CONSEQUENCES

May  12,  2012

Quote for Today


"The game of  life is a game of boomerangs.
Our thoughts, deeds and words return to us
sooner or later with astounding accuracy."


Anonymous

MY  OWN  BACKYARD 

May  11,  2012

Quote for Today

"There is a time
in every man's education
when he arrives 
at the conviction
that envy is ignorance;
that imitation is suicide;
that he must take himself,
for better or for worse,
as his portion;
that though
the wide universe 
is full of good,
no kernel of nourishing corn
can come to him
but through his soil
bestowed on that plot of ground
which is given to him to till."



Ralph Waldo Emerson [1803-1882]

I was tempted to add "woman" and "she" and "her"
to the above quote, but didn't. I've learned
I can attempt to make this change in what
I write and simply say that this  was the viewing point
of the time Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote.

A   NEW  DAY

May  10,  2012

Quote for Today

THE GREETING OF THE DAWN

Listen to the Exhortation of the Dawn!
Look to this Day!
For it is Life,
the very Life of Life.
In its brief course lie all the
Truths and Realities of our Existence.
The Bliss of Growth,
The Glory of Action
The Splendor of Beauty,
For Yesterday is but a Dream,
And Tomorrow is only a Vision:
But Today well lived makes
Every Yesterday a Dream of Happiness,
And every Tomorrow a Vision of Hope.
Look well therefore to this Day!
Such is the Greeting of the Dawn.

O

•   From the Sanskrit - perhaps from Kalidasa

TRAPPED

May  9,  2012

Quote for Today


"The toughest type of climbing is getting out of a rut."

Anonymous

SEVEN TYPES OF PEACE

INTRODUCTION

The title of my thoughts this morning is, “Seven Types of Peace.”

Today’s gospel has Jesus saying something he often says  in the Gospel of John, "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you.” [John 14: 27]

Last night, as I was looking at my notes for this text from the Gospel of John, I found something I had discovered somewhere along the line that I thought was peaceful and practical.

CRISTOVAM BUARQUE

Someone named Cristovam Buarque wrote an article, “There Are Seven Types of Peace.” Then he has a sub-title: “Brazil Needs to Make Each of Them.” [1]

He discovered these 7 types of peace - not in Brazil - but amongst the Aymara People who live in the Andes in Western Bolivia, Southern Peru and Northern Chile - and especially around and near Lake Titicaca - which borders Peru and Bolivia.

GESTURES

To make this homily or explanation work you have to do some work; you have to make some gestures with your hands this morning. This might seem Hokey Pokey. Relax. It's not too complicated. Be at peace with me today.  No problem. We Catholics know how to move our hands during Mass - to make the sign of the cross, to receive a blessing, to fold our hands, to make the sign of peace, to reach out our hands or tongue to receive Holy Communion.

So I’m going to ask you to follow directions - and to make some gestures with your hands and to do this at 8 AM in the morning. I’m going to describe the type of peace that is being talked and then give a blessing which I formulated from the description of these 7 types of peace I found in the article.

FIRST TYPE  IS INNER PEACE

So can you put your hand on the top of your head: “May we have peace with ourselves - peace today with our body, with our health, with our mind, with our work, because without peace with ourselves for starters, we will not be at peace with others. Amen.”

SECOND TYPE OF PEACE IS UPWARD DIRECTED

So raise your hand towards the sky - so as to be at peace with the above. “May we be at peace with God above - with all those who have gone before us who are with God - with the Spiritual. Amen.”

THIRD TYPE OF PEACE IS DIRECTED FORWARDS

Point your hand forwards. We put our past behind us. The Aymara people put their past in front of them - because they know it. It’s been lived and experience. So,  “May we have peace with our past - that we let go and be forgiven of mistakes. Let guilt, regrets, debts, be taken care of. Amen.”

FOURTH TYPE OF PEACE IS DIRECTED BACKWARDS

Point your hand backwards.  “May we have peace with our future, peaceful, not nervous, about time always ticking, with what we can’t see, uncertainty, and what is to come. Amen.”

FIFTH TYPE OF PEACE IS DIRECTED TO THE LEFT

Point your hand to your left.  This is peace with those close to you - those around you - close friends, but family especially. “May we have peace with all those in our family - with those who are close to us - especially with those who take away the feeling of peace at times. Amen.”

SIXTH TYPE OF PEACE IS TOWARDS THE RIGHT

Point your hand to the right. This is peace with neighbors and those we see and interact with. “May we have peace with  those across the street - those in the other car - those at the other desk - those  in the next section at work - especially with those we experience who bring friction and frustration and the unknown at times. Amen.”

