OYSTERS
Quote for Today: December 14, 2012
"It is unseasonable and unwholesome in all months that have not an r in their name to eat an oyster."
William Butler [1535-1618], Dyet's Dry Dinner [1599]
Friday, December 14, 2012
Thursday, December 13, 2012
Wednesday, December 12, 2012
???????
LIFE TIME QUESTIONS
"Does everyone have lifetime questions?"
That’s one of my lifetime questions.
Somewhere along the line kids start asking questions.
Listen to kids and you’ll be listening to questions: “How
come?” or “Why?” or “When?”
Look at the faces of babies. They hear a noise, They turn
towards where the sound comes from. At
what point, long before words, does the baby’s face say, “What is that?” or
“What was that?” or “Who are you?” Babies squint. Babies make faces - sometimes
in the shape of a question mark. Babies seem to be asking questions long before
they can talk. “When are we going to eat?” “When are you going to notice
me?” “When are you going to hold me?”
Listen to little kids as they start to grow. You’ll here
more specific questions like: “How come she gets to stay up later than me and I
got to go to bed?” “How come he gets a bigger piece of the pie than the piece I
got?”
Is the most basic question: “How come life is unfair at
times?”
Sometimes we get answers to our questions.
Sometimes we continue with the same basic questions all our
life?
Sometimes we come up with new questions?
“How come she gets all the attention?”
“How come the rich get richer?”
"How come there is suffering?"
“How come he or she doesn’t see the way I see?”
“How could so and so be a Democrat and so and so be a Republican?”
“After all I did for you, how could you do that to me?”
“Why do people stop listening to what I have to say?
“Why do people walk away from me?
“Is everyone down deep lonely?”
“When am I going to die?”
“Will I ever accomplish anything?”
“Will I ever finish something?”
“What difference does it make?”
“What difference will I make?”
“How much does it cost?”
"Does everyone have lifetime questions?"
"If they do, are they aware of them?"
"Does anyone else ask this question or questions along this line?"
One of my lifetime questions is: “Motive?”
I’ve been asking that question ever since I was a little
kid.
“Motive?”
Then I go through my basic list of possible motives on why so
and so did so and so or say what they said? Why? Why? Why?
What are the basic motives?
Is this a good list of basic motives: Fear? Shame?
Ashamed? “That’s why I lied. I was
ashamed.” Insecurity? Security?
Hunger? Love? Attachment? Addiction? Guilt? Selfishness? Me. Myself. And I. I put
myself first every time. Greed? Lust? Pride? Laziness?
When I’m watching NCIS or a detective show on TV or the
movies, I’m asking what the investigators or the detectives are asking,
“Motive?” Once we establish a motive or possible motives, we start looking for
people who could have that motive.
"What does it profit a person, if they gain the whole world,
and suffer the loss of their soul?”
Great question by Jesus.
So motive has always been one of my lifetime questions.
So maybe that’s why I loved the moment in a college
philosophy class that I was taking and
the professor was talking about Existentialism and he said, “I’m writing on the
board the world’s shortest poem. It’s two words and they rhyme:
'I
Why?'
I’ve
never forgotten that. It’s a life time question. And I used it many times in
sermons like this.
And I wrote the world’s second shortest poem. It also
rhymes:
“You
Who?”
“I / Why” “You / Who” are two lifetime questions - that
everyone asks all their life. We want to know who we are. Why do I exist. What am I to do with my life? We also want to know who the other people are in our
life: friends, dates, teammates, family?
What are your life time questions?
This question was triggered by another one of my regular lifetime
questions.
When you go into a Catholic Church like this one, you always find at least one statue or
picture of Mary the Mother of Jesus. Why? We have the statue of Mary up there
above the tabernacle - above the center of the old altar. If you were a
Buddhist or Taoist or Confucian and you were never in a Catholic Church before,
would you want to know what that statue represents?
Every Catholic Church usually has one image of Mary. We have 2 - the one
above the old altar and the one off to the side there - over there - Our Mother
of Perpetual Help. What is that all about?
If you went into a Protestant Christian Church - other than
Anglican - you most likely wouldn’t find such images of Mary. Why? Why not?
And this church and this parish is called, “St.
Mary’s.” And all the stained glass
windows up there show images of this woman. “Why?” “What is that all
about?” “Motive?” “You / Who?”
