"SEMI-"

He said out of the blue,
“I was just thinking,
‘Semi’ is a good word
to describe me.

“I’m sort of just
here, but I’m
always sort of just
sitting there – in
some other room –
in some other place.

“I’m sort of always
playing in the semi-finals –
semi-retired – semi in church –
but fishing in other waters.

“Yep, that’s me, ‘Semi-’.
Good. I finally
figured myself out.”

Ooops!” he then said.
“I think I just sort of
contradicted myself.”

And I sort of have
been thinking about
what he said that day
for a while now,
while thinking about
some other things.

© Andy Costello, Reflections, 2010

PAINTING
THE CRY IN 
THE NIGHT!

Quote for the Day - October 21, 2010

"For me,

painting is a way to forget life.

It is a cry in the night,

a strangled laugh."

Georges Rouault [1871-1958]

I found the paintings by Georges Rouault on top at the web site of The Art Institute of Chicago. They are part of his more than 400 pieces entitled, "Miserere" from Psalm 51 ("Have mercy on me, O Lord....")

FAITH AND DOUBT

Quote for Today - October 20, 2010



"I respect faith
but doubt
is what gets you
an education."



Wilson Mizner [1876-1933]

SECOND CHANCES

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for this 29 Tuesday in Ordinary Time as well as the Feast of Sts. Isaac Jogues, John De Brebeuf and Companions is, “Second Chances.”

Sometimes – not all the time – we are offered second chances.

I guarantee you if you took a look at all the boats in Annapolis waters, you’d find a boat named, “Second Chance.” I’ve seen “Second Wind!”

Sometimes – not all the time – we are given second chances.

Sometimes we say the wrong thing. “Ouch!” and we live to regret it.

Sometimes we are given a second chance.

Some people are more forgiving than other people.

Sometimes after stubbornness or stupidity, people see and experience second chances. Resurrection is a possibility.

ISSAC JOGUES, JOHN DE BREBEUF AND COMPANIONS

Today we celebrate the feast of Saints Isaac Jogues, John de Brebeuf and Companions who were killed trying to bring Jesus and his Good News to Native American Peoples.

If they did their preaching today it would be different – especially because they are Jesuits. I say that based on their and other’s missionary work in Asia and the Southern Hemisphere.

Sometimes – not all the time – we are offered second chances – to do it different – and better – having learned by our experiences.

Today there is more listening – more respect – more awareness of the cultures of the people being visited by missionaries.

Today – some – not all – try to hear the people being visited – and they are evangelized by the culture and wisdom the native persons have to offer to the missionaries. The first step is to listen. The second step is to learn. The old model of: Observe, Judge and then Act is observed by some.

The hope is still the same as today’s first reading [Ephesians 2: 12-22] – to introduce Christ anew to our world – to bring those far off to Christ – to knock down walls – so that we can discover Christ – the Trinity – already and yet to come – in the place being visited. Jesus – the Incarnation – keeps coming into our world.

Vatican II grasped this message anew in its documents and decrees on missionary activity – for example Ad Gentes [1965] – as well as Lumen Gentium [1964]. We are now some 50 years later – and some Christian theologians of Latin America – Africa – Asia – have been developing these understandings – listening and learning from the culture of those whom the Church keeps reaching out to – keeps leavening.

Sometimes some scream at Asian and South American theologians when they do this.

Sometimes there is dialogue. Sometimes there are walls. Sometimes there are second chances.

Sometimes heads don’t have to roll. New martyrs are not necessary.

Of course hindsight is sometimes 20 – 20. Sometimes hindsight leads to foresight.

In case someone wants to scream at what I just said, I’ll give you a second chance to read Paul’s visit to Athens – as told in Acts 17 – and when he spoke to the Council at the Areopagus. He said that he walked around town and visited their holy places and found an altar with the inscription: “To An Unknown God.” Then he said I proclaim to you this unknown God whom you worship without knowing it.

Some in Athens said we’ll hear you later – at some other time; and some laughed at him and said, “Goodbye.” [Cf. Acts 17: 32]

He wasn’t killed in Athens. He didn’t end up starting up a Christian community in Athens. There is no Letter to the Athenians in the scriptures. There are in Corinth, Ephesus and Rome. He made the most of his second chances.

