THE PAST CONTINUES
Quote for Today - July 2, 2013
“The past is not dead. In fact, it’s not even past.”
William Faulkner [1897-1962]
Tuesday, July 2, 2013
Monday, July 1, 2013
BURY THEIR DEAD
INTRODUCTION
The title of my homily for this 13th Monday in
Ordinary Time is, “Let The Dead Bury Their Dead.”
In yesterday’s gospel, we had Luke’s version of this same
saying and scene we have in today’s gospel from Matthew.
At least 5 people - if not 7 people - made comments to me
about this text. That means they heard it. Some thought it was too tough. Some
wondered why it was okay in yesterday’s first reading for Elisha to go home and
kiss his parents goodbye and then come follow Elijah - and then Jesus seems to
be saying the opposite.
On Saturday morning, one of the men of the parish who visits
our jail on Jennifer Road read the readings for yesterday with some of the
Catholic prisoners and what hit a few of the men was, “Jesus is too harsh!”
I read several commentators on the text and most say they
are not sure just what Jesus was saying, other than saying, “Stop putting
excuses in the way of following me. Drop everything and start following me -
and start living and proclaiming the kingdom.”
It could also be a local saying - or everyday proverb - that
everyone would get. You don’t have to be knitting of sewing - for someone who
is putting off going to the doctor - or fixing a leak in their house - to hear,
“A stitch in time saves nine.”
It doesn’t have to be raining - for someone to hear the
saying when they are having lots of troubles, “It’s raining cats and dogs.”
MARRIAGE AND
FAMILY
I noticed in marriage preparation literature - folks talking about not letting one’s family get in the way of one’s marriage.
Couples might mess up their relationship - when one is
spending all their time with their parents or sister or brother - to the
neglect of one’s own spouse.
Couples with children - better not neglect each other - by
not noticing the other - just the kids.
Balance, awareness, communication - along with dedication are called for.
A DEATH IN THE
FAMILY
A woman once said to me that she had a choice when her
husband died - to jump into the grave with him - and pull the grass over her -
or mourn, cry, and get moving again.
Any of you who have had a long sickness in the family - know
how draining that can be.
This week - 150 years ago - 11,000 died at Gettysburg . I have to read Lincoln ’s Gettysburg Address again with today’s
gospel in mind.
Being a priest - I’m aware how much closeness to one’s
family - especially when a parent is sick - is a factor. It’s also difficult
when one is far from home. It adds to the difficulty factor when one is an only
child. Being a priest one hears the stress and the anger at times when one
person in the family feels they are doing everything for an aging parent and
the other brothers and sisters are doing nothing.
It’s often not simple - but very complex.
Of course it is human to bury one’s parents and mourn one’s
dead. Hey Jesus said in the Beatitudes, “Blessed are they who mourn, for they
will be comforted.”
So when Jesus says something tough - like “Let the dead bury
their dead” - we need to know there are
other sayings of Jesus to look at.
CONCLUSION
When Jesus died - there was Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus - asking and showing up to bury him. Most of his disciples were buried - as if dead - in the Upper Room. So Jesus had someone to bury him. Then the women went to the tomb - so the gospels are very aware of the human need to bury the dead - and hang around tombstones. [Cf. John 19: 38 to 20: 29]
We have to balance all that with the need to not get buried by death - but to come to live with Resurrection and hope - for living life to the full now and in the hereafter - not in some tomb.
Sunday, June 30, 2013
THE FURIES
INTRODUCTION
The title of my homily is, “The Furies.” F U R I E S.
“The Furies.”
I don’t think it’s a normal term we use - but my hope is
that as a result of this homily - we will to say to ourselves - and maybe at
times to those we’re very close to, “Right now I have a case of The Furies.”
Translation: I’m furious. I’m discombobulated. I’m all shook
up. I’m antsy and I’m angry. I’m in a “Uh oh!” situation and state. So I just
want you to know that. Okay? Could you give
me some time and give me some space. Let me do some walking right now?”
“Okay!”
We hope the other will step back and say, “Okay!”
CONSUMED
I noticed in today’s gospel and today’s second reading the
word, “consumed” and I was going to make that the title of my homily.
I also noticed in today’s first reading that Elisha - the
future prophet - before setting off to follow and take Elijah the prophet’s
place, - he slaughters his 12 oxen, burns the wooden yoke
harness as fire wood to cook the oxen - and then feeds his people with the
meat. It must have been an enormous cook out.
I prayed, “Come Holy Spirit - Divine Fire - Inspire me to come up with a theme
to preach on that will help and feed us this week.”
I focused on the English word, “consume.” Next I checked out
in my Greek New Testament - the original language of these New Testament
writings - what Greek word does that word “consume” translate. I found out it’s “analisko.” I noticed that the same Greek word is used in both today’s
gospel from Luke and today’s Letter to
the Galatians from Paul. It
literally means what burns us up, what destroys us, what eats us up, what
consumes us. What “analiskos-es” us.
It’s a negative term - more than a positive one.
So that’s where the title and theme of my homily comes from:
The Furies - as in “furious” - or “fiery” -
or “What burns us up?” or “What’s consuming us?” - or even “What’s destroying us?”
