HOW  DOES GOD WORK? 

Quote for Today  - January 4, 2012

"God tempers the wind ... to the shorn lamb."

Laurence Sterne [1713-1768], A Sentimental Journey [1768]

The full line, without the ... is, "God tempers the wind, said Maria, to the shorn lamb."

Painting on top: "Shearing the Rams" [1896] by the Australian Impressionistic painter Tom Roberts.

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P.S. I always wonder about this saying - because it says so much. I would think a discussion group would say much - if this saying was brought up as a discussion topic. It has some of the sense of one of my favorite quotes from Marian Evans Cross [1819-1880] - a.k.a. George Eliot, "If we had a keen vision of all that is ordinary in human life, it would be like hearing the grass grow or the squirrel's heart beat, and we should die of that roar which is on the other side of silence." [Middlemarch 1871-1872, Chapter 22.]

The following texts might help such a discussion.

In  Matthew 10: 26 to 31 we read that Jesus said, "Do not be afraid of them therefore. For everything that is now covered will be uncovered, and everything now hidden will be made clear. What I say to you in the dark, tell in the daylight; what you hear in whispers, proclaim from the housetops. Do not be afraid of  those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; fear him rather who can destroy both body and soul in hell. Can you not buy two sparrows for a penny? And yet not one falls to the ground without your Father knowing. Why, every hair on your head has been counted. So there is no need to be afraid; you are worth more than hundreds of sparrows."

In John 3: 8 we read that Jesus said, "The wind blows wherever it pleases; you hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes or where it is going."

In Mark 4: 35-41 we read the following scene, "With the coming of evening that same day, he said to them: 'Let us cross over to the other side.'  And leaving the crowd behind they took him, just as he was, in the boat; and there were other boats with him.  Then it began to blow a gale and the waves were breaking into the boat so that it was almost swamped.  But he was in the stern, his head on the cushion, asleep.  They woke him and said, 'Master, do you not care? We are going down!'  And he woke up and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, 'Quiet now! Be calm!'  And the wind dropped, and all was calm again.  Then he said to them, 'Why are you so frightened? How is it that you have no faith?'  They were filled with awe and said to one another, 'Who can this be? Even the wind and the sea obey him.'"

Also read Luke 15:4-7; John 10: 1-21; Ezekiel 34; Jeremiah 23:1-4; Isaiah 56:11.

Rereading the opening quote, "God tempers the wind, said Maria, to the shorn lamb" here are 3 questions:

1) Does God go, "Ouch!" when someone smashes a mosquito dead when it's about to bore into one's arm? 2) Does God go, "Ouch!" when a fly is hit by a car and a wing is damaged? 3) Is God aware of each hair on each spider's head?

YOU’RE RIGHT

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for today, Tuesday, January 3nd, is “You’re Right!”

Today’s first reading from First Letter of John, Chapter 2 into Chapter 3, uses the words “righteous” and “righteousness”.

The issue of being right is a very human issue - and therefore - if I’m right - a very religious issue.

We join and stay with our religion because we think it’s right - we hope it’s right - we pray it’s right - and we use our brain and our faith as well - to follow it. We have blessed assurances from time to time - but we also have questions, we have doubts, and to the best of our understanding, we think it’s right.

LAST NIGHT

Last night, to prepare this homily I did what I like to do - I did some research on something in the readings - something that triggers wonderings or questions. The question of being right and righteousness hit me. Everyone wants to be right. We see that struggle in Jewish Scriptures as well as the Christian Scriptures.

In the Jewish Scriptures the Hebrew words for "right" and "righteous" and "righteousness" have the root word, “SEDEK”, spelled, “SEDEK” or “SEDAKA” or “TSEDAQUA”. [1]

In Judaism the goal in life was to see that God was RIGHT. Follow God and you’ll be right. And then be right with your family and your neighbor. No wrongs. No lies. No injustice. Be right with God.

Some kings were that way - described as being right with God and with the people - treating them with justice, loving kindness and mercy.

In time the list of what God wants us to do to be right increases. It takes in how to treat each other as well as what to eat, what not to eat, how to pray, how to worship, how to spend the Sabbath.

Jesus arrives and is off on what he sees is right and just and kind. He also sees that some people - some leaders - were off on what is right - to the detriment - to the crushing of the spirit of people - especially with regards the Sabbath. One picks up how the Scribes and the Pharisees were angry with him - especially when he healed people on the Sabbath.

