PALMS UP

INTRODUCTION



The title of my reflection for this Palm Sunday is, “Palms Up.”



MEANING OF THE PHRASE: “PALMS UP!”



I looked up the meaning of the phrase, “Palms up” and found that it has many meanings from surrender to I’m here, from acceptance to helplessness, apology to cluelessness, innocence to there you have it, and on and on and on.



Today Palm Sunday I thought of the human hand – palms up and open – as in a way of waving a hello or a greeting. The people in the crowd wanted to wave and celebrate Jesus’ entrance into Jerusalem – and so they grabbed what was right there, palm branches – and waved them to celebrate Jesus’ presence.



We have palm branches at hand today, but when we don’t have flags or signs or palm branches, we wave with our open hand – palms up and out. We do this when we see a friend or when we see a famous person going by. “Look there’s the president or pope or Miss Maryland!”



MEANING OF PALM SUNDAY



What does Palm Sunday mean to us? It’s the beginning of Holy Week – the culmination of Lent – the arrival of the 3 big Christian High Holy Days: Holy Thursday, Good Friday and Easter Sunday.



These days have so much meaning – that we need a week, a lifetime, the hours of the services this week to ponder the fringe – the edge – and then gradually move into the middle of their meaning.



For this Palm Sunday, for this homily or reflection, what struck me was that Jesus went through what we all go through. We have our own personal Holy Weeks and Horror Weeks. Jesus went through the whole mess for the mass of us.



On Palm Sunday he’s honored, celebrated, waved to, cheered on – but by Friday they are screaming for his blood: “Crucify him. Crucify him.” Their hands have moved from open waves to tight fists.



Then next Sunday we celebrate hope – recovery – renewal – resurrection – the upswing of Jesus into glory. In theology it’s called “The Kenotic Curve.” Kenotic – K E N O T I C – from the Greek verb “kenoo” K E N O O or the adjective “kenos” K E N O S – meaning emptying, absence, the hollowness of everything.



TODAY’S SECOND READING



We find all this in today’s second reading – Philippians 2: 6-11 – which is called “The Great Kenotic Text”. We used to hear in theology all the time: “Know Philippians 2: 5b-11!



We get the message. God is God. Christ Jesus – who is also mysteriously God – lets go of equality with God – empties himself – become human – empties himself even more – takes on the form of a slave – humbles himself even more and becomes obedient to the point of death – even death on a cross.



That’s the first half of The Kenotic Curve – the Downhill Slide.



Then Paul says, "Because Jesus did this – God exalts him – bestowing on him – a name which is above every name. It’s Lord. Jesus Christ is Lord – that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend of those in heaven and on earth and under the earth – so that every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of the Father.



The best scholarship to date puts this text – these words of Paul to the people of the Greek city of Philippi – is between the years 54 to 57. It was written from the city of Ephesus – in modern day Turkey.



It’s before our gospels.



Notice how primitive it is. The early church is trying to put into words how this Jesus of Nazareth is both human and divine. The Early Church is trying to put into words how God is Trinity – and it would struggle with this for a few centuries – till we went through heresies and councils and came up with our creeds.



We are the beneficiaries of these struggles and articulations.



IN THE MEANWHILE



In the meanwhile we get it. We get these texts. We understand the Kenotic Curve. We see it every time we go to visit a loved one in the hospital. There it is: the monitor. We hope it’s going up and down for our loved one – otherwise they’re dead. They flat lined.



We know the ups and downs of life. We know days of glory and days of horror. We know days of fullness and days of emptiness.



The Kenotic Curve tells us that God knows us – because the Son of God became one of us – and went through what we go through. It’s usually the bottom of the curve – the pits – the dark valley at the bottom – when we recognize our need for God. That’s when we pray. That’s why Psalm 23 is so popular – especially at funerals. Though I walk in the dark valley you are with me.



All is darkness and they remain that way till our Bad Fridays move to our Easter Sundays – till we realize resurrection. Then we change the words from "Bad Friday" to "Good Friday".



We see the Kenotic curve every day and every year.



Sometimes we hit a home run; sometimes we strike out. Nobody has hit over 400 since Ted Williams did it in 1941. Red Sox fans will tell you he came within 5 hits of doing it again at the age of 39 in 1957 – when he hit 388.



