You know – this is the fourth weekend since we started offering the cup to everyone at communion. On this feast of the Body and Blood of Christ, it seems like the perfect time to think about why we’re doing that… why go to all the trouble with all the extra ministers and wine? Why even bother? For me, it all goes back to what Jesus said, “Do this in Remembrance of me.” He said it twice at the last supper. “Do this in remembrance of me”.
Those are deep and powerful words…they’re right at the HEART of our Eucharistic celebration….but we hear it every time we come to Mass…so probably don’t hear it anymore – and haven’t given much thought to what it means.
In the most basic sense, remembrance is the act of remembering….to NOT FORGET. But – it’s more than that… in fact, in the Mass it’s MUCH more than that. If we think that this Mass is just about remembering what a great guy Jesus was, then we’ve missed the point completely – In fact, we may as well go down the street to any other church, because what we do here in the Catholic Mass goes WAY beyond just calling to mind our old buddy Jesus….wasn’t he a great guy!?
We all know the real meaning…we’ve all heard it before – but it didn’t sink in – or we have to be reminded. This bread and this wine look so ordinary, that it is hard sometimes to imagine or even comprehend that they physically become the body and blood of Christ in our Mass. It looks like bread – but it’s not! It tastes like wine – but it’s not! The scriptures make this most clear in the 6th chapter of John – where are Gospel was taken from today. Jesus says several times in this chapter "my flesh is true food" - "you must eat my body and drink my blook". He says over and over in several different ways, as if to emphasize that we should NOT let this important point slip by. As if he KNOWS that people will forget…. But he wants us to REMEMBER!
RE-MEMBER. Think about that word by itself. Re-member. Yes – it means to not forget… but it also is the opposite of DIS-MEMBER.
Shortly after high school, our rescue team responded to a wreck out on highway 66 – it was a head-on collision – which happened way too often. But what made this wreck stand-out in my mind was that I knew the girl in one of the cars – she had been in my class in school. And I remember that her leg had been broken – in fact, it was in a position that told me it basically had broken off. She had been DIS-MEMBERED. I felt so bad for her – a 20 year old lady with her whole life ahead of her – and she just lost her leg. To my utter amazement, however, the doctors were able to put it back on!! A year later, she was walking around – with a bit of a limp – but she was walking! I never would have thought it could happen… she had been DIS-MEMBERED…and I didn’t think there was hope for her… but the doctors put her back together… they RE-MEMBERED her.
You and I are members of a Body, aren’t we? Yeah - the Body of Christ. How many body parts are WE missing? How many members of our Body have we lost? How many of our brothers and sisters have walked away from the Table of the Lord – the very spot where He told us to RE-MEMBER him. But they have DIS-membered themselves. This meal we share is more than a memorial about Jesus, this is the very instrument through which we BECOME the Body of Christ. I know this is getting deep, but try to stick with me… Coming together for Mass is how we RESTORE the Body of Christ… in short… this is where we RE-MEMBER Jesus. We put HIM back together when WE, the members of this community, come back together.
A great example of this is at funerals – especially at the funeral home or the funeral meal. People sit around talking about the person that just passed away. We sit around and tell stories – the things we used to do together; the things he or she used to enjoy; the little sayings and odd behaviors they had that made them so special to our lives. As we reflect on these things, we are in the process of healing. We NEED healing because in one way, we have been dis-membered – because someone from our family or friends has been ripped away from us. It’s like losing a part of ourselves. But when we reflect on their stories, we RE-MEMBER them. We put them back together in our mind and for that time, they really ARE with us again.
The same thing happens in Mass – first we share the stories of Jesus as we hear the readings. We’re reminded of the things that Jesus said and did while he was here. By our reflecting on His stories, we RE-MEMBER him in our minds..we put him back together. He is here with us again.
Then it gets even better - we come to the altar where the body and the blood are consecrated. Did you ever notice that they are consecrated separately? – what do you think that’s about? Any symbolism there? What would happen to me if you if my blood was separated from my body? Plop... I'd die, of course. The separation of the body and blood symbolize Christ’s death – the sacrifice he made for our sake. The body of Christ has been broken and separated – but here’s the important part. Through the Mass and the Grace of the Holy Spirit, Jesus is put back together – at least two ways… first – and Fr. Bill talked about this a couple weeks ago - the Priest takes one little corner of the bread and drops it into the wine – In that moment, the body and blood are RE-UNITED… symbolizing that Christ overcame death. He is RE-MEMBERED, right there in the chalice. But there’s one more way that the body and blood are re-united… can you think of when it happens? At communion. We all come forward to receive the body and then we drink the blood…so in that moment, the body and blood are RE-UNITED INSIDE of us!! Christ is RE-MEMBERED IN US!!! Are you following me? We eat the body and we drink from the cup and therefore the body and blood are put back together INSIDE of us!! I think that's SOO cool! Both individually and as a community, We BECOME the body and blood of Christ. Communion is the very GRACE that Jesus gave us to rebuild the community - Communion is how the Body of Christ is Re-membered.
Look around…What members of our body are we missing? Who in our families and community have walked away? We need to remind them that we need them. We are walking around with a limp, because we’re missing part of our body. We need to remind them that they need us too! They NEED the Body of Christ. They need to be connected to Jesus. They have been dis-membered, but it’s not hopeless. Like the young lady in the car wreck, We need to bring them to the divine physician who can put us back together! We need to help THEM remember what they’re missing…. The very Body and Blood of Christ.
Sunday, June 26, 2011
Saturday, May 28, 2011
2011 May 28 - Better to suffer for doing good (6th Sunday Easter Cycle A)
When I was ordained, a good friend gave me this little contraption. It’s a compass – and you all know how it works – no matter which direction you stand, the arrow always points North. This particular one is more pretty fancy and heavy, so I don’t actually take it outside…, so it sits in my office and reminds me of my real compass… my Moral compass. What’s a moral compass? Let me give you an example:
Anybody in here familiar with the Scouts? In the Cub scouts, we had the Scout Promise we would recite every time we got together:
I, _________, promise to do my best
To do my duty to God and my country,
To help other people, and
To obey the Law of the Pack.
Now – I never was a girl Scout – but you girls should recognize that your scout promise was very similar. Maybe even more common around here was the 4-H pledge of Head, Heart, Hands, and Health… again similar to the scout pledge. As kids, we learned that promise by heart… we probably HAD to, in order to get a badge. We could recite that promise on demand - at any time… this promise was our Guiding Principle… like a Moral Compass. It was supposed to point us to the truth… to form us and help us make mature decisions.
Same goes for our religion. We come here every week and recite our Creed… you know, “We believe in One God…and so on”. We learned it as a kid. We can recite it on demand at any time. But the same question applies: Do we actually let it guide our everyday lives?
At some point in our lives, we’re no longer bound by the law of the pack. Just reciting something doesn’t make it real. We have to decide for ourselves whether we really believe all this stuff. We have to decide how we’re going to live – what guiding principles will we use to make decisions for the rest of our lives. And when things go bad – and you know they will – where will we gain our strength to go on? Where will we place our hope? Where does our Moral Compass point? Hopefully, our moral compass always points to Jesus… the Way the Truth and the Life.
That’s what Peter is talking about. “Be ready to give a reason for your hope”. Every one of us has to think for ourselves about what life is really about. Is God real? Is Jesus real? Can Jesus really help us in our day-to-day living? You bet He can! But Peter is saying that you and I have to THINK about that and put it into words in order to help somebody else to understand it. Be ready to SHARE what you believe.
