DIVINE  MERCY 

Quote for Today - April 12,  2013

"The French scholar and Christian,
Frederick Ozanam, 
once said that if God has,
as of course He Has,
some mysteries 
yet unrevealed to us,
no doubt they are secrets of mercy."

Susan L. Emery, The Inner Life of the Soul, 1903

YOU WON’T FIND A RULER 

OR A MEASURING CUP 

IN GOD’S KITCHEN 
 OR TOP DRAWER

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily is, “You Won’t Find a Ruler or a Measuring Cup in God’s Kitchen or Top Drawer.”

I was intrigued by a sentence - as well as a word - in today’s gospel - - that I don’t remember ever noticing before. That’s the beauty of being able to reflect and read and preach on the daily readings.

The sentence is in John 3: 34b, “He does not ration his gift of the Spirit.”

Using the full text,  John 3:34 says, “He” - namely Jesus - the one God the Father sent “does not ration his gift of the Spirit.”

The word “ration” hit me. I did a little bit of research on the text - and my guess was right:  it’s rare - very rare. Raymond Brown, the Sulpician, who was a world famous authority on the scriptures - and especially The Gospel of John - said this in the only place the thought can be found in Greek literature. That’s quite a statement. But he says that it can be found a bit in the Jewish writings of the prophets - where God is said to portion out his Spirit.  Ray Brown wonders if the author of John is making that contrast. [1]

So that’s a profound message: God does not give just glasses of cold water. God gives waterfalls and oceans of water. God doesn’t just give bits of the Holy Spirit - God gives unlimited gifts of the Spirit - God doesn’t just send gentle breezes, God sends wind that shakes houses and shakes lives.

Any takers?

GREEK WORD

The Greek word in the text is “metron.”  It’s first meaning would be “measure”. The text is saying that in Jesus the Spirit was not rationed. It was just poured out on Jesus and Jesus poured that love out on people - without limit - without measurement - without ration.

Our text is a bit creative - translating “metron” into English by the word “ration”.  Other English translations use the word “measure.”

Now even though the word “ration” or “measure” or “metron” is only found here in John 3:34b, the theme of the overabundance and overflowing - and the beyond measure love of God - is a Bible theme.

I love that the Redemptorist motto is “Copiosa apud eum redemptio” - With him there is fullness, copious, unlimited forgiveness - buy back by God redemption.” We Redemptorists forget this at times - but it’s always there to challenge us - which mottos are supposed to do.

Jesus preached this theme big time in his great parables - like the Prodigal Son and the Lost Sheep - and you can enter the vineyard at the last hour. Jesus preached this from the cross - forgiving those who killed him.

The Risen Lord Jesus broke through locked doors and locked minds to share forgiveness and peace and resurrection to his stuck in what they had done disciples.

St. Paul preached this theme when he talked about the unfathomable, inscrutable riches of Christ. [Cf. Ephesians 3:8.]

CONCLUSION

When you stand under the shower, make it a morning or a night prayer - being washed - and having the Spirit of God baptizing and rebaptizing you each morning or each night. Take a rosary and use the 59 beads to simply say, “More, More, More,” on each bead. It’s a 1 minute rosary or “Thanks, Thanks, Thanks”, on each bead and feel God without measure - without a measuring cup - pouring his love on you. Amen. 

NOTES:

[1] Raymond E. Brown, The Anchor Bible, The Gospel According to John, I-XII, Vol 29, page 158

DIVINE  MERCY 

Quote for Today - April 11, 2013

"We may imitate the Deity
in all his moral attributes,
but mercy is the only one
in which we can pretend
to equal him.  - We cannot,
indeed, give like God,
but surely we may forgive
like him."

Laurence Sterne [1713-1768]

Picture: A synagogue in Budapest

DIVINE  MERCY

Quote for Today - April 10, 2013

"Among the attributes of God,
although they are all equal,
mercy shines with even
more brilliancy than justice."

Miguel de Cervantes [1547-1616]

BORN AGAIN

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for this Tuesday in the Second Week of Easter is, “Born Again!”

That idea, that image, that theme, comes from this 3^rd chapter of the Gospel of John - when Jesus tells Nicodemus, “You must be born again from above.”

And Nicodemus - like many of the main characters in the Gospel of John thinks literally. He doesn’t get the poetry and thinking patterns of Jesus. To him water is water. Wind is wind. And birth is your birthday - once.

CHANGE!

And Nicodemus - here in the 3^rd Chapter of John changes.  For him it's a process. In 7:50 we hear him speaking up for Jesus. In 19:39 he comes with Joseph of Arimathea who asked Pilate if they could remove the body of Jesus after his death. Like many of these main characters in the gospel of John, Nicodemus changes. He is reborn. It happens to the Samaritan Woman in Chapter 4. It happens to the cripple in Chapter 5. It happens to the Bread in Chapter 6. It begins to happen to the guards in Chapter 7. It happens to the men who want to stone the woman caught in adultery in Chapter 8. It happens to the blind man in Chapter 9. It doesn’t happen to the Jews who want to stone Jesus to death on the feast of the dedication in Chapter 10. It happens to Lazarus in Chapter 11.

Jesus is all about calling people to change - to be reborn. Just as water can change and become wine - and wine can change and become the Blood of Jesus -  just as wheat can change and  become flour and then can become bread and then bread can change and become the Body of Christ, so too we can change.

CHANGE OR REMAIN STUCK?