Sometimes we’re at a beautiful wedding – 150 people – and there is music and dancing, cake and celebration – but then we’re all alone when we get the phone call, “Mom, we’re getting a divorce.”



We celebrate our kid’s baptism, graduations, dance recitals, but it’s lonely when we have to see the police or the principal when our kid messes up.



Sometimes we’re in a brand new car and people stop for a second to admire it – and sometimes we leave the new car sticker on the back side window on the left – just to let folks know, “This is a new car!” and sometimes the car has become a clunker and it won’t start and it’s costing us money on repairs and we don’t have the money to buy a new one.



We know the ups and downs of life. In the marriage vows we even say it, “for better for worse, richer or poor, sickness and health.”



Life is curvy – not that many straight lines – might as well get used to it – and Jesus walked that crooked line from Nazareth to Jerusalem – and he arrived there today – and he’ll be killed next Friday. It’s as bottom line as that.



CONCLUSION – UPTURN - RESURRECTION



But we are a people of hope and people who belief in upturns – and so we’ll also be back next week for Easter Sunday – Alleluia. Alleluia.



So our prayer doesn’t end with, “Christ has died.” We continue and say, “Christ has risen. Christ will come again" - and "again and again and again.”

DREAM  THERAPY

April 17, 2011

Quote for the Day

"All the things one has forgotten scream for help in dreams."



Elias Canetti [1905-1994], Die Provinz der Menschen (The Human Province, 1973), page 269


Drawing on top from Punch magazine.

ARE YOU GOING UP

FOR THE FEAST THIS YEAR?

INTRODUCTION

For a homily on this 5th Saturday of Lent I have two questions.

FIRST QUESTION

The first question would be from today's gospel, “Do you think he will be coming up for the feast this year?”

With people trying to kill Jesus, some wondered if Jesus would have the nerve to make the pilgrimage for the Passover feast this year?

What about us? Are we planning to make the feast of Passover this year? “Do I see as part of the feast this year or is all this old stuff?”

When I look at how I spent Lent this year – I have to be honest with my answer to that same question. At times Lent was so, so. At times I was okay - regarding prayer and fasting. I look at myself and look at Lent and I’d say that I’d give myself a 2 out of a possible 10 on how I made this Lent.

Tomorrow is Palm Sunday. This coming week is Holy Week. It's a last chance dance to make a good Lent. Am I planning to make Holy Week holy? Is there in inner voice in me that asks, “Do you think he is going to make the feast this year?” Will I find some hiding places and times and mediatate deeply on the Holy Thursday, Good Friday, Empty Satuday and Easter Sunday?

SECOND QUESTION

My second question is the question that we have been hearing all through this section of John. What do you think of Christ? Who is he to me? What is my Christology?

I have been saying that the Gospel of John has a high Christology.

Ray Brown in his book, The Community of the Beloved Disciple, points out that there were 5 levels of Christology in John. Which is ours?

Do I see Jesus as "Rabbi" or "Good Teacher" or have I moved towards being with Jesus as "The Anointed One" or "Christos"? Do I hear John telling us that Jesus is the Word from before - who became flesh and lived amongst us?

People who are fundamentalists might have a problem with the Gospel of John. At times it doesn’t seem to coincide with the synoptics. There are 3 or 4 passover feasts in John. And stuff is moved all around.

The scripture people that help me the most are not fundamentalists.

Those who help me are those who help me see Jesus as the community of the beloved disciple saw him. They help me see Jesus as the post-resurrection Christians were asking questions about.

And those questions can be asked right now of me: Do I see Jesus as the one who will lead me through the passover. Is he the sanctuary? Is he the covenant? Do I see him as the one who will bring all people together? Do I see him as the one who died for all so that all can become one? Do I see him as the desire of the nations? Etc.

CONCLUSION

In this homily I'm asking two questions for today: 1) Are you going up for the feast this year? In other words, "What are my plans for Holy Week?" 2) What do you think of Christ? Who is he to you and for you?

ON  NOT FORGETTING 

THE VOICE AND THE VOTE 

OF THE PEOPLE

Quote for Today - April 16,  2011

"A riot is at bottom the language of the unheard."


