OUTCAST

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for this 28 Sunday in Ordinary Time – Year C – is, “Outcast!”

In today’s first reading from 2nd Kings and today’s gospel from Luke, we heard about people with leprosy. When these stories took place – the first reading from around 850 years B.C. – and today’s Gospel, just after Jesus’ time, those with serious skin lesions or skin problems could be labeled as having “leprosy” and then by law they could be cast out of their family and local community.

In this homily I’d like to reflect upon being an outcast in our times. What’s it like today to experience being an outcast? I’m going to preach mainly on the reality of feeling like an outcast – more than leprosy itself – even though I noticed that someone said there are 30 million people in the world today who are affected by this disease.

For starters when these readings come up about people with leprosy, I like to point out that the United Nations and various other world organizations, have come out with resolutions and proclamations at various times that we do not use the word “leper”. Here it is in today’s gospel and I deliberately changed it – and have been doing this for about 25 years now – ever since I read these declarations.

For example, on August 2nd, 2010, the United Nations Human Rights Advisory Committee said that the word “leper” is discriminative – and can lead to discrimination against those affected by this disease.

On October 30, 1997, United States President Bill Clinton while in office sent a message for the Opening of the U.N. Quest for Dignity Exhibit saying, “An important step in our efforts to ensure that all individuals are treated equals is to permanently strike the hurtful word ‘leper’ from our vocabulary.”

Francisco A.V. Nunes of Bacurau, Brazil, who had this disease, writes, “To many of us worse than the very disease is the prejudice that comes along with it. Many of us stopped being called Francisco, Joe, Maria, and we started being called leprosy patients, ‘lepers’ and recently Hansenites ….” Hansen’s Disease comes from Dr. Hansen who isolated the cause of this disease. Francisco goes on, “I believe that our greatest challenge is to make sure that millions of people who have lost their identities will go back to being called by their own name.”

I think the word “leper” as a general term for an outcast has decreased. And I think all of us can become more sensitive to calling people by their name – instead of seeing people as numbers or “mental patients,” “nuts,” “cancer patients,” etc.

I think as Christians, hopefully, we all can be sensitive and caring to those who come into our presence – especially those who might have feelings of not being welcome. There are people who feel like outcasts – who feel rejected, ignored, dismissed or expelled.

As Christians hopefully we do our best to welcome those who feel unwelcome – who feel like a nameless nobody – or labeled by a sickness or disease.

EVANGELIZATION

Yesterday morning Steve Beard and I, as well as Father Fabio Marin and William Arias who do Latino ministry here at St. Mary’s went to a morning on Evangelization up in St. Gabriel’s Parish in Woodlawn. There were over 200 people present from many, many parishes, and a similar program took place at Frederick last week for the western part of the Archdiocese of Baltimore.

The big question was: Why?

Why are we doing what we are doing as Church – as Catholics – as Christians?

A question addressed that hit me was: “Do we reach out for the 2/3 of Catholics who don’t come to church or the 1/3 who do come to church?”

Do you feel welcome here at St. Mary’s?

I hope so.

I keep hearing that there are 15,000 registered people in this parish. Why do 10,000 in the parish not come to worship on the Sabbath? Why do the 5000 come?

When I read today’s gospel and today’s first reading in the light of the conference we attended yesterday, various thoughts and questions hit me.

Do some people who don’t come feel like outcasts? Do they feel like the Catholic Church, specifically St. Mary’s, or some priest or some experience caused them to feel rejected or hurt?

How do those who are divorced – or who have been in prison – or had an abortion – or are bankrupt – feel about coming into this church? What about those who are gay or lesbian?

Yesterday I heard the question about those who are handicapped – those in wheelchairs – those who are deaf – etc. etc. etc.?

This is the year of The Gospel of Luke and it seems that Luke has very warm and welcoming criteria for coming home and into our Church. The Prodigal Son is hugged and kissed and celebrated – even though he needed a shower big time – even though he messed up big time – even though he ruined the family name. Jesus eats with tax collectors and sinners.

When we were taught New Testament, we were told to read the gospels in light of not Jesus’ time, but Matthew, Mark, Luke and John’s communities many years later – the situations taking place in those communities.

