Reflections By The Bay

Tuesday, October 29, 2013

THE GREAT GROANING

OF CREATION

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for this 30^th Tuesday in Ordinary Time is, “The Great Groaning of Creation.”

I love the combination of today’s two readings - the first from Romans where Paul talks about creation groaning and then in the gospel of Luke, when Jesus makes comments about mustard seeds growing into big bushes and yeast being mixed with three measures of wheat flour until the whole batch of dough is leavened. [Cf. Romans 8: 18-25; Luke 13: 18-21]

GEORGE ELIOT

There is a comment made by George Eliot or Mary Ann Evans in her book, Middlemarch, that has always interested and intrigued me. “If we had a keen vision and feeling of all ordinary human life, it would be like hearing the grass grow and the squirrel's heart beat, and we should die of that roar which lies on the other side of silence.”

QUESTION: WHAT DOES GOD HEAR?

I like to think - imagine - assume - realize - that God hears everything: grass growing - babies crying - the earth rumbling and rambling and the moanings of old folks in nursing homes!

I’m sure you’ve seen TV documentaries where scientists place microphones or listening devices into the deepest parts of an ocean and they pick up all kinds of sounds - the play of dolphins, the screams of whales and sharks, the purr of submarines - the sound of water, water everywhere. I’m sure God hears all that!

I’m sure you’ve seen scientists listening to sounds from outer space - and they magnify the sounds. I’m sure God hears all that.

Doctors put a silver stethoscope on our rib cage and they listen to the ticking of our hearts. Or they put it on the belly of a pregnant woman and they hear both the mother’s heart beat - along with that of her baby. I’m sure God hears all that.

I like to picture churches as gigantic crying rooms - where we hear the sounds of children and babies - and then there are the screams and prayers, the tears and the thoughts of people - worries and wonderings - here in church. I think of this happening at every Mass - and I’m sure God hears all that.

Put a stereoscope on a bible and if you listen in, you’ll hear the cries of the poor - the birds of the sky - and the moo of cows.

What does God hear?

As the weather gets colder I can still picture myself as a little kid down in our basement watching my dad put hard coal into our iron door furnace to get heat for our radiators - and soft coal in a smaller furnace to get heat for our hot water. I can hear the sound of the shovel on the hard cement cellar floor and the clang of the cast iron furnace door opening - and watching and hearing the roar of the fire.

And that gets me thinking of what's below the surface of our earth. I can still see the pictures and illustrations from those science books we had in school. Somewhere underneath us is molten red lava - that erupts in and out of the earth from time to time. I can hear those sounds and squish - and picture that heat. I assume God knows and hears all that.

I think of all the people I have listened to as priest and person - voicing their joys and sorrows, hopes and despairs, victories and failures, sins and suggestions - groans and moans.

CONCLUSION

The title of my homily is, “The Great Groaning of Creation.”

Paul is telling us in today’s first reading - these are all the sound and stuff of the mix of our inner prayers with God’s inner prayers. Listen.

Listen to the roar of that inner fire - deep below our surface - but above the core of each of us - as well as in God.

PRAYING ALL THE TIME

Quote for Today - October 29, 2013

"You see,
the whole world is praying all the time.
The animals
and even the leaves on the trees
are praying.
The way to receive light from God
is through praying.
The only difference is that
some people pray unconsciously,
some pray consciously,
some pray superconsciously.
You can walk into a restaurant
and see a person who says,
'I'm so hungry.
I need some soup.'
Deep down
his soul is praying to God,
'God,
please give me life,
I'm at the end.'"

Schlomo Carlbach

Monday, October 28, 2013

IMPOSSIBLE

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for this feast of Saints Simon and Jude is, “Impossible!”

This morning - Monday morning - I knew I had the 12:10 Mass - and the expectation is a short homily - so once more the question: “What to preach on?”

I read the readings - good stuff - good themes to think and pray about - but what to preach on?

Then I noticed Jude’s name - as in the Saints of today: Simon and Jude - and everyone - well not everyone - that would be impossible - but everyone knows Saint Jude is the Patron Saint of the Impossible.

What a great title! What a great task - for a little known about Saint and Apostle to be called: “The Patron Saint of the Impossible.”

So I named my homily, “Impossible” - because I wanted to think about that reality: the impossible.

