Showing posts sorted by relevance for query suffering. Sort by date Show all posts
Showing posts sorted by relevance for query suffering. Sort by date Show all posts

Thursday, April 21, 2011


A TASTE
OF SUFFERING


INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for this Holy Thursday morning prayer is, “A Taste of Suffering.”

I picked the topic of suffering because that’s the topic in the following scripture reading we just heard from the 2nd chapter of Hebrews, verses 9 and 10.

“We see Jesus crowned with glory and honor because he suffered death, that through God’s gracious will he might taste death for the sake of all. Indeed, it was fitting that when bringing many to glory, God, for whom and through whom all things exist, should make their leader in the work of salvation perfect through suffering.”

What’s your take on suffering? What suffering have you tasted in your life so far?

MAKE A LIST – TAKE A LIST TO PRAYER AND TO REFLECTION

If someone asked you to make a list of the top 10 sufferings you have tasted in your life – what would your list look like – what would your list taste like?

The death of a child. The death of a spouse. The sudden death of someone very close to you.

Divorce. Betrayal. Being rejected. Being ignored. A family split apart.

Cancer. Strokes. Alzheimer’s. Parkinson’s. Mental sickness. Retardation.

Abuse. Cover ups. Denial of abuse – allowing for more abuse. False accusations.

Cries in the night. Can’t sleep. No way out. No relief. Enough already.

What did our childhood sound like? When we see and hear little kids screaming in church – do they echo in our screams in the night when we were in the dark and mommy and daddy were elsewhere and we felt all alone? Did we have a happy childhood? How about our teen years? Acne or aches or being made fun of – or thinking teachers had favorites and we weren’t one of them?

We know what it is to think milk or wine or a piece of fruit looks great and we drink it or bite into it and it’s sour or bitter? What sufferings did we taste in our 20’s and 30’s and beyond?

What sufferings do we taste daily? How come everything seems better in the other person’s house or family? Am I plagued by comparisons – and as we know: comparisons can crush. How do optimists become optimists and pessimists become pessimists? Is it a matter of luck or a matter of attitude or grace?

As in a Chinese restaurant, so in life, there is the sweet and the sour,

What sufferings have we tasted?

What do we choose for our outer conversations with each other and our inner conversations with ourselves: Good News or Bad?

As Jesus says in the garden this very night – after the Last Supper, “Father if it is possible, let this cup pass from me, but not my will, but yours be done.” [Luke 22: 42]

Obviously, the reality of suffering, the cross, death, denial, betrayal, are major themes and scenes we ponder and reflect upon and bring them to our prayers, this week – this Holy Week – but also when we have to make our own personal Way of the Cross some other week, some other moment this year or some other year.

WHAT HAVE WE LEARNED FROM TASTING SUFFERING?

We can make our list on that as well.

We might have learned that suffering can help us grow in understanding and patience – because now we know what others have had to go through.

We might have learned that some people think God zaps and punishes people – and some people don’t lay that on God. Some people know that suffering sometimes comes from the results of our poor eating habits or smoking or drinking or laziness or lake of exercise and sometimes suffering comes with a random knock on our door.

We might have learned that God is powerless when it comes to suffering – so powerless that God became one of us and went through horrible suffering, rejection, jeering, beating, stripped naked and then nailed to a cross and made to die on the cross, to redeem us as well as to help us deal with crosses – to tell and show us we’re not alone when it comes to suffering. We can realize that Christ is with us all days even to the end of the world. Yes, Jesus said he could call on his Father and 12 legions of angels could be there faster than any 911 call. But no, these days we experience once again, what Jesus went through in all these Stations of the Cross – especially the 12th Station – when Jesus dies on the Cross.

What have we learned from tasting suffering?



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Picture on top: Garden of Gethsemani Copyright Kichura

Sunday, October 18, 2009


CRUSHED


INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily is, “Crushed!”

On Wednesday morning I went on for two funerals here at St. John Neumann, neither of which I had to preach. Wonderful. So I’m sitting here in these benches before Mass and I pick up the “Breaking Bread Missalette and Hymnal” and started reading the readings for this Sunday. I don’t do that earlier enough each week.


I said a prayer, “Come Holy Spirit! Give me an insight that I need to hear and folks need to hear this coming Sunday?” I begin reading the First Reading from Isaiah. It begins, “The Lord was pleased to crush him in infirmity.”

Ooops.

We’ll avoid that one.


I continued reading – the rest of the First Reading, the Psalm, the Second Reading, and today’s Gospel from Mark.

Then I went on for the two funerals. Mary Ellen Heibel’s funeral was at 9 AM. She had a great life – the last third had suffering in the midst of the everyday joy of life – a kidney transplant, cancer, a healing, and then pneumonia, her final sickness – and then death at the age of 71. Then at 10:30 I celebrated Brenda Barnes’ funeral – breast cancer – treatment, remission, and then recurrence – and then death at the age of 66. Deacon Leroy Moore preached. He did a great job.

While being there during these two funerals, the opening words of today’s First Reading stayed with me, “The Lord was pleased to crush her in infirmity.”

