GREEN

Green ….

There are shades and shades

of green - from light to dark

and variations on the theme

of green and in between.
Asparagus. broccoli, peas....
A million, million, billion leaves ....

New - alive - fresh - sap rising -

enjoying the tip of morning mist
and morning light, then the day,

then the cool and chill of dark night.

Lord, keep me green, work

with me to become supple,

alive, long before my autumn

bursts of color - before the Fall …

before I fall - long before
they put a green carpet over me -
over my box - over my dirt grave. 
Amen.

© Reflections 2012

Painting no top: "Terre Verde" by Valerie Anne Kelly

GREEN TREE

Quote for Today - October 27, 2012

“Keep a green tree in your heart and perhaps the singing bird will come.” 

Ancient Chinese Proverb

BLUE MYKONOS

A day on Mykonos,
one of those beautiful
Greek vacation islands,

blue skies, blue water,

blue shutters, blue doors,

blue window frames,

blue railings, steps and stairs,

gift shops with blue and white

postcards and paintings - as well
as small blue and white Greek flags ....

Now, even though I turned

a hundred corners and

twisted up and down

thirty seven streets and alleys,
I didn't see one paint store - 
not one. Please notice
I didn’t say I felt blue without you. 
No! I kept wondering:

where do they get

all this rich blue, blue paint?
You never know 
what other people are
talking to themselves about?

© Reflections 2012

BLUE

Quote for Today

"Blue color is everlastingly appointed by the Deity to be a source of delight."

John Ruskin [1819-1900], Lectures on Architecture and Painting [1853], I

Abstract Painting, Blue [1953] by Ad Reinhardt [ 1913-1967]. Christies Web site: estimate A$1,200,000 - $1,800,000.  Price Realized: $2,393,000.

WHAT COLOR IS PASSION? 

OBVIOUS ANSWER: RED

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily is, “What Color Is Passion? Obvious Answer: Red.”

When I read today’s gospel - Luke 12:49-53 - where Jesus is saying he has come to bring fire to the earth - and it’s going to blaze. When I hear Jesus saying he’s going to light a fire under people which will get them moving, I can hear Jesus’ passion. I can picture his face getting red. Why?

What color is passion? What is the color of fire? Red. Obviously.

RED: THE COLOR OF REVOLUTION

LENIN

When I read today’s gospel I think back to times I’ve read about Lenin - Vladimir Illich Ulyahov. His brother Alexander was executed - hung -  in 1887 being part of a plot to overthrow the Tsar in Russia. Vladimir became one of many people who were part of the same hopes to overthrow the government. He was exiled to Siberia for 3 years - not in prison - but in a small town. He was able to leave - after his times was up - but he could not return home. So he went  to the West. In his exile in Germany, Lenin was part of a newspaper called The Spark - Iskra in Russian. It had its best results when smuggled back into Russia. It’s motto was, “From a spark a fire will flare up.” Other issues were written in Munich and also London. He came back to Russia after the February 1917 revolution which overthrew the Tsar. His name became Lenin along this journey. He became leader of the Soviets after the October 1917 revolution.

Lenin died in 1924 - and slowly was followed by Stalin.  Blood flowed - and the color of blood is red.

The color of the Soviet Flag from 1923 till 1991 was red.

The center of Moscow was Red Square.

Red is the color of revolution and passion.

Red was the color of Mao’s revolution in China as well. The Chinese flag was red. It still is. The color of Mao’s Little Book of Maxims was red.

Red it the color of passion and revolution and change. Red is the color of  courage to change and the willingness to lay down one’s life for a cause.

The color of the French revolution in both 1792-93 and also 1848 was red. Guillotines were painted red or made of red wood. Women who came to cheer the executions - to see heads chopped off and roll - wore red caps - called “Phrygian Caps” - or red liberty caps.

Red is the color of blood and fire.

I read the Koran quite a bit - and it’s often talking about fire - burning opposition.

Red is the color of passion - being on fire.

FOLLOWING JESUS

Jesus is called a revolutionary at times. In today’s gospel - Luke 12:49-53 -  we hear about fire and division. Yet we know from several other texts that he didn’t want to kill others. We know that at other times he says to put away the swords - to cool it - to calm down - to eliminate anger and hostility and rage - and to be at peace.

He said if my mission was to shed blood - to kill - to start and army - my father would have sent me angels and angels. [Cf. Matthew 26: 47-56; Luke 22: 47-53; John 18: 1-11]

This revolutionary called Jesus came to change the world a different way. In fact, it looks like he lost - becoming a martyr - whose color is red - when he was executed on the cross - and his blow flowed.

Red is not the only color. There’s also blue - and other colors.

Peace is more blue - like the blue waters - which can cool us down.

Jesus is often dressed in different colors: red, while and blue - sometimes all at once like an American flag - but not arranged like an American flag.