I’ve been asking that question for some 65 years now. It
started when I was an altar boy as a kid. I’d see people praying at shrines and
statues and images of Mary. Why? When I was a kid I used to also be a candle boy at
our church, Our Lady of Perpetual Help, in Brooklyn , N.Y.
I’ve heard lots of answers. Lighting a candle is a prayer that stays here
burning for me after I’m gone. It’s a tiny sacrifice. I put my money in. The
candle burns - disappears to itself - giving some light - as it dies.
I particularly thought of this question of Lifetime
Questions this morning - because today the Catholic Church - especially in Mexico and the United States , and other countries of the Americas celebrate the feast
of Our Lady of Guadalupe.
Why the following? What’s that all about? Why are there other churches and shrines all around
the world dedicated to Mary: Lourdes , Fatima, Czestochowa, Chartres ,
Medjujorje, and Guadalupe?
What is that behavior, that energy about?
I’ve been asking that question all my life.
One answer is that God is concerned with women and children
- two people who are often treated up till the last century as nothing. Mary and her baby Jesus are often sculpted together - and we come and pray with and for all mothers and all their children.
Another answer is that mothers are central to life. All through our lives they represent security and home - and so we come to church for a feeling of security and home.
I love the definition of home: “the place where they have to take
you in.”
Does Mary represent God - who takes us in?
Do mothers represent God - who takes us in?
Do we all need all our lives - the comforting presence of
our Mothers - living and dead - as well as the womb of a church?
Does Mary represent that God welcomes all people -
especially the little person - like Juan Diego - as well as all native people? Amen.
OOOOOOOOOO
[This was a question type homily I preached this morning to St. Mary's High School - December 12, 2012]
Tuesday, December 11, 2012
LOST SHEEP:
THE LITTLE ONES
ON THE PLANET
INTRODUCTION
The title of my homily for this 2nd Tuesday in
Advent is, “Lost Sheep: The Little Ones
on the Planet.”
ADVENT READING
One of the recommendations for Advent is that we do some
Advent Spiritual Reading. So we have those blue books in the back of church the past few
years and some other Advent pamphlets. People take them and people give feedback
saying they appreciate them.
Just at the beginning of Advent, I noticed an Advent
Sourcebook - from Liturgy Training publications in Chicago . It gives lots of prayers and some
interesting quotes from all over. This week I’m reading the material for the
Second Week, entitled, “Wealth of the Poor”.
Last night I spotted a piece by Eduardo Galeano - a
Uruguayan journalist and writer. I had never heard of him - and I know nothing
about Uruguay - except that
its capital is Montevideo .
He’s around my age. I’m born in 1939. He’s born in 1940. He wanted to be a
soccer player. He says every boy in Uruguay wanted to be a soccer
player. He becomes a journalist and a writer.
HE WRITES ABOUT
THE LITTLE GUY AND LITTLE GAL
I looked up on line last night just who this Eduardo Galeano
is. He writes about the poor of the earth - especially the unnoticed - the
nobodies of our world. This does not go down well at times with the big guys.
In 1973 there was a military coup in Uruguay and Eduardo Galeano is arrested and his
book, Open Veins of Latin America is
banned in that country - as well as Chile
and Argentina .
He escapes and settles in Argentina
- till there is a military coup there a short time after he gets there. His name
is on the list of those to be killed. So he goes to Spain . He returns to Uruguay and Montevideo in 1985 - when the country has
elections and goes the opposite direction.
Here’s the quote and the story that I found in the Advent
Book.
The Uruguayan
political prisoners may not talk without permission, or whistle, smile, sing,
walk fast, or greet other prisoners; nor may they make or receive drawings of pregnant women, couples, butterflies, stars or birds.
One Sunday, Didsasko
Perez, school teacher, tortured and jailed “for having ideological ideas,” is
visited by his daughter Milay, aged five. She brings him a drawing of birds.
The guards destroy it at the entrance of the jail.
On the following Sunday,
Milay brings him a drawing of trees. Trees are not forbidden, and the drawings
get through. Didasko praises her work and asks about the colored circles
scattered in the treetops, many small circles half-hidden among the branches:
“Are they oranges? What fruit is it?”
The child puts her fingers to her mouth: “Ssssshhh.”
And she whispers in
his ear: “Silly. Don’t you see they’re eyes? They’re the eyes of the birds that
I smuggled in for you.”
