WEAPONS  OF  CHOICE

 INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for this 5^th Monday in Lent is, “Weapons of Choice.”

Today’s two readings feature two stories of women caught in traps set up by men.  Check them out: Daniel 13: 1- 62 and John 8: 1-11

They feature antagonism and violence - rock throwing and accusations.

MARRIAGE PREPARATION TEST

When I meet with couples who are going to get married at St. Mary’s, we  go through this Pre-Marriage Inventory [PMI].

In the communications section I ask the couple, “What is your weapon of choice?”

Most of the time - couples hearing that question - or one of them - looks at me quite strangely.

Hey they are going to give each other a ring. They are not going into a boxing ring.

But sometimes a couple get the question and they say, “Silence!”

That seems to be the weapon of choice of many people around the world.  I know it’s mine. And it works - at least for me - because when I simply become silent - I don’t fall into a verbal trap I don’t like.

ROCKS

Back when we were cavemen and women, we threw rocks.

The dirty old men in today’s first reading wanted to execute Susanna - but when they are caught in a lie - they are executed.  It doesn’t say how they were killed.  Rocks were very much a standard way of killing folks.

The men in today’s gospel - yesterday’s gospel as well - wanted to throw rocks at the woman.  Was it to silence her - lest she tell their wives where they were.

Rock throwing is still going on around the world.

I remember seeing a bronze statue from the Iron Curtain - Soviet Union days.  It has a guy reaching for a rock and the title of the statue was, “Rocks the Arms of the Common Person - or Proletariat.”

TWO QUESTIONS

Why do people reach for weapons?

What is your weapon of choice?

MOTIVE

As to motive - and the need to reach for a weapon - is it anger or jealousy or fear?  Is it because we didn’t get our way?

CONCLUSION: ROCK, PAPER, SCISSORS

If we use words as rocks to throw at people, behind their back or to their face,   write them down on paper - see what we’re saying - and then cut that paper up.

Or maybe we should sit down with a person whom we want to throw rocks at and say instead,  “Do you want to talk?”  Better: “Do we want to listen to each other?”