THE THREE MONKEYS

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily is, “The Three Monkeys.”

Today’s readings triggered for me the difficult issue of seeing others doing and saying things that we think are wrong – destructive – harmful to themselves and others, especially children – and what to do about it. Tough stuff.

JADE MONKEYS

As I was thinking about the readings for this Mass, the memory of “The Three Monkeys” came on my radar screen.

When we were kids there were The Three Monkeys on a shelf in our house. They were three small statues - light faded green – jade. Their message: “See no evil. Hear no evil. Speak no evil.”

My mom and dad are long dead, so I can't ask them where the monkeys came from. Don't we all have questions that hit us from time to time that we'd like to ask those who have died? In this case: "Where did these three monkeys come from? Were they a gift – a souvenir from a trip? Did they evoke any conversations?”

I just remember playing with them as a little boy – three tiny toys – three monkeys – whom I had conversations with. I have to talk to my sister Mary about them. I think two of them were lost in time. Does anyone in the family have that last monkey somewhere?

THE THREE MONKEYS

I looked up on Google, “The Three Monkeys” and found lots of stuff about them. It’s the name of restaurants and magazines. They are collectors' items. They also have three cows, pigs, pugs, Labradors, frogs, doing the same thing as the three monkeys. One with hands over ears; one with hands over eyes; one with hands over mouth.

The best I could make out was that The Three Monkeys are part of Chinese, Japanese, and oriental wisdom. I don’t know Japanese, but I noticed they are a word play on the Japanese word Zaru – whose vocalized suffix is Saru – meaning monkey. So the three monkeys are named in Japanese: Mizaru, Kikazaru, Iwazaru. Eyes, ears, mouth. Sometimes there is a fourth monkey, Shizaru, “Do no evil.” His hands are on his belly or his arms are folded.

CRITICIZING SUCH WISDOM

I also found several articles and cartoons criticizing such a stance towards life. Politicians or leaders who do nothing – when something should be done – are pictured or described as monkeys who don't see, hear or speak up.

We could do the same with bishops, who did nothing at first with the abuse issue, etc.

We could look at ourselves as well. Antoine de Saint-Exupere, in The Little Prince writes, “It is much more difficult to judge oneself than to judge others.”

Jesus said we see spots in the other’s eye and miss the big log in our own eye. [Cf. Matthew 7:4-5.]

TODAY’S READINGS

This leads to today’s readings.

In today’s first reading from Ezekiel, the call of the watchman is to call out when he sees the city in danger. The call of the watchman is to be a whistle blower – to see evil, hear evil, and scream out about evil.

When this doesn’t happen, we have Enron and toxic waste dumps in the wrong places, etc. etc. etc.

What about the issues of adultery, stealing, coveting, killing, commandments mentioned in today’s second reading?

What about the issue of not loving our neighbor – to practice The Golden Rule when Paul says in today’s reading from Romans, “Love does no evil to the neighbor; love is the fulfillment of the law.”

Jesus' words from today’s gospel from Matthew – seems very different from the wisdom of The Three Monkeys.

He says if your brother or sister sins against you – talk about it with them.

If that doesn’t work, take another person or two with you, and talk again to your brother or sister.

If that doesn’t work, bring it to the church – and if the person who is sinning still won’t listen and change, then cut him or her off. Cut him or her out of the life of the group.

This is tough stuff – very tough stuff. No wonder people prefer to follow the policy of The Three Monkeys.

Jesus adds the dimension of prayer here. Pray for the person. Pray with others for the person – when things seem helpless and hopeless.

EIGHT OBSERVIATIONS

Here are eight observations. You don’t have to remember these. Well, I’ll be a monkey’s uncle! I believe we have to evolve above the wisdom of The Three Monkeys. Each of us has to come up with our own ways of dealing with this very tough – as well as, very difficult issue. Thank you for this opportunity to try to line up what I would think to be key thinks to keep in mind.

First Observation: Most of the time we don’t act like the monkeys or do what Jesus says. Most of the time when we see evil, or hear evil, we speak the evil to someone else – other than the person who is going in the wrong direction. We do nothing but gossip or whine or complain to the wrong person or persons. We do this in family, at work, in church, all over the place.

