Sunday, January 8, 2012

SHEPHERDS AND KINGS


INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for this feast of the Epiphany is, “Shepherds and Kings.”

When we walk up to the Christmas crib or crèche, we see shepherds and kings.

They are not there by accident.

NO SMOKING SIGN

I follow the “No Smoking” sign rule when I read the Bible.

If it’s in here, it’s in here for a reason.

Smoke gets in your eyes.

If there is a “No Smoking” sign in a building - or now - just outside the entrance of a building - someone has been smoking there - and somebody doesn’t want smokers there.

If there are speed bumps, if there are “No Dogs Allowed” signs, if there is a violinist playing on the street and there is a box in front of him or her, they are expecting a tip.

Everything on stage - everything in a good story - is there for a reason. Everyone who has done plays knows Chekhov’s rule, “If in the first act, you have hung a pistol on the wall, then in the following act, it should be fired. Otherwise don’t put it there.”

So if we hear about shepherds in the Christmas readings and Wise Men or Magi or Kings at the Epiphany readings, they are here for a reason.

THERE ARE TWO KINDS OF PEOPLE

There are two kinds of people who discover the Light - who discover Jesus - who discover God.

Today’s first reading from Isaiah says, “Raise your eyes and look about.” Isaiah continues, “Then you will be radiant at what you see, your heart shall throb and overflow.” [Cf. Isaiah 60:1-6]

What do you see, what do you tend to notice, when you look around you? When it comes to God, what have you discovered? When it comes to God, what type of a person are you?

The first type person has God coming to them. The shepherds were out there at night tending their sheep when the angel of the Lord came to them by surprise.

The second type person goes in search of God. The Magi - the word used in today’s translation of Matthew 2: 1-12 - are the searchers - those who come from a far to discover the Light.

Which is more me? Going after or waiting for? Making it happen or it happens to me?

The butter is still in the refrigerator and the bread is on the table. Am I the type that gets up and gets it or do I wait  for someone to bring the butter out for me?

Am I a waiter or a get up and get it myselfer?

Am I content or am I restless?

Am I like the shepherds and God comes to me or am I like the 3 kings and go in search of God?

Do I see, meet, discover God, when I’m doing my work, and God surprises me at times in my everyday activities?

Or do I have to get up and do my own searching to find God?

I think one reason why we have these stories in the scriptures is for us to figure out ourselves - to see ourselves in the stories.

No kidding.

LITERATURE TELLS US THAT PEOPLE ARE DIFFERENT

If we read the scriptures - if we read literature - we know that the writer  - knows that people are different.

Once upon a time there was a tortoise and a hare ….

Once upon a time there was a girl named Cinderella who had 2 stepsisters ….

King Lear had three daughters and he was getting older ….

Jesus used to visit the home of his friend Lazarus - who had two sisters. One was named Mary and the other was named Martha ….

A shepherd had 100 sheep - 99 were safe and sound - but one of them was lost….

A woman had 10 coins - and one was lost and she ….

A man had two sons ….

A man named Jacob had 12 sons and 1 daughter ….

Jesus had 12 disciples - and the one named Judas - betrayed him.

On the cross hung Jesus - along with two thieves. The thief on his right said…. The king on his left said ….

There is a Zen story about a man who had two sons. One son left home and traveled the world for a couple of years and then came home. The other son never left home - but worked the farm and stayed with his father. Which one saw more? Which one learned more?

Often these stories, these plays, these movies, these parables, end without telling us the moral or the message.

In these stories there are gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh - to be opened - and their glitter can get us. They have a scent  and it can reach us. And good stories - really good stories - contain a pain - a sword that can open up our eyes to insight, wisdom, an epiphany. [Cf. Hebrews 4:12.]

Which character in the story is a lot like me? The play, the movie, the scriptures are a mirror. See myself in the story.

Look in the mirror and see the spinach in one’s teeth - as well as the look in one’s eyes - and then pause and really look deeper into one’s being. Who am I and what’s going on inside of me?

WHAT HAVE BEEN YOUR GOD MOMENTS

What have been our God moments?

On the feast of Christmas many people are like the shepherds. They hear the music. They see the light - the stars - the stained glass windows in the distance - and these get these folks to church for Christmas. They are like the shepherds. They see the baby. Ooh. Ah. Silent night, holy night, all is calm, all is bright. Then they go back to their fields and their work.

On the feast of the Epiphany many people are like the Magi, or the Wise or the Kings - searching for the new born King of the Jews. They discover him - do him homage - and then they depart for home by another way. They are changed.

