REMEMBER THE GOOD

Quote for Today - Feast of St. Teresa of Avila - Oct. 15, 2012

"God has been very good to me, for I never dwell upon anything wrong which a person has done, so as to remember it afterwards. If I do remember it, I always see some other virtue in that person." 

St. Teresa of Avila

FITTING THROUGH 

THE EYE OF THE NEEDLE

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for this 28^th Sunday in Ordinary Time, B, is, “Fitting Through The Eye of the Needle.”

People have been thinking of the metaphor or image that Jesus gives us in today’s gospel for almost 2000 years now. What’s your take on what Jesus says: “Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for one who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.” [Mark 10: 24-26]

Some commentators say Jesus is referring to a small gate near a main gate in a city through which a camel couldn't fit. Some have said that a few Greek gospel manuscript writers used the word KAMILOS [cable] instead of KAMELOS [camel] Most manuscripts use the Greek word for camel. Whatever. I say that because it's still the same message of how difficult it is to get into the kingdom of God. [1]

Joachim Jeremias - my favorite commentator on The Parables of Jesus - refers to a rabbinical proverb that Jesus might have been familiar with: “You clearly come from Pumbeditha, where an elephant can go through the eye of a needle.” [2]

Either way - Jesus is saying, “It takes an effort to get into the kingdom of God.”

I would add, “Here and hereafter.”

The hope of my homily is that you realize the life choice Jesus is talking about - and how life can be different for us - once we fit through the eye of the needle and experience the Kingdom of God - the Vision of Jesus - the Delight in Life - that Jesus had - along with the cross. Notice how he slid that into today’s gospel. Sneaky. [Cf. Mark 10:30]

SHORT FILM CLIP

I once saw a short film clip of a someone walking down a street with two suitcases and a backpack and some plastic bags in hand as well. The man comes to a narrow doorway and  tries to fit in - stuff still in hand. He doesn’t fit. So he backs out from the little he got in and continues down the street. As the film shows the man walking away, a little kid comes running up the street - past the man - with just himself - and goes right into the house - through that narrow opening.

End of film. End of scene. End of parable.

In the background one could hear the words from today’s gospel about it being easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.

THE MAN IN THE GOSPEL

The man in the gospel who runs up to Jesus asks Jesus the big question: “What must I do to inherit eternal life?”  What’s the secret of life - happiness. What’s it all about?

We then find out that he keeps the commandments.

We then find out that Jesus looks at him with love.

We find out that Jesus then says, “You are lacking in one thing. Go sell what you have, and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.”

We then find out that the man’s face fell - that he walked away sad - because he had many possessions.

It’s then that Jesus says how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God.

It’s then that Jesus tells us about the camel finding it difficult to go through the eye of the needle.

It’s then that Jesus tells us about true riches.

It’s being brother and sister to every person on the land.

It’s seeing all land as everyone’s land.

That’s what Jesus says is yours on the other side of the needle - in the here and in the hereafter.

But first you have to dump the suitcases, the bags, and the backpack and be like that little kid - fitting through the Narrow Way that leads to life.

THOMAS MERTON

Now a question hits me: as I read the rest of today’s gospel when Jesus calls his disciples to let go of everything and come follow him, how do we apply this to everyone - not just nuns and religious.

That’s my question.

The other day I read a great quote from Thomas Merton and I said, “I’ll have to use that some day in a sermon.”  Surprise! I can use it tonight.

Years ago there was a famous Trappist Monk named Thomas Merton. He left everything and surprised everyone with his choice of entering a very strict monastery - where everything is held in common and where there is hardly any talking - except for prayers and emergencies. There is sort of, “Total Silence” so as to hear God.

Someone I know tried that life but didn’t make it. He said one of the toughest experiences for him was all wash was thrown together and when it dried you just went down and grabbed your next supply.

I don’t know what the toughest part for Merton was - but in the following quote he tells us an other side of the needle experience.

Merton was in the monastery for a few years and he had to go to the doctor or dentist or for something, so he went to local town for the first time. He was overwhelmed with what he saw. He had gone through the eye of the needle.

Merton wrote about that experience - that trip back to the other side of the needle he had gone through.