The history of life is assimilation and adjustments – struggles with darkness with mornings of light and insight.

The history of theology is often rejection of new ideas – or new looks at old stuff.

Early Church theologians like Clement of Alexandria used Plato to understand the revelation of Christ coming out of Judaism.

Augustine dabbled in a lot of different thinkers before he came to Christ.

Aquinas learned Aristotle by discovering him through Avicenna, the Arab-Muslim philosopher and physician. Aquinas got in trouble – but in time, people saw his wisdom and brilliance.

Life is second looks, second chances, sometimes.

CONCLUSION

Life is described in many ways. In today’s gospel the metaphor is a wedding banquet. Luke has Jesus telling us to be like those waiting for their master’s return from a wedding – so that when he arrives and knocks on the door, we will be open for him.

Sometimes we’re sleeping. Sometimes we’re foolish.

Today’s first reading and the Vatican Council announced the call of all to holiness. Wherever we are, whatever condition we’re in, Jesus often talked about second chances – better sometimes there are 70 times 7 chances to be forgiven and to start again. It’s never too late to hear the call into the vineyard or to enter the kingdom at the last hour. Amen.

Picture on top: St. Isaac Jogues and Companions

Comment: this is a first draft homily. Last night after reading the readings and thinking about Isaac Jogues and missionaries, this is what I came up with. I like preaching - because it often forces me to address questions that I have not been listening to. In this case: Theology of Missions. Theology of Evangelization. I am not aware of what discussion and dialogue is going on in India, Thailand, Africa, etc. concerning respect and understanding of the people the Church hopes to evangelize. This homily triggered for me areas where I am quite out of touch, etc. How about you?

STOP PRETENDING

Quote for the Day - October 19,  2010


"To give up pretensions is as blessed a relief as to get them ratified."

William James [1842-1910]

LUKE IS THE ONLY

ONE WITH ME

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily is, “Luke Is The Only One With Me!”

The title of my homily is a sentence in today’s first reading from 2 Timothy 4: 10 to 17 b. “Luke Is The Only One With Me!”

Paul moves away from theology and exhortations at the end of this letter he’s writing to Timothy and gives us some autobiographical details. It seems there were 4 guys with Paul: Demas, Crescens, Titus and Luke. 3 out of the 4 disappear. Demas deserts Paul for the world. Crescens goes to Galatia and Titus goes to Dalmatia.

Then comes the sentence, “Luke is the only one with me.”

Then Paul makes some very specific requests. He asks Timothy to come to him with Mark and bring a cloak he had left with Carpas in Troas. I love that detail. He wants a cloak. Was he cold in Rome in prison? He also says bring the scrolls, especially the parchments. Were these the Jewish scriptures and / or were they some documents that lead up to the gospels? We don’t know.

JUST LUKE

A question hit me: What would Christianity be like if we only had one gospel and that Gospel was Luke?

I think that’s an intriguing question. For starters Luke gives the context of Jesus – time, place, and background. We have the importance of Christianity coming out of Judaism – especially because Luke was writing for the Gentiles. We hear about Mary, Joseph and John the Baptist. We have baptism and Eucharist and forgiveness. We have the importance of synagogue and temple – and especially Jerusalem. We have the Passion, Death and Resurrection of Jesus.

In other words we would have enough. An added key would be the question, “Would you bring Acts into the question?” Luke wrote Acts, sort of as Part II of his Good News.

Once more the question I came up with was, “What would Christianity be like if we only had one gospel and that gospel was Luke?”

We wouldn’t have the great poetry and mysticism of John – but Luke is sometimes said to have the most polish of all 4 gospels – and the great parables that Luke alone tell us has certainly had a great impact on our world. For example, the Good Samaritan and the Prodigal Son stories – only found in Luke.

We wouldn’t have the conciseness and clear cut action scenes of Mark – but we have the development of story in Luke. For example, Mark begins with Jesus as adult – going into his ministry, but Luke brings us to Jesus’ beginnings. He writes about Mary saying “Yes” to the angel. Luke gives us these scenes and mysteries called, “Annunciation” and “Visitation” “Presentation and Finding in the Temple.”

