December 19, 2013 - Friday - Quote for Today
Bertolt Brecht (1898-1956)
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Bertolt Brecht [ ]
Friday, December 20, 2013
Thursday, December 19, 2013
Wednesday, December 18, 2013
Tuesday, December 17, 2013
THE
FAMILY TREE
INTRODUCTION
The title of my homily for
this Tuesday in the Third Week of Advent - December 17th, is,
“The Family Tree.”
TODAY'S GOSPEL
As we listened to the beginning of the Gospel of Matthew this
morning - which begins with names - lots of names - 42 to be precise - we are
getting a sense of history - and mystery - not just of Jesus Christ - but of
every person.
EVERY PERSON MATTERS
Our parish theme for this year is: Every Person Matters.
On the family tree of each person there are names - 42 names
- hundreds and hundreds of names. They are the people who got us to this moment
of our life.
I have not talked yet to someone who was adopted - who had
no idea who his or her parents were - and then they took one of those new DNA
tests and they discovered with the results - some of their roots. What would
that be like? I have to keep my ears
open for someone who took that path.
What is it like when an adopted person discovers who gave
them the gift of life? When it comes to adoption, I’m sure we’ve heard great
stories - as well as so so stories. I’m sure we heard of people expressing a
greater appreciation of the woman who gifted another couple with her child -
because she or they knew they couldn’t handle a child at this time. I’m sure
we’ve heard as well a greater appreciation for the mom and dad who adopted a
person.
In the last 50 or so years doing one’s genealogy has become
more and more significant - and I’ve heard people tell stories that are
fascinating.
Growing up we had a picture of a cousin of my mom or dad -
who went out to Minnesota
- in the early part of the last century - never to be heard from again. Then years later
my Aunt Nora found a note on her door in Galway ,
Ireland - from some people on a golfing trip to Ireland
and they were checking out their roots. Nora wasn’t home - but they left a USA address. My aunt Nora sent the address to my
sister in Brooklyn - who wrote to them saying,
“We might be relatives.” We were. Then my sister Mary flew out to a family
reunion they were having - now in South
Dakota . It was great. They were super, super happy to
get the lowdown on their family tree - much of which they didn’t know about.
THREE QUICK MESSAGES
Okay, I asked myself, what would be 3 messages - I don’t
know why I picked 3 - but 3 things that can happen from doing a genealogy:
1) We are a Cast of Characters. Check
the family tree - and you’ll find a great cast of characters and surprises. We’ll come up with
people we’d brag about and people we’d like to keep in the closet. Looking at
Matthew’s list for Jesus in today’s gospel, commentators like to point out the
5 women mentioned and not mentioned: Tamar seduced her father-in-law, Rahab was
a prostitute, Ruth who was loyal beyond blood but most loyal to her in-laws,
Bathsheba whom Matthew doesn’t list by name. She’s described as the mother of
Solomon and the wife of Uriah - the one who got pregnant by David and whom
David let him get killed. Then there was Mary - the mother of Jesus who is
called the Christ.
2) Being a Loner Is Not an Option.
We’re not in this alone. We can’t get a ticket to the dance called “life” without
a mom and dad - and their moms and dads - and their moms and dads - and back
and back and back and back and back. We’re not just one domino. John Donne said
it loud and clear: “No man is an island, entire of itself, every man is a piece
of the continent.” I love the football
story - that happened somewhere along the line. A quarterback was doing
fabulous on some college team - but he never gave credit to his offensive line
- who protected him every time. So on one play - it was planned - they just fell down and let the defense of the
other team come in and crush the quarterback. He got the message!
3) We’re All Related - if we all
go back far enough. Is this why various folks like to say to another. Hi Bro or
Sis or Cous. As we listen to history and social studies and world situations,
we keep hearing that various parts of the world - especially the countries
ending in “an” - but many other places - Africa - the Middle East - are very
family and tribal oriented - and those places are really not part of a nation
yet. Blood is thicker than water. Families - extended families are more to be
trusted. It isn’t until we realize we’re all brothers and sisters and God is
our Father, and we’re in this together - that this world isn’t going to work.
I’ve often thought the only way this world will be united - would be that we
discover there is another world on some other planet - and they are perceived to be enemy - and dangerous.
Monday, December 16, 2013
BY WHAT AUTHORITY?
INTRODUCTION
The title of my homily for this Monday in the 3rd
Week of Advent is, “By What Authority?”
It’s a question that appears in today’s gospel: Matthew 21:23-27.
In Advent these readings don’t flow from one day to the
next, so it would be important to know what has just happened right before
today’s gospel - to trigger the question. Jesus just went into the temple in Jerusalem and overturned
the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who were selling doves.
Next - as we heard in today’s gospel - the priests and the
elders seeing Jesus doing this asked, the obvious, “By what authority are you
doing these things?”
