SUFFERING - 

WHAT  IT  DOES  TO  US!

December  15,  2011

Quote for Today - the day the United States forces declared  in Bagdad an end to their operations in Iraq.


"Imagine two generals, each having to decide whether or not to commit a division of ten thousand men to battle.


To one the division is but a thing, a unit of personnel, an instrument of strategy and nothing more.


To the other it is these things, but he is also aware of each and every one of the ten thousand lives and the lives of the families of each of the ten thousand.


For whom is the decision easier?


It is easier for the general who has blunted his awareness precisely because he cannot tolerate the pain of a more nearly complete awareness.


It may be tempting to say, 'Ah, but a spiritually evolved man would never become a general in the first place.' 


But the same issue is involved in being a corporate president, a physician, a teacher, a parent.


Decisions affecting the lives of others must always be made.  


The best decision-makers are those who are willing to suffer the most over their decisions but still retain the ability to be decisive. 


One measure - and perhaps the best measure - of a person's greatness is the capacity for suffering.


Yet the great are also joyful.


This, then, is the paradox.


Buddhists tend to ignore the Buddha's suffering and Christians forget Christ's joy.


Buddha and Christ were not different men.


The suffering of Christ letting go on the cross and the joy of Buddha letting go under the bo tree are one."

M. Scott Peck, The Road Less Traveled, pages 75-76.

The above quote was one paragraph. I broke  it down by sentences  - because I and others don't read something that is long - like a long paragraph.

Painting on top: 1887 Civil War Battle Scene by William Trego [1858-1909]

SUFFERING

Quote for Today  - May 6, 2013

"I do not believe 
that sheer suffering teaches. 
If suffering also taught, 
all the world would be wise,
since everyone suffers. 
To suffering must be added 
mourning, understanding, 
patience, love, openness 
and the willingness
to remain vulnerable."

Anne Morrow Lindbergh, Time, February 5, 1973

Painting on top: Rembrandt

SHEER SUFFERING  

IS NEVER  ENOUGH

November  3, 2011

Quote for Today

"I do not believe that sheer suffering teaches.  If  suffering alone taught, all the world would be wise, since everyone suffers.  To suffering must be added mourning, understanding, patience, love, openness and the willingness to remain vulnerable."

Anne Morrow Lindbergh [1906-2001], Time, February 5,  1973

Picture on top of Anne Morrow Lindbergh - photographed at her home in Darien, Connecticut in 1956

BEING IN
THE KINGDOM OF GOD

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for this 5th Tuesday after Easter is, “Being in the Kingdom of God.”

I was debating whether to use the words "being in" or "entering into" the Kingdom of God.

Whenever I do a baptism, there is a space in the ceremony where the priest or deacon reads a Gospel text. In the book there are 12 options at least, but I always pick the same gospel every time: Mark 10: 13 -16. It’s the scene where Jesus becomes indignant with his disciples for trying to push people away who have brought their children to Jesus to have him touch them.

I picked that text originally because we were taught it was an early baptismal text that establishes that the early church baptized babies. After using it about 10 times, I began to realize the great message in the text when Jesus says, “Let the children come to me; do not prevent them, for the Kingdom of God belongs to such as these.”

I like to say to parents and those at a baptism that a child gets us out of ourselves and into the mysterious world of childhood again. A baby cries in the night and a husband says to his wife, “I’ll take care of the baby. You’re tired after a long, long day being a mother.” Selfish self- centered people can change when they have to change babies and schedules and their whole life – to raise a child – to be family.

I like to say to parents and those at a baptism that a child gives us glimpses of the mysterious world of imagination – that "Kids say the Darndest Things" – as Art Linkletter used to put it – that if someone takes the time to hear a kid explain his or her crayoned drawing – the adult goes, “Wow!” And a great smile comes on one’s face. Sometimes parents and grandparents need an audience to describe what their kid or grandkid said or did.

It could lead us to have God show us what God makes – spiders and squirrels and skunks and shrimp – trees and stars – a drop of sweat or a pinch of salt. And we go “Wow!” to God’s masterpieces.

When we get out of our state and into a child’s state – we can get into God’s state. We can leave the kingdom of me and entered the Kingdom of God and the kingdom of we.

SUFFERINGS

Well, last night when I read today’s first reading I began thinking about all this. Paul and Barnabas are giving us another way to enter into the kingdom of God – besides learning from children. It’s suffering.

Paul and Barnabas, as our text for today puts it, say, “It is necessary for us to undergo many hardships to enter the Kingdom of God.”

Ba Boom! There’s a second threshold and entrance into the Kingdom of God: suffering.
I prefer the being a child – but Paul and Barnabas are talking to us.

It’s the way of the cross. It’s the seed dying, otherwise it’s just a seed, but if it’s buried, planted in the earth and dissolves to self, then surprise new life rises through the soil.

It triggered the memory of the old saying, “Suffering enters the human heart to create there places that never existed before.”

It triggered for me what I hear the Liberation Theologians of South America, Africa, the Philippines, India, and much of Asia, say for years now: with the poor we can discover the riches of God. Discover them. Be with them. Don’t put them down. If the term “liberation theology” is one of your buttons, then check out Mother Teresa. She was saying all this but even louder. The poor can be our best teachers – and bring us to Jesus. And more, it’s what Jesus is saying over and over again – when he talks about the Kingdom of God – those who were getting it – and those who weren’t – those who have fit through the eye of the needle – and discovered the riches of the kingdom.