IMPOSSIBLE SITUATIONS

We all remember the song, “The Impossible Dream” from the 1965 Broadway Musical, Man of La Mancha” - and how many preachers and graduation speakers used it in sermons and speeches. Father Kevin Milton said he mentioned it just a few days ago in a sermon.

The song touched a cord - the reality of impossible situations.

They happen in family - with kids - with health - with money - with marriages. Sometimes it seems some things - some situations - seem impossible.

Of course some things are impossible - some dreams, some stars, some possibilities are impossible - unreachable. Death is always the other bracket of our life. Yet, sometimes there are surprises. Kings and popes can resign - and step down. King Edward VII - of England stepped down in 1936 - saying, “I have found it impossible to carry the heavy burden of responsibility and to discharge my duties as King as I would wish to do without the help and support of the woman I love.” And we all saw, Pope Benedict step down as well - for health reasons and the good of the church. That was something so many said is impossible. So who knows? I remember my brother telling me that Germany would never be reunited - and we were all surprised when the Berlin Wall came down. So one never knows. Yet some things remain impossible. We can’t change yesterday and it’s impossible for God to stop being God.

YET OR THE BUT

The yet or the but - are what is crucial.

Yet, but, there is resurrection.

Yet, but, there are healings.

Yet, but there are conversions.

And that’s where the energy of naming Jude the Patron Saint of the Impossible comes in.

Look at the list of characters in today’s gospel - someone who denied Jesus, someone who doubted Jesus - someone who betrayed Jesus.

That Good Friday night - after Jesus was killed on the cross - and all was dark - and despair - the Impossible filled Jerusalem and that Upper Room - but look at today - Jesus has risen from the dead - the impossible happened - and these 11 who lasted - lasted long enough to bring Christ to our world.

Sometimes the impossible happens. Sometimes people make impossible dreams come true.

Simon and Jude - and all the rest of the Apostles - opened up that door and went for the more.

TWO STEPS

To make the impossible possible, there are two steps. The second step - is the opening of the doors that are shut and we get moving. The first step is the prayer and the decision and the choice - coupled with the Holy Spirit - to get moving again.

Judas dropped out. Judas gave up. Judas decided that Jesus wasn’t his dream - his life - and hung himself. The other Judas - Jude -decided differently in the dark of that upper room and then got moving in the direction of resurrection and new life - the possible.

CONCLUSION

The title of this homily is, “Impossible!”

The message is: to make the impossible, possible, say a prayer and then go out and do one’s best to make the impossible, possible. Amen.

HOW TO FAIL

IN MARRIAGE,

WITHOUT REALLY TRYING

Quote for Today - Monday October 28, 2013

"It takes two to make a marriage a success and only one a failure."

Lord Samuel (Herbert Louis - first Viscount Samuel) 1870-1963, in A Book of Quotations (1947) page 115

Sunday, October 27, 2013

A BAD REPORT CARD

INTRODUCTION

[I'm preaching this homily or reflection to myself for starters. Next: and if anyone here says to themselves, "I wish so and so heard this, I failed."]

The title of my homily for this 30th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C, is, “A Bad Report Card.”

When was the last time we got a bad report card - or a bad report?

We weren’t expecting it. It hits us in the gut. We stand there shocked. We don’t want anyone to know we failed - or we were fired.

Bummer! Ugh! Dang it! Disappointment….

Someone asks, “What happened? Is anything wrong?”

We don’t want to answer. We just want to be alone.

Or we can become angry - or numb - or dumb - or blame - or spit out a denial. “There has to be a mistake.” “It’s not fair.”

Sometimes it all depends what we failed in. It could have been a math test. It could be a cop coming towards us about to give us a ticket for speeding or something we did wrong while driving. It could be a doctor calling to tell us we failed a test - our numbers are bad. Our reactions might be different when it’s an all depends.

We might say the teacher is out to get us. It’s unfair. But maybe down deep - we’re blocking out that we are blocking out the truth. We know we were lazy and didn’t prepare.

If it’s the cop - we first say, “Crud we weren’t speeding!” Or “He’s out to get his quota of tickets at the end of the month - and I’m the victim.” So we’re furious - but we know we have to sit there like a little child - when he asks for our driver’s license and registration.

