WHAT’S IT LIKE?

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily is, “What’s It Like?”

This is a question and a theme we ought to reflect upon from time to time.

It’s a question that jumps out at me regularly – and especially from today’s readings.

Today’s First Reading and Gospel trigger the question: “What’s it like to have leprosy – a skin disease – when everyone goes, ‘Oooooh! Disappear!’?” Today’s Second Reading triggers the questions: “What’s it like to be Christ or Paul?” or “What it like to be denied or to be seen as a criminal or suffering or dying?”
What’s it like?

20 QUESTIONS

What’s it like to be alone at a wedding – and your spouse has died or left you or you had to break up – or what have you – and everyone seems connected to someone and you feel so single, so singular, so all alone?

What’s it like to have AIDS?

What’s it like to be out of work – and you have sent your resume to every company and every country on the planet and nobody seems to want you?

What’s it like to expect to make the team and you don’t make it?

What’s it like to have more acne on your face than a stop sign has paintball gun splotches on the first road outside a paintball gun shooting range?

What’s it like to come into church late because it was tough getting an aged mother or four kids organized for church and the traffic was crazy and the only seats are the front row of church?
What’s it like to have an emotional “Thing” and on planes or in church you have to sit in an aisle seat and you’re getting dirty looks for not moving in and you can’t explain your quirk in church?
What’s it like to have a couple of kids – and you do everything possible for them and two of them never ever say, “Thank you!”

What’s it like to have had an abortion and you come to a church that seems to only have pamphlets and pictures at every entrance about abortion – and you don’t notice anything else and you have made your very difficult and painful peace with God twenty years ago - but it seems to get triggered every time you come to church?

What’s it like to be a kid that loves skateboarding and everyone curses you?

What’s it like be wound up and your spouse is not wound up?

What’s it like to start telling a story – and you’re cut off by someone who wants to tell their story – which your story triggered?

What’s it like to be preaching and you notice 37 yawns and 23 watch watchings – in your 9 minute and 49 second homily?

What’s it like to be a Catholic and a couple of people at work say things like: “I would think someone like you would be a reader or more intellectual that that?”

What’s it like to have 5 great suggestions to solve the parking problem here at St. Mary’s or the traffic flow in Annapolis and nobody seems to care about your suggestions.

What’s it like to live in a dysfunctional family?

What’s it like to have had a mastectomy?

What’s it like to be overweight and you’ve tried 316 different diets and you have estimated that you have taken off 3,160 pounds in your lifetime so far – and you’re 6 pounds more than when you started your last diet?

What’s it like to have had plastic surgery and you overhear some friends in the other room laughing at your plastic surgery?

What’s it like to be me?

What’s it like to be you?

INCARNATION

One of the key words to understand in Christian theology is the word, “Incarnation.”

This can be a bit heavy - but I want to give some bread today - not just jam or peanut butter. You know the complaint about homilies: "All fluff; no stuff!"

So let me say a few words about incarnation – because underneath it is the theme of this homily: “What’s it like?”

The incarnation is saying, “God knows what it’s like to be human, because God became human – so we can become God.”

That’s a key message in the theology of Incarnation.

Incarnation.

We know the Latin word “carne” means “flesh” – from words like “carnivore” – “a meat eater” or “carnival” – “Celebrate – because Lent is coming. Say ‘farewell’ to meat”.

The great Christian message - the great Christmas message – is that God became one of us – in the flesh – in the person of Jesus.

Incarnation.

That’s an amazing message – a gigantic teaching – that Christ was both one of us and God at the same time.

Christ is human and divine. It took the church centuries of theological struggles – heresies, councils, in-fighting, etc. to finally come up with what we have in our Creeds.

For example, the great Council of Nicea (which is now part of modern Turkey) gave us the Nicene Creed in 325 which we say together after the homily each Sunday.

Arius, a priest in Alexandria, Egypt, got into a fight with his bishop, Alexander of Alexandria - on how and who Christ was. Arius didn’t believe that Christ was consubstantial or coeternal with God the Father. The Council of Nicea said to him and his followers, “Wrong!” and Arius and his followers were excommunicated.

We – who make the sign of the cross – believe there are three persons in One God – Father, Son and Holy Spirit – and all are equal – and all are One God. And Christ, the Second Person became Human – and has both a human and a divine nature.

This is tough stuff to fathom, understand, and believe – yet this is central theology to our faith.

The Incarnation – Mary becoming pregnant with God – with Jesus – is a big teaching to accept. Yet we’re all here week after week – because we believe.