So they killed him because they thought he wasn’t right. They told him that he was wrong.

Then comes the Acts of the Apostles and the beginning of the Early Church and we hear about Saul - a Pharisee - who saw Jewish folks following Jesus’ way. He too thought they were wrong and he was right - so he went after them - only to fall on his face - and discover something: he was wrong. Jesus was right.

In time he discovered that following Christ, entering into his life and spirit - is what makes for righteousness with God. And that’s what he basically preached: Righteousness, Salvation, Being Right with God is entering into Christ. We don’t earn all this. Grace and Salvation and Life: all is gift.

CONTRADICTION

Last night as I read all this, I felt the contradiction, the paradox, a major issue that was taking place in the life of Early Christians. They thought they were right; the Jewish people thought they were right and that was that. How does one deal with this contradiction, this paradox, this struggle - when two groups think they are right.

OLD STORY

Then the old joke of the Rabbi who was a great marriage counselor came to mind.

But last night I saw that the old joke is also a parable and the solution to this question about how do we deal with someone who thinks they are right, but we know we’re right.

The old joke goes something like this.

Once upon a time in the early part of the last century there was a small Jewish village in Eastern Europe. Their Rabbi was an excellent marriage counselor. Everyone raved about how wonderful he was.

His wife wondered about this all the time. She would meet another woman in the market place who would thank her for having such a wise husband - and how he helped her in her marriage Then she would meet men who would say the same thing. This happened all the time and all the time she jokingly would say to herself, “He certainly has fooled you.” She wanted to say, “Are we talking about the same person?” but she never dared say that.

Well, one day she was in the market and this woman says to her, “You’re the rabbi’s wife. You’re the luckiest woman in the world - having such a wonderful husband. My husband and I are having trouble and a bunch of my friends told me to see the Rabbi and tomorrow morning at 11 my husband and I are going to see him at your place.”

For the rest of the day it hit her: “Here is my chance to find out - just what he does with all these couples.”

So she tells her husband that evening that she’s going shopping tomorrow morning - and he really doesn’t hear her. She says to herself, “As usual.”

The next morning around 10:30 she dresses up to go downtown to do some shopping - and once more tells him that she’s going shopping. She’s gathering her stuff. It’s about 10 to 11 and he goes out back to the out house and she yells, “Bye now. I’m going shopping.”

She goes to the front door opens it - as he’s going out the back door. When she hears it close, she heads into the rabbi’s study or meeting or counseling room. She hides behind the curtain and waits and waits and waits. She hears the bell ring and she hears him welcoming the couple. She hears him say, “Who would like to come in and see me first?”

Silence. So she hears the husband say, “Honey, you go in first.”

The wife comes in and pours her heart out to the rabbi and says all the things that are eating her about her husband.

The Rabbi listens. After saying 3 or 4 times, “Anything else?” she says, “No. That’s it.”

“Well,” the rabbi says, “after hearing all that, you’re right. You’re right, but don’t tell your husband you’re right - just let him think he’s right. That’s the secret of a good marriage.”

The wife says, “Thank you. Thank you. I always thought was right.”

She walks out and in comes the husband. He tells the rabbi all his complaints about his wife - and this and that.

And after listening to him - and after getting him to voice all his complaints - the rabbi says, “You’re right. You’re right, but don’t tell your wife that you’re right. Just let her think she’s right. That’s the secret of a good marriage.”

And the husband with a wonderful smile says to the Rabbi. “I always knew I was right - but you’re right, I better not tell her - otherwise I might upset her once more.”

He too walks out of the Rabbi’s room with a great smile. And husband and wife give each other a nice hug and both say, “Thank you!” to the Rabbi.” And both walk back home holding hands.

The Rabbi is standing at the door - watching them walking together - and feeling good about himself. He turns around and there is his wife - furious. She says, “I was just in your room behind the curtain for the last 45 minutes and I heard you listen to that wife and then say, ‘You’re right.’ Then when you listened to her husband, you said the same thing to him. How can they both be right?”

And the rabbi said with a great smile, “You’re right.”

CONCLUSION

There’s a great lesson there. In life, when someone thinks they are right, our comments aren’t going to change things. So just remain quiet or say, “You’re right” and watch what happens.

