BOASTING OR BRAGGING

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for this 11th Friday in Ordinary Time is, “Boasting or Bragging!”

The last line in today’s first reading is, “If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness.”

Paul is the one who is saying this. Boasting or bragging are synonymous – and scholars are not sure just what the origins of both these English words are. Either is a good translation of the Greek verb, “KAUCHAOMAI” – which is used in our text today – 2 Corinthians 11:18. One Greek Bible dictionary says “glory in” would be a good first meaning. (1)

Glory in, boast, brag, we have all experienced people who are after the glory, people who are braggers and boasters. However, to be honest, don’t we all have something we’d like to brag and boast about.

What does our list look like: accomplishments, car, house, looks, money, where we've been, whom we met? What's in our trophy case?

IT’S FUNNY

Paul says in his letter here that he will only boast of his weaknesses.

It’s funny because he says that just after he has given us a list of all the struggles and sufferings and trials he has gone through. Of course he keeps adding, “I’m speaking foolishly or crazy here!” Yet he still tells us that he has had far more imprisonments, beatings, brushes with death, was beaten 5 times with 40 lashes minus 1, was stoned once, was beaten with rods 3 times, was shipwrecked 3 times, hungered, thirsted, traveled, much more than everyone else, and by the way, I’m not bragging about all that. I only brag about my weaknesses. Listen again to the last line in today's first reading: “If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness.”

TODAY’S GOSPEL

Today’s gospel – Matthew 6: 19-23 - doesn’t use the word “boast” or “brag,” but Jesus pretty much challenges us about stuff – which many use as things to prop themselves up to look better than others.

Then there are those who use a great body to look down on those who are overweight or what have you.

As I thought of that – for some reason I thought about eyes. In the vestibule of the church – after Mass – as people are leaving – when saying, “Good bye!” and “Have a great day!” I try to look people in the eye. It happens very fast, but I want to be able to boast and brag that I try not to be mechanical. Smile.

Well, in doing that, every once in a while, there is the person with amazing eyes – different eyes – stand out eyes. I’m sure you’ve met folks from time to time with fascinating eyes. I never asked that person, but I sense they know they have special eyes. I’m sure I’m not the only one who wants to tell them, “You have fascinating eyes.”

This triggered the remembrance of the girl on the cover of National Geographic in 1985 who had fantastic green eyes. Then I remember reading that someone went back a few years ago to the Afghan / Pakistan border area and found her. She aged prematurely – and that cut down on the beauty of the frame that held those eyes – her face – but she still had great eyes – and a photographer captured them again. I found the 1985 girl’s picture and put it on top. Check out the story on Google - if you want to see what she looks like years later.

So if you have great eyes, brag about them – at least in the mirror - to yourself once and a while.

Now back to my homily, after that distraction. Great eyes can be very distracting.

Jesus is far more interested in the inner eye – to get that right – and forever – the I who I really am – the real me.

Jesus challenges us to look at how we see!

Are we walking by the unseen? Do we see ourselves as better than everyone else? Do we see as Jesus saw?

CONCLUSION: ON SECOND THOUGHT

However, on second sight, I think I got the insight on why St. Paul brags about his weaknesses: they got him to realize he can’t solve his problems – only God can – and our weaknesses can bring us to our knees.

In AA or any of the 12 Step Programs that flow out of it – the first step is to admit our weakness over some addiction. The next step to ask a Greater Power to help us overcome that weakness. We need God - we need Group  – Community.

So isn’t that one of the reasons why we come here to Mass – why we come before Christ on the cross – the big sign of weakness – so that we can rise each day to a better Way to do life.  Amen.



NOTES

(1) W.E. Vine, Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words, Four Volumes in One, Zondevevan Publishing House, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1952.

WANTING OTHERS TO

BE OTHER THAN THEY ARE

Quote for Today - June 17,  2011

"The passion for setting people right is in itself an afflictive disease."

A comment by Marianne Moore - remembered at the time of her death - Feb. 5, 1972.

Picture on top of Marianne Moore throwing out the first ball at Yankee Stadium in 1968. As a poet she also wrote about baseball.

WHAT IS SAID OUTWARDLY,

WHAT IS SAID INWARDLY

Quote for Today -June 16, 2011


"The voices blend and fuse in clouded silence: silence that is infinite of space: and swifty, silently the sound is wafted over regions of cycles of cycles of generations that have lived."


From James Joyce [1882-1941] in Ulysses [1922].  June 16, 1904 is the day James Joyce met Nora Barnacle [1884-1951] - who worked as a chambermaid in Finn's Hotel in Dublin, Ireland. He asked her to cake a walk with him.  The picture on top is a picture of James and Nora walking. I don't know whom the person on the right is. The whole book takes place on just one day. June 16, 1904 is the day chosen for the main character in the book, Leopold Bloom, who goes on his Odyssey through Dublin that day.  The book has about 265,000 words - written in a stream-on-conscious  form. It became a classic 20th Century novel.

