FACE IT!
IT MEANS
CONFRONTATION
Quote for Today
"Whatever you are trying to avoid won't go away until you confront it."
Anonymous
Saturday, December 10, 2011
INTRODUCTION
The title of my homily for this 2nd Saturday in Advent is, “Elijah Returns.”
We who come to a lot of Masses - weekdays and Sundays - know that the name Elijah shows up many times. To be exact I checked The New American Bible and Elijah’s name is used 114 times - and in the gospels mostly in the Christian Scriptures.
While living - in the mid 800’s B.C. - Elijah is famous for challenging Israelites who had lost sight of God - the God of their ancestors - the God who had saved them by leading them out of Egypt - but now they adapting to and following false Gods.
AFTER ELIJAH’S DEATH: RETURNS AND SIGHTINGS
In our day and in our culture, there are jokes about Elvis sightings. There are many stories about Elijah sightings in Israel after his death. They became legendary in Jewish history and culture. So is it any wonder that Elijah becomes part of the Christian story and culture? People wondered and questioned if John the Baptist - as well as Jesus - were Elijah returned.
We’re moving into the middle of Advent - Advent meaning, "coming" - so is it any wonder that Elijah is featured? We hear about whether John the Baptist who is pointing to the coming of the Lord - or Jesus is Elijah returned.
LAST NIGHT
Last night I went through different books to get a take on Elijah for a short sermon for this morning. He’s mentioned in both readings. I like saying Mass - because if gives me an opportunity to take new looks at readings I hear year after year - and do some study for a homily.
Two things hit me.
First of all: the Elijah return stories and legends indicate and establish than many Jews believed that people exist after death.
Secondly, the several Elijah stories tell me that the Jewish people were waiting for Elijah to return.
ONE EXAMPLE: A STORY
Let me tell one example or legendary story of an Elijah sighting or an Elijah return that I found last night. There are many. Hearing this one, I hope you’ll understand why the Christian scriptures have people wondering if Jesus or John the Baptist was Elijah returning.
Here’s how this story goes. I found it in a big book entitled, The Book of Legends - Sefer Ha-Aggadah, Legends from the Talmud and Midrash. (1)
The story is told of a pious man whose wife was virtuous. He lost his possessions and became a hired farm worker. One day, as he was plowing in a field, Elijah, disguised as an Arab, and ever remembered on good occasions, met him and said, “You have 6 good years coming to you. When do you wish them, now or at the end of your days?”
The pious man replied, “You must be a sorcerer. I have nothing to give you. Leave me in peace.”
But Elijah returned three times and asked the same question.
Finally, the third time, the pious man said, “I will go and talk to my wife.”
He went to his wife and told her, “Someone came to me. He pestered me three times, saying, ‘You have 6 good years. When do you wish them? Now or near the end of your days?’ What do I say?”
She replied, “Go tell him, ‘Bring them now.’”
So the pious man went back and said to Elijah, “We’ll take them now.”
Elijah replied, “Go to your house, and before you reach the gate of the courtyard, you will find blessing spread upon your home.”
It so happened that his children were just then sitting outside and sifting dirt through their fingers. Suddenly they found enough money to sustain them for six years, so they called to their mother.
Even before the pious man reached the gate, his wife came out to meet and greet him with the good tidings.
He immediately thanked the Holy One, for he was greatly relieved.
Now what did his virtuous wife do? She said to him, “As things stand, the Holy One has already twinned our lives with the thread of mercy in that He has given us sustenance to last for 6 years, so let us practice deeds of loving kindness during these years. Perhaps the Holy One will continue to give us more out of His plentiful bounty.”
So that is what she did. Each and every day. whatever she gave to the poor, she told her youngest son, “Record every item we dispense,” and he did so.
At the end of six years Elijah, ever remembered on good occasions, came back and said to the pious man, “The time has come to take away what I gave you.”
The pious man replied, “When I took it, I took it only with my wife's advice. Now that I am to return it, I will return it only with my wife's advice.”
He went to her and said, “The old man has come back to take away what is his.”
The wife replied, “Go tell him, ‘If you find human beings more reliable than we are, give them what you left in trust with us.”
When the Holy One considered these words and the acts of charity they had performed, He gave them blessing after blessing to fulfill what is said: “Works of charity shall convey peace.” [Isaiah 32:17.”]
CONCLUSION
The title of my homily was, "Elijah Returns."
Hopefully by hearing that these stories were part of Jewish legends and traditions, we would expect them in Jesus’ times as well. And we do - as in these Advent readings in which we hear various references to Elijah.
NOTES
Picture on top: The Prophet Elijah - first half or middle of the 15th centruy. The Karelian Fine Arts Museum - Petrozavodsk, Russia
(1) Hayim Hahman Bialik and Yehoshua Hana Ravnitzky, The Book of Legends, Sefer Ha-Aggadah, Legends from the Talmud and Midrash, translated by William G. Braude, Schocken Books, New York, 1992.
Friday, December 9, 2011
JUDGING OTHERS
Quote for Today
"When nobody around you seems to measure up, it's time to check your yardstick."
OOOOOOO
Check out Jesus comments on this issue in Luke 6: 37-39. Better check out Luke 6: 27-42.