So it all depends. Sneaky stuff sneaks around inside all of us.

Sometimes it’s hard to face the truth - or some truths - yet in general we don’t like to fail - in anything. We don’t like a bad report card.

We like to be right.

And sometimes something else happens. It's when someone else fails - someone else gets arrested - caught - gets a bad report card. Ugh. That’s one of those ugly little human secrets that sometimes shows its ugly face. Sometimes we like it when someone else gets a worse report card than we got. It's hard to admit it, but sometimes we like it when there are others who are lower, less than us. We’re happy that there are those who seem to be society’s losers and ongoing failures. Ooops! We don’t like it when those human uglies ooze up and slide or squeeze out of our soul.

Jesus sometimes takes a chance and gets us in touch with these deep, deep sins.

TODAY’S GOSPEL

The kind of feeling I feel Jesus wants us to feel when listening to his words this Sunday is numbness - dumbness - silence - so that after our first reaction - of denial or anger or frustration - we decide to face the truth - so that we can be set free.

Of course, we could react and scream, “Crucify him!” or want to block Jesus out of our life - for life - or for a block of time and life.

Today’s Gospel presents two persons. Most of us are like the first person: the Pharisee. I know I am. And hopefully, after being honest with Jesus and myself - I’ll get what Jesus is saying. Then I/ we switch to becoming the second person - the tax collector - the sinner - the one who just wants to slide into the back bench of the church - behind a pole - and just sit there in the semi-darkness of an afternoon - when nobody is around.

So hopefully, after hearing today’s gospel, we accept Jesus’ report - and in all humility - beg God for mercy - forgiveness - and then we start again.

Today’s gospel ends with a message that we have always given lip service agreement to: “For whoever exalts himself or herself will be humbled, and the one who humbles herself or himself will be exalted.”

We're here in church this Sunday Mass - along with maybe 400, 500, 600 million others. We'll all hear this simple gospel story - this clear parable - about what many of us say to ourselves - every day about others - up here in our temple - inside our skull. The NSA can’t record it all those silent sounds in our brains. It doesn’t have to. We know the sound and the script. Jesus simply Snowdenizes the comments and announces it once more to our world today.

So we know the tapes - the bytes- the words ….

Listen to them ....

“Thank God I’m not like so and so - the driver in the other car - the gal at the other desk doing nothing - the fat person walking slowly down the street - the teenager whose pants are half hanging off - the gal with the face piercings - the guy with the arm full of tattoos - the drunk - the always late for work boss - the lazy road crew - the idiots who can’t get the computers working - the other party - the other channel that rants and raves - the other who is so different, so wrong, so out of touch….”

“I go to church. I bust my butt for others. I volunteer. My kids aren’t getting into trouble. I keep my house and lawn right. My car - my clothes - my look - my garage - the trunk of my car - they all look right….”

Then I notice whom Jesus tells us he’s addressing this parable to. Oh my God, he has my name on the envelope. Jesus is addressing his words to me today - because it’s addressed to those who are convinced of their own righteousness and despise every one else.

i say to Jesus: "We’ll I think I’m right." I say that because I’m convinced I’m right - so I accept that part of his words. But it’s that second part of Jesus’ words that I don’t accept. I don’t see myself despising everyone else. "Aaagh!" we scream. So we say to Jesus. “That word ‘despise’ is a pretty strong word.”

Jesus remains silent.

We get even more nervous and say, “Well not despise, but I do think some people are wrong - or stupid - or what have you.”

We continue talking to Jesus: “You’re kind of strong here today. Aren’t we supposed to try to be holy - and not be greedy or dishonest or adulterous? Aren’t we supposed to be generous and tithe and donate to the needy?”

Jesus remains silent - letting us get out our inner stream of consciousness that we see ourselves better than so many others in our world - other nations, other religions, other people who are non-religious - others - whom we’re glad we’re not.

Jesus then continues - with his report - about the other person - the tax collector - the one whom people saw as shady - and greedy - and dirty - and sinful.

Jesus tells us how that person prays - how he’s thinking - and what he’s doing here in this same Sunday Mass as I am. This other person has this same inner temple - a brain - a mind of one's own as I do.

Jesus is telling us, “This other person can’t look God in the eye - but he does beat his breast and begs God, ‘O God, be merciful to me a sinner.’”

