time of Jesus: Pharisees, Sadducees, Levites, Scribes, Lawyers, Gerasenes,
Romans, Publicans, the Sanhedrin, the Canaanites, etc., etc., etc.
Notice that we all sub-group. We all join our groups for comfort and
protection and security - and the need to be a member of some group.
And sub-groups use all kinds of tricks to wall people in
and out.
And way before the Wall Pusher wants walls on our
borders, St. Paul talked about walls being broken [Cf. Ephesians 2:14], and the
gospels talk about Jesus coming through walls [Cf. John 20:19-21]. And the Book
of Joshua - Chapter 6 - talked about the walls of Jericho come tumbling down.
And our own Robert Frost in his poem Mending Wall - gave us a poem that folks don’t realize sums up both
sides of the wall building controversy, He begins, “Something there is that
doesn’t love a wall.” Then again his
neighbor says, “Good fences make good neighbors.”
Jesus simply says, “The greatest commandment is to love
the lord our God, with all our heart, with all our soul and with all your mind.
This is the greatest and the first commandment and the second is like it, “You
shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
CONCLUSION
So a Catholic is one who tries to love God and all people
- all over the globe - all over the world - and if we do, then we’re telling
each other - we’re all into this in Christ Jesus - probably a dark skinned Jew
from Palestine.
And some people didn’t like his message - especially his
own people who crucified him for thinking big picture - round global thinking
like a big piece of bread - white or brown bread?
October 29, 2017
PIANO
The black grand piano sat there closed.
It hadn’t made music for a good 7 years.
Dusted? Yes. Played? No. Then mom died.
The black grand piano stayed - closed.
Dad died 7 years ago. Before he died,
mom only played pieces he loved.
He was her favorite audience of one.
He would close his eyes - and just listen.
The piano was sold - bought - tuned.... The new
owner sat down on the piano stool - ready to
play “Moonlight Sonata” on a summer’s eve.
It was her childhood go to special piece.
She closed her eyes and all she could feel
was death - death and silent music. The black
and white keys were silent and still in mourning.
She prayed a prayer like a prayer before meals.
She began playing. People on the street - a new
audience - stopped when they heard the music.
They were hearing resurrection and religion and sonatas coming
out the open third story window.
our growing up years - but now is in a box under my bed - looked at once and a while …. Reminders....Routinely reminding me…. about what happened. Tell me more....
Last night I read today’s two readings and I wondered
what would be a theme to say a few words about.
In the first reading from Romans the word “righteousness”
hit me.
It’s a theme and an issue that shows up in the scriptures
over and over again, so it must be a life issue that shows up over and over
again.
TODAY’S FIRST
READING
In today’s first
reading Abraham is credited with being right.
He made the act of faith - in God’s promise to him. Then Paul says he was right in doing this.
Then in today’s first
reading Paul says we who make the act of faith in God who raised Jesus from the dead -
Jesus who died to take away our sins - will be justified, saved.
EVERY HUMAN
BEING
Is it safe to say that every human being wants to be
right when it comes to what we figured out about life.
Is it safe to say that every human being wants to wake up
after death.
Is it safe to say that every human being wants to look
around after death and say to those who didn’t believe in life after death, “You
were wrong.”
Is it safe to say that every human being wants to wake up
after death and hear from God, “Welcome into the kingdom. You were right! You made
it.”
Is it safe to say that every human being throughout life
wants to be right.
In the marriage survey we give couples about to be
married, there is a question that goes like this, “One of us always insists on
being right.”
Agree…. Disagree …. Undecided…. Check one.
Every time I come to that question when I go through that
questionnaire with couples, I find myself saying, “I think the suggested answer - "Disagree" - they give to that question is wrong. If you think you’re right, why would you
think you're wrong?” I add, “Maybe
they are getting at the word “insist” or “always” I don’t know.
MAYBE THE PHARISEES CAN HELP US WITH ALL THIS
The Pharisees in the gospels are knocked for being so
obnoxious about being right and the others are all wrong.
When it comes to religion, righteousness shows up like a
barking Rottweiler or pit bull at times.
I suspect that’s what the gospels are trying to tell us.
Jesus is killed because the Pharisees insisted that they
were right about God the Father and Jesus was wrong in his comments about the Father.
I would assume we’re being called to be like Jesus - to
speak our truth - but without being obnoxious about it.
I would assume that we’re being called to be at peace
with one another.
I would assume that we have some humility and hesitation when it comes to being
right and labeling someone else as wrong.
CONCLUSION
The man in today’s gospel is wrong about how long he is
to live - and finds that out - perhaps too late
- like tonight when he is going to die.