CONCLUSION

The title of my homily is, “Being in the Kingdom of God.” I talked about two keys to the Kingdom: being a child and suffering.

HERE’S THE DEAL:
“OUCH!” AND “WOW!”

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily is, “Here’s The Deal: ‘Ouch!’ and 'Wow!’”

Subtitle: There are lots of blessings in this life, but suffering is part of the package – sometimes more; sometimes less. Life is a package deal.

I think that’s one way to sum up today’s readings.

Some people don’t like the suffering message – but God says, “It’s part of the deal.”

WOW & OUCH

Life is lots of “Wow!” as well as, “Ouch!”

Take veal parmesan and spaghetti. To come on a plate to our place at a table in a restaurant, the spaghetti had to be in hot water. Ouch! The calf had to be killed. Ouch! And the veal cut. Ouch! And cooked. Ouch! It’s part of the deal, if you order veal parmesan and spaghetti at an Italian restaurant. Then before you start eating, you look down and go, “Wow!” – that is, if you like veal parmesan.

It isn’t for decoration that Stations of the Cross are on the walls of our churches. The Stations of the Cross are part of life. Life is the falls and the cuts – people yelling accusations and people coping out – washing their hands of responsibility of protecting others – and we’re hurt. Ouch! Then there’s the dying – preceded for many with the stripping of their dignity – in a hospital gown with all kinds of tubes or in a nursing home wearing Depends – that hopefully are dependable – and a backless dress. Ugh! Then death. More ugh and plenty of ouch. Each of us has to walk our way of the cross.

But life is not just the ugh and the ouch – dementia or Alzheimer’s or what have you. It’s the long stretch of days – from birth till the end of the story. So we don’t just look at death. Death can be a dramatic final scene and hopefully we have family present as the audience. There are the days and months and sometimes years before it. There are also the wow moments. We see the pictures of days in bathing suits and tuxes - prom dresses and football uniforms – all those pictures on photo boards at the funeral parlor when someone dies – as well as in our memories.

Ah the memories. Ah the moments. Ah the beauty of it all. There is the wow of life – as well as the ouch of life.

Crosses aren’t just in churches or on walls. They are part of life.

That’s what today’s readings are talking about.

The little baby is so cute – so beautiful – but as Jesus said, the mom has to go through a lot of pain and inconvenience to bring that little gal or guy into our world. “Ouch!” and then “Wow!” Thank you mom. (Cf. John 16:21)

Then there are the teenage years – the angst and the worry – along with the sweetness of awards, first date, graduations, marriage. Wow! There is also divorce and wrong choices. Ouch!

FIRST READING FROM JEREMIAH

Would any of us say what Jeremiah says to God in today’s first reading, “You duped me! You tricked me. You gave me the gift of life, but you didn’t tell me about the crosses and the pain”?

M. Scott Peck begins the first section of his classic book, The Road Less Traveled with three words, “Life is difficult.”

Then he writes this profound statement. “This is a great truth, one of the greatest truths. It is a great truth because once we truly see this truth, we transcend it. Once we truly know that life is difficult – once we truly understand and accept it – then life is no longer difficult. Because once it is accepted, the fact that life is difficult no longer matters.”

There is a footnote on the bottom of the page to that statement: “The first of the ‘Four Noble Truths’ which Buddha taught was ‘Life is suffering.’”

Jeremiah, in today’s first reading, first fights God about the deal he was getting in life by being a prophet – God’s spokesperson. People laughed at him. People from his own home town of Anathoth wanted to kill him (Jeremiah 11:21) People were not happy with him as a preacher and a prophet – because of his words and warnings.

Prayer is sometimes ranting and complaining to God. There are inner mumblings. Today’s first reading has Jeremiah's thought process: “I say to myself, I will not mention him, I will speak in his name no more.” Then comes a reverse scream, “But then it becomes like fire burning in my heart, imprisoned in my bones; I grow weary of holding it in, I cannot endure it.’” He has to proclaim God and God’s message.

PETER IN TODAY’S GOSPEL

Peter in today’s gospel tries to stop Jesus and his message of the cross.

If Buddha said, “Life is suffering”; if M. Scott Peck said, “Life is difficult”; Jesus said, “Life is carrying one’s cross.”

Ouch.

But that’s the deal.

ONE MEANING OF THE WORD “DEAL” - "COVENANT"

One of life’s key words is, “covenant” or “deal”.

We make a deal with another. It’s called “marriage” or “friendship” or "neighbor".

Or we make a deal with a car dealer. We give him or her our money and they give us a car. They give warrantees and guarantees – for this and that. But they can’t guarantee a lot of things about the life of our car. They can’t guarantee we won’t crash. It’s not part of the deal.

So too marriage. People make their marriage covenant with another with lots of assumptions and lots of spoken and unspoken promises. “Let’s make a deal. Let’s make this a great marriage?”

But who can guarantee chapter 2 – the rest of the story after the marriage, after the honeymoon?

Life is a package deal and it takes a lifetime to open and discover what's in the package.

TODAY’S SECOND READING FROM ROMANS

Today’s second reading from Romans tells us what we can do with the deal called "life", called "marriage", to make it work. We can try to live a life pleasing to God and to one another. We can try to avoid being transformed by false values. We can become renewed by an attitudinal change – living each day for God and family – for each other. That will mean “Ouch” and “Wow” – the cross and resurrection – good days and bad days – in sickness and in health. Sound familiar? It’s the marriage covenant. It’s life’s covenant. We are married to our bodies. We are married to much of our reality.

