COSMETIC HOPE
Quote for Today - May 26, 2011
"In the factory we make cosmetics;
in the store we sell hope."
Charles Revson (1906-1975) in A. Tobias, Fire and Ice (1976), chapter 8.
Thursday, May 26, 2011
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
INTRODUCTION
The title of my homily for this 5th Wednesday after Easter is, “Giving One’s Best.”
TODAY’S GOSPEL
In today’s gospel Jesus talks about grapes and vines.
I find it fascinating that Jesus makes observations about all sorts of things – besides carpentry. In fact, he doesn’t say that much about carpentry – other than building your house on rock and not on sand – and don’t start something you can’t finish.
He seems at times to be a “wannabe” farmer – because he makes lots of observations about the land – sheep and goats - planting and plowing - uprooting weeds and harvesting wheat. In today’s gospel we hear all about grapes and grape vines – and making sure life runs through the vines and produces lots of grapes.
GIVING ONE’S BEST
To have the best grapes, one must know soil and where to plant. To have the best grapes one must know about pruning and cutting – so as to end up with an abundant harvest.
But grapes are only the first step. Picking the grapes and then making wine are further steps – and I assume that the best grape growers make the best wine.
I don’t drink but I do enjoy watching the wine moment in rich restaurants – [I prefer Fuddruckers]. Someone orders wine. The waiter brings out a bottle. The person choosing the wine is asked to sniff it - test it – taste it - before choosing it.
When I was younger – way before I got diabetes - I would get either ginger ale or Doctor Pepper at a restaurants. They are the same every time. But wine – wine varies. So there is something in trying to come up with the best tasting wine.
And that’s the bottom line for my sermon thought for the day – to want to be the best we can be as me – as Christian – as friend – as family member – as God’s good servant – in all those things we do at home, at work, and in all our circles.
BRAHMS
I was looking up different things about grapes and vines and wine last night. I was thinking that I need to make homilies less abstract and to use more examples. In a book of anecdotes I found the following story. It’s about Johannes Brahms (1833-1897), the famous German musician, a composer of lots of songs and choral works.
Once upon a time Brahms was invited to a dinner. The host brought out some of his choicest bottles of wine from his wine cellar. He announced to Brahms, “This is the Brahms of my cellar.” It was an old, special, rich bottle of wine which the host poured into the composer’s glass. Brahms scrutinized the wine closely, inhaled its bouquet, took a sip, and then put down his glass without comment. The host asked, “How do you like it?” Brahms responded with a murmur, “Bring out your Beethoven.” (1)
CONCLUSION: TO BE HONEST
Each day we bring we bring ourselves to many tables. The call is to bring out our best.
If you’re like me, I don’t always bring my best self to every situation. Sometimes it’s a question of energy levels. Sometimes it’s a question of laziness. Sometimes it’s a question of who else is at the table.
To be better I need to realize this. Then I need to go down into my basement – my inner room – and discover Jesus there in newer and newer prayer – to meet Jesus in challenging and more challenging ways – becoming more and more one with him – and as Paul puts it – to become more and more Christ. (2)
To be our best, we become one with Christ – eating his body, drinking his blood – becoming more and more Christ.
Now that’s a marriage feast. To be humble, we need to know we can be better than our everyday self. We need to know about the call to wed, united, married to Christ in newer ways. All you married folks who are well married – know the difference between going it alone and going it as a team.
That’s what the gospel of John is telling us early on. Pushed by Mary at Cana, Jesus began all this – and billions have been on the vine ever since. (3) So the message I would push this morning is that if we will be giving our best if we become more and more Christ.
NOTES
(1) Clifton Fadiman, General Editor, The Little, Brown Book of Anecdotes, Little, Brown and Company, Boston, Toronto, London, 1985, page 75
(2) Galatians 2: 20; Romans 8: 9-11; Colossians 2: 6-7; Ephesians 4: 17 to 5: 33
(3) John 2: 1-12
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
PEACE
INTRODUCTION
The title of my homily for this 5th Tuesday after Easter is, “Peace!”