That was an eye-opener – till I realized that’s what we are called to do every Sunday.

We come here to have Jesus feed us, challenge us, heal us, and be in communion with us. We come here to welcome and be welcomed by Jesus and each other.

OURSELVES – AS OPPOSED TO OTHERS

To be practical I would think the issue is to focus on the individual person in the pulpit and the individual person in the pew – a person with a name and a pronoun – namely me, myself and I – you, yourself and you.

How do I score on a scale of 1 to 10 as being a welcoming person – 10 being the highest?

I think by asking and answering that ourselves – as opposed to the whole parish – we would be challenged better.

If I asked, “On a scale of 1 to 10, do you see St. Mary’s as a welcoming parish?” I would assume that most would say, “It all depends.”

It all depends on whom we’re talking about?

But if we put the question directly to ourselves, then we might make this a better parish and world.

How do I treat, see, judge, consider, look at, those who are I think are lazy, overweight, old, young, sick, noisy, won’t move into the bench, won’t park right, don’t dress right?

How do I see, understand, know, those who are poor, those who are Moslem, those who look different than I look, those who are liberal, conservative, independent, unknown?

WWJD

A bunch of years back there were lots of folks wearing those WWJD bracelets or t-shirts. Some praised them; some po poed them.

If you like the idea or reject the idea, if you make fun of the idea or don’t get the idea of asking, “What Would Jesus Do?”, the challenge is still there every day to be Christ to our world.

Let’s narrow that challenge down. The challenge is that today or this week we might be the only person that another will meet Christ in or a Catholic Christian in. It’s me!

We can have the amazing healing power of Jesus by simply sitting with the stranger or the person who feels strange.

We can be the person who welcomes another and 1 out of 10 might come back and say, “Thank you!”

And then they feel part of the human family – and maybe then they will show themselves to their priest, rabbi, or minister or religious leader.

I know I have made it one of my goals in life to say hello to everyone – in elevators, planes, airports, on line, behind the counter, or what have you. Sometimes it works. Sometimes it’s a disaster moment – and I feel stupid. I think that’s the price one pays to be a follower of Christ.

CONCLUSION

The title of my homily is, “Outcast!”

In this homily I’m saying that today, this week, we might be the only Gospel, the only Good News, someone will hear.

Yesterday I heard that the goal is not to get people come to church – but to come to church and then leave church and make this a better world.

That’s why the Father sent the Son into the world.

That’s why Jesus said, “I’m calling you to go into this world and to love one another as I have loved you.”

This is tough – difficult – a challenge – a dying to self.

I’m not really sure how to end this homily, so let me close with the end of today’s second reading. Scholars think it’s part of an early Christian hymn.

If we have died with him
we shall also live with him.

If we persevere
we shall also reign with him.
But if we deny him
he will deny us.

If we remain faithful
he remains faithful,
for he cannot deny himself.

SEE THE PLANKS 

IN YOUR OWN EYE!

Quote for the Day - October 10, 2010


"Fight your own sins, not the sins of others."


Confucius [551-479 B.C.], Analects of, c. 5th Century B.C.

QUESTIONS 

AND ANSWERS

Quote of the Day - October 9. 2010


"It is better to know some of the questions than all of the answers."


James Thurber [1894-1951], Saying

THE DIVIDED HEART

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for today, the 27th Friday in Ordinary Time, is “The Divided Heart.”

SKILL

At the age of 35 I was playing a 3 on 3 basketball game. I’m a righty and I am standing out there past the foul line dribbling the ball with my right hand – planning to make a pass or a move towards the basket. 

This other priest guarding me is not standing directly in front of me – but off to my right. 

I say to him, “How come you’re guarding me like that.” 

He says, “Because I was trained to watch the other player and you can’t go to your left.”

“Ouch!”

I didn’t learn that I didn’t have that skill till I was 35. 

Well, after that I practiced going to my left and dribbling with my left hand as well.

Today I’m talking about “The Divided Heart!” 

AMBIGUITY

Ambiguity is a neat word to think about. It means "both". 

It takes skill to know how to deal with this human reality in the human heart. It's called "ambiguity".

We can be divided - pulled - in different ways.

