GREAT  TEACHERS

April  25,  2012

Quote for Today - Feast of St. Mark

"Canon Leon Vaganay, 
from Lyons, 
was a great specialist 
in textual criticism; 
he relished it 
with all the love 
of a keen amateur 
just as he practiced it 
with the skill of a master.  
When the war years came [1939-1945]
and there was no way 
to obtain Nestle's New  Testament, 
he heard his colleagues 
groaning about it 
and said to them smiling, 
'Oh, that does not bother me; 
at the beginning 
of the first class, 
I dictate to the students 
a half verse from Mark, 
and with that 
we have material 
for the whole year.'"

Henri de Lubac, At the Service of the Church: Henri de Lubac Reflects on the Circumstances That Occasioned His Writings  translated by Anne Elizabeth Englund, Communio Books, Ignatius Press, San Francisco, 1993, page 23.  The first time I read this quote and every time I read or remember or think about it, it grabs me. It puts a smile on my face - triggers the Pharisee in my mind unfortunately - when someone tells me or a group with the air of an Infallible Pronouncement or Statement what some Bible text means.

Picture on top: The opening page of the Gospel of Mark in the Book of Kells, Dublin, Ireland.

What's your favorite verse or half a verse or word  in the Gospel of Mark?

Who has taught you how to love the Bible?

APPETITE - 

A UNIVERSAL WOLF

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily  for this 3^rd Tuesday of Easter is, “Appetite - A Universal Wolf.”

Isn’t that an interesting image as well as intriguing words: “Appetite - A Universal Wolf”?

They are Shakespeare’s words in one of his not too familiar plays: Troilus and Cressida.  It’s a tragedy and a rather complex one at that. This mythic play takes place in ancient times - over 1000 years before Christ. It’s the 7^th year of the war between the Greeks who have attacked  the city of Troy to rescue Helen who was abducted.  

Ulysses is standing there outside the tent of Agamemnon, the King and Commander-in-Chief of the Greeks. In a speech to the king he states what he sees is going on - not just here in war - but also in life. Commentators point out that Shakespeare in this play uses images and themes that are as modern as the Existential writers of the 20^th century.

Ulysses comments about motivation and the drive and will for power. He talks about desire and fire and appetite: what makes people do what they do. The words, “Appetite, an universal wolf” appears in a speech by Ulysses in the first act, scene 3:

“Then everything includes itself in power,
Power into will, will into appetite;

And appetite, an universal wolf,

So doubly seconded with will and power,

Must make perforce a universal prey,

And last eat up himself.”

Shakespeare is at the heart of tragedy here. People are known to destroy themselves - whether they are lone wolves or travel in packs. They can eat themselves to death - when the will to power takes over. Then it can double itself and destroy oneself even deeper. It can be appetite for food, sex, stuff, power, control,  prestige - to look good - or what have you. 


Jesus challenges us to switch our daily prayer from, "My will be done on earth as it is in heaven." to "Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven."

People who think and sometimes says - because it has become their mind set, “I want what I want when I want it” can end up totally destroying themselves because nobody has all the power. I’m not the only person on this planet. Traffic or children don’t always go my way.

TWO DOGS INSIDE US

I’m sure we have all heard many times the Native American image that we all have  two dogs inside us - the good dog and the bad dog. Then Native American teachers  like to point out that these dogs are fighting at times. And we know if and when asked, “Which dog wins?” the answer is,  “The one we feed.” 

TODAY’S GOSPEL

The last words of today’s gospel triggered these thoughts. Jesus talks about hungering and thirsting. And then he says, “Whoever comes to me, whoever eats me, as the Bread of Life, will never hunger and thirst.”  [Cf. John 6:35.]

Wonderful.

As I read Jesus I read that he’s saying - especially in John - that he can feed us. He can fulfill our deepest hungers and deepest thirsts.

In looking up the words, hunger, thirst, desire and appetite, I discovered in a thesaurus that phrase from Shakespeare, “And appetite, an universal wolf.” I never heard that before.

Is Shakespeare saying that there is a wolf inside of us - the universal wolf - and it is hungry? It wants. It howls for power over anything that gets in its way. We know that. We’ve all felt the power of our desires, our appetites, our addictions, our hungers and our thirsts.

I can picture that wolf inside of me howling at times. 