Amazing. Not everyone on the planet accepts that.

We believe the great teaching of the Incarnation. We proclaim our belief every time we say the creed. “For us and for our salvation he came down from heaven: by the power of the Holy Spirit he was born of the Virgin Mary, and became man.”

Incarnation.

God became one of us.

We have heard and have read this mysterious message over and over again – especially in the Gospel of John.

Did God after creating us ask, “What’s it like to be human?” and finally become one of us?

That might be the 20th Question we’ll ask God after we die.

Christian theology asks the other question: “What’s it like to be God?” and God sometimes whispers, “Become Christ.”

Paul says that over and over again.

Christian theology says the Bread becomes the Body of Christ – and take and eat. Become what you eat.

Incarnation: bread becoming the body of Christ.

What’s it like to be Christ? Take and eat. Chew on Christ. Digest Christ. Become Christ.

What’s it like to be Christ? Take and read. Chew on the Word. Digest the Word. Let the Word become you. Become Christ.

At every meal we eat and talk.

At every Mass we eat and talk.

And hopefully by eating together we become each other – by sharing communion with each other.

Husbands and wives do this in the great Christian sacrament called “Marriage” – two becoming one flesh. Incarnation.

Good marriages and good families know this. That’s why there is so much hurt and pain when another dies or moves.

Great parishes are hard to leave. We’ve become one – a communion – a community – a parish family.

Great neighbors are hard to move away from.

We’ve become one.

CHRIST MUST HAVE ASKED THE QUESTION: WHAT’S IT LIKE?

As I listen to the scriptures I often think that Christ must have stood there or sat there for his first 30 years in Nazareth wondering.

What’s it like to be Christ?

I see him first of all as a watcher. I see him as a questioner? I see him as a wonderer before he became a wanderer.

I hear him thinking: “What’s it like to be a Pharisee? Why are they the way they are? Why are they so hard on themselves and other people?”

I see him standing in the temple and saying, “What’s it like to be a widow in a temple putting in her two copper coins and nobody notices her – not even herself – but every one notices the Pharisees and their loud coins?”

I hear him wondering:

· “What’s it like to be a person with leprosy and everyone shuns you?”

· “What’s it like to be a blind person or a widow and your only son dies?”

· “What’s it like to be deaf or a cripple or a child in the market place and nobody wants you on their lap to watch and explain the world as it goes by?”

· “What’s it like to be caught in adultery and the whole village wants to stone you?”

· “What’s it like to be a foreigner – a Samaritan – and nobody likes you?

· “What’s it like to be hungry or thirsty and nobody will give you anything to eat or drink?”
What’s it like?

CONCLUSION

The “What’s it like?” question can lead to incarnation.

The “What’s it like?” question can lead us to greater understanding of each other.

The “What’s it like?” question can get us to talk to each other and really find out what the other is thinking and feeling – by simply saying at the end of a day, “What was it like to be you today?”

The “What’s it like?” question can lead us to call up our parents and say, “Thank you!” or if they are dead, to talk to them in prayer and say, “Thank you!”

The “What’s it like?” question can get us to understand who Christ is and what he was about – that by taking time out to watch and wonder about others, we will see lots of folks all around us – whom we might not be seeing.

The “What’s it like?” question will help us understand the story we heard from Luke’s gospel today – that Christ also felt bad when only one person in ten came back to say, “Thank you.”

The “What’s it like?” question will help us understand Christ was not just a beautiful baby – but he was also like those with leprosy: the outcast, the rejected, spit at, laughed at, nailed to a cross, and crucified – and when it happens to us, we look at Christ on the cross and say to him, “Thank you. Now I know you know what I’m going through. Thank you. And now I know what you went through for us. Thank you.”

WHAT IS YOUR MOTTO?

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily is, “What Is Your Motto?”

When bishops get made bishops they choose a motto – that tries to sum up their vision – their hope for what they envision for their future.

What about us? Do we have a motto? A vision? A goal?

FIRST READING
I love the line in today’s first reading from the prophet Habakkuk, “Write down the vision clearly upon the tablets.”

One English wording of the Hebrew translates the next line this way, “so that a runner may read it.”

Our translation is not as poetic. It translates the Hebrew words this way: “so that one can read it readily.” (NAB – Habakkuk 2:2)

I like the other translation: “Write down the vision clearly upon the tablets, so that a runner may read it.” (NRSV - Habakkuk 2:2)

We are all on the run – being interrupted – cell phones ringing or buzzing all the time – text messaged – paged – e-mailed, voice mailed, “Hey you’ed”. With all these different visions, we can forget what we’re doing – where we are – and what we’re about.

