THE CRUX
OF
THE MATTER
Quote for the Day - Feast of the Holy Cross - September 14, 2010
"It is true,
and even tautological,
to say
that the Cross
is the crux of the matter."
G. K. Chesteron [1874-1936] The Everlasting Man (1925)
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Monday, September 13, 2010
GET MOVING
"Work is a powerful medicine."
St. John Chrysostom [c. 347-407] From a homily - 4th Century
The picture on top is from an 11th century illuminated manuscript. This page has St. John Chrysostom handing a book of his sermons to Nikephorus Botaneitates [c.1020-1081]. The character on the right is the archangel Michael.
Sunday, September 12, 2010
LET’S TALK ABOUT
THE OLDER BROTHER
THE OLDER BROTHER
INTRODUCTION
The title of my homily is, “Let’s Talk About The Older Brother.”
TODAY’S GOSPEL
Today’s gospel – Luke 15: 1-32 – is a central gospel text for our spiritual life as Christians. It’s long as you noticed. We’re allowed to read the long or short version. For me, no contest. No other choice. I read the long version. How about you? Do you need all three parables?
My take is that the whole chapter has to be heard as one. It needs to be heard, discovered, dug into, mined, remembered and practiced. How do you learn to forgive and be forgiven? Practice! Practice! Practice!
At times for a penance when someone comes to confession, I say, “Read the 15th chapter of the Gospel of Luke.”
I say that because it contains a rich theology of grace. The Catholic theology on Grace is right here. Grace is about cooperation. It’s not one sided. It’s not a free ride. I have things to do and God has things to do.
In the first two stories God does the searching, but the third story is just the opposite. God waits.
Looking at our life, how have we been when it comes to forgiveness? Do we reach out – make the phone calls – or do we wait?
Looking at our life, what has been our experience with God? Has God been searching for us or has God been waiting for us? Or is it both. Or is it: haven’t really thought about this is this way – till today – I hope?
So I have to have the hope that God is looking for me and wants me home with him – in grace with him, in communion with him, but I also have to get off my butt – we all have lots of but’s – up out my messes and come home!
So all 3 parables - all 3 stories are necessary. In the first 2 stories God comes searching for me; in the third story God waits for me to come home to Him.
Today’s gospel has 3 key characters: God, others, me. Spiritual teachers, when asked about how to read the Bible, sometimes say: “Start with the stories or the parables and ask yourself, ‘Which of the characters in this story is me?’”
# 1: looking at today’s gospel, am I the Lost Sheep, Lost Coin or Lost Son?
# 2: looking at today’s gospel, am I the Searching or Waiting God? Am I the Forgiving God? Am I able to have the God within me, forgive me within me? Can this me – become Godlike – and forgive myself – for all that piggy, piggy, pig stuff hidden in the bottom drawer or basement or pig pen in my soul? Everybody has a closet.
# 3: looking at today’s gospel, am I the Pharisee, the Scribe or the Unforgiving Older Brother?
In this homily I’m focusing on this third person: the Pharisee, the Scribe, the Unforgiving Older Brother.
THE PHARISEES AND THE SCRIBES
The gospel begins, “Tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to listen to Jesus, but the Pharisees and scribes began to complain, saying, ‘This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.’”
The gospel ends with the older brother unwilling to welcome home his lost younger brother – unwilling to come inside and start to eat – start to feast on the fatted lamb with him and his father. Jesus says, “My son, you are here with me always; everything I have is yours. But now we must celebrate and rejoice, because your brother was dead and has come to life again; he was lost and has been found.”
The gospel ends without us knowing if the older brother says to his father: “You know, you’re right. I’m wrong. I’m glad you came out here looking for me. I’m going in and sit down and eat with my brother.”
The gospel ends with the older brother unwilling to welcome home his lost younger brother – unwilling to come inside and start to eat – start to feast on the fatted lamb with him and his father. Jesus says, “My son, you are here with me always; everything I have is yours. But now we must celebrate and rejoice, because your brother was dead and has come to life again; he was lost and has been found.”
The gospel ends without us knowing if the older brother says to his father: “You know, you’re right. I’m wrong. I’m glad you came out here looking for me. I’m going in and sit down and eat with my brother.”
We do know that many of the Pharisees and the scribes did not accept Jesus’ message – of mingling and eating with tax collectors and sinners.
We do know from today’s second reading that Paul – a Pharisee –changed and came home – came into the Christian family. That second reading is very autobiographical. In his case God reached out for him on the road to Damascus – as in today’s first two parables.
