DOGMATISM
Quote for Today
"The greater the ignorance the greater the dogmatism."
Sir William Osler [1849-1919] Montreal Medical Journal, September 1902m oage 696
Friday, November 18, 2011
Thursday, November 17, 2011
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
WHO INFLUENCED YOU?
INTRODUCTION
The title of my homily for this 33 Wednesday in Ordinary Time is, “Three Women: Who Influenced You?”
If we stop to look at our lives, we notice a lot of people who have entered into our lives and some of those people have had an influence on us.
Who are they? Name names. Be specific. Then name what they did to influence us - impact us - change us - have given us an attitude - a way of seeing and doing things?
Oops. It can be negatives as well. Sorry to bring that up. My main stress would be on the positive. I just want to tag the negatives - and look at them another day and in another way.
TODAY’S FEAST DAY - PLUS ONE FROM TOMORROW
I got the title of my homily because today, November 16, we have the feast of two women - St. Margaret of Scotland and St Gertrude the Great. Tomorrow we have a third woman: St. Elizabeth of Hungary.
There they are: 3 women - who have had an impact on our Church - and our world.
TODAY’S READINGS
Today’s readings - the readings for this 33 Wednesday in Ordinary Time - are kind of heavy and cumbersome.
In my homily last Sunday on Matthew 25: 14-30 - “You’ve Got Talent” - I mentioned Luke’s version of that same story. I said that scholars like Joachim Jeremias say Luke’s version is a botched version - of an earlier version - that we don’t have.
I’m glad I had done some research on this parable for last Sunday, because when I read today’s gospel - Luke 19: 11-28 - I saw why scholars had said what they said about Luke’s version. Some homework: read both versions and see if you have the same reaction I had.
Why was the third man in both Mathew and Luke’s version of the parable - scared of the owner - so scared he did nothing - with the money that was given to them - to invest? Why did the others do well and the third didn’t? Was it their personality or was it the personality of the rich man? In both versions of the parable, the rich man or the nobleman is described as hard - and tough. In both versions, the man who doesn’t produce, is described as timid and weak. How do we get to be the way we are? Is it nature or nurture? Which is more crucial: decisions or experiences? It is our history or is it mystery? Is it how we were brought up? Who has influenced us?
In today’s first reading from Second Maccabees 7: 1, 20-31, a word that jumped off the page. Why didn’t I hear or notice this word for the past 20 times at least that I heard this reading? It’s read every other year. The mother of the seven brothers in the story is described as having a womanly heart but having “manly” courage.
Here’s the text: “Filled with a noble spirit that stirred her womanly heart with manly courage, she exhorted each of them in the language of their ancestors with these words:….”
50 years ago I didn’t notice sexist language or whatever you might want to call the language in this text. I don’t know what the Greek has - but I would hope the translator into English would at least hesitate when using that word “manly” with regards to this woman’s courage.
The text is all about her strength - a mother’s strength. Hearing that, I was influenced to begin wondering if women have more courage and strength than men. How do personalities grow and develop in the experience of a baby growing in one’s womb for 9 months - and then the experience of being the prime educator of her children - girls and boys - till the fathers take over years later for the boys? Which experience would have the greater growth potential?
I’m sure the answer can be answered with the mysterious, “It all depends.” Why not talk about this with each other. I would hope other translators would not use that phrase, “manly courage.”
What I’m reflecting on today is: Who influences us? What influences us? I’m mainly reflecting on female influences. Who gets us to use the language and terms we use?
BACK TO THE THREE WOMEN SAINTS
ST MARGARET OF SCOTLAND
St. Margaret of Scotland [c. 1045-1093] was the mother of eight - and queen - and was from Hungary. She’s the Patroness of Scotland and was known for all she did for the poor. How has she influenced the Church of Scotland down through the years? Is she the patron saint of all those we know by the name of “Margaret”?
