The
title of my homily for this 15th Monday in Ordinary Time is, “A New
King … Came To Power.”
I
love the opening sentence in today’s first reading, “A new king, who knew
nothing of Joseph, came to power in Egypt.” [Exodus 1:8]
I
have read the Koran 2 times and it doesn’t have too many sentences like the
truth told in today’s first reading from the Book of Exodus.
I’m
not going to argue with Muslims over the Koran vs. the Bible.
Yet,
underneath everything, I see here the beauty of the Judeo-Christian tradition -
because it often connects us with real life situations - many, many times.
But
that doesn’t mean that some Bible texts are not head scratchers - with obtuse
words and ideas that mean nothing to us. I’m always looking for words and
images that connect us with everyday reality.
SIMILAR SITUATIONS
The
title of my homily is, “A New King … Came To Power.”
A
new pastor comes to the parish…. a new pope …. a new parent …. a new boss …. a
new boy friend…. a new girl friend …. a new neighbor ….
These
are experiences we all know about…..
We
know about situations like these: someone builds up a reputation …. someone
builds up their kingdom …. someone is king of the hill …. someone is queen of
the coffee break …. someone has a great reputation in a given situation - but
surprise - everything changes with a new mayor, president, boss, whoever.
People
die. People retire. People divorce. People move. People get better offers.
People are fired. As a result we get new
people in charge - like the new king of pharaoh coming to power in Egypt.
BOOK OF EXODUS
Here
in the Book of Exodus, Joseph is no longer remembered. The Israelites are no
longer the chosen people - among the Egyptians.
In
fact, they become the disposable people.
It’s
a new time - it’s a new story - it’s time for a new beginning - and sometimes
when this happens - things become difficult for incumbents or people who had it
good for a while.
THOUGHTS
Okay,
that’s clear - things changing when there is a new boss.
But
what to say next, not that clear - other than knowing one has to readjust.
A
priest -the boss in my second assignment, Father Joe McManus, taught me when you get to a new place, a new
assignment, keep your mouth shut for 365 days at least.
It
took me years in one assignment to get what I wanted. Then I got put in another
retreat house. Ugh, I was back to a similar situation I was in 7 years earlier. I didn’t want to go backwards -
but I did and followed Joe McManus’ rule -
wait a year.
I’ve
seen 3 pastors now at St. Mary's: Denis Sweeney, Jack Kingsbury and John Tizio. Each has been different from each other.
I
heard someone describing what a new bishop in another diocese is going through
right now: obstructionism…..
I
read that some folks in Rome are not too happy with the pastoral attitudes of
Pope Francis.
I
often hear about how kids have struggles after a divorce and a re-marrriage -
and kids have to deal with a step-mom or dad.
SOLUTIONS
I
don’t know what the solution is.
Maybe
the solution is the wait and see principle.
Maybe
the solution is to simply say, “We’ll we’re in a new book: My Exodus.”
Maybe
there is a promised land - out there.
However,
I love the description of the Promise of a land of Milk and Honey. I didn’t see
too many cows and bees in Israel.
The
title of my homily for this 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time [A] is, “Movies That Move Us.”
This
is a very easy homily. It will be about something I not only enjoy - but something I understand: movies. I
say that even though I don’t go out to too many movies anymore - which is one
more signal of old age. I see most movies on TV - especially Turner Classics - old black and white movies -
as well as “shoot-em-ups” like The Bourne
Movies.
How
about you? What have been the movies
that moved you?
In
this homily I’m going to ask you to look at movies that moved you - movies that
grabbed you - movies that have influenced your life.
TODAY’S GOSPEL
Today’s
gospel features Jesus’ use of parables - comparing them to seeds - that enter
into the soil of another person - and some parables grow on and in us.
Some
parables evoke groans and challenges in our gut - like the groans and
challenges in today’s second reading from Romans.
Today’s
gospel - as well as today’s first reading Isaiah
55 - present the theme of growth - consequences - returns - what impacts us
- what moves us - producing - results.
Today’s
gospel is basic communication for dummies. There are 4 kinds of people - 4
kinds of listeners - 4 kinds of audiences.
The
first is the dead head, the macadam mind. The seed, the word, lands on them, but nothing happens. They are
like the seed that lands on the path. Nothing happens - except the birds gobble
up that word.
The
second is shallow persons. They are the rocky soil - no depth, no soil, no
soul, nothing really grows or goes anywhere.
The
third type is the person with depth, but there are too many other things
growing and going on - in their mind - in their lives. The word gets choked.
And the fourth and last type are those with good soil - and depth - and they
are willing and open for growth.
MOVIES THAT MOVE US
The
title of my homily is, Movies That Move Us.
Movies
are like parables - stories - novels - that influence our way of seeing,
thinking and being.
There
are four types of people who see movies
- just like the ones I just mentioned for parables as Jesus taught us.
Let
me use - let me mention - let me run through 5 movies and then say,
“Conclusion.”
As
I’m going along, I challenge you to come up with your 5 movies - movies that
moved you - that had a lesson - for life.
You
don’t have to list them in cement - like I don’t include Casablanca or My Cousin Vinny
- but I might think differently the next time I think about this theme.
FOREST GUMP [1994]
The
first movie would be Forest Gump.
I
was in Chicago - with 3 other priests - for a scripture workshop. It was for continuing
education.
We
had an off night so one the guys I was with - suggested a movie.
Good.
We’re
heading for the car after supper and this other guy - a diocesan priest - asks
if he can come along. He had heard we were going out for a movie.
5
of us - a bit cramped - got in the car - but it was only a 15 minute ride to
the movie complex. Good thing - because two of these guys were big guys.
In
the car I asked, “What was the movie?”
Pat
says, “Forest Gump.”
