SECOND  CHANCES 

Poem for Today  - February 9, 2014

THE FISH

I caught a tremendous fish
and held him beside the boat
half out of water, with my hook
fast in a corner of his mouth.
He didn't fight.
He hadn't fought at all.
He hung a grunting weight,
battered and venerable
and homely. Here and there
his brown skin hung in strips
like ancient wallpaper,
and its pattern of darker brown
was like wallpaper:
shapes like full-blown roses
stained and lost through age.
He was speckled with barnacles,
fine rosettes of lime,
and infested
with tiny white sea-lice,
and underneath two or three
rags of green weed hung down.
While his gills were breathing in
the terrible oxygen
- the frightening gills,
fresh and crisp with blood,
that can cut so badly-
I thought of the coarse white flesh
packed in like feathers,
the big bones and the little bones,
the dramatic reds and blacks
of his shiny entrails,
and the pink swim-bladder
like a big peony.
I looked into his eyes
which were far larger than mine
but shallower, and yellowed,
the irises backed and packed
with tarnished tinfoil
seen through the lenses
of old scratched isinglass.
They shifted a little, but not
to return my stare.
- It was more like the tipping
of an object toward the light.
I admired his sullen face,
the mechanism of his jaw,
and then I saw
that from his lower lip
- if you could call it a lip
grim, wet, and weaponlike,
hung five old pieces of fish-line,
or four and a wire leader
with the swivel still attached,
with all their five big hooks
grown firmly in his mouth.
A green line, frayed at the end
where he broke it, two heavier lines,
and a fine black thread
still crimped from the strain and snap
when it broke and he got away.
Like medals with their ribbons
frayed and wavering,
a five-haired beard of wisdom
trailing from his aching jaw.
I stared and stared
and victory filled up
the little rented boat,
from the pool of bilge
where oil had spread a rainbow
around the rusted engine
to the bailer rusted orange,
the sun-cracked thwarts,
the oarlocks on their strings,
the gunnels- until everything
was rainbow, rainbow, rainbow!
And I let the fish go. 

© Elizabeth Bishop

TIME TO LOOK IN THE MIRROR

Poem for February 8, 2014

LOVE AFTER LOVE

The time will come
when, with elation
you will greet yourself arriving
at your own door, in your own mirror
and each will smile at the other's welcome,

and say, sit here. Eat.
You will love again the stranger who was your self.
Give wine. Give bread. Give back your heart
to itself, to the stranger who has loved you

all your life, whom you ignored
for another, who knows you by heart.
Take down the love letters from the bookshelf,

the photographs, the desperate notes,
peel your own image from the mirror.
Sit. Feast on your life. 

© Derek Walcott

REVERSE THEOLOGY

The first shall be last ....
Sorry! The pay is the same, no matter
what time you enter the vineyard ....
Lost sheep, coins, and children are found ....
Rocks and sins are dropped ....
When insulted, turn the other cheek ….

When needed, go the extra mile….

Give the shirt off your back ....

Forgive seventy times seven times ….

Sometimes there are weeds

that grow along with the wheat!

Get used to them….

Plant mustard seeds ….

Blessed are the poor in spirit ….

The treasure, the pearl, is there,

so keep searching. If you’re wise,

or if you're blessed, you’ll find it ….

God is not what you expect ….

God starts as a baby ….
God is Jewish with a name "Jesus" ....

God ends up as if a criminal on a cross ….

In the meanwhile, God walks around as

a king who washes feet 
and allows a woman to wash his feet
and dry them with her hair .... Now
that's different - and add some perfume ....
God pushes peace and in the meanwhile
don't miss the birds of the air - and 
smell the flowers in the fields ....
Jesus  feeds the hungry with bread and fish ….

Serves the best wine last ….

The crazies know who he is ….

Those with their nose in the air don’t….

Reads faces, eyes, minds, hearts ….

Heals the blind, the lame, and the deaf….

