“There is too much doing - too little being. When we begin to get strenuous life begins to grow intolerant.”
Martha Ostenso
[1900-1963]
Norwegian-American
Novelist
Thursday, August 13, 2020
August 13, 2020
FORGIVENESS:
MORE
OR LESS
INTRODUCTION
The title of my
homily for this 19th Thursday in Ordinary Time is,
“Forgiveness:More or Less.”
The gospel
Matthew 18: 21 to 19:1 talks about forgiveness – so I figure I better look at
forgiveness in this homily – and I better tie it in with peace the overarching
theme of this year’sretreat.
The first
reading is from Ezekiel 12: 1-12.He is a very interesting character to say the
least. I’ve always thought about Ezekiel as a mime expert.
Look up Marcel Marceau
the great Frenchmime or pantomimist on
Google. Or think about people statues you’ve seen on the streets of big cities
– people dressed as the Statue of Liberty or a tree or Abraham Lincoln or what
have you.
Mime is often
silence – no words – so read the words of Ezekiel that way.
Someone said
something like this,“90% of
communication is through the eyes and only 10 % is through the ears.”
Ezekiel seems to
have known that.
[GESTURE: I
don’t know. Maybe?]
Jesus is big
with words – but he does paint pictures with his words – like today’s gospel
about the man who is forgiven big time – and then goes out and won’t forgive
little time.
We can picture
him -More or Less…..
Ezekiel is big
with gestures – small skits and plays – like today’s first reading of him
digging a hole in the wall in the night – but calling people to see him do his
act – his skit - and then slipping through the hole in the wall with his
baggage – and migrating elsewhere.
WORDS ON THE BIG WHITE
CARDBOARDS
I went through
today’s first reading and today’s gospel and jotted down some of the words on
big pieces of white cardboard – with words in bold black print.
[I mime that I
have these pieces of big white pieces of cardboard.]
NEXT IMAGE:
CARDBOARD BOXES
I remember
hearing a guy telling us in a talk something he had done.He was transferred without warning from A to
B.
Evidently he
wasn’t happy with his change. He got his stuff to the new assignment, but he
left about a dozen boxes outside his room – in the corridor.
He said that
they remained there for about two years – till one day – he brought them into his
room. Then he closed his door and looked
at the boxes.He said to himself: “Guess
I wasn’t happy being changed to this place.”
Then he said he
laughed.
NEXTIMAGE: BAGGAGEAT THE AIRPORT
I once went to
the airport to pick someone up. I parked my car and went inside the
terminal.I was rather early, soI sat down in a spot where I could see
everything and everyone coming and going.
I love people
watching at an airport.
I stationed
myself in a seat where I could see people coming out from their flights – before
headed for the baggage carousels downstairs.It’s great watching people waiting for people – like I was.Some had signs. When a group would come out
into the terminal there would be people hugging and greeting each other.
Story…. Stories….When was the last time the group or family or
spouse or whoever saw this person who is
arriving by flight from somewhere over the rainbow?
I got a seat
where I could also see people getting out of cars and grabbing wheels and carts
to bring stuff from their cars into the terminal and head for the check-in
counters.
Well I spot this
lady getting out of cab. She grabs two of those carts with a platform for about
5 bags and then a clothing rack for a
lot of garment bags.
She was youngish
so she was able to push one cart by one hand and pull the other cart by the
other hand.
All together she
had about 10 suitcases of various sizes and about 15 garment bags.
Where was she headed
and for how long?
For good or to
come back home again – if this was her home?
If she was
coming back, would she have more or less?
I can still
picture this gal going through life pushing and pulling her carts.
Life! 101
RETREAT HOUSE
People come on
retreat to this retreat house with their suitcase or suitcases and maybe bags
and maybe garment bags.
Will they go
home with more or less than they arrived with.
QUESTION
Then there is
what’s inside us.
What do we
arrive with and what do we go home with?
More or less.
I’m still
thinking of the person one of the guys mentioned in their talk.An aunt held onto a gripe about getting a
wedding invitation later than the others in the family and she ended up not
talking to the other members of the family for 3 years.
Then when she
was invited to an anniversary she came back – without saying a word.
What was that
about?
As priest I’ve
heard similar stories dozens of time.
One of the
questions in the examination of conscience or consciousness from Tuesday evening
was something I’m still thinking about.It was a good question – right in this area. The question: Is there
anyone in my life back home still waiting for me to say, ‘I’m sorry!’”?
LIMA STAIRCASE
Last night I
came down here to this chapel and counted the steps.
I was hoping
there would be 1 step from the body of the church into the sanctuary.
There are two
steps.
When I was
preaching in all kinds of parishes around Ohio and the rest of the country, I noticed in many grammar schools they had staircases
with words on them – words you would see face to face as you walked up the
stairs.
Just one word at
a time: faith, hope, charity, patience, courage, understanding, respect.
Well, if I had a
can of white paint and I could paint one word on the face of these two steps,
what words would I paint.
Since the theme
of the retreat is PEACE, I would paint the word PEACE.
Since the theme
of this talk is FORGIVENESS, I would paint the word FORGIVENESS.
I would add that
PEACE is the goat, the end, the hope and FORGIEVENSSS is the means, the way, to
get there.
Notice in today’s
gospel, Jesus says to forgive 77 times.
Remember Jesus
also said if you’re coming to the altar and you got something against a brother
or a sister, first go and be reconciled with your brother or sister and then
come an offer your gift at the altar. [Confer Matthew5:23.]
CONCLUSION
Enough already ….
The last
sentence in today’s gospel is, “When Jesus finished these words, he left
Galilee and went to the district of Judea across the Jordan.”
I hope you go
home with less of the heavy stuff and more of the good stuff.
"God, what pathetic creatures had inherited the earth, to walk a little while with their eyes upon the stars and turn their gaze too soon upon the ground that held their feet!"