I
said, “Never heard of it.”
I
figured it might be a western, from the word, “Forest” or a comedy, from the
word, “Gump”.
We
see the movie.
We’re
standing outside after the movie while one of the guys went to get the car.
I
asked the diocesan priest, “How did you like the movie?”
He
says, “I didn’t get it. I had no idea what it was about.”
That
surprised me, because I liked it.
We
get in the car and drive the 15 minutes back to the conference center. The other
3 guys are talking about how they loved the movie - the funny scenes, the
history lessons with Forest Gump meeting all these presidents, the Vietnam war
protests, Forest being so loyal to Dan, Forest being dumped by Ginny, and how
he was so loyal to her as well, and how he started running as his way of
dealing with losing her.
We
get back to the conference center and I’m standing there. Some other priest
asks the priest with us, how he liked the movie. He says, “It was great” - and
he began telling some to the ideas he heard in the car to this other guy.
I
remained quiet hearing that.
However,
I began thinking about that experience. I learned big time from that. Sometimes
we learn from the movie while watching it; sometimes we learn from
talking about the movie or the play or the parable or the song or the
experience afterwards.
LAWRENCE OF ARABIA
[1962]
The
next movie was Lawrence of Arabia.
Wow
did that movie make me thirsty - with all that sand.
It
won 7 Oscars.
We
wouldn’t be in some of the mess we are in the middle east today if people had
listened to T. E. Lawrence.
I
think of two learnings from that movie.
T.E.
Lawrence takes 50 men and crosses the Nefud Desert to get to Aqaba. On the
trip, a guy named Gasim falls asleep on his camel and falls off. T.E. Lawrence,
upon hearing that at a rest stop, gets back on his camel. Someone says, “It is
written….” and says something like you don’t go back. Well, I don’t remember
the lines, but basically Lawrence says, “I don’t buy that….” and he goes and
finds the guy and brings him back. This impresses the Arabs with him.
The
second learning was the backdoor approach to solving problems. The Turkish fort
at Aqaba had all its guns facing out to sea - the only way to attack it. Its
back was completely open - because nobody could attack them from the back -
from across the desert.
Sometimes
in life - when challenging a situation, the better approach is the unexpected
backdoor approach.
THROW MOMMA FROM THE
TRAIN [1987]
The
third movie is Throw Momma From the
Train.
Larry
Donner is Billy Chrystal and Owen is Danny DeVito.
There
is a scene in that movie that I love.
It taught me something that I use all the time.
Owen
says to Larry, “Do you want to see my coin collection.”
Larry
says, “No way!”
Owen
asks him again as he gets it.
He
pulls back a rug takes up a floor board, and takes out a small metal box - like
one of those boxes someone keeps index cards in.
Billy
Crystal says, “I’m not interested.”
Owen
takes out his coins - three quarters, two nickels and a penny…. Something like
that.
In
the meanwhile Owen has laid down on the floor and then Billy Chrystal as well.
Owen
holding a quarter says this quarter was change my dad let me keep after buying
a hot dog at a Peter, Paul and Mary Concert.
“This
quarter was change my father let me keep at the Hollywood Palladium, when we
attended a Martin and Lewis concert.
And
on and on.
What I got out of all this was that different people have different experiences
from all kinds of places and situations - and if we want to be in good human
contact with each other, we need to respect all these meanings we give to
persons, places and things.
For
example we’re going by a cemetery - and it’s just a cemetery - but it’s very
different if someone has a loved one buried there.
Every
time I go by the Treaty of Paris Restaurant at the top of Duke of Gloucester
street I think of my niece Margie and her husband Jerry. That’s where he
proposed to her.
BLACK HAND [1950]
The
next movie was, The Black Hand.
Gene
Kelly - plays the part of an Italian young man named, Giovanni “Johnny” Colombo.
How
about that? An Irishman playing the part of an Italian.
The
scene I remember is a group of young men are standing on the wooden deck of a small
freighter - and they are talking about why they are going to America.
When
it comes time for Johnny to speak, he pulls out a stiletto or a switch blade
and aims it at the floor and the point goes right into the wood. He says, “I’m
going to America to avenge the death of my father who was killed by the The
Black Hand - a Mafia type group.
What
I got out of that scene was how different folks have so many different motives.
Immigrants
- legal and illegal - want to come to America for all kinds of different
reasons.
All
of us here in church today - we’re all here for all kinds of different reasons.
We
just have to ask each other, “Why are you here?”
Motive.
One
of my favorite stories is about a young lady who went to a small community
college in West Virginia. I heard this when I was preaching a parish mission in
a small town along the Ohio River.
This
young lady was getting horrible grades, D’s and F’s.
She
was called in to see the Dean of Academics and he or she said, “Why are you
here?”
And
she answered, and I wrote down her answer on a Styrofoam cup that is on my
bookshelf for a good 17 years at least. She said, “I came here to be went with,
and I ain’t been went with yet.”
Why
are you here in church today?
STILL ALICE [2014]
My
5th and last movie is, Still
Alice.
I
just saw this movie last week - up in New Jersey. Someone offered this 2014
movie at the end of the day - after a
picnic and a get together.
It’s
a movie I never heard of.
Julianne
Moore plays the part of a lady who gets early onset Alzheimer’s and you see her
losing her memory right before your eyes - on the mirror called a movie screen.
I
was wondering in the back of my mind about the title of the movie: Still Alice.
I didn’t get it at first, but then, “Boom!” It hit me.
She
was still Alice - as is - no matter how
lost she was becoming.
I
don’t know if I’ll remember this movie for the rest of my life, but for the
rest of my life, I hope I won’t forget every person in my life, every person in
every nursing home, every person who is losing it, is still Charlie or Sam or Mary
or Michelle.
