THE GOSPEL OF LUKE

Quote for the Day - Feast of St. Luke - October 18, 2010


"Luke's gospel was written primarily for gentile christians drawn largely from the poor city dwellers of the Roman world. In every sense of the word these people were the outsiders. They were economically poor, of low social status, and had no share in the rich religious heritiage of judaism. Luke's good news was precisely that these outsiders were the special recipients of the kingdom; the community of men under the rule of God which was to be brought in by the messiah."

Duncan Macpherson in Luke, ACTA Foundation, Adult Catechetical Teaching Aids, Chicago, Illinois, 1971, page. 5.

PUSHY  AND PERSISTENT,
PRINCIPLES  AND  PRAYER

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily is “Pushy and Persistent, Principles and Prayer.”

On Friday, there was a retreat day for our high school freshman and freshwomen – 8:30 till 2:30 – here at St. John Neumann. From 10:30 till 12:00, the big group of 130 or so kids were broken into 4 groups. Then 4 of us were asked to take 20 minutes with a group of about 30 and do something – the same thing 4 times in a row. Sister Elise Saydah talked about her vocation as a SSND nun. Father Eric Hoog talked about being a Redemptorist. Ginny Dauses, our high school campus minister, talked about being a Christian, so I decided on asking our young people, “Do you have any questions, you would like to ask a priest? Here is your opportunity.”

One question that grabbed me was about preaching. It came up in 3 out of the 4 sessions I had with these kids. The question was either, “Where do you get your ideas on what you preach on?” or “Do you prepare beforehand or when you get into the pulpit?” or “Why do you preach on what you preach on?”

As they say in politics, “These questions were slow ball or meat ball or easy to hit pitches.”

I simply said, “I read the readings, say a prayer, see if anything hits me, and then I try to give something that I think will be clear, not boring, helpful and challenging – and coming out of the readings.”

TODAY’S READINGS

After saying a prayer and then reading the readings for this 29th Sunday in Ordinary Time, what hit me was this: See oneself as both the judge and the pushy widow in the Gospel. See oneself as Moses and Joshua in the First Reading. See oneself as Paul as well as Timothy in the Second Reading.

I learned that principle years ago – from a book by Louis Evely – That Man Is You. He took that title from the story about David in the Second Book of Samuel – Chapter 12 – when Nathan the prophet told David the king a parable – and David in anger asked who was this horrible character in the parable who did such a thing as stealing a lamb from a poor man – when he had lots of them himself. And Nathan said to David, “That Man Is You.”

David – with his harem – and his riches and his power as king – stole another man’s wife: Bathsheba. Then he had her husband, Uriah, placed in the front of the line in a battle so he would be killed. He was.

So I learned to read the scriptures and ask myself, “Which character in this story is me?” Or to ask myself, “How am I like or unlike each character in this story?”

This often happens in plays and parables, movies and novels. Which character is more me? We see ourselves in a mirror as Shakespeare put it.

So how am I like the judge and the pushy, persistent widow in today’s gospel? In today’s first reading, how am I like Moses on the hill in prayer with arms upraised and Joshua down in the valley in battle? In today’s second reading, how am I like Paul writing to Timothy and how am I like Timothy in receiving this letter?

GOSPEL: TOUGH JUDGE AND PERSISTENT, PUSHY WIDOW

All of us know the interior struggle of my will versus another’s will.

What are the principles we won’t budge on?
What are the issues we want those we live or work with to change their opinion and behavior on or about?

What are the issues and behaviors others want us to bend or change?

It could be politics – going to church – sermons – noise levels – the TV clicker – how we drive or others drive (Type A or Type B Drivers) – always braking – always on the person in front of us’ bumper or going too slow – using or not using blinkers – weight – overweight – eating habits – smoking – how we or other’s dress – tattoos – jewelry – language – parking – lawn care – house care – bathroom neatness – not budging when people want to get into our bench in church – etc. etc. etc.

How do we try to get our way? What are our tricks and tactics? Silence? Nagging? Yelling? Passive aggression? Communication? Start another battle – one which we think we’ll win? Pay backs? Prayer?

I love today’s gospel. It shows Jesus’ sense of humor. You can picture the judge talking to someone else, “This lady is driving me nuts. I’m going to settle in her favor, just to get her off my case.”

Did Jesus make this story up or did he know a judge who had this experience? Was there a lady next door who was like this lady in his story? Did the disciples when they heard this story whisper to each other afterwards, “I know whom he was talking about?”

