THE FATHER 

WHO CRIED A LOT

Once upon a time there was a father - who cried - who cried an awful lot.

His boys  - his two sons - sometimes they saw him wipe a tear or two or three off his upper cheeks - just below his eyes at times - with his knuckles - with a semi-closed fist -  but they never ask the why - the why of the cry.

If they did, they might find out - that their dad cried because they were so, so different - and so, so difficult. He cried at night - at times - because he was praying that they would get along with each other and talk to each other - but no - they rarely did.

The older one - was always so perfect - so right - never, ever, ever doing anything wrong - and squealed and tattled on his younger brother when they was young - and then a wall of ice formed - block by block between the two brothers in their teen age years.

The younger brother - was always so dumb - so stupid - pigging out - messing up - hanging with the wrong crowd - and the father would hear about it - and have to pay for damages and things he broke.

The father forgave him time after time after time - hoping this would change him - but it never seemed to work and the older brother would tell his dad, “I told you so. I told you so! He’ll never change.”

The older brother stopped hearing his father’s cries in the night. He was too into himself - too isolated to feel compassion for his father - whom he secretly thought was stupid - with the way his brother twisted his father around his finger like a ring.

The younger brother was also self centered - figuring the world - the future would come rushing up to him with all its riches.

It killed the father that day - when his youngest son - asked if he could have his inheritance now - as soon as possible - so he could travel to some far county - some great future - and celebrate life in some great foreign enterprise.

Surprise! His father said, “Yes.” After dividing up the property he gave the younger son half the family wealth.

That morning when his son left -  there was the attempted embrace by the father - but the younger son waved it off as he walked into the future with all his stuff - and his new fancy - rather fat - leather money bag.

The older brother - working in the field didn’t even say good bye - didn’t even wave goodbye. He was furious that his father would let his brother take half the family fortune and walk off into nothingness.

Good riddance - but he didn’t dream of great meals now with just he and his dad - laughing, talking, enjoying a sunset over their home and property - together.

Nope - this older brother was a cold fish - a rock - a stump in the ground - that wasn’t too alive.

The father’s tears flowed that day as he watched the back and body of his younger son grow smaller and smaller - walked further and further up the road away from their home.

The older brother never asked about his younger brother. In fact, he tried to change the subject - whenever his father asked him if he heard anything about his brother when he was with his friends.

Every night after supper the father would walk up the road to the top of a small hill and look down the road on the other side to see if his younger son might be heading home.

There were only tears - there - on the top of that hill - and he rarely saw anyone coming his way on the road heading towards him.

Most nights the father had trouble sleeping - tossing and turning where and what his younger son might be and what was happening to him. Life is not supposed to happen this way. Families are supposed to stick together.

If only mom had not died when the boys were so, so small.

The father felt like a total failure - feeling that he didn’t know how to be a father. He didn’t know how to raise his sons.

The younger brother blew his fortune as if there were holes in his fancy leather money bag. Everyone was his friend in every bar he entered.

But the bag soon became empty - and his stomach became empty - and his life became even more empty. He tried a job on a pig farm. The sight of them eating and stuffing themselves with slop - and vegetable pods - only made things worse.

He was in a nightmare - in a foreign land - in tattered clothes  - in wrinkled skin  - all alone.

Finally he woke up. He talked to himself. He came to his senses. He headed home - practicing - rehearsing - his speech. “Father I blew it - I lost it all. I was stupid. Just hire me as a hired servant - because I’m starving and I’m dumb.

That afternoon the father saw him coming over the top of the hill heading towards the house. “It’s my son.”  He screamed to the hired hands, “It’s my son!” And he ran - ran - towards his son - with tears of joy flowing down his face.

He held his son. He hugged him. He didn’t hear his son’s confession. He didn’t hear the, “Sorries!” 

He yelled to his hired hands, “Quick set up the tables. Kill the fatted lamb. Get the best of bread and wine and food. My son is home.”

He blurted out, “Put a ring on his fingers. Get him a new robe. Wash his feet. Get a pair of sandals for him. Invite all the neighbors.”

And the younger son was stunned. Tears of guilt. Tears of joy flowed down his face.”

Then the celebration began.

