UP THE DOWN

STAIRCASE

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for this 10th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C,  is, “Up The Down Staircase.”

This is another weekend that we have to make a money push from the Archdiocese of Baltimore which we are part of.

Knowing we all come here to be nourished with both the Bread of the Word [the scriptures and a homily] and the Bread of the Eucharist, I want to obviously preach a homily but ….

But what should come first? I wrestled with that question and decided to do the money campaign push first - and then give a short homily.

The homily will have to be mainly images and story - because of the energy and distraction another money push or promotion could create.

Every year we have the Archbishop’s Appeal - as you know. The envelopes and pencils are in the benches. This year we hoped we could get out of this one - because we had the beginning of the big  5 year Archdiocesan Campaign just a short time ago. This annual appeal is usually in Lent - but  was pushed off to this weekend. Drop one shoe at a time.

Most of you know how to do the envelopes - etc.  I am going to continue talking for a few moments - while I hope you take a Green and White Annual Appeal Envelope which are in the benches - and you start filling it out and then the ushers will collect them - checking or filling in the appropriate boxes - without putting the pencil in the envelope. Then I’ll  give my short homily.

As Catholics - we are part of a local parish church - as well as a diocese - as well as a world wide Church. So all 3 need support. We hope there is wise stewardship in all 3. We are aware of economic struggles at the personal and family levels - and how big a burden taxation can be.

The money pledged and collected from the Archbishop of Baltimore’s Annual Appeal - 2013 - goes to supporting the Archdiocese - as well as its outreach and ministries. These would include amongst others: Catholic Charities, Outreach to Haiti, Hispanic Ministry, Prison Ministry, Tuition Assistance to Catholic Schools, Aids Ministry, Disability Access, Evangelization, Social Justice outreach, Interfaith Housing Alliance of Western Maryland, etc. etc.

The money over our quota goes to 3 other groups: 1/3 goes to our sister parish - Sacred Heart in Baltimore; 1/3 goes to Redemptorists in our nursing home in Stella Maris in Timonium; and 1/3 goes to the tuition angel program for helping kids in our St. Mary’s Schools.

The Archbishop’s letter that we received expresses thanks, gratitude, for the ongoing generosity from our parish and all the parishes of the Archdiocese of Baltimore. Thank you.

Could the ushers please collect the envelopes?  Thank you.

NOW THE HOMILY

The title of my homily is, “Up The Down Staircase.”

I took my title from the title of the novel  by Bel Kaufman: Up the Down Staircase.  I see it as a metaphor for wanting to avoid confrontation or trouble or the uncomfortable - and so we take the other stair case or the back door.

The novel is about a  teacher, Sylvia Blake - an idealistic young teacher - in a big city public high school. She has to deal with bureaucracy, with interested and uninterested students, as well as other teachers.

I have always pictured it as a metaphor for how to be a priest and a Christian.

Do I embrace others - or do I want to run, escape, avoid, go up the down staircase, take the back staircase or do whatever way it takes to make it easier for me not to face others?

That to me is one of life’s big question.

THE UNTOUCHABLES

Once I  began thinking about staircases,  I thought of a scene in the movie, The Untouchables - which features the big staircase in Union Station in Chicago. Eliot Ness, played by Kevin Costner, is waiting above that staircase for some of Al Capone’s mob.

If you remember the movie, you’ll remember that life is the surprises. Life is the interruptions. Life is the unplanned. Just then a lady with 2 suitcases and a baby carriage comes to that staircase. We sense an, “Oh no! Not now!”

The big clock above the staircase keeps moving towards 12 noon - the time for the arrival of the bad guys.

The lady starts the climb up the big flight of stairs - with the baby carriage with her baby in it, with her suitcases - doing them one step at a time.

To help her or not to help her? That is the question.

What to do? Nobody coming up or down those stairs stops to help the lady.  Kevin Costner in frustration and with his shot gun under his coat - goes to help her.

A quarter of the way up the stairs, the bad guys appear and a shoot out happens. Eliot Ness has to let go of the carriage - with baby - which starts rolling down the stairs - and the mother is screaming.

What a great metaphor - what a great parable of life!

I looked up on Google: “The Untouchables - Baby Carriage Scene.”

There it is. I also found out that the movie Naked Gun made fun of the scene. It uses 3 baby carriages - as well as the president and then the pope and then disgruntled postal workers coming through the door and heading for the stairs.

