Sunday Homily 3-8-09, 2nd Lent

 Readings:  

 Ezekiel, 2, 2-5, Hard of face and obstinate of heart are they to whom I am sending you.

Psalm 123, Our eyes are fixed on the Lord, pleading for his mercy.

2 Corinthians 12, 7-10 A thorn in the flesh was given to me to beat me, to keep me from being too elated.

Mark 5, 21-43, A prophet is not without honor except in his native place and among his own kin and in his own house.

Brooke & Ben

More Observations on Ezekiel (June 17 we also had Ezekiel)

Who:  Ezekiel is one of the Big 3 prophets.  Why?  48 chapters.  The other 2: Isaiah & Jeremiah.  These 3 have lots of chapters & material.

Ezekiel was born into the priest class.  He later was considered a prophet.  He got The Call from God.  When he was about 25 he was swept up in the Babylonian captivity, around 590. 

When: It covers the period of the Captivity, 600-550 before Christ, which Ezekiel lived personally.  But the work is composed toward the end of the Captivity, around 550.  This is Ezekiel’s material, but it has been saved and edited by his fellow priests.

New Cross thanks to Brent & Meredith

Message:

1. Ezekiel criticizes the people and warns them that their bad ways will be punished, for example, by being defeated and led into slavery and the Captivity.
2. He promises comfort and a brighter future for the captive people, especially envisioning a restored temple (which then lasted until when?  The year 70, when the Romans finally destroyed the temple & the priestly cast ceased to function, to this day).
3. An amusing vision: The Dry Bones, chapter 37.

  Today’s selection:   Ezekiel gets The Call or invitation from God to go tell the Israelite people that God sees what is going on.  Which means, tell them they are behaving horribly and they will pay dearly for their misbehavior. 

Our Father

2 Corinthians observations -(2)

1.  This second letter to Corinth is often called the severe or tearful letter.  Paul was upset with the Corinth, Greece community because of what he thought were false prophets undermining his authority.  These people could have simply been people who disagreed with him.  At points you can almost hear Paul playing his violin & singing 'Poor Paul.'

2.  He talks here about a thorn in his flesh.  So, what is that?  People have speculated for centuries.  Could it have been he was OCD (obsessive compulsive), bi-polar (mood swings from manic & dramatic to depressed), a sexual addiction, epilepsy, or something else?  Is there evidence in his writing for any of this?  Maybe. No way to really diagnose.  The patient has been dead for a few years.

Sources: Good News Bible, New Interpreter’s Study Bible, St. Louis U. Liturgy Studies, Wikipedia

Jack & Sophia

Ever seen a Prophet?

Friday I received a call from an old friend in Baton Rouge.  Since my class reunion with my S.J. buddies, I have been longing to reconnect with other old friends especially in the New Orleans area where I lived and worked in the early 70’s. 

My friend’s name is Lucy and she is a St. Joseph sister.  I knew her and her community really well when I was director of a spiritual center at Grand Coteau, near Opelousas, a couple of hours up the river from New Orleans. 

Nikki in her graduation dress with her grandparents, Mary & Frank

In those days Lucy and the St. Joseph sisters were spiritually and psychologically healthy nuns working to make the Catholic community even better along the lines set up by Vatican II. 

I lost track of them when I went to Tanzania & Kenya, only finally making contact again with Lucy on Friday.  I had to search all around for her phone number, and then when I called she was out of town. 

I found out that their headquarters on Mirabeau Ave. in N.O., where I gave some retreats & said Masses was wiped out by Katrina and they have relocated in Baton Rouge.  I was stunned.



Communion Helpers

I thought about Lucy & her sisters when I was looking at these readings about Ezekiel & Jesus’ roles as prophets.  I would like to talk about 3 nuns who were & are prophet like people for me. 

I have become aware in the past couple of weeks how rich has been my experience with so many women of this caliber.

Remember, first, prophets do 3 things.  They criticize the evils of their times, they promise God will punish, and they offer consolation for reform.  A side effect of their criticism is the hatred of the people they are criticizing. 



Rob & Beth arriving

I consider this pretty Old Testament.  New Testament prophets don’t promise God will punish.  Most of us don’t believe that any more.  Katrina was not a punishment from God.

First, there is a sister Marian.  A doctor, from around Denver, a Medical Missionary of Mary.  We are about the age.   She had been working in Tanzania since before I first came in contact with her around 1980.   She is there this morning.

Marian & her community not only work in Tanzania, a poor country, but she normally works in the most remote places you can reach.  No tourists visit.  One of her specialties since I departed Tanzania is AIDS & HIV patients. 