Meanwhile the older brother was coming from the other direction - coming towards the house and he hears music and dancing and asks one of the hired hands what was happening.

With tears in his eyes the hired hand said, “Good News! Your brother has come home and your father is throwing a great party for him. He has killed the fattest calf for him.”

At that the older brother turned around in fury. His fists became stones - ready to punch the world.

The hired hand seeing all this went and told the father who came out and pleaded with him to come to the celebration.

Lucky for those celebrating they couldn’t hear the angry words and curses the older brother screamed at his father.

“All these years I have been the good son - the perfect son - always loyal to you. All I did was work, work, work. And this son of yours - gets it all  - and wastes it all on booze and women and disasters - and you welcome him home. Are you crazy? Are you nuts? When will you ever learn?”

Tears flowed from the father. 

Silence. 

A silent scream roared through his being.  

Then he said, “My son, you are here with me always; everything I have is yours. But now we must celebrate and rejoice, because your brother was dead and has come to life again; he was lost and has been found.”

Silence…..

To be continued.

o o o o o o o

Drawing on top: Return of the Prodigal Son [1642]  Rembrandt, Tyeless Museum, Haarlem

Middle Painting: Rembrandt and Saskia in the Scene of the Prodigal Son, c. 1635, Gemaldegalerie Alte Meister, Dresden, Germany

Last Painting: The Prodigal Son [c. 1661-1669], Rembrandt, St. Petersburg, Russia.

THE PRODIGAL SHIP

Quote for Today - March 10, 2013

      "All things that are,
Are with more spirit chased than enjoyed.
How like a younker or a prodigal
the scarfed bark puts from her native bay,
Hugged and embraced by the strumpet wind!
How like the prodigal doth she return,
With over-weathered ribs and ragged sails,
Lean, rent, and beggared by the strumpet wind!

William Shakespeare [1564-1616], The Merchant of Venice, Act II, vi, 1

IT TAKES TWO TO PRAY! 

*

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for this Saturday in the Third Week of Lent is, “It Takes Two To Pray!” 

At least 2.

TODAY’S GOSPEL

If you want to grow in prayer one of the parables of Jesus to take into prayer is Luke 18:9-14 - the Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector. We just heard it read again today.

If we like to pray here or in the Eucharistic chapel, pray with Luke 18:9-14. Jesus will get into our mind and challenge us big time about prayer with this parable.  If we like to pray at home with the Bible, don’t forget the Parable of the Pharisee and the Publican.

For starters the Pharisee is not praying. He’s one person show. Jesus shocks people with that truth. The Pharisee is all I, I, I, I, I, I.  I do this. I do this. I do that. And I don’t do that, that, and that.

Then Jesus talks about a second person in the parable, but it’s not God. It’s the Sinner, the publican, the tax collector, he must have spotted in the back of the temple on his way up front to be seen.

Joachim Jeremias in his book on The Parables of Jesus tells of a first century prayer AD that was found in the Talmud. Just listen to how familiar it is with the prayer of the Pharisee.[page 142]

“I thank you, O Lord, my God,

that you have given me my lot

with those who sit in the seat of learning,

and not with those  who sit at the street-corners.

I am early to work and they are early to work;

I am early to work on the words of the Torah,

and they are early to work on things of no moment.
I weary myself, and they weary themselves.
I weary myself and profit as a result,

while they weary themselves to no profit.

I run and they run;

I run towards the life of the Age to Come,

and they run towards the pit of destruction.”

How do we pray? Are we all alone in the temple of our brain - inwardly complaining about others in church - or inwardly giving ourselves all the glory.

So today’s gospel is a key parable to pray with if we want to grow in our prayer life.

Jesus uses a parable and he uses comparison to get us thinking.

The title of my homily is, “It Takes Two To Pray!”

The man in the back, the sinner, the publican, is aware of God being present - and he has a profound humility of himself in comparison.

I don’t know about you, but when I’m saying Mass I have to catch myself - not babbling, not reciting, not parroting, not being in the presence of God - but only myself.

CONVERSATION

It takes two to pray. It takes two to have a conversation. We all have been in conversations when the other is not talking to us - but talking at us - building herself or himself up - complaining about others - and the obvious message is: I’m better than these people. We know the feeling.