I also noticed that Brian De Palma, the director of the movie, The Untouchables, used that big staircase in Union Station in Chicago as a tribute to a famous staircase scene in a 1925 black and white silent movie, Battleship Potemkin. That staircase is in Odessa. It's much, much bigger. The scene shows the horror when children, young people and countless men and women, are being shot as they run down the stairs away from the Cossacks who are shooting and killing them.

I put clips of both movies on my blog - along with this short sermon.

CONCLUSION

I think the staircase scene and metaphor in the book, Up the Down Staircase and in the two movies, The Untouchables and Battleship Potemkin, can be the message in today’s readings. Do I stop to help my brother or sister - or do I run or take the other stair case to avoid them?

In the first reading from 1 Kings and the gospel from Luke - we hear the story of two boys or young men who die and Elijah and then Jesus bring each boy back from the dead.

In the second reading from Galatians, we have part of Paul’s story. He stops persecuting people and starts helping people.

It's our daily call - as we go up and down the stairs and steps of our life - to help one another. We can go by men and women, old and young, and baby carriages - and treat them as Untouchable - to be avoided - or we can stop and help.

I believe that is also the central message of the Gospel of Luke - our gospel for this year - Cycle C of the Sunday readings.

We’re all there at the stairs with people coming and going - and some need our help. They are the interruption.

Our move.

EMPTINESS

Quote for Today - June 8, 2013

"We shape clay to make a pot
but without the emptiness inside
what use would it be?

We create doors and windows
to make a room
but only the space inside makes it useful.

Living beings create phenomena
but without emptiness,
they cannot be used."

Lao-tzu

I LEFT MY HEART 

IN ________.

FILL IN THE BLANK.

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily is, “I Left My Heart In ______. Fill in the blank.”

This morning I noticed at the end of the Sports Section of today’s New York Times an obituary for Claramae Turner - who died at the age of 92. I would not have noticed and then read the obituary - except for one word in the title of the obituary: “Claramae Turner, 92, Singer and Heart of a Song.”

Today being the feast of the Sacred Heart - and because I was going upstairs to come up with a homily - after reading The New York Times - I noticed the word “heart”.

Claramae Turner - never heard of her - has just died. She was in the movie Carousel, but she was an opera singer - singing 100 times in the Metropolitan Opera. 

The New York Times obituary gave the trivial comment that the song, “I Left My Heart in San Francisco” was written for her in the early 1950’s as a recital piece. It was then published in 1954. 

The song was little known till Tony Bennett took it and won 2 Grammy awards for the song in 1962 - winning Best Male Solo Vocal Performance.

WHY HAS THAT SONG BEEN SO POPULAR?

Question: why was that song  been so popular?

Answer: I don’t know.

Assumption: However, I would assume it has always been popular because San Francisco - like Paris - in one of those cities that touch emotions, love, memories, stories, vacations, etc.

I would also assume that the idea of being in one place and having one’s heart in another place is something everyone can relate to.

Question: where is your heart?

Question: who has your heart?

Question: where do you go when you go elsewhere?

Question: what do you spend you energy on?

QUESTIONS OF THE HEART

Questions of the heart are very important questions.

Our heart is a box - a safe - a vault - a where we can put precious things - precious feelings - precious memories.

We might have a box in a bottom drawer or a top drawer - where we put precious jewelry - or papers - the sacred stuff.

So too the human heart.

It can contain and consume and be filled with love and hate, joy and sorrow, heaven or hell, gift and hurt.

Want to pray: go into the chapel, the church, the cathedral, the temple of your heart.

TODAY IS THE FEAST OF THE SACRED HEART

Today is the Feast of the Sacred Heart. Most of us here were brought up seeing images of the Sacred Heart.

It’s the image of Jesus - with his heart outside his rib cage and chest.

We get that image - because we know Valentine’s Day - we have called people “sweetheart” - we know what a bumper sticker means that spells the word “love” with a heart - as in “I [HEART] my pug.” Father Tizio has one of those. We’ve seen signs forever that Virginia is for Lovers [HEART].

Today’s readings feature the theme of a shepherd - that loves his sheep so much - he’ll do anything or go anywhere for his sheep - especially when lost.

I was talking to a woman the other day in the hospital who was dying. Her family were around the bed - so this was not confidential - and she said she was scared of dying. I asked her why. She answered immediately: “Because I’m scared that God is going to yell at me.”

Silence. Uh oh!

