AT  THE  WAKE

Quote for Today - January  18, 2013

"The dead tell no tales - but there's many a thing learned at the wake."

Irish Proverb


HOMEWORK:

Think of funerals and wakes you've been to and what you learned about the person who died that you didn't know till you heard the eulogy, read the obituary, or talked to others about the deceased.

DIPLOMAT:

YOU GOTTA KNOW

JUST WHEN....

Quote for Today - January 17, 2013

"A diplomat must always think twice before saying nothing."

Irish Proverb

WHERE ARE 

OUR DESERTED PLACES?

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for this 1^st Wednesday in Ordinary Time is, “Where Are Our Deserted Places?"

In today’s gospel - Mark 1: 29-39 - we have mention of a theme we find several times in the gospels:

Rising very early before dawn,
he left and went off to a deserted place,

where he prayed.

The title of my homily is, “Where Are Our Deserted Places?

I know I have preached on this topic and theme at various times.

Where are my deserted places?

MAKE A LIST

Make a list of the places where you can go to in order to escape, to find peace, to be alone.

My father loved the cellar.  A friend of mine built a chapel out of his garage. My niece told me about a Muslim co-worker, who used a closet to get in some of her prayers. I know of a lady who used to hide from her four sons under the kitchen sink. You’d have to be in great shape to do that one. My sister-in-law used the bathroom - to escape from her seven daughters when they were tiny. Fingernails from tiny hands on a locked bathroom door can induce guilt.

Where are your deserted places? The Eucharistic chapel, a corner in this church or St. Mary’s, a book, the library, a walk in the cold or the warm, shopping, a drive, the back porch, the house when nobody is home, Quiet Water’s Park, the Naval Academy, a museum, sitting with a journal, painting, writing a poem, knitting, making Ranger Rosaries, etc.?  Where are your woman caves, man caves, secret places?

TODAY’S READINGS

Today’s gospel for starters triggers this topic, theme and question about deserted places?

Today’s gospel takes place in Capernaum - just off the Lake of Galilee. I can read today’s gospel and put myself in Capernaum with ease - because I was  there once. Anyone who has been to Israel knows this. Capernaum is part of the bus ride - part of the tour. It has the Fourth Century synagogue - whose restoration began in 1922-24. again in 1969, and 1984.  

When I was there in 2000 with 22 priests, Father Stephen Doyle, a Franciscan, who was leading the retreat and tour read today’s gospel story in one of its versions, He told us that this roofless ruin of a synagogue was possibly where this gospel took place - and then gave us a half hour or a hour for quiet prayer. Wonderful.

 Then we went to where the ruins of Peter’s house. It now has a church built over it - a church with glass floors - through which you can see the ruins - where today’s gospel took place - where Jesus healed Peter’s mother-in-law. That place was somewhat crowded compared to the space in the synagogue area - and it’s huge stones on which people can sit - and reflect.

Then we went to the gift shop and I bought this book by Stanislao Loffreda, Recovering Capharnaum. I have stepped back in many a gift shop in a place like Capharnaum - and noticed people often buying a pamphlet or guild book about a place - perhaps to hold onto the holy - perhaps to be able to go back there in memory - in some quiet place - in some quiet time - in the future.

CONCLUSION

Where are your quiet places? 

How do you quiet down?  

What do you do to grow and know the Lord and yourself and others better?  

What did Jesus do in his quiet places? 

The gospels tell us he talked to Our Father - and I’m sure he figured out how to do what today’s first reading from Hebrews 2: 14-18 - tells us he did: how to become like his brothers and sisters in every way. 

That’s our Jesus. That’s our brother! No wonder everyone was looking for him. They wanted to eat him up. 

HELLO!

Quote for Today - January 16,  2013

"A blind man should not be sent to buy paint."

Irish Proverb


HOMEWORK:

Come up with 5 applications of this proverb.

For example: Size 20's should not be telling size 12's how to diet.

I DIDN’T TURN OUT 

TO BE THE PERSON 

I HOPED TO BE

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily is, “I Didn’t Turn Out To Be The Person I Hoped  To Be.”

Don’t we all?

That’s the thought that hit me when I read and reflected on today’s two readings - as well as today’s psalm - Psalm 8.

When we’re young, we dream - we hope - we make big plans and vast expectations for ourselves. Don’t we all? At some point - we face the wrinkled truth: I didn’t get as far as I thought I was going to get.

The marriage - good - but it could have been better. We live some more and change that “it” to an “I” as in, “The marriage - good -  but I could have been better.”

At work -  if things fell apart - or people saw through my coffee breaks or solitaire escapes - or if they saw my inadequacies and limitations -  if I was passed over - or if I lost my job, I could be deeply hurt by these ughs of life.  

Deeper and more painful there is that  day - or afternoon - or sleepless night when I realized, “I didn’t turn out to be the person I hoped to be.” "Lost time: I lost too much time!" That moment was a bummer. It was down right hurting and depressing. These moments could also teach us how to laugh at ourselves - which is an essential part of humility.

Sometimes the cake, the meeting, the conversation, the vacation, the speech, the sermon, the date, the show down - one’s life - doesn’t happen like I thought it would happen.