ST. GERTRUDE THE GREAT
St. Gertrude the Great [c. 1256-1302], a Benedictine nun in Thuringia - now Germany - had an influence through her writings on the call to Christians to have a personal relationship with Jesus. She would be part of the development for using the language “Sacred Heart” when talking about Jesus. Her words about suffering in one’s life - impacted how people who heard those messages dealt with sufferings.
ST. ELIZABETH OF HUNGARY
St. Elizabeth of Hungary [c. 1207-1231] - tomorrow’s saint - was both wife, mother, and queen, like St. Margaret. Then she chose a life of poverty - while caring for the sick.
These are 3 women saints on our calendar. They have influenced many.
I’m asking in this homily: “Who influenced us?” - especially what women have influenced us - and how they influenced us specifically - starting with our mom?
CONCLUSION
Let me close by saying that it’s of interest to me how St. Elizabeth of Hungary had an influence on my life in a specific way. I never stopped to think about this till today. When I was in the seminary - both our minor and major seminary - some German Sisters - the Gray Nuns of St. Elizabeth - cooked for us and also served in our infirmary. Thinking about them today - I am grateful that I saw every day women who left their country - and families - and gave their lives for us - in a foreign country.
How much impact did that have on all of us Redemptorist priests in the Baltimore Province - most of whom till the 1980’s left the United States to go work and serve in foreign countries as well?
GOD'S PATH
November 16, 2011
Quote for Today November 16, 2011
"O most powerful path
that has entered into everything
the heights, the earth
and the depths,
you fashion and gather everything
around you:
clouds float, air streams,
stones become wet,
waters create rivers
and the earth perspires greenness."
Hildegard of Bingen
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
The title of my homily for this 33 Tuesday in Ordinary Time is, “Don’t Go There!”
Has anyone ever said that to you, “Don’t go there!”
Have you ever said that to yourself, “Don’t go there!”
Last night as I read today’s first reading, I found myself thinking, “Don’t go there.” [Cf. Second Maccabees 6: 18-31]
Then when I read today’s gospel, I thought, “Go there!” [Cf. Luke 19:1-10]
Obviously, our gospel reading is a story that is well known and well loved. Jesus spots Zacchaeus, the short guy, up the tree. Jesus then invites him down from the tree and invites himself into Zacchaeus’ life and home and heart and mind and conversion.
Then it hit me: did the people who put together today’s two readings put them together on purpose? It’s definitely a funny twist if they did.
If they thought what I began to think, did they say, “Don’t go there!”
In the first reading, the old man, Eleazar - is being forced to eat pork - forbidden food - otherwise it’s sure death for him. So those who knew him told him to fake it. “Nobody will notice.”
He responded, “My own people will notice and I’ll be giving bad example.”
So he goes to his death - by the hands of these foreigners who had invaded their land.
In today’s gospel, Jesus stops to talk to Zacchaeus - someone who was dealing with outsiders, a tax collector, a sinner, and when people see Jesus going there to Zacchaeus they are surprised - perhaps shocked.
What did Zacchaeus serve at that meal? I wondered if Jesus ever ate pork.
We know the question of forbidden food was an ongoing question in the Early Church. Paul called Peter a hypocrite - because he contradicts himself at times on whether new Christians - who were non-Jews - had to take on the Jewish practices in the Christian community. Paul was saying, “Don’t go there!”
And we know Jesus comes down on the side that law is for us - not us for the law. And he challenged his fellow Jews often on the issue of following religious customs. As to taking pork, we don’t know.
Question: As priest do I have to more aware of what others think than if I was not a priest?
Another question: Would someone say of that question, “Don’t go there!”
I would answer, “Everyone - not just priests - have to be aware of the power of what one says and does. We are all responsible for what we say and do.” At work, on Sunday morning, in family, people know we’re Catholics, Christians, adults, and life has its expectations.
So we have to be courageous and we have to be prudent.
We have to be aware of consequences if we speak up - or if we don’t speak up.
So would I eat the pork? I don’t know. Probably - and with mustard.
Would I talk with the stranger up the tree? Probably.
