IMPACT

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for this 5^th Sunday in Ordinary Time - Year A - is, “Impact.”

I   M   P   A  C   T! - “Impact.”   I  M  P  A  C  T!

That’s the theme that hit me when I read today’s readings.

“Impact.”

WE KNOW WHAT IMPACT MEANS

We know what impact means.

When we walk into a room - something happens - well not always.

Better: when we walk into some rooms - something happens.

When we come home - up the driveway - into the office - into the classroom - into the doctor’s office - into church - down the aisle - something happens.

I call it the “Oh yes!” or “Oh no!” vote.

I'm sure none of us want to get the "What a jerk!" or worse vote.

Through the years the 1/3-1/3-1/3 rule has always helped me.

1/3 like you; 1/3 don’t like you; 1/3 don’t care.

I was kidding myself with that rule - because I just read in The Tablet, a British Catholic magazine different numbers. In a letter to the Editor a Father Terry Martin was replacing an outstanding priest. He was telling another priest that this appointment made him nervous - that is, till this other priest said, “Terry, five per cent of the people will love you, five percent will hate you and the other 90 per cent just want to come to Mass.” [1]

I like those numbers better. 

So here we are at Mass and my homily is about “Impact.”  

May Jesus impact 100% of us today.

FOR STARTERS: OUR WORDS HAVE IMPACT

I remember a priest saying out loud: “I was walking down the aisle - as the singing began - and I heard someone say, “Oh no!”

I guess one of the 5 per centers was loud that day.

Then he said, “I heard those two words for the rest of  the Mass.”

And I thought to myself, “You’re still hearing them!" Bummer.

Maybe there’s an advantage to having poor hearing.

When I heard that comment I remembered a poem by Countee Cullen called, “Incident”.

INCIDENT

Once riding in old Baltimore,

Heart filled, head-filled with glee,

I saw a Baltimorean

Kept looking straight at me.

Now I was eight and very small,

And he was no whit bigger,

And so I smiled, but he poked out

His tongue, and called me, “Nigger.”

I saw the whole of Baltimore

From May until December’

Of all the things that happened there

That’s all that I remember.[2]

For starters, words have impact.

I remember a moment during a men’s weekend retreat - from around the year 1980. It was Saturday evening and we were having an open forum.  There were about 85 men were in this big room. I don’t remember what triggered the following - but I remembered the words that followed.

An old guy in the back of the room - raised his hand - stood up and said: “There we were at the kitchen table - many, many years ago. My older brother and I were in grammar school. We were sitting there - with our dad.”

“My dad said to my older brother. ‘You’ll be graduating from grammar school next June and we’re going to get you into a great high school. Then you’ll graduate from high school and you’ll go to a great college and then you can become anything you want. You’ll be a great engineer, doctor, lawyer. You’ll going to do great things with your life.”

And the man then said, “Hearing that I said to my dad, ‘Dad, dad, what’s going to happen to me?’"

“And my dad turned to me and said, ‘You? You’ll never amount to anything.’ And pointing to his shoe, my dad said, ‘You’re not worth the sole of my shoe.’”

Silence. Silence. Silence.

Silence filled the room. 

And the man was crying. Then he said, “And my dad was right. I never amounted to anything.”

More silence.

The impact of that moment has stayed with me some 30 plus years now. I’ve often thought about that man and those men. I’m sure that was the most powerful retreat moment in their years of coming on retreat  - well for some of them - I hope more than 5 per cent of them.

I know that made me revisit the old saying we heard as kids: “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but names will never hurt me.”

Obviously, the opposite is true.

In fact, words might hurt more than sticks and stones.

So take some moments this week and reflect upon the words of your life - the words that have impacted you.

What was the worse thing anyone ever said to or at you?

What was the nicest thing anyone ever said to you?

How did that impact you?

Why come to church? 

Isn't it to bring into our ears the words of Jesus - to bring into our being Jesus who can heal us? Isn't it to walk out of this church after Mass today and make an impact for good in our world this week?

TODAY’S READINGS

Today’s first reading doesn’t  talk about impact directly.[3]

Today’s gospel talks directly about  impact.[4]

Today’s first reading talks about sharing our bread with the hungry, sheltering the oppressed and the homeless, clothing the naked and not turning our back on our own.

Today’s first reading talks about removing false accusations and malicious speech - then …. Then Isaiah says if we do that -  our light will break forth like the dawn - our wounds will be healed - our being whom we are supposed to be will happen.

Today’s gospel has Christ using 2 images - 2 metaphors about impact.

We know when there is salt on the potato chip or pretzel - just watch people lick the salt on a big pretzel - and see their smile.

We know when there is a light on in the room.  We know when a car coming towards us in the dark has its bright lights on. Impact.

We’re flying at 14,000 feet - at night over the ocean - and it’s all dark down there. But if there are not clouds we might spot a boat with it’s lights on - or another plane in the beautiful black sky - but if we go over land - we know where the cities are.

So Jesus tells us in today’s gospel: “A city set on a mountain cannot be hidden.” Impact.

IMPACT

So Christianity - Christ - Church - wants to have people all over our world who make an impact for goodness, kindness, giving, all over the world.

Earlier I spoke on the power of words. I said I disagreed with the old saying about sticks and stones will break our bones - but names will never hurt us.

On the other hand, there is an old saying we all seem to still agree upon. We hear it repeated in our words at least once a week, "Action speaks louder than words."

I love it that salt and light don’t have a mouth.

I love it that they both are silent.

Yet we know it when the light is on. Yet we know it when there is salt on the table - or the potato chip - or those big delicious pretzels with the great salt licks on them.

Christ wants every office, every work place, every family, every classroom, every team, every group, every organization, every bookclub, every parish, to have at least one Christian.

As Paul says in today’s second reading: It’s me. That person is me. I walk into every room I enter into proclaiming Jesus by my life. He says that he comes with fear and trembling.[5]

Exactly - we should fear and tremble because our lives can make a difference for good or for bad - by the words we say - but especially by the example we set on the table.

We should have fear and trembling because there are people out there who are impacted by our words - by our silent example - by our lives - for a lifetime.

CONCLUSION

I was watching the opening ceremonies for the Olympics Friday night. Putin and Russia want to make an impact for goodness around the world - for all the people around the world watching. The TV talked about the negatives …. dogs in the street - a tough history - buildings not finished - human rights abuses - anti gay stuff - etc. etc. etc.

They are hoping the Olympic Moment in their country has a positive impact that outweighs the negatives.

Don’t we all? Don’t we all.

Doesn’t Christ as well?

So this day, this week, let’s be salt and light on the tables in the rooms we’re in - that people will know without knowing it - that’s what we’re there for. 

Salt and light: there when wanted; there when needed. 

OOOOOOO

NOTES:

[1]  The Tablet, February 1, 2014,  Letters, page.18

[2] Countee Cullen [1903-1946]

[3] Isaiah 58: 7-10

[4] Matthew 5: 13-16

[5] 1 Corinthians 2: 1-5