If you have time, also check out the Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard in Matthew 20: 1-16.
Bill Lemley
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
THE TENDENCY
TO SIN
Quote for this Thursday December 8, 2011
"There aint gonna be no whiskey;
there aint gona be no gin;
There aint gonna be no cigarettes
to make folks pale and thin;
But you can't take away the tendency
to sin, sin, sin."
Vaughan Miller, "There Ain't Gonna Be No Whiskey," 1919
Painting on top: Immaculate Conception by Bartolome Esteban Murillo [1617-1682]
INTRODUCTION
The title of my homily for this 2nd Tuesday in Advent is, “Comfort As A Motive.”
Today’s first reading - Isaiah 40:1-11 - begins with the word, "Comfort”. It says, “Comfort, give comfort to my people, says your God.”
As I heard that, as far as I know, it hit me that I never thought about or preached on, the theme of comfort.
AT FIRST, IT SEEMS FAR FETCHED
When it comes to clothes, my first motive is comfort. Those who know me would jokingly say, “No kidding!”
After that, comfort as a motive seemed foreign to me. Yet I have not really thought about comfort, so I welcome this short homily as a chance to do just that.
For starters, the cross is the symbol of Christianity. I would assume that the cross - especially being nailed to the cross - is far from being comfortable.
And the call of the scriptures seems to be challenge more than comfort - to get up out of our Lazy Boy or Lazy Girl chairs and do things for others.
And these benches here at St. Mary’s are known for not being comfortable.
Yet, Isaiah begins today’s first text with these words, once again, “Comfort! Give comfort to my people.”
So there is a paradox here - a theme, an issue to consider.
YES - OF COURSE YES
Of course we can push the theme of comfort - to work to make visitors and strangers comfortable.
The Holy Spirit is described somewhere as the Comforter!
And as Christians we are told to comfort the sick!
And hospitality is all about making life sweet for the visitor or guest.
For the 8 ½ years before coming here to Annapolis, another priest and myself preached all over Ohio and various other places - usually for a week at a time in someone else’s rectory or parish house. A few times there was only 1 guest room - and the pastor would give us his room. I learned how hospitality worked - making sure the guest got a key. A good host would take us to the kitchen and show us where things were. Everyone in the refrigerator was ours - as well as the peanut butter in the cabinet. The really gracious and observant would show us where the extra toilet paper was, etc., etc., etc.
“Comfort! Give comfort to my people.”
I have fond memories of visiting my mom when she was alive. If I was lying on the couch watching TV and it was December or January and the heat wasn’t that up - she would go to the back of the house and come out with her big medium dark grey down comforter. If ever a something got the right name - it was “comforter”. The Holy Spirit got second place on that one.
YET
Yet the scriptures also have the call to make the comfortable uncomfortable or guilty - if they were too comfortable - and someone is being neglected.
Prophets like Amos yells out at the fat cats - who are too smug - and he tries to pull the rug from out under their luxury - when down the street - or a few blocks away - the poor are starving - and nobody gives a care in the world about them. [Cf. Amos chapters 4 and 6]
The history of the United States and Canada - and any country with a strong middle class - is a message to the rest of the world - as the way to go. We have heard the numbers of some countries of the world that 97% or 98 % or 99% of the wealth of that country is in the hands of 1, 2 or 3% of the people.
And Jesus’ challenges to the Pharisees of his day when it comes to religious practices and life certainly challenges the priests and preachers - bishops and popes - about the comfortable life - and lording it over others. [Cf. Matthew 23 especially.]
I hear Jesus challenging the comfortable and if you want one more motive of why Jesus was killed and rejected. it’s uncomfortably there.
CONCLUSION
So those are a few opening thoughts about “Comfort As A Motive.”
I’m assuming that this message of comfort needs to cause us some non-comfort where that’s needed and for those who are uncomfortable, there is the need for a call to move to comfort zones. The Golden Rule is in here somewhere.
The Good Shepherd had to put the TV clicker down - get out of his easy chair and go in search of that one lost sheep and leave the 99 comfortable sheep at rest. [Check today’s gospel, Matthew 18:12-14]
So if the shoe fits and is comfortable, wear it - but walk in other’s shoes - even it they are of a different size - and they feel very uncomfortable - so as to be very aware of others - especially the uncomfortable.
BERNSTEIN
Quote for Today December 6, 2011
A questioner: "To turn to the compositions, do you think Bernstein felt that he had failed as composer?"
The answer: "Ah but Mon Dieu, we are all frustrated in life, we all want to do something else than what we do. West Side Story or Candide, I think these are wonderful works, but maybe he only thought of them as a light music, operetta music. You know, I think with Bernstein, and with all of us, often the thing that we really can do, it's not so interesting. We always want to sing soemthing else, or compose something else, or whatever. Karajan also felt this. Before the died he said: 'I have still so much to do.'"
Christa Ludwig
I found this quote on page 70 in a book entitled, The Education of The Heart, Readings and Sources For Care Of The Soul, Soul Mates, And The Re-Enchantment Of Everyday Life, Edited by Thomas Moore, Harper Perennial, New York, 1997
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