STEPS  

TOWARDS 

GOD 

Quote for Today August 20, 2011


"And almost every one when age,
Disease, or sorrows strike him,
Inclines to think there is a God,
Or someone very like him."

Arthur Hugh Clough

[1819-1861]

I AM PART OF ALL 

THAT  I  HAVE  MET

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for this 20th Friday in Ordinary Time is, “I Am Part Of All That I Have Met.”

It’s a line from the 1842 poem by Alfred Lord Tennyson, entitled, “Ulysses” - the great Greek character of many travels and adventures.

For some reason that line of that poem has become part of what I have met. I don’t know if an English teacher paused and underlined that line - or if I heard some preacher preach or speak about it. Whatever, it stuck we me.

And I have always intrigued and interested in autobiographies, biographies, memoirs, and questions of origins. At a preaching workshop the speaker once asked, “Why do you preach the way you preach? Who influenced you.”

I loved the comment the Greek poet and diplomat, George Seferis, made when talking this theme: “Don’t ask who’s influenced me. A lion is made up of the lambs he’s digested, and I’ve been reading all my life.”

Yet I believe it is good to know where we come from, where we have lived, what teachers influenced us, where we are in your family birth order, what our parents were like. I often ask couples who are to be married, “How do your parents argue?” There is usually a pause when I ask that question. Then when both start to answer that question, sometimes a light goes on.

As Socrates said, “The unexamined life is not worth living.”

TODAY’S GOSPEL

How many people were influenced that day when a Pharisee, a scholar of the law, as we heard in today’s gospel, asked Jesus, “Which commandment in the law is the greatest?”

And Jesus answered, “You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and the first commandment. The second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. The whole law and the prophets depend on these two commandments.”

Was that scholar moved by Jesus’ answer? Was anyone in the crowd influenced? The moment was remembered and made it’s way into our gospels. How many people have read or heard that message ever since and changed their lives or focused or refocused their lives to practice these 2 simple commandment.

FIRST READING

Did one of the names in today’s first reading from the opening chapter of the book of Ruth ring a bell?

A little girl was born in Kosciusko, Mississippi on January 29, 1954. Her parents weren’t married. On her birth certificate they put her name as Orpah Winfrey - Orpah being the sister-in-law of Ruth. Both are mentioned in today’s first reading.

Orpah - became Oprah - a simple reversal of the letters “r’ and “h” - because those who knew the little girl found it easier to pronounce. As a result the planet had a new born baby named, “Oprah”.

On her show and in her writings Oprah Winfrey has told from time to time the influences on her life: her grandmother - church - poverty - going from her grandmother’s farm to her mother in Milwaukee - big time poverty - sexual abuse - going to her father in Nashville - and his insistence of reading, studying, discipline - being given opportunities to speak in public - church and school, winning beauty contests, being given a chance at 17 to read lines on a local TV station, a college degree, mistakes, drugs, sex, etc. Baltimore, Chicago, listening to suggestions, hard work, etc. etc. etc.

In today’s first reading we hear about Ruth and Orpah. At the death of a man named Elimelech, Naomi, his wife, was left with two sons who married Moabite women, one named Orpah and the other named Ruth. After 10 years both sons died and Naomi was now left with two daughters-in-law. Orpah went back to Moab. Naomi said to Ruth, “Go back like Orpah to your people and your god.” Ruth stayed with Naomi saying, “Do not ask me to abandon or forsake you! For wherever you go, I will go, wherever you lodge I will lodge, your people shall be my people, and your God my God.”

CONCLUSION

The title of my homily is, “I Am Part Of All That I Have Met.”

Ruth re-settles with Naomi and is spotted by Boaz. They marry and their son Obed becomes the grandfather of David. Ruth becomes one part of the long line of people that Jesus has in his geneology - (Matthew 1:5) as well as the first name of many women ever since.

Orpah becomes the birth certificate name of a billionaire woman in the 20 and 21st centuries.