That’s the story. Till I read up on the life of Eduardo Galeano
I didn’t really get the story - other than it being interesting and puzzling.
TODAY’S READINGS
Combining it with today’s readings I got this out of it.
Today’s first reading is from Isaiah 40: 1-11. It’s the beginning
of Second Isaiah. The Israelites are in exile - in the prison of Babylon - and Second
Isaiah draws pictures of hope in words for this people. Right now we’re in a
wasteland - but the Lord is going to lead us out by a brand new road - lowering
the mountains and filling up the valleys to get us home. It’s a picture of
hope. He’s saying, “Enough already. See the way out of this. Open your eyes to a better future.”
Today’s gospel from Matthew 18: 12-14 has Jesus telling us he cares for the little
ones. He paints a picture in words of a
lost sheep - and see how he leaves the 99 to find the little one. He doesn’t
worry about the 99 who are doing okay.
CONCLUSION
The message is to open up our eyes and see and then care for the lost ones - for those who
feel like they are in exile - for those in prison - for those in nursing homes
- for the children - especially the poor who are neglected and hurting. We need
to be like that little girl and draw pictures for those who need eyes to see how to escape from their
littleness - and their poverty.
I plan to check out more about Eduardo Galeano - because I
picked up on the little research I did on him last night. I see that he’s
labeled a “Leftist”. I see that he challenges the First World foreign policies
- including the United
States - since the 1970’s - and before that.
I see that he gets people thinking outside of their boxes - especially if they
are narrow. He doesn’t like borders. He sees us as citizens of the earth.
Caesar Chavez at a meeting of the countries of the Americas publicly handed Barack
Obama Eduardo Galeano’s book, Open Veins
of Latin America - which made it a best seller. In his writings about the
poor of the planet - the lost sheep - people like the Somali Pirates and those
in prison, I picked up that he upset lots of folks - and challenges lots of
folks.
I assume that the
writers of the Advent book I picked up think that is something we need for Advent - as
Christians - to understand why Christ came in the first place - and why he drew
us the picture of him looking for that 100th sheep that was lost -
and let’s hope we do as well - noticing each other - especially when we’re
lost.
Monday, December 10, 2012
The title of my homily for this 2 Monday of Advent is,
“Seeing the Desert Bloom.”
DESERT HOUSE OF
PRAYER: TUCSON , ARIZONA
The Redemptorists of our Denver
Province have a retreat house just
outside of Tucson , Arizona
A bunch of years ago I was asked to do two weeks of talks
out there. My hope each day was that it would rain. I’ve always heard it's one of life’s most beautiful sights: desert rain and then to see what
happens to the earth right after it. The desert comes to life big time.
It didn’t rain - so that’s one of life’s disappointments. It's still on my bucket list.
BUT - LOTS OF BUTS
But I did see an empty lot on the Lower East Side of New
York City go from being dump - containing
rusting shopping carts, tossed toilet
bowls, thrown away mattresses, etc. etc. etc. - becoming a tiny park - with
benches - shade trees - a small community vegetable garden - some cement chess
and card tables - and people sitting there enjoying a quiet nook in the middle
of a busy neighborhood.
But I have seen family members and priests recover from alcoholism and
getting into AA 12 Step Programs for their recovery.
But I have seen a junky, dilapidated house become a
beautiful home where a family lives - in both New Orleans
and Philadelphia .
But I’ve seen many a road go from one with pot holes and
bumps to a brand new road - black topped - new white lines and it flowed.
But I’ve seen people walking well with new knees and new
hips.
But I’ve seen people recover from a gambling addiction.
But I repaired and rebuilt a boardwalk by the ocean that was
totally destroyed by a Nor’easter.
But I read about Grandma Moses - Anna Mary Robertson -
mother of 10 children - 5 of whom died in childbirth - started painting in her late 70’s and did
some 1600 paintings till her death at 101. She sold her first paintings - small
ones 2 dollars - large ones 3 dollars. In November of 2006, her 1943 painting,
Sugaring Off sold for 1.2 million.
But I’ve seen old folks dancing up a storm at many a
wedding.
But I’ve seen people recover from stuttering, Bell’s Palsy,
a stroke and what have you.
TODAY’S READINGS
Recovering, renewal, beginning again, new life, roads
finished, safety, flowers blooming, healing, redemption - are all themes in today’s two
readings.