THE OLD JOKE
Remember the old joke? We’ve all heard it at least a dozen times. It gets kind of boring in heaven, so St. Peter calls everyone together on a field in this big enormous stadium and says, “Okay, all the women go up into the stands on my right. Next all the men who were not married, go up into the stands on my left. Now all you married men on the field, if you were nagged by your wife go that end of the stadium and if you were never nagged by your wife, go to this end of the stadium. Every man but one goes to that end of the stadium. St. Peter then says to the one guy at this end of the stadium, ‘What are you doing here?’ And he says rather sheepishly, ‘My wife up there pointed to me to come down here.’”
Well if I said, “Everyone stand up. If you’re a Pharisee or a Scribe or like the older brother, meaning, you see yourself as not doing anything wrong, you never sin, you’re educated, you’re trying to do everything right, you stand over there. Now if you see yourself as a disaster – or a sinner, a prostitute, poor, dirty, lazy, a tax collector, meaning, you tax others, you wear them out, your life is a mess, you stand over there.” Where would you stand?
It’s like the old story of the guy who checked out ten different churches. Each church had criteria for belonging. The one he picked was the one where the pastor said, “The only criteria for coming here is that you sin and make mistakes. Then you’ll feel at home.”
Isn’t that the well known secret and the success for A.A., Alcoholic Anonymous, meetings? Should every Mass begin by each of us standing up and saying, “Hello. My name is Andrew. And I’m a sinner.” Isn’t that why every Mass begins with the tip of our fingers taking a dip into the water – and then making the sign of the cross – to remind us of the washing waters of our baptism and then a confession of sin and guilt and a prayer for mercy. “Lord have mercy. Christ have mercy. Lord have mercy.”
MAJOR, MAJOR MESSAGE
The major, major, major, major message in today’s gospel is Jesus’ message about what God our Father is like.
For some people God the Father is like their own father – or some image some Father So and So preached 50 years ago.
God our Father is like the Good Shepherd in today’s gospel who leaves the 99 sheep in the desert and goes looking for the one lost sheep till he finds it. Then notice he comes home with that lost sheep on his shoulders and calls out to friends and neighbors and says, “Rejoice with me because I have found my lost sheep.”
Imagine all the other sheep saying, “Baa, baa, baa, bad idea. What about us? I’ve been a loyal sheep all my life – and this turkey gets all the celebration and attention. Not fair. Not fair. Not fair.”
Wait till we get to heaven and find out who’s there. Surprise. Surprise. Surprise!
God is like this woman who had ten coins. They think it might be her wedding coins – that women sewed into their head or hat pieces – reminding everyone who sees her: “Look at all the coins I got at my wedding!” – and one coin gets lost and she searches and searches till she finds it – and then throws a party – yelling out, “Rejoice with me because I have found the coin that I have lost.”
Then Jesus ends this second story with the same message, “I tell you, there will be rejoicing among the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”
Wait till we hear the clapping and screaming and rejoicing when we walk into heaven. “He’s here. She’s here. Wow! Great!”
God is like the Father of two sons. The younger pigs out – ends up in the mud – a homeless starving mess – but comes home – not out of great motive – but to feed his face – and he experiences the love of a wonderful father – who’s hugging and kissing him – with no worry about getting dry pig do do on him. The dancing father is celebrating and yells, “Quickly bring the finest robe and put it on him; put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Take the fatted calf and slaughter it. Then let us celebrate with a feast, because this son of mine was dead, and has come to life again; he was lost and has been found.”
CONCLUSION: THE QUESTION – THE BIG, BIG QUESTION
The question, the big, big question is this: is this my perception, my image, my understanding of who and how God is?
I can say the Creed right after this homily a thousand times – with ease – but can I say the creed that comes out of this 15th Chapter of Luke. “This is my God. This is my Father.” And feel God hugging me and holding me and inviting me to this banquet – this Mass – this Meal – this church filled with us sinners – where we eat the slaughtered lamb – the Body of Christ – the Bread and Wine together in communion with each other at this banquet.
If not then I’m still outside. I’m still off to side – a Pharisee, a Scribe, the Older brother.
Relax. The Good News is: God doesn’t give up. That’s what Luke 15 is saying. Sometimes God waits for me and sometimes he comes looking for me.
P.S. Suggestion: Hope for the looking and searching God as opposed to the waiting God.
Painting on top: Rembrandt - find the Older Brother
Saturday, September 11, 2010
PEACE MAKING:
A STEP AT A TIME
A STEP AT A TIME
Quote for the Day - September 11, 2010
"Peace is a daily, a weekly, a monthly process, gradually changing opinions, slowly eroding old barriers, quietly building new structures."