Second Observation: We don’t know what its like to be in the shoes or the skin of the person whom we think is in the wrong relationship – or messing up their life – and often our lives as well. If a son or a daughter has left their spouse and kids and is now living with someone else – and is not married – we feel terrible for the kids and our son-in-law or daughter-in-law and after the inner pain boils too hot, we explode. Sometimes this makes things worse; in some rare cases it could be a wake up call to the person whom we think is messed up. Sometimes the best thing is to pick the right person to talk to that person – someone who will try to understand what happened. Sometimes, unfortunately, the best move is nothing. Sometimes The Three Monkeys are right.

Third Observation: Sometimes it’s a waiting period – a long waiting period. St. Monica waited and waited, and prayed and prayed for years for her son Augustine to wake up – and change.

Fourth Observation: Sometimes we have to speak up – and try to do something – and the wisdom of The Three Monkeys has to avoided. Money is being stolen. Someone is being abused or hurt.

I’m sure you’ve all heard the words attributed to the Lutheran Pastor Martin Niemoller. They are on a wall in the Holocaust Museum in Washington D.C. He was in Germany before and all through the time of Hitler and ended up spending 8 and a half years in a prison.

The version in Washington D.C. at the Holocaust museum goes like this:

"First they came for the Jews

and I did not speak out –

because I was not a Jew.

Then they came for the communists

and I did not speak out –

because I was not a communist.

Then they came for the trade unionists

and I did not speak out–

because I was not a trade unionist.

Then they came for me –

and there was no one left to speak out for me."

There are other versions. There is no exact evidence as far as I could find that Martin Niemoller actually wrote or said this. Yet the message proclaims a truth.

In the Congressional Record, for October 14, 1968, on page 31,636, we read this version of Martin Niemoller’s words:

“When Hitler attacked the Jews

I was not a Jew,

therefore I was not concerned.

And when Hitler attacked the Catholics,

I was not a Catholic, and therefore,

I was not concerned.

And when Hitler attacked the unions and the industrialists,

I was not a member of the unions

and I was not concerned.

Then Hitler attacked me

and the Protestant church –

and there was nobody left to be concerned.”

Fifth Observation: Time and place are the key. If one chooses to talk to another one to one, make sure you pick a good time and the right place.

Sixth Observation: Remember when you are correcting another you’re going out on a limb and then the other rule kicks in: the higher the monkey climbs the tree, the more his butt is seen. Expect to be pelted with coconuts in retaliation for challenging another. Expect counter attacks. “How dare you!” “Look who’s talking.”

Seventh Observation: The motive for all this needs to be love – as we heard in today’s second reading. If we are going to speak to another, we need to do it because of love.

Eight and last Observation: Maybe the better rule to have is that of Pope John XXIII. When asked about how many people work in the Vatican he said, “About half.” So my last observation is this: Come up with a statue of Pope John XXIII. Keep it on a shelf. Every morning pick up his statue, rub his belly and ask the Lord that you have a good day. Next: I think his rule is better than the “See no evil. Hear no evil. Speak no evil” rule. His rule was: “See everything; overlook a great deal; correct a little.”

HERE’S THE DEAL:
“OUCH!” AND “WOW!”

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily is, “Here’s The Deal: ‘Ouch!’ and 'Wow!’”

Subtitle: There are lots of blessings in this life, but suffering is part of the package – sometimes more; sometimes less. Life is a package deal.

I think that’s one way to sum up today’s readings.

Some people don’t like the suffering message – but God says, “It’s part of the deal.”

WOW & OUCH

Life is lots of “Wow!” as well as, “Ouch!”

Take veal parmesan and spaghetti. To come on a plate to our place at a table in a restaurant, the spaghetti had to be in hot water. Ouch! The calf had to be killed. Ouch! And the veal cut. Ouch! And cooked. Ouch! It’s part of the deal, if you order veal parmesan and spaghetti at an Italian restaurant. Then before you start eating, you look down and go, “Wow!” – that is, if you like veal parmesan.