It’s deadly when a priest in the pulpit looks at his watch. It seems he’s just reciting his words to an empty church. It’s the same in conversations - when someone peeks at their watch  - and we sense they giving speeches at us - or talking to themselves.

CONCLUSION

Jesus is saying: “Hello! This happens in prayer.” So when praying begin with a few moments of quiet - Realize we’re with another - God. Hear God’s “Hello” before we announce ours. Amen. 



* Painting on top: Le pharisien et le publican - the Pharisee and the Publican [1886-1891] by James Tissot [1836-1902] - Brooklyn Museum

WORMS AND WORRIES

Quote for Today - March 9, 2013

"Verem essen toilerhait un deiges lebedikerhait."

"Worms eat you up when dead and worries eat you up alive."

Yiddish Proverb - from 1001 Yiddish Proverbs, edited by Fred Kogos

Question: Name the 10 top worries you have - that are squirming around inside of you - eating up your life energies?

SERMONS

Quote for Today - March 8, 2013

"The half-baked sermon causes spiritual indigestion."  

Austin O'Malley

Comment: O my God, I am partly sorry....."

DO PEOPLE EVER CHANGE?

Quote for the Day - March 7, 2013

"Frenzy, heresy, and jealousy, seldom cured."

English Proverb

Question: Agree or disagree?

INDIGNATION

Quote for Today - March 6, 2013

"Moral indignation is jealousy with a halo."

H. G. Wells

Question: Do you agree with this statement?

Read Matthew 23 in light of this comment by H.G. Wells

A LIFE SKILL CALLED “FORGIVENESS”.

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for this Tuesday in the Third Week of Lent is, “A Life Skill Called ‘Forgiveness.’”

BASKETBALL

In my early thirties I used to play basketball once a week with a group of thirty-year old priests in the Archdiocese of New York Seminary. We were taking a two year course - one morning a week - on Pastoral Counseling and Spirituality. It was great. Updating ourselves in the morning and basketball after lunch.

We’d play 5 on 5, 4 on 4, 3 on 3. One day this guy Neil Connelly is guarding me. I have the ball and I’m standing there dribbling trying to see if I should drive, shoot, or pass the ball. While dribbling I noticed that Neil is not standing directly in front of me as is usual - but off to my right. While dribbling I said to him, “Why are you guarding me like that?” He laughed and said, “Because you can’t drive to your left.” I said, “What?” He says, “Yeah that was one of the first things we were taught in basketball. Find out if the other guy can go to his right and to his left - and guard him accordingly.”

At the age of 33 or 34 or so I learned I could not drive to my left.

Well, let me tell you, I practiced that after that. Never got good at it, but I practiced it over and over again - trying to get that skill.

A SKILL CALLED “FORGIVENESS

The title of my homily is, “A Life Skill Called ‘Forgiveness.’”

If you got it, great. If you don’t have it,  work on it. Practice. Practice. Practice.

I met a Rabbi at a wedding once who asked me if I had read the Koran. I said, “No!”  He said, “You better.”

So I bought a Koran and read it - from cover to cover. I have to admit, I didn’t get it. I kept hoping there would be something in there that would grab me. I said to myself, “If this book is so important, there has to be something in here that’s enlightening.”

It didn’t happen to me.

Then I said, “Maybe it’s the translation. Maybe there is something great in here in Arabic - but I don’t have that skill.”

So nothing grabbed - except all the times it used the words “fire” and “burn”. I got a magic marker - an orange high lighter - and went through the whole Koran again and magic marked in orange the word “fire” or “burn” every time either appeared. Ugh too many times - too much violence.

Then I began to notice that there is a lot of destruction and violence in the Jewish and Christian scriptures as well. There is.

People get burned by people; people want to wipe people out. God is crushing armies and enemies. Ugh.

Then I began to notice how much in our scriptures there is to call for forgiveness - especially in families - in relationships - in both the Jewish and the Christian scriptures - brother with brother, father with son, but there is some sister stuff as well - but the document is heavily masculine and patriarchic. It’s up to us to translate it to deal with all our relationships especially  in our family.

If we listen to the scriptures and if we listen to people - every family needs the skill called “forgiveness” - not just 7 times, but 70 times and over and over again. We need this skill in dealing with others - with God - and in forgiving ourselves.

