The title of my homily - it will be short…. a page and a
half - 14 pica - is, “Emptying Oneself.”
In today’s second reading - from St. Paul’s Letter to the Philippians - we read the
following about Jesus,
“Christ Jesus,
though he was in the form of God,
did not
regard equality with God something to be grasped.
Rather, he emptied himself,
taking the form
of a slave,
coming in human likeness;
and found human in appearance,
he humbled
himself,
becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.”
During this Mass, during this short sermon, take another
sneak peek at today’s second reading from Philippians
2: 6-11.
This text is dated - to have been written between 54 and
57 AD. That’s before all 4 Gospels. Moreover
some scholars think that today’s text -
is part of an earlier hymn - possibly written in Aramaic - that Paul borrowed
or used here in his letter. That would make all this - very early stuff about
how Jesus was seen - and beginning to be understood - well before the written creeds
and written gospels.
He was God - equal to the Father. He became human - equal to us.
Christ - Trinity -
Divinity - Human.
Us - Human - but in Christ - because of Christ - we can slowly
become Divine - entering into God - the Trinity.
After all - as the first book of the Bible, Genesis, puts in in its first chapter, Genesis 1; 27, “God
created us in the image of himself, in the image of God he created us, male and
female he created them.”
Profound stuff…. Deep stuff …. Get this stuff - and stuff
this stuff into ourselves.
This week, Holy Week, we deal with profound stuff.
First: hear the call - to empty ourselves of ourselves.
Less selfies. More otheries.
This week - shut up - empty our mouths of our words and
our stories - and listen to the others.
Holy Thursday is all about a meal. A meal is a great
place to be in communion - holy communion - with each other. A meal is a great place to listen to others, “How
was your day?” “Moms, dads, brothers, sisters, kids, co-workers - friends -
strangers - how is your life going? I’m all ears for you.”
Good Friday is all about suffering and the cross. Is
there anyone around us who is suffering - dealing with a cross - family stuff, sickness
stuff, death stuff, rejection stuff? Make the way of the cross with them. Be there
under their cross. Help them carry their cross.
Holy Saturday is all about silence. I don’t know about
you and Lent 2017 for you. I failed again this year to make a Holy Lent. This
week. This Saturday - take a good silent walk and sort out what has died within
us or what has to die within us - what has to be emptied out of ourselves and
what needs to rise.
Easter Sunday is all about resurrection and new life. Where
do I have to rise as a disciple - a follower of Jesus?
To be continued….
PALM SUNDAY 2017
Life is a balancing act.
Sometimes we are up and sometimes we are down.
Sometimes we are feeling great and sometimes we are feeling
yucky and sickly and fluey.
Sometimes we feel we are on top of the world and sometimes
we feel down, 6 feet under, grave, grief, buried in work and cave in’s and we
are dead.
Sometimes everything goes right: the bread falls jam side up
and sometimes we take the jam out of the refrigerator by the lid and the jar
falls to the floor—jam side out all over the floor.
Life is a balancing act.
Ups and downs.
Good days and bad days.
God days and devil days.
Sin and grace.
Light and darkness.
Mountain highs and Maryland misty morning lows.
Grey foggy April non-budding yet leafless days and the bright
colored days of October when the leaves and the woods “ache and sag and almost
cry with colour!” (Edna St. Vincent Millay).
If we can relate to all those feelings, today Palm Sunday is
our day.
If we can relate to all those feelings, Holy Week is our
week.
If we can relate to all those feelings, Jesus is our
person—the one we want to talk to this week, the one we want to walk with this
week.
Holy Week: the holiest week of the year. Spring, but almost
spring—with lingering winter on our backs. Hints of warmth, but the cold
“winter of our discontent” still
creeping through our walls and windows and under our doors. (Cf. Shakespeare's King Richard the Third, act I, sc. i, l. 1)
Palm Sunday 2017. Jesus!
Let us walk with Jesus.
Hosanna in the highest coming from our inner “bare ruined
choirs”, but strains of “Behold the Wood of the Cross” being practiced in a back church room at another piano. (Cf. Shakespeare’s Sonnet 73.)
Palm Sunday, 2017. Jesus!
Palms in our hands as we march across center stage, but in
the corner of our eye, we spot the cross standing there off stage—ready to be
picked up in the third act: Good Friday.
Palm Sunday, 2017. Jesus! Joy of Men and Women’s Desires!
Spy Wednesday, 2017. We betray one another at times.
Holy Thursday, 2017. We wash each other’s feet—we have words
with one another—we eat with one another—we try to pray with one another—too
often we fall asleep—we run from each other even though there are signs of
“peace”.
Good Friday, 2017. We sulk and silent each other—we convict
each other without a trial—we beat one another—causing headaches and crowns
with thorns—we weep on our inner streets as we see those we cursed and spit at
and worse, laid such crosses and burdens on, and even far worse, we move
towards Calvary with. Darkness, death, temples and chapels and monasteries and
churches ript in two.
Whoever knows all this is our human story, Palms Up!
Amen!
It is us!
It is the Lord!
It is the story of divinity entering humanity, so humanity
can see and enter divinity. This is our call! This was our fall—our fall from
grace—in the garden.
We are made in the image and likeness of God!
Yet we bomb and gas each other to death.
Look at Jesus.
Look at Jesus in the garden.
Look at each other!
Paradise can be regained!
With Jesus!
Let us march together Disciples of Jesus!
Easter us, O Lord Jesus!
“Marana tha!” [Book of
Revelation 22:20 - next to last verse in the New Testament.]
Come, Lord Jesus!
HOLY WEEK
3 HOLY WEEK YOU TUBES
April 9, 2017
SOMETIMES
Sometimes I’m the donkey….
Sometimes I’m the song of praise….
Sometimes I’m the crowd ….
Sometimes I’m up close and personal….
Sometimes I arrange the supper ….
Sometimes I’m the bread broken ….
Sometimes I’m the wine glistening ….
Sometimes I’m the feet being washed ….
Sometimes I’m ears hearing words of service ….
Sometimes I’m in the night - in the garden ….
Sometimes I’m sleeping in prayer ….
Sometimes I’m running away in fear ….
Sometimes I’m watching him carrying his cross….
Sometimes I’m hearing his scream, “Forgive them….
Sometimes I’m thinking it’s all over…. He died.
Sometimes I’m hoping for resurrection