So some people step back and spell out for themselves their vision for their life.

What is my vision for my life?

Write it down. You don’t have to write it in cement.

But once you write it down, it does something to you.

You might look at it and say, “No! That’s not me.”

Or you might say, “Yes! That’s me!”

You might say, “I have to do more homework on this.”

If you need more work, write down 5 visions. Some will be divisions – divisive. But jot down various visions – various mottos for yourself.

You can always change it, till you get one that is you – that focuses you – that translates you – that energizes you – that stirs the fire, the flame, the gift of God in you that we hear about in today’s second reading.

And next month or year or ten years from now, you can change it.

Or read other people’s mottos and visions. Maybe they have one that grabs you a lot more.

Then read Jesus and see how he challenges you – and maybe you’ll change your motto again.

PEOPLE AND GROUPS HAVE MOTTOS

Different individuals and groups have different mottos – one liners that try to sum up the vision or the goal of that group.

We all know that hospitals and parishes in the last 25 years – especially with a push and a stress on all this by Steven Covey – have drafted a mission statement. Mission statements, vision statements, are usually longer. They have a preamble and then 3, 5, 7, 10 goals or visions or hopes.

Mottos are usually one liners.

Think about coming up with a motto. Share it with each other. Put it on your refrigerator door. Have each person in the family come up with their vision – and maybe even come up with a family motto or vision.

OUR NEW BISHOP
Our new bishop for this diocese, Edwin O’Brien, chose as his motto, “Pastores Dabo Vobis” – “I will give you shepherds.” Is he going to make vocations – getting more priests and deacons – his primary goal? Is he going to challenge us to be better shepherds – reaching out for Lost Sheep? The words are from Jeremiah the prophet – and it was the title of a 1992 document by Pope John Paul II – on training priests.

I know that our new bishop was involved with training seminarians and future priests up in New York as well as in Rome.

Cardinal Keeler had as his motto, “Opus fac evangilistae” – “Do the work of an evangelist.”

REDEMPTORISTS

The Redemptorist motto is, “Copiosa apud eum redemptio” – “With Christ there is fullness redemption.” (Psalm 130: 7)

OTHERS

The motto for the United States is, “In God We Trust.” That goes back to 1864. It had been “In God Is Our Trust.” That was Francis Scott Key’s words in the final stanza of The Star Spangled Banner – which goes back to 1814. Our motto before that was, “E Pluribus Unum” – "From Many One” – which goes back to 1782 – being rejected in 1776.

Maryland’s motto, “Fatti Maschii, Parole Femine”. I read it’s the only U.S. state motto in Italian. If I read correctly, it has never been officially approved. It’s been translated: “Manly deeds, womanly words” or “Facts are male, words are female” – obviously, causing many words to be spoken in English about such a motto. Attempts have been made to retranslate it - so as not cause “Uproar”. For example, translate it, “Strong Deeds, Gentle Words.”

COSTELLO FAMILY MOTTO

We had a plaque in our front hall growing up with our Costello family motto: “Ne te quaeseveris extra.” I translated it: “Don’t let anyone beat you.” We used to joke about that in playing family cards. But the better translation is, “Look not for yourself outside yourself.” or “Seek nothing beyond your sphere.”

MUSTARD SEED

Today’s gospel talks about the mustard seed and faith – as well as serving – and to serve becomes the motto of so many people.

Think about the mustard seed and Jesus' idea of the need for faith – when planting seed. There’s a great motto here: “Have faith like a mustard seed.”

Various Christian groups have chosen the mustard seed image as the vision and motto of their group.

Start small. Start at the local level. Bloom where you are planted. You can’t change the world, but you can give one kid a head start or a pair of shoes – or an education – or a medical test, etc.

Make the world better – one kid at a time – one person at a time.

It’s difficult to stop the craziness in Iraq or Afghanistan or Darfur, but we can do what we can do in our own family – in our own circles – in our own groups.

As Tip O’Neill loved to say, “All politics is local politics.”

Is all church the local church or the local parish?

Is all world my family and the places in the world I walk each day?

CONCLUSION: MY PERSONAL VISION
I’m 67 and when I was 27 my motto was, “Always Available.” “AA” I wanted to be a priest who was always available.

