“The days you are the most uncomfortable are the days you learn the most about yourself.”
Tuesday, December 4, 2018
DON’TFORGET TO LOOK
AT THE PICTURES
INTRODUCTION
The title of my homily for this 1st Tuesday in
Advent is, “Don’t Forget to Look at the Pictures.”
Christianity is a very visual religion. We use stuff -
materials - pictures - images to get to the invisible - the spiritual.
Christmas cards are still- around - less than the past - but they are still around. If you do
Christmas cards may your cards with their images and pictures and your written wordsbring life and hope to the people in your
lives whom you send cards to.
If you use a family photo as your Christmas Greetings may
others remember nice memories of the people in the picture that you send. If you use regular Christmas Cards - may
others catch the Baby in the manger - or the Christmas message on your card.
TODAY’S FIRST READING
Today’s first reading from Isaiah 11: 1-10 has some rich
words and themes.
Check your Christmas cards. Some will have just
words- like the words in today’s first
reading: understanding, wisdom, counsel, justice, and faithfulness. Pick one
word, one theme and pray it back for the sender.
Check your Christmas cards. Someone will send you a
painting by Edward Hicks of the Peaceable Kingdom fame. We hear about that in
today’s first reading as well: all the animals living in peace. As you know there are lots of versions of that
painting - 62 to be exact.Study the
dream of Edward Hicks - a Quaker - for our world - that the bull in the china
shop, the bully in the classroom, the monkey in our midst who won’t getserious, can all get along with each other:
those who bark and bite and those who are catty and those who are the elephants
in the room.
Don’t forget to look at the Christmas TV movies. Try to
catch Charlie Brown’s Christmas story - as well as, “It’s a Wonderful Life”
with Jimmy Stewart. Listen to and ponder and study the Christmas message in the
songs in the background.
TODAY - DECEMBER 4th - IS THE FEAST OF
ST. JOHN DAMASCENE
St. John Damascene or St. John of Damascus [c. 675-749] was the last of the Fathers of the Early
Church.
He was attacked and scoffed at for defending the use of
images and icons and pictures in telling the Christian message.
There were those in the Christian Church who were against
all images - broke some of them. It’s called iconoclasm.Of course, images are not God - any more than
our photographs and selfies are the people in the pictures
Luckily St. John lived in Muslim territory - Muslims who
were against images in their religion - but they didn’t bother John - the monk.
CONCLUSION: TODAY’S GOSPEL
In today’s gospel [Luke 10: 21-24] we are told to be like
little children and spot the presence of God - Father, Son and Holy Spirit -
all around us - as well as understanding, wisdom, justice and faithfulness.
The title of my homily is, “Saying Dangerous Things.”
Have you ever said something that is dangerous -
something that causes reactions - that could get you in trouble?
I guess it would begin with thinking dangerous thoughts.
A comment to make if asked such a question might be: “For
example?”
Or, “Please explain?”
Or, “What do you have in mind?”
Or, “It all depends.”
PORPRAVA MILADY HORAKOVA
Where my question comes from is something I spotted last
night by accident. Father Joe Krastel and I were watching the Pittsburgh
Steelers - Los Angeles Chargers football game - Sunday Night Football - and the
camera turned on Mike Munchak - one of the Pittsburgh Steelers’ coaches. Joe
asked, “Where did he play?” I said,
“Maybe Notre Dame?” Joe, who has a tremendous memory said, “I bet you it was
Penn State.”
I looked it up later on and found out that he played for
Penn State and then played for 10 or 11 years on the Houston Oilers and was all
pro 9 times - and is in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He was from Scranton,
Pennsylvania.
Surprise I spotted off to the side on my computer - on
the internet - where I looked up Mike Munchak - one of those YouTube short videos. At times I
like to look at them instead of playing computer games. It showed the image of
a distinguished looking woman in a blue dress - with a white collar - and it looked like they were leading this
woman out to be hung.
Scary. I watched the whole thing. Her name was Porpora Milada Horáková.
The short film had little sound - and the words were in
Czech or some foreign language. She was hung. I had never heard of her. It lead
me to look up to find out who she was - and what did she do to deserve being
hung.
Milada Horáková
I was in Slovakia once on a Danube Cruise - and could
have chosen Prague as a side trip - but
didn’t. From what I learned last night I
might then have seen a statue of this woman - who is now a national hero - for
her stands on major issues - in the life of her country.
She was married and had one daughter.
She was arrested by the Gestapo - in standing up to the
Nazi’s - and was liberated from prison by the Americans near the end of World
War II. She then stood up to the
communists for years - on national policies and programs - for women and for
children - and foreign policy - and use of resources - and was arrested - and
condemned to be hung in Prague’s Pankrac Prison on June 27, 1950 at 5:30 A.M.
I woke up this morning still thinking about her and that
scene.
HOMILY
It got me to ask the question of my homily: “Have I ever
said something that is dangerous - something that causes reactions - that could
get me in trouble?”
It could be prolife. It could be Peace and Justice
issues. It could be many things like family fights - like telling someone -
with love - about their drinking or non-care of kids or aging parents.
When I read Isaiah’s comment in today’s first reading, I
thought of all this as well.
Isaiah said something that has gotten a lot of people in
trouble: “They shall beat their
swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks; One
nation shall not raise the sword against another, nor shall they train
for war again.”
Haven’t we
all gone down streets - like in Baltimore - where there are terrible pot holes
and said, “The money we poured out for the Iraq war could fix all the streets in
America or help pay teachers better - especially in inner city schools or feed
the hungry and on and on and on.”
I don’t have
a degree in economics nor am I an engineer nor am I million other things - but there
is a call in all of us - to think - and to speak up more than we do - instead
of being silent and helpless.
CONCLUSION.
The title of
my homily for today is, “Saying Dangerous Things.”
I do a lot
of baptisms and I’ve been to lots of confirmations - and I know the New
Testament message - is oiled into babies as well as teenage skulls - that we
are all called to not only be priests - all of us - as well as kings and queens
- as Jesus was a king - that is a king who feeds the poor and washes feet - and
cares for the sick - but we are also called to be prophets.
Jesus was
also a prophet - and prophets are often yelled at - spit at - and sometimes
crucified - sometimes hung.
December 3, 2018
PUERTO RICO
I am an island
surrounded by water -
the Atlantic and the Caribbean.
I am San Juan,
Mayaguez,
Ponce, Guyama,
Carolina, Caguas, Bayamon,
smaller cities and islands.
I am Taino and Igneri,
Hispanic, Catholic
Evangelical and other.
I am American.
I am Latino.
I am some 3,659,087 Puertorriquenos in P.R.
and some 4,600,000 in the mainland USA.
I am mountains.
I am roosters and rain,
then a sun shower
landing on green, green, green.
I am on a road,
many roads that twist
and curve, and then curve some more -
leading to beaches, water, work,
manufacturing, tourism.
I am history -
a story - many stories. I am hurricanes: Maria, Hugo, Irma, Katrina, and so many others.
