TAPE MEASURE

INTRODUCTION
The title of my homily for this 2nd Monday in Lent is, “Tape Measure.”

MOVIE: HOOSIERS
Now that March Madness is on TV – I’m sure one of the most famous sports movies of all time will also be on: Hoosiers.

One of my favorite scenes in the movie, “Hoosiers” takes place when the Hickory high school basketball team arrives at the big arena in Indianapolis – for the state championship game. This small, small high school team are to play in this enormous arena against a big team from South Bend. The coach, Norman Dale, played by Gene Hackman, is out on the basketball court with his team. They are in street clothes. They just got off the bus. The place is empty. The coach takes a tape measure out of his pocket and asks a few of his players in the presence of the whole team to measure how high the basket is from the floor. One player climbs on the shoulders of another player and they measure it. They give the measurement. The coach then says, “It’s the same as back home in Hickory.” Then he adds – pointing to the size of the court, “It’s the same size court as well.”

HOW WE MEASURE EACH OTHER
Sometimes we wish everyone had the same measuring tape for each other – but we don’t.

Jesus is well aware of that from his comments in today’s gospel.

He takes an example from the marketplace where everything is measured out very carefully.

Jesus must have seen a businessman in the marketplace who broke all the rules when pouring out wheat or what have you into a person’s garment. He then packed it down. Then he poured in some more. Then he shook it and added more till everything was overflowing.

Now that’s the way to measure out kind judgments on others – according to Jesus.

Jesus says very bluntly:
“Be merciful,
just as your Father is merciful.
“Stop judging
and you will not be judged.
Stop condemning
and you will not be condemned.
Forgive and you will be forgiven.
Give and gifts will be given to you;
a good measure, packed together,
shaken down, and overflowing,
will be poured into your lap.
For the measure
with which you measure
will in return be measured out to you.”
CONCLUSION: WHAT DOES YOUR MEASURING TAPE LOOK LIKE?
What would it be like to look at your measuring tape today – this day of Lent – and compare it to Jesus’ measuring stick?

We know what a ruler looks like. We know what a yardstick looks like. We know what tape measures look like.

Is our rule of thumb, ruler, or measuring rod miniscule or maxed big?

Or imagine if our measuring tape was only an inch by a quarter inch and it was like the size of the cross on our rosary or a cross around our neck. That’s a tiny cross. Then imagine if we looked up and saw this gigantic cross, this gigantic measuring stick, hanging up here in this church?

Jesus is standing here today in this court, in this church today. He’s challenging us to compare the difference between the cross and our measuring stick. Can we say what Jesus said on the cross: “Father forgive them because they don’t know what they are doing?”

Now that’s a wide measurement.

But we might say, “That cross is too heavy – that’s too difficult a way to measure others. Heck, people know what they are doing!”


Try it! You might like it! In fact, once we learn to judge others with much wider judgments, watch how we discover this heavy cross of forgiveness becomes – watch how much inner peace we have – watch how others see in our face – a more understanding heart.

Jesus has the secret of making burdens lighter!

THERE ARE ALWAYS  

TWO  SIDES 

TO EVERY STORY 

AND SOMETIMES MORE  

Quote for Today  March 21,  2011

"He who knows only his side of the case, knows little of that."



John Stuart Mill [1806-1873], On Liberty [1859]. chapter 2.

GO FIGURE

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for this Second Sunday in Lent is, “Go Figure.”

That’s one of those sayings one hears from time to time.

“Go Figure!”

Something strange happens. A person surprises us by doing something we didn’t expect – and we say, “Go figure!” Sometimes we say it with a shrug of the shoulders or a twist of the hand – in an either/or motion or what have you.

“Go Figure!”

It can be a good surprise or a bad surprise. Either way, to say, “Go Figure” usually has an element of intrigue or the unknown or mystery in the situation. So it can be a day when everything goes right and we didn’t expect there would be no traffic and we got all the lights and so we arrive ten minutes ahead of time and the doctor sees us immediately and we’re back on the road a half hour ahead of what we planned and we say, “Go Figure.”

SPENDING TIME – SPENDING LIFE

We spend much of our time and much of life trying to figure out life.