So I asked her - nervously - why do you say that, “Well that’s what our parish priest in New York said.”

I told her I don’t buy that or preach that. I preach Luke 15 as the heart of the Gospel.  One of the 3 parables in that 15^th Chapter is today’s gospel: that of the Lost Sheep.

Now I would say, “I left my heart in Luke 15. It has 3 parables that tell us about God - that he will come looking for us or wait for us: not yell at us. If we are a lost son or daughter, or a lost coin, or a lost sheep, Jesus will come and find us and embrace us and loves us and pull us close to his heart.

CONCLUSION

Have a heart. Leave it in Jesus.

ONE'S OWN  HISTORY

Quote for Today - June 7, 2013

"The history of every century begins in the heart of a man or a woman."

Willa Cather, O Pioneers, 1913



Comments and Questions:

What would be the name of the book called, "My History"?

What would be the names of 10 or 15 or 20 chapters?

Where have I lived? 

Whom have I met?  Name the 10 most significant experiences of my life?

What have I learned from the key moments of my life?

A SENSE OF WONDER

Quote for Today - June 6, 2013

"If a child is to keep alive his inborn sense of wonder, he needs the companionship of at least one adult who can share it, rediscovering with him the joy, excitement and mystery of the world we live in."

Rachel Carson, The Sense of Wonder, 1965

FOUNDATIONS

Quote for Today - June 5, 2013

"Anything that is built must rest on a foundation."

Law-Tzu

Questions:

What would be the 3 key foundation stones of your life?

What would be the 4 pillars of your life?

Who has given you the best foundation stones of your life?

Jesus is called the "Cornerstone" - which the builders rejected. If you said to Jesus: "Be my Cornerstone" - what would that actually mean? Would you name particulars? Sayings? Principles? Stories? What?

Jesus talked at the end of his Sermon on the Mount - about building one's house on sand or rock. Describe some particulars for each.

DEALING WITH 

THE NAGGING 

NIT-PICKING IN LIFE

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for this 9^th Tuesday in Ordinary Time is, “Dealing With The Nagging Nit-Picking In Life.”

One of my favorite scripture texts is Mark 14: 19 and it’s also Matthew 26:22, “Is It I Lord?”

At the Last Supper Jesus says, “One of you is going to betray me!” And the different disciples around the table ask, “Is it I, Lord?”

I think that’s a great way to read the scriptures. We hear a story. We read a parable. We hear a challenge and we ask, “Is it I, Lord.”

And Jesus says that it’s the one who dips his hand  in the dish with me. That’s the one who will betray me.

So we hear a story or a parable and we dip our life into it and we ask, “Is it I, Lord?” Then we ponder if it hits and fits us.

So the title of my homily is, “Dealing With The Nagging Nit-Picking In Life.”

Question: Is it I, Lord?

In the gospels the Pharisees and / or the disciples often ask, “Are you aiming this at me?”

Jesus is more subtle than saying, “Yes” - but I sense that’s what he is doing.

TODAY’S READINGS

I got this thought when I read today’s first reading from Tobit 2:9-14. He gets his wife Anna’s goat - picking on her - thinking she stole the goat that was given her. He ticks her off, so she starts nitpicking back at him - attacking him for having false piety and charity.

Put the stetascope on marriages or family gatherings or at work or the rectory and you’ll hear the same back and forth nit picking.  Sometimes comments are just in fun; other times they can be nasty.

And in today’s gospel once more the Pharisees and the Herodians are on Jesus’ case - trying to trap and trick him with  questions - this time about paying taxes  - so Jesus pulls a great coin trick on them. He asks for a denarius - a coin and asks, “Whose image is on this coin?” We heard them reply: “Caesar’s.” So Jesus said to them, “Repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God.” [Cf. Mark 12: 13-17]

CONCLUSION: ONE LESSON FOR TODAY

We can’t change the other person’s behavior or patterns, but we can work on our own.

When we’ve been with each other long enough, we know each other’s weaknesses and where and how to nit-pick - where to nag - where to get back at - how to be like a mosquito or a gnat - and then and there or sooner or later when the right moment appears, we shoot back from the hip and from the lip or we do it behind the other’s back - with the dig or the gossip or the complaint - wrapped in sandpaper.

So I think a good lesson for today would be to catch ourselves when we’re about to fire a comeback at someone to their face or behind their back- someone whom we think is getting our goat - to simply zip the lip [GESTURE].