CULTIVATING

PEACE

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for this 7th Monday in Ordinary Time is, “Cultivating Peace.”

The last sentence in today’s first reading, just the last sentence, James 3:18, has lots of meat on the bone to chew on and to be challenged by: “And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace for those who cultivate peace.”

TWO WORDS: CULTIVATING PEACE

“Cultivating peace” is the way the New American Bible - the translation we use for our liturgy - translates the last two words of today’s first reading. In Greek the two Greek words are, “POIUSIN EIRENEN”,

I was wondering why the translator translates “POUISIN” with the English word “cultivate”. I love Greek and I haven’t see the verb “POIEO” translated into English as “CULTIVATE”. I was taught it means “to make” or “to do” - “to construct” or “to produce”. So I was going to entitle my homily, “Making Peace” or “Producing Peace” or “Being A Peacemaker.”

LOOKING FURTHER

Then I noticed the first verb in that last sentence. It’s "SPEIRETAI". It’s from the Greek verb, “SPEIRO” “to sow seed”.

Reflecting on that, it seems to me that the author of James is making a neat parallel: sow the seeds of peace and you’ll produce peace.

I also wondered if the translator or translators were trying to get into the mind of James when they use that image of cultivating - because in that same sentence is the word “fruit” - “KARPOS” in Greek.

Once more the full sentence in our English text is, “And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace for those who cultivate peace.”

Next I noticed in the New American Bible - the Catholic Book Publishing Edition - there is a little footnote marker after the last word, “peace”. In the footnote I noticed “Matthew 5:9”. It’s the Beatitude, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.”

I was also wondering if this is where Pope Paul VI came up with his saying, his formula, “If you want peace, work for justice.” That was on thousands and thousands of banners in the early 1970’s.

I also noticed the word “righteousness” - “DIKAIOSUNE” in Greek - in this last sentence. It can be translated by the word “justice” or “making things right”.

So it hit me that today’s first reading might be part of the background of Pope Paul VI message. James talks about producing fruit by starting with the planting. Then to come up with fruit, one has to cultivate it.

The title of my homily is, “Cultivating Peace.”

A MESSAGE FOR TODAY

So a message for today: work on cultivating peace.

So a message for today: If we try to be peacemakers, we have to work at being just - to be filled with that grace and attitude.

TWO TYPES OF PEOPLE

I collect people descriptions. So here’s another one that I made up for today. “There are two kinds of people: peacemakers and trouble makers.”

I’ve seen and heard down through the years some people being described as grenade throwers. One of the gestures that I’ve seen some people described as goes like this. [GESTURE WITH YOUR HAND THAT YOU HAVE A GRENADE IN IT. THEN PULL THE PIN. THEN THROW OR LOB IT.]


I’m not making up  this description of their being two types of people out of thin air. I deconstructed today’s first reading from James and noticed that he describes two kinds of behavior.

First type: sometimes we can be ambitious, jealous, a boaster, disordered, earthly, unspiritual, demonic and unjust.

Second type: or we can also be pure, gentle, compliant, full of mercy, have good fruit within, being wise, constant, and sincere.

Each of us has to look in the today's text as in a mirror and ask this question: “Am I a peacemaker or am I a troublemaker.”

Once more it’s the basic Native American Story of the two dogs.

That was one of the teachings of the Wisdom Figures of the various native tribes here in this land.  Inside every person there are two dogs - the happy dog and the unhappy dog. From time to time they would fight. If you listen you can hear the fight going on in your stomach. Then a kid asks, “Which one wins?” And the Wisdom Teacher or a teacher says, “The one we feed.”

So if we want to be a growler and a grouch and a pain you know where, feed that angry dog - give that angry dog your attention.

If we want to be a nice lovable dog, feed that dog.

The title of my homily is, “Cultivating Peace.”

CARTOON IN AMERICA MAGAZINE

There was a “Without Guile” cartoon in America Magazine last October 31st. It shows two people in heaven - on clouds. A wife is standing behind her husband. Both are wearing halos. The husband is sitting there hands behind his neck talking to his wife. He’s looking at a TV. The caption on the bottom of the cartoon is, “It’s really nice up here, but I miss all the negative political ads.”

CONCLUSION

How to cultivate peace? Say the Peace Prayer of St. Francis every morning and then put it into practice its various good attributes.
How to cultivate trouble? Feed yourself with tons of negative stuff every day and then go out and spread those seeds of discord.

Your move.

Conclusion: Here is a litmus test. Just listen for a week to the groups you hang with. If your groups are filled with good stuff, then great. If your groups are filled with negative stuff, then realize likes attract.Run!