In the first reading from Isaiah 35: 1-10, we hear that the desert and the parched
land will exult, The earth will bloom with beautiful flowers. Everyone is singing.
Sore hands and knees will be strengthened. Hearts that are frightened will stop being
afraid. The blind will see. The deaf will hear. The lame will leap. Those who can’t speak, will speak out.
In today’s gospel from Luke 5: 17-26, the man who is paralyzed by sickness and sin is forgiven and healed - and stands up praising Jesus - saying, “We have seen incredible things today.”
CONCLUSION: TODAY
Today - it’s been raining. It’s kind of dreary. Remember the old saying, "Bloom where you're planted." A question then: What can I do to make life bloom around us today?" Amen.
OOOOOO
Painting on top: Blooming Cactus by Amy H. Whitehouse
Sunday, December 9, 2012
LANDSCAPE:
INNER AND OUTER
INTRODUCTION
The title of my homily is, “Landscape: Inner and Outer.”
TODAY’S READINGS
Today’s readings - for this Second Sunday in Advent - talk
about landscape - inner and outer - more outer than inner - however.
The first reading from the prophet Baruch talks about the
heights of Jerusalem
- where people came to visit on a regular basis - to see the big city - from
the east and the west. Then Baruch talks about the leveling of landscape -
mountains being lowered and gorges being filled in. He also talks about every
kind of tree lending both shade and fragrance for those on the road to the city.
Then at the end of today’s first reading Baruch goes within: how God is leading
the people of Israel
in joy - by the light of his glory - so
that they will travel this life with mercy and justice.
Today’s gospel has Luke’s way of beginning the coming out of
Jesus as an adult. He locates Jesus in history. He tells us who was emperor at
the time - Tiberius Caesar - who was governor - Pontius Pilate - who was
tetrarch of Galilee - Herod - and then he
gives a few more names - as well as the names of Annas and Caiaphas - who were
high priests at the time. Next he tells
us of John the Baptist who came to proclaim a baptism of repentance for the
forgiveness of sins. John quotes the prophet Isaiah. It’s the same message that
we heard from Baruch: roads and paths are to be made straight - valleys are to
be filled in - with the mountains and hills being lowered - and winding roads
are to be made straight and rough ways made smooth. Then the closing message is
about changes in our inner landscape - redemption and salvation coming to us
from our God.
The title of my homily is: “Landscape: Inner and Outer.”
HIGHWAY
CONSTRUCTION AHEAD.
We’ve all been on the roads of life and we’ve all seen signs
indicating, “Highway Construction Ahead.”
I had the front seat of a bus with our high school seniors
last Friday coming back from a 4 day retreat at Malvern Retreat House in Pennsylvania . I had
looked at the readings for today just before I left - so as to think about a
homily for today on the bus. I saw landscape in the readings. I saw landscape
out the front window of the bus. I saw hills - no mountains - but hills and
slopes - dips and twists and turns. I saw road construction here and there on
the way - especially on 95 north of Baltimore .
When is that going to be finished?
Maybe like airports, construction, revamping, always goes
on.
I couldn’t help but think a retreat is a good thing for
folks to attend from time to time. Retreat houses are usually located where
there is beautiful landscape. I suspect the motive is for folks to go within:
to check out their inner landscape.
What does it look like inside me - in my invisible side?
What am I like? If someone could walk around inside me - what would they see?
Do I have rough roads - that need repair? Where do I need to
be inner beautified? Where are my potholes - that bother me and others all the
time? Where do I have to plant inner trees and dig for water?
As I sat on the bus thinking about all this - I thought: “That’s
one of the purposes of Advent - to look
at our inner landscape - and make our paths to God better - and better for God
to travel to us.”
I think of the Christmas story of Mary and Joseph coming
south on a donkey - heading for Bethlehem
- the place where Jesus is born.
CONCLUSION
I laugh. I celebrate - after all this talk about beautiful
landscape - Jesus is born in a stable with the stink of animals. So he’ll come
to us - however we are - but I guess it would be better, if we were better.
Saturday, December 8, 2012
CHOICE:
THE POWER OF CHOICE
INTRODUCTION
The title of my homily for this feast of Mary’s Immaculate
Conception is, “The Power of Choice.”
Today we’re celebrating the feast of the Immaculate
Conception - the Patronal Feast of both the United States as well as this
parish of St. Mary’s.