That sinks in. Jesus is sort of praising him and dissing me. In fact, Jesus gives me a failing mark - a zero for all my efforts - when he says, “I tell you, this second guy goes home justified - but not the first guy.”

Then Jesus hits me with another sledge hammer of a comment: “For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and the one who humbles himself for herself - will be exalted.”

Now we become very silent.

CONCLUSION

Then we say to Jesus, “Okay - I get it.” Or “I think I'm getting it.”

We start saying, “I guess I got to start again and again and again. I guess I have to stop putting myself up front when it comes to thinking who’s right and who’s wrong and who’s a good human being and all that.”

We say, “I guess I got to stop giving out report cards - with failing marks to those I look down on - and simply come to You and say, “O God, be merciful to me a sinner.”

MISTAKES

Quote for Today - Sunday October 27, 2013

"There is nothing final about a mistake, except its being taken as final."

Phyllis Bottome, Strange Fruit, 1928

Saturday, October 26, 2013

LET IT GO!

Quote for Today - October 26, 2013

"For peace of mind, resign as general manager of the universe."

Anonymous

Friday, October 25, 2013

YETZER HARA

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for this 29 Friday in Ordinary Time is, “Yetzer Hara.”

It’s a Hebrew term for the inclination or impulse to evil.

I first heard about it when reading Bill Moyer’s book on Genesis. It’s in reference to Genesis 4:7 where we hear about Cain and Abel and the comment about sin lurking at one’s door like a crouching beast ready to devour us. Then it says you have to master it.[1]

In the traditional Hebrew belief system, Yetzer hara is considered as an essential part of human nature.

TODAY’S FIRST READING

Today’s first reading from Romans - Chapter 7 - triggers my memory of reading that comment in Bill Moyer’s book years ago. Paul’s famous words should resonate with every one of us. Paul says we plan on doing good - and yet we walk out the door and do just the opposite. Then he adds: ”Why do I do this?”

How many times have we said, “Why, why, why? Why am I so stupid, stupid, stupid?”

Then Paul says that we don’t do evil, but the evil within us does evil.

We can all relate to this - because we all do this - whether it has to do with gossip, sexuality, dieting, money - walking away with a nice ballpoint pen at the Funeral parlor - or what have you.

How come: sin is at our door - trying to sneak in like a mouse or a cat.

We’ve all heard the American Indian similar take on all this. They had a folk tale that inside every person there are two wolves [or dogs]: the bright one and the dark one.

American Indian wisdom teachers tell their kids that these 2 are always fighting inside us. Don’t we know it? And when asked, “Which one wins?” the answer is: the one we feed.[2]

In a Charlie Brown cartoon, we see Charlie, when told about the two dogs fighting within each person, stopping and listening and then he says, “I can hear them fighting in there right now.”

I have type 2 diabetes and I’m very good in not eating cookies and cake - ice cream and candy - but I also have bad skin - and I tend to pick it - if it’s uneven. Why do I do this? Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. Yet I do it every time.

CONCLUSION

Saint Paul here in Chapter 7 gives the classic text on all this - and it has helped folks ever since. Saint Augustine grabbed onto this - because he knew it was so true - and in his Confessions he talked about this reality of the pull towards self destruction - when it came to his lusts. Paul calls it a war - a battle - or the law of sin - and how can we be saved from this dynamic” make good choices - as well as communion with Jesus Christ.

Anyone familiar with the 12 Steps in Alcoholics Anonymous spirituality - know the first 2 steps. In Step One we admit I’m powerless over alcohol or some addiction. In Step Two I ask a Higher Power for help to move towards a healing. Christians simply call their Higher Power God or Jesus Christ as Paul states it here in Romans 7. Amen.

O O O O O O O

NOTES

1) Bill Moyers, Genesis, Doubleday, New York, 1996. This is the comment made by Rebecca Goldstein, “In the Jewish tradition, there’s a notion of the yetzer hara, the evil inclination. It’s almost an externalization of your evil inclinations, waiting there to attack you.” page 78

2) Here’s the Cherokee Parable of The Two Wolves

An old Cherokee chief was teaching his grandson about life...

“A fight is going on inside me,” he said to the boy. “It is a terrible fight and it is between two wolves.

