SETTLING FOR LESS
IS A SLIPPING
TOWARDS THE GRAVE
Quote for Today - October 12, 2011
"The biggest human temptation is ... to settle for too little."
Thomas Merton, Forbes, August 4, 1980
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
AND INSIDE STORIES
INTRODUCTION
The title of my homily for this 26th Tuesday in Ordinary Time is, “Intersections and Inside Stories.”
VACATION
I’m just back from a great vacation. 28 of us were on a Mediterannean cruise.
Most mornings we’d get off the boat and get into a bus - and head for some famous destination. Because I had a camera - most of the time I was offered the window seat. I took a lot of pictures - but most pictures were taken with my eyes.
At corners and red lights I could see lots of morning people heading to work. Who is this person with the mustache or this gal with the mini-skirt at the intersection? What is there inside story? I’d see beggars and business men - moms and dads - many men and many women on buses, cars as well as on motorcycles. Who are these people? What is their inside story? What’s going on in their lives?
TODAY’S READINGS
One day two of us went to Corinth - where they think today’s first reading of Paul to the Romans was written. There we saw ruins and rubble - big archeological digs. We saw lots of statues. Who was this person whose face still remains on a piece of marble - 2000 years later? I’d stand there are intersections - trying not to tie up people behind me - but I’d find myself wondering who were these people I’m intersecting with? What was their inside story?
In today’s first reading Paul says the invisible God and God’s attributes and story are right there in our midst every day. Do we go inside God and ask what were you thinking when you made us - as well as gnats and mosquitoes, the milky way - and millions and billions of people.
Today’s gospel has Jesus being invited to a dinner to the home of a Pharisee and they are judging Jesus for not washing his hands before eating - and Jesus goes after them for cleaning the outside of the dish but not being aware of their inside story - which could be R rated.
Jesus went inside people. He dug into their inside story - so they would know themselves better - and then become better people.
What’s my inside story? What’s inside the chalice or cup called me? Answers to these questions are primary reflection. It’s the stuff for prayer.
Getting out of my high chair in the bus and just judging people from a distance is not right. We have to meet each other at the intersections of their lives. That’s called communion and community.
Meeting God at our intersections - talking to and then about God’s inner story and our inner story. Now that’s prayer. That’s being in communion with God.
CONCLUSION: BELOW THE SURFACE
Unfortunately, we stay outside on the surface.
I was listening to Kojo Nnamdi yesterday on NPR radio on my way back here from saying the 12:10 Mass at St. John Neumann. He was talking with a man named Harold Ross about how people judge people by height and name and color and age and weight.
Someone mentioned two guys named Cable and Judge from the University of Florida. They who did a study that indicated that an inch of height is worth more than $800 a year in salary for men.
Someone mentioned that a law firm was hiring and the person hiring said she had bias about this gal just out of law school because she was stunningly beautiful - therefore she can’t be that smart. They hired her and she was that smart.
When we meet each other in the intersections of life - we need to go inside and hear the inside story on each other. Now that can be a great trip with great vistas and views.
Monday, October 10, 2011
DON’T KILL THE STORY
INTRODUCTION
The title of my homily for this 28 Sunday in Ordinary Time A is: “Don’t Kill The Story.” And the story is the story of Jesus, the story of the kingdom, the reason why Jesus came. Don’t kill it. “Don’t kill the story!”
TWO EXPERIENCES
I would like to get across what I want to get across this morning by using two common experiences: 1) Invitation: receiving an invitation and 2) Killing a story or a joke.
We’ve all had both experiences: receiving invitations to a dinner, a movie, a wedding, a jubilee, etc. We’ve all heard someone tell a story or a joke and told it perfectly and then the next day or next month hearing someone tell the same story of joke and kill it. “Don’t kill the story!”
INVITATION
Today’s first and third readings both have the theme of invitation. All are invited to the banquet. All are invited to the mountain. All are invited to a great feast!
We all have received invitations all our life: to attend birthdays for two year olds to 50th anniversaries. So we know what an invitation is.
DON’T KILL THE STORY
George Mc Cauley is the only commentator on today’s gospel who comes right out and says that Matthew killed Jesus’ story. He says that Matthew added a second parable and it ends with a bit of a sour taste. A guy is tossed out into the night where he can wail and grind his teeth because he didn’t have the proper garment.
In all fairness, the liturgists might be covering up for Matthew by giving us an option today. You can read either the long or the short form. I read the long form. The short form leaves out the second parable, the account of the guy without the proper garment.
