HIDING GO  SEEK

Quote for Today - December 10,  2012

"Suppose someone is hiding and he stirs, he shows his whereabouts thereby; and God does the same. No one could ever have found God; God gives himself away."

Meister Eckhart [1260-1327], Meister Eckhart

LANDSCAPE:

INNER AND OUTER

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily is, “Landscape: Inner and Outer.”

TODAY’S READINGS

Today’s readings - for this Second Sunday in Advent - talk about landscape - inner and outer - more outer than inner - however.

The first reading from the prophet Baruch talks about the heights of Jerusalem - where people came to visit on a regular basis - to see the big city - from the east and the west. Then Baruch talks about the leveling of landscape - mountains being lowered and gorges being filled in. He also talks about every kind of tree lending both shade and fragrance for those on the road to the city. Then at the end of today’s first reading Baruch goes within: how God is leading the people of Israel in joy  - by the light of his glory - so that they will travel this life with mercy and justice.

Today’s gospel has Luke’s way of beginning the coming out of Jesus as an adult. He locates Jesus in history. He tells us who was emperor at the time - Tiberius Caesar - who was governor - Pontius Pilate - who was tetrarch of Galilee - Herod - and then he gives a few more names - as well as the names of Annas and Caiaphas - who were high priests at the time.  Next he tells us of John the Baptist who came to proclaim a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. John quotes the prophet Isaiah. It’s the same message that we heard from Baruch: roads and paths are to be made straight - valleys are to be filled in - with the mountains and hills being lowered - and winding roads are to be made straight and rough ways made smooth. Then the closing message is about changes in our inner landscape - redemption and salvation coming to us from our God.

The title of my homily is: “Landscape: Inner and Outer.”

HIGHWAY CONSTRUCTION AHEAD.

We’ve all been on the roads of life and we’ve all seen signs indicating, “Highway Construction Ahead.”

I had the front seat of a bus with our high school seniors last Friday coming back from a 4 day retreat at Malvern Retreat House in Pennsylvania. I had looked at the readings for today just before I left - so as to think about a homily for today on the bus. I saw landscape in the readings. I saw landscape out the front window of the bus. I saw hills - no mountains - but hills and slopes - dips and twists and turns. I saw road construction here and there on the way - especially on 95 north of Baltimore. When is that going to be finished?

Maybe like airports, construction, revamping, always goes on.

I couldn’t help but think a retreat is a good thing for folks to attend from time to time. Retreat houses are usually located where there is beautiful landscape. I suspect the motive is for folks to go within: to check out their inner landscape.

What does it look like inside me - in my invisible side? What am I like? If someone could walk around inside me - what would they see?

Do I have rough roads - that need repair? Where do I need to be inner beautified? Where are my potholes - that bother me and others all the time? Where do I have to plant inner trees and dig for water?

As I sat on the bus thinking about all this - I thought: “That’s one of  the purposes of Advent - to look at our inner landscape - and make our paths to God better - and better for God to travel to us.”

I think of the Christmas story of Mary and Joseph coming south on a donkey - heading for Bethlehem - the place where Jesus is born.

CONCLUSION

I laugh. I celebrate - after all this talk about beautiful landscape - Jesus is born in a stable with the stink of animals. So he’ll come to us - however we are - but I guess it would be better, if we were better. 

CONTROL  FREAK 

Quote for Today - December 9, 2012

"One of the marks of a certain type of bad man is that he can't give up a thing without wanting everyone else to give it up. That isn't the Christian way."

C.S. Lewis, Christian Behavior, 1944



Now about that fish on Friday............

CHOICE:

THE POWER OF CHOICE

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for this feast of Mary’s Immaculate Conception is, “The Power of Choice.”

Today we’re celebrating the feast of the Immaculate Conception - the Patronal Feast of both the United States as well as this parish of St. Mary’s.

As you know the Feast of the Immaculate Conception was declared in 1854 and this church’s cornerstone was blessed in 1858 by St. John Neumann.  On page 46 of Robert Warden’s  book on our parish we read that the official title of this church was always the “Church of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary,” but he says it’s not clear just when this was adopted. 

