The title of my thoughts for this Thursday in the 20th
Week in Ordinary time is, “Does Anyone Have an Extra Jacket?”
How many times have we found ourselves in an “Uh oh!”
situation when it comes to having the right clothes for the occasion?
If you saw and loved the movie, As Good as It Gets, you’ll remember the scene in the restaurant -
where Melvin Udall [Jack Nicholson] needs a jacket. You’ll also remember his comments about Carol
Connelly’s [Helen Hunt’s dress] at that same restaurant. "Does anyone have a jacket I can borrow?"
TODAY’S GOSPEL
That’s the question that hits me as I read today’s gospel
parable. It’s Jesus’ story about the guy who comes to the wedding banquet - without
a wedding garment.
And the king spots him and asks, “My friend, how is it
that you came in here without a wedding garment?”
Stuck, shamed, silent, the king then says, “Bind his
hands and feet, and cast him into the darkness outside, where there will be
wailing and grinding of teeth.”
The guy doesn’t even get a chance to scream, “Wait a
minute! You were stuck with an empty banquet hall - because nobody showed up -
so you rounded up us nobodies and now you want to toss me out into the dark? No
wonder, nobody showed up at your lousy party in the first place.”
The story is in Matthew 22: 1-14. It seems Matthew likes to throw us a curve
ball - making things tougher than it seems Jesus wants. When Luke tells this
story from Jesus [14: 15-24], there is no mention of having to have a wedding outfit
on. The great unwashed - found on streets and in alleys - the poor, the
crippled, the blind and the lame - all are invited into the banquet - no
questions asked. Welcome.
I’m heading into heaven with Luke’s version of the story
- in ball point pen on my hands - that is, if they don’t cremate me. Smile.
Like the Prodigal Son in the next chapter of Luke, if God
the Father wants me to be different than I am - a pig smelly sinner - if he
wants me to arrive in heaven with fancy clothes on - let him provide the soap
and water, the ring, the sandals and the finest robe.
YEAH, WHAT IS
GOD LIKE?
Yes, what is God like?
I don’t think that’s the theme in today’s gospel - but
that’s the thought that hits me.
Being a slob - I’ve
seen people give me the sneer - with what I’m wearing.
I never met either of them - but I think I’d be more
comfortable at a cookout wearing shorts and a T-shirt - with Pope Francis than
with Pope Benedict.
So that’s what I’m saying here, I’m more comfortable with
Luke’s Jesus than Matthew’s Jesus.
I just hope when I die, I’ll meet Andrew’s Jesus.
CONCLUSION
How about you?
And if you asked me, “Does Anyone Have an Extra Jacket?” I’d
say, “Good news! You don’t need one.”
August 18, 2016
BACK STORY
Is that one or two words?
Is that a relatively new word?
I don’t remember hearing it
three to five years ago.
Is it like “backstage”? One word….
Is it like “back room”? Two words….
Is it like “backdoor”? One word....
But back to “back story” ….
It’s a good move - to go backstage
The title of my homily for this 20th Wednesday
in Ordinary Time is, “The Big Scream:
‘It’s Not Fair!’”
I WONDER
At times I’ve wondered: Is the big scream coming out of
every gripe, every depression, every angry person, every child, every family, marriage, every person: “It’s not fair”?
At family gatherings - like every year I spend 4 or 5
days at Thanksgiving with my brother’s girls and their families - I watch
actions and reactions.
Kids eat first. Then the adults. While we're eating the kids disappear into
various nooks and rooms and floors of the house they rent. The last few years
it’s been at Virginia Beach - Sandbridge - on the ocean. Before that it was an Rehoboth
and before that Deep Creek Lake. After the adults eat comes dessert. Somehow
every kid arrives very quickly after the ice cream and brownies and pies and
cakes are placed on the counter.
That’s when I really watch.
That’s where I first started to wonder if a kids’ basic
scream is, “It’s not fair.”
I wonder if I screamed that scream: “It’s not fair.”
I’m the youngest of four - so I don’t know if the
youngest is at the biggest disadvantage.