TWO  TYPES OF  PEOPLE

February  20,  2012

Quote for Today  - Twentieth Day in Black History Month

"Spend your life lifting people up,
not putting people down."

Anonymous

MY MISTAKES

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for this 7th Sunday in Ordinary Time - B - is, “My Mistakes.”

Just as some people find it difficult to say, “I love you”, so some people find it difficult to say, “I made a mistake” or “I was wrong” or “I did it” or “I blew it”.

Some people - like that - can make - half way comments - like, “Love you” or “Me too.” Then in the area of forgiveness, they can say, “My mistake.” In time, they just have to add the “I” - as in, “I made a mistake” or “I was wrong!”

Is the Catholic Church  on to something with confession when someone says out loud, to another, “Bless me Father for I have sinned.”

FORGIVENESS

Today’s readings trigger the theme of forgiveness.

The first reading from Isaiah 43 - has the Lord saying something we all need to hear - loud and clear:

                     “Remember not the events of the past,
                      the things of long ago consider not;
                      see, I am doing something new!”

If there is one thing I have learned as a priest, it’s right there.

We remember the mistakes of our past. As we get older, we slowly lose our short term memory - but our long term memory can be loud and clear - especially regarding sins.

If there is one thing I have learned as a priest, it’s we forget many of the good things we have done with our lives, but we don’t forget a few of big mistakes we made long ago.

If there is one thing I have learned as a priest, it’s that it’s much easier to say the Creed prayers, “I believe in one God” than to pray, “I believe You God that You have forgiven me that mistake I made in 1967 or 1977 or 1987. “

If there is one thing I have also learned as a human being, it’s that it’s much easier to forgive another than to forgive ourselves.

Yet, don’t we get mad when we forgive someone and they still feel guilty and don’t seem to believe that we have forgiven them?

What’s behind this difficulty in accepting forgiveness in ourselves - for our own mistakes and sins? Is that part of the sin of pride? Is that down deep that we can’t believe we can fall or fail? Is that because we want to keep the belief that the others are the sinners not I? Is that so we can keep in reserve our stones that we want to throw at others? Is that what Jesus was getting at when he said, “Let him or her without sin cast the first stone?” Yet, some people down deep keep casting the same stone at themselves.

Today’s second reading from the Second Letter of Paul to the Corinthians has God telling us that his word to us is, “Yes.”

Yet, often we have the problem of not believing God accepts us, God loves us, God forgives us and God promises us that acceptance. We feel because of our sins that God looks at us and gives us a, “No!” - gives us a thumbs down. Paul is proclaiming today that God says “Amen” - which means “Yes” to us.

Today’s gospel tells us the intricate story of the four men who bring a friend to Jesus so as to be healed of his paralysis. When they see a crowd surrounding the house where Jesus was, they don’t give up. They go up on the roof and break through the roof and lower their friend down to Jesus. Jesus surprises them by saying to the paralyzed man, “Your sins are forgiven.” They were not there for that reason. Yet, that’s what Jesus does at first.

Now the scribes, meaning those who could write - the more educated - thought to themselves, “Who but God alone can forgive sins?”

Jesus, to prove just that, and so much more, says to the paralyzed man whom he just given the gift of forgiveness, “Rise, pick up your man and walk.”

And the paralyzed man stood up and started celebrating in front of everyone. He came in on a mat and walked out on his feet - healed.

SIN AS PARALYSIS

I don’t think the author of this gospel was specifically trying to say that sin paralyzes us. However, at times, I see that preachers see that as a powerful way to read and hear this gospel text - as well as a way to understand sin.

Sin can paralyze us. Sin can get us to forget everything as we spend all our energy on the sin - the mistake we made.

Here’s an example I came up with last night. I’m not sure if  it’s exactly on the point, but let me float it towards you this morning.

A lady prepares an elaborate dinner for 12 people. Everything is perfect - perfect - perfect. The table is elegant.

Her husband says, “Let’s say grace.” Her eyes are closed. Then in the middle of the prayer, she peeks to scan the table - expecting to see her perfect creation.

Then she spots it. The one thing she asks her husband to do - to put the bread in two baskets on the table - which have green cloth napkins as a base - doesn’t have the bread she baked herself. It has sliced white bread.

She’s furious. She screams inwardly to herself, “How do I get this bread off this elegant table and how do I get the two loaves I baked this afternoon onto the table, smoothly?”

She’s sees her husband getting up and going into the kitchen for the cork screw for the wine. She follows right after him.

The door is closed. She grabs his arm. She whispers, “The bread. The bread. The bread. Where’s the bread? It’s a disaster. I give you one thing to do and you blow it. The bread. The bread. Where’s the bread I baked this afternoon?”