SEVENTH TYPE OF PEACE IS POINTED DOWNWARDS

Point downwards. This seventh and final peace is directed towards the earth from which we came and towards which we will return. “May we have peace with the earth on which we walk - the source of our sustenance. When storms or drought comes or the earth shakes or quakes, may we stay calm and peaceful.  Amen.” [2]

*0*0*0*

Notes:


[1] "There Are Seven Types of Peace. Brazil Needs to Make Each of Them," written by Cristovam Buarque. I found this on line from back in 2007, but I'm not sure where this was written. I want to give Cristovam Buarque credit for this "study". I found that I had jotted down the following about who he is: Cristovam Buarque has a Ph.D. in economics. He is a PDT senator for the Federal District and was Governor of the Federal District (1995-98) and Minister of Education (2003-04). He is the current president of the Senate Education Commission. Last year he was a presidential candidate. 




[2]  This blessing could be used as a daily family morning or evening prayer. A mom or dad could stand there and give this blessing to their family - with all doing the gestures indicated. 


[3] Peace Prayer of St. Francis on top is sung by Sarah McLachlan.

LIFE  AND  DEATH

METAPHORS

May 8,  2012

Quote for Today

"Good is an orchard, the saint saith,
To meditate on life and death."


Katharine T. Hinkson: Of an Orchard (20th Century)

GOD WITH A TOUPEE

INTRODUCTION

This might be a strange homily. The title is, “God With A Toupee.”

I read today’s two readings for this Fifth Monday of Easter - in the hope of getting a theme to preach on. I said my usual prayer, “Come Holy Spirit! Give me an idea or some words or an image that will help the folks at the 12:10 Mass today.”

The readings and the Psalm in between talk about God - so I said, “Okay, say something about God.” 


Then I re-read the first reading a few times. It hit me that people can get strange ideas about God.  The crowd wants to declare Barnabas and Paul to be gods - who have come down to earth. And they say, “No, No! Not us. We’re here to tell you who the true God is.”

The Psalm used today continues that theme with the question. The Pagans ask, “Where is your God!”

And today’s gospel talks about the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit: our God.

THE PRIEST WITH THE TOUPPE

I once went to Boston with a group of ladies - a kitchen staff at a retreat house where I was working - to a 25^th Anniversary of one of our priests at the retreat house. We went out to a local restaurant for supper that first evening.

I noticed a man sitting by himself at another table and he was looking over at us from time to time. He had on a toupee - a horrible one at that.

After his meal he came over to us. He introduced himself as one of our priests - who was stationed in our house in Boston. He knew who we were - but we didn’t know who he was - till he took off his toupee. Then I recognized him and a few of the others did as well. 


I’ve always wondered why he didn’t come over earlier and sit down with us and enjoy supper together - instead of eating alone.

That was one of those moments in life I’ve never forgotten. Why?

Well it was strange and the guy was a strange guy - from what I picked up - but why did I remember that story this morning - when I began thinking about God?

POSSIBLE  ANSWER

Maybe because God is always with us - at the other table - but watching us. We don’t recognize Him, but He recognizes us. Then sometimes something happens and we’re reintroduced to God. God comes over and introduces Himself to us.

We all have our images and understandings of who God is.

When we die, the blinders will come off. Before we die, the blinders are on.

This is one of the major themes of the Gospel of John - whom we hear from a lot in the Easter Season.

John brings us to Jesus. John brings Jesus to our table - to our situations. Slowly we recognize Jesus is God. Jesus tells us this - when he says, “See me, see the Father.” “Recognize me, recognize the Father.”


APOPHATIC - KATAPHATIC

There is a whole theology that is called Apophatic Theology - which says over and over again, “To get to God, keep stripping off the images we have of God, the words we have about God, the attitudes we have towards God - and then when we are in that absolute emptiness - that absolute darkness - we can come face to face with God - darkness to darkness - emptiness to emptiness - darkness to light - emptiness to fullness. 


Those of you who have read John of the Cross are aware of some of this language.

I prefer Kataphatic or With Images - Theology - and enjoy the great images of God in the scriptures - and spot God in the restaurant - even if He has a toupee on.

CONCLUSION

My prayer is that God will come over to our table and introduce Himself. God will take off His toupee - as well as the assumptions I’ve put on Him. Then God will sit down and eat with us. 


Ooooooops. God already has done that. Isn’t that what this Supper with him is all about? Amen.