It isn’t for decoration that Stations of the Cross are on the walls of our churches. The Stations of the Cross are part of life. Life is the falls and the cuts – people yelling accusations and people coping out – washing their hands of responsibility of protecting others – and we’re hurt. Ouch! Then there’s the dying – preceded for many with the stripping of their dignity – in a hospital gown with all kinds of tubes or in a nursing home wearing Depends – that hopefully are dependable – and a backless dress. Ugh! Then death. More ugh and plenty of ouch. Each of us has to walk our way of the cross.

But life is not just the ugh and the ouch – dementia or Alzheimer’s or what have you. It’s the long stretch of days – from birth till the end of the story. So we don’t just look at death. Death can be a dramatic final scene and hopefully we have family present as the audience. There are the days and months and sometimes years before it. There are also the wow moments. We see the pictures of days in bathing suits and tuxes - prom dresses and football uniforms – all those pictures on photo boards at the funeral parlor when someone dies – as well as in our memories.

Ah the memories. Ah the moments. Ah the beauty of it all. There is the wow of life – as well as the ouch of life.

Crosses aren’t just in churches or on walls. They are part of life.

That’s what today’s readings are talking about.

The little baby is so cute – so beautiful – but as Jesus said, the mom has to go through a lot of pain and inconvenience to bring that little gal or guy into our world. “Ouch!” and then “Wow!” Thank you mom. (Cf. John 16:21)

Then there are the teenage years – the angst and the worry – along with the sweetness of awards, first date, graduations, marriage. Wow! There is also divorce and wrong choices. Ouch!

FIRST READING FROM JEREMIAH

Would any of us say what Jeremiah says to God in today’s first reading, “You duped me! You tricked me. You gave me the gift of life, but you didn’t tell me about the crosses and the pain”?

M. Scott Peck begins the first section of his classic book, The Road Less Traveled with three words, “Life is difficult.”

Then he writes this profound statement. “This is a great truth, one of the greatest truths. It is a great truth because once we truly see this truth, we transcend it. Once we truly know that life is difficult – once we truly understand and accept it – then life is no longer difficult. Because once it is accepted, the fact that life is difficult no longer matters.”

There is a footnote on the bottom of the page to that statement: “The first of the ‘Four Noble Truths’ which Buddha taught was ‘Life is suffering.’”

Jeremiah, in today’s first reading, first fights God about the deal he was getting in life by being a prophet – God’s spokesperson. People laughed at him. People from his own home town of Anathoth wanted to kill him (Jeremiah 11:21) People were not happy with him as a preacher and a prophet – because of his words and warnings.

Prayer is sometimes ranting and complaining to God. There are inner mumblings. Today’s first reading has Jeremiah's thought process: “I say to myself, I will not mention him, I will speak in his name no more.” Then comes a reverse scream, “But then it becomes like fire burning in my heart, imprisoned in my bones; I grow weary of holding it in, I cannot endure it.’” He has to proclaim God and God’s message.

PETER IN TODAY’S GOSPEL

Peter in today’s gospel tries to stop Jesus and his message of the cross.

If Buddha said, “Life is suffering”; if M. Scott Peck said, “Life is difficult”; Jesus said, “Life is carrying one’s cross.”

Ouch.

But that’s the deal.

ONE MEANING OF THE WORD “DEAL” - "COVENANT"

One of life’s key words is, “covenant” or “deal”.

We make a deal with another. It’s called “marriage” or “friendship” or "neighbor".

Or we make a deal with a car dealer. We give him or her our money and they give us a car. They give warrantees and guarantees – for this and that. But they can’t guarantee a lot of things about the life of our car. They can’t guarantee we won’t crash. It’s not part of the deal.

So too marriage. People make their marriage covenant with another with lots of assumptions and lots of spoken and unspoken promises. “Let’s make a deal. Let’s make this a great marriage?”

But who can guarantee chapter 2 – the rest of the story after the marriage, after the honeymoon?

Life is a package deal and it takes a lifetime to open and discover what's in the package.

TODAY’S SECOND READING FROM ROMANS

Today’s second reading from Romans tells us what we can do with the deal called "life", called "marriage", to make it work. We can try to live a life pleasing to God and to one another. We can try to avoid being transformed by false values. We can become renewed by an attitudinal change – living each day for God and family – for each other. That will mean “Ouch” and “Wow” – the cross and resurrection – good days and bad days – in sickness and in health. Sound familiar? It’s the marriage covenant. It’s life’s covenant. We are married to our bodies. We are married to much of our reality.