What I wonder about is why this reading is picked for
Advent.
After that it got me thinking about the question of
authority.
A few questions for you are: Is the question of authority
something you think about from time to time? Are you interested in hearing a
few words about authority right now? You’re sort of stuck - because I’m at the
microphone - but you can tune a speaker out - if you’re somewhere else. Don’t
we all do that from time to time?
My task as priest is to come into this temple and at this
time after the readings to say a few words on the readings - that is, to preach
a homily.
That’s a long introduction - but I hope it gives the reason
why I am about to preach a homily entitled, “By What Authority?”
A SCARY QUESTION
To me that’s a scary question.
It’s also a good question at times.
I can’t just come up here to the pulpit and say anything. I
have to be responsible. I can’t just overturn tables
So by what authority do I say what I say?
At present, in our Catholic Church the basic rule and
regulation is this: ordinarily, the person up here preaching should be a deacon
or a priest. Behind that would be education and testing, etc. and then
ordination. Moreover, the priest and deacon have to give a promise of fidelity
to Church teachings.
So I am responsible for what I say and I have to consider
what I am saying.
That doesn’t mean I won’t make mistakes.
There are jokes about a preacher being allowed to make 5
heresies in every homily.
I’ve even heard that from bishops. Now that’s an argument
from authority.
I like that joke or comment - because what we say up here
has to be kosher and well thought out. And I feel at times I don’t have enough
time to look at every implication in what I am saying.
Moreover, I am well aware that I have lots of questions about lots of things in the scriptures - and in theology. I am called to keep studying, growing, learning, and developing. That is part of the vocation of a rabbi, a deacon and a priest. If I have it right, it entails being a life time student.
I am also aware that it is valuable to have various
personalities preaching - and teaching - and speaking from the pulpit - so that
you too are helped in growing with the Sacred Scriptures. I assume that would
be part of the background of those who want to hear the voice of women from the
pulpit as well.
I am also aware that you as listener - also have an
obligation to receive the word according to your personality - and your
education - and your development and growth and your faith.
I like to say to people: “Please be thinking Catholics -
thinking Christians.”
And folks are thinking. I’ve hit wrong buttons at times.
I’ve hit confusing buttons at times. And at times people let me know.
So I know from experience that people sit in church
listening to a homily and consciously and unconsciously inwardly think and say
to themselves the very same question we heard in today’s gospel, “By what
authority are you saying these things?”
I also know people are inwardly saying at times, “I don’t
agree with you!” Or “I doubt that.” Or, “I have think about that.” Or “I have to read up about that.” Or “I want
to ask for a second opinion.”
So as I said: this is scary stuff.
ST. THOMAS AQUINAS
I am fond of a saying of St. Thomas Aquinas - when he said
that authority is the weakest of arguments.
Those who like St. Thomas Aquinas like to say: “Notice that
in itself that is an argument from authority.”
Authorities on St. Thomas Aquinas like to add that St. Thomas ’ full statement
was: “Authority is the weakest of arguments according to Boethius.”
Boethius was a 6th Century AD public official and
philosopher who wrote a document entitled, “Consolation
of Philosophy” - which had a great impact into the Middle Ages.
As I studied St. Thomas Aquinas on the authority
question, I hear him saying that
sometimes arguments from authority are good - but often there are better
arguments. For example he said that in his various arguments for the proof of
God’s existence.
Don’t we do the same thing? A kid starts to play with
matches or wants to touch the stove or go out with so and so. A parent might yell with authority: “No!
Don’t go there!” Later on the kid will
know - not from authority - but from experience - my mom and dad were right.
“It’s not smart to play with fire.”
THE BIBLE: BY WHOSE
AUTHORITY DO YOU INTERPRET IT?
As you know the big issue when it comes
to the Bible is how do you interpret it?
By whose authority do you say what you say about a
particular passage of the Bible?
This used to be a big Catholic-Protestant flash point.
Times have changed. Now it’s often a Fundamentalist vs.
Various Literary Forms “fight”. Better labels could be found or used - but I
only have so much time. This is not a lecture, but I am using my time in
working on this homily - to pull together some of my understandings and where I
want to further go and grow.
As you well know, we
preachers not only preach on the Bible - but reach for other books on our
shelves when it comes to studying a Bible text - and to come up with a homily.
So I reach for several commentaries on the Bible as well as dictionaries of the
Bible - as well as books of sermons and reflections by people like Barbara
Brown Taylor, William Barclay, Paul
Tillich, John Shea, Helmut Thielicke, Frederick Buechner, Austin Farrer, Joseph
Donders, Denis McBride, to name just a few.
For me, the question is no longer Catholic-Protestant
reflections on the Bible - but the reflection of this particular person I’m
reading on a Biblical text.
