THE CHOICE

IS ALWAYS OURS

INTRODUCTION

What I would like to speak about is “The Choice Is Always Ours.”  “The Choice Is Always Ours.”

That’s the idea that struck me when I read today’s gospel. Jesus gives us a choice. 

I can be the type of person who builds my house on rock or the type of person who builds his house on sand.

“The Choice Is Always Ours.”

I have a choice. 

It’s sort of like a black and white way of seeing life and approaches to life and its choices.

And it’s a good way at times of approaching life.

“The Choice Is Always Ours.”

ADVENT

Advent is a time—one of those times we can step back and see life and its choices in a hard fashion—in a black and white way and to see life with its contrasting choices.

To see the basic choices of life and the basic choices we are making with our time and with our life.

Moreover Advent is not just waiting and then reflecting. It’s also a time to see if I need to make some newer moves in my life.

So that I can not just be the one who gives gifts at Christmas, but that I myself can be a gift that I give others at Christmas: myself, a better me—not just the giving of money or a shirt, but to give the people of my life, to my family, to my community, my parish, wherever I am, a better me. It’s cheaper, but it’s also tougher.

That I can be the best gift, not Chevas Regal or diamonds or the best new toy on the market.

MY TOPIC

So that’s my topic today. That’s what I want to preach on.

“The Choice Is Always Ours.”

A new me or the same old me.

“The Choice Is Always Ours.”

This is a black and white way of looking at all this. It’s sort of like the white snow and the dark trees of December. It’s sort of like the white moon and the dark lake.

Now it’s simplistic. It’s not complicated. And life is complicated—very complicated.

Life is infinitesimal details—like the details in a space shuttle—astronautically details. 

But by that very reality, sometimes it’s smart to be simple, to cut things down to “yes” and “no” realities. This way or that way realities. Make things black and white. And of course, you can scream, “Wait a minute. Things are not that simple. Things are not black and white.”

Right! But sometimes to learn we have to make things black and white—just giving two choices—not allowing us to have a big menu.

It’s contrast. Jesus preached that way quite often. 

So let’s begin—using images, poetry, pictures that Jesus used. Let’s take some time to ask basic questions, using some basic meditations, some basic considerations about life, some basic choices in life.

“The Choice Is Always Ours.”

BIBLE

Let’s begin by turning to the Bible. It’s loaded with lots of contrasting images that we can bring to prayer and bring to thought—lots of contrasting images that will help us see in stark black and white colors either or choices for how to live and do life.

And thank God Catholics are turning to the Bible more and more as a prayer book—as a source book for thinking and meditation.

What used to be a source of division now is a source of prayer for all Christians.

(Problems will always remain with the Bible, but as we were taught, only about 10 % of the Bible is a problem. 90 % is excellent for prayer and reflective reading.

Vatican II said to open up the treasures of the Scriptures for the faithful—quoting St. Jerome, “Ignorance of the Scriptures is Ignorance of Jesus Christ.” 

So thank God for the increase in Bible reading. There are various Bible courses in person or on tapes or in books. Reflective reading of the Scriptures here in Church in front of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament, in the presence of the Word made flesh dwelling amongst us. 

I find myself using the Scriptures more and more for sermons, whereas before it was the movies, songs, books, the New York Times, Time magazine, etc.  

FIRST IMAGE: HOUSE - BUILT ON ROCK OR SAND?

Today’s gospel gives us the choice to build our house on rock or to build our house, our future,  on sand. [Cf. Matthew 7: 21-24-27.]

This is the first image I want to focus on. There are many more.

If I build my house on rock, I hear the word of God, put it into my life, then I’m building a strong future. When the storms of life hit me, I’m okay. I don’t crumble. The phone rings, the cancer is announced. The tragedies hit and I stand firm, because my house is built on rock. 

But if I don’t put the word of God into my life, don’t even consider or reconsider it, then I’m building my house on sand.  I’m living a wishy washy life. 

So the choice is building my life on quick sand - living a quicksandish type of life - dying a  quicksandish kind of living.  

So which is more me? When the phone rings or there is a knock on the door, when there is a message of trouble, a death in my life, a new appointment that is a disappointment, will I fall apart or not fall apart based on what my house was built on. Can I handle the storms and stress of life? Can I handle conflict in my life or sickness or temptation? So it’s obvious if it’s on sand my life falls apart. Rock or sand? 

“The Choice Is Always Ours.”

NEXT IMAGE: A TREE THAT PRODUCES FRUIT OR ZILCH

Or as Jesus said once, I have a choice to be a tree that produces fruit on a tree or a tree that just takes up space. 

The fig tree, the orange tree, the apple tree that gives fruit, that’s putting out, that’s what we are being called to be.

Then there is the person who just sits there doing nothing, nothing but cross word puzzles or is a cross with his or her words to the rest of the family or work space—just taking up space, doing nothing. 

“The Choice Is Always Ours.”

