Sunday Homily 0-14-08, Exultation of the Cross

Readings:

Exodus 32, 7-11, 13-14,  So the Lord relented in the punishment he had threatened.

Psalm 951,  I will rise and go to my father. 

 1 Timothy, 1, 12-17,  I am grateful to him who has strengthened me.  

Luke 15, 1-32,   The Great Parable & story of the Prodigal Son.  (A superb story.)

 

 

Says Genevieve, "Wellll, Everybody, just come on in."

 

Exodus observations :

What : a story, a long parable.  It has 2 parts, the exodus or exit from Egypt and the years wandering in the desert.

Who: the work is all about Moses, but he did not compose it.  Rather, it was put together by a committee during the Babylonian Captivity, 555 before Christ.

When: it appears that the purpose of the work was to encourage the people during the Babylonian Captivity.  It is not history and borrows stories from other cultures.  For instance, the parting of the Red Sea comes from a Mesopotamian creation myth and the 10 Commandments resemble the Code of Hammurabi.

Our Subject: The people have been bad, God is mad at them, and Moses defends the people.

Sources: Good News Bible, The New Interpreter’s Study Bible, Wikipedia

 

 

Kevin, too, says, "Grab a seat, Folks, we are ready to start."

 

The Prodigal Son: A Work of Art

I want to talk about my favorite parable of the whole Bible.  Two special notes to start with:

1.  The author has carefully crafted a work of literary art.  Not history, not reality, but parable, story.
2.   Purpose: to show that God loves us unconditionally, not conditionally. 

 Let me give you three observations about the son, three about the father, and an extra three to show you how astounding this story is. 

The final question: can you believe in an unconditionally loving God?

 

 

Begin In the Name of the Father…

 

First, the younger son:

1. He has no right to ask for inheritance.  None.  By asking he is saying he wishes the father and the older son dead.  A symbolic murder.  Father can kill him for this.
2. He works feeding pigs instead of asking for help from the temple.  This means he rejects the religious tradition and is considered a traitor not only to the family, but to the religion.  
3. So, as a horrible failure as a son of the family and a son of the religious tradition, he decides to return.  A conversion, not quite.   He makes up his little speech and heads home.  He is hungry to the point of dying.  Do this, he calculates,  or die.  Many listening Jews would say, Die.  

 

 

Offertory with Tom, Teresa, and Tim Quinn.

 

 

The Father: he actually commits as many crimes and sins as the son.

1. He runs down the road to the son when he sees him coming.  A very undignified action.  Outrageous.  People who emphasize conditional love point out that the son at least came back.  Despite this point, all the other elements of the parable point to a father with unconditional love.
2. He embraced and kissed the son.  Huge violation of Jewish religious custom and law.  By doing this the father positions himself outside of the religious & cultural community.  He is a reject like the son. 
3. He cuts the son’s speech off before he can finish, eliminating the last sentence, “treat me as you would one of your hired workers.”  And to make it worse, he orders the servants to bring the finest robe, ring, and sandals. 

 

 

Daddy, I think it is time I start playing this guitar.

 

 

The robe, the ring, and the sandals:

1. The robe: restores the son’s dignity. 
2. The ring: gives authority to the son, even equal to the father and certainly more than before he left.
3. The sandals: gives the son freedom.  Slaves were not given sandals so they would not run away.  The father is doubling the message he gave when he cut the son’s speech off before he could say the third part about being treated as a servant.  

 

 

Thanks, Georgie, for being such a great help to Buddy.

 

 

A word about the older son, because we so often identify with him.  Two additional and final points.

1. That he tells his father how he feels.  Great.  In those days, it meant the father can kill him.  Today: communication. 
2. What is his challenge: acceptance of his brother, his father, and himself; focus on gratitude for all he has; move from trying to be a good boy to loving?  Any one of these?  Or all?  All.  

 

 

Zoe, we got to get you up to light the candles again some time. 

 

 

I apologize for so much data.  There is even more.  The point is that the story is a carefully crafted literary work of art that attempts to describe how totally unconditionally loving our God is.