ISAIAH 53:10: THE LAST OF THE SUFFERING SERVANT SONGS

Thursday I said to myself, “Do some homework and preach on that word ‘crushed’ in today’s first reading.” So I took some time to think about, reflect upon and look up stuff on that opening sentence in today’s First Reading. I thought: I don’t agree that Lord is pleased to crush people in infirmity. I never agreed that God zaps people – or picks people out for suffering. There is suffering – obviously – but how we talk about it with God words – theology – has kept a lot of people away from God and Church.

What’s your theology – literally your “God words” about suffering?

I started a book on the theme of suffering – years ago – and get back to it from time to time – but it’s still sitting there in process. Maybe I’ll get a good insight before I die.

TAKE THE WORDS LITERALLY

You can take the words from today’s First Reading literally, “The Lord was pleased to crush him in infirmity.” Even though commentators say this text Isaiah 53:10 varies in the different manuscripts that have come down to us, you can say that it means what it says. There are texts in the Scriptures that have writers of those scriptures who see God and suffering this way. And I hear people today with that way of seeing God. And the novena prayers for Our Mother of Perpetual Help that we say every Wednesday morning have that view – God chastising people.

Proverbs 3:12 says, “For whom the Lord loves, he rebukes – as a father the son he favors.”

And Psalm 94:12 says, “Happy is the one whom you discipline, O Lord, the one you instruct in your teaching.”

That theme – that outlook - certainly can be found in scriptures – and then there is Jesus. Did the Father want him to suffer all that he suffered when arrested, beaten, and forced to carry his cross to Calvary where he died on the cross?

Mysterious stuff! How many Rabbis and theologians wrestled with the question: Did Abraham think God wanted him to sacrifice his son? [Cf. Genesis 22: 1-19] Did God the Father want Jesus, His Only Son, to be sacrificed the way he was sacrificed? Look at the cross and think and pray about this. [Cf. John 3: 16; Hebrews 9: 15 to 10:18]


ONCE MORE: WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ABOUT SUFFERING?

What are your thoughts and insights about suffering? And death? Everyone has to deal with pain and tragedy – their own – and those around us. What are your thoughts? What’s your theology?


Life has lots of situations that can crush us: Death; Divorce; Cancer; Affairs; Being dropped by another; Alcoholism; Abuse; Mess – lots of mess. The scenarios of suffering and crush are there in the wings – and sometimes appear center stage in our life.

Bring them to God? Bring them to God with the Book of Job in hand – and you’ll get some insights and challenges. That whole Book of Job deals with the question of suffering. The writer dreams up the worst case scenario any human being could be hit with – the loss of everything – but especially to loss of his family - but Job will not blame God for his loses.

Bring them to God with the insight in the Talmud, “Teach thy tongue to say, ‘I do not know!’” That’s one of my favorite sayings and it has given me peace. I don’t have to know the mind of God. I’m dying to find out, but not yet.

Bring them to God with Jesus in the garden and say, “Father, if you are willing, take this cup away from me – but your will be done, not mine.” [Luke 22: 42] or say with Jesus on the cross, “Father, into your hands I hand over my spirit.” [Luke 23;46]


Bring them to God with Buddha in hand? He says if your remove the desire to control suffering and death – as well as life, you can get an amazing enlightenment. Learn to let go of trying to control everything. If you have teenagers you've already learned this.

Bring them to God with reason? Be philosophical. Think about what your thinking about. Think about your outlook and positions – and consider their implications.

I am not God, so I and everything falls apart at some point. Skin wrinkles. Bones ache. Tires wear out. Color fades. Earthquakes happen. Waves pound the shore and the rocks. Ballpoint pens run out of ink. People die. What would life be if there wasn’t death? Reason that out. If we want cars that go 65 miles per hour – at least – if we need to make turns – if we want 3 lanes – if some people drive slower than others – if we want to switch lanes – expect crashes from time to time. If nobody died, would we age? Would life become boring? Would undertakers be out of business? How about doctors and pharmaceuticals? What would the skin look like of 2,000 year old people? What would marriage be like? Would there be traffic tie ups and more crashes with drivers who are 5,000 years old?

Put on the philosopher cap from time to time. Can we thank God for how interesting life is and how meaningful life is because of death? Yes, there is suffering, but the pain in our left hip or a headache gives us something to talk about. Think of everyday metaphors. Could we say, “I’m dead right now!” if there was no crush in life?

What about weather? We’re aware of rain this weekend with the Annapolis Boat Show. When people say to me, “Father, you’re in charge of getting us good weather.” I say, "No way, Jose!" No way!” If our prayers brought rain only at night on Wednesdays, would someone complain about that? If the weather was always perfect – and predictable – would people say to those who just came back from Ireland, “How was the weather?” Would our prayers for controlling weather put the TV weatherwoman or man out of business? Do people watch the weather channel in Phoenix? Probably, but probably not about the weather in Phoenix.

Or think about Jacques Maritain’s question: What about the Problem of Good? I read about this while studying philosophy back in the 1960’s. Whenever some one brings up to me, the Problem of Evil, I say, “Well, what about the Problem of God?” Why is there so much good in life? Why do most babies come out of the womb alive and with ten fingers? Explain.