It's a skill – that we need to learn. 

Ambiguity - dealing with "both's" - is a skill we all need to develop.

CORONA BEER COMMERCIAL

I’m sure you’ve all see Corona Beer commercials on TV. You’re looking at a guy and a girl in front of you – lounging in beach chairs – looking out at the water from a sunny sandy beach. A beautiful gal walks in front of them and the guy starts turning his head to the left and is watching the bikini gal going down the beach. His girlfriend or wife sitting next to him reaches for the lemon on the top of the bottle of Corona on the small table between them and squirts him.

There you go – one of the most basic divided heart issues – the male female relationship – and the possibility of another – entering into the story.

There are a zillion songs about being torn between two lovers – breakups – falling out of love – and those of you who have been in relationships that have fallen apart know the pain. Splits …. Cheating …. Being dropped for another always hurts.

DIVORCE

Those of you who have experienced a family breakup because of a divorce – know the pain. Do I side with mom or dad? It can happen every weekend. It can happen every conversation at the dinner table. And the breakup of mom and dad – many times – comes out of a divided heart – divided interests – divided relationships – and you might have seen it coming. Some kids even blame themselves.

BASIC

All of us know the basic reality of a divided heart. It happens amongst friends. It happens with time and energy. Everyone feels the pressure between work and play – sports and studies – school choices – time choices.

Choose you lose. Choose you win. Choice is about options.

I watch TV with some other priests. It’s fascinating watching people click back and forth between the news and a game. As a result we don’t see too many commercials.

TODAY’S GOSPEL

In today’s gospel some people accused Jesus of casting out demons by Beelzebub, the prince of demons.

Jesus counters the crowd by getting right into the issue of the divided heart. He’s saying, “If I’m on the same team as Beelzebub – why would I destroy the team by casting out a demon? That would be stupid – and counterproductive.” Then he goes on to say,

“Every kingdom divided against itself
will be destroyed.

House will fall against house.

If Satan is divided against himself,
how will his kingdom stand?

You say it is by Beelzebul
that I drive out demons.

If I, then, drive out demons by Beelzebul,

by whom do your own people drive them out?

Therefore they will be your judges.

But if it is by the finger of God
that I drive out demons,

then the Kingdom of God has come upon you.

When a strong man fully armed

guards his palace,

his possessions are safe.

But when one stronger than he
attacks and overcomes him,

he takes away the armor

on which he relied

and distributes the spoils.

Whoever is not with me is against me,

and whoever does not gather with me scatters.”

Jesus gets to the heart of the matter right there.

ST. PAUL

St. Paul got Jesus’ message big time – about knowing the human heart and how people think. Paul knew about the divided heart.

In Romans 7:14-25 – Paul speaks for all of us when he says what we all know. We plan to do what is right – we resolve to do what is right – and then we go out and do just the opposite.

Everyone who has decided on a diet or fasting or avoiding some sin – knows what Paul knew: we do the opposite.

Paul says that the law doesn’t work. The law just tells him what he ought to do and ought not to do. Lists and laws are not enough.

Paul says in Romans what he says in today’s first reading from Galatians 3: 7-14. And in Romans and Galatians he tells us what he discovered. Jesus is the one who can rescue us from this dilemma and this division.

Anyone who is a 12 step program is challenged in the very First Step that I am powerless over alcohol or ______ and my life has become unmanageable. Then Step Two and I came to believe that I need a higher power – a power greater than myself who could restore me to sanity. For the Christian, it’s Jesus!

When we learn this – we learn this. It’s a life time struggle for everyone – this challenge on how to live with a divided heart.

At some point it would be worth reading the so-called, “The Big Book” of Acoholics Anonymous – as well as reading St. Augustine’s Confessions – at least Book 8 – because it's in his 30’s when he accepts this reality. In the famous scene in the garden he turns over his life to Jesus – after taking Paul’s Letter to the Romans and reading Chapter 13: 11-14,

“The night is almost over.
It will soon be daylight.
Let us give up all the things
we prefer to do under cover of the dark.
Let us arm ourselves
and appear in the light.
Let us live decently
as people do in the daytime:
no drunken orgies,
no promiscuity
or living with no sexual restraints,
and no quarreling and jealousy.
Let our armor be the Lord Jesus Christ
and forget everything
about satisfying our bodies
with all their cravings.”
Tough stuff.

