"There exist only three beings worthy of respect: the priest, the soldier, the poet. To know, to kill, to create." "Il n'existe que trois etres respectables: le prétre, le guerrier, le poéte. Savoir, tuer, et creer." Charles Baudelaire [1821-1867], in Mon Coeur Mis a Nu [1887, 1897], XXII QUESTIONS: That was published in France in 1887 from Charles Baudelaire who died in 1867. If you were to list 3 beings worthy of respect today, whom would you list? How would you understand the second part of the quote: to know, to kill, to create"?
Friday, January 4, 2013
THREE
HUMAN
STORIES
Quote for Today: January 4, 2013
"There are only two or three human stories, and they go on repeating themselves, as fiercely as if they had never happened before."
Willa Sibert Cather [1873-1947] O Pioneers [1913], pt. ii, Chapter 4
Questions:
What do you think are these 2 or 3 human stories?
What are the 2 or 3 key stories of your life?
Thursday, January 3, 2013
THREE PASSIONS
Quote for Today - January 3, 2013
"Three passions,
simple but overwhelmingly strong,
have governed my life:
the longing for love,
the search for knowledge,
and unbearable pity
for the suffering of mankind."
Bertrand Russell [1872-1970] in Autobiography [1967], chapter I.
Question:
What are the 3 Main Passions that overwhelm and govern your life?
1)
2)
3)
Wednesday, January 2, 2013
LIES
Quote for Today - January 2, 2013
"Two daiquiris withdrew into a corner of the gorgeous room and one told the other a lie." John Berryman [1914-1972], 77 Dream Songs [1964] Poem # 16
Tuesday, January 1, 2013
ON HAVING A BLESSED
NEW YEAR
INTRODUCTION
The title of my homily is, “On Having a Blessed New Year.”
Isn’t that we want for our family and our world for this New
Year: blessings.
BAPTISM
One of the nicest blessings I have as a priest is to put a
blessing on a new born baby or a newly married couple: blessings.
It’s also a blessing at times to put a last blessing on
someone who is dying.
This past year a moment that stands out is being called one
afternoon to a give the last rites to someone who was dying. The caller said,
“No rush! You can come anytime in the next week or so.” For some reason I said,
“I can come down right now!” I did. The
family was there. The person who was dying was conscious and talking. We said
all the prayers and I blessed the man and right then and there he died. Woo. It
was a blessing that I went down when I went.
This past year I was baptizing some babies and as usual I
ask the moms or dads or both to bring their baby to every one of those present
as part of their group. I asked that they have each person there to put a small
sign of the cross on the baby’s forehead. I mentioned out loud to pray for that
baby as you’re blessing her or him - and that you also pray that you witness
faith, hope and love for that child and all children you meet. After the baptism, a mother of the father of
the baby who was baptized told me she did that for her son every night since
his baptism before he went to bed up to the time he went off to college. They
she added that her son told her that he and his wife are going to do the same
for their children.
The title of my homily is, “On Having a Blessed New Year.”
It’s not just for priests to do the blessing. Better all of
us by our baptism are anointed priests, prophets and kings.
By our baptism we are called to bless our children - our
food - our days - our year - as well as to bless ourselves each morning, noon
and night.
How about every morning and every night for this New Year of
2013 - we bless ourselves and each other? It’s a nice morning and night prayer.
It’s short and real. “God bless me or you in the name of the Father, the Son
and the Holy Spirit. Amen.”
THE MEANING OF BLESSINGS
The meaning of a blessing is self explanatory.
We are praying and wishing blessing - favor - health - happiness - joy - redemption - salvation - holiness - the
sacred - God - Mary - the Saints to come upon this other person or ourselves.
The English word “blessing” goes way back - some think to a
Germanic custom and word. Some thing it’s a pre-Christian practice of marking
another with blood - as a blessing.
The human custom of blessing another is found in all
religions - wishing the best to come down upon this other person.
TODAY’S READINGS
Today’s first reading gives us the so called, Aaronite Blessing
- which some date back to 600 years before Christ if not earlier.
The Lord bless you and keep you.
The Lord let his face shine upon you,
and be gracious to you!
The Lord look upon you kindly
and give you peace!
I remember reading somewhere that they found a silver amulet
in an archeological dig in Israel.
The silver piece had a hole in for a string. It would go around a neck. This
specific metal piece - was very delicate - wrap around metal - like you get a
piece of wrap around ham as a hors d oeuvres. When the specialists flattened it
out - they saw writing on it. It was the Aaronite Blessing. I rechecked this out on line this afternoon.
Sure enough - that’s the date - checked out by NASA scientists as well. It’s
listed as one of our earliest Jewish scripture writings - dating it some 400
years before the Dead Sea Scrolls.
Today’s second reading from Galatians spells out that we
have been blessed by being adopted as children of God. How many times in our
have we been talking to someone who tells us the story of adopting a baby or
being adopted themselves. What a blessing! Well, pause at St. Paul’s words here. We have been adopted by God as children of God. I hope we all see that as a great blessing. We
can cry out that God is Our Father. We are in the will. As Paul tells us in
today’s second reading, we are heirs. We’re in the will of God.
Today’s gospel tells us one of the Nativity stories - that
the shepherds were the first to be blessed in seeing the new born baby in the
manger in Bethlehem.
One of the blessings of Christmas for me has always been to
see parents take their little one’s up the crib before or after Mass and have
them experience what the shepherds experienced: witnessing the Gospel scene of
Jesus as a baby in the manger as Luke describes the first Christmas in his
Gospel.
CONCLUSION
Enough. The title of my homily is, “On Having a Blessed New
Year.”
My message is to bless each other during this new year and
to ask God to bless all of us so as to have a blessed new year - and then to
work at making it a Happy New Year. Amen.
GO DOWN TO THE DOCK
ON NEW YEAR'S DAY
Hit square to get
full screen.
Quote for Today - January 1st. 2013 "I saw three ships come sailing by, Come sailing by, come sailing by, I saw three ships come sailing by, On New Year's Day in the morning." Song: I Saw Three Ships, Anonymous Sorry! The song on top doesn't mention New Year's Day - but the old song does! Questions: Spot the three ships. Go down to your dock and enter the first ship. It contains the key people in your life. Who are they by name? What's going on with you and that person? Any hopes for the New Year with them? Is there anything that needs to be said? Is there anything that needs forgiveness and reconciliation? Where is the laughter and where are the tears? Then go onto the second ship. This one carries your stuff. What's important? Is there anything that needs to be dry docked, dumped, thrown overboard, removed? Is there anything that you need for your trips of this New Year - that you don't have yet? Then go onto the third ship. This one contains God. This one - if you're a Christian - contains Jesus. Is he asleep on a cushion and you need to awake him for this New Year of life? [Cf. Mark 4: 38]
Monday, December 31, 2012
AT THE END
OF A YEAR
Quote for Today - December 31, 2012 Year: "A period of three hundred and sixty-five disappointments." Ambrose Bierce [1842 - c. 1914] The Devil's Dictionary [1906] COMMENTS We are not sure of the date of Ambrose Bierce's death - because he disappeared into Mexico to seek "the good, kind darkness" in 1913. His The Devil's Dictionary was first published as The Cynic's Word Book - and that's exactly what much of it is. Looking at your year, looking at your appointments in 2012, what were the wonderful moments - the graces - the gifts - the splendors and what were the disappointments?
