MIGRATIONS

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for this 14th Friday in Ordinary Time is, “Migrations.”

Today’s first reading from the end of the Book of Genesis describes the final step of how Jacob - now called “Israel” - and his family migrate to Egypt. Hunger and famine in the land of Canaan dictated Jacob to send his sons to Egypt to buy grain to survive.

The Book of Genesis is preparing us for the second book of the Bible, Exodus - which begins with how the Jews began to become persecuted and forced into slave labor - and so they escaped - exited - migrated from Egypt - and headed for the Promised Land of Palestine in order to set up their nation.

Today’s first reading from Genesis describes carts and livestock, husbands and wives, children and grandchildren - all migrating to Egypt.

THE HISTORY OF THE WORLD

The history of the world is a history of migrations.

It’s the stuff of story. It’s the story of families.

It’s good to know history. I would assume by the year 3011 the world will be very different - with different boundary markers - with more cocoa colored sking - and those living will know by DNA and whatever else they will have come up with by then - their origins - much better than we do today.

I celebrate that in 1996 I got to see for the first time where my mom and dad migrated from: the west coast of Ireland. However, right now, I don’t know how and why their relatives settled there a long, long time ago. And I’m sure that’s a long, long story.

I have a picture on my wall right above my desk - that shows what my mother would see if she walked out her back door. It’s a picture of rocks and water. She liked to say she could sit on their back step and put her big toe into Galway Bay. The house is gone. But the flagstone for that back step was still there. My mom’s sister, Nora, was there in 1996 to point all this out to us. My dad’s house - less than a stone throw away - as the Irish put it - is still standing.

My mother said she would kiss the land of America - every time she came back here - because she knew where she came from: poverty. She made it in America. One of her last jobs was working on Broadway - 32 Broadway - where she cleaned offices at night.

OUR SCRIPTURES

I like to point out that what people did for us with our Sacred Scriptures - telling us our faith roots - where we come from - we need to do for our families. In other words, we have to put together our scriptures.

The good news is that people have been doing this a lot in recent years. Alex Haley’s book Roots - with some of its roots in Annapolis - the genealogy movement - The Story Project program - and various other movements have certainly helped with the push.

Everyone’s story is a story of being rooted and being uprooted - moving and settling - and then moving on - settling down and on and on and on.

Aware of this and having an interest in all this gives me a greater love for all peoples.

So I’m saying that the Book of Genesis - Beginnings - is telling us that people come together in all kinds of different circumstances. I’m saying that all people are migrants. I think that’s why one of the first questions we all ask people, “Where are you from?” and “How did you get here?”

We are a world of migrants.

America more than most places….

The timing is the different. Native Americans are migrants from Asia - between 40,000 and 17,000 BC. Vikings sailed to Greenland, Newfoundland, Vinland in 962 AD. Whether Vikings got to Minnesota seems speculative - but it gave a football team a good name. And we have to laugh about comments that people make about other people. I love to say that Hispanics were here before the English - but don’t tell some people that - because they aren’t ready to migrate in their mind to some new thinking and on and on and on.

So I think it’s important to read good histories of our national origins - or watch good documentaries on TV.

It’s good to know where we come from - as well as where others come from. I am grateful for some good books I’ve read about Ireland. I am very grateful that I took the time to jot down my father’s story - at least 47 hand written pages before he died - and I taped my mother telling me her story before she died so suddenly.

CONCLUSIONS

In our study and in our research and in our story telling we’ll find what we find in the scriptures: good times and bad, sickness and health - as well as great gratitude for our deep roots - as well as the surprises when we get out of our carts and begin again in some new spot.

And the New Testament will bring us to the great story: that we are migrants into the next world.

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Scene on top of a painting I saw in a funeral parlor somewhere - showing a priest blessing a family heading to America and leaving land and friends behind.

REGRETS

Quote for Today - July 8, 2011

"Love lives in sealed bottles of regret."

Sean O'Faolain [ 1900-1991]  "The Jungle of Love," in The Saturday Evening Post, August 13, 1966

STUDYING  PEOPLE

Quote for Today  - July 7,  2011


"The analysis of character is the highest human entertainment."


Isaac Bashevis Singer [1902-1991], New York Times, November 26,  1978

SUFFERING - AND THE

NEED TO VENT

Quote for Today  July 6,  2011

"Most people don't mind suffering in silence as long as everyone else knows about it."

Anonymous

OH, I’M JUST WRESTLING 

WITH SOMETHING

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for this 14th Tuesday in Ordinary Time is, “Oh, I’m Just Wrestling With Something.”

How many times in our lives has someone said, to us, “What’s wrong?” and we respond, “Oh nothing.” Then the other says, “Well you look like you’re worried about something.” And we say, “Oh, I’m just wrestling with something.”

QUESTION

Is everyone wrestling with something?

Not always, but is there always something there that we wrestle with from time to time?

At times I’ve wondered about Professional Wrestling. It’s still around - not as much as years ago - but it’s still around - and what I wonder about is why do people get really into it - when it’s fake?

Now I don’t wrestle with that kind of a question, but I do wrestle with why some people get excited about things I’m not interested in or why some people are the way they are. How’s that for being self-centered?

And I know people wrestle with questions about their kids - and their neighbors - and co-workers. And I know people wrestle with their conscience. And I know people wrestle with the church and politics and government and with people who think differently than they think.

