INTRODUCTION
The title of my homily for this 31 Tuesday in Ordinary
Time is, “Just One.”
We know what that means.
Someone has a box of chocolates. They open up the box and show us a neat
collection of delicious looking babies.
They offer us some candy, but they say, “Just one.”
POINTING TO TODAY’S READINGS
I’ve been preaching and/or looking at these readings for
some fifty years now - and you probably have been doing the same somewhat -
depending on your going to daily and Sunday Mass history.
I usually do what all of us preachers do - especially for
week-day Masses: read the readings and then pick one - just one - one word, one
theme, one, message, one thought or prayer or challenge for the day. Just one!
So the last bunch of years I have found myself looking
for just one thing to chew on - when dealing with these scripture readings. I
assume Father Gene, Father Denny and Father Jack have been doing something along
the same lines, more or less - as their regular method of reading the readings
and coming up with a short homily for the day.
I keep in mind two rules - try to say something that is
helpful to the listeners as well as to try to be interesting - catchy.
A QUESTION
For today it hit me to ask a question. The gospel talks about a man inviting a bunch of people to come to his house for a
dinner and basically they all refuse. They have their excuses.
The word “Invitation” hit me.
Thinking about that:
here’s an invitation. If you
invited people into your house - and into your stuff and you said, “Okay, you
can have one thing from my house. It’s yours. But just one!”
Wouldn’t that be an interesting invitation. If you have time today, walk through your
house. Look at your stuff. What would be that one thing people would
take? What would be the one thing you
wouldn’t want people to take? The
obvious comment would be: “Well it all depends!”
Just one thing. What would they take?”
I found that an interesting question - because it
interests me - on what I have of value.
I just had to clean out my stuff after 17 years in
Annapolis, Maryland. I have a lot of junk and a lot of stuff. I didn’t take it
all.
The question got me thinking about what do I have in my
room that is of valuable. As I thought about this last night, working on this
homily, I realized it’s the same question - in a way - we did on 37 Kairos
retreats with our high school kids. Your
house is on fire and other than pets and people, you can only rescue 3 things.
What would you carry out of your house?
Every time, I found that an interesting
exercise.
CONCLUSION: SOME HOMILY HOMEWORK
When you get home today, try my invitation. Play my game.
Accept my “Just One” exercise.
Walk around your house. Look at what you have. See what
you have accumulated. It will tell you what is valuable and what your values
are.
Pick out just one - just one - thing that is very
valuable - and then spend time meditating and thinking about what that says
about you and the person who gave you that gift.
It would make this even more interesting if you told each
other your pick.
I have a small head of Christ that is made of red clay
from the streets of Lititz, Pennsylvania.
It was made by Richard Fleckenstein. It’s one of a kind. He is was a potter - and
an artist.
I have a green stained glass shamrock from my good friend Jan
Giumette. It’s a suncatcher that has fallen from my window a few
times - but it must be the luck of the
Italian - because this Irish sign of luck - that I received from an Italian - has not broken - yet.
I have a Leather Bible
- that is my portable cemetery. It’s where I put my significant death cards -
like my sister Peggy’s. She was a nun who died this day, Nov. 5th,
2013 - next to the death card of my aunt, my dad’s sister - also a nun who died this day Nov. 5, 1966.
I did my homework - and came up with three things I might take. Now I invite you to do your homework.
What’s in your house: pick just one thing?