So I can be a good tree or a bad tree (Matthew 12: 33). How’s that for a black and white image. We know trees by the fruit they produce or don’t produce. What am I? A provider or a waste? A giver or a taker? When I walk into a room, what do I create? What conversations do I provide? 

Do I say to others, “Take a break? I’ll do the dishes. I’ll put out the garbage. I’ll take care of supper.”

Or am I a rotten apple?

By their fruits you shall know them.

“The Choice Is Always Ours.”

NEXT IMAGE: TWO SERVANTS

The first servant is the good guy or gal. She or he wears the white hat. She or he is considerate. She or he is kind. She or he listens. She or he understands.

The second servant is the bully. Bullies push people around. They yell. They use their voice to control. They are moody. They are selfish.  They are drunk. They try to control everything. They are  lazy and stick others with the tough jobs. They cause problems.

Which servant am I? Forgiving and Unforgiving servant? (Cf. Matthew 18: 21)

“The Choice Is Always Ours.”

NEXT IMAGE: WISE VIRGINS OR FOOLISH VIRGINS?

This used to be called the parable of the 10 virgins. 5 were foolish; 5 were wise. The foolish were unprepared; the wise were prepared. They brought enough oil. You never can be sure when the bridegroom is going to show up. You have to be prepared, because you never know.

The world could end in 2017 or maybe it’s 35,982. Who knows? Ready or not, here it comes. It’s earthquake time. It’s accountant time. Make an accounting of your stewardship.

Which is more me: wise or foolish?

“The Choice Is Always Ours.”

NEXT IMAGE: THE WAY - NARROW OR WIDE?

Another two that Jesus uses is the way or the road: do I take the narrow or wide path?

Do I want to be the person who is walking the narrow way, the back road. This road can be curvy, dangerous, rocky. It’s the road that we can’t see too far ahead. 

Or do I want to spend my life on the wide road that leads to destruction—the 4 lane highway that is crowded, the obvious road to take. According to Jesus it’s the road  that leads to death.

The narrow curving winding way that seems dead, the road not taken,  leads to life? 

The wide way has lots of stuff along it—lots of stores and amusements and attractions, that seem so life giving. The wide road has lots of signs, fewer pot holes, plenty of stores and shops with lots of stuff.

I saw on TV once a man walking down the street with lots of bags, suitcases, camera bags, lots of stuff and he comes to a narrow door. He turns in and tries to get in through that door, but he can’t fit because of all his stuff. He won’t put them down, so he gives up and  goes on. The camera keeps focusing on the half open door as the man goes down the street.  Just then a little kid comes running up the street and he fits right in through that narrow door way. He has nothing. The voice in the background was giving the Sermon on the Mount about the two ways—but I could hear Jesus saying, “Unless you be like little children.”

Do I accept Jesus as the way, the truth and the life? 

“The Choice Is Always Ours.”

NEXT IMAGE: WHEAT OR WEEDS?

Do I want to be wheat or weeds? [Cf. Matthew 13: 24) Wheat that can become bread, that can become food for our table, or even the Body of Christ. Our body in service to others. 

Or do I want to be weeds—weeds that are just taking up space? Useless. Just watching TV, sleeping, wasting my life,

Wheat or weeds? 

“The Choice Is Always Ours.”

NEXT IMAGE: SHEEP OR GOAT?

Do I want to be a sheep or a goat? Sheep or goat?  

“The Choice Is Always Ours.”

The sheep is the one who always gives. He or she is aware of the sick. They visit the hurting, the lonely. They are aware of who’s who and what’s what and they go out of their way to help the one’s who need help.

They call up the forgotten or they write them a letter. They make their day. Or they take a walk or drive to see the sick. Or those who are lonely or in prison with problems trapped, stuck, caught, or thirsty or hungry or naked.

Or we can be a goat—doing none of these things— doesn’t see the hungry, thirsty, naked, and the only one one he feeds or gives a drink to is self. Visits himself, cares for himself, warms himself, when he’s sick he takes good care f himself. 

Amen. As long as you did it to the least of my brothers or sisters, you did it to me.

Sheep or goat? “The Choice Is Always Ours.” 

NEXT IMAGE: YEAST OF THE PHARISEES & SADUCEES—OR YEAST OF JESUS

Which is more you, the yeast of Jesus that helps all rise or the yeast of the Pharisees and the Sadducees that is rotten? (Cf. Matthew 16: 5)

ADVENT

Advent I think it’s a good time to look at our life this way. To see it in black and white contrasting choices.

Do any of the many images I already mentioned grab you?

GOLDEN BRIDGE

A man was telling me on a retreat once that he went to a hypnotist who was know to be able to help people lose weight. He felt he was sick and tired of himself being overweight and that he had to try something new to lose weight.

And the example that the hypnotist gave him was that of the Golden Bridge.

And the guy lost weight and when he came on retreat he had to tell me his story and he told me about the Golden Bridge and said that I might want to use it in a sermon some time.

The hypnotist said to close one's eyes and picture a golden bridge over a stream or river of water.

