PLATO'S CAVE - 

LIGHT AND SHADOWS

Quote for Today - June 11, 2013

"Behold! 
Human beings living
in an underground den ...
Like ourselves ...
they see only their shadows,
or the shadows of one another,
which the fire throws on
the opposite wall of the cave."

Plato [c, 428-348 B.C,] The Republic, VII, 515 - B, Paul Shorey (Loeb Clasical Library)

IMPACT?

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for this 10^th Monday in Ordinary Time is, “Impact?”

And it’s in the form of a question mark. Who and what has impacted our lives?  How and what and who has influenced us to be the who we are today?  Impact?

It’s the nurture part of the “Nature vs. Nurture” question.

The first time I really thought about this question was in a preaching seminar.  One of the presenters asked us preachers,  “Who has influenced you?”  “Whom are you imitating?”

I had never thought about that till the question was asked. As time has gone on, I’ve thought about it a lot. I have realized that the first answer is the usual, “I don’t know!” I could relate to George Seferis - the Greek writer and diplomat’s response - to someone who asked him, “Who influenced you?” His answer: “Don’t ask who’s influenced me. A lion is made up of the lambs he’s digested, and I’ve been reading all my life.”  Yet he also said he was influenced by Yeats - and especially Eliot whom he translated.

So we can come up with answers - to who and how we have been formed and influenced.

I liked a trick that Father Jack Kingsbury - our last pastor used: to refer to past sermons that he gave - and sometimes he would add that he wanted to develop further something from that sermon.

I don’t use props too often, but I love the way Father John Tizio - our present pastor - uses props - especially with kids. He has them hidden till the moment he brings the prop out of hiding. I see his method having great impact and people remember props.

I’ve also been influenced by how I don’t want to preach and live by watching others in action.

I was at the Navy Academy graduation just two weeks or so ago - during which my grandnephew Sean graduated. I noticed President Obama - who gave the commencement address - saying at a transition point in his talk: “In the time I have left.”  He didn’t say, “In conclusion….”  or “Finally ….” because once you say that, people are expecting an ending - and if you don’t end right about then, you’ve lost them. That’s what they remember. You promised an ending, but you didn’t deliver.

So I expect I’ll be using that trick at some point….

QUESTION: IMPACT?

So my question for today is: Impact?  Who has impacted us?

Whom have I learned my life tricks from?  Whom has taught me my attitudes - my style - my ways of thinking and seeing and being and believing?

By coming up with answers to this question of “Impact?”, we can study our background and decide whether we hold that and want to go with that or what have you.

THE READINGS AT MASS

When we come to Mass we have two or three readings that can have an impact on us.

How have they formed us? How have they impacted us?

For starters I always suggest texts - single texts. What is our favorite Bible text? Which are the ones that grab us? When did they hit us? What do they tell us about ourselves?

I learned from Father Benedict Groeschel the statement: tell me your favorite Bible text and you’re telling me a lot about yourself.

Besides single favorite texts, we can ask what is our favorite gospel or book of the Bible? What does that tell you about yourself?

Today’s two readings are beginning readings.

The first reading is the opening verses of 2 Corinthians. We’ll be hearing parts of that letter till Saturday June 22^nd. It has a few grabbers - that can impact us - on the resurrection and on reconciliation. Listen the next two weeks.

Today’s  Gospel begins the Sermon on the Mount - Matthew 5, 6 and 7. We’ll be hearing parts of that till July 2^nd this year. Some of those messages of Jesus have impacted Christians for the past 2000 years. Which one’s are yours.

CONCLUSION

Whenever I hear the words, “Sermon on the Mount” which we begin today, I think of General Omar Bradley - whose Christian roots from his church in Missouri - certainly influenced and impacted his life.

Let me close with a famous comment by General Omar Bradley, “We have grasped the mystery of the atom and rejected the Sermon on the Mount.”  Address on Armistice Day [1948]  

RELIGION

Quote for Today - June 10, 2013

"Religion, whatever it is, is a man's total reaction upon life."

William James, The Varieties of Religious Experience, 1902


QUESTIONS:

Does Sunday effect Monday?

Is Sunday different than the other days of the week?

So if there is something that has a total impact on our life, can we call that our religion: like another or a iPhone or a sport or drugs or alcohol?

BELIEF

Quote for Today - June 9,  2013

"It is wanting to know the end that makes us believe in God, or witchcraft, believe at least in something."

Truman Capote, Other Voices, Other Rooms, 1948

Question:

Agree or disagree?

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.