Then that picture - that image of the wolf -  triggered Jesus’ words about him being the Good Shepherd. Jesus, unlike the Hired Hand, is a Good Shepherd who is willing to lay down his life for me - his lost or dumb sheep at times. [Cf. John 10: 1-21]

Then -  following the Native American image - I found myself jumping to the image of the 2 dogs inside of me. Maybe - instead of those 2 dogs - I have a sheep - a dumb sheep called me inside me - along with a howling wolf called me inside me.

Then I picture and imagine Jesus the Good Shepherd saving me from myself. Praise God. Amen. Amen. Amen.

CONCLUSION

Those are a few images to bring to prayer today. Pause every once and hear the “Woof! Woof!” inside ourselves. Better: pause every once and a while and heart the howl and the “Baa bah bah!” inside of me. Then hear Jesus say, “I am with you all days - even to the end of the world.”

*O*O*O*O*

[Pictures: On top: The Lone Wolf - found on line. Black and White: 1795 engraving by Luigi Schiavonetti, after a 1789 painting by Angelica Kauffman.]

GIVE US THIS DAY 
OUR DAILY  BREAD

April  24,  2012

Quote for Today

"The history of the world from the beginning has been the history of the struggle for daily bread."

Jesue de Castro

WHO  WOULD  YOU 

RATHER  BE?

[Self Test # 7]

[This was a homily or a self test or a reflective questionnaire for our St. Mary's High School Mass today. I noticed in the Lectionary for April 23, one of the options was the gospel for the feast of St. Adalbert, Bishop and Martyr. It was John 10:11-16 - "A Good Shepherd lays down his life for the sheep."]

Who would you rather be: a Good Shepherd or a scared Hired Hand who runs away when he hears the sounds of wild wolves - or wild dogs in the night?

Who would you rather be: Andrew Luck, Robert Griffin III, Blake Griffin, Jeremy Lin, or Nelson Mandela?

Who would you rather be: Madonna or Lady Ga Ga or Pat Summit or Brittany Griner or would you rather be Aung San Suu Kyi who was under house arrest for almost 15 years - received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1991 - and finally was released on November 13, 2010. Her party recently won 43 out of the 45 vacant seats in the lower house of parliament in Myanmar (Burma)?

Who would you rather be: J. K. Rowling or Suzanne Collins or Jennifer Lawrence?

Who would you rather be: George Zimmerman or Treyvon Martin?

Who would you rather be: the bug or the windshield, the Louisville Slugger, the bat, or the ball as the old song, “The Bug” - sung by Mary Chapin Carpenter - goes?

Who would you rather be: the kid graduating from kindergarten this spring or the kid graduating from high school this spring?

Who would you rather be: the cheerleader or the manager of the sports team?

Who would you rather be like: your mom or your dad?

Who would you rather be: the lobster or the clam?

Who would you rather be: the tortoise or the hare?

Who would you rather be: the sheep or the goat?

Who would you rather be" the welcome mat at your front door or the comfort blankie the 3 year older can’t let go of - even though it’s covered with rips and spills and stains of washed out poops or “Ooops!” or who knows what?

Who would you rather be: the famous artist who did the painting on the wall - hanging in the National Art Gallery or the guard in the dark blue uniform who stands there watching 1000 people every day and 10,000 on weekends - go by that painting - telling people what time it is and where the bathrooms are - every time with a smile and a “How do you do”?

Who would you rather be: the kid who goes to the community college, even though her parents wanted her to go to State - but by going to Community, she ended up meeting her husband to be and finally finished her college 21 years later - after their 4th kid got into high school and they love going to Davis’ pub once a month, the beach every summer or would you rather be the kid who went to an Ivy league school - and his or her parents wonder where he or she is now - after dropping out of 3 alcoholic rehab places so far?

Who would you rather be: the Prodigal Son in the story who came home after messing up his life and asked his father’s forgiveness or the older brother who never messed up - but wouldn’t forgive his younger brother when he came home after messing up his life?

Who would you rather be: a plumber who doesn’t mind - well doesn’t mind most of the time - when he’s called up at two o’clock in the morning to come and fix a broken pipe in a bathroom or a philosopher like Benjamin Williams whom a high school senior named Harrison Smith loves to read?

Who would you rather be: a skateboard or a ten speed bike?

Who would you rather be: an Easter Lily that lasts two weeks - and sits there in church singing Alleluia like a horn or would you rather be a desert cactus still surviving, still growing, mostly unnoticed, but celebrates whenever it gets a bit of water, even though it stings or cuts someone every once and a while?