Eats with sinners and dines with them….

A carpenter who knows where the fish are ….

Someone who knew what love really is:

giving yourself like you’re bread -

so others can eat you up - and as a

result we can all be in communion

with each other…. and surprise,

you better get used to this one:

for wine to become wine,

you’re going to be crushed….

© Andy Costello, Reflections 2014

IS IT GOOD TO BE THE KING?

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for this 4^th Friday in Ordinary Time is a question for all of us, “Is It Good To Be The King?”

Or Queen for that matter?

TODAY’S READINGS

The topic came up because in today’s 2 readings we have stories that come out of the life of two different kings.

The first reading is from the Book of Sirach. It’s a summary of praises for King David. For these first four weeks of Ordinary Time we’ve had readings from the 1^st and 2^nd Book of Samuel - all stories that lead up to the Great King David of Israel - who ruled for 40 years.[Cf. Sirach 47:2-11]

Today’s gospel features a story about King Herod the Tetrarch - one of the 4 King Herods in the Scriptures. This is the one who has John the Baptist beheaded.[Cf. Mark 6: 14-29]

MOVIE

In the movie History of the World, Part One, Mel Brooks is the king.  In some of the scenes - I can’t mention innuendos, etc. at Mass - he uses the line, “It’s Good To Be The King.” a few times.

He kisses and cheats and looks to the movie camera and says, “It’s good to be the king.”

We see him as king playing chess on this big tennis court size chess board - and as king he cheats - and takes extra moves - and once more he looks into the camera and says, “It’s good to be the king.”

I’ve heard people use that line down through the years - as a joke line.

The title of my homily is the question: “Is It Good To Be The King?”

ANOTHER QUESTION

Another question: does everyone sometime in their life wish they were someone else?

When we were teenagers did we want to have the other person’s look, clothes, money, car, friends, parents?  Did we wish we were so and so who got all A’s - and it was no effort?  Did we wish we were better athletes, had better skin, no acne?

As we got older, did we wish we were so and so when it came to having the better job? The better life choice? The home, kids, spouse, lawn, car, parties?

TO BE ONESELF

The wisdom teachers constantly tell people: “Be yourself!”

To try to be someone else - disaster.

Parents have told their kids that from the beginning of time.

I’ve been hearing these past two years the saying: “It is what it is.”

Does anyone apply that to themselves? I am who I am.

I always liked that as God’s answer to Moses at the Burning Bush. A voice tells Moses that he has to go back and face the Pharaoh and tell him to set the Israelites free - and Moses asks the Voice, “Wait a minute. Who are you?”  And the Voice says, “I Am Who Am.”

That’s basic person:  “I am who I am!”

I love the saying, “Be who you is, because if you be who you ain’t, then you ain’t who you is.”

I am who I am - wrinkles - sags - and body nags.

I am my story - so far. We can revise our history - even lie to ourselves - but I am who I am.

BACK TO BEING THE KING

King David was King David.

When I was stationed in New York City, way back when, I noticed in the paper a talk by a Rabbi - about King David.

What I still remember about the talk was this: the power of the pencil.

David got great reviews - even though he was a disaster as a father and a disaster as a husband.

His fans - revised his history - for centuries.  He was basically a smart guerrilla fighter - who took over most of the Israel territory.

He had 17 sons - who ended up as a cast of some horrible characters - one raping his sister - and many of them fighting each other.

David had Uriah killed - in order to get his wife: Bathsheba. I loved that her name was BathSheba - because he spotted while she was taking a bath - and wanted her. Did he say: “It’s good to be the king?”

No. Because that got him in big time trouble - and everyone knew what he did.

Did anyone want that much power? Probably.

Would we want to have that much power?  Would we want to be king, boss, someone other than ourselves? Maybe.

King Herod the Tetrarch - the Herod in today’s gospel - the one who had John the Baptist beheaded - dumped his first wife - the daughter of King Aretas - because he wanted to marry Herodias the wife of his half-brother Herod Philip. Later on - around 36 AD - his first wife’s father, Aretas wages war against Herod - but lost.

