How old does a person have to be to be able to realize that?
How old was Dirty Harry Callahan when he said, "A man's got to know his limitations." Magnum Force - 1973
Name 3 of your limitations:
1)
2)
3)
What were your life experiences that helped you learn that lesson?
Ask your spouse of a close friend - what they think are your 3 key limitations:
1)
2)
3)
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
THE FACE
IN YOUR MIRROR
March 8, 2011
Quote for Today - Thursday
"Take care that the face which looks out from your mirror in the morning is a pleasant one. You may not see it again all day, but others will."
Anonymous
DROPPING
OUT OF CHURCH
Quote for Today - Wednesday March 7, 2012
"Don't stay away from church because there are so many hypocrites; there is always room for one more."
Anonymous
Drawing: The Pharisee and the Publican, Unknown illustrator of Jerome Nadal's 'Evangelicae Historiae Imagines." 1593
Questions:
What are the 3 reasons you have noticed why people stay away from church?
1)
2)
3)
If you could tell the pope three things, what would they be?
1)
2)
3)
If you could tell God three things, what are they?
1)
2)
3)
HUMOR AND HUMILITY
INTRODUCTION
The title of my homily for this Second Tuesday in Lent is,
“Humor and Humility.”
Father Tizio likes to use props in his homilies - and he
uses them very well. They are not the message. They help his message. And they
don’t get in the way of his message - which I always find very clear - not just
with kids - but with adults.
So I have a prop for my homily this morning. It’s a Whoopee
Cushion. Someone gave me a present recently that had 2 Whoopee Cushions in the
box. Why? I don’t know. I gave one away and kept this one. One evening last
week I filled this one with my hot air and placed it on the cushy chair that
Father Joe Krastel uses. However, the cushion of the chair doesn’t lift, so I
put this Whoopee Cushing under a blanket on the chair. I’m sitting there
watching the evening news when Joe walked to the chair. He grabbed the blanket
first and spots the Whoopee Cushion. He laughs and the laugh was on me. My
little game didn’t work.
TODAY’S GOSPEL
The reason I mentioned the Whoopee Cushion is because every time we have this
gospel, I remember a story I heard it from a bishop telling a story about
another bishop.
In South America they had
this very, very pompous bishop who was the top guy in the Bishop’s Conference.
Well, before he came into this big room for a big meeting of bishops, this one
bishop put a Whoopee Cushion under the
cushion of the big shot’s chair and told all the bishops in the room to
be ready. All were waiting for the big moment. In marches the bishop, serious
as a bishop, in all his regalia. He sits down on the chair and you know what a
Whoopee Cushion does. And all laughed except himself - at first. Finally he
smiled.
Well, in today’s gospel [Matthew
23: 1-12], Jesus talks about the Scribes and the Pharisees taking their seat on
the chair of Moses.
And Jesus says “they
preach but they do not practice. They tie up heavy burdens hard to carry and
lay them on people’s shoulders, but they will not lift a finger to move them.
All their works are performed to be seen. They widen their
phylacteries and lengthen their tassels. They love places of honor at banquets,
seats of honor in synagogues, greetings in marketplaces, and the salutation
'Rabbi.' As for you, do not be called 'Rabbi.' You have but one teacher, and
you are all brothers. Call no one on earth your father; you have but one Father
in heaven. Do not be called 'Master'; you have but one master, the Christ. The
greatest among you must be your servant.” Then Jesus finishes this blast with
the message: “Whoever exalts himself will
be humbled; but whoever humbles himself will be exalted.”
Tough
stuff. The title of my homily is “Humor and Humility.”
Jesus
after blasting and ridiculing the scribes and the Pharisees here in Matthew 23 - which is close to the end of
his gospel - gives us one more clear reason why they wanted Jesus killed. I’m sure some of the folks hearing Jesus
speak these words laughed - seeing the humor in hypocrisy - seeing those who
exalt themselves being humbled.
We
priests - as well as bishops and the pope -
are voicing these words from pulpits and podiums around the world today.
Obviously, we need to hear these words more than others. These past years we
have certainly been humiliated with our sins and our mistakes - especially in
the abuse cases - the harming of so many young people. Will we ever learn? [Pause!] I sense that some good has come out of the
horror cases: more protection for more
young people. It also seems that Rome
is broadcasting to the dioceses of the world to wake up. Obviously abusing
others is wrong. No more cover-ups; much more vigilance. It hurts as priest to hear comedians
use the abuse stories for laughs - but in another sense, may the humor and the
humiliation make us better - protecting the innocent everywhere.
Humor
and humility are connected. Humility and being human are very connected. In the
Book of Genesis we read that God bent
down and created us from the clay, the humus, of the earth and then breathed
the spirit of life into us. Then we rise - and sometimes we stop being down to
earth. We think trappings and titles - seats of honor - will make us better
than others. When we start to think that way, it’s a signal we actually down
deep think less of ourselves. That’s the paradox of wanting power - seeing it
at times as the power to put down others - to humble them - to make ourselves
feel better.