I had once a lengthy discussion with another priest who insisted that the father's love was conditional, conditional on the son choosing to return.  I still believe that the love was unconditional.  I am influenced by the two previous parables, the lost sheep & the lost coin. Luke is an artist.   It is no coincidence that the two little parables both emphasize the Hound of Heaven concept.    

 

 

Tori at the play station.

 

 

How does this image of God reflect your image of God?   Can you believe that our God loves you and me unconditionally?

 

Source: The Liberating Stories of Jesus, Francis Vanderwall

 

 

Peace!

 

  

 

 

"Welcome in, Everybody," says Cody with Olivia and Ben.

 

Readings:

Job 7, 1-4, 6-7,  Is not man’s life on earth a drudgery?

Psalm 147,  Praise the Lord who heals the broken hearted.

 Corinthians 9, 16-19. 22-23,   I have become all things to all.

Mark 1, 29-39, They brought to him all who were ill.

 

 

 

And, Welcome in to you, Judy.  So nice to see you.  You look beautiful.

 

 

Job 0bservations:

What: A comment on The Universe.  No book in the OT or NT has less known about it.  Called the most profound book of the OT.    It deals with the problem of evil, personal justification, and why bad things happen to good people.   Job himself could be historical, a literary creation, or a combination of the first two.

Author: Unknown. 

Date: It is guessed to be before the time of Moses and Egypt, i.e., earlier than 1300 before Christ.

Structure: 3 poetic dialogues preceded by a prose introduction and ending with a prose conclusion, an epilogue judged to have been added sometime later by another person or group of persons.

 

 

 

 

Emma, your smile makes my day.  Thanks to you and your little friend.   By the way, your other little friend that you loaned us still rides in our car above the mirror.

 

 

Psalm 147 observations:

 

The message is beautifully optimistic.   Is it naive?   We all die.  What about the Jews who entered Auschwitz?   My JCC friend from Poland?  85 members of his family liquidated.  

 

 

 

 

Want to go to communion?  See Jan, she will fix you up.

 

 

The Story of Job

I would like to tell you this morning the story of Job.

Once upon a time there was a good man named Job who lived in the land of Uz.  He had 7 sons and 3 daughters, a sign that he was especially blessed.  He not only had sons, but he had the special number of 7. 

One day Yahweh was walking around heaven talking with his buddies when he ran into the devil.  "What have you been doing?" he asked.  "I have been walking around here and there," the devil responded. 

"Have you noticed how good my man Job is?"  "Yes,' says the devil, "but I bet he will curse you to your face if you stop protecting him and take away all his goodies."  "It's a bet," says Yahweh, "Just don't hurt him."

 

 

 

 

Leo, our Candle Man of the Week, at work.

 

 

So a few days later while all of Job's 7 sons and 3 daughters where having a feast with their families, a storm blew up killed them all.  A messenger runs to tell Job of the horrible news. 

Another messenger had raced in and saying lightening has just killed all his sheep and the shepherds.   Other messengers likewise run in saying Job's livestock have been rustled by robbers who killed all the farm hands.

Job is devastated, of course, but responds with the famous statement: "I was born with nothing, and I will die with nothing.  The Lord gave, and now he has taken away.  May his name be praised." 

 

 

 

 

Jackie reading the Blessing of the Candles.

 

 

So Yahweh wins his bet.  But, when Yahweh and the devil meet up to settle their bet, the devil raises the stakes by saying that he bets Job will curse Yahweh if the devil is allowed to hurt his body.  Not death, just hurt.  "Bet," says Yahweh.

The next day Job comes down with sores all over his body, like leprosy, and he has to go outside of town where the lepers go.  He sits in the town dump.  His wife now comes and his friends.  They all grieve. They also encourage Job to see what he has done bad.  Has he cursed Yahweh?  Confess and repent.  Job proclaims his innocence.  But he is depressed and discouraged. 

