IN THE PICTURE?
INTRODUCTION
The title of my homily is, “Where Are You In The
Picture?”
I thought of group photos and class pictures when I read
today’s gospel - as well as pictures of people standing there in newspaper
pictures in The Capital - for example
being honored as part of a local organization.
In today’s gospel, James and John - as Mark tells us -
went up to Jesus with a request.
Jesus asked them, “What do wish me to do for you?”
They answered, “When you come into your glory we want to
sit - one on your right and the other on your left.”
Gospel commentators like to say that these two brothers -
James and John - had no clue at times
what Jesus was about. They were fishermen - called by Jesus - into quite a public
life - going about with Jesus - crowds wanting to touch the tassel of his cloak
- thousands wanting to hear his stories and his teachings. Jesus was famous -
and they were touching the tassels of that fame as they moved around Israel.
That’s quite a contrast from emptying fish from nets and then selling those
fish at the Lake of Galilee.
They were like these followers of rock singers and I’ve
read that some big time athletes have posse’s - 20 to 35 followers - who are
always tagging along with the rich and the powerful.
James and John had no idea - what Jesus meant when he
said, “You don’t know what you are asking. Can you drink the cup that I drink
or be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?”
They said, “We can!”
So Jesus said, “The cup that I drink, you will drink, and
with the baptism with which I am baptized, you will be baptized; but to sit at
my right or my left is not mine to give but is for those for whom it has been
prepared.”
Mark tells us that the other 10 became indignant at James and John when they
saw and heard all this happening.
GROUP PHOTOS
When you’re in a group photo where do you like to stand?
I’ve often heard, “If a person knows their picture is in
the paper or if someone shows us a picture that we know we’re in, the first
person that we look for in the picture is ourselves.”
Is that true?
I don’t know - and is it more today - now that everyone
has a camera on their cell phone?
OKAY, NOW WHAT?
I got that thought and those questions and observations
when I read today’s gospel.
Is it enough for a sermon?
You be the judge.
You be the judge of yourself.
I believe one of Jesus’ messages is emptying ourselves of
too much self.
I read somewhere that the two things that help people get
out of themselves is marriage and having kids. In both those situations we have
to think of others - much more than self.
I like the Hindu message about ego: EEEEEEEEE-GO.
Today’s first reading talks about this mysterious
character in the Old Testament called the Suffering Servant. Here in Isaiah we have several of the
Suffering Servant songs.
Isaiah was thinking about how some people are picked on. Isaiah
was getting himself thinking about how we bully and demean and put down other
human beings.
This is what happens to people at times when they are
crushed by life - and how do we deal with such struggles. It could be divorce,
being cheated on, having family disasters and our last name is run through the
mud. It can also happen to those who are
saints - servants - givers - and others feel small in their presence - so they
try to put them down.
This is what happened to Jesus - when the Pharisees were
forever criticizing him - and they and the scribes wanted to get him.
In today’s second reading, is the author of Hebrews saying
that is why Jesus was able to have sympathy with us because he was pushed into our weaknesses.
MAKING THIS PRACTICAL
To make this practical let’s do what Jesus did.
He stressed being the servant - the giver - the go-fer -
the last and not the first.
We go into the restaurant with family or friends. At the
door we can step back and let others who are coming out come out ahead of us -
and we can hold the door for our party.
We can take the lesser seat if some are lesser seats. We can get the
waiter or waitresses name. We can say to someone who hasn’t said a word, “Hey
Jack you haven’t said anything about this, what’s your take?”
In every conversation, someone says something, and it
triggers something in us, and we take over the conversation. Or we can put
ourselves last and be the listener.
In driving, in coming out of parking lots, there are lots
of opportunities to put others first.
In being handed the meat loaf - if that’s the way the
meal goes - we can say to ourselves, “I hope I get an end piece - but so does
Joe or Sally - so we leave the piece we want for someone else.
In pictures, we can make sure folks are not blocked out -
and everyone gets the chance to be out front.
CONCLUSION
I think there is a doable message here - helping others out
of the shadows and come into the light.
Jesus was PC - Pre Camera. DaVinci in his last supper
painting puts Jesus front and middle center - but maybe at that dinner he was
off to the side - and maybe James and John were center cut - and surprise Jesus
was off to the side.
