LOOK ALIKES!

Quote for Today - Monday - December 16, 2013

"Whatever you may be sure of, be sure of this - that you are dreadfully like other people."

James Russell Lowell [1819-1891]

Two questions:

Why did James Russell use the word "dreadfully"?

Ask each other: how am I like you?

WHAT ARE YOU  

WAITING FOR? 

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily is, “What Are You Waiting For?”

In a way, I think that question sums up all three readings for this Sunday - this third Sunday of Advent.

I’m also wondering if that’s one of those depth questions in every human being?

What am I waiting for? What am I looking for? What am I hoping for? What do I want?

Put that on hold - while I make a few observations about today’s readings. Then I’ll try to  tackle that depth - heart - question - the bottom line hope of every person.  What am I waiting for? What am I looking for?

THE READINGS

All three readings talk about the hope for the earth to flower and flourish. We hear that in the first reading from Isaiah, then the second reading from James - and there is also a one sentence question in the gospel - about this human hope for the earth to bloom.

Do gardeners and farmers have a better chance to get and grow God in their lives than others - in their hopes to see flowers growing - tomatoes and cucumbers  filling their gardens - as well as soybeans, wheat and corn to thrive in farmer’s fields?

Isaiah begins today’s first reading with the message: “The desert and the parched land will exult; the steppe with rejoice and bloom. They will bloom with abundant flowers, and rejoice with joyful song.”

I’ve only seen three desert areas in my life: in Arizona - near Tucson, in California, neat the Salton Sea - and in Israel - down near the Dead Sea.  I’ve also seen a few places in film where the desert was blooming because of big time irrigation systems.

So Isaiah talks about the desert and the parched earth blooming with lots of flowers. So James says that the farmer learns patience because farmers have to wait for the early and late rains. And Jesus when talking to the crowds about their fascination with John the Baptist, asks them, “What did you go out to the desert to see?”

Besides wanting to see plant life flourish - the 3 readings also get at our desire to see signs of God’s presence - God’s existence - God’s concern for us - in creation - and in each other.

That’s why folks flocked to John the Baptist.

That’s why people follow Jesus Christ to this date.

NOW WHAT ABOUT DOWN DEEP HUMAN DESIRES?

What are our down deep human desires? What are we on fire for at times?

It can be for another. Shakespeare and poets often describe young love just that way. It can be a cauldron of hot lava - splashing and spilling - all over the brim. Ah young love!

Hopefully, if we are older, it’s for less messy love  - but for deeper - more subtle and solid love - in our marriages - in our families - in our lives.

The pope has recently asked for answers about marriage and family life in a big long - complicated questionnaire - that was sent out to our world. Great idea - but - I have several buts. I took a few hours to answer it - and my main complaint was: good idea - but who the heck came up with the questions - and the way they were worded. I began assuming that the main benefit would be for the person answering the questions - and going through the process - whether anyone really answers their questions or not.

As I was answering it - I realized that on the local level - a better way of looking at marriage and family would be to have every couple and every family go through some kind of an evaluation process on the question: “How are we doing?”

When I am part of our high school Kairos retreats - we just finished our 24^th one - 4 days up in Malvern, Pennsylvania - once more I realized in listening to high school seniors - that families don’t eat together and talk together enough. Easier said than done - in our day and age - with so many events going on.

As in prayer - as in so many things - a major solution - after evaluation - a key answer is: taking and making time for what is really important.  Then when we get together - to really be present to each other - whether it’s eating, playing cards, or whatever.

So the first answer to the question: “What Are You Looking For?” or “What do I really want?” it has to be relationships.

People are more important than stuff.  We can stuff ourselves with stuff - especially the latest stuff - but people are always more important than stuff.

People are more important than sports. In fact, sports, even if Navy loses in football to Army  20 years from now, it’s always more fun enjoying a game with each other.

With Christmas coming - we know gifts are important - but we know what the kids don’t know they know - it’s the hand behind the gift that really counts.

So the first answer to the question to the question: What am I waiting for or looking for - it’s people.

My favorite example for this happened to me in a small town on the Ohio River. We had just finished preaching a parish mission in Pomeroy, Ohio. It was Thursday evening. A guy was telling me about a girl who went to a community college across the river in West Virginia. She was getting horrible marks. In fact she was failing and a student advisor called her in and asked her, “What did you here to college for?”

