WHAT DO YOU WANT? 

WHOM DO YOU WANT? 

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for this Easter Tuesday  is, “What Do You Want? Whom Do You Want?”

THE GOSPEL OF JOHN

As you know we get a lot of the Gospel of John at Easter time.

Last Saturday when I was putting together a homily for Easter Sunday I noticed something without looking for it. That happens. I noticed sort of accidentally that the Easter Sunday Gospel from John, Chapter 20: 1-9, has a similar scene in Chapter 1: 35-39 of John - the scene where Andrew - a disciple of John the Baptist has Jesus pointed out to him - and Andrew goes right up to Jesus who says to him, “What do you want?” It’s translated that way and a few other various ways in English from the Greek - but that’s the basic meaning. “What do you want? What are seeking? What are you looking for?”

Last night as I was preparing a homily for this morning I noticed that today’s gospel text is a continuation of Sunday’s gospel - John 20: 11-18. Having more time than last Saturday I did some further research on the text.

My first question was whether the Greek had the same word for “wanting” or “seeking” in both those texts: chapter 1 and chapter 20.

It does: the Greek verb is “ZETEO”.

Then I wondered if the Greek was different for “What” and “Whom”. It is. The difference is, “TI” and “TINA”. In John 1:38 we read, “TI ZETETE” “What do you want?” and in John 20: 15 we read, “TINA ZETEIS” “Whom are you seek?”

I checked commentaries on the Gospel of John. Nobody comments on the nuance I just mentioned. That makes me nervous, because I neither a Greek scholar nor a Biblical scholar.

However, I dabble and babble in both.

I have no clue if anyone of you is interested in these tiny tidbits.

Next I did notice that several commentaries did compare both texts - John 1 and John 20 when in both scenes we spot the word “Rabbi”. However, it’s more intimate or friendlier here in John 20 when Jesus is called “Rabbouni”.

So that was a nice discovery for me. We were taught to read the scriptures and look for parallels. I finally spotted this one after all these years. What else is in the scriptures that I haven’t noticed yet?

WHAT OR WHOM?

So I noticed that Chapter One has the question: “What are you looking for?” - the question of Jesus to Andrew and Chapter 20 has the question Jesus asks Mary, “Whom” are you looking for?”

Now I began wondering if the author of John is making a point here: that some people ask what and some ask whom.

Is it true that some people are searching for a what and some people spend their life searching for a whom - a person?

Is it the “Subject vs. Object” topic or the “It vs. The Thou” question that Martin Buber was off on.?

I don’t know. It’s something that hit me last Saturday and again last night - so I have to keep reflecting upon all this.

CONCLUSION

The title of my homily is, “What Do You Want? Whom Do You Want?”

In this homily, I’m asking several questions: “Is everyone a wanter? Do some people want a what and do some people want a whom? Do men want a what and women want a whom?

Do men want a religion, a system, a plan, a blueprint and women want a person?

Do some people want a person who will give them a what?

I don’t know. I’m throwing these questions out to you as well. Maybe one of these questions will hook you - which the question mark is crafted into: a hook?

Maybe some of you are thinking these are all “What” questions and “What comments”.

Maybe some of you are thinking about what you are going to do today; maybe some of you are thinking about whom you are going to meet or be with today.

Maybe one of you is thinking: “What is he talking about today?”

Maybe one of you is thinking, “Whom is he talking about today?”

OOOOOOOPS!

April 10,  2012

Quote for Today

"The quickest way to get a lot of undivided attention is to make a mistake."

Anonymous

Do you spot mistakes more than a flawless presentation or appearance?

ON BEING 

AN ORIGINAL BARKER

April  9,  2012

Quote for Today

"One dog barks at something, and a hundred bark at the sound."

Chinese Proverb

***

Some questions:

What does this proverb mean to you?

What are you barking about?

What are you repeating that is not you?

What's your most important bark?

Is your bark worse than your bite?

Did you ever find yourself barking up the wrong tree? What was that story? Have you ever told anyone about that one?

If you asked the 3 key people in your life - what they thought you were off on - what your bark is about - what would they tell you?

Have you ever been an incredibly annoying barking dog? What was that about?

Who listens to you - to your barks?

FAITH! 

IT TAKES TIME!

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily is, “Faith! It Takes Time!”

Is the Easter message in the gospel we just heard exactly that: Faith! It Takes Time.

Mary of Magdala - on that first day of the week - is the first one - according to The Gospel of John - who goes to the tomb early in the morning - while it was still dark - and sees that the stone has been removed from the tomb. The tomb is empty.

Uh oh! Now what? This is stuff of story. This is the stuff of mystery. What’s next?

As we look at our life - our faith life - what have been the moments just like that - when we expected the obvious - or the regular - and we came around the bend or into a room or into a place and - uh oh, surprise is there. Now what? What’s next?

It might have been an upper or it might have been a downer - a mountain top experience or a desert moment - and agony or an ectasy.

What would it be like to go to cemetery three days after the funeral and the grave is empty? There is a big empty hole in the ground?

Uh oh? Now what? What’s next?

In today’s gospel story - Mary of Magdala runs to the men - to Simon Peter and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved - and tells them, “They have taken the Lord from the tomb….”

Peter and the other disciple run - and if you listen carefully to all the tiny details in the story - the other disciple gets there first - but lets Peter who gets there second - go into the tomb first - but the other disciple is the one who sees and is the first to believe.

