COUNT  THE  SILVER

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for this 13 Friday in Ordinary Time is, “Count The Silver.”

NEWSPAPERS

At St. Mary’s Rectory, we get four newspapers every morning: The Capital, The Baltimore Sun, The Washington Post and The New York Times.

That’s a lot of papers. That’s a lot of money. I remember as a kid that newspapers cost a few coins - dropped on the newspaper stand as the vender counted the silver coins for the papers.  Now they cost a lot more. Now there is paper money along with the silver coins.

I assume there is a long history why these papers arrive at our doorstep on Duke of Gloucester Street, Annapolis, Maryland every morning. 

I can see The Capital - to get the Obituaries and the Sports. I’m sure you heard the cute quip: the obituaries are an old ladies sports column.

I figure we get The Baltimore Sun because we always have had guys from Baltimore. 

I figure The Washington Post - because we’re not just local; we’re national and international.  Hey Father F. X. Murphy was stationed in St. Mary’s, Annapolis for years and he was international.

And then there is The New York Times. One of mysteries is why some people attack The New York Times. They voice the same sounds I hear when some folks attack Notre Dame and other Catholic colleges as not being Catholic. Don’t want to go there in counter comments - other than saying that.

I’m wondering how long before someone will look at our budget and say, “That’s a lot of papers.” The Baltimore Sun bought up the Capital and that means repetition. Why both papers? I’m also seeing that less and less people read the papers - like the young guys. I’m also hearing that  newspapers have cut down on staff - so the news is not that varied.

I like newspapers. I worked for The Brooklyn Eagle as a kid.  I’ve read newspapers all my life. I love it when I spot a copy of The New York Post or The New York News - because they have many sports columns.  I also love to spot a Wall Street Journal. I love their drawings and their pieces.

How about you?  What’s your take on newspapers? What’s your history and your parents history with newspapers?  Where do you get your news?

If you read the papers, what do you look at first? Sports? Obituaries? Cartoons?  Crossword puzzle? Letters to the Editor? Columnists? Sales?

Have you switched over to the Internet or TV for your news?

How serious do you feel the obligation to keep informed?

So in this homily that’s the first item I wanted to make some comments about. A homily can trigger thoughts and questions. So I hope I triggered an awareness of newspapers and where we get our news.

THIS MORNING

This morning I did what I do every morning - in general. After breakfast, I  go through those four papers we get - starting with The New York Times - first section - OP-ED pages. Then depending on time and schedule I go to the Washington Post and then if I have time I check out the Capital and the Sun.  We had a scripture professor - Father Gene McAlee -  who stressed reading the papers and compare at least the coverage on the same topic in different papers.

Then I go upstairs to my room and if I have to get together a homily for the morning, I read the readings for today. This morning,  I wanted  to get some thoughts for a homily this morning here at Heritage Harbor.

SILVER

The first reading from Amos has part of a sermon or blast from Amos, “We will buy the lowly man for silver, and the poor man for a pair of sandals, even the refuse of the wheat we will sell.” [Check Amos 8: 4-6, 9-12.]

I put the text down and asked myself,  “Didn’t I just read something about silver in the Capital or was it the Sun or was it the Post or was it the Times?”

I went back downstairs to our common room where the papers are. I went searching for wherever I saw the word “Silver”.

I started with the Capital. No luck. I went to the Sun. No luck.  I went to the Washington Post. No luck. I was sure it wasn’t in The New York Times.

It was in The New York Times - and it was in the title of the Main Editorial Column. There were the words, “Count the Silver.”

I paused and asked myself,  “What does that mean? Where does that  phrase, “Count the silver” come from?”  I said to myself, “I’ve heard that phrase.”

The column didn’t explain it. Then it hit me - the obvious: when someone or so and so visits our house, count the silver,

The Editorial was about Scott Pruitt - and yes - that was their take on him. Count the silver.

Then I felt the big regret - as priest I try not to talk politics. I don’t want to talk about what party I belong to - nor for  whom I’m voting for.  So I try to be careful about the pulpit and politics.

Next I felt the big thing I have felt in this past year or so: a lot of this stuff is not politics - but it’s morality.

Uh, this is tricky stuff.

I follow the principal of avoiding the bully pulpit.

Translation for me: if someone doesn’t have a chance to answer back, don’t speak about XYZ.

Then the thought: maybe speak up and out - when there is a critical Mass about current issues we need to deal with.  I have spoken up at various Masses about a few issues that were current - that I thought needed speaking out about - and some people expected something should be said from the pulpit. Other people screamed, “No!”  I got uproar one Sunday.

LISTEN TO AMOS

Nevertheless, Amos is speaking up and out about injustice in today’s first reading.

I believe we need to do what Karl Barth said: Take your Bible and put it on the table. Next take your newspaper and open it up and put it on the table. Now having looked at both,  write your sermon.

Next, I will say loud and clear that you could take Amos and open it up to today’s readings and then open up today’s paper and read about the money laundering, the EPA being stripped of regulations  - and now the new guy - who right now will take Pruitt’s place, is a lobbyist right now from the Coal Industry.

To me, the same thing that happened in Amos times, is happening now. It seems to me that money, silver, getting more money is the goal.

It costs money to stop or cut down on emissions and pollution.  It would certainly be cheaper to have deregulation.  I would assume that there are lobbyists out there who want to cut back on such rules.

I remember the first time I was in a car - crossing the border from Nogales, Arizona, USA and going into  Mexico. I noticed immediately, how the cars cough a lot more pollution in Mexico - than in Arizona.  Next I read that these guys at the top of EPA want to cut down on  Auto Emissions testing. As stated, to filter out pollution costs  money - and that silver goes into the pockets of the rich - and not in emission filters for the lungs of the all.

So what was happening in Amos’ time is happening in our time.

CONCLUSION GOSPEL

This sermon has gotten too long. You can change the channel,  You can put down a paper, but you can’t shut up the preacher.

I think this is enough. I preached on newspapers and some stuff on money as a motive for doing unhealthy things.

In today’s gospel, Matthew 9: 9-13  calls for mercy not sacrifice.

In today’s gospel Matthew tells us that Jesus came to call us sinners.

Maybe by admitting that we’re all sinners - that we all contradict ourselves in so many ways - so let’s work together to make life sweeter for each other. Amen.