BORING INTO A BORE

Quote for Today - June 15, 2011

"It's so much easier to pray for a bore than to go and see one."

C.S. Lewis [1898-1963], Letters to Malcolm, Harcourt, Brace and World, 1964

WHAT’S YOUR TAKE 

ON MATTHEW 5: 48?

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for the 11 Tuesday in Ordinary Time  is, “What’s Your Take On Matthew 5:48?”

Matthew 5:48 is the last sentence in today’s gospel reading. My take on this text is that a lot of people are familiar with it. Jesus said, “So be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect.”

A lot of people have taken that text to heart and their take on that text has a big impact on their lives.

I probably have preached on this text a good 50 times – because I know from listening to people that this is one of those texts that people are very aware of. There are those who think it means that they have to be perfect in specific areas where they know they are not perfect. They think that without any nuances. And having heard various takes by various preachers and commentators on this text, there are nuances – or different takes.

Warning: don’t take my take on this text.

Message for today: take a good look at your take on this text – and then reflect on where that takes you – or could you take another take on this text?

Once more the text: “So be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect.”

Question: Is there a perfect take on this particular text?

THIS YEAR’S TAKE

This year my take on this text goes this way.

The text that comes down to us, comes down to us in Greek – and the Greeks had their take on what perfection is. Nobody is perfect. The Greek word used in today’s text is, “TELIOS” – which means perfect, complete, finished, mature.

Is the Greek take on this text – my take on this text?

Here’s Jesus telling crowd in the Sermon on the Mount – to be perfect – and then to make it even tougher, “to be perfect as the heavenly Father is perfect.”

That’s quite a goal. That’s quite a target. That’s quite an aim.

And many times people feel guilty – because they don’t measure up to perfection – what they think would be perfect – and then on top of that, what they think God would think would be perfect in this situation. For example, a person reads the reading perfectly, except they feel they mispronounced one word or stumbled on one word – or they turned two pages instead of one when the reading goes into a second page and they stand there confused for 3 seconds – that feels like 3 years. “Oh my God, I blew it. I was a disaster.”

The Greeks had the idea everyone and everything has a TELIOS – an end – a reason for its existence – and that’s the target to go for – and if you reach it, you’re perfect.

SHOT AN ARROW INTO THE AIR

I like one of the Greek takes on sin. It’s called HARMATIA – meaning literally missing the mark. The word would be used in archery – and there’s the target – and you shoot the arrow at the bulls eye and if you missed, that’s HARMATIA. If you hit the bulls eye, you’re perfect.

So the goal is to get 100 or an A in the test – make the perfect meatloaf and make and bake the perfect Key Line or Key Lime Pie – it’s spelled both ways – and if there is one tiny thing wrong – imperfect – they you hit HARMATIA. You missed your mark.

Would a person be happier in life if they didn’t worry about perfection when it comes to pies and dusting. Just do it. Just do your best in the time you have. And while dusting or pie making, enjoy the breeze coming through the windows. Or look out the window at a scene taking place across the street. There’s two little girls twirling hula hoops on a green lawn and they are laughing and having a great time. And that evening laugh because nobody notices dust, but everyone enjoys the taste of Key Lime Pie – and don’t notice if it has an uneven crust or some of the pie is slipping over on the side of the dish – or heavens forbid, there is a little bit of dust on the pie. Smile. I won’t tell, if you won’t tell.

I like the image of a kid with a bow and arrow and he or she just shoots it in the air – and that’s the goal. One can’t miss if you’re just shooting an arrow into the air. That person is perfect. Even if the arrow slips and falls 2 feet to the ground, one hit the air. Perfect.

Now to be perfect in prayer, driving, speaking, commenting, mothering or fathering, being a Christian Catholic, that’s a goal. And depending on how we take “perfection” can determine our mind set and attitude about life.

In today’s gospel Jesus spells out where to be perfect: in loving not just one’s neighbor, but in loving one’s enemies – in praying for those who hurt us.

Tough stuff – but it’s so other centered and not so self centered – which can be the case of people who are scrupulous or nervous about every distraction in prayer or every fleeting so called “bad thought” that flies across their radar.

ARAMAIC - HEBREW

Not being perfect, I looked for a loophole. I thought: Jesus preached this in Aramaic – which is close to Hebrew. So what would be the Hebrew, Jewish, take on the idea of perfection?

The Hebrew word used would be TAM or TAMAM. It too means complete, finished – mature. But there is Good News here. Hebrew thought would say, “Hey! Everyone has their faults. Nobody is perfect! So to be perfect, go with God. God will take over and make what you’re doing, if it’s good, perfect.

