ARGUING

Quote for Today - June 29, 2011

"An argument is the longest distance between two points of view."

Anonymous

PETER & PAUL:

WHO DO YOU SAY THAT I AM?

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for this June 29th Feast of Sts. Peter and Paul is, “Peter & Paul: Who Do You Say That I Am?”

In today’s gospel from Matthew 16: 13-19, we have Jesus trying to get his disciples to know who he is. He asks, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?”

I thought for this homily on the feast of Saints Peter and Paul - to ask the same question of Peter and Paul: “Who do you say Peter and Paul are?”

I would think Paul would be easier to describe than Peter - because there is so much more we know about Paul compared to what we know about Peter. What’s your take on Peter and Paul? How do you see each of them?

EVENTS MORE THAN IDEAS

T.W. Manson in describing Paul gives what I thought was a good insight. He says Paul was not a systematic theologian. He doesn’t give us ideas - or abstractions - or principals. Yet he says Paul is a Great Christian thinker. Then he adds: to understand Paul think events more than ideas - a series of events more than a series of ideas. Paradoxically, that’s an idea - rather than an event.

I thought the same thing can be said even more with Peter.

But what does it mean to say events more than ideas forming a person’s life? Is it the difference between forming and informing - the difference between formation and information?

OUR OWN LIVES

Have we ever looked in the mirror and said, “Who are you?” Has anyone ever said to us, “I can’t figure you out?” Have we ever replied back to them, “At times, I can’t figure myself out either.” Isn’t that how Paul felt - based on his self comments in Romans 7:14-25?

Well, what are the events that shaped my life?

A person is taught catechism - and religious education - but why am I a Catholic? Was it parents or a spouse that gave us good example? What kept us as a Catholic? Was it a certain teacher, the good example of a friend - the family we grow up in - whether our parents went to church or what have you.

I heard of a lady - who is married - has a couple of kids - has gone to Sunday Mass all her life - got her husband by her example to start going to Mass - but has only gone to confession once in her life - her first confession. As a little girl making her first confession, the priest yelled at her for not knowing the act of contrition, so she said, “That’s it for that!” And that was it for that.

We priests say behind other priests back - those who yell at parents for crying babies in church or what have you - that they are going to have to pay for all the people they have driven from the Church. So too a host of faults and foibles by the priests of our church.

I’ve made my mistakes. I’ve had one person walk out on me - that I know of. It was a priest. I was at least 30 years younger than he was. He wanted me to give the same sermon we were giving on weekend retreats to married couples on their retreat - many of whom had come to weekend retreats earlier in the year - and heard our weekend sermons. So I chose to preach on the same readings - but give a homily for a married couple. He didn’t like it - so he walked out.

I learned from that experience a lot more than reading a book or an article on the priesthood or personality. That moment had an impact on me. Let me tell you. Then there are all those people whom I hurt or bothered down through the years. I still go by the 1/3, 1/3, 1/3 rule that an old priest once told me: 1/3 like you, 1/3 don’t like you, 1/3 don’t care. Get over it.

PETER AND PAUL

So Peter and Paul were formed by their experiences of Jesus Christ.

Paul was trying to exterminate and put an end to those who followed Jesus - and in that persecution he discovered Jesus Christ - who changed his life - and then he had crawl on the ground, before he could rise. He had to see his blindness, before he could see. He had to experience darkness, before he could see the light.

He learned humility. He “moved from a self-centered to a Christ-centered life”. Christ was his strength as we heard in today’s second reading.

Peter can be pictured as the fisherman chosen by Christ - that day at the beach. Christ must have seen something in him - that could call others to follow Christ. And right away the gospels give us the hint about Peter’s personality. Big mouth. Foot in mouth. Foot out of mouth. Foot following Christ.

CONCLUSION

What’s your take on Peter and Paul? Do 1/3 of you like Peter? Do 1/3 of you like Paul? Do 1/3 of you say, “I never thought about the question?”

Notice how I worded that last 1/3. I didn’t say, “You don’t care!” Nope I put it the way I put it, because I don’t want to put my foot in my mouth. I wouldn’t want 1/3 of you to walk out.

************

NOTES:

Painting on top: Saints Peter and Paul by El Greco - Domenikos Theotokopoulos [c,1541-1614]. As far as I could figure out, this is one of 3 paintings of Peter and Paul by El Greco. That's Peter with the key in his hand and Paul pointing to his writings. Another painting has Paul with a sword.