Does anyone want to be king, mayor, governor, president? Yes.  Does anyone want to be them now - and not be themselves? Maybe.

I love it that on the chess board the king is one of the weakest of pieces - compared to bishops and knights - and the Queen!  I think the game has that sense of humor to it.

I love it that checkers - seems to be more an American game - when any pawn can make it to be a king.

Do people who read People magazine want to be like the people in the magazine? Is that why it sells? I don’t know.

CONCLUSION

The title of my homily is, “Is It Good To Be The King?” 

However, in this homily, I want to ask the basic question: “Am I happy to be me?”

I can only be me. 

I can do life my way.  

I can do my life better ways. 

I can always be a better me - but I can only be me. 

Might as well make peace with reality and go - and grow - and flow from there.

IT'S NOT OVER 

TILL IT'S OVER 

Poem for Today - February 7, 2014

CLOSED PATH

I thought that my voyage had come to its end
at the last limit of my power,-

 that the path before me was closed,
that provisions were exhausted
and the time come to take shelter 

 in a silent obscurity.

But I find that thy will knows no end in me.
And when old words die out on the tongue,
new melodies break forth from the heart;
and where the old tracks are lost,
new country is revealed with its wonders. 

© Rabindranath Tagore

STILL  LOOKING  

Poem for Today - February 6, 2014

SANDPIPER

The roaring alongside he takes for granted,
and that every so often the world is bound to shake.
He runs, he runs to the south, finical, awkward,
in a state of controlled panic, a student of Blake.

The beach hisses like fat. On his left, a sheet
of interrupting water comes and goes
and glazes over his dark and brittle feet.
He runs, he runs straight through it, watching his toes.

- Watching, rather, the spaces of sand between them
where (no detail too small) the Atlantic drains
rapidly backwards and downwards. As he runs,
he stares at the dragging grains.

The world is a mist. And then the world is
minute and vast and clear. The tide
is higher or lower. He couldn't tell you which.
His beak is focused; he is preoccupied,

looking for something, something, something.
Poor bird, he is obsessed!
The millions of grains are black, white, tan, and gray
mixed with quartz grains, rose and amethyst. 

© Elizabeth Bishop

THE BIBLE HAS 

DIFFERENT LITERARY FORMS 

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for this 4^th Tuesday in Ordinary Time  is, “The Bible Has Different Literary Forms.”

From time to time I think we need to be reminded of something very obvious: “The Bible Has Different Literary Forms.”

For those of you who come to Mass most every day - you hear all kinds of different readings from the Bible. I have discovered that one of the reasons people end up having problems and head scratching with the Bible at times -  is because they forget that there are different kinds of writing in the Bible. For example, they take something literally - when it would be more helpful -  if they took the same passage figuratively.  For example: do you take Genesis 5: 27 literally or figuratively, "In all, Methuselah lived for nine hundred and sixty-nine years; then he died."

LITERARY FORMS

We know the difference between a children’s story - like Jack in the Beanstalk  - and an Obituary. We know the difference between a recipe and the Adam and Eve stories in the Book of Genesis.

And speaking of Adam and Eve,  I assume people love the story of God creating Adam out of the clay of the earth and then breathing the breath of life into him. Then we hear the story of all the animals being brought to Adam and he gives a thumbs down to every one of them as a suitable partner. Well, God then puts Adam into a deep sleep and pulls out one of his ribs and builds a woman with that missing rib. [Cf. Genesis 2] And then we can hear the rabbis down through history telling those who are getting married - you are to be one - you are to embrace each other - rib to rib in love - and to be suitable partners.[1]

I assume that people know that every library has different sections: fiction and non-fiction, a children's section and an adult section - history, poetry, art books and cookbooks, etc. etc. etc.

