VOICES:
I KNOW WHO YOU ARE
The title of my homily for this Fourth Sunday in Ordinary
Time [Year B] is, “Voices: I Know Who
You Are.”
Who knows our voice?
We answer the phone. The voice is familiar – but we ask, “Who is this?”
In time we get to know each other’s voice.
The title of my homily is, “Voices: I Know Who You Are?”
TODAY’S GOSPEL
The two main characters in today’s gospel are the man who hears voices and
Jesus Christ – who is the voice of God – and that Voice, that Word became flesh
and lived among us.
The scene for today’s gospel is the synagogue in
Capernaum – up there in the north – in a city just above the lake of Galilee.
Jesus walks into the synagogue in Capernaum.
It’s crowded.
The person who recognizes the presence of Jesus – is the
man who hears voices – unclean spirits. He screams out convulsions and cries -
the strange ranger.
Whenever I hear this story, I often wonder if the gospel
writer is telling us a story with a smile that went around the early church.
The joke might be that the person who knows who Jesus is,
is the nut and not those who think they are the nuggets
Do I – who claim to be a normal church goer – recognize
who Christ really is? Isn’t it funny that it’s often the strange rangers – who hear God’s voice.
Yet, even people who don’t pray, say things like, “Oh my God!” in scary
moments – or “Jesus Christ” in panic mode?
THREE PERSONS
The title of my homily is, “Voices: I Know Who You Are.”
I’m going to speak in this homily about three
persons. They are the three persons we
need to know in this life: myself, others, and God.
1)
Do we know ourselves? Do we know our voices, our
inner conversations? Do we listen to our sound tracks? Can we say deep inside ourselves of ourselves,
“I know who I am?”
2)
Do we know those we are with? Do we take the
time to listen to them, to hear their voices - to know their voices – to know
what makes them tick?
3)
Do we know our God? Do we hear God’s voice –
God’s whispers? Or do we harden our hearts as we heard in today’s Psalm and
Psalm Response?
FIRST PERSON:
ME
We spend a whole lifetime getting to know ourselves. If
we put a stethoscope or microphone on our chest or inner ear – or on our mind –
we can hear our history – our questions – our worries – and joys – our sorrows
– our glory – our light – our mysteries.
We spend our whole lives listening to ourselves.
Listen.
Who am I?
What are my interests?
What am I thinking?
Hopefully as I grow, I know myself better and better.
How do I think?
How do I function?
Haven’t we heard someone say of themselves, “I haven’t
found my voice yet”?
I’m sure lots of you have heard about Carl Jung’s way of
understanding ourselves and others.
I’m sure lots of you have taken a test that gets at Jung’s
way of typing people.
The Jung Test asks lots of questions to help people say
if they are introverts or extraverts.
Which am I? Do I get my energy by
being alone and others drain me? Or am I
an extravert and I get my energy by being with others and being alone drains
me?
Whether I’m an introvert or extravert, the Jung Test goes
deeper.
It then asks in a series of questions how I function. Am
I neat or am I sloppy? Am I a dreamer or
a doer? Am I artistic, a creator - or a
practical down to earth - hands-on worker?
In other words, for those two ways of functioning, the
test is asking if I am an intuitive creative up in the air type – or am I sensate type – very aware of time and my
body and how my senses experience life.
Then there is the other functioning line: feeler vs.
thinker? Emotional vs. Rational? See the person or see the issue?
Let me try to sum up the Jungian types.
First of all: we’re somewhat more introverted or
extraverted.
Next, we have 4 ways of functioning: with our head and our
heart, our hands or our hunches. One dominates – it’s opposite is our weakest
skill. Then there is our next strength and it’s opposite is our second weakest
skill.
That’s the Jungian Types. Many people are familiar with
the Myers-Briggs personality types test. It helps us get at our gifts more than
our sins.
Then there is the Enneagram that gets at our predominant
center: head, heart or gut? Each of
those 3, have 3 types. That gives us 9 types. “Ennea” is the Greek word for nine.
