HOLINESS:

SPELL IT OUT FOR ME

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for this First Monday in Lent is, “Holiness: Spell It Out For Me!”

Today’s first reading begins this way: “The Lord said to Moses, ‘Speak to the whole Israelite community and tell them: Be holy, for I, the Lord, your God, am holy.'”

God is saying, “Tell the folks to be holy!”

If Moses stopped there we might ask, “Okay, now tell me how to be holy? Spell it out for me.” Or we might say, “For example. Give me some examples on how to be holy.” Or we might say, “That’s like telling kids when we’re going out for the evening and leaving them home alone, ‘Be good.’”

Too vague. Give me a list of do’s and don’ts. Maybe one specific could be a good Lenten Resolution.

TODAY’S READINGS

Surprise today’s readings spell it out for us. Today’s readings give a list of do’s and a list of don’ts. Let me make that my homily.

FIRST THE DON’TS

Don’t steal.

Don’t lie.

Don’t speak falsely to another.

Don’t swear falsely using my name.

Don’t defraud.

Don’t rob your neighbor.

Don’t withhold overnight the wages of your day laborer.

Don’t curse the deaf.

Don’t put a stumbling block in front of the blind.

Don’t  act dishonestly in rendering judgment.
Don’t show  partiality to the weak nor deference to the mighty
Don’t go about spreading slander among your kin.
Don’t stand by idly when your neighbor's life is at stake.
Don’t bear hatred for your brother in your heart.
Don’t incur sin because of him – even if you have correct him or her.
Don’t take revenge or cherish a grudge against your fellow countrymen.

NOW THE DO’S – THE LIST IS SHORTER

Judge others justly

You shall love your neighbor as yourself

Feed the hungry.

Give the thirsty something to drink.

Welcome the stranger.

Clothe the naked.

Care for the sick.
Visit those in prison.

 CONCLUSION

There they are.

We all know the KISS principle in public speaking. Keep It Simple Stupid.

If you want the above lists on how to be holy to be even more simple here are some shorter versions - but notice they move to the general - compared to the specifics mentioned above:

       “Love one another.”

       “Keep the Golden Rule.”

       “Be a sheep; don’t be a goat.”

       “Cause heaven; don’t cause hell!”

       "Do good; avoid evil."

       "Build; don't destroy!"

       "Cause happiness; not hate!"

THE GREAT,

"IF I WERE POPE"
QUESTIONNAIRE.

It was the 100^th ballot and still there was no pope.

The Las Vegas and London betting establishments had long given up on just what ballot the white smoke would billow out of the small pipe on the roof of the Vatican - indicating, “Habemus papam!”

The well over 100 Cardinals could not break the deadlock. There were at least 10 horses in the race and nobody would budge ballot after ballot.

Finally after the 100^th ballot and still no pope, someone said, “Why not ask the Church what they want - because it seems we are not in agreement on what and who we want.”

At that, someone said, “You’re kidding! We never did that before!”

At that someone off to the side said, “Well it took us 700 years for another pope to step down and retire.”

“Well,” the first someone said, “Why don’t we put out a questionnaire and ask people to list 10 "must" qualifications they would like to see in a pope?”

Surprise! That’s what they did. Instead of white smoke indicating “Habemus papam!” out came a “We have a questionnaire!”

In the meanwhile the more than 100 cardinals took a 2 week break - no press allowed - no politicking allowed - no lobbying allowed. They were exhausted and some of these men were old men.

In came responses - millions and millions and millions of responses and suggestions - from all over the world - in all the languages of the world. Catholics are everywhere.

Seminarians and Sisters in Rome - under strict secrecy - were asked to sit there - open up the envelopes and put the enclosed questionnaires in piles of 100 - based on language only.

The suggestions - the recommendations -  were interesting, different, surprising, enlightening, and definitely a unique way of doing this.

The cardinals came back and spent three weeks reading and discussing these “must” qualifications from all over the world. Then it happened. They came up with a pope on the 101^st ballot.

The qualifications sheets were all shredded - but there was a leak. It happens every time. 

