MUSIC  THERAPY

Quote for Today - August 10, 2013

"Truly there would be reason to go mad were it not for music."

Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky [1840-1893]

BEETHOVEN

Quote for August 9, 2013

“What you are, you are by accident of birth; what I am, I am by myself. There are and will be a thousand princes; there is only one Beethoven.” 

Ludwig van Beethoven

BACH: MASS IN B MINOR

Quote for Today - August 9, 2013

"Why waste money on psychotherapy when you can listen to the B Minor Mass?"

Michael Torke [1961-  ]

MOZART AND BACH 

Quote for Today - August 7, 2013

"Whether angels play only Bach in praising God, I am not sure. I am sure, however, that en famille they play Mozart."

Karl Barth, quoted in the New York Times, obituary, December 11, 1968

"En famille" - French for "with one's family"

TRANSFIGURATION  

MOMENTS

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily is “Transfiguration Moments.”

They happen. How many have happened to you? Describe them!

THEY HAPPENED TO JESUS

Jesus had a few Transfiguration Moments  that we know of.

There was that moment on the mountain - that we heard in today’s gospel - when Jesus shone like the sun.

It was a moment with his 3 key disciples: Peter, James and John.

They saw him in prayer. And wow could he pray.

His face changed. Bright light radiated off the skin of his forehead and cheeks. His clothes became dazzling white.

Notice its connection to a  future moment in the garden - on the night before he died. In both scenes  Peter and the disciples had fallen asleep.

In the Transfiguration scene, they were awakened by the spectacular in the scene.

At that moment on the mountain they saw Jesus with 2 mysterious figures: Moses and Elijah.

They saw a cloud moving over them, enveloping them.

They heard a voice say, “This is my chosen Son; listen to him.”

It was a transfiguration moment - a transfiguring experience.

His disciples were frightened,

His disciples wanted to stay there forever.

Jesus knowing they couldn’t contain this experience, Jesus knowing they couldn’t explain this experience, told them to keep this personal and private - till his exodus experience in Jerusalem - which was to come.

Jesus had a similar transfiguration moment at his Baptism - in the Jordan - when a cloud came over him. Like at the Noah’s ark story, a dove indicated where to land and start again. A voice said, “You are my Son, the Beloved, my favor rests on you.”

The title of my homily is, “Transfiguration Moments.”

Jesus had a few of them - at his birth in Bethlehem - when a great crowd of angels praised God - singing, “Glory to God in the highest - peace on all those on whom his favor rests.” Then there were the moments before he died: in the upper room, at Calvary, and all those resurrection moments.

People were transfigured by Jesus - changed by him - in their transfigured moments with him - especially Paul on his way to Damascus - when a light blinded him. He gets to Damascus - not with his destructive urges - but with new life - as a transfigured human being.

WHAT HAVE BEEN OUR TRANSFIGURATION MOMENTS?

People have transfiguration moments - moments when they saw the light - moments that changed their lives: the birth of a baby; a sunrise at the ocean; waking up and seeing the face of a sleeping spouse in the morning light; seeing a son or a daughter graduate or marry or have their first grandchild; seeing a 7 year old play a piano or a trombone - in a kids’ orchestra.

People have transfiguration moments - transcendental moments - moments filled with light and joy - insight and the shattering of darkness - at Mass while singing a hymn like, “Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee,” to the music of Ode to Joy  by Ludwig van Beethoven - or at a picnic in the park with one’s family -or we’re at a parents 60^th wedding anniversary - or the death of a loved one.

People have transfiguration moments - like the 3 million people at the World Youth Final Mass at the Cococabana Beach in Rio just two weeks ago. Will that moment solidify their faith life - life in Christ for life - for those people?

CONCLUSION

Today we’re celebrating the Feast of the Transfiguration - whose Gospel Message - is that Christ is the Light of the World - that Christ can transform our lives - his light can penetrate all darkness.

One of its key messages is that Christ is not only the light of the world - but that we are called to be light to our world. As Pope Francis told  the young people of Brazil - we are called to spread the faith to the fringes of society.