However, Matthew still kills the story by adding the stuff about killing the servants, etc.
The Gospel of Thomas seems to tell the story the way Jesus probably told the story. A man sends our dinner invitations to 4 friends. All 4 don’t accept the invitation. When the man hears that all said they couldn’t come he says to his servant, “The heck with them. Go out to the road” and bring in anyone you can find. End of story.
MATTHEW EMBELLISHES
Matthew embellishes the story for his own reasons. He brings in the history of salvation. He brings in the destruction of Jerusalem in the year 70. He brings in his nuance that mere attendance or presence in the community is not enough. We have to do something. He might even be reflecting on Isaiah 61:10 where it talks about wearing the “robe of righteousness.”
INVITATION
In Emory Griffin’s book, The Mind Changers, he gives two good examples on how to invite persons into the Christian community. The first way kills the story.
In his chapter on “Resistance to Persuasion” he mentions a book by Joe Bayly’s entitled, The Gospel Blimp. “It’s the tale of two families who want to reach their neighbors for Christ, so they buy a blimp to tow banners and drop tracts over their homes. The story is a clever parody of impersonal methods of evangelism - a classic study of how not to do it.” That’s the way to kill the story.
He also gives the way to tell the story. It’s by being the story in person. The way is to be the story. Action speaks louder than words. Be Christian and you will change the world and others might join. Others might see us as an invitation on how to live life.
In chapter four of his book, entitled “Resistance to Persuasion” he writes, “I recently met a girl who accepted the faith after overhearing Christians talk to each other about the Lord. She’d often heard the gospel, but always figured that Christians were a bunch of phonies. She reacted violently at any mention of the name of Jesus Christ. Then she came to stay in the home of her aunt and uncle for a month during the summer. Many nights she lay awake overhearing them talk about their love of God and desire to serve him. Their obvious sincerity won her over. Imagine their surprise - and of course their joy - when she announced at the end of her stay that she wanted to be a Christian like them. It would’ve been a different story if they’d been constantly angling to convince her. Overt witness would have scared her off.” (p. 46)
DOMINIC MARUCA
I conce heard Dominic Maruca tell the story about a guy who did not join the Jesuits because he did not see joyful people in the Jesuits. Well, I have met joyful Jesuits. I had a Jesuit spiritual direction once whose name was Jim Gladstone. And he was a glad guy - a happy person.
I’m sure some people don't get married because they saw married people cheating or stressed out or not happy. I’m sure people have not been Christians because they did not see Joyful Christians.
Don’t kill the story!
REDEMPTORISTS
I am a Redemptorist. I hope people see us Redemptorists as men who invite others to follow the Redeemer - to follow Christ. I hope some people seriously consider the idea of becoming a religious - becoming a Redemptorist - because they see us living Religious Life to the full. Hopefully people see us glad that we decided to live life as a Christian as a Redemptiorist.
Notice I put that living life - a happy joyful life - being a full human being first.
I’m sure people will join or not join us based on our joyfulness.
Hopefully we don't kill the story.
THE CROSS
Now obviously all this does not mean we toss the cross out the window and spend our lives singing, "Joyful, Joyful, Joyful We Adore You.
In fact, the cross is very connected to joy. I think that when we as religious and as Redemptorists live with one another and joyfully, then we will experience both the cross and joy.
SECOND READING
I think Paul in this second reading provides this balance when he speaks in very practical language. The first and third readings are speaking in ideals and in story telling language. Paul says, “I am experienced in being brought low, yet I know what it is to have an abundance. I have learned how to cope with every circumstance - how to eat well or go hungry, to be well provided for or do without. In him who is the source of my strength I have strength for everything.”
CONCLUSION
What we are then is the best invitation for Christianity, for religious life, for the Redemptorists, and we might even add for being a human being.
In this homily, I'm stressing that we don't kill the story of Christ - by being unhappy campers.
God’s plan is that all are invited to the banquet, to the mountain. And it’s only when we remove all the barriers, that we realize the dream of living life to the full.
Sunday, September 25, 2011
TWO HANDS:
TWO CHOICES
INTRODUCTION
The title of my homily for this 27 Sunday in Ordinary Time A is, "Two Hands, Two Choices."
When we hear today's gospel story - Matthew 21: 33-43, we hear some terrible things:
- people beating other people,
- people hurting other people
- people stoning other people,
- and then people killing other people.
QUESTIONS
Whenever something terrible happens by one person against another person, people always ask the question: Why? Why do people do these things? Why do people do bad things to other people? Why?
