DOESN’T GET IT

INTRODUCTION
The title of my homily is, “Doesn’t Get It”.

How many times have we heard that phrase in various conversations:

· “My husband doesn’t get it.”
· “My wife doesn’t get it.”
· “My teenage daughter doesn’t get it. Flip flops cost money and she already has a dozen pair.”
· “The bishops…. They just don’t get it.”
· “The other priest …. He just doesn’t get it.”

THE POST RESURRECTION READINGS

Have you noticed that the readings at Mass after Easter talk about how the Jewish scriptures – the messages “through the mouth of all the prophets” as we heard in today’s first reading – how “everything in the law of Moses and in the prophets and psalms must be fulfilled” as we heard in today’s gospel – are all about getting it or not getting it?

Different people got it; others didn’t get it.

Today’s gospel has the end of the story of the two disciples who left Jerusalem because they didn’t get it. They thought that was it – that “The End of the Story” the Last Page of the Story of Jesus was finished. Then on their way to Emmaus they met Jesus who broke open the Word – the Jewish scriptures – and they finally recognized Jesus in the breaking of the bread – as well as in the breaking open of the Word.

There’s the two parts of our Mass – the breaking of the Word and the breaking of the Bread – the Liturgy of the Word and the Liturgy of the Eucharist.

We digest ideas and food and drink in sips and pieces – slowly. It’s good to sit down and eat and talk with each other. Jesus often did.

In today’s Gospel Jesus breaks through the locked Upper Room and says to his disciples, “Peace be with you!”

They were anxious, troubled, filled with questions.

They didn’t get it – they didn’t get resurrection - even though Jesus told them what was going to happen before it happened, so that when it happened they would believe.

He had to nudge them a bit – come and eat with them – in today’s gospel eating a piece of baked fish with them. He was not a ghost. He was the Risen Lord of Life and History.

Have we gotten that yet?

We’re slow learners.

TITLE OF MY HOMILY

The title of my homily is, “Doesn’t get it.”

Haven’t we all been in the situation when someone tells a joke and everyone laughs – and we don’t get it – and so we fake it?

Haven’t we all been in a conversation with 4 or 5 people and everyone is talking about someone – or something – and we’re saying to ourselves, “I’m missing something here. I don’t get who or what they are talking about.”

Do women ask, “I don’t get it. What are you talking about?” more than men – if it’s true that men are less apt to ask for directions?

WHAT HAVE YOU GOT – WHAT ARE YOU MISSING?
Sometimes when we go shopping someone asks us, “What did you get?”

When you look at your life, what did you get so far?

When you look at your life, what are you missing?

Let me divide the rest of this homily into two parts – into those two questions: What have I got? What am I missing?

Let me start with the don’t get question first.

DON’T GET

I don’t get why there are people who deliberately try to send computer viruses around the world. I have guesses, but I really don’t get it. Is there a stereotype or a profile or regular motive of who does this?

I don’t get the economy, but I hope lots of somebody’s do.

I don’t get the United Nations. Either make it work better or try to change it.

I don’t get Islam. I mentioned this in a sermon a while back and a few people made suggestions. I finally finished reading the Koran – as well as various aspects of Islam. I don’t get the extremism. I know the Jewish Christian scriptures have God zapping and threatening people – but I think we’ve learned that often these are human projections onto God. I have a long way to go in this area. There are lots of things I just don’t get.

I don’t get why cigarettes are not banned. I get why people smoke. Pleasure. Addiction. Example. Habit. I get that cigarette sales raise tax money etc. I get that they make money for folks. I get all that – but people see those big smoke stacks here and there puffing out smoke and we’re glad if we live far from them – and then someone puts a smoke stack in their mouth and lets it into their lungs. I think of the old Bob Newhart monologue when Sir Walter Raleigh is introduced by the colonists to smoking. Someone says to Sir Walter, “You take this leaf that’s rolled up and you light it on fire till it starts smoking and you take that smoke into your lungs.” And he says something like, “You’re kidding.”


WHAT DO I GET?
There are also things that I do get.

I’m sure there are things that those who know me say behind my back, “He doesn’t get it.”

But there are things in my mind that I do get – things that I got?

What have you got?

I got the importance of “Thank you!” I fail at this at times, but I know the importance of those two words: “Thank you!”