The last pope’s former butler - who was new to the job - discovered in a top drawer - in one of the rooms - a short list of qualifications  that some cardinal must have jotted down from the various lists. Why? We don’t know. Some of them had circles around them - some had notes like “You’re kidding!” Some had exclamation points and question marks. Some had stars. One had an "Uh oh!" on it.

This list got out. Someone screamed for an investigation. The new pope, who was not going to have a butler or a maid, calmly said, "Relax!"

So here's the list that some think one cardinal simply jotted down from lots of different lists:

·        Must be under 64 years of age.

·        Must be from a second or third world country.

·        Must have shopped in a grocery store or supermarket at least 37 times in their life.

·        Must come from a large family.

·        Must know the luminous mysteries of the Rosary.

·        Must be married.

·        Must declare for the next 2000 years the church will only have women priests and God will be called “She” - to see how women will do with the church compared to what men did for the past 2000 years.

·        Must know 15 parables of Jesus by heart - can explain the story in one’s own words - and how it has worked out in one's life.

·        Must have a sense of humor.

·        Must put an end to all the hats - and expensive pageantry type garments for liturgy and worship.

·        Must speak at least 2 languages.

·        Must know and have talked to someone who has a family member who is gay, someone who has committed suicide, someone who has had an abortion.

·        Must have taught religious education to kids under 10 years of age.

·        Must have been a leader in a labor union, or at a school, parish, or neighborhood.

·        Must be a good listener

•     Must have skills in compromising, building solidarity, and consultation.

·        Must be someone who when receiving complaints about someone’s theology or outlook on life - that complaint be sent back to the complainer or if no signature - shred it. If there is a signature and address, then ask both parties, "Do they want to sit down together and hear each other’s stories?"

·        Come up with new ways of selecting the pope and bishops - maybe eliminating cardinals - or what have you.

·        Must call a new World Council that will be held in a 3^rd World Country - and the whole Church is to be involved in the process. This council will have to address how to better help the poor of the world - abuse in all its forms - peace efforts - marriage improvements - how to encourage having more children over more stuff - greater dialogue with all religions and with people of no religion - the shortage of nuns, brothers and priests - and the many creative ways to build up the Body of Christ.

So on the 101^st Ballot - white smoke arose from the small chimney in the Vatican.

The small crowd  in St. Peter’s Square - mostly press - were surprised when they saw the smoke.

They began yelling, “Habemus papam” into their cell phones - and to each other. Then - as they saw who the new pope was - their chant switched to “Habemus mama! Habemus mama!” 

Our new pope was a woman.  She was a 56 year old widow and grandmother from Paraguay in South America. She spoke Spanish, Guarani and some Portuguese. She raised 8 children - had 36 grand kids - and had worked as a community organizer in her small city in Paraguay. And as Pope or Mother she kept her own name - her baptismal name.

© Andy Costello, Reflections 2013

GRAHAM  GREEN 

ON  HATE

Quote for Today - February 18, 2013

"When you visualised a man or a woman carefully, you could always begin to feel pity ... That was a quality God's image carried with it ... When you saw the lines at the corners of the eyes, the shape of the mouth, how the hair grew, it was impossible to hate.  Hate was just a failure of imagination."

Graham Greene [1904-1991]

40 DAYS

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for this First Sunday in Lent, Year C, is, “40 Days”.

For some reason, 40 is one of those numbers one hears in various religions. It generally stands for a period of learning and growth.

When mentioned, it’s usually either 40 days or 40 years.

A SHORT LIST IN THE BIBLE

In the New American Bible, the one we use at Mass, the number 40 appears 109 times.

Noah was out there on the waters - for 40 days and 40 nights - of rain and storm - and cleansing - and a fresh start.

The Israelites came out of Egypt and wandered in the desert for 40 years.  It was also  a period of cleansing -  preparing them for the Promised Land - for the land of milk and honey that we heard about in today’s first reading.

Moses was up in the mountains with God two times for 40 days of prayer and communion.

Goliath - the Giant - strutted and taunted the Israelite army for 40 days before David went out with a sling shot and killed him.

Elijah the prophet took a 40 day journey - an escape - to Mount Horeb - where he experiences God.

