"The art of obtaining money from the rich and votes from the poor on the pretext of protecting each from the other." Oscar Ameringer - from page 4 of Golden Treasury of the Familiar, ed.ited by Ralph L. Woods, 1983 Question: What do they say of preachers? Smile!
Thursday, June 20, 2013
SERMONS
Quote for Today - June 20, 2013
"A sermon is not an argument - a sermon is a piece of bread." Anonymous
Wednesday, June 19, 2013
KNOWING THE BASICS
Quote for Today - June 19, 2013 "It's not the most intellectual job in the world, but I do have to know the letters." Vanna White
Tuesday, June 18, 2013
A NEW TAKE ON MATTHEW 5: 43-48
INTRODUCTION
The title of my homily for this 11th Tuesday in
Ordinary time is, “A New Take on Matthew 5: 43-48.
As you know we’re going through the Sermon on the Mountain
once more this year around this time. The first reading switches every other
year, but the Gospels are the same.
In this section of the Sermon, Jesus deals with how we deal with those folks
we don’t like - those folks we get angry or agita
with - those folks we feel we want to get even with - or what have you.
TODAY
Yesterday Jesus urged no retaliation - like the old law of an eye for an eye
and a tooth for a tooth. Rather he urges
that we go to the other extreme and stop the wars and the in fighting - by
turning the other cheek - going the extra mile. End the law suits. Today Jesus
tells us to love our enemies - and those people we hate.
The obvious reason is because that’s how we can change
things. That’s how we stop family and neighbor fights - by swallowing that
venom inside our mouths - inside our cheeks.
Then last night - as I read today’s gospel - I got a new take on Mathew 5: 43-48.
It’s not profound - but it hit me in a way I hadn’t thought
about before - and this is over the 48th time I’ve gone through this
reading at least.
What hit me was that Jesus ends today’s gospel by talking
about how God the Father is. God is perfect. Here Jesus is asking us to love
our enemies and the one’s we hate to be with or those who hate us. What about
God loving his enemies and those who hate him?
What about all those people who die - and most of their
lives they ignored God, were indifferent to him, cursed God, didn’t want to
know God - or lived a life of me, me, me, and then they die and God welcomes
them with great love and shocks them with his love and his embrace.
Now that’s a different take on a basic religious attitude
and thought.
Now one can get texts like Matthew 25 when we end up at the
end in heaven or hell as a sheep or a goat depending on whether we helped our
brother and our sister or Luke 16 when poor Lazarus ends up in bosom of Abraham
and the rich man lands in the bosom of fire.
There are those texts. There is also evidence at times that
God might be different than what we expect. There is evidence that some of
those who have been good - who kept all the rules - are going to be furious
when they spot this forgiving God. Hey
not fair. Some are going to be like the older brother of the prodigal son. Some
are like those who worked all day long in the vineyard - and they only get as much as those who
jumped into the vineyard the last hour. Not fair. Not fair. Not fair. Some are
going to be like the Good Thief stealing heaven at the last hour - and others
aren’t going to like it.
But the Father - as Jesus puts it is perfect - so maybe
that’s a glimpse of what perfection is - and Jesus wants us to have that love and embrace for all - even the ones we
consider God and life’s enemies.
CONCLUSION
Now this is my new wondering. Obviously, I need to pray and
think more about it.
Last night as I read this gospel story - that’s what hit me. What hits
you? I would think some of us are we
here because we feel, we rather not take chances. We rather go through life and
end up life with the spirit of love. Then our children and others will catch it
in us - and want to know where we got this spirit and they might want
some. I don’t know, but it’s worth
pondering and praying over.
Of course A is better than B - but maybe we need to learn
both and deal with both. Amen.
FORGIVING FRIENDS
Quote for Today - June 18, 2013 "It is easier to forgive an enemy than to forgive a friend." Anonymous Question: Is this our experience?
Monday, June 17, 2013
TURNING
THE OTHER CHEEK
INTRODUCTION
The title of my homily for this 11th
Monday in Ordinary Time is, “Turning The Other Cheek.”
We know this message from the Sermon on the Mount very well.