Could you do it? Could you speak out in public in defense of your beliefs? Are our beliefs strong enough that we’d be willing to suffer for them? Peter says, ‘it is better to suffer for doing God’s will than to do evil’. That is a tough one – it’s about Integrity: Do what’s right - all the time. No exceptions.
Let me try to make that make more sense: when I got my tractor and brush hog, I told myself I will NEVER get off the tractor with the brush hog still engaged. That’s one of those little safety things that probably everybody knows, but I have to remind myself… cause sometimes I think – well, I just have to knock that log out of the way or whatever – it’ll only take a second… but I remind myself of my guiding principle – I recite my little creed: “I will never get off with the brush hog still engaged”… just in case it would roll or kick something up at me.
That’s a simple example – but how would you apply that to your religious beliefs? Several years back, Randy worked at a fairly large utility company up north. He had a great job with great benefits. He’d been there for like 18 years and planned to retire with that company. But he started to notice some unethical business practices going on which he didn’t agree with. He tried talking to his Boss and even the president of the facility – but it was obvious he wasn’t going to get them to change. Randy quit his job rather than contribute to evil. That is integrity. Could you or I do that?
In 2009, Miss California was on track to win the Miss America pageant – but when it came time for the interview portion of the competition, she was asked a simple question: “do you believe same-sex marriage should be legalized?’. This lady answered like this: "We live in a land that you can choose same-sex marriage or opposite marriage. And you know what in my country, in my family I think that I believe that a marriage should be between a man and a woman. No offense to anybody out there, but that's how I was raised and that's how I think it should be, between a man and a woman."
Now to you and me, that probably sounds like a pretty good, safe answer. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the ‘politically correct’ answer. The media and other groups unloaded on her. Some say she lost the pageant because of that answer. A couple months later, she lost her Miss California crown too – and she believes that too was because of her answer.
This is a case where our modern culture is starting to turn on Christianity. Regardless of where you stand on the issue of same-sex marriage, this lady had the constitutional right to give her opinion of how she believes. 20 years ago, that question wouldn’t even have been asked. 10 years ago, if that question had been asked, her answer might have been considered most generous and tolerant. Our culture is becoming intolerant of Christianity. Why? Because we believe that our moral compass points to the truth -and some truths are black and white.
You know, Many situations in our lives are ‘gray areas’ where we have to discern what is right and what is wrong based on each individual situation. Fortunately, WE have a teacher who taught us – and we have an Advocate called the Holy Spirit that resides in each one of us – to help us make those decisions. The Holy Spirit IS our moral compass – He always points to the truth – and sometimes the Truth really IS black and white. But you can bet that ANYtime you or I attempt to tell the black and white truth, somebody in our culture is going to come down on us. Believe it or not, it even happens here at church.
So what should we do? Back down? Do we abandon Jesus’ words as our moral compass because society thinks we’re not politically correct anymore? Peter says – it is better to suffer for doing good, if it be God’s will, than to do evil. Pray for wisdom and courage to do so. Come Holy Spirit, show us the way.
Anybody in here familiar with the Scouts? In the Cub scouts, we had the Scout Promise we would recite every time we got together:
I, _________, promise to do my best
To do my duty to God and my country,
To help other people, and
To obey the Law of the Pack.
Now – I never was a girl Scout – but you girls should recognize that your scout promise was very similar. Maybe even more common around here was the 4-H pledge of Head, Heart, Hands, and Health… again similar to the scout pledge. As kids, we learned that promise by heart… we probably HAD to, in order to get a badge. We could recite that promise on demand - at any time… this promise was our Guiding Principle… like a Moral Compass. It was supposed to point us to the truth… to form us and help us make mature decisions.
Same goes for our religion. We come here every week and recite our Creed… you know, “We believe in One God…and so on”. We learned it as a kid. We can recite it on demand at any time. But the same question applies: Do we actually let it guide our everyday lives?
At some point in our lives, we’re no longer bound by the law of the pack. Just reciting something doesn’t make it real. We have to decide for ourselves whether we really believe all this stuff. We have to decide how we’re going to live – what guiding principles will we use to make decisions for the rest of our lives. And when things go bad – and you know they will – where will we gain our strength to go on? Where will we place our hope? Where does our Moral Compass point? Hopefully, our moral compass always points to Jesus… the Way the Truth and the Life.
That’s what Peter is talking about. “Be ready to give a reason for your hope”. Every one of us has to think for ourselves about what life is really about. Is God real? Is Jesus real? Can Jesus really help us in our day-to-day living? You bet He can! But Peter is saying that you and I have to THINK about that and put it into words in order to help somebody else to understand it. Be ready to SHARE what you believe.
Could you do it? Could you speak out in public in defense of your beliefs? Are our beliefs strong enough that we’d be willing to suffer for them? Peter says, ‘it is better to suffer for doing God’s will than to do evil’. That is a tough one – it’s about Integrity: Do what’s right - all the time. No exceptions.
Let me try to make that make more sense: when I got my tractor and brush hog, I told myself I will NEVER get off the tractor with the brush hog still engaged. That’s one of those little safety things that probably everybody knows, but I have to remind myself… cause sometimes I think – well, I just have to knock that log out of the way or whatever – it’ll only take a second… but I remind myself of my guiding principle – I recite my little creed: “I will never get off with the brush hog still engaged”… just in case it would roll or kick something up at me.
That’s a simple example – but how would you apply that to your religious beliefs? Several years back, Randy worked at a fairly large utility company up north. He had a great job with great benefits. He’d been there for like 18 years and planned to retire with that company. But he started to notice some unethical business practices going on which he didn’t agree with. He tried talking to his Boss and even the president of the facility – but it was obvious he wasn’t going to get them to change. Randy quit his job rather than contribute to evil. That is integrity. Could you or I do that?
In 2009, Miss California was on track to win the Miss America pageant – but when it came time for the interview portion of the competition, she was asked a simple question: “do you believe same-sex marriage should be legalized?’. This lady answered like this: "We live in a land that you can choose same-sex marriage or opposite marriage. And you know what in my country, in my family I think that I believe that a marriage should be between a man and a woman. No offense to anybody out there, but that's how I was raised and that's how I think it should be, between a man and a woman."
Now to you and me, that probably sounds like a pretty good, safe answer. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the ‘politically correct’ answer. The media and other groups unloaded on her. Some say she lost the pageant because of that answer. A couple months later, she lost her Miss California crown too – and she believes that too was because of her answer.
This is a case where our modern culture is starting to turn on Christianity. Regardless of where you stand on the issue of same-sex marriage, this lady had the constitutional right to give her opinion of how she believes. 20 years ago, that question wouldn’t even have been asked. 10 years ago, if that question had been asked, her answer might have been considered most generous and tolerant. Our culture is becoming intolerant of Christianity. Why? Because we believe that our moral compass points to the truth -and some truths are black and white.
You know, Many situations in our lives are ‘gray areas’ where we have to discern what is right and what is wrong based on each individual situation. Fortunately, WE have a teacher who taught us – and we have an Advocate called the Holy Spirit that resides in each one of us – to help us make those decisions. The Holy Spirit IS our moral compass – He always points to the truth – and sometimes the Truth really IS black and white. But you can bet that ANYtime you or I attempt to tell the black and white truth, somebody in our culture is going to come down on us. Believe it or not, it even happens here at church.