And the young lady gave a great answer. I said, “Wow!” And I grabbed my ball point pen and wrote on a Styrofoam cup these words, “I came here to be went with and I ain’t been went with yet.”

There it is. That’s what makes the world go round.

Jesus knew this big time - in his efforts to challenge people to love one another as they love themselves - to notice the unnoticed - to stop along the road - to help those who were stuck. To visit the sick. To feed the hungry.

But he also realized that this should, this could, lead us to get to know the one who makes the world go round - to make the universe - keep working - our Father - who is in heaven.

He was aware - you have to see the visible - before you start to catch the invisible - like a glint of light reflecting off a Christmas tree ornament.

Of course, it takes years - lots of looking back -lots of reflections -  lots of homework - to see God - behind everything - like the hand and heart behind a Christmas gift.

I often say to myself when I go by a jewelry store as well as every Saturday afternoon when I do a wedding - and we come to the ring ceremony - just after the vows: “There’s a world of difference between a wedding ring in a jewelry store window  - and the wedding rings going on ring fingers at a wedding - and those rings 37 years later."

Catch the invisible - the love that picks the engagement and wedding ring - the love behind the shopping and the supper - the love and concern behind the message to a teenager: “Give me a call if you’re stuck and you’re going to be late!” - the visit to the nursing home - the reason behind our troops being in some distant front or back station - the holding of hands of a family at the Our Father during Mass - and on and on and on.

CONCLUSION

It wasn’t till his thirties that Augustine discovered God - and a bit later when he confessed to God, “Too late I loved you, O Beauty ever ancient and ever new! Too late I loved you! And behold, you were within me, and I out of myself, and there I searched for you.”

The title of my homily was:  “What Are You Waiting For?”

What am I waiting for? What am I looking for? What do I want?

HIS FIRST PAIR OF GLASSES

[I wasn’t sure what to preach on this morning - so I read the readings for this 3^rd Sunday in Advent. I noticed the idea of seeing - seeing - was showing  up in all kinds of ways - seeing the desert bloom with flowers - a farmer seeing his fields  filled with crops as well as waiting for the rains -  seeing what John the Baptist and all that Jesus was doing - like the blind seeing - and I came up with the idea of seeing for this homily - so last night I wrote this story entitled, “His First Pair of Glasses.”]

He was 13 years old when he got his first pair of glasses.

His 2 older sisters both had perfect 20 - 20 eyesight - and never needed glasses.

It was his 8^th grade teacher who spotted him squinting. She wondered if that was the reason why he wasn’t getting straight A’s.  He seemed to be such a bright kid. What’s more this very teacher had both his sisters when they were in the 8^th grade and they were certainly big time A students.

So at the next Parents-Teachers meeting she asked Jack’s mom and dad - if they ever had Jack’s eyes tested.

“No,” they said, “but why do you ask?”

“Well,” the teacher said, “because he looks like he’s always squinting to see what he’s reading.”

“We never noticed that,” his dad said, “but we’ll have him checked.”

Sure enough Jack had really poor eyesight.

As a result Jack got his first pair of glasses.  He didn’t want contacts. He wanted glasses - real glasses. He figured they would look real cool,

They were black - distinguished black - smart looking black framed  glasses - and Jack loved them.

But better, much better, Jack began seeing all that he was missing at home and at school and in sports.

He put his wrist watch back on - because before that he couldn’t really see the numbers - so he had to ask others, “What time is it?”

He didn’t have a cell phone - and he didn’t know most kids used cell phones to tell time.

In basketball  he became a starter - averaging 11 points a game.  “Up till now,” he told one of his buddies, “I was scared to shoot - if I got into a game - because I really couldn’t see the basket.”

In school his marks improved almost immediately.

But those were obvious changes in a person who goes from horrible eyesight to 20 - 20 eyesight.

He now began noticing how his mom always touched his dad’s neck whenever she went by him at the dinner table. It was a love touch. “Nice” he thought.

He saw his mom also place her hand on his older sister Jessica’s shoulder - a sophomore in high school - when she was doing her homework or crossword puzzles. She was the only teenager he knew - who loved doing crossword puzzles.