To be more specific: we spend much of our time trying to figure out what we want out of life. We try to figure out work; what would be the right job? We try to figure out how parents figured out life. We try to figure out what others are thinking. Go figure. We might be listening to music or the car radio or a sermon – but we are really listening to ourselves figuring out someone else – or something someone said last week or just yesterday or we’re trying to figure out what kind of car to buy – or house to buy – or house to sell – or what to do when the kids finally move out – or what have you. Will Maryland get a new basketball coach so the Terps can be in March Madness.

Go figure.

God? Is this all real? What’s with earthquakes and tsunamis and war and Islam and terrorism and why didn’t Libya fall just like Tunisia and Egypt? And how does this all work? Does nature hate a vacuum? Is the world uneasy with peace? As soon as the Iron Curtain and the Berlin Wall and the threat of communism fell – then something new starts up with Islam.

Go figure!

Why do we spend all this money on wars and helping up other nation’s defenses – and the money could be used for education or farming or what have you? How does the world work? Is it all about oil or the economy or greed or control or we’re # 1 and want to be #1 – as in sports? Now that we have TV and Internet News 24/7/365 – do we need to have fighting or killing somewhere – to have news?

Go Figure

TODAY’S GOSPEL – TODAY’S GOOD NEWS

Today’s gospel presents the great story of the Transfiguration.

This second part of the word “transfiguration” triggered the thought, title and theme for this homily. “…..figuration.” Go figure.

Jesus goes up a high mountain with 3 close friends and he is transfigured before them. He goes up there to figure things out.

The disciples can’t figure out what is happening. Jesus’ face shines like the sun and his clothes become white as light. They see Moses and Elijah appearing to Jesus – and he is talking with them.
What’s going on here? Uh oh. This is all new! What’s happening?

Go figure. Imagine being there? We’d be trying to figure it out as well.

Peter, James and John want to stay there. They need more time.

Peter says, “Lord it is good that we are here. We can set up 3 tents: one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.”

Then they see a cloud come over them and they hear a voice from the cloud saying, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.”

Often listening is the first part of figuring.

This story is found in Matthew, Mark and Luke – so evidently it was an important moment in the life of Jesus and these disciples.

ISRAEL 2000In January of 2000, I had the trip of a lifetime for a priest – Israel – and it wasn’t just a tour of Israel – it was a retreat with about 25 priests.

It was a chance to go figure full blast – for 10 days.

I told Father Stephen Doyle – a Franciscan priest who was our guide and retreat master – that I had a lot of things I wanted to see.

He asked, “For example?”

I said I wanted to see, a mustard tree, the road from Jerusalem to Jericho, sheep and goats, a sycamore tree, Gehenna, the Dead Sea, the Mosque in Jerusalem that is just above the Wailing Wall. I wanted to see the Lake of Galilee, the Jordan River. I wanted to see grapes – and wheat – a wine press and an outdoor oven.

So when we went by any of those things he’d yell out from the front of our bus, “Costello there’s a sycamore tree coming up on our left.”

The only place and the only thing we didn’t get to see was Samaria and hopefully the possible well where Jesus meet the woman – which is the story in next Sunday’s’ gospel.

The trip up to the top of the mountain – Mount Tabor - the so called place of the transfiguration was one of the big surprises of the trip.

We drove by from our hotel on the Lake of Tiberius – also called Galilee – to the base of the mountain. It’s pretty high. We got out of our bus and entered into white Mercedes Benz taxis. They took us – zig zag – up to the top. That was different. We had Mass up there – followed by an hour of quiet prayer after Mass – and the gospel reading at Mass obviously was today’s gospel.

Since it was a retreat we had an hour of silence – time for quiet prayer – up there on the top of that mountain. I found a great spot on the roof of some building up there. I was all by myself – looking out on the vast green fields down below of that part of northern Israel. Great farms. Artificial watering.

It was a time to go figure. I thought about Jesus – whether this was the actual mountain. I figured out that it really didn’t make any difference. I said to myself – “This whole land here was walked by Jesus and I’m following in his footsteps – by foot but mostly by bus.”

I understood Martin Luther King Jr’s famous, “I’ve been to the mountain” speech. When you’re on a mountain, the old saying is so true, “On a clear day you can see forever.”

I thought about life – being a priest – about the people I met – and all the blessings I’ve received so far.

I realized how blessed I was to have backpacked a lot when I was younger – in the Rockies as well as the Presidential range of mountains in New Hampshire – but back then I didn’t see what I was seeing that day. Old eyes can see a lot more than younger eyes.