I got the importance of affirmation. However, it has to be real – not fake or phony. “You lost weight, didn’t you?” “You really did a nice job on the new bulletin.” “The choir was really good this morning. Great job.” Appreciation. Affirmation. Recognition. Atta boys. Atta girls. Very important at home, at work, in church, in organizations, etc. You can never give enough affirmation. I have a caveat: I don’t think every team and every player in the league should get trophies or medals because somehow that kills awards.

I get the wisdom of Jesus messages about forgiveness, turning the other cheek, because revenge, retaliation, getting back, is never enough Revenge escalates. An eye for an eye – simply gives us blind or one eyed angry people.

I get that a breakfast, lunch or supper of left over resentments, regrets or regurgitated hurts can cause lots of heart burn – an inner burn there are not Tums or pills for.

I get that enough sleep, a nap at the right time, Sunday, Sabbath, Weekends, vacations, are not just necessary, without them we can become dumb, dull and drowsy. The Pharisees killed the Sabbath by making it so rigid by saying you could only walk so many steps and do only so many things; we kill it by making it too busy. It was made for us – not God. I can’t believe Jesus really said that, but he did. Today is for us. Enjoy!

I got the difference between experiencing something and only hearing about something. Now that’s a difference – to steal something Mark Twain said - between lightning and the lighting bug.

I got the wisdom of why Jesus used bread and wine and why he used the words “This is my body…. This is my blood….” that life is the Mass – that each day moms and dads say to their kids, “This is my body…. This is my blood … we’re giving our life to you.” That each day service people put their lives on the line for others. That it takes work to farm and grow wheat and grapes – and it’s a whole process to make them bread and wine – and it’s a whole process – of many changes – for wheat and grapes to become bread and wine – to become the body and blood of Jesus.

I got the reality that getting it – takes time – lots of time. As they say in AA and in many 12 step programs, it takes time for folks to get it. It takes time to hit bottom – to have things get so bad – that someone is willing to say, “I got a problem and it’s me.”

I get that sometimes to do nothing is smarter than doing something, especially if that something is stupid or it gets the comment: “Mind your own business.”

I get that sometimes it’s better to shut up and sometimes it’s better to speak up and sometimes we don’t know what’s up – so we don’t know whether to shut up or speak up.

I get that listening is more important than speaking – especially if we use other people’s comments to take over the conversation – and tell our stories – never really hearing what the other people in the room are about. Sometimes a room full of people is a room full of monologues and not one dialogue.

I get that prayer is conversation – and prayer can be a monologue or a lot of babble as Jesus said – so prayer is also a lot about silence and listening.

I get that time is relative. I love the saying: How long a minute takes depends upon what side of the bathroom door you’re on. Sometimes a ten minute homily feels like a half hour homily – and thank God people have watches. They tell you how long the sermon really was and they give a signal to the preacher, “Enough’s enough.”

CONCLUSION

Enough already. This week I suggest you make two lists: what you got and what you haven’t got yet. Amen.

AUTOBIOGRAPHY:
UNCONSCIOUS 95 %
OF THE TIME

OPENING IMAGE

A few years back, Charles Grodin, actor, director, and now talk show host, took some time out to write an autobiography about his journey through show business. The title of his book was: “It Would Be So Nice If You Weren’t Here.”

The title of the book comes from an experience he had in England while making a movie. A particular scene takes place in a castle. While the movie cameras were being set up, he and Candice Bergen were just sitting there talking in a room off the main hall. An Englishwoman, perhaps a duchess, obviously someone who was part of the castle, appeared and said, “Did someone ask you to wait in here?” Sort of surprised, they both answered, “No.” Then the woman said, “Well, it would be so nice if you weren’t here.”

HOMILETIC REFLECTIONS

Well, we are here! And hopefully it’s so nice that we are here. However, sometimes people wish we weren’t here. And, thank God, sometimes people are very happy that we are here.

As the old saying goes, “Some people cause happiness wherever they go; some people cause happiness whenever they go.”

Jesus is that sort of person. Some people wish that he would go away. Some people wish that he would stay. Some people see him as a problem, a cross, a person who takes away the fun and joy of life. And some people see him as the way, the truth and the life.

As Peter put it in today’s first reading: some people disowned Jesus. They chose a murderer instead. Then they killed Jesus, “the Author of life.”