Jonah the Prophet finally went to the city of Nineveh and proclaimed 40 days of penance and repentance - otherwise their city would be destroyed.

Jesus goes into the desert for 40 days as we heard in today’s gospel.

Lent is traditionally described as 40 days.

THE POET HAFIZ

Years ago I discovered the Persian poet Rumi [1207-1273]. Dropping Rumi's name could get an "Aha!" From time to time I’d notice the mention of another Persian poet Hafiz [c,1320-1389] with Rumi's name.

So last year when I spotted a copy of Daniel Ladinisky’s book, A Year with Hafiz - Daily Contemplations. It's in English. It gives 365 short - one page or half a page or even shorter poems of Hafiz. I scooped it up. It provided intriguing, interesting pieces to ponder and pierce.

When I started thinking about the number 40, I remembered that in the introduction to Hafiz’s life and poetry, Daniel Ladinsky points out the significance of the number 40 in Hafiz’s life. 

When he was a young man - he was working as an assistant to a baker. One day he was delivering bread to a mansion. He notices this beautiful young lady. She didn’t spot him. With one glance he was in love. He began writing love poem after love poem about her. It seems she never knew was interested in him. His poems became very popular - and made him famous. He didn’t notice any of that. He was still totally stuck on this gal.

To try to win her he began a very difficult Sufi spiritual practice that called for him to keep vigil for 40 nights at the grave of a Muslim saint. He worked all day in the bakery and stayed at the grave every night - trying not to  sleep - praying and hoping to win this girl.

As the story goes, “on the fortieth day, the Archangel Gabriel, appeared to Hafiz and told him to ask for anything he wished.”

“Hafiz had never seen such a glorious, radiant being as Gabriel.”

He began thinking, “If God’s messenger is so beautiful, how much more beautiful God must  be!”

As the story goes, “At that Hafiz forgot all about the girl and said to Gabriel, 'I want God!'”

That’s when the angel Gabriel directed Hafiz to a spiritual director and he began a 40 year search for God.

His Sufi Muslim teacher or master was Muhammad Attar.

Attar was a tyrant - a tough, tough teacher - who made life “hell on earth” as Hafiz described it  - “day after day, year after year, for forty long years.”

Poetry was very much part of Sufi spirituality. For 40 years Hafiz wrote love poem after love poem about how he saw God and love in creation and in human beings. These poems became a rich part of Persian and Eastern literature down through the centuries.

After  40 years - Hafiz now well over 60 years of age - complained to his teacher, Muhammad Attar, “Look at me! I’m old, my wife and son are long dead. What have I gained by being your obedient disciple for all these years?”

Attar his teacher and master said, “Be patient and one day you will know.”

Hafiz shouted, “I knew I would get that answer from you.”

That’s how these stories go.

What to do? Once more - as in the beginning - he went on a final 40 day search for God - and answers.

Well, at the end of this period of 40 days, Attar gives him a cup of wine and he experiences a "God-Relization" and "Cosmic-Consciousness". He was flooded, drowned, overwhelmed and swept into the love of God. He experienced deep union with God for the rest of his life.

LENT 2013

We have begun Lent 2013.

At the end of these 40 days will we be any different than today?

Go for it. Go for God -  the God of love.

You know the Lenten practices: prayer, fasting, almsgiving.

Find your desert place: a walk each early morning or each evening with God. Designate a chair in a quiet place in your place as your prayer chair. Close your eyes. Be in the presence of God. Have one of those Lenten meditation booklets next to your chair or a rosary. Use it for Hair Mary’s or say on the 59 beads,  “Here I am Lord!” or “Where are You, Lord?”  or “Help!” or “Thanks!”

Have your Bible sitting there. Pick a passage. 

Put the words on your lips and then let them sink into your heart as today’s second reading puts it. [Cf. Romans 10:8-13]

Be careful when it comes to scriptures. Remember the old saying, “The devil can quote the bible.” That saying comes from today’s gospel.[Luke 4:1-13]

CONCLUSION

Lent it’s 40 days. I can be the same me at Easter or I can change a lot or a bit - these 40 days. It's a grace time to discover the God of love in everyday life.