We give ourselves to the other and others – and hopefully they give their lives to us – and that makes life sweet. Wow.

And we help each other when the crosses come. Ouch.

DEALING THE CARDS

Here’s the deal. A deck of cards can teach us that there are at least 52 ways our life can go and then some more. In the deal a rare few get three aces and two kings. Some get a 2 of spades, a 6 of diamonds, an 8 of clubs, a 9 of hearts and a jack of spades. Not fair. Give me at least two 10s.

That’s the deal. We all know the old song called, “The Gambler!”

“You got to know when to hold em, know when to fold em,

Know when to walk away and know when to run.

You never count your money when youre sittin at the table.

Therell be time enough for countin when the dealins done.
Gotta know when to hold them and when to fold them."

The parents we got, we got. So too the neighborhood, house and the classes we’re were in. Sometimes mom and dad are the king and queen of hearts. Sometimes dad is a jack of all trades. Hey you never know. Sometimes the other is a Joker – and in the situation we’re in, we don’t need a Joker – or a wild card.

Here’s the deal. Make the most of it.

We got the DNA, genes, skin color, heart texture, future hair line, freckles, new clothes or hand-me-downs, this and that – in the deal.

Here’s the deal. Make the most of it.

CONCLUSION: THE MASS

We come to Mass to think about these things.

The Mass is a wonderful moment each time we come here.

It is filled with “Wow” and “Ouch”

Here’s the deal. Have you got the Mass yet? Do you understand the Mass yet?

Have you understood Jesus yet?

What have been your “Eureka” moments – “Insight” moments – “Lights went on” moments – defining moments – life changing moments?

I remember reading a story when I was young. It was a “Lights went on” moment for me. I don't remember where I read it, but it went something like this.

The story teller told of a young man – not old enough to be in the army – and a war is going on. He wants to go to war. He sees it as all excitement – a wow! He’s walking down the street one day and a group of soldiers with a band are marching up the street heading for the local train station – heading off for war. He stands there envious. Then he marches with them on the sidewalk all the way to the train.

The troop gets on the train and there are the thrown kisses – after the hugs and the tears – and the band plays on.

The train pulls out - with all the troops going off to war leaning out the windows and waving – on the platform side of the train.

The young man didn’t hear or notice that another train had come in on the other side while this train was getting read to leave. He sensed something wrong – something big – about the other train. So he walked to the end of the platform and went to the other side. It was a train that had just come back from the war. There were the coffins and the crutches – the bandaged and the bloodied – the hurt and the wounded being wheeled towards ambulances. There was no band – only doctors and nurses and stretcher bearers and wheel chair pushers.

It was a moment of Epiphany and Insight – Eureka and “Oh my God!”

It was an ouch moment.

It was a life changing moment for him.

Has this ever happened to us as we came here to Mass? Was there a moment when we recognized Christ in the breaking of the bread? Did it finally hit us why Christ chose bread – bread that was cut down and crushed – why Christ chose wine from grapes that were crushed? Did we finally realize that God knows life – and so he sent his son to us to live this life to the full with us – with the wow and the ouch? Do we see why Jesus entered into this life – to be in communion with us in the crush and hurt as well as celebration of life – with its ordinary days – as well as its Holy Thursday and Good Friday – and Easter days..

Have we ever sensed life’s reality at Mass – that it’s an “Ouch” and a “Wow” – that that’s the deal?

Amen.

UH OH!
DOORS AND DRAWERS

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily is, “Uh Oh! Doors and Drawers!”

Have you ever opened a door and you saw the wrong thing? “Uh oh!” So and so is with so and so or you see something that shouldn’t be there but it’s right there in front of your eyes. “Uh oh!”

Have you ever opened a drawer and saw the wrong thing? “Uh oh!” You see a diary or a letter. You might even read it. “Uh oh!” Or there is a picture there you shouldn’t see. “Uh oh!”

The door has been opened – the drawer has been opened – and its contents are now inside you. “Uh oh!”

I could end my sermon right there, because there is enough to think about with just those two questions. Sorry. I have some more to say.