So what should we do? Back down? Do we abandon Jesus’ words as our moral compass because society thinks we’re not politically correct anymore? Peter says – it is better to suffer for doing good, if it be God’s will, than to do evil. Pray for wisdom and courage to do so. Come Holy Spirit, show us the way.
Saturday, April 16, 2011
April 17, 2011: Palm Sunday - No Cross can keep us down
Deacon Mike always has a prop for his homily, doesn’t he? Before I start– Let me get it… may need help. (carry in large wooden cross with help)
Wow – what a story. What else can you say? When we hear this, we might feel a bit shell-shocked… but just imagine what the REAL witnesses felt. The people who were there that day, on the mountain of Calvary…. THEY had seen it all… from the glory of palm Sunday as Jesus entered Jerusalem mounted on a donkey– until Friday when he was mounted on a cross. They saw it all – and after watching the gruesome death – they were shell-shocked – like ‘what in the world just happened?’
It’s an all-too-familiar story we all have to deal with – things are going great – then before we know it, there’s a cross on our back and we’re climbing a mountain. The cross threatens to drag us down.
Like in our relationships – we fall in love – everything is cool – awesome – we want to sing to the world!!!… but too often, things don’t turn out like we hoped and expected – the feelings go sour and the relationship becomes a cross.
Many of us have jobs that at first are a great blessing – we’re just glad to have a job – and we even look forward to going to it each morning. Eventually, for a lot of people, it becomes a drudgery – and feels like we have to pick up our cross every morning just to get out of bed…much less to make it through the day.
Even our bodies do this to us. When we’re young, we’re invincible – we can do anything! As we get older, the aches and pains begin – the eyes go – hearing decreases… eventually, just getting up in the morning is a cross.
Our parish has definitely had more than its share of crosses to bear over the last several years. Every time a new pastor comes in, there’s a sense of hope – a sense that maybe now things will get back to ‘normal’…. We join together waving palms – hoping this might be our real spiritual Father. But as you know, once again we find ourselves standing on Calvary – shell-shocked – saying ‘what in the world just happened?’
Like anybody who’s been through a rough time or a sudden tragedy, we need to tell our story in order to start to heal. In my own family growing up, whenever there was a tragedy or a threat to our family – we just naturally migrated to the kitchen table and sat there – telling our story. Where were you when it happened? What were you thinking? What could I have done differently? This is a normal reaction to an abnormal situation.
Many of us here today feel hurt by the latest loss of our pastor. I’ve talked to several of you over the last two weeks – or I should say – I tried to listen. We’re all wondering ‘what in the world just happened?’ ‘Who’s fault was it?’ ‘What did I do wrong?’
Keep talking – keep asking the questions… that’s exactly what we have to do. That’s how the healing can begin. Hopefully, each of us can pick up our cross – whether it’s our relationship, our job, our health, or our parish issues… drag it in here and lay it on the altar. Give it to Jesus. Unlike the people on the top of Calvary that day, we have the benefit of knowing ‘the rest of the story’ and that gives us hope. We also know that we are a family here in this parish. And just like my family, we gather around our kitchen table to tell our stories. Just like Simon of Cyrene – and just like the Betz boys who helped me carry in the cross today... we help our brothers and sisters to carry their crosses as well....that's what family does. We are the Body of Christ – We are all nailed to our cross – but No Cross can keep us down… Resurrection is just around the corner.
We WILL sing Hosanna again. We will sing Alleluia’s again! We will. We MUST. We are the Body of Christ - and No Cross can keep us down.
Wow – what a story. What else can you say? When we hear this, we might feel a bit shell-shocked… but just imagine what the REAL witnesses felt. The people who were there that day, on the mountain of Calvary…. THEY had seen it all… from the glory of palm Sunday as Jesus entered Jerusalem mounted on a donkey– until Friday when he was mounted on a cross. They saw it all – and after watching the gruesome death – they were shell-shocked – like ‘what in the world just happened?’
It’s an all-too-familiar story we all have to deal with – things are going great – then before we know it, there’s a cross on our back and we’re climbing a mountain. The cross threatens to drag us down.
Like in our relationships – we fall in love – everything is cool – awesome – we want to sing to the world!!!… but too often, things don’t turn out like we hoped and expected – the feelings go sour and the relationship becomes a cross.
Many of us have jobs that at first are a great blessing – we’re just glad to have a job – and we even look forward to going to it each morning. Eventually, for a lot of people, it becomes a drudgery – and feels like we have to pick up our cross every morning just to get out of bed…much less to make it through the day.
Even our bodies do this to us. When we’re young, we’re invincible – we can do anything! As we get older, the aches and pains begin – the eyes go – hearing decreases… eventually, just getting up in the morning is a cross.
Our parish has definitely had more than its share of crosses to bear over the last several years. Every time a new pastor comes in, there’s a sense of hope – a sense that maybe now things will get back to ‘normal’…. We join together waving palms – hoping this might be our real spiritual Father. But as you know, once again we find ourselves standing on Calvary – shell-shocked – saying ‘what in the world just happened?’
Like anybody who’s been through a rough time or a sudden tragedy, we need to tell our story in order to start to heal. In my own family growing up, whenever there was a tragedy or a threat to our family – we just naturally migrated to the kitchen table and sat there – telling our story. Where were you when it happened? What were you thinking? What could I have done differently? This is a normal reaction to an abnormal situation.
Many of us here today feel hurt by the latest loss of our pastor. I’ve talked to several of you over the last two weeks – or I should say – I tried to listen. We’re all wondering ‘what in the world just happened?’ ‘Who’s fault was it?’ ‘What did I do wrong?’
Keep talking – keep asking the questions… that’s exactly what we have to do. That’s how the healing can begin. Hopefully, each of us can pick up our cross – whether it’s our relationship, our job, our health, or our parish issues… drag it in here and lay it on the altar. Give it to Jesus. Unlike the people on the top of Calvary that day, we have the benefit of knowing ‘the rest of the story’ and that gives us hope. We also know that we are a family here in this parish. And just like my family, we gather around our kitchen table to tell our stories. Just like Simon of Cyrene – and just like the Betz boys who helped me carry in the cross today... we help our brothers and sisters to carry their crosses as well....that's what family does. We are the Body of Christ – We are all nailed to our cross – but No Cross can keep us down… Resurrection is just around the corner.
We WILL sing Hosanna again. We will sing Alleluia’s again! We will. We MUST. We are the Body of Christ - and No Cross can keep us down.
Sunday, February 13, 2011
February 13, 2011: 6th Sunday Ordinary Time: If your brother has anything against you...
About three years ago, Jerry was sitting in the pew where you are now – and he heard the exact same readings we just heard. Like most of us – most of it just went over his head. I mean – Jesus just dumped the mother-load on us today – there is SO MUCH in these readings, I could give a thousand homilies…but don’t worry, I’ll only give one. Well – Jerry remembered to pray that prayer, “God show me one way in this Mass I can be a better person this week"….and because he did that, one phrase really stuck with him: “If you bring your gift to the altar, and there recall that your brother has anything against you, leave your gift there at the altar, go first and be reconciled with your brother.”
So, he thought – what if Jesus is serious? So he raised a quick prayer to God – is there somebody I need to ask for forgiveness? Just that quick, a pine tree flashed into his thoughts – a small one, only a foot tall. That’s when he remembered Mrs. Murphy.
