I  AM  MORE  THAN … 

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily is, “I Am More Than…”

The feast of the Ascension – celebrated in this diocese this Sabbath – leads me to reflect upon the theme of “more than”.

I am more than .......... Fill in the blank.

SOMETIMES

Sometimes we get the thought and the feeling –  I am more than I am right now.  We hear ourselves saying, “I am better than this.”

We might say it after yelling at one of our kids – or when we’ve wasted a few hours doing nothing – like late at night – like watching a dumb movie – or playing solitaire game after solitaire game on the computer – or what have you – and it’s late – and we go, “Oh no, not again!” Wasting time, time, time…. And I told myself I’m going to exercise more or get more sleep or do better than this….”

We might say it when we’re at a dead end job – or we have a decent job – but we’re not really working hard – we’re just putting in time – or texting – texting – texting…..

We might be thinking and feeling this feeling of “I’m more than….” when we realize I am more than my job – or my salary – or my house, car, boat, motorcycle – or my sense of humor or math skills or my stories – or my resume of successes – that I like to salt and pepper my conversations with at times – cutting others off in the middle of their stories – not being aware of family or friends or the others in my life.

My successes – my good stuff -  can be nice, great, wonderful – but sometimes we sense there is something more – more – more - and we’re feeling empty or have that itch or ache for a different more – God, spirituality, generosity, giving, listening, letting others shine - making life sweeter for those around me – and I’m in a fog or a funk. “I know,” we say.

ASCENSION

Ascension means more than. Ascension means stepping up – as “He ascended up the staircase.” Or “The mountain had a steep ascent – but they made it to the top.”

Today’s first reading is from the Acts of the Apostles – and we hear in the opening words of the book, to whom it’s addressed: Theophilus. That means  a lover of God. Philus – lover - and - Theos – God.

We know that: that we want to be a lover of God. Please God.

We know God is the more – that’s why we’re here in church.

That’s why we want nourishment when we come to church – words – a message that satisfies us from the scriptures or from a homily or from our prayers – or all 3 and more.

But there’s always that ache for more.

I’m aware of it in the homilies I write. Sometimes something I say or come up with hits me – okay, that makes sense, thank You God – but most of the time I’m on the edge of something – I’m on the far edge, the far side of God – and I know it and you know it – and that’s humbling.

But I laugh. I know I’m not God – and I say, “God you do it – feed these folks with your more – because I can’t. I’ll try – but you’re the More. Be it please for them and me too.

You know this, we all know this, our prayers are never – just right – our mind wanders – our laziness sneaks in – our feelings of less, very less – less than even being decent human beings at times go “hmm!” “hmm!”

I don’t know about you, but this is proof enough for me that there is life after death. I don’t know about you, but I need time and eternity to grasp and get God – because I’ve only got glimpses of God so far.

Today’s second reading – from Ephesians – says just that – and far better than I just put it: “May the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, give you a Spirit of wisdom and revelation resulting in knowledge of him.”

Ephesians goes on, “May the eyes of your hearts be enlightened, that you may know what is the hope that belongs to his call, what are the riches of glory in his inheritance among the holy ones.”

Words – words – words – but what do they mean.

But good thing that words are presented – that they are spoken at us – because sometimes somehow a word or two grabs us. Nudges us.  Touches us on the edge of what we want more of….

We want wisdom, more of it.

We want knowledge of God, more of it.

We want the eyes of our heart enlightened – interesting image “eyes in our heart” – from today’s second reading - but we grasp what it means – to see the more in  our heart aches for God.

We want to hear his calls to us.

We know that we need to spend more time with God – to take walks alone in the evening or early morning – or to drop into an afternoon church when nobody is in here – or maybe some church just  5 minutes away from where we work.

GOD EXPERIENCES

Then there are moments when we experience God.

Take a moment and make a short list – like come up with 3 God experiences in our life

That more feels like more – from all those times we’ve experienced God in our lives.

