BOO BOO

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for this 16 Sunday in Ordinary Time is, “Boo Boo.”

WHERE DOES IT HURT?

A good 25 years ago or so I’m sitting there on a couch at some family get together. This little kid named Patrick - my niece Patty’s kid - walks across a crowded room and comes up to me - points at a Band-Aid on my finger and says, “Boo Boo!”

He had spotted the Band-Aid on a cut on my right hand from some 25 feet away - walked through the crowd - pointed at my hurt and said, “Boo Boo.”

We forget most moments. Why have I remembered that simple moment?

It has become a lifetime parable - story - example - message for me.

I could walk through this church and stop at every person in this crowded room - point at your heart or your mind and say, “Boo Boo?”

Better and clearer: “Where does it hurt?”

Pause …. Hopefully, that question could make you pause as you think of places and experiences in your life where you were hurt and got a boo boo.

FILL IN THE BLANK: WHERE DOES YOU HURT?

I don’t have good skin - and it’s getting worse in my old age. I tend to pick my cuts. So my doctor told me, “Everyone picks their skin - more or less.”

People seeing me picking a scab - from a cut - often say, “Stop. Stop picking.”

I thought my doctor gave the best comment. She said, “Work on it.”

Yet, she was right about, “Everyone picks on their cuts - more or less.”

Have you ever been cut?  Have you ever been dropped?  Have you ever been burnt? Make your list. Fill in the blanks. Name your boo boos. Do you pick your cuts? 

Where have you been hurt?

It could be something we did - some big mistake - something we cannot forget and find hard to forgive ourselves for.

It could be something someone did to us. Abuse. Alcoholism. Addiction. Absenteeism. An accident. And those are just “Boo Boo’s” that begin with the letter A.

Which letter in the alphabet would help us make the best list? How about R’s: regrets, remarks, resentments, rejections, rape, someone read us the wrong way - and we have remembered, maybe even regurgitated that hurt all our life?

REDEMPTION

We Redemptorists - the priests and religious who staff this parish - celebrate our patron feast this Sunday - every year on the Second Sunday of July - as the feast of our Most Holy Redeemer.

We were founded back in 1732 in Scala above the Amalfi Coast in Italy  by St. Alphonsus de Liguori. He spotted places and people - that other priests and church did not want to go to.

Our goal was to work with those who were abandoned or neglected or not acceptable.

When we came to Annapolis in 1853 - there was no parish here.

Jesuits came here from down in the St. Mary’s County area of Maryland - to say Mass in private house chapels - like at the Charles Carroll House.

Backtracking, we came from Vienna, Austria in 1832 - because of the shortage of priests for the German immigrants over here. So we started churches in Pittsburgh, Buffalo, Rochester, New York City and Baltimore.

From Baltimore, we came to Annapolis.

Backtracking even more, we came to Vienna and Warsaw from the Naples area of Italy where we tried to reach out to serve Catholics in those areas.

We then went from established places to new places where there was a shortage of clergy: South America, Africa, Asia.  Right now our most growing places are Vietnam, India, Africa, the Philippines and other places in Southeast Asia.

And our message is in our motto - from Psalm 130, “With Him there is fullness of Redemption.” In Latin, as it appears on our coat of arms: that is, “Copiosa Apud Eum Redemptio.”

In our Latin motto, I like to move the “eum” and put it after the word “redemption.” Then the first letter of each word spells out the English word “CARE”.

Redemption means caring.

Redemption means healing.

Redemption means helping.

Redemption means recognizing.

Redemption means being a Good Samaritan.

Redemption means saving.

Redemption means being freedom - as in the movie Shawshank Redemption.

Redemption also means salvation. They have nuances and similarities.

Salvation: now that’s a big word - as in Saving Private Ryan or saving our soul.

In 1749 - when we were trying to get our approval to become a Religious Congregation in the church - we were to be the Congregation of the Most Holy Savior - only to find out in Rome - another group already had that name. So we became the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer - the Redemptorists.

Right now we have  around 5,500 members in 77 countries around the world.

Our job is to bring Jesus to folks - to redeem folks - to bring mercy and forgiveness -  to people.

Our job is to be there where people hurt - where there are boo boos.

I like it that St. Alphonsus made it a great stress that we Redemptorists help people with their conscience - especially when it comes to moral decisions. He developed a Moral Theology called equiprobalism - which calls for balance - neither being too strict or too lax.