Then the hour was up and we went down to a Franciscan rectory up there – and had this great Italian dinner. We had a meatball and spaghetti dinner and great bread on the transfiguration mountain. Go figure. It was good to have been there.

Then we took the white Mercedes cabs back to the bus.

CONCLUISION: REFIGURING
To come up with a Lenten type homily and to try to make a helpful point, the word refiguring hit me. I could also use the word, “reconfigure”.

But refigure works.

I would think Lent is a good time to get away from it all.

Lent is a good time to go figure.

Lent is a good time to become quiet – to take walks – to spring – to rise – to resurrect – to listen to God the Father say to us – “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.”

Lent is a good time to plan ahead and look backwards. When were the transfiguration moments in my life – when I saw everything clear and bright and right. More.

Lent is a good time to look at any parts of my life that have become disfigured – and become refigured – reconfigured.

And when this happens in Lent – here in church – or on a nice spring walk – or just sitting in a good quiet place at home – and we realize we’re with Jesus – we say, “Lord it is good to be here.”

Post card on top is entitled, "Springtime In The Galilee Mt. Tabor".

CONVERSION:

HOW DEEP,

HOW WIDE,

HOW REAL?

Quote for Today  - March 20,  2011



"In 1951 Red Skelton and a party of friends flew to Europe, where Skelton was to appear at the London Palladium. As they were flying over the Swiss Alps, three of the airplane's engines failed. The situation looked very grave and the passengers began to pray. Skelton went into one of his best comic routines to distract them from the emergency as the plane lost height, coming closer and closer to the ominous-looking mountains. At the last moment the pilot spied a large field among the precipitous slopes and made a perfect landing. Skelton broke the relieved silence by saying, 'Now, ladies and gentlemen, you may return to all the evil habits you gave up twenty minutes ago.'"






page 511 in The Little, Brown Book of Anecdotes, Clifton Fadiman, General Editor.

JOSEPH:
AN IMAGINARY STORY

It wasn’t the way I planned it. For that matter it wasn’t the way Mary planned it either. So we figured it was God’s plan – and we went from there. Not easy – sometimes it’s never easy with God’s plans and God’s ways – that is, when compared to my plans and my ways.

What we planned was marriage – family – the carpenter’s shop – meals together, love together, life together – a life like any other life.

Then I found out Mary was pregnant – and I knew it wasn’t me – and knowing Mary – I couldn’t fathom any one else but me – so I was left in the dark – and I couldn’t sleep and I couldn’t dream of what to do next.

In the beginning I knew I wasn’t going to throw her out to the wolves of gossip and to back of the hand whispered conversations. If you knew how small Nazareth was and how big gossip could be there. If you knew how sweet Mary was – you too would divorce her quietly. You couldn't just expose her to shame – and shame is strong stuff in a small village.

Of course I'm biased. We already were engaged. We already went through that ceremony – the first step in a Jewish wedding – and our wedding date was set.Good thing I’m a dreamer. Good thing I was named the same name as Joseph the Great Dreamer in Jewish history. In dreams he figured out his future. In dreams an angel told me what to do.

In a strange way, we got a break. It was a temporary way out. It was the census – the Roman Census – so we had to go to Bethlehem – where my roots extended back to David - way back. It gave us an opportunity to get away for a while. Sometimes the best thing to do is to hide.

It was fascinating the way events unfolded when we got to Bethlehem. We were just in time for Mary to have her baby. However, what happened was not expected. So I was amazed how things worked out. It helps to be a dreamer.

To be born in a stable – was just one more surprise. Shepherds came out of nowhere and Magi came out of somewhere – bringing their presence and their presents.Then came the nightmare and the night dream to get out of there – the warning that Herod didn’t want competition. Those in power usually erase, abort, get rid of all that will get in the way. An angel, a dream, directed us to Egypt. Sometimes the best thing to do is to hide.

Egypt made sense – because that was the same path my patron, Joseph the Dreamer, took.

However, I didn’t realize most of this till afterwards. Isn't that the way it usually happens?

So here I was another Joseph who landed in Egypt. He got there in as strange a way as we did. His brothers wanted to kill him. Sanity and luck prevailed. Joseph - betrayed by his own brothers - was sold for 20 pieces of silver – and his buyers brought him to Egypt. So here we were because of a dream and the message that here was a special baby.

I added, "One dangerous baby as well."

Mary added, "Well, I can't say I wasn't warned that a sword would pierce my heart."