“One is evil - he is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, self-doubt, and ego.

“The other is good - he is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith.

“This same fight is going on inside you - and inside every other person, too.”

The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather, “Which wolf will win?”

The old chief simply replied, “The one you feed.”

A BRIDGE TOO CLOSE

Quote for Today - October 25, 2013

"I stood in Venice on the bridge of Sighs,
A palace and a prison in each hand."

Lord Byron [1788-1824], in Canto IV [1818], stanza 1

Picture: Bridge of Sighs - Venice

Thursday, October 24, 2013

THE WOLF IS

AT THE DOOR

Quote for Today - October 24, 2013

"Fear makes the wolf bigger than he is."

German Proverb

Questions:

What is your greatest fear?

Name 5 fears howling at your door?

Na

Wednesday, October 23, 2013

PAST TENSE

Quote for Today - October 23, 2013

"The past is never dead - it is not even past."

William Faulkner [1897-1962]

Questions:

1) Make some personal comments about William Faulkner's comment about the past?

2) Looking at your life, name 5 disasters in your life, from your past?

3) Looking at your life, name 5 amazing moments?

4) Looking at your life, name 5 regrets?

5) Looking at your life, list 5 total surprises?

Sunday, October 20, 2013

FORGIVING FRIENDS

Quote for Today - October 22, 2013

"It's easier to forgive an enemy than a friend."

Madame Dorothee Deluzy

5 FRIENDS

Quote for Today - October 21, 2013

"Life without a friend is death without a witness."

Spanish Proverb

Some said, "If you have 5 friends by the time you die, you're lucky."

Name your friends!

PERSISTENCE

INTRODUCTION

The title and theme of my homily for this 29^th Sunday in Ordinary Time - Year C - is, “Persistence!”

TODAY’S READINGS

It jumped right off the page in today’s second reading from Paul’s Second Letter to Timothy: “Be persistent whether it is convenient or inconvenient!”

It’s the obvious theme of today’s gospel from Luke as well as today’s first reading from Exodus.

In the first reading - we have this ancient story about Moses on a hill while Israel’s soldiers are fighting down in the fields and plains below. As long as Moses’ arms are raised Israel is winning the battle - when his arms start to fall they start to lose. Needless to say, notice the verb “mowed down” - as in “And Joshua mowed down Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword.”

Wouldn’t we rather like it to be a game - a sport - instead of a battle where people are being killed? Haven’t we seen that beer commercial - when drinking buddies are rubbing heads - shaking bobble head figures - doing this or that - trying to effect their teams chances of winning from a distance? I was watching the Red Sox fans last night. They would all stand up and scream and cheer at key moments to encourage their team. Evidently it worked. I wish my Dodgers could have done that - as well as the football Giants - so right now I’m in the basketball season.

And today’s gospel has this gem of a story about the nagging widow who is driving a judge crazy with her persistence. He settles a case in her favor - just to shut her up and get her out of his hair.

The title of my homily is “Persistence.”

Persistence …. stick to it tiveness ….. never giving up ness …. staying the course …. The patron saint animal example - well actually it’s an insect - it’s the mosquito - who keeps coming, coming, buzzing, buzzing, till it gets our blood. Persistence!

The main area for persistence from today’s readings is prayer - obviously - but I want to look at 3 other areas where we see the power of persistence.

FIRST OF ALL: EDUCATION

When I began thinking of persistence, I began thinking about education for starters. Think about how much persistence plays its part when it comes to educating each of us.

How many times does a kid have to see, to write, to be encouraged to say a letter out loud - till she gets it. So too one’s numbers. So too one’s colors, one’s words.

I went to grammar school way before Sesame Street - which made learning these basics so colorful and game like. In fact most of the years I was in grammar school - we didn’t have television. It was before black and white TV.

I remember writing in those exercise books with a Dalmatian look alike cover an exercise called, “Over the loop, under the loop, over the loop, under the loop” as a way of learn good penmanship. I liked doing them because they looked like turtles or small hills - sometimes upside down.

I ended up doing the same thing in the seminary with Latin and Greek words - writing them over and over and over and over again - dozens and dozens and dozens of times till I got them.

Persistence is central to education.

I remember a guy in the seminary with us - Ralph Leone. I wonder what ever happened to Ralph Leone. He was very bright and very bored with studies - so he started memorizing the dictionary and he made it to N I think before he left us.

