Sunday Homily 7-27-08, 17th, Ordinary Time

Readings: 1 Kings 3, 5-12; Psalm 119; Romans 8, 28-30; Matthew 13, 44-52 (beautiful section)

1 Kings:

• Author & date of composition: a compiler who seems to have lived ca. 550, during the Babylonian captivity.
• Subject Matter: King Solomon, David’s son. 1 Kings was once considered part 3 of a 4 part series, 1 & 2 Samuel and 1 & 2 Kings, all of which was called the Book of the Kingdom because the books all talk about the kings of the Hebrews after the rule of the judges.
• Sources of the Compiler: many, but in particular The Court History of David and The Acts of Solomon.
• Time Span of Kings: 450 years, from 9th century to 5th century B.C., King Solomon & the Temple to Nebuchadnezzar & the Babylonian Captivity, one of the great Hebrew catastrophes along with the Holocaust.
• Today’s selection shows Solomon is so wise, as he is given a choice by Yahweh.

A Man Who was a Treasure: Tom Collerain

Last Sunday, you may remember, we had a touching Mass and a fun brunch.  And seated right up there behind Ken & Cindy, Kim & Lance was Tom Collerain for the first time in about a month.  Rosemary & I had missed him, wondered how he was doing, and called him the week before.  He said he and Alice had just returned from a cruise on the Rhine, which was why we had not seen him, and that he was looking forward to Sunday and seeing everyone again.  As usual, Tom was there with his warm, marvelous smile.

That evening he had dinner at 6:00 with Alice, was cleaning up, and went out with the garbage.  Alice wondered what was taking him so long.  She went out and found him lying in the flower bed.  He had gone to the other side. 

Again this Sunday we hear more humble metaphors of what the kingdom is like, like a fishing net, like a pearl, like a treasure.  Folks, Tom Collerain was a treasure.  For at least three reasons.

First, because he was fully alive.  He received the gift or treasure of life and fully experienced it.  On the Myers-Briggs personality indicator, he probably was a judging or type A personality.  He lived with order, working out every day at 9:00, eating at 12:00 & 6:00, nap at 1:00, and probably on time for everything.  That was his gift. 

He also celebrated life, for example traveling with Alice after his retirement.  In fact, they had just returned from the Rhine.  To celebrate even more, he had the joker in him.  For example, he could have given me the one about the couple who were 60 years old and celebrating their 40th anniversary.  They were in a nice restaurant.  Suddenly a little fairy appears on their table and says that because they were such a good & loving couple, they could each have one wish.  Like Solomon.

The wife, with the wisdom of Solomon when she had a choice, asked that she and her darling husband be given a cruise trip around the world.  The fairy said yes, and, poof, two cruise tickets appeared on the table. 

When the fairy asked the husband, he said that he had a wish which was not intended to hurt his wife, but he would like a new wife 30 years younger.  The fairy & the wife look and each other, roll their eyes, the fairy says, “Okay,” and, poof, the husband becomes 90 years old. 

Secondly, Tom was a treasure because he was, as Alice describes him, a gentle man.  He was a gentle man because he was at peace, at peace with his numerous friends, so many of which showed their appreciation of him Wednesday at his funeral service.  He was at peace with his terrific family, with himself, and with his God.  He was likewise at peace with animals, so many of which he welcomed under his roof.  His favorite golden retriever, Rowdy, even reflected his peace.  When a litter of abandoned baby kittens from the neighborhood were brought in, it was Rowdy who would pick the little kittens up in his mouth and carry them around. 

Thirdly, Tom was a treasure because he considered himself a roof keeper.  He took care, he watched over.  In fact, once he retired he developed a talent for cooking he had put on the shelf when he was working.  It is amusing to note that Tom gave Alice one of her first cooking lessons.

Before they got married and were living in Houston, Tom brought Alice a gift of fresh corn on the cob.  She put it away.  A while later Tom returned, saw the corn, and suggested that she cook it up.  “I don’t know how,” she responded.  Tom taught her how to boil corn on the cob. 

It also seemed so symbolic to me that Tom’s last act was taking the garbage out.  How symbolic of how he spent time making his world a better place in which to live. 

I can see Tom this morning walking beside his favorite dog Rowdy, like he did so many times.  Rowdy is introducing him to all the new neighbors, for whom the gentle man Tom will act as a roof keeper. 

We have only so much time, folks.   How are you appreciating the treasure?

AUDIO:   http://mysite.verizon.net/reso7rjy/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderfiles/2008-07-27.mp3