CONCLUSION

Today’s gospel - Matthew 18: 21-35 - is a powerful challenge to forgive and be forgiven - from the heart. That’s how Jesus put it in the last sentence in today’s gospel. Forgiveness includes brothers and sisters, mothers and fathers, God and life - as well as ourselves - being able to go this way or that way with forgiveness - whatever it takes - difficult moves at times.  

Want to learn how to forgive and be forgiven - practice, practice, practice till the skill is our’s. Amen. Amen. Amen.

TROMBONE

Quote for Today  March 5, 2013

"Love your neighbor, even when she plays the trombone."

Jewish Proverb

OPEN UP YOUR EYES.

IT’S ALL SURPRISE!

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for this Monday of the Third Week of Lent is, “Open Up Your Eyes! It’s All Surprise!”

Every morning it’s nice to sit there, to pray there, and say to God, “I wonder what you have in store for me today!”

Every night it’s nice to sit there, to pray there, and say to God, “Now lets take a look at all the surprises I had today.”

That kind of a morning prayer and that kind of a night prayer - will open up our eyes, our minds, and our hearts, to all the surprises life offers us - that God puts on our plate for the day.

PEOPLE

You can’t tell the book by the cover. You have to open it up and read the story. Expect surprises.

You can’t tell the other person by his or her skin, you have to meet them and greet them and be with them. Expect surprises.

I remember reading a long time ago about the 6 people in every marriage: the he, she thinks he is; the he, he thinks he is; the he, he really is; the she, he thinks she is; the she, she thinks she is; the she, she really is.

Besides that, people change.

Well, this morning I was looking up a quote to put on my blog - for a Quote for the Day, and I spotted the following quote by William James. “Whenever two people meet there are really six people present. There is each man as he sees himself, each man as the other person sees him, and each man as he really is.”

I was wondering who realized that theory first - and who else said something like that 1000 or 2000 or 2500 years ago.

TODAY’S READINGS

Today’s first reading - 2 Kings 5: 1-15b - has several characters: Naaman an army commander who had a skin disease,  his master the King of Aram, a little girl who was captured in a raid who became Naaman’s wife’s servant, Elisha the prophet in Israel, the king of Israel, and Naaman’s servants.  If this reading was being staged that would call for various actors - as well as animals, chariots, silver, gold and garments.

That’s a lot of people and the possibility of a lot of surprises in a story.

In today’s Gospel - Luke 4: 24-30 - the scene is Jesus and a lot of people in Jesus’ hometown synagogue. They are not going to accept Jesus as is. Jesus tells them about one of the great mysteries of life - that the Spirit of the Lord can come upon us and all kinds of surprising changes can result.  He tells the people about Elisha the Prophet healing a foreigner and Elijah the prophet taking care of a poor widow of  Zarephath in the land of Sidon.

Surprise! They are deaf. They are blind. They are imprisoned in their own inner prisons.

They can't believe that someone from their own town can be different than the way they see him to be.    Jesus has come back and he is different. They want the story to go their way. They have already written how the story should develop. Surprise. Life is the surprises.

The title of my homily is, “Open Up Your Eyes! It’s All Surprise!”

What a sad ending to today's gospel story. After planning on killing him - Jesus passes through their midst and went away. Their loss....

Surprise Naaman, the army commander, who has leprosy, can’t open up his eyes to the surprise on how life and healing can  happen for him. However, he changes. Unlike the people of Nazareth who want to throw Jesus off the cliff and out of their lives, Naaman finally opens his eyes and surprise his eyes are opened and his skin in healed.

CONCLUSION

Pray each day: morning, noon and night:  “Lord open up my eyes and my mind and my heart to your surprises today - not what I expect, not what I’m planning. When I meet the people I meet today - help me Lord to realize that they not to the person I think they are, but they are person they really are - and help me to enjoy the surprises!"

WICKED

Quote for Today - March 4,  2013

"No one ever became extremely wicked all at once."

Decimus Juvenalis, Late 1st - early 2nd century A.D.

Question: Name something down deep that is part of you that is wicked. Describe to yourself how it has become you - it's creepy, crawly, history - gradually overtaking and becoming you. Then what happened?  Personal history is important to read.

