CONSEQUENCES
Quote for Today - May 6, 2011
“Consequences are unpitying."
George Eliot – Marianne Evans Cross [1819-1880]
Friday, May 6, 2011
Thursday, May 5, 2011
OR NOT TO MEASURE?
INTRODUCTION
The title of my homily for this 2nd Thursday after Easter is, “To Measure or Not To Measure?”
There is a sentence in today’s gospel that intrigued me,
“For the One whom God has sent
speaks the words of God;
he [or she] does not ration his gift of the Spirit.” [John 3:34].
Specifically the word “ration” grabbed me.
When that happens I go to the Greek - to see what the Greek word that the English translator chose the word “ration” for. As we know Greek is the original New Testament language. The Greek word is, “METRON” – which means a measure – the way something is measured – as in a measuring cup or a ruler.
Isn’t that a neat image?
We are familiar with various words that have “METRON” as their root: meter, metronome, metrics, metric system, etc.
JESUS AND MEASUREMENTS
Jesus seems to have noticed measuring sticks and measuring methods. Was it from his days in the carpenter shop? Was it because of how he saw Mary bake or cook or was it his observation about shopping and how things were sold in the market place?
I love the text: “… the amount you measure out is the amount you will get back …” [Cf. Mark 4:24; Luke 8:18; Luke 19:26; Matthew 13:12.]
I love the text that where Jesus says the poor widow who put two copper coins in the collection put in more than all the rest. [Cf. Luke 21: 1-4; Mark 12: 41-44.] Hello! Where did Jesus come up with this kind of a measuring method?
I love the text where Jesus tells the story about this vineyard owner who pays all the workers the same wages, no matter how many hours they worked that day. How's that for crazy bookkeeping? [Cf. Matthew 20:116.]
7 QUESTIONS
1) When you’re dishing out ice cream or cutting cake, are you cheap or very generous – especially to kids?
2) When you’re opening up your wallet to give something to a poor person, do you tend to empty out your wallet of one dollar bills not worrying about counting it – or if a 5 or a 10 or a 20 is amongst the ones – that doesn’t bother you either?
3) Do you see love as, “I scratch your back; you scratch mine.”
4) When it comes to love, do I count the cost?
5) When it comes to love and life, do I ever say, “It’s not fair!”?
6) When you’re in the box – and the rest of the people in the funeral home are talking about you, will the #1 word, heard, be, “generous”?
7) If you had a had a choice of having a favorite prayer and it came down to these two, which one would you choose? 1) The prayer of Solomon: “Lord, give me an understanding heart!” or 2) “Lord, give me a generous heart and hands.”
CONCLUSION
John says in today’s gospel that Jesus, the One whom God has sent, does not ration his gift of the Spirit.
So Jesus is the generous one – so why am I approaching him with a thimble or a Styrofoam cup, when I can show up as the Grand Canyon or the bottom of Niagara Falls?
Now that's Divine Mercy. Now that's Copious Redemption! [1]
NOTE
1) Check out my homily, "Divine Mercy" for the 2nd Sunday of Easter, Divine Mercy Sunday or Doubting Thomas Sunday.
MEN WOMEN
“And, of course men know best about everything, except what women know better.”
George Eliot – Marian Evans Cross [1819-1880], Middlemarch (1871-1872) - Notice that I have been exploring comments and observations - quotes - from George Eliot these days - the pseudonym or pen name of Mariane.
WHAT’S THE NAME
OF THE HOUSE
YOU LIVE IN?
INTRODUCTION
The title of my homily for this 2nd Wednesday after Easter is, “What’s The Name of the House You Live In?”
We’re standing there on the sidewalk and there are all these houses on both sides of the street. And I say to you, “Which house do you live in?” And before you can answer, I add a variation to my opening question, “Or what’s the name of the house you live in?”
That gives you pause, because you’re not sure just what or where I’m going with my question. Then I say, “Houses have different names. Let me give you a few names for starters:
- Jealousy,
- Worry,
- Envy,
- Complaining
- Competition
- Control,
- Anger,
- Freedom,
- Fun,
- Peace
Then you say, “Ooh! Uh! Oooh Uh! If you put it that way, I’m not sure. Let me think about what name to give our house?