NATIVE AMERICANS

I’m sure you all heard in some sermon or talk the same message from Native American wisdom. Wisdom figures or teachers tell young people that inside all of us there are two dogs. One dog is mean; the other one is good. And as we go through life they are forever fighting. And then someone from the crowd always asks, “Which one wins?” And the elder reflects for a moment and then says, “The one we feed the most.”

In some versions it’s two wolves. I’m sure the same story can be found in various images in most cultures around the world.

CONCLUSION

Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn in his book, The Gulag Archipelago, addresses this issue when writing about making some people good and some people bad – sort of what the crowd was trying to do to Jesus in today’s gospel. Solzhenitsyn writes,

“If only it were all so simple!

If only there were evil people

somewhere insidiously

committing evil deeds,

and it were necessary only

to separate them

from the rest of us

and destroy them.

But the line

dividing good and evil

cuts through the heart

of every human being.

And who is willing to destroy

a piece of his own heart?”

In other words, it’s us. We have divided hearts and we need skills in dealing with this everyday struggle. Amen.

This was a homily for our St. Mary's H.S. seniors and juniors this morning at a school Mass. I didn't use a script and the homily didn't come out as organized as I would have liked - so I'm putting the written script here in my blog. It's a very important topic to ponder. Amen.

GRASPING

THE EDGE OF

THE BLANKET

Quote for the Day - October 8, 2010

"The huge concentric waves of universal life are shoreless. The starry sky that we study is but a partial appearance. We grasp but a few meshes of the vast network of existence."

Victor Hugo [1802-1885], William Shakespeare, 1864

THE ROSARY AS MEDICINE

Quote for the Day - October 7, 2010


Feast of the Holy Rosary


"Some people do not like to take the medicine that would heal them, and call it nonsense. The rosary is exactly that medicine which cures an amazing deal of nonsense. Call it spiritual homeopathy if you like. Many a proud spirit has been brought down by it - many a faddy spirit has been made patient by it. Many a queasy spirit has been made strong by it. Many a distracted spirit has become recollected by it."


Archbishop Ullathorne [1806-1889], Letters in the Oscation (19th century).



I have a whole series of meditations on the Rosary on this blog. Check them out.

HAVING A SENSE 

OF WONDER - 

AND A SENSE 

OF WORSHIP.

Quote for the Day - October 6,  2010

"The man who cannot wonder, who does not habitually wonder (and worship), were he President of the innumberable Royal Societies ... is but a Pair of Spectacles behind which there is no eye."

Thomas Carlyle [1795-1881], Sartor Resartus, 1836

SEELOS AND LINCOLN

Quote for the Day -- October 5, 2010

Feast of Blessed Francis X. Seelos, Redemptorist

"Next Monday I go to Washington City to see, if possible, Father Abraham and have a talk with him about the draft. If I do not succeed in obtaining a release from that unjust injunction, we will rather go to prison than to take up arms. As for paying the bounty for each Redemptorist in the draft, to pay for so many, we are not able."

Francis X. Seelos [1800-1867], as found on page 211 in Rev. Michael Curley's biography of Francis Xavier Seelos's life, Cheerful Ascetic. Seelos did get to see the President, Abraham Lincoln and wrote "I liked President Lincoln very much when I went to see him. He spoke to us in a sincere, free, and friendly manner." [also on page 211].

WISDOM FROM ST. FRANCIS

Where there is charity and wisdom,

there is neither fear nor ignorance.

Where there is patience and humility,
there is neither anger nor vexation.

Where there is poverty and joy,
there is neither greed nor avarice.

Where there is peace and meditation,
there is neither anxiety nor doubt.

From The Counsels of Holy Father St. Francis, Admonition 27

THE SON ALWAYS

RISES!

Quote for the Day - October 4, 2010

Feast of St. Francis of Assisi

"Praise to you, my Lord,

for all your creatures,
above all, Brother Sun,
who brings us the day
and lends us his light!"

