friends running away from Jesus in the dark night. Then both saw so few under the cross the next day: broken Friday afternoon. But then at daybreak - that Easter morning the cave and the grave split open and death was broken apart forever. Alleluia.
The title of my homily for this 19th Tuesday
in Ordinary Time is, “I Am Part Of All That I Have Met.”
That line is part of the poem, Ulysses, by Alfred Lord
Tennyson.
Ulysses, the king, is looking at his life. He is comparing being
at home with his wife - to being at sea - traveling - fighting - exploring -
and he wants to get odyssey-ing again. He sees that his son Telemachus is
capable of governing - but does not have the gift of exploring and conquering
new worlds. So he can let his son do the governing here and he’ll go back to
discovering new worlds and new adventures.
For some reason, when we read that poem in English class -
way, way back when - that line hit me
and has become part of me.
Maybe it was our English teacher, Father Tom Rowan, who
loved literature - and who was in Brazil as a missionary - maybe his travels
made him emphasize that message of - always being open to new adventures.
SINCE THEN
So since then - I have kept that in mind - when it comes to what I’ll allow
into my mind - if possible or when I’m conscious of it.
I wonder about shoot-em-ups when it comes to movies. I hope watching Kill Bill
I and II and the Bourne movies and various other fast moving - bullets flying
movies - I haven’t messed myself up.
When was it that someone in American Cultural essays said, “Garbage in, garbage
out.”
Eat junk, you become junk.
But that’s looking at the negative…. I have also looked
at the positive. Good stuff in, good stuff one becomes. So good music, good
conversations, good vacations, good books. They can all become me.
TODAYS FIRST
READING
I’m thinking all this because of today’s first reading -
when Ezekiel is told to eat the scroll. He is told to eat the words of
scripture.
The message is obvious: let the word nourish, feed, and
become us.
Did Christianity marry - words with bread - with Christ
in the Eucharist.
And the word became flesh and dwelt among us.
Eating communion - eating Christ - eating the scriptures
- eating the words of Christ - hopefully Christ becomes us.
As St. Paul said, “I live now not with my own life but
with the life of Christ who lives in me. [Galatians
2: 19]
Hopefully by digesting a gospel reading like today’s from
Matthew - that it hits us with the message of humility and to be like children. And if we mess up, to trust that Christ the
Good Shepherd will come looking after us.
So we hear the scriptures, we digest them, they nourish
us - they become us.
So too good example, being a good person, all help us to
become good examples, to become a good person.
IT’S OBVIOUS -
BUT WE FORGET IT
All this is obvious. However, we forget it - so it’s good
to be reminded every once in a while.
We speak the language we heard from our parents. We take
on their smile or lack of a smile. We pick up their customs and their values.
We become what we eat and hear - and surround ourselves
with and in.
CONCLUSION
One experience I had brings this home to me.
I had a long car
ride to New Jersey - and by myself- so I grabbed some old cassette tapes - that
I hadn’t listened to in 20 years at least.
I listening to this tape and I hear the speaker use this great example.
I turn the tape recorder off. The speaker used this great
example that years later I gave in a homily - and I thought I was so clever or original
- that I made it up.