A hesitation – one big hesitation…. If Luke was the only Gospel Christianity might not have survived – because Luke is the gospel of the poor and the outcast – the outsider and the rejected – and maybe the élite – the rich – the insiders – the clergy - down through the ages would reject the Good News of Jesus completely – because Luke focuses over and over again on the poor.

I don’t know.

CONCLUSION

But we have Luke and 3 other gospels – and in the meanwhile, I would like to know what was on those parchments that Luke wanted Mark to bring to him. Amen.

THE GOSPEL OF LUKE

Quote for the Day - Feast of St. Luke - October 18, 2010


"Luke's gospel was written primarily for gentile christians drawn largely from the poor city dwellers of the Roman world. In every sense of the word these people were the outsiders. They were economically poor, of low social status, and had no share in the rich religious heritiage of judaism. Luke's good news was precisely that these outsiders were the special recipients of the kingdom; the community of men under the rule of God which was to be brought in by the messiah."

Duncan Macpherson in Luke, ACTA Foundation, Adult Catechetical Teaching Aids, Chicago, Illinois, 1971, page. 5.

PUSHY  AND PERSISTENT,
PRINCIPLES  AND  PRAYER

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily is “Pushy and Persistent, Principles and Prayer.”

On Friday, there was a retreat day for our high school freshman and freshwomen – 8:30 till 2:30 – here at St. John Neumann. From 10:30 till 12:00, the big group of 130 or so kids were broken into 4 groups. Then 4 of us were asked to take 20 minutes with a group of about 30 and do something – the same thing 4 times in a row. Sister Elise Saydah talked about her vocation as a SSND nun. Father Eric Hoog talked about being a Redemptorist. Ginny Dauses, our high school campus minister, talked about being a Christian, so I decided on asking our young people, “Do you have any questions, you would like to ask a priest? Here is your opportunity.”

One question that grabbed me was about preaching. It came up in 3 out of the 4 sessions I had with these kids. The question was either, “Where do you get your ideas on what you preach on?” or “Do you prepare beforehand or when you get into the pulpit?” or “Why do you preach on what you preach on?”

As they say in politics, “These questions were slow ball or meat ball or easy to hit pitches.”

I simply said, “I read the readings, say a prayer, see if anything hits me, and then I try to give something that I think will be clear, not boring, helpful and challenging – and coming out of the readings.”

TODAY’S READINGS

After saying a prayer and then reading the readings for this 29th Sunday in Ordinary Time, what hit me was this: See oneself as both the judge and the pushy widow in the Gospel. See oneself as Moses and Joshua in the First Reading. See oneself as Paul as well as Timothy in the Second Reading.

I learned that principle years ago – from a book by Louis Evely – That Man Is You. He took that title from the story about David in the Second Book of Samuel – Chapter 12 – when Nathan the prophet told David the king a parable – and David in anger asked who was this horrible character in the parable who did such a thing as stealing a lamb from a poor man – when he had lots of them himself. And Nathan said to David, “That Man Is You.”

David – with his harem – and his riches and his power as king – stole another man’s wife: Bathsheba. Then he had her husband, Uriah, placed in the front of the line in a battle so he would be killed. He was.

So I learned to read the scriptures and ask myself, “Which character in this story is me?” Or to ask myself, “How am I like or unlike each character in this story?”

This often happens in plays and parables, movies and novels. Which character is more me? We see ourselves in a mirror as Shakespeare put it.

So how am I like the judge and the pushy, persistent widow in today’s gospel? In today’s first reading, how am I like Moses on the hill in prayer with arms upraised and Joshua down in the valley in battle? In today’s second reading, how am I like Paul writing to Timothy and how am I like Timothy in receiving this letter?

GOSPEL: TOUGH JUDGE AND PERSISTENT, PUSHY WIDOW

All of us know the interior struggle of my will versus another’s will.

What are the principles we won’t budge on?
What are the issues we want those we live or work with to change their opinion and behavior on or about?

What are the issues and behaviors others want us to bend or change?