If we
can laugh at ourselves - when the air is knocked out of us - when our inflated
ego is deflated - then we’ll see what we’re really doing and who we really are
- just one more human being in the room.
As I
thought about this stuff last night preparing this homily, I asked myself,
“Should I put this in my homily - say this stuff in church?” Then it hit me, “Hello! Isn’t this the kind
of stuff Jesus is getting at in this gospel - which the church is asking us to
listen to today?” So we better laugh and laughter helps us with humility.
CONCLUSION
I’ll close with a
Jewish proverb: “Don’t make yourself so big. You are not that small.”
LAUGHTER
Quote for Today March 6, 2012
"Man is the only creature endowed with a sense of laughter; is he not also the only one that deserves to be laughed at?"
Fulke Greville
HO! HO! HO!
Questions:
Would part of your life resume be: "I have a sense of humor"?
Have you ever been described as over-sensitive? Can you take a joke about yourself?
Have you ever made fun or someone and you realized afterwards that it hurt that person? What happened next?
What is one thing about you that is funny? Your ears? Your belly? Your walk? A mannerism? Your way of eating? Your way of driving? Your way of talking?
Monday, March 5, 2012
KYRIE
ELEISON
INTRODUCTION
The title of my homily for this Second Monday in Lent is, “Kyrie Eleison”
For the Penance Rite, the first part of the Mass, before the recent
changes in the Liturgy, we were encouraged to use variations - and one was
“Kyrie Eleison.”
I suspect we priests didn’t use that too often - or it all
depended on which priest or deacon was up here - and I suspect we’ll use it a
bit more now with the new prayers - because there seems to be less variation -
or what have you.
I know I’ve been using it a bit more.
IT’S GREEK TO ME
When I was a kid in grammar school at OLPH Brooklyn, N.Y. we
grew up saying or singing this Greek prayer at every Mass. I have to read up on this, but it
seems it sort of dropped out with the
arrival of the Liturgy in the language of the people.
Greek was the language of the scriptures and I assume that
of the Liturgy before Latin - and after Aramaic - the language of Jesus.
Kyrie is a variation of the Greek word, “KURIOS” meaning
Lord.
Eleison is a variation of the Greek word “ELEOS” - meaning
mercy.
Christe is a variation of the Greek word “CHRISTOS” - meaning anointed.
So Kyrie eleison is a most basic prayer: “Lord have mercy.”
It touches a normal human saying we use in our basic
interactions with each other, “I’m sorry.” “Forgive me!”
So we pray to God, “I’m sorry!” “Forgive me!” “Lord have
mercy.” “Kyrie Eleison”. Want a simple act of contrition. There it is.
As priest in confession I hear people unfolding a crinkled
piece of paper that has an Act of Contrition on it or they struggle with a long
formula that is an Act of Contrition. I suggest as an Act of Contrition to
simply say, “Lord have mercy” or “Kyrie eleison”. If some priest complains say some priest said
“Lord have mercy” was a beautiful Act of Contrition.
MARKET PLACE
Whenever we come to today’s gospel I wonder when did Jesus
come up with his comments about the measuring that takes place in the market
place. [Cf. Luke 6: 36-38]
Was he a teenage boy and he was shopping with Mary?
Was he an adult - just walking through the market and saw a grain merchant
doing just what Jesus said one did in the marketplace?
A lady is shopping and asks for a certain amount of grain
and the merchant pours some into her garment. Then he packs it together. Then he shakes it
and pours some more in - till it’s falling out.
Did Jesus stop to watch this marketplace ritual? Did he
watch the woman’s face as she watched the ritual? Did he see her face change
and she added layer upon layer of success, smile, wonderful, at each step by
the merchant. Did he see the merchant’s face light up gradually in making one
more customer happy?
Did he see the faces of those who judge - as rigid tight faced
folks?
Did he see the faces of those who don’t judge as more
relaxed?
CONCLUSION
There you have it. And let me conclude with a repetition of today’s gospel:
Jesus
said to his disciples:
"Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.
"Stop judging and you will not be judged.
Stop condemning and you will not be condemned.
Forgive and you will be forgiven.
Give and gifts will be given to you;
a good measure, packed together, shaken down, and overflowing,
will be poured into your lap.
For the measure with which you measure
will in return be measured out to you."
SERMONS
March 5, 2012
Quote for the Day
"A preacher recorded his sermon, then sat down to listen to it and fell asleep."
Anonymous
Questions:
What was the worst sermon you ever heard?
What was the best sermon you ever heard?
If you could preach a sermon or homily, what would its title be?