Now this inner wrestling doesn’t go on all the time in our minds. At least I hope not - but sometimes it’s just an inner battle we remotely click to at times on the TV screen called our mind. I assume we’re watching other things in our lives at most moments - but sometimes we wrestle with people and they are miles and miles away.

What do you wrestle with?

TODAY’S READINGS

Today’s readings triggered this theme - especially this first reading from Genesis 32: 23-33, where the word “wrestle” and the theme of wrestling is used - when telling us about Jacob.

Today’s gospel - Matthew 9: 32-38 - talks about demons. Today’s gospel tells us that Jesus went around casting out demons. Today a man who couldn’t speak is healed by Jesus. And the Pharisees who are always arguing and wrestling with Jesus - just don’t want Jesus around. He’s doing too much good and helping too many people and the crowds are following him. In the meanwhile the leaders of the Pharisees are not being good shepherds. They are not getting top billing as “holy” people - in the everyday arena of life.

But it’s really that first reading that triggers this question of wrestling.

GET IN THE RING

It’s important every once and a while to get in the ring - and face our opponent - face to face - to meet our match - to name our demons.

Jesus went into the desert for 40 days and faced the Big Three when it comes to temptations. We have the 40 days of Lent - a good time each year to do some good soul searching and see what’s pulling us in strange directions. We can’t be wrestling 24/7, 365. We need “Time outs” - breaks - before we break.

It’s good to make a retreat. It’s good to take long walks. It’s good to take time for prayer - like a night prayer - and take a look at what happened that day. This practice should get us in touch with moments we're thankful for and moments we're sorry about.  If there are resentments - maybe we can make some resolutions for the morning - to have a better day, the next day. It’s good to read scripture and reflect upon what we're reading - especially texts that grab us - because they might give us hints at what we’re wrestling with inside the inner ring of our consciousness.

JACOB

Today’s first reading is all about Jacob.

The Book of Genesis has remarkable material for getting us in touch with key wrestling matches.

God is wrestling with Satan. His name means “Adversary”.

Then we hear about God wrestling with human beings: Adam, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and on and on and on.

Today we’re hearing about Jacob.

We all know that Jacob was a sneak and liar. We know his mother liked him more than his twin brother - Esau - who was born first. Genesis has great stories. She figured out a way to fake her husband, Jacob’s father, into giving the oldest son’s blessing to Jacob the younger son. And several more times he’s sneaky and a trickster Once he told his brother, “I’ll meet you at such and such a place” and he headed in the opposite direction - immediately.

Life has consequences.

The Book of Genesis hints that Jacob had to stop to face his demons - face his lies and what he was avoiding - eventually.

In today’s reading he wrestles with a mysterious someone - all through the night. There are lots of theories who this someone is. Some say it’s an angel. Some say it’s God. Some say it’s with himself - for what he has done in the past.

Life is a banquet of consequences. Sin is a boomerang. Sin always has an aftertaste.

CONCLUSION

Forgiveness is forgiveness.

However, there is always the residue - the memory - the consequences - of what we have done.

The Bible is wonderfully vague - challenging us to be the twin of Jacob and become all alone and face our demons - our life decisions - etc. And when we do, there can be growth and maturity.

Jacob grew. As a result of his wrestling that night after he forded the river near Jabbok - he changed for the better. However, for the rest of his life he had a slight limp. Don't we all?  Some say it came from the wrestling that night - when his hip was knocked out of it’s socket.

He also got a new name Israel - which some scholars translate it to mean, “One who wrestled with God.”

May we do likewise.

PERSONAL  BURDENS

Quote for Today - July 5,  2011

"No matter what scales we use, we can never know the weight of another person's burden."

Anonymous

ALL  THAT  JAZZ

Quote for Today -July 4, 2011

"Man,  if you gotta ask you'll never know."

Louis Armstong [Satchmo], (1900-1971). This was his reply when asked what jazz is.  Fats Waller [1904-1943] when asked to explain what rhythm was said, "Lady, if you got to ask you ain't got it."

BURDENS:

10 PROBLEMS and 10 SOLUTIONS

*

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily is, “Burdens: 10 Problems and 10 Solutions.”

Let me divide my homily into 2 parts: Part One: “10 Burden Scenarios” and Part 2: “10 Solutions.”

It will be a very simple homily for very difficult problems - and I’ll plan to do this just under 10 minutes.

PART ONE: 10 BURDEN SCENARIOS

What would it be like to be an ox - and a farmer puts a harness and a yoke around our neck every morning and we spend about 10 hours in the sun pulling a big wooden plow trudging through hard, clumpy dirt - earth - day after day after day? Okay this farmer takes off on Sunday.

What would it be like to be 132 pounds overweight - and everyone is making comments about our weight - behind our back and sometimes to and in our face - offering at least 1 diet a day - and they don’t know that we’re making inner comments and complaints to ourselves about our weight every day and offering ourselves at least 2 diets a day?

What would it be like to be a 24 year old young man and we believe we’re gay and our father has ranted and raved about those who are gay all through the years and we know if we came out, he would either snap or disown us or what have you - and the whole family might unravel and come tumbling down?

What would it be like to have a spouse who just simply refuses to sleep with us any more?

What would it be like to be married and we cheated on our spouse and we know if we ever told him or her - it would just devastate the other and we have to carry the shame and the stupidity - the sin - the mistake we made of biting into forbidden fruit 17 years ago and it never happened again - but it happened then?

What would it be like to have a great job and we buy a bigger house for our family and 4 small kids and we lose our job - just like that. We don’t receive a notice or a package. And debt sets in.