“It is a glorious destiny to be a member of the human race, though it is a race dedicated to many absurdities and one which makes terrible mistakes: yet, with all that, God Himself glorified in becoming a member of the human race. A member of the human race! To think that such a commonplace realization should suddenly seem like news that one holds the winning ticket in a cosmic sweepstake. There is no way of telling people that they are all walking around like the sun … There are no strangers… If only we could see each other as we really are all the time. There would be no more war, no more hatred, no more cruelty, no more greed… I suppose the big problem would be that we would fall down and worship each other … the gate of heaven is everywhere.” [3]

There it is both sides of the eye of the needle.

It would be like walking to downtown  Annapolis and seeing all those people at this week’s boat show, seeing all those weekend people in Annapolis, that we’re all one. It would be like seeing everyone in traffic - in the next car - all those people on TV - all those people at a football game - and realizing I’m one with all of them. They are my brothers and sisters and God is our Father.

To me it’s like walking into a  wedding banquet. The place is packed 100 or 150 or 200 people - more or less. I know for starters only the bride and groom.  Slowly I get to at least say hello to parents and families and friends. Soon I’ve gotten to know a tiny bit about 20 or so of the people as I mingle. As I look around for starters others might know 25 people at the celebration. They branch out and get know 40 to 50 by the end of the night - discovering different people’s connection to the bride or groom. What helps is that everyone is there for the same reason.

Well, once we let go of preconceived ideas that we possess - attitudes about others that weight us down - and prevent us from getting to meet and greet and get to know each other - we are living in a walled world. But once we let go of self and security - which might actually be insecurity - once we go through the eye of the needled and discover that we are all one - young, old, tall, short, Moslem, Atheist, Mormon, Catholic, Jewish, Hindu, tattooed or wrinkled old lady. We’re all one - on the other side of the needle.

That by the way is what the word “Catholic” means. It’s from the Greek.  “Kata” means “all” - and  “holos” - means whole. On the other side of the needle we are all one people - made in the image and likeness of God - and we’re here to celebrate the Marriage Feast of Life because the Son is with us.

And we’re all related. And we’re all connected.

CONCLUSION

At this Mass be like the man in today’s gospel. Have Jesus walk up to you or you walk up to Jesus and ask him how to inherit eternal life. See him look into your eye - see him slip through your eye - and enter into deep communion with you - and experience a whole new way of seeing and doing life.

That’s the kind of wisdom that God calls us to - that wisdom we heard about in today’s first reading from the book of wisdom.

That’s what today’s word can do. It’s like a knife as we heard in today’s second reading - it can cut open our soul and we can fit through the eye of the needle. Amen.

OOOOO

NOTES

[1] C.S. Mann, Mark, The Anchor Bible, Doubleday, New York, 1986, page 402, # 25

[2] Joachim Jeremias, The Parables of Jesus, Revised Edition, Charles Scribner’s Sons, New York, 1963,   page 195, footnote 11.

[3]  Timothy Ratcliffe, OP, What Is The Point of Being a Christian?, Burns and Oates, A Continuum Imprint, New York, N.Y., 2005, page 141.

7 PIGGY BANKS

Penelope loved piggy banks. She had a lot of them. She had one for every day of the week - and she must have had another 15 or 16 piggy banks that were full - and she kept those ones under her bed.

Penelope - sometimes called “Penny” -  was rich - and when her girl friends came to her house for a sleep over she showed them  her 7 piggy banks - one for each day of the week. 

And she would tell her very, very, very close friends, that she also her hidden ones - which she kept under her bed. These were the piggy banks that were filled to the brim - fat little piggies  filled with coins. They were heavy and if you shook them you would hear very little sound - because they were full - and heavy with lots of coins.

Her 11 aunts - her mom and dad both came from big families - her 4 uncles - all loved - ever since Penelope   was a little girl - to give her quarters and dimes and nickels - even some pennies - but she liked silver - and said so. Sometimes relatives would call her "Penny" - as they put loose pennies in one of her banks. That's when she preferred the name Penelope. She loved to watch people put those coins in the coin slot of her piggy banks. They would smile. She would smile. She was smart.

Her grandmothers - whenever they traveled - wherever they spotted an unique piggy bank - would buy it - and bring it back for Penelope.