He noticed his dad would always get up and give his oldest sister, Janet,  a hug whenever she came home. He didn’t do that to his other sister. Janet was a senior in high school and would be going off to college next September. Maybe this special hug was a hint that he would really be missing her next fall - after she leaves home - or was it because she his always his favorite?

He noticed one of his teachers completely ignored two kids in his class - who were special needs kids. As a result he found himself going over to eat lunch with them every day.

He noticed that one of the kids in his class seemed to have a hearing problem - but nobody said anything. So he told the kid, “You should ask your mom and dad to have your ears checked - to see if you need something to help you hear better.”

Then when he thought the kid was hesitating, Jack said, “See these glasses. I had really terrible eyes - and couldn’t see too well. Well,  our teacher suggested to my parents that I have my eyes checked. Sure enough, my eyes were bad, and now I see all kinds of things I never saw before.”

At church he noticed that the cross had the body of Jesus on it - while a cross in the school hall - where they sometimes had Mass - didn’t have a statue of  Jesus’ dead body on it. Why? He wondered why?

So he asked.

He found out that there was a crucifix in the hall with a Jesus statue on it. It fell one day - and Jesus broke into at least 2 dozen pieces.  So they decided to go with just a plane wooden cross - one without a body statue of the dying Jesus on it.

He learned: “Ask questions. Sometimes there are people who know answers.”

He looked up the word “eyeglasses” on Google on his computer and found out that they have a long history. In Egypt -  in the 5^th Century B.C. - that is, Before Christ - anthropologists and archaeologists - he looked up the difference between these two too - found evidence that folks used glass to magnify things.

Hey, it wasn’t till modern times that people had poor eyesight - so different folks down through the ages - fooled around with glass  and jewelry and even water - to see better - like the Chinese coming up with a type of sunglasses in the 12^th century - and Eskimos coming up with a type of snow goggles. He wondered about why people have different types of eyes.  He read that the first so called “eyeglasses” were said to have been invented in 1286. He read that Ben Franklin invented bifocals - maybe.

He found himself at age of 13 being very grateful for whoever invented eyeglasses - and wondered what he might invent or do with his life - when he got older - anthropologist, archaeologist, ophthalmologist, basketball pro. The whole world was ahead of him - to discover and to invent.

In quiet moments - he found himself - wishing he could thank those who invented and made all the things he took for granted till he got his eyeglasses - but most of those people were long dead.

Then it hit him - he could thank his parents - for all that they give him - and for his teacher who suggested that he might need eyeglasses - and that he did. Then he hit him that God who made it all - could be thanked every night for every day and every morning for every new day. Then it hit him , “If you can’t say ‘Thank you’ to those around us whom we can see - how can you thank God whom we cannot see?’”

Then one day in church he heard one of the readings saying that same thing in another way, “If you cannot love your brothers and sisters whom you can see - how can you say you love God whom you cannot see?”

At that he closed his eyes, took off his glasses, rubbed his eyes, and thanked God for everything. Then he put his totally black framed glasses back on - they were his first pair of glasses - and opened up his eyes to the whole world all around him - with a great smile on his face.

LIFE

Quote for Today - Sunday - December 15 2013

"My grandfather always said that living life is like licking honey off  a thorn."

Louis Adamic

SPIRITUAL DIRECTION 

ACCORDING  TO  

ST. JOHN OF THE CROSS

Quote for Today - December 14, 2013 - Feast of St. John of the Cross


"Spiritual directors are not the chief workers, but rather the Holy Spirit. They are mere instruments. They only guide souls by the rule of faith and the law of God according to the spirit which God gives to each. Their object, therefore, should be not to guide souls by a way of their own, suitable to themselves; but to discern, if they can, the way which God is guiding the other."

St. John of the Cross: The Ascent of Mount Carmel (16 Century).


Comment:

That's the job of a spiritual director. In other words, stay out of the way. It's like Gamaliel's advice in The Acts of the Apostles 5: 34 - 39. Don't get in the way of God. 

Now here's the job of those persons who want to get out of themselves and be with and into God. This comment is also from St. John of the Cross:

"Ecstasy is nothing but the going forth of a soul from itself. It's being caught up in God. It's what happens to the soul that is obedient, namely, that it goes forth from itself and from its own desires and thus enlightened, becomes immersed in God." 

