September 3, 2017

PASSION

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for this 22 Sunday in Ordinary Time is, “Passion.”

Passion - having passion - being passionate. It means being on fire - filled with emotion - high energy - not cool - not calm -  but heated up.

I think it’s also the name of a perfume from Liz Taylor.

Passion.

Does it work?

Will this sermon work?

Where are you right now? 

What do you need from the Lord this Labor Day Weekend?

JEREMIAH

I got this theme and thought for this sermon from Jeremiah in today’s first reading. It’s a very emotional text. I want to read it again - but I’ll pick another translation - to let that get into the mix - of thoughts about passion.

You have tricked me, Lord,

and I was tricked.

You have overpowered me

and I am powerless.

      I am made fun of  all day long;

      everyone mocks me.

      Whenever I speak, I have to cry out;

“Violence and destruction.”

When I proclaim the word the result is

      insult and put downs all day long.

      I say to myself, “I not going to mention him

or his word or his name anymore,”

But then it becomes like fire

burning in my heart,

imprisoned in my bones.

So I grow  weary holding it in, 

I can’t take all this.

Have you ever felt that way? Words like bowling balls are hitting pins in your mind.  You’re angry - red hot angry - with the way you’re being treated by someone or some group or by God - or even yourself.

When was the first time I was really passionate about something or someone? 

When was the last time I talked to God the way Jeremiah talks to God in today’s first reading.

What gets you angry? What makes your blood boil? What gets you hot under the collar? What are you passionate about?

BACKWARDS AND FORWARDS

To be human is to be able to be in the here and now as well as to be able to look backwards and forwards.

I would assume -  when we’re young we tend to look forwards. I would assume when we get older we look backwards a lot more.

Life is both.

Life is drive and reverse.

Life is windshield and rear view mirror.

And life is the present moment we’re in - when we’re driving along doing all this inner talking and sometimes screaming - laughing and crying.

At a boring meeting - or when we’re at the airport - and our flight is late - we can do history - our own history. We can look backwards.  Or we can dream of next week or next year - and figure out what’s going to happen to our kids.

Today’s first reading is backwards thinking. Jeremiah is looking back on his life and complaining to God - feeling being duped by God.

Today’s gospel Jesus is looking forwards into his future and tells his disciples that’s where he’s headed - into the future - going to Jerusalem to facing life’s enemies: the elders, the priests and the scribes [those who could write, the educated].  And Peter says, “Don’t go there.”

And Jesus, who praised Peter in last Sunday’s gospel says to Peter this Sunday, “Get behind me, Satan! You are an obstacle to me. You are thinking not as God thinks, but as human beings do.”

Great stuff to think about here.

Take the passion called "anger".

People are angry at God at times - or how we think God thinks.

Or notice the trio in Jerusalem that Jesus says he's going to face: elders, priests, and scribes.

Anger at elders - people older than us - who gave us  advice - that put a brake on our dreams - or we imagine or inwardly accuse them of doing that.

Anger at priests. As priest I’ve heard a lot of people angry at priests, chief priests, church teachings - nuns - marriage laws - life laws.

Anger at the scribes - those who are more educated - than us - the intelligentsia.

Anger effects our body. Look at the fists and the neck of an angry person. Imagine what it’s doing inside - when a person's mind is like a sledge hammer fist.

I once heard about a relative being in a car with his wife and someone cut them off - and this relative went after the other driver and crashed into him on purpose.

Road rage is a reality. 

I also read last night about roid rage. That’s angry itchy mental hemorrhoids in ones skull.

So today's readings can get us in touch with our passions  - especially the passion called "anger".

Great stuff in today’s readings.

Looking at the gospel for today, the question: How did the disciples take this message of Jesus - that life is the cross, self denial, sacrifice, giving up for the others, especially one’s life.

Jesus said, “For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.”

SELF-DESTRUCTIVE PASSION

Now - as we know - there can be self-destructive passion.

Someone said the number one passion that destroys human beings is envy. 

What’s eating so and so? She doesn’t seem happy.

Someone said the number one passion that destroys human beings is resentments.

Someone else said it is regrets.

Passion - being inwardly or outwardly passionate - when it’s self destructive needs to be dealt with - otherwise there is destruction.

Then there is good passion.

The church and our world is asking us this September 3 to be passionate about keeping our earth better - cleaner - healthier. I hope you’re noticing that our school kids, ES HS and College are being pushed to make this planet healthier.

What am I doing to stress better house keeping for our home called "Planet earth".

And prophets for a better planet I’m sure feel duped by God when floods come - as well as  when they experience people who say climate and earth issues are all a hoax.

Am I passionate about working to make us aware of our earth - that we're doing out part to make things better?

CONCLUSION

So to be a human being is to be passionate about a lot of things - hopefully for the better and not the worse.

In Christ on the Cross - going through his passion, we see the best and the worst when it comes to passion.

Let me close with a quote from Rumi: “With passion pray. With passion work. With passion make love. With passion eat and drink and dance and play. Why look like a dead fish in this ocean of God.” Rumi [1207-1273]

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Painting on top: Chinese Painting, Passion, by Andrea Realpe