THE FIG TREE -

GETTING THE AXE

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for this Third Sunday in Lent C, is, “The Fig Tree - Getting the Axe!”

Today’s gospel has two parts. Let me begin with Part 2

PART TWO: THE FIG TREE

Part Two of today’s gospel from Luke 13: 1-9  has the parable of the fig tree. [Cf. verses 6-9]

In the gospels we hear about the fig tree three    times. I like Luke’s version far better than Matthew and Mark’s telling of the story. [Cf. Matthew 21:19 and Mark 11:13]

In Matthew and Mark the fig tree gets the axe. It disappears. There is no second chance. It’s not producing figs. Get rid of it. In Matthew and Mark,  it’s not a parable. It’s an incident that happened in the life of Jesus - that made it into print - for some profound and mysterious reason. It must have had impact on those who experienced Jesus cursing and making a singular fig tree just dry up.

In Luke the story has become a parable. In Luke the fig tree gets another year. It gets  a second chance to produce fruit - figs - otherwise - then - it will get the axe.

The owner of the fig tree says to the gardener, “For three years now I have come in search of fruit on this fig tree but have found none. [So] cut it down. Why should it exhaust the soil?”

Did you hear the word “exhaust” as in “exhaust the soil”?  What a neat translation of the Greek word “katargei”. Other translations into English use the word “waste” or “use up”.

I was trying to get a handle on this - how we think and talk about this same experience.

Wouldn’t we hate to overhear someone describing us behind our back with one of these comments:

·        “He’s just taking up space”?

·        Or “What a waste!”

·        Or, “She’s so lazy, she exhausts me!”

·        Or, “He’s a couch potato! A lump! He doesn’t do   anything around here”?

Why do people get the axe?  Why do people get the boot? Why do people lose their job? Why do some marriages fall apart?

Sometimes - and I’m underlining sometimes - sometimes  it’s because people are lazy. They are just taking up space. They are taking up all the oxygen as someone put it.

And sometimes people get the axe - get fired - get dumped -  get dropped - and it’s not their fault.

Sometimes life is fair; sometimes life isn’t fair; sometimes life is all mystery - to be figured out at a later date - sometimes.

So all this is an, “It all depends!”

PART ONE: THE OTHER TWO EXAMPLES IN TODAY’S GOSPEL

In Part 1 of today’s gospel we have two examples of tragedies that happen. Unlike the lazy fig  tree that should be getting the axe, Jesus says what happened to some folks was not their fault.

We better not let  the two incidents in today’s gospel - that of the Galileans who were slaughtered by Pilate and that of those who died when a tower collapsed on them in Siloam - we better not let these two incidents slip through the cracks of our consciousness. They are worth pondering.

Lots of people think God zaps people - and then think it’s because of their sins. Jesus says those Galileans whom Pilate wiped out  - were no greater sinners that the rest of the people in Galilee. Then Jesus adds, “Or those eighteen people who were killed when the tower at Siloam fell on them - do you think they were more guilty than everyone else who lived in Jerusalem? By no means!”

But Jesus does add, “But I tell you, if you do not repent, you will all perish as they did!”

There’s the possible message coming out of tragedies. They can be wake up calls - for necessary changes in our lives.

Listen to people and their take on why people die in plane crashes or why people are blown up in a bus in Bagdad - or people who die in natural disasters - or why people get cancer and so and so doesn’t - or why someone loses a job or a spouse or a kid for what seems no reason whatsoever?

Sometimes we don’t know why tragedy crushes certain people. Sometimes it seems people just  happen to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Sometimes a body goes berserk - breaks down - and someone dies - before the time we’d expect them to die. And some people go crazy with guns and some people go crazy with power - and the little people get hurt or killed.  Bummer.

As we know from life and from Forest Gump and bumper stickers, “It happens!”

WAKE UP CALLS

So a message is that tragedies can be wake up calls. Sometimes it’s our fault. Sometimes it isn’t.

Having read today’s gospel and today’s readings a bunch of times these past few days, I sense  “Wake Up!” is a key and a basic call from today’s Gospel as well as today’s other readings.