Today’s gospel and next Sunday’s gospel are about prayer. What’s my experience with prayer? Does Jesus really want us to just sit there and bug God with prayers? Or does he want us to pray and then get off our knees or backside and do something? Action! Go to the doctor? Communicate with the person who is driving us nuts? Exercise? Eat right? Accept realities that we all age? People get cancer, wrinkles, hemorrhoids, arthritis and what have you?

What would Jesus’ take be on the following saying? “Pray for potatoes, but pick up a shovel.”

Or to say the same thing in light of the Chilean mine disaster: "Pray for the miners - but drill baby, drill!"

TODAY’S SECOND READING

Today’s second reading has Paul writing to Timothy. Paul tells Timothy and us to learn from the Scriptures.

A few questions: What scripture texts grab us? What texts challenge us? What texts bug or nag us? What texts inconvenience us? What scripture texts wear us out? What text makes us feel guilt?

I remember Father Benedict Groeschel telling us in a course on how to be a spiritual director, “If you want to know about a person, ask them their favorite scripture text.” I was giving a weekend retreat after that and I asked people their favorite Bible text. There was this one guy who was ultra rigid in my opinion – who had a litany of complaints about any priest who had an inch or a pinch of liberalism in him. So I asked this guy his favorite Bible text. His immediate answer was: “Beware of false prophets who come to you disguised as sheep but underneath are ravenous wolves” [Matthew 7:15] If he had asked me in return what my favorite scripture text was – he didn’t – he wasn’t into dialogue – only monologue – but if he did, I would say immediately, Galatians 6:2, “Bear one another’s burdens and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.”

Today’s second reading challenges us to see how we use the Bible – and what that says about each other. You hear us preach from the pulpit. What do you see as our take on the scriptures of the Sunday compared to your take on the Sunday scriptures? All of us hear the same readings. What’s your homily to yourself today from today's readings?

TODAY’S FIRST READING

I’ve said a few times from this pulpit that a rabbi once asked me if I had read the Koran and I said, “No!” He said, “We better!”

So I got myself a copy of the Koran at Barnes and Noble and read it and I started noticing the word “burn”. At that I got an orange magic marker and highlighted every time I saw the word “fire,” or “burn”. It was constant. I wondered if that was in any way behind September 11th. Wooo! Then I’m reading the Bible and surprise I began noticing how many times there is killing in its pages as well.

Recall the last line in today’s first reading: “And Joshua mowed down Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword.” There was Moses up on the hill in prayer – with Aaron and Hur holding his arms up – and as long as those arms up were raised up – those down in the valley in battle were slaying their enemies. The scriptures are loaded with killings. The history of religions is loaded with killings. What is the mind of God? As long as Jesus’ arms are raised on the cross – do we down below in the valley kill each other or forgive each other – or do we really know what we are doing to each other? Father forgive us!

At some point in adult faith, we discover that we can grab scripture texts to justify our positions – and this has been done down through the ages as well. It’s not just the devil who can quote scriptures as the saying goes, but the devil in each of us can do as well.

We know Jesus talked about the sword as a metaphor and we know he talked about putting away our swords. We know that Jesus was crucified on the cross and proclaimed forgiveness – for our stupidity in hurting and killing one another.

CONCLUSION

How do I conclude this sermon entitled, “Pushy and Persistent, Principles and Prayer”?

I don’t know, but let me do it this way.

Each of us needs to know what our principles are – where we are rock solid and where we are rock stubborn – and sometimes rock stupid.

Each of us needs Church and Scriptures – tradition and an informed conscience to make our everyday decisions and behavior loving and compassionate.

And each of us needs to bring this to prayer and then get up off our knees and onto our feet and bring the Christ within us out into our language, driving, work, family, fun, and street. Amen.

THE BIBLE

Quote for the Day - October 17, 2010

“Most people are bothered by those passages in Scripture which they cannot understand; but as for me, I always noticed that the passages in Scripture which trouble me most are those that I do understand.”


Mark Twain (Samuel Langhorne Clemens) [1835-1910]

ST. GERARD  MAJELLA

Quote for the Day - Feast of St. Gerard Majella - Patron Saint of Expectant Mothers - October 16, 2010


"I am writing to you from Foggia, and I write in haste. My God, I would really like to know what is going on there. I don't know anything, because I have gotten no answer to any of my letters. It seems to me that you must not have paper to write to me. For mercy's sake, if that is true, send me word of it, so I can send you a notebook and you can reply rapidly. Enough for now."