Then there is the chance to help each other when one is sick.

There is the possibility of communion and connection and cell phone calls with each other when we feel crushed. A sorrow shared is cut in half.

And how about having some humor when it comes to suffering - to be able to laugh at suffering and death in the face?

The Irish – but lots of other people sometimes evidence humor at death. I don't know who or what nationality Moriya Sen’An, is, but he or she said, “Bury me when I die beneath a wine barrel in a tavern. With luck the cask will leak.”

I was at a deathbed of a lady last Tuesday night at Anne Arundel Medical Center – with her family standing there. She died. I look at the monitor and said, “I hope you have a sense of humor, but look at what the monitor is saying, ‘Please Standby. ’ Here you are standing by Henrietta – helping each other deal with the deep pain of death.” And I saw a smile come on the face of two of the family - in the mingle of many tears.

STORIES

Besides words what are your stories or examples about suffering that help you?

We’ve all heard the Chinese Folktale called, “The Lost Horse.” It has lots of variations.


Here's one:

Once upon a time there was a father and a son and they had one horse. Wife and mom had died.


One day the horse runs away and the neighbors sympathize with the father for his loss, and he says, “We’ll see.”

A few days later the horse comes back with a pair of mustangs and the neighbors come and congratulate the father and he says, “We’ll see.”

Well, while the son was training one of the new horses, he falls off the horse and breaks a leg. The neighbors come and offer sympathy and the father says, “We’ll see. We’ll see.”

The next day the military comes along and grabs every available young men for an army
and they can’t take his son with his broken leg – so the neighbors come and say, “You’re lucky. You’re lucky.” And he says, “We’ll see. We’ll see.”


In doing some research for this homily, I came up with another story. I had never read it before. It’s the same story as the horse – but this time it’s from Jewish literature and tradition.

“Once when Rabbi Akiva was traveling, he came to a certain town where he looked for lodgings. None was available. So he says, ‘Whatever the Holy One does is good.’ He goes and spends the night in the open field. With him, he had a donkey, a rooster, and a lamp. A lion came and ate the donkey, a cat came and ate the rooster, and a gust of wind came up and blew out the candle. Again he said, ‘Whatever the Holy One does is all for the good.’ That same night soldiers came and carried off the inhabitants of the town. Then Rabbi Akiva said to his companions, ‘Did I not tell you that “Whatever the Holy One does is all for the good”?’”*


At first I thought: good story. Then I thought, "What about those inhabitants - whose lives were crushed?"

CONCLUSION: ATTITUDE


So yes, sufferings can crush us, but our attitude – our way of dealing with suffering – our way of talking to ourselves about suffering – our way of talking to God about suffering, can make a big difference.

Through the years I find myself saying when I have lost loved ones and experienced sufferings, “Suffering enters the human heart to create there places that never existed before.” I say to God in prayer, “You sent your Son into this world and so you know suffering, so be with me in this suffering – and through it – help me to understand others who go through suffering. Give me a more understanding heart.”



+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ * Cf. The Book of Legends, Sefer Ha-Aggadah, edited by Hayim Nahman Bialik and Yehoshua Hana Ravnitzky, Translated by William G. Braude, Shocken Books, New York, 1992, page 716, #302. Listen to these words on the inside front jacket of this book, "The first comlplete English translation of the Hebrew classic Sefer Ha-Aggadah brings to the English-speaking world the greatest and best-loved anthology of classical Rabbinic literature ever compiled. First published in Odessa in 1908-11, it was recognized immediately as a masterpiece in its own right, and reprinted numerous times in Israel." My confrere, Father Donald Miniscalco, CSSR, recommended it to me and when I finally found a copy in New York City in a Jewish store, I hesitated, because it cost $75 - so I make sure I use it when reflecting on Jewish scripture texts.


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FIVE DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

Alone or especially with another or others, pick two of the following five questions, for discussion and comments.

1) Reading today’s 3 readings and Psalm, is there a word or a theme that jumps off the page for you?

2) In 50 words or less, how would you answer the question, “How come God allows all this suffering?” Tsunami – cancer – earthquakes, etc.?

3) Looking at my life, the greatest thing that I had to suffer was?

4) Looking at my life, I really helped so and so when he or she was suffering?

5) Is there a story or an example or a memory that really helps you deal with suffering?

Monday, September 9, 2013

SUFFERING


INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for this 23 Monday in Ordinary Time  is, “Suffering.”

Yesterday in The New York Times  - in the Sunday Review Section -  there was a front page article entitled, “The Value of Suffering.”

As of 11 AM  this morning there were 241 comments from all over the world - on line - expressing thoughts etc. about the article.

The article was by one of my favorite writers, Pico Iyer. I spotted the large print title of the article first - then noticed the author - who travels the world - making comments about life as it is lived everywhere.