It might have been at a ball game seeing all those people – and the game is a blowout – but God hits us – in a gigantic crowd – with a home run of a moment – God touches down on us – touches the edge of our t-shirt of sports jacket and we’re all alone with 32,000 people or 80,000.

It might have been while taking a good shower, seeing a super sunset – having a little baby’s touching our nose – and looking us in the eye – and laughing – or that time we received Holy Communion 18 years ago – and in an instance – we knew Jesus Christ in his fullness for a minute or two – and “Phew!” we knew.

YES OR NO OR KNOW

The title of my homily is, “I Am More Than….”

Jesus is more than we realize. We know that – or we can “No” that.

Spelled: K N O W  or  N O.

God is more than we realize. We know that.

Spelled: K N O W  or  N O.

I am more than I realize. I know that.

Spelled: K N O W  or  NO.

Life is more than we realize. We know that.

Spelled: K N O W  or  N O?

Scratch life and we’ll know – K N O W – we have an itch for the more of life….

Ascension means to keep ascending to that more – and avoiding descending to the pits.

Christianity says we don’t have to do life alone.

Be church, be family, be connected.

And Christ says in today’s gospel, “I am with you always.”

And Christ says more – as we heard  him  saying in today’s gospel –  we have been called to go into this whole world and help others discover Christ – God – the More we are all looking for.

Did you ever meet someone who gives you a sense – a taste – a desire – for the More called God?

Pray to be that someone.

I love Chesterton’s comment about us: “We are the million masks of God.”

In other words, that underneath us – that because of us – someone would sense and discover God.

CONCLUSION

What would it be like to pray every morning:

“O would that, O God,

O would that O God,

that I be a mask of You

for someone today.”

AGENDA  FOR  TODAY

Poem for Today - June 1, 2014

OUT  OF  CANA

Eat bread.  Drink wine. Try to sing the song

of Christ.  Live life.  If you can dance, dance.
Everywhere grace awaits. Desire to love to love.

© Maura Eichner

from Out of Cana

RULES AND REGULATIONS

Poem for Today - May 31, 2014

THREE THINGS TO REMEMBER

As long as you’re dancing, you can

break the rules.

Sometimes breaking the rules is just

extending the rules.

Sometimes there are no rules.

© Mary Oliver

Page 19, in A Thousand Mornings, 

he Penguin Press, New York, 2012

GIFT  AFTER  GIFT

Poem for Today - May 30, 2014

MIDNIGHT  GLADNESS 

“Peace be upon each thing my eye takes in,

Upon each thing my mouth takes in.”

The pleated lampshade, slightly askew,

dust a silverish muting of the lamp’s fake brass.

My sock-monkey on the pillow, tail and limbs asprawl,

weary after a daya of watching sunlight

prowl the house like a wolf.

Gleams of water in my bedside glass.
Miraculous water, so peacefully

waiting to be consumed.

The day’s crowding arrived

at this abundant stillness. Each thing

given to the eye before sleep, and water

at my lips before darkness. Gift after gift.

© Denise Levertov

APPROACHING GOD 

IN  PRAYER

Poem for Today - May 29, 201449

49

I never lost as much but twice,

And that was in the sod.
twice have I stood a beggar

Before the door of God!

Angels – twice descending

Reimbursed by store –

Burglar! Banker – Father!

I am poor once more!

© Emily Dickinson

STILL  LISTENING 

Poem for Today - May 28, 2014

SILENT, BUT …

I may be silent, but

I’m thinking.

I may not talk, but

Don’t mistake me for a wall.

© Tsuboi Shigeji

THE COURT  IS  IN  SESSION 

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily is, “The Court Is In Session.”

How many movies, how many TV programs, have we seen a scene - where a judge bangs a gavel and says, “The court is in session.”