Then today’s gospel ends with the words, “For they did not yet understand the Scripture that he had to rise from the dead.”

Is the message the obvious: “Faith! It Takes Time”?

DOUBTING THOMAS

Next Sunday’s gospel - which for centuries was called, “Doubting Thomas Sunday” - we’ll hear the story about Thomas needing time till he gets it. It being faith.

Next Sunday is now also being called, “Divine Mercy Sunday.” Some people stay back - can’t open the door for the Lord - can’t knock on God’s door - because of mistakes - sins - hurts - disasters - my own or others towards me. Their script is: “I can’t forgive ________.” Fill in the blank with “God”, “another”, or “myself.”

So some doubt that God or that Christ is God - besides being human and rose from the dead. Or some doubt that they can forgive or be forgiven and experience mercy.

Life - love - forgiveness - faith - mercy - learning how to driver a car, picking up the ability to type or text or Skype or Wii or understand each other. All of the above. All take time.

Faith! It Takes Time.

Some get it before others.

MY QUESTION AS PRIEST

My question as priest has always been: what are the hooks?

What would get people to run to this church?

If you come to church every week, what is it that you have discovered? What grabs you? What do you find here? “If you say, ‘I’m hooked”, what hooked you?

I keep hearing that we have about 15,000 plus folks - about 5000 families - registered in this parish - on the books - as they say - but obviously - all don’t come every Sunday - and we have visitors every week, praise God. What have you found? What are you still looking for? What are you running after? What have you caught? Where are your graves? Where do you feel fulfilled? Where are you empty places? What stones have to be rolled back for you? What have you found in your emptiness which is filling you?

I know some of the reasons why people stop coming to church: boredom, laziness, hurt, it doesn’t make sense - or there’s the better. Breakfast with a New York Times, a good bagel, toasted - with strawberry cream chess and two good cups of coffee. They taste better than a letter from Paul to the Corinthians, or a tiny tasteless piece of bread - unleavened - and a sip of wine sometimes.

I know the horror stories. Somebody yelled - or denied - or didn’t listen. I know the priest abuse stories have not helped. Worse: they have solidified some of those who have dropped out so they stay out.

When I was still in my late 20’s - a long time ago - I took course on TV on propaganda - every morning at 6 AM - for about 3 months. What I learned the loudest was this: propaganda is not about getting new converts - as much as it is to solidify those who are already in one’s camp or one’s party.

I assume that those of you who are in politics know this loud and clear. I assume that those of you who are in sales know this loud and clear. Some people buy Chevrolet’s for life. They are satisfied with what they got - and they want it again, and again, and again. I’ve heard people swear by Camry’s - so I wondered when they were having trouble there a few years ago - did some other brand take over for some folks? Why do you buy what you buy?

Why don’t you buy what you don’t buy?

I read Andre Papineau’s book, Sermons for Sermon Haters. I read David Burchett’s book, When Bad Christians Happen to Good People. I read several times, Juan Arias’ book, The God I Don’t Believe In. I read Patricia Barbernitz’s book, Parish Ministry for Returning Catholics. I read Paul Wilkes book, Excellent Catholic Parishes - The Guide to Best Places and Practices - and obviously I hoped that St. Mary’s Annapolis would be featured. Nope.

Yet we were happy to notice that in the latest issue of U.S. Catholic magazine, St. Mary’s Annapolis is listed as a Megaparish here in the United States. St. Ann Parish in Coppel, Texas is listed as having 8,971 families, 16 Paid Employees, 7 Weekend Masses, and an annual budget of $1.3 million; St. Matthew Parish in Charlotte, North Carolina is listed as having 8,703 families, 8 weekend masses, and an annual budget of $6.1 million; St. Mary’s Parish, Annapolis, Maryland is listed as having 4,735 families, 37 Paid Employees, 13 Weekend Masses, and an annual budget of $14 million.

I didn’t notice if the first 3 had schools. I do know Catholic schools are expensive - and a priest friend of mine told me he was pastor of a parish that had a lively school. He finished up there - the school was closed - and ten years of so later - he got stationed there once again. The parish had gone down big time. His learning: Catholic Schools can help a parish big time. Father Andrew Greeley has been saying that forever.

I liked what I read about St. Matthew’s in Charlotte, North Carolina. The pastor, Monsignor John McSweeney is quoted: “McSweeney says the secret to getting parishioners to overcome the feeling of anonymity is to put the parish’s resources into welcoming new members. ‘There were 25,000 here at Christmas. That can scare some people,’ he says. ‘The size can be intimidating to people when they first come here, but because of our ongoing sense of welcoming and reaching out to each other, it breaks down the barriers real fast.’”

Welcome! I hope all of you feel welcome here at St. Mary’s when you come here. I hope you feel welcome by the priests, ushers, the office, the parishioners - especially at the ends of benches. Surprise. People at ends of benches sometimes have very smart reasons to sit on their ends. I hope our Hispanic brothers and sisters feel welcome. Last night at the Easter Vigil - the group who came into our church were a goodly number of Hispanics - equal to our non-Hispanics. I love the hymn, “All Are Welcome. All are Welcome in this place.” I hope all feel the truth of that - not just in song. I would hope some are singing that in their car on the way home or in the shower.

As one of the priests here, I hope you feel welcome by the Redemptorist priests here. The lists in the U.S. Catholic magazine article don’t list the number of priests in these big parishes - except for us - in a quote from our pastor, Father John Tizio. I assume with the priest shortage, they get priests from nearby seminaries or universities -or retired priests for weekend helping out.