It was sort of like, “Semper fidelis” for the U.S. Marines, “Always Faithful” – “Always There for us” – or the Boy Scouts, “Always be prepared.”

“Always Available” is no longer my motto. I need to hide more. I need to escape more. I need to stop scheduling things on my official day off: Thursday. I need to do better for vacations. Looking at my life, I know that’s true – and I have not been smart in this area.

I thought about my dad. He taught us a great lesson that I had forgotten. Every Sunday after Mass and breakfast, he gave my mother a break from the four of us – taking us to the park or to ball games. He was letting mom take a good nap. He was giving her an escape from us.

Jesus escaped.

Jesus stressed the importance of the Sabbath. It’s a day off – a day to relax. If you have to work on Sunday, find another day. Jesus said the Sabbath was made for us. Not us for the Sabbath. Sunday is a holiday – a holy day – a day to be whole. He saw how the Pharisees could tie people up in knots with religion – especially with the Sabbath. (Cf. Luke 6:1ff.; Luke 13:10 ff.; Luke 14:1ff.)

At one point in my life I found out by accident that people saw my main message in life was, “Relax!” I laughed when a few people told me that.

That hit me with an “Uh oh!” But it got me to reflect upon my vision of what life is about – something we all need to do.

I like and love the spirituality of St. Francis de Sales whose words I distilled to two words, “Con calme” – “with calmness” or “Omnia suaviter” – “All sweetly” or even one word, “Reposo!” – “Relax”.

An old priest whom I worked with for a couple of years used to love to say, “I don’t think Jesus aimed to make it all that difficult.” He would say that in regards to priests we both knew who were rigid – tough – strict – with themselves and others.

Who’s right? Who’s wrong?

Benedict Groeschel, whom I love and took a year’s course with in spirituality – one day a week etc., used to say, “Tell me your favorite scripture text and I’ll tell you who you are.” He added, “Scripture texts are like Rorschach blots”. People put into what they read, who they are.

The weekend after saying that I was giving a retreat and I asked the men on retreat their favorite text and this guy went off on how lax the church was and how priests weren’t strict enough, and all that, and he said his favorite text was, “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves" (Matthew 7:15).

I said nothing.

Tell yourself your motto, your vision, and you’ll be telling yourself who you are.

I sat down today and said to myself, "If I’m going to ask you to do this, I better do it myself first." So here is a new first draft of what my vision or my motto is.

The answer is: “Everyday is an Epiphany” – Translation: “Everyday is filled with epiphanies, revelations, moments of light, eye openers, but we have to be open to eye openers, ear openers, heart openers, God moments, Gospel Openers.” Sometimes we see them while they are happening; most of the time it takes years to see what we’re seeing today – but not seeing today.

Relax – some things take years to happen.

Relax – mustard seed plantings start small – but eventually, you’ll have mustard.

Everyday is filled with epiphanies.

I hope this sermon is one of them – or that it at least be a mustard seed.

TWO BENCHES:

ONE FATHER SEELOS

Someone sent a message to my blog on why I had the statue of Blessed Francis Xavier Seelos who died in New Orleans in a listing of bronze statues that I located in Annapolis, Maryland.

Answer: Father Seelos lived and worked here in St. Mary’s, Annapolis as well as St. Mary’s, New Orleans – as well as several other places.

Another answer: Maybe the anonymous questioner didn’t know there are two Seelos’ benches. The Seelos’ bench here in St. Mary’s Garden in Annapolis is a tiny bit different than the similar bench with Blessed Seelos in New Orleans.

I saw the Seelos bench and statue in New Orleans when I preached down there last October (2006). However, I was disappointed in not seeing folks sitting and praying with Blessed Seelos as I see here at St. Mary’s Annapolis.

Reason: The church was being repaired and there were a lot of building materials in the area where the bench and statue were. I was also able to see some of the damage from Hurricane Katrina.

If you visit St. Mary’s Annapolis, make sure you see our beautiful gardens. Everything is spectacular. It is only missing Adam and Eve and fruit trees. Stop to smell the flowers – and as you stop – you’ll be sure to see someone sitting in prayer with Blessed Francis Seelos who died this day at 5:45 PM, October 4, 1867. Wait your turn and do likewise. One of the Redemptorists here loves to say with a smile, "You can go to confession to him still."

If you are in New Orleans, make sure you visit the National Seelos Shrine on Constance Street – and sit with Blessed Seelos in prayer. Tell Father Byron Miller I sent you and he’ll take you to Starbuck’s for Louisiana Coffee and Beignets. You’ll have to listen very carefully to him when he speaks – because he has a Cajun accent.