COMMENTATORS

I noticed in various commentaries on today’s gospel – John 16: 5-11 – that a possible image to keep in mind for understanding this gospel scene is a courtroom. The text is quite wiggly and muddy watery to me – so I need an image – and that of a courtroom helps.

Wait! Listen to today's gospel again:

Jesus said to his disciples:
“Now I am going to the one who sent me,
and not one of you asks me,

‘Where are you going?’

But because I told you this,

grief has filled your hearts.

But I tell you the truth,

it is better for you that I go.

For if I do not go,

the Advocate will not come to you.

But if I go, I will send him to you.

And when he comes

he will convict the world
in regard to sin and righteousness and condemnation:
sin,

because they do not believe in me; 
righteousness,

because I am going to the Father
and you will no longer see me;
condemnation,

because the ruler of this world has been condemned.”

Picture oneself on trial. We’re sitting in the witness chair and we’re being questioned.

The key Greek word in the gospel is elegchein – which is translated into English as “convict”, “convince”, “prove”, - in an effort  to expose the truth – and nothing but the truth.

So picture oneself on trial  in a courtroom - being grilled by an attorney – defense or prosecutor– with the idea that  the person grilling us wants us to  see – to be shamed – broken down and then to admit - we are wrong.

In today’s gospel – and in many of these gospels that lead up to Pentecost, Jesus is saying - he is going to send the Spirit – as Advocate – Lawyer - who will convict us  – and convince us of three things.

First of all, the Spirit will convince or convict us that we’re in sin – when we think we’re not. The Spirit will get us to see or sense the implications and results of our sinful attitudes and actions. Come Holy Spirit!

Secondly, the Spirit will convince or convict us that we’re wrong – when we thought we were right – and we’ll get a grasp on what’s truly right. Come Holy Spirit.

And thirdly, we’ll grasp that our way of judging life and what’s happening - is wrong and we’ll say, “Oh now I get it – now I see how God judges things. Now I get that God has a judgment on how life should be working. Now I grasp what, 'Thy Will be done' in the Our Father – means.  In other words, it’s something different than 'My will be done.'”  Come Holy Spirit!

KEY QUESTION – AND - KEY EXPERIENCE

This stuff is heavy – and to be honest – I sense I’m miles away from what this text is really getting at.

However, as preacher – I feel convinced – that the readings are here – so it’s my call to try to get one’s mind on what’s being presented – so as to get something out of it – for a homily.

I was tempted to stick to the First Reading for today – the prison scene in Acts 16: 22-34. It too is a strange story – yet it seems  a bit clearer.

However, as already stated, I decided to stay in the courtroom – the step before prison. I’m tackling  the Gospel rather than the First Reading.

So how to grasp today’s gospel?  As already stated, picture being in the courtroom – and the prosecutor is trying to get us look at 3 things in our life: sin, righteousness and judgment.

Take some time to think about situations in one's life when we were wrong – but we thought we were right – and then surprise, surprise, we realized we were wrong in those areas.

First sin. 

I remember someone who gave me an insight into sin. I don’t remember now who it was – but it was some lady in upstate New York – in the late 1960’s. In a casual conversation she said, “Oh, for starters, I don’t see sin as hurting God - or effecting God. I see sin as something that hurts me or another or both. Then that hurts God – who sees me hurting and messing things up.”

Then she paused and said, “I sense that people only think of hurting God when they sin – and not themselves. And then they picture God is going to get them, punish them, for their mistakes.”

Thinking about what she said, I began to realize I was wrong about sin. Up till then, I was reading the Bible and the Catechism as saying that sin basically is something that was hurting God.

I was seeing sin as something abstract – something out there on paper – something in the books - external - not internal.

I wasn’t thinking much about how sin hurts me and others. I was just trying to follow the law – the rules and the regulations – the Commandments - so as to please God – do God’s will – and not study what’s behind something that is labeled a sin.

Okay, sin must hurt God – like an aftertaste or aftermath -  because sin is what messes up God’s hope for our world – for us – and for other's plans on how a day should go. 