What would it be like to be abused - and we finally tell someone and they tell us, “Get over it!”

What would it be like to be in prison for 17 years - and we didn’t do it - and different folks are telling us, “Everyone in prison says they didn’t do it.”

What would it be like to be filled with cancer and the different specialists tell us, “You have about 4 weeks or less to live?”

What would it be like to be in church and all we hear Sunday after Sunday is abortion and we had an abortion 26 years ago and it’s been eating at us all our life - and we were told we were forgiven by God - but we can’t forgive ourselves and we just want to go under the floor of the church or run - every time this issue comes up?

PART 2: 10 SOLUTIONS

1) Become a Realist. Become a Philosopher. Another word would be to be able to say to oneself, “Hello!” To be a realist is to say: Milk goes sour. Bread becomes green. Beer and pop lose their fizz. Most of everything have a shelf life. Then they go in the dump or a museum if they are old enough. So too us. We have a shelf life. We have an expiration date. We get wrinkled and we leak. It’s part of the deal. Of course funerals are tough - especially if the person who died went too soon. As they say, it’s how we live and what we do with the dash between our dates . Of course we can do our part to prolong the gift of life - like exercising, eating smart, getting enough sleep, not smoking and not being dumb. Yet there is always a bottom line. Death and taxes - as they say - will always be around. Movies have “The End” and the music sometimes tells us it’s coming. Sermons have endings, but sometimes you never know when they are coming.

2) Be Sweet! There’s a book I like by Roy Blount Jr. that deals with lots of the problems and burdens of life. It’s title is, “Be Sweet!” something his mother said in many of life’s situations. “Be sweet!”

3) Jot down 10 Bible Texts. Get paper and pen and jot down 10 texts we own -  10 texts that really help us and help others. I was at a wedding a week ago yesterday and this gal had tattooed on her back two lines. I’m standing behind her and I realize they are in Latin, so and I started to translate them. Suddenly she turns and  I said, “I was just trying to read your back." She says, “Oh it’s Romans 12: 2" and I said to her, “Thanks! Interesting."  And she smiled.  My favorite text is Galatians 6: 2 and I don’t and won’t tattoo the words on my back. But I have them on the walls of my everyday mind: “Bear one another’s burdens and in this way you’ll fulfill the law of Christ.” The trick is to make those words flesh each day.

4) Jot Down 10 Sayings. What are your 10 favorite sayings? The ones that help you deal with life. An old priest whom I used to work with, had a whole series of sayings that would pop out when various things happened. What are yours? Two things he often said were, “I don’t think Jesus wanted to make life that difficult.” Another thing he would say, “My father used to always say, ‘I’d give that lady a wide berth.'” Those of you who dock boats know what that means.

5) What Are Your Stories or Parables?  In dealing with life’s problems and life’s situations, I have discovered that people also have stories and examples that help them deal with life’s problems. The trick is to play back a good story that helps you in a sticky problem. What are your top ten stories or examples or parables.

For example, I like to use the "Chinese story of the Horse" in certain situations. I’m sure you’ve heard the Chinese horse story. You just have to memorize it and make it your own. Father John Harrison in his homilies uses stories all the time. He knows they help folks. Let me give just one that helps folks. It has certainly helped me.

The Chinese Horse Story. A farmer had this fantastic horse - and the horse could do everything. He could pull the family cart  to town for shopping. He could pull the plow which he and his 17 year old son used to farm their land. Well one day the horse jumped over the fence and disappeared. The neighbors heard about it and came and said, “Wow, sorry to hear that you lost your prize horse.” And the farmer said to them, “We’ll see. We’ll see.” The next day the prize horse came back with 7 wild horses and the whole town came to the farmer and said, “Wow. You’re a lucky man.” And he said, “We’ll see. We’ll see,” The next day his only son, the 17 year old one, was riding one of the new wild horses, and was thrown to the ground and broke his leg. And the neighbors said to his father, “Wow that’s horrible. What are you going to do now? Your son is going to be laid up for months.” And the father said, “We’ll see.” The next day an army came marching through the area and grabbed every young male and forced them into their army and marched off.” The next day the neighbors - many of whom lost their sons - said to the farmer, “You’re lucky. They didn’t take your son.” And he said, “We’ll see. We'll see.”

What are your 10 top stories?

6) Talk to Someone. Don’t go it alone. But learn the difference between poison and venting. Venting is good, but when it becomes poison, stop the complaining and move on.

7) Walk. Take Good Long Walks. If you remember the Forest Gump movie when he lost Jenny he started to run - and run - and run - till he had run away enough from his problem to get back to life. Walk. Run. Move it.

8) Borrow a donkey! In today’s first reading we have a Bible text from the prophet Zechariah. It says that your king will come to you riding on an ass, on a colt, the foal of an ass and he’ll banish the chariot and the horse. He’ll banish the warrior’s bow and proclaim peace to the nations. This text was taken by Jesus - as we know from Palm Sunday. If you want peace, get off your high horse. Borrow a donkey. Become humble - and stop shooting everyone in sight with sharp arrows - and you’ll discover peace in this way - while on  your way.

9) Pray and then do something about the situation, if you can. I have about 25 sayings that say just that. My favorite version is, “Pray for potatoes, but pick up a shovel.”

