THE DETAILS 

IN THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for this 7^th Friday after Easter is, “The Details In The Acts of the Apostles.”

After I read today’s first reading from The Acts of the Apostles - which we use every year for these readings after Easter - it struck me that there are some very specific details in this document.

This is a document dated from somewhere between 80 and 90 AD.

I would think discovering specific historical details about our Early Church from that time is very valuable.

READING THE BIBLE

Sometimes someone says to me, “I want to start reading the Bible, but where do I begin?”

I find that a great question.

I pause…..

I say it’s a great question because so many people begin with Genesis and don’t get that far. If they make it through Genesis and even start Exodus, many get bogged down once they get to Chapter 20: 23 of Exodus - with all the rules and regulations of the Covenant that follow. Even if they get through Exodus, there is Leviticus and Numbers - which is like trudging through a desert - seeing only sand, rocks, and sometimes pieces of dried out wood. If you’ve never been to the desert, well it can be like being in an Algebra class and you're the type who never, never understood Algebra in any shape or form.

So if someone asks, “Where do I begin reading - if I want to read the Bible?” I always say, “James. Read the Letter of James. It’s only 5 chapters. Then I add, “If you don’t get James, you’re not going to get the Bible.”

If someone asks: “Okay, I read James and liked it - or I get - what next?”

I would then say, “Read The Gospel of Mark” or “Read Genesis - but read it with the idea of the families you'll find there.”

Now I have a new thought: “Read The Acts of the Apostles with details in mind.”

THE DETAILS

The Acts of the Apostles give us lots of names of people - lots and lots of different people - who's in charge - who is doing what and this and that. It also gives us places - especially where Paul went.

Today’s first reading for example gives us the names, King Agrippa and Bernice - arriving tin Caesarea on a visit to Festus.

Then we hear about a man name Felix. Interesting. Was that his given name or nickname? Was he happy - as the name indicates?

The detail in today’s first reading that gave me the thought for this homily was the information about Roman Law. It states it was not the Roman practice to hand over an accused person before he has faced his accusers - and he had the opportunity to defend himself against their charges. [Cf. Acts 25: 13b-21]

I don’t know about you, but that triggered for me a whole string and stream of questions.

·        Was this for women as well?

·        Did the Romans establish this in all the places they took over?

·        Did they come up with this principle?

·        If not, whom did they take it from?

·        Was this the Greek practice?

·        What about English law on this?

·        What about United States law on this?

·        Does anyone at CNBC or Fox News bring this up on a breaking story?

·        What about U.S. law compared to U.S Military Law?

·        What about protection laws in other countries?

·        What about those of us who gossip? Do we ever pause and think about the other person and their rights to a good name?

·        Why did Luke or whoever put this detail in this document, put this detail into this document? I have to study this question - to see if they put it in here to get Paul to Rome.

That’s detail about the accused having the right by Roman Law to face their accusers is just one short detail in The Acts of the Apostles.

What would it be like to read the whole document keeping in mind the historical details sprinkled throughout the document?

CONCLUSION

So if you are looking to reading the Bible, my first recommendation is to read James - and then a possible next suggestion would be: “Read The Acts of the Apostles with the idea of spotting interesting specific details and see what questions erupt - historical or otherwise."    

WAITING, WATCHING 

AND LEARNING  

Quote for Today - May 17, 2013

"Be the last to cross over a deep river."

Anonymous

TODAY

Quote for Today - May 16, 2013

"I am not afraid of tomorrow, 
for I have seen yesterday
and I love today."

William Allen White

EDWARD HOPPER

Quote for Today  - May 15,  2013

"He paints the astonishingly complicated loneliness of the limbo hours in a coffee shop, like a glass-hulled boat trapped in the black ice of the city, lit by a slice of yellow light like stale lemon pie, and full of the sadness of a gray fedora, a red dress and a  clean coffee urn."

Newsweek, on Nighthawks by Edward Hopper, May 29, 1967

Painting: Nighthawks, 1942

Edward Hopper, 1882-1967

THE MINISTRY OF MEMORIES

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for this 7^th Tuesday after Easter is, “The Ministry of Memories.”

One of great ministries we can all do - a ministry that’s not in the bulletin or on the bulletin boards - is that of getting people to tell us their memories - to tell us their stories. It’s the ministry of listening.

You don’t need much training to take on this ministry. The only two tools one needs are: first, a piece of imaginary duct tape to put over one’s own mouth; and second, a question mark - like a shepherds hook or crook - to pull lost sheep out of another’s memories.

There are people - especially people who have been around - right next to us in car pools or swimming pools - nursing homes or right next door or at family gatherings - folks who can still tell us their stories - what it was like to be who they are - and what they went through. There are people who will light up - when we listen up and ask them to tell us their stories.

ONE OF MY FAVORITE STORIES

Now that you asked me to tell you one of my favorite stories, let me tell this one. I’m a little boy. My father is in his green vinyl chair in the corner -  reading. My dad loved to read. Imitating him I take down a brown covered book on our one shelf of books desk stand. It’s the book, Best Known Poems in the English Language. I turn to a page.  There is a rose petal - dead - dry - dark faded red.  I’m wondering what is this dead thing doing in this book. I really wasn’t old enough to read the poem. It was my father’s book. I marched over to him with an open book - with the dead rose petal - as if it were a dead moth or something on a plate. I show him the dead rose petal. I ask the question: “What is this?” He looks at it - pauses -  and simply says with an impish smile, “Memories!” I love that story.

I love to ask people I visit in homes or nursing homes, “What is this?” to the stuff I see on their walls or their  tiny tables. 

“What is this?” 