Now some of you might disagree with this. Guess what? You’re right.

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NOTE

[1] The Hebrew word "TSEDEQ" or "SEDEK"  is usually translated into Greek with the word, "DIKAIOS"  or "DIKAIOSYNE" or "DIKAIOSIS" - with the sense of the Hebrew word "SEDEK".

PROCRASTINATION 

Quote for Today  January 3,  2011

"You will never 'find' time for anything.
If you want time, you must make it."

Charles Buxton

STUCK IN THE PAST

Quote for Today  January  2,  2012

"Never look for the birds of this year in the nests of the last."

Miguel de Cervantes [1547-1616]

IT’S ABOUT TIME

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for this Sunday, January 1st, is, “It’s About Time.”

That’s one of those phrases that has various meanings.

Time is something we think about from time to time - especially at the time of a new year - and a new calendar in our kitchen or wherever we hang our calendars.

Happy New Year.

As I took down my calendar this morning for 2011, I found a Sarah Palin calendar someone gave me last summer. I had forgotten about it. Surprise! Everyday there are surprises underneath everything.

FIRST MEANING - THE TIME OF OUR LIFE

The first meaning of time is numbers - the numbers on the calendar - the numbers in the time of our life.

Born: on such and such a day - in such and such a year - those numbers we put on the form when asked: date of birth?

And every year that goes by,  we know our birth day - and the number of our years. We are not scared to announce them when we’re 2 - but we might hesitate to announce them when we’re 52 or 62 or 72.

Then as various poets put it - every year we go by our death day without knowing it - so there is no cake and ice cream - just the blowing out of the candle - on the anniversary of  the day we are going to die.

Reality Therapy: we only have so much time - so many days, weeks, months and years.

How much time we get is anyone’s guess.

The Bible - in Psalm 90 - written way back when - said - we get seventy - and eighty if we’re blessed with good health. Every time I read that in the scriptures, I pinch myself, because I’m up to 72 now. My dad made it to 68 and my brother to 51, so I’m receiving a bonus so far. But my dad’s dad and my mom’s dad - made it to 90 +. Will I be that lucky? Am I wearing their genes? If my health is good and my brain system still work, I’ll take being 90. There aren’t enough people becoming priests - but would people take a 90 year old priest? Only time will tell.

So that’s the first reality - the numbers - the dates - the opening and the closing dates.

Babies in the night, kids in the playground, young people moving in packs in the mall trigger thoughts of the first moment: birth - childhood - the beginnings of the great adventure called, “life”.

Funerals, the obituary column, wrinkles, canes, leaks, wheelchairs, pains, cemeteries - white crosses along the highways - all remind us of the last moment: death. I believe and I hope in a next after that: I’ll take that reality - resurrection - on faith. I believe there will be a new morning after the mourning - after death - one’s personal Easter - Resurrection - because this was Jesus’ promise.

If we’re here this morning, we’ve been already launched in our time capsule. We’re here somewhere along the timeline of our life. It’s January 1st, 2012.

2012: 4 numbers in this combination are numbers we’ll need some time to get used to. Most of us here have been born in one century - the 20th - and we’re here to pray and Thank God for a new beginning in the  12th year of this 21st century.

So each of us has an opening act - and then when the play is over - we’ll have the closing of the curtain.

“All the world’s a stage" as Shakespeare put it in his play, As You Like It,

                    "And all the men and women merely players:
                    They have their exits and their entrances;
                   And one man in his time plays many parts,,
                   His acts being seven ages….”

How was the play? What parts did we play? Do we like our story so far? What has been the plot? Are we having the time of our life?

It seems some people choose to have the time of their life; others seem to lose the time of their life; while others refuse to have the time of their life.

Which is more me?
Let me now move to the second thought about time.

SECOND MEANING - THE REALITIVITY OF TIME

Einstein, who made it to 76, talked about the relativity of time and life.

Moreover, he didn't believe God played dice with the universe.

Life has meaning and we're meaning makers.

Einstein certainly led a full life - and when we walked on stage, people knew, "That's Albert Einstein!"

What happens when I walk into a room and come on stage?

What do people say?