We might remember Judy Collins or Joni Mitchell singing the following message:

I've looked at life from both sides now
From WIN and LOSE and still somehow
It's life's illusions I recall
I really don't know life at all

I've looked at life from both sides now
From up and down and still somehow
It's life's illusions I recall
I really don't know life at all

TODAY’S FIRST READING AND TODAY’S PSALM

Today’s first reading from Hebrews - Chapter 2 - quotes Psalm 8 - that we were made a little less than the angels. That’s a very high bar!

I did a little research last night and read that the translation we have here - that we were made a little less than the angels - is from the Greek Septuagint scriptures of the Psalms. The Hebrew text of that psalm raises the bar much higher because it says we’re made “a little less than God.”

The higher the expectation, the higher the “Uh oh! Oh no!” depressive feeling we might  feel when we realize -  like Adam and Eve we didn’t reach God’s goals for us. I don’t know about you, but when I make a mistake - when I put my foot in my mouth - when I lay an egg - the only person on the planet that I’m with at that moment is me.

TODAY’S GOSPEL - MEANING  - TODAY’S GOOD NEWS

Today’s gospel - along with that first reading - point out it’s not all me - it’s not all - I, I, I. Surprise, Jesus can arrive in our village - in our mind, in our temple - and if we’re humble enough - down enough - we can celebrate being like the guy in the gospel, the guy with the unclean spirit. We can know  who Jesus Christ is and he came to be with us. Jesus can be for us  the one who fills the gaps - the one who fills the holes in our life - can understand and heal the disasters in our pages - our story.

CONCLUSION

The title of my homily is, “I Didn’t Turn Out To Be The Person I Hoped  To Be.”

If we reached 25% of our life goals - praise God - Jesus can be the other 75%. If were minus 35, Jesus can be plus 135.

When we look at our life - hopefully we can laugh more than cry.

As we’re sitting in the back seat of a limo on our way into heaven and we give our best Marlon Brando imitation: “I could have been a contender.”

When we die, others might see us entering paradise with a smile on our face and we only worked 1 hour in the vineyard - or might have been like the Good Thief - we got on the right side of Jesus just as we died. This might tick people off who got 90’s all their lives.

We can smile, because we made it. We can be like the Prodigal Son and find ourselves welcomed back home no matter what. In heaven they will even throw a party for us. We’ll sit down to eat the fatted calf with only one regret: others will be mad at God for this. Then Jesus will welcome us too and tell us not to worry about older brothers who never messed up. Surprise, they have all eternity to get the hints from Jesus about mercy and forgiveness and love.

HUMILITY

Quote for Today - January 15,  2013

Life: "A long lesson in humility."

James M. Barrie [1860-1937]

Questions:

Agree or disagree?

Does this quote by James M. Barrie ring true for you?

Put into words for another your 3 biggest learning moments?

Painting on Top: Andrew Wyatt  [1917-2009]

STRAIGHTFOWARD 

OR 

SIDEWAYS SPEECH? 

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for this first Monday in Ordinary Time is, “Straightforward Or Sideways Speech.”

Another title could be, “Direct or Indirect Speech.”

QUESTIONS

Is most communication sideways, indirect, backdoor, giving the other time to discover or notice or figure out the message?

Is 99% of communication body language and 1% words?

Is most communication unconscious speaking to unconscious - and we only figure out who the other and what they are saying 25 minutes or 25 days or 25 years later?

How many times have we heard in the past 25 years someone saying in a sermon the following words attributed to St. Francis of Assisi, “Preach the gospel; sometimes use words.”

STORIES

Two of my favorite stories are basically the same story.

The first is from The Fiddler on the Roof when Tevye asks his wife, Golde, if she loves him.”

She gives a list of all the things she’s done for him for 25 years of marriage - cooking, cleaning, but he still asks, “Do you love me?” She won’t give a direct answer - but moves to, “I suppose I do.” Then both sing, “After 25 years it’s nice to know.”

The second story is also from Broadway. In a play a little girl is whining that nobody around here ever tells her that they love her. Someone says, “You’re wrong. Last night at supper you aunt said that she loves you.” The girl says, “She did not. When did she say that?” The speaker says, “She said, ‘Don’t eat too fast.’”

TODAY’S READINGS

Today first reading - Hebrews 1: 1-6 triggered this homily.

The writer says that in the past God spoke in partial ways.  The writer says that God speaks in partial ways and in various ways. Then he says that God speaks directly through his Son. The author also uses the word “imprint”. I didn’t get a chance to look up what the Greek word is - but I’m sure it has the idea that if you see footprints, someone was there - if you see fingerprints on the glass door, someone was there. Then the author of Hebrews adds the verb “sustains”. God sustains all.

If you want to get in touch with that last theme of “sustaining” - read The Book of Job - especially The Lord’s Speech - Chapters 38-30. It tells us about how God is keeping the vast enterprise - this big house going. This is a powerful theme to keep exploring. This planet is around 4.5 billion years old. There’s a message here somewhere.

Today’s gospel - Mark 1: 14-20 -  is an example of straightforward and direct speech.

Jesus comes up to four fishermen,  Peter and Andrew, James and John, and says, “Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men.”

CONCLUSION

The title of my homily is, “Straight Forward Or Sideways Speech.”

Today - let’s open our eyes and our ears and see and hear Jesus’ calls to us - calls that are direct and indirect, straightforward and sideways.

Today, we’re already saying a lot with our feet by being here. It’s indirect and sideways - but God understands all languages.