Richard Rohr and others think knowing these Enneagram
types and areas and issues about ourselves, can give us more self-knowledge
than the Jungian Types.
The Enneagram asks where am I coming from?
It asks what is my predominant sin: anger, pride, vanity,
envy, greed, fear, sloth, lust, laziness?
I have found people are fascinated by any type of
Personality Test – whether on a workshop for personal growth or in a Dentist
Office Magazine.
We’ve all seen the TV commercial for Dos Equis Beer –
which features a man who is described as The Most Interesting Man in the World.
To ourselves, each of us is the most interesting person
in the world.
I say that based on all the energy we spend talking and
thinking about ourselves inside our brain.
I like to quote the shortest poem in the world:
I
Why?
SECOND PERSON
And I also love to quote the second shortest poem ever
written. I wrote it. It also rhymes:
You,
Who?
We also spend lots of time and energy thinking and
talking to ourselves about others.
Who are you?
We are constantly asking that question of those whom we
live with, love, work with, are married to?
Most of the time those voices stay inside our mind.
Sometimes those voices – those inner speeches – those
questions – are negative.
Sometimes we hear put downs of us – from others – and we
play those tapes for our lifetime.
A friend, a teacher, a co-worker calls us a “Jerk” or “Selfish” or “Self-Centered” and those words are
scratched into the cement graffiti on the floor of our being – for life.
A parent screams at us, “You’ll never amount to
anything.” Then we fulfill that prophecy.
A compliment can go a long way as well.
So what are our voices from others?
So we spend a lifetime asking not only ourselves who we
are, but also who others are – as well as how they see us.
It’s best when we have relationships in which we can talk
about our take on each other.
Check Google for Jungian
and Enneagram types. Then while reading the material, we’ll find
ourselves saying, “That’s Chuck!” “That’s Catherine!”
GOD
Let’s get to God – finally.
However, I think we all need to go through these 3 voices
– starting with ourselves – then to others – before we come to God. We need to
go from the known to the unknown.
The strange man in the temple knew who Jesus was.
Do I?
How do I picture God?
How do I describe God?
Is my image of God, God?
Are my words about God, God?
If I say my dad or mom is as I describe them in words or
images, am I right?
Is the person commenting on a television talk show about another person, necessarily correct.
For example someone is describing President Obama or Rush Limbaugh – in such
and such a way. Are they correct? Are they on the money?
I hear all kinds of people telling me how another is and
I too have a take on that person – and I say to myself: “Hello!”
I hear all kinds of people telling me about how God is
and I say to myself, “That’s not my God?”
God can’t be nailed down by words.
“Hello!”
God can’t be sculpted into a statue and then that statue
is God?
The early commandments warn us about false gods. It’s
idolatry.
I don’t know if I can put what I’m trying to say here
into words.
Have you had this experience?
I’m trying to describe something that I have thought
about. I try to put my thoughts into words. I’m an intuitive feeler type, so
I’m often not that clear – especially to thinkers, analytical types. I talk in
images better than in words. I know this about myself.
Lots of times in the back of church after a Mass someone
says, “I have no clue what you were talking about in your homily. Too much
poetry.” Then the next person says,
“Thank you for your sermon. Right on target.”
That’s happened to me all my preaching life.
Sometimes in a conversation the other says, “Let me see
if I have what you’re saying correct?”
Then they tell me what they thought I was saying and I
say, “No, no, you have me all wrong.”
That’s me on someone talking about me about me?
What about my take, my words on who
President Obama or Rush Limbaugh or Sarah Palin or another priest or a neighbor
is?
What about me on God?
Saying so and so is so and so – doesn’t make it so and
so, so and so.
Things are easier to describe than people.
If there is one cookie left in the box and I say, “There is one cookie in the
box” I’m correct – but I didn’t make it so. It’s simply true.
All our lives – down deep – we’re trying to sculpt God
with words. All our lives we’re trying
to put God into words - into a box.
I like the contrast between being kataphatic and
apophatic.
In describing God some people use images to explain God.
