TURNING 

THE OTHER CHEEK

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily  for this 11^th Monday in Ordinary Time is, “Turning The Other Cheek.”

We know this message from the Sermon on the Mount very well.

It  - along with many of the messages of Jesus from the Sermon the Mount - are part of our lives.

Evidently - even if people don’t accept Jesus as God - they accept his messages about how to do life.

ANGER - REVENGE - BEING HURT

Today’s short gospel - Matthew 5: 38-42 - deals with anger, wanting to strike back - revenge - retaliation - being hurt - and going in the opposite direction - the direction of peace and bridge building.

How many times have we wanted to get back at someone who has hurt us - someone whom we think has done us wrong?

How many times have we stood on a long line and someone sneaks in ahead of us and we want to scream - but we swallow our spit or venom?

How many times have we been on Route 50 and someone takes the exit ramp road and then at the last, last, last, second - shoots back into the right lane of Route 50 heading for the Bay Bridge. If we play by the rules we want to beep and yell “Hey. Not fair. I hope you get a ticket!”

How many times have we been talking to someone - maybe even listening to them - and they start looking elsewhere - even waving to someone else - totally ignoring us - and we feel “Anger! What am I chopped liver!”

How many times have we been trying to sleep and someone is cutting their grass at 6 AM on a Saturday morning - or playing loud rock music at midnight on a Tuesday evening?

I WONDER

I wonder what triggered Jesus to think about all this. I wonder what did Jesus see. Did he see someone who was slapped in the face? Did he then see escalation - and in the end someone has a broken nose or face or arm - a scene that started with a wrong word or slur - or comment about someone’s family.

I wonder if Jesus saw someone turn the other cheek - go the extra mile - give someone their overcoat - when the other was going to sue them over their suit.

PRACTICE WHAT YOU PREACH

Certainly Jesus practiced what he preached.

He was nitpicked to death - long before he was put to death on the cross.

Certainly he went the extra mile when someone interrupted him because they had a sick daughter, son or servant.

THE WAY OF NON-VIOLENCE

If you saw the movie, Gandhi, you saw how he a Hindu, practiced Jesus’ way of non-violence - how he was beaten, thrown off a train, but non-violence eventually turned the minds of those who wanted status quo apartheid - in both South Africa and India.

I didn’t protest the war in Vietnam, but I think the protesters, did at some point help to end that war - sooner than it would have ended.

Most of us hope the silent protest against abortion - will put an end to abortion.

Most of us also have opportunities every day - to go the extra mile - turn the other cheek - not try to get back when dissed, dismissed or denigrated by another.

CONCLUSION: TWO OBSERVATIONS

1) Sometimes we realize the genius of Jesus - the plan of Jesus  in all this. We stop screaming - and our temper tantrums - in the car when we are filled with road rage - and we realize our spouse and our kids in the car are more relaxed as well. We didn’t say the wrong thing back at someone who has wronged us - and that night we say to God. “Thanks for keeping me calm when I became furious when so and so did that and that this morning.”

2) Sometimes we realize we were wrong - after the fact - and it's a good thing we didn’t attack back - because it's only then we realize we were wrong. The example I use for myself happened New Jersey.  It was a Saturday afternoon. I was on my way to preach a parish mission in a small parish there. I couldn’t find the church. I pulled into a gas station - got out - and asked an attendant - if he know where St. Such and Such Church was.  He told me to go back the road I had just taken - 6 lights - make a left - then make the next left - and go 5 lights and you’ll find the church. I did it. There it was. But as I got out of the car I could see in the distance - to my left - over the trees - the gas station I was just at asking for directions. I got angry and wanted to get back in the car - drive to the gas station and say to the guy. “Why didn’t you send me to the next light, make a right, go to the next light and make another right? Good thing I didn’t because that evening I went out for a short walk and surprise - there was a canal at the end of the street - and one couldn’t have driven over that water - without a bridge.

THE  MOMENT 

Quote for Today - June 17, 2013

"There is always one moment in childhood when the door opens and lets the future in."

Graham Green [1904-1991] in The Power and the Glory [1940] chapter 1.

Question: What was that moment for me?

FORGIVENESS AND

UNDERSTANDING

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for this 11 Sunday in Ordinary Time, C, is, “Forgiveness and Understanding.”

That’s an obvious theme that today’s readings challenge us to think and reflect on.

“Forgiveness and Understanding.”

When I die, will they say at the edge of my casket, “He was an understanding person. He was a forgiving person.”?

I hope so.  Does everyone hope so?

NATHANIEL HAWTHORNE

When I think about forgiveness, I think the greatest influence on me has been Nathaniel Hawthorne.