St. Francis of Assisi (c. 1181-1226)

TINY

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for this 27 Sunday in Ordinary Time - Year C - is, “Tiny!”

As soon as that title and thought and theme hit me yesterday after I read today’s readings, it hit me that this sermon better be tiny – to prove the point. Let’s see if I can make this a tiny homily. If there is anyone here with that nick name, I am not picking on you. However, I do remember picking on a tiny guy – standing on my tippy toes when I was standing next to him – till he told me – off to the side – my doing this really bothered him – and that tiny comment – changed me from doing that. I can be insensitive – till someone tells me.

JESUS

Jesus saw tiny – tiny specifics – like mustard seeds – eyes of needles – rocks in hands – a poor widow putting two cents in a poor box – that you can buy 5 sparrows for 2 pennies in the market – the lilies in the field – the new patch on an old garment that had a hole in it – someone touching the hem of his garment – a servant coming in from the field after a long day at work – Zacchaeus that tiny tax collector guy up in a tree – the little child being yelled at – as the disciples tried to push them aside – and Jesus stopping what he was doing to say, “Let the little children into your life – if you want to see and experience the kingdom of God.”

Jesus saw tiny.

LIFE

Life is made up of millions of tiny moments – moments that become memories – the mosaic of our life. Each day contains the tiny things: the holding the door – putting out the garbage – putting the seat down – a hot dog and two hamburgers left on the plate – and we know so and so prefers hot dogs to hamburgers - and we do too – but we take the hamburger – and leave the hot dog for the other – and nobody notices our tiny moment of decision but ourselves.

Life is the tiny: a tiny leak coming through a tiny hole in our roof, especially in a big downpour and it can ruin our wooden floor. A stitch in time can save nine. A thank you note or a post card can make someone’s day. Remembering birthdays and anniversaries – are better than the gift – but a gift is also nice. Shopping and getting him, his favorite mustard and getting her, her favorite mustard – another type – and there they are next to the one hot dog that is left – and often nobody notices the tiny – and sometimes the mustard taker realizes the TLC – and lets the cook know, making the cook very grateful.

Life is the tiny.

What is it like to be one of those tiny, tiny, tiny bugs that live in books? I learned a long time ago not to kill them – just to admire them – and wonder about them. What do they eat? What is their life span? Can they read? Do they realize they might become an endangered species if everyone buys a Kindle or a Nook – or some other e-Book?

The stars look so tiny up there – and the planets – and some of them are so much bigger than tiny earth in comparison.

Distance effects size and perspective – so too our awareness of God and each other. What ever happened to our 4th grade teacher or “Tiny” that big 250 to 300 pound happy guy every high school had?

Life is the tiny.

We all remember hearing Ben Franklin’s words, “A little neglect may breed great mischief … for want of a nail the shoe is lost, for want of a shoe the horse is lost, for want of a horse the rider is lost.” George Herbert said the same thing – but who notices tiny plagiarism?

Yesterday at a wedding I’m just observing a couple taking their vows – and I’m sort of off to the side – a visiting priest did the vows – and at one point spontaneously – they were arm in arm – they both did a pinky hold for a moment. I never noticed a couple doing that tiny pinky coupling gesture before. Neat.

A NEGATIVE TAKE ON THIS

The tiny can make or break us.

There is a tiny poem by the African American Poet, Countee Cullen (1903 - 1946) called “Incident”. The scene is a Baltimore City bus or streetcar. It goes like this:

INCIDENT

Once riding in old Baltimore,

Heart-filled, head-filled with glee;
I saw a Baltimorean
Keep looking straight at me.

Now I was eight and very small,
And he was no whit bigger,
And so I smiled, but he poked out
His tongue, and called me, “Nigger.”

I saw the whole of Baltimore
From May until December;
Of all the things that happened there
That’s all that I remember.

We all know the truth about that one. It’s been my experience that everyone here could write that poem – because we all have had tiny experiences that we still remember – with hurt and anger. The whole vacation, the whole trip was perfect, but we remember that one tiny thing that went wrong – something the waiter or waitress said in a tiny restaurant in Bulgaria or something our father-in-law said at our wedding 37 years ago. It ruined everything and we can’t forgive him.

At other times the tiny can be our own worst enemy.