The Hebrew thought stresses our weakness and God’s strength. God does the rest of the dusting in our mind. God sends the Holy Spirit as a Refreshing Breeze so we can enjoy the cool of the evening – and all those around us.

So if we’re doing anything – reading, praying, helping another, trying to love the person who is a pain or a problem, one says to God, “I’m trying to reach my goals, but you got to be the difference maker. You make it perfect – because I know I can’t.”

CONCLUSION

A conclusion to an imperfect sermon: Passing the buck to God can take a lot of stress and strain off our everyday endeavors.

So, please God, You do the rest with these perfect and imperfect people here on this perfect morning. Amen.

I AM CARVED 
IN THE PALM 
OF YOUR HAND.

Quote for Today  June 14, 2011

“If you look deeply into the palm of your hand, you will see your parents and all generations of your ancestors. All of them are alive in this moment. Each is present in your body. You are the continuation of each of these people.”

Thich Nhat Hanh

THERE’S A METHOD 

TO HIS MADNESS

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for this 11th Monday in Ordinary Time is, “There’s a method to his madness.”

If someone would tell you to turn the other cheek when someone slaps you on the face – you would think them mad – crazy – stupid.

You’d say, “Others would just take advantage of you and beat you either further.”

Yep, that’s what Jesus said and did. He know all about the crazy human heart. God did not stay, “Far From the Maddening Crowd.” Nope, God became one of us – and experience what the book of Genesis pointed out by Chapter 4 – brother can kill brother.

And as we look at the big cross up here as the backdrop in our sanctuary, we see that he practiced what he preached – he walked the talk right to Calvary. He turned the other cheek and forgave those who slapped and spit and beat and nailed him to a cross. He didn’t get mad. He was mad. He said from the cross: “Father forgive them for they don’t know what they are doing.”

But Jesus knew what he was doing. There’s a method to his madness.

But for some reason, some Christians don’t accept the principle that a non-violent approach to life is the Christian way to do life. I would add that the down deep reason might be that they think it’s mad.

ST. PAUL

St. Paul in today’s first reading from 2nd Corinthians continued the madness and says we Christians put up with “afflictions, hardships, constraints, beatings, imprisonments, riots, labors, vigils, fasts;…” as our way of life. He continues, “We are treated as deceivers and yet are truthful; as unrecognized and yet acknowledged; as dying and behold we live; as chastised and yet not put to death; as sorrowful yet always rejoicing; as poor yet enriching many; as having nothing and yet possessing all things.”

Non-violence must have been a tough, tough, decision and discovery for St. Paul – because he was a violent man. He was an extreme kind of personality. You knew when he walked into a room – or a town.

When did he discover this was Christ’s way of doing life? When or what caused him to realize this was the message of Christ from the Cross? Did he say in deep prayer with deep feeling to Jesus, “You’re mad!”

JESUS’ METHOD OF MADNESS

If we don’t retaliate, if we turn the other cheek, if we gain the patience Christ had, then the other has no reason to retaliate back at us. Okay, we might frustrate them.  If we forgive because we don’t know the other’s heart and soul and story, then maybe the other will discover peace and forgiveness – and change.

Jesus pushed this – and today we are over 1 billion strong. Paul discovered this and pushed this, and the churches he founded, flourished.

IN OUR LIFETIME

In our lifetime we have been blessed if we saw that Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr., Caesar Chavez, Nelson Mandela, and many others have gone this way – and made significant breakthroughs.

They were on the big stage, the big screen, we are on the local scene: family, parish, neighbors.

How do we deal with yelling, anger, sniping, attacking?

I fail at times. I’ve never been slapped in the face nor have I been spit on. In conflict, I try silence and humor – and walk away – most of the time. It seems that others just scratch their heads or then ignore me because I didn’t fight back. I hope I stopped the sniping or the griping - and I hope they walk away with second thoughts.

CONCLUSION

Let me close with 3 quotes which might add a nuance or two to the topic of non-violence – the idea about turning the other cheek, going the extra mile, and stopping retaliation.

Cesar Chavez: “Non-violence is not inaction. It is not discussion. It is not for the timid or weak …. Non-violence is hard work. It is the willingness to sacrifice. It is the patience to win.”

Bernard Haring, a Redemptorist priest and Moral Theologian, who took a lot of verbal attacks and comments behind his back, said, “It belongs to the very substance of nonviolence never to destroy or damage another person’s feeling of self worth, even an opponent’s. We all need, constantly, an advance of trust and affirmation.”

And lastly, a comment from Michael Fink. I don’t know who he was: “You’re lucky I took me a vow of non-violence, or you’d be suffering some pain right now.”