SAINT  JOHN  NEUMANN

Today January 5th, is the Feast of St. John Neumann - a diocesan priest, who became a Redemptorist, who then became the Bishop of Philadelphia. 

He was born March 28, 1811 in Bohemia - now in Czech - and died in Philadelphia today, January 5th, 1860 - 49 years of age.

Check out this short film on St. John Neumann by just scratching his nose!

EPIPHANY

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily is, “Epiphany!”

Epiphany: we know the word means “showing” - “manifestation” - “appearance”.

"Epi' - a prefix - from the Greek - meaning - “on” - “upon” - “attached to” - “over” - “besides” - “after” - “outer”.

"Phany"- from the Greek verb “phaneroo” “to show”.

So we’re celebrating the showing of God to the world - and the light shines upon - it attaches itself to one baby - born in Bethlehem.

So we’re celebrating the moment when God shows God to the whole world - as indicated from the Magi or Wise Men - or Kings - from around the world - who come looking for him - and God is discovered to be a new born baby.

This Epiphany is a moment a light. A star appeared in the sky - and leads these magi - from the east - to Jerusalem - and then to Bethlehem.

This is big stage stuff. We’ve all been to plays where the theater is in darkness. Then a spot light casts down a bright light from above and focuses on a star on stage. Then we listen to someone break into song or story!

Or we might have seen these new light pointers. Teachers and lecturers use them to point out a specific statistic on a chart or part of sculpture in a gallery or museum. 

Epiphany.

TODAY’S READINGS

Today’s three readings point out what we need to see.

The first reading from Isaiah 60: 1-6 announces to Jerusalem, “Your light has come!” It says, “See, darkness covers the earth, and thick clouds cover the peoples; but upon you the Lord shines, and over your appears his glory.”

I assume that those who chose this reading, chose it because it connects well with the quote from Micah 5:1 - which we hear in today’s gospel from Matthew 2:1-12. The magi went to Jerusalem - and obviously went to the king - who was Herod - and asked, “Where’s the new born king?”

And Herod assembles the chief priests and the scribes and asks them the same question: “Where is the Christ to be born?”

So we have two Jewish scripture passages that back up that a Messiah is to come and he is to be born in Bethlehem. Matthew will continue to do that throughout his gospel.

In today’s second reading from Ephesians,  the key word is “revelation”. The mystery has been revealed - and now has been also been revealed to the Gentiles as coheirs - copartners.

Epiphany - Revelation - Light - Theophany - The Showing - What is Made Clear - What is Divulged - Where the Spotlight Lands - is Christ.

“Oh come let us adore Him, Christ the Lord!” as we sing.

That’s why we have the light on the baby in the crib - as well as - and I assume - the star on the top of the Christmas tree.

If it’s an angel on top of your Christmas tree - that brings us, I also assume - to the other great Christmas moment - the night when the Shepherds heard the angel singing and pointing them to the Crib in Bethlehem.

Whether we’re king or shepherd - wise or uneducated - Christ the baby beckons us forward - to be met - to be discovered.

Come as you are! Come with hands empty. Come with hands full.

Don’t we get that little “Uh oh! Oh no!” twinge - when we get out of the car and we’re heading into a house for a party - and every one has a crock pot or a plate or a plastic something with them - and we have nothing.

If that happens to you appear at the house as a shepherd and not a king!

Down through the centuries some Catholic cultures stress Christmas as the big feast - the giving of gifts on Christmas - and other cultures the feast of Epiphany is the big feast - Christ coming to the Gentiles - symbolized by the kings.

Check out our crib - the shepherds and Wise men stand or kneel side by side adoring Christ the new born babe in Bethlehem.

The kings have the things. The shepherds bring themselves. The baby doesn’t care - as long as we’re there.

THE BOY AT THE WINDOW

One of my favorite stories is one that happened to me a long time ago,

I was visiting this couple I had married a few years earlier.

In their apartment,  I was sitting on the couch talking across the room to both of them. Their little son was making a racket - climbing up onto the metal radiator that rimmed the room. I noticed that he liked one particular spot where there was a window. It was facing the west - facing the setting sun. With both hands on the window sill and both feet on the radiator - he would let go of one hand and start grasping for something in the air - something coming into the room. I was wondering if it was the breeze.

He’s slip off and then get back on the metal radiator. With shoes on he was making lots of noise. 

It must have been was obvious that I was trying to figure out what he was doing. I must have had a puzzled face - squeezed into a question mark.