I know the old rule about anyone: 1/3 like you; 1/3 don’t like you; 1/3 really don’t care. Having 8 different priests who say Mass and hear confessions here certainly better help. There’s more than 1 channel on every TV set the last time I looked. And we put who has what Mass and who is hearing confession on line. I hope several click for you.

CONCLUSION: WHAT WAS MARY LOOKING FOR?

As I reflected up all this - and often do - today’s gospel hit me loud and clear. On Good Friday evening I mentioned in my homily that I accidently found an article about a conference on preaching and in the article there was the key comment on what the goal of preaching is. I thought it was, "No coughs! Nobody falls asleep! Nobody looks at their watch." Nope. The article said:  “The goal is to get someone in the parish to say, ‘I know myself in that story.’”

“I know myself in that story.”

When you heard today’s gospel story of Mary of Magdala, did you sense down deep, “I know myself in that story.”

If your story is Mary of Magdala story - I would hope when you come into church - you would not experience it as an empty tomb - or an empty tabernacle - or an empty ritual - or empty chalice and empty ciborium - or empty readings with empty words - or and empty pulpit or empty preacher, altar, or parish - but you would experience what happened to this Mary of Magdala.

Today’s gospel ends at verse 9 - Chapter 20 of John: “For they did not yet understand the Scripture that he had to rise from the dead.”

Then John says in verse 10: “The disciples then went home again.”

That’s how today’s gospel ends - kind of empty - but it has a few hints of what is to come.

But the story doesn’t end there. John tells us that the men went home. Then in verse 11, we read that Mary didn’t. She stayed there outside the tomb weeping. Then she hears messages, angels, voices, something, asking her why she is weeping. Then she turns and there is someone there. She thinks the man is a gardener. He asks her the big life question, “Who are you looking for?”

In the beginning of the gospel of John, Chapter 1, Jesus asks Andrew and an unnamed disciple of John the Baptist, “What are you looking for?” Andrew or the other disciple answers, “Where do you live?” Jesus answers, “Come and see!” And they do. They experience this in Chapter 1 of the Gospel of John - the beginnings of Jesus in their lives. Andrew goes to his brother Peter and says the next morning, “We have found the Messiah - which means the Christ”. And Andrew brings his brother to Jesus.

By Chapter 20 - today’s gospel from John - Peter is not there yet - but he’s about to become the Peter we hear in today’s first reading from the Acts of the Apostles - proclaiming Jesus - the Risen Lord - to our world.

Faith. It takes time.

FAITH

April 8,  2012

Quote for Today - Easter Sunday

"The steps of faith 
fall on the seeming void 
and find rock beneath."

John Greenleaf Whittier [1807-1892]

Helen Reddy singing "I Don't Know How to Love Him" - the Mary Magdalene song from Jesus Christ Superstar.

THE CROSS - 

HANG IN THERE!

April  7,  2012

Quote for Today

"In the cross 

of Christ

excess in us

is met by 

excess in God; 

excess of evil

is mastered

by excess 

of love."

Louis Bourdaloue [ 1632-1704] - French Jesuit - "The King of Preachers".

Painting on top: Jesus Agony - Georges Rouault [18710-1958] - French painter

What is the best thing you have ever done and what is the worst thing you have ever done?

POWERLESS

The title of my homily is, “Powerless.”

Ever feel that way. Powerless! Of course you’ve felt that way! You don’t have the microphone. I do!

I have a pile of old newspapers in the corner of my room and whenever I spot something in a newspaper that grabs me or I see something I want to read - but don’t have time to read - it goes on my newspaper pile - before someone throws it out. Well, this morning I put one newspaper too many on that pile - and the whole tower of paper came crashing down.

Surprise! There on the ruins of the collapsed tower was an article on preaching from January 23, 2004. Before the collapse it was probably near the bottom. Now it was one of the papers on top of a spread out pile of old newspapers across the whole floor of my room.  

Interesting. I picked it up because of the title on top of the page: “Connecting God’s Story with the People’s” by Patricia Lefevere. Maybe that’s why I saved it in the first place.  I read it then and there - because I was preaching tonight. Maybe it would give me an inspiration. Maybe it would challenge me to come up with a good Good Friday homily - by reading that article on preaching.

The article reported on a preaching conference that took place in the College of St. Elizabeth in Morristown, N.J. There in the third column was the goal of preaching. “The goal is to get someone in the parish to say, ‘I know myself in that story.’”

I’m sure some of you who are married to a newspaper collector have already said, “I know my husband in your newspaper pile story.”

Since today is Good Friday and the goal is to preach on the Cross - and knowing that the cross here at St. John Neumann Church is very large - and knowing we’re all going to be invited to come up and kiss another cross tonight - I would hope that everyone here can look at the cross tonight and say, “I know myself in that story.”

What’s the story? Why did Jesus die on the Cross? Why do millions of people wear a cross around their neck? Why do people have a cross hanging somewhere in their house? What’s the story? What’s its attraction? What does it touch in the human story that makes both so connected?

When you look at the cross - what do you see? What do you hear? What story is Jesus preaching to you tonight - or all your life?

Listen to that story - the one you’re hearing. Go with it. Let my words tumble down like a tower of babble - or pick up the words you’re hearing from the cross tonight.