Who would you rather be: a shotgun or a policeman’s bullet proof vest?

Who would you rather be: a priest or a nun celebrating 25 years of service or a married couple celebrating their 25th Wedding Anniversary?

Who would you rather be: an 87 foot yacht that sleeps 32 people or a tiny sail boat that seats 2, but can be pulled to a dock on a small car trailer?

Who would you rather be in the case found on page 76 in M.S. Peck’s book, The Road Less Traveled: “Imagine two generals, each having to decide whether or not to commit a division of ten thousand men to battle. To one the division is but a thing, a unit of personnel, and instrument of strategy and nothing more. To the other it is these things, but he is also aware of each and every one of the ten thousand lives and the lives of the families of each of the ten thousand.”

Who would you rather be: a 17 year old girl in Minnesota who got pregnant - put her baby up for adoption and went on to become a doctor and her baby she finds out 27 years later also became a doctor, surprise, surprise or would you rather be a 17 year old girl in Wilmington who got pregnant and had her baby aborted and she too became a doctor?

Who would you rather be the kid over there in that other bench here in this church or would you rather be the person in your skin, in your clothes, in your seat, with your story so far?

PLEASE  PASS  THE  BUTTER

April  23,  2012

Quote for Today

"In human relations kindness and lies are worth a thousand truths."

Graham Green [1904-1991], The Heart of the Matter [1948], Part I, Chapter 2, Section iv

HOW JESUS 

WAS MADE KNOWN 

IN THE BREAKING 

OF BREAD

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily is, “How Jesus Was Made Known In The Breaking of Bread.”

On this Third Sunday of Easter I think the gospel reading wants to get at the theme of recognizing Jesus in the Breaking of the Bread - okay fish is sometimes part of the story.

Listen again to the opening sentence in today’s gospel: “The two disciples recounted what had taken place on the way, and how Jesus was made known to them in the breaking of bread.”

I think one goal for today’s readings is get us to say, “I know him” as today’s second reading puts it - and as today’s first reading puts it - that Jesus is seen as the holy and the right one - that he is seen as the author of life.

GOSPEL READINGS

On Easter Sunday, the Sunday readings for Years A, B and C are all the same. The theme is that Jesus is not in the tomb. He is Risen.  


On the Second Sunday of Easter - last Sunday - we have the Doubting Thomas story for Years A, B, and C. 


This Sunday - the Third Sunday of Easter, in Years A and B,  the gospel readings are different. Yet they are Part One [Year A] and Part Two [Year B] of the Emmaus Story where the disciples recognize Jesus in the breaking of the bread. 


The gospel for Year C, next year - on this Third Sunday of Easter,  we’ll hear about the disciples fishing all night and catching nothing.  Jesus is on the beach making breakfast for them. Like the disciples on the way to Emmaus they don’t recognize Jesus right away. When he yells to them - where to cast their nets, when they get a net full of fish, they know he’s the Risen Lord. They rush to the beach, eat some of the fish they caught, but in the midst of the words we hear about bread which Jesus gives them at that breakfast. That’s significant. 


In this homily, I’d like to reflect on discovering Jesus, in the breaking of the bread.

DO  WE  REMEMBER?

Do we remember our first communion? Some Catholic adults do - especially if they are converts and they come into the Church as adults.

I remember going through our family photo albums and seeing the pictures of the 4 of us kids in our First Communion outfits. 


I vaguely remember getting a dollar from my godmother - and aunt Nan. For a 7 year old kid in 1947 in Brooklyn, one dollar was a lot of money. 


I loved those 2 cent chocolate candies - unwrapped - behind the glass counter - eye high for a 7 year old kid - in the shape of an ice cube or a tiny casket  - raspberry inside - chocolate outside.

They were to be bought  in a candy story on 5^th Avenue - between 60 and 61^st Street. 


One dollar would get you 50 of those - but I had to save money for other stuff like an egg cream. 


The soda parlor was just a walk across the avenue from the candy store - climb with effort to get up on one of those dark red vinyl silver spinning stools - and then put my elbows a bit on the marble counter - and announce and pronounce, “An egg cream please.”

 I realize that people who have not been blessed in life to have come from Brooklyn - might never have tasted the delight of an egg cream - which had neither egg nor cream. It was simply milk, chocolate syrup and seltzer.

