DIFFERENT  KINDS  OF  PEACE

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for this 5th Tuesday of Easter is, “Different Kinds of Peace.”

I don’t know about you - but these after Easter readings can get quite repetitive or broken "recordish".

We hear Jesus telling us over and over and over again to love one another and how he’s trying to do his  Father’s will and commandment to love.

And I’m sure you noticed the first reader having to sail through the waters of  some tricky words in the Acts of the Apostles. This morning we heard about Paul and Barnabas going to Derbe,  Iconium, Lystra, Pamphilia, Pisidia, Perga, Attalia and Antioch. All aboard! [Cf. Acts 14: 19-28]

So like you I listen to the readings over and over again for something to hit or to challenge me.

In today’s gospel the word “peace” showed up. Like the word “love” it too is often found in these after Easter readings. Today, I heard Jesus saying to his disciples: “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you.” [Cf. John 14:27]

Then  there was a tiny twist. Jesus talks about peace and adds the nuance, ”Not as the world gives do I give it to you.”

I said to myself, “Explore that!” I asked: “Do different people have different takes on what the word ‘peace’ entails?” I wondered if I had a clear take on what Jesus means by peace - giving or creating or working towards peace.

Time was ticking, so I decided that attempts at answering those questions could be enough for a short Tuesday morning homily.

With that as a long introduction, once more the title of my homily is: “Different Kinds of Peace.”

HEBREW MEANING OF PEACE

In the Jewish scriptures - “Shalom”  was a greeting on the street and on the road - which one made to one’s neighbor. It meant health, no debts, family members are not fighting each other. It meant rain and good crops. It meant no foreign armies or wild beasts were lurking on one’s property or in the neighborhood. It meant one’s family is feeling God’s blessings - and everyone is keeping the covenant with God - that is, being right with God and neighbor. It’s a prayer: “Please  God - may that peace be flowing like a river into your family and your land.”

In the New Testament “Shalom” meant all those same things. Then as Christ’s words made more and more impact and sense -  as Christian thought  developed - “Shalom” also meant union with Christ and seeing oneself as a member of the whole Body of Christ in community. As Christian theology developed more,  it was seen as the plan and the hope and the vision of Christ for his kingdom to come - on earth as it is in heaven - as we pray in the Our Father. In time the Greek ideal of peace - meaning good order and harmony - also came into the message and greeting  of “Peace”.

TYPES OF PEACE - DIFFERENT FROM JESUS’ TYPE OF PEACE

My original question stayed there: what type of peace would be different from the type of peace Jesus envisioned?

Is there anyone who thinks they will feel peace if they had tons of money and tons of success?

Is there anyone who thinks they will be at peace if we have bigger and better guns and bombs and greater gigantic walls protecting us  - so no trouble can come in?

Does anyone think we’ll have peace without making sure everyone  gets a place at the table - gets a voice and a vote - gets a piece of the action - and a piece of the pie? So does anyone think we’ll have peace without having to  be concerned with our brothers and sisters - especially those in need.

CONCLUSION

After all that, I realized I still don’t get exactly what kind of peace Jesus is pronouncing and promoting - but I hope I’m a bit closer each day.

I know that it's stopping the rock throwing - verbal and stone - and use those rocks to build steps and bridges to each other.[1]

I get that peacemaking is work. It’s crucifixion at times. It’s dying to self. Yet, it remains illusive - so I suppose that’s why we keep on wishing one another  “Shalom” -  “Peace” - when we meet and greet each other - and then we try to see what we can do to be peacemakers - to be instruments of the Lord’s peace this day. Amen!

OOOOOOO

Notes:

[1] Cf. Today's first reading where they stone Paul to death to shut him up - Acts 14:19

GRUMBLE, GRUMBLE, 

GRUMBLE

Quote for Today - April 30, 2013

"Better cabbage in peace than sugar with grumbling."

Old Greek Saying

WEATHER REPORTS

Quote for Today

"I've lived in good climate, and it bores the hell out of me. I like weather rather than climate."

John Steinbeck, Travels with Charley [1962]

7 C’S:

MAKE ONE OF THEM 

COMPARISONS 

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for this 5 Sunday of Easter C is, “7 C’s: Make One of Them Comparisons.”

Have you ever noticed that words beginning with “C” often appear when talking about spirituality and religion?

For example: “Conversion, Change, Challenge, Care, Concerns, Community, Choice, Christ, Communion, Contrast, Comparisons.”

The title of my homily is, “7 C’s: Make One of Them Comparisons.”

TODAY’S READINGS

Today’s readings offer great contrast, great change and great comparisons.

In today’s first reading from the Acts of the Apostles we have the closing message that the door of faith is now opened to the Gentiles. Tremendous new life lay on the other side of that door.

When the Apostles and followers of Christ were communicating with the Jews - there was conflict and controversy. When the door opened to the outside world - to the Gentiles - things changed. We’re hearing now in the Acts of the Apostles - this post gospel writing - about what happened next - we see the door open to the whole world. The Gospel moves out of Jerusalem, out of  Israel and into the whole Mediterranean world and beyond - and eventually to us.

The door has opened.

Today’s second reading from the Book of Revelation offers with great imagination and energy - a contrast between the old and the new.

Being a product of the 1960’s I hear Bob Dylan’s song, “The Times They Are A Changin” in this second reading.

The last sentence in this reading we heard today has, “The One who sat on the throne said, ‘Behold, I make all things new.” The first sentence has, “Then I, John, saw a new heaven and a new earth.”

Sandwiched in between those two sentences we have the great image of a wedding, a new marriage, between heaven and earth - God with us. We have the great contrast between the old city, the old Jerusalem, and the New Jerusalem - and the heavens opening up.