If you like to visit places on the computer, at Google, type in, “Father Seelos Shrine, New Orleans”. Hit that first entry and you can catch lots of wonderful information about Blessed Seelos. Make sure you view the YouTube clip on Seelos as well.

OCTOBER

October, the month of the Rosary.
Another month dedicated to Mary.

Question: If you took a poll:
Which month in this land called “Maryland”
would most people prefer: October or May?

October has cool blue days,
some summer, some autumn,
and then Indian summer.

May has beautiful days
some sunshine, some budding flowers,
and then strong hints of summer.

Which month would most people favor?

Hesitation: both months have
so much to offer. Perhaps, that’s why
both months were chosen
as months dedicated to Mary.

I’d vote for October!

Which month would you vote for?

I thought the old hymn
with the old familiar words,
“Tis the month of our mother
the blessed and beautiful days”
referred to October.

Then I looked it up. I lost. It’s May.
I guess that tells me
I have a prejudice for October.

Then with sour grapes I said to myself
that the hymn writer picked May because
May is much easier to rhyme words with it,
words like “way” and “day”.
In fact, the only word I could rhyme
with October is sober.

In the meanwhile, let us enjoy both months,
but especially October – taking nice walks,
enjoying the cool air, praying with a rosary in hand –
contemplating the joyful, glorious, sorrowful
and light bearing mysteries of life. Amen.

© Andy Costello, October 2007

STOPPER

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily is: “Stopper.”

Did you ever see a painting or a sculpture that stopped you?

I enjoy walking through an art museum – looking at paintings.

I love the joke about the American couple going into the Louve in Paris – that long, long, gigantic building that houses the Mona Lisa, etc. Husband to wife: “Honey you take this side and I’ll take that side and I’ll see you back here in twenty minutes.”

I love that joke because I did the National Air and Space Building in Washington DC in 45 minutes. I’m finished and I’m sitting there waiting for the three people I was with and I hear this kid say to his dad. “Wow! Amazing stuff here. It would take me at least two weeks to see everything in this place.”

Says I to myself, “Kid, I’m not part of your world.”

I could take a day in an art museum – and I can’t paint or draw. But I can look. And I don’t do a whole museum – I just slowly walk around and see what grabs me.

VIENNA, AUSTRIA

I’m in Vienna, Austria, by myself – visiting Redemptorist sites there – and I go into this enormous museum. I come upon this statue something with a name like “Woman!” in German. It’s four statues actually – and the idea is to see them from four sides – north, east, south, and west. The first statue is a young woman; next a married woman; next a middle aged woman; and then an old, old lady, without teeth and somewhat bent over.” It was a stopper. It hit me big time: the aging process. It was like Shakespeare’s 7 ages of Man. (Cf. As You Like It, II, vii, 139)

So I stepped back and found a bench about 20 yards away. I wanted to see if other people would have the same reaction as I had. I especially wanted to see women’s reactions to the 4 statues.

Some just walked by as if it was nothing. Others seemed to be as shocked and stopped as I was. Wooo!

A painting or a statue can stop us in our tracks.

PAINTING: FISH ON FRIDAY

There is a painting. I forget it’s name. It might be called “Fish on Friday.” I’ve seen it several times in priest rectory dining rooms. As I picture it my mind, it has this big dining room table filled with lobsters and all kinds of rich, delicious fish on plates and platters. And around the table, if I remember rightly, are these fat, very fat bishops and priests – with the red and purple veins showing in their laughing faces. That picture forever changed my attitude towards “Fish on Friday”. Annapolis with its crab cakes and great fish dinners can also certainly put an end to the idea of fish as a penance.

Did you ever have a painting or a sculpture stop you?

The paintings of Dutchmen Bosch and Brueghel are stoppers – big time.

Obviously, the cross is meant to be a stopper.

TODAY’S GOSPEL

Today’s gospel is a stopper. We can page through the Bible slow or fast, but today’s gospel is a stopper. It’s not a page turner – but if we get the message – we will want to turn the page as quick as possible.

Today’s gospel is a painting in words by Jesus. It’s a parable.

Once there was a rich man – dressed in purple garments and fine linen – and he dined sumptuously every day. At his door was a poor man named Lazarus – covered with sores – who would gladly have eaten his fill from the rich man’s table. Dogs used to come and lick the poor man’s sores.

