ROSES IN DECEMBER

Quote for Today  - December 1,  2012

"Someone said that God gave us memory so that we might have roses in December."

Sir J. M. Barrie [1860-1937], Rectorial Address at St. Andrew's, May 3, 1922, in The Times, May 4, 1922

Questions:

What years in a person's life are considered the December years?

Do people in their 70's on a golf cart in Florida in December spend less time with their memories than  someone sitting in a soft chair in a nursing home in New England?

If you're over 70, what are the top ten life memories planted in the soil of your soul?
1)
2)
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5)
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8)
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10) 

COMING HOME 

AFTER SIN

Quote for Today  November 30, 2012

"There is in repentance this beautiful mystery - that we may fly fastest home on broken wing."

William L. Sullivan, Epigrams and Criticisms in Miniature, 1936

Comments:

Read Luke 15: 11-32 in the light of the above quote.

Would the older brother gladly come into the house to greet his lost brother if he had been there years earlier?

Do more people leave God - and/or Church - because of their own personal sins or the sins of those in the Church - or sins [never called sins] but perceived decisions they feel God committed against them?

Is Advent - the preparation time for Christmas - seen by some people as a time to come home - to God - to Christ - to Church? The Catholic Church  promotes Advent and Lent as a good time to catch a confession in a local church.

Here in this diocese many parishes offer Reconciliation - Penance - Confession services during Advent. The theme of "Coming Home" can be found in the announcements about this practice from the pulpit. 

Check out the quote above in light of all this. Amen.

A GOOD SCARE

Quote for Today  - November 29,  2012

"A good scare is worth more that good advice."  

Edgar Watson Howe, Country Town Sayings, 1922

Questions:

Looking at your life, list 3 moments of good advice. Put the advice into a mantra - or a simple statement. Also name the person who gave the advice or the book or movie or whatever, where you heard that piece of advice:

1)

2)

3)

Looking at your life, list 3 moments when you were scared.  Name the time and the place and the situation that hit you.

1)

2)

3)

Now read the quote above again and ask, "Which had more power: the advice or the scare?"

GOOD  HUMOR

Quote for Today - November 28, 2012

"Among animals, one has a sense of humor. Humor saves a few steps, it saves years."

Marianne Moore [1887-1972], "The Pangolin," 1941

P.S. If you're in a bad mood, bring your kids or grandkids for ice cream quickly - and get some for yourself while you're at it.

CHRIST AS CENTER

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for this 34 Tuesday in Ordinary Time is, “Christ as Center.”

Last night when I read today’s readings for today my first reaction was, “Ugh!” These end of the year readings are tough stuff - because they bring in apocalyptic - end of the world - type readings. [Cf. Revelation 14:14-19 and Luke 21:5-11]

The Early Church was not sure when the end was coming. It took them time to sort things out. We’re still waiting. We’re still working.

In the meanwhile, I was looking for an idea for a short homily - to come up with a theme or a thought that might be helpful.

THE THEME OF CENTERING

On second glance at the readings what hit me was the theme of centering. We humans like to be centered. If you’ve taken any workshops or programs on prayer, you’ve heard about centering prayer as well as beginning one’s pray time by being centered. Sit. Pause. Breathe. Pause. Breathe. Be centered where you are.

We know that athletes are pushed to do the same thing - to resist temptations - to avoid distractions - and be on their game and in the game. They are told to be centered. Focus. I like the saying, “Be where you is, because if you be where you ain’t, then you ain’t where you is.”

THE TEMPLE AS THE CENTER OF JEWISH LIFE

One way of understanding the gospels is to know how Jesus’ goal was to get to Jerusalem.

He set his face - his eyes - on getting to Jerusalem -and in the gospels we see him heading south - to get to the temple.

We know that Mary and Joseph took him there earlier.

We know from the Jewish scriptures - that the temple is crucial and central.

It helps to have a center - and for Judaism - it was the temple in Jerusalem.

We know about the different temples in the history of Judaism.

We heard in today’s gospel how centered the folks were on the physical aspects of their temple in Jerusalem.

We know that in the year 70 Rome comes along and destroys the temple - and the Jews are scattered.

We know that even till today - the Jewish People want to have Jerusalem and Israel as their center.

Would Judaism fall apart if Israel was destroyed?  The Nazis and others wanted them destroyed - in the Holocaust. They survived and recovered without and then with Israel.