Today’s second reading from 1^st Corinthians says just that in various ways. Paul says things like: “I don’t want you to be unaware.” “Do not grumble. Death happens.”  “Whoever thinks he is standing secure should take care not to fall.” [Cf. 1 Corinthians 10:1-6, 10-12]

Today’s first reading from Exodus has the example of Moses.  He has married Jethro’s daughter. He has become a shepherd. He’s leading a flock across the desert. He comes to a mountain. He has a God experience. Surprise. He’s sees a bush on fire. He discovers he’s on Holy Ground. He experiences a God call.  He discovers who God is. God simply says, “I Am Who Am”.[Cf. Exodus 3:1-8a, 13-15]

Moses hears the most basic explanation of who a person is: “I Am Who Am!”

I am not my stuff. I’m not my titles. I’m not my look. “I Am Who Am!”

I’m sure all of us somewhere have had a Moses like God experience: seeing a burning sunrise or sunset - autumn leaves bursting with color - the birth of a child - the love of one’s life - being at the death of a parent with the family all around - being together for a family wedding or 25^th or 50^th anniversary - being at Mass or a baptism or a wedding. When we realize the simplicity of life, when we realize God has created and redeemed us all - when we realize we are who we are and God is the great, “I Am Who Am” - when we realize these things we realize we’re made in the image and likeness of God!

CONCLUSION

God experiences can’t be planned. We have them at times - if we’re awake and aware.  The test that it’s real and not all feeling is when we hear in the moment, in the experience, a call from God. It’s the most basic vocation in life: to be God - to become God - in this life - and not just in the next.

Surprise - Christmas can happen any day now - for us. Christ chooses smelly stables and dark caves - to be born in - again and again and again.

We come to Mass - because we know down deep - we want deeper communion with God - and Jesus came to bring us into the Trinity.

But we don’t just stand there - on the holy ground of  a God experience.

We don’t just glow in the middle of that burning flaming moment - nope - the call is not to just be me - a fig tree - but we’re called to be a fig tree - that gives fruit - gifts to others.

When we do that we’re more and more like God - being creative and feeders - redeemers - helpers to others - especially the stuck.

When we do that we have become a person who is like God - and people meeting us can have a God Experience - because we’re using  the gifts we’ve been given to create a better world in loving and feeding one another.

Otherwise we’re just taking up space. Otherwise get the axe. 

THE PRIVATE ME

Quote for Today - March 3,  2013

"The heron's a saint when there are no fish in sight."

Bengalese Proverb

GAMBLING

Quote for Today - March 2,  2013

"A racetrack is a place where windows clean people."

Danny Thomas [1912-1991]

FAVORITES

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for this Friday in the Second Week of Lent  is, “Favorites.”

This is one of my favorite themes: favorites.

I love to ask parents who have more than one kid, “Who’s your favorite?”

The first response is usually a blocking hand [Gesture] and then, “I have no favorites.”

The second response is often, “I love them all - but differently.”

The third response is sometimes, “The one I’m with.”

The fourth response is sometimes, “The one who needs me the most.”

The fifth response - but only later on - and usually out of ear shot of all the kids - and often one to one -  and often with a bit of hesitation - and sometimes with lowered voice, “Joey! I always loved Joey. He is my favorite.”

TODAY’S FIRST READING

Today’s first reading from the first book in the Bible, Genesis 37: 3 begins quite bluntly and without hesitation, “Israel loved Joseph best of all his sons” and then the author gives the reason, “for he was the child of his old age.”

So he makes Joseph a long tunic. It’s the famous coat of many colors.  Then the story quickly gives the plot, the conflict, the turn, the twist, “When his brothers saw that their father loved him best of all his sons, they hated him so much more that they would not even greet him.”  Bummer!

Then when they see him coming from a distance - his father had sent him to them when they were sheperding out in the fields -  they plot to kill him.

The Book of Genesis has many key stories. This one ranks up there near the top - because it’s tells us how the Israelites get to Egypt.

And today’s story ends with them not killing him, but selling him for 20 pieces of silver.

We know Jesus is sold out for 30 pieces of silver. The price of betrayal  had gone up.

The Joseph story is great story telling. That’s why it has been preserved in the Writings - the Sacred Scriptures.