Each of us is an author -- the author of our life. Eventually everyone begins to reflect on their life. Most people without knowing it are slowly putting together their autobiography -- knitting themselves together by means of afterthoughts -- talking to themselves -- figuring themselves out when they take time out to sit there in a room off to the side in their castle, their upper room, their mind.

However it’s a slow process. In the meanwhile, it seems that most of us go through life unconscious 95 % of the time.

Or as Peter put it in today’s first reading: we act out of ignorance. Or as John put it in today’s second reading: we lie, we sin. Or as Luke puts it in today’s gospel: it takes time for us to recognize Jesus in the breaking of the bread -- in the breaking of the scriptures -- in the breaking of his body -- in the breaking of our life.

Suffering can tell us secrets. Suffering can make us conscious. Seeing life from up on a cross can help us see so much more.

Sin can also do the same. Sin can wake us up. Sin can also help us to see -- to become more conscious -- to bring us to fulfillment -- but only in the shadow of the cross -- but only in the light of Jesus.

Sin and suffering -- great themes -- great teachers -- if only we are willing to see them as such in the story of our life.

In today’s first reading, after telling us that we act out of ignorance, Peter brings in the themes of suffering and sin, “God has brought to fulfillment by this means what he announced long ago through all the prophets: that his Messiah would suffer. Therefore, reform your lives! Turn to God, that your sins may be wiped away!”

When we look at the story of our life, when we see the times when we gave up because of suffering or sin, we see how we too are like the disciples in today’s gospel, the second part of the Emmaus story. We too had taken the road home -- moving away from Jesus -- thinking Jesus was all over.

Then when we look at the story of our life, our autobiography, more reflectively, we can also see the times when we were like the disciples in today’s gospel when they came back from Emmaus. We can see the times when we came back to church to celebrate with others because we have seen that Jesus is all over our life -- on every page of our scriptures, our autobiography.

We come from our home each Sunday to this church, this upper room, because in this upper room we want to recognize Jesus in all the breaking moments of our life.

It is here that we can look back on last week and last year, in fact, the whole of our life, and see how many times Jesus has walked into our upper room and said what he says in today’s gospel, “Peace!” “Peace to you!”

It is here in this church that are bodies were brought for baptism; it here in this church that our bodies are brought when we die -- because we and our families believe in the Risen Christ.

It here in this upper room, this church, when we are honest, that we can also see and say that there were many times, many days, when we have been too busy, too busy to be conscious of Jesus walking the road of life with us.

We are unconscious 95 % of the time.

In so many words, haven’t we said to Jesus -- maybe in body language, “It would be so nice if you weren’t here.”

However, Jesus is here. We can’t lock him out of our upper rooms. Christ has died. Christ is risen. Christ keeps coming again and again and again.

“Peace to you!”

Jesus is peace. Jesus is here. Jesus is here as his life unfolds in our life. As we heard in today’s gospel, Jesus shows us his hands and his feet. Jesus asks us to touch him. Jesus eats with us. Jesus opens our minds to the understanding of the scriptures -- his story, our story, other’s story.

Jesus is here. Jesus is here as our life unfolds -- as we discover -- usually through suffering -- sometimes sin -- the untold parts of our life.

Isn’t that a key message in today’s gospel? Listen to Jesus again from today’s gospel, “Then he opened their minds to the understanding of the Scriptures.”

We are unconscious 95% of the time.

Too many times we journey through life without knowing, without seeing, without being aware of the meaning of our life, neither reading his autobiography, our autobiography, or other’s autobiography.

PRACTICAL APPLICATION
One of the great sections of every library is “Biographies” and “Autobiographies”.

People who have taken the time to sort out their life or another’s life and wrote it down can help us take the time to sort out our life.

Read biographies and autobiographies.

For example, let’s move to the end of this homily by looking at another moment from Charles Grodin’s autobiography. He tells about his childhood days growing up in Pittsburgh. In the afternoon after grammar school he’d go to a large synagogue to attend Hebrew school. He writes, “One day when I was about eight I explored the building. I was down on the bottom floor opening every closed door -- a broom closet, an empty classroom. Suddenly I opened a door, and there was a room with a small stage. On the stage was a piano player and a short, stocky, pretty woman singing ‘The Man I Love.’”