What have been our Christmas Moments - when God brought us to himself and what have been our Epiphany Moments when we went in search of God - and found him.

What have been our God moments?

That would be the key question that I am asking in this homily.

That’s my sign - a la a “No Smoking” sign - that I’m projecting onto the screen of your mind today.

“God Moments!”

Two words.

Make a list of the God moments of one's life.

If you want me to be more specific, make it 3 or 5 key God moments.

Just jot them down.

Andrew Greeley did some research and found out that most people have had revelations - personal God moments in their lives. [Cf. today's second reading from Ephesians 3:2-3a, 5-6]

Let me present a quick 3 step process on how to get in touch with our God Moments.

First step: just jot. Just jot down telegraphically items like: "Rome 1993" or "the birth of our first child" - or "the death of my dad" - or "Second Honeymoon on our 25 anniversary in 2003" -or a Sunday Mass 9 years ago" - or "I was walking in the woods once and" - or "Cancer 2007" or "a funeral 14 years ago of a dearest friend".

So step one is to just jot down a quick list of epiphany moments in one’s life.

Second step: flesh them out. Just flesh them out.

For example, someone might flesh out a listed moment this way: “I was in Rome in the summer of 1993. It was hot and we came into St. Peter’s Square. It was all set up for a large outdoor talk by Pope John Paul II. There were over 200,000 people there - mostly standing. Then in the middle of the talk - I couldn’t really understand most of the words - it hit me that I’m a Catholic and so are all these people in all these different languages and look - and we’re one with each other in Christ. I can’t explain it, but my faith suddenly made so much more sense  to me. I felt so one with God and all these people. Thank You God. Thank You, God!”

Or, for example, someone might write, “I was with my 3 year old granddaughter and we were playing with Play Doh and she started to make a lion and a camel and a man and a woman and a baby. Well, I asked her what she was making. She looked at me as if I were really dumb. Then she said, ‘It’s the Christmas crib you took me to see in church yesterday.’ Well, that moment was like a lightning storm. I realized in a flash all the good things I passed down to my 4 kids as well as some bad example. I cried and I laughed. Then I said to myself, 'It’s all okay. Jesus was born in a stable with ox and ass and you know what they can do to your floor - and who cares if I helped create lions and camels instead? God will take care of all.' And as I was crying tears of joy, my little granddaughter didn’t say a word but came over and hugged me. Thank You God. Thank you God.”

Third step: after you have about 5 of them. Put a "K" or an "S" next to the story. The K and the S stand for King or Shepherd. The king moments were God moments when I went searching for God and the S moments are the Shepherd moments. They are God moments that just happened  to me. They were total surprise. An angel appeared and the next moment you were in the presence of Jesus.

CONCLUSION

Amen.
LIFE: ITS UPS AND DOWNS
ITS BIRTHS AND DEATHS



Quote for Today - January 7,  2012

"The wise will not only bow at the manger but also at the cross."

Someone

Saturday, January 7, 2012

COPIOSA APUD
EUM REDEMPTIO

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for January 7th, the Saturday before the Epiphany, is, “Copiosa Apud Eum Redemptio.”

It’s the Redemptorist Motto: “Copious With Him Redemption.”

Or much better translations from the Latin, “With Him There is Fullness of Redemption.” Or, “With Him Abundant Redemption.” or “With Christ there is Plenteous Redemption.”

TODAY’S GOSPEL

Today’s gospel - the story of Wedding Feast at Cana -  imagines - describes - and pictures - what fullness of redemption looks like. It’s a wedding banquet that doesn’t run out of wine. It has lots of wine - plenty of wine - a fullness of wine.

We know the story: there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee and they ran out of wine.

And the Mother of Jesus is there.

Just as Eve took the wrong fruit - Mary brings us Christ the fullness of the fruit of her womb. Take and eat. Take and drink.

Message: When empty, go to Christ and expect fullness.

Message: why have millions and millions of people gone up aisles in Catholic churches and knelt and begged at the images and ikons of Mary. They want help - always - perpetual help.


Hail Mary, full of grace .... full of gifts .... full of help....

Redemption, Salvation, Fullness, Abundance, Total Fulfillment, Satisfaction is often described as a banquet - where we get our total fulfillment.

And Jesus turns the water - 20 to 30 gallons of water - in 6 big water jars into wine. Jesus saves the wedding. Jesus saves the celebration. Jesus saves the couple. He does what Mary asks him to do. Help this couple. Save this situation.

SCRIPTURE MESSAGES

The Book of Genesis begins with God creating this world in abundance - sun, moon, stars, birds, cattle, trees. And all is good.