Another sister about my age working in Tanzania is Anita, a Maryknoll.  She & her sisters work to empower the females of the villages.  Do not imagine the men of the village always like this.  These sisters, too, live in remote places and in utter simplicity, like the Medical Missionaries of Mary.  The simplicity of their living often shamed me as a Jesuit.



Sienna & Brooklyn arriving with mom & dad, Erin & Payton

Then, there was one special nun who worked on my spiritual renewal team, a Sister of Africa.  Hanny was her name.  She was not American, but Dutch & lived in Holland during the Nazi occupation.

She was about 10-11 years old during the occupation. Her family lived on a small farm & they successfully hid a Jewish family during the war.  Hanny used to courier messages on her bike, holding them in her mouth. 

One time she rode up to a German check point with her German shepherd dog.  The guard came out and shot her dog dead.  When I knew Hanny she had accepted this and was marvelously peaceful. 

I talk about these nuns today for two reasons.  First, they have been models of courage, service, and prophetic vision for me.  I am blessed by their presence in my life.

Secondly, the American nuns, as you probably know, are enduring a lot of criticism from the Vatican.  Their leadership team here in the States is getting what prophetic voices get, rejection.  Rome ought to be ashamed of themselves. 

Finally, if you want to see something touching, Google Nuns on the Bus.  This was a June bus tour by nuns appealing Congress for more rather than less support for the poorest of the poor.

Our Emma

These are just a few of the heroic religious women I have known in my life.  I am in touch with Marian, out of touch with Anita, and Rosemary & I visited Hanny a few years ago in Holland, where she now lives in retirement.  Lucy has opened a door for me to reconnect with a number of the sisters I knew and have lost contact with in Louisiana.   I even suggested that we might have a reunion and she was all for it. 

Wonder where the prophetic people are today?  Check out the religious sisters as a starter.

Who is the prophet person in your life?

Our Father

"Welcome in, Everybody," sez Crazy Patricia.

Readings: 

1 Samuel 2, 7-9, 12-13, 22-23,   I would not harm the Lord's anointed.  

Psalm 103,  The Lord is kind & merciful. (a good one, a favorite line)

1 Corinthians 15, 45-49,    The first man was from earth; the second from heaven.

Luke 6,  27-38, Do good to those who hate you.

" Welcome in, Everybody," from the whole team.

Observations  on 1 Samuel

Our 1st reading today is from the first book  in a fun & interesting 4 book series which is somewhat historical, somewhat metaphorical & imaginative.

The books: 1 & 2 Samuel, 1 & 2 Kings.  The first two books center on 3 main characters, the first ever kings of the Israelites, namely Samuel, the first king, Saul, the 2^nd king, an insecure, jealous, and paranoiac man, and the Great King David, a colorful character. 

Ever hear of Bathsheba?   Check out David in 2 Samuel.

John reading his marvelous updating of today's Gospel.

The last 2 books, 1 & 2 Kings, describe the beautiful times of Solomon and the building of the temple.  The final book of the 4 describes the bad ways of the people which lead to the bad days of the Babylonian captivity.

Estimated time of composition, ca, 555, during the Babylonian Captivity.

Wake up, John.  Punch him, Karen.

Homily, February 24

When I was studying  theology in Toronto from ’68-’72, the fall of my second year we had to take a course in moral theology.  We were part of a consortium of seminarians.  We Jesuits were the biggest group with ca. 40 guys.  There were probably 6-8 other groups, even some individuals.   All guys.

We Jesuits lived in a large building in a northern suburb called Willowdale.  There were four classes with a total of probably 200, plus 6-8 Jesuit professors.  We had classes on the down town campus of U. of Toronto.  

Our bread baker and hostess with the mostest welcoming everybody to communion.

The fall of my second year our class had to take a course in moral theology.   Fundamentally it was how to administer the Sacrament of Reconciliation, or Confession, plus other moral questions.  For example, like torture, capital punishment, abortion.

The professor of this rather large class was a young Jesuit priest just graduated from Harvard, named Bryan.  I honestly don’t remember his last name.  Bryan was sharp, liberal, and not blessed with public relations skills. 

And hiding behind John, Allen & Aggie.

Bryan put off the majority of the class and a group even came to complain to him.  What did Bryan do?  He told them if they did not like him or his presentations, they could go somewhere else.  He did this with more blunt language than I use here.  So all these guys boycotted his class.

I give all this information as background to my interaction with Bryan in the spring semester of that same academic year.

