PASSION
INTRODUCTION
The title of my homily for this 22 Sunday in Ordinary
Time is, “Passion.”
Passion - having passion - being passionate. It means
being on fire - filled with emotion - high energy - not cool - not calm - but heated up.
I think it’s also the name of a perfume from Liz Taylor.
Passion.
Does it work?
Will this sermon work?
Where are you right now?
What do you need from the Lord this Labor Day Weekend?
JEREMIAH
I got this theme and thought for this sermon from
Jeremiah in today’s first reading. It’s a very emotional text. I want to read
it again - but I’ll pick another translation - to let that get into the mix -
of thoughts about passion.
You have tricked me, Lord,
and I was tricked.
You have overpowered me
and I am powerless.
I am made fun of all day long;
everyone mocks me.
Whenever I speak, I have to cry out;
“Violence and destruction.”
When I proclaim the word the result is
insult and put downs all
day long.
I say to myself, “I not going to mention him
or his word or his name anymore,”
But then it becomes like fire
burning in my heart,
imprisoned in my bones.
So I grow weary holding it in,
I can’t take all this.
Have you ever felt that way? Words like bowling balls are
hitting pins in your mind. You’re angry
- red hot angry - with the way you’re being treated by someone or some group or
by God - or even yourself.
When was the first time I was really passionate about
something or someone?
When was the last
time I talked to God the way Jeremiah talks to God in today’s first reading.
What gets you angry? What makes your blood boil? What
gets you hot under the collar? What are you passionate about?
BACKWARDS AND
FORWARDS
To be human is to be able to be in the here and now as
well as to be able to look backwards and forwards.
I would assume - when we’re young we tend to look forwards. I
would assume when we get older we look backwards a lot more.
Life is both.
Life is drive and reverse.
Life is windshield and rear view mirror.
And life is the present moment we’re in - when we’re
driving along doing all this inner talking and sometimes screaming - laughing
and crying.
At a boring meeting - or when we’re at the airport - and
our flight is late - we can do history - our own history. We can look
backwards. Or we can dream of next week
or next year - and figure out what’s going to happen to our kids.
Today’s first reading is backwards thinking. Jeremiah is
looking back on his life and complaining to God - feeling being duped by God.
Today’s gospel Jesus is looking forwards into his future
and tells his disciples that’s where he’s headed - into the future - going to Jerusalem to facing life’s enemies: the elders, the priests and the scribes [those who could
write, the educated]. And Peter says,
“Don’t go there.”
And Jesus, who praised Peter in last Sunday’s gospel says
to Peter this Sunday, “Get behind me, Satan! You are an obstacle to me. You are thinking
not as God thinks, but as human beings do.”
Great stuff to think about here.
Take the passion called "anger".
People are angry at God at times - or how we think God thinks.
Or notice the trio in Jerusalem that Jesus says he's going to face: elders, priests, and scribes.
Anger at elders - people older than us - who gave us advice - that put a brake on our dreams - or
we imagine or inwardly accuse them of doing that.
Anger at priests. As priest I’ve heard a lot of people
angry at priests, chief priests, church teachings - nuns - marriage laws - life
laws.
Anger at the scribes - those who are more educated - than
us - the intelligentsia.
Anger effects our body. Look at the fists and the neck of an angry person. Imagine what it’s doing inside - when a person's mind is like a sledge hammer fist.
I once heard about a relative being in a car with his wife and someone cut them off - and this relative went after the other driver and crashed into him on purpose.
Road rage is a reality.
I also read last night about roid rage. That’s angry itchy mental hemorrhoids in ones skull.
So today's readings can get us in touch with our passions - especially the passion called "anger".
Great stuff in today’s readings.
Looking at the gospel for today, the question: How did the disciples take this message of Jesus - that
life is the cross, self denial, sacrifice, giving up for the others, especially
one’s life.
Jesus said, “For whoever wishes to save his life will
lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.”
SELF-DESTRUCTIVE PASSION
Now - as we know - there can be self-destructive passion.
Someone said the number one passion that destroys human
beings is envy.
What’s eating so and so? She doesn’t seem happy.
Someone said the number one passion that destroys human
beings is resentments.
Someone else said it is regrets.
Passion - being inwardly or outwardly passionate - when
it’s self destructive needs to be dealt with - otherwise there is destruction.
Then there is good passion.
The church and our world is asking us this September 3 to
be passionate about keeping our earth better - cleaner - healthier. I hope
you’re noticing that our school kids, ES HS and College are being pushed to
make this planet healthier.
What am I doing to stress better house keeping for our home called "Planet earth".
And prophets for a better planet I’m sure feel duped by
God when floods come - as well as when
they experience people who say climate and earth issues are all a hoax.
Am I passionate about working to make us aware of our earth - that we're doing out part to make things better?
CONCLUSION
So to be a human being is to be passionate about a lot of
things - hopefully for the better and not the worse.
In Christ on the Cross - going through his passion, we see the best and the worst when it comes to passion.
Let me close with a quote from Rumi: “With passion pray. With passion work. With passion make
love. With passion eat and drink and dance and play. Why look like a dead fish
in this ocean of God.” Rumi [1207-1273]
________________________________
Painting on top: Chinese Painting, Passion, by Andrea Realpe