If you saw the movie, My Big Fat Greek Wedding, it was that zit that the bride got on her face on her wedding day. Ugh. What about the dress, the cake, the dancing, the ceremony – in comparison?

We all do this. We get up to read something at Mass or a meeting or a wedding and we flub one line or even one tiny word. The flub stands out like a zit on the pope’s nose – or whatever that was on Gorbachev’s forehead. Or we make one tiny mistake and so and so lets us know every time.

Picky, picky, picky. Tiny, tiny, tiny.

In the winter Olympics I never like the figure skating because they pick out one tiny flaw – or one fall – and then they show it in slow motion. I know it’s the way they do the score – but ugh – picky, picky, picky. I prefer hockey, they fall all the time and crash into the boards – but all is forgiven if you get the winning score.

THE TITLE OF MY HOMILY

The title of my homily is, “Tiny.”

In today’s gospel Jesus says faith is like a mustard seed. It’s the extra that makes our faith, like mustard on a ham sandwich – that is if we like mustard on a ham sandwich.

Our faith – the flame of faith as today’s second reading puts it – grows and glows by a tiny example we heard in some sermon 37 years ago – or by a moment at the Ocean – one summer morning – when we were all alone and walked the beach – and we stopped and looked at the sun rise or the waves crashing – and the gift of adult faith landed on our shore. Or we worked with someone – who was a person of faith – and without show – they planted the faith in the soil of our soul – or our moms and dads brought us to church – or we said grace before meals or a night prayer together. My mom used to bless us with holy water when we went off to school each morning. And we found out years later she’d go back to bed.

So it’s not the big, but the little things that build or destroy a life, a marriage, a relationship, a day.

I’m ending this tiny sermon right here, right now. Amen. Now that’s a tiny word, we all like to hear. Amen!

COMING  BACK 

DOWN  TO  EARTH. 

Quote for the DaY - October 3, 2010

"The universe is one of God's thoughts."


Friedrich Schiller [1728-1805]

ANGELS

Quote of the Day - Feast of the Guardian Angels - Oct. 2, 2010


"We do not realize that, as Chesterton reminded us, the angels fly because they take themselves so lightly."


Alan Watts (1915-1973), The Way of Liberation, 1983 - Notice the G.K. Chesterton quote on a T-shirt. Someone observed that the 300 pound Chesterton (1874-1936) also took himself lightly - but as those who have read Chesterton know, he still is a "heavy" - and well worth reading.

UNSELFING!

Quote for the Day - October 1, 2010

"Conversion is primarily an unselfing."

E.D. Starbuck [1866-1947], The Psychology of Religion (1901)

THE FACE 

CHECK IT OUT

Feast of St. Jerome - September 30, 2010

Quote for the Day

"The face is the mirror of the mind,

and eyes without speaking

confess the secrets of the heart."

St. Jerome [342-420]

YOU’RE AN ANGEL

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for this September 29th feast day of Michael, Gabriel and Raphael, Archangels is, “You’re an Angel!”

Has anyone ever said to you, “You’re an angel!”

Did anyone ever call you an angel?

THEY DIDN’T MEAN

I am sure they didn’t mean you have wings and you fly around wearing long white floating garments.

However, I did have a wedding three Saturday’s ago when 2 flower girls came down the aisle at St. Mary’s Church wearing wings. They were dressed as angels. And I’m sure someone without thinking said to the littlest one, “You’re an angel!” or to the older one, “You’re an angel for getting your little sister to come down the aisle with you – because she was so scared.”

THEY DID MEAN

I would assume when someone says to us, “You’re an Angel!” they mean we saved them. We helped them big time. We did something good to them.

For example, someone is trying to open a door and they have 5 packages – and we step in and help them – and they say to us, “You’re an angel. Thanks.”

And all of us have seen a dozen times the movie, It's A Wonderful Life. In order for Clarence to get his wings, to become a full fledged angel, he has to help someone. And movies and TV programs about angels ever since present angels as helpers - saving people from a problem.

TODAY’S FEAST

Today’s feast is that of the three archangels: Michael, Gabriel and Raphael. On October 2nd we celebrate the feast of the Guardian Angels. I think that’s all the angel feast days of the Church year.

