FOR THE SAKE OF TRANSPARENCY
INTRODUCTION
The title of my homily for you teachers for this new high
school year - 2018-2019 - is, “For the Sake of Transparency.”
I don’t know when this principle or mantra or slogan
became a value - used at meetings and brought up and into relationships.
I don’t know if teachers and school staffs pause before a
new school year and look at what they are thinking - hoping - wondering about
for this new year a-coming.
We’ve been here before - but some days are different than
other days. We go through some of the
same doors each day - but some entrances are different than other entrances.
Not every day is the same.
There is the last day of school in June and the first day
of a new school year in September.
What do teachers think about the day - the weeks after -
a school year ends.
How was your day is not the only question in life?
How was this school year that just ended?
What will this new year of school be like?
When I’m watching some of these pre-season football games
and a team has a new coach, how does the coach see this team, this new season.
If he was on some other team and he was cut, what did he learn from that
experience - and how will he see a new year - a new coaching experience?
In other words what were our learnings. A new year can trigger that question.
For the sake of transparency what are your thoughts right
now.
FAVORITE QUOTES
“For the sake of transparency” is one of my favorite
quotes.
Do you have any favorite quotes?
I don’t know what this day for teachers and high school
staff will be like - but if you have some small group sessions - share your
favorite quote.
If they have any coffee breaks, share your favorite
quote.
For the sake of transparency, this is where I’m coming
from.
One of my favorite quotes is: “The power is in the coffee
break.”
One of my favorite quotes is from Kojak, “Talk to me.”
One of my favorite quotes is from Kojak, “Who loves you,
baby?”
One of my favorite quotes is from Kojak, “Do you want a
lollipop.”
If you watch NCIS you know that Sloan, the therapist, offers
lollipops as well. “What color do you
want?” For her it’s a psychological test.
One of my favorite quotes is, “Be who you is, because if
you be who you ain’t, then you ain’t who you is.”
For the sake of transparency, let me state that again, “Be who you is,
because if you be who you ain’t, the you ain’t who you is.”
For the sake of transparency we can also say, “Be where
you is, because if you be where you ain’t, then you ain’t where you is.”
I don’t know where you are right. Sometimes it’s hard
getting back into the swing of things. I
went to bed too late last night - I was watching the movie, “The Pelican Brief”
so I found it difficult getting a homily for this morning.
One of my favorite quotes is, “The greatest sin is our
inability to accept the otherness of the other person.”
That’s true in a school, office, place of work, and
classroom, and our families and our groups.
It’s a new school year, for the sake of transparency, a
possible resolution could be, “Let’s see each other in a new way.”
Our theme for this new year is all about seeing.
The blind man or woman in the gospel prays, says, “Lord,
that I might see.”
For the sake of transparency, it’s hard to see people.
Their weight, color, age, language, clothes can block us from seeing and
sensing the other.
For the sake of transparency, it’s easy to judge others -
and we can’t see through the other to see their mind - heart - and personality.
We haven’t read their autobiography. They haven’t told it
to us - so we make them a biography - our reading of the other - and we don’t
listen to their audio autobiography of themselves.
TODAY’S GOSPEL
Today’s gospel - Matthew 23: 13-22 - has Jesus seeing
through the Pharisees - those who want to appear goody goody and the scribes -
those who could read and write and thought that made them better to a degree.
For the sake of transparency religious leaders can be
hypocrites - actors - trying to change everyone to their way of thinking and being.
For the sake of transparency, Jesus says guides can be
blind guides.
For the sake of transparency - Jesus said we can go for
the gold - but we get caught up in the glitter - and miss out on what and who
are the real gifts in the room are.
Jesus says, “We swear to ourselves, we have it right -
when we are all wrong.”
Jesus says, there is a garbage dump - right there in Jerusalem - and it’s called Gahanna -
translation “hell” - because it stinks
of burning garbage and dumped stuff - and that’s where we can be living.
Get out of hell - and be free.
TODAY’S FIRST READING
Today’s first reading is from 2nd
Thessalonians - written and sent some time around 50 to 100 AD - the year of
the Lord.
It’s more gospellly than today’s gospel - in that it
gives more good news.
It has some good stuff for this new year.
This new year be peaceful with each other.
This new year be thankful for each other..
This new year have faith - may it flourish
This new year - check out how you judge - judge with
God’s judments.
This year bring about the kingdom of God here at St. Mary’s.
This year - we’ll have sufferings of different sorts -
help each other with them.
This year, have a good purpose.
One of those can be, to be transparent - open - clear
with and to each other.
CLOSING
Today is the feast of St. Monica - mother of Augustine -
who really got messed up in his head - but he
was smart.
For the sake of transparency, she stuck with him - prayed
for him - and then for the sake of transparency - he gave the world his inner
stuff - his confessions - so that all of us can be transparent and give our
best to the world. Amen.