When we heard that this Herod died – there were a few of those rascals - we headed back to Nazareth – our roots – and my carpenter shop. It needed a lot of work.

In the meanwhile Jesus grew in wisdom, age and grace before all.

It slowly became obvious to me that Jesus was going to be more than a carpenter, Would he be like Joseph the Dreamer who saved the world of his day when they were in famine –and he made Egypt the breadbox of the world? Will our Jesus feed the world – with bread and life? Will he become a great rabbi? Will he become a wisdom figure? Will he become a great healer. Time will tell. Time will tell.

In the meanwhile the three of us became fully settled in Nazareth, We were home.

I often wondered what our Jesus was wondering about when he stopped to watch the birds of the air and the lilies of the field. I saw his face wince and twist several times when he saw the worse use of wood that was possible – people hung on crosses - people crucified to crosses all along the roads we walked in Northern Palestine.

[Painting on top, "The Dream of St. Joseph," [1640] by Georges de La Tour [1593-1652]

This is a first draft of a possible story for a future book I'm working on from time to time on Biblical Characters.

JOHN  XX111

Quote for Today - Feast of St. Joseph - March 19,  2011


"The representative of the highest spiritual authority of the earth is glad, indeed boasts, of being the son of a humble but robust and honest laborer."


Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli [1881-1963], Pope John XXIII. This is a remark he made to the mayor of Fleury-sur-Loire - town in Central France - population 240 in the year 2007. This comment can be found in Wit and Wisdom of Good Pope John, collected by Henri Fesquet [ 1963]

DO IT YOURSELF
STATIONS
OF THE CROSS

[Here are 15 spiritual exercises. You can do them one at a time this Lent or at any time. See where these exercises take you. You can do this with another – or by yourself. Your move!]

1) Walk into any Catholic Church and walk around looking at all 14 Stations of the Cross. Then walk around again and pick one station – just one station – that is you – where you were or where you’re at in your life right now. Then sit in a church bench under that station or where you can see that station and be there with Christ in prayer for 15 minutes.

2) Take a blank piece of paper and write down the year of your birth on the left hand side of the page. Then write down on the far right side of the paper – just opposite the date on the far right – the year of your death. Give it an outside year – make it 2075 if you wish. Then draw a straight line across the page from your birthday to your death year. That’s the proverbial “dash” of life – the line ____________ in between your two key numbers. Next jot down along that time line key moments in your life. After doing that, re-write that straight line between your two numbers, this time with twists and turns, ups and downs, but get across the page to your death day.

3) Name a moment in your life – with details when you were condemned falsely.

4) What was the biggest cross your mom and/or dad had to carry?

5) Get a clean piece of paper or use your computer to jot down three falls you had so far in your life.

6) Picture your mom’s face the first time she saw your face.

7) Who has been the person who has helped you most in this life?

8) Name a moment in your life – tell of an experience – when and where a complete stranger has reached out and did something for you.

9) Name a moment in your life – tell of an experience – when and where you just stood there – as you saw a person in deep hurt – and you cried.

10) Name a moment in your life – when you felt totally stripped of everything – embarrassed – ridiculed – rejected - completely de-personalized.

11) Name a moment in your life – when you felt nailed down – and you were just stuck there – unable to get off your cross?

12) Draw the scene at Calvary when Jesus died. Put in figures of different people in your life standing there that Good Friday. Do a series of pictures – putting yourself or others on the cross – or under the cross. Use stick figures if you can’t draw. One picture can have people saying things – use those cartoon bubbles for words one sees in newspaper cartoons. When you place yourself on the cross, what will be your dying words?

13) Picture yourself in a casket – at a funeral home – and you see different people coming in – standing there looking at you in your casket. What are they saying?

14) Where will your remains or cremains be buried? If you have a saying or a scripture text on your tombstone or marker, what will it be? Sketch the scene of your burial place.

15) What will it be like on the other side of your death? Picture the scene. Picture the people waiting for you? Use your imagination. Remember the words of Saint Paul, “Eye has not seen, ear has not heard, nor has the human heart ever figured out, what God has prepared for those who love Him” [1 Corinthians 2: 9]


[I also have a series of Stations of the Cross I wrote years ago. You can also say and pray them while on your computer. They can be found on this blog – from way back in March 6, 2009. It’s entitled, “Sitting Under the Stations of the Cross.”]