TODAY’S FIRST READING

Then I noticed this morning - in today’s first reading from Colossians - that St. Paul spells out some of his comments about sufferings.  He begins by saying,

“I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake,
and in my flesh I am filling up
what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ
on behalf of his Body, which is the Church,
of which I am a minister
in accordance with God’s stewardship given to me
to bring to completion for you the word of God,
the mystery hidden from ages and from generations past.” [Colossians 1: 24-26]

In the article on suffering by Pico Iyer, there is no mention of Christianity. However, there are a few in the comments by others that follow.

For the Christian, the cross with Christ on it is our symbol.

Christ on the cross stands center stage!

In our church here, Christ on the cross is loud and big and clear.

Christ on the Cross hangs there to help all human beings deal with suffering.

Paul is saying amongst other things - that he sees his sufferings working to help the rest of Christ’s Body - the Church - others - along with the sufferings of Jesus Christ.

Being a Christian - what are your comments - what are your insights - about dealing with the crosses and sufferings of life?

ST. PETER CLAVER

Today - September 9 - is the feast of St. Peter Claver. I checked out his life - from the angle of suffering - having had the first reading and Pico Iyer’s article coming together with the issue of suffering.

Peter Claver was a Spanish Jesuit - who left Spain as a young Jesuit - for Cartagena - which is now part of Colombia in South America - where he was ordained in 1615. [1]

Cartagena was one of the chief centers for slaves coming to this hemisphere. 10,000 slaves arrived every year.

Peter Claver took on the ministry of reaching out to these folks - a ministry he took over from his predecessor, another Jesuit, Father Alfonso Sandoval - who did that for 40 years.

Peter Claver then does that for 40 years - meeting slaves at the boats with “food, bread, brandy, lemons and tobacco”. He gave them hope. He gave them instructions in the Christian faith - baptizing over 300,000 slaves. He protested and pleaded for them.

After all that, he ended up with 4 years of sickness. He became disable.  Moreover, he ended up basically neglected - and looked down upon by anyone of importance.

Yet his memory continued and he was canonized a saint in 1888.

BACK TO PICO IYER’S ARTICLE

Pico Iyer is not a Buddhist - but he gives a bit about the Buddha’s take on suffering in his article.

Suffering is part of life. In fact it’s the first rule of life for the Buddha.

The article gives example after example of violence and suffering - children and parents dying - destruction by people and destruction by storms - and nature.

The article - if I read it correctly - makes various observations about suffering. Here are some of them:


  • There is plenty of suffering.It can wake us up to what is really important - getting us to listen to ourselves down deep.
  • It can wipe us out.
  • People do stupid things.
  • Who said, “Life is easy!”
  • It’s part of life - like the dew on the grass in the morning.
  • We can give up or we can do our best.
  • We can change our heart and mind and deal with suffering.
  • Suffering can get people to help one another.
  • Sometimes we’re given an insight - or a sight - that gives us new understandings.

Near the end of the article he talks about the Dalai Lama - who at 23 - was told one afternoon to leave his home that evening - to prevent further fighting by Chinese troops and Tibetans around his palace.

He did.

He never did  get back home in 52 years. He left friends, home, a small dog. Two days later he heard all his friends were dead.

He realized being out of Tibet he had the opportunity to spend the rest of his life trying to make life better for others.

The article ends by saying two things: suffering has been around and always will be around - like the dew -  and there is always something we can do.


NOTES


[1] Leonard Foley, O.F.M.  Saint of the Day, Volume 2, “Peter Claver, priest (1581-1654) pp. 77-79. I make my comments based on what I read in this book.

Monday, October 20, 2014

PAUL OF THE CROSS, 
ST. PAUL  ON  THE CROSS 


INTRODUCTION

The title of my sermon is, “St. Paul of the Cross and St. Paul on the Cross.”

This is a sermon more than a homily – a homily being reflections on the readings of the day. A sermon is a conversation – thoughts – on the saint of the day or what have you.

TODAY OCTOBER 20TH

Today, October 20th, we celebrate the feast of St. Paul of the Cross.

His name was Paul Danei.

He was born in Ovada – which is near Genoa – now Italy.

His dates were 1693 – 1775.

He died October 18, 1775. October 18 is the feast of St. Luke – so they moved his feast to today.

He founded the Bassoonists – priests and brothers – and then later on – near the end of his life, the Passionist Nuns.

St. Paul of the Cross.

LIKE REDEMPTORISTS

The religious who staff this parish of St. Mary’s, Annapolis are Redemptorists.  We were brought up hearing about the similarities of the Passionists and the Redemptorists. Both we founded roughly at the same time in Italy – one in the north – and the other in the south. Both ended up doing roughly the same work: preaching parish missions, doing retreats in retreat houses, and here the U.S. doing some parish work.

THE CROSS

Paul of the Cross is called just that by many sermons and writings on the cross.

Like many statues of saints, Paul is often pictured with a cross in his hands.

You can read his writings and hear over and over again his messages about the cross in our lives  - connecting our sufferings with the sufferings of Jesus Christ.

Like St. Alphonsus he stands there with the cross in his hands.

St. Alphonsus is famous for pushing the Stations of the Cross – to help us when are walking the tough roads, ways, paths of life.

THEOLOGY OF THE CROSS

If you do enough spiritual reading, you’ll pick up that different writers, different sayings, different people stress different this and that's.