Persistence is central to education.

Thank a teacher today in person or in prayer for your education.

Yesterday I had a funeral for a lady from our parish named Paula Ginnetty. For 15 years she taught Exceptional Children. I was talking to her husband John last week to get some information for a homily for Paula.

She came up with a way blind kids could play baseball. She found a softball that had bells in it - and when thrown it sounded. Step one. She got bats. Next she came up with bases that made sounds - so when a kid hit the bell sounding ball, he or she knew which way to run. It taxed my imagination trying to picture all this - but her husband said that it worked.

She ran into a boy - whose mother was a drug addict - and went to jail - so they took the kid in as a temporary foster child for 3 or 4 years - and he didn’t kept saying, “I can’t” when it came to reading. Well Paula was persistent and kept saying, “You can. Yes you can!” And sure enough in 6 months he was up to his grade level - and other teachers were amazed at how good a teacher Paula was.

The title of my homily is, “Persistence.”

SECOND AREA: MEDICINE

Think medicine. In the year 2013 we benefit from the persistence of researchers, doctors, scientists, inventors, medical engineers - teachers - who have advanced medicine to where it is today.

We are standing on the undergirding of a great history of trial and error - success and failure - diagnosis and prognosis.

Thank a doctor and a nurse this week in person or in prayer.

I had my gall bladder out a few years ago - as an out patient. I had often heard that it meant a week at least in the hospital and big belly scars for life. I have a tiny little reminder scar just above my belly button. If you are persistent I’ll show it to you. Well, I went into the hospital around 7 AM - got bounced because of an emergency - and finally got knocked out around 9:30 AM - and I was walking downtown Annapolis at 3 PM. Thanks to modern procedures, it was a piece of cake out patient operation.

The title of my homily is, “Persistence.”

THIRD ARENA: PARENTING

Think of all the persistence needed in parenting.

As in education - which parenting is - think of all the persistence needed in raising a child. Step by step, the kid learns to climb the steps - and walk the walk and talk the talk.

Don’t we smile when we see a mom or a day teaching a kid at the baptismal or holy water font, how to bless oneself? Right hand, left hand, wrong side, right side, the kid eventually gets it.

I remember visiting a family once. I was watching the mom feeding her little baby son in a high chair with a spoon and a heated jar of mushy - ugly looking baby food. She made it a game - but it was taking forever. The little jar was ¾ empty when her husband came into the room. He had just got home from outside work. She said, “Here I have to start supper for us!” She handed him the spoon and the jar of baby food. The father didn’t do indirect. Spoons - food - go directly to the mouth. The little guy wanted the game and kept his mouth shut. Well the father got angry with the little guy for not obeying daddy’s command: “Eat!”

So the little boy started crying and looking past his daddy to his mummy - till she finally took over again. I’ve often wondered if that was the daddy’s plan in the first place.

Persistence.

I think of my dad. Part of our parent’s love story is my father’s love letters. Both my parents, Mike and Mary, knew each other in Ireland - living within a stone’s throw of each other. Both came to America. My father ended up in New York City. My mom was in Boston.

My mother’s job was to make money to bring her brothers to America. My father’s hope was to marry my mom - so he wrote love letters to her from New York to Boston for 10 years. The last letter said, “If you won’t marry me, I’ll become an Irish Christian Brother.”

Well, obviously, that worked. Persistence paid off. Thank God.

I slowly realized - but honestly more looking back as an adult - that my dad headed out the door for work at Nabisco - over on the West Side of Manhattan - every morning at 6 AM. That meant the subway from our stop - 59^th Street in Brooklyn - to 14^th Street in Manhattan. Then Nabisco decided to move their cooking making plant to Fair Lawn, New Jersey. This now meant he had to leave every morning at 4:30 or so - take the subway to 42^nd Street in Manhattan and then take a bus to Fair Lawn. I never found out how far from the bus stop the Nabisco plant was. Then back home every evening.

Work - the work our parents do for us - is ongoing, never ending, persistence.

I think of my dad taking all 4 of us kids to the park every Sunday after Mass all through our childhood to give my mom a break. At times - it was “Ugh!” and a “Oh no not again!” But he did it.