10) Go to Jesus. He says in today’s gospel for us to do just that:

“Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened,
and I will give you rest.
Take my yoke upon you and learn from me,
for I am meek and humble of heart;
and you will find rest for yourselves.
For my yoke is easy, and my burden light.”

This took just 10  minutes. I didn’t want to be a burden to you.


__________________________________________________

Painting on top

by Norbert Schwontkowski

SOLVING  PROBLEMS

July  3, 2011

Quote for Today - July 3,  2011

"Let's swap problems since all people know how to solve other people's problems."

Anonymous

TOMMORROW!

Quote for Today - July 2, 2011

"One of the kindest things God ever did was to put a curtain over tomorrow."

Anonymous

HEARTS AND MINDS

INTRODUCTION

On this feast of the Sacred Heart, the title of my homily is, “Hearts and Minds.”

STATUE OF THE SACRED HEART

When Catholics hear the words, “Sacred Heart” - the odds are they picture a statue of the Sacred Heart in a church - a statue of Jesus with his heart outside his body - in the center of his chest - a heart on fire with flames and light as well as a crown of thorns around it.

Amazing. What would a person who never had heard of Christ and Christianity think/ feel if they walked into a church and saw such a statue or picture for the first time?

It’s an image and a devotion that goes way back to the 11th and 12th centuries. At first it was a private devotion. It was a mystical image - but in time it became more and more popular. In the 1600’s, with the so called revelations of a nun named Marguerite Marie Alacoque [1647-1690], this image became more widespread - till a pope, Leo XIII, promulgated it to all the church in 1899.

Pope Benedict XVI recently asked the Jesuits and others to promote devotion to Jesus - imagining him as the Sacred Heart.

WHAT’S IT ALL ABOUT? THEORIES AND CONJECTURES

I’ve often wondered what it’s all about?

As a result I have theories and conjectures.

Some people wear their heart on their sleeve; others have a great poker face.

We use the image of heart all the time.

James Earl Jones once said, “One of the hardest things in life is having words in your heart that you can't utter.”

I discovered somewhere along the line that people love personality tests. One basic test is to discover whether a person is more heart or more mind? Many people have taken the so called Myers-Briggs test or the Jungian Test - which gives you a number - testing you to see if you come more from your mind or your heart. I score higher from the heart. I was never good in logic or algebra or math or the Rubik Cube or following directions in putting together a gadget from the instruction sheet. I never look under the hood of a car.

Here’s a simple test: draw yourself. But draw your heart and your head based on how much one is stronger than the other in your personality. Then ask someone who knows you to draw you in the way they see you - and if they wish - they do the same - and then each of your look at the 4 drawings you come up with.

It’s a matter of degrees.

Classically men are supposed to be mind or head and women are supposed to be all heart. It’s a stereotype. I’ve been beaten by my sister-in-law in chess. I prefer Rummy or Go Fish to Bridge!

RELIGION

When it comes to picturing God, would you picture God all mind or head or all heart?

I have a theory about religion. When religion becomes heavy with Reason and Rationalism - someone is going to come out with religious revelations that are Romantic and Emotional.

Check out the Founding Fathers of the United States. Several of them were Deists. They picture God as head or mind. Check out the image on the back of the dollar bill. There is the pyramid with the all seeing eye of God in the head or top of the Triangle. The Deists picture God as architect - planning and creating this world and then put it on it’s own.

When we study the universe, if we are very mathematical and logical, it might make sense. You can’t land someone on the moon without knowing the Math of our Solar System. And our world is very logical. People are able to Go Figure the logic of fires and storms in the hurricane and tornado and forest fire season.

IMAGE OF DIVINE MERCY

I have a theory that when the image of the Sacred Heart faded from our spirituality along came another nun with a similar image - that of Divine Mercy - and it filled the gap and in time another pope promoted her revelations.

HEAD AND HEART

Obviously we need both - because we have both.

And if we live long enough, we’ll discover that it’s smart to work with, cooperate with and be with others who have the gifts we don’t have - and we have the gifts they don’t have.

It’s called a good marriage; it’s called a good team; it’s called a good meeting.

CONCLUSION

Let me conclude with a quote from Marilyn vas Savant - who was a columnist - “Ask Marilyn”. She is said to have been the person who has had the hightest IQ ever recorded: 228. The quote from Marilyn: “If your head tells you one thing, and your heart tells you another, before you do anything, you should first decide whether you have a better head or a better heart.”

+++++++++++++++++++

Painting on top: Sacred Heart by Jose Maria Ibarraran y Ponce - 1896

SISTER  AND  BROTHER

Quote for Today: July  1, 2011

"A small girl described her small brother as 'my next to skin.'"

Anonymous

ARGUING

Quote for Today - June 29, 2011

"An argument is the longest distance between two points of view."

Anonymous

PETER & PAUL:

WHO DO YOU SAY THAT I AM?

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for this June 29th Feast of Sts. Peter and Paul is, “Peter & Paul: Who Do You Say That I Am?”

In today’s gospel from Matthew 16: 13-19, we have Jesus trying to get his disciples to know who he is. He asks, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?”

I thought for this homily on the feast of Saints Peter and Paul - to ask the same question of Peter and Paul: “Who do you say Peter and Paul are?”

I would think Paul would be easier to describe than Peter - because there is so much more we know about Paul compared to what we know about Peter. What’s your take on Peter and Paul? How do you see each of them?