I assume that people know that the word Bible - comes from the plural of the word - and means books. The Bible is a portable library with all kinds of books and all kinds of literature of a people.

WHAT WE MIGHT NOT KNOW

What we might not know is that this idea of various literary forms was not always such an out-loud and agreed upon principle by everyone in the Catholic Church.

These 4 years now, the Catholic Church is celebrating the 50^th anniversary of the Second Vatican Council: 1962-1965.

One of the key documents of the Second Vatican Council was The Constitution on Revelation - Dei Verbum.

The initial document met with big time criticism. 60 % wanted to send it back to be rewritten. 2/3 or 66 + was necessary for this - so John 23 intervened and said, “Recast the text.”

Chapter 3, # 12 of the finished constitution states loudly and clearly what I said above about “literary forms.” Those very words appear in the document.

I would recommend every person who comes to Mass - especially Daily Mass - that they read that document again - slowly and study it. If you have a computer you can find it on line for free - along with study guides etc.

TODAY’S FIRST READING

So we heard in today’s first reading one more story about David.

I hoped you noticed that it contained one of the world’s great literary forms: that of the 3 wishes.

I’m sure you heard that  literary form in various jokes and cute stories at different times in your life.  It always starts: “You have 3 wishes….”

Because of his sin of counting all the people - perhaps to line up more soldiers - and then depend less on God, David is given 3 wishes: you can have 3 years of famine, 3 months of being hunted down or 3 days of pestilence. David chooses # 3 and our text says, “The Lord then sent a pestilence over Israel from morning to the time appointed and 70,000 of the people died.”

Well, if we understand literary forms and what the Vatican II document on the Bible - Dei Verbum -   is saying, we wouldn’t get hot and bothered about God doing all this. Plagues and drought happen - and people blame God - just as some religious leaders said September 11 happened because of our sins. How many people still say to little kids or to each other, “God punished you!”

TODAY’S GOSPEL

Now today’s gospel has a slightly different type of history than the type of history we are hearing in the Books of Samuel. Yet both have a similar principle. There were basic spoken stories that were told among the community. Then for local situations details were adapted - stressed - or what have you. At some point they are written down - and at times revised. The message is more important than the details. So at times we don't get exactly what Jesus said or did. And that’s the beauty of comparing the 4 gospels. We see this when we hear different preachers come up with different stresses on the text we hear at any specific Mass.

CONCLUSION

It’s my experience that when people first hear this idea about literary forms - they get nervous. However, it's not as much as 50 years ago.  

It's my experience that it's much easier to be a fundamentalist. If the Bible says it - I believe it.

However, in the long run, once you get literary forms, you can have a much richer appreciation of the stories, parables, psalms or songs, different types of history, wisdom literature, and what have you in the Bible.

Moreover, we can avoid arguments by those who have a scientific bent with those who have a fundamentalist bent in interpreting scriptures.

Let me close with a quick story that happened to me.

In 1967 I got my first assignment.  I’m talking at breakfast with this old Redemptorist priest. He mentioned what he was taught - that the world was created in 4004 B.C..  And I said to him: "Impossible! They have rocks that are scientifically shown to be 4 or 5 billions years old. 

His response to my response:  “God created them old.”  

Surprise! He was taught what a Bishop James Ussher  taught - that the world was created Sunday October 23, 4004 B.C. and Adam and Eve were thrown out of the Garden on November 10, 4004 B.C.

Sometimes silence is golden. 


OOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Notes:

[1] Hayim Nahman Bialik and Yehoshua Hana Ravnitzky, The Book of Legends, Sefer Ha-Aggadah, Legends from the Talmud and Midrash, Chapter 2, pages 19-22; Bill Moyers, Genesis, A Living Conversation, Chapter 1, "In God's Image," pp. 3-37; "Temptation", pp. 40-69; Naomi Rosenblatt and Joshua Horwitz, What Genesis Teaches Us About Our Spiritual Identity, Sexuality, and Personal Relationships, pp, 23-51.