The title of my homily for tonight is, “Powerless.”  To be honest for some reason that’s the theme I’ve been thinking about all this week - knowing that I was to preach on Good Friday evening.

Powerless!

My plans for Lent - to clean my room  - didn’t happen. My plans for years now has been to pitch the newspapers. I never get to them. Maybe there’s something in one of those papers that is very important - and very helpful to someone. I know I need to pitch them - someday. Hasn’t happened yet. In fact, I restacked that pile already - a bit more secure - a bit more able to get even higher.  But I know - I know - I know - sometimes towers and plans crumble and tumble.

In fact, the first thing I feel powerless about is time. I’ll never get through all those old papers.  Now that I’m 72 I’m finding that today I’m not able to get as much done as I was able to get done 10 years ago. Obvious story.

Then comes the creeping big, big, big, issue where all of us feel powerless: death. When you hit 70, at least for me, I hear death at times going, “Hmm. Hmmn.”

And if I’m talking about feeling powerless, there’s also the big issue of getting my way. The older I get the more I’m reminded of the reality I can’t control others. How about you? Ever try to control the world?

Wait a minute. Of course we have some powers. Sometimes we’re handed a menu. Sometimes we get the TV remote. Sometimes we can leave really early and beat the traffic. But sometimes - sometimes - sometimes - the electricity is out and there is no TV or a truck with hazardous material crashes and Hazmat teams have to be called and a road is closed for 3 hours - and we experience being stuck. Sometimes mom or dad gets sick - or ups and dies - and all plans are mute.

Babies cry in church. Newspapers get wet - it rains - even when they are double bagged. Sometimes in the middle of the joke we’re telling, so and so enters the room - and says, “You gotta hear what just happened to me.” Sometimes the tests prove positive. Sometimes someone hits our car. Sometimes our kids - get into a fight. Then there’s drugs. Addictions. Sickness. Pregnancies.

As priest I got used to yawns a long time ago - but sometimes it gets to me when someone is reading the bulletin - while I’m preaching the greatest sermon of all time. I wouldn’t make that comment at a Sunday homily. I still find it horrible every time I read a newspaper column or comment about another priest abuse story. Those newspaper stories I don’t want to save.

I can’t control the church - what others say - what others do - nor government - nor family - nor parish - nor wanting to sleep the whole night without having to get up to go to the bathroom.

Wouldn’t it be lovely - if we got our own way? Or would it?

Isn’t it lovely -  when - another totally out of our control - totally out of our plans - surprises us - with a compliment or does something out of the ordinary to make life so much sweeter for another - and we see it happening right before our eyes.

That’s why I loved that Random Act of Kindness movement - or the Mall Flash Mobs - when a big group starts singing Handel’s Hallelujah Chorus - to everyone’s surprise.

Wouldn’t it be great if a whole section of Catholics in church belted out a hymn and surprised everyone?

Powerful - ever feel that way?

Powerless - ever feel that way?

So this week - this Holy Week - this Good Friday - I’ve been thinking about the issue of feeling powerless - especially the powerless side of life.

The story of the cross has the power of a thousand interpretations.

I want life to go this way. Surprise something or someone cuts across my life and everything goes the other way.

It took the Christian Church and some big heresies to come up with the Creed statements about Christ being both Human and Divine - being one of us and still in the Trinity.

One of the earliest Christian texts is a hymn sung in the early Church that says Jesus - fully God - fully powerful - emptied himself of his Godness - and became one of us - and then went even lower - becoming our servant - and then lower dying on the cross for us - and because of this God the Father lifted him up and brought him back his powers as God - so every knee - should bend and proclaim Jesus as Lord. It can be found in Paul’s Letter to the Philippians Chapter 2: verses 5b to 11.

What did Jesus do? He became one of us? We all die. Jesus died. We all suffer? Jesus suffered.  We all experience put downs - being nailed down - humiliations - abuse? Jesus did it all - experienced it all. Our God became one of us. The Powerful One became the Powerless One.

I’m not sure about this - as I move towards a conclusion - and I better get to a conclusion - because this homily is getting top heavy and might tumble and crumble like a pile of old newspapers.

I’ve been wondering: what is the biggest issue in life?

I’ve been asking that question for quite some time now. I have a few candidates: love, forgiveness, information, power and choice.

At times I narrow those 5 down to 2:  power and choice. Do I have to make a choice between them? I don’t know.

Tonight I choose to talk about powerless - that Jesus chose to give up all his powers - and look what happened - and look what happened after that.

Maybe there’s a story here: maybe if we let go of all our powers and choose to simply love one another, forgive one another, get to know one another, and empower each other - we will rise to new life.


I hope tonight you say as you look at the cross: "I heard my story tonight."

FRIDAY IN A NURSING HOME

At some point -  pain - too much

pain - can be anesthetic - can be

numbing. Then - surprise - as a

result,  one starts to spot others

and stops thinking of oneself.

While lying in a nursing home bed,

one begins to notice the person

in the corridor making the stations

of the cross while walking

with their walker. One sees

the agony in the garden in

the face of the lady who comes in

to pick up the tray with the

uneaten meat loaf and the nibbled

on apple pie. One knows -

just knows, “Something’s wrong!”

Maybe it’s money. Maybe

it’s her teenager. Christ! 

With eyes closed - resting on

one’s wooden cross in room 219 -

one hears at times shriek cries from

some Judas in the distance

who can’t let go of a betrayal

from a long time ago. They cheated

on someone they loved because

they were doing or not doing

something they didn’t like

and couldn’t forgive them.