EVENTS MORE THAN IDEAS

T.W. Manson in describing Paul gives what I thought was a good insight. He says Paul was not a systematic theologian. He doesn’t give us ideas - or abstractions - or principals. Yet he says Paul is a Great Christian thinker. Then he adds: to understand Paul think events more than ideas - a series of events more than a series of ideas. Paradoxically, that’s an idea - rather than an event.

I thought the same thing can be said even more with Peter.

But what does it mean to say events more than ideas forming a person’s life? Is it the difference between forming and informing - the difference between formation and information?

OUR OWN LIVES

Have we ever looked in the mirror and said, “Who are you?” Has anyone ever said to us, “I can’t figure you out?” Have we ever replied back to them, “At times, I can’t figure myself out either.” Isn’t that how Paul felt - based on his self comments in Romans 7:14-25?

Well, what are the events that shaped my life?

A person is taught catechism - and religious education - but why am I a Catholic? Was it parents or a spouse that gave us good example? What kept us as a Catholic? Was it a certain teacher, the good example of a friend - the family we grow up in - whether our parents went to church or what have you.

I heard of a lady - who is married - has a couple of kids - has gone to Sunday Mass all her life - got her husband by her example to start going to Mass - but has only gone to confession once in her life - her first confession. As a little girl making her first confession, the priest yelled at her for not knowing the act of contrition, so she said, “That’s it for that!” And that was it for that.

We priests say behind other priests back - those who yell at parents for crying babies in church or what have you - that they are going to have to pay for all the people they have driven from the Church. So too a host of faults and foibles by the priests of our church.

I’ve made my mistakes. I’ve had one person walk out on me - that I know of. It was a priest. I was at least 30 years younger than he was. He wanted me to give the same sermon we were giving on weekend retreats to married couples on their retreat - many of whom had come to weekend retreats earlier in the year - and heard our weekend sermons. So I chose to preach on the same readings - but give a homily for a married couple. He didn’t like it - so he walked out.

I learned from that experience a lot more than reading a book or an article on the priesthood or personality. That moment had an impact on me. Let me tell you. Then there are all those people whom I hurt or bothered down through the years. I still go by the 1/3, 1/3, 1/3 rule that an old priest once told me: 1/3 like you, 1/3 don’t like you, 1/3 don’t care. Get over it.

PETER AND PAUL

So Peter and Paul were formed by their experiences of Jesus Christ.

Paul was trying to exterminate and put an end to those who followed Jesus - and in that persecution he discovered Jesus Christ - who changed his life - and then he had crawl on the ground, before he could rise. He had to see his blindness, before he could see. He had to experience darkness, before he could see the light.

He learned humility. He “moved from a self-centered to a Christ-centered life”. Christ was his strength as we heard in today’s second reading.

Peter can be pictured as the fisherman chosen by Christ - that day at the beach. Christ must have seen something in him - that could call others to follow Christ. And right away the gospels give us the hint about Peter’s personality. Big mouth. Foot in mouth. Foot out of mouth. Foot following Christ.

CONCLUSION

What’s your take on Peter and Paul? Do 1/3 of you like Peter? Do 1/3 of you like Paul? Do 1/3 of you say, “I never thought about the question?”

Notice how I worded that last 1/3. I didn’t say, “You don’t care!” Nope I put it the way I put it, because I don’t want to put my foot in my mouth. I wouldn’t want 1/3 of you to walk out.

************

NOTES:

Painting on top: Saints Peter and Paul by El Greco - Domenikos Theotokopoulos [c,1541-1614]. As far as I could figure out, this is one of 3 paintings of Peter and Paul by El Greco. That's Peter with the key in his hand and Paul pointing to his writings. Another painting has Paul with a sword.


 (1) T. W. Manson, On Paul and John, Alec Allenson, Inc. pages 11-14.

CHANGE? 

YOU'RE KIDDING?

Quote for Today  June 29, 2011

"The seven last words of the church: 'We never did it that way before.'"

Anononymous

WHAT HAPPENED

TO THE PILLOW?

INTRODUCTION: PILLOWS

The title of my homily for this 13th  Tuesday in Ordinary Time is, “What Happened to the Pillow.”

We’ve all had the experience of saying sometime in our life, “What happened to the pillow?”

It fell off the bed and our head wants that pillow. Someone else is sitting in our favorite seat and is sitting with our favorite pillow - as if it were their lap dog. Or someone reached for our favorite pillow on our favorite couch or chair as if it was for anyone - just anyone - to take. Or someone borrowed it and went upstairs or downstairs with OUR pillow.

What happened to our pillow?

CAN I GET YOU A PILLOW?

We also have had the experience somewhere along the line when someone said to us, “Can I get you a pillow?”

That’s one of those little things in life - that makes life sweeter for the other person.

It has never happened to me, but I find it a nice moment to be on a plane and the steward or stewardess or airline attendant says to someone, “Can I get you a pillow?” Nice.

It’s a nice moment to be watching a football game or a movie and one is on a couch or an easy chair and someone says to someone else, “Can I get you a pillow?” Nice.

It’s a nice moment when visiting someone - and they give you a room for the night - and they say to you the next morning, “Did you have a good sleep?” Then, “Were the pillows okay?”

I always say, “Great!” I can’t tell the difference between one pillow and another, any more than I can tell the difference between spaghetti and spaghetti - and chicken soup and chicken soup. There are people who can taste and tell differences, etc. There are people who know that St. John Neumann Church has cushions and St. Mary’s doesn’t. I was talking to a woman last night who thinks St. Mary’s benches are a torture device - made that way to provide penance for people for their sins. There are some people who always sit in the same seat in church and know the difference. Amazing.