As you know the Feast of the Immaculate Conception was
declared in 1854 and this church’s cornerstone was blessed in 1858 by St. John Neumann. On page 46 of Robert Warden’s book on our parish we read that the official
title of this church was always the “Church of the Immaculate Conception of the
Blessed Virgin Mary,” but he says it’s not clear just when this was
adopted.
MANY THEMES IN TODAY’S READINGS
There are many themes in the readings for this feast of the
Immaculate Conception:
· “Where are you?”
· Temptation to taste and bite into the forbidden,
· Blame, shame,
· Choice
·
· Eve - as the Mother of all the Living,
· Being blessed,
· Holiness,
· Love,
· Adoption,
· Being favored,
· Purpose,
· Hope,
· Angel - as messenger
· Being Called,
· Grace.
· Pondering,
· Being Named,
· Holy Spirit,
· Being Overshadowed,
· Barren - and being fruitful,
· Nothing is Impossible with God.
Those are just a few. I choose to speak a bit on choice.
A major theme in American life is freedom. America is very
much pro choice. I choose not to let that phrase refer only to those who choose
to allow abortion - especially since our choices include an impact on self and
others. And I see a deadly impact in abortion. So I’m using choice and pro
choice here in the context of freedom of choice - that it is a very strong national
value. We are the land so many people came to by choice from so many other
places. We're aware that some were brought here by force - as slaves. Then there are those here were
driven from their spaces - so when it comes to freedom - we don’t have an immaculate record.
The value of freedom and choice has always been part of
our value system. We stress freedom of the press, freedom of religion, freedom
of speech. All have consequences and bring limitations. Each includes the principle of impact of one person’s freedom on
another’s freedom. We've all heard the message: one can’t yell, “Fire” in a crowded movie. Freedom to swing
your fist, as they say, ends where my nose begins.
I remember reading somewhere that visitors to the United States
from some countries love to go to the Mall or a big grocery store and see all
the choices. Around here we can go to CVS, Rite Aid, The Annapolis Pharmacy, or get prescriptions by mail or what have you. We have Ford and Nissan. We have Giant and Safeway,
Graul’s and Wegman's is more and more on their way here. We have K-Mart and Wallmart. We have dozens of different types of cell phones and gadgets for communication.
Choices.
TODAY’S FIRST READING
In today’s first reading Eve chooses the forbidden fruit -
and the rest is history. She brings Adam into the deal. He blames her. She
blames the snake. And the rest is mystery.
Mistakes - bad choices - often tell us more about ourselves
than our successes. They expose our naked motives. They teach us there are
consequences. Hurts tell us more than helps - so so often.
We can take and eat forbidden fruit and our lives are
different forever. It ends our innocence and our paradises.
TODAY’S GOSPEL
In today’s gospel, Mary the New Eve, chooses God’s plan.
I like the great stress that like Eve - she is given a
choice. She asks questions like Eve. She ponders. She chooses God’s message for
her. He brings Christ into our world.
CHOICE
The message of the first reading is: Don’t eat the forbidden.
The message of the Gospel is: Eat God. Eat Christ.
Life is a choice about what we eat - about what we say "Yes" or "No" to.
We have a choice between the forbidden fruit and good fruit
- the goodness of Christ who bids us to bite into him and his good news every
day.
We have the choice of devolution - going backwards - or evolution - to keep growing and knowing God.
CONCLUSION
I just got back this afternoon from 4 days with some of our
high school seniors on a Kairos Retreat - our 21st.
We’re waiting in the lobby for the bus to arrive and get us
back here. I notice a picture there on the lobby wall. I think it was by Giotto - called the "Annunciation".
It is a picture of Mary hearing the word of God. Then in the background - off to the side - is Adam and Eve rejecting the word of God.
I had just read the readings for today to come up with a
homily on the bus coming back. I said to myself: there they are - both readings in that painting - the every day
choice - to be like Mary and choose the Good News or to choose the Forbidden
and end up in disaster. It’s our choice. Amen.
Friday, December 7, 2012
INDIFFERENCE
Quote for the Day - Wednesday, December 5, 2012
"The tragedy of love is indifference."
William Somerset Maugham [1874-1965], in The Trembling of a Leaf [1921]
Note: Next to this painting I found on line by Fritz Hirschberger was this poem by this same painter:
Fear not your enemies,
for they can only kill you.
