THE NARROW GATE

[The following is a puzzle homily for this 12th Tuesday in Ordinary Time. Today's short gospel - Matthew 7: 6, 12-14] - has the images of pearls and swine and the Narrow Gate. This puzzle came to me last night. It's a first draft  adventure - see where the puzzle takes you.]


He was told in a dream – that - if he wanted to discover the secret of life - he simply had to go to such and such a street – and then enter by the narrow gate!

So he went to such and such a street – only to discover that at least half the gates and then some were narrow.

He didn’t know what to do next. Wait for a further dream? Ask someone? Pray? Go backwards to where he was before he had the dream? Wait for another dream? What now? What next?

He saw benches here and there along both sidewalks of that street, so he sat down to see if some kind of an answer would show up as well. Sometimes it’s smart to sit and pause. Sometimes it’s smart to sit and study. Sometimes it’s smart to stop and go neither backwards nor forwards. So he did that for about an hour.

Next, he took out a pad and pen that he had in his pack to jot down who and what he could see and connect with each gate and each house on the street. Each was numbered. He wished he was told in his dream the correct number for the correct gate.

If a narrow gate opened and someone came outside, he would make a quick pen scratch of the man or woman or child who was coming out or in – add their gate number – and in time he figured he would figure out the right narrow gate, from studying each person who would come and go through each narrow gate.

In three days – by sitting on every bench on both sides of the street – he figured out who was who on the street.

But he still didn’t know the right gate to enter.

Next – to make progress – he would surreptitiously and nonchalantly follow those who came out the narrow gates.

Some were saints; some were sinners. Some traveled light; some carried with them great lots of stuff – lots of packages.

Nobody noticed him. If they did, they might have said to themselves, “Just someone.” or “Just a stranger!”

In about a week he narrowed down the right narrow gate to 3 families – 3 gates.

Each was graceful to strangers. Two offered him a bottle of water. It was just at the beginning of summer. Each were good to kids and stopped to make comments to neighbors. All had sweet smiles.

All three put some green bills in a violin case of a street musician. He played music that brought pauses and applauses.

He would follow them and see how they treated waiters and waitresses – how they treated the person behind the counter in stores – how they let people out ahead of them at doors – and on and on and on.

Finally – he made his choice. It was Narrow Gate number 17. He knocked on the gate nervously. He heard a knob turning and sure enough, the owner opened it up and said, “Hi. I’ve been waiting for you. I saw you on the street lots of times. Welcome. Come into my house. Let me get your something to eat.”

A  HUNDRED MILLION 
MIRACLES ARE HAPPPENING 
EVERY DAY.

Quote for Today - June 21,  2011

"The miracles of the church seem to me to rest not so much upon faces or voices or healing power coming suddenly near to us from afar off, but upon our perceptions being made finer, so that for a moment our eyes can see and our ears can hear what is there about us always."

Willa Cather [1873-1947], Death Comes for the Archbishop, 1927

MEASURING UP TO

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for this 12 Monday in Ordinary Time is, “Measuring Up To”.

In today’s gospel, Jesus gets his mind and grip on one of life’s big issues: measuring up to. [Cf. Matthew 7: 1-5]

With out Gospel reading today, Jesus is still preaching his Sermon on the Mount. We’re still contrasting it with Moses in the Book of Exodus as he gave us the Ten Commandments when he came down from Mount Sinai. Jesus, the New Moses, tells us on this new mountain to keep those commandments, but as we’re listening to him we are hearing that there is so much more on how to live life to the full.

Today’s gospel begins, “Stop judging, that you may not be judged.

For as you judge, so will you be judged, and the measure with which you measure will be measured out to you.”

The Greek words for “judging” and “measuring” are “KRITES” and “METRON”. They become the roots for English words we’re familiar with: criteria or critic, and metrics.

IN JESUS’ TIME

In Jesus’ time judging, stereotyping, criticizing, measuring, carping, labeling, and pigeonholing were big time energy consumers. (1)

And Jesus ends up being killed by those who didn’t allow him to be who he said he was: “I am who I am!” Jesus was saying with his life: “I can’t be someone else that you might be looking for.”

Read the gospels with an eye on just this one issue of expectations. You’ll spot many, many times when people are judging, miscasting, being critical, complaining, throwing rocks at others. You’ll notice that people keep on wanting others to behave in a way that is different from the way they are. Once more we think our way is the right way and the only way. Spot this issue and you’ll be able to mine a lot of good growth challenges for self – and come up with a less painful attitude towards others.