We give ourselves to the other and others – and hopefully they give their lives to us – and that makes life sweet. Wow.

And we help each other when the crosses come. Ouch.

DEALING THE CARDS

Here’s the deal. A deck of cards can teach us that there are at least 52 ways our life can go and then some more. In the deal a rare few get three aces and two kings. Some get a 2 of spades, a 6 of diamonds, an 8 of clubs, a 9 of hearts and a jack of spades. Not fair. Give me at least two 10s.

That’s the deal. We all know the old song called, “The Gambler!”

“You got to know when to hold em, know when to fold em,

Know when to walk away and know when to run.

You never count your money when youre sittin at the table.

Therell be time enough for countin when the dealins done.
Gotta know when to hold them and when to fold them."

The parents we got, we got. So too the neighborhood, house and the classes we’re were in. Sometimes mom and dad are the king and queen of hearts. Sometimes dad is a jack of all trades. Hey you never know. Sometimes the other is a Joker – and in the situation we’re in, we don’t need a Joker – or a wild card.

Here’s the deal. Make the most of it.

We got the DNA, genes, skin color, heart texture, future hair line, freckles, new clothes or hand-me-downs, this and that – in the deal.

Here’s the deal. Make the most of it.

CONCLUSION: THE MASS

We come to Mass to think about these things.

The Mass is a wonderful moment each time we come here.

It is filled with “Wow” and “Ouch”

Here’s the deal. Have you got the Mass yet? Do you understand the Mass yet?

Have you understood Jesus yet?

What have been your “Eureka” moments – “Insight” moments – “Lights went on” moments – defining moments – life changing moments?

I remember reading a story when I was young. It was a “Lights went on” moment for me. I don't remember where I read it, but it went something like this.

The story teller told of a young man – not old enough to be in the army – and a war is going on. He wants to go to war. He sees it as all excitement – a wow! He’s walking down the street one day and a group of soldiers with a band are marching up the street heading for the local train station – heading off for war. He stands there envious. Then he marches with them on the sidewalk all the way to the train.

The troop gets on the train and there are the thrown kisses – after the hugs and the tears – and the band plays on.

The train pulls out - with all the troops going off to war leaning out the windows and waving – on the platform side of the train.

The young man didn’t hear or notice that another train had come in on the other side while this train was getting read to leave. He sensed something wrong – something big – about the other train. So he walked to the end of the platform and went to the other side. It was a train that had just come back from the war. There were the coffins and the crutches – the bandaged and the bloodied – the hurt and the wounded being wheeled towards ambulances. There was no band – only doctors and nurses and stretcher bearers and wheel chair pushers.

It was a moment of Epiphany and Insight – Eureka and “Oh my God!”

It was an ouch moment.

It was a life changing moment for him.

Has this ever happened to us as we came here to Mass? Was there a moment when we recognized Christ in the breaking of the bread? Did it finally hit us why Christ chose bread – bread that was cut down and crushed – why Christ chose wine from grapes that were crushed? Did we finally realize that God knows life – and so he sent his son to us to live this life to the full with us – with the wow and the ouch? Do we see why Jesus entered into this life – to be in communion with us in the crush and hurt as well as celebration of life – with its ordinary days – as well as its Holy Thursday and Good Friday – and Easter days..

Have we ever sensed life’s reality at Mass – that it’s an “Ouch” and a “Wow” – that that’s the deal?

Amen.

ST. ELIZABETH ANN SETON:

I THOUGHT 

I HAD PROBLEMS TILL ....

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for today’s - January 4th’s - feast is, “Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton: I Thought I Had Problems Till ….”

SUFFERING AND LOSS

That’s one of the ways people who have a suffering or a loss deal with a suffering or a loss.

We’ve all heard people say just that, “I thought I had it bad till I ran into Mrs Smith who lost her husband and her mother in this past year - and her son is prison for stealing from his company.”

The classic example is: I thought I had it bad with my sore toe till I met a man without any feet.”

ELIZABETH ANN SETON

That’s the thought I had when I went through the life of Elizabeth Ann Seton last night. If anyone is the patron saint of troubles - lots of troubles - it’s Elizabeth Ann Seton.

Born 1774 - she lived till she was 46 - dying of tuberculosis - which took a lot of lives till the 20th century.

She was born in New York and died in Emmetsburg, Maryland.

She married William Magee Seton at the age of 19 and they had 5 children. The first few years of their marriage was sheer happiness. She wrote, “My own home at twenty - the world - that and heaven too - quite impossible.”

Within four years, Will's father died, leaving the young couple in charge of Will's seven half brothers and sisters, as well as the family's importing business.

Then her husband’s company - the Seton Maitland Company - went bankrupt. Several of their ships sank. They lost their home in Manhattan and lost lots of their stuff. Then her husband William got sick, so they went to Italy for better weather - with one daughter. He sister-in-law took care of the other 4 kids. In Italy, within a year, her husband died of tuberculosis.

This wasn’t the first death. Elizabeth had lost her own mom when she was three - leaving her dad to raise three daughters. Her dad married again - which added to the size of the family - and the possibilities for more people to take care of

As I read her life - I wondered how did she have the strength to deal with so many deaths - that of her own children - that family members - like her sisters-in-law Harriet and Cecilia Seton. Then there were the 18 sisters she saw die at Emmetsburg.

Those were just some of the deaths.