TAKE SUFFERING

Saint Paul, the Saint Paul of today’s first reading – often talks about suffering.

Listen to this message from Colossians 1: 24-25, “It makes me happy to suffer for you, as I am suffering now, and in my own body to do what I can to make up for all that has to be undergone by Christ for the sake of his body, the Church.”

St. Paul has various comments about suffering – as I’m sure he was trying to figure out the mystery of pain, struggle, sufferings, sickness in his life.

Obviously, when talking about suffering he reflected on the sufferings of Christ and he made some sense of the mystery of life and its crosses in, through, and with Christ.

What has been your story, your take on your sufferings so far in life?

How have you changed, grown, this and that, about the cross.

This church here, St. John Neumann, church didn’t have this big cross up front right away.  Only afterwards did they put up this enormous big cross, central for reflection by people facing it while in church.

St. Mary’s, our other church downtown Annapolis, features Mary – much more than the cross.

St. Francis of Assisi for centuries had St. Francis standing there holding a cross.  Then there were all those images of Francis with a bird in his hand.

It was a change in emphasis: how to deal with sufferings – how to experience nature and creation.

In my work in Spirituality I’ve seen a vast change in thoughts about the cross, suffering.

One major change is to call folks away from hurting themselves, wanting to suffer, and ask God for more and more suffering – to be a victim soul.

Take St. Rose of Lima as someone who cut and disfigured herself to sufferer more for others.

I think we have taken on a healthier spirituality – when it comes to suffering.

Each person has enough suffering, the crosses from family, ageing, each other, addiction, abuse.

CONCLUSION

What’s your thoughts and prayers about the Cross?

How have you grown through the years understanding the meaning and meanings of carrying your cross.



Do you see life as more than the Sorrowful Mysteries of life? What about the Joyful, Glorious, and Light Giving moments and mysteries of life?

Wednesday, October 3, 2012



THE PROBLEM OF JOB:
TO BE CONTINUED

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily or thoughts for this 26th  is, “The Problem of Job: To Be Continued.”

The first reading for today and this week - all 6 days - Monday till Saturday is from the Book of Job.

We have a reading from Job on two Sundays, the 5th and 12th Sundays - in Ordinary Time, Year B - and we can have Job in two other readings - one from the Mass for those Suffering Famine or Hunger - which we rarely hear and one from funeral Masses - a reading that is often picked - Job 19: 23 to 27a - and you might be familiar with that from a family funeral. That’s the text that has the message
“I know my Vindicator or Redeemer or Avenger lives
and that he will at last stand forth upon the dust;
Whom I myself shall see:
my own eyes, not another’s, shall behold him;
And from my flesh I shall see God;
my inmost being is consumed with longing.”

That’s it. That’s all we hear from Job in the readings here at Mass - and the 6 readings from this week are every other year - and some of those 6 are bumped because of feast days - like this week.

So a  bottom line message would be to read sometime in our lifetime the Book of Job.

SUFFERING: TO BE CONTINUED

As you know the Book of Job presents the problem of suffering - a problem that is part of every life - more or less.

The title of my homily is: “The Problem of Job: To Be Continued.”

I gave it that title because sometimes we grasp answers to the problem of suffering and sometimes we don’t.

Suffering - knocks on our door - and we don’t want to answer that door.

The Book of Job has speeches, debates, comments, and questions: They are all about how we humans deal with death and suffering.

Like Job - each of us has to open our own door - and face those messengers and messages that are the Bad News. If Gospel comes from the old English word, “Godspell” - “Good News” -  Job deals with “Badspells” - “Bad News”.

Down through the centuries folks have sat with Job and talked to God about “Badspells” in life.

The Book of Job invites us - tells us - it’s okay to scream at God - yell at God, “How come” God?   Some of the Psalms as well as the movie and play, “Fiddler on the Room” tell us the same thing.

We might not get answers, but we get permission to yell - scream - and say, “God I got doubts about you!” or "Why do I have these torments!" or what have you?


The Book of Job also gives us lines - prayers - screams to make - like, “I know that my Vindicator lives” [Job 19:25] “Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him” [Job 13:15].

The Book of Job tells of one person’s sufferings - but then it’s put on stage - and developed - so it can deal with everyone’s sufferings. Scholars voice different opinions where the Book of Job comes from. I like the opinion that it was an ancient document from well before 1000 years before Christ - from another mid-East culture - that Israelite writers took and developed it - to help folks deal with the bad things that happen to people good and bad.

CONCLUSION

Put reading the Book of Job or reading it again on your bucket list because “suffering: to be continued.”



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Notes: Picture on top - Job and His Daughters [1800] by William Blake [1757-1827]; picture in the middle, Job's Tormentors [1793] - also by William Blake.







Tuesday, September 4, 2018


CHRISTIANITY: 
“A DANGEROUS 
LIBERATING MEMORY” 


INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for this 22 Tuesday in Ordinary Time is, “Christianity: ‘A Dangerous Liberating Memory.”

TODAY’S READINGS

Today’s first reading triggers the question: being the natural person or being the spiritual person?

The difference is whether we have the mind of Christ - whether we understand everything with the Spirit which is from God - of if we just go by human wisdom.