 (1) T. W. Manson, On Paul and John, Alec Allenson, Inc. pages 11-14.

CHANGE? 

YOU'RE KIDDING?

Quote for Today  June 29, 2011

"The seven last words of the church: 'We never did it that way before.'"

Anononymous

WHAT HAPPENED

TO THE PILLOW?

INTRODUCTION: PILLOWS

The title of my homily for this 13th  Tuesday in Ordinary Time is, “What Happened to the Pillow.”

We’ve all had the experience of saying sometime in our life, “What happened to the pillow?”

It fell off the bed and our head wants that pillow. Someone else is sitting in our favorite seat and is sitting with our favorite pillow - as if it were their lap dog. Or someone reached for our favorite pillow on our favorite couch or chair as if it was for anyone - just anyone - to take. Or someone borrowed it and went upstairs or downstairs with OUR pillow.

What happened to our pillow?

CAN I GET YOU A PILLOW?

We also have had the experience somewhere along the line when someone said to us, “Can I get you a pillow?”

That’s one of those little things in life - that makes life sweeter for the other person.

It has never happened to me, but I find it a nice moment to be on a plane and the steward or stewardess or airline attendant says to someone, “Can I get you a pillow?” Nice.

It’s a nice moment to be watching a football game or a movie and one is on a couch or an easy chair and someone says to someone else, “Can I get you a pillow?” Nice.

It’s a nice moment when visiting someone - and they give you a room for the night - and they say to you the next morning, “Did you have a good sleep?” Then, “Were the pillows okay?”

I always say, “Great!” I can’t tell the difference between one pillow and another, any more than I can tell the difference between spaghetti and spaghetti - and chicken soup and chicken soup. There are people who can taste and tell differences, etc. There are people who know that St. John Neumann Church has cushions and St. Mary’s doesn’t. I was talking to a woman last night who thinks St. Mary’s benches are a torture device - made that way to provide penance for people for their sins. There are some people who always sit in the same seat in church and know the difference. Amazing.

This question about, “Were the pillows okay?” is very interesting and intriguing to me - and I notice it because I have gone on about 20 + retreats with our high school kids and have given over 100 h.s. retreats in my life - and there are always kids getting off the bus with their own pillows. Is it their security blanket or what have you?

We have a family story. My brother and my sister were talking once at our mom’s house. Mom was somewhere else. Somehow the conversation of the pillow in the guest room came up. My brother said, “That pillow is really hard. In fact, it’s horrible.” My sister Peggy said, “When I sleep here I also find it hard and horrible - but guess what? Once I told mom about it and she said, ‘Billy likes hard pillows!’”

Isn’t life fascinating? Don’t the little things in life, make life interesting?

I was going to entitle this homily, “Can I Get You a Pillow?”

However, “What Happened to the Pillow?” has more of a hook or a grab to it. I’m hoping someone is saying, “What has this pillow talk to do with today’s readings?”

TODAY’S GOSPEL

We heard the story about Jesus crossing the lake in today’s gospel.

Jesus is sleeping in the boat. A storm comes up. The disciples panic and wake up Jesus - who calms down the weather - and says, “You guys don’t have much faith!?”

In Mark and Luke the same story appears - but Mark has one detail that Matthew and Luke leave out. Mark says Jesus was asleep in the boat with his head on a pillow. The Greek word in Mark 4: 38 - on a pillow or cushion is proskephalaion. Notice the Greek word kephale. It’s the word for head. The English word “cephalic” - which is not used that often - might be familiar. It’s a word used to refer to the skull or the head.

Now every time I read the story in Matthew and Luke, I ask, “What happened t the pillow?” How come they left out the pillow?

Answer: I would assume that that detail was not important to Matthew and Luke.

We know that there are people who miss the little things that make life sweeter for the other person. And there are some people who are very aware of the little things in life - what another likes and doesn’t like, what bothers people - what makes one’s day - what drives one crazy - what comforts another.

So a message for today: Think pillows. Think little things. Think thinking about little things like pillows.

Thinking people think of the next person.

CONCLUSION

When my sister Mary and her husband were celebrating their 50th Wedding anniversary, one of their daughters, Monica, gave everyone a favor - a tiny something as a memento. I had just finished this homily last night, and I noticed it on my bookshelf. Let me close with a reading of this small piece entitled, “Little Things Mean a Lot.” It’s a song written by Edith Lindeman and Carl Stutz (1953). You might have heard it somewhere along the line. Come to think about it, it’s much better than this sermon 1000 times over. Amen.