THE FURIES
Psychology didn’t just start in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s.
To be human is to have fire, passion, emotions, drives,
energies - the Furies. This has always
been part of people - down through the ages. We get emotional about religion
and politics, taxes and someone jumps into a taxi ahead of us, sports and
relationships - and the neighbor who is learning how to play the piano or
drums.
All the religions, the great playwrights, philosophers, deal
with our inner life - our hearts and minds - our feelings - out thinkings - what makes us tick - what gives us life and
what destroys us.
We’ll all pot belly stoves - consuming something - making
that fire go and grow and glow - stoking it and feeding it - winter, summer,
spring and fall.
What are we throwing in our fire? What’s giving us energy? What’s making us
angry? What’s make us joyful? What are our desires? What are our fires? What do
we get hot and bothered about?
It’s an ancient way of understanding inside stuff - inside
stories - the inner life. It’s a way of looking at anger and vengeance and
jealousy. If we do wrong - there will be a price to pay. Guilt - and get back -
will always try to get us back. There is always punishment. There is always pay
back as we play back our sins - and selfishness - our me me isms. The scales of
justice - being held by a blindfolded woman statue - stands not just in court
houses - but inside the court house of our brain. It is a reality. Rich, poor, old, young, all
people regardless of who we are - have to deal with consequences - and
aftermath - and the aftereffects of injustice - when we haven’t played fair.
Life tries to balance itself out.
So what’s the state of our soul? What’s in our bottom drawer? What’s in our
closet? What’s cooking - what’s burning in our pot belly stove? What are our 3
main furies and our 3 main saving graces?
TODAY’S GOSPEL
Joy to the world: Christ has come. We don’t have to journey
alone.
Christ and being a member of his body can be our Saving
Grace.
In today’s gospel, Jesus and his disciples are heading for Jerusalem . Jesus is
heading for his destiny in Jerusalem
- to face the big boys - to face ultimate evil - which he does on the cross.
On the way - as we heard in today’s gospel - they stop in a Samaritan
village. They are snubbed. They are not
welcomed. They are looked down upon. There’s not one good Samaritan in their
midst.
James and John become furious and they want Jesus to burn down the town. And by the way, their nicknames were “Boanerges” - which some translate as “Sons of Thunder” and others as “All bark, no Bite.” So they could be hot heads - or noisy complainers.
Jesus calms them down and he practices what he preaches and
they head for another town. Luke doesn’t say that they shook the dust off their
feet of that town, but that’s what Jesus preached. Move on. Move on.
Walk away from trouble - anger. Don’t just count to 10. Take
a thousand steps away from wanting to scream at someone or punch them out.
Years ago I remember asking a fire chief in New
York City what the number one cause of fires in New York City was. His quick - without hesitation
- answer was: cheating on another man’s wife or woman. The hurt man torches the
other man’s apartment or house.
TODAY’S SECOND READING
In today’s second reading from Galatians, Paul challenges his listeners to look at one’s life and ask if we are living by the Spirit or by the Flesh. It’s our choice.
I was wondering - but I’m not sure - if I could see the two
Greek choices of living by The Furies or by The Graces - in this context of
Paul’s contrast: Flesh vs. Spirit. Maybe. Maybe not.
I better stick with Paul and say we can live by the Spirit
or we can live each day by the Flesh.
One brings freedom; the other brings slavery.
It’s our choice.
If we live by the Flesh - we bite and devour one another -
and Paul says beware - be aware - this
can consume us. The desires of the flesh can do that.
Greed, envy, griping, always gratifying our flesh - can
grind us down - and empty us.
Paul tells the Galatians - and us - Christ has set us free -
if we love our neighbor as ourselves - if we live by the Spirit - we can have
the yoke of slavery removed from us - and we can be set free. When this
happens, we don’t need any laws. The
Holy Spirit will guide us.
That’s vintage St.
Paul .
CONCLUSIONS
So that’s my homily. When we have a case of the furies, it’s
good to be aware - we have the choice to
live by the Spirit or the Flesh. We have the power of choice. We can choose to
be graceful or furious.
We are like a furnace or a pot belly stove. We can feed the
fire - with good stuff - to be passionate about loving one another and making
this a better world and family and work
space and neighborhood to be alive in or we can be slaves to our passions - our
furies - and end up being burnt out and nasty, ugly people.
In the meanwhile as we heard in today’s gospel, Jesus calls
us to bury our skeletons - skip the excuses - put our hands to the plow - stop
looking backwards - and be part of his dream of proclaiming and making his
Kingdom come here and hereafter. Amen.
Saturday, June 29, 2013
Friday, June 28, 2013
PREACHING
Quote for Today - June 28, 2013
"Most preaching is answering questions people are not asking."
Anonymous
2 Questions:
How does the preacher know what questions people are asking?
Do people know what questions they are asking - and if they do how to they get them to the preacher?
Picture: In case you were asking, the above is a posed preaching picture from around 1968 in the big pulpit at my first assignment as a priest: Most Holy Redeemer Church, East 3rd Street, Manhattan, East Village, New York City.
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