The moment was one of those moments in a person’s life that open up doors to more life. He wrote, “I had never seen a live performer before. I was awestruck. The whole idea that someone on a stage was singing a song somehow took my breath away. It was as though I had entered into a fairy tale. Opening that door, opened a door in my mind about performing.”

However, because it was such a surprise, “so exotic” a scene, and perhaps because he was still so young, he says that he closed the door quickly and forgot about it.

We are unconscious 95% of the time.

But the door had been opened.

It was nice that he was there.

That scene eventually became his scene. He went on stage. He sang. He acted. He was in the movies.

When we enter through the doors of a church or a synagogue, when we enter into prayer into the upper rooms of our minds, when we read the scriptures, when we read other people’s autobiographies, when we put together our autobiography, we become conscious of our life. We can see our story. We can read our autobiography. We can get in touch with Jesus the Author of life, the One we love.

When that happens, we’ll become as today’s Gospel ends, “witnesses of this.”

When this happens we’ll say to Jesus, “It’s so nice that you are here.”

[This is a homily I did for the 3 Sunday after Easter, B, which I wrote for a homily service called, "Markings".]

LIMITATIONS

Life has its edges,
its borders, it endings,
so we need bridges,
boats, hopes, friends,

GOD! GOD! GOD!,
who can help us
get to the other
side – to move across
death, pain, endings
to resurrection, another
day, mornings, but in
the meanwhile,
to quote Clint Eastwood
“We have to know
our limitations.”

© Andy Costello, Reflections, 2009

Picture on top - Evening at the Foyle

River, Derry, Northern Ireland

EARTH DAY PRAYER

God,
we are egg and seed.

God
we are earth,
fire, wind and water.

God
like the earth
You call us
to bring forth fruit,
season after season,
day after day.

God, please God,
at the end of each day,
You look at our day
and say, “It is good.”

God, please God,
at the end of our life,
You look at our life
and say, “It is good.”

God, please God,
at the end of our life,
we look at our life
and we say, “It was good.”

God, please God,
if not, give me a little slide,
and lots of forgiveness. Amen.

© Andy Costello, Prayers, 2009

This is a prayer based on

"The Third Day" of Creation Account

in Genesis 1:11-13

Picture on Top - Montana - 3 years ago.

CURE ME, LORD!

Jesus enter this holy place called “me”.
My unclean spirit knows who you are
especially when I don’t.
Have something to do with me,
Jesus of Nazareth. Shout into me,
“Be quiet! Come out unclean spirit.”
Send me home a clean person,
so I can serve my family.
Then you can heal mothers-in-law.

© Andy Costello, Reflection on Mark 1:21-31

IRISE PUN

Tulips – the trumpets of Spring –
are not the only Easter Flower.

Irises flower and bloom,
rising in the Middle East and
in Africa, Asia, America,
in many, many places –
everywhere - especially
in March, April and May –
white, yellow, and especially violet.

“I rise,” says Christ,
rising in the Middle East and
in Africa, Asia, America,
in many, many places,
everywhere – especially in
March, April and May, with
the Lent and Easter season.

The trumpet of Spring, of Easter, asks,
“Will I flower, will I rise with Christ?”

© Andy Costello Reflections, 2009

EMMAUS

When we walk with each other,
when we talk with each other,
when we share life’s moments
with each other,
we begin to see things
we didn’t see when we walked alone.

When we walk with each other,
when we talk with each other,
when we share faith with each other,
without realizing it,
without recognizing
that Jesus walks and talks with us
as we go along the Way.

When Jesus walks with us,
when Jesus talks with us,
we can be set free.
Death doesn’t have to kill us.
Failure doesn’t have to lock us in.
Step by step the word is opened.
And we begin to see
that everything that happened
happens to make sense.

Then when we stop
for the evening,
when we stop for the night,
when we break bread together,
it dawns on us that
“The Lord is with us.
Our hearts are burning
The Lord has been raised.”
It is true. The Light still shines.

Then when we realize this
we need to tell others.
We run through the night
to shout out to the others
we too have experienced
the good news:
"Jesus has been raised.
He walks with us.
He talks with us
and we recognize Him
in the breaking of the Good News."

© Andy Costello, Reflections 2009