Would someone please sit with Sandra.

At the end of our third year the Jesuit program normally had the moral theology exam.  Since my class had already covered the class requirements, some of us thought we would like to take the moral theology exam at the end of the second year.   Get it off the agenda.

So I get elected to go make the request to, take a guess, Bryan.  He not only denies my request and tells me to wait until the end of year 3, he tells me if I & my buddies do it anyway, he will flunk us all.   We did and he did.   I even went to the Jesuit rector to complain before we took the exam, which, incidentally was in Latin before a board of 3 of the Jesuit faculty.

So, if I am supposed to love my enemies, do I have to love Brian?   Yes.

Welcome Home, Beth, our Colorado Snow Bird of the Week.

Two comments.  We are dealing here in Luke with infinite demand.

At the same time, we are offered infinite acceptance.  For example, my favorite line showing up this morning in the Psalm, The Lord is gracious and merciful, never gets angry, and is abounding in kindness. 

Help is on the way, Hugh.

 Readings:

Isaiah 43,16-21, In the desert I make a way.

Psalm 126,  The Lord has done great things for us, we are filled with joy. 

Philippians 3, 8-14,  For his sake I have accepted the loss of all things.

John 8, 1-11,  They brought a woman who had been caught in adultery

Think it is hard to get Leo to Mass on Sunday?

Emma, too.

 Isaiah Observations:

The scene: the Jewish people are captives in Babylon ca. 550 years before Christ.  Isaiah the great prophet had warned the people that their bad ways were going to lead to this. 

In this chapter 43 Yahweh reminds them of how much he has done for them in the past and lets them know that they are still his people.  Their lives will get better.   The writer is Isaiah 2.  There are at least 3.

The first 5 verses of this chapter are some of the best in the Bible, telling the people to not be afraid because he is with them. It goes— 

Do not be afraid, for I have redeemed you.  I have called you by your name.  You are mine.  When you pass through deep waters, I will be with you…  When you pass through fire, you will not be burnt. 

Soul's Harbor truck which the community filled. Patrick shared his marvelous history of recovery with us, which is why we have no homily today. Patrick is going through drug recovery at Soul's Harbor, which we support.

Philippians

Philippi was the first church Paul set up on European soil.  He is in prison.  He is basically saying that for him nothing has any importance beyond his relationship with Jesus.

Guess who this is.

Cole with his dad, Chuck.

Video: Cupcakes of the Week, Ken, John, and Brooklyn (2, today; 30 sec.)

"Welcome in, Everybody," sez Beth & Emma.

Readings: 

Acts of the Apostles, 5, 27-32, 40-41  We gave you strict orders to stop teaching in that name.

Psalm 30, I will praise you, Lord, for you have rescued me.

Revelation 11-14, I, John, heard the voices of many angels.

John 21, 1-19, Jesus appears to the apostles at the Sea of Tiberias.

Watch out, Bill, you are a marked man. 

I will praise you, Lord, for you have rescued me.

I would like to talk this morning about how the Lord has rescued me.  Like from my fears.

There was this happy hour.  About 6 to 10 of us first year Jesuit theology students put it together our first semester in Toronto.  Probably all of us had spent the last 3 years teaching in various Jesuit high schools from Seattle to NY, through Chicago, and Dallas where I taught at Jesuit.

It was great fun squeezing into each others’ small bedrooms for a drink and chatter about 5:30.  Lots of laughter & camaraderie.

Sophia & Georgie, you make a great candle lighting team. 

As the second semester began a number of us began to be a bit concerned that we were drinking a bit much.  Like one drink on week nights, 2 or three on weekends and holidays.   

So we decided to replace the happy hour to bundle up (Toronto gets lots of cold & snow in January) and run our half mile driveway to the entrance gate & back.  I even stopped drinking at this time for about 6-8 years, until I went to East Africa.

And John, Hue, Connie, and Patricia, what an offertory team you make.

Our property was a beautiful east west park like campus.  On the north side was the back yards of a row of, say 10 nice middle class houses.  Our drive passed along the row of houses.

Though I loved my Jesuit buddies and even enjoyed running  through the snow in the dark under occasional street lamps, I was sad that I would not have a warm house, kids, and a wife, like lived in those houses.  I even got close to a local Catholic family who had 6 kids.

A bikers' consultation.

Looking back now, the Lord was rescuing me, whispering in my spirit, You do not have to give up this life to be okay and to make a difference.

The next time I got the message was when I went to East Africa and saw how lots of good priests, bishops, and even a cardinal had common law wives.  The people cheered them for being normal.