It could be politics – going to church – sermons – noise levels – the TV clicker – how we drive or others drive (Type A or Type B Drivers) – always braking – always on the person in front of us’ bumper or going too slow – using or not using blinkers – weight – overweight – eating habits – smoking – how we or other’s dress – tattoos – jewelry – language – parking – lawn care – house care – bathroom neatness – not budging when people want to get into our bench in church – etc. etc. etc.

How do we try to get our way? What are our tricks and tactics? Silence? Nagging? Yelling? Passive aggression? Communication? Start another battle – one which we think we’ll win? Pay backs? Prayer?

I love today’s gospel. It shows Jesus’ sense of humor. You can picture the judge talking to someone else, “This lady is driving me nuts. I’m going to settle in her favor, just to get her off my case.”

Did Jesus make this story up or did he know a judge who had this experience? Was there a lady next door who was like this lady in his story? Did the disciples when they heard this story whisper to each other afterwards, “I know whom he was talking about?”

Today’s gospel and next Sunday’s gospel are about prayer. What’s my experience with prayer? Does Jesus really want us to just sit there and bug God with prayers? Or does he want us to pray and then get off our knees or backside and do something? Action! Go to the doctor? Communicate with the person who is driving us nuts? Exercise? Eat right? Accept realities that we all age? People get cancer, wrinkles, hemorrhoids, arthritis and what have you?

What would Jesus’ take be on the following saying? “Pray for potatoes, but pick up a shovel.”

Or to say the same thing in light of the Chilean mine disaster: "Pray for the miners - but drill baby, drill!"

TODAY’S SECOND READING

Today’s second reading has Paul writing to Timothy. Paul tells Timothy and us to learn from the Scriptures.

A few questions: What scripture texts grab us? What texts challenge us? What texts bug or nag us? What texts inconvenience us? What scripture texts wear us out? What text makes us feel guilt?

I remember Father Benedict Groeschel telling us in a course on how to be a spiritual director, “If you want to know about a person, ask them their favorite scripture text.” I was giving a weekend retreat after that and I asked people their favorite Bible text. There was this one guy who was ultra rigid in my opinion – who had a litany of complaints about any priest who had an inch or a pinch of liberalism in him. So I asked this guy his favorite Bible text. His immediate answer was: “Beware of false prophets who come to you disguised as sheep but underneath are ravenous wolves” [Matthew 7:15] If he had asked me in return what my favorite scripture text was – he didn’t – he wasn’t into dialogue – only monologue – but if he did, I would say immediately, Galatians 6:2, “Bear one another’s burdens and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.”

Today’s second reading challenges us to see how we use the Bible – and what that says about each other. You hear us preach from the pulpit. What do you see as our take on the scriptures of the Sunday compared to your take on the Sunday scriptures? All of us hear the same readings. What’s your homily to yourself today from today's readings?

TODAY’S FIRST READING

I’ve said a few times from this pulpit that a rabbi once asked me if I had read the Koran and I said, “No!” He said, “We better!”

So I got myself a copy of the Koran at Barnes and Noble and read it and I started noticing the word “burn”. At that I got an orange magic marker and highlighted every time I saw the word “fire,” or “burn”. It was constant. I wondered if that was in any way behind September 11th. Wooo! Then I’m reading the Bible and surprise I began noticing how many times there is killing in its pages as well.

Recall the last line in today’s first reading: “And Joshua mowed down Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword.” There was Moses up on the hill in prayer – with Aaron and Hur holding his arms up – and as long as those arms up were raised up – those down in the valley in battle were slaying their enemies. The scriptures are loaded with killings. The history of religions is loaded with killings. What is the mind of God? As long as Jesus’ arms are raised on the cross – do we down below in the valley kill each other or forgive each other – or do we really know what we are doing to each other? Father forgive us!

At some point in adult faith, we discover that we can grab scripture texts to justify our positions – and this has been done down through the ages as well. It’s not just the devil who can quote scriptures as the saying goes, but the devil in each of us can do as well.

We know Jesus talked about the sword as a metaphor and we know he talked about putting away our swords. We know that Jesus was crucified on the cross and proclaimed forgiveness – for our stupidity in hurting and killing one another.

CONCLUSION

How do I conclude this sermon entitled, “Pushy and Persistent, Principles and Prayer”?