[Spiritual Sentences and Maxims of St. John of the Cross - 16th Century.]

Comment:

Pope John Paul II and many other folks have written and talked about John of the Cross - so start exploring his stuff - some of which you can catch on the Internet. Check it out - but talk to others about what it gets you thinking about. Hence the value of spiritual direction in one's life.

LIGHT AND DARKNESS

Quote for Today - Friday - the 13th day of December, 2013

"When He came - there was no light; when He left - there was no darkness."

Anonymous

Question: Wouldn't that be a great eulogy?

Picture: taken in Sagrada Familia in Barcelona in 2011. 

HEADS UP!

Quote for Today - December 12, 2013 - Thursday

"In a museum in Havana there are two skulls of Christopher Columbus, "one when he was a boy and one when he was a man."

Mark Twain [1835-1910]

Notes: 

At this date, there are no authentic portraits of Christopher Columbus. This painting is by Sebastiano del Piombo - dated 1519.

This is not the only story of head relics.  Here's what Wikipedia reports about the head of John the Baptist: "Several different locations claim to possess the severed head ofJohn the Baptist. Among them: Umayyad Mosque in Damascus; San Silvestro in Capite  in Rome;  and the Residenz Museum in Munich, Germany (official residence of the Wittelsbach   rulers of Bavaria from 1385 to 1918). Other heads were once said to be held by the Knights Templar at Amiens Cathedral in France (brought home by Wallon de Sarton from the Fourth Crusade in Constantinople),  at Antioch  in Turkey (fate uncertain), and the parish church at Tenterden in Kent, where it was preserved up until the Reformation."

Moral of the story: Heads up! You never know if what is on the sign in a museum or wherever is true.

WORDS

Quote for Today - December 11, 2013 - Wednesday

"Words are, of course, the most powerful drug used by mankind."

Rudyard Kipling [1865-1936] in a speech, February 14, 1923, found in The Times, February 15, 1923

Questions: Agree or disagree?  If agree, what words knocked you out? And of course, for the sake of transparency, in the course of preaching, I've seen many a person fast asleep.

COMFORT

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for this 2^nd Tuesday in Advent is, “Comfort!”

At first "Comfort" did not sound like a homily title.

Yet, there it is - the opening word in today’s first reading from Isaiah 40: 1-11.

“Comfort, give comfort to my people, says your God.” [Isaiah 40: 1.]

SECOND ISAIAH

That message is the opening words of a whole new Isaiah - called “Second Isaiah” - Chapters 40 to 55 -  written 150 or so years after First Isaiah - Chapters 1 to 39. The scene and the audience is not Jerusalem - as was First Isaiah -  but those in exile up in Babylon.  They certainly needed comfort. They certainly needed hope. They certainly needed to have a dream that they could return home.

HONEY OR VINEGAR?

I ended my homily last Sunday with a wondering about which way is the best way to go - whether it’s in preaching, teaching, coaching, parenting - or what have you.

I made reference to the famous quote: “You catch more flies with a spoonful of honey than a barrel of vinegar.”

I contrasted Scold Christianity - Severe Christianity - Strict Christianity - vs. Compassionate Christianity or Joyful Christianity.

It seems on first glance that Pope Francis is going the way of the spoonful of honey vs. the barrel of vinegar.

We’ve all met coach, teacher, A and B.

We’ve all met or experienced Father Strict and Father Sweet.

We’ve all heard about parents playing the roles of Good Cop vs. Bad Cop.

Which or who is better? Is it an all depends? Does each person have to be true to themselves?

As I was thinking about this I wondered if a person could change if they actually saw themselves being strict, severe and too, too serious - and they wanted to be different or easier.

CARL SANDBURG

I remember reading in his book, The People, Yes, when Carl Sandburg addresses some of these questions in a poem, “A Father To His Son. A father wonders what to say to his son.

“Do I say, 'Life is hard; be steel; be a rock.'
And this might stand him for the storms
and serve him for humdrum monotony
and guide him among sudden betrayals
and tighten him for slack moments.”

Or does he say,

“Life is a soft loam; be gentle; go easy.'
And this too might serve him.
Brutes have been gentled where lashes failed.”