His mother said, “You’re wondering what Little Sal is doing - aren’t you?”

I said, “Yeah!”

His mom, Ann said, “He does that all the time. He’s trying to grab the light.”

That happened in the early 1970’s and I have never forgotten that moment. He became a school teacher. I wonder if he’s still trying to grab the light.

That kid is each of us. We spend our lives searching - grasping for the light. We spend our lives hopefully having Epiphany moments.

CONCLUSION

And obviously - the epiphany moment - the revelation - is the moment we experience meeting Christ the Light of the World. Amen.

And obviously, as we grasp the gospel more and more - as it becomes us more and more - we realize we are called to then to be the Light of the World to others - so that they too discover Christ - in us - and on and on an on.

HOW TO BE OLD

A Poem for Today - January 5, 2014

HOW TO BE OLD

It is easy to be young. (Everybody is,
at first.) It is not easy
to be old. It takes time.
Youth is given; age is achieved.
One must work a magic to mix with time
in order to become old.

Youth is given. One must put it away
like a doll in a closet,
take it out and play with it only
on holidays. One must have many dresses
and dress the doll impeccably
(but not to show the doll, to keep it hidden.)

It is necessary to adore the doll,
to remember it in the dark on the ordinary
days, and every day congratulate
one’s ageing face In the mirror.

In time one will be very old.
In time, one’s life will be accomplished.
And in time, in time, the doll --
like new, though ancient -- will be found.

- May Swenson

May Swenson: ‘How To Be Old’ © 1963 by May Swenson

ST. ELIZABETH ANN SETON:

I THOUGHT 

I HAD PROBLEMS TILL ....

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for today’s - January 4th’s - feast is, “Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton: I Thought I Had Problems Till ….”

SUFFERING AND LOSS

That’s one of the ways people who have a suffering or a loss deal with a suffering or a loss.

We’ve all heard people say just that, “I thought I had it bad till I ran into Mrs Smith who lost her husband and her mother in this past year - and her son is prison for stealing from his company.”

The classic example is: I thought I had it bad with my sore toe till I met a man without any feet.”

ELIZABETH ANN SETON

That’s the thought I had when I went through the life of Elizabeth Ann Seton last night. If anyone is the patron saint of troubles - lots of troubles - it’s Elizabeth Ann Seton.

Born 1774 - she lived till she was 46 - dying of tuberculosis - which took a lot of lives till the 20th century.

She was born in New York and died in Emmetsburg, Maryland.

She married William Magee Seton at the age of 19 and they had 5 children. The first few years of their marriage was sheer happiness. She wrote, “My own home at twenty - the world - that and heaven too - quite impossible.”

Within four years, Will's father died, leaving the young couple in charge of Will's seven half brothers and sisters, as well as the family's importing business.

Then her husband’s company - the Seton Maitland Company - went bankrupt. Several of their ships sank. They lost their home in Manhattan and lost lots of their stuff. Then her husband William got sick, so they went to Italy for better weather - with one daughter. He sister-in-law took care of the other 4 kids. In Italy, within a year, her husband died of tuberculosis.

This wasn’t the first death. Elizabeth had lost her own mom when she was three - leaving her dad to raise three daughters. Her dad married again - which added to the size of the family - and the possibilities for more people to take care of

As I read her life - I wondered how did she have the strength to deal with so many deaths - that of her own children - that family members - like her sisters-in-law Harriet and Cecilia Seton. Then there were the 18 sisters she saw die at Emmetsburg.

Those were just some of the deaths.

When she became a Catholic - switching from being Episcopal - various family members cut off possible support. It also didn’t help her with various attempts to make a living as a teacher.

In the stories of Saints who were nuns - one sometimes reads of struggles with the clergy and bishops. Elizabeth Ann Seton for the most part got encouragement, help, and good offers that told her that she was needed.

WHERE DID ELIZABETH ANN SETON GET SUPPORT?

So the clergy would have been one big way Elizabeth Ann Seton got through the dark nights and valleys she had to travel through.

The literature about Elizabeth adds that the Eucharist, Daily Mass, and the Bible (Especially the Psalms) really helped her - especially Psalm 23: “The Lord is my Shepherd!”

In other words she had the gift of faith!

CONCLUSION

Today we celebrate the feast of Elizabeth Ann Seton - our first born in America saint. I noticed that in 2009 the Episcopal Church added her to their list of saints as well.