Catholic Theology states that angels are these creations of God – unique spirits without bodies – that praise God and go about doing good. Now some of these beings, these “forces”, are given names. Most are just called “angels”. The 3 for today – Michael, Gabriel and Raphael – are found in Scriptures – by name.

Then there was the great angel, Lucifer – who fell. This fact, indicates they have intellectual powers – or free will. After that we don’t know much or enough about angels.

They are invisible. But just as we picture God – who is invisible – we picture angels.

Because they are messengers – they are pictured with wings – and so that's the way they are often sculpted. We see them that way in art work all through the middle east and middle ages. Just go into any “old” Roman Catholic church building and you’ll see pictures of angels in stained glass windows – and other pictures and statues. I counted them here in St. Mary’s. They can be seen everywhere.

In reality, I don’t go with the physical wings and stuff – because people have enough trouble believing in God.

However, they are worth studying – and pondering – and the question sits there: “Are we missing something since the Enlightenment – when angels seemed to fly out the window?” What was the world like in the Middle Ages and earlier ages? Did people picture Guardian Angels hovering on people’s shoulders – protecting them? Did they picture millions of angels on the head of a pin – in theology classrooms? Did they feel like they were joining a multitude of heavenly angels at each Mass – especially at the Sanctus, the Holy, Holy, Holy? Did they picture a great ladder – as indicated in the gospel for today – Christ as Ladder – with angels coming up and down from heaven to earth on him? [John 1: 51] What was life like with a sense of angels and demons at one’s door?

MESSENGERS

Yet, what I would stress about angels that they are God’s servants. They are God’s messengers. That’s their calling.

And that’s our calling – and when we fulfill that call, sometimes people might say to us, “You’re an angel.”

A key would be to concentrate on the message we’re called to deliver in the places we visit each day. So the stress would be the message not the messenger – as in the old saying, “Don’t kill the messenger!”

What is the message? What is God’s message that he sends us to be messengers of? Answer: “Take and read! Take and read.” If we read the scriptures we can hear God telling us to love one another – and giving various other best practices to go about doing.

Sometimes I picture angels as inspirations – with wings – that is, messages with wings – flying through the world – and into our consciousness. After all there are all these other invisible messages in the air – energy – radio waves – whatever it is that goes through the world wireless – and we have to turn on some gadget to receive them.

I also picture temptations as messages that fly around and sometimes we hear them and then we have the challenge to resist them and to pray, “Lead us not into temptation.”

THESE 3 SPECIFIC ANGELS

Michael’s message is to be like God – because that is what his name means from the Hebrew.

I prefer war to peace – so I would prefer picturing Michael as a being who loves compared to the being who fights. However, in the literature, Michael is usually the angel who is pictured with a sword in hand fighting dragons and demons.

I’ve also wondered why do cult like groups – doomsday like groups – feature Michael in their camp. They often voice revelations of Michael fighting and killing the enemy?

I would think – if we really need an advocate and an angel – pray to Michael the archangel. Other Christian communities – other than Catholics – prefer to stick with Jesus himself or the Spirit and not Mary, the Saints or the Angels.

Gabriel name means “the strength of God”. Obviously, once more, we would all like to have God’s strength and bring that strength to others.

In the New Testament Gabriel is pictured as the messenger who comes to Mary with the announcement that God wants her to bring a Son into the world. And Mary has the strength to say yes. [Confer Luke 1: 26-38; Daniel 8: 15-27]

And Raphael is the angel who heals – as we see in the Book of Tobit. I see the message that our call is to be peacemakers – healers – of those around us. “Rophe” is the Hebrew word for a medical doctor. [Confer Tobit 5: 5 to 12:22]

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Sketch on top: This is the work of Gustave Dore (1832-1883) in an illustrated book of Dante's Paradiso. This is a scene from Canto 31 - Rosa Celeste - in which we see Dante and Beatrice gazing up into the highest heavens: The Empyrean.

Check the Catechism of the Catholic Church # 328- 336 for much clearer details and dogma on the angels.