As a kid, he would often cross Mrs. Murphy’s yard on his way to school or to visit friends. One day he noticed about a dozen freshly planted pine trees where he’d not noticed them before. He thought – those are pretty cool – I’d like to havesome trees like that in my yard– so that night, he snuck over there and since they were freshly planted, he was able to simply pull them out of the ground. He took them home and hid them behind the garage – since it was dark. He thought he’d plant them the next day. Well, the next day was Saturday, so he got up late and got busy playing…Sometime after noon, he noticed the trees… they were laying in the sun and wind – roots exposed – so needless to say, they were dead. No big deal, he thought – he shrugged his shoulders and went on playing – and didn’t think more about those trees…
Until Monday monring… he was on his way to school and Mrs. Murphy called out to him from the back porch. My husband bought me some pine trees for our anniversary and we planted them Friday, but when we came out Saturday, they were gone. I know you come through here all the time – did you happen to notice anybody digging up my trees or know somebody who would do something like that?
Jerry swallowed hard – thinking fast – he said – “No I hadn’t even noticed the trees. But, you might check with Randy down the road – I wouldn’t be surprised if he did something like that.”
He went home and threw all of those little trees in the trash can to hide them….. After than, he avoided walking across Mrs. Murphy’s yard – and he forgot completely about those trees.
Until today – in Mass – “if your brother has anything against you, go first and be reconciled”. He thought – OK God, so –what am I supposed to do about it? Surely I’m not supposed to get up in the middle of Mass and go ask for forgiveness…I mean – that would be silly. - but he just couldn’t shake the thought. Finally, he stood up and acted like he was heading to the rest room – and he kept walking – right out the back door.
As he drove the 30 miles to his old hometown, he kept telling himself how crazy this was. Mrs. Murphy probably doesn’t even live there anymore – heck – she may not even be alive! But he kept driving. He drove past the Murphy house and saw a light on in the front room, so he knew somebody was home. He drove around the block like 4 times – each time thinking how stupid this was….but finally he got up the nerve to pull in the driveway. An old lady hobbled to the door and squinted at him through thick glasses.
Hi, are you Mrs. Murphy? Why yes, do I know you?
Mrs. Murphy – you may not remember me, but I’m Jerry – I used to live just a few doors down on the block behind you – remember – I used to cross through your yard on my way to school. Oh – Jerry – yes, I remember now, come on in – would you like some lemonade?– what brings you back home?
Well, Mrs. Murphy – do you remember about 30 years ago you had some little pine trees planted in the back yard and they disappeared? Well – I …. I was the one who took them… and you’re not going to believe this, but well, I was in church this morning and felt like Jesus was telling me I needed to come clean with you and ask forgiveness. So – I’ve got 118 dollars on me and I’m hoping that’s enough to pay for those trees.
Mrs. Murphy had to pick her jaw up off the floor – which means she also probably had to pick her dentures up off the floor. She hollered out – Roger, get in here!
An old man with a walker hobbled into the room to see what the excitement was about. Mrs. Murphy excitedly explained – Roger – you remember Jerry? The little red-head kid who used to cross through our yard? Well he says that Jesus told him to come here today to confess to us that he stole those trees you gave me on our anniversary 30 years ago… can you believe it?! And, he wants to pay us $118 to make up for it. Roger said, Jerry – I really appreciate your honesty – but that was 30 years ago – you just keep your money.
Jerry said – look – I’m only doing what God told me to do. This is your money – whether you want it or not. I don’t care if you give away or what – but it’s your money.
They talked for what seemed like hours – about those trees, about old times and old friends, about what had happened in the old neighborhood, AND about their common faith in Jesus.
As Jerry headed back to his car, there was a definite spring in his step and a feeling of peace…and finally he understood why God had planted that little tree in his thoughts that morning at church. Not only had he uprooted those trees all those years ago, but he had hurt that friendship with the Murphy’s. Had he not come back here, he never would have felt this peace, and the relationship would still be dead.
What trees have you and I uprooted? What relationships have we uprooted? Every time we cause someone else pain, it’s like exposing the roots of our relationship…not just their roots, but our roots too. A tree with bare roots cannot grow and will soon wither and die.
Jesus wants to plant himself in our hearts today in the Eucharist, but he knows that if we have exposed roots, we cannot grow. Our relationship with Jesus cannot grow either – because our relationship with Jesus grows through relationship with other people That’s why forgiveness HAS to come BEFORE the altar.
Like Jerry - you and I can experience the joy that comes from reaching out to those we’ve hurt. It won’t always go that well, because some people just aren’t ready to forgive. But when they are – wow – look out. And here’s the exciting part: Think about what happened AFTER Jerry left that house. For the past three years, Mr. and Mrs. Murphy have told that story a thousand times about how Jesus told Jerry to come back and pay for those trees. Every time they told the story, somebody new had to stop and think about what past hurts THEY had caused, and what relationships they had uprooted. Not only that, but they were inspired by hearing about somebody who actually LIVED an authentic Christian life. We are all awed whenever we come across somebody who actually DOES what Jesus told us to do. Think what would happen if every one of us really lived these teachings that Jesus gave us. We would change the world! Literally, we would CHANGE THE WORLD!
…And, I think that’s what Jesus had in mind all along.
So, he thought – what if Jesus is serious? So he raised a quick prayer to God – is there somebody I need to ask for forgiveness? Just that quick, a pine tree flashed into his thoughts – a small one, only a foot tall. That’s when he remembered Mrs. Murphy.
As a kid, he would often cross Mrs. Murphy’s yard on his way to school or to visit friends. One day he noticed about a dozen freshly planted pine trees where he’d not noticed them before. He thought – those are pretty cool – I’d like to havesome trees like that in my yard– so that night, he snuck over there and since they were freshly planted, he was able to simply pull them out of the ground. He took them home and hid them behind the garage – since it was dark. He thought he’d plant them the next day. Well, the next day was Saturday, so he got up late and got busy playing…Sometime after noon, he noticed the trees… they were laying in the sun and wind – roots exposed – so needless to say, they were dead. No big deal, he thought – he shrugged his shoulders and went on playing – and didn’t think more about those trees…
Until Monday monring… he was on his way to school and Mrs. Murphy called out to him from the back porch. My husband bought me some pine trees for our anniversary and we planted them Friday, but when we came out Saturday, they were gone. I know you come through here all the time – did you happen to notice anybody digging up my trees or know somebody who would do something like that?
Jerry swallowed hard – thinking fast – he said – “No I hadn’t even noticed the trees. But, you might check with Randy down the road – I wouldn’t be surprised if he did something like that.”
He went home and threw all of those little trees in the trash can to hide them….. After than, he avoided walking across Mrs. Murphy’s yard – and he forgot completely about those trees.
Until today – in Mass – “if your brother has anything against you, go first and be reconciled”. He thought – OK God, so –what am I supposed to do about it? Surely I’m not supposed to get up in the middle of Mass and go ask for forgiveness…I mean – that would be silly. - but he just couldn’t shake the thought. Finally, he stood up and acted like he was heading to the rest room – and he kept walking – right out the back door.
As he drove the 30 miles to his old hometown, he kept telling himself how crazy this was. Mrs. Murphy probably doesn’t even live there anymore – heck – she may not even be alive! But he kept driving. He drove past the Murphy house and saw a light on in the front room, so he knew somebody was home. He drove around the block like 4 times – each time thinking how stupid this was….but finally he got up the nerve to pull in the driveway. An old lady hobbled to the door and squinted at him through thick glasses.