It - along with many
of the messages of Jesus from the Sermon the Mount - are part of our lives.
Evidently - even if people don’t accept Jesus as God - they
accept his messages about how to do life.
ANGER - REVENGE -
BEING HURT
Today’s short gospel - Matthew
5: 38-42 - deals with anger, wanting to strike back - revenge - retaliation
- being hurt - and going in the opposite direction - the direction of peace and
bridge building.
How many times have we wanted to get back at someone who has
hurt us - someone whom we think has done us wrong?
How many times have we stood on a long line and someone
sneaks in ahead of us and we want to scream - but we swallow our spit or venom?
How many times have we been on Route 50 and someone takes
the exit ramp road and then at the last, last, last, second - shoots back into
the right lane of Route 50 heading for the Bay Bridge. If we play by the rules
we want to beep and yell “Hey. Not fair. I hope you get a ticket!”
How many times have we been talking to someone - maybe even listening
to them - and they start looking elsewhere - even waving to someone else -
totally ignoring us - and we feel “Anger! What am I chopped liver!”
How many times have we been trying to sleep and someone is
cutting their grass at 6 AM on a Saturday morning - or playing loud rock music
at midnight on a Tuesday evening?
I WONDER
I wonder what triggered Jesus to think about all this. I
wonder what did Jesus see. Did he see someone who was slapped in the face? Did
he then see escalation - and in the end someone has a broken nose or face or
arm - a scene that started with a wrong word or slur - or comment about
someone’s family.
I wonder if Jesus saw someone turn the other cheek - go the
extra mile - give someone their overcoat - when the other was going to sue them
over their suit.
PRACTICE WHAT YOU
PREACH
Certainly Jesus practiced what he preached.
He was nitpicked to death - long before he was put to death
on the cross.
Certainly he went the extra mile when someone interrupted
him because they had a sick daughter, son or servant.
THE WAY OF
NON-VIOLENCE
If you saw the movie, Gandhi,
you saw how he a Hindu, practiced Jesus’ way of non-violence - how he was
beaten, thrown off a train, but non-violence eventually turned the minds of
those who wanted status quo apartheid - in both South Africa and India.
I didn’t protest the war in Vietnam, but I think the protesters,
did at some point help to end that war - sooner than it would have ended.
Most of us hope the silent protest against abortion - will
put an end to abortion.
Most of us also have opportunities every day - to go the
extra mile - turn the other cheek - not try to get back when dissed, dismissed
or denigrated by another.
CONCLUSION: TWO
OBSERVATIONS
1) Sometimes we realize the genius of Jesus - the plan of
Jesus in all this. We stop screaming -
and our temper tantrums - in the car when we are filled with road rage - and we
realize our spouse and our kids in the car are more relaxed as well. We didn’t
say the wrong thing back at someone who has wronged us - and that night we say
to God. “Thanks for keeping me calm when I became furious when so and so did
that and that this morning.”
2) Sometimes we realize we were wrong - after the fact - and it's a good thing we
didn’t attack back - because it's only then we realize we were wrong. The example I use for
myself happened New Jersey. It was a Saturday afternoon.
I was on my way to preach a parish mission in a small parish there. I couldn’t
find the church. I pulled into a gas station - got out - and asked an attendant
- if he know where St. Such and Such Church
was. He told me to go back the road I
had just taken - 6 lights - make a left - then make the next left - and go 5
lights and you’ll find the church. I did it. There it was. But as I got out of
the car I could see in the distance - to my left - over the trees - the gas
station I was just at asking for directions. I got angry and wanted to get back
in the car - drive to the gas station and say to the guy. “Why didn’t you send
me to the next light, make a right, go to the next light and make another
right? Good thing I didn’t because that evening I went out for a short walk and
surprise - there was a canal at the end of the street - and one couldn’t have
driven over that water - without a bridge.
THE MOMENT
Quote for Today - June 17, 2013
"There is always one moment in childhood when the door opens and lets the future in." Graham Green [1904-1991] in The Power and the Glory [1940] chapter 1. Question: What was that moment for me?