Note the cosmic vision here: God punishes the evil and blesses the good.  So, Job, what bad thing is God punishing?

 

 

 

 

So sorry, Brent, not even a cupcake for you this week.

 

(In East Africa I used to celebrate Mass for a small community of lepers

Finally, while not cursing Yahweh, he cries out his anguish saying (chapter 3): 

"Oh, God, put a curse on the day I was born; put a curse on the night when I was conceived!  Turn that day into darkness, God." (verses  2-4) 

"I wish I had died in my mother's womb or died the moment I was born.  Why did my mother hold me on her knees?" (verses 11-12) 

"Why let men go on living in misery?  Why give light to men in grief?" (verse 20) 

"Everything I fear and dread comes true.  I have no peace, no rest, and my troubles never end." (verses 25-26)

 

 

 

The Offertory Team, Nina & Kerry, Judy & Mike.

 

 

After some time in this situation, Yahweh comes along and speaks with him:

"Who are you to question my wisdom with your ignorant, empty words?  Stand up now like a man and answer the questions I ask you.  Were you there when I made the world?" (verses 2-3)

"Job, have you ever in all you life commanded a day to dawn?" (verse 12)

"Have you been to the springs in the depths of the sea?  Have you walked on the floor of the ocean? "(verse 16)

"Have you been to the place where the sun comes up or the place where the east wind blows?" (verse 24)

 

 

 

Communion Team ready to begin.

 

 

After hearing all the numerous ways Yahweh reminds him of how insignificant he is, Job apologizes to Yahweh and promises to be a good boy and not complain from now on. 

In an epilogue, which is considered a late addition, Yahweh restores his wealth and gives him 7 more sons and 3 more beautiful daughters.  He lives another 140 years a prosperous and happy man.

Ever feel like Job?  How do you handle the feeling?

 

 

 

 

Lynda & Tom getting ready to run Hilton Head next week end and Jan is blessing them on their way.   I am envious.

Readings:

Acts 10, 25-26, 34-35, 44-48, God shows no partiality;

Psalm 98, The Lord has revealed to the nations his saving power;

1 John 4, 7-10, Let us love one another; 

John 15, 9-17, I have told you this so my joy may be in you and your joy may be complete.

 

An introduction to today’s readings.  We continue reading in Acts. It’s called Acts of the Apostles, but only Peter and Paul are given any space. John is mentioned only 3 times, and for James only his execution by the Emperor Herod is mentioned. So it is more properly Some Acts of Some Apostles.

As Stack said before, we’re pretty sure that Acts was written by Luke who is also the author of the third Gospel. Luke was a Gentile (non-Jewish) from Antioch in Syria, and was a companion of Paul in his travels around Asia Minor, from Antioch, around through Greece, and to Rome. We know Luke was with Paul in Rome when Paul was in prison. Acts was probably written around the time Paul was put to death during his second imprisonment under the Emperor Nero in 64 or perhaps 66 CE.

The other readings are from the First Letter of John and the fourth Gospel. Traditionally 4 books of the New Testament were attributed to John the Apostle: the 4^th Gospel, 3 letters and the Book of Revelation. Scholars say that the vocabulary, grammar and style of writing make it unlikely that Book of Revelation was written by the same person responsible for the 4^th Gospel. Some modern Bible scholars raise the possibility that John the Apostle, John the Evangelist who wrote the Gospel and John of Patmos who wrote the Book of Revelation were 3 separate individuals. The First Letter of John reads like a summary of the 4^th Gospel teachings, and the time of writing is probably similar, in the latter part of first century, sometime between 80-100 CE. 

 

Homily

Today’s readings really speak for themselves.  That they happened to fall on Mother’s Day is serendipitous. In Acts we heard that the Good News is for everyone, without exception: “God shows no partiality.”

The Gospel told us what the Good News is: that God is love and is always with us, without exception. “Remain in my love”….”I tell you this so that my joy may be in you and your joy might be full”….“I call you friends.” 