Hi, are you Mrs. Murphy? Why yes, do I know you?
Mrs. Murphy – you may not remember me, but I’m Jerry – I used to live just a few doors down on the block behind you – remember – I used to cross through your yard on my way to school. Oh – Jerry – yes, I remember now, come on in – would you like some lemonade?– what brings you back home?
Well, Mrs. Murphy – do you remember about 30 years ago you had some little pine trees planted in the back yard and they disappeared? Well – I …. I was the one who took them… and you’re not going to believe this, but well, I was in church this morning and felt like Jesus was telling me I needed to come clean with you and ask forgiveness. So – I’ve got 118 dollars on me and I’m hoping that’s enough to pay for those trees.
Mrs. Murphy had to pick her jaw up off the floor – which means she also probably had to pick her dentures up off the floor. She hollered out – Roger, get in here!
An old man with a walker hobbled into the room to see what the excitement was about. Mrs. Murphy excitedly explained – Roger – you remember Jerry? The little red-head kid who used to cross through our yard? Well he says that Jesus told him to come here today to confess to us that he stole those trees you gave me on our anniversary 30 years ago… can you believe it?! And, he wants to pay us $118 to make up for it. Roger said, Jerry – I really appreciate your honesty – but that was 30 years ago – you just keep your money.
Jerry said – look – I’m only doing what God told me to do. This is your money – whether you want it or not. I don’t care if you give away or what – but it’s your money.
They talked for what seemed like hours – about those trees, about old times and old friends, about what had happened in the old neighborhood, AND about their common faith in Jesus.
As Jerry headed back to his car, there was a definite spring in his step and a feeling of peace…and finally he understood why God had planted that little tree in his thoughts that morning at church. Not only had he uprooted those trees all those years ago, but he had hurt that friendship with the Murphy’s. Had he not come back here, he never would have felt this peace, and the relationship would still be dead.
What trees have you and I uprooted? What relationships have we uprooted? Every time we cause someone else pain, it’s like exposing the roots of our relationship…not just their roots, but our roots too. A tree with bare roots cannot grow and will soon wither and die.
Jesus wants to plant himself in our hearts today in the Eucharist, but he knows that if we have exposed roots, we cannot grow. Our relationship with Jesus cannot grow either – because our relationship with Jesus grows through relationship with other people That’s why forgiveness HAS to come BEFORE the altar.
Like Jerry - you and I can experience the joy that comes from reaching out to those we’ve hurt. It won’t always go that well, because some people just aren’t ready to forgive. But when they are – wow – look out. And here’s the exciting part: Think about what happened AFTER Jerry left that house. For the past three years, Mr. and Mrs. Murphy have told that story a thousand times about how Jesus told Jerry to come back and pay for those trees. Every time they told the story, somebody new had to stop and think about what past hurts THEY had caused, and what relationships they had uprooted. Not only that, but they were inspired by hearing about somebody who actually LIVED an authentic Christian life. We are all awed whenever we come across somebody who actually DOES what Jesus told us to do. Think what would happen if every one of us really lived these teachings that Jesus gave us. We would change the world! Literally, we would CHANGE THE WORLD!
…And, I think that’s what Jesus had in mind all along.
Sunday, January 9, 2011
January 9, 2011: Baptism of our Lord
How did people recognize Jesus? Was it his long hair and sandals that gave him away? Maybe it was the halo on his head?
No....what made people recognize Jesus was what He DID! The prophets had taught for centrues about what the Messiah would do – and today’s first reading is one of the best ones. Isaiah was telling Israel how to recognize God’s chosen servant–He will bring justice to the world, show compassion, give sight to the blind, free the prisoners… So when Jesus DID come, the Israelites should have been able to look at what he DID and say with absolute confidence – that’s HIM – obviously, He’s the one!
But this prophecy also applies to someone else? Can you think who that might be? Like I said, Isaiah is describing how we can recognize God’s chosen servant. Hopefully,… that’s you and me. When you and I were baptized, WE were chosen by God and given a mission just like Jesus’ mission. WE are to go out to bring justice, show compassion, give sight to the blind, free the prisoners, and shine the light on those in darkness! THAT is how the rest of the world recognizes disciples of Jesus – when WE take an ACTIVE role in helping others.
In that same reading is another line which might be hard to understand…, “A bruised reed he shall not break, and a smoldering wick he shall not quench”. Now this has been argued to mean many things… But usually this understood to point out the compassion of Jesus. In other words, Jesus won’t condemn anyone who has even the slightest amount of Faith. Any smidgeon of faith and shred of hope is allowed to live, because there is always a chance to fan it into a flame. As God’s chosen servant, Jesus is the source of Hope for those who have no earthly reason to be hopeful.
One of the best examples where I see that is Haiti. Somehow they continue to cling to their shred of hope because of their faith in God.
It’s been bad in Haiti for a very long time…. But it seems in many ways, things keep going from bad to worse. Somehow they continue to hope. One year ago this week was the devastating earthquake that killed almost a quarter million people (or more) and destroyed much of what shabby infrastructure they had. Somehow they continue to hope. One of our parishioners, Gary Boice, just got back from Haiti yesterday… and while he could see that progress has been made, people still live in tents everywhere and water, sewage, and hygiene are major problems. That has contributed to the Cholera epidemic which is currently gripping the whole country. It seems there is NO reason for them to go on hoping…they keep getting hit by one disaster after another….their wick is barely smoldering…yet they go on hoping.
You’ll notice in the bulletin, we got a letter from Fr. Brunot last week. He’s the pastor at Dupity – the parish we have been helping. 20 people have died in that one, small village, and many more are sick in the clinic. He has asked specifically for help in getting them chlorox and soap as the basic means for preventing further spread of the disease. If you’d like to help with that, we’ve put boxes at each door for donations. We won’t have a second collection, so you’ll have to remember on your way out.
Just over a year ago, hope abounded in Dupity as they finally got running water for the first time – a project that has almost definitely saved some lives. However, only a small portion of the population of Dupity lives in town. Those outside the town still use un-purified stream water. Gary and possibly some others will be going back to Dupity later this month to see how else we can help. Everything moves slowly in Haiti, and it’s frustrating for US to keep trying to jump through hoops to get anything done….yet…if THEY can continue to hope in spite of everything they’re going through, then surely we can learn from them and not give up either. Their hope is like the smoldering wick – and we cannot extinguish it – instead we should do everything we can to fan it into a flame. We have to act, because that’s what Jesus would do.
Jesus’ baptism today was a turning point for him. Today was the start of his public ministry. Through this symbolic act, Jesus was filled with the Holy Spirit and was catapulted into action. What did he do? Peter told us in the 2nd reading – “He went about doing good and healing all those oppressed by the devil”. Jesus was the fulfillment of the prophecies…but so are we! Just like Jesus, our baptism should catapult us into action.
As a way of connecting our own baptism with Jesus’…In just a minute, we’re going to stand and renew our own baptismal promises. I’m going to read them slowly…because we need to think about what each phrase means…These are the same truths we pray in the creed every week…they’re so familiar that we nonchalantly rush through them and SAY we believe it without considering what it means. DO you believe in God? Really? DO you believe in Jesus? Really? If we really believe it, our lives CANNOT be business as usual. We are chosen by God. We are his chosen servant. The only way the world will recognize Christ in the world is if WE show compassion, WE bring justice, WE give sight to the blind, WE free the prisoners, and where there is a smoldering wick of hope, we will fan it into a flame. Please stand.