When she became a Catholic - switching from being Episcopal - various family members cut off possible support. It also didn’t help her with various attempts to make a living as a teacher.

In the stories of Saints who were nuns - one sometimes reads of struggles with the clergy and bishops. Elizabeth Ann Seton for the most part got encouragement, help, and good offers that told her that she was needed.

WHERE DID ELIZABETH ANN SETON GET SUPPORT?

So the clergy would have been one big way Elizabeth Ann Seton got through the dark nights and valleys she had to travel through.

The literature about Elizabeth adds that the Eucharist, Daily Mass, and the Bible (Especially the Psalms) really helped her - especially Psalm 23: “The Lord is my Shepherd!”

In other words she had the gift of faith!

CONCLUSION

Today we celebrate the feast of Elizabeth Ann Seton - our first born in America saint. I noticed that in 2009 the Episcopal Church added her to their list of saints as well.

She has been named as the patron saint of Catholic Schools - like St. John Neumann - because both promoted Catholic Schools big time.

As I thought about her life - and all its troubles - I’d add she’s the patron saint of anyone who has troubles - and as we heard in today’s gospel - she discovered Jesus was the one she was looking for - he was the one who helped her - because if you look at Jesus on the Cross - how many people have said, “When I thought about Jesus on the cross and what he went through, my large troubles seemed so small”?

Amen.

EXPECT  MESS 

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for this 2^nd Friday in Lent is, “Expect Mess.”

Last night I sat down to write this homily. When I read today’s two readings the thought and the theme that hit me was, “Expect Mess.”

If we expect life to work perfectly and to go according to our plan, we’re in for uneasy and antsiness of mind. We’re in for mess. 

If we know - on the other hand - at times things are not going to go according to plan - that things will get messy at times - then in the long run we’re going to be a happier camper.

TAKE TODAY’S FIRST READING - GENESIS 37:3-4, 12-13A, 17B-28A

Jacob - now called “Israel” - loves Joseph best of all his sons. 

How many parents have we heard say, “I have no favorite!”  So too teachers - they claim that they have no favorite student.

In reality we all have our favorites - for various reasons - in various ways - and this can mess things up.

We might not think we have favorites - but those who watch us in action, know. They see us favoring one kid over the other. Then sense we like so and so better than so and so. 

So what else is new?

In this first reading from Genesis Joseph’s brothers want to kill him. They just don’t like him. They don’t like his mouth. They don’t like his dreams. 

Next comes a change in the story. Reuben  speaks up. Instead of killing Joseph directly, he suggests that we throw Joseph in a cistern.  This will give him time. He  plans that he can come back and rescue Joseph.

Next comes the great change in the story. A caravan of Ishmaelites come up the road. They are merchants on their way down  to Egypt. Judah says, “Why kill our brother? Let’s sell him to these traders and tell our father that he was killed by a wild beast.”

Keep reading. We’ll find out how good things will happen out of this complete family mess

TAKE TODAY’S GOSPEL - MATTHEW 21: 33-43, 45-46

In the parable for today the chief priests and the elders are trying to mess up Jesus - so he tells them about the parable of landowner.  Like God the Father, the land owner keeps sending his agents to pick up some produce from his land. The tenants want the land to be theirs - so they kill and maim and mess up everyone and everything - so as to get their way.

The obvious message from Jesus to the Pharisees is that life has its payback. Life has its crosses and difficulties and disasters and it’s going to hit them some day. Expect the cross. Expect mess.

SIN AND SUFFERING

Today’s readings also triggered for me the mess called “sin”.

They also trigger the reality of  “suffering” - which at times is part of the mess of sin.

The Stations of the Cross are not just on Church walls - they are on the walls of our own homes.

Lent is a good time to take a look at how we deal with sin and suffering - how we deal with mess - how we make our stations of the cross.

SAYINGS & STORIES

It’s been my experience that people have sayings and stories to deal with mess.

The other day something went wrong about a Mass at St. Mary’s. I heard a lady respond by saying philosophically, “This too shall pass.” That saying works for many people. I remember reading way back a story about that saying. A great king  of Persia asked his wise men to come up with a saying that will sum up the secret of happiness. He added that it has to make the happy sad and the sad happy. The saying that won was, “This too shall pass” - and it can be inscribed on the inside of a ring - to be looked to at times of turmoil.

Do you have a saying like, “This too shall pass” that helps you deal with the messy moments of life. Or do you have a story that helps you deal with mess? I’m sure you heard the origin of “This too shall pass.”

The other day I added that I follow the July 4^th Principle: “What difference will it make next July 4^th what happened today.” I’ve heard other people say, “What difference will it mean in 20,000 years what happened today.”

A man told me that his old Irish mother used to say, “It could be worse.”

CONCLUSION

We can learn a lot from mess - the messes of life.

Pat Livingston wrote a whole book on this entitled, Bless this Mess.

The great baseball pitcher Christy Mathewson. - said, “You can learn little from victory. you can learn everything from defeat.”

So when mess hits us, pray, Bless this mess.”

When the messes of life hit us,  ask, “What’s the learning here?”

Think of before and afters - and make the afters a beautiful mess.

THE HAMMER AND
THE CHISEL OF PAIN

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for this 12 Friday in Ordinary Time is, “The Hammer and The Chisel of Pain.”

We’ve all seen stone statues and sculptures in museums and cemeteries.

We might have been to Mount Rushmore in South Dakota or we’ve seen the Pieta or Moses statues by Michelangelo. So we’ve seen stone statues or sculptures.