Here in our sanctuary, above our old altar, we have a short guy, up on a pedestal.
When we Redemptorists stop to talk to St. Alphonsus and invite him down from his pedestal and into our minds and hearts, he challenges us.
He started the Redemptorists November 9, 1732, to reach out to stranger, the unwashed, the unreachable, the alien.
When he got this dream - others told him not to go there. He did.
When we Redemptorists preach on certain issues, people sometimes get upset. Don’t go there.
I know I’m a chicken - and nobody gets upset if I preach a ham and cheese kind of a sermon, but there are some "Uh oh!" hot topics. They are the, "Don’t go there!" issues.
I’ve only had a few complaints about sermons I've preached, …. so I often think I’m not doing my job.
Some Redemptorists do - and I admire them.
Once I was invited to give 2 weeks of talks to Redemptorists from two other provinces in Tucson, Arizona. While there I noticed a notice on a bulletin board offering a day trip down to Mexico on a Sunday. I signed up - the only one. So the organizer - a Redemptorist priest who was stationed there - asked if he could bring two others with him. I said, “Of course!” They were a photographer and a reporter. I sat there in the 4 wheel drive listening. They were asking him all kinds of questions and he answered some questions, but he added each time, “This is off the record, right?” He was helping poor Hispanics - as well as fighting for bathrooms and breaks - especially for women in the big factories that had sprung up along the border near Nogales, Arizona and Mexico, after NAFTA. He added that he was being watched because of work with folks slipping over the boarder.
Afterwards I felt very proud that one of ours was doing what Jesus was doing - what Alphonsus our founder founded us to do: reaching out to those who are unnoticed and unwanted.
I am aware that if one preaches anything about illegals or people who have a life style that others don’t like - the pastor gets letters, etc. I am aware that people sit there in church or what have you thinking, “Don’t go there.”
Question: What's your take on the illegal immigrant issue? What are your sources? What's your take on the United States Bishops take on immigrants - as well as Vatican Documents on immigrants?
I finally have my take and I can voice it from time to time - knowing others have a different point of view.
I'd begin with anecdotes - aware that statistics and data - are listed as better than story telling - but story telling has the power.
Shortly after I got here - some 9 years ago - I remember going to a big wedding - and there were lots of people there - as well as lots of Maryland politicians and what have you. As I was sitting there watching the scene, I began noticing every waiter and waitress at the wedding looked Hispanic but one - a lady whom I thought was African American. I noticed her on the way out and said, “Hello” and she said, “No se habla Ingles.” I laughed.
And every time I read about roundups I go crazy - as well as laugh - because I ask, “Does anyone look at who’s cutting the grass around here - and who’s doing the dishes - and all these tiny jobs around here - all those jobs my mom and dad did when they came to America - those jobs that keep your costs down?
I remember sitting in a barber shop in Eastport and someone else was sitting there not knowing I was a priest. He said to another guy, “Hire Hispanics. They work cheap and they are great workers.”
So if anyone asks me about that question, I now have my anecdotes and my answers.
My first comment would be: "Don’t go there."
I would say that because I'm aware that at times the other person has their mind made up and they are not really asking a question.
If they persist, I might give my anecdotes and then say the following. I know where you can go. Go to New York City and take a ferry boat to Liberty Island and see the Statue of Liberty. Then read what’s written there by Emma Lazarus. Then take another boat and go to Ellis Island. Check it out. Look at all the pictures - all those images that are part of what makes American great. See if your name and your roots are there.
Tap Tap this plaque to make it readable.
Then I might tell the Sammy Davis Jr. comment. When you're on the elevator and it gets up to the top, don't forget to push the button and send it down to bottom - for the next group who wants to come up.
HAND MADE
Things Men Have Made
Things men have made
with wakened hands
and put life into
are awake through years
with transferrered touch,
and go on glowing for long years.
And for this reaason,
some old things are lovely
warm still with the life
of forgotten men
who made them.
D. H. Lawrence
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