As a Catholic - I rely on our on Tradition and Theology -
Catechisms and Church Documents - the Fathers of the Church - and lots of
theology books by people like Karl Rahner and Bernard Haring and so many
others. They are rooted in the Bible and our Tradition and our History. So I am
rooted in the Bible - post-college 4 years of theology and Biblical
Studies in the seminary - plus studies
for two more master’s degrees in theology that I got after I was ordained and
years after our seminary training years.
TODAY’S FIRST READING
Now, let me take today’s first reading from the Book of Numbers [24:2-7, 15, 17a] and
make a few comments. It gives some
utterances from Balaam - a character in the Bible. He is a seer - that is one
who sees what others don’t see. A seer is one who has visions and makes
pronouncements from God about them.
I assume Baalam is mentioned in today’s first Advent
reading because one of his
pronouncements was about the Star of Jacob.
We can ask, “By what
authority Balaam are you making your pronouncements?”
We can also ask how true is his story - and his comments?
Here is where I go to authorities - so called, “Biblical
Scholars.”
That’s an area of the authority - big time authority - these
so called, “Biblical Scholars”. They
have to do a lot of study in various fields to get their doctorates.
In his Biblical
Dictionary, John L. McKenzie notes the following about Balaam with a
comment by an authority named, William Albright, “Albright has argued from the
language and the grammatical and syntactical characteristics of the poems that
they are as ancient as the 12th or the 11th century, the
period to which Balaam belongs in tradition. The same writer has shown that the
‘Star of Jacob’ [Numbers 24:17] should actually be translated, ‘When the stars
of Jacob prevail.”
Reading that I assume that the section of Numbers we heard
today at this Mass has traditions and strains and stories that go way, way
back. I was taught that those traditions
came down in spoken form first - so they would change and become reformed in
each situation to help people in each situation to be better people or follow
such and such a religious practice or what have you.
Take the example, when it comes to Balaam, of his famous
talking ass. It’s mentioned right there in the Book of Numbers - Chapter 22 -
two chapters before today’s first reading.
Now I don’t believe in talking donkeys - but I know that
also is one of those pulpit jokes - about preachers - from time to time.
I also assume that the story was preserved because it’s
funny, memorable, and could be used by a speaker or a preacher in cute ways.
Did the donkey talk? Did the snake talk in Genesis?
I was trained in Scripture in a Catholic seminary - so I got
what was the current teaching between 1962-1966. I have also read a lot since.
Catholic teaching on the Bible has changed in the past 200
years - and its official pronouncements right now are that that the Bible
contains lots of various types of literature. Fundamentalist Biblical thinkers
think otherwise - so right there a thinking Catholic might have a dilemma - and
a question: “Whom can I believe?”
So I was taught that we have in the Bible lots of different
types of literature. And in lots of literature, for example, Aesop’s Fables,
animals talk and the fables teach a people lots of good stuff.
Another type of literature is exact science literature. We
hope a doctor, an engineer, a physicist, any science reader - will get the best
information - to make the best decisions for his field. If the facts in a science book are proved to
be untrue, improve the text - till we get the facts as correct as possible.
Obviously.
If you read the Bible you are often reading it in light of
the science at the time it was spoken and written. If you look up in the sky
any bright day, it looks like the sun is moving across the sky. In the Bible
it’s described as doing just that - like a chariot. When Galileo said we are
the one going around the sun, the Catholic Church and many others knew he was
wrong.
Surprise - sunrises and sunsets can be deceiving…. if one is
self centered - that everything revolves around our world.
Appearances can be tricky. I was once at a window seat in a
restaurant in Algiers - right on the Mississippi
River on the other side of New Orleans .
At one point in our meal, I thought our table was moving. A gigantic tanker
went right by our window. Appearances can be deceiving.
Experience - checking things out - good science - discovery
- testing - are all important when it comes to understanding our realities.
There was a rift between Church and Life - when the Church didn’t advance with
the Enlightenment. I remember my first assignment as a priest. An older priest
said what was laughed at when we studied the Bible. He said the world was 6000
years old - that was what he was taught. I said that they have stones that are
4 to 6 billion years old. He said: “Well
God made them old.”
At that I became quiet - realizing - we in two different
worlds.
CONCLUSION
I didn’t know it then, but I learned that day - that not
everyone sees how I see. And slowly I realized there are many issues in life -
and there are lots of authorities out there - and who’s right and who’s wrong -
is it really worth arguing many things. Time will tell some things - and
eternity may tell the rest of the story. Amen.
O O O O O
NOTES:
I didn't give this sermon as it appears here. It needed a lot of work and so I worked on it - and made it twice as long - in the present draft - and I'll do some more work on it - when I have more time. It's an important topic and I'd like to be clearer.
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