The bottom line is that the tellers of the story are not mainly concerned with favorites - but with how God saw Israel as his favorite - and how he rescues them from their slavery in Egypt - the key theme of the second book in the Bible, Exodus.

And I’ve heard Scripture Scholars saying that Creation is not the favorite theme of the Bible. It’s Redemption. The key book is Exodus not Genesis. Genesis just sets the scene.

Where we are from, who are parents are, our childhood, our growing up, that’s all setting the scene stuff. Exodus - Redemption - Starting again after our falls - after finding ourselves addicted to self, money, sex, drugs, youth, or whatever,  that’s when real life begins.

Want to be God’s favorite: mess up. Become a lost sheep - a lost Son - a lost coin with God’s image stamped on us. [Cf. Luke 15]

THE CHANGE - CONVERSION STORIES

I remember visiting a couple once. The kids were grown up and gone. The husband was sitting there in the living room - within ear shot of his wife - who was pulling together the last stuff of a supper salad. He says to me, “I married her because she was beautiful. I married her for sex. Then after two years I had to change. I had to stop being a jerk. I had to turn off the TV and be attentive to her and talk to her.” In that first sentence his wife yelled from the kitchen - her husband’s name - when he said he married her for sex. Translation: shut up. But she lit up at the second part. He came to his Book of Exodus.

Most people who consider the movie, The Natural, as one of their favorite movies,  knows the scene when Roy Hobbs [played by Robert Redford] is in a hospital bed in a maternity ward. Iris Gaines [played by Glenn Close] says to Roy Hobbs - who is feeling horrible for what he did to her in his life and what he had done to ruin his life. As it is worded in the novel by Bernard Malamud from which the movie was based, Iris says to Roy, “We have two lives... the life we learn with and the life we live after that. Suffering is what brings us towards happiness.”

There it is:  the story of how life works.

7 CONCLUSIONS

Here are 7 conclusions on this theme of favorites:

Of course we don’t say to one kid over the other, “You’re not my favorite!” or “So and so is my favorite.”

Sometimes we say to every kid, “You are my favorite” - so that long after we’re gone, they’ll discover at some Thanksgiving Dinner we said that to everyone - and they laugh at it.

If we aren’t the favorite, maybe we didn’t do what is right and there is work and self growth called for.

Of course teachers, neighbors, friends have favorite friends, neighbors, co-workers, teachers. We do. They do. Get over it.

We have our favorite priests etc. etc. etc. I love the saying about priests and others, “One third like you. One third don’t like you. One third don’t care.”

We have all heard the saying: “Be yourself!”  Well, there’s a healthy, “Be yourself” and an “Unhealthy be yourself!” It’s unhealthy if you are insecure and you do things to buy friendship or to try be the favorite or what have you. It’s healthy if you after 25 buy the saying, “Be who you is, because if you be who you ain’t, then you ain’t who you is.” And then you don’t care who’s the favorite. It’s nice to be, but it’s also nice to not have to work at it as a motive.

God has his favorites. The poor. The downtrodden. The dumped. The hurting. The Sinner. So the key thing is to bring to God into our conversations about where we stand in life with ourselves and our God.  Maybe through suffering we need to learn to say to God what Teresa of Avila said to him - when asking him, “Why do you let me suffer?” And God said, “Because that’s how I treat my friends.” And she said back to God, “Well maybe that’s why you have so few friends.” Ouch!

FUTURE

Quote for Today  March 1, 2013


"The future is not what it used to be."   


Paul Valery [1871-1945]

INNER ADULT

Quote for Today - February 28, 2013

"The pursuit of the Inner Child has taken over just as the moment when Americans ought to be figuring out where their Inner Adult is, and how that disregarded oldster got buried under the rubble of pop psychology and specious short-term gratification."

Robert Hughes [1938-2012] Culture of Complaint, Oxford University Press, 223 pages, 1993

COMPLAINING

Quote for Today - February 27,  2013

"I personally think that we developed language because of our deep need to complain."

Lily  Tomlin [1939-  ]

HUMILITY - JOB #1 FOR A POPE!

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for this Tuesday in the Second Week of Lent  is, “Humility - Job #1 for A Pope!”