The Book of Genesis begins with God creating man and woman and places them in a beautiful garden. And all is good.

Then man and woman mess up. We hear about sin in today’s first reading - especially with sin that kills - that is deadly - yet people bite into it.  [Confer 1 John 5: 14-21]

Today’s gospel from John begins with the first miracle - the first sign of Christ’s arrival - and love - simply helping this couple. [Cf. John 2: 1-12]

This first sign of God’s New Presence with Christ - is that Jesus brings abundance. Our God is an overflowing and generous God.

What is our take - our sense of what God is like? When describing God: don’t think small.

When it snows - if we get snow this winter - just watch how much comes down.

The next time you go to Ocean City or Rehoboth - or you’re out in the bay - just pause and sense all the water there is - fullness - and it goes all around the world and then some. Water takes up more than 75 percent of the globe. That’s why this planet has life.

If you’ve been to Niagara Falls - just close your eyes and return there in your imagination - and listen to the ongoing flow - the non-stop flow.

If you’re out on a clear night, stop to look up. Glance at the stars in the vast sky. Notice the abundance of stars, the abundance of black night, the abundance of distance. If we know anything about God, we know there’s more - more out there. The universe is 5 to 10 billion years old. That’s our primitive guess as of now. Imagine what’s going to come - in billions of years to come. Humans on this planet have been around for only a short time compared to the age of the earth. There’s an abundance of time to come. When I hear people predict endings - I smile. We’re limited in our thinking and our seeing beyond yourselves - but God isn’t. God is abundance.

As I was thinking about this last night, as I was thinking of abundance - as in abundance of redemption - a memory of seeing a Tomato Throwing Celebration in Spain that was on TV came to mind. I went to Google and checked it. I found out that there are various tomato throwing celebrations all around the world. The granddaddy of them is in Buhan, Spain. It started in 1945 when some young men grabbed some tomatoes from a vegetable stand in a brawl in the town’s main square. The following year the young people repeated the moment with another tomato fight - on the 3rd Wednesday of August - this time with tomatoes they brought from home. The police tried to stop them. By 1950 the town allowed the fight. However, when things got out of hand, some young people were imprisoned, the residents of Bunoh forced the police to release the kids. The tradition continued. It was banned. It continued. It was banned. It increased and now it’s an annual event - when 150,000 tomatoes, 90,000 pounds, are thrown for about an hour.

It’s an amazing site - abundance of tomatoes and tomato juice flowing through the streets - and all is abundantly red. Check it out!



Now that’s abundance! Now that's a party! Now that's a celebration!

How about seeing God as a God who gives a crop of 100 million tomatoes every year -as well as oranges, apples, grapes and wheat that becomes flour that becomes bread.

How about seeing our God who gave at a Last Supper bread and wine - his body and blood - and the chalice and the plate - the bread and the wine - his love and his presence - as gifts - have never stopped flowing.

Surprise we’re at that wedding feast again today. It continues ....

CONCLUSION

We are made in the image and likeness of God. So if God is a God of Abundance, am I abundant when it comes to love and forgiveness and giving?
JUDGING  OTHERS




Quote for Today - January 7,  2012

"There are two things that will be believed of any man whatsoever, and one of them is that he has taken to drink."

Booth Tartington [1869-1946], Penrod (1914), chapter 110

Friday, January 6, 2012

ACTION:  JUST  DO  IT!


January  6,  2012

Quote for Today

"You can't plow a field by turning it over in your mind."

Anonymous

Thursday, January 5, 2012

SAINT JOHN NEUMANN



Today, January 5th, 1861, is the anniversary of the death of Bishop John Neumann. 

He was a diocesan priest, who became a Redemptorist, who became the 4th Bishop of Philadelphia.

While walking across Vine - near 13th Street - in Old Philadelphia, he felt something going wrong with him. When he got to the other side he began to stagger. He fell over. Two men rushed over to him. They carried him into the house of a non-Catholic. That’s where he died right after that. A priest was called for - so as to be given Last Rites - but John Neumann died before the priest arrived.

That morning he had said to Father Urban, a priest who had dropped in to see him, “I have a strange feeling today. I feel as I never felt before. I have to go out and do a little business and the fresh air will do me good.” Then the bishop added the following, “A man must always be ready, for death comes when and where God wills it.”

RECOVERY  COSTS



Quote for Today   - January 5, 2012

"With mistakes, like a lot of other things, 
it isn't the initial cost - it's the upkeep."

Anonymous