DEALING  WITH  CRITICISM

Quote for the Day - September 29, 2010


"If I were to read,
much less answer,
all the attacks made on me,
this shop might as well
be closed for any other business.
I do the very best I know how -
the very best I can;
and I mean to keep doing so
until the end.
If the end brings me out all right,
what is said against me
won't amount to anything.
If the end brings me out wrong,
ten angels swearing I was right
would make no difference."



Abraham Lincoln - converstation at the White House. From Fracis B. Carpenter, Six Months at the While House with Abraham Lincoln [1866]

THE WHY QUESTION

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for this 26th Tuesday in Ordinary Time is, “The Why Question.”

One of the most basic human tendencies and things we do is to ask, “The Why Question.”

SHORT DIALOGUE

“Why?”

“Well, because we want to know.”

“Well, why do you want to know – or why do you have to know?”

“I don’t know why – but I just want to know why you are talking about this.”

“Well, because I think it’s a key question.”

“Why do you say that?”

“I don’t want to answer that.”

“Why?”

“Well, because I don’t really know the answer or I don’t have the answer yet.”

“Why not?”

“Well, because I don’t have the time to answer right now.”

“Well, because I don’t want to answer the question.”

“Well because to be honest, I might lose something by answering: power, influence, a job or something I’m not sure about, but I sense by answering I see an inkling of loss of control.”

TWO POETS

Rudyard Kipling (1865-1936), the British Poet, said the why question was one of my 6 great servants – 6 servants who taught him all that he learned: “What, Why, When, How, Where, Who?” (1)

Alfred Lord Tennyson (1809-1892), another British Poet, wrote a poem in 1854 which we’re all familiar with from our school days – because it was one of those poems we memorized, “The Charge of the Light Brigade.” In it he voices the questions, the thoughts, the screams, the why, of all those who lost loved ones in war:

“Theirs not to make reply,
Theirs not to reason why,
Theirs but to do and die.” (2)

This brigade was taught not to question – but to just do what they were told to do. It’s the so called, “Blind obedience.” And so they charged right into their death without asking, “Why are we doing this?”

The why question can save lives.

The why question can save time.

Thy why question can save stupidity.

The why question takes time – but in the long run, it can save time and lives.

The why question can hurt – be painful – and it can also challenge.

BOBBY KENNEDY

We might remember Ted Kennedy quoting George Bernard Shaw’s [1856- 1950] words at his eulogy for his brother at Robert’s funeral at St. Patrick’s Cathedral, June 8, 1968, “You see things; and you say, ‘Why?’’ But I dream things that never were,; and I say, ‘Why not?’” (3)

TODAY’S FIRST READING

In today’s first reading Job asked the big why question: “Why was I born?” (Job 3: 3)

It’s the first question in the Old Catechism: “Why did God make me?”

Tough stuff. Job lost everything and he wants to know why didn’t he die when he was born.

Did you notice the 2 other why questions. The first concerns work – toil. Have we ever asked in the middle of an overload of work, “Why me God, why me?” The second question I find ever stronger: “Why did you give life to those who are bitter in spirit.” Haven’t we all asked that why question many times – especially when we’re dealing with depressives or whiners or very unhappy people?” [Job 3:20]

TODAY’S GOSPEL

In today’s gospel [Luke 9: 51-56] we have the continuation of Jesus’ words about his destiny: Jerusalem. It was on that hill outside of Jerusalem he’ll scream out a great why question, “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?” [Matthew 27: 46]

CONCLUSIONS

The why question gets us to pray.

That question mark is a great hook.

The why question gets us to talk to each other.

The why question gets us to some great talking to ourselves and hopefully to God. Amen.




Picture on Top, “The Charge of the Light Brigade” – 1855 – by William Simpson. The Russian commanders seeing the British charging thought they must be drunk. Of the 600, 118 were killed; 127 wounded; 60 were taken prisoner.

(1) Cf. Rudyard Kipling, The Elephant’s Child, in “The Just-So Stories” [1902]

(2) Cf. Alfred Lord Tennyson, "The Charge of the Light Brigade", 1854, stanza 1. A poem about the Battle of Balaclava, in the Crimean War, October 25, 1854

(3) George Bernard Shaw [1856-1950] says those words in Back to Methuselah. pt. 1, Act 1