His book - which was also a movie, The Scarlet Letter - makes real for me the story in the gospel of John of The Woman Caught in Adultery. Jesus gets all those men to drop their rocks and move on when he says, “Let the person here without sin cast the first stone.” [Cf. John 8: 1-11]

That story has saved a lot of people a lot of times. Drop the rocks - those made of looks and gossip and behind the back or hand talk.

Hawthorne’s book, The Marble Faun - the title here in the United States and Transformation in England - also gets into Hawthorne’s exploration into how sin can educate us - and move us to more understanding. He presents Hilda - severe - critical - holy, holy, Hilda - and her mind struggles with Miriam the sinner.

Psychology may of come of age in the 20^th century - but Shakespeare and novelists - along with our scriptures - dealt with the evil and sin within the human mind and heart long before then.

Hawthorne was certainly off on the educational power of sin.

Herman Melville’s book Moby Dick was not just about whale catching.

Life is not just about Ravens or the Redskins, Coors or Bud Light, Ruby Tuesdays or TGIF’s, 6 figures or 5 figures, Fox or NBC, weekdays or weekends, Mini Coopers or Fords, college tuition or lacrosse - or what have you?

UNDERSTANDING

I think life is about understanding life.

I think we spend a lot of our life trying to understand our life - what makes my kids tick and what makes my spouse tick and what makes my boss tick and what makes the pastor or the politician tick. We seem to be always analyzing. We are trying to understand a whole series of people - on depending whether I’m caught in traffic - at a meeting - at Mass - or at a moment when someone says to me, “Happy Father’s Day”.

A lady told me yesterday that she gave her dad a Mother’s Day card once - as well as a Father’s Day card the next month - because he was both.

On Wednesday afternoon - around 3 PM -  this past week I was with Deacon Leroy Moore as we stood at the bed of a dad dying. He was surrounded by his kids - and their spouses. It brought me back to the bed of my father in Maimomedes Hospital in Brooklyn a week after Father’s Day - 1970. We were all there with our mom when he died. And I assume these kids will be doing what I’ve been doing the past 40 years - growing in an understanding of a wonderful dad - having done a lot of talking and reminiscing about him with my two sisters as well as my brother when he was alive. At 4 PM - an hour later I was at the same identical scene - another dad - another family of kids and their spouses around the death bed of their dad.

Go figure.

I think we spend most of our mind time - trying to figure out people.

I think we need to be urged to spend more time - trying to figure out ourselves - how we are - how we treat one another.

Understanding - to stand under - to step  back - to watch - to learn.

One of life’s questions is: What do we learn from the most? Good or evil? Does a bad mistake we learn from become a good mistake?  

I remember 7 retreats I was part of - one every July in  Olivet College, Michigan - AA retreats. I got a phone call asking if I would help. They asked me thinking I was someone else - a priest who was  an alcoholic.  As a little kid I noticed the anxiety and the anguish about an uncle who was a heavy drinker. Then and there I decided never to drink and I haven't.  Yet my schedule was open and I said "Yes!" If there is any great classroom to get an education in understanding, it’s an AA meeting - and especially and AA retreat.

Well this one priest - who will remain anonymous of course - who while giving his life AA talk - his "drunkalog" - as some call it - moved me really deeply for life. He told all of us that he did some really damaging things to himself - and others. I remember sitting there and saying to myself, “If I ever really mess myself up, this would be the first person I would call upon for help.”

Translation: he would understand.

He had been there. Done that. Learned from that.

How many parents have we heard say the same thing? "I understand my kids. Been there. Done that." 

But don't tell them that - till the right time.

How many parents have asked themselves when their kids are messing up: "Do I speak up, do I intervene, do I let them learn the hard way, fall on their face?"

Understanding.

Is the great teacher of understanding: mistakes, sin, evil, stupidity?

TODAY’S READINGS

Today’s first reading from 2 Samuel tells some of the story of David - who really messed up - especially when he stole another man's wife - and then when he got her pregnant, he had Uriah killed.  And the scriptures tell the story about how Nathan the prophet challenged him on this - and how David finally understood there are consequences to our behavior - to our sins. He finally understood. How well, I don’t know. [Cf. 2 Samuel 12: 1-25; Psalm 51.]

I often wonder if David was a slow learner - because his son Solomon when asked by God - with the famous question: "One wish. I give you one wish." 

Well Solomon said, “Okay, I want an understanding heart.” [Cf. 1 Kings 3: 5-9.]

How many sons have become an understanding father - because their father was not understanding?

How many sons have become an understanding father - because they made some dumb moves in growing up.

Today’s second reading from  Galatians says we can’t manipulate justification by our behavior - or keeping the rules - but by a person. In our case, it’s Jesus Christ. [Cf. Galatians 2: 16-, 19-21.]

