Sunday, April 24, 2011
Saturday, April 23, 2011
HOLY SATURDAY
How about changing Holy Saturday
to Silent Saturday or Empty Saturday?
Why?
Well, I stopped into church this morning
and it felt so silent and so, so empty.
I saw the empty tabernacle with its doors
left wide open. That was different.
Next I looked at the empty cross
from last night’s Good Friday service.
Next I sat down in the empty benches
all alone, realizing there will be no singing
or public praying till tonight’s Easter Vigil.
Silent Saturday. It seems like
a good idea to shut down the prayers
and the public gatherings and just be.
Churches can be too noisy,
too much of the time – people
and priests unable to pray without
words – having to stuff “Hail Mary’s”
and “O my Jesus” into every second.
Today I just feel the need for a day
like today to just take some time
and walk around in nature’s church,
and see spring beginning, spring springing,
or to take some time to just sit
in the silence of an empty church –
especially on this Holy Saturday morn.
Okay!
Maybe “Holy” is better for this Saturday.
“Where have they taken my Lord!”
Where did you go Lord Jesus – after
they took you down from the cross,
after they took you out of your mother’s arms,
especially when she wouldn’t let go –
after they put you in the brand new
empty tomb – where did you go?
Scriptures and creeds and knowers,
say you rose again the third day
after you suffered death and were buried.
Icon makers and visionaries with great
imaginations have you wandering around
in the clumpy complicated underworld
of death – reaching for Adam and Eve
and meeting patriarchs and prophets –
and all those who have gone before you.
Okay. But I don’t wonder about this
on this Saturday morning. I want silence.
And tomorrow I want Easter Faith
and the hope of waking up after I die
and meeting you, Lord Jesus, and all
those I have met not enough in this life.
How this happens I really don’t care.
When I die, I just want to hear you Jesus
standing at my grave, screaming out my name –
and if you do this the very second
after I die, all the better. Amen.
+++++++++++++
Icon on top: Harrowing of Hades - by Dionisus (15th Century) - in the Ferapontov Monastery - which flourished from the 15th to the 17th centuries. It is located in the Vologda region of northern Russia.
FASTING, PRAYER
AND COMING TOGETHER
Quote for Today - Holy Saturday - April 23, 2011
"You shall come together and watch and keep vigil all the night with prayers and intercessions, and with reading of the prophets, and with the Gospel and with psalms, with fear and trembling and with earnest supplication, until the third hour in the night after the Sabbath; and then break your fasts."
Anonymous: Didascalia Apostolorum, 21. (3rd Century)
Friday, April 22, 2011
INTRODUCTION
The title of my homily for this Good Friday is, “Simpatico!”
I’m taking this theme from the second reading we heard tonight. [Cf. Hebrews 4: 14-16; 5: 7-9]
The author of the Letter to the Hebrew is describing Jesus – as a great high priest. He writes, “Brothers and sisters: Since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast to our confession.”
Then he writes, “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses….”
Then he says that Jesus is approachable.
That’s my basic message in this Good Friday homily. Jesus is approachable, because he can sympathize with us. Jesus is “simpatico.”
OUR EULOGY
Wouldn’t “simpatico” be the one word we all would want in our eulogy? Wouldn’t we want our kids to describe us as approachable – understanding, sympathetic, empathetic – in a word, “simpatico”?
I’ve told at least 2 dozen people over the phone in my life – who live at a distance – and they are looking for a priest to talk to about a problem, “Go to churches in your area for Sunday Mass – and sit there and listen to the priest and watch him – and then ask and listen to your gut, “Could I talk to this guy? Is he approachable? If not, go to the next church?”
Looking back at our life, what principal, what coach, what boss, what teacher, was our favorite?
Of course we would want people that challenged us, people whom we learned from, but I’m willing to bet that one of their key ingredients – if not their best quality – was their ability to sympathize – to understand.
As the State Trooper on the highway approaches us with ticket pad in hand and we were going only 10, ten measly miles, over the speed limit, don’t we hope he or she has simpatico?
Don’t we hope the judge we approach – when we’re trying to get out of jury duty – has 10,000 ounces of simpatico? We gotta get out of this. We have take care of our Aunt Lizzy on Monday, baby sit for our daughters kids on Tuesday, etc. etc. etc.?