Nobody had a problem with what to get Penelope for Christmas or her birthday: a piggy bank.

Her mom had collected thimbles - ever since she started sewing with needle and thread when she was 13 years old. Penelope noticed how proud her mom was of her thimble collection. An aunt collected decks of cards. A grandfather collected bottle openers. Another uncle had a baseball card collection. Another uncle saved baseball caps. He must have over a thousand of them - including ones from a team called the Yankees - which nobody in the family liked. Another uncle saved beer cans - never opened beer cans.

So Penelope didn’t seem odd with her piggy bank collection. She kept her Sunday to Saturday collection on top of her bureau - and she tried to put or get at least one coin for that day each day.

As I already mentioned she had her full piggy bank collection under her bed - and her dad had put shelves in her room for piggy banks people gave her. Those were all empty. They were for future fillings.   

When asked what she was going to be when she grew up, Penelope would always say with a great grin: “A banker.” Each teacher she had was surprised when they heard her give that answer. Someone would come into the class room and asked the kids what they wanted to be when they grow up. They heard the regular answers from the girls: veterinarian and oceanographer - and professional football player and NASCAR Guy from the boys.

Her brother called her “Oinky” or to really annoy her, “Oinky, Oinky, Oinky,” because of her piggy bank collection.

Well here is where the story has a dramatic change - an amazing dramatic surprise. One evening Penelope was sitting there reading a book and  she overheard her parents being very, very serious. They thought she was upstairs in her bedroom and her brother was down in the basement with his trucks.

Mom said, “Well, maybe we’ll have to sell this house and move. I know how hard you’re trying. Yet, if you aren't able to get hired soon - we’ll have to do something. It’s 5 months now that you’re out of work. Maybe I should get back to work.”

“No. I know things are tough,” said dad, “but we’ll make it. We’ll just have to keep praying and hoping someone likes my resume.”

Mom said, “We can’t ask our parents. They are already helping Junior and Teresa - and those two families are much worse off than us.”

Penelope became very, very quiet at that. She had heard the priest just yesterday talk about the rich man who couldn’t let go of his stuff and fit through the eye of the needle. The priest had brought a real needle into the pulpit - and a toy plastic camel. And he kept trying to get the camel to fit through that tiny hole for thread - but nope, it just would fit. Camels - even a tiny toy one - couldn’t fit through the eye of a needle.

Penelope had a plan.

That night after everyone had gone to bed - one by one she brought her piggy banks downstairs to the dining room table. It took her over an hour - quietly going up and down the 12 steps from her room to downstairs. Good thing they didn’t creak. Good thing the red rug softened her step. Good thing they had 2 hall lamps on.

She began with her Sunday to Saturday piggies first. Then she took all the full piggy banks from under her bed. There were 16 of them - full. She took each of them one by one - just in case one would drop and would wake up her mom and dad. She didn’t worry about her brother. Nothing woke him up. She never counted how much she had, but she knew she was loaded.

Then she got a piece of paper and a bright green florescent colored magic marker and wrote this note: “Dear Mom and Dad, Here’s some money to help us with our bills - till you get a new job dad. Thanks for all you have given me so far. And I set up 7 new piggy banks on my bureau. I’ll start filling them up tomorrow - but I’m not expecting any money from you - not even pennies.  Thanks for everything. Love and prayers, Penelope.”

Then before she went to bed, she knelt down and said a prayer. “Thank you God for being so good to us - but right now we're going through some tough times. Please help daddy a new job!”

OOOOO

NOTE: This was a story I wrote last night for our Children's Mass for this 28th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B, with the Gospel from Mark 10: 17-30

SO WHAT YOU'RE 
REALLY SAYING  

IS THAT YOU WANT 

TO BE AN ONLY CHILD?

Quote for Today - October 14, 2012

"If you want to have a perfect sister or brother you must resign yourself to being an only child."

Italian Proverb

IF WE ONLY HAVE
LOVE FOR ONE ANOTHER

Quote for Today  October. 13, 2012

"It is sad not to be loved, but it is much sadder not to be able to love."

Miguel de Unamuno [1864-1936], To a Young Writer

OOOOOOOO

Questions: 

Who loves you? Name some names.