Let me close with three short poems by Hafiz:

JUST AS I SUSPECTED

In a vision I heard this clearly whispered:

Study those who sing the most,

but are free of criticism or praise.

Following that advice, things turned out

just as I suspected.

I started spending more time with birds.

WINE IS LIKE THE LORD JESUS

Wine is like the Lord Jesus;

it can bring the dead to life.

WHY NOT BE POLITE?

Everyone is really God speaking.
Why not be polite and listen to

the Old Guy?

+++++   X  ++++++++ = 40

Book: Daniel Ladinsky, A Year With Hafiz, Daily Contemplations, Penguin Books, London, 2010

WANTING OUR LIFE 

TO MAKE SENSE

Quote for Today - February 17, 2013


WANTING OUR LIFE TO MAKE SENSE

All day long you do this, and then 
even in your sleep .... pan for gold.

We are looking to find something
to celebrate with great enthusiasm,

wanting all our battles and toil
and our life to make sense.

"I found it, I found it, I found it!"
a hermit once began to shout,
after having spent years
in solitude, meditating,

"Where?" a young shepherd boy
nearby asked, "Where?"

And the hermit replied,
"It may take a while,
but I will show you.
For now, just sit near to me."

All day long we do this with our movements 
and our thoughts ... pan for gold.



Hafiz [c. 1320-1389], in Daniel Ladinsky, A Year With Hafiz, Penguin Books, page 40

FEAR:

THE WOLF CALLED "FEAR!"

Quote for Today - February 16, 2013

"Fear makes the wolf bigger than he or she is."

German Proverb

QUESTION  AND YOU ANSWER PERIOD:

Put down the names of 3 people you fear:

1) _____________________    _______________

2) _____________________    _______________

3) _____________________    _______________

Then put down next to their name the one thing you fear about that person.

Woof! Woof! Wolf! Wolf! Howl! Howl! Laugh .... Laughing.....

GOD DOESN’T WEAR 

A “FOR SALE” SIGN

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily is, “God Doesn’t Wear A ‘For Sale’ Sign.”

I don’t know about you, but I find this topic and theme really worth thinking about.

Yesterday afternoon after getting back from a wake, I read today’s readings and walked with them on a 45 minute walk through the Naval Academy.

GOD CAN’T BE BOUGHT

The first thing that hit me after reading today’s readings was, “God Can’t Be Bought!”

Then I said to myself, “Entitle the homily: ‘God Doesn’t Wear a ‘For Sale’ Sign.’”

That title might have more impact over, “God Can’t Be Bought!” but I’m still wondering about that.

HUMAN RELATIONSHIPS

That got me thinking about Valentine’s Day. If the guy doesn’t buy his wife a card or a gift or take her out to dinner, he’s in trouble. At least that’s the fantasy, the sellers of cards and chocolates - the owners of restaurants and flower shops - would like publicized and advertized loud and clear.

Then I wondered if a couple who are dead or broken up psychologically - could they heal by gifts. If I’m true to this insight I’m wondering about, “No! You can’t buy love.”

Then I thought about politics - and bribes - payoffs - tokens of appreciation - that are part of oiling the palms of public officials all over the world.

The church is no stranger to money.

Next I thought about teenagers discovering that you can’t buy friendships. I’ve heard on enough teen retreats the painful reality of someone who tried to buy a friendship - and got burnt - used - and then they discovered that friendships and relationships are mystery. Gifts don’t deliver friendships.

Of course kids use kids who have money or a car or looks for their own benefit.

Time tells everything.

Pain is a tough teacher.

As I was thinking about this - while walking through the Naval Academy - I began remembering a song by the Beatles. Didn’t they have a song, “Can’t Buy Me Love”. When I got back here I looked it up. 

Sure enough they sing that money, diamonds can’t buy me love. In the long run people discover they are not enough. It has to be love and the human fit - for a relationship to make it and for a relationship to work.

BACK TO GOD

It seems that the prophets picked up you can’t buy God. Fasting, prayer, sacrifices are not enough. One just has to experience God and let God love me as I am unconditionally.

How old does one have to be to discover that someone who loves me doesn’t love me for my money or looks or possibilities - but because of who I am down deep simple? If they love me for those reasons, expect disaster.