I remember I was on Jury Duty in New Jersey and I was in Jury Pool G and they were selecting jurors. We were standing in the back waiting to be called one by one to be one of possible 14 jurors in a case. Members of our pool would go to a seat, sit down, be asked a few questions, and then selected or rejected by the prosecution or the defense. Our occupations were listed next to our name. My name was called. I got to the seat – sat down – and no sooner had my butt touched the chair – did I hear the words, “Rejected” or whatever the word was. When those of us who were dismissed got back to the big holding room, we rejects were talking and someone said of me to our group. “Priest. Automatic reject Father. Automatic. You heard the case. Two guys raped another guy in prison. The prosecution would expect you to obviously be sympathetic.”
That hit me. Of course. That’s what people would hope in confession or whatever from a priest. Smile.
JESUS – SIMPATICO – BIG TIME
If we read the scriptures with this idea in mind, it’s obvious that Jesus was big time simpatico. This is what the Letter to the Hebrews we heard tonight pointed out.
He was born in a stable with animals. He came from a poor village. He reached out to people others were avoiding. He said, “Let the person here without sin, cast the first stone!” when the Scribes and the Pharisees wanted to trap him by bringing to him a woman caught in adultery. [ Cf. John 8:1-11]
That Jesus was filled with sympathy for others hit me as I was putting together this sermon today for Good Friday. That Jesus was filled with sympathy is the heart of the matter.
The word “simpatico” – originally coming from the same spelling word in Italian – then becomes the same word in Spanish, “simpatico,” and “sympathique” in French, and “sympatisch” in German. All have in the word, the original Greek and Latin words “pathos” and “pathia” meaning feelings, emotions, experience.
Good Friday is all about “The Passion of the Christ.”
Jesus cried, screamed, almost despaired, was lonely, felt all alone, needed companionship, these days, these nights, during this week of Passion – when he was celebrated on Palm Sunday, when he celebrated a big meal with his disciples, one of whom betrays him, when Peter, James and John, his 3 best friends, slept when he asked them to stay awake because he need them, when they all run away when he’s arrested, when he imprisoned, beaten, bloodied, crowned with thorns and beaten again and made fun of.
This Good Friday afternoon when he was judged and condemned to death, he didn’t get any sympathy from Pilate or the crowd, who chose a thief over him, screaming, “We want Barabbas!” and then they screamed, “Take him away, take him away! Crucify him!”
As priest I’ve gone through this Good Friday service a good 46 times. Now I’m not sure about this, but I sense, the younger the crowd, the louder the rejection – the older the crowd the more hard it is to say, “Take him away, taken him away! Crucify him.” and to yell, “We have no king but Caesar.”
SUFFERING AND SINS – MISTAKES AND MESS
Suffering and sins, mistakes and mess, make us more sympathetic – or can make us more sympathetic.
I often reflect on the quote I heard 40 years or so ago, “Suffering enters the human heart to create there places that never existed before.”
I always remember Nathaniel Hawthorne’s story where one woman says to another woman – a woman who is very proper and very priggish, “You know you ought to go out and commit a really good sin and then you might understand the rest of us.”
How many women have told me they have much more sympathy towards those who had an abortion after their moms or daughters told them that they had an abortion?
I remember hearing a priest give his A.A. talk and in it he told about all the mistakes he made in his life and I said to myself, “If I ever got messed up, here is the first priest in the United States I would call up and head to see.”
How many dads have told me that they became much more understanding of men who are gay, after their sons came to them and told them they were homosexual?
The Letter to the Hebrews says Jesus our High Priest went through it all – all except sin – but he can sympathize with our weaknesses – so let us confidently approach the throne of grace to receive mercy and to find grace for timely help.
TONIGHT – THIS GOOD FRIDAY
Tonight – this Good Friday evening – stand under this gigantic cross and understand why well over a billion people in our world – still hang with him.
Tonight as you come from all parts of this church to kiss the cross of Jesus – know it’s the person who died on this cross – we’re centering in on – the one who died in excruciating pain. This is the Christ – this is the one whom we can always go to for sympathy – simpatico – love – passion – the one who knows our feelings – our passion – our passions.
Tonight, let us realize the more we unite with Christ, the more we will leave this church – and become simpatico with all the rest of us poor slobs and sinners in this world of ours. Amen.
INTRODUCTION
The title of my homily for Good Friday Morning Prayer is, “Speechless.”
That’s a strange title for a sermon which hopefully is “sacred speech”.
“Speechless in Annapolis.”
My main point will be: “Good Friday evokes awe – oooh – and – silence.
READING FROM ISAIAH 52: 13-15
“See, my servant shall prosper, he shall be raised high and greatly exalted. Even as many were amazed at him – so marred was his look beyond that of man, and his appearance that of mortals. So shall he startle many nations, because of him kings shall stand speechless; For those who have not been told shall see, those who have heard shall ponder it.”