I wonder if our nation’s families - our world’s families
- are losing out - by having smaller families.
I wonder if the question of fairness comes up more often in bigger
families than smaller families - because there many more moments for comparisons.
I also wonder if a bigger family helps a person
resolve the fairness question better than being in a family with less brothers
and sisters.
Was having one bathroom a better teaching possibility? In fact, is the bathroom in a one bathroom house, the best classroom in the house - because it offers the most moments to think of others.
ADULTS
Does the question of fairness continue longer - even all
life long - for some folks?
Is the issue behind every whine - the “It’s not fair!”
scream.
Obviously some cars - some homes - some salaries - some
seats in church or a restaurant - are better than others.
I don’t know about you, but I am glad I was born in
Brooklyn compared to Bagdad. And there’s a town there in Ohio between Lima
where I lived and Paulding where I did a bit of work - that I’m glad I never
lived in the in between town.
When it comes to music, I have a tin ear. When it comes
to ability to draw, I am still a baby with crayons - doing scribble and stick
figures.
Not everybody has the same skills, skin, figure, family
than the next person.
So what about the “It’s not fair!” question.
TODAY’S GOSPEL
Does the Parable of the Generous Landlord in today's gospel [Matthew 20:1-16] help with this
question?
He needs laborers for his vineyard so he starts hiring at
dawn - and they workers and owner agree for the usual daily wage.
He spots other laborers at 9 AM, noon, 3 and then 5
o’clock. Each time he hires them to work in his vineyard.
At the end of the day - when he starts handing out the daily wage - he starts with those he hires at 5
PM and gives them the usual daily wage - so too those he hired at 3, noon, 9
AM and at dawn.
Seeing that, those who worked a lot more expected a lot more.
They all get the same piece of the pie.
Not fair. Not
fair. Not fair.
DAVID
We have a family story about my brother.
He stopped in to see his buddy Marty - who was playing ping pong with his youngest son, David.
My brother says to David, “Let me
see what kind of ping pong paddle you have?”
The little kid hands the paddle to my brother who then
moves to the table and says to Marty, “Three over for serve.”
And David screams, “That’s not fair. I was playing with
my dad first.”
And my brother says to David, “Kid, let me teach you one
of life’s greatest learnings, ‘Who said life is fair?’ Three over for serve,
Marty.”
David told that story at my brother’s funeral and we all
laughed - but we all got the message - especially that of my brother dying of
melanoma at 51.
CONCLUSION
What is the conclusion?
What is the lesson?
What is the message?
Jesus says to the disgruntled whiners, “I didn’t cheat
you. I gave you the usual daily wage.
Am I not free to do as I wish with my money
Are you envious because I am generous.
Hey, the last shall be first and the first shall be last.
“Hey, God, that’s not fair.”
August 17, 2016
WOOD
If the tree knew it was going to become a solid wooden dining room table - hearing hundreds and hundreds and
hundreds of supper talk, homework talk, tears, spilled milk; if it knew it would become a rich brown - very, very visible
- dining room floor or door; or part of the underneath of a bedroom wall,
then….
Then would it cry "NO!" when it was about to be cut down? Would it? Really.... When would wood scream, “Pick me!”? How about a cross? A toothpick? No. A chopstick? Well, maybe…. but tell me more?
Today’s readings sort of po poos riches. Today’s readings warn us about riches
and power. Today’s readings talk about the top being toppled.
So at first I wondered if the title of my homily should
be, “Is Poor Better?” Or, “Is Weakness
Better than Power?” Or “Is Sickness Better than Health.”
“Of course not,” came my inner answer. Of course I thought of Simon and Garfunkel's song, "Richard Corey" - from the poem by Edwin Arlington Robinson.
Of course, I also thought about Woody Allen’s comment: “Money is
better than poverty, if only for
financial reasons.” Cute… but….
Then I added to my thought process, the wisdom statement,
“It all depends.”
And in saying that, I realized that rich could be better than poor or vice
versa, depending on what we learn, what we know, and what happens next in
whatever situation we’re in.
