The title of my homily for this 18th Sunday in
Ordinary Time [C] is the first 3 words
of today’s first reading from the Wisdom Book Eccclesiastes, “Vanity of Vanities.”
Here are the first 10 words from the author, Qoheleth,
his opening words for today’s first reading,
“Vanity of vanities… vanity of vanities, all things are vanity!”
Then this author, called Qoheleth asks us, “What are we
after? What are we laboring for? What do
we use our wisdom and education for?”
So it’s obvious - for starters, the readings for today want us
to think about vanity - that we’re not doing what we’re doing for show or in
vain.
Today’s second reading from Paul’s Letter to the Colossians says exactly this: “Seek what is
above!” He adds, “Seek the hidden in
Christ.”
This message becomes even more obvious when we hear the
parable from today’s gospel. It’s the story of the man who has a great harvest
- is planning on building bigger and bigger barns - but the pool guy doesn’t
know - he’s going to die tonight. [Luke 12:13-21]
BUMMER
We know what the word “vanity” means.
It’s being shallow, empty, superficial. We’re an empty
suit. It’s a slick suit or dazzling dress - but the real me is not showing up -
so we’re showing off - wearing a
disguise called, “Vanity.”
Is that a fair description of vanity? A lady in the
parking lot after the 10:30 Mass said she had a different take on it. So talk
to each other on your takes on what vanity is.
I did a little research on use of the word “vanity”. We
use it when talking about a purse for cosmetics - a so called “vanity purse.” There is also the so called, “vanity.” It’s a piece
of furniture - a tiny table with not too deep drawers - usually with some spilled over white powder
in them - a table with a mirror to help with the make-up. We’ve heard about
special license plates - with the words, “Hot Shot” - or “Go Mets” on them.
They are called vanity plates. Then there is self-publishing a book which we
get published by a so called, “Vanity Press”.
TWO POEMS
Here are two poems that I wrote. The first is from years
ago. It’s based on today’s gospel. It’s called, “Death In The Dark.” It’s from a book of night prayers I wrote -
but couldn’t get a publisher.
DEATH IN THE DARK
(Luke 12:16-21)
I can’t pray tonight.
My mind, my fields,
my hands, are all too full.
Dark birds shriek
a death warning across
my cornfield skies
and all I can think of
is building barns:
bigger and bigger barns.
The second poem
is entitled, “Balloon Drop.” I wrote this yesterday for my blog. Talk about
vanity.
BALLOON DROP
The conventions were over
in both Cleveland and Philadelphia….
The balloons filled with air came floating down….
The halls were emptying out.
While watching this on TV
I spotted a cleaning woman
with a broom like handle
with some kind of a metal nail
or needle at its point -
sticking it to the balloons -
bursting them - letting the hot air out.
I couldn’t see her
face. Was
she laughing at the metaphor
or was she inwardly complaining about
how little she was getting paid
to sweep all this stuff up - the now
deflated balloons, the signs,
the cleaning up and getting ready
for the next…. Off to the side the TV people were still interviewing the folks with the names. Nobody noticed her.
TWO NOVELS
I want to quote from two novels - both of which I never finished.
I want to add that - because I don’t want to be vain - or try to impress
you - with what I have read. After all this is a homily on vanity.
The first novel is the 1987 novel Bonfire
of Vanities by Tom Wolfe.
Savonarola
Tom Wolfe got his title from today’s first reading as well as from the
Dominican priest Girolamo Savonarola’s reformation and burning of stuff in big
public bonfires in Florence, Italy back in 1497. He condemned vanity. Take it
off. Dump it. Burn it. He called for reform in church, clerics, pope, and city.
Then he himself ended up being excommunicated, condemned, tortured, hung and
burnt to death.
Tom Wolfe’s novel features New York City
in the 1980’s - Wall Street, filled with greed, corruption, racism,
demonstrations, riots, what have you.
A quote from the novel about Sherman McCoy, the main
character of the novel, “Sherman made the terrible discovery that men make
about their fathers sooner or later that the man before him was not an aging
father but a boy, a boy much like himself, a boy who grew up and had a child of
his own and, as best he could, out of a sense of duty and, perhaps love,
adopted a role called 'Being a Father' so that his child would have something
mythical and infinitely important: a Protector, who would keep a lid on all the
chaotic and catastrophic possibilities of life.”
Is that true? Does that fit? I know I don’t want to
forget the child in me - yet I guess the adult me better show up from time to
time.
Or this quote, “Yes see, Sherman, who started with
so much, lost everything. But he gained his soul. Whereas I, you see, who
started with so little, gained everything. ‘What does it profit a man if he
gains the whole world, but loses...’ Ah well. There are compensations.”
The second novel is Madam Bovary
- by Gustave Flaubert - a classic novel that also gets into the issue of vanity
big time in France in the 1800’s.
Two quotes:
“There was an air of indifference about them [the male guests], a calm
produced by the gratification of every passion … that special brutality which
comes from the habit of breaking down half-hearted resistances that keep one
fit and tickle one’s vanity - the handling of blooded horses, the pursuit of
loose women.” Madam Bovary [1857],
pt. 1, chapter 8, Gustave Flaubert [1821- 1880]
“It never occurred to her that if the drainpipes of a house are clogged,
the rain collect in pools on the roof; and she suspected no danger until
suddenly she discovered a crack in the wall.” Madam Bovary [1857], ib. II, 5, Gustave Flaubert [1821- 1880]
Cracks in the wall - wrinkles - leaks - sin - cancer - sickness - problems with our family
and our marriages - all assault our vanity - and get us in touch with the
deeper things - sometimes - sometimes slowly - sometimes never - hopefully God
from time to time.