He says, “I know. I looked everywhere and couldn’t find it. Sorry!”

She says, “It’s here somewhere. It’s here somewhere.”

The search is on….

Then she realizes it’s in the oven. Relax! The oven wasn’t on. She put it in there to keep it warm - up to the last minute - but didn’t tell her husband that. She takes it out puts it in another two baskets - with green cloth napkins. Now what? She’s still furious. She feels mortified. How is she going to march back out there to the guests - with two bread baskets - and remove the other two - the ones with the white slices of store bread?

At that, her husband takes both baskets and walks out to their dining room. He says out loud, “I blew it folks. My wife gave me one job to do and I brought out sliced white bread. Here’s the fresh bread she baked this afternoon - and it’s nice and warm.”

They all laughed and clapped as he took away the white bread - back to the kitchen. Then when he came back, the women - with their husbands present - all said out loud to his wife, “We wish our husbands a) would do some work around the house and b) admit their mistakes.”

It saved the day.

Little things however have been known to ruin the day - and sometimes come back as attacks from time to time.

This homily is about forgetting and forgiving - letting go - not of little things  - but big things and then living life to the full.

Sin paralyses us. Sin drains us. Sin makes us want to hide. Sin can shame us.

Forgiveness can be healing - and getting us moving again.

Let me throw in another curve.

I played sports, but I was never a star athlete. One thing I noticed about star athletes, it’s that they remember everything - ever pitch - especially if the other guy hit it for a game winning hit. They remember every missed field goal, especially if it meant they didn’t make the Super Bowl.

Why is it we remember the errors - the mistakes - the sins of life?

Take cars. They can be replaced when they are totaled. They can be restored at a body shop if they have dents and bruises.

Take humans. The cuts and mistakes seem to be unsightly scars and tattoos on our soul. Nobody else sees them. We do.

CONCLUSION

The readings today say we can be healed. The readings today say we can be forgiven. The readings today say we can become brand new, fresh bread on the table of life.

Ash Wednesday - Lent starts - this week. There are some deep things we all need to think and pray about. Sin and forgiveness are certainly key.

*****

Painting on top: "Healing of the Paralytic," c. 1560-1590, Netherlandish 16th century painting that is part of the Chester Dale Collection in the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C. Notice the people on the roof and the house in the background - plus lots of tiny details.

INVISIBLE  MAN

February  19,  2012

Quote For Today - Nineteenth Day in Black History Month

"I am an invisible man ....  I am a man of substance, of flesh and bone,  fiber and liquids -  and I might even be said to possess a mind.  I am invisible, understand, simply because people refuse to see me."

Ralph Ellison [1914-1964],  The Invisible Man [1952], prologue

THE TONGUE

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for this 6th Saturday in Ordinary Time is, “The Tongue.”

In today’s first reading from James 3: 1-10 - I see one more reason to say, “If you want to read the Bible, start with the Letter of James.” I like to say, “If you don’t get James, if you don’t feel challenged by the Letter of James, you won’t get stuff that’s not as clear as James.”

MATCH BOOK

We all know what a match book looks like. Question: How many matches are there in one match book? Answer: The regular match book has 20 matches in it.

Next picture opening book of match book and seeing 20 red tongues.

Then realize that those 20 red tongues can start 20 fires - or more.

James says just that. The tongue can ruin someone - burn someone - hurt another big time.

James says that the fire of the tongue can cause as much damage as a fire.

The wrong word can burn another.

But don’t forget the paradox: the right word can heal another.

MEDITATION

So this Letter of James can get us to meditate and reflect upon our own tongues - our own words - and the impact we make on one another - to build or to burn.

Agree or disagree? “In nine times out of ten, the slanderous tongue belongs to a disappointed person.” George Bancroft .

Agree or disagree? Do life’s two biggest regrets have to do with words: words spoken and words that we forgot to speak?

Agree or disagree: “The bitterest tears shed over graves are for words left unsaid and deeds left undone.” Harriet Beecher Stowe

I know there are conversations I didn’t have with my dad - that I wished I had. How about you - what do you say to loved ones when you stand at their grave, see their photo, pick out their memorial card from your prayer book?

I know there are sermons and comments I made that I wish hadn’t made. I know there are sermons and comments I could have said in another way.

The human tongue is a powerful fire as James is telling us in this first reading today.

CONCLUSION: THE BODY MORNING PRAYER

Tongue: stick your tongue out of your teeth a tiny bit and bite it for a moment each morning and while biting it, say a prayer that you use your tongue well that day - that you say something that helps another and you say something that hurts another.

Ears:  touch your ears for a moment each morning and ask the Lord that you might hear good stuff about people this day.