I don’t know, but let me do it this way.

Each of us needs to know what our principles are – where we are rock solid and where we are rock stubborn – and sometimes rock stupid.

Each of us needs Church and Scriptures – tradition and an informed conscience to make our everyday decisions and behavior loving and compassionate.

And each of us needs to bring this to prayer and then get up off our knees and onto our feet and bring the Christ within us out into our language, driving, work, family, fun, and street. Amen.

THE BIBLE

Quote for the Day - October 17, 2010

“Most people are bothered by those passages in Scripture which they cannot understand; but as for me, I always noticed that the passages in Scripture which trouble me most are those that I do understand.”


Mark Twain (Samuel Langhorne Clemens) [1835-1910]

ST. GERARD  MAJELLA

Quote for the Day - Feast of St. Gerard Majella - Patron Saint of Expectant Mothers - October 16, 2010


"I am writing to you from Foggia, and I write in haste. My God, I would really like to know what is going on there. I don't know anything, because I have gotten no answer to any of my letters. It seems to me that you must not have paper to write to me. For mercy's sake, if that is true, send me word of it, so I can send you a notebook and you can reply rapidly. Enough for now."

From a letter of St. Gerard to Sister Michela of Saint Francis Xavier. The letter is dated, Foggia, Italy, July 10, 1753. I found it on page 123 of the book, Saint Gerard Majella, His Writings and Spirituality, Coordinating Editor, Noel Londono, C.Ss.R., translated by Peter Henegg, Liguori Publications, 2002. St. Gerard is often referred to as the Patron Saint of Expectant Mothers. A further "Patron Saint Of ____" possibility could be the Patron Saint of Those Expecting E-Mail or Notebook or Face Book communication. Reading this book I couldn't help but think of Gerard being at home in our modern world of Texting and "Face Booking", because St. Gerard was someone who wrote a lot of letters - as can be gleaned from the excerpt above from one of his many letters that can be found in the Liguori book listed in this note.







Picture on top is of the Redemptorist St. Gerard Majella [April 6, 1726 to October 16, 1755].

ST. TERESA OF AVILA

INTRODUCTION

Today we celebrate the feast of St. Teresa of Avila – who died this day, October 15, 1582. She was 67 years of age.

For a reflection for today I simply gathered 10 quotes from St. Teresa of Avila – a doctor of the church. If other years I told about her image about spiritual growth as four ways of getting water – the first way being that of using a bucket to draw water from a well – to the fourth being caught in a down pour. She also gave the great image of the spiritual life as entering a castle – moving from room to room till one gets to the center where the King of Glory is.

HERE ARE TEN QUOTES

First Quote: “More tears are shed over answered prayers than unanswered ones.” St. Teresa of Avila. Wasn't there a song by Garth Brooks called, "Unanswered Prayers" - a song that developed this theme? A man goes to a hometown football game and he meets his old high school flame - the girl he prayed to God would be his wife for life - and in the experience of meeting her once again he realizes she wasn't quite the angel of his dreams. He also realizes how blessed he is to have married the woman he married. And the song ends with the refrain, "Some of God's greatest gifts are unanswered prayers."

Second Quote: “Never do anything that you can’t do in the presence of all.” St. Teresa. That is basically what Jesus is saying in today’s gospel.

Third Quote: We’ve all heard this quote from St. Teresa of Avia or seen it on plaques or holy cards:
“Let nothing disturb you;
Let nothing dismay you;
All thing pass;
God never changes.
Patience attains
All that it strives for.
He who has God
Finds he lacks nothing:
God alone is sufficient.”

Fourth Quote: “It is true that we cannot be free from sin, but at least let our sins not be always the same.” St. Teresa. How’s that for having a sense of humor. How many times do priests here in confession, “Sorry Father, this is the same old same old.”

Fifth Quote: Continuing on the theme of sin, St. Teresa wrote, “It is right here, my daughters, that love is to be found. It’s not hidden away in corners, but it can be found in the midst of occasions of sin. And believe me, although we may more often fail and commit small lapses, our gain will be in comparison the greater.”

Sixth Quote: Not only can we grow in love of God and neighbor when struggling with sin choices, we can also learn other things. She writes, “To reach something good it is very useful to have gone astray, and thus acquire experience.