So too a sudden death - of someone our own age - or someone like the man in
today’s gospel.
CONCLUSION
I think that’s enough.
Vanity of vanities - quoting Tom Wolfe and Gustave Flaubert - that should
be impressive - but humbling because I
don’t do well pronouncing French names.
The title of my homily is, “Vanity of Vanities.”
It’s a theme we would do well to think and pray about.
There’s a 1972 song by Carly Simon called, “You’re So Vain.”
It has the line, “You probably think this song is about you, you’re so
vain. You’re so vain.” Don’t you? Don’t you.
A bad homily is when people say to the preacher, “I wish my mother-in-law
or my brother was here to hear your sermon today.
A good sermon is when someone doesn’t say anything - but they realize the
sermon is about them.
Hopefully we all thought this homily is about us. It is.
The title of my thoughts for this feast of Saint Martha is,
“Friends”.
That theme of friendships hit me - realizing that Jesus -
found 3 good friends at the Bethany home of Martha, Mary and their brother
Lazarus.
In the gospel section for this feast there are two
options: "The Martha-Mary Conflict Story" and the "Jesus, Couldn't You Have Done Something to Prevent Our Brother Lazarus from Dying Story."
I chose John’s Gospel story about the moments in Martha and Mary’s life when
they were dealing with the death of their brother. It can be read at every
funeral. [Cf. John 11: 19-27]
I didn’t choose the famous Martha-Mary story from Luke
10:38-42. We just had that reading the other day - and we all know and wonder
why Martha seems to be diminished by Jesus - for service to Jesus and Mary -
and it gives us all pause when Jesus tells Martha when she’s complaining, “Mary
has chosen the better part.” I always
like to say, “I prefer Martha - and I’m grateful for all the Martha’s who have
cooked and fed me.
For today, I chose the story of the 3 friends of Jesus:
Martha, Mary and Lazarus. When people see Jesus grieving big time at Lazarus’
death, people saw the love of Jesus for Lazarus and the beauty of their friendship.
QUESTION: NAME
YOUR 3 BEST FRIENDS?
During this homily I’d be happy if you could stop
listening to me and listen to yourself about your top 3 friends.
I’ve heard different numbers on this. Some say if you
have 5 friends in a lifetime, you’re lucky.
Others say 4. I’m saying 3.
I’ve heard people say they have hundreds of friends.
Someone said that in an average lifetime - say 70 years - we have 400 friends.
I rather use the word, “acquaintances.”
Some people who use Face book talk about having many, many
people whom they have befriended.
If you disagree - and say, “I have lots of friends -
and they are more than acquainted,” then I would ask how many are or were close
friends. I’d add the adjective close to stress the difference between close
friends and friends.
HOW
ARE YOU TREATING YOUR CLOSE FRIENDS?
To put some muscle or challenge to some thoughts about
friendship, I’d ask, how have you been treating them. Have you neglected them? Maybe this homily could give you the
incentive to give them a call.
It’s been my experience when pointing out the value of
coming up with 3 to 5 close friends and reflect upon that, then 3 to 5 people are
not too many to contact and evaluate.
In this homily I’m saying that close friends are very
helpful when it comes to going through life.
We have lots of family members, but not all are our
friends.
Euripides said, “One loyal friend is worth ten
thousand relatives.” Euripides
During this mass for Saint Martha - come up with the
Martha in your life - the friend who is great with food and connecting with
you.
Then Thank God for that friend. Then ask for inner
forgiveness for any lack - or neglect - or forgettings in that friendship.
WHAT IS A
FRIEND?
Ooops, before finishing I better spell out just what is a
friend.
I assume a friend is someone whom we break bread with each other
from time to time.
I assume a friend is someone whom we can complain to -
complain about - different situations
and circumstances in life and the other just listens.
I think a good friend doesn’t use our stories to trigger their stories -
but instead they become silent and listen to our stories. Martin
Luther King, Jr. said, “In the end,
we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.”
A friend knows the size of our shoes - because they have walked in them with us.
They get what we’re reporting on. They listen.
And as we listen to our friends, as they listen to us, we hear
similarities of listening. I call it the You Too factor. I discovered somewhere
along the line that the secret of good preaching - good speaking - is that the
other is saying, “Wow. You too.” C.S. Lewis
said this long before me when he wrote, . “Friendship is born at that moment when one person says to
another, ‘What! You too? I thought I was the only one.”
CONCLUSION
In case nothing hit you in this homily, here are a few quotes about
friendship:
“It is not a lack
of love, but a lack of friendship that makes unhappy marriages.” – Friedrich Nietzsche
A good friend can tell you what is the
matter with you in a minute. He may not seem such a good friend after telling.”
– Arthur Brisbane
“People are lonely
because they build walls instead of bridges.” — Joseph F. Newton Men
“They may forget
what you said, but they will never forget how you made them feel.” — Carl W. Buchner
NOTES: Bronze sculpture, "Bonds of Friendship" by John Robinson, 1980, in Sydney, Australia.
July 29, 2016
INVISIBLE SOUNDS
Laughter from another room….
Fire engines at 2:15 AM - waking me….
A violin while walking down the street….
A group next door singing “Happy Birthday”…. Frogs in a pond.... An owl in some tree....