During Lent - the Second Thursday of Lent - we also hear this story – and I think the Church has a great sense of humor – because the priest wears purple robes that day – and the rich man in the parable is wearing purple and linen. I know I go “uuh” when I read this gospel in Lent. Today it’s easier. We’re wearing green.

Both died. One went to heaven. The other went to hell.

The rich man in hell – down below – sees off in the distance – the poor man, Lazarus, resting in the bosom of Abraham. What a scene. It’s very easy to picture it. He screams out to Abraham to have Lazarus, the poor man, dip the tip of his finger in water and come down and cool his tongue.

Notice, he knows Lazarus’ name.

Abraham says, “Sorry! It doesn’t work that way. In your life time you had it all and Lazarus had nothing and you walked by him every day. Just as you had a big wall between you and him in life – now there’s a big wall between you and him in death. Sorry.

The rich man has a conversion. He thinks of others. He says, “Well, if that is the case, could you have him go to my father’s house – because I have 5 brothers – and please warn them so they won’t go to hell as well.

Obviously, we’re the five brothers. Obviously, the story is meant to stop us from missing those we might be missing every day.

Abraham says, “They have Moses and the prophets. Let them listen to them.”

“No,” says the rich man, “but if someone went back from the dead, they would listen to that person.”

“No,” says Abraham. “If they won’t listen to Moses and the prophets, they won’t be persuaded if someone rose from the dead.”

Today’s gospel is a stopper.

PLACARDS

Now I’ve never seen anyone walking around with a sign, “Luke 16:19-31” – the text for today’s gospel.

I have see people walking around with signs trying to get rid of people they don’t like – to abort people from wombs and from this country - people whom they have noticed in their stomachs or at their doors.

They are proof that people don’t listen to Moses and the prophets – and Jesus who rose from the dead – who tried to get us to notice people at our door – and then help – share – care – feed.

ST. MARY’S

St. Mary’s is good – because of the generosity of so many - for the poor – especially our support of people who come for help through the St. Vincent De Paul Society. Every Monday night and Wednesday afternoon there are people at our door – as well as other times – here and around town. And we have these wonderful volunteers in the parish who serve the poor. I know they do a lot more than what I do.

Each of us knows what we do and don’t do – for people at the doorsteps or in our eyesight. And obviously, we never do enough.

And obviously, Jesus’ comment is always current: “The poor are always with us.” (Cf. Matthew 26:11; John 12:8)

And our churches – more or less – try to help people here in this country and around our world.

I remember walking past a Catholic church in Denver and the line was around the block . It was a long line – of men – all men - and I wondered what did they do in the winter? I also remember walking past a Catholic church in San Diego in December and the line was triple what I saw in Denver. Is that where they go?

And on my one trip to Vienna, Austria, when I was checking out our Redemptorist roots, as well as going to the museum where I saw that statue of the four women I mentioned earlier, I stayed at our Redemptorist house there. I noticed one of our brothers putting together a big tray of sandwiches for the poor who came to their door every day – and the parish was in the rich part of town.

FATHER JACK LAVIN

Father Jack Lavin of our parish here has just finished his book, Noticing Lazarus at Our Door – and it will be out by Christmas. It details his 40 some years working with Hispanic folks here in Annapolis, Baltimore, New York, Boston, and Puerto Rico.

I really appreciate his witness of noticing all the Hispanics I might miss every day: folks on bikes, working in restaurants, doing lawns, cleaning hotels, doing construction, raising families, doing this and doing that here, there and everywhere.

He stopped to jot down his observations about all this – and he’s been coming to my door for computer help with his book and he drives me crazy at times. He’s Lazarus at my door – and I better not ignore him.

CONCLUSION

This parable scares me. This picture that Jesus stopped to paint with words stops me.

How about you? Does it stop you?

I wonder if I’m going to meet after death all the people I never noticed – or people I put down in my mind. I think of a kid on our block we picked on as a kid – calling him “Faggy” – way before any of us knew about homosexuality. I think of people through the years I made fun of in my mind or ignored – or thought uninteresting or what have you - because I judged them by their look or with my prejudices. They were not statues – or paintings. They were real people like Lazarus – people I sinned against by neglect or negative comments – or didn’t care for or about.

This parable has challenged me to ask, “Whom am I not noticing?” “Whom am I passing by every day – in the rectory – in the parish – in Annapolis – in our world?” “Where is hell here in Annapolis – because I don’t want to be in hell in the hereafter?”

Hopefully, this story will be continue to be a stopper – always challenging us to notice the Lazarus’ in the office, in our families, at work, on the road, in stores, in school, in the mall, in our world.