I noticed my brother then did the same thing with his 7 daughters - bringing them to Washington D.C. on Sundays to give my sister-in-law a break. Persistence - in spite of the “Oh no, not again!” comments.

CONCLUSION

The title of my homily is, “Persistence!”

Jesus stressed persistence in prayer.

I would stress it as a theme of prayer for the gift of persistence.

I don’t see prayer as prayer for stuff - but prayer for gifts like persistence and patience - whether one is an educator, a doctor, a nurse, a researcher, a parent or what have you.

I mentioned earlier on that I learned Latin by writing down words over and over and over again.

We once had a teacher who had us memorize Latin sayings. It helped that some of them were dactylic hexameters like this one - that has the theme of this homily: “Guta cavat lapidem, no vi, sed saepe cadendo.”

Translated freely: “Drop by drop water hollows a hole in a stone - not by force - but by persistent falling.”

KIDS HELP JESUS

[The following is a story for our Kids' Mass - this 29th Sunday in Ordinary Time - Year C]

Jesus was talking to some kids just after he was telling his disciples his story about the widow and the judge.

One kid said, “Good story Jesus, but I wouldn’t make it a widow and a judge - because that might not grab or interest kids like us.”

“Okay,” said Jesus, “How would you tell the story about nagging someone to get your way and that's the way to pray to God! You got to nag him.”

[Silence….]

Well, that got those kids thinking. The kids were wrinkling their foreheads above their eyes as they were trying to figure out just how to tell Jesus’ story better than Jesus told it.

[Pause….]

“Okay, said Jacob, “I have this fat dog - named Fig - and my mom and dad told me to stop feeding Fig so much food - because he’s getting too, too fat. But my mom and dad are always working. They don’t hang around with Fig like I hang around with Fig - like all the time. All the time he somehow mysteriously shows up and just stands there whenever I’m near food. He’s always begging, begging, begging - begging for more food. Now that’s the way to pray. Be like my dog Fig - who whenever he smells food, he wants food and he never, ever, like never stops begging, begging, begging for food. Now that’s the way to pray.”

“Not bad,” said Jesus. “Not bad. Anybody else?”

Judith said, “There’s this girl in my class named Deborah. She’s a real pest to every teacher that she ever, ever had. But one thing about her. Whenever our teacher asks a question, Deborah somehow is the first one - every time - to raise her hand. She keeps saying, ‘Teacher, teacher, teacher,’ till our teacher calls on her - just to get her to put her hand down and stop saying, ‘Teacher, teacher, teacher!’ Now that’s the way to pray. Keep raising your hand till God - and keep saying, ‘God! God! God!’ till God finally hears you yelling at him and keeps on seeing you have your hand up and God finally answers your prayers - just to shut you up Now that’s the way to pray.”

And Jesus said, “Wonderful! You got my message - and you said it so much better than I said it. Thank you.”

And Judith bowed and said, “You’re welcome!”

And Rebecca said, “Jesus I got a story.”

Jesus said, “Okay, Rebecca. I’m listening. How would you tell my story?”

“Well,” said Rebecca, “My father has a little spot in the market place where he sells wheat flour. Now he gives everyone exactly the exact amount of flour that they want. He never cheats with his measurements - like some wheat and barley flour merchants do in the marketplace. Well, I once said to him, ‘Daddy why don’t you look at the clothes of the people who come for flour. If they are poor, give them more.’ My dad said, ‘I can’t do that. We’ll go broke.’ I said to him, ‘Dad do it and watch the smile on the face of the person buying the flour.’ He kept on saying, ‘No, no, no. I can’t do that.’ Well, I kept saying, ‘Yes, yes, yes. You can do that!’ Well just to prove me wrong - or maybe just to shut me up, he did it. And guess what happened? Everybody talked about how generous my dad was - and then everyone came to him for flour - and his flour booth in the market was the most popular place in the whole market. People would ask for 2 scoops of flour. He would say, ‘Open up your cloak!’ And he would pour in two scoops - then he would shake it and add some more and then he would pack it down and add some more. You should see the smile on the smile on his face every time this happens. So see nagging works every time. That’s the way to get your way to our Father.’”

“Wow!” said Jesus. “Great example. Can I use that the next time I preach?”

And Rebecca smiled as big a smile as her dad has at his little spot in the marketplace.

