Reflections By The Bay

Friday, December 20, 2019

December 20, 2019

Thought for today:

“You have nothing to lose but your chains.”

Karl Marx, Manifesto, 1848

Thursday, December 19, 2019

HOW WAS IT?

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for this Thursday in the Third Week of Advent is, “How Was It?”

In the second half of life, do we all look back on our life and talk to ourselves about how it was?

Then it’s nice if there is somebody – or somebodies - who are willing to ask us, “How was it?”

“How was what?” we counter.

“Our lives" comes the answer.

How was our life?

And then they listen – they hear us out!

BRENDAN

I remember I ran into a guy – Brendan - a confrere – a Redemptorist – whom I sort of accidentally asked, “How’s it going?”

I didn’t know he had just come back a week earlier from a 4-month Sabbatical at Notre Dame in Indiana. He had just made a continuing education program for priests.

I had time. He had time. He talked. I listened.

So, he told me all that he had experienced – side trips – football games – books – experts – learnings.

And he said at the end: “Thanks for asking. You’re the first person who did.”

I learned from that moment – seeing Brendan’s face and hearing his enthusiasm. So from then on: whenever I heard of a guy who took a Sabbatical, I’d ask, “How Was It?”

I made that part of my life – to do that.

As I thought about that - I realized I still have a beef about something that used to happen during the 8 ½ years I was in Lima, Ohio.

Myself and another guy used to do parish missions out of Lima - working as a preaching team - working in lots and lots of parishes.

We’d get back from a parish mission and show up for breakfast the next morning – and one guy there would never ask, “How was it?” Instead he would be reading the morning newspaper – as if we had never left town.

That was one of those inner gripes – we never say – moving around in our inner cage.

Grrrrrrr! Gripe!

BARREN

These thoughts hit me when I read today’s two readings.

In both readings the word “barren” appears. Two women are without children – the number 1 answer women answer with when asked “How was your life?”

Out come the pictures. Out come the stories.

So, Samson’s mom – didn’t have Samson yet – to tell the world about her Rockyesque like son. So too Elizabeth didn’t have her son John the Baptist yet – to brag to the world about.[Cf. Judges 3: 2-7, 24-25a; Luke 1: 5-25]

We who have chosen celibacy – we who have not had children – hopefully we are not barren. We have life to talk about. I always like to ask teachers: “Did you ever have a student – whom you knew was going to become a star – and he or she became a star?”

ERIK ERIKSON

I have always liked Erik Erikson’s 8 stages of life.

I have asked thousands – stress on thousands of people: “Did you write your autobiography yet?”

At funerals of older folk, I like to repeat a quote I once heard, “When an old person dies, it’s as if a whole library has burnt down.”

Imagine the autobiographies in this room – hopefully one or two written down - and all the rest are at least a talking or audio books.

Erik Erikson’s 7th stage of life is Generativity vs. Stagnation.

What have I done with my life?

Now this can be a dangerous topic – because sometimes some people never got the opportunity to star? It could be health reasons or what have you.

But for those who had the opportunities - hopefully we can all make a decent account of our stewardship.

CONCLUSION

So hopefully, with the grace of God we have not stagnated.

And the added beauty of it is, if we have stagnated, we can all change and come into the garden – in the last hour. Amen.

So the title of my homily was: "How Was It?"

Maybe that’s what God asks us when we walk into – the banquet hall – as well as all those who will be waiting for us.

“How was it?”

Knowing me I’ll say, “How was it?” That’s not the question. It’s, "How is it here?"

December 19, 2019

LAST NOTE

Sometimes the last note

from the piano player lingers

and sometimes it doesn’t last.

Just wondering what my last

note will say – my last song

will sound like – then be gone.

Love lasts – but so too hurt ….

I just hope my last note – my

last words will sound like love.

December 19, 2019

Thought for today:

“I say that the dead slay the living.”

Aeschylus, Choephori, v. 886

Wednesday, December 18, 2019

JOSEPH:

A RIGHTEOUS MAN

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for December 18^th, is, “Joseph: A Righteous Man.”

Today’s gospel features Joseph – describing him as “a righteous man.”

Last night I looked up the Greek word used in Matthew 1: 19 to describe Joseph – and it’s dikaios.

Usually dikaios is translated as “just” or “righteous. This Greej word dikaios - implies or puts a stress on “faithfulness” – or “truthfulness” – or “does what is right” or “this person does what God does.”

So Matthew is telling us that about Joseph – the name of the last person in the long list of men that lead up to Jesus – Joseph the husband of Mary – that Tom read in yesterday’s long list of people gospel.

In other words, Joseph is outstanding – a good person.

What was Mary’s pet name for Joseph – Joe the Carpenter. How did she refer to him at the town well?

TODAY’S GOSPEL

As we heard in today’s gospel, Joseph protects Mary from being shamed – a strong issue to worry about in a close, small, rural community – like Nazareth. It’s population: estimated to be around 400 people and one public bath in the first century.

Mary’s pregnant – and she hasn’t been with Joseph her husband yet.

Joseph gets his strength from the message he gets in a dream – from an angel – who tells Joseph: “Do not be afraid. Mary is pregnant through the Holy Spirit – and the child she is going to have is going to save the people.”

He’ll be called, “God is with us” – Emmanuel.

That’s pretty heavy stuff and Mary and Joseph need to be strong to deal with this Salvation History and Salvation Mystery.

THOUGHTS ABOUT JOSEPH

Catholics have thoughts and perceptions about Joseph. He’s not Mary – but he’s prominent.

When I was looking up stuff last night about Joseph, I noticed that Protestant theologians like Karl Barth wished Catholics would play down Mary a bit – so when Pope John XXIII elevated Joseph a bit by adding him to the Canon of the Mass in 1962 – Barth said, “Good!”

Some Catholics complained that John XXIII made that change, saying it was the first change in the Canon of the Mass since the 6^th Century.

Next I noticed that Pope Francis followed suit in 2013 when he added “Blessed Joseph her spouse” after Mary’s name in the Canon Prayer II, III, and IV of our Mass.

What’s your thoughts, your wonderings about Joseph?

Most Catholic churches have statues or pictures of Joseph. What’s your take on Joseph statues – besides the folk theory of burying a small statue of St. Joseph in the ground of your property, if you want to sell your house.

I am no student of Joseph art – Joseph statues – so I say without doing my homework that I noticed a statue of Mary and Joseph – as Holy Family – with Jesus – and it started to show them touching. I’ve seen it various churches.

It’s almost 2020 – that’s since Jesus’ birth – and the theology of Jesus as God – makes Jesus more than human – and Mary is a different human being.

The virginity of Mary makes it imperative that he is the only child – because what would a second child be – and who would be the father.

Yet Mary and Joseph are spouses – and husband and wife – so will theologians in the next 2000 years delve into their relationship – by showing Jesus not with a lily the symbol of purity – or what have you – and will heresies pop up.

Just wondering.

CONCLUSION

Further time and research and development will bring us new nuances.

Research and pondering are good.

For example, last night I began wondering about the song, “If I Were a Carpenter and You Were a Lady, would you marry me anyhow?”

I got the thought: Is that about Mary and Joseph – since Joseph was a carpenter?

I found out it isn’t. It’s a song by Tim Hardin from the 1960’s and it’s about his marriage to a rich woman – and he’s a drug addict.

He died at the age of 39 – from a heroin overdose -but on research I found out his drug addiction started with his need for morphine after an athletic accident.

Message: more research etc. is needed on Joseph.