+++++++++++++++++++++

Statue on top: Ruth and Naomi - by Leonard Baskin - outdoor sculpture in Wichita, Kansas, 1978

WHAT DOES IT COST?

Quote for Today - August 19, 2011

"Take what you want and pay for it."

Spanish Proverb
Tap, Tap, Left, Left,
mouse or pad
the picture
from the Market
in Helsinki, Finland
to see everything
up closer.

CHANGING  THE  PAST

Quote for Today - August 18,  2011

"Even God cannot change the past."

Agatjpm [c. 447 -  401 B.C.]

IF YOU WERE A TREE,

WHAT KIND OF A TREE

WOULD YOU BE?

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for this 20th Wednesday of Ordinary Time is, “If You Were A Tree, What Kind Of A Tree Would You Be?”

I have always found self tests something that really gets people’s attention. I translate that to mean: people want to grow in self knowledge - and people want to know how they are coming across.

In today’s gospel [Matthew 20:1-16], Jesus provides a great self test in the Parable of the Vineyard. Am I like the owner? Am I like those who don’t like the owner’s generosity? Am I an early or am I a late starter? Am I like those Christians who are great Christians all their lives - but they don’t like it when Jesus says, “You can steal heaven at the last moment.” That’s what he said from the cross to the Good Thief and that’s one of the things he’s saying in this parable. [Cf. Luke 23:43]

The parables of Jesus are great self tests. All you have to do is read a parable and ask yourself: “Which character in the story am I?”

And there are lots of “If’y” Self Tests. If you were an animal, what kind of an animal would you be? If you were a dog, what kind of a dog would you be? If you were a car, what kind of a car would you be? If you were music, what kind of music would you be?

A ton more of attention arises if others in a group are asked to describe everyone in the group as an animal, a dog, music, a car, the weather, or what have you.

I would be a monkey high in a tree - with a boom box - playing Beethoven’s 9th Symphony.

If you were a tree, what kind of a tree would you be?

TODAY’S FIRST READING

Today’s first reading from Judges 9: 6-15 triggers this reflection on self tests.

Jotham doesn’t like Abimelech who was made king by the citizens of Shechem. So he makes the top of Mount Gerizim his pulpit or platform or podium and tells the parable of the trees. There is evidence from Aesop and many others in the Middle East from way back that speakers often used in their speeches the differences in trees - trees being jealous and envious of each other - trees having strengths and weaknesses - comparing trees to people: kings, politicians, leaders, etc.

In the parable in today’s first reading Jotham tells the values and the pluses of the olive tree and the fig tree - as well as grape vines -and each in turn is asked to be king and all say, “No!” Each says, “I don’t want to spend my time waving to other trees. I want to spend my time producing oil or fruit or wine.” So they ask the buckthorn to reign over them. The buckthorn tree says, “If you wish to anoint me king over you in good faith, come and take refuge in my shade.” The message is, “Expect to be stuck and stung and cut and bleeding if you take me on. I come with thorns.” Jotham is telling the folks, “You have taken Abimelech as king. You fools. Don’t expect benefits. Expect cuts! expect to be scratched.”

To me it proves the scriptures, if one takes the time to sit in its shade, are saying, “So what else is new? Isn’t life the same old same old?”

Here we are in August of 2011 and politicians are going around waving their hands - running for election or re-election - and the next national elections are  not till November 2012.

Obviously, we want public servants - popes and presidents - priests and principals - teachers and doctors - to give us fruit - from their work - not hand waving - that they are working in the vineyard and not standing around doing nothing. If you were the pope or the president, what kind of a tree would you be?

APPLE TREE OR CHRISTMAS TREE?

One of my favorite sermon examples is the “Apple Tree or Christmas Tree” sermon.

A priest asked the congregation: Are you an apple tree or a Christmas tree? Then he said, “The Christmas tree just stands there, looks pretty and people lay gifts at its feet. The apple tree gives blossoms with a delicious scent in the spring, gives shade and rest in the summer and gives apples in the fall.”

