TOMMORROW!
Quote for Today - July 2, 2011
"One of the kindest things God ever did was to put a curtain over tomorrow."
Anonymous
Saturday, July 2, 2011
Friday, July 1, 2011
HEARTS AND MINDS
INTRODUCTION
On this feast of the Sacred Heart, the title of my homily is, “Hearts and Minds.”
STATUE OF THE SACRED HEART
When Catholics hear the words, “Sacred Heart” - the odds are they picture a statue of the Sacred Heart in a church - a statue of Jesus with his heart outside his body - in the center of his chest - a heart on fire with flames and light as well as a crown of thorns around it.
Amazing. What would a person who never had heard of Christ and Christianity think/ feel if they walked into a church and saw such a statue or picture for the first time?
It’s an image and a devotion that goes way back to the 11th and 12th centuries. At first it was a private devotion. It was a mystical image - but in time it became more and more popular. In the 1600’s, with the so called revelations of a nun named Marguerite Marie Alacoque [1647-1690], this image became more widespread - till a pope, Leo XIII, promulgated it to all the church in 1899.
Pope Benedict XVI recently asked the Jesuits and others to promote devotion to Jesus - imagining him as the Sacred Heart.
WHAT’S IT ALL ABOUT? THEORIES AND CONJECTURES
I’ve often wondered what it’s all about?
As a result I have theories and conjectures.
Some people wear their heart on their sleeve; others have a great poker face.
We use the image of heart all the time.
James Earl Jones once said, “One of the hardest things in life is having words in your heart that you can't utter.”
I discovered somewhere along the line that people love personality tests. One basic test is to discover whether a person is more heart or more mind? Many people have taken the so called Myers-Briggs test or the Jungian Test - which gives you a number - testing you to see if you come more from your mind or your heart. I score higher from the heart. I was never good in logic or algebra or math or the Rubik Cube or following directions in putting together a gadget from the instruction sheet. I never look under the hood of a car.
Here’s a simple test: draw yourself. But draw your heart and your head based on how much one is stronger than the other in your personality. Then ask someone who knows you to draw you in the way they see you - and if they wish - they do the same - and then each of your look at the 4 drawings you come up with.
It’s a matter of degrees.
Classically men are supposed to be mind or head and women are supposed to be all heart. It’s a stereotype. I’ve been beaten by my sister-in-law in chess. I prefer Rummy or Go Fish to Bridge!
RELIGION
When it comes to picturing God, would you picture God all mind or head or all heart?
I have a theory about religion. When religion becomes heavy with Reason and Rationalism - someone is going to come out with religious revelations that are Romantic and Emotional.
Check out the Founding Fathers of the United States. Several of them were Deists. They picture God as head or mind. Check out the image on the back of the dollar bill. There is the pyramid with the all seeing eye of God in the head or top of the Triangle. The Deists picture God as architect - planning and creating this world and then put it on it’s own.
When we study the universe, if we are very mathematical and logical, it might make sense. You can’t land someone on the moon without knowing the Math of our Solar System. And our world is very logical. People are able to Go Figure the logic of fires and storms in the hurricane and tornado and forest fire season.
IMAGE OF DIVINE MERCY
I have a theory that when the image of the Sacred Heart faded from our spirituality along came another nun with a similar image - that of Divine Mercy - and it filled the gap and in time another pope promoted her revelations.
HEAD AND HEART
Obviously we need both - because we have both.
And if we live long enough, we’ll discover that it’s smart to work with, cooperate with and be with others who have the gifts we don’t have - and we have the gifts they don’t have.
It’s called a good marriage; it’s called a good team; it’s called a good meeting.
CONCLUSION
Let me conclude with a quote from Marilyn vas Savant - who was a columnist - “Ask Marilyn”. She is said to have been the person who has had the hightest IQ ever recorded: 228. The quote from Marilyn: “If your head tells you one thing, and your heart tells you another, before you do anything, you should first decide whether you have a better head or a better heart.”
+++++++++++++++++++
Painting on top: Sacred Heart by Jose Maria Ibarraran y Ponce - 1896
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
WHO DO YOU SAY THAT I AM?
INTRODUCTION
The title of my homily for this June 29th Feast of Sts. Peter and Paul is, “Peter & Paul: Who Do You Say That I Am?”
In today’s gospel from Matthew 16: 13-19, we have Jesus trying to get his disciples to know who he is. He asks, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?”
I thought for this homily on the feast of Saints Peter and Paul - to ask the same question of Peter and Paul: “Who do you say Peter and Paul are?”