Today’s gospel could get us to see ourselves as the man with unclean demons and we scream out, “What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth?”  Do we know Jesus is the Holy One of God - who has come not to harm us, not to destroy us, but drive our demons out of us - and heal us?

We have choices.

JOHANN METZ

I noticed a theological point by Johann B. Metz last night when working on this homily.  I hadn’t seen his name in years - but there he was  - and still alive - in Germany -  in his 90’s [1924-  ]

He was drafted into the German Army as a teenager in 1944 and was captured and ended up in Maryland and Virginia. After the war he went back to Germany and became a priest and a theologian.

MEMORY

One of his key thoughts is the impact of memory on a human being - especially suffering.

Obviously, he reflected on how much impact the memory of World War II had on people. He reflected deeply  about the suffering - the war - the murders at Auscwitz - the cruelty  of people on people can be.

Recently, the papers talk about the abuse of young people and then the  coverups and the silence and the secrecy of bishops, cardinals and popes about how young people were abused.

Johann Metz’s thought would urge us to reflect upon how much abuse damages the psyche, the memory, of people for life. Then that person could have cuts and scars on their soul.

For life….

His theology and his teaching and writings and sermons spoke out about the poor of the world - how their lack - their hunger - their suffering impacts them for life. We can ask any person: “Where does it hurt?”

He used the word “solidarity” - Solidarity with others - a word John Paul II used which he grabbed from Heidigger and Existenialist writers.

We’re all in this together.

He is still alive and I have read very little of his material - my loss.

From the little I read last night - he would be totally against walls - in Germany there was the Iron Curtain and Berlin Wall - as well as around our worsld and around the world. He would want the richer nations and societies to take in the poor - all of them.

He would be for Solidarity - being in communion with the all of the world.

That’s the meaning of Catholic - KATA HOLOS - with the whole world - being in solidarity - that solid - with others - with all.

Let me tell you lots of Catholics fail here - including myself - over and over again. The world has been full of selfies long before digital phones.

EUCHARIST

Johnnan Metz saw the Eucharist - this Mass - this Meal - this Communion as central to life.  We all are welcome in this place.  We are all equal. This is our common table.

 I noticed that Metz would say the key words at the Mass are Remembrance - do this in Memory of Me - and the covenant to be with each other.

I noticed last night Metz saying that God is not apathetic - which is the complaint, the scream of so many - I’m suffering - I’ve had my Auschwitz's and my suffering and where is God? And God screams from the Cross: "I was born here. I am here. I came here. I suffered here - I was beaten and nailed and killed here - like what happens all over the world from the beginning of time. Just turn on the TV, just turn on the Cross, and I’m in your suffering."

CONCLUSION

Just as a horrible memory - for example,  abuse - can be with someone for the rest of their life, Metz would say the memory of Christ has to be just as deep, just as lasting, just as deep within us - all our life. It can’t be like a cloak - it has to be deep within.

St Alphonus - the founder of the Redemptorists - called all this the call of all of us to be a Living Memory - a Viva Memoria of Christ in our world.

Some people say they are abuse survivors. The hope for us Christians is that we see ourselves as Redemption survivors, Redemption thrivers. Hopefully we keep the dangerous liberating memory of Christ within us as we bring that memory into the world.

Friday, April 10, 2009


THE PERSON
ON THE OTHER CROSS

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily is, “The Person on The Other Cross.”

KEVIN O’NEIL, REDEMPTORIST

On Tuesday, last week, March 31st, 2009, Father Kevin O’Neil, a Redemptorist from Washington D.C., gave us a very reflective presentation on “The Seven Last Words of Christ.” *

We sat here at St. John Neumann Church and looked up at this powerful crucifix of Jesus – bigger than life – overhanging us here in this church. When we walked into the church that evening the lights were low and a projector flashed – power pointed - The Seven Last Words of Jesus over and over and over again – onto the wall around the crucifix - giving us a preview of the evening.

As you know the 7 Last Words of Jesus are 7 sentences – 7 statements – 7 messages of Jesus on the cross:

· “Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing.”
· “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in Paradise.”
· “Woman, here is your son. Here is your mother.”
· “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”
· “I am thirsty."
· “It is finished."
· “Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.”

Then as he gave a reflection on each of the 7 Last Words of Jesus only that statement was projected on the wall – on either side of Jesus. I was thinking this is probably the best church in the world for such a presentation. It was a powerful presentation if it got us out of ourselves and into the suffering and death of Jesus Christ – and not me thinking of technology.

THE READINGS AND THE STATIONS OF THE CROSS

Hearing one of Isaiah’s Suffering Servant Songs, today’s first reading, hearing today’s second reading from Hebrews that we have a great high priest who cried great prayers and supplications as he was dying on the Cross, hearing the Gospel Passion story from John – like we did just now – making the Stations of the Cross – which many did today and during Lent, has the same purpose, to get us out of ourselves and into the mystery of the suffering and death of Jesus Christ.

GETTING OUT OF OURSELVES

What gets us out of ourselves?

Often it’s when the other is suffering.

