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.
