Poems – can be – but they better not be: toxic. Gossip – often is - yes. Jealous and envious folks trying to get over being dumped from relationships, yes, toxic - when they find someone else to talk to. But poetry no. No. No. No. Avoid being toxic – it can slither into the bedroom or backyards of others. Poetry should be uplifting – floating clouds – floating soul stuff. Poetry is about being amazed at a child’s crayon drawings or a Georgia O’Keeffe or Van Gogh field of flowers or a stary, stary night - as the words and images of a poem sooth the soul and breath fresh air into the whole house and all of us.
"I only go to Mass when somebody asks me, but when I get in trouble, I call for a priest."
Broderick Crawford
Thursday, October 8, 2020
October 8, 2020
LIMITED
EDITIONS
Poems arrive not
as steam engines in movies – huffing and puffing – as they slide to a stop - on silver tracks - into the station of my mind. No, they fall from
trees like autumn leaves, red, orange, yellow – sometimes with black dots – better spot them - better jot them down - while they are still on the sidewalk in front of my house – before they crumble and break apart or blow down the street and get stuck in hedges or in the gutters of my roof.
Life, filled with mysteries, experiences
like beads on a rosary,
like pearls on a necklace,
like drops of blood on the ground.
Life, filled with announcements, visits, births, presentations, findings, as well as sorrowful moments false accusations, beatings, thorns, crosses to carry – then death.
Life, filled with hopes of resurrection and transfigurations,
the coming of the Spirit,
baptisms, weddings, and Masses
time to ponder all that Mary went through – on the journey from Nazareth to Calvary.
The title of my homily is, “Fanatics More or Less”
Those of us in the Religious Business know more or less, that
there are fanatics out there, when it comes to the practice of religion.
TODAY’S FIRST READING
Today’s first reading triggers this topic – a major issue
in Paul.When this topic shows up-
Freedom vs. Law – I tend to notice it. When
we have readings from Paul especially Galatians and Romans – I do a little
homework and a little thinking about religious fanatics more or less.
Jesus had the Pharisees on his case – more or less – all
the way through the gospels.They didn’t
like the way he broke the law – whichthey loved because it could show others how good - how religious - they were – for their
observance of the law.
So today’s first reading has Paul giving his story –
about how he was zealous – how he kept the law – how he persecuted the church –
because they were following Jesus the one who basically said: the law was made
for us – not us for the Law.
I was reading a commentary last night on today’s first reading.
Notice Paul says, “I was advancing – moving up – making
progress – in Judaism.” Notice too Paul is saying, “I was extremely zealous for
the traditions of my fathers.” Then lucky for him – grace – came after the
fall.
He saw what he was doing.Now that’s a great grace: to see what we are doing.He was righteous – needing to be right. He
was a fanatic – in the wrong. He became blind – so as to see.
Paul was humbled on
the dirt road to Damascus. Humbled: a
word that comes from humus – earth – which Paul had rubbed in his face – the
earth God made us from – and breathed his spirit into us and we were alive.
PHINEAS
NUMBERS 25:6-18
Then last night I
noticed in the commentary an interesting comment. “The great OT exemplar or
such zeal was Phineas, who had averted a plague afflicting Israel through an
act of vigilante violence by killing an Israelite man and his foreign Midian
wife, impaling both of them (apparently during the act of sexual intercourse)
with a single spear. According to the story in Numbers, the reaction of the
Lord to this deed was of glowing approbation.”
The commentary gives various other OT places where
Phineas is praised for his zeal.
When I read that I had slight memories or hints or
inklings of some character in literature named Phineas Boggs.I wondered if he was a picky nosey type of
character – maybe like the Biblical Phineas.
I looked that up and found I was wrong.Phinehas Boggs was a 17th century
pirate – who became a character in a 1982-83 TV show. The show had 20 episodes
– but only 1 season. It was on TV on Sunday nights and couldn’t compete with 60
Minutes. I read that the show was a kid’s show and kids loved it. Phineas Boggs
and a kid named Jeffrey Jones would travel around the world and through time
and save people and situations. They would make things right for Lawrence of
Arabia, Marco Polo, Edison, The Wright
Brothers, Andrew Jackson,Alexander
Graham Bell, and protect people from Jack the Ripper.
Yet maybe I did have a sense why the writers picked a character
named Phinehas. His job was in search of finding where and what was going wrong
– in the world – and to make things right.
CONCLUSION
And that is precisely what Liturgical and Religious
police like Paul were doing..
And to be humble, that is what I don't like in them. I need to admit that, laugh at myself, knowing humor is also part of humility.
ous
police like Paul was doing..
And to be humble, that is
what we who don’t like them - would like
to change in them. So humor – laughing
at self – is also part of