But have we ever seen an artist or a sculptor with hammer and chisel in hand, hammer and chisel away at stone or marble? Hit! Chip! Bang! Metal hammer hitting metal chisel. Bing! Ping! Ring! Bang! Sweat! Work!

THE WORK OF ART CALLED ME

Hopefully we see ourselves – as well as each other – as works of art?

We have been created by God.

We have been made by our mom and dad – mostly our mom – but we have both their DNA and genes.

We have been formed in their image and likeness.

We are our parent’s smiles and laughs – accents and expressions – gestures and mannerisms – much more than we realize.

Yet we know who has made us – who we are and it wasn’t all us.

But we have also been made not just by who’s – but also by what’s.

What have been the experiences and moments that created us – formed us – sculpted us, molded us, chipped away at us?

The title of my homily is, “The Hammer and the Chisel of Pain.”

TODAY’S FIRST READING

Last night, when I read today’s first reading [2 Kings 25:1-12], it really hit me how easy I’ve had it. What would it be like to be living in a situation like today’s first reading – when the city we’re living in is under siege and then the walls are breached and our city is burnt and destroyed – and then almost everyone is made to leave all behind and move into exile?

What would it be like to have our leaders herded together and our president or governor or mayor stand there in terror and have our attackers kill their children in front of them and then their eyes are torn out so that was the last thing they saw?

People around the world grow up in horrible situations – poverty, war, greed, rape, violence, abuse.

How do those horrors sculpt, form, inform, affect and effect the person living in those circumstances?

The title of my homily is, “The Hammer and the Chisel of Pain.”

OTHER PAINS

Besides wars and mass violence there are those other pains and sufferings of life: rejection, spouses walking out, kids marriages and faith falling apart.

Death, cemeteries, scars, horror stories are in our inner landscape – in our inner library.

How have the hammer and chisel of those hurts and pains formed our lives?

Which has more impact: horror or the good stuff?

In this homily - because of that first reading - I'm reflecting on the tough stuff.

Those of you who have read The Shack – read the phrase, “The Great Sadness.” In the book it’s a child who has been kidnapped and killed.

Richard Rohr talks about “The Wound”.

Whatever it’s called, it’s pain, suffering. It’s part of the mystery of life - the mystery of wondering about the mind of God in creating life.

And pain can so hound us and weigh us down that we think the rosary of our life only has Sorrowful Mysteries –and no Joyful and Glorious Mysteries.

CONCLUSION
The hope I would assume is that we get into the Light Bearing Mysteries – that these hurts and horrors of life bring us some kind of light – and insight - understandings and compassion.

Why suffering? We don’t know - down, down deep knowing.

But we do know the cross stands there in front of us – sometimes as big as the gigantic cross in this church here – sometimes as small as the cross on our rosary. Whichever, we know the cross is ever there – and not just on Good and Bad Fridays.

We do know that suffering knocks at every door – and we as believers know that God sent his only Son into this world to knock on every door – to enter every stable – to enter into this mystery of life - this mystery of joys and sorrows, seasons of war and seasons of peace, into this mass of ups and downs and ins and outs, cuts and scars, because people hurt so much at times.

With faith we know that God entered into communion with us in all this – in Christ Jesus, our Lord, in Christ Jesus our Lord, Amen.

WEARING  A  CROWN 

  

The title of my reflection for this Holy Thursday Morning is, “Wearing a Crown.”

I think I’ve had this Holy Thursday morning reflection every year for the past ten years or so, so I look for something new every year from this short reading from Hebrews - Chapter 2 - verses  9b-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." 

Last night I read this text a few times to see what would hit me. This year - it’s  the idea of being crowned. The reading begins, “We see Jesus crowned with glory and honor because he suffered death.”

If Father Tizio was preaching this I’m sure he would have found a golden crown - like one from Burger King - or asked if they had a crown as a left over prop in our school.  He’s the best I’ve ever seen with props for preaching. I love the way he introduces a theme and then goes over behind the altar or a chair or the podium and brings out a prop we all can see.

From this reading I could see him holding two crowns: a gold one for a king - and a crown of thorns which Jesus gets tonight or tomorrow - when being ridiculed by the Roman soldiers who arrested him.

This week we see Jesus both in glory and honor -  and Jesus in sorrow and suffering.

On Palm Sunday Jesus is hailed as Prophet, Priest and King - coming into Jerusalem in honor and glory - but by Friday - Bad Friday - which was renamed Good Friday because on the cross - he dies and saves the world.

If we look at our lives there are days when we felt like a king or queen - for example on our 25 or 50^th birthday or anniversary  - or we were the one chosen to crown Mary Queen - in a Marian May Procession. We might have had a solo in a musical or hit a solo home run in a baseball or softball game - and we were the hero - or there was a game when we struck out or made an error and we were booed.

Life is both!  Life is  both successes and failures.

Which do we learn from the most?

Many say we learn the most from our mistakes - our sufferings - our failures - when we are hurting.

Many say we learn the most from our crosses.

It’s when we recover - when we rise.

That Holy Thursday evening Jesus sat down and ate his final meal with his disciples. He talked about the great themes - that he had preached and talked about - all through his trips through Palestine.

Life is all about being last - being the servant of all - washing feet - providing bread and wine - food for others - proclaiming what life is all about - saying to each other, “This is my body, this is my blood, I giving it to you, I’m being poured out in love for you.”

Do that yourselves in memory of me.