God is a Shepherd. God is a Father. God is a Mother. God is a King and on and
on. That’s being kataphatic. It’s from a Greek word – KATA – meaning “TOWARDS”
– and PHATIC – meaning “revealing - telling”.
Apophatic means “without images.” “APO” is the Greek
preposition meaning “AWAY FROM” Different spiritual writers say they don’t want
to use any image of God because God is God and he can’t be nailed down by some
image. It might have some truth – but God is God and we’re always in the dark
when it comes to God.
CHRISTIANITY
Here’s where I become very thankful for being a
Christian.
I didn’t choose it – I was given the gift from my parents
and Catholic school and the seminary – and a bunch of other people, places and
factors.
Then at some point I choose to be a Christian – as an
adult.
SPEAKING IN
DIFFERENT TONGUES
I am grateful for theologians who have gone before me –
who tell me with their voices – their writings – their studies - what they are hearing
about who God is.
I like the writing style of the Dutch Catechism of 1966 more than the writing style of Catechism of the Catholic Church of 1992. That catechism doesn’t talk my
language and the Dutch Catechism did. I assume it went on many a Bishop’s shelf
– and gathered dust – or was tossed somewhere – as it was blackballed.
Some of the documents of the Second Vatican Council II –
for example, Gaudium in Spes, The Church
in the Modern World speaks in a language like I speak. Then in the last 50 years we slipped back
into Officialese Roman Catholic Document
Language. It’s my opinion that most Vatican Documents are written in a
voice that’s not the voice I hear when I pray or am with God or with others.
I can relax about all this. It’s normal. People see
differently from each other. Hopefully that leads to dialogue more than
monologues.
I’ll add, if you get what I’m getting at here, that we
speak in many tongues – it can help us to have an understanding what happened
in the Early Church on Pentecost.
I don’t interpret Acts 2:5-13 – as many people do.
Many understand that text as people understanding all
kinds of different languages: that of the Parthians, Medes, Elamites, Jews,
Cretans and Arabs, etc. etc. etc.
I understand that text as people understanding the common
language of handshakes, welcoming embraces, listening to each other, smiles and
common body language – as well as interpreters and translators helping people
explain who they are and what they are thinking and feeling to each other.
I’m not a literalist.
People, as I reported above, might not get what I’m
saying – as I don’t get what they are saying
or I stop listening. They would call me wrong. When that happens, I might remain silent or say to the other,
“Hi. I think we see differenty. I might say, “I see that your arms are folded
and your fists and your jaw seem very
tight. Has what I said turned you off?”
Hopefully all of us Christians know that Jesus walked into
a synagogue one day and a man knew who he was: The Holy One of God.
That man experienced God in the flesh – human and divine.
The Word of God the Father became flesh and walked among
us.
Christianity – Christians believe just that. Christians
believe that God is a Trinity. God the
Father speaks a Word – “Son” – “Beloved Son” – for all eternity – and in time –
in the fullness of time - with help from Mary – with her “Yes” – that word
became flesh and lived amongst us -
Yet when it comes to us putting any of this into
words -
we have a lot of difficulty. We are not God.
Heresies happened and still happen.
Misunderstandings happen and still happen.
BIG QUESTION:
WHO IS JESUS TO YOU?
Back around 1990 – I was in the dark.
I was in a dark chapel in Ossining, New York.
It was around midnight.
The only light in the chapel was the red light near the
tabernacle.
As Catholics know – that signals that consecrated bread,
the Body of Christ, from a Mass, Communions that were left over – or there for
sick calls – are in the tabernacle.
That red light is usually a lit white candle in a red
glass. The tongue of light from the lit tip of that candle – is a tongue that says what the man in today’s gospel
said: “I know who you are – the Holy One of God.”
Okay, I’m babbling here. I’m being kataphatic. I’m using
images.
That night I’m simply sitting in the dark – sitting in
the corner.
The door opens. Someone walks in. The person walks up to
the front of the chapel. I could see by the light from the candle that the
person sat down on the floor – between the altar and the tabernacle. I hear the person open up something. I figure
it was a guitar case because the person tunes up their guitar. The person is a
young woman – who was on the religious program I was attending. She sings a
love song to Jesus.
