AWESOME 

AND THEN SOME 

 

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily is, “Awesome and Then Some.”

In this homily I want to talk about getting in touch with transfiguration moments in our lives – moments in our autobiography – our personal story  - that were different than other moments in our life – moments that  changed our lives – moments that shaped and reshaped our lives -  moments that were awesome and then some more.

MAKE A LIST

I would think that the first step would be to make a list – a list of moments in our lives – moments that impacted us – moments that stopped us in our tracks – moments when our world stood still – moments when we wondered, “Is this really happening to me?” “Lucky me!”  “What’s next?” “What now?” Wow!” moments.

Obviously our list would include moments like births and deaths – vacations to places that knocked our socks off  - anniversaries – and then the great surprises of our life.

Someone loved us …. Someone saw something in us that we never saw …. and they expressed appreciation and love for us – and a year or two years later we married them – or what have you.

Life is the sunrises and sunsets – but life is mainly the surprises!

So that would be the first step – make the list. 

I would also suggest talking to each other about each other’s life and list. Hear one another. Listen to one another. Say “I love you” with our ears – not just with one’s mouth. Listening is a key way of loving one another. NCIS each other – that is, figuring our what happened. That would be much more important than listening and watching NCIS on TV.

Recognition – respect – remembering - are key ingredients to spiritual growth – in our’s and each other’s lives.

I’m stressing here the importance of remembering – discovering and rediscovering and recovering each other’s memories. They make us who we are.

Suggestion: a key way of doing this is questions – not badgering questions – but right time questioning – like on long car rides – like at the dinner table – especially at the end of meals – when we're sitting there laughing – and enjoying each other’s history or herstory.

Questions are the great fish hooks to get to 70% of the other person – to the stuff we can’t see – to the stuff that  is underwater. [70 % is the amount of water that covers the earth – as we see in this search for the missing Malaysian plane.]

Ask questions like: “What are the top 10 moments in our moms and our dad’s life?” If they are living, go fishing. If they are dead, talk to brothers and sisters about them. Great stuff. Those are the home movies to watch. Questions…. Questions…. Questions…. "Mom, Dad, what was it like when you first met each other?"  “Dad, mom, what was it like for you when the United States was going through the war in Vietnam?”  “What about that time you took that car ride across the United States – or what about the time you climbed Mount Washington in New Hampshire?” “What was it like for you when you were a kid?” “What was grandpa’s grandpa like?”

Since our gospel reading is on the Transfiguration scene as it appears in the gospel of Matthew – these moments are often called, “Transfiguration Moments.”

What were the moves - transfers - relocations - in our life – like the story of Abraham in today’s first reading – when we made a move from there to here – not knowing all the surprises that were to come. I know there are real Anapolitans in this parish – in this area – but I also know there are people from somewhere else. How did you get here? Was this what you expected?

So what were the Transfiguration Moments in each other’s lives?

What were the mountain moments – when we saw it all – if for but a moment. Those God glimpses.... Those “A Ha” moments.... Those “Eureka” moments ....

DISFIGURATION MOMENTS

We can also make a list of disfiguration moments – moments when  we were hurt or cut or disfigured – but be careful of those.

A baby is stillborn…. A marriage falls apart …. A family is broken – like a plate that falls on a stone floor – and slivers scatter everywhere – and we can cut ourselves picking up the pieces …. A kid of ours or a grandkid gets arrested for drugs or what have you – and the whole family is pulled apart in various directions …. A spouse dies…. We’re fired…. A friend we thought was a good friend betrays us with comments about us…. We’re cheated out of money big time…. A secret is broken.

LIFE HAS BOTH KINDS OF MOMENTS

Jesus had his moment of glory in today’s gospel on the mountain – and he was transfigured before his disciples. He heard one of life's great affirmations: "You are beloved!" Later on in our gospels we’ll hear about Jesus on another mountain – Mount Calvary where he is disfigured before all who stood beneath his cross. And hanging there on a cross Jesus felt totally abandoned by God, Our Father.  He yelled out, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"

Lent is a good time to look at these two mountains – the mountain of transfiguration and the mountain of disfiguration.

Life is both cuts and scars, slashings and healings, ups and downs, blessings and curses....

GO FIGURE – THE SECOND STEP

Notice in the word “transfiguration” as well as the word “disfiguration”, the word “figure”.

A key to life is not just the experience – but what we figure out from the experience.

So that’s why I titled my homily, “Awesome and Then Some.”

The “Then Some” is the “Go Figure” time.

We have moments in our lives that are awesome – but more important is the taking some time – to slowly unwrap the learnings from our experiences.

Go figure!

I remember hearing in a talk the comment that we can have 18 years experience – or the one same experience 18 times.

The person who takes the time to “Go Figure” is the person who learns from all 18 experiences.

If a marriage falls apart, does a person learn why things went wrong – what happened?

I hear that is one good reason for the annulment process in the Catholic Church.

I hear it's a good idea to encourage people in a good marriage to make a Marriage Encounter – so as to talk with one’s spouse, “How’s it going – to escape for a weekend to “Go Figure” to make a marriage “Awesome and Then Some.”

I hear it's a good idea to encourage marriages that are in trouble to make the Retrouvaille – a program for marriages that are in trouble - so that couples take the time to “Go figure” how to make a troubled marriage a more peaceful adventure together.

I hear that’s what makes good therapy – when a person takes the time with a therapist – to go figure – where they’ve been – how they’re doing – where they are in trouble, lazy, depressed, not growing, so as to get going in new directions – with a healthier way of doing life.

Tough stuff. Great stuff. Life stuff.

CONCLUSION

My conclusion is this: write down your story. That’s a great way of pulling the messages our of the messes and the blessings – we experience in life.

Somewhere along the line I figured out that the primary scriptures we ought to be reading is the story of our own lives.

As you know the scriptures are the written stuff that was spoken for the longest time. 

Then someone wrote down the story – and re-wrote it – and re-wrote it again – making the story make more sense with each telling and each re-write.

Take the story of Jesus. He suffered and died and we believe rose from the dead around the year 33 or so.

Matthew, Mark, Luke and John’s gospel stories are from after the year 55 – at least. They gathered the stories about Jesus – and wrote them out in ink.

I see all these folks texting and typing into all kinds of gadgets.

In this homily I’m suggesting text yourself. Make your lists. Write your autobiography. Find quite places – inner rooms, mountains, deserts – to disappear to – and from that vantage point – have mountain top experiences like Peter, James and John had in today’s gospel. See Jesus in the pages and stories of your life – in your joyful, sorrowful, glorious and light bearing mysteries – and hear yourself saying to yourself and to Jesus in prayer: “Lord it is good for me to be here. Thank you!”