This question about, “Were the pillows okay?” is very interesting and intriguing to me - and I notice it because I have gone on about 20 + retreats with our high school kids and have given over 100 h.s. retreats in my life - and there are always kids getting off the bus with their own pillows. Is it their security blanket or what have you?

We have a family story. My brother and my sister were talking once at our mom’s house. Mom was somewhere else. Somehow the conversation of the pillow in the guest room came up. My brother said, “That pillow is really hard. In fact, it’s horrible.” My sister Peggy said, “When I sleep here I also find it hard and horrible - but guess what? Once I told mom about it and she said, ‘Billy likes hard pillows!’”

Isn’t life fascinating? Don’t the little things in life, make life interesting?

I was going to entitle this homily, “Can I Get You a Pillow?”

However, “What Happened to the Pillow?” has more of a hook or a grab to it. I’m hoping someone is saying, “What has this pillow talk to do with today’s readings?”

TODAY’S GOSPEL

We heard the story about Jesus crossing the lake in today’s gospel.

Jesus is sleeping in the boat. A storm comes up. The disciples panic and wake up Jesus - who calms down the weather - and says, “You guys don’t have much faith!?”

In Mark and Luke the same story appears - but Mark has one detail that Matthew and Luke leave out. Mark says Jesus was asleep in the boat with his head on a pillow. The Greek word in Mark 4: 38 - on a pillow or cushion is proskephalaion. Notice the Greek word kephale. It’s the word for head. The English word “cephalic” - which is not used that often - might be familiar. It’s a word used to refer to the skull or the head.

Now every time I read the story in Matthew and Luke, I ask, “What happened t the pillow?” How come they left out the pillow?

Answer: I would assume that that detail was not important to Matthew and Luke.

We know that there are people who miss the little things that make life sweeter for the other person. And there are some people who are very aware of the little things in life - what another likes and doesn’t like, what bothers people - what makes one’s day - what drives one crazy - what comforts another.

So a message for today: Think pillows. Think little things. Think thinking about little things like pillows.

Thinking people think of the next person.

CONCLUSION

When my sister Mary and her husband were celebrating their 50th Wedding anniversary, one of their daughters, Monica, gave everyone a favor - a tiny something as a memento. I had just finished this homily last night, and I noticed it on my bookshelf. Let me close with a reading of this small piece entitled, “Little Things Mean a Lot.” It’s a song written by Edith Lindeman and Carl Stutz (1953). You might have heard it somewhere along the line. Come to think about it, it’s much better than this sermon 1000 times over. Amen.

LITTLE THINGS MEAN A LOT

Blow me a kiss across the room

Say I look nice when I’m not

Touch my hair as you pass my chair

Little things mean a lot

Give me your arm as we cross the street

Call me at six on the dot

A line a day when you’re far away

Little things mean a lot

Don’t have to buy me diamonds or pearls

Champagne, sables or such

I never cared much for diamonds and pearls

'Cause honestly, honey, they just cost money

Give me your hand when I’ve lost my way

Give me your shoulder to cry on

Whether the day is bright or gray

Give me your heart to rely on

Send me the warmth of a secret smile

To show me you haven’t forgot

For always and ever, now and forever

Little things mean a lot

IT'S NOT GOOD

TO GO IT ALONE!

Quote for Today - June 28,  2011

"Traveling together is a great test, which has damaged many friendships and even honeymoons."

Rose Macaulay, The Towers of Trebizond, 1956

MOTHER

OF PERPETUAL HELP

Today, June 27th, we Redemptorists celebrate the Feast of Our Mother of Perpetual Help - or Our Lady of Perpetual Help.

We were given this picture of Mary way back in 1866 by Pope Pius IX, who said, “Make her known.”

And we Redemptorists have certainly done just that.

I grew up in Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish in Brooklyn, New York and as a kid during the 1940’s saw lots of people coming to the Wednesday Novena - praying for Help.

At the time I didn’t know that Perpetual Help novenas on Wednesday were taking place all around the world. They were especially helpful for people’s prayer life and spirituality during and after World War II - which was certainly a world war.

Becoming a Redemptorist I’m aware that many of our parishes have that name, Our Lady or Our Mother of Perpetual Help. I am aware that the icon of Mary can be found in Redemptorist parishes and centers in the 77 countries around the world where we are located. I am aware of the great novenas to Mary in Singapore and in the Philippines - and in various other places in the world.

I am aware that several pictures of Our Mother of Perpetual Help sent from Rome for various churches in the United States went down with the Andrea Doria in 1956.

I am aware that Mary under this title is the patron saint of Haiti - a country that recently had a horrible earth quake - as well as years and years of poverty and horror.

Help.

One thing I wonder about at times is what would happen if the island of Crete would demand back this picture - which was stolen back before 1500. It’s in our headquarters church in Rome - where it had been for a couple of a couple of hundred before we bought that property. Then it disappeared after the church where it was enshrined was destroyed.

It’s a small picture - 17” by 21”.

I’ve often wondered what has made it so popular.

We Redemptorists certainly helped do that - being missionaries all around the world. I wonder if it became so popular because the picture has eastern and western characteristics. I wonder if it’s popular because it’s the classic image of a mom and her baby. I wonder if what helps is that it’s a picture story - a child scarred runs to his mother and in the running his sandal starts falling off. I wonder it became so popular because of the word, “help” in its title. Who of us doesn’t need help?