Einstein worked to the end - bringing the draft of a big speech he was to give - with him to the hospital - where he died. When he realized his health condition, he said he wanted to die gracefully or as he put it, "elegantly". 
He joked about his concept of the relativity of time when he said to his students, "When you’re with your girl friend, hours feel like minutes - but when you’re sitting in a classroom minutes seem like hours."

I always quote the old saying, “How long a minute takes depends on which side of the bathroom door you’re on.” However, this quote has lost its power once homes were built with more than one bathroom.

We know time is very relative. My goal for how long a sermon I give should take is 10 minutes. If it feels like it’s only 7 minutes - great; if it feels like 15 minutes - or longer - that’s an uh oh.

Time is relative.

Sometimes we’re biting our nails while looking at the hands of a clock; sometimes we’re clapping our hands - totally forgetting what time it is.

Some years are better than other years.

How was 2011 for you? [Long Pause]

Answers to that question would tell you an awful lot about yourself.

Some years nobody dies.

Some years float by. Haven't we heard people say, "Looking back now my 30's are only a blur."

Some years had a lot of great things happening. Other years were tough, tough. They had stuff - especially  death or a divorce or bad decision or a disaster in the family - that impacted our time on stage very dramatically.

Once more: how has your life been so far?

Did you ever think of writing your autobiography?

When I ask people that question, they pause and then ask back, “Who would read it?”

And I answer quickly, “You!”

How was 2011 for you?

Long before Einstein, Christianity talked about the relativity of time. It talked about the difference between chronos and kairos - 2 Greek words for “time”.

Those who high school kids at St. Mary's might have heard of a Kairos Retreat - and know the difference between Kairos and Chronos.
Chronos means tick, tick, tick tock time - or quiet digital creep. Chronos time is the same every year - except for this coming Leap Year - 2012.

Chronos time is our basic chronology.

Kairos time is special event time. Not every day is the same as every day.

At the Passover Meal, the smallest child asks the oldest person, “Why is this night different than any other night?”

Some days, some nights, are different from other days and other nights.

Sunday is different than Friday.

July 4th is different than January 1st.

At the Passover Meal, Jesus’ last supper, Jesus asked powerful questions and gave powerful answers about life - about the meaning of life. It’s as simple as sharing bread and wine with each other - and as complex as giving our lives to each other - saying, “This is my body - this is my blood - I’m giving my life for you.” In this giving of ourselves - we experience - transformation and transubstantiation. In this way we become consubstantial with Christ and each other - as we move slowly, slowly, slowly, more and more and more - into God.

Today, January 1st, our Church, goes backwards a bit to our beginning with Mary - who gave birth to a baby - who was born in a stable - whose first visitors were shepherds.

The shepherds see a great light. Have I seen the Light yet?

A new shepherd - a Good Shepherd - Jesus has appeared - as a baby - as a cry in the night - as one of us. Glory to God in the highest?

Why did Jesus come when he came?

In today’s second reading from Galatians, St. Paul answers by saying “When the fullness of time had come God sent his son, born of a woman…. “ Why then? Why there? The Jewish answer is obvious. “Why not?”

If there is one thing we need to discover with God when we start sending questions to God: it’s God’s saying, “Why not?”

Life is filled with mystery - “Why nots?” - surprises.

Life is not just tick, tock time.

Life is filled with our historical moments.

What does my life, my history, look like and sound like?

What have been my memorable lines when on stage?

We are an unwritten book of stories - moments - mysteries - scenes - surprises.

When we look back at a marriage, we see many twists and turns in the plot,  The marriage might have come about by going on a blind date - because someone gave us a call - or we went a certain school. Surprise! People meet people - fall in love - get married - and we couldn’t have planned the scenario. Ah sweet mystery of life…

What will 2012 be like for us? What will be its gifts and mysteries?

Answers to that question are forthcoming.

Answers to that question makes life so unboring.

CONCLUSION: AM I HAVING THE TIME OF MY LIFE?

The relativity of time challenges us to enter into the mystery by our choices. We can’t control a tsunami - or a hurricane - or a drunk driver - or a fire - or for the most part, noise from a neighbor’s house.

Yet we can control a few things in our house - but as they say, "Want to make God laugh, tell him your plans?"

Yet in time we can control our attitude, our reaction, our way of dealing with the cards we’re dealt.

I just spent 3 days with my family at a family wedding in Austin, Texas. How could anyone know Brian would meet Tanya at George Washington University - fall in love - and get married in Austin, Texas?