That Holy Thursday evening he needed his disciples to pray with him - at least for an hour - in the garden - but they didn’t get it - they still didn’t get what Jesus was about.  They were still sleeping.

That Holy Thursday evening he experienced betrayal by a kiss - when Judas arrived with those who gave him 30 pieces of silver - and Jesus was handed over - dragged away for trial - a scene we’ve seen on TV and news clips a hundred thousand million times ever since - from Calvary to Auschwitz to Tijuana.

That Holy Thursday evening Jesus experienced the crown of suffering - that would lead to his death - but we know the rest of the story: Easter - the rising - the being lifted up of Jesus - up out of the tomb.

This Holy Thursday morning I’ll close with our reading from Hebrews once again, “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.” 

THE BIG PICTURE

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily is, “The Big Picture.”

It helps to see the big picture – to have a vision – a plan – to scope out the whole scene.

A rather large priest once told me, “Whenever you are at a buffet restaurant – don’t get on the line. Step back and look at everything. Then walk around and check out the whole territory. They often put the best stuff at the end of the line – because people have their plates full by then. Then get your plate, get on line and go for the best.”

Life is a cabaret. Life is a buffet line. Life is a smorgasbord. Choose well. Okay, sometimes life is a card game – you have to play the cards you’re dealt. So study who’s at the table. Look at faces. Watch finger tapping. Discard the bad cards – if you can. Play well.

The title of my homily is, “The Big Picture.”

TODAY’S READINGS

I think that’s a good theme for today’s readings on this Second Sunday in Lent.

In the first reading from Genesis, God gives Abraham the big picture – that he will become a great nation. Then he tells Abraham he wants him to relocate – to move. That’s the first step in the plan. Move.

Concerning Abraham, we’ll hear this theme over and over again. It was a difficult plan to see. It was difficult to believe he would be a great nation, when he and his wife didn’t have any children yet.

The second reading from Paul’s Second Letter to Timothy continues that theme as it talks about God’s design. Timothy is also called to follow God’s plan – to move forwards with the strength and grace that comes from God – through Jesus Christ.

And in today’s gospel, Jesus takes Peter, James and John up a high mountain and is transfigured before them. They are given a great vision – a great view – the big picture. Then he leads them down the mountain – telling them to keep the vision quiet. To keep our mind focused and our mouth shut is not that easy.

MOUNTAIN’S, PLANES, TALL BUILDINGS

We’ve all had experiences of being on mountains or in a plane or in a tall building – and looking down and seeing everything in a big perspective.

We’ve all stopped in our car to look at a map – unless we have the guidance of GPS – The Global Positioning System – that uses 24 or more satellites up there to help us to see where we are down here.

If you use Google, and you haven’t downloaded Google Earth yet, do it. It’s neat. Then just type in your zip code or any zip code and the screen spins the earth and takes you to downtown Annapolis – or downtown San Francisco. For example, I put in 21401 and I can see our parking lot at St. Mary’s church and gardens and my car – or any place on the planet – from way up or up close.

Neat. It helps to see the big picture.

LIFE

But of course life is lived in the valley.

Life is the iddy biddy – the walking up and down the supermarket aisles with a hand written shopping list – sometimes a kid in a shopping cart reaching at stuff you don’t want him and her to touch or take. Then when you have everything you need and you get to the front of the store, you notice every check out lane is five deep.

The coach calls time out. There are 5 seconds left in the game. Your team has the ball. You’re behind by 1 point. He or she designs the big play on an erasable board. Then it’s time to get back on the court and the team to execute the design – to make the right moves.

It helps to see the big picture.

THE CROSS

It’s no accident that the cross is on top of churches and in churches – around necks – and along the highways of life.

Christ sees the big picture from on top of Calvary.

Christ on this enormous cross up here sees this whole church.

We too see a lot more when we are on the cross.

We too see a lot more when we are suffering.

We see a lot more in the hospital or on vacation – if we stop to look.

We see a lot more about a person at their funeral.

It helps to see the big picture.

Lent is a good time to step back – to take long walks – to look at our life – to see the big picture.

We see a lot more at 25 than we saw at 15.

We see a lot more at 50 than we saw at 25.

We see a lot more at 75 than we saw at 50.

We know a lot more about marriage or a job or kids or neighbors or friends in time – but not at the time. We all know hindsight is better than 20 / 20 sight.

We all know the old saying about the 6 people in a marriage: "The she, she thinks she is; the she, he thinks she is; the she, she really is; the he, he thinks he is; the he, she thinks he is; the he, he really is.” Try saying that ten times fast.

Then there is the better and the worse, the sickness and the health, death and sometimes we part.

We learn life when we move. We learn life in steps and stages – unless we stop seeing and stop growing.

We can become myopic. We can get tunnel vision. We can be dumb. We can give up. We can die, before we die. We can have eyes that don’t see, ears that don’t hear and have a heart and a mind that can become closed. Step back. What have you put on your plate?

THE ROAD LESS TRAVELED

One of my favorite books is, The Road Less Traveled by M. Scott Peck. It was on the best seller list for years.

Lots of people read it. I’m sure many of you have it on your bookshelf – or in the attic, garage or cellar in a cardboard box.

If you haven’t read it lately, read it again this Lent.

Everyone who has read it knows the first line, the first paragraph, in the first section of the book after the introduction: “Life is difficult.”

Everyone who looks at or makes the Stations of the Cross knows that’s the meaning of the 14 Stations of the Cross: Life is difficult.