Now we know they didn’t know

what they were doing. Sometimes

we only know some things when

we’re old. Sometimes self destruction

can take longer than 3 hours on a cross.

© Andy Costello, Reflections 2012


Painting: Vincent Van Gogh, Old Man in Sorrow (On the Threshold of Eternity) Saint-Rem, April May 1890. Kroller-Muller Museum, Oterio, Netherlands.

DOUBLE CROSSED

April  6,  2012

Quote for Today - Good Friday

"Give me a lever long enough,
and a fulcrum strong enough,
and single-handed
I can move the world."

Quote from Archimedes [c. 287-212 B.C.]

Picture: Segment of the Isenheim Altarpiece by Matthias Gruenwald [1506-1515]

Have you ever stood below a cross and Christ moved you?  Be specific. When, where, how?

WHICH  ONE  IS  ME?

April  5,  2012

Quote for Today


"A nice person lives here
with a mean old buzzard."

Sign on a door in Defiance, Ohio.

Question:  If this sign was on my door, who's who?

TASTE

The title of my homily is, “Taste!”

It’s just one of the words in today’s reading from Hebrews 2: 9b-10.

It’s just one of the words we taste on Holy Thursday.

Taste….

The author of Hebrews is telling us that Jesus has saved us by tasting death. Just as all of us will taste death - and have tasted it with the death of loved ones - neighbors and associates and parishioners - Jesus is one of us by tasting death - dying for all of us.

On Holy Thursday the Jewish people celebrate the Passover - with a meal.

The Passover meal connected - grounded - placed - put - the people of Israel back in Egypt - on a night different from all over nights - the night when they escaped, exited, Exodused, ran from slavery towards freedom - baptized in the waters - moving into the desert - heading from the Land of Suffering towards the Land of Milk and Honey.

If you ever have a chance to go to a Seder Meal, go to it.

If you ever have a chance to go to the Holy Thursday, Good Friday, Holy Saturday, Easter Sunday services, go to them. They are moments different from all other moments.

At the Passover Meal, the unblemished sheep or goat from their flock is slaughtered. The blood is put on the two doorposts. The Lamb is roasted and served. The unleavened bread is eaten. The bitter herbs are tasted. The different cups of wine are tasted. The people around the supper table are tasting history - doing this in memory of Moses and those who were in on that Passover. The people at the Passover Supper were tasting not only history - but also the mystery of how they were saved by the Lord.

It is the Passover of the Lord.

The title of my homily is, “Taste!”

Jesus tasted that Passover Meal every year till that night - especially that Holy Thursday night - his Last Supper - till he passed through the waters and blood of death - and entered the Promised Land of Eternal Life.

At that Last Passover, at that Last Supper, Jesus did a few things differently. He washed his disciples feet and told us to do likewise. He said he did it as an example of how to treat each other starting from one’s feet. At that Last Passover, at that Last Supper, he took bread and he took wine and offering them up to God he said, “This is my body, I’m giving it to you. This is my blood, I’m pouring it out for you.”

Taste and see how good the Lord is.

That’s what we celebrate this day.

Taste Holy Thursday this Thursday.

Pass over your life and your love and your service to the Lord and to each other - and experience the love that Jesus talks about at that Last Supper - that Meal which we celebrate over and over again till the Lord comes in Glory. Amen.

+*+*+*+*+*+

Painting on top: Kimberly Burgess

SPY WEDNESDAY

INTRODUCTION

Today is the so called, “Spy Wednesday”. It’s the most  "backgroundish day" — the most “didn’t-make-it” day — the least featured of the name days in Holy Week. We know all about Palm Sunday, Holy Thursday, Good Friday, Holy Saturday and then Easter. They made it. “Spy Wednesday” didn’t.

Why not? It's the day  Judas is featured. However, when it comes down to it,  Judas is someone we know very little about. Yet he's also someone about whom a lot has been written. I found that out when I went looking for quotes and comments about him. I came up with some  interesting ones and I’ll put a few of them in this homily.

Judas, we hardly know you. Who are you? Why did you do what you did?

SCRIPTURES

The gospels get into his motivation and his story. Yet, do they really know the man and what made him tick?

In the Acts of the Apostles there is the detail about Judas’ death that is very messy - and rarely mentioned. It says, "As you know, he bought a field with the money he was paid for his crime." That seems like a very quick transaction. Then the Acts of the Apostles adds,   “He fell headlong and burst open, and all his entrails poured out” [Acts 1: 18] Is that TMI - too much information - and in a homily? I wonder if that story  about the field is a mix up or misunderstanding coming out the story bouncing off his being buried in a potter’s field [Cf. Matthew 27: 7]. Did someone using poetic license make up the bursting apart story as well as him wanting to buy a field with the money he got for betraying Jesus?

It seems that money was his big motivation.

SPIES AND BETRAYERS

Down through the years Judas is listed with the great spies and betrayers. Spies and traitors down through history have always been disliked people. There’s Brutus who betrayed Caesar. There’s Quisling, the Norwegian politician who was a traitor and collaborated with the Nazi invaders. There’s Benedict Arnold who betrayed his side to the British in the Revolutionary War. In our times in our country there have been traitors like Robert Hanssen, Aldrich Ames, John Walker Jr., Jonathan Pollard and others. What were their motives - other than money?

Judas received 30 pieces of silver for betraying Jesus.