FAMILY DIVISION

Some people find it difficult to hear Jesus say in today’s gospel that if you follow him  you run the risk of being ostracized by one’s own family. I wince when I read that. Yet as I think about it I get it.  If any of us went home and told our folks we were going to become Scientologists or Muslims or Jehovah Witnesses - we would understand today’s gospel clearly. So those who followed Jesus ran the risk of being alienated from their family.

Question: are we so passionate about Jesus Christ - that others will avoid us - or ostracize us. “Here comes the nut”?

Today’s first reading from Ephesians 3:  14-21 tells what a relationship with Jesus is like. Ephesians announces the call to experience the love of Jesus Christ  - its breadth, its length, its height, its depth. It’s a love that surpasses knowledge.

Paul experienced that love. It energized him. It fired him up. He because passionate about it. How about us?

When people heard Paul speak, they saw red and wanted to get rid o him. When people saw Paul preach, they saw him fired up, all red with passion, on fire for Christ.

Jesus was his passion.

Red is the color of passion.

CONCLUSION

The title of my homily is, “What Color Is Passion? Obvious Answer: Red.”

When we read the life of Jesus - we come into the presence of a Man of Passion - a Man on Fire with the love of God our Father.  Do we see and feel that passion in us?

oooooo

Abstract Painting Red - on top [1952] by Ad Reinhard (1913-1967) 

RED WHEEL BARROW

Quote for Today - October 25, 2012


"so much depends
upon
a red wheel
barrow
glazed with rain
water
beside
the white
chickens"

William Carlos Williams [1883-1963]

P.S. Life is filled with many, "it all depends" - many if's and's and but's. What are yours? Have you ever sat down and made your list - like choosing this school over that school and that meant I met .... Or if I had taken that road home or took that job or walked into that store at that particular time and on that specific date ....

Picture on top: Samuel Webster

WHAT DO YOU SEE?

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for this 29 Wednesday in Ordinary Time is, “What Do You See?”

Yesterday I went to the MVA - the Motor Vehicle Administration - off Truman Parkway to get a new driver’s license. Mine is about to expire. It was a long wait. While waiting I was seeing all that I could see - how the operation worked. After running out of seeing, I began wondering what the tough part was. There wasn’t any. I forgot if I had to answer those 10 or so questions about signs and stopping distances and school buses. Nope. But there was the eye test. I looked into machine and the lady asked me 4 times, “What do you see?” I read all the letters correctly on the bottom line and I spotted the lights along the side. Piece of cake.

The title of my homily is, “What Do You See?”

TODAY’S FIRST READING

In today’s first reading from Ephesians 3: 2-12, Paul tells us what he sees. He writes,  “When you read this you can understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, which was not made known to human beings in other generations as it has now been revealed to his holy Apostles and prophets by the Spirit, that the Gentiles are coheirs, members of the same Body, and copartners in the promise in Christ Jesus through the Gospel.”  Paul tells us he was next to receive that revelation.

What is Paul’s insight? Answer: there are many. It all depends on what letter you’re reading - and what section of Paul one is going through at the time.

In 1 Corinthians 12: 4-30 Paul tells us that we all have different gifts and we are called to work together - just like the different parts of the human body have to work together member with member. So too the Body of Christ.

In Romans 7: 14-25 Paul talks about the very human dilemma: we tell ourselves we’re going to do one thing and then we do the opposite. Then he asks who is going to solve this human dilemma. Who is going to help our contradictory self? Answer: Jesus Christ.

Well today he tells us that he experienced, “the inscrutable riches of Christ.”  

I understand the word “riches.” I didn’t get what the word “inscrutable” meant. So I checked out the Greek and I checked out other translations - and what I got was this:  having an experience of Christ is filled with riches - and then what adjective to use. It’s indescribable. It’s can’t be explained. We also say words like, “mysterious” -  “complex” - “hard to get at”.

The title of my homily is, “What Do You See?”

When you see Christ what is the one rich thing about him that grabs you. What insight has Paul given you?

What insight about life, what insight about Christ, what insight about people have you received from Paul?

Today Paul says the gift - the insight he got - the insight that was revealed to him is that committing myself to Christ, entering into Christ, I enter into God’s plan - God’s purpose - and I’m one with God. That should make me feel very rich - inscrutably rich.

If someone asks me, “What’s your plan?” I can answer: “I have a plan! It’s Christ.”

CONCLUSION QUESTION

Take a few moments at this mass - take a few moments today - and ask yourself: what difference does Christ make in m life? What gift does he bring me? What insight does he give me? How am I inscrutably richer because of him?

OOOOOOO

Painting on Top: San Pablo (c.1630) by Jose de Ribera [1591-1652] in Museo de Arte Ponce - Ponce Puerto Rico.

Painting in middle of the painting: San Pablo - also by Jose de Ribera