In that  poem he wrestles with the question of comfort or challenge - sugar or salt - the warning of a spanking or the promise of ice cream?

Carrot or stick?

WILLIAM BARCLAY

I remember reading in one of William Barclay’s commentaries - his wonderings about a  student he met. This fellow was too intense, too uptight, too severe - and everyone wondered if this is how Christ is and how Christ functions.

It certainly got me thinking about my outlook and my behavior.  

SCRIPTURES

And in our scriptures we certainly have both takes. 

I have been thinking of this since Sunday when John the Baptist seemed much tougher than Jesus - yet Jesus is described as fire - and burning the chaff and gathering the wheat into his barn.

In today’s gospel, Jesus is the Good Shepherd, searching and saving the lost sheep. In other gospels, he’s challenging folks like the Pharisees with tough love - because they could be a swarm of vipers.

CONCLUSION

So I am left with questions - and I don’t know how comforting questions can be.

So comfort or challenge? 

Fear or love?  

Reaching out or walking away?

A word or the silent treatment?

Which works best - in any given situation?

Sorry, Lord, I don’t know many answers many times. Amen.

JUST WATCHING, 

JUST HOPING

Quote for Today - Tuesday - December 10, 2013

"No matter how old a mother is she watches her middle-aged children for signs of improvement."

Florida Scott-Maxwell in Measure of my Days (1968), page 16

AFRAID

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for this feast of the Immaculate Conception is, “Afraid.”

That word is found in two of the three readings we heard today: Genesis and Luke.  

Adam is afraid.  Mary is afraid.

AFRAID - THE WORD

Afraid:  meaning frightened,  scared, hesitant, nervous, concerned, worried, tense, fearful ….

Afraid:  I always try to hear reasons why a word sounds the way it sounds. Listen to the word "afraid".  Hear the sound of friction - and fray in it. The letter “f” - the second letter and key sound in this word “afraid” - brings together our lower teeth and lower lip - as in biting one’s lip. That’s something we do when we are afraid or tense or feeling an “Uh oh!” To be afraid is to be bit or pulled or rubbed against by frightening forces. Something is biting us. OOOOOOhhhhhhhh! Uh oh!

Luke 1: 26-38 -  today’s gospel - uses the Greek word “phobos” for  “afraid”. We know the English word “phobia” from that Greek word - as in "phobias".   We have heard about dozens and dozens of phobias people can have: from autophobia [fear of being alone ] to zoophobia [fear of animals]. Does anyone here today have “chionophobia” - which is fear of snow? 

So the word “afraid” is an interesting word to explore.

ADAM AND MARY

In today’s first reading from Genesis 3: 9-15 - we hear about Adam disobeying God. He and Eve did not listen to God and ate the forbidden fruit.

Non-listening to God - as well as others - is often the root of many of our problems.

Communicating and questioning - what Mary does - can be the key to many of our solutions.

When Adam and Eve bit into and ate the forbidden fruit, uh oh, they became afraid. Why? Well they heard God’s voice in the garden. Next they hid. They felt exposed. They felt naked - disobedient - caught in their sin with only their skin. They were afraid.

Mary was afraid when she heard the Word of God. She had Joseph - but she was not married yet. When she was approached by God’s Message and Messenger - to do something for God that seemed impossible - she must have felt an “Uh oh!” -  because the story teller has the angel say, “Do not be afraid!”

And I’m sure you’ve heard a dozen times from us preachers: “This message of 'Don't be afraid!' is a constant in the Bible - when God reaches out to us!”

In fact, we have here in these stories the beginnings of religion. Often it is  fear - afraidness - falls - and wanting to drop out and hide - that bring us to God - to a power greater than our weakness. 

Questioning and questions can also bring us to God.

Being open or being closed? Now that’s a question. Now that’s a life choice.

Adam hid. Mary questioned.

Adam did "No". Mary said, "Yes!"

THE ORGINAL CHOICE: TO BE THE OLD OR NEW ADAM AND EVE.

I’m assuming that our scripture readings place these 2 people: Mary and Adam - or these 4 people - before us: Adam and Eve, Mary and Jesus - as we come to this feast of the Immaculate Conception.  In theology, Mary and Jesus, are called, “The New Adam” and “The New Eve.”