That lady's comment got me to see God being like a parent who feels horrible when they see their kid mess up their life – and the kid doesn't get it that he or she is hurting themselves for life by their actions and behaviors.

Secondly righteousness. 

There’s another one of those tricky religious words.

I assume it has to do with what’s right and what’s wrong. What saves us? What kills us? 

I assume it takes time and a lot of living to realize what real right religion is all about.  

I assume we need the Spirit – Come Holy Spirit – to come into each of us. Come Holy Spirit – not just into church teachers –  but into each of us in the Church – in the Human Race - as we all hopefully grow in holiness – improving our conscience – righting out conscience - not just someone else’s conscience. I heard the great scream of Vatican II that the gospel calls are calls to all in the depths of our inner being  - in each person's "most secret core and sanctuary" as Vatican II proclaimed.[1]

Third and last – judgment.

I remember when I switched my attitude towards the Sabbath. Yes,  there is the commandment to keep holy the Sabbath Day.  Then  when I saw that lots of people have to work on Sunday – often - so the rest of us can go out to eat on Sunday or what have you – I realized that the law was not made for God but for us. Hello! That’s exactly what  Jesus told us. The Sabbath law was made for us – not the other way around. We need a break – on regular basis – and if don’t take breaks, we’ll break. Dumb me – is that how the word “dummy” evolved? – that’s what Jesus was trying to get the Pharisees to see about the Sabbath. It’s made for us – and not the other way around.  So people better make Sabbath – even if it’s a Thursday or a Tuesday or what have you.

CONCLUSION

Enough already. I said this is complicated and I suspect I muddied up the waters I was trying to make clearer – even more. Sorry. Come Holy Spirit.

NOTES

[1]  The Document of Vatican II, Gaudium et Spes, Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World,  #16-17 - which says: 

THE DIGNITY OF THE MORAL CONSCIENCE 

16. In the depths of his conscience, man detects a law which he does not impose upon himself, but which holds him to obedience. Always summoning him to love good and avoid evil, the voice of conscience can when necessary speak to his heart more specifically: do this, shun that. For man has in his heart a law written by God. To obey it is the very dignity of man; according to it he will be judged.

Conscience is the most secret core and sanctuary of a man. There he is alone with God, whose voice echoes in his depths. In a wonderful manner conscience reveals the law which is fulfilled by love of God and neighbor. In fidelity to conscience, Christians are joined with the rest of men in the search for truth, and for the genjuine solution to the numerous problems which arise in the life of individuals and from social relationships.  Hence the more that a correct conscience holds sway, the more persons and groups turn aside from blind choice and strive to be guided by objective norms of morality.

Conscience frequently errs from invincible ignorance without losing its dignity.  The same cannot be said of a man who cares but little for truth and goodness, or of a conscience which by degrees grows practically sightless as a result of habitual sin.

THE EXCELLENCE OF LIBERTY

17.  Only in freedom can man direct himself toward goodness. Our contemporaries make much of this freedom and pursue it eagerly; and rightly so, to be sure. Often, however, they foster it perversely as a license for doign whatever pleases them, even if it is evil.

For its part, authentic freedom is an exceptional sign of the divine image within man.  For God has willed that man be left "in the hand of his own counsel" so that he can seek his Creator spontaneously, and come freely to utter and blissful perfection through loyalty to Him.   Hence man's dignity demands that he act according to a knowing  and free choice.  Such a choice is personally motivated and prompted from within.  It does not result from blind internal impulse nor from mere external pressure.

Man achieves such dignity, when, emancipating himself from all captivity to passion, he pursues his goal in a spontaneous choice of what is good, and procures for himself through effective and skillful action, apt means to that end.  Since man's freedom has been damaged by sin, only by the help of God's grace can he bring such a relationship with God into full flower. Before the judgment seat of God each man must render an account of his own life, whether he has done good or evil.