Here comes new life…. Here comes the Bride …. Sin and death are gone…. divorced from us….  The Great Divorce that Adam and Eve caused - their Original Sin that got us thrown out of paradise - is ended. The New is here. That’s the Good News that Christ proclaimed.

Powerful language - powerful images - powerful possibilities - powerful contrasts and comparisons.

And today’s gospel begins with a scene from the Last Supper. Judas leaves the room and then everything changes in comparison.  Now the Son of Man can be glorified. There is a world of difference between a room filled with Judas and a room without Judas.

COMPARISONS

The title of my homily is, “7 C’s: Make One of Them Comparisons.”

Think about the power of comparisons!

Think about the power comparisons play in our thinking processes.  

Think about the power of comparisons - how they can overwhelm us - wham us - push us - manipulate us - mess our minds up -  to do things we might not want to do.

We have all heard the saying, “Comparisons are odious.”

We’ve all heard the saying, “Comparisons can crush!”

We have all heard the saying that comparisons can lead to happiness as well as to feeling miserable.

Sometimes we secretly rejoice when the rich and the famous - the other - fails and falls - we feel better about ourselves in comparison. It’s the stuff that sells and populates  and peoples People Magazine.

Comparisons can also get us to rush to do something new - to try to be different - sometimes to be stupid or overspend - because we want  to shut up inner comparisons and complaints we’ve been talking to ourselves about ever since we were kids.

Think about our life.  Are we comparing ourselves to someone else?

Are we comparing our bodies, our flab, out love handles, our house, our cars, our jobs, our vacations, our salary, our wrinkles, our age, with others?

I’m saying here to listen to our inner voices: comparisons have tremendous power. Do we want to give it that much power in area A, B, and C?

Parents want their kids to be different than they are.

Kids want their parents to be like so and so’s parents.

Parents compare themselves to other parents.

Adults compare the care and energy and effort and cost they have to put out for aging parents or siblings or children - sometimes comparing all they are doing compared to what their brothers and sisters are doing - or compare themselves to other people - often without crossing their threshold and knowing what they are going through.

I like that image of the door in today’s second reading.

Write the word “comparison” in ball point pen on your hand - and think about all this, this week,

Use contrast - use comparison - and construct the rooms - the mindsets we’re living in - and then construct - imagine - a changed room - a rearranged life - and then make choices to change. Ask Christ to come into our rooms, into our homes, into our mind set and here him say to us, “Peace.” Then work with him towards change and conversion - one step at a time - not wanting another to change - but to change ourselves and then see how the rest of the room - the rest of our lives change - step by step - a day at a time - because we have changed.

I like that image at the beginning of today’s gospel. Things change when Judas leaves the room.

I like to ask from the pulpit: “What happens when I walk into a room? What happens when I walk out the door? Do people say, ‘Phew. Finally. Now we can relax.’”

I remember hearing how hurt a priest felt when he walked down the aisle and heard, “Oh no not him again!” We’re lucky is this parish - you can avoid us - if you want.

Comparisons are powerful….

Let’s use that image to go deeper.

Think of the Judas we are to ourselves - in our upper room - this complaining self - this stealing self - screaming inwardly all the time how things are going - wanting my picture to be the picture of how life works. See ourselves selling ourselves out for 30 pieces of silver or whatever. See ourselves crucifying the Christ within us.

Give that Judas his or her walking papers and start living the Gospel life.

Contrast, compare, ourselves in those two modes.

Chose life.  Choose Christ.

Comparisons can crush - but see that comparisons can also get us to rush - slowly - to new life - to have new order in our life.

CONCLUSION

It’s Spring …. It’s Earth Month …. Last Monday was Earth Day …. the call is to clean up our environment.

We’ve been told to talk about the environment from the pulpit. I gave a whole sermon on that last week….

Let me throw in a few comments in my ending…..

It’s easy to complain about the other person’s garden - yard - house. It’s easy to complain about the other person’s habits.

I’m pushing for looking and working on self….

I hate it when I see people dump on Annapolis - but I found out I can’t do much about it. But I can pick up stuff people dump on St. Mary’s Parking lot or Newman Street across from the front of our church - leading down to Compromise Street. I can make that compromise in my mind and do what I can do.

I can challenge those who make fun of those concerned about our earth - by saying, “I’m a tree hugger. I like trees - spring, summer, fall and winter.  I like clean water. I am glad that smokers are not blowing smoke in my face - and people who don’t smoke I think get 10 more years of life than those who don’t.

The title of my homily is, “7 C’s: Make One of Them Comparisons.”

Compare yourself to the self you are called to be. Then open that door and work with Jesus and say, “Behold I make all things new!”

BEAUTY AND BREAD

Quote for Today - April 28,  2013

"Everybody needs beauty as well as bread, places to play in and pray in, where Nature may heal  and cheer and give strength to body and soul alike."

John Muir, The Yosemite, 1912

SEEING  -  WONDERING

Quote for Today - April 27, 2013

"I walk in the garden,  I look at the flowers and shrubs and trees and discover in them an exquisiteness of contour, a vitality of edge and a vigor of spring as well as an infinite variety of color that no artifact I have seen in the last sixty years can rival ... Each day, as I look, I wonder where my eyes were yesterday."

Bernard Berenson

TIMES 

THEY ARE A-CHANGIN

Quote for Today - April 26, 2013

"If we live good lives, the times are also good. As we are, such are the times."

Saint Augustine [354-430]

Comment: Next time someone says the time we are living in horrible times, try that quote.

Or quote the opening paragraph of Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens [1812-1870], "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way - in short, the period was so far like the present period, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only."