MANY THEMES IN TODAY’S READINGS

There are many themes in the readings for this feast of the Immaculate Conception:

·        “Where are you?”
·        Temptation to taste and bite into the  forbidden,
·        Blame, shame,
·        Choice
·        Garden of Paradise - and being thrown out of paradise,
·        Eve - as the Mother of all the Living,
·        Being blessed,
·        Holiness,
·        Love,
·        Adoption,
·        Being favored,
·        Purpose,
·        Hope,
·        Angel - as messenger
·        Being Called,
·        Grace.
·        Pondering,
·        Being Named,
·        Holy Spirit,
·        Being Overshadowed,
·        Barren - and being fruitful,
·        Nothing is Impossible with God.

Those are just a few. I choose to speak a bit on choice.

AMERICA THE LAND OF FREEDOM OF CHOICE

A major theme in American life is freedom. America is very much pro choice. I choose not to let that phrase refer only to those who choose to allow abortion - especially since our choices include an impact on self and others. And I see a deadly impact in abortion. So I’m using choice and pro choice here in the context of freedom of choice - that it is a very strong national value. We are the land so many people came to by choice from so many other places. We're aware that some were brought here by force - as slaves. Then there are those here were driven from their spaces - so when it comes to freedom - we don’t have an immaculate record.

The value of freedom and choice has always been part of our value system. We stress freedom of the press, freedom of religion, freedom of speech. All have consequences and bring limitations. Each includes the principle of impact of one person’s freedom on another’s freedom. We've all heard the message: one can’t yell, “Fire” in a crowded movie. Freedom to swing your fist, as they say, ends where my nose begins.

I remember reading somewhere that visitors to the United States from some countries love to go to the Mall or a big grocery store and see all the choices. Around here we can go to CVS, Rite Aid, The Annapolis Pharmacy, or get prescriptions by mail or what have you. We have Ford and Nissan. We have Giant and Safeway, Graul’s and Wegman's is more and more on their way here. We have K-Mart and Wallmart. We have dozens of different types of cell phones and gadgets for communication.

Choices.

TODAY’S FIRST READING

In today’s first reading Eve chooses the forbidden fruit - and the rest is history. She brings Adam into the deal. He blames her. She blames the snake. And the rest is mystery.

Mistakes - bad choices - often tell us more about ourselves than our successes. They expose our naked motives. They teach us there are consequences. Hurts tell us more than helps - so so often.

We can take and eat forbidden fruit and our lives are different forever. It ends our innocence and our paradises.

TODAY’S GOSPEL

In today’s gospel, Mary the New Eve, chooses God’s plan.

I like the great stress that like Eve - she is given a choice. She asks questions like Eve. She ponders. She chooses God’s message for her. He brings Christ into our world.

CHOICE   

The message of the first reading is: Don’t eat the forbidden.

The message of the Gospel is: Eat God. Eat Christ.

Life is a choice about what we eat - about what we say "Yes" or "No" to.

We have a choice between the forbidden fruit and good fruit - the goodness of Christ who bids us to bite into him and his good news every day.

We have the choice of devolution - going backwards - or evolution - to keep growing and knowing God.

CONCLUSION

I just got back this afternoon from 4 days with some of our high school seniors on a Kairos Retreat - our 21^st.

We’re waiting in the lobby for the bus to arrive and get us back here. I notice a picture there on the lobby wall. I think it was by Giotto - called the "Annunciation".

It is a picture of Mary hearing the word of God. Then in the background - off to the side - is Adam and Eve rejecting the word of God.

I had just read the readings for today to come up with a homily on the bus coming back. I said to myself: there they are - both readings in that painting - the every day choice - to be like Mary and choose the Good News or to choose the Forbidden and end up in disaster. It’s our choice. Amen.

TODAY! 

RIGHT WHERE YOU ARE!

Quote for Today - Saturday - December 8, 2012

"Cast your bucket where you are."

Booker T. Washington [1856-1915], in the Cotton State Exposition Speech at the Atlanta Exposition - September 18, 1895

HELL

Quote for the Day - Friday,  December 7, 2012

"Hell, Madam, is to love no longer."

Georges Bernanos [1888-1948] in The Diary of a Country Priest [1936]

PLEASE CLAP FOR ME

Quote for the Day, Thursday, December 6, 2012

"People ask you for criticism, but they only want praise."

William Somerset Maugham [1874-1965], in Of Human Bondage, [1915],  chapter 50