DANTE

“Dante sets him [Judas] in the lowest of all hells, a hell of cold and ice, a hell designed to show who were not hot sinners swept away by angry passions, but cold, calculating, deliberate offenders against the love of God.” (Cf. Barclay, Mark, p. 328)

SHAKESPEARE—RICHARD III

Shakespeare has Richard the Third saying, “So Judas did to Christ: but he, in twelve, / Found truth in all but one; I, in twelve thousand, none. / God save the king! Will no man say, amen?” (Cf. Bartlett’s Familiar Quotations, p. 195: 10)

GRAHAM GREEN

Yet if there is any character whom we don’t know, it’s Judas. Everyone thinks they know him, but do they?

Graham Green writes in The End of the Affair [1925] , “If we had not been taught how to interpret the story of the Passion, would we have been able to say from their actions alone whether it was the jealous Judas or the cowardly Peter who loved Christ?”

OURSELVES

We don’t know Judas, yet we continue to stereotype him.

John Le Carre 1963 novel had the title, The Spy Who Came In from the Cold. Why not dub Judas with that title and ask him in prayer, “What happened Judas? What happened? Why did you do it?” Then listen. Answers might give us some deep insights into yourself and others .

Or maybe forget about Judas and only go into ourselves.

Today’s gospel has what I think is the worst line in scripture, -- the horrible words, “Better for him if he had never been born.” Meaning: “woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed.” Judas!

Instead of looking at Judas, let’s look at ourselves. Have we ever had that feeling, “I wish I was never born”? We might have that feeling when we have betrayed another or have been betrayed. Or we made a horrible mistake - that broke trust. We want to sink into the ground from which we came.

Betrayal is that kind of a sin: betraying or being betrayed.

SOME MORE QUOTES

In a poem, Emily Dickinson said that the soul can be a friend or a spy. Listen to her adjectives. It can be an imperial friend or the most agonizing Spy.

                “The Soul unto itself
                  Is an imperial friend—
                  Or the most agonizing Spy—
                  An Enemy—could send.”

Francis Thompson in The Hound of Heaven wrote,

              “But with unhurrying chase,
               And unperturbed pace,
               Deliberate speed, majestic instancy,
               They beat—and a Voice beat
               More instant than the Feet—
`             All things betray thee—who betrayest Me.’”

Isaac Bashevis Singer “When you betray somebody else, you also betray yourself.”

CONCLUSION: THE WRONG TREE

Well, when we feel that, it’s not time for the Judas Tree, it’s time for the Jesus Tree—the Cross.

Judas killed the one person he needed—the one person who could forgive him—the one person who called him and gave him a calling. Jesus is the one who said to him,  “You have a reason for being born.”

So if you feel crummy, betrayed, or having betrayed another, start again. Don’t kill yourself. Turn to Jesus.

Let me end there. Let’s begin there. Go to Jesus with a kiss.

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

Drawing on top by Brendan Monroe - from The New York Times

 GOD HAS THE KEY 

AND  YOU THINK 

YOU HAVE THE LOCK!

April  4,  2012

Quote for the Day

"God enters by a private door into every individual."

Ralph Waldo Emerson [1803-1882]

Photo: a side street in Mykonos, Greece

BETRAYAL 
AND  
DENIAL

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for today is “Betrayal and Denial”. I’d like to reflect a little bit on those two issues: Betrayal and Denial. They are two issues that we sometimes feed on.

They are sitting there, or better, they are dwelling there in our heart - perhaps in the bottom back of our deep freeze. And when we are down or when someone “does it again” - past betrayals and past denials pop up. We take them out of the deep freeze. We thaw them. We let them simmer and then we begin to nibble on them in our hurt.

Some people overeat to compensate for their anger. Some people try to stuff themselves, to plug the hole that leads to their heart, where past betrayals and denials linger and want to come to the surface.

So this morning a brief reflection on “Betrayal and Denial”.

MAJOR ISSUES OF OUR TIMES

They are two major issues that we have all heard lots about in our time. We have seen and heard so much about individuals and communities denying, denying, denying. We have all seen so many betrayals in government, marriages, and in the priesthood and in religious life. So betrayal and denial are two realities we are quite familiar with.


TODAY’S GOSPEL

Today’s gospel is Holy Week material. It’s contains heavy duty heart stuff.

Besides Jesus, today’s gospel has three main characters: Judas, Peter and the Beloved Disciple (not absolutely sure who he is). Now we would all love to be the Beloved Disciple, reclining right there next to Jesus bosom (as in Abraham’s bosom), but the reality is: we are more likely to be Judas as well as Peter. The reality is: where charity and love should reign, often we find experience betrayal and denial.


Today’s gospel begins with Jesus sitting there with his disciples and he is growing deeply troubled. His heart is a washing machine stirring around big issues, especially, these issues of betrayal and denial - two of the major issues of our time and all time.


THE HUMAN HEART

The human heart contains both and a lot more. Isn’t that the message of Jesus? The human heart contains love and it contains sin. And let him or her who doesn’t have sin in their heart start throwing stones and then they will discover they have sin in their heart.

Jesus said go down deep into the garden of the human heart and you’ll find rotten apples and they can ruin the whole barrel - especially if we deny they are there.

So today’s gospel contains warning signals to us. I could be Judas. I could be Peter. Neither role is outside my acting ability.