I would think Paul would be easier to describe than Peter - because there is so much more we know about Paul compared to what we know about Peter. What’s your take on Peter and Paul? How do you see each of them?
EVENTS MORE THAN IDEAS
T.W. Manson in describing Paul gives what I thought was a good insight. He says Paul was not a systematic theologian. He doesn’t give us ideas - or abstractions - or principals. Yet he says Paul is a Great Christian thinker. Then he adds: to understand Paul think events more than ideas - a series of events more than a series of ideas. Paradoxically, that’s an idea - rather than an event.
I thought the same thing can be said even more with Peter.
But what does it mean to say events more than ideas forming a person’s life? Is it the difference between forming and informing - the difference between formation and information?
OUR OWN LIVES
Have we ever looked in the mirror and said, “Who are you?” Has anyone ever said to us, “I can’t figure you out?” Have we ever replied back to them, “At times, I can’t figure myself out either.” Isn’t that how Paul felt - based on his self comments in Romans 7:14-25?
Well, what are the events that shaped my life?
A person is taught catechism - and religious education - but why am I a Catholic? Was it parents or a spouse that gave us good example? What kept us as a Catholic? Was it a certain teacher, the good example of a friend - the family we grow up in - whether our parents went to church or what have you.
I heard of a lady - who is married - has a couple of kids - has gone to Sunday Mass all her life - got her husband by her example to start going to Mass - but has only gone to confession once in her life - her first confession. As a little girl making her first confession, the priest yelled at her for not knowing the act of contrition, so she said, “That’s it for that!” And that was it for that.
We priests say behind other priests back - those who yell at parents for crying babies in church or what have you - that they are going to have to pay for all the people they have driven from the Church. So too a host of faults and foibles by the priests of our church.
I’ve made my mistakes. I’ve had one person walk out on me - that I know of. It was a priest. I was at least 30 years younger than he was. He wanted me to give the same sermon we were giving on weekend retreats to married couples on their retreat - many of whom had come to weekend retreats earlier in the year - and heard our weekend sermons. So I chose to preach on the same readings - but give a homily for a married couple. He didn’t like it - so he walked out.
I learned from that experience a lot more than reading a book or an article on the priesthood or personality. That moment had an impact on me. Let me tell you. Then there are all those people whom I hurt or bothered down through the years. I still go by the 1/3, 1/3, 1/3 rule that an old priest once told me: 1/3 like you, 1/3 don’t like you, 1/3 don’t care. Get over it.
PETER AND PAUL
So Peter and Paul were formed by their experiences of Jesus Christ.
Paul was trying to exterminate and put an end to those who followed Jesus - and in that persecution he discovered Jesus Christ - who changed his life - and then he had crawl on the ground, before he could rise. He had to see his blindness, before he could see. He had to experience darkness, before he could see the light.
He learned humility. He “moved from a self-centered to a Christ-centered life”. Christ was his strength as we heard in today’s second reading.
Peter can be pictured as the fisherman chosen by Christ - that day at the beach. Christ must have seen something in him - that could call others to follow Christ. And right away the gospels give us the hint about Peter’s personality. Big mouth. Foot in mouth. Foot out of mouth. Foot following Christ.
CONCLUSION
What’s your take on Peter and Paul? Do 1/3 of you like Peter? Do 1/3 of you like Paul? Do 1/3 of you say, “I never thought about the question?”
Notice how I worded that last 1/3. I didn’t say, “You don’t care!” Nope I put it the way I put it, because I don’t want to put my foot in my mouth. I wouldn’t want 1/3 of you to walk out.
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NOTES:
Painting on top: Saints Peter and Paul by El Greco - Domenikos Theotokopoulos [c,1541-1614]. As far as I could figure out, this is one of 3 paintings of Peter and Paul by El Greco. That's Peter with the key in his hand and Paul pointing to his writings. Another painting has Paul with a sword.
(1) T. W. Manson, On Paul and John, Alec Allenson, Inc. pages 11-14.
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
WHAT HAPPENED
TO THE PILLOW?
INTRODUCTION: PILLOWS
The title of my homily for this 13th Tuesday in Ordinary Time is, “What Happened to the Pillow.”
We’ve all had the experience of saying sometime in our life, “What happened to the pillow?”
It fell off the bed and our head wants that pillow. Someone else is sitting in our favorite seat and is sitting with our favorite pillow - as if it were their lap dog. Or someone reached for our favorite pillow on our favorite couch or chair as if it was for anyone - just anyone - to take. Or someone borrowed it and went upstairs or downstairs with OUR pillow.