And in today’s gospel - Luke 7:36- 8:3 -  we have one of the great gospel stories about forgiveness. There are many. Forgiveness is a central theme of Jesus. Jesus forces the Pharisee to at least hear that the one who is forgiven the most, learns the most about forgiveness. Or at least they can - because we know about the man who was forgiven a big debt - and went out and wouldn’t forgive someone who owed him hardly anything. [Cf. Matthew 18: 21-35.]

The Pharisee had the chance to hear that he didn’t wash Jesus’ feet when Jesus came off the dusty roads to his house - but this woman - whom he labeled a sinner - washed Jesus feet with her tears and dried them with her hair. She then kissed his feet and anointed them with ointment.

CONCLUSION

The title of my homily is, “Forgiveness and Understanding.” 

Life: Go, learn, and practice these gifts. 

Then when we're in our casket - listen to all those who  are saying, "There is one thing I noticed. He - or she - really had the gifts of forgiveness and understanding." 

MY  FATHER 

Quote for Today - June 16,  2013

“That was how I would remember my father. There was never a place he walked that was not the better for his having passed. For every tree he cut down he planted two.” Jubal Sackett,  in A Trail of Memories, a book by Louis  L’Amour p. 27

PARENTING 

PRIORITIES

Quote for Today - June 15, 2013

"Get your priorities straight.
No one ever said
on his or her deathbed,
"Gee, if I'd only spent
more time at the office."

Anonymous

EARTHEN VESSELS

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for this 10 Friday in Ordinary time is, “Earthen Vessels”.

For our first reading these days we’re going through 2 Corinthians - and the theme of Earthen Vessels here in Chapter 4: 7-15  is well know - especially for us Catholics after the St. Louis Jesuits singers put out a whole album entitled, “Earthen Vessels” - which ended up being sung in churches around the world - selling well over a million copies - in English and many of the songs were translated in various other languages.

The Earthen Vessel Album has 12 songs - 8 of which are in our present Breaking Bread Missalette.

THOUGH THE MOUNTAINS MAY FALL,

IF GOD IS FOR US,

BE NOT AFRAID,

TURN TO ME,

SING TO THE MOUNTAINS,

EARTHEN VESSELS,

PRAISE THE LORD MY SOUL,

SEEK THE LORD

These 4 aren’t:

TAKE LORD RECEIVE

IF THE LORD DOES NOT BUILD,

MY SON HAS GONE AWAY,

WHAT YOU HEAR IN THE DARK.

What a gift to our church and world. These songs have made it into Protestant hymnals as well.

THE COVER AND THE QUESTION

The cover of this second album of their songs, “Earthen Vessels” features just that: an earthen vessel.

 The question I ask is: Why is this theme of Earthen Vessels so popular?

Answer: we are earthen vessels. We hear on Ash Wednesday, “Remember you are dust and into dust you shall return.” [Cf. Genesis 3:19]

That message is taken right from the book of Genesis 2:7 where the author pictures God as a sculptor taking the clay of the earth and forming us out of it - and then breathing life  - the spirit of life into us.

And we know this body of ours is of the earth - being filled and fed with water and wine,  wheat and bread - as well as sheep and lamb - etc. and etc.

And we know as time goes on we crumble - bend over - creak and crack.

So we know at the end our ashes or our bodies - our earthen vessel - will turn to ashes and be buried and placed in the ground - [or sea or a shelf for some for a time].

CONCLUSION: THE BEAUTY OF WHAT’S IN THE VESSEL

But the key to the beauty of the message is what’s inside the vessel - us - God. That’s where the treasure is.

We all know about boxes and bottles and containers: it’s what inside that counts.

Paul is telling us here in his message that has been heard billions and billions of times: Christ is within. Then he adds: it’s when we ache and break - when we experience the passion, death, and crucifixion of Christ within us - it’s then that we don’t have to despair - in aging or suffering and dying.

That to me is why that message, that song, is so moving and so worth singing.

Every once and a while I spot the St. Louis Jesuits’ cassettes or records and even though the record may scratch or the tape might get stuck, the songs still sound out great songs - so too us. 

FATHER'S DAY 

IS THIS SUNDAY 

Quote for Today - June 1, 2013

"Cosmic upheaval is not so moving as a little child pondering the death of a sparrow in the corner of a barn."

Thomas Savage, Her Side of It, Little Brown, 1981



Comment and Question: In Matthew 10: 29 we read, "Are not two sparrows sold for a small coin? Yet not one of them falls to the ground without your Father's knowledge."   If God notices an old sparrow in some wood in West Virginia die on a Tuesday morning in April, is he like a little child pondering the death of a great grandmother - all alone in a nursing home in Columbus, Ohio - dying on a Tuesday morning as well?