V. Do you reject Satan? R. I do.
V. And all his works? R. I do.
V. And all his empty promises? R. I do.
V. Do you believe in God, the Father Almighty, creator of heaven and earth? R. I do.
V. Do you believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, who was born of the Virgin Mary was crucified, died, and was buried, rose from the dead, and is now seated at the right hand of the Father? R. I do.
V.Do you believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Catholic church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting? R. I do.
V. God, the all-powerful Father of our Lord Jesus Christ has given us a new birth by water and the Holy Spirit, and forgiven all our sins. May he also keep us faithful to our Lord Jesus Christ for ever and ever.
R. Amen.
Normally, at this point of the ceremony, we would sprinkle with holy water, but instead I want you everybody to take an active part in completing the ceremony yourself. As we leave church today, dip your hand in the holy water and recommit yourself to live as God’s servant. As you do, you can just imagine the Father saying, “This is my beloved servant in whom I am well pleased”.
No....what made people recognize Jesus was what He DID! The prophets had taught for centrues about what the Messiah would do – and today’s first reading is one of the best ones. Isaiah was telling Israel how to recognize God’s chosen servant–He will bring justice to the world, show compassion, give sight to the blind, free the prisoners… So when Jesus DID come, the Israelites should have been able to look at what he DID and say with absolute confidence – that’s HIM – obviously, He’s the one!
But this prophecy also applies to someone else? Can you think who that might be? Like I said, Isaiah is describing how we can recognize God’s chosen servant. Hopefully,… that’s you and me. When you and I were baptized, WE were chosen by God and given a mission just like Jesus’ mission. WE are to go out to bring justice, show compassion, give sight to the blind, free the prisoners, and shine the light on those in darkness! THAT is how the rest of the world recognizes disciples of Jesus – when WE take an ACTIVE role in helping others.
In that same reading is another line which might be hard to understand…, “A bruised reed he shall not break, and a smoldering wick he shall not quench”. Now this has been argued to mean many things… But usually this understood to point out the compassion of Jesus. In other words, Jesus won’t condemn anyone who has even the slightest amount of Faith. Any smidgeon of faith and shred of hope is allowed to live, because there is always a chance to fan it into a flame. As God’s chosen servant, Jesus is the source of Hope for those who have no earthly reason to be hopeful.
One of the best examples where I see that is Haiti. Somehow they continue to cling to their shred of hope because of their faith in God.
It’s been bad in Haiti for a very long time…. But it seems in many ways, things keep going from bad to worse. Somehow they continue to hope. One year ago this week was the devastating earthquake that killed almost a quarter million people (or more) and destroyed much of what shabby infrastructure they had. Somehow they continue to hope. One of our parishioners, Gary Boice, just got back from Haiti yesterday… and while he could see that progress has been made, people still live in tents everywhere and water, sewage, and hygiene are major problems. That has contributed to the Cholera epidemic which is currently gripping the whole country. It seems there is NO reason for them to go on hoping…they keep getting hit by one disaster after another….their wick is barely smoldering…yet they go on hoping.
You’ll notice in the bulletin, we got a letter from Fr. Brunot last week. He’s the pastor at Dupity – the parish we have been helping. 20 people have died in that one, small village, and many more are sick in the clinic. He has asked specifically for help in getting them chlorox and soap as the basic means for preventing further spread of the disease. If you’d like to help with that, we’ve put boxes at each door for donations. We won’t have a second collection, so you’ll have to remember on your way out.
Just over a year ago, hope abounded in Dupity as they finally got running water for the first time – a project that has almost definitely saved some lives. However, only a small portion of the population of Dupity lives in town. Those outside the town still use un-purified stream water. Gary and possibly some others will be going back to Dupity later this month to see how else we can help. Everything moves slowly in Haiti, and it’s frustrating for US to keep trying to jump through hoops to get anything done….yet…if THEY can continue to hope in spite of everything they’re going through, then surely we can learn from them and not give up either. Their hope is like the smoldering wick – and we cannot extinguish it – instead we should do everything we can to fan it into a flame. We have to act, because that’s what Jesus would do.
Jesus’ baptism today was a turning point for him. Today was the start of his public ministry. Through this symbolic act, Jesus was filled with the Holy Spirit and was catapulted into action. What did he do? Peter told us in the 2nd reading – “He went about doing good and healing all those oppressed by the devil”. Jesus was the fulfillment of the prophecies…but so are we! Just like Jesus, our baptism should catapult us into action.
As a way of connecting our own baptism with Jesus’…In just a minute, we’re going to stand and renew our own baptismal promises. I’m going to read them slowly…because we need to think about what each phrase means…These are the same truths we pray in the creed every week…they’re so familiar that we nonchalantly rush through them and SAY we believe it without considering what it means. DO you believe in God? Really? DO you believe in Jesus? Really? If we really believe it, our lives CANNOT be business as usual. We are chosen by God. We are his chosen servant. The only way the world will recognize Christ in the world is if WE show compassion, WE bring justice, WE give sight to the blind, WE free the prisoners, and where there is a smoldering wick of hope, we will fan it into a flame. Please stand.
V. Do you reject Satan? R. I do.
V. And all his works? R. I do.
V. And all his empty promises? R. I do.
V. Do you believe in God, the Father Almighty, creator of heaven and earth? R. I do.
V. Do you believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, who was born of the Virgin Mary was crucified, died, and was buried, rose from the dead, and is now seated at the right hand of the Father? R. I do.
V.Do you believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Catholic church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting? R. I do.
V. God, the all-powerful Father of our Lord Jesus Christ has given us a new birth by water and the Holy Spirit, and forgiven all our sins. May he also keep us faithful to our Lord Jesus Christ for ever and ever.
R. Amen.
Normally, at this point of the ceremony, we would sprinkle with holy water, but instead I want you everybody to take an active part in completing the ceremony yourself. As we leave church today, dip your hand in the holy water and recommit yourself to live as God’s servant. As you do, you can just imagine the Father saying, “This is my beloved servant in whom I am well pleased”.
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
December 26, 2010: Feast of the Holy Family Cycle A
One of the good things about being in front of Mass is that I get to see other people’s expressions. Most of the time, there is no expression at all – but TODAY – I could see lots of furrowed brows, rolling eyes, and people elbowing each other. On this Feast of the Holy Family, Paul gives everyone in the family some instructions – but the one that really makes most of us cringe is when he says, ‘wives be subordinate to your husband’.
I think it shows amazing self-control that more women don’t just get up and walk out of church when he says that! For us today, it might call to mind images of women in Burkas in Afghanistan where the Taliban have degraded women to mere property with no rights, no education, no worth.
Why aren’t we really upset about this? Our natural reaction – I’d say for both women AND men – is to explain it away. Well – Paul was talking to a patriarchal society of the first century and those rules don’t really apply. That is true…Paul wasn’t interested in trying to change the roles of people in society… he wasn’t trying to make waves to improve society, because Jesus was coming back soon and there was no need to try to make waves. (A good example was in his letter to Philemon where he talked about the slave Onesimus and sent him back to his master. He didn’t even TRY to abolish slavery, even though we know today slavery is wrong.) He was basically saying…whatever your responsibilities are, fulfill them to the best of your ability for Christ’s sake.