On the plane flying back last night, while watching a replay of the three days I was there, one of the things that hit me was the games of cards I saw our family playing. There were lots of games of cards - sometimes - four different groups were playing at the same time in the inner section of the hotel - which you can see from all the inner balconies. While waiting for our plane in Austin 4 of us were playing in the C35 waiting area. Two carry on luggage pieces, one on top of the other made a great card table.
Cards are one thing our family has always played in the in betweens between the main events of our lives.

My mom and dad played cards. We played cards. The next generation and the generation after our generation play cards. I love it that it’s just a deck of cards - without batteries - and there are no new models: just a deck of cards.

And if you play cards, you know about the moment of time we have after we pick up the cards we’ve been dealt. We pick them up with hope and expectation. We look at our hand. Then we ask ourselves: now how am I going to play these cards I just received?

Here is where New Year’s Resolutions could come in.

As we all know New Year’s Resolutions get a bad rap - and perhaps rightly so. The resolutions we make on December 31 or January 1st - are usually not the real resolutions that work in life.

I suspect real life resolutions happen when we have to react to how the game of cards called life is being played. Others play a card and we have to act and react. Next! Now what do I do because of what another has just done?

I suspect real resolutions happen when we fall on our face - or when we are forced to make changes - because of something that was just dealt us.

There is a word in today’s gospel - “reflecting” that is worth reflecting upon. It says that “Mary kept all these things, reflecting on them in her heart.”

My first reaction upon reading this was that the word “ponder” had disappeared - as in "Mary was pondering all these things in her heart."

I checked out various translations from the Greek into English, and noticed that some use the word "ponder" and some don’t. I like "ponder" better than "reflect". But as is obvious, I don’t get what I want in life - many, many times. Someone else is dealing the cards. Dang it.

For those interested the Greek word in the original text is, “sumballo” - to throw together. You can hear the word “ball” there - to catch the ball that is thrown to us and to run with it.

Whatever. …

So let me suggest two things to ponder this year.

The first would be to ponder or reflect upon what we’re reflecting upon.



Auguste Rodin, the sculptor, was right. We all have seen his famous statute of “The Thinker”. That’s us. Every one of us - when we get down to our Naked Self - are thinkers.

So it’s good to think about what we are think about - to catch our thoughts - to run after the bouncing ball of each thought.. That will tell us an awful lot about ourselves.

And secondly: to resolve this year to reflect deeper and deeper on what has happened and what is happening in our life - how we got from where we were to where we are right now.

To reflect upon: how am I using the time of my life and am I having the time of my life? If not, why not. It’s time to be having the time of my life. You’re here this morning. You know there are 168 hours in a week - and you know this one hour a week - helps you deal better with the other 167 hours of the week.

I’m thinking one of the things that happens at Mass is like that moment we’re looking at the cards we’re dealt. What now? What next? Then we go forward - fed and fortified by the Lord Jesus - hopefully having the time of our lives.

If we’re not, then it’s about time that we enjoy this day - this moment - this time in our life.

If we’re not, it’s about time, we ponder and become amazed at the gift of life we have received. A lot of things had to happen - a zillion billion trillion of them in fact - to get us to this moment of life - here in this place right now, January 1st, 2012.

So have a Happy New Year!

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Note:

This is the basic text I used this morning for my homily. However, this Blog version is a bit longer, because I  tried to clarify it and strengthen it - a bit. As a result it got longer in this fix up.  

Picture of the 1902 sculpture, "The Thinker" by Auguste  Rodin - [1840-1917]

HAPPY  NEW  YEAR 

January  1, 2012

Quote for the Day

"No one ever regarded the first of January with indifference."

Charles Lamb [1775-1834]

CHURCH  COMPLAINTS 

December 31,  2011

Quote for Today

"A noted preacher had a special black book labeled, 'Complaints of Members Against One Another.'  When one of his congregation told him about the faults of another, he would say, 'Here is my complaint book. I will write down what you say, and you can sign it. Then when I have time I will take up the matter officially concerning this sister or brother.' The sight of the open book and the ready pen had its effect. 'Oh no, I couldn't sign anything like that!' they would say. In 40 years this preacher never got anyone to write a line in it."

Anonymous in Voice of Truth

List your top 10 complaints against the members of your community by name.