LITTLE THINGS MEAN A LOT

Blow me a kiss across the room

Say I look nice when I’m not

Touch my hair as you pass my chair

Little things mean a lot

Give me your arm as we cross the street

Call me at six on the dot

A line a day when you’re far away

Little things mean a lot

Don’t have to buy me diamonds or pearls

Champagne, sables or such

I never cared much for diamonds and pearls

'Cause honestly, honey, they just cost money

Give me your hand when I’ve lost my way

Give me your shoulder to cry on

Whether the day is bright or gray

Give me your heart to rely on

Send me the warmth of a secret smile

To show me you haven’t forgot

For always and ever, now and forever

Little things mean a lot

IT'S NOT GOOD

TO GO IT ALONE!

Quote for Today - June 28,  2011

"Traveling together is a great test, which has damaged many friendships and even honeymoons."

Rose Macaulay, The Towers of Trebizond, 1956

MOTHER

OF PERPETUAL HELP

Today, June 27th, we Redemptorists celebrate the Feast of Our Mother of Perpetual Help - or Our Lady of Perpetual Help.

We were given this picture of Mary way back in 1866 by Pope Pius IX, who said, “Make her known.”

And we Redemptorists have certainly done just that.

I grew up in Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish in Brooklyn, New York and as a kid during the 1940’s saw lots of people coming to the Wednesday Novena - praying for Help.

At the time I didn’t know that Perpetual Help novenas on Wednesday were taking place all around the world. They were especially helpful for people’s prayer life and spirituality during and after World War II - which was certainly a world war.

Becoming a Redemptorist I’m aware that many of our parishes have that name, Our Lady or Our Mother of Perpetual Help. I am aware that the icon of Mary can be found in Redemptorist parishes and centers in the 77 countries around the world where we are located. I am aware of the great novenas to Mary in Singapore and in the Philippines - and in various other places in the world.

I am aware that several pictures of Our Mother of Perpetual Help sent from Rome for various churches in the United States went down with the Andrea Doria in 1956.

I am aware that Mary under this title is the patron saint of Haiti - a country that recently had a horrible earth quake - as well as years and years of poverty and horror.

Help.

One thing I wonder about at times is what would happen if the island of Crete would demand back this picture - which was stolen back before 1500. It’s in our headquarters church in Rome - where it had been for a couple of a couple of hundred before we bought that property. Then it disappeared after the church where it was enshrined was destroyed.

It’s a small picture - 17” by 21”.

I’ve often wondered what has made it so popular.

We Redemptorists certainly helped do that - being missionaries all around the world. I wonder if it became so popular because the picture has eastern and western characteristics. I wonder if it’s popular because it’s the classic image of a mom and her baby. I wonder if what helps is that it’s a picture story - a child scarred runs to his mother and in the running his sandal starts falling off. I wonder it became so popular because of the word, “help” in its title. Who of us doesn’t need help?

I assume that this image of Mary is a place to come to - to run to - when we need mommy, when we need help.

Today we celebrate the Feast of Our Mother of Perpetual Help.

Suggestion: after Mass today - visit her shrine - and thank Mary for help received and ask her for help needed.

Be like Abraham in today’s gospel - haggling God down from 50 to 10. For example if you’re praying that your kids return to church 52 Sundays a year - ask for 10 Sundays.

Be like Jesus in today’s gospel - who says he has no place to rest his head. Recall that in this picture or Icon of Mary, Jesus is resting his head on her shoulder - and when Jesus was taken down from the cross his head is rested on her once more.

Mary, you are our perpetual help from womb to tomb. Thank you. Amen.

**************

Picture on top: The original Our Lady of Perpetual Help picture at San Alfonso, in Rome.

MOTHER OF PERPETUAL HELP

Hail Mary, Full of Grace,
I picture you as one who gracefully
steps into the picture of anyone
who needs help - anyone whose
marriage has run out of the wine of life
or someone who needs a pair of sandals -
or anyone who screams for, “Help!”


Hail Mary, Full of Grace,
help me to picture myself as one
who gracefully steps out of my frame
and becomes at least a momentary help
to someone in need, especially those
carrying a heavy cross - or to stand under
their cross and hear their screams for “Help!”

© Andy Costello, Reflections 2011