I assume that this image of Mary is a place to come to - to run to - when we need mommy, when we need help.

Today we celebrate the Feast of Our Mother of Perpetual Help.

Suggestion: after Mass today - visit her shrine - and thank Mary for help received and ask her for help needed.

Be like Abraham in today’s gospel - haggling God down from 50 to 10. For example if you’re praying that your kids return to church 52 Sundays a year - ask for 10 Sundays.

Be like Jesus in today’s gospel - who says he has no place to rest his head. Recall that in this picture or Icon of Mary, Jesus is resting his head on her shoulder - and when Jesus was taken down from the cross his head is rested on her once more.

Mary, you are our perpetual help from womb to tomb. Thank you. Amen.

**************

Picture on top: The original Our Lady of Perpetual Help picture at San Alfonso, in Rome.

MOTHER OF PERPETUAL HELP

Hail Mary, Full of Grace,
I picture you as one who gracefully
steps into the picture of anyone
who needs help - anyone whose
marriage has run out of the wine of life
or someone who needs a pair of sandals -
or anyone who screams for, “Help!”


Hail Mary, Full of Grace,
help me to picture myself as one
who gracefully steps out of my frame
and becomes at least a momentary help
to someone in need, especially those
carrying a heavy cross - or to stand under
their cross and hear their screams for “Help!”

© Andy Costello, Reflections 2011

EXAMPLE 

Quote for Today - June 27, 2011

"Example moves the world more than doctrine."

Henry Miller [1891-1980], The Cosmological Eye, 1934

FEED ME

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for this feast of Corpus Christi - now called, “The Feast of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ” - is, “Feed Me”.

I’m sure we’ve all seen a poor person by the side of the road - or on a sidewalk  - with a child in hand - or cradled in their arms - with a sign around their or their  kid’s neck - “Feed Me!”

The world’s population is or is estimated to hit 7 billion people this year: 2011.

Question…. Key question for this homily: Does every person on the planet - all 7 billion of us - have a sign on our forehead or on our face or in our eyes that says, “Feed Me.”

HUMAN HUNGERS AND HUMAN THIRSTS

Is every human being saying, “I’m hungry and thirsty for more - for so much more!”

Is every human being like the kids in Oliver walking around with bowls in hand saying or singing, “Please sir, I want some more.” Is every kid singing and crying I want more than gruel. I want, I need, I sing for, “Food glorious food.”

Is every child crying for their parents' time - attention - games - reading - presence?

It’s obvious in church when we hear the beautiful scream of a child - who is singing, “Feed me!”

It’s not so obvious is us older kids - who are here in church screaming inwardly about what's going on in our lives. Church is a time to get in touch with our human needs - our human screams - as well as those around us here in church - but especially all those out there - whom we’ll meet today - whom we’ll meet this week.  And I’m not just talking about those who would like a hand out - but those in our own families or work place - that we  put our hand out in peace to them. The sign of peace at Mass is not just for those we’re at Mass with - but for us to be signs of peace all week.

Is every human being saying:  Feed me with love. Feed with respect. Feed me with food. Could I have a drink of cool clear water? Please listen to me. Please hold the door for me. Please acknowledge me. Please recognize me. Please give me a job. Please give me an education. Please give me a seat at the table. Give me a chance.  I need clean water to swim in, clean air to breathe in. Don’t dump on me. Please be aware of the needs of the generations to come. Let’s get our economic, our ecological, our spiritual, our educational, our cultural houses in order.

LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS

Those of you who channel surf - or like to watch old TV movies - probably have seen the old movie, “Little Shop of Horrors.” It came out  way back in 1960. That’s 50 years ago. And it features a singing plant - a big singing plant in a florist shop - that sings, “Feed Me!”.

It’s a comedy - it’s a farce - it’s dark humor - it takes a while to get used to it and into it - but it has a fascinating message. Is every person singing that song, “Feed Me”?

I found it interesting that the movie had a budget of $30,000 - and that it was shot in 2 days - using movie sets from another movie. It was a b movie - part of a double feature - for a time with the movie, “Black Sunday” and then with “The Last Woman on Earth.”

Then it stood on it’s own two feet - the dream of every human being.


It slowly became a cult film. It helped that Jack Nicholson had a small, small part in it. As an aside, let me mention, that I once found in a retreat house basement an old vocation movie put out by the Franciscans that had Jack Nicholson as a young man playing the part of a young man thinking of the priesthood. I watched it a few times and yep it was Jack Nicholson - about to burst into the vocation of being a star movie actor. I left that 16 mm. movie on a shelf there in that basement and it disappeared. I always thought it would make a big splash if it was put on TV - and in the meanwhile still get someone to think Franciscan - and think priesthood.

By mentioning this in my sermon and then on my blog - I’m getting it out there and maybe someone will track it down - and do just that.

FEED ME

In this homily - and on this feast - the theme I’m pushing - is that every human being is screaming, “Feed Me!”

We and lots of people are in church this Sunday because we are hungry people - hungry for God, hungry for Jesus’ Body and Blood, hungry for meaning, for a good word, and hungry to do all this with others.

A key text in the Bible for me has always been Genesis 2:18: “It is not good to be alone!”

It’s from the most primitive and earliest part Genesis - that is an amalgamation of various stories and texts from different eras of Israel’s traditions. So God creates the animals. Man then gives each of them a name - but dogs and cats and birds and beasts are not enough. One is not enough.