The title of my homily is, “I Am Made In The Image and
Likeness of God.”
It’s not our Bible text for today - but in today’s first
reading Isaiah mouths that theme and the beware of other gods’ theme from Genesis 1: 26-27 and Exodus 20: 1-11 where
Moses gives us Ten Commandments.
Evidently the Israelites had tendencies to go to other
gods for extra help in life - especially when tough times were a coming and
occurring.
IMAGE
But let me use the whole text from Genesis 1: 26-27 -
because in this homily I want to connect it to today’s gospel, when Jesus asks,
“Whose image is on this coin?”
When the Pharisees plotted on how to entrap Jesus they
chose a tax question to try to trap him. They asked Jesus, “Is it lawful to pay
the census tax to Caesar or not?”
Jesus says back at them, “Show me the coin that pays the
census tax?”
They hand him the Roman coin.
He asked them, “Whose image is this and whose
inscription?”
They replied, “Caesar’s.”
We would say, when looking at a penny, Lincoln; a nickel,
Jefferson; a dime, Harry S. Truman; a quarter, Washington; and Andrew Jackson
on the twenty dollar bill - the most important president whom my dad named me
after.
And if there is one Bible text that most people know it’s
“Then repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God.”
That idea of image appears in another text we all know,
“We’re made in the image and likeness of God.”
In this homily I want to
reflect on the idea of image on the coin and I’m using the text about
image that we hear in the first chapter of the first book of the Bible.
Genesis 1:26-27 goes like this: “Then God said: ‘Let us
make man in our image, after our likeness. Let them have dominion over the fish
of the sea, the birds of the air, and the cattle, and over all the wild animals
and all the creatures that crawl on the ground.
God created man in his image, in the divine image he created him; male
and female he created them.”
OVER 200
MEANINGS
Walter Burkhardt - the Jesuit - once gave a course on
this text from Genesis 1: 26-27 where we hear that we are made in the image of
God.
I was able to attend the first two talks he gave. I
remember he said that there are over 200 different interpretations and possible
understandings on what that phrase could mean.
He searched them out from hundreds and hundreds of theologians and
writers in our Church - down through the centuries.
SUGGESTION
I like to suggest that people use a rosary for
prayer - and not just for Hail Mary’s.
I recommend that you take a rosary and say on the 59
beads: “I am made in the image and likeness of God.”
It takes 5 minutes.
Take a rosary in hand - sit in a nice soft chair - or in
your bedroom and on your bed - or while driving.
59 times. 59 beads: “I am made in the image and likeness
of God.”
That’s my homily thought for today.
NO STRANGE GODS
If any of us has a
metal detector and we walked around on the ground in the Middle East we would
get beep, beep, from coins - and nothing for paper money.
We would also come up with small statues of gods - if
they are made of silver or some other metal.
We could have the same experience by walking through any
museum that holds antiquities.
Just as we could see in many homes in Puerto Rico on TV
this past two weeks after Hurricane Maria images of Mary and images of Jesus,
the people of the Middle East and I would say the world - have images of God or
the gods for help in times of trouble. Life has its storms and wars and rumors
of wars and family struggles.
The second commandment screams that these images - these
idols - are not God. “You can’t have strange gods before me.”
So what Genesis is saying is that these tiny statues are
not images of God.
Then it says that the only image of God is us.
We are living images of God.
Our call in life is to show God to each other.
HOW
Let me give a few ways we can image God for others.
For starters, by being creative.
Genesis begins by God being creative - that’s a main name
for God - the Creator.
So grab your crayons and your clay, your paints and your
meal making skills - baking bread and making cakes.
Crafts, crafts, crafts.
Be creative in your speaking and writing.
Is there a poet inside you that is dying to get out - a
poet that’s been in the bottom drawer or under your bed for the last 44 years?
Next love one another. The scriptures tell us God is love
- so when we love we are imaging and imagining
God to one another.
Next God is both humble and powerful. Let use our powers
to make this a better world. Let’s be humble enough to lift the other person up
and put them first.
Next look at Jesus. There was a theology for centuries
called, “The Imitation of Christ.” As
Jesus said to his apostles, “See me, see the Father.”
So by imitating Jesus - going about doing good - we show
the world we move around in: how God looks.
Could we say each day: see me, see God?
See me, see an image of God.
CONCLUSION
The title of my homily is, “I am Made in the Image of
God.”
I said a practical prayer trick is to take a rosary and
say 59 times: “I Am Made In The Image and Likeness of God.”
Next I presented a few ways to be like God. Then as Nike
puts it - Nike meaning victory: Just Do It.