From a letter of St. Gerard to Sister Michela of Saint Francis Xavier. The letter is dated, Foggia, Italy, July 10, 1753. I found it on page 123 of the book, Saint Gerard Majella, His Writings and Spirituality, Coordinating Editor, Noel Londono, C.Ss.R., translated by Peter Henegg, Liguori Publications, 2002. St. Gerard is often referred to as the Patron Saint of Expectant Mothers. A further "Patron Saint Of ____" possibility could be the Patron Saint of Those Expecting E-Mail or Notebook or Face Book communication. Reading this book I couldn't help but think of Gerard being at home in our modern world of Texting and "Face Booking", because St. Gerard was someone who wrote a lot of letters - as can be gleaned from the excerpt above from one of his many letters that can be found in the Liguori book listed in this note.







Picture on top is of the Redemptorist St. Gerard Majella [April 6, 1726 to October 16, 1755].

ST. TERESA OF AVILA

INTRODUCTION

Today we celebrate the feast of St. Teresa of Avila – who died this day, October 15, 1582. She was 67 years of age.

For a reflection for today I simply gathered 10 quotes from St. Teresa of Avila – a doctor of the church. If other years I told about her image about spiritual growth as four ways of getting water – the first way being that of using a bucket to draw water from a well – to the fourth being caught in a down pour. She also gave the great image of the spiritual life as entering a castle – moving from room to room till one gets to the center where the King of Glory is.

HERE ARE TEN QUOTES

First Quote: “More tears are shed over answered prayers than unanswered ones.” St. Teresa of Avila. Wasn't there a song by Garth Brooks called, "Unanswered Prayers" - a song that developed this theme? A man goes to a hometown football game and he meets his old high school flame - the girl he prayed to God would be his wife for life - and in the experience of meeting her once again he realizes she wasn't quite the angel of his dreams. He also realizes how blessed he is to have married the woman he married. And the song ends with the refrain, "Some of God's greatest gifts are unanswered prayers."

Second Quote: “Never do anything that you can’t do in the presence of all.” St. Teresa. That is basically what Jesus is saying in today’s gospel.

Third Quote: We’ve all heard this quote from St. Teresa of Avia or seen it on plaques or holy cards:
“Let nothing disturb you;
Let nothing dismay you;
All thing pass;
God never changes.
Patience attains
All that it strives for.
He who has God
Finds he lacks nothing:
God alone is sufficient.”

Fourth Quote: “It is true that we cannot be free from sin, but at least let our sins not be always the same.” St. Teresa. How’s that for having a sense of humor. How many times do priests here in confession, “Sorry Father, this is the same old same old.”

Fifth Quote: Continuing on the theme of sin, St. Teresa wrote, “It is right here, my daughters, that love is to be found. It’s not hidden away in corners, but it can be found in the midst of occasions of sin. And believe me, although we may more often fail and commit small lapses, our gain will be in comparison the greater.”

Sixth Quote: Not only can we grow in love of God and neighbor when struggling with sin choices, we can also learn other things. She writes, “To reach something good it is very useful to have gone astray, and thus acquire experience.

Seventh Quote: Many like to tell the story what she said to God when she fell off her house while crossing a river. Complaining to God she hears God answering back “This is how I treat my friends.” “Well, then,” she answers back to God, “if this is the way you treat your friends, no wonder you have so few of them!”

Eight Quote: I love this quote from St. Teresa – a quote I’ve often heard. If she was like this, she’s my kind of saint. “From silly devotions and from sour-faced saints, good Lord, deliver us.”

Ninth Quote: I’m sure you heard this quote. I’ve heard it in various ways – not sure who the author was. It was Teresa, unless she stole it from someone: "Christ has no body now, but yours.No hands, no feet on earth, but yours.Yours are the eyes through whichChrist looks compassion into the world.Yours are the feetwith which Christ walks to do good.Yours are the handswith which Christ blesses the world."

Tenth and Last Quote: This is for the ladies here: “About the injunction of the Apostle Paul that women should keep quiet in church, she said, “Don’t go by one text only.”



Painting on top: St. Teresa of Avila by Peter Paul Rubens [1577-1640]

THE INTERIOR COMMAND

Quote for the Day - Feast of Teresa of Avila - October 15, 2010


"I began to think of the soul as if it were a castle made of a single diamond or of very clear crystal, in which there are many rooms, just as in heaven there are many mansions."

St. Teresa of Avila [1515-1582], Interior Castle, I, I, [16th Century]

Painting on top - according to Wikipedia, where I found these paintings - this one from 1576, when she was 61 years of age, is probably the best for getting a glimpse at her likeness. The one below it is by Francois Gerard [1770-1837]

GROWING  OLDER

WITH GRACE 

AND WISDOM

Quote for the Day - October 14, 2010


"There is no such thing as old age; there is only sorrow."

Eidth Wharton [1862-1937], A Backward Glance [1934]. A First Word