Charlie, are you looking in somebody's pocket?  I caught you!

Getting kicked out of East Africa sent me back to the States different, open to a relationship, but certainly not knowing anyone .  I got into dancing and guess who came along, Rosemary.

And now a little story about our relationship which some of you have maybe heard piecemeal.  

Would you trust your cupcake with these two?

I asked Rosemary if she would marry me in 1990.  There was one enormous condition: that we wait to formally marry until 2005, when I would be 65.  Why?  Because once I  left the Jesuits I would have no insurance.   I had seen some of my guys leave, have a disease or accident, and cripple that marriage.  Guess what.  She agreed and this morning, Cinco de Mayo, we celebrate our 14^th. 

How has the Lord rescued you from your fears?

What a handsome group  of Romeos.  Eat your hearts out, Juliets.

 Readings:  Isaiah 45, 1-6, Who is Cyrus?; Psalm 96, Give the Lord glory and honor; 1 Thessalonians 1, 1-5; Matthew 22, 15-21, Repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar.

Isaiah observations: This selection comes from what is considered Isaiah 2, the author of the Book of Consolations, written after the first 39 chapters and during the Babylonian captivity.    Isaiah speaks from Yahweh's perspective and He is calling someone by name.

So, who is Cyrus?   Cyrus the Great of Persia, modern Iran, built the first great empire, which extended as far as Athens in Greece.   He was a benevolent emperor of his people and the people he conquered, for instance, the Israelites.

Isaiah 2 is championing Cyrus because he hears of Cyrus coming and hopes Cyrus will defeat the Babylonians and set the Israelites free to return to Jerusalem.  This is exactly what Cyrus does.  Where is Babylon?  Try 50 miles south of Baghdad on the Euphrates River.  What is left?  Rubble. 

Thessalonians:

• Time written: ca. 50 A.D.   Considered Paul's first letter, and, in fact, the earliest written document in the N.T.
• Place: Paul was writing in Corinth, Greece to the town in northern Greece, Thessalonica, at the northern corner of the Aegean Sea.  He had founded a community there.
• Purpose of writing: to comfort and encourage the new Christians of Thessalonica, most of whom were Gentiles.    He sent Timothy to see how things were going.   The report Timothy brought back was largely favorable—hence the warm tone of the opening thanksgiving, which forms the main part of today’s reading. But there were also a few problems in Thessalonica; we will meet them on the thirty-second and thirty-third Sundays.

Resources: The New Interpreters Study Bible; St. Louis U. Liturgical @ Liturgical.slu.edu

Matthew observation: Render to Caesar

Matthew lifts this story right out of Mark.  The story is a game that was popular among the intellectuals in Jesus time, like a game of verbal chess.  The object was to confound your opponent so that choosing either one of two answers springs a trap. 

Watch the smarmy language of the Pharisees and you can almost see them salivating at the impending kill.  

The trap: do you think it lawful to pay the tax to Caesar or not?  Jesus confounds them by choosing both.  Jesus wins the game. 

Why do Mark & Matthew use this story?  To show how Jesus is superior.  He is worthy of being followed and listened to.

Me, a Light in the World? 

I want to talk about the alleluia verse, “Shine like lights in the world.” 

After getting ordained at old St. Rita’s in June of 1971, I was sent to Miami to work as a chaplain in the big medical complex known as Jackson Memorial.  It was like Parkland and Southwestern Medical.  

The Jesuits of my southern province had a big parish right in the middle of downtown Miami, and part of the team worked the hospitals.  I was a summer helper and loved it. 

One day after I had been there about a week, a little blond  girl of 10 or 11 was brought into the burn ward.  Ever been in a burn ward, a children’s burn ward?  Tough places.  I spent a lot of time in these wards.

The girl, Anna, had been with her family on a sail boat.  Somewhere along their trip the boat had passed under a bridge.  Anna was standing on the edge of the boat with her back leaning against one of the guy wires.  

As the boat went under the bridge, the mast touched an electrical line.  The electricity went down the mast and the guy wire.  Anna was electrocuted and burned.  Fortunately, she was hurled into the cool water which helped to stop her burns.  

However, her back and the insides of her thighs and legs were seriously burned.  She would stay in Jackson for 2 to 3 months, even after I had to move on.  

I got really close to Anna & her family.  I visited her first & last every day and I was privileged to be allowed by the doctors to hold her hand when her bandages had to be changed.  Her parents had to leave the room.  You know how this is such a high tension time.  It used to leave me shaken.  