Jesus came and called people to change - to conversion -  to become brand new - to be born again.

When was the last time I have changed: how I see life, how I see another, how I see family members, how I see myself? When was the last time I changed? 

It should be happening every other day - like watching the winds shake the trees - like watching the trees come back to life in the spring - so too we should see ourselves shaking at times - budding at times - growing at times - becoming new a lot of times.

Last night I was talking to a couple at dinner and I said how stupid I thought the Russians were when it comes to tourism. I said they could make a lot more money if they didn't appear to look so cold and Stoic with their faces at  the customs and passport checking in places when we went to St. Petersburg in Russia. The husband said, “I said the same thing to some Russians once and they said to me, ‘Do you know how tough your custom agents are when we come into America?”

I thought for a moment and then said, “I never thought of it that way before. Thank you!”

Will I ever make my first statement again? I hope not. Time will tell.

We’ve all heard the saying that a cat has nine lives?

How about human beings?

I once heard a talk on Frank Sinatra. The speaker was saying that Frank Sinatra had 4 lives. Critics said he was finished when he broke up his marriage with Nancy to marry Ava Gardner for her third marriage. He was a national hero at that point. The bobby soxers swooned over him. When he fell in love with Ava,  he disappointed his fan base. However, it wasn’t his end - nor hers. The speaker told us that Sinatra had 3 more lives after that.

I always like to quote Glenn Close, as Iris Gaines, the old girl friend of Roy Hobbs - Robert Redford - in the movie, The Natural - how we all have 2 lives. 

Roy Hobbs said to Iris, “My life didn’t turn out the way I expected.”

Iris says, "You know, I believe we have two lives."

Roy says, "How ... what do you mean?"

Iris says, "The life we learn with and the life we live with after that."

Think about that one.

A relative once said to me, “You’ve changed in this new assignment." 

It wasn’t here. 

I was intrigued by that comment and asked, “How so?” 

“Well, you seem so different.”  

I couldn’t get a specific - so I didn’t find that comment too helpful. 

I would hope each birthday, each job, each assignment, each experience, can find us wiser or more experienced. So that comment was heard - and even though it wasn't specific, it got me thinking.

CONCLUSION

The Gospel of John keeps challenging us to growth - to new life. I love John 10:10b where Jesus says, “I have come that you might have life and that you live it to the full.”

Am I?

I think one practice would be to see ourselves as each character in the Gospel of John. Picture the Gospel of John as a mirror and see ourselves as Nicodemus, or the cripple,  or any of the characters in his story and then ask Jesus for help to be reborn into the image and likeness of God. Amen.

DIVINE MERCY 

Quote for Today - April 9, 2013

"If mercy were a sin, I believe I could not keep from committing it."

St. Bernard of Clairvaux (1091-1153),  Life and Works of St. Bernard of Clairvaux, ed. by J. Mabillson

Drawing by some kid in St. Mary's Annapolis Elementary School

THY WILL BE DONE

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily is, “Thy Will Be Done.”

When I read over the readings for the feast of the Annunciation - which was moved to today - because of Holy Week, - the phrase and prayer that I heard was, “Thy Will Be Done.”

The Psalm response we said was, “Here I am, Lord; I come to do your will.”

The first reading from Isaiah is about asking the Lord for a sign - wanting to know what’s what, what does God want?  And Ahaz says stop wearying the Lord with requests - needing signs. Then he gives the great sign, the great quote, from Isaiah 7:14:

“Therefore the Lord himself will give you this sign:
the virgin shall be with child, and bear a son,
and shall name him Emmanuel,
which means “God is with us!”  

Today’s second reading from Hebrews has the person praying saying two times loud and clear: “Behold, I come to do your will.”

And the gospel has Mary saying at the Annunciation that she is willing to be the Lord’s servant - the Lord’s handmaid.

So that’s why the title of my homily is, “Thy Will Be Done.”

WILL

If we listen to each other we use the word “will” all day long.

·        “I will do it?”

·        “Will you do me a favor?”

·        “Well, who do you think will do this?”

·        “I will try to get there by 3 PM.”

So what “will” means is very clear and very basic.

But what “will” means is sometimes not so clear.

Sometimes we don’t know what the other wants.  Don’t we say with some people, “Give me a clue please - just what you want me to do?”

And when it comes to God - what God’s will is - is often very tricky and very unclear.

Yet we pray in every Our Father, “Thy will be done - on earth as it is in heaven.”

I suggest you do some thinking about “will” - and I think it will bring good results.

I suggest you do some good thinking and reflecting on what “God’s will” means - and it will bring good results.

CONCLUSION

There are answers. Here are two: science and scriptures.

Most basic is science. Scientific reasoning teaches the message: do good and good things happen. Do bad things and bad things happen.  Not all the time - but in the long room, obviously yes. Sometimes someone makes it to 97 and they report that they smoked their entire life. However, in general I sense that smokers live 10 years less than non-smokers. If someone disagrees with that, it ain’t worth arguing about. Common sense days if you mess with Mother Nature - expect damaged earth and bodies. Drive while drunk, expect accidents. Don’t exercise - expect weaker health.

Second answer: scriptures. As Christians we read and hear the scriptures and we get good answers to what God’s will is.  So when we say, “Thy will be done!” we can mean it to say: I will try to be like Jesus and Mary. Live a live like theirs and I’ll be doing God’s will. I love the simple text in Mark. It was under a painting of Jesus in a retreat house where I was stationed: “He went around doing good.”