As we grow from childhood to adolescence to adulthood, somewhere along the line we discover evil. It’s out there. Someone betrays us. Someone hurts us. Some abuses us. Someone hurts another. We are shocked. There is evil in the garden.

And as we grow we soon discover that we too can be evil. We too can be cruel. We can be Peter. We can be Judas.

Problems arise when we deny that inner reality and start to make others - the different or the foreigners or people of some other nationality or color to be the problem - or women as the one who cause rapes or what have you.

In today’s gospel Judas makes the move and we read, Satan moved into his heart. And then the dark innuendo, “It was night.”

Satan is not too far from the tree called me. And he slithers around the tree or hangs in its branches. And that tree is not out there. It’s planted in here, in my heart. And the tree is the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. And we have eaten from both - and we have been graced by good fruit and poisoned by bad fruit.

And the question is: do we accept or deny that reality?

We’ve all had this experience of someone grinding us down. Have we ever admitted doing the same to others?

HOWE’S AND MOON’S EXAMPLES

In their book, The Choicemaker, Sheila Moon and Elizabeth Howe  have great stuff on this issue. Let me cite two examples:

The first example that Moon and Howe  mention is that of a birthright Quaker who was an upholder of pacifism and the doing of good works. In his rigidity, he forced two of his children into revolt and anti-social violence, because he, the father, had never faced his own inner darkness. (p. 84)

The second example is that of a character they call Mr. J. “Let us take a look at Mr. J. On Tuesday he awakens tired, irritable, closed off from his family, and spends the day trying to escape himself by being egocentric, unaware, and inadequate. He doesn’t see what the situation requires from him. He makes erroneous evaluations of himself and of others. He does things that are consciously or unconsciously hurtful, even cruel, both to himself and others. Failures multiply until at last, exhausted, he falls into bed only to lie awake for the endless hours it takes for him to see what he has done. On Wednesday Mr. J. tries to approach everything with more openness and flexibility. His evaluations are more genuine and sensitive, and he manages to engage in many more dialogues than monologues. In short, by trying to avoid his evil he comes to grief, and by recognizing it and assimilating it he acts more creatively and also is more richly fulfilled. As Jesus said, “Whosoever shall see to wall himself in shall be destroyed, and whosoever shall let the walls fall shall find life.” (pp. 89 - 90)

CONCLUSION

So today I’m suggesting that we zero in on our own heart. We need to sit in our own garden. We need to sit under our own tree. We need to inspect and look at your own fruit. And like Newton maybe an apple will fall on your head and we’ll wake up to look at it. Maybe it will be a good apple - maybe it will be a bad apple. We have both in our tree. Next, look around in the grass below the tree called “ME” or stand up and look at the apples on our tree. We’ll find two apples that are two of the biggest issues in our times: betrayal and denial.

When we look at our denials and especially our betrayals, we might want a rope to hang ourselves on that tree. Relax. We don’t have to be Judas. Be Peter. He learned all about forgiveness - three times - probably 70 times 7 times after that. My message would be that there is sin inside our heart, but if we have a choice between Peter or Judas, betrayal or denial, choose denial and not betrayal. Be Peter and not Judas.

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

Painting on top: The Taking of  Christ by Michelangelo Caravaggio [1602]

BEYOND  JUST  SEEING 

April 3,  2012

Quote For Today

"I am always humbled
by the ingenuity
of the Lord,
who can make
a red barn 
cast a blue shadow."

E. B. White [1899-1985]

THE ELEVATOR RIDE

Life - it’s like an elevator ride.


You get on. Sometimes you go up and sometimes you go down.


Sometimes you end up on the wrong floor. You weren’t thinking or someone misunderstood you and pushed the wrong button.


Life - it’s like an elevator ride.


Some long for the good old days - when there was someone standing there in an uniform ready to serve you - someone to ask with a smile, “What floor!” To push the buttons … To say, “Please step back!” To say, “Ground floor” or “Fifth floor” when they bring you to your floor - and then to say as you exited the elevator, “Have a great day!”


Life - it’s like an elevator ride.


Sometimes you’re all alone.


Sometimes someone says, “Hello!”


Sometimes someone pushes the button for you.


Sometimes there is someone who loves to start a conversation or make a comment.


Sometimes everyone is so - so quiet.


Sometimes you recognize your neighbors.


Life - it’s like an elevator ride.


Sometimes you get stuck. Sometimes it’s stuck.


Sometimes you have to wait.


Sometimes it’s crowded.


Life - it’s like an elevator ride.


Some people leave such a sweet scented perfume - even when they are long gone.


Some people leave a sour odor - and there are no windows to air them out of your life.


Some people - you’ll hardly or never know, they were there.


Life - it’s like an elevator ride.


Some people take the stairs - whenever possible.


Some people make odd comments about those who take the elevator - but the day might come - when they are in a wheel chair - or their legs are failing - and they too will take the elevator. Then they’ll know.


Some people bring you up; some people bring you down.


Life - it’s like an elevator ride.

© Andy Costello, Reflections, 2012

[This is an image that hit me when I read today’s gospel - for Monday in Holy Week - John 12:1-11. Jesus was invited to a dinner at the house of Lazarus, Martha and Mary - and “Mary took a liter of costly perfumed oil made from genuine aromatic nard and anointed the feet of Jesus and dried them with her hair; the house was filled with the fragrance of the oil.” Open up your Bible. Read John 12: 3. Put your nose to the words. Your nose will still grab the scent.]

HOME   SWEET  HOME  PLEASE!