Last night as I was sitting down there in those side seats for the Holy Thursday Evening Mass – which has the foot washing – the scripture readings of the Passover Meal, the giving of the Eucharist, I couldn’t help but notice the empty cross. Nobody was on it. It's the cross that will be used in procession this evening and we will all come up the aisle to venerate it.

Last night as I looked at the empty cross, I began to ask: “Who’s on that cross?”

Last night I began to think: “I can project images of people onto that empty cross.”

Who’s there?

Who’s hurting?

Who gets me out of myself?

It’s a basic human experience that we’ve all said many, many times, “I thought I had it bad, till I met this person who ….”

Who’s on that cross?

I see those who will be experiencing an Easter for the first time without a loved one who has died.

I see those who have a loved one in Afghanistan or Iraq.

I see those whose marriage is falling apart.

I see those who feel mistaken, misunderstood, misjudged.

I see those out of work – and the bills are piling up – and they have to tell the kids.

I see those with cancer.

I see my brother Billy - this was years ago - being told he had to take his hat off when we went into a restaurant in Baltimore – and I was furious – but he took it off – his head without hair and with cuts – the last stages of his brain cancer – but praise God his sense of taste and his appetite came back that February. He died a month later.

I see a kid on our block when I was a kid. He was very effeminate and we picked on him – having no clue about such things – and when he came out of the closet years later – he came out with a vengeance – but it gave me a life time understanding of people who are homosexual – and I was able to say on weekend retreats when people started gay bashing in Question and Answer sessions. “Does anyone realize that someone in this room might be gay or someone in this room might have a son or daughter who is gay – and it has been a long, long struggle for understanding and compassion?” And sometimes some people heard.

I see Sister Helen Prejean who in 1984 walked with a man named Patrick Sonnier to his electrocution for murdering with his brother a young man David LeBlanc – an only son. The letters, attacks, insults, she received were countless. She writes, “I reached out to victims’ families – even if they scorned me, rejected me, hurled insults at me. My suffering was nothing, piddling nothing, next to their great sorrow in the violent, tearing, irrevocable loss of their loved one.” She said what helped her was meeting with the father of David LeBlanc. She writes, “We prayed together, Lloyd and I, and soon I was seated at his kitchen table, eating with the family, they forgiving my terrible mistake, taking me in like a lost daughter." She continues, “As I write this, my heart still resonates with gratitude. Lloyd was my first teacher. Through him I got a peek into the chasm of suffering that families endure, who wake up one morning and everything is alive and humming and normal and by evening face the unalterable fact of the death of a loved one.” **

CONCLUSION

Mary lost her only son that afternoon – capital punishment. What did she go through this Friday evening?

We come to these services to get out of ourselves – so we can enter into not only Christ, but also the lives of those around us – and when we can – be there for them – willing to listen – willing to learn – willing to admit we don’t know, but we do care.

We come to these services to walk out of here – better than when we walked in here – better than how we were when Lent started this year – and year after year we grow – and hopefully, when we are on that other cross, there will be folks under us – and the words between us will be forgiveness, compassion, thirst, hope, acceptance of endings, understanding, letting go – and when that happens, it will be a Good Friday, or Good Monday or Good Thursday or whatever day it is.



* Kevin O'Neil, C.Ss.R, The Seven Last Words of Christ, Liguori Publications, Liguori, MO., 2007

**Cf. "Ride the Current," Listening to God's Call by Helen Prejean, C.S.J., America Magazine, April 13, 2009, 100th Anniversary Edition, pp. 36-37

Saturday, April 25, 2009

AUTOBIOGRAPHY:
UNCONSCIOUS 95 %
OF THE TIME



OPENING IMAGE

A few years back, Charles Grodin, actor, director, and now talk show host, took some time out to write an autobiography about his journey through show business. The title of his book was: “It Would Be So Nice If You Weren’t Here.”

The title of the book comes from an experience he had in England while making a movie. A particular scene takes place in a castle. While the movie cameras were being set up, he and Candice Bergen were just sitting there talking in a room off the main hall. An Englishwoman, perhaps a duchess, obviously someone who was part of the castle, appeared and said, “Did someone ask you to wait in here?” Sort of surprised, they both answered, “No.” Then the woman said, “Well, it would be so nice if you weren’t here.”

HOMILETIC REFLECTIONS


Well, we are here! And hopefully it’s so nice that we are here. However, sometimes people wish we weren’t here. And, thank God, sometimes people are very happy that we are here.

As the old saying goes, “Some people cause happiness wherever they go; some people cause happiness whenever they go.”

Jesus is that sort of person. Some people wish that he would go away. Some people wish that he would stay. Some people see him as a problem, a cross, a person who takes away the fun and joy of life. And some people see him as the way, the truth and the life.

As Peter put it in today’s first reading: some people disowned Jesus. They chose a murderer instead. Then they killed Jesus, “the Author of life.”

Each of us is an author -- the author of our life. Eventually everyone begins to reflect on their life. Most people without knowing it are slowly putting together their autobiography -- knitting themselves together by means of afterthoughts -- talking to themselves -- figuring themselves out when they take time out to sit there in a room off to the side in their castle, their upper room, their mind.