TODAY

How about today – how about in our lives – how much energy do we consume in inward criticism and judging others?

Life is loaded with this issue of measuring and judging others.

We have to climb the mountain of our own mind – because that’s where the action is. First of all there are all those rulers and tapes and measuring methods we compare ourselves against. What does God expect of me? What does my family expect of me? What does society, neighbors, expect of me? Am I living up to my goals that I set for my life? Do I measure them against some list I have in mind about getting into heaven or hell after this life? Next – I have all kinds of expectations and rules for life for neighbors, for kids, for parents, on how to eat, how to drink, how to pick up after one’s dog, etc.

Last night 4 of us went to a restaurant for supper and the table next to us had a big family group – lots of kids – and after they left, two waitresses had to sweep up from the floor a lot of pieces of ripped paper, 3 crayons, and several pieces of food. They didn’t measure up to how I was trained to leave my place at a restaurant.

It’s a good idea to see what are my expectations about life and life’s various situations. It’s good to get in touch with how we measure and judge others, situations, failures and successes.

For example, I think there are two kinds of drivers: Type A and Type B drivers. Type A Drivers ride on other’s tail pipe. They come right at one’s back. They rush to red lights and stop signs – braking, braking, braking - as they get close to the light or car in front of them. Type B Drivers are laid back and give the car in front of them plenty of room.

Type A drivers have to buy new brakes sooner than Type B drivers.

I am a Type B driver – but who says I’m right? Notice I tailor the description of these two types to my advantage.

I sense that Jesus is saying this desire of wanting others to play our game, follow our rules – meet our expectations - can lead to a lot of energy fusion and confusion and anger, etc.

Jesus did say to turn the other cheek, go the extra mile, give the shirt off your back. He’s saying something there. Jesus is so other centered.

He doesn’t use seem to use rulers or measuring tapes that others use.

I would assume if we broke our rulers and burned our measuring tapes – we’d be a lot happier.

TWO CONCLUSIONS AND TWO SHORT JOKES

Imagine going through life – seeing life as if it was an arena with judges sitting there with cards with numbers #1 to 10 on them – and after each thing we do, they raise a card: # 3 or #8 or #25.

Who said life is a ice skating contest or a Dancing with the Stars contest and we get judged?

Wouldn’t it be more interesting and more joyful if it was a dance – or an ice skating pond and nobody was judging us.

There 2 jokes that I love and they fit here?

Did you ever hear about the one armed fisherman who caught a fish this big?

Or did you ever hear of the one armed golfer, who missed a put by this much?

Sometimes two arms can be a handicap. We need to make our ruler or tape measure endless. Amen.

So why not stop drinking our coffee in one of those see through measuring cups - that have numbers and markings on the side. Pitch that cup. Break that glass. Use a regular cup and enjoy the taste of coffee or tea or cocoa or whatever you’re drinking of life’s great tastes.

NOTES

(1) Cf. notes on Matthew 7:1-5 in Bruce J. Malina and Richard L. Rohrbaugh, Social-Science Commentary on the Synoptic Gospels, Fortress Press, Minneapolis, MN, page 67.

APARTMENTS  OF  RELIGION

Quote for Today - June 20, 2011

"The inner spaces that a good story lets us enter are the old apartments of religion."

John Updike in the introduction to The Best American Short Stories 1984, Houghton Mifflin 84, quoted by Anatole Broyard, New York Times, November 11, 1984

ARTHRITIC HANDS

He stood there at his dad’s hospital bed –
rubbing his dad’s shoulder – knowing
there was only so much time left in his old body.

His dad must have been down to 144 pounds by now.

He knew death was in hospital room 307 – along with
family and tears and wonderings about, “What’s next?”

With his left hand still on his dad’s bony shoulder,
he reached for his father’s right hand with his right hand.

He held it. He moved it. He lifted it. He wanted his
dad to give him some sign or signal with a grab
or a grasp telling all he knew they were here.

There was no response – but he didn’t give up.

He then slid his left hand down to his dad’s left hand.

His two hands were now holding his dad’s two hands.

He was gentle because the arthritis had made
both hands so bumpy and boney.