Seventh Quote: Many like to tell the story what she said to God when she fell off her house while crossing a river. Complaining to God she hears God answering back “This is how I treat my friends.” “Well, then,” she answers back to God, “if this is the way you treat your friends, no wonder you have so few of them!”

Eight Quote: I love this quote from St. Teresa – a quote I’ve often heard. If she was like this, she’s my kind of saint. “From silly devotions and from sour-faced saints, good Lord, deliver us.”

Ninth Quote: I’m sure you heard this quote. I’ve heard it in various ways – not sure who the author was. It was Teresa, unless she stole it from someone: "Christ has no body now, but yours.No hands, no feet on earth, but yours.Yours are the eyes through whichChrist looks compassion into the world.Yours are the feetwith which Christ walks to do good.Yours are the handswith which Christ blesses the world."

Tenth and Last Quote: This is for the ladies here: “About the injunction of the Apostle Paul that women should keep quiet in church, she said, “Don’t go by one text only.”



Painting on top: St. Teresa of Avila by Peter Paul Rubens [1577-1640]

THE INTERIOR COMMAND

Quote for the Day - Feast of Teresa of Avila - October 15, 2010


"I began to think of the soul as if it were a castle made of a single diamond or of very clear crystal, in which there are many rooms, just as in heaven there are many mansions."

St. Teresa of Avila [1515-1582], Interior Castle, I, I, [16th Century]

Painting on top - according to Wikipedia, where I found these paintings - this one from 1576, when she was 61 years of age, is probably the best for getting a glimpse at her likeness. The one below it is by Francois Gerard [1770-1837]

GROWING  OLDER

WITH GRACE 

AND WISDOM

Quote for the Day - October 14, 2010


"There is no such thing as old age; there is only sorrow."

Eidth Wharton [1862-1937], A Backward Glance [1934]. A First Word

MANY LIES, 

MANY MEMORIES

Quote for Today - October 13, 2010

"Vanity plays lurid tricks with our memory."


Joseph Conrad [1857-1924], Lord Jim [1900], chapter 41

IN TOUCH 

WITH ONESELF 

October 12, 2010

Quote for the Day


"When one is a stranger to oneself then one is estranged from others too."


Anne Morrow Lindbergh [1906-2001], Gift from The Sea [1955], chapter 3

HAVE TO OR WANT TO?

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for this 28th Monday in Ordinary time is, “Have To or Want To?”

There are two types of people, “Those who have to and those who want to.”

There are two types of people who come to Mass: “Those who have to and those who want to.”

There are two types of people at meetings, “Those who are there because they have to be there and those who want to be there.”

Sometimes we join an organization – or we volunteer for something – and then ugh! It’s horrible. We’re stuck. Some people know how to bow out gracefully and sometimes some people just silently disappear. Then there are those who remain in the group and they hate every minute of it.

When I got to our major seminary, someone came up to me the first day and asked me if I wanted to help with the horses. I was new and ready for everything and just finished a year in our novitiate, so I said, “Yes!” The result was I shoveled horse manure one week a month – early morning going down to our barn and feeding Alan, Rusty and Lady – every evening going down and cleaning them, feeding them and shoveling out their mess. I stayed with it for 6 years – going there 14 times a month – not freely – but out of obligation.

As priest I have discovered that lots of people stay married to someone who is much different than expected – and do it out of duty – because of their word or their commitment – or their children – or out of not wanting to be labeled, “Divorced,” “A bad person,” or “Someone with bad judgment.”

TODAY’S READINGS

Paul – when he was Saul – pursued and tried to destroy Christians out of duty – out of righteousness – out of compulsion. He practiced his religion with a vengeance – keeping the law – and every iddy bit of the law.

So in today’s first reading we hear Saul – now Paul – freely giving us his advice – from what he learned in life. Today’s first reading ends with these words, “For freedom Christ set us free; so stand firmand do not submit again to the yoke of slavery.”

In today’s first reading Paul says we have a choice to be children of Hagar or children of Sarah – children of the “Slave Woman” Hagar or children of the “Free Woman” -Sarah.