Eyes:  touch your eyes for a moment each morning and ask the Lord that only see the good things people do for each other this day.

Hands:  touch your hands for a moment each morning and ask the Lord that you reach out your hands to help someone this day.

Feet:  touch your toes or tap your feet for a moment each morning and ask the Lord that you walk away from gossip this day instead of spreading bad news about others.

Mind:  put your hand on top of your head for a moment each morning and pray that today you think good thoughts, plan good deeds, and good words come out of your mind and mouth. Amen.

QUALITY 

NOT 

QUANTITY

February  18, 2012

Quote for Today - Eighteenth Day of Black History Month

"Too often
the educational value
of doing well
what is done,
however little,
is overlooked.
One thing well done
prepares the mind
to do the next thing better.
Not how much,
but how well,
should be the motto.
One problem
thoroughly understood
is of more value
than a score
poorly mastered."

Booker T. Washington [1856-1915]
 
On top 1940 Postage Stamp - Booker T. Washington

FAITH AND WORKS

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for this 6th Friday in Ordinary Time is, “Faith and Works.”

Today’s first reading - James 2: 14-26 - is a famous text of the New Testament - and fro theological discussion it’s worth being aware of it.

It has triggered for some the great “Faith and Works” controversy.

Luther called this text of James “straw” - compared to Paul’s writings on faith in Jesus as our Savior.

BIBLICAL TEXTS AND CHURCH TEACHINGS


If one gets into theology, one gets into conflicts and controversy.

As I thought about the “Faith and Works” question, I tried to see what principles have worked for me. I thought to myself, “Could I put them into writing. Let me start with 3 principles.

1) A text out of context is a text out of context. When people start arguing religious questions, out of our mouths come Bible texts - which triggers other Bible texts. So some people then say, “A text out of context is a pretext.” I’m saying here: “A text our of context is a text our of context.” That should be less argumentative. So if someone is arguing with you - using Bible texts - smile. Offer them a glass of cold water if they come to your door or a cup of tea or coffee - if they are in your house. If they want to argue with you using Bible texts, best of luck. I would simply say, “Am I correct that your mind is made up on this?” If they say “Yes” then talk about the Ravens or the weather. If they continue with a Bible text simply say, “A text our of context is a text out of context.”

2) Outside the Bible there is light. If you’re a Catholic, you would know that we hold that there are sources of light outside the Bible. This does not mean that the Catholic Church is not Biblically based. It means that there are traditions and teachings, councils and creeds, some of which have risen out of conflicts amongst various Christians about meanings of words in the Bible etc. So Catholics hold up to the light both the Bible and the Bible in light of Traditions that arose afterwards, etc.

3) If minds are made up, minds are made up. If one person says the curtain is blue and the other person says it’s purple, why argue? If one person says President Obama is a secret Muslim, why argue? If someone says, “The Catholic Church is wrong on this!” and you see their hands are fists - and their face and whole skull is a fist, why argue?

SOME IF’S - BACK TO JAMES 2: 14-26
Now back to today’s text from James 2:14-26..

If Luther and various protestors thought that some Christians - united to Rome - thought that some people thought they were buying eternal salvation by a money donation, then Luther and others thought that was going on. And they protested.

If Catholic Church theologians thought and taught that Jesus is the one who saves us - not ourselves - they thought that - while not necessarily thinking the money thing.

If Jesus and Paul thought that some Jews were thinking that keeping the Law with all its tiny details - will keep us in God’s good graces - and save us - and in the meanwhile they are cruel to their parents or what have - using loopholes in the Law, Jesus and Paul disagreed with the Law saving us idea. [Cf. Mark 7: 1-13; Romans 7]

If James saw folks in his community not doing any work or making any effort for caring for the poor and the hungry or those who were freezing cold - and in the meanwhile they are saying they have faith in Jesus Christ, then he’s saying they have a misguided understanding of life and faith.

If Luther and others don’t think they have teachings, understandings, ideas, policies, theologies - about what Bible texts mean and don’t mean and these teachings and understandings are not in the Bible, but they believe come out of the Bible, they need to step back and realize that. If they won’t admit this, don’t argue. It isn’t worth it. One has to realize that reality. Protestant communities have teachings, their own popes, councils, theologies that are part of their tradition.

CONCLUSION

In the meanwhile, hopefully all Christians realize that Jesus is our Savior - and we can’t buy heaven - as well as an eternal life - our resurrection after we die. It’s totally out of our hands.

However, hopefully, in the meanwhile, we lose ourselves - die to ourselves - so we can help others rise - and lead a great healthy life, here - as well as hereafter.