They are placed before us as choices - on how to live life - how to live it to the full - or how to hide in the dark.

In fact, is that the original sin: choosing darkness instead of choosing the light?

Hey Lucifer - means “Light Bearer!” It’s the name of the great fallen angel. [1] In today’s first reading he’s pictured as a serpent, a snake in the grass, crawling along - hissing sin - dismissing God - trying to bring down to his level God’s first people - Adam and Eve. The Serpent tries to bring them down to the dust from which they were sculpted and created by God. This is a push for the horizontal - when our call is to be vertical -  to evolve upwards  - to rise up - to stand up straight - be tall upon the earth.

I loved the joke about a person who dies and wants into heaven - but Peter is not sure if they should get a pass through the Golden Gates. “Well,” says Peter, “If you can find Adam or Eve in 20 minutes you’re in.”  The person comes back with them in 5 minutes. Peter astonished says, “How did you find them so fast?” “Simple!" says the person, "They were the only ones without belly buttons.”

So Adam and Eve started from scratch - with no belly buttons - with no history - but with all the gifts of paradise. They could have everything they wanted - except the fruit from one tree.

Hey there’s always a catch….

There’s always forbidden fruit ….

That’s our origins story. That’s what makes the story so original.

Otherwise the story would be boring….

Question: Why? 

Answer: Mystery....

So they bit - the snake’s story …. and the rest is our history.

Afraid - and sin - and darkness - and hiding - entered our world with them - but then sin became no longer that original.

Well, Mary grew up in that world - but with one original catch. 

Because of  Christ - because of the New Story to come - she was born without the original sin. 

And that’s what we celebrate today.

The Immaculate Conception is an original concept. It's a mysterious teaching from our Church - which took a long time to be articulated - agreed upon - and promulgated.  As I was trying to put this into words, I realized how difficult it is to state what the Immaculate Conception means. It certainly is one of a kind - original - and obviously a mystery.

Let me say this.  Mary had a belly button from her mom - and Christ had a belly button from Mary. That’s us. We don’t start from scratch.  We are connected. We have background. We are part of a history. We are called to be in communion with each other and our history. We begin with Adam and Eve’s story - and in time we can embrace Mary and Christ’s story.

Mary is conceived  without sin so she can bring Christ - who is without sin - Christ who is light - without any darkness  - into our world.

Mary does not have a Divine Nature.... Christ does.  

This feast of the Immaculate Conception brings us smack into the great struggles and controversies and heresies on how Christ is.

Mary is without sin, but this doesn't mean she is not one of us. She felt fear - was afraid - questioned - but then Mary said, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word.”

CONCLUSION

Maybe that original “Yes” is the message here - to say  that rather than the original “No” of Adam and Eve.  We have the choice each day to say “Yes” or “No!”

OOOOOOO

NOTES:

Painting on top: Master of Moulins - c. 1500, Coronation of the Virgin Mary

[1] In The New Jerome Biblical Commentary - one can read the following when looking at Isaiah 14: 12-15: “How!: Hebrew ‘ek parallels the ‘ek that opens verse 4b and probably intends to mark a major division. The poet applies to the king a non-Israelite myth of a god (the ‘shining star, son of the dawn’ [verse 12], conceals a proper name, Helel ben Shahar) who aspired to ascend the mountain of the gods and make himself equal to Elyon, for which presumption he was cast down to the netherworld. In the Latin Bible helel was rendered lucifer (‘light-bearer’) and since some Patristic writers saw in this piece an account of the fall of Satan, Lucifer came to a dame for the devil.” [Confer page 239 for this comment by Joseph Jensen, O.S.B.]The New Jerome Biblical Commentary, Isaiah 1-39, Prentice Hall, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, 07632, 1990.

CHOKE

Quote for Today - December 9, 2013 - Monday

"We all choke, and the man who says he doesn't choke is lying like hell."

Lee Trevino 

Comment: Isn't choke an interesting word - in look and sound. "Eeeh!" - we feel that in our throat and soul when we're caught in a request we want to run from - or a challenge that scares the living heaven out of us - and we end up in a helluva of a pickle of a feeling or situation. Hence: Lee Trevino is on to something with his comment.

