know if I do - or if anyone does. Maybe some wonder about things like: Where is the bathroom? Is there an exit. Who’s here?
Who’s not here? Who’s who here? What's here? What's going on here? I repeat, I don’t know if anyone thinks about one of these questions consistently or consciously. If I had to guess or give an answer for myself,
to another with hands palms down - to “Calm down!” Then sometimes that causes a scream or the other becomes furious which proves we’re right. We need a “Mute” button - so hurry up evolution. Hurry up!
than duct - and just let it sit there in a corner….
At some point someone will spot it. Someone will say, "I wonder what's in that box."
Someone will lift it. Someone will shake it.
Someone will listen for sounds it makes.
That heightens the mystery every time.
I am in a box. You are in a box. Mysteries….
God keeps on being put in a box….Well God is
mystery, the unknown - often just sitting there
in a box - in a corner…. And people called
theologians, preachers, authorities will tell us
about God in the box…. Well, shake that box. Lift that box up. Listen to that box. Surprise. You might hear laughter from deep down inside. Hey, God sent his son as a baby - who became a carpenter - a neighbor and a story teller - a hero - who died and a bloody mess who became a hope, a promise, resurrection, bread, wine, someone to sit at the table with - a mystery - a word in a book - and sometimes
The title of my reflection for this 20th Tuesday
in Ordinary Time is, “Gideon and Mary:
Judges 6: 11-24 and Luke 1:26-38.”
This will be more information than inspiration.
When I read this morning’s first reading from the 6th
Chapter of Judges, I found myself back
in the seminary in a classroom in the early 1960’s. Our professor stressed that
when Luke put together his annunciation account
for Mary - he had in front of him Gideon’s annunciation moment.
Then he had us read both annunciation accounts out loud.
So I decided to use the time for this morning’s homily to
point out the similarities of both accounts.
FIRST: AN ANGEL
Gideon’s annunciation moment begins this way: “The angel
of the Lord came and sat under the terebinth in Ophrah that belonged to Joash
the Abierzrite. While his son Gideon was beating out wheat in the wine press to
save it from the Midianites, the angel of the Lord appeared to him and said,
“The Lord is with you, O champion!”
Mary’s annunciation moment begins this way: “In the sixth
month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth,
to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the House of David; and the
virgin’s name was Mary. He went in and said to her, ‘Rejoice, so highly
favored! The Lord is with you.”
TWO: QUESTIONS
Next come the questions. Wait a minute! I have some
questions. Both Gideon and Mary ask questions. Don’t we all, when asked to do a
favor?
Gideon begins by asking, “My Lord, if the Lord is with us,
why has all this happened to us?” And he asks several more questions.
Mary asks what the greeting meant. How can I bear a son?
I’m not married.
THREE: NEXT
COMES THE MISSION
Gideon is told by the Lord, “Go with the strength you
have and save Israel from the power of Midian.”
Mary is told that the Holy Spirit will come over her and
she’ll bear a Son - the Son of God. That’s her calling.
FOURTH: THE
LORD IS WITH THEM
Two times as we heard today’s first reading, Gideon is
told, “I shall be with you.”
Mary is told the power of the Most High will cover her
with its shadow. Mary is told nothing impossible with God.”
FIFTH: BOTH DO
IT
Gideon wants signs - and finally gets one and discovers
God in the fire than came from a rock that consumes everything - and then
realized he had seen the angel of the Lord face to face.
Mary brings forth Jesus to our world. He is the sign
we’re all looking for.
CONCLUSION
Notice the inspirations - the challenges - the angels who
will come to you today. Think about the possibilities of bringing new life to
your daily situations. Measure them. Question them. Then do acts of kindness - good works - bring
God’s love and presence into the rooms and corners of your world today. PAINTING ON TOP: The Angel Puts the Fire on the Altar of Gideon, J.J. Tissot
The title of my homily for this 20th Monday in
Ordinary Time is, “Just One More Thing.”
TODAY’S GOSPEL
We just heard the gospel story about the young man who
approached Jesus and said, “Teach, what good must I do to gain eternal life?”
Jesus backs off a bit and says, “Why do you ask me about
the good? There is only One who is good. If you wish to enter into life, keep
the commandments.”
So the young man says, “Which ones?”
And Jesus says, “You shall not kill. You shall not commit
adultery. You shall not steal. Don’t bear false witness. Honor your father and
your mother. And you shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
The young man said, “All these I have observed. What do I
still lack?”
I sense that he is saying that in his gut he feels something
is still missing.
So Jesus says, “If you wish to be perfect, go, sell what
you have and give to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come
follow me.”
When the young man heard this statement, he went away sad,
for he had many possessions.”
TITLE OF MY
HOMILY
The title of my homily is, “Just One More Thing.”
If Jesus said to us, “Just one more thing….” What would that be for us?
Do we have that inner sense or feeling, “Something is
missing in my life?”
What is that one key comment Jesus would say to us today?
Years ago there was a TV detective named, “Lt. Colombo.”
He would show up at a murder scene and check things out.