And the Letter of John gave us the call to respond to the Good News: “Let us love one another…everyone who loves is of God…”  

On Mother’s Day we get to express love and gratitude in a special way for our mothers. Personally, I have never known a Mother who was not doing the very best she knew how. Not everyone, however, gets to have a Mother who consistently protects them, consistently nurtures and teaches them, and consistently loves them as they wish and deserve.  All mothers are somewhere on the continuum of consistency as mothers. All mothers I have known aspire to be good mothers, and good mothers aspire to be even better mothers. Some mothers were actually Aunts or Grandmothers or adoptive mothers. My mother’s mother died giving birth. So my mother’s mother was actually her Aunt Molly.

I think one of the reasons Mary, the Mother of Jesus, has received such honor and devotion from us down through the centuries is that, without knowing much about her life, we could easily project on to her an ideal of mothering for us to aspire to. I love it that we can do that today for all our mothers. Mothers aren’t perfect and don’t have to be perfect. We honor our mothers for protecting us, nurturing us, teaching us, and loving us as best they can or could.

My mother, a Methodist of Scotch-Irish descent, immigrated as a young woman from Mississippi to Louisiana in the 1920’s, to teach school in a very small town that was totally Cajun and Catholic. She left everything she knew and moved to live in a ‘foreign’ culture. There she met my father. They fell in love and married. My mother never felt fully accepted by all his family—remember this was 4 generations ago, when Catholics considered themselves the only true believers—everyone else was suspect. She of course had to promise that all her children would be raised Catholic. When my parents’ second child was born, a son, he died right after birth. My Mother was in a hospital in Abbeville where I later grew up, and my father was 10 miles away in the country, where they lived at that time on my grandparent’s plantation.

My father’s sisters apparently told him that my mother wouldn’t want anyone going to the hospital at this time; that she needed time alone before she came home. When I was about 21 my mother confided in me that story, and she finished telling it with the words, “I never forgot it, and I never forgave him.” I share this story, even though it carries her pain, because of what else it told me about her: that even though my mother and father did not have a close/intimate relationship and their married life was a struggle, she was totally dedicated to our family and to being the best mother she could be for us 5 children. And her life was a testament to that.

 

 

We do not get to choose our mothers. But today we get to honor them. However consistent they have been in protecting, nurturing and loving us, we honor all mothers today. We honor them for their dedication, and for their struggles, and for their efforts at mothering us the very best way they know how (or knew how).

 

The questions I have for us are: whoever mothered us, do we know and appreciate how she was mothered? What was her joy, and what was her pain and her struggle? And how do we honor that in our own lives?

 

 

Readings: 1 Samuel 3, 3-10 & 19, Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening; Psalm 40, Here am I, Lord, I come to do Your Will; 1 Corinthians 6, 13-15 & 17-20, Your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit; John 1, 35-42, We have found the Messiah.

 

1 Samuel: This is book one of two books.  The series is 1 & 2 Samuel and 1 & 2 Kings; the characters being Samuel, the last of the Judge leaders of Israel-Judah; Saul, the first king; and King David. 

Authors:  Traditionally it was thought that 3 people wrote the book, Samuel, Gad, & Nathan.  Samuel, chapters 1-25; Gad was King David's historian, & Nathan was an editor.  Contemporary biblical experts think this unlikely & say that the works were put together at least 50 years after the time of the events.

Time:  The events take place ca. 1100-1000 BCE.  The compilation & recording of the events takes place ca. 950 BCE. 

Today's Selection: Yahweh is calling Samuel in a dream.  This ties in with the Gospel where three future apostles are called.  Samuel's parents were Elkanah & Hannah, and Hannah is famous because of a touching story about how she came to have Samuel.  She had been barren for years and even Elkanah's other wife ridiculed her.  One day the prophet Eli heard her crying and praying in the temple.  At first he accused her of being drunk.  Then when he talked with her, he promised that she would have a son. 

Hannah had promised Yahweh that she would dedicate to the temple her son, if she got one.  Consequently, our selection finds Samuel residing in the temple with Eli the prophet.  He would be about 12 years old.

