PRIESTS:
ARTICULATORS
OF THE INVISIBLE
INTRODUCTION
The title of my homily is, “Priests: Articulators of the Invisible.”
THIS IS ONE OF MY FAVORITE THEMES
The preacher goes from the known to the unknown – the
visible to the invisible.
We see this clearly in today’s first reading from Acts 17
when Paul stands up and preaches on Mars Hill – the Areopagus – which is above
and overlooking Athens – with the Parthenon
– the temple of Athena – THE GODDESS - in sight – plus several other temples and statues
of gods and goddesses – which are also
very visible.
Paul says that he
sees that the people of Athens are very religious. He says he walked around and
saw all kinds of statues and shrines – up here in this religious place - as
well as down there in the agora – the market place.
Then he says, “I saw an altar inscribed, ‘To an unknown God!’”
Then he tells them about this invisible God – this
unknown God - the creator of heaven and
earth.
This God doesn’t need temples and shrines. Everything and
everyplace is the holy place and holy
presence of God.
He tells them to look around. God is giving you life and
breath and being.
He proclaims, “In him we live and move and have our
being.”
So we don’t have to make all these gold and silver and
stone statues.
We just have to go into the temple of ourselves.
The last line in today’s first reading is, “After this he
left Athens and went to Corinth.”
PAUL FAILED IN ATHENS
As we know - Paul
failed in Athens. There is no Letter
to the Athenians – but there are 2 to the people of Corinth – where he went
next.
When I read – when I hear – today’s first reading – I
have a wonderful invisible memory – becoming visible in my brain.
It’s 2011 and I’m
in Athens with some 30 people from Saint Mary’s Annapolis – in this very place
– in today’s first reading – and I can feel the presence of Saint Paul in this
very spot.
You’d have to be there to realize this human experience I
had.
Yet, come to think about it – and this is the key point
in this homily – all of us have
experienced people long gone in the places we enter.
I can picture and feel the presence of Ed Twomey is this
pulpit I’m at right now. He preached here one evening – and then he went back
to Brazil and shortly afterwards left us.
Walking through the spaces and places of San Alfonso – I’m
sure all of us have caught the presence of people who have walked and entered
these spaces.
Memories.
And right now this place is empty and we’re hoping for the
Coronavirus 19 to disappear – so we can get back to normal.
So I’m saying – we’re all aware of the invisible – becoming
visible in the here and now.
I look at the Styrofoam panels in this chapel and I can picture
Father Bob Gaughler creating them down in the boiler room. I remember him
saying, “Wow they take a lot of paint!”
So in walking through the whole area of the Areopagus in
Athens – I could feel the invisible
presence of Paul - as well as Socrates
and Aristotle and Plato.
The next day – two of us got into a bus – Maureen Eschbacher and myself - and we headed for Corinth. I
When we got there it wasn’t what I had been picturing – especially when we went by a bungee jumping
spot on the bridge over the Corinthian
canal.
Then we finally entered the ruins of Corinth. It was a
bit further away from the water than I had figured – but we walked through the
old ruins of the ancient city – and the invisible became very visible – and the
two letters of Paul to the Corinthians became alive for me.
The title of my homily is, “Priests: Articulators of the
Invisible.”
I don’t know who the invisible person – surely a
Redemptorist – who taught me what to do when I entered a church where we were about
to preach in.
That teacher said,
“In your homily talk about
something everyone can see – in that church – or as a second resort – something
in that area.”
Then go from the visible to the invisible.
So I mention names on vestments or on candle sticks or on
the bottom of chalices. I mention characters in the stained-glass windows.
I mention during the preaching there the difference
between a wedding ring in a jewelry store window and one that’s been on the
ring finger of someone married in this church 53 years ago.
People move and have their being in memories and the
mystery of where they have been in the past – when they walk where they have
been before – in the present.
CONCLUSION
I think this theme of going from the visible to the
invisible – is even more significant when reading the gospel of John: to
mention light and doors – water and
wells – walls and upper rooms.
And then to bring people deeper into seeing and feeling
and knowing God’s presence in the invisible all around us.
The priest is called to articulate all this – to tell
folks it happens as today’s gospel from John puts it. Let me repeat today’s
gospel: “I have much more to tell you,
but you cannot bear it now. But when he
comes, the Spirit of truth, he will guide you to all truth. He will not speak on his own, but he will
speak what he hears, and will declare to you the things that are coming. He
will glorify me, because he will take from what is mine and declare it to
you. Everything that the Father has is
mine; for this reason I told you that he will take from what is mine and
declare it to you.”
The Gospel of the Lord.