Bernard Haring, CSSR

I like it that another great Redemptorist, Father Bernard Haring,  developed a Moral Theology which he called The Law of Christ. It was very personal. It was very freeing. It was very helpful. I think that is where I discovered my favorite Bible Text. It's from Galatians 6:2: “Bear one another’s burdens and in this way you are fulfilling the Law of Christ.”

Both St. Alphonsus and Bernard Haring were attacked in their times for being too liberal.  At another time St. Alphonsus was attacked for being too conservative.

In theology - in church stuff - as in politics and in life - expect people to have different opinions - different takes - different viewpoints.

In a way, I like it that in the past few years, two of our priests in Ireland, are in trouble with some people in Rome because they were calling our Church to be more open and to reach out to people we weren’t. They have been more open to preaching the mercy of Jesus - too much - for people in some marriage cases and people situations - forgiveness etc. etc. etc. They were addressing some issues that Pope Francis and our recent synods were beginning to address.

I like it and don’t like it that some people are complaining about Pope Francis that he’s not tough enough - and they don’t like his “liberal positions” - and they will wait him out. It tells me that he is addressing issues that call for complaints to kill messenger - the stuff Jesus got into.

I like it that this year is a year of mercy. If you come through these doors, please experience mercy, healing, forgiveness, acceptance and welcome.

Please hear the song: “All are welcome. All are welcome. All are welcome in this place.”

I like it that this parish is very, very generous with helping people in the St. Vincent de Paul Society - folks who come here every Monday night and Wednesday afternoon for help. Thank you for your money in the poor box. It goes to the poor.

I like it that our high school classrooms are used for the ESL - the English as a Second Language program.

I like it that our Hispanic parishioners are well over 1000 - and I’m sure some are illegal.

I like it that America was discovered and then America discovered the richness of immigrants. Of course,  we did a horror story on the natives in place.

I like it that the Statue of Liberty on Liberty Island is still proclaiming Emma Lazarus’ poem:

"Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning 
to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed 
to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"

For the sake of transparency,  I am first generation. My mother and father were immigrants - coming here from poverty.  

For the sake of transparency my father took us every Sunday down to the Narrows - just 4 blocks away - from where we lived - that water that leads into the New York Harbor and Ellis Island within view of the Statue of Liberty.

For the sake of transparency I am a Redemptorist. All our priests and brothers who came here were immigrants - who spoke a different language.

For the sake of transparency I am a Christian - and I believe Jesus the Redeemer - was all about removing walls - barriers - blocks between people. If in doubt read Ephesians 2:13-14: “But now in Christ Jesus you who were once far off have brought near by the blood of Christ.  For he is our peace; in his flesh he has made both groups into one and has  broken down the dividing wall, that is, the hostility between us.”

Hey, when Jesus healed people - on the Sabbath - when he reached out to sinners - and ate with them - when he rubbed hands and eyes with folks that you should not associate with - he triggered anger. At those moments he told people to drop the rocks of rejection. They dropped them - walked away one by one - but soon began plotting on a way to kill him.

TODAY’S READINGS

In today’s reading we hear about hospitality.

In today’s readings we hear about welcoming.

Where are you hungry?

Where are you thirsty?

Where are you in need?

In the first reading from Genesis, Abraham and Sarah help 3 strangers who are going by. They bathe their feet, tell them to rest under their tree, and here’s something to eat.

In today’s second reading from Colossians Paul tells his brothers and sisters - those he meets - that Christ and his church is all about helping folks with their sufferings - their boo boos.

In today’s gospel from Luke - our Gospel Reading for this year - we hear about Martha and Mary - that hospitality is about feeding - but especially listening - being attentive - being one to one with each other.

Sometimes those who serve - don’t look in the eye -  the eye of the person they are serving - just doing, doing, doing, without being, being, being with the other. The Martha in them has taken over and the Mary has been neglected.

Augustine said: both Martha and Mary is each of us.

I know I can be so impersonal at time - mechanical at times - just a functionary at times - and not being with the ones I’m with.

CONCLUSION

I have to keep in mind my little grandnephew Patrick who spotted my boo boo in a crowded room.

Isn’t that the call for all of us - to be like little children - as Jesus put it - and to see where others hurt.

To know others hurt. To know others need redemption. To know others need personal contact and love.

To look across the crowded rooms we find ourselves in and to ask, “Is there any person across this crowded room who could use a visit from our very best?”