STILL

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for this 2^nd Monday in Advent is, “Still”.

[Spell it out]:  S  T  I  L  L  - “Still.”

TODAY’S  TWO READINGS

I read today’s two readings a few times  - trying to see what thoughts they would trigger.

Check out Isaiah 35:1-10 and Luke 5: 17-26.

The contrast between stuck and non-stuck, motion and not moving it, hit me.

There’s a world of difference between a garden - blooming - bursting with flowers - and a desert - all just dry - same old same old - tan sand sitting still.

The first reading - Isaiah 35: 1-10  has the desert blooming and blossoming - with abundant flowers.

A bunch of years ago I was giving some talks in Tucson for two weeks - and someone said, “Pray for rain - because when you wake up the next morning - you will see the difference - big time.”  It didn’t rain. All was the same still hot scene for 2 hot weeks.

Read today’s first reading out loud a few times - slowly - and you will hear a symphony orchestra and see thousands of flowers bursting into color. Nice. If you don't, turn on your imagination.

Read Isaiah slowly and you will picture people walking down the aisle with walkers and canes. Then you'll see them dropping and ditching them and then dancing with freedom.  You will see the blind suddenly seeing; the deaf hearing; the lame leaping; and the mute singing.  You will see rivers bubbling and burgeoning up out of the earth and  pools of water appearing.

Roads will appear!

It will be a place of peace - with no wild animals lurking  - ready to pounce on people.

Listen to the last sentence in today’s first reading again, “They will meet with joy and gladness, sorrow and mourning will flee.”

That first reading is a neat contrast with today’s gospel from Luke.  We hear the story of a  paralyzed person who can’t walk and some paralyzed Pharisees and scribes - who can’t allow for someone to be freed from their sins. They don't get that this Jesus can heal  both physical and spiritual paralysis. Jesus frees the man and sends him home with his stretcher in hand.

STILL

If someone hasn’t seen us in 10 years - will they see a different person than the one they used to know. 

Are we still telling the same old stories - having the same old gripes and whinings?

I remember being hit by the following statement: “Some people with 20 years experience have one years experience 20 times and some people have 20 years experience."

Some people get stuck in a death, in a hurt, in a disaster - and their life becomes a deja vue experience day after day after day.

Isn’t that the theme of John Updike’s novel, Rabbit Run. It’s  about Harry "Rabbit"  Angstrom - who at 26 is still stuck in his high school -years -  still stuck in his basketball glory days.

Some people have had an abortion and at 73 - it’s as if it happened only yesterday - they still are paralyzed in the tragedy - and they keep aborting themselves.

I lived with two priests once - both in their 70’s - both were classmates. Back in their seminary days, one of these priests was pitching a no-hitter. The other guy was playing the outfield he let a single drop in. The pitcher expected him to catch it on a fly and could never let that go - never let that go….

Still.

I have a poem somewhere there about going home to Brooklyn once - going by a bar - and I spotted the same guy I saw sitting on a certain bar stool was still sitting there - still sitting there - after all these years.

CONCLUSION

The title of my homily is, “Still!”

There is a psalm that has the line, “Be still and know that I am God.”

Yes, but I would add, “Be still and see all the great motion - called life - and see God in the great mix - not being still - but being still alive. Amen.