TODAY’S READINGS

Today’s readings triggered this thought about opening and closing doors. As I began to think about this I found myself saying, “Uh oh! Should I go where this might take me?”

I hesitated – because I could feel and hear a real, “Uh oh!”

I never remember hearing or noticing the following words in today’s first reading. It’s Isaiah 22:22: “I will place the key of the House of David on Eliakim’s shoulder; when he opens, no one shall shut, when he shuts, no one shall open.”

Interesting. What in the world does that mean? Who was Eliakim?

I checked out a few biblical reference books and found out that Eliakim was an official, a government minister, in the service of king Hezekiah – king of Judah from 715-687 BC. He was praised by Isaiah because he went to him for prayers and advice on what to do to save the city of Jerusalem. It was being attacked by Sennacherib, the king of Assyria, around 700 BC. Eliakim helped negotiated the surrender of the city to an official of Sennacherib. So he was an ambassador, a go-to-guy. He was someone who knew what might work and what might not work in a difficult situation. He was someone who was good at negotiating – a person who knew when a “Yes” might work, or a “No” might work – or a pay off might work. He knew what to open and what to close.

Okay, that’s a little bit clearer.

Often, the key to Sunday readings is to jump from the first reading to the gospel and then look for a similar theme or thought. Sure enough, the gospel has Jesus saying the following words to Peter. “And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”

There it is – a similarity. Two people, a man named Eliakim and a man named Peter, are being given a key and the power to open and close gates and doors.

PETER THE FIRST POPE

I would assume that the gospel text is here to tell early Christians that Jesus picked Peter - and gave him the power of the keys. Jesus gave him the power to open and close gates and doors.

Just as historians searched Assyrian records as well as Jewish scriptures and other records to try to figure out what was going on in the different periods of Assyrian and Israelite history, so too historians have done a lot of research on how the early Christian Church worked and was organized and structured.

There is very good evidence in both the Holy Scriptures as well as other documents that Peter and the church and See of Rome were primary. And today’s gospel is a primary text for this claim.

The history of the popes is a great study – and there have been great popes and disastrous popes.

QUESTION: HOW ABOUT A MESSAGE FOR ME FOR TODAY?

That’s some stuff about two persons – Eliakim and Peter.

What about us? We too have some powers – not as much as Eliakim and Peter, but all of us have the power to open and close doors and drawers.

We Catholics have a pope – a “papa” and we believe he’s there to help us down through the years.

And with God’s help, we are also the pope and hope of our soul – and the gist of the rest of my homily is: don’t be a dope.

Right now the flow of my homily changes a bit.

Let me present three slogans – on the issue of opening and closing doors – that might make this homily more helpful. You be the judge.

1) DON’T GO THERE

The first thought that hit me is that we have the power to say before we open a door or a drawer, “Don’t go there.”

One of my regular suggestions is to use rosaries not just for Hail Marys and Our Fathers. Take a rosary and say on each bead, “Don’t go there!” You get into your car and you are by yourself. You say a prayer for a safe journey and then you take your rosary from a cup holder or where you might have change and you say on each bead, “Don’t go there!” “Don’t go there.” You say that 59 times.

Then you’ll might find yourself saying at the right moment, “Don’t go there!”

Don’t open that door. Don’t open that drawer. Don’t open someone else’s diary. Don’t open that topic. Or if it’s a computer, “Don’t open that window.”

We have the power to not open things. We have the power to be prudent. We have the power to be reflective. We have the power to not go some places.

If you know a certain subject pushes a spouse’s button every time, find yourself saying to yourself, “Don’t go there.”

If you know hanging around with so and so causes you problems, “Don’t go there.”

If you know opening up the liquor cabinet or opening up a bottle of booze causes you problems, and you can’t handle alcohol, “Don’t go there.”

If you’re at meetings and someone proposes something you think is immoral or illegal or damaging to others, have the courage to say, “Don’t go there.”

If by saying that, it might mean losing your job, and you know you’re not going to be able to find another job and things are very tight, “Don’t go there.” Don’t say it. Try to say, “No!” by way of a back door.

I always like to say, “The power is in the coffee break.

Prudence is a virtue.