Holding his daddy’s hands, he remembered
his first bicycle days. These two hands had lifted
him onto his 2 wheel bike and walked him around
the block 100 times – till he got the trick of it.
His dad was his training wheels. This saved money.

His dad’s hands had fed him and led him
and showed him how to throw a football
and how to hold a hold a fishing rod.

There still was no sign. No signal.

His dad was unconscious the whole time.

His sister said, “Let’s pray!” –
and they all began the Our Father –
all holding hands that were connected
to their dad's hands and at the “Amen”
he suddenly twitched and voiced  an “Amen.”
and died surrounded by love
and hands and family. Amen.

© Andy Costello, Reflections, 2011

A TRINITY OF RELATIONSHIPS

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily is, “A Trinity of Relationships!”

Today is the Feast of the Holy Trinity as well as Father’s Day.

What to preach on?

The word, “relationships” popped up loud and clear: “relationships.”

FATHERHOOD

Obviously, fatherhood is a relationship. No child, you’re not a father. But you can’t be a father without a mother – no kidding – so a child is part of a trinity of relationships. There’s a message here somewhere.

I am aware of step-fathers, adoptions, and those who use their fathering tasks and skills – but all those particulars are also about relationships.

And I always liked Groucho Marx’s line – which I like to use from time to time in the pulpit – to see if people in church are awake: “If your parents didn’t have any kids, chances are you won’t either.”
I like weddings – because it’s father, mother, son or daughter – in focus – big time. The mother walks down the aisle and lights the unity candle – a symbol of the light from this family is being passed down to a new generation – which will be connected to another family. The father walks the daughter down the aisle and presents his daughter to his future son-in-law. At the wedding son dances with mom – daughter dances with dad. And all watch a trinity of relationships. There is a message here somewhere.

DENVER IN SEPTEMBER

I’m in Denver a few years back for a wedding. It’s Friday morning and I went to the church – and outside the church – in big time – down town Denver – there are what looks like 250 men on line. I go inside the rectory to let them know I’m here for a wedding and I ask about the men. Answer: “Oh they are the men we feed every day.”

I go back outside and walk around. It’s September and I wonder where these men will go in November and December. I wonder deeper. Who are these men? Most seemed to be from 25 to 45. How many are fathers? Did they run away because things got too tough or what have you? What do they think about at night? What do they think about on Father’s Day? What do their kids wonder and worry about at night – at graduations – or on Father’s Day?

As I walked around Denver and seeing lots of these guys, I began wondering about Westerns. Were the cowboys and the outlaws – we saw in all those movies growing up – just like these men – who escaped their fatherhood, their responsibility, their wives, their children, their families, and went west?

I didn’t know the demographics. I didn’t know the facts; but that’s what I mainly thought about as I walked around in downtown Denver – that September.

CANCER

I remember having a wedding here in Annapolis. The father of the bride told me at the rehearsal on Friday evening – just talking in the back before the practice. “5 years ago I got cancer – and I said to myself, ‘I’m going to walk my daughter down the aisle if it kills me’” And then he added, “Smile!” He continued, “Tomorrow, thank God, I’m alive to walk her down the aisle.” Then he added another neat comment. “I walked her down the aisle for her baptism and I said to God that day, ‘I’ll also walk her down the aisle for her wedding.’”

There’s a message in there somewhere.

700 PEOPLE

There were about 700 people here for a funeral on Friday morning – Grahame Rice. He died last Sunday swimming in the Bay for a charity event. He leaves behind a wife and two kids and a lot of friends and a lot of relationships. He prayed with us here in this church at Sunday Mass just like us this morning.

I began by saying, “I don’t want to be here – and none of you want to be here – but here we are – to support Grahame’s wife and kids and family and each other. Then – I preached – knowing there is nothing I could say that could take away the hurt and pain – other than time and God and good people helping good people.

I did feel good that I came up with a good line for my homily – at least I thought it was a good line. “This year the biggest Father’s Day card you’ll receive is the story of Grahame – because you all know he was such a great father to his kids and so many kids.” I added, “One lady told me that a kid had said to her, “Mr. Rice was the kind of father every kid wants.”

There’s a message there somewhere.

NUMBER PAINTING

I bought my father one of those number paintings for Christmas in 1969. It had a dozen different colors or something like that. His emphysema was getting worse – and he couldn’t get up and out as much – so I wanted him to have something to do. When painting the house – inside and out – I noticed he had a great smile while doing trim work. Well he only got to number paint number 4 or so. We saw him in the hospital on Father’s Day that June 1970 and he died a week later. I took the painting. I never finish things like that, but I finished that painting. It was of the Last Supper.