April  2,  2012

Quote for Today

"Better be kind at home
than burn incense
in a far place."

Chinese Proverb
Picture  "A Path for Gods"  by Ole Jensen - found on line.

HE SEEMED 

SO ELSEWHERE

[This is a Palm Sunday Reflection for 2012.]


I stood on the side - on the edge of the crowd that day - wondering what was going on.

I looked at Jesus’ face - better his eyes - as he came up the road that day. He seemed so elsewhere.

Sitting on a donkey: what was that all about? Crowds waiving palms - praising him: what was that all about? He seemed so elsewhere.

Where was his mind? What was he thinking? What was he wondering about? What were those standing there that day thinking?

I know I’ve been there - at a meal - and I was a hundred miles away. I was chewing lamb, but in my thoughts - I was chewing on something else - planning something else - wanting to be elsewhere.

As the crowd along the road waved palms and shouted, “Hosanna!” I could spot a few of his enemies - tight faced - angry - planning something else.

I watched him all that week - a week that was to be different from all other weeks.

Weeks and months before this week, I heard him say - he had to get to Jerusalem. So I knew he was in Jerusalem long before he got to Jerusalem that day.

I knew he knew - this was to be his destiny - so here he was - but he seemed to be so elsewhere.

Life can often be what we didn’t plan it to be. We know what we want till we get what we want. And then we realize it wasn’t what we wanted.

That Thursday evening, I was close to the end of the table for that supper. I watched his hands. They were tapping the table at times. I watched him eyeing the bread - wincing as he broke it. I saw him tasting the wine slowly - and his face seemed to be sensing - that he knew he was about to be crushed.

I heard him say, “This is my body….” with the bread. “This is my blood ….” with the wine. I heard him say, “This is the beginning of a New Passover, a New Exodus, a New Covenant, a New Life.”

I knew this was his last supper with us. I just knew that when I saw Judas slip out into the night. Something was wrong with Judas. He also could be so elsewhere.

At that meal I listened carefully. Jesus told us about loving one another. After he the shepherd would be slaughtered like the Lamb for the Passover Supper - we would be scattered. What was that all about? He was passing over too many steps that we hadn’t taken yet. After he's gone, he reminded us to remain together like branches on the vine - because separated we’d have no life within us. He told us to produce much fruit and in the meanwhile - to wash feet. He kept on talking about his Father - coming from and going back to him - sending a Spirit to us. None of us are scribes. Yet I wished there was someone who was taking this down.

I saw Jesus’ face tighten as he too went out into the night.

We followed him - bundled up together - in fear and in the dark.

He didn’t ask me to join him in prayer. Once more it was just Peter, James and John. However, I was watching - watching John in particular. It seemed that he was sensing something that Peter wasn’t. James? I am not sure. John always seemed to be taking it all in - seeming to be so elsewhere - at times.

I could hear Jesus’ frustration with Peter - not staying awake - but sleeping - while he Jesus was deep in prayer, deep in worry, deep in scare - deep in fear.

Silence. Night. What’s next?

Then I heard the soldiers coming with torches - burning bright torches - probably to arrest Jesus. I saw Judas’ face in the light. I saw the kiss. Jesus looked right at Judas. Judas turned away. And as they dragged Jesus away, Judas’ face fell. He seemed so elsewhere.

I stayed on the edge. They rushed Jesus to places behind big doors - strong gates - big walls. I couldn’t get inside. But I heard that they were beating and making fun of Jesus inside - with no clue what they were doing.

That Friday I heard the crowd screaming for Barabbas - screaming for crucifixion - and I thought I spotted in the crowd some of those I saw last Sunday who were praising him. I guess people can be like that.

I watched him being forced to carry his own cross on the way to Calvary. I think he caught my eye once - but I looked elsewhere. I didn’t know what to do.

I stayed at the edge of the crowd at Calvary. I saw some of his blood squirt from his hands when they nailed him to the cross - right onto the skin of a small boy who carried the bucket of nails and the hammer to Calvary. That was ironic because some cried, “His blood be upon us and upon our children.”

I heard him cry from the cross, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”

God seemed so elsewhere - so it seems - sometimes.

Jesus hung there for what seemed like hours.

Jesus seemed so elsewhere when he died.

I kept saying to myself, “Now what? Now what? Is there a next or do we all go back home - to all the elsewhere’s we’ve been thinking about the past three years - to all these elsewhere’s we all left behind?

      

THE DONKEY

When fishes flew and forests walked,
And figs grew upon thorn,
Some moment when the moon was blood,
Then surely I was born.

With monstrous head and sickening cry,
And ears like errant wings,
The devil’s walking parody
Of all four-footed things.

The tattered outlaw of the earth,
Of ancient, crooked will;
Starve, scourge, deride me: I am dumb,
I keep my secret still.

Fools! For I also had my hour;
One far fierce hours and sweet:
There was a shout about my ears,
And palms before my feet.

G.K. Chesterton  [1874-1936]

MARRIAGE  101

March  31,  2012

Quote for Today


"To maintain a successful marriage,
according to research 
by psychologist John Gottman, Ph. D.,
husbands and wives must offer each other
at least five acts of love and kindness
to balance each single act of spite or selfishness.
You may walk around carrying negative incidents
like daggers in your heart,
ignoring the thousands of positive things
that happen to you every day."


page 68, "In Praise of Rose Colored Glasses", O Magazine, September 2011