But people should also ask the opposite question: Why do people do good things to other people? Why? Why? Why?
ANSWER
And the answer at the bottom of all the wondering is that people have freedom of choice. We all have the power to do good or evil.
CHOICES GIVE CONTRASTS
We can help or hurt.
We can construct or destruct.
We can build or tear down.
We can love or hate.
We can praise or blame.
We can light a candle or curse the darkness.
We can do good or evil.
We have the power of choice.
We can gossip, curse, blame, ruin another’s reputation or we can praise another.
KNIVES AND WORDS, STICKS AND STONES
We can use a knife to cut bread or cut someone.
We can use words to say to another, “Hey that was a neat thing you did yesterday for Charlie?” Or we can say, “You were really showing off when you drove Charlie to the mall yesterday.”
Words can lift of knock down.
We can use sticks and stones to build a home or to break windows and hurt the inhabitants.
LIKE
It’s like we have two rooms. The first room is filled with light and the other is filled with darkness.
We have the choice of whatever room we want to live in or dwell in most of the time.
LUCY
There’s a Peanuts cartoon somewhere. Lucy draws a big heart on a fence. Then she draws a line down the middle of the heart to divide in two. She fills in one side with chalk and says, “This is the human heart. One heart is always fighting the other half.”
NATIVE AMERICANS
The Native Americans used to say we have two dogs within us. One is a good dog; the other is bad dog. And they are always fighting each other.
CHOICES
The choice is always ours.
HANDS
Let me conclude with one of my poems. It’s called, “The Two Hands.”
THE TWO HANDS
I am a fist,
a sign of fear,
a sign of anger,
a sign of greed,
a sign of tension.
I can pound a desk,
I can hoard money,
I can try to scare you,
I can punch you
in the mouth.
I am a fist.
What do you think of me?
I am an open hand,
a sign of calm,
a sign of ease,
a sign of peace,
a sign of relaxation.
I can dial a phone,
I can shake a hand,
I can change the diapers,
I can play cards,
I can break the bread,
I can heal the hurt,
I can write the poem.
I am an open hand.
What do you think of me?*
* page 107 in Listenings
YES AND NO
INTRODUCTION
The title of my homily for this 26th Sunday in Ordinary time is, “Yes and No.”
TODAY’S GOSPEL
That’s a theme I take out of today’s gospel.
Jesus tells a story, a parable about two sons. One son says, “Yes!”; the other son says, “No.”
We know the scene. We know the story. We’ve been there a thousand times.
The one who says, “Yes,” doesn’t do what he said he would do.
The one who said, “No,” does what he said he wouldn’t do.
There’s a message there somewhere.
Jesus is talking to the chief priests and the elders of the people - the leaders - the big shots - those in charge - those who were looked up to. They are saying “Yes” to God with their mouth - but “No” to God with their lives. The tax collectors and prostitutes - two groups that were looked down on - are seen as saying, “No” to God, but they are entering the Kingdom of God - because they have changed their lives and are now doing the will of God - and saying, “Yes” with their changed behavior.
Matthew can say this, because he was a tax collector who followed Jesus.
YES AND NO
How many times in a day do we say, “Yes” and how many times do we say, “No”?
I don’t know. Could we really count them?
How many times in a day do we say, “Yes” when we really want to say, “No!”
I don’t know.
Are some people more “Yes People” and some people more “No People”?
I don’t know.
Am I more “Yes” or more “No”?
I think we have to think about that one. I think it would be good to monitor ourselves about that one - or do we have the courage to ask those we live and work with - how they see us.
We all have heard the joke about husbands who say “yes” with a smile on their face and add “Anything you want honey. Anything.”
But underneath, how many times is the husband or the wife saying, “No”. “Oh no. I don’t want to do this. Not again. No not again.”
And at times, we say “No” - but as today’s gospel puts it, we have second thoughts afterwards and “change our minds” and do what is right - and do what is loving.
And sometimes we don’t have the choice to say, “Yes” or “No!”
We also find that in the gospel - especially in the story of the Centurion whom Jesus was very impressed with. He said, “I tell people to do this and they do it.” All of you with military background have examples of taking orders and giving orders.
We find that in Church. We have these changes in our liturgy coming this Advent. I hear some people grumbling about them. I take that as a “no” vote - but there is no vote. They are official.
I like the voice of those who say it’s an opportunity for all of us to be jarred a bit and take a fresh look at our prayers - and our Mass.