There’s a message ther somewhere.

THE TRINITY

I am grateful for the gift of faith that my mom and dad gave to us.

I am grateful for the gift of faith that our church has passed down to us. God is a God of salivation – not a God of condemnation. – as we heard in today’s gospel.

I am grateful for the teaching and the theology that Christianity teaches – that God is 3 persons – a Trinity of persons – a Trinity of Relationships. These are human words. We have to die to find out what God is really like. And we all prayed: “Not yet, God. Not yet!”

That God is a Trinity is quite a teaching. It’s quite a belief. It’s quite a revelation. It’s beyond our understanding. It’s something we could never come up with up with on our own.

We can discover God without the Bible or revelation. Show me a chair or a car – and tell me it just happened. There has to be a carpenter or a carmaker.

Show me the stars at night – the hair of a golden retriever on a mission running in a field – catching a Frisbee or a ball – the hands of a child – the smile of a Down Syndrome person – the taste and look of watermelon in the summer – the White Mountains of New Hampshire – the Rockies – Zion National Park – dolphins running – fire flies on a summer night – and tell me there is no Creator. If you tell me you don’t believe – I will shrug my shoulders and say, “Interesting!” Hey, we can be stiff necked people – as the folks in today’s First Reading might have put it.

Show me a child – I know there is a father. Pinch myself – I am here because of my mother and my father.

So creations proclaim that there are creators. Effects proclaim that there are causes. If the pins scatter in the bowling alley, someone threw a bowling ball.

That’s God the Creator – that’s God the Imaginer – that’s God the artist – that’s God the Designer – that’s God the Sculptor – that’s God at play.

The title of my homily is, “A Trinity of Relationships.”

God the Trinity – brings us to Christ and the Spirit.

God the Trinity – brings us to relationships.

God the Trinity – brings us to communication – to be in communion and communication with each other – discovering and developing all those strong interpersonal skills we heard about in today’s Second Reading.

God the Trinity – brings us to a dynamic – of Three Persons – involved in this vast universe – involved in the lives of billions and billions of people – involved in billions and billions of years so far and billions of years to come – and then some – based on the life expectancy of our sun – and who knows what our world will come up with? We intelligent folks have been around for less than 100,000 years – and that’s a tiny slice of time.
In Christianity the Trinity is labeled as Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

Who knows how that belief will keep developing and unfolding in time to come?

THERE’S A MESSAGE HERE SOMEWHERE

The one big message for me as one human person is to ask God to continue to have a relationship with me – that I continue to grow – into this Trinity – to start that now and enjoy the dance, the banquet, the whatever God is, for all eternity.

I have learned the truth of one of the earliest messages of the Bible – Genesis 2:18, “It’s not good to be alone.”

God knows that – the sooner I learn that and enter into that – with God as a Trinity of Persons – the better it is for me – the more I am made into the image and likeness of God.

CONCLUSION

Let me close with one of my favorite stories. It’s from Robert Fulghum. He’s in his house – reading or writing – and some kids are outside on the street playing “Hide and Go Seek!” and some kid is hiding in Fulghum's front yard. And he says, “Every group of kids always has one kid who is super great at hiding.”

And he says he wants to open up that window and yell down to the kid, “Get found kid. Get found kid.”

And I wanted to yell to all those fathers I assumed I was seeing in Denver, “Get found kids. Get found kids. Your kids want to find you.”

And I want to yell to every father who is hiding in his work or in his hobbies or his computer or what have you, “Get found dad. Get found dad” and if you’ve been found they you know that every day is a Father’s Day.

And I hope we all continue to hear The Good Father yelling to us in the garden. I hope we realize the whole game it start yelling out to me, “Find me. Find me – find my Son and his Holy Spirit as well.

IT KIND OF MAKES 

ME WANT TO KNOW,  

"WHAT WAS FREUD'S 

DADDY LIKE?

Quote for Father's Day - June 19, 2011

"I could not point to any need in  childhood as strong as that for a father's protection."

Sigmund Freud [1856-1939]

P.S. This from a guy who also said, "At bottom God is nothing more than an exalted father." in Totem and Taboo [1912-1913]