CONCLUSION

Here in this church of St. John Neumann we are under the tree of the cross. Jesus does not wave to us. His hands are nailed. For starters, the call is to sit under this tree and eat of its fruits. Chew on Jesus’ last words. Console Mary. Say, “Blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus.” Hear Jesus say about the tree of the cross, “Greater love than this, no one has, than to lay down one’s life for one’s friend.” “If you want to follow me, pick up your cross every day.”

BE PRO LIFE! 

DON'T ABORT YOURSELF! 

SEE THE 

GRANDEUR 

OF EACH OTHER!

Quote for Today - August 17, 2011

"If there is a sin against life, it lies perhaps less in despairing of it than in hoping for another and evading the implacable grandeur of the one we have."

Albert Camus [1913-1960]

Tap tap [twice] with a left click
 to see the picture on top
in wide screen spectacular
cinemascopic perspective.

THE LORD BE WITH YOU.

AND WITH YOUR SPIRIT.

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for this 20th Tuesday in Ordinary Time is, “The Lord Be With You. And With Your Spirit.”

This coming November 27th, the First Sunday of Advent, one of the possible opening prayers at Mass is, “The Lord be with you. And with your spirit.” It will replace, “The Lord be with you. And also with you.”

We’ll discover together if this change and the other changes in our Mass will switch smoothly.

I don’t remember what it was like back in the 1960’s and 70’s when other changes took place.

We’ll see.

A SLIGHT DIFFERENCE

It’s interesting that today’s first reading has “The Lord is with you.”

That’s a one word, one verb, difference from “The Lord be with you.”

The old Latin was “Dominus vobiscum.” It has no verb. I assume it’s understood. So I assume it can be translated “be” or “is”.

And the altar boy and the parish responded, “Et cum spiritu tuo.”

So the change will mirror the Latin in this second phrase, the response, “Et cum spiritu tuo.” “And with your spirit.”

So someone just gave a teaching - an explanation - of one of the upcoming changes in the Liturgy of Mass. I’m sure some of us, the bulletin, Catholic papers and magazines, will be mentioning more and more tiny bits of info as we move towards next Advent.

I’m assuming we’ll learn by doing. People will have missalette in hand and priest will have missal in hand - till the changes become second nature.

TODAY’S FIRST READING

Let me take a moment to point out something about today’s first reading: Judges 6: 11-14 - the call to Gideon. It has the announcement: “The Lord is with you.”

When you heard today’s first reading, did it ring any association bells? This is something that the scriptures are often trying to do: trigger thoughts, memories, as well as other scripture stories and texts.

It rang loud and clear something I heard back in 1962 - when we studied today’s first reading for the first time. The professor had us read today’s first reading and then read the gospel of Luke 1:26-38. That's the annunciation scene. He asked, “Any comments!” We said, “Both are very similar.” He added, “Both are annunciation accounts.”

There are various, “Dominus vobiscum” scenes in the Bible. It’s a greeting. So it’s not just a “Hello”. It’s bringting the Lord be into the greeting. We still do this. When someone sneezes, many still say, “God bless you.” When someone is going in for an operation or they are taking a trip, some say, “May the Lord be with you!” or “I’ll keep you in my prayers.” Or “Please God you’ll have a safe trip!”

Lithuanian blessings, Irish blessings - Polish blessings - Italian blessings - are loaded with the “God” or “Lord” word. Praise God.

Then there is today’s annunciation scene  from the book of Judges. Just as in Mary’s annunciation scene, after the opening greeting comes questions, some fears, some wonderings, and then comes the blessed assurance. “The Lord will be with you.”

So we begin Mass and end Mass with the “Dominus Vobiscum”. It’s a Latin Blessing - but before that a Hebrew Blessing - underneath that, a human blessing - a prayer and a hope that we all realize we’re not here alone - and we won’t leave or go it alone today.

CONCLUSION

“The Lord be with you.”

I said that to see what you would answer.

After November 27 it will be a mix of “And also with you” and also “And with your spirit.”

Hopefully this sermon and these future changes will be much ado about something.