Martin Luther King Jr. [1929-1968] Where Do We Go From Here? (1967), Chapter 4

Long loaded question: How do those who feel they are picked on, overtaxed, "dissed," rejected - whether they are citizens of this country as well as the world, "illegals," conservatives, liberals, independents, spouses, parishioners, the abused, seniors, children, in-betweens, union members, homosexuals, heterosexuals, the poor, the rich, the middle class, clergy, priests, bishops, deacons, teachers, students, principals, judges, political officials, estranged, "suits,""blue collar workers," Catholics, Muslims, people of any faith or no faith, those who sense they are not being listened to or heard, how do they riot?

APPRECIATION

Quote for Today - April 15,  2011

"I now perceive one immense omission in my Psychology, - the deepest principle of Human Nature is the craving to be appreciated, and I left it out altogether from the book, because I had never had it gratified till now."





William James [1842-1910] in a letter to his class at Radcliffe College, April 6, 1896, in Letters (1920) volume 2, page 33.

ROCK THROWING: WHAT IS

MY WEAPON OF CHOICE?

INTRODUCTION

The title of my reflection for this 5th Thursday in Lent is, “Rock Throwing: What Is My Weapon of Choice?”

At the end of today’s gospel we have the statement, “At that they picked up rocks to throw at Jesus, but he hid himself and slipped out of the temple precincts.” [Cf. John 8:59]

If they killed Jesus that day, would we be wearing rocks around our necks instead of a cross?

Have we ever been so angry we wanted to throw a rock at someone to shut them up?

IN THE SCRIPTURES

If we read the scriptures we find various instances of rock throwing as well as killing people with rocks. How did Cain kill Abel – the first murder mentioned in the Bible? [Genesis 4:8] David killed Goliath with a stone – a smooth one. [1 Samuel 17:40-51] Okay, he also used Goliath’s sword as well.

Years later – when David is king – he was to experience someone – a man name Shimei – cursing and throwing stones at him. [Cf. 2 Samuel 16:5, 13.]

We know from the scriptures one form of capital punishment was stoning a person to death. Blasphemers, fortune tellers, adulterers, the mistake makers, were stoned.

We heard it on Monday with the story of the woman caught in adultery and we’ll hear it at the death of Stephen – the first Christian martyr. [Cf: John 8:1-11; Acts 7:55-60]

MARRIAGE – COMMUNICATION SKILLS

When I meet with couples who are planning to be married, I sometimes ask the question: “What is your weapon of choice?”

Hearing that they look at me with a puzzled face.

I then say, “Is your weapon silence? Is it words to the other’s face? Is it words behind their back? Is it passive aggression?”

What is your weapon of choice?

What do we do when we’re frustrated? How do we manage our anger? What bugs us? What do we get impatient with every time? What are our buttons? How do we solve our relationship issues?

In some parts of the world, they still want to stone people to death?

In other parts of the world, there is divorce and starting again in a new relationship.

In many parts of the world, it’s get all the weapons you can get?

As Bob Dylan’s 1963 song put it, “The answer my friend is blowing in the wind. The answer is blowing in the wind.” [1]

JESUS

The message of Jesus that still blows in the wind is “Peace” – is to put down the rocks and walk away. [Cf. John 20: 19-23; John 8:7.]

I would assume that Christianity also teaches us to come back and sit down and talk and eat with each other. Communion – holy communion – with each other is Jesus’ dream. Use the rocks to build bridges as well as centers for community and community with each other.

CONCLUSION

What is our weapon of choice?

Regarding rock throwing I remember seeing a sculpture in Time magazine many years ago. It was by a Soviet Sculptor. I found it through Google - and I also found a newer take off on the same theme by a Chinese Artist.

So answers to my question, "What is my weapon of choice?" could now not only be rock throwing but sending e-mails, texting and twittering.

On top I put two pictures of works of art. The black and white sculpture is by Ivan Shadr – the pseudonym of Ivan Dmitriyevich Ivanov [1887-1941]. His sculpture is entitled: “Stone As A Weapon of the Protelariat” – 1927. The second picture is by Zhou Yongyang who does Performance Art Work. The red print reads, “Keyboard – Weapon of the Weak in China, 2007.”

What is our weapon of choice?

[1] "Blowin' In The Wind" - Bob Dylan, 1963

BIG PICTURE

Quote for The Day - April 14,  2011

"Nothing is more dangerous than an idea, when you have only one idea."



Alain (Emile-Auguste Chartier) [1868-1951] Propos sur la religion (Remarks on Religion, 1938) no. 74