Fear not your friends,
for they can only betray you.
Fear only the indifferent,
who permit the killers and
betrayers to walk safely on earth.
And below it were these notes:
Text and art by Fritz Hirschberger are
from "The Holocaust Series: Sur-Rational Paintings" and reprinted
with permission of the Regis Foundation, Minneapolis, MN. Fritz Hirschberger's
full series of art work on the Shoah can be found athttp://www.chgs.umn.edu/Visual___Artistic_Resources/Fritz_Hirschberger/fritz_hirschberger.html andhttp://www.chgs.umn.edu/Visual___Artistic_Resources/Fritz_Hirschberger2/fritz_hirschberger2.html. For more information, contact the Center for Holocaust and
Genocide Studies: Dr. Stephen Feinstein, Director, tel: (612) 626-2235,
email: feins001@umn.edu, web: http://www.chgs.umn.edu.
© 2005 Anti-Defamation League
Tuesday, December 4, 2012
JUSTICE!
MAKING SURE
EVERYONE GETS
A PIECE OF THE PIE!
MAKING SURE
EVERYONE GETS
A PIECE OF THE PIE!
INTRODUCTION
The title of my reflection for this First Monday in Advent is,
“Justice! Making Sure Everyone Gets a Piece of the Pie!"
Justice is one of the various possible themes in today’s first
reading - amongst several. I picked one I don’t preach on that often - justice
- just to refresh my thoughts - to highlight - to mark with yellow Magic Marker
- something that is important.
Isaiah 11: 1-5 is talking about a future leader - the Messiah - a shoot of David - who will have lots
of gifts: a Spirit of wisdom and understanding, a Spirit of counsel and
strength, a Spirit of knowledge and fear of the Lord. Then Isaiah adds, “He shall judge the poor
with justice.” He further adds, “Justice
shall be the band around his waist.” Band is also translated “belt” or
“loincloth”. In other words, one is wrapped tight when it comes to justice.
So a few thoughts about justice - a central thought -
especially from the prophets. And as we
know - prophets are crucified and killed - rejected and told to leave town and
pulpit - probably a reason we don’t hear too many homilies on justice.
JUSTICE IN THE OLD
TESTAMENT
The Hebrew word used in our text is SEDEK. It can be
translated righteousness, integrity, justice, fairness - words like that.
It’s especially used when talking about fairness in matters
of how judges make decisions - as well as arguments about not being
partial - as well as having honest
weights in the market place - and being aware of the cries of the poor.
Don’t we often heat in the scriptures the refrain, “God
hears the cries of the poor.” Do I?
JUSTICE IN THE NEW TESTAMENT
In the New Testament the key word used would be “DIKAIOS”.
It would be used to say what’s right in a given situation before God.
This is what we’re praying for when we say, “Thy will be done!”
Jesus came to set things done right. To discover justice is
to discover the solemn judgment of God
in what’s happening between each other - in family, in neighborhood, in
whatever situation one runs into. It’s the call to be right and fair with each
other.
SOME QUICK
OBSERVATIONS
In today’s gospel - Luke 10: 21-24 - Jesus says the little ones - the childlike
- have a wisdom. With regards justice watch kids at a birthday party when the
cake is cut. The knife doesn’t cut all pieces of equal size and amount of
frosting. Listen to the prophets in the room: “Hey that’s not fair. She got
more than me.” “He got more than I did.”
In today’s first reading we also hear the great scene of, “The
Peaceable Kingdom” - where “the wolf shall be a guest of the lamb, and the
leopard shall lie down with the kid; The calf and the young lion shall browse
together, with a little child to guide them. The cow and the bear shall be
neighbors, together their young shall rest; the lion shall eat hay like the ox.
The baby shall play by the cobra's den, and the child lay his hand on the
adder's lair.” [Cf. Isaiah 11: 6-10]
Look for Christmas cards with that scene. Christmas is the
time of peace and justice. The message is: Work for peace by working for
justice. We don’t have to be animals
clawing, biting, devouring each other.
THREE QUICK STORIES
THREE QUICK STORIES
First: I remember hearing some Catholic high school kids on
a retreat calling one of their nuns,
“Sister Peace and Justice.” I asked why. Answer: "because all she talked about
was peace and justice.” What a great nickname! Wouldn’t that be a great comment in our eulogy that we'd all want?
