Sunday Homily 11-15-09, 33rd (& last) Ordinary Time
Daniel: Author & date, subject matter, our selection–
Author & Date: put together by people ca. 160 BCE. Maybe a Daniel authored some of the material about himself, but others added & subtracted. Because the work describes the Babylonian captivity, people thought it was written at that time, i.e. ca. 550.
However, today it is seen that the heroism and fidelity described in some of the stories is used to strengthen Jewish resistance during a Jewish revolt in 160. It would be like using the story of Washington crossing a frozen river, the Delaware, to strengthen freezing troops in another combat today.
What was taking place was a group of Jews, the Maccabees, revolted against the Seleucid Empire (the remains of Alexander the Great's Empire after he died a young 32, ca. 390 BCE. He had no sons). The Jewish Maccabees were getting smashed by the Seleucid king Antiochus Epiphenes. The writer of the book of Daniel is attempting to buck them up.
Subject Matter: the book has 12 chapters divided into 2 parts–
Chapters 1-6: 6 stories involving the young Jew Daniel in his dealing with the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar. The king appreciated Daniel because Daniel interpreted his dreams. It also includes the famous Shadrack, Meshak, & Abednego who survived being tossed into the furnace rather than worship a gold statue.
Chapters 7-12: 4 visions.
Our Selection: only 3 lines, but heavy. A time of distress is predicted which will be followed by escape and those who have died will awake, some to shine brightly, others to experience everlasting horror.
This is significant. The little passage introduces the idea of reward & punishment after death. Previously Jews believed in a place called Sheol, an abode where the dead remained somewhat depressed. From this time forward the belief in an after life becomes part of Jewish belief.
Elizabeth Rainey (homily put together Sunday morning)
I received a call early this morning that a dear little friend of mine had died in Medical City. My friend, Elizabeth Rainey, was 93, had fallen and broken her hip about two weeks ago, and Thursday or Friday she had her hip surgically repaired.
I have been visiting with Elizabeth every Friday morning since around 1989. For some years she came out to see me, coming on the bus because she never did learn how to drive.
I remember one fall Friday morning she was walking down the hall of the school, Jesuit, from the front to the back where I had my office. The bell rang for the end of class, the guys poured out, and Elizabeth at about 4' 9" got knocked down by a boy with a 55 on his football jersey. "No problem," she said. Fortunately the school is carpeted.
Eventually Elizabeth could not get around, so I went to see her, for years. Some of you got to know her because you helped me move her from one apartment to another over the years. Three observations about her.
First, I was proud of Elizabeth for her membership in AA. In fact, I was hoping she was going to celebrate her 54th anniversary this past Thursday by going on the other side. I had medical power of attorney and had suggested she not be operated on, she was in such a weak and confused state. We had discussed this and she wanted no life prolonging measures.
Instead of this happening, Wednesday morning she awoke hungry and clear minded. She did not want to spend the rest of her days in bed with a broken hip, so "Let's have the hip operation."
Secondly, Elizabeth wrote a novel when she was about 80 years old. She failed to get it published, but I always complimented her on her achievement.
Thirdly, Elizabeth suffered from borderline personality disorder. Medication helped, but she knew that often she would lose her patience with people, regularly with me. In fact, often she would kick me out and order me never to return. In a day or so, she would meekly call and apologize. I always laughed and told her because I was a priest I had to love everyone. So I loved her too.
This was hard on her as she aged because she not only ended up with no family, she ended up pushing away people who would have been her friends. We talked about this occasionally. Sometimes when our hands are delt we don't get a good set of cards.
I am grateful for a couple of things. One is that I was able to be Elizabeth's friend for so long.
Secondly, I was helped and supported by a couple from Holy Trinity Parish, where Elizabeth attended when she was able to go. This couple, Peter & Lynn, helped Elizabeth in numerous practical ways, from helping her to buy a condo, to helping her sell it and move into a retirement home. The couple have been a terrific and patient help.
Who is the Elizabeth in your life?
The End of Times (Original Homily)
Remember January 1, 2000? I do not know if any of you did it, but I know some people who really expected the world was going to end. One guy I know even loaded up his pantry with lots of non-perishable food. I guess he figured that despite it being the end of the world, he might need some can goods to carry him over.
I was informed recently that the next scheduled end of the world takes place Dec. 21, 2012, according to our friend Nostradamos & the Mayan calandar. Set your watches. In fact, that I did not know this date nor the guru who is predicting the date, indicated that I was really out of it. I felt like a child who showed up for class without his homework. Trouble is, so many of the end of world dates have been expected and passed.
A lot of these ideas about the end of the world take their inspiration from our Mark reading and especially from our first reading from Daniel and, most especially, from Revelation, the last book of the Bible. Could our readings have been chosen for this Sunday because it is the last of the liturgical year? Next week we have Christ the King and then we start a new liturgical year with Advent.
A word about a literary genre called apocalyptic writing, then a couple of points about the history behind Daniel & Mark.
Apocalyptic writing usually has three parts:
1. A remembrance of historical events leading up to the present.
2. A prediction of dire tribulations and bad times, pointing to the fact that they have been mentioned in Revelation, for instance. Like wars & eclipses of the sun.
3. A prediction of cosmic events and the end of time.
A couple of historical notes behind Daniel & Mark. Two points.
First, I already mentioned that Daniel was written at a time of "unsurpassed tribulation," to use the Daniel writer's words. It was the time of the Maccabees' revolt against the Seleucid king and the Maccabees were getting clobbered.
Scholars think that Mark, too, was composed at a time of great "tribulation," to use Mark's word. What was going on was as traumatic as, first, the destruction and enslavement of the Jews in the northern state of Israel and, secondly, the Babylonian Captivity 200 years later, ca. 600 and, thirdly, the Holocaust in our times.
What happened about 35 years after Jesus' death, in ca. 65 CE, was that the Jewish people, fed up with Rome's abusive rule (so much for the Pax Romana), they revolted. By 70 CE the Romans had not only defeated the revolt and slaughtered thousands, but they destroyed Jerusalem and they destroyed the temple.
This is equivalent to having the U.S. destroyed and Washington obliterated. From 70 CE until, guess when, 1948 there was no Jewish homeland. The Jewish priesthood became unemployed, defunct, and is so to this day. The priest was supposed to handle sacrifices in the temple. For instance, the priest slaughtered the turtledoves offered by Joseph & Mary. In place of the priests we now hear of Rabbis, who were originally before the time of Christ like judges. Do you know of any Jewish priest?
Secondly, during this time of tribulation a group of zealous Jews detatched themselves from not only the corruption of Roman rule, but also from the rich Jewish suck ups who doted on the Roman rulers for favors. These zealous Jews moved out into caves around the Dead Sea. They lived an ascetical life, practiced celibacy, and expected to see the end of the world.
So, how do you respond to all this? With peace or anxiety?
Sources: Episcopal Bishop John Shelby Spong, Origins of the Bible, Lecture XVI; Truthnet.org.; Wikipedia
Picture 1: The Choir, Wendy, Shonda, Ray, & Celeste
Picture 2: Angela & Grace with Gayle & Hugh in the background
Picture 3: The Pastry Shoppe, Maddie, Diana & Cliff, & Hugh
Picture 4: Anniversary of John & Colleen, Birthdays of Mary Ellen & Penny