I’m sure you’ve heard hundreds of sermons on peace and I’m sure I’ve given dozens of sermons on peace as well. Here’s one more.
COMING UP WITH A SERMON THEME
I begin working on a Sunday or a weekday homily the same way. I say a prayer and then ask myself, “What do I need to hear from today’s readings? What’s the main theme that jumps out at me?
“Peace!”
PEACE
I’m sure when we read the newspapers and watch the evening news, besides tornados, floods and other natural disasters, we pray for peace. Don't we all talk to ourselves and say, “Are we crazy? Why do we keep on with the violence, the fighting and the abuse on the family, the local, the state, the nation, and world wide levels?”
The two crazy behaviors that bug me are: 1) kids or women being sent into a bus or a crowd with bombs strapped to them and then they self explode; 2) those who try to spread a computer virus that goes around the world – which inconveniences lots of people.
“Peace!”
I would assume these sick behaviors are the bad fruit of the evil streak we spot in others – and often miss in ourselves. It’s the so called “YETZER HARA” – Hebrew for the evil urge that lurks at our door.
The story of Cain and Abel is very significant in reflecting upon peace. Genesis 4: 1-16 has a very powerful scene – the story of Cain and Abel. Yahweh God sees Cain walking around with a sour face, so God asks him, “What’s with the face?” Okay that’s a free translation. The Jerusalem Bible puts it this way. “Yahweh asked Cain, ‘Why are you angry and downcast? If you are well disposed, ought you not to lift up your head? But if you are ill disposed, is not sin at the door like a crouching beast hungering for you, which you must master?”
Cain doesn’t listen. Instead he brings evil inside himself.
And once inside the “YETZER HARA” - THE EVIL INCLINATION - can do horrible things to self and others.
I would assume that evil urge – when personalized is the whispers of the snake, Satan, the devil, the ruler or prince of this world we hear about in today’s gospel. [Cf. John 14:30; John 13:2; John 12:31]
“Peace!” “Shalom!” It also lurks at our door and knocks. Invite it inside.
Isn’t that the significance of Jesus coming through the walls on Easter Sunday and instead of lurking out there, Jesus comes within us and says, “Shalom!” “Peace!”
In the scriptures, in Jewish and Christian circles, “Peace!” is an opening greeting to another when we meet them on the street or the road.
“Peace!”
If it’s more than just a superficial greeting like a “Hi” or “How are you to someone?” when our mind is somewhere else – then “Peace” – “Shalom” in Hebrew – “Irene” in Greek – is saying and hoping for many, many blessings for this other person.
“Shalom!” – the Hebrew Greeting is wishing that the one we’re greeting has everything going well with their family and their health, their farm or business. It’s wishing the other to be in a good place with God. It’s wishing that they are not in debt. It’s hoping they are not screaming inside their mind lots of angry words or resentments against another or others.
Saying “Shalom” or “Peace!” to another includes not just that the weather and the nation – prosperity and property are in a good shape – but one is right with neighbor and right with oneself. The prophets would state that we won’t have real peace if we’re living a lie with self or with neighbors (Cf. Jeremiah 6:14, 8:11) Ezekiel talks about not whitewashing a crumbling wall. Fix up the walls first and then whitewash them and make them beautiful. [Cf. Ezekiel 13:10-12.]
“Irene” – the Greek word for “Peace” includes all of the above – calling God our Father and that Jesus is the one who is the bridge to bring about that communion with the Father.
Peace is the gift of the Holy Spirit. Pray for it. Work for it.
Paul VI said, “Development is the new name for peace.” That’s a great quote to chew and digest. He also wrote in his Message for the Celebration of the Day of Peace for the world, January 1st, 1972: “If you want peace, work for justice.”
Every parent with more than one kid has heard the whine, “It’s not fair.”
Everyone who listens to our world – how life, how business, how government, how traffic, how family, how giving out dessert works, has heard viewers say with their words or face, “It’s not fair.”
So enough with the rock throwing – as we heard about in today’s first reading and enough with the word throwing.
CONCLUSION
Want peace, work for justice today.
Want peace, pray St. Francis’ Peace prayer every morning and then put it into practice every day.