PREPARE YE 

THE WAY OF THE LORD

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily  for this 2^nd Sunday in Advent - Year A - is, “Prepare Ye the Way of the Lord.”

Those are the words of the opening song of the 1970’s musical, “Godspell.”

I’m sure many of you saw that play on stage - big stage - or high school stage - and some of you might have been in a production of it - or you saw the movie version of it.

“Prepare Ye the Way of the Lord.”

7 Words …. If you are ever asked to memorize a song and sing it - there it is  ….  It’s only 7 words … and you can look it up on line and practice with various versions of singing it.

“Prepare Ye the Way of the Lord.”

It’s the key opening message of John the Baptist. We heard it in today’s gospel from Matthew 3: 1-12.  

New Testament scholars tell us that the gospels began with the adult Christ arriving at the shores of our lives. They began - as we clearly hear in the earliest gospel [Mark]  - with John the Baptist - announcing Jesus’ arrival - and then the theme, the scream, “Prepare ye the way of the Lord.”

John’s gospel - the latest in time of the gospels -  begins with Jesus’ pre-existence - then gets to John the Baptist.  Luke and Matthew begin with some stories of Jesus’ infancy - the Christmas stories - to answer those questions - in the minds of those who were beginning to wonder about the story of Jesus Christ. Then they gets to John the Baptist.

NAVY FEDERAL CREDIT UNION

There is a TV advertisement for Navy Federal Credit Union - or is it Army Federal Credit Union or both or is it insurance? The one I'm talking about has different people - adults - kids - young and old - appearing on the TV screen telling us when their family got Navy Federal Credit Union or whatever it is.  

So I’m not sure just what this TV commercial is. Next time I see it - I’ll know - because I’ll be listening and watching carefully - to see what I’m actually seeing.

*

Anyway - as I began working on this homily - that image hit me - as a way to go with this homily.

Question: who has given you the faith? Whom do you give credit to for preparing you for the Way of the Lord?”

That’s my homily for today - that question.

This week - this Sunday - this moment -  to reflect upon those people in our life - who have prepared us for the Way of the Lord.

PARENTS

For many it’s parents.

For me it was my parents. We went to church all through our childhood - and it was never a question not to.

Years and years later I remember hearing a priest say the following: “Picture a little kid going to bed at 8 PM. His or her parents are awake till 11 PM. The little kid hears a sound - wakes up - and walks towards his or her parents’ bedroom - around 11 PM. Mom is still downstairs arranging something for the morning. The bedroom door is open. The kid sees his or her dad kneeling there saying a prayer before going to bed.”

The preacher then said, “That sight - that moment - is more powerful - more significant - than all the CCD or religious education stuff that kid will ever learn or hear about in any classroom - or church.”

My first reaction was: “That’s quite a comment.” 

My second thought was: “It all depends.”

My third thought was: “Exaggeration! Prove it!”

My fourth reaction: “Maybe this is his story. Maybe this is what happened to him.”

My fifth reaction: “You’re right! That’s what I experienced as a child - but I never thought about it.

That preacher’s comment  triggered a memory. Once I had the 6 AM weekday Mass as an altar boy at OLPH Church, Brooklyn,  as a kid. My dad was off to work at 5 AM - taking the subway over to Nabisco on the West Side of Manhattan, New York City. But that morning - as I came down the side aisle - there was my dad half kneeling, half sitting, saying a prayer - head in hands.

It totally surprised me. I didn’t stop to tap him - or put my tiny hand on his shoulder. I went quietly by him. When I came out into the sanctuary to serve the Mass - I found myself sneaking a peak back and over to the side where he was. He was gone.

I’ve often wondered about that moment - but like a thousand things - I never talked to my dad about that moment.

But after I heard that comment - by that preacher - that priest - about that little kid seeing her dad - kneeling there praying - before going to bed one night - and how much that moment might  impact that kid for life - I found myself being grateful for my parents preparing me for the way of the Lord.

NUNS AND PRIESTS

I also saw tons of nuns - and lots of priests - as a kid. It was the 1940’s into the 1950’s - before the mass changes of the 1960’s.

I am not scared to say in public that I never saw any abuse from any of them - in my whole life.