Then when he was heading out the door, he would stop, and
come back in and say, “I was thinking….”
He was saying, “Just One More Thing….”
He’d say “I noticed on my way in that there were 3 empty garbage
cans in front of the garage door and yet you said you put the garbage out last
night and you were out at the store this morning. Did you move them out of the
way and then put them back the same way.”
Or he’d say, “There is one chair here in the living room
that had floor indentations on the rug, so who moved that chair and why was it
moved?”
He’d always have one more thing….
From time to time we get the itch that there’s something
missing in my life. I’m doing everything right - but there is something more I
should be doing- to be a better parent, church goer, teacher, what have you.
So that’s my point in this homily to ask the Lord in
prayer and in thought: “Is there one more thing I’m supposed to be doing with my life?”
OUR TOP TEN
THINGS TO DO
We all have our 10 top things to do as a Christian.
We’re doing them and doing them well.
The inner itch for the more is what I’m looking at.
THE ONE MORE
THING
I have something that’s been hitting me the last few
years or so.
Do you ever have an inner quest or itch - that’s there in
the background of your every day - and it slowly rises to the surface.
Mine is to learn to zip my lip.
Mine is to learn better how to pause more - in that 5
seconds - we have before we say something - especially something that is
harmful.
I want to be more conscious of that little voice that
says, “Don’t say that. It could hurt that person.”
I want to make that little voice louder.
Not this past weekend - but the weekend before that - I
drove with a good friend of my brother who lives in Rockville. My grandnephew was getting married in
Middletown, Connecticut and I knew Marty wanted to go - but can’t drive with
his poor eyesight. His wife was his driver - but she just died a year ago or
so.
It was a 7 hour trip, so he asked on the way back if I
wanted to listen to some stuff he had on his iPhone. I said sure.
So we listened to a program entitled, “Is That What I
Look Like?” from This American Life - hosted by Ira Glass.
The program gave some examples about how someone says
something about what we look like and it hits us for life.
The first example was that of a lady who goes to a MAC
store - Makeup Store - and wants to get foundation makeup - whatever that is.
The salesman - and he’s a male - says, “Your next is yellow - but your face is
a different color.”
Well, that was the first example of something said about
our body that ended up lasting forever.
The second was about a lady in a play. Someone made a comment about her butt -
being large - and said, “I thought it was a prop in the play.”
Well, that comment won’t go away.
The last one I remember was about a teacher - and one of the kids in class kept
asking about “Jerry” and the teacher’s name was Matthew. Well, he finds out
that the kids call his bald spot “Jerry”.
He didn’t know he had one, so he heads for the men’s room and sure
enough he has a ball spot in the back that the kids noticed.
Well, I hope I zip my lip more - that I pause more - and
say, “Don’t say something that will linger or hurt someone for life.”
So that’s my one thing more.
THE POSITIVE
Then it hit me - what about saying a positive - a
compliment - to praise one’s good spots?
Imagine giving someone a compliment - that stays with
them all day - all week - best - the rest of one’s life.
I gave that example of the negative from that NPR radio program, This American
Life. Give me an example of a positive reminder?
I thought of a wonderful example that I use sometimes
when I’m doing a wedding homily and I don’t know the couple - but I want to
give something personal and practical. So let me give this example and close with this example.
A grandfather is sitting on a couch reading to his
granddaughter.
She spots his wedding ring and says, “Grandpa can I see
your wedding ring? Will it fit on my finger?”
Her grandfather takes it off and says, “Here - try it
on.”
He thought that would be cute.
She tries it on and laughs - especially how bit it is on
her tiny finger.
Then she looks inside the ring and notices some letters.
“Grandpa what does SSNTST mean?”
She knew her letters.
“Oops,” says her grandpa, “That’s a secret code.”
“But what does it mean?”
“Well, darling, some time when we have a lot of time I’ll
tell you.”
“But what does it mean grandpa?”
“Darling, can you keep a secret?”
“Yes.”
“Well, this is our little secret - and you’re the only
one who knows about it.”
Well, every time she came over to see her grandparents or
vice versa, she would tap his ring finger and wink at him.
But then after about 2 months - which felt like an
eternity for her - she told her dad.
He then asked to see the secret code - on his ring.
“The little squealer,” he said. “She told you and I told
her not to.”
So his dad told his son. “The story goes like this and I’m
sure you can relate to this. After a while, after your mom and I were married
for a bunch of years, our life together got too normal - too busy - too stale.
So I was talking to a friend of mine - who said, “Come up with a way to thank your wife every day and do it.”
“Okay, I get that dad. What did you come up with?”
“Well I went to the jeweler and had him engrave inside my
wedding ring the letters, ‘SSNTST.’”
“Okay dad, but what do those letters stand for?”
“Oh” said his dad, “It stands for Say Something Nice To
Sarah Today.”
“Great dad, I think I can explain that to your
granddaughter and we’ll keep it a secret - and in fact I think I’m going to do
the same thing and tell her to watch for it when I give Terri a compliment and
I’ll wink to her.”