Answer every time - the same answer my father gave me - in their words and with their smiles or their tears: “Memories!”

TODAY IS THE FEAST OF ST. MATHIAS

Today - May 14^th - is the feast of St. Mathias.

Last night I took down John L. McKenzie’s Dictionary of the Bible from one of my book shelves. I looked up, “Matthias”. It simply says he was chosen by lot - quoting today’s first reading - [Acts 1: 23-26] - to take Judas’ place. Then John L. McKenzie says in his succinct style, “He is not mentioned elsewhere in the New Testament, and the traditions about him found in the apocryphal books and in the Fathers are totally worthless.”

Sometimes we know almost nothing about another person.

SISTER MATTHIAS COSTELLO - SISTER OF MERCY

My dad came from a big family in Ireland and 3 of his sisters became Sisters of Mercy in Portland, Maine. They were much older than he - he being the baby of the family. They came to America when he was still a little kid.  He came later on.

I once went by bus to Portland Maine with my dad. We visited  two of those Sister’s graves - both dying in their 20’s.  I remember standing there at their graves - seeing my dad crying - along with his sister - Sister Mary Patrick  - who lived to serve for over 50 years as a nun cooking at the Mercy motherhouse in Portland Maine.

I don’t know anything about the lives of these 2 young women who died so early. I don’t know what my father and his sister were thinking that day. It’s too late now. All four are now well buried. Their thoughts are buried as well. They are memories - like the memory of that dead rose petal in that old book of poems. What ever happened to that old book?

CONCLUSION

I can stop there and say, “Well, that’s that” or I can say, “Let other people take their place - people around town or the planet - who are alive. I can go up to them and do what I call “The Ministry of Memories” - and ask them about their memories, and listen to their stories about brothers or sisters - roses or poems they used to love to read. 

PEOPLE FIGHTS 

Quote for Today - May 14, 2013

"Bulls do not win bull fights;
people do.
People do not win people fights;
lawyers do."

Norman Augustine, "Augustine's 10th Law," Augustine's Laws, 1986

HERE ARE 

SOME CRAYONS!  

DRAW GOD  

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for this 7^th Monday after Easter  is, “Here Are Some Crayons! Draw God.”

If we hand kids some paper and some crayons and we ask them to draw God - we might get some very interesting drawings and images.

Then when we ask kids to explain their drawings - it’s even more interesting. They will give us their take on God - how life works - from their perspective, etc.

An important as well as a wonderful book to read is, The Spiritual Life of Children by Robert Coles. As a psychiatrist and professor at Harvard, he has done lots of research on what's going on in the lives of children - and he uses drawings for poignant observations.

If you watch TV, I’m sure you’ve seen the whole series of ATandT commercials about “It’s not complicated.” A guy is sitting at a table and he asks some kids a question and it goes from there.

Then each time it ends with the statement, “It’s not complicated.”

The title of my homily is, “Here Are Some Crayons! Draw God.”

GOD IS COMPLICATED - AND - GOD IS SIMPLE

When it comes to understanding God - the best answer seems to be, “God is both complicated and simple.”

The scriptures give us lots of images and pictures of God. 

God is a voice. God is a Creator. God is Someone Who Doesn’t Like to Be Alone, God is a Fortress. God is a Father. God is a Mother. God is a Spouse. God is a Shepherd. God is Thunder - Lightning. God is also a soft whisper of a breeze. God is a King. God is the great I AM.

The authors of these images are not around to explain themselves. I hold that there are people around today who have those same images of God. Listen to them

If we bring in the New Testament, we have Jesus constantly talking about God His Father - Our Father. That’s simple. We know what a good Father - as well as what a Good Shepherd is like.

If we start to listen to Jesus describing Got His Father - as well as the Spirit - it gets complicated.

For some it’s tough enough believing in God - than to accept that Jesus is God. It took the church a couple of hundred years to hammer out formulas - the Creeds - on how to state who God is.

The big heresies of the Early Church tell me that God is complicated.

To say God is 3 persons - but 1 God. To say that are 3 persons are different - but also they are Equal and One God. That’s not simple. That’s complicated.

Then we have the history of the Church - as well as various other religions and their drawings on God.

This can really complicate God big time - as well as statements by some that they claim is God talking - and they know God’s thoughts.

KATAPHATIC AND APOPHATIC APPROACHES TO GOD

Let me use two technical theological terms  I use from time to time. If I use them enough at these 12:10 Masses you’ll be familiar with them. They are the words: kataphatic and apophatic.

Kataphatic means using images and pictures to describe God - whether with paint or sculpture or crayon.

Apophatic means no images - because any image of God is obviously incomplete - inadequate - and can be subject to idolatry.

I don’t know about you - but I have learned that both ways can be helpful. The Divine Dark approach can help. That’s the Jewish urge at times - as in the practice of not using God’s name. Then there is the  Islamic approach - that you can’t imagine God in picture.

You probably have heard about the Iconoclasts - who destroy images and ikons because they think people use them as magic to try to manipulate God.

CONCLUSION

So crayons are good - simplicity is good - but at times complexity and becoming quiet is also helpful.

So someone might hand you a box of crayons  and tell you to draw a picture of God. Sometimes it's good to be like a little kid again and draw, draw, draw.

Sometimes an image of God or Christ or the Holy Spirit that you draw can be helpful. 

Sometimes you can hand back an empty canvas - and relax. 

Sometimes silence and nothingness - just being there is as good as a drawing. 

Your move.

[Here's a picture I found on line of an assortment of early Binney and Smith crayon boxes.]

Book Quoted: Robert Coles, The Spiritual Life of Chidren, Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston, 1990