I’ve seen some strange rangers. I’ve lived with a few strange ranger priests. Having said that I love the last supper question,  “Is it I Lord?” [Cf. Mark 14:19]

I'm sure you too have had the experience of many different characters - plus and minus -  in your parishes and in your life. It’s life.  

What I’m saying here is that for the most part I’ve lived and met many wonderful nuns and priests in my life. They impacted me for good big time. I hope they have done the same for you.

As priest I am very well aware of the impact of the horror stories that have come out in the past 20 or so years. Bummer. Obviously, I know horror has a greater impact than holiness - and good human beings.

I also know that people expect more of priests - so the shock when someone they look up to hurts and/or abuses others - especially young people - is greater.

I also know that we priests are in the national average or percentile  - under 8 % - probably around 4 % - give and take - as they like to say - of those who are criminal. That’s a sad and horrible reality.

Of course, of course, 1 is too many - in a family - in a school - in a church - or where have you.

I hope we have been an advertisement - in a flip way - backhanded way - to make the world more aware - especially parents and church and schools and groups - of protecting all children - being very aware that there are predators around.

Prepare ye the safe way for all children.

TEDDY MEEHAN

I have met many priests - being a priest - that’s an obvious statement - but I asked myself in preparing this homily, "Who was the best person besides my parents -  in preparing me for the way of the Lord?"

I came up with 10 names of various people and then I put a circle around the best.

# 1 was a priest named Teddy Meehan. His real name was Francis Meehan - but because he had buck teeth like Teddy Roosevelt - he got the name Teddy. He was a Teddy bear besides.

He taught us history in the seminary. Then I had the honor of living with him - years later  in that same seminary when I had a job there for 8 years as novice master. In this second stint with him, he was now an old man - in his 80's.

I could list a dozen great examples from his life - but for this sermon on good example - and preparing people for the way of the Lord - let me give this one example.

On Sunday night I used to have a holy hour in our big chapel. I’d sit with our novices up in the sanctuary - before Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. It would be absolutely quiet. Then the back door would open and Teddy would shuffle in. He was getting old and getting deaf.  Some Sunday nights he would just sit there in the back and mumble prayers. Sometimes he would get up and do the stations of the cross - sometimes even saying some of the prayers out loud.

At first I said to myself, “Dang it  Teddy. Not so noisy!” 

Then I said to myself, “Stupid, stupid, stupid. These young men are in the presence of greatness - experiencing an old man moving towards the far edge of life - praying - and sometimes praying out loud. This is impacting them - whether they know it or not - much more than anything I could say or do.”

Prepare ye the way of the Lord!

CONCLUSION

So my homily today is basically a question - well 2 questions.

First question: who has prepared the way of the Lord for you? Who have been the people who kept you in the faith or brought you  back to the faith or prepared the way of the Lord for you?

It might have been your parents or a spouse or a buddy in the military or someone whom you roomed with in college - or someone at work. 

Who has prepared the way of the Lord for you?

Second and last question: Am I aware of the impact of my life on other’s lives? 

This is a scary question. Maybe you are a parent who - like so many parents - have seen your kids drop out of Church. If you’re wondering: hey I did this and I did that - but why have they have disappeared from the faith? Is it my fault? Or how much am I at fault?

If this is the case, this is what I do - what  I go through. I pray. I let go. I trust the process. I admit my failures. I say to myself that I tried. I hope. I talk about it.

I talk to young people about all this. In fact, I just told some of our high school seniors on a 4 day Kairos Retreat this past week - that I think we’re in the period called “Post Christianity!” and I’m wondering about your future as Christians.

I realize our new Pope Francis - is having an impact - called the Pope Francis Bounce.  It tells me loud and clear that Service Christianity - Smile Christianity - Joyful Christianity. Honest Christianity. St. Francis of Assisi Christianity - has more impact on people than Scold Christianity - SCOLD spelled SCOLD - which had taken over too many times in my opinion in the last bunch of years.

I know today’s readings - especially the first reading and today’s gospel - come on very strong - but I rather use the image of a pat on the back - a listening ear - than using the image of  an ax - chopping away at roots. If people want to go that way, know the consequences. I rather be with those people who want to go with a spoonful of honey rather than a barrel of vinegar. Amen.

O O O O O

Note:

* Thanks to Bill Cable for letting me know the correct advertisment.