When I was taking the train
from London - through the chunnel - under the English Channel - to France and
Belgium, I was intrigued that a train station in London was named, “St Pancras
Train Station.”
Today, May 12, is the feast of St. Pancras, so how about a few comments about that train station with the name of a saint in it?
With a little research I found
out that the station was built right near St. Pancras Church in London.
Next question: how did a Roman
teenage boy saint and martyr get recognition in England.
Answer: Pope Gregory the Great
- 567 to 633 - sent a missionary named
Augustine [who became Augustine of Cantebury - c. 534-604 - no, not the famous
Saint Augustine of Carthage] - along with relics of the martyr Saint Pancras.
Various churches in England were dedicated to Saint Pancras - one of which is the
Old Church St. Pancras in London.
That’s the story in about about 60 words. While waiting for the train for Brussels at St. Pancras station I noticed the big bronze
statues - especially of the poet John Betjeman - who wrote poems on the trains
coming to and from that station.
That's John Betjeman - with his brief case - probably looking up at the train schedule.
Wrong hand dummy!
Notice also the couple kissing hello or goodbye
in the station. If you ever get there, check out the images at the base of that
kissing couple as well.
OH, SAY
WHAT YOU SEE
INTRODUCTION
The title of my homily for this final St. Mary’s high school
Mass for this school year is, “Oh, Say What You See.”
If you go to a Baltimore Orioles game - and other many
games in Maryland, when they sing the Star Spangled Banner - the crowd likes to
yell out that “Oh!”
The title of my homily is, “Oh, Say What You See.”
The title of many of our frustrations is, “Oh say can’t you see what I’m seeing?”
The title of many of our family arguments and
relationship problems is, “Oh! Can’t you
see what I see? Oh! Can’t you see, get,
understand, how I see this?”
COMMUNICATION
Life is saying what we see - what we perceive - what we
get.
What do we talk about when we talk about life?
We tell each other what we’re seeing.
So and so is dating so and so.
Teacher X is fabulous. Teacher Y is so so. Teacher Z is
interesting.
Did you see who’s pregnant? She looks so beautiful. He
looks so happy.
I hope to see St. Michael’s this weekend. We’re sailing
down there on Saturday morning. I hope the weather will be okay - but nice and
windy.
I hope we see some dolphins.
I hope the weather is clear. On a clear day you can see
forever.
We spend our whole life looking. We spend our whole life go figuring -
first telling ourselves what we’re seeing - and then we tell others. It’s called “thinking”. It’s called “communication”. “It’s called
“life.”
The 3 rules for a good marriage are: communication,
communication, communication.
The person who came up with that must have saw people not
communicating.
The person who came up with that must have people seeing
differently that each other - wearing different glasses, contacts, eye balls.
SCHOOL
School - education - learning is all about learning how
to see.
Schools are vision centers.
When we go to the eye doctor or a vision center they show
us these letters through these prisms - which is better, this or that, this or
that.
We hesitate - but sometimes that is much clearer.
When we are learning - we are learning is this picture
better than that picture - that vision.
Our eyes change as we go through life.
Do all of you see better in May than what you saw last
September - and that seeing includes your family, your friends, life, the
environment, a sport, chemistry, calculus, society, social studies, God, your
neighbors, and money?
Every year St. Mary’s, St. John’s, the Naval Academy, and
all the schools of Annapolis, have folks coming back for anniversaries.
We all see differently at our 25th anniversary
than we saw when we graduated or got married.
A couple of years ago I went with two classmates to go
through Montana for two weeks - a drive through vacation - to see the Lewis and
Clark spots on the 200th anniversary. The 3 of us talked about what we saw in the 3
different spots we served: Clem in Brazil, Tom in the Caribbean, and myself in
the United States.
“Oh, say what you see.”
It was a great vacation - and we saw a lot more than
Montana.
ROOMS
In today’s gospel from John 14: 1-6 Jesus says, “In my
Father’s house there are many dwelling places.”
That’s talking about the hereafter - which we imagine -
but nobody has ever seen.
At the end of today’s gospel Jesus tells his disciples,
his followers, “I am the way, the truth and the life.”
If I hear Jesus saying anything, he’s telling us how to
get to heaven.
If I hear Jesus saying anything, he’s also telling us how
to see better - how to see ways of doing life better - in the here and now.
If I see the purpose of St. Mary’s Schools - it’s that we all see Jesus’ way of
doing life.
Looking back on what I’ve seen in life, I’ve seen young
people come to the edge, the threshold of many dwelling places - they stand
there and look - to see what they see in that room. Their faces sendoff signals and messages -
that I see with my eyes and my face. Smiles or scowls. Votes: Yes or No.
I see them whisper and head out the door. They didn’t see anything they liked or what
the leader liked.
I remember a mother telling me about taking her son to different
high schools to see which one he thought would be a good fit. He didn’t like
what he saw in the first school they visited.
He said to his mom, “These are not my people. The next place was perfect. He saw what he liked - and said, “Now these are my kind of people.”
What do you see?
You go to different colleges to see what you see.
Sometimes your parents see differently.
Sometimes you have to, you better see, with your wallet
or pocket book.
Young couples get jobs around here. Where to life. They
see Annapolis - the water, the streets, the bars, the red bricks, the
schools. As priest I hope they see the
churches - of whatever religion they belong to.
What do you see.
If you’re in a room you don’t like, if you’re with a
leader, you really don’t like, do you have the courage, to get out of there and
find a better room.
I’m a priest, I saw priests and I liked what they were
doing, so I entered that room - that dwelling place.
If I didn’t choose being a priest, since I like writing,
I think I could see myself as a newspaper and magazine writer reporter.
Actually I ended up being able to do both.
CONCLUSION
The title of my homily is, “Oh Say What You See.”
How do you see yourself now - at the end of another
school year.
How do you see your summer.
How do you see next year.
How do you see yourself in 25 years.
How do you see yourself entering heaven - and how do you see God seeing you.
May
God, the Creator of all life, pour down choicest blessings on the woman who
brought us into this world: our own mom. Amen.
May
God, the Sustainer of all life, strengthen all mothers: young moms, not so
young moms, single moms, grandmas, stay at home moms, out-to-work moms, each
and every mom. Amen.
May
God, the Protector of all life, direct all those who stand in and serve as
moms: teachers, principals, school secretaries, lunch room staff, nurses,
guidance counselors, day care workers, baby sitters. Amen.
May
God, the Giver of Eternal Life, bring all of us into the Kingdom of Everlasting
Life, starting with Mary, the Mother of Life, and all the Saints, and all those
who have gone before us, forever and ever. Amen.
And
may Almighty God bless us, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