I love it that Sarah laughed.

I have discovered that those who are free can laugh.

Looking at your life: are you doing what you’re doing freely or out of duty and slavery. Do you find yourself often laughing freely – or are you a stiff? A complainer? A whiner? Unable to laugh?

FATHER FLYNN

Yesterday I was on duty. I had baptisms – a few other things – and mass here at 5 for the high school kids. I was hoping big time that the duty phone would not ring – that there would not be a call to the hospital. I especially needed time to work on a different homily for the evening mass – different from my morning homily.

Surprise – Father Pat Flynn comes up to me and says, “Let me have the duty phone. I want to go up to the hospital, because we’re going to be up at that meeting in New Jersey all this week – and I want to make sure any new patients see a priest.

He was being a child of Sarah; I was being a child of Hagar.

TODAY’S GOSPEL

In today’s gospel we have reference to Jonah. If there ever was someone who felt stuck – asked to do something – that he felt was a duty, an obligation, it was Jonah. He got on a ship and headed the other way from Nineveh.

And as the parable of Jonah unfolds in the scriptures God delivers him by force to Nineveh and surprise, surprise, everyone repented after he preached.

I hope he laughed and laughed and laughed and learned to preach and do life out of joy and laughter – than out of duty and “ugg I hate doing this”! Amen.

CONCLUSION

All of us are away this week at a big meeting. I’m going out of mixed feelings – out of some have to feelings and out of some want to feelings. I’m going to meet some good friends and catch up with them – what’s happening in their lives – and I assume there will be some sessions I’ll be at out of duty.

I laugh realizing that. Welcome to life 101.

ONE OF A KIND!

Quote for the Day - October 11, 2010


"I had to create an equivalent for what I felt about what I was looking at - not copy it."


Georgia O'Keeffe [1887-1986]


Painting, Poppy, 1927 by Georgia O'Keeffe

REJECT

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for this 28 Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C, is, “Reject”.

Does everyone have in their desk drawer or on their desk one of those ink pads and one of those so called, “rubber stamps” that has on it the word, “REJECT”.

My brother used to work for the Post Office and he had to purchase various rubber stamps for post offices. I remember him saying there were two kinds: good ones and junky ones. Some last and some don’t. Buy the good ones; reject the bad ones.

Well, my question this evening is, “Does everyone have an imaginary, ‘REJECT’ rubber stamp – up here in the top drawer of their brain and we take it out from time to time to stamp that message on some people – especially people we don’t like or consider strange?”

“REJECT”.

We all have people we reject – people we don’t like, don’t know, can’t stand, don’t understand, don’t know. They are different. They bother us.

“REJECT”.

And we also all have had the experience of being rejected.

We don’t make the team. A friend drops us. A boyfriend or a girlfriend rejects us. Our parents get divorced and we have to move and go to another school and we enter that school and feel no group or clique or anyone will accept us into their group.

“REJECT”.

And sometimes when we feel rejected by others, we figure something’s wrong with us – or if we do something dumb or wrong, we stamp ourselves with our “Reject” rubber stamp – right on our forehead.

Nasty tatoo!

So we do this to others. Sometimes others do it to us. Sometimes we do this to ourselves.

“REJECT”.

TODAY’S READINGS

In two of today’s readings we have people who have to deal with rejection because of leprosy. In Jesus’ time and in Old Testament times, “LEPROSY” was the reject label for any bad skin disease. “Oooooh!”

In the first reading from 2 Kings it’s an army commander to the king of Aram who gets a spot of leprosy. His name is Naaman. He picked up something – a nasty skin disease and he’s now about to become a reject.

In 2 Kings we find out that in a raid on Israel a young girl was captured and made a servant to Naaman’s wife. When she sees Naaman suffering she tells Naaman’s wife that there is a prophet down in Samaria who could heal your husband. The wife goes to Naaman and tells him the story. He goes to the king and tells him the story and the king says I’ll send a letter to the King of Israel that he cure you of your leprosy.

The king of Israel upon reading the letter and an offer of all kinds of silver and gold coins and ten festive garments if Naaman is cured, says, “What am I a god. I can’t cure him of his leprosy. What is this a set up for a fight?”