I remember those moments - vaguely - but being a 2 cent raspberry chocolate  and an egg cream addict  - the many injects into my mouth with that good stuff - that all runs together - and I might be mixing up older and more conscious moments with earlier memories - like the guy or gal making the egg cream and beating that egg cream together in its glass - with a noisy spoon hitting against the inner sides of the glass. 


Life is a big mix - a big stirring of lots of moments - hopefully lots of sweet tasting moments and memories.

Communion - receiving my first communion - I’m sure I looked forward to it. One of the benefits of going on for many First Communions as a priest  - like going to weddings - or confirmations or funerals - one has triggered inside one’s memory a whole album full of various memories - all mushed and mixed and stirred together.

When I see a little kid 3, 4, 5, 6 years old come with a parent at communion time and reach and want whatever his or her parents are getting, I wonder: “Was that me? Did I too do that - that reaching for the bread?”  


Then the wondering: “What did I think when I received communion for the first time? Were my hands still folded in prayer? Did I have my eyes closed? Did I peek to see what others were doing? Did I have a clue about the Sacred - about Jesus? Did I know what I was doing? 


When did I realize this is Jesus coming into our hearts and minds and soul and being and substance?

Looking back I don’t know when it was the first time I knew Jesus was in the bread. To make and to have that belief is quite a belief - and all of us here this morning have that belief. Amazing. Who would believe what we believe: Jesus, the Risen Lord - our God -  is present in the Tiny Piece of Bread?

Last Sunday I preached that it’s normal to have doubts about that and various other things. That’s normal. 


The Sunday before that - Easter Sunday - I preached on Faith. Faith and doubt - like two hands at the bottom of our arms - hopefully they work together so we can pick things up.

However, any time you have any doubts about Jesus’ presence in the bread,  just grab 10 minutes and read Chapter 6 of the Gospel of John. Break that chapter apart like you would break bread and then chew on the words - and digest faith in Jesus' presence that he is "the bread of God" "which comes down from heaven and gives life to the world" [John 6;33].

One of the great, great learnings about scripture that changed my thinking big time was this: the gospels are finalized well after the year 60 - the earliest Gospel being Mark - perhaps the last one being John - but maybe not. The gospels  tell  us more about  what was happening in the Early Church than in the life of Jesus. Matthew, Mark, Luke and John took the words and scenes of Jesus and then textured, placed, wrote up what Jesus did - for a community of folks a good 30 years at least after the life of Jesus. I don’t know if that hits you. The gospels are an archaeological site to dig and discover - and then to know and understand what was happening in the early church and to see how they saw the Life of Christ in their lives.

And since they talk about bread and not immediately recognizing Jesus in the bread - that tells us that this was an Early Church growing and developing moment. People in that Early Church community were struggling with what they were hearing: Jesus is present somehow in the mystery of the bread.

It would take centuries - with fights and struggles - splits and splintering in the Church - before folks came up with words like transubstantiation for how Jesus is present in the bread - and consubstantial that all 3 persons in the Trinity are God.

CONCLUSION

Faith takes time.


It takes us long after our First Communion to recognize Jesus in the breaking of the Bread - if we started receiving as a cradle Catholic.  


Faith is a process. 


We might have seen our parents bringing us to church. We saw them take the holy water and put some on us - with the sign of the cross. We saw them genuflecting to Christ in the tabernacle. At Communion time in the Mass we might have been carried up with them as they walked up  to receive Holy Communion. We saw them put their tongue or hand out to reach out to receive this Bread. We sensed that something was different here.

Then we made our First Communion and our 1000^th Communion and somewhere along the line we began to recognize Jesus in the breaking of the Bread - some days more than others.

Because we’re taking the parish census this week, I want to end here - but first I want to tag that some other time, I want to go off on further wonderings. For example,  I wonder: when did Jesus came up with this idea of being bread? Did he want to be with us at every supper and every breakfast - and every time we go out the door to catch fish and we catch nothing or we get it all?  Did he watch people break bread and share it with others?  Did he go further back and imagine the whole process of bread becoming bread and on and on and on? 


Enough already. 


It’s good to watch the stir and the swirl of images in our memory - like the person behind the counter putting together an egg cream for us - to do all this before they put us in our tiny casket. Then hopefully we'll wake up the next moment or 3 days later or however this works to the real thing - to the eternal banquet - where we’ll be fed the finest bread - hopefully leavened - because there will be not more rush as in life. Amen. 

BREAD

April  22,  2012

Quote for Today

"God himself dare not appear to a hungry man except in the form of bread."

Anonymous