How old does one have to be to discover that God loves me freely - and I don’t have to do anything to earn that love.

God does not wear a “For Sale” sign.

GREAT STUFF

I wish I could spell out the importance of this question here - in this homily - but I’m only beginning to infringe on the nuances.

So I have to do a lot of homework on all this. This is just a first draft. As I was walking yesterday thru the Naval Academy, different insights were hitting me. I kept saying to myself, “This is big stuff here. Get a handle on it.”

I can’t. It’s illusive. It’s mystery. It’s God stuff. It’s relationship stuff. It’s lifetime stuff. Go figure.

The scriptures help.

How much do I have to do to be saved?  Some would answer, “Nothing. God saves us. All I have to do is simply put everything into God’s hands.” The Christian would say, “Simply put your whole trust that Jesus Christ is your Lord and Savior and let go.”

Various Gospel texts and New Testament texts support this.

Then I sensed some caution whispers in my brain. I could hear, “Wait a minute!”  I could hear, “It all depends.”

In human relationships, there are calls for unconditional love. In marriage, that’s why vow formulas often have phrases like “sickness and health” and “in good times and in bad”. People shut down, get depressed, get lazy, make mistakes. Thank God they always don’t happen in both at the same time.

At the same time static situations needs to become dynamic situations. Couples need to talk out loud what they see is the state of their union on a regular basis. Couples need to clarify expectations. Couples need to agree to disagree.

It helps when couples click - fit - are a good match. It helps when couples realize on the 7’s [7, 14, 21, 28, 35, year marks], “We were meant for each other. It’s all mystery - but we’ve been blessed - but we also work to make our marriage a good marriage.”

So a good marriage calls for communication about expectations and conditions that need to be met. There are “No! No’s!” in a marriage.

If we one drinks too much - if one becomes a lump or a couch potato -  if one doesn’t bathe - if one just doesn’t do anything to foster the growth of the relationship, things can become tough.

DOES GOD HAVE CONDITIONS?

That’s human couples - marriages and relationships - the question I’m getting at in this homily is:  does God have conditions? Does God wear a “For Sale” sign?

Do I have to do anything to be saved?  Can I buy a ticket to heaven or does everyone get a free pass?

Matthew certainly presents limitations in his way of addressing this question.

Luke does too - but seems makes getting into heaven easier.

Thank God we have Matthew and Luke. Thank God we have Mark and John - and the rest of the New and Old Testaments.

Matthew  25: 31- 46 - Jesus’  great parable of the Last Judgment has everyone lined up as a sheep or a goat. One  goes to hell or heaven based on whether we served and fed and visited the sick the lost and abandoned. Matthew when he gives the parable of being invited to the wedding 22: 1-14, has a guy thrown out - because he didn’t have the proper wedding garment on. That’s a restriction. So evidently there are boundaries and conditions.

Next - the added question. If I fulfill those requirements, would that be buying God?

In Luke 15 we have the 3 big parables on all this. They are the stories of the lost sheep, the lost coin and the lost son. In those 3 stories it seems we are brought right into the kingdom as is. And all are invited into the wedding banquet. You don’t have to buy a wedding suit or dress for the occasion. Come as you are.[Cf.  Luke 14:15-24.]

Whose closer to the truth: Matthew or Luke?

What is God really like?

We have to die to find out.

CONCLUSION

In this homily I’m saying that God can’t be bought. God does not wear a “For Sale” sign.

We can fast and do all that stuff. Good if it’s good for us.

Better - if it’s better for others - as Isaiah  58: 1-9a says in today’s first reading - when he tells us what kind of fasting God calls for loud and clear in today’s first reading.

We can fast - as today’s gospel - Matthew 9: 14-15 - puts it, but if the fasting kills the celebration of life in a person, stop the fasting. If Lent makes us worse than we usually are, stop the fasting. We heard about the evils of a certain type of fasting, alms giving, praying, tooting one’s horn on Ash Wednesday. We also remember the old stories preachers told at the beginning of Lent - about families can’t waiting for Lent to end because so and so was abstaining from liquor for Lent. Amen.