In thinking about all this, I came up with my question
and my title for this homily for this 20th Tuesday in Ordinary Time:
“Do The Poor Know More?”
GREAT QUESTION
I think that’s a great question.
I don’t have answers - but I do have wonderings and comments.
I think of the British TV series: Upstairs Downstairs
or Downton Abbey. The comments by the servants - their observations about the
life of the rich and the famous - interesting…. sometimes very sharp and very
insightful.
I’ve noticed many a waiter and waitress eavesdropping on
the conversations of those being served at the dinner. Is watching and
listening as good a course as a college course while serving a 4 course dinner?
TODAY’S
READINGS
In today’s first reading from Ezekiel 28: 1-10, the
prince is stupid with all his wisdom and intelligence, if he thinks he’s a god.
Doesn’t he realize what is about to happen?
Once we think we’re god, we might think nothing is going
to go wrong. After all, all is in our power.
The poor - the powerless - often don’t know what’s going
to happen in the next hour. They certainly know they are not God!
Not knowing what’s going to happen next, knowing things
are out of our control for the most part, can trigger nervous habits - or
better bending skills. It all depends.
Of course there are things we can control. We can pitch our tent not so close to the river in the rainy season.
Earthquakes? Yes - some know where some of the fault lines are.
Yes - some places are worse than others. Yet, our whole kingdom could quake and crumble
at any time. I’ve heard that dogs get the signals that an earthquake is coming
- long before humans know. And when the
earth crumbles - when it’s attacked, the
real me - is more or less - human like
every other human being. We are not a god.
So in today’s first reading Ezekiel the prophet is saying
to the rich and the powerful: wake up - the future is fragile.
And in today’s gospel from Luke 19: 23-30, the one who is
the fat cat ain’t going to be able to slide through the eye of a needle. Nor will the loaded down camel with all the riches
in the world - be able to fit through
the eye of a needle. Camels think thin....
Both Ezekiel and Jesus are telling us to let go - lighten
up - simplify - smart up - then we will be able to start slipping through the
needle into God’s kingdom.
It’s then we can get glimpses of God’s plan for all of us
- that we’re all brothers and sisters, mothers and fathers, children - with the
same Father - the true God of all of us.
We’re all called to serve - as well as to have a seat at the table. We’re
all rich. We’re all poor. So it all
depends what we’re looking at - and what we're learning.
THE BIG
CLASSROOMS
The poor, the people of Aleppo in Syria with battle
raging right now, the person out of a job and on the street - are in a bummer
of an experience, but they could become better by those experiences or worse. It all depends.
Experiences can make us better or bitter.
Absence can make the heart that much smarter, fonder,
quicker - but also angrier.
Poverty can bring us to our knees in prayer. Poverty can bring us to go back to school for new skills.
Sickness, cancer, can get us to grasp what’s really
important.
We’ve all heard the saying, “Experience is the best
teacher.”
I’ve heard people say to that, “Not necessarily so.
People can have the same experience a dozen times and still be stupid.”
So once more, it all depends.
So the secret to life is learning from life.
So a secret is to ask: “What’s the lesson here?” “What’s the message here?” “What’s going on
here?” “Where are you, God, in this darkness or blinding light?”
Those who learn - can become the wise - and then they can
bring their gifts to their others.
The poor, the uneducated, can become very rich and smart -
with inner insights - even when there is nothing in the refrigerator.
Once we learn - that we don’t know - that we’re poor -
that we’re not god almighty - then we can start to listen to others. It’s then
the true richness of others starts to appear.
So the poor can know more.
CONCLUSION
Once we have that attitude towards others - that we really don't know each other - that we're not better than others - we are becoming rich with attitude. Once we know that the
waiter and the waitress, the wheel chair bound and the toll collector at the
bridge - the guy with the lawn mower - who can’t speak English - who is illegal
- as well as his wife who cleans big houses - are all members of the
kingdom - are all children of God - then
we’ve slipped through the eye of the needle - and now we can sew together the
world God has called us to be part of - in this quilt called, “Creation.”