Second: when we took our 4 years of theology
in the major seminary after
college, the last two years were Moral Theology. I’ll never forget our teacher Father Charlie
O’Leary. His nickname was, “The Bull”. He rammed ahead with his main stress: justice.
To him it was the key cardinal virtue - the key life virtue - - over all the others. I’m glad he wasn’t off on sex or
pride - but on the practical issue of fairness across the board.
Third: I’m sure you remember Father Jack Lavin [1] who lived and worked here at St. Mary’s for many years. I learned that the issue of justice was his
number 1 priority. We’d be at lunch or supper. He would be rather quiet till an issue came up in conversation
that had sandwiched in it, the issue justice. Then he would come alive. He had a nose for fairness
issues - justice issues - especially for the poor and unnoticed. Justice was
his bottom line.
CONCLUSION
What’s your issue? What are you off on?
I don’t know what I’m off on - but maybe those who know me -
know what it is. Both that nun, that teacher, Charlie O’Leary and Jack Lavin,
helped me see that people can be off on the issue of justice - and how that
leads to peace.
We all have heard Pope Paul VI’s mantra: “Want peace; work
for justice.”
I once saw a great video - that brought out the issue of
justice and peace, fairness and solidarity, big time.
The main speaker in the video said that peace in the world, peace in our community, peace in our family, peace in ourselves - will only exist and work when we have fairness.
The video said things like, “To have peace, everyone has to
have a piece of the pie.” “Everyone has
to feel they also have a piece of the action. In other words everyone has a
voice and a vote.”
Leave someone out. Expect a cry - and sometimes a revolution - from the poor slobs that are being neglected. Amen.
OOOOOOOOOO
NOTES:
Read Father Jack Lavin's book, Noticing Lazarus at Our Door.
EMOTION
"Emotion is not the Cinderella of our inner life, to be kept in her place among the cinders in the kitchen. Our emotional life is us in a way our intellectual life cannot be."
John MacMurray
Chew on that thought. Agree? Disagree? It all depends? Don't understand? Please explain? Would someone say that the reverse be also true?
Monday, December 3, 2012
WHAT IF'S
AND
IF IT WASN'T FOR'S
INTRODUCTION
The title of my homily for this First Monday of Advent is, "What If's and If It Wasn't For's."
Life consists of both "What if's" and "If it wasn't for's."
WHAT IF'S
There are lots of things in life we could have done and didn't do.
It could have been a word, a conversation, a help, towards mom or dad, brother or sister, neighbor or stranger - but we didn't do it.
Some might have been sins of omission.
Realizing them can paralyze us - dumb us down - de-energize us - discourage us.
We all have our "What if's."
They are our regrets
What we can do now is to say, "I'm sorry!" if others are living. We can always try again. We can learn from our blindness - or selfishness.
Yet, they reappear and haunt us from time to time.
BUT THERE ARE ALSO THE POSITIVES
We can also look at the positives. We can look at all those, "If it wasn't for me" or "If it wasn't for you" this would never have taken place.
If it wasn't for our mom and dad meeting, marrying, loving each other, we would not be hear - obviously. I
If it wasn't for so and so coming back to the faith or because they went to church - they gave us good example - and so we are here today.
It's good to think and thank God for all these positive things that happened - and we are different as a result.
IF IT WASN'T FOR
If it wasn't for St. Francis Xavier - whose feast we celebrate today - the Jesuits would be different. Yet he was one of the original 7 - and that made many a difference.
There would be no Xaxier high schools and colleges and universities. There would be no kids named, F.X.
If it wasn't for his 13 month ocean voyage to Goa and the Orient - many, many would never have become Catholics - would never have found Christ in their lives.
If it wasn't for his style of being poor, the poor in Goa would not have gravitated towards him. The upper classes didn't go for him like the lower castes did.
If he didn't make the switch in style - wearing fancy classy clothes, he would not have been allowed a chance to preach Christ in Japan. That gave him entrance - and a base for operations.
WHAT IF HE WENT TO CHINA?
Back to the "What if's?" What if he got into China. He was headed there but died at the age of 46.
CONCLUSION
So life is loaded with both "What if's" as well as "If it wasn't for him or her's".
It would make good Advent reflection on these two issues.
Here's two questions:
1) When it comes to Christ, what if I...?
2) If it wasn't for Christ I would ...?
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