There’s all kind of stuff in the papers - this and that - positive and negative - about this upcoming election for a new pope.

The Capital called Day 1 for comments from a priest here at St. Mary’s. I’m glad I wasn’t asked - because a) Down deep I don’t know enough of what is involved in all this and b) I’d probably  make some kind of a cute statement which would be a dumb statement in the long run.

Since then I’ve been thinking.

In one sermon I said, the Number 1 requirement for a new pope is that he proclaim Jesus Christ - not himself. The pope is an important symbol to our world - of our Catholic faith - and from what I read - more for U.S. Catholics than other places. He himself has to see that Jesus is the reason for the whole institution. I see that Pope Benedict in his writings was quite Jesus centered.

I also put on my blog a fun piece - having the Cardinals getting deadlocked - for 100 ballots - so they decided to ask the whole church for what they want and on the 101^st ballot they came up with a total surprise. They don’t pick a cardinal. Nobody noticed my blog piece and I haven’t been called to the Vatican to explain.

If asked to explain, I would simply say that I was just being cute - while at the same time very serious.

What would you consider the top qualification in a pope?

The title of my homily is, “Humility - Job #1 for A Pope!”

HUMILITY

St. Bernard said - I assume with a smile on his face and a twinkle in his eye - that  the 4 Cardinal Virtues are humility, humility, humility , humility.

I’d say humility has many ingredients. Here are 4: being human, having a sense of humor, being honest, and having a sense of horror. Human, humor, honesty, and horror.

Humility comes from the word “humus” earth - from which God formed us from the clay, the mud, the soil of the earth. On Ash Wednesday we heard we’re made from earth and we’ll be going back to earth. And the food we eat - that becomes us - some more than others - comes from this earth to make us who we are.

To be human is to recognize this. We leak. We flake. We crumble. We are humbled by our slow sinking feelings - heading on the long journey to the grave.

Humility then is being down to earth - human.

Pope John XXIII comes to mind for me with this quality. He was born of a peasant sharecropping family in Northern Italy. He had farmer’s hands. You probably heard this story: A soviet diplomat and his wife came to see Pope John XXIII. The pope handed the diplomat’s wife a rosary. When he placed the rosary beads in her hand, she said to her husband in Russian, “Look, he has the hands of a worker, he is one of us!”  Of course she did not expect this peasant-pope to understand Russian.  He did - along with French, Greek, Bulgarian, Turkish, as well as his native Italian. These were skills he needed and picked up in his work as a diplomat himself. He also got his doctorate in Church History and knew the Fathers of the Church well. So he was smart yet quite human - which to me is a key ingredient to being humble.

Next John XXIII  had a good sense of humor. You’ve heard his comment when made pope he looks in the mirror in his new outfit and says, “My God, this pope is going to be a disaster on TV.” Being able to laugh at oneself is key to being humble.

Next honesty is part of humility. If the church needs anything it’s honesty.

Lastly, part of humility is to have a sense of horror. Horror happens in this world -  in this life: suffering - craziness - war - abuse - hunger - the haves having the advantage over the have-nots. We need to be able to cry - not just laugh.

CONCLUSION

Today’s two readings say all this a thousand times better than I just put it.

I wish they were electing the pope today and the boys had to hear today’s readings.

The readings have a call to humility in them.

The first reading - Isaiah 1: 10, 16-20 - talks about the call  to get things right - to put an end to sin - cease doing evil - start doing good. Make justice your goal. Defend the widow and the orphan.

The gospel - Matthew 23:1-12 - calls for humility - enough with the tassels and the titles - front seats - and public show.  Honors are not one of the H’s for humility.

John XXIII called for cutting down the robes and stuff - and Benedict put some of this stuff back - but his red shoes were not Prado’s - in spite of that report.

Humility. Humility. Humility. Humility - a la Jesus.

These boys and all of us ought to be praying the old prayer of the Church to Jesus: “Jesus meek and humble of heart, make my heart like unto thine. Amen.”

HUMILITY AND HUMOR

Quote for Today - February 26,  2013

"You grow up the day you have your first real laugh at yourself."

Ethel  Barrymore [1879-1959]

Questions:

Had your's yet?

Please describe - especially to a spouse or close friend.

Did that cause another good laugh?