She has been named as the patron saint of Catholic Schools - like St. John Neumann - because both promoted Catholic Schools big time.

As I thought about her life - and all its troubles - I’d add she’s the patron saint of anyone who has troubles - and as we heard in today’s gospel - she discovered Jesus was the one she was looking for - he was the one who helped her - because if you look at Jesus on the Cross - how many people have said, “When I thought about Jesus on the cross and what he went through, my large troubles seemed so small”?

Amen.

DON'T GIVE UP

January 4, A Poem For Today

MOTHER TO SON

Well, son, I’ll tell you:
Life for me ain’t been no crystal stair.
It’s had tacks on it,
And splinters,
And boards torn up,
And places with no carpet on the floor --
Bare.
But all the time
I’se been a-climbin’ on,
And reachin’ landin’s,
And turnin’ corners,
And sometimes goin’ in the dark
When there ain’t been no light.
So boy, don’t you turn back.
Don’t you set down in the steps
‘Cause you finds it’s kinder hard.
Don’t you fall now --
For I’se still goin’, honey,
I’se still climbin’
And life for me ain’t been no crystal stair.

“Mother to Son” by Langston Hughes: © 1926 by Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. and renewed 1954 by Langston Hughes. Reprinted from Selected Poems by Langston Hughes, by permission of the publisher.

RECOGNITION

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for today, January 3^rd,  is, “Recognition”

Today’s two readings both talk about recognition, so I’d like to talk about the theme as well as the need for recognition.

THE READINGS

Today’s first reading from 1 John 2:29-3:6, says, “The reason the world does not recognize us is that it never recognized the Son.” Evidently, the author and the community felt unnoticed, unrecognized. All of us on and off will feel the same way. Does my life as a Christian have an impact on anyone at home or work or neighborhood?

In today’s gospel - John 1:29-34 - John the Baptist states - confesses two times that he did not recognize Jesus. And then he makes the confession that Jesus is the ONE. It was on Jesus that the Spirit descended, like the dove from Noah’s ark. It was Jesus who is “God’s chosen One.”

I would think that every human being is God’s Chosen One. I would hope that the Spirit of God descends on everyone. I would think that’s why God made us and we are called to recognize in everyone, God’s spirit and God’s will and God’s reason for making this human being.

RECOGNITION

We all know what the word “recognition” means. It means being acknowledged. It means being given attention. It means being noticed.

At times we all want space, to be alone, to hide, get into our man cave or woman’s space. But my thought is that everyone  down deep wants to be recognized. We exist and we want others to know that.

So we all have had the experience of being recognized or not being recognized.

Listen to people. “I raised my hand 6 times and was totally ignored. He refused to recognize me.” “I stood there on line and people were jumping ahead of me and I said, `Hmnn!’ and they finally got the message that I exist.”

We’ve all said a prayer in the Prayer of the Faithful and two prayers later someone says the same prayer. We think: weren’t they listening to my prayer?

We all know the modern phrase: “What am I chopped liver?”

DESIDERATA

We all have heard the poem or the piece called “Desiderata.” It was written by Max Ehrmann. It gives a wonderful list of things that are desirable for a good life - hence "Desiderata. ” One simple statement that fits in with what I’m saying here is this:  “You are a child of the universe, no less than the trees and the stars; you have a right to be here.”

BILL OF RIGHTS

We all know that as U.S. citizens we have a Bill of Rights - meaning we have certain inalienable rights.

I was trying to find on line a copy of the United Nations Bill of rights. It states that everyone in the world has certain human rights - basic human rights as a member of the human race. I am here. I deserve water and food. I deserve the right to free speech and access to the world’s highways and byways. I have a right to culture as well as the basics.

Please recognize me. Please acknowledge me.

CONCLUSION

And I think the paradox is this. Jesus spent his life recognizing people, especially rejects, and he ends up being rejected himself. And I would think that the same thing happens to his followers. In the meanwhile, we are called to listen to each other, to respect each other, and to do what Jesus tried to do. 

WHO DO YOU THINK 

YOU ARE?

January 3, 2014 - Poem for Today

ON BUYING A DOG

“I wish to buy a dog,” she said,
“A dog you’re sure is quite well bred,
In fact, I’d like some guarantee
He’s favored with a pedigree.”

“My charming friend,” the pet man said,
“I have a dog that’s so well bred,
If he could talk, I’ll guarantee
He’d never speak to you or me.”

Edgar Klauber ©