I was nervous – still totally quiet in the corner.
I’m wondering: “Is this her night prayer every night?”
I was hearing her voice – beautiful.
She finished. I could hear her putting her guitar back into its case.
She sat there for about ten minutes – got up – and left.
What voices was she hearing?
That young woman has been sitting there in my inner
sanctuary for all these years – still singing – still praying.
I keep hearing her voice.
I keep thinking – she is saying, “I know who you are: the
Holy One of God.”
I make my act of faith in knowing who Jesus is from
moments like that.
I’ve experienced Jesus – the Word made flesh living
amongst us – in many a dark chapel – and many a light bearing moment – when I
was in the dark.
I’ve heard lots – LOTS – of people tell me they
experienced and know Jesus while visiting the sick in a hospital as an
Eucharistic Minister.
I’ve had many people tell me that they’ve met Jesus in
poor, the blind, the sick, the smelly, the hungry – while volunteering at a
soup kitchen or our Light House here in Annapolis – or in the great St. Vincent de Paul Society
here at St. Mary’s and so many other places.
Many people after Matthew 25: 31-46 – have then
heard the voice of Jesus whom they
experienced in the flesh – in the corridor – or in the need – when they visited
the sick or the hungry or the thirsty or those in prison.
So too in the Parable of the Good Samaritan in Luke 10:30-37. I have met Jesus
on many a road – or sitting next to me on a plane ride or a train ride – or a
bus ride.
So too people have told me that they met and know Jesus
in the Bread and in Communion with Christ in Church – or when they walked into
the Gospel of John 6 – and met Jesus in the flesh like the man in today’s
gospel.
A BUS RIDE
THROUGH ISRAEL AND PALESTINE
Today’s gospel was a great memory grabber for me. In
January 2000 I got to Israel. Our provincial was looking for someone to carry
the bags of Leo – one of our priests. George, the Provincial, knew Leo and I
knew each other when we worked together at our retreat house in Tobyhanna,
Pennsylvania.
We left from JFK Airport.
We joined with about 25 other priests – for a retreat – pilgrimage - at
some of Jesus’ places in Israel/Palestine.
Nothing hit when we landed in Tel Aviv. Nothing hit me on
the road to Tiberius. Everything hit me
when we walked down to the lake of Tiberius/Galilee after supper that first
night. I stood there and remembered a moment when my brother told me about his
trip to Israle. He had told me that the Lake of Galilee was his best experience
– thinking, “This had to be what Jesus saw – just like this.”
Me too.
The next few days we went to Cana, the Mount of
Transfiguration, the place of the Sermon on the Mount, the place of the feeding
of the 5000. We saw Jerusalem and Jerico.
I remember a neat moment when we went out on the lake in
3 boats – supposed to be replicas of the kind of boat Jesus would have been. A
storm came up on that lake and I thought. “Same experience Jesus!”
This trip to the Holy Land was a retreat – so after a
Gospel reading from a moment Jesus was there, we’d have an hour or a half hour
of quiet – and each time I’d listen to my questions, my voices, mainly to
Jesus: “What were you thinking when you were here?
We went to the 4th century remains of the
synagogue in Capernaum and Steven Doyle read today’s gospel and that was enough
for me. We sat on stone seats around the
rectangular building – missing its ceiling.
“I know who you are, the holy one of God.”
VOICES – VOICES
– VOICES
In this homily I’m asking about how we recognize Jesus –
and others – and our thoughts about Jesus and others – in the words and tone of
voice our voice talks – and we listen.
CONCLUSION
This is a life task – recognizing God in our midst – and
without God in our midst – we disappear when we start to disappear – and when
those who know us stop remembering we were in their synagogue – in their brain
– in their memories.
[This is a much
longer and different version and wording of what I said at the 9 AM Sunday
Morning Mass at St. John Neumann’s Church, Annapolis, Maryland. I didn’t write
that sermon out – for a change of pace – but for the sake of this blog, I wrote
the above. Thank you for listening to my voice, if you got this far.]
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