2) GO THERE

The second thought is just the opposite. If you know you have the key to something that is helpful and you open that door, and good results happen, “Go there.”

Try that with your rosary as well. On another car ride say on your beads 59 times: “Go there.”

If opening the door of a church helps you, keep on opening the door.

If opening the door of a gym or to going out to take a good walk or run, and it’s helping your health, keep on opening the door. “Go there.”

If opening up the door to an AA Meeting helps you deal with an alcoholic addiction, “Go there.”

If opening up the door of a library and you get a lot out of good books, ”Go there.”

Jesus talked about our inner room – and how the Pharisees only opened outer doors – to be seen – open up the door to your inner room. “Go there!” Meet God there!

So we have the power to open and close doors.

3) THERE ARE CONSEQUENCES

Once more using your rosary say on each bead, “There are consequences.” Saying that 59 times might get you to say “There are consequences” at the right time.

We all know the recent literature about the teen age brain not being developed enough in the section of the brain that is strong on seeing consequences.

So it’s a no brainer for parents to be the brain the kid is missing and scream, “There are consequences.” And we know the teenager will “dis’ the parent for what seems like nonsense to him or her at the time.

We all know alcohol is a major problem on college campuses and in high schools etc. so we have to talk serious about booze with kids. Booze can bring on babies and banged up cars – funeral hearses or wheelchairs for life. I’m sure you read in the paper the articles and then letters to the editors about a push to lower the age for drinking.

We have to realize there are consequences to our actions, our behavior. Jesus was off on adults who without thinking – gave bad example to kids. Some people don’t stop to think. They don’t realize there are consequences. He tried to get us to realize bad example can hurt kids. He said it would be better to tie a millstone around our neck and be dropped into the ocean – than to give kids bad example.

Let’s hope the bishops and priests get it – get it that there are consequences to not preventing child abuse. Hopefully they see more than the financial loss to dioceses, but the horror in hurting another human being – especially a child.

We priests hope that are good consequences from what we went through on all this the last bunch of years. We hope it woke up parents to this problem – to realize if they don’t keep an eye on who might be dangerous to their kids – that there are lurkers – to calmly ask questions like, “Why is this person spending so much time with my kid? Why is this person giving them gifts?”

There are consequences. There are catches. There are slippery slopes. Everything we do and say has an impact.

Think. Go figure. Buy a boomerang and hang it on a string from a ceiling. Everything comes back.

Hey, 12 years from now you might be asked to be vice president – and that means you’ll be vetted.

Run that by me again. You want to get a Redskin tattoo on your nose? Did you ever stop to think, they might not have that good a season? I could see a Giants tattoo.

Warning: zip your lip. What you say about another person has a sneaky way of coming back to haunt you.

Warning: Once you open Pandora’s Box .... Well, you know the story. The stuff in there doesn't like being boxed in.

CONCLUSION

The title of my homily is, “Uh oh! Doors and drawers.”

Remember you have the power of the keys.

ST. PATRICK'S CATHOLIC COMMUNITY

SCOTTSDALE, ARIZONA 85260

I received a blog comment from St. Patrick's in Scottsdale.

I've been to Tucson, Phoenix, Sedona, and the Grand Canyon, but I haven't been to Scottsdale.

On Google Earth just type in their address: 10815 North 84 Street, then zip 85260 and using the lever on the right you can see the roof and then other views of the church. Neat.

Their Web Site is why I'm doing this blog piece.

Check it out. I found Google worked best. Type in St. Patrick's Church, Scottsdale, Arizona.

Then hit the first hit with that name.

They have a nice menu - the Sunday readings - and some quick reflective thoughts.

Plus other stuff. Try it out.

Imagine 20 years from now attending mass with Father Google.

Love and prayers,

Andy

HAIKU SERMON

17 syllables saying much,
sermon long,
saying so little.

© Andy Costello, Haiku, 2008

ORANGE HAIKU

The orange feeling so small,
not hearing the sun say,
“Wow, I helped make that!”

© Andy Costello, Haiku, 2008

PURPLE HAIKU

Purple,
the color of blueberries and raspberries....
Embarassed, I'm not ready.

© Andy Costello, Haiku, 2008