Whom do you love? Name some names.

Is it true that there would be someone who is unable to love? If you answer yes, could you hazard a guess, why? What happened?  Could they recover if such a person existed?

How would you describe love or define love?

THE CURSE [KATARA] 

BE WITH YOU!

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for this 27^th Friday in Ordinary Time is, “The Curse [KATARA] Be With you”.

KATARA is a Greek word that appears in today’s first reading from Galatians. One English translation is “The curse”. This word and idea  shows up in Galatians 4 times: 1:8; 1:9; and in today’s first reading in 3:10 and 3:13. In looking at this I noticed that it’s a rare idea in the New Testament in today’s sense of the word. The only two other places we see it is in First Corinthians 16:22 and Revelation 22:3.

In the New Testament people curse at each other here and here - but not in the sense of KATARA here in Galatians. Paul is talking about something that shows up more in the Old Testament. You read about people from time to time who seem to be walking around with a curse on them or in them.

Based on that in the Old Testament the reality of “The Curse” seems to be very much part of people’s thinking. If you eat this or drink this water, you’ll be inflicted with “The curse.”  If you cheat on others in the marketplace, you’ll receive “The curse.”  If you don’t care for your parents, you’ll receive “The curse.”

In the Mediterranean Basin - or in Anthropology courses on primitive peoples, you’ll hear about “The Evil Eye” or “Putting a curse on someone”.  I think I’ve overheard women talking about “The Curse” at times.

EXAMPLES

So I’m sure you have heard people refer to “the curse” from time to time. For example, bad things keep on happening to someone and someone says, “It’s as if he had a curse put on him.”

Or for example, someone makes a big mistake and they say out loud in frustration, “I’m cursed.” Or “I seem to be cursed.”

In general this is not the thing people confess when they say, “I used curse words.”

No. This is heavy duty stuff. Someone hurts a child or a wife or a parent - and someone in deep anger prays, says, screams, “I hope God punishes you. I hope God puts a curse on you.”

For example, someone grabs their parents’ money - without any consideration of their parents’ wishes for the rest of the family - and someone says, “Well that money is cursed.”

That’s roughly what Paul is talking about here.

THE CROSS

Now let me give the Good News….

Paul is saying that because of Adam and Eve, because of the Sins of our world, because of personal mistakes, because of selfishness, because we live with the consequences of our sins - mistakes - cheating - sometimes our life is “gicked up” - “messed up” “a disaster” and we feel cursed. The Good News is Christ comes along and becomes the curse. He takes the curse off us and puts it on himself. He dies on the cross for us - to take away the effects of the curse on us.

He takes away as they say, “the doom of sin.”

CONCLUSION

I don’t know if that hits you, but that hits me. It helps me understand today’s gospel. People in the Middle East know about demons - inner demons.  They can drive us nuts. Sometimes they can get worse. We’ve been cursed. We need Jesus the Prince of Peace to come and create order - peace - the kingdom inside us.

Hearing all this should help me say at Mass and then understand the meaning of, “Lamb of God you take away the sins of the world - the curse of the sins of our world” better. This should  help me understand the prayers, “Lord have mercy!” and “My soul shall be healed” better.  Amen.

OOOOOOOOOOOO

Picture on top: The Father's Curse: The Unagrateful Son, by Jean-Baptiste Greuze, French, about 1778.  Brush and gray wash squared in pencil.

COLUMBUS DISCOVERS AMERICA

Quote for Today  - October 12,  2012 - The day Columbus saw land in this hemisphere.

"The America of  Moctezuma and Atahualpa,
the aromatic America of  Columbus,
Catholic America, Spanish America,
the America where noble Cuauhtemoc said:
'I am not a bed of roses' - our America,
trembling with huricanes, trembling with Love:
O Men with Saxon eyes and barbarous souls,
our America lives. And dreams. And loves.
And it is the daughter of the Sun. Be careful."

Ruben Dario [ Felix Ruben Garcia-Saramiento], 1867-1916, Cantos de Vida y Espearanza [Songs of Life and Hope] [1905], a Roosevelt (To Roosevelt)


Picture on top: 1993 replicas of the Nina, Pinta and Santa Maria.