But – What if the Holy Spirit really is trying to teach us something with this hard reading? What if it really DOES mean for wives to be subordinate to their husband? I’ve been asking around – trying to get a handle on this myself – because I admit that I also cringe when I read it.
We all fall under someone in the chain of command. For example, when Fr. Atilla and I were ordained, we put our hands between the hands of the Bishop and vowed to obey him and his successors. That doesn’t mean that every time we have a decision to make, we have to call the Bishop to ask his permission… but it DOES mean that the Bishop has the responsibility to make sure we’re leading his flock the way HE deems to be appropriate. You see – ALL of us here are actually in the Bishop’s flock. Fr. Atilla is our pastor – he is our local shepherd – but the flock really is part of the Bishop’s flock called the Diocese of Evansville. Even the Bishop, however, falls under a chain of command which goes all the way up to the Pope. This is where our analogy to today’s reading fits the best. The Pope is the Bishop of Rome. His flock is Rome….not the whole world. However, because he is also the successor of Peter, the first of the apostles, then he is called the ‘First among equals’ – meaning he has no greater authority over any diocese in the world than the bishop of that diocese. However, in situations where decisions must be made regarding the worldwide church, he has been given the keys to the kingdom…the authority to make the final decision. If you look at how that works – you’ll notice that he doesn’t speak on his own. He always consults with others before declaring anything. It should be the same with a married couple. They ARE equals and all decisions should be based on respectful conversation. Most of the time, either person makes decisions – no questions asked. However, just like in the Church, someone must have ultimate responsibility.
Now – if every man was a saint like Joseph in the Gospel – it would be easy to allow the husband to have ultimate responsibility as the spiritual leader of the family. Notice that Joseph also fell under the chain of command. He must have been a spiritual man – actively seeking God’s will in his life…otherwise he wouldn’t have heard and understood his dreams and acted so quickly to protect his family.
Today’s men – myself included – don’t usually fall into that mold. We are SUPPOSED to be the spiritual leaders of our family…yet how many men live up to that role? How many families come to church while Dad is out hunting, watching the game, sleeping in, working the garage? How many Dad’s insist that the family pray a rosary together? How many Husbands pray for their wife and insist that she take some time for herself on a regular basis? Some do – in fact, there are some great examples of these men in our own parish here….but sadly, many do not.
You see – THAT’s why this teaching grates so much on our nerves – because we KNOW that in today’s world, the WIFE is normally the spiritual leader of the family. In general, men have fallen short and have not picked up the role of spiritual leader well – if at all.
But – maybe that’s why Paul taught this. Maybe it has to do with the psychology of men. We NEED a battle to fight – we need a purpose to our lives. Without a purpose, we fill that need with all sorts of addictions: alcohol, sex, drugs, and work….how many work-a-holic men do you know? Maybe Paul’s teaching is designed to give us men our purpose. Just imagine if every man in our parish would turn our work-a-holic energy toward being the spiritual leader of our family!
I’ve talked to several women about this in the last week to get their opinions, and most of them would LOVE to be subordinate to a husband who had that kind of a mission.
You see – Paul’s command is not about putting women in their place – but it’s about telling every one of us that one of the best ways we live out or Christianity is to fulfill our responsibilities in our family…for the sake of our marriages, for the sake of our children, for the sake of the Church, and for the good of society in general. Strong families make for a strong society – and strong families need to have a strong spiritual leader so that every family is a Holy Family.
I think it shows amazing self-control that more women don’t just get up and walk out of church when he says that! For us today, it might call to mind images of women in Burkas in Afghanistan where the Taliban have degraded women to mere property with no rights, no education, no worth.
Why aren’t we really upset about this? Our natural reaction – I’d say for both women AND men – is to explain it away. Well – Paul was talking to a patriarchal society of the first century and those rules don’t really apply. That is true…Paul wasn’t interested in trying to change the roles of people in society… he wasn’t trying to make waves to improve society, because Jesus was coming back soon and there was no need to try to make waves. (A good example was in his letter to Philemon where he talked about the slave Onesimus and sent him back to his master. He didn’t even TRY to abolish slavery, even though we know today slavery is wrong.) He was basically saying…whatever your responsibilities are, fulfill them to the best of your ability for Christ’s sake.
But – What if the Holy Spirit really is trying to teach us something with this hard reading? What if it really DOES mean for wives to be subordinate to their husband? I’ve been asking around – trying to get a handle on this myself – because I admit that I also cringe when I read it.
We all fall under someone in the chain of command. For example, when Fr. Atilla and I were ordained, we put our hands between the hands of the Bishop and vowed to obey him and his successors. That doesn’t mean that every time we have a decision to make, we have to call the Bishop to ask his permission… but it DOES mean that the Bishop has the responsibility to make sure we’re leading his flock the way HE deems to be appropriate. You see – ALL of us here are actually in the Bishop’s flock. Fr. Atilla is our pastor – he is our local shepherd – but the flock really is part of the Bishop’s flock called the Diocese of Evansville. Even the Bishop, however, falls under a chain of command which goes all the way up to the Pope. This is where our analogy to today’s reading fits the best. The Pope is the Bishop of Rome. His flock is Rome….not the whole world. However, because he is also the successor of Peter, the first of the apostles, then he is called the ‘First among equals’ – meaning he has no greater authority over any diocese in the world than the bishop of that diocese. However, in situations where decisions must be made regarding the worldwide church, he has been given the keys to the kingdom…the authority to make the final decision. If you look at how that works – you’ll notice that he doesn’t speak on his own. He always consults with others before declaring anything. It should be the same with a married couple. They ARE equals and all decisions should be based on respectful conversation. Most of the time, either person makes decisions – no questions asked. However, just like in the Church, someone must have ultimate responsibility.
Now – if every man was a saint like Joseph in the Gospel – it would be easy to allow the husband to have ultimate responsibility as the spiritual leader of the family. Notice that Joseph also fell under the chain of command. He must have been a spiritual man – actively seeking God’s will in his life…otherwise he wouldn’t have heard and understood his dreams and acted so quickly to protect his family.
Today’s men – myself included – don’t usually fall into that mold. We are SUPPOSED to be the spiritual leaders of our family…yet how many men live up to that role? How many families come to church while Dad is out hunting, watching the game, sleeping in, working the garage? How many Dad’s insist that the family pray a rosary together? How many Husbands pray for their wife and insist that she take some time for herself on a regular basis? Some do – in fact, there are some great examples of these men in our own parish here….but sadly, many do not.
You see – THAT’s why this teaching grates so much on our nerves – because we KNOW that in today’s world, the WIFE is normally the spiritual leader of the family. In general, men have fallen short and have not picked up the role of spiritual leader well – if at all.
But – maybe that’s why Paul taught this. Maybe it has to do with the psychology of men. We NEED a battle to fight – we need a purpose to our lives. Without a purpose, we fill that need with all sorts of addictions: alcohol, sex, drugs, and work….how many work-a-holic men do you know? Maybe Paul’s teaching is designed to give us men our purpose. Just imagine if every man in our parish would turn our work-a-holic energy toward being the spiritual leader of our family!
I’ve talked to several women about this in the last week to get their opinions, and most of them would LOVE to be subordinate to a husband who had that kind of a mission.
