GENIUS
INSPIRATION
AND PERSPIRATION
Quote for Today - October 1, 2013
"Genius is one per cent inspiration and ninety-nine percent perspiration."
Thomas Alva Edison, Life
Tuesday, October 1, 2013
Sunday, September 29, 2013
HE DESCENDED INTO HELL
INTRODUCTION
The title of my homily for this 26 Sunday in Ordinary Time,
Year C, is, “He Descended Into Hell.”
A PHONE CALL
Someone recently called the rectory. I was on duty and they asked,
“What does it mean in the Apostles Creed when it says about Jesus, “He
descended into hell.”
I gave the Caller the Catechism answer that it means that
Jesus after he died - descended into the place of the dead - the state of the
dead - the abode of the dead - the below, the under the earth, Sheol in Hebrew, Hades in Greek, Hell in English for some - and Jesus then proclaimed to those there - who
longed for God - longed for a, or the, Redeemer, the Good News of Salvation. The Catechism of the Catholic Church words
it carefully this way -“to free the just who went before him.” [page 164] Basically it’s saying that Christ went to the
dead who had lead a good life and died before him - and lead them to paradise.
I don’t know whether that answer satisfied that Caller.
Probably not.
In the Nicene Creed it doesn’t say that he descended into
hell. It says, “He suffered death and was buried, and rose again on the third
day.”
We’ve been saying the Nicene Creed at Sunday Masses most of
our lives - so lately - I’ve been saying the Apostles Creed - page 10 in our
Missalette. The changes in the Liturgy of 2 years ago said we can do that. The Apostles Creed is
the one we begin the rosary with.
If we say the Nicene creed we hear the complaint that they
used the word “consubstantial” as the new English replacement for the words we were
used to saying, “one in being with the
Father.”
“One in being with the Father” - “consubstantial” - as if we
could understand or grasp the Trinity. “Hell” or “was buried” - as if we
grasped the mystery of Salvation, Redemption, and what happens to us after we
die.
So whatever we use - the Nicene Creed or the Apostles Creed in the Sunday Liturgy, people wonder about the words we use - and
the words we say.
If that is true, that’s good. If that’s true, then what’s your take on today’s gospel - this
powerful story about a Rich Man and a Poor Man - and what happens to them after
they die? One descended - one ascended.
THE GREAT DIVIDE -
ABRAHAM’S BOSOM AS OPPOSED TO THE
NETHERWORLD OR UNDERWORLD OR BURIAL GROUNDS
Today’s gospel talks about the great divide after death.
I don’t know about you, but it scares, I hope, the hell out
of me.
Jesus, here in Luke, tells us the Parable of the Rich Man
and Lazarus.
Meow, meow! Woof. Woof. In this life the Rich Man is a fat
cat - “Meow. Meow!” and the Poor Man has dogs “Woof. Woof!” coming to lick his
sores - while like a dog he longs for scraps that fall from the Rich Man’s
table.
In the next life, tables are reversed. The Rich Man sees Lazarus
- now he knows his name - in the bosom of Abraham - the dream of every Jew. The
Rich Man screams out in torment, “Father Abraham, have pity on me. Send Lazarus
to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am suffering
torment in these flames.”
Father Abraham tells the Rich Man, “Sorry! You had it good
when you were on earth and Lazarus had it bad. Sorry! Now there’s this great
divide - this great chasm - and you can’t switch sides.”
I see hope for the Rich Man in the next part of the parable.
He thinks about others - his 5 brothers - and asks Father Abraham to send
Lazarus to warn them about not ending up like me.”
And Abraham says, “Sorry.”
“They have Moses and the prophets. Let them listen to them!”
And the Rich Man - perhaps realizing he himself didn’t
listen to the prophets - but maybe his
brothers would listen to someone who came back from the dead.
And Abraham replies with the harsh conclusion to today’s
gospel, “If they will not listen to Moses and the prophets, neither will they
be persuaded if someone should rise from the dead.”
LUKE’S CHURCH AND
OUR CHURCH
If there is one thing I learned from the New Testament it’s
this: Luke’s Church and Paul’s Churches aren’t that different from our
churches.
Down through the years, what happened in the Christian communities
in Antioch and Corinth ,
Thessalonica and Ephesus , also happen in Annapolis and Indianapolis ,
Rome , New York
and Rome , Italy
People are people. There are millions and millions of Bibles
with the Prophet’s warnings in them - in hotel rooms and bedrooms and living
room book shelves around the world. And people around the world in churches
this Sunday heard the prophet Amos talking about people just like the Rich Man
and the Poor Man in today’s gospel. Who listens? And Jesus rose from the dead. Is anyone
listening to him - the One who came back from the dead?
Will anyone who goes to church this weekend change as a
result of the readings for this Sunday?