Be aware that while these marvelous stories are mythological, the writer is attempting to convey to a simple people lessons about trust in Yahweh.

 

Eli Who?

     When I was a young pup of a Jesuit I got to know an old blind Jesuit who was living in the old priests’ infirmary at Grand Coteau.  I can still remember a tall, skinny Fr. McLaughlin doing pull ups on a bar in back of the big, four story building we lived in.

     I got to know him especially well the first Christmas I spent at Grand Coteau, my first away from home.  I had acquired a really good case of poison ivy and could not do much.  I had gotten the poison ivy one recreation day when we were out in the Achafalaya swamp.  I used some Spanish moss after a pit stop in the woods. 

     Fr. McLaughlin received tons of Christmas cards and being blind he needed someone to write for him.  That was my job, which I did mostly standing that Christmas.

     In the Jesuits we had a strong custom of having spiritual directors.  Fr. McLaughlin was my first.  He was a great raconteur of stories, but also a kind listener.  He helped me through my homesickness.

     I talk about Fr. Mac because he was an Eli figure for me.  Fr. Mac & the priest Eli were both spiritual directors.  I would like to talk about spiritual direction and directors.  Two observations.

     First, I highly recommend this old Jesuit custom.  Get a spiritual director. 

     I have one.  Most of you know him, David McKeon, a married priest from the Rochester, NY diocese, a spiritual man and a licensed psychotherapist. 

     I usually visit him every other month, usually just recounting to him the many blessings of life with Rosemary, the life of our community, and my insights.

     Spiritual directors come in professional and semi-professional sizes.  Some are counselors.  Characteristics include:

          1.  The person is a good listener

          2.  They are affirmative

          3.  Like Eli, they reflect back what they are hearing. 

          4.  They do not tell a person what to do.  No “You shoulds,” a really difficult thing for lots of adults to refrain from.  Actually, teachers are trained to do this—with students.

         Secondly, besides recommending that you get a spiritual director, I would suggest that you all are spiritual directors, the semi-professional size.  For years I was a spiritual director for nuns, priests, young Jesuits, and people from various areas of life. 

     Spiritual directors helped me all through the Jesuits and David McKeon still does.  I invite you to consider yourselves spiritual directors.  It happens at meals, coffees, at Tom Thumb, at receptions.  Follow the four characteristics I mentioned, listen, affirm, reflect back, and don’t tell adults what they should do. 

 Furthermore, I invite you to get a spiritual director or counselor. 

 Who is the Eli in your life?

Picture 1:    Georgie & Elizabeth

Picture 2:    Ashley, Jean & Cliff's granddaughter       

Picture 3:    The Kerns, Ben, Candy, Michael, & Mike

Picture 4:    Cole

Picture 5:    Buddy with his granddad, Gilberto

Picture 6:    Leo comfortable in Jean's arms

 

 

Two of The Best, Cindy & Dee.

 

Readings:

2 Malachi 3, 19-20, Lo, the day is coming that will set them on fire. 

Psalm 98,  The Lord comes to rule the earth with justice.

2 Thessalonians 3, 7-12,   Anyone unwilling to work should not eat.

Luke 21, 5-19,  The days will come when there will not be left a stone upon another.

 

 

The best of Teams.

 

Thanksgiving, 2019-11-15

Guess what, Everybody.  Two Sundays and we celebrate my most favorite holiday, Thanksgiving.  To get us into the spirit I want to describe my three biggest blessings of the year.

 

 

The Candle Lighting Ritual.

 

Blessing 1 is my health.  My whole life I simply assumed that I would always be healthy. 

Trouble started last Thanksgiving when Rosemary, Aviana, & I made our annual visit to Rosemary’s sister’s in Hilton Head.  I could hardly walk, even with a cane.  My routine doctor sent me to an orthopedist.  I’ll never forget the visit.   He pointed to his computer screen, said, “I can fix this.”  He even said he had one opening before the New Year.  Did I want it? 