It’s a great story - with great psychology and anthropology and humor - so God puts the man into a deep sleep - and takes out one of his ribs and sculpts it with flesh to make a woman - so the man will no longer be alone.

And when Adam wakes up and sees woman for the first time he says, “This is bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh. This is to be called ‘woman’ - for this was taken from man.” It’s funny stuff here. There is a cute play on words in the Hebrew. “Ish” is the word for “man” and “ishshah” is the word for woman.

Using English words, I like Bill Crosby’s play of words in his presentations on Genesis. When Adam saw this one for the first time he says, “WOOOOO MAN!”

Human beings need each other and feed off each other. It is not good to be alone.

Women and men, we need each other. Feed me.

We need relationships. Feed me.

We need to see our connections - rib to rib. Feed me.

This early story in our Bible brings us back to the basics.

It is not good to be alone.

This is the most basic human story.

I would hold that this story is also telling us that God realized, “It’s not good to be alone.”

God is saying, “Feed me!”

God is saying, “Talk to me!”

God is saying, “Walk with me!”

Want summer reading? Read the Book of Genesis - or just the first 5 chapters up to the flood and you’ll hear the human story.

Space and stuff is not enough.

God needed us and we need God. Feed me.

God needed audience and we need audience.

Is there anyone on the planet who knows I am on the planet?

How many times have we sat on a plane seat in an airplane or a plain seat in the mall or in a restaurant and wondered who is this person in walking by - with that interesting t-shirt or hat or shoes or pocketbook or what have you?

Talk to me. Talk to each other. Listen to me. Feed me.

We’re driving along and there are 2 people walking along in the cool of the evening - walking and talking - or there is someone walking alone but they are talking to someone miles away - on one of those phones in the ear attachment. How is that different from the scene right there on those early pages of Genesis where we read that God walked with Adam and Eve in the Garden in the cool of the evening - that is till they blew it - and they hid - and in their nakedness they had to admit to God they disobeyed him and ate the forbidden fruit?

They were discovering what every human being has discovered: sin separates. Sin breaks the human covenant. Sin fractures family and friendships and marriages.

They were discovering that we sin because we want more - we want to be fed with more, more, more. It's tempting to reach for forbidden fruit. We want to be like God - so we want it all - and we are not God - but mysteriously - we can have it all - if we are with God and work with God and share with God and each other.

But no that is not enough. Ugh. This is the naked human condition.

As W. H. Auden put it in his words in his 1971 book, A Certain World: A Commonplace Book,  “All sins are attempts to fill voids.”

Isn’t that the truth?

Isn’t that another way of saying, “Feed me”?

Isn’t that what Augustine says big time in his great book, Confessions?  The Confessions of Saint Augustine is dated to around 400. We all know his words, “I was in love with loving.” “Give me chastity and continence, but not just now.” “Too late I loved you, O Beauty ever ancient and ever new! Too late I loved you! And behold, you were within me, and I out of myself, and there I searched for you.”

And Augustine tells us about all his searching and his dealing with sex - philosophies - various religions - till he hits bottom and discoveres Christ.

It’s the same as the old saying in Alcoholics Anonymous, “We were looking for God in the bottom of a bottle!”

Isn’t that why we have so many broken bottles in church parking lots and along so many streets - and why we have so many young people walking down West Street and so many different streets on Saturday night - and don’t know what they are looking for is God who can be found in so many churches on Sunday morning - and in healthy good relationships.

CONCLUSION

Today is the feast of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ!

Today millions of the billions on this planet will walk up the aisle of Catholic churches wanting to be fed by the Body and Blood of Christ.

Feed me!

The Catholic Church proclaims and teaches that we receive the Body and Blood of Christ in each communion - whether we just take the bread or the wine or both. It would be nice to have the option here at St. Mary's on Sunday of receiving from the cup like we do at every Mass at St. John Neumann. On Saturday evening and Sunday we only receive the Bread because the aisles and space for Eucharistic ministers and people would be too backed up.

We  also have the wonderful tradition in the Catholic Church of being able to drop in and sit in the presence of Jesus in this Blessed Sacrament in our churches or in Eucharistic Chapels. Our Eucharistic Chapel is closed right now with the renovations in this church - fixing up the heating system - but the church at St. John Neumann is open during the day.

I love walking into Catholic Churches any place I find myself - and walk in and just be - and surprise there is usually someone over there sitting in the afternoon quiet - behind a column - in the semi-darkness in prayer and I can sense them saying, praying, “Feed me!”

And I would think they come back because they are fed - but they also go out from church - from Mass - from prayer - and feed others - giving others their body and blood - a listening ear, a helping hand - word of wisdom - a walk in peace. Amen.

SILENCE 

LEARN THE SECRET!

Quote for This Sunday - June 26, 2011

"Silence is the best substitute for brains ever invented."

Senator Henry F.Ashurst, Quoted by Leon Harris in, The Fine Art of Political Wit, 1966

KINGS AND POPES, 

BISHOPS AND PRESIDENTS, 

GO OUT FOR ICE CREAM 

ON A COOL SUMMER 

EVENING IN JEANS 

AND A T-SHIRT

Quote for Today - June  25, 2011

"Religions, which condemn the pleasures of sense, drive men to seek the pleasures of power. Throughout history power has been the vice of the ascetic."

Bertrand Russell [1872-1970],  New York Herald-Tribune Magazine, May 6,  1938

Photo on Top: Bertrand Russell