I talk about this because the alleluia verse tells us to be lights in the world.  I think this is what it means.  I was privileged to be with that little girl & her family in such a horrible experience.  It is reciprocal: she was a light in my world.

The good news is that Anna finally did leave the hospital all healed up.  I never had the opportunity  to see the family again, but I corresponded for years with the mom.  Somewhere during my time in Africa, the connection got broken.  I know that maybe 15 years later her mom wrote me that Anna had married and had a little kid.

In whose world are you a light today?  

Picture 1:    Mass Begins

Picture 2:    Bethany       

Picture 3:    Miguel

Picture 4:    Delgado Corner with Fred

Picture 5:    Justin

Picture 6:    Emma  

Readings:

Proverbs 31, 10-13, 19-20, 30-31, When one finds a worthy wife, her value is far beyond pearls.

Psalm 128,   Blessed are those who fear the Lord.

1 Thessalonians 5, 1-6,  You’re sons of Light, daughters of Day.

Matthew 25, 14-30,  A man going on a journey called in his servants and entrusted his possessions to them.

Kevin says, "Welcome in, Everybody."

Intro and homily by John Cade

The Book of Proverbs was also called in earlier times the Book of Wisdom.  It is written in poetic verse form and its first verse lets us know it is intended to ‘teach wisdom’.  It is a compilation of several collections of such sayings about life both secular and religious.  The collections were written at various times and are one of the few Old Testament books not connected with the destruction of Jerusalem and Babylonian captivity.

"What's next," Says Leo.

About Paul’s first letter to the Thessalonians, he formed this community in Greece about 50 after Jesus’ time.  Apparently his preaching and gathering converts to the Jesus group caused quite a disturbance among the Jewish people living there, to the point that, to prevent further disorder, Paul left Thessalonica (Thessaloniki in Greek) and went on to Corinth where he wrote both letters to them.  I’ll speak more from this later. 

There is a parable of the talents in Luke similar to today’s in Matthew.  The word often translated as ‘talent’ actually referred to a goodly sum of money in Jesus’ time.  Some biblical studies say the parable wasn’t about how we use our ‘talents’ but was an attack on the scribes who were not fair in their treatment of the poor and marginalized, and not caring in their sharing the wealth of God’s mercy. 

John begins, celebrating his 80th.

Homily

For many years I didn’t like the Sunday readings at the end of the Church year, and the scary ‘you better watch out’ sermons.  It always seemed to be doom and gloom and scary judgment upon us.  Kinda like ‘you better not pout, you better not cry, you better watch out, I’m telling you why’ but much worse—not just Santa will punish you, we’re talking God.

Turns out we can find more hopeful and positive messages about us and what it means to be a follower of Jesus in the readings at this time of year.

I like the verses in Paul today to his community in Thessalonica: “Friends, you’re not in the dark…..You’re sons of Light, daughters of Day.  We live under wide open skies and know where we stand….So walk out into the daylight…dressed up in faith and love and hope….

Freddy, who loves to snuggle with his mom, Joey, who is John's daughter.

Last night I had a party celebrating my 80^th birthday. I want you all to know that, if it were possible, every one of you would have been invited.  The 70 or so people who were there are all friends and all mentors of mine in one way or another, including Leo and Freddie my grandsons, who show me a fresh look at everything in the world. 

All those friends have treated me as a son of Light and never tried to diminish me for any reason.  I have always felt received and accepted, as I do with you here.  My friends and I have not always completely understood where each other was coming from and that’s human and natural and OK.

Sam, John's second daughter, next to Cathy, John's sister.

What also stands out is their enduring connection with me through life and work and times of crisis and so many good times.  My three living sisters all traveled to Dallas to be with me and I find that very touching.  Even more so, because, like most families, my family too have had our share of hard times and hurt feelings and broken connection, a theme many of you have shared with me.

  Isn’t that what the Mass, the Eucharistic Meal, is all about?  Jesus took bread and broke it. We can see in this a symbol of our brokenness, and then we share the bread, a living symbol that we are indeed connected one with another. 

Harper says, "Cupcake time yet?"

I chose words from Paul’s letter today because I heard him talking about his friends in Thessalonica as sons of Light, daughters of Day, who demonstrated their connection with one another through acceptance and loving care. 

My question for us today is how do we show our connection with our friends and our family, and how do we appreciate and celebrate the connection with us from all the people we have had in our lives? 

"Yes, Harper, it is Cupcake time, but for your grandmother. Maybe you will get a bite."  (If not all of it.)