Elisha the prophet whom the young girl had in mind hears about this and sends a message to the king of Israel to send Naaman to him. Naaman gets in his chariot and heads for Elisha the prophet’s house.

Elisha stays inside his house and sends a message out to Naaman that he go bathe in the waters of the Jordan 7 times and he’ll be cured.

Naaman rejects the plan. He says, “Here I am thinking he’ll come out and heal me – but no, he tells he to go bathe in the Jordan River 7 times. Why doesn’t he just wave his hand over the spot on my skin and call upon Yahweh, his God – and I’m cured. Surely the rivers up in Syria are much better than this tiny stream in Israel – the Jordan - called a river. And so he rejects the offer.

Naaman’s servants go to him and say, “If he told you to do something more difficult, you would do it, but you won’t do something that is very easy. Do it. Go for it!”

And he goes to the Jordan and bathes in the waters 7 times and he is healed – and his flesh becomes brand new – as we heard in today’s first reading.

Interesting story. I’m intrigued by the letter writing back and forth way of communicating. Very interesting.

I also began thinking about the end of the first reading when we hear that Naaman wants to take two mule-loads of earth from Israel back home to Syria. Fascinating. Commentators think that he’s saying, “I can’t stay here to worship and give thanks, so the next best thing is to bring a part of Israel back home with me, so I can worship and give thanks to God on a ‘temporary Israel.’”

I found that very real. People who have a great vacation in some spot want to bring home a T-Shirt or a shell or lots of pictures of the great place, so they can return to it over and over again – to be connected with the sacred spot. We hope people come to Mass and leave with two mule-loads of good stuff to bring home and bring to others in the new week.

In the gospel it’s 10 people with leprosy and they all beg Jesus to be healed – and Jesus tells them to go show themselves to the priests at the temple and on the way they are healed. Only one comes back to say “Thank you!”

The obvious lesson is: Don’t forget to say, “Thank you!”

OTHER LESSONS TO BE LEARNED

What other lessons can we learn from all this?

1) Gratitude for research. We need to feel gratitude for the medical research which keeps on coming up with better and better methods of healing. As you look to your future, if you have a bent for research, think getting into the healing professions or the research jobs.

2) If you feel rejected cry out for help. Don’t go it alone. Notice in the first reading Naaman goes to the king and asks if he can go to the prophet in Israel. In today’s gospel the ten people with leprosy have banded together and they all cry out for help together, “Jesus Master! Have pity on us.”

Every day around the world in thousands and thousands of church basements and buildings and in various other different places, folks who have a drinking and/or drug problem, band together for meetings to be healed. I know 3 people right now who are going to 90 meetings in 90 days. They want to be cured – healed.

If you know kids or adults who are on drugs or who are drinking you know how they are avoided – rejected – how others would wish they would disappear. They skink. They do nothing. They are a waste. They are an embarrassment. Help!

That’s # 2: ask for help.

3) Be Jesus in the year 2010. Jesus walked around and did good. Rejects came to him for help. Well, be Jesus in your school, in your home, where you work. Open up your eyes – and see the kid who is eating alone – feels alone – who is made fun of – who is rejected. And if you reach out to them, healing can happen. Others might crucify you and make fun of you for being nice to a loser – a reject – but that’s the Jesus calling to all of us. Picture someone meeting you at graduation or at a class reunion - or by accident 25 years from now and they say to you, "You were the one person who didn't reject me when I was a new kid in school. Thank you!"

4) Don’t stamp people with the rubber stamp – “REJECT” on it. People do it all the time – picking on people who are different, people who are gay, people who dress differently, people who think differently, people with acne, halitosis (bad breath), bad perfume, bad smells, etc.

CONCLUSION

Take that “REJECT” rubber stamp and stomp on it. Get a hammer and smash it. Then go to Office Depot or Staples or to a store that sells quality rubber stamps and get one made that says, “Accept” or "Accepted."

Help people feel at home with you, your groups, your situations. Help people feel at home with themselves. Help people feel at home on this planet.

Stamp on them the word, “Accepted!” or "Accept" or "Acceptable".

This homily was for the 5 PM Youth Mass - a tiny bit different from this morning's homily on being an "Outcast".