You see – Paul’s command is not about putting women in their place – but it’s about telling every one of us that one of the best ways we live out or Christianity is to fulfill our responsibilities in our family…for the sake of our marriages, for the sake of our children, for the sake of the Church, and for the good of society in general. Strong families make for a strong society – and strong families need to have a strong spiritual leader so that every family is a Holy Family.
Saturday, November 13, 2010
November 14, 2010: Wisdom of Speaking (33rd Sunday Ordinary Time - Cycle C)
Jesus really needs to work on his marketing techniques. He WANTS us all to buy-in this “disciple” stuff – but then he turns around and gives us today’s Gospel….You’ll be persecuted ….oh – and some of you will be put to death…. Fortunately for us, he was only talking to THEM and not to US…right? I mean - all of the persecution that Jesus warned about was 2000 years ago, wasn’t it?
In 1914 – less than 100 years ago, The Mexican government had become VERY anti-Catholic. They closed churches and demolished them. It became illegal for the Church to run a school…which by-the-way is still true in Mexico. The priests went into hiding. In some places the Mass was outlawed altogether and priests and nuns were forbidden to wear their religious garb. One seminarian, Miguel Agustin Pro Juarez fled to the U.S. to complete his studies . He returned to Mexico in 1926 as a Priest – even though conditions continued to worsen for the Church there. He spent his time serving the people of God – helping the sick and the poor – and celebrating Mass with the few Catholics who dared to join him, since the Mass was against the law. In 1927, somebody attempted to assassinate the Mexican president, and somehow Fr. Juarez got blamed for it – so they arrested him and immediately sentenced him to be executed.
On the morning of 23 November, soldiers took him to the prison yard. Fr. Miguel knelt and briefly prayed quietly. He then rose, and said, "May God have mercy on you! Lord, with all my heart I forgive my enemies!" Seconds before the firing squad was ordered to Fire, he stretched his arms out in the form of a cross with a rosary in one hand and a crucifix in the other, and he proclaimed “Vivo, Cristo Rey!” ….”Long live Christ the King!”
Jesus warned us this would happen… he told us in the Gospel that we would be drug before kings and courts – and some of us would be killed – BUT - that would our big opportunity to testify to his name. Can you imagine what you would say if it happened to you? Jesus told us not to worry about what we would say – that he would give us a wisdom in speaking that none can refute or resist!
But – Jesus – if none can resist it – why did Fr. Miguel die? Why have Christians died by the thousands over the years?
I’m thinking that maybe the ‘wisdom in speaking’ that Jesus gives us is not at all what we think. If I was choosing, I’d want some great philosophical or theological argument that would capture the hearts of my persecutors and bring them to Christ – so I could walk free and stay alive. However, I’m thinking the wisdom he gives may be for us to simply shut up.
Because - When someone innocent is killed, Their silence screams louder than any argument. Just think about the young people we’ve lost too early from our own community. Their death just tears at our hearts – because we know they didn’t deserve it. It’s just not fair! Jesus was the perfect example. Have you ever listened to the Passion story on Good Friday and thought – Jesus – if you would just say this or just do that….you could have gone free! The whole Gospel would be different, because Jesus wouldn’t have died. But maybe that’s the point. The Gospel HAD to go that way. Jesus HAD to die – because it was his SILENT acceptance of his execution that touched the hearts of the first century Christians – and continues to tug our heartstrings today.
The persecution of Catholics continues. Just two weeks ago, militants broke into the Catholic Church in Baghdad and killed 56 people. They killed another 5 just this week. In India, where Christians are less than 3% of the population, they are routinely singled out and persecuted. Every year, 1.2 million innocent babies are aborted just in this country. This is today. … this is not 2000 years ago. Christianity is still under attack.
Jesus’ warnings and promises are still relevant to us today. Since we live in an area that is mostly Christian, we may think this doesn’t apply to us – but many believe that the persecution of Christians, and Catholics in particular will likely increase in our lifetime. How will we give testimony? I hope that I have the eloquence to speak the words of Blessed Miguel Agustin Pro Juarez, “Vivo Christo Rey”. If not, I hope Jesus gives me the wisdom to just shut up…because the silence of the innocent screams louder than any argument.
In 1914 – less than 100 years ago, The Mexican government had become VERY anti-Catholic. They closed churches and demolished them. It became illegal for the Church to run a school…which by-the-way is still true in Mexico. The priests went into hiding. In some places the Mass was outlawed altogether and priests and nuns were forbidden to wear their religious garb. One seminarian, Miguel Agustin Pro Juarez fled to the U.S. to complete his studies . He returned to Mexico in 1926 as a Priest – even though conditions continued to worsen for the Church there. He spent his time serving the people of God – helping the sick and the poor – and celebrating Mass with the few Catholics who dared to join him, since the Mass was against the law. In 1927, somebody attempted to assassinate the Mexican president, and somehow Fr. Juarez got blamed for it – so they arrested him and immediately sentenced him to be executed.
On the morning of 23 November, soldiers took him to the prison yard. Fr. Miguel knelt and briefly prayed quietly. He then rose, and said, "May God have mercy on you! Lord, with all my heart I forgive my enemies!" Seconds before the firing squad was ordered to Fire, he stretched his arms out in the form of a cross with a rosary in one hand and a crucifix in the other, and he proclaimed “Vivo, Cristo Rey!” ….”Long live Christ the King!”
Jesus warned us this would happen… he told us in the Gospel that we would be drug before kings and courts – and some of us would be killed – BUT - that would our big opportunity to testify to his name. Can you imagine what you would say if it happened to you? Jesus told us not to worry about what we would say – that he would give us a wisdom in speaking that none can refute or resist!
But – Jesus – if none can resist it – why did Fr. Miguel die? Why have Christians died by the thousands over the years?
I’m thinking that maybe the ‘wisdom in speaking’ that Jesus gives us is not at all what we think. If I was choosing, I’d want some great philosophical or theological argument that would capture the hearts of my persecutors and bring them to Christ – so I could walk free and stay alive. However, I’m thinking the wisdom he gives may be for us to simply shut up.
Because - When someone innocent is killed, Their silence screams louder than any argument. Just think about the young people we’ve lost too early from our own community. Their death just tears at our hearts – because we know they didn’t deserve it. It’s just not fair! Jesus was the perfect example. Have you ever listened to the Passion story on Good Friday and thought – Jesus – if you would just say this or just do that….you could have gone free! The whole Gospel would be different, because Jesus wouldn’t have died. But maybe that’s the point. The Gospel HAD to go that way. Jesus HAD to die – because it was his SILENT acceptance of his execution that touched the hearts of the first century Christians – and continues to tug our heartstrings today.
The persecution of Catholics continues. Just two weeks ago, militants broke into the Catholic Church in Baghdad and killed 56 people. They killed another 5 just this week. In India, where Christians are less than 3% of the population, they are routinely singled out and persecuted. Every year, 1.2 million innocent babies are aborted just in this country. This is today. … this is not 2000 years ago. Christianity is still under attack.
Jesus’ warnings and promises are still relevant to us today. Since we live in an area that is mostly Christian, we may think this doesn’t apply to us – but many believe that the persecution of Christians, and Catholics in particular will likely increase in our lifetime. How will we give testimony? I hope that I have the eloquence to speak the words of Blessed Miguel Agustin Pro Juarez, “Vivo Christo Rey”. If not, I hope Jesus gives me the wisdom to just shut up…because the silence of the innocent screams louder than any argument.
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