FIRE PLACE

After dinner, one by one,
we gathered in our chairs –
a few of us on the couch –
ready for the most ancient
of rituals. The logs
were placed precisely
on the altar of sacrifice.
Slowly the fire began –
dancing the ancient dance,
arms raised in praise.
The cracking snap
of burning wood was music.
The glow captured our souls.
The silent television set
in the background was envious –
knowing it couldn’t compete
with this show.

© Andy Costello, 2007

SHREWD

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily is, “Shrewd.” I better spell it, because it sounds very much like another word – which is sometimes part of it: S H R E W D - shrewd.

Shrewd meaning: clever, sharp, astute, slippery, shifty, slick, smooth, outguessing, outmaneuvering, or scheming.

Shrewd.

TODAY’S GOSPEL

As I read today’s readings that’s the thought that hit me – especially from the gospel.

The steward in the gospel is a very shrewd steward. Say that ten times fast. The steward in the gospel is a very shrewd steward. He’s stealing from his boss – very cleverly – perhaps skimming off profits – and he must have gotten turned in by someone – maybe someone he outsmarted or burned – and word gets to his boss – a rich man whom he worked for – who is going to fire him – but first wants to see the books.

The steward in the gospel is a very shrewd steward. He says to himself, “I’m not strong enough to dig. I’m ashamed to beg. I know what I can do.” Knowing the books, he knows who owes his boss money. So he calls a few of them in and lowers their debts. The first is a man who bought olive oil and the second a man who bought wheat from him. He tells them to re-write their promissory notes.

I’m sure those listening to Jesus tell this story smiled – joking to themselves, “I wish I was that clever.” or “I wish someone would call me in and lower my debts.”

And the boss – the rich man – upon discovering all this says to the steward, “You are a very shrewd steward.”

Perhaps Jesus heard this story and it impressed him. He must have had the thought. “Wouldn’t it be nice if everyone who was shrewd would use their gifts to make life better for everyone in the village or the town or the area – instead of using their gifts to be selfish or shifty or greedy.”

Then Jesus gets to his message: the values’ message. What’s really valuable to us? What’s important? What do we have to be shrewd about?

Then he hits us with a choice. “You cannot serve God and mammon.” I would love it if they translated that to, “You cannot serve God and stuff.”

Stuff can stuff us.

Possessions can posses us.

Consumerism can consume us.

If someone is really that shrewd with stuff and possessions, Jesus hopes they can be that shrewd with the "stuff " of eternal life.

That’s one of the messages here in today’s gospel.

Advertisement: if you don’t get this message of how to use this world’s goods this Sunday, you will get it next Sunday – which has one of the toughest gospels of the year.

Luke is very pro poor as well as pro woman. He’s not trying to get our votes – but he is trying to get our mind and heart.

Luke is very shrewd in his selections from the life and messages of Jesus.

SIMPLICITY

Have you ever had the following experience?

There’s someone you know who is very clever – very shrewd – and is living a very simple life. And someone says of this person, “You know he or she could be making a lot more money – have a better car – a bigger house – and all that – if he or she used their shrewdness or cleverness to make money – more money.”

The person prefers simplicity – or loves weekends – or more time with his or her family – and doesn’t want to run in the rat race. It’s their choice. His wife or her husband, or family, or dog, or lawn, or garden, all prefer his or her life style of simplicity. They are not complaining. They like the attention. He or she, his wife or her husband have talked this over and these are their life choices.

As I say this, I'm reminded of Wendell Berry – the philosophical poet and farmer – who lives in Kentucky. [Cf. Collected Poems, 1957-1982, Wendell Berry, North Point Press, Farrar, Straus, and Giroux, New York, 1999]

I’m also picture several other people whom I met here and there around the country – who have chosen simplicity for their life style.

Yet someone seeing them – think they should be living a completely different life style.

VALUES & OTHER QUESTIONS

As I'm babbling up here, I'm hoping the values' question – and a lot of other questions are popping up in your mind.

As I think and talk about this, I also think of other folks whom I have met: people who have chosen buying and selling – business people – people in service jobs – people who have to travel a lot in their work to make a living for themselves and for their families. Some are very happy – and love their work and life choices. Some feel stress – too much stress. Annapolis can be an expensive place to live. I’m happy that BWI is not that long a drive to an airport – and most of the time Route 97 is not that bad. Schools – mortgages – rent – debt – driving kids here and there can be very stressful.