May Christ’s light shine in all the corners of our life - so that we can spread that light to all corners of the world. Amen.

Painting on top:Transfiguration by Lewis Bowman

DISFIGURATION
MOMENTS

Hiroshima - August 6, 1945 

Quote August 6, 2013

"O Nature, and O soul of man! how far beyond all utterance are your linked analogies! not the smallest atom stirs or lives on matter, but has its cunning duplicate in mind."

Herman Melville [1819-1891] Moby Dick, Chapter 70.

COMPARE

Compare that comment with the following comments:

"The unleashed power of the atom has changed everything save our modes of thinking, and we thus drift toward unparalleled catastrophes." Albert Einstein [1879-1955], from Ralph E. Lapp, The Einstein Letter That Started It All. In the New York Times Magazine [August 2, 1964]

"Nature is neurtal. Man has wrested from nature the power to make the world a desert or to make the deserts bloom. There is no evil in the atom; only in men's souls."  Adlai Ewing Stevenson [1900-1965], Speech at Hartford Connecticut [September 18, 1952]

AVOIDING THE TITLE  “COMPLAINER” 

AT THE FUNERAL PARLOR

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for this 18^th Monday in Ordinary Time  is, “Avoiding The Title, ‘Complainer’ At The Funeral Parlor.”

At many funerals there is a eulogy - by a family member or a friend. It’s  a description - or a rendering of the person who died - usually edited - to avoid the negatives - to help all deal with the death of a loved one.  Hopefully, there will be many  positive comments.

Then there is the unofficial eulogy - the real one of the person who died. Most of the time it’s kept within - but sometimes people whisper - with hand to their mouth, “You know, she was a complainer.” Or “He liked to “gripe, growl, and groan.”  Hopefully, there will be some good stuff as well.

The title of my homily is, “Avoiding The Title, ‘Complainer’ At The Funeral Parlor.”

TODAY’S READINGS

In today’s two readings - especially the first reading - folks are complaining. In the Book of Numbers they are complaining about the horrible food in the desert.  They also start voicing a basic complaint: we should never have moved in the first place.

The gospel complaint is about inconvenience - of having to feed all these folks. The disciples want Jesus to dismiss the crowd.

Jesus says: “Feed the crowd.”

TELL ME YOUR COMPLAINTS AND I’LL TELL YOU WHO YOU ARE.

Is there a definitive list of life’s top ten complaints?

I don’t know. That’s my first response to that question. Now I’ll be on the lookout for the most frequent gripes or complaints of people.

My guess would be that the list would contain: food, weather, noise, interruptions, traffic,  aches and pains, not getting my way - and especially others.

Yet, I don’t know. I have to think a bit more about all this.

I would think a basic question is whether most of my complaints are about myself or others. The answer to that would tell me a lot about myself.

Complaining about sloppiness, mismanagement, lateness, laziness, might indicate that I’m a neat person. Show me your house, your closets, the trunk of your car, and if it’s very neat, I might be able to tell you what you complain about. I would assume it would be the opposite: sloppiness and lazainess.

Knowing our pet peeves - would also tell us a lot about ourselves.

Listening to a person’s political complaints will tell others what TV news channel that person might  watch for news.

CONCLUSION

The title of my homily is, “Avoiding The Title, ‘Complainer’ At The Funeral Parlor.”

I was talking to a lady yesterday who has lost her hair and a lot more - because of cancer. She and her husband are praying for a cure, and she’s going for another major surgery next week, yet she said with a rich smile: “Death it’s a part of life! I’m ready.”

Mark Twain in his  Pudd’nhead Wilson’s Calendar, Chapter 10, wrote, “All say, ‘How hard it is that we have to die’ - a strange complaint to come from the mouths of those who have had to live.”

I would assume then that the bottom line is gratitude and joy for all the days of life we have had so far - for our food - our home - where we live, our relatives and friends,  and our hope for more - and we learn to enjoy them all - before we die. Amen