THAT GRABBED ME
INTRODUCTION
The titled of my homily for this 4th Tuesday after Easter is,
“Three Sentences That Grabbed Me.”
Last night I read today’s readings and three sentences grabbed me.
Did any word or sentence or image hit you when you heard today’s
readings?
The three sentences I heard are:
First: “… it was in Antioch that the
disciples were first called Christians.” [Acts 11:26]
Next: “It was winter.” [John 10:22]
Lastly: “The Father and I are one.” [John
10:30
REFLECT ON ANY ONE
OF THOSE 3 SENTENCES
For starters - a few questions and comments about the first sentence, “…
it was in Antioch that the disciples were first called Christians.”
How many Catholics describe themselves as Christians? Is that a word or a label we use to describe
ourselves?
Do we favor being called and being seen as a Catholic more than being a
Christian? Which do I prefer: Catholic Christian or Christian Catholic? Or do I
say sentences like, “I’m seeing myself
as a Christian - a follower of Christ.- more than being seen as a Catholic?” Or
“Wait a minute. It all depends.”
I like C.S. Lewis comment about seeing a Christian as someone who is
baptized. It’s a noun. Do we use the
word Christian as a noun or an adjective?
Adjective: that was very Christian of the Pope to take in those
refugees.
Second sentence: “It was winter.”
Writers in English are often told to study Hemingway. Write short,
clear, brief sentences. Get to the point.
The New Testament is in Greek. Greek can have very long sentences.
Whoever got their hands on translating our Mass prayers into English from Latin
- seems never to have heard of Hemingway.
So I like this sentence. It was winter.
It causes pause. That’s another 3 word sentence.
Someone also translated the Greek when Judas betrayed Jesus into, “It
was night.”
Hemingway - who killed himself - like Jesus Would have liked that
sentence. “It was night.”
Where am I in my spiritual life. Light or night, winter or spring,
summer or fall? Am I cold - indoors? Or
am I alive, warm, budding with new life?
What season am I in?
The third sentence is the last sentence
in today’s gospel: “The Father and I are one.”
With faith, with our belief in the divinity of Christ, we Christians
hear and can read the New Testament - the gospels - every day and discover more
and more about this human historical person called, “Jesus Christ”.
As a result, we can read more and more about God when we read more and
more about Christ.
God washes feet. God forgives sin. God lets us eat himself up as bread and
drink Him in the wine. God wants to enter into us with food, for starters. That’s how we learned from our
parents that they loved us for starters.
It took the early church the first few hundreds of years to be able to
put into words - into theological terms - how the Trinity is. God in three
persons. And they just scratched the surface. How will our personality be able
to grasp God? I assume that’s the stuff of eternity.
In the meanwhile we’re Christians - hopefully not hibernating in some
dark winter night - but we’re rising
each day with the Risen Christ - springing into action - greening the earth -
bringing joy and creativity into wherever we are this day. Amen.
CONCLUSION:
Did I miss any sentence you spotted?