However it’s a slow process. In the meanwhile, it seems that most of us go through life unconscious 95 % of the time.

Or as Peter put it in today’s first reading: we act out of ignorance. Or as John put it in today’s second reading: we lie, we sin. Or as Luke puts it in today’s gospel: it takes time for us to recognize Jesus in the breaking of the bread -- in the breaking of the scriptures -- in the breaking of his body -- in the breaking of our life.

Suffering can tell us secrets. Suffering can make us conscious. Seeing life from up on a cross can help us see so much more.

Sin can also do the same. Sin can wake us up. Sin can also help us to see -- to become more conscious -- to bring us to fulfillment -- but only in the shadow of the cross -- but only in the light of Jesus.

Sin and suffering -- great themes -- great teachers -- if only we are willing to see them as such in the story of our life.

In today’s first reading, after telling us that we act out of ignorance, Peter brings in the themes of suffering and sin, “God has brought to fulfillment by this means what he announced long ago through all the prophets: that his Messiah would suffer. Therefore, reform your lives! Turn to God, that your sins may be wiped away!”

When we look at the story of our life, when we see the times when we gave up because of suffering or sin, we see how we too are like the disciples in today’s gospel, the second part of the Emmaus story. We too had taken the road home -- moving away from Jesus -- thinking Jesus was all over.

Then when we look at the story of our life, our autobiography, more reflectively, we can also see the times when we were like the disciples in today’s gospel when they came back from Emmaus. We can see the times when we came back to church to celebrate with others because we have seen that Jesus is all over our life -- on every page of our scriptures, our autobiography.

We come from our home each Sunday to this church, this upper room, because in this upper room we want to recognize Jesus in all the breaking moments of our life.

It is here that we can look back on last week and last year, in fact, the whole of our life, and see how many times Jesus has walked into our upper room and said what he says in today’s gospel, “Peace!” “Peace to you!”

It is here in this church that are bodies were brought for baptism; it here in this church that our bodies are brought when we die -- because we and our families believe in the Risen Christ.

It here in this upper room, this church, when we are honest, that we can also see and say that there were many times, many days, when we have been too busy, too busy to be conscious of Jesus walking the road of life with us.

We are unconscious 95 % of the time.

In so many words, haven’t we said to Jesus -- maybe in body language, “It would be so nice if you weren’t here.”

However, Jesus is here. We can’t lock him out of our upper rooms. Christ has died. Christ is risen. Christ keeps coming again and again and again.

“Peace to you!”

Jesus is peace. Jesus is here. Jesus is here as his life unfolds in our life. As we heard in today’s gospel, Jesus shows us his hands and his feet. Jesus asks us to touch him. Jesus eats with us. Jesus opens our minds to the understanding of the scriptures -- his story, our story, other’s story.

Jesus is here. Jesus is here as our life unfolds -- as we discover -- usually through suffering -- sometimes sin -- the untold parts of our life.

Isn’t that a key message in today’s gospel? Listen to Jesus again from today’s gospel, “Then he opened their minds to the understanding of the Scriptures.”

We are unconscious 95% of the time.

Too many times we journey through life without knowing, without seeing, without being aware of the meaning of our life, neither reading his autobiography, our autobiography, or other’s autobiography.

PRACTICAL APPLICATION
One of the great sections of every library is “Biographies” and “Autobiographies”.

People who have taken the time to sort out their life or another’s life and wrote it down can help us take the time to sort out our life.

Read biographies and autobiographies.

For example, let’s move to the end of this homily by looking at another moment from Charles Grodin’s autobiography. He tells about his childhood days growing up in Pittsburgh. In the afternoon after grammar school he’d go to a large synagogue to attend Hebrew school. He writes, “One day when I was about eight I explored the building. I was down on the bottom floor opening every closed door -- a broom closet, an empty classroom. Suddenly I opened a door, and there was a room with a small stage. On the stage was a piano player and a short, stocky, pretty woman singing ‘The Man I Love.’”

The moment was one of those moments in a person’s life that open up doors to more life. He wrote, “I had never seen a live performer before. I was awestruck. The whole idea that someone on a stage was singing a song somehow took my breath away. It was as though I had entered into a fairy tale. Opening that door, opened a door in my mind about performing.”

However, because it was such a surprise, “so exotic” a scene, and perhaps because he was still so young, he says that he closed the door quickly and forgot about it.

We are unconscious 95% of the time.

But the door had been opened.

It was nice that he was there.

That scene eventually became his scene. He went on stage. He sang. He acted. He was in the movies.

When we enter through the doors of a church or a synagogue, when we enter into prayer into the upper rooms of our minds, when we read the scriptures, when we read other people’s autobiographies, when we put together our autobiography, we become conscious of our life. We can see our story. We can read our autobiography. We can get in touch with Jesus the Author of life, the One we love.

When that happens, we’ll become as today’s Gospel ends, “witnesses of this.”

When this happens we’ll say to Jesus, “It’s so nice that you are here.”

[This is a homily I did for the 3 Sunday after Easter, B, which I wrote for a homily service called, "Markings".]