Wow, did I want it!  I had lumbar stenosis, a pinched nerve in my lower back. 

 

 

Buddy reading The Blessing of the Candles (not memorized yet).

 

While I was dealing with this my parkinson decided to get more active.  My neurologist said exercise, box, work out on ellipticals, anything to get my arms swinging.  He gave me a pill to take 3 times a day. 

We had a May cruise in the North Atlantic & I was pretty nervous, even just with the trans-Atlantic flight.  I took a cane.  I never used it.  Everything improved.  No dizziness, better coordination of my legs and arms. 

Which brings me to today and Thanksgiving.  I am grateful.

 

 

The Offertory with Tom & Susan & Bill.

 

Second blessing  of the year: you people, our community.   The generous spirit of everyone, the eagerness to support & pray for our people who need special care, and the way everyone pitches in.  Buddy & Georgie, John & Mike, Ben & David & Shonda, Jackie & Connie, all plus many others who make our Sunday celebrations so touching.  I am humbled and blessed by all of you people.

 

 

The Communion Team.

 

The final blessing of 2019: Rosemary, my blessing for 15 years & more.

Your blessings of 2019?

   

 

Twins??  The Best.

 

 

 

• Intro to Readings:

   

  Psalm 103 – In Psalm 103 we hear the psalmist’s description

  of God. This same verse is also in psalm 86 and 145, and in Exodus

   

  Ch 34 and Jonah Ch 4. It’s no wonder that, hearing these words,

  thanksgiving became one of the hallmarks of Christian communities.

   

  First Corinthians: Ch 1 Paul opens his letter to the

  Christian community in Corinth by giving thanks for the

  abundance of spiritual blessings they have received.

   

  Luke, in his Gospel, Ch 17, highlights how thanksgiving is

  the way to acknowledge blessings in our daily lives.

   

   

   

  Homily:

   

  Marv Knox is field coordinator for Fellowship Southwest, a

  ministry that provides services for people in the Rio Grande

  Valley, including refugees at the border, kids in public schools,

  disaster relief, and helping people avoid the unjust system of

  payday loans. His article in the Morning News on Friday inspired

  me. He wrote of the similarity between giving thanks and counting

  blessings. He proposes counting our blessings, as we do here

  every Sunday. People pretty much agree we’ve been living

  through hard times.

   

   It’s clear we are a nation divided. Some are still waiting to

  know the outcome of political races; when people are

  divided almost 50-50, counting and re-counting votes takes

  a lot of time.

   We’re still hearing of the forest-fire body counts, with

  hundreds still missing and unaccounted for.

   Refugees the world over, and at our own border, are hoping

  and asking for safety from danger.

   The chaos in Europe and confusion in our western alliance.
   Experiencing the results of global warming, with increased

  intensity and frequency of storms, floods and fires.

   The dropping and shaky stock market.

   The threat again of nuclear aggression from North Korea.

   These hard times, of course, are societal, shared by all;

  there are also the personal hard times we each live with,

  e.g., living with my sisters’ hurt and inability to speak with

  one another. You know your hard time—the anxiety, hurt,

  sadness or trauma you live with.

   

  Counting blessings moves our focus from the dark to the light.

  It helps us see what’s going right, even while we know much is

  going wrong.

   

  Counting blessings turns our attention away from ourselves to

  acknowledge the helpful actions of others.

   

  Counting blessings gives us hope. As we count blessings—

  and give thanks—we see that God is unchanging—ever faithful,

  loving, and abounding in kindness.

   

  Today, like every Sunday, we counted blessings in our lives.

  Imagine, rather than writing his letter to the Christian community

  in Corinth (Greece), Paul wrote to this Christian community,

  saying: I give thanks for your openness to God. There’s no end to

  what has happened in you; it’s beyond speech. The truth of Jesus

  has been clearly verified in your lives…. God will never give up on

  you. Never forget that.”

   

  So: How have you opened your eyes and minds to see and count

  blessings in your life?