The book has so many examples that trigger good thoughts.

Today I’d like to refer to the example of the two generals. It’s on page 76. That’s easy to remember: 76 trombones – or 1776.

“Imagine two generals, each having to decide whether or not to commit a division of ten thousand men to battle. To one the division is but a thing, a unit of personnel, an instrument of strategy and nothing more. To the other it is these things, but he is also aware of each and every one of the ten thousand lives and the lives of the families of each of the ten thousand. For whom is the decision easier?”

Then M.Scott Peck answers his own question: “It is easier for the general who has blunted his awareness precisely because he cannot tolerate the pain of a more nearly complete awareness. It may be tempting to say, ‘Ah, but a spiritually evolved man would never become a general in the first place.’ But the same issue is involved in being a corporation president, a physician, a teacher, a parent. Decisions affecting the lives of others must always be made. The best decision-makers are those who are willing to suffer the most over their decisions but still retain their ability to be decisive. One measure – and perhaps the best measure – of a person’s greatness is the capacity for suffering. Yet the great are also joyful. This, then is the paradox. Buddhists tend to ignore the Buddha’s suffering and Christians forget Christ’s joy. Buddha and Christ were not different men. The suffering of Christ letting go on the cross and the joy of Buddha letting go under the bo tree are one.” (p. 76)

CONCLUSION

Hopefully, we’d all like to be the second general – to have the big picture.

How to have the big picture?

One answer: make a good Lent.

How to make a good Lent?

Some answers: Take good walks. Sit in quiet churches. Sit under the tree of the cross. Visit cemeteries. Drive with the radio off. Walk along the water in the Naval Academy or Quiet Waters Park. Read obituaries. Better: read autobiographies – or biographies. See the big picture of one’s own life by reading about another’s life. Write your own life – or your parent’s biographies. Take out your family pictures. Sort them out. Study them. Who’s next to whom? Who’s missing? Who’s up front? Who’s in the back? Sometimes looking at lots of individual pictures will give us the big picture. Or just look in a mirror. Look deep into your own eyes. Pause for a few moments of quiet. Then ask, “Hey you. How’s it going on in there?”

See the big picture. Are you enjoying being on the great buffet line of life? Are you making good choices? Are you choosing the best stuff to put on your plate?

QUESTIONS 

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily is “Questions”.

To be human is to have questions – lots of them – spoken and unspoken – simmering in the pot – or deep in the deep freeze.

To be a child – is to ask many wide eyed and sometimes wild questions.

What are your questions?

TODAY’S GOSPEL

Today’s gospel has Jesus asking two questions – a teaching technique rabbis often used.

First question: “Who do people say that I am?”

Second question: “Who do you say that I am?”

When we’re young we might have answers to the first question. We might know what different people say about Jesus.

When we are at a Kids’ Mass and the priest asks a question, arms go flying up – even before the kid has an answer.

It’s cute and sometimes kids’ surprise us with their answers.

When we are older we need to start answering that second question for ourselves. Christ asks each of us, “Who do you say that I am?” There comes a point in the middle of our life – or at key points in our life – when we need to deal with that question.

We’ve all heard the auditorium and stage phrase: “Get the hook!” It might go back to vaudeville shows when someone was on the stage too long and their jokes were bombing. I’ve also heard it when we priests are in the pulpit and we’re talking too long. “Get the hook!”

Here’s your chance to practice it right now: “Get the hook!” and if I go too long, yell it out, “Get the hook!”

The question mark is a hook. Questions can stop us – get us off the stage of life for a while – so we can deal with heavy duty questions.

Today Jesus is asking, “Who do you say that I am?”

Better put: we need to sit or walk in prayer with Jesus and talk and listen to each other about who we both are.

It’s called prayer. It’s called meditation. It’s called a relationship.

Questions! They can be helpful hooks – or painful hooks.

In today’s gospel after Jesus asks his two questions – he then tells Peter and the disciples who he is and what his plan is – where he is headed.

So yes there are questions and yes there are answers.

Surprise, Peter’s doesn’t like the answer Jesus gives. Peter doesn’t like the plan. Peter doesn’t like the future Jesus is stepping into.

When Peter hears the words, “suffering,” “rejection,” and “killed”, Peter challenges Jesus. Don’t we all? Don’t we all?

Peter’s understanding of what Jesus is like or supposed to be like, isn’t what Jesus tells them he is like – and Peter doesn’t like it.

And Jesus here in Mark 8 gives some key teachings about the meaning of life.

Jesus tells his disciples about the cross.

The sign of the cross often comes before the question mark.

The sign of the cross often brings us questions.

Cancer. Suffering. Greed. Crime. Addiction. Death. Divorce. Disaster. Why? Why? Why?

What are your questions?

How many questions do you ask each day?

Am I aware of my daily questions?

Give us this day our daily questions.

Remember the story of the father who used to ask his kids when he came home from work and they came home from school, “Did you come up with any good questions today?”

POVERTY

Last Wednesday afternoon I walked through the corridor in the rectory here at St. Mary’s. I walked past a lot of people coming for assistance – for help.

And with the way the economy is going – with the increased number of people out of work, I was wondering about the number of people needing help – and how tough it must be getting through these rough economic times.

The poor are here Monday evenings and Wednesday afternoons – and the folks here at St. Mary’s are very generous – making direct donations or putting money in the poor box – as well as those who give their time and expertise in the Saint Vincent de Paul Ministry. It’s tough work. It’s much easier saying Mass and babbling out words here in the pulpit.