As I read Jesus’ words about stuff and money in today’s gospel, as well at other times about what we wear and what we eat (Cf. Luke 12: 22-34) – at times I think some of that has to be re-thought in terms of an economy different from that of Israel 2,000 years ago. Put clearer: today, if one needs to make money to raise a family, people have to raise more than sheep. It helps the economy for shoes and clothes to go out of style. It helps some people when other people buy more stuff. It helps local restaurants for people to eat out – for people to take vacations – etc. Jobs. Jobs. Jobs. Cash flow. Cash flow. Cash flow. "It's the economy stupid!"

Should there be different stresses in preaching in a tourist driven town – compared to a quiet country town – or what have you?

I will forever remember a moment at a meeting of retreat captains in a retreat house in Tobyhanna, Pennsylvania where I was working. Someone raised their hand and said, “I have a suggestion on how to raise money for this retreat house. Why don’t we suggest to all our retreatants to put in obituary notices: ‘In lieu of flowers send a donation to St. Alphonsus Retreat House.”?

Everyone said, “Yeah, yeah, great idea.”

Another hand went up. “I’m a florist.”

Silence.

So I’m hoping shrewd theologians and popes and bishops will do a lot of deep thinking about all this.

The shrewd among us – have to say, “Hey if you want green in the collection basket, give us some ways of bringing a richer spirituality to the marketplace, work, raising a family, etc. There is a hereafter, but there is also a here.

I know that Greg Pierce*, a businessman, community organizer, a publisher, who writes at times from Chicago challenges priests and Catholic writers to talk about the spirituality of work in the pulpit and in their pages more. He says we spend most of our time with work and relationships – so hit us with some thoughts in these areas. Jack Shea, also of Chicago, would add, people spend a bit of time in recreation as well. Give us some shrewd spirituality about all this. I would add: also give us some stuff on retirement spirituality.

And I’m also starting to see more and more articles and books coming out on ecology and theology – and consumerism. It can get complicated. Stuff can help the economy - but it also can stuff our garbage dumps.

This morning I’m just thinking and wondering out loud about values questions and issues.

PRIESTS AND NUNS

Let me try another twist on all this.

Two times in my life I’ve been sitting there or standing there and I’ve overheard by accident someone say about some priest that I knew, “He’s very shrewd. He’s very clever. What a waste.” I also heard once the comment, “Father So and So is really good looking. What a waste.” I’m still waiting to hear that one about myself – especially because Father Kingsbury keeps on hearing great comments about his hair. You know it’s a toupee of course. Just kidding.

And I’ve heard it said a few times by different people about nuns. “She’s very clever. She could run a major corporation with ease.” Then the comment, “What a waste.” Or “God she’s beautiful. What a waste.” Outch! Haven't they read the lives of great nuns who started religious congregations, hospitals, colleges, schools, institutions? Talk about being shrewd!

If you get the gist of what I’m getting at here, then I think you’re getting today’s readings.

FIRST READING

In today’s first reading we have a text that goes way back to the some 700 years before Christ. It’s a reading from the Prophet Amos.

Amos was a rancher – today he might be called a cowboy or a shepherd – who also worked at pruning trees – notices cheating in the marketplace. He spots merchants - being shrewd in a negative sense - fixing scales and scraping silver off silver coins. He notices people losing everything and forced to work as slaves for rich people – people being treated like sandals or flip flops – instead of being treated with respect as human beings.

This week – find some time – with your Bible. Read the 9 chapters of Amos. You can do it in a half hour easily – with some thinking and praying. Compare what was happening in his time – with the stuff in today’s newspapers – especially stories about skimming from pension funds – etc. We’ll hear him next Sunday as well. He appears only one other time every three years.

And if you are blessed with twin boys: consider Amos and Andy – as possible names for your sons.

CONCLUSION

Enough. Already….

Reflect this week on your gifts – and where you are shrewd – and then do some double thinking – about your values – your use of time – what’s stuffing you, what’s possessing you, what's consuming your time and life. And maybe you might be like Amos – noticing unfairness at work or family or church or neighborhood and maybe you are being called to speak up and speak out. Hopefully, you won’t lose your job like the guy in the gospel – but beware, it happens to whistleblowers. So be shrewd. Bills need to be paid. And you might not make it as a ditch digger or a beggar.

[* Gregory F.A. Pierce, Spirituality at Work: 10 Ways to Balance Your Life On the Job, Loyola Press Chicago, www.loyolaBooks.org]