What happened to our pillow?
CAN I GET YOU A PILLOW?
We also have had the experience somewhere along the line when someone said to us, “Can I get you a pillow?”
That’s one of those little things in life - that makes life sweeter for the other person.
It has never happened to me, but I find it a nice moment to be on a plane and the steward or stewardess or airline attendant says to someone, “Can I get you a pillow?” Nice.
It’s a nice moment to be watching a football game or a movie and one is on a couch or an easy chair and someone says to someone else, “Can I get you a pillow?” Nice.
It’s a nice moment when visiting someone - and they give you a room for the night - and they say to you the next morning, “Did you have a good sleep?” Then, “Were the pillows okay?”
I always say, “Great!” I can’t tell the difference between one pillow and another, any more than I can tell the difference between spaghetti and spaghetti - and chicken soup and chicken soup. There are people who can taste and tell differences, etc. There are people who know that St. John Neumann Church has cushions and St. Mary’s doesn’t. I was talking to a woman last night who thinks St. Mary’s benches are a torture device - made that way to provide penance for people for their sins. There are some people who always sit in the same seat in church and know the difference. Amazing.
This question about, “Were the pillows okay?” is very interesting and intriguing to me - and I notice it because I have gone on about 20 + retreats with our high school kids and have given over 100 h.s. retreats in my life - and there are always kids getting off the bus with their own pillows. Is it their security blanket or what have you?
We have a family story. My brother and my sister were talking once at our mom’s house. Mom was somewhere else. Somehow the conversation of the pillow in the guest room came up. My brother said, “That pillow is really hard. In fact, it’s horrible.” My sister Peggy said, “When I sleep here I also find it hard and horrible - but guess what? Once I told mom about it and she said, ‘Billy likes hard pillows!’”
Isn’t life fascinating? Don’t the little things in life, make life interesting?
I was going to entitle this homily, “Can I Get You a Pillow?”
However, “What Happened to the Pillow?” has more of a hook or a grab to it. I’m hoping someone is saying, “What has this pillow talk to do with today’s readings?”
TODAY’S GOSPEL
We heard the story about Jesus crossing the lake in today’s gospel.
Jesus is sleeping in the boat. A storm comes up. The disciples panic and wake up Jesus - who calms down the weather - and says, “You guys don’t have much faith!?”
In Mark and Luke the same story appears - but Mark has one detail that Matthew and Luke leave out. Mark says Jesus was asleep in the boat with his head on a pillow. The Greek word in Mark 4: 38 - on a pillow or cushion is proskephalaion. Notice the Greek word kephale. It’s the word for head. The English word “cephalic” - which is not used that often - might be familiar. It’s a word used to refer to the skull or the head.
Now every time I read the story in Matthew and Luke, I ask, “What happened t the pillow?” How come they left out the pillow?
Answer: I would assume that that detail was not important to Matthew and Luke.
We know that there are people who miss the little things that make life sweeter for the other person. And there are some people who are very aware of the little things in life - what another likes and doesn’t like, what bothers people - what makes one’s day - what drives one crazy - what comforts another.
So a message for today: Think pillows. Think little things. Think thinking about little things like pillows.
Thinking people think of the next person.
CONCLUSION
When my sister Mary and her husband were celebrating their 50th Wedding anniversary, one of their daughters, Monica, gave everyone a favor - a tiny something as a memento. I had just finished this homily last night, and I noticed it on my bookshelf. Let me close with a reading of this small piece entitled, “Little Things Mean a Lot.” It’s a song written by Edith Lindeman and Carl Stutz (1953). You might have heard it somewhere along the line. Come to think about it, it’s much better than this sermon 1000 times over. Amen.
LITTLE THINGS MEAN A LOT
Blow me a kiss across the room
Say I look nice when I’m not
Touch my hair as you pass my chair
Little things mean a lot
Give me your arm as we cross the street
Call me at six on the dot
A line a day when you’re far away
Little things mean a lot
Don’t have to buy me diamonds or pearls
Champagne, sables or such
I never cared much for diamonds and pearls
'Cause honestly, honey, they just cost money
Give me your hand when I’ve lost my way
Give me your shoulder to cry on
Whether the day is bright or gray
Give me your heart to rely on
Send me the warmth of a secret smile
To show me you haven’t forgot
For always and ever, now and forever
Little things mean a lot
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