“Every
reformation must have its victims. You
can’t expect the fatted calf to show the enthusiasm of the angels over the
prodigal’s return.”
Saki, Reginald
and the Academy
Tuesday, August 25, 2020
2 SENTENCES
INTRODUCTION
The title of my thoughts for this 21st Tuesday in Ordinary Time is “Two Sentences.”
The first sentence is from today’s first reading and the
second sentence is from the gospel.
FIRST SENTENCE
The first sentence is Paul’s statement: “Let no one deceive
you in any way.” [2 Thessalonians 2:3]
I read today’s first reading a few times last night –
seeing what might hit me for a homily. The first sentence that hit me was the one I just mentioned: “Let no
one deceive you in any way.”
Woo! Wow!That is
a tough assignment – and a bit sand papery. It could rub our ability to relate
and communicate and be with each other in everyday life and every day
interactions.
How to be really honest – honest honesty - that takes
time and work and tact.
How to do that takes good judgment.
How to do that takes living with each other – working
with each other – being with each other and sometimes learning the hard way – that the
other is a B. ESer – or incompetent – or not skilled – or not good in certain
areas – or lazy - or a non-listener –or a non-learner – a person who has stopped
growing or what have you.
It means to be alert. There is that old joke bouncing off that word “alert”
– that the world needs more “lerts”.
But it could actually mean that the world needs more
people to be alert – to pay attention – to oil the machines – protect each
other from viruses –to be kind to one another - to be exact in newspaper articles –in speech -
to do the research – etc. etc. etc.
To go deeper when it comes to honesty – to pay attention
to ourselves being honest with ourselves.
I remember a statement. It might have been by Kurt Vonnegut:
“Oh the lies I have told to my energies.”
And I noticed in The New York Times for yesterday
mention of a novel coming out September with the title, The Lying Life of
Adults by Eleana Ferrante. It praises Ann Goldstein as a wonderful
translator from the Italian. Will that book get readers to look themselves in
the mirror for their honesty as adults?
So once more: the first sentence for today is from St.
Paul: “Let no one deceive you.”
SECOND SENTENCE
The second sentence is from Matthew’s gospel: “Woe to you
if you pay forward your energies for the
tiny stuff and you neglect the weightier things of the law: Judgment and mercy
and fidelity.”
Jesus is pretty strong here in the 23rd chapter
of Matthew with his woes. He talks quite clearly about the human condition. He
says something we all know. We cleanthe
outside of cup and bowl and neglect the inside of who we really are.
We can be superficial. We can strain out the gnats. We
can also swallow the camel.
I’m sloppy- so I
might be dishonest when I say that I wonder at times about people being neat
and tidy about some things – and then they get caught for moral messy inner
rooms in their life – that spills out into actual messy crimes.
CONCLUSION
This morning my homily is 2 sentences to think about:
honesty and not avoiding the big issues by fixation on the small stuff.
