THREE 

TREASURES

Quote for Today - January 6, 2013

"I have three treasures.
        Guard and keep them:
       The first is deep love,
       The second is frugality,
       And the third is not to dare
           to be ahead of the world.
Because of deep love, 
       one is courageous.
Because of frugality,
       one is generous.
Because of not daring
       to be ahead of the world,
       one becomes the leader
       of the world."

Lao-tzu [c, 604-c. 531  B.C., The Way of Lao-tzu

THREE 

PEOPLE 

WORTHY 

OF RESPECT

Quote for Today - January 5, 2013

"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"?

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?

 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) 

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

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

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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]