“Any more?” asked Jesus.

Zach said, “Whenever I ask my father for an egg or a piece of fish, he gives it to me - but I have to ask him 100 times - so I have learned to wear him down. Once I was driving him so crazy, that when I asked for a piece of bread he gave me a rock - but then he realized you don’t do that to a kid - so he gave me a whole goat for me to feast on with my friends. I learned you got to ask if you want to get. So I guess it’s just like praying to Our Father for our daily bread. Ask and you’ll receive. Knock and your father will open up the door for you - every time.”

Jesus was amazed at how much kids knew. The next day when he was talking to his disciples, he saw them trying to tell kids to be seen but not heard. In other words, “Get lost!” But Jesus got angry at them and said, “Unless you’re like little children - you won’t enter into the kingdom of God. Unless you’re like little children, you won’t understand the Kingdom of God.”

TOP DOWN

Quote for Today - October 20, 2013

"A sensible house-keeper begins to sweep her stairs from the top."

German Proverb

Question: Is this what the pope is doing?

Saturday, October 19, 2013

FAITH AND LAW

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for this 28 Saturday in Ordinary Time is, “Faith and Law.”

ROMANS

As we know we’re going through the Book of Romans in these weekday Masses as our First Reading. As we know questions of the Law are central to St. Paul. It’s going to culminate especially in Chapter 7 - but the reality of “the Law” pops up over and over again in Romans and much of Paul - as well as in the gospels - with Jesus and his struggles with the Pharisees.

Today’s First Reading begins: “Brothers and sisters: It was not through the law that the promise was made to Abraham and his descendents that he would inherit the world, but through the righteousness that comes from faith.”

When Paul was Saul he was furious with Christians because they were not keeping the Law. His goal was to arrest and eradicate them. Paul could be righteous to the zenith - because he thought he was right. Aren’t we all? Then he fell on his face and discovered Jesus in his blindness.

TITLE OF MY HOMILY

The title of my homily is, “Faith and Law.”

I was going to entitle it, “Faith or Law.”

I used “and” instead if “or: because I would assume that we begin with the law and then move to stronger motives: like that of faith and hope and charity.

I would assume that we teach kids rules - without giving reasons - before they reach the age of reason.

We use the word “no” - to kids - as to not touching knives or hot things - or going too near the street - where cars can come flying by.

I assume we need laws - traffic laws - clean air and food laws - and rules and regulations to make life work smoothly.

But then I assume that somewhere along the line - when it comes to religion and God - we move from Law to Faith.

Recently someone said to me that they never liked the phrase, “Holy Day of Obligation” - but wished it was “Holy Day of Celebration.”

With so many people dropping out of Sunday Mass - I’ve heard statistics like 32 to 38% now go to Sunday Mass. Are there any statistics of people coming back - not because of the Sunday Mass obligation - but rather the Sunday Mass Celebration?

Question: Do I do what I do out of law or duty - or out of love and joy?

Haven’t we winced at the comment: “Of course I love you. I’m married to you.” Wouldn’t we celebrate each time a spouse said: “I love you!”

I became a Redemptorist to become a missionary in Brazil - but never got that assignment. I’ve heard of a Redemptorist who spent his whole life being bitter - because he wanted to become a professor in the seminary - and instead he was sent to Brazil - and complained his way out of there - till he got reassigned to the States.

So the question: “Life: what is my central motivation? Duty, Law, Have to, or Love, Celebration, Want to?”

I’ve read about baseball players who were doing well - then get traded - and they do horrible - on their next team - then they get traded again - to a new team and they flourish. A reporter digs into the player’s life and we find out, he was angry and depressed - because he just couldn’t play for that second team - in the second city - not even out of duty or contract.

ISAAC JOGUES - AND THE NORTH AMERICAN MARTYRS

Today we celebrate the feast of St. Isaac Jogues and the North American Martyrs - who came to North America - and served the Native Americans with great passion and dedication.

We all remember hearing as kids how St. Isaac Jogues was tortured, freed by the Dutch, went back to France and then couldn’t wait to come back and continue his ministry or preaching about the love of Christ to the people here. He wasn’t here out of Law and Duty - but out of love.

So too all of us here at a Daily Mass of Celebration - not obligation. Amen.