HAVE WE FORGOTTEN
ABOUT HUBERT HORATIO
HUMPHREY?
"Compassion is not weakness, and concern for the unfortunate is not socialism."
Remark by Hubert Horatio Humphrey [1911-1978]
Sunday, November 24, 2013
Saturday, November 23, 2013
DEATH
Quote for Today - Saturday - November 23, 2013
"A painting on a canvas of infinite size, worked on eternally, would be without focus, meaning and probably without beauty. A painting, as life, needs limits. While I have an almost insatiable craving for knowledge, I believe death to be the final and perhaps greatest teacher - the one who provides the key to the ultimate questions life has never answered. In my darkest hours I have been consoled by the thought that death at least is a payment for the answer of life's haunting secrets."
Morris B. Abram, in The Wall Street Journal, November 28, 1988
Painting: "Death and the Miser" by Frans Francken II [1581-1642]
QUESTION: Besides the hour glass under the skeleton's right foot, what do you see in this painting?
Friday, November 22, 2013
CHANGE
"People change and forget to tell each other."
Lillian Hellman, Toys in the Attic, Random House, 1960
Questions:
What happens if the person who changes doesn't know it herself or himself?
What happens if everyone sees specific changes except the person who has changed?
Are we talking about negative or positive changes here?
Isn't change gradual?
How have I changed in the past year, 2 years, 10, years, in my life? Please explain a change to oneself first? Be specific. Then ask others if they have seen any changes in me. Ask them to be specific. Thank you!
Thursday, November 21, 2013
Wednesday, November 20, 2013
Tuesday, November 19, 2013
FROM A DISTANCE
INTRODUCTION
The title of my homily for this 33 Tuesday in Ordinary Time
is, “From A Distance….”
This morning I’d like to make a few comments about the
advantage of hindsight - history - distance - Monday morning quarterbacking….
Hindsight should help
foresight!
Review can bring renew.
TODAY’S READINGS
We’ve heard these readings many a time - but what do we hear
this time - this year - this day.
Last night the theme of “From a Distance” hit me.
The old man - Eleazar - in the first reading from 2nd Maccabees 6: 18-31 - makes his decision not to eat forbidden food -
pork - based on the implications and consequences - if he goes against his
religious practices. His decision would
mean death - but for the sake of transparency - he has seen a lot and lived a
lot - and most of his life is behind him.
In the gospel, Zacchaeus goes on ahead of the crowd - till
he found a tree - climbed it - and saw
Jesus and Jesus saw him - from a distance.
And the rest is history and the mystery of history.
What do I see now that I wasn’t seeing 20 years ago?
How many times have we heard and then said ourselves, “If I
knew back then, what I know now ….”?
What do I know now -
that I didn’t know back then?
Around 4 PM in the afternoon I like to take a 45 minute walk
from St. Mary’s front door - down Newman Street - past the playground at the
bottom of our street with all those
little kids playing there - and their moms talking - then move across to Ego
Alley and then go through the Naval Academy - see all those young men and women
running past me - exercising - practicing football, football, football -
lacrosse, lacrosse, lacrosse - and Frisbee, Frisbee, Frisbee, etc. etc. etc.
I’m looking at everything through fences and off to the side
- and from not being in the middle of it all.
At the practice football field they have these big platforms
way up in the air - with people up there with cameras - videoing the football
team as they practice, practice,
practice. What do they see from way up there that folks are not seeing from the
ground?
Zacchaeus climbed the tree and saw Christ and Christ saw him
- and the rest is history and mystery.
I would assume coming to church - helps us see our life -
from the edge - from the outside - from a platform.
I would assume that age gives wisdom - but like experience -
as someone said: We can have 20 years experience or 1 years experience 20
times.
I remember a speaker saying somewhere along the line - a
lady named Pat Livingston - keep asking: What’s the lesson here? What’s the
learning here?
CONCLUSION
The title of my homily is, “From A Distance….”
Today some learnings are: Take walks. Step back. See the big
picture. Talk with others about one’s experiences. Write your autobiography. Distance
yourself from yourself. Let’s go to the videotape. Check things out - and learn
the lessons from all around us.
It’s always been my take that Jesus got his wisdom from not
just going to the mountain but also from his walking around town - especially
listening to people in the marketplace.
Surprise! Check out today’s gospel again and again. See what
Zacchaeus saw when he climbed a tree. Listen to what he says. He saw more. He
saw the poor. He saw his life in a new way - its implications and its
possibilities.
Surprise! Jesus ended up getting a meal out of the deal. I
wonder if he served pork!
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