I walked by the poor lined up for help. I went out the front door and walked down to CVS to get a birthday card. As I walked down Newman Street, I found myself inwardly saying, “Get moving. Get a job. Get a life.”

Woo! I caught myself! Where was this coming from inside me?

I didn’t realize that I was questioning the poor I just walked by.

I had to pause and say to myself, “I haven’t walked in their shoes.”

I had to say to myself the saying from the Jewish Talmud or Teachings that I find myself saying more and more and more: “Teach thy tongue to say, ‘I do not know.’”

I have never experienced their poverty, even though I have a vow of poverty as a religious.

I said to myself, “No comparison.”

So last Wednesday I experienced my own poverty and lack of compassion and understanding as I walked down Newman Street.

I realized that I was still walking down what Paul would call, “The Oldman” Street.

I need to change, to grow – to become a new man – a new person in Christ. I need conversion.

In his letters Paul tells us he was arrogant, righteous, and wrong about Christians – and Christ – and God – and people – and their motives – and he had to fall on his face – and be blind for a few days – till he found himself of Straight Street in Damascus where he was told to go if he wanted answers – if he wanted to be healed.

Is that the way life works?

We have to walk down a lot of streets – take many roads – trip and fall at times – till we get it straight?

Is that everyone’s story?

Blindness. Insight. Blindness. Insight. Blindness. Insight.

Questions. Questions. Questions.

As I walked, as I thought, I was grateful that so many folks here at Saint Mary’s are helping the poor – helping in the English as a Second Language Program – running an elementary and high school – running religious education programs – visiting the prison – visiting the sick – preparing folks for marriage - doing many things for many people – parenting – serving – doing our best to make this a good community – a good place to live – except for the traffic.

I still felt my poverty – because I had said inwardly, “Get moving. Get a job. Get a life.”

For some: not easy, not easy, not easy.

TODAY’S SECOND READING

The title of my homily is, “Questions.”

Sure enough, I noticed that today’s second reading from James also has questions. It begins with three questions in a row: “What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone says he has faith but does not have works?”

Then the second question: “Can that faith save him?”

Then the third question – a right in your face question: “If a brother or sister has nothing to wear and has no food for the day, and one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace, keep warm, and eat well,’ but you do not give them the necessities of the body, what good is it?”

Woo! The Letter of James can be very tough stuff.

Questions. Questions. Questions.

This religion stuff can be tough stuff.

Jesus is saying that very thing here at the end of today’s gospel: “Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and that of the gospel will save it.”

Tough questions. Tough answers. Life.

TODAY’S FIRST READING

Today’s first reading from the Book of the Prophet Isaiah begins, “The Lord God opens my ear that I may hear; and I have not rebelled, have not turned back.”

I have to admit I rebel at times. I am deaf at times. I refuse to listen at times.

Isn’t that why we come to church? Isn’t that why we don’t want to come to church at times? Jesus can be that tough.

CROSSES AND QUESTIONS

Jesus hooks us with the cross. Jesus hooks us with questions.

Suffering brings us to the cross. Suffering brings us questions.

Why God why?

Why me, God, why me?

Even Jesus screamed out the big feeling question we often ask, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”

SO

So maybe there are more questions than there are conclusions. Maybe there are more questions than answers.
What’s your take on this question of questions and answers?

We studied the writings of Saint Thomas Aquinas in the process of becoming priests – and his format was the question and answer method. First the great question – and then various answers – and then what he would consider the best answer.

And we heard somewhere along the line that before St. Thomas Aquinas died he said to burn all his writings – saying it’s all straw.

And every time I heard that story – a necessary story I realized many years later – I felt humbled. I found myself asking the hook question hidden in the story, “Then why am I studying all this?”

And I remember two of our teachers using not only the classic text books for dogmatic and moral theology – but also lots of articles and other books – and saying to us, “You have the rest of your life to reflect upon these questions.”

And that lead to the further questions, “Isn’t that dangerous? Wouldn’t that make one a cynic? Why study in the first place? Why have faith in the first place? Are there any answers?”

Of course there are answers – just as the cross is an answer – just as Jesus is an answer – just as Thomas Aquinas gave answers, just as The Baltimore Catechism used the Question and Answer method – just as the Gospels have many questions and many answers.

How do I end this homily entitled, “Questions”?

It seems that much of life is like the ocean – necessary, deep, taking up most of the planet – without which we wouldn’t be here. It seems that God is also like the ocean – necessary, deep, keeping up all of the planets and the universe – without whom we wouldn’t be here.

In my homily last Sunday, I gave some of my life learnings – answers that I have come up with. In my homily this week, I found myself countering, I also have life questions – and my faith and my hope is that eternity with be filled with the great answers.

And I have lots of questions for God. Don’t we all? One is: “God what’s your take on the interesting hats these religious leaders often come up with?” I’m dying to hear God’s take on that one.

CONCLUSION

Not knowing how to conclude at this point, but knowing people have often been helped by standing at the beach looking out at the ocean or at the Bay here in Annapolis, let me conclude with a poem by the Irish poet, John Boyle O’Reilly. It’s entitled, “The Infinite.”

THE INFINITE
The Infinite always is silent:
It is only the Finite speaks.
Our words are the idle wave-caps
On the deep that never breaks.

We may question with wand of science,

Explain, decide and discuss;
But only in meditation
The Mystery speaks to us.