THE LEAP OF FAITH
Quote for Today - Friday - December 6, 2013
"Faith begins as an experiment and ends as an experience."
William Ralph Inge
Friday, December 6, 2013
Tuesday, December 3, 2013
THE KINGDOM OF GOD
ADVENTS WITHIN
INTRODUCTION
The title of my homily is, “The
Kingdom of God Advents Within.”
Advent is a time for Jesus to come
to us in a new way.
Each advent, each Christmas,
hopefully, Christ is born anew in us in richer and better ways.
ISAIAH 11
Don’t you love today’s first reading
– Isaiah 11:1-10?
Don’t you love the painting, “The
Peaceable Kingdom” by Edward Hicks?
When I go to see my sister Mary at Doylestown , Pennsylvania ,
I have often gone to the Michener
Art Museum
Edward Hicks was a Quaker and had
deep religious interests – two special interests were Peace and the Inner Light.
He saw good stuff in people – the
light of Christ shining in them. He also saw Quakers in division at times with
one another – the city with the rural, simplicity versus stuff,, etc. If he
heard Isaiah and Jesus correctly, the call is to be peaceful.
We have within us the lamb and the
wolf, the calf and the lion, the cow and the bear. We can be catty or calm,
bearish and gentle, lone wolfish or gentle as a lamb. The choice is always
ours.
Edward Hicks, a coach painter,
turned painter, turned farmer, turned back to painter, preached with his
picture – figured things out with his painting.
We look at the scene and we see
ourselves. It’s a mirror. Is there peace in my belly? Is there peace in my
heart? Is there peace in my mind? Is the Kingdom of God
During Advent - in preparation for
Christmas - we bring out the lights - and we light up our homes - inside and
out. During Advent - in preparation for
Christmas we shop for gifts to give each other for Christmas. During Advent -
in preparation for Christmas we set up the manger - along with Mary and Joseph
and the animals - the shepherds - and the kings. Why not step back and wonder how I’m making
all these motions real - not just in symbol - but in reality - that we be
light, gift, and manger to receive Christ the Lord!
Edward Hicks paints a child with the
animals and the people of his day – hopefully working for peace – making the kingdom of God
TODAY’S GOSPEL
The revelation – the message of
today’s gospel – is that we are the lucky ones – the blessed ones – for being
given these revelations from God about the Son.
Listen again to how today’s gospel
ends: Turning to the disciples in private he said,
“Blessed are the eyes
that see what you see.
For I say to you,
many prophets and kings
desired to see
what you see,
but did not see it,
and to hear what you hear,
but did not hear it.”
“Blessed are the eyes
that see what you see.
For I say to you,
many prophets and kings
desired to see
what you see,
but did not see it,
and to hear what you hear,
but did not hear it.”
Edward Hicks made Isaiah and the
gospel very personal, very real, very relevant – when he showed faces of people
in his paintings. Some people seem to grow and glow in peace. The light of Christ shines
in their faces. Other people are like some of the animals in later pictures -
animals whose claws that have gotten sharper – and more dangerous looking.
We can change as we get older. Hopefully,
we change for the better and not the worse
– that is, becoming more cynical
and cruel. Hopefully, more and more of the light of Christ advents into us and
we vent the light of Christ out from us more and more.
CONCLUSION.
Obviously, more light, more peace,
the advent of the kingdom, is one of the
key messages of Advent. Amen.
O O O O O O O
Painting on top:
Edward Hicks [1780-1849] - The Peaceable Kingdom, c. 1837 - at the Mercer Museum - The Michenor - Doylestown, Pa.
PEANUTS
December 3, 2013 - Tuesday - Quote for Today
"When I was young, I said to God, 'God, tell me the mystery of the universe.'
"But God answered, 'That knowledge is reserved for me alone.'
"So I said, 'God, tell me the mystery of the peanut.'
"Then God said, 'Well, George, that's more nearly your size.'
"And he told me."
George Washington Carver [1864-1943]
Question: If God said to you - "I'll tell you about one mystery - what would be your quest?"
Monday, December 2, 2013
BRANCHES!
SIGNS OF HOPE
INTRODUCTION
The title of my homily for this First Monday in Advent is, “Branches! Signs of Hope!
Every once and a while
- while walking - I’ve spotted small branches - branching out of sawed
down tree. I stop and think to myself: “Interesting!” or “Wow!” or “There’s
always signs of hope around.”
THE PROPHET ISAIAH
If you read the words - better - if you look at the images -
slide shows of verbal pictures - in the
book of the Prophet Isaiah - you’ll spot great signs of hope.
The wolf is the guest of the lamb …. The cow and the bear become neighbors …. Weak
knees become stronger …. The lame leap like a stag…. Buds blossom …. Deserts
bloom …. Roads appear …. Crooked ways
become straight …. - Branches appear on
stumps.
In today’s first reading from Isaiah 4: 2-6 - we have the
image of the branch - one of these wonderful images from Isaiah. They hang like
ornaments on the evergreen tree called Advent. Spot them and you spot hope.
Isaiah promises for survivors that they will find fruit -
the fruit being honor and splendor - after a time of suffering in Jerusalem . There will be
shelter and protection on Mount
Zion
TODAY’S GOSPEL -
MATTHEW 8: 5-11
Jesus spots hope in the words and sentiments of a centurion - whom Jesus says has more faith than those of his own people. He says to Jesus, “Just give me your word and that’s enough for my servant to be healed.”
THE CALL TO BE
SIGNS OF HOPE
The title of my homily is, “Branches! Signs of Hope.”
Is that our call?
Aren’t we who are local branches on the tree called
Christianity, called Church, called Christ - called to branch out to others -
to give others words and signs of hope?
EXAMPLES
Take some time to look at our own life.
Who have been examples of hope for us?
What have been the signs of hope we have spotted.
Two people stopped to tell me after Sunday Masses yesterday
that their spouses got good news - that the cancer is in remission for one and
cut out for the other. A lady with gray scraggily hair on her head - after
losing it all from chemotherapy said, “Look at my hair! It’s come back and it’s
not going to be gray for long!”
People who have lost a loved one often tell me about
something that happens that gives them a smile on their face and hope in their
brain: the sky is different - something falls off a book shelf - a bird is on
the branch of a backyard tree - and for some reason this helps them say that
it’s okay now. “It’s okay now!”
My brother told me once that he missed Sunday morning Mass
so he went to another church for a Sunday evening Mass. The place was at a
distance. He sat down. Sometime during
the Mass spotted one of his daughters in front of him - all by herself - at
that same Mass.
Surprise. He said it was quite a surprise.
CONCLUSION
We are people who are often looking for signs of hope - some
sign that branches out of nowhere - or somewhere - where there has been hurt or
disaster.
And praise God when we get these signs.
And praise God when we are these signs of hope for others. Amen.
OUR ART
WHICH ART AROUND US
December 2, 2013 - Monday - Quote for Today
"I really feel sorry for people who think things like soap dishes or mirrors or Coke bottles are ugly, because they are surrounded by things like that all day long, and it must make them miserable."
Robert Rauschenberg [1925-2008]
Title of art object above: Rare Ceramic Sculpture
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