Speechless is the word that jumped out of the reading in today’s morning prayer for Good Friday. In Isaiah 52: 15 the writer says when people see the servant – the so called “Suffering Servant” – people will be startled and kings will stand speechless.
I stopped and thought about that. I asked when have I stopped and found myself speechless in the presence of another person.
A FEW EXAMPLES
A few years back I received a call from Anne Arundel Medical Center. We love Father Pat Flynn and now Father Joe Krastel, because they both love going up to the hospital and seeing lots and lots of people. I was on duty and got to the hospital and a nurse escorted me into an area I never was in before. It was an operating room. I said to myself, “Uh oh. Oh no!” A whole team were in the middle of an operation. The key doctor said, “Father we couldn’t wait – so we started without you. Could you anoint this man and say some prayers over him. We need all the help we can get.”
I was speechless. I was stunned. Then I anointed his forehead only –not the palms of his hands. There were tubes everywhere. I then spoke some prayers and walked out and the team said, “Thank you!”
Afterwards – as I was taking the surgical mask off, I stood there speechless – thinking, “Did this just happen?” It was a first for me – but I did hear that surgeons can be talkative at times. I’d guess it could be nerves – or the first time they did a big operation they were speechless.
I once was sitting with a couple who were to be married here at St. Mary’s. At the first preliminary meeting I noticed the guy had a metal leg. It was badly wounded in Iraq. As I heard his story, I became speechless. Being an officer, he was picked out for sniper fire – and they got him. Messy. Messy.
Haven’t we all seen someone who had been severely burnt – or what have you – and we’re speechless – especially because we didn’t want to say the wrong thing – or even let our face or body language say the wrong thing?
Well, in this reading, the author is telling about the Suffering Servant who will be raised high and will be greatly exalted. However, he’s also going to have a horrible looking face and body.
After the word, “speechless” the next key word for me was “marred”. I looked it up in my 7 different translations of the Bible. Most of the translations used the word “marred”. Next I wondered what the Hebrew word was – not that I know Hebrew – but I always find this sort of investigation interesting and informative. The Hebrew word is “MISHCHAT” and the English words that are used to translate it are meaning “marred”, “defaced”, “deformed”, “distorted”.
CHRIST
Is it any wonder that the text from Isaiah was used by Christians to describe Christ – who also was marred, defaced, deformed and distorted.
I’m sure you’ve all seen really bloody images of Christ on the cross – or you saw the movie, “The Passion of the Christ” and I’m sure you were speechless – as you sat there or stood there.
I started working on this homily yesterday afternoon and then we were out at St. John Neumann’s last night – and as I sat there looking at the gigantic cross – I continued wondering about this theme of “speechless” and “marred”. Of course I wasn’t doing this during Father Jack Kingsbury’s homily. I was wondering if the question came up when the team and I understand the parish was asked about that crucifix. “How bloody!” “How disfigured?” “How marred?”
I’m sure they and the artist who made that gigantic body for that cross thought about impact – feelings – prayers – that this work of art would evoke.
I wonder what folks who come to St. John Neumann think and feel when they see that gigantic crucifix. I have to come up with a sermon for this evening for the Good Friday service.
CONCLUSION
I’m sure all of us – the more we go through this day – the more Good Fridays we go through in our life – that we all become more and more speechless – in the presence of a God – who was willing to come to us – who was willing to take taunts and spit – and rejections – and beatings – and a crowning with thorns – and then die for us.
Today – listen – watch – notice – Good Friday – this day – around our world is quieter than any other day of the year.
What will be your few words today – if any. A lady was telling me recently that the last two words her husband said to her – as he was dying were, “Thank you!”
That left me speechless.
Thursday, April 21, 2011
Poets throw words into the air.
And some fall into ears and
work their way down
that brown wax channel
into the garden of the brain.
And like a steel spade
the poet’s words and images
wiggle and ease and shake
loose a root of a memory. And
water trickles or rushes up
from that forgotten moment.
And tears flow out of eyes.
And a smile shows up
on a face or two. And sometimes,
sorry, just the opposite happens:
a scowl – the wanting to hide
from a distant deep rooted hurt
which appears as a wince
on a wrinkled face.
O my God, there is so much tilling
and so much telling to tell – and
so much to forget, so much to bury,
or sometimes better, so many roots to cut.
© Andy Costello, Reflections 2011
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)