The readings we heard are being spoken not only in Catholic
Churches - but many Protestant Churches
The Pope and his new Super 8 Group of Cardinals - the “Ad
Hoc Group” - will be meeting in Rome
this week to take a look at and discuss our Church. Will anyone mention this
Sunday’s readings - as a call to our church to make sure we’re not in the same
position as the Rich Man - and there is this gigantic chasm between us and so
many people in our world?
The title of my homily is: “He Descended Into Hell.”
HELL - HERE AND
NOW
What’s your take on that part of the Apostles Creed?
What’s your take on today’s first reading from Amos about Fat Cats eating lambs and partying and listening to music while others starve and are gypped - as well as your take on today’s gospel about the Rich Man and Lazarus?
Using today’s gospel,
what scares me is not only the after death scare of what’s going to
happen, but the here and now of hell in our midst. Why wait till eternity to be scared?
I see the Gospel of Luke as one very scary gospel - and if
we ate it - chewed on it - we would find some of it very hard to accept and
digest. Luke is the gospel for this year
- Cycle C. It’s the gospel of the poor - and for the poor - and we all know
that’s a button pusher.
I live in a very comfortable house on Duke of Gloucester
Street in downtown Annapolis
- over looking Spa Creek. We have plenty of food. Last Monday night and last Wednesday
afternoon the rectory corridor was crowded with the poor at our door - and I
want to publically say I’m moved by those men and women in our parish who work
listening, screening, and trying to help the poor of Annapolis . I want to thank everyone who gives
to the poor box - serve at the Light House - and help big time with the
Thanksgiving and Christmas meals - for which lots and lots and lots of folks were
signing up for at St. Mary’s this past week. The economy is not doing well for
lots of folks - so thank you for your sacrifices and your generosity.
IN THE MEANWHILE
In the meanwhile - today’s gospel triggers for me - the reality
that hell is also now. There are great chasms separating people from people.
I’ve never been to India
- where they still have the Caste System - but I’m reading that its walls
between people are slowly crumbling.
The United
States is still seen by many as “The Great
Melting Pot.” I lived in New York City - and saw
what that meant - especially on the
Subway. I’ve been to Toronto
- and saw the blending of people and colors - even more. Hang around till 2213
- and you’ll see surprise.
I see Jesus as the one who knocked on doors and tried to
knock down walls that separate people from people.
But why not look right into our everyday lives right now! Are
we living in heaven or hell? Do we
ascend into heaven every day or descend into hell every day?
There are people in our lives - right in our own families -
right at our own desk or doorstep - maybe in our own bed - whom we ignore -
don’t see - and don’t want to see. The Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus can
be happening at our doorstep or gate each day.
Haven’t we experienced descending into hell. Haven’t we
experienced being ignored or not noticed. Haven’t we all started to say
something - and another cuts us off - as if we don’t exist - and it feels like
hell? Aren’t their old people in nursing homes - and children in our homes and
our schools and our playgrounds - who long for scraps of affection that fall
from our tables? Aren’t there people in our lives whose opinion we never ask -
or we just assume they are dumb - and unimportant?
I’ll be dead before the Catholic Church finally sees today’s
parable also applies to the people in our parishes - to all our women - to the
unnoticed - to those who have dropped out of coming to church - for various
reasons - one of which they feel unnoticed and unheard or they are hurting - or
feel we have divorced them and not allowed them to eat at our table.
I don’t know about you - but I know I label people - put
people in boxes - thinking they have no clue of what I know. I’m the rich one -
the smart one. They are the poor slobs - the dumb ones.
CONCLUSION
So when I hear the phrase, “He descended into hell” - I think of myself and all
people who descend into hell each day - and I thank God the Father for sending
Jesus who descended into my hell to reach out for me - and challenge me - and
love me into wanting to rise from my deadness - and hell and ascend into heaven
each day - and be with all the people I don’t seem to noticed - each modern
Lazarus. Amen.
Saturday, September 28, 2013
I - THOU, O GOD!
OR
I - IT, O GOD!
Quote for Today - September 28, 2013
"One of the silliest of all discussions is the question whether God is personal - it would be more useful to inquire whether ice is frozen."
Austin Farrer, Saving Belief, Hodder and Stoughton 1964
Comments:
How do you take the quote above and where does it take you?
If you haven't read Martin Buber's book, I And Thou, yet, get thee to a book store or the library. [I and Thou, Charles Scribner's Sons, New York,1958.] In my copy of Buber's book, I wrote the following just inside the front cover, "Martin Buber's doctrine may perhaps be summarized in this sentence: 'I-thou can only be uttered with the whole of our being; I-it can never be uttered with the whole of our being.'" from Sven Stolpe, Dag Hammarskjold, A Spiritual Portrait, (New York: Scribner's, 1966) p, 44
Friday, September 27, 2013
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