INTRODUCTION
The title of my homily for this 12 Monday in Ordinary
time is, “Wrong Buzzzzzzzzzzz!”
I would like to say a few words about an issue we are all
very aware of: Judging! And it triggers
that “I don’ like it when I do this.”
We are all aware of this. We all confess this. We all have had at least 263 instances in our
life - when we judged someone and we were wrong!
Wrong!
IMAGINARY RED BUTTON
Purchase an imaginary red button. It doesn’t cost
anything. And buy the large size red one. Keep it right here on your - right
side - hip high - if you’re a righty or hip high - on your left side - if
you’re a lefty.
Right here about 12 inches from your side - and whenever
you judge someone - hit that button - and make it give off a loud obnoxious
buzzzzzz!
Hit it - every time you judge someone. Of course keep it in mute mode, That is: you hear the buzzzzzzz - but nobody
else does it.
However, every once and a while, someone might spot you
hitting that imaginary red button - just off your side - hip high - and they ask
you what you’re doing. If it’s the right time - and if it’s the right friend -
you might tell them your practice and they might say, “Great idea” or they
might call, Shepherd Pratt.
HAVE YOUR LIST
Have your list. Make it more than imaginary. Keep it in
your wallet. And put on your list - in abbreviated form - ever judgment you
make about someone and you find our you were completely and totally wrong about
- big time.
Someone - well it looks like it - has just put on 25
pounds at least - and you make comments about it - not knowing they are taking
steroids for the cancer they have.
Someone is walking funny - this happened to a gal I know
- and had just been stopped by the police for weaving while driving - and then
made to walk a straight line on the sidewalk. The police said she was drinking
- till they tried the breathalyzer - 0 results.
This lead to telling her doctor about this - because she felt like she
was weaving while walking - only to find out - after tests - she had the
beginning signs of MS. And her sister
got tested and she had the same thing - and their father was in a wheelchair
for this.
So and so gets up every time he’s at the edge of the
bench - at Sunday Mass - and lets people
in - but he wants that aisle seat.
Surprise - by accident - down by the bathroom after Mass - a person who
judges this guy for being selfish and wanting his way hears this guy say to
another old guy, “Dang prostate - well at least you get to know where the
bathrooms in the county are.
A guy told me at a retreat house I worked at in the
Poconos, “I bet you are wondering why I
sit in the back seat - off to the side - in chapel - while everyone else is
sort of up front. I said, “No, I didn’t notice that.” “Oh,” he said, “Well I do
that in honor of my mom who always sat in that seat every afternoon for about
25 years - praying for me to come back to church. It finally worked.”
Every time Father So and So walked into a room, so and so
walked out of that room. Well, so and so noticed that and thought it was
impolite - till she found out so and so’s kid was abused by Father So and So
years and years ago - and it all came out last year.
CONCLUSION
Jesus was a carpenter and he knew about rulers and
measuring sticks and so one day he said, “The measure you measure with you’ll
be measured with” - so when you’re getting into heaven, don’t judge so and so
for getting in much easier than you.
Maybe they were easy going with people that drive you nuts - especially
when you’re driving.
Jesus was a carpenter, so he knew about tiny splinters
getting into people’s eye or hand - and the difference between them and
gigantic wooden beams. And he must have listened to people complaining about
other people when he said, “Why do you notice the splinter in your brother’s
eye and you don’t see the wooden beam in your own eye?”