Then we’ll discover what Jesus meant by his greeting us with “Peace” this morning – in the opening words of the gospel.
“Peace.”
Monday, May 23, 2011
D Q
INTRODUCTION
The title of my homily for this 5th Monday after Easter is, “D Q”.
Coming home last night from Mr. Steve Beard’s graduation in New Jersey, I was driving down 301 on the Eastern Shore of Maryland and missed getting to D Q – Dairy Queen – on that road by 8 minutes. It closes at 10 P.M. They have this neat Sugar Free ice cream bar called a “Dilly Bar”.
I wasn’t quick enough.
The title of my homily is, “D Q!” In this homily it stands for “Do Quickly!” But of course, don’t speed. Don’t get a ticket.
FIRST READING
This morning I looked at the readings for today and I was struck by the incident there in the first reading from Acts when the people of Lystra called Paul “Hermes” and Barnabas “Zeus.”
I was struck by that word “Hermes. I think it was the name of a typewriter. What ever happened to typewriters? I had heard one of our priests who teaches “Preaching” talking about Hermes now and then.
I typed into Google, “Hermes” and I got all kinds of stuff.
Hermes is the Greek God who delivers messages – amongst other things. He’s also called “Mercury”.
All very interesting. The question: should someone mention this kind of stuff in a homily. Should I entitle this homily, “U I” – or Unnecessary Information – or “U I I C” – Unnecessary Information In Church.
Well, in the Jewish and Christian tradition angels are the ones who deliver messages.
Then I got the thought of entitling this homily, “FTD” – because I remembered as I looked at all the Google information that Hermes or Mercury is that guy I’ve seen in the florist’s business.
Then I really got sidetracked or distracted, wondering about the background of FTD. I’ve seen that image of the statue running – with fast feet – and I assumed it meant we’ll run flowers for you to someone else somewhere fast.
Yep.
FTD first stood for Florists’ Telegraph Delivery back in 1910. You could send flowers on the same day by using florists in the FTD network. In 1914 they started using the Mercury Man as their logo. Then in 1965 FTD became Florists’ Transworld Delivery.
It’s a multi-million down idea and company and cooperative.
A MESSAGE FOR TODAY
I still didn’t have a specific homily idea.
Okay, so Paul is “Hermes” here in today’s first reading – Acts 14: 19-28 – because he’s going around fleet of foot proclaiming good news.
Aha.
When we studied preaching, it was called, “Hermeneutics” – with the name “Hermes” in it. I never realized that till today.
Just as I was doing this mini-research for this homily or hermeneutic moment, I get a phone call from a guy named Joey in N.J.
He told me that he was in a car accident a few years back, so he had to retire. Now for the past two years he’s taken on a job in his parish of coordinating bereavement.
Then he explained why he was calling. He was being a messenger.
He gave me the name of a gal named Mickey whose husband I knew. He died suddenly last week. He suggested, “Why don’t you drop her a note?” I said, “Good idea.” Then he quickly said, “Do you have a pen and paper handy?” Then he gave me her address in New Jersey.
He’s good.
I got back to this homily. I have a busy day ahead. I’m just back from a burial at Hillcrest – and I got a bunch of things to do today.
Because of his insistence, I said to myself, “As soon as you get back from St. John Neumann, write that note.”
Then I said to myself, “D Q! Do it quickly!”
Then I said, “Okay, make that the title of your homily and push that idea.
CONCLUSION
So as a homily message to myself and also to you today, “Is there anyone in our lives who would appreciate a phone call, an e-mail, flowers, or a card?” Surprise them! They won’t call us a god or Hermes, but they might say, “You’re an angel!”
D.Q. Do Quickly.
QUOTATIONS
Quote for Today - May 23, 2011
"Famous remarks are very seldom quoted correctly."
Simeon Strunsky [1879-1948] No Mean City (1944), chapter 38.
Quotation Questions:
What's your favorite quote?
Look around your place and space: do you have a quote hanging anywhere?
Has any quote I've put on blog grabbed you?
Has any quote I've put here been wrong? I've been doing this for quite some time now.
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