 Jerusalem is also a central Holy City for Moslems as well.

Would different sects of Islam be destroyed if their holy places were destroyed?

We know that Jesus ends up saying he is the temple. Check out that important text in John 2: 13-25.

FAMILY

We know our families are central. Coming home hopefully centers us.

We see this especially at Thanksgiving and Christmas - hopefully at many more celebrations during the year - weddings, birthdays, anniversaries. A funeral can also center us as family. The sickle of death and destruction which we heard about in today’s first reading - certainly centers us - whether it’s death by storm or cancer.

CONCLUSION: CHURCH

We’re here in a church - in this holy center of the circle of our lives.

The parish, the church, can center us. For some it’s even the bench and area of church - where we feel at home with God especially.

One of the beauties of the Catholic Church is that we can become centered in another parish when we move or what have you. It takes time etc. However, we believe that Christ is present in the Eucharist, in the Word, and in the Body and Bodies and Blood around us - hopefully - and we see each other in communion with each other as well. Amen.

OOOOOOOOOO

Ikon top - 2nd Coming Ikon of Jesus.

THE LORD 

OF THE DANCE

Quote for Today - November 27, 2012

"Beware of the man whose god is in the skies."

Bernard Shaw


Check this out!  Just tap tap the https below!


https://www.youtube.com/embed/Pwe-pA6TaZk?rel=0

http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=mz3CPzdCDws

PUTTING ONE’S 

TWO CENTS IN

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for this 34 Monday in Ordinary Time is, “Putting One’s Two Cents In.”

We’ve all heard that saying down through the years. And we probably know it comes from today’s gospel when the widow puts her two coins into the treasury box. [Cf. Luke 21:1-4]

So for a homily today I thought I’d think about that principle: that of putting one’s two cents in.

THREE POSSIBILITIES: BLURT, WAIT, KEEP QUIET

For starters I would assume that we have 3 possibilities when it comes to putting our two cents in.  We can just blurt it out or we can wait for the right moment or we can say nothing.

I would also assume that it all depends on the situation and whom we’re with or whom we’re talking to and who we are.

Some people see everything as a correction and they don’t like corrections.

Some people are grateful for our advice - our two cents.

Some people say, “Thank you - but never do anything about what we’re pointing out.”

Sometimes the person who is putting their two cents in is nosey and into control - and is a busy body - and can’t deal with differences of opinion.

Sometimes it’s too late: “Okay she has that outrageous tattoo - and it would be crazy to bring this up now. So why  bring it up - if it’s going to cause upset or uproar or unlimited pay backs?”

PRUDENCE

I would assume that prudence is called for. Caution is called for. Experience is called for.  If the matter is very serious, it might be smart to bounce things off someone else first.

If it’s for the other’s benefit and not ours, and we think we need to put our two cents in, the next 3 issues are:

·        the  where,

·        the when,

·        and the how.

We’ve already determined the why. It’s for the other’s benefit not necessarily mine.

The where is the right situation. Depending on circumstances, one to one, and where others can’t hear what we’re saying to the other is often the best  scenario.

Next comes when. Timing as they say is everything. Sometimes we have to know another person’s moods.

How we say our two cents is key as well. There is a difference between honey and vinegar. We know the old saying, “One catches more flies with a spoonful of honey than a barrel of vinegar.

EXAMPLES AND EXPERIENCE

We learn from our experiences. When thinking about putting our two cents in - hopefully we’ve learned from experience, whom we’re dealing with.

For example, I was once sitting at lunch with 5 priests. It was not here. One guy has some mustard or mayonnaise on his face and I gesture with my hand to him - sort of sneaky - to wipe his face with his napkin. It didn’t work. He got upset and yelled at me.

With that kicked in a principle from Father Al Rush, an old Redemptorist at the time, whom I used to work with. He used to say about certain people, “I’d give that lady a wide  berth.”

I was a meeting where Governor Nelson Rockefeller was speaking and someone asked him a question and he said, “Are you crazy? I’m not going to answer that question. Next?”

CONCLUSION

From time to time, we need not only to give to the poor - but there are times when we might be able to improve a situation by putting our two cents in. Ching, ching.

Sometimes a word about another being the wrong person to date is the best advice to give a son or granddaughter. Sometimes we have to keep our two cents in our pocket.

This is my two cents today about what hit me from today’s gospel.