BE SPECIFIC

Quote for Today - December 7, 2013 - Saturday

"Dealing in generalities is the death of prayer."

J.H. Evans

QUESTION: Can't we say the same of meetings and many conversations? Ooops! That's not specific.

THE LEAP OF FAITH

Quote for Today - Friday - December 6, 2013

"Faith begins as an experiment and ends as an experience."

William Ralph Inge

CHANGE THE CHANNEL

December 5, 2013 - Thursday  - Quote For Today

"Very often a change of self is needed more than a change of scene."

Arthur Christopher Benson [1862-1925]

I'M  LISTENING 

December 4, 2013 - Wednesday - Quote For Today

"Real unselfishness consists in sharing the interests of others."

George Santayana [1863-1952]

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 there and they have one of the 61 renditions of The Peaceable Kingdom by Edward Hicks.

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 within?

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 arrive not only in our homes, but in our hearts.

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.”

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?"

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 -  like finding a shade tree on a hot day - or place to duck into in a storm - when it’s raining and pouring.

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.