Change. Any change is an opportunity for a fresh look on things - as well as to cause agita.
They have retranslated the priests’ prayers into a different English translation. The literature says the prayers will now have more depth. I know that translations are never satisfactory with everyone. So I said, “Yes” to the changes - without actually having a “No” voice. I’m going to pray them and listen to them for at least a year and see what my take and others’ take on them will be.
Hopefully all our prayers will be better.
PAUSE! A THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
The pitch and the push I would make in this homily would be to pause before we say, “Yes” or “No!” - that is, if we have a choice.
“Yes” and “No” are very short words.
For homework for this week, my stress would be to catch ourselves before giving a “Yes” or a “No” answer. Pause. Reflect. Think. Consider. Understand what we are saying “yes” or “no” to.
Could we do that this week? Would you do that this week?
[Pause]
Did you pause inwardly before saying, “Yes” or “No” in your mind - or are you somewhere else right now?
Did you say, “Yes” or “No” to this new question of whether you’re here or somewhere else right now?
I assume that most of the time most of us are somewhere else.
I know I am.
It’s so easy to say, “Yes” - but in reality, it’s often a throw away word or a word to throw another off our back or our schedule or convenience.
So I’m advertising that this week to pause before a “Yes” or a “No”.
I‘m challenging you this coming week to consider for a moment what we are being asked to say, “yes” or “no” to.
Could you do that?
[Pause]
Did you say, “Yes” or “No” to that?
Let me give a few quotes about the importance of reflecting upon saying, “Yes” or “No.”
Mahatma Gandhi said, “A ‘No’ uttered from the deepest conviction is better than a ‘Yes’ merely uttered to please, or worse, to avoid trouble.”
Eric Allenbaugh wrote, “Every choice moves us closer or farther away from something. Where are your choices taking your life? What do your behaviors demonstrate that you are saying yes or no to in life?”
Someone - it might have been the late Eric Bern - said the following - and this is one of my favorite quotes and I preached a sermon on this somewhere, sometime: “The secret of happiness is the ability to say three things: Yes, No and Wow – the secret of unhappiness is saying, “if only” and “maybe.”
Another secret of unhappiness can be seen in this comment by Dazai Osamu
A lot of people can’t say “no” to themselves, their kids, their spouse, borrowers, beggars, others. Then they talk angry words to themselves because they wished they would have said, “No!”
So that’s my pitch and push in this homily. I’m asking you during this coming week, to simply pause before saying, “Yes” or “No”.
CONCLUSION: TWO EXAMPLES
Let me conclude with two examples where we are challenged to say, “Yes” or “No” every day.
First example: one's cell phone rings or plays a song during dinner. Do I really want to answer the phone every time it rings?
If you are like me - I say “No” to that - and don’t do it.
For the sake of transparency, it’s easy for me - because I don’t have a cell phone.
When I see people, priests, deacons, moms and dads, kids, at dinner answering cell phones, I think it’s crazy.
Seeing this increasing, I suspect I’m in a minority on this one.
I don’t know.
We ask folks to turn their phones off for Mass and movies and plays and this and that, why not for the dinner table - and other key moments in our lives together?
I found an interesting quote on this when looking for “Yes” and “No” quotes that goes like this: “Today the ringing of the telephone takes precedence over everything. It reaches a point of terrorism, particularly at dinnertime.” Niels Diffrient is quoted as saying that in the New York Times, October 16, 1986.
When did cell phones come into big time existence? They existed before 1986 - but it wasn’t till the 1990’s and now the 21st century that they have taken over - in the billions.
So if you have a cell phone, you have a real choice to say “Yes” or “No” with regards this. Think about it.
Second example: listening.
This has to do not with listening to cell phone calls per se. It has to do with listening in general.
Today’s second reading from Philippians talks about Jesus emptying himself of his Godness - then emptying himself of his humanness becoming a slave - then going even further, allowing himself to be killed on the cross.
Paul says have Christ’s attitude.
Paul says Christ’s attitude is that of emptying self.
As the mystics put it: ego must go - e - go!
Well one way of emptying oneself is listening. During the week we find ourselves in 100 conversations and in every conversation the other says something that triggers our stories and we stop listening to the other and as soon as they pause, we jump in with our story - our memory. We cut the other off. We then dominate the conversation till we take a breath and the other or some other cuts us off and on and on and.
This week, say, “No” to self and ego and “Yes” to listening to the other person and their story.
Empty barrels catch the most water.
Empty barrels catch the most words.
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