Picture land on one said and land on the other side and water right down the middle separating the two pieces of land and the golden bridge connecting both sides.

On one side of the bridge put oneself as we are with our present patterns, our present patterns of living, of eating, of sleeping, of exercising, drinking patterns, how we use our time and our life and our energies, how we relate to our family, how we do our job, oneself as we are, exactly as we are right now.  

Now see oneself on the other side of the bridge as we would like to be: thinner, exercising, being nice to people, eating lots of salads and not junk food, sleeping right, walking, trim, smiling, happy. See oneself healthier. Whatever way we dream we would like to be, less cholesterol, less triglycerides, living longer, moving faster, etc.

Next step back a distance and see both sides of the bridge at once. Like a tennis game, move

our head back and forth. Compare oneself on every aspect of our life. Really give both choices a real good look. Even use a piece of paper and draw the whole thing.  Describe oneself  A and B. Contrast oneself.

Then make a decision which side of the bridge we want to live on. 

“The choice is always ours.”

“The choice is always ours.”

And if we choose the healthier side, the thinner side, the more alive side, we'’ll feel the tension of wanting to go back, like those crossing the desert, wanting to be back in the flesh pots of Egypt. And we’ll actually go back over, but we best admit to oneself and be honest with oneself. 

Well it worked for this guy who told me his story. He lost weight and he felt much better about himself. 

I thought it was a good example. One can use it for drinking problems, sexual problems, anger problems, jealousy problems, sleeping problems. Any problem.

I said to the guy that I’d use it for a sermon and here it is, I’m using it.

What kind of a Christian am I?

What kind of a person am I?

“The choice is always ours.”

THEOLOGICALLY

Theologically we could work in grace - growing gracefully.

We can let grace build on our nature.

We have some choices here. 

We can ask in prayer with and through Jesus that we receive and cooperated with the graces we need in all this. 

We can ask Jesus Christ to be  the bridge.

Or we could ask Christ to come from the other side - Paradise - onto our side of the bridge.

We can ask Jesus to be The New Adam to lead us the Old Adam and Eve back over the bridge back into the Garden, 

We can ask Jesus - the new Moses - to take us his people out of their Egypt and head us for the Promised Land.

CHRISTMAS TREE PEOPLE OR APPLE TREE PEOPLE?

I heard this same idea of contrast and choice in a Christmas sermon a few years back. It was an example that I never forgot. I stole it and used it a few times. The guy said he heard it from someone, so if anyone is stuck for a sermon you too can use it.

The example is this. 

We have a choice of being a Christmas Tree person or an Apple Tree person. 

The Christmas tree is beautiful when we look at it in our living room. It stands out. It’s all decorated. It has lights. It’s well dressed. It’s decorated. And then people come and put presents at its feet

But in reality, if we think about it, it’s dead. It’s a dead tree. Or sometimes it’s fake or artificial. It just stands there and does nothing. It just receives. It doesn’t give. People do for it. They put lights on it. They make it glitter. But it’s still dead.

And after Christmas it’s thrown out—to be burned. It has no use—except perhaps for fire wood, but it’s not that great even as fire wood, going up in a quick blaze—or it’s artificial, it disappears for another year—sitting in the basement or a closet in a box—doing nothing.

But the apple tree is alive. In the spring it gives blossoms. It gives a beautiful smell to the air. In the summer it gives shade and beauty and hope. And in the fall it gives apples—food. And it does this over and over and over again, steadily through the years—without saying a word. A tree has no mouth. 

So which would we rather be: the Christmas Tree Person or the Apple Tree Person?

“The choice is always ours.”

QUESTIONS

1) Which of the images of Jesus says the most to me about myself? 

          a) Wide Gate or Narrow Gate?

          b) Good Tree or Bad Tree?

          c) Good and Faithful Servant or Bully Boy?

          d) Wise Virgin or Foolish One?

          e) Sheep or Goat?

          f) House on Rock or House on Sand?

2) What words of Jesus do we find hardest to take—not understand, something we know exactly what he’s talking about, but we don’t like because it’s too tough? E.g.:

- deny very self,

- forgive 70 x7 times,

- turn the other cheek,

- forgive your enemies,

- I was hungry and you fed me, etc.

3) If we could take one message, one parable, one saying, one story of Jesus and have it as an advertisement on prime time TV for a week, which one would we pick?

4) What words of Jesus would we want printed on our tomb stone? if we could do that, would it be something that sums up our life? Would it be something that sums up our death?

Would it be something that is for us and what we wish we could do with our life, our dreams? 

CONCLUSION

During this Advent, why not take some time out to look at our life choices? Our life. What kind of a person am I:

Sheep or Goat?

House on Rock or House on Sand?

Wheat or Weed?

Wise Virgin or Fool?

Big Highway Person or Little Way Person?

Christmas Tree Person or Apple Tree Person?

Which side of the Golden Bridge do you live on and what side of the Golden Bridge are you living on right now?

  

“The choice is always ours.”