YOU THINK ABOUT IT
You think about it. You smile because you figure the curtains of the house of jealousy, worry, envy, competition, are always being pulled aside to peek at what’s happening in other houses and driveways and who’s got what kind of a lawn or car or lawnmower or visitors.
You think about it. The house of complaining – has people who are not happy with anything – that life is not fair. They are always getting the red light. The bridge is always up. The neighbors are too nosey or too uppity or what have you.
You think about it. The house of anger always has screams coming out the windows and going up and down the street.
You think about it. The fun house has kids on the lawn playing with puff footballs or big red plastic bats and bright white plastic whiffle balls or kids rolling on the lawn.
The house of control has the owner with a scowly face because the kids of the fun house are always going on his lawn to retrieve their white plastic whiffle ball.
The house of freedom has people sitting in their backyard a lot – people have a drink in hand or they are playing a card game together or someone is reading a book by themselves – or someone is chipping a golf ball on the back lawn and we hear some soft music coming out the windows in mid-May or October of mid-November – but it never bothers the neighbors.
PRAYER
You become more and more intrigued with the original question: “What’s The Name of the House You Live In?”
You bring it to prayer.
You ponder the readings at Mass for today about the apostles being in jail and they are freed by the Spirit and the jail keeper is filled with fear and the Sadducees are filled with fear and frustration – and you say, “I don’t want our house to be filled with fear and frustration and that it feel like a jail all the time.” [Cf. Acts 5:17-26 and John 3:16-21.]
You think about the disciples when they were in the Upper Room filled with panic and worry – and then Jesus comes and gives them a Spirit of Peace and they become free and are not scared to proclaim Jesus as Light and Salvation – and you feel a great sense of peace.
CONCLUSION
And so you make a decision for the name of your house. You know naming it is only the first step. The steps after that are to make it for real.
So you talk with your family and you tell them about the question and what your thoughts are and they say, “Great idea!” And so all of you go to a river not too far from your house and you find a nice smooth stone. You bring it back home. Then you get a Black Magic Marker pen and the whole family work on writing on the stone: “Welcome! This is a House of Peace.” And you place it right outside your front door.
Then you have on the wall just inside your front door a copy of the Peace Prayer of St. Francis and as a family you all agree to say this prayer every morning – together or with one or two other persons and then to try to make it happen.
And you do! And you become more and more a House of Peace.
++++++++++++++
MORNING PRAYER
Lord,
make me an instrument of your peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love,
Where there is injury, pardon,
Where there is doubt, faith,
Where there is despair, hope,
Where there is darkness, light,
Where there is sadness, joy.
O Divine Master,
grant that I may not so much seek
to be consoled as to console,
to be understood as to understand,
to be loved as to love;
for it is in giving
that we receive,
it is in pardoning
that we are pardoned,
and it is in dying
that we are born to eternal life. Amen.
(St. Francis)
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
Monday, May 2, 2011
THE ROAR
ON THE OTHER SIDE
OF SILENCE
Quote for Today - May 2, 2011
“Nor can I suppose that when Mrs. Casaubon is discovered in a fit of weeping six weeks after her wedding, the situation will be regarded as tragic. Some discouragement, some faintness of heart at the new real future which replaces the imaginary, is not unusual, and we do not expect people to be deeply moved by what is not unusual. That element of tragedy which lies in the very fact of frequency, has not yet wrought itself into the coarse emotion of mankind; and perhaps our frames could hardly bear much of it. If we had a keen vision and feeling of all ordinary human life, it would be like hearing the grass grow and the squirrel's heart beat, and we should die of that roar which lies on the other side of silence. As it is, the quickest of us walk about well wadded with stupidity.”
George Eliot 1819-1880, [Marian Evans Cross] in Middlemarch [1871-1872], chapter 22. The highlighted part in the above quote is noted by many people. I'm giving here the full quote. You can read the whole book on line for free. Dorothea makes her comments in Rome
Put in other words: “Life takes place with these 3 steps: "Illusion. Disillusionment. Decision.” The restaurant looked good from the outside and the menu on the window. It looked like a good investment. I thought he was a good choice. Surprise! Wow was I wrong! Decision time.
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