OLD AGE
Quote for Today - July 5, 2013
"There's no such thing as old age; there is only sorrow."
Edith Wharton [1862-1937], A Backward Glance [1934], A First Word.
Friday, July 5, 2013
Thursday, July 4, 2013
MERTON
ON A DEEPER
FREEDOM
Quote for the Day - July 4, 2013
"A superficial freedom to wander aimlessly here or there, to taste this or that, to make a choice of distractions (in Pascal's sense) is simply a sham. It claims to be a freedom of 'choice' when it has evaded the basic task of discovering who it is that chooses."
Thomas Merton [1915-1968], Love and Living, 1979
Wednesday, July 3, 2013
A COMMITTEE
Quote for Today - July 3, 2013
"A committee should consist of three men, two of whom are absent."
Herbert Beerbohm Tree.
Comment: This quote was in the bridge column in the Annapolis Capital - which often has great quotes. So it's from "Win At Bridge," by Philip Alder, Annapolis Capital, Monday, July 1, 2013, page B7. It describes Herbert Beerbohm Tree this way: "an English actor and theater manager who died in 1917...."
Tuesday, July 2, 2013
DON’T LOOK BACK
INTRODUCTION
The title of my homily for this 13 Tuesday in Ordinary Time is, “Don’t Look Back!”
When I read today’s first reading, I heard - loud and clear
- that simple imperative command: “Don’t Look Back!”
I would guess many
homilies for today’s readings will stress that theme - because it’s worth thinking
about - and we’ve heard it 100 times.
Okay, some preachers will go with the gospel and stress
having faith in Jesus - to be able to ride out the storms of life.
I’m sure every other year when we have this first reading
from Genesis, I think about this story of Lot ’s wife - who
looked backwards and as a result she was turned into a pillar of salt.
I read somewhere that there are pillars of salt in various
desert areas that look like people - and I’m sure this story came out of
someone’s imagination - as well as life experience - and like the other great
stories in Genesis, this story has one of life’s great messages: Don’t get
stuck in the past.
I’ve been in several car situations when a back seat driver
started giving orders to the driver - not to worry about the person who is on
your back - or on your tail. Don’t look back and let him get you antsy and
angry. Pay attention to the traffic in front of you.
We can get stuck in the rear view mirror - in the past - and
as a result it effects our present moments as well as our future.
LOTS OF PEOPLE - NOT JUST LOT ’S
WIFE
Before I came to Annapolis , I
spent 8 ½ years preaching parish missions - mostly in Ohio . I’ll never forget the woman a pastor and
an associate in some parish - asked me to visit in a nursing home. It wasn’t
confession. In fact, I wish it could have been that - and Christ would forgiver
her of something she had done I guess in her life. She was stuck in a tape recording - she was
going to hell. She said that 50 times in a 30 minute visit. I tried to tell her
God does not have a pitchfork and when we die, he pitchforks lots of folks into
hell. That night at supper they asked how I did. I said, “No luck!” They said:
Sorry it looks like nothing can help her. Woo. I wished when she got her
dementia big time, she got stuck on a forgiving and loving God - instead of an
angry God.
So it’s lots of people - not just Lot’s wife - who look
back - and keep looking back - and they get
stuck in their past - especially past mistakes.
Today’s gospel has folks in a boat and they are filled with
fear - and they don’t trust in Jesus. It takes faith to accept forgiveness and
move on to the future.
When we make a mistake - say or do the wrong thing - we can
get stuck in our mistake. It can affect
our ability to listen - to be aware of what’s going on in the present moment.
We’ve all heard Satchel Paige’s comment: “Don’t look back.
Something may be gaining on you.” It’s from
his book, How to Keep Young [1953].
Don Baylor, another baseball player - and then a manager, said, “In baseball you can’t let losing carry over
to the next day. You’ve got to flip the page.”
CONCLUSION
At coffee breaks, at cocktail parties, as well as hors
d’oeuvres time, people tend to walk away from those who are old story tellers -
especially if we’ve heard the stories 1,000 times - or they are exaggerations.
While at the same
time, there are of course story tellers who are interesting.
And of course it’s
important to be in touch with our past. After
all, these very scriptures are filled with stories - and they give us a common
memory. Aren’t we here at Mass - doing all this - in memory of Jesus?
However, the Lot ’s wife’s story give us the warning or not getting
stuck in our memories - instead of living our lives forwards.
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.
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