John F. Kennedy [1917-1963] in a speech at the United Naions General Assembly on September 20, 1963.
CALM, COOL,
BLUE SKY FEELINGS
BLUE SKY FEELINGS
INTRODUCTION
The title of my homily for this 23 Saturday in Ordinary Time – September 11th, 2010, is, “Calm, Cool, Blue Sky Feelings.”
When I was growing up in Brooklyn, New York in the 1940's and early 1950's – our subway stop was the 59th Street Station. We lived on 62nd Street between 3rd and 4th Avenues. Two trains stopped there: the 95th Street train – now called the “R Train” – and then the express train which was then called, “The Sea Beach Express” because on Saturdays and Sundays in the summer, it was an express straight to Coney Island – no stops from 59th Street to the Beach. It went something like that – this is a long time ago.
During the week that train – now called the “N Train” became local if you were going in the direction to Coney Island – 10 stops. The first stop after 59th Street was 8th Avenue. It was outdoors. The train came out from being underground right after our stop.
Then my mom and sister and her family moved a bunch of blocks and 8th Avenue became our stop. When the train doors opened you stepped right into the open air and walked to the end of the platform to get to the stairs – and down to the streets.
Next came the Chinese and the Muslims – more Chinese than Muslims – all moving into our neighborhood – buying up some of the Irish, Norwegian, Swedish and Italian houses.
There I am in Ohio – somewhere around 2000 – driving somewhere in a car – and I’m listening to National Public Radio – NPR – and they were doing a piece on the Chinese moving into our old neighborhood – and they said the Chinese called the 8th Avenue Station, “First Blue Sky Stop!”
Now I had seen that station and stop a thousand times – and never, ever got the idea or the imagination to call it, “First Blue Sky Stop!”
Beautiful. Wonderful. Perfect. That’s what it was. We just called it, “8th Avenue” as the sign said.
Sometimes someone from the outside can give us a new perspective – a new way of seeing – something on the inside.
SEPTEMBER 11TH
When we were kids, 8th Avenue was the train stop right near where my aunt, Mary Red, lived. She had red hair and that was the only name I knew her as: Mary Red. Funny lady. She married Ernest Bowman, a Baptist from North Carolina, who became a Catholic – a guy with a neat, dry sense of humor – whom I always knew as my Godfather.
He had 4 sons – who had sons – who had sons one of whom was named Shawn Edward Bowman – whom I never met – and never will meet till Heaven – who was killed that day working at Cantor Fitzgerald – 101st floor – World Trade Center – September 11th, 2001 – with a wife home – pregnant. Those babies were featured last night on ABC News as Persons of the Week.
Now, how do we respond to tragedy and horror and things not going the way we would expect and want things to go?
Do we get red – ignite – burn? Do we become hot headed – furious?
Do we do the very thing that happened that day at the Pentagon, that field in Pennsylvania, and also that day to the Twin Towers – burn - destroy?
Do we burn flags – and people – books – and people in effigy?
Or do we build our lives on Jesus’ words – for example, “You have heard how it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But what I say to you is this: offer the wicked no resistance. On the contrary, if anyone hits you on the right cheek, offer him the other as well.’… You have heard how it was said: ‘You must love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But what I say this to you; love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you; in this way you’ll be children of your Father in heaven….” [Cf. Matthew 5:38-48]
In today’s gospel Jesus says to build our lives on his words. And if you do, you will have a rock solid, strong foundation. [Cf. Luke 6:43-49]
Obviously these are words that would not get good ratings. Rather they are words that will get you crucified – or labeled, “Crazy” or “Stupid” or a “Dreamer”” or what have you – words that have a red spark to them – hot words – burning words. “Hey,” someone might say, “our flag isn’t all blue? It also has red.”
A CONCLUSION: COME TO CHURCH
I would hope people will come to this church when they’re red hot – angry – furious – and I would hope this place with its calm, cool, blue sky ceiling would give folks, “Calm, Cool, Blue Sky Feelings.”
I would hope people will come here to this church and do what Paul advocates in today’s first reading – coming here to eat the bread and drink the cup – and then we calm down – and discover our idolatries. [Cf. 1 Corinthians 10: 14-22]
I would hope that people would then leave this church and go forth and bring forth good fruit – like we heard in today’s gospel. Coming up with figs and offering them to others are better than serving thorns as Jesus tells us in today’s gospel.
By their fruits – you will know them.
Isn’t sharing an apple or watermelon – a pear or some cantaloupe – isn’t that better and much more blue peaceful than burning books – in a red fire – and then screaming and shaking fists and violent words at each other? Amen.
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