Sunday Homily, January 27, 2013, 3rd Ordinary Time C

Readings: Isaiah 56, 6-7; Psalm 67, O God, let all the Nations praise You; Romans 11, 13-15, 29-32; Matthew 15, 21-28 

Isaiah:

    1.  Author:  This is Isaiah III, the one who writes after the Babylonian Captivity, therefore, probably in Jerusalem after 550 B.C., more or less.

    2.  Today’s message:  this selection is used to support the gospel, a message of inclusion of all peoples.  His house will be open to all. 

Romans: For months we have been using as our second reading Paul's letter to the Romans.  I have not mentioned it or even included in the homilies for two reasons:

1. It is not related to the other two readings. The Gospel & the first reading attempt to follow a theme. The second reading continues the same book week after week and if it relates it is accidental.  Romans will be with us another 4 Sundays into mid-September.
2. It is dense. I really don’t like it, except in a few sections.  7 letters are considered written by Paul who wrote this one probably around 55 A.D., while he was in Corinth, Greece, and in anticipation of a visit to Rome.  Some scholars consider it his masterpiece, but it is often difficult to understand.  

The Assumption

Often I mention that a line from the readings is one of my favorites, or a certain passage, maybe from Isaiah, is a favorite.  Today I cannot say the Matthew passage is a favorite.  In fact, I do not like the way Jesus insults the Canaanite woman.  A dog!  No way!

For maybe two days I thought about talking about this, but I could not find what I was looking for.  Like, was this Matthew, not Jesus, speaking?  And why?  I searched all my resources.  I even phoned my ace in a jamb, my friend, fellow ex-Jesuit, and excellent scripture scholar, Francis Vanderwall.  He admitted he had not a clue. 

So, I am going to cop out.  I want to talk on a much more favorite topic, the Assumption. 

Tomorrow the Catholic Church celebrates one of the big feast days, the Assumption of Mary into heaven.  The meaning: Mary, after she finished her time on earth, was taken bodily into heaven.  I would like to make 4 observations.

1.  The history of the belief.  The idea that Mary was taken up bodily into heaven got going by at least the 5th century.  People thought that she was rewarded for her role in redemption by this action on God's part. 

2.  The history of the declaration.  Really fascinating.  In November, 1950, Pius XII declared this event to be a dogma of the Catholic Church, that is, you have to believe it if you are a Catholic.   It was the first and only doctrine declared under papal infallibility, a doctrine proclaimed by Pius IX in 1870.

The story behind both of these dates is quite revealing.  1870 is the date of Italian unification.  Up to this time there was no united peninsula, no Italy like today.  There were at least three big parts: north, south, and right in the middle the Papal States. 

The people wanted those states to be part of the whole.  Pius IX was adamantly against ceding an inch of papal property.  When the people won the property deal, Pius withdrew into the Vatican, declared himself a prisoner of the Vatican, appealed to France who did not help him, and finally declared that what he said as pope on faith & morals was infallible, despite the advice of the majority of his consulters.  Sort of  'And I'll show you!' action.

In 1950 the Second World War was finished and the world was stunned into shock by the revelation of the Holocaust.  Pius XII himself was downcast by the Holocaust.  Moreover, he was getting heat because he did not stand up more strenuously to Hitler.  He had been Vatican ambassador to Germany during the build up of the Third Reich, so he knew the atmosphere well.  On top of that, there was evidence that at least one senior Vatican official was complicit in sending Jews to the death camps. 

Pius XII might have experienced some shame.  In the face of the brutality of the Holocaust, Pius decided to make a dramatic statement to show the sacredness of the human person, body included, by declaring the assumption of Mary's body into heaven a dogma.  

3.  The basis in Scripture for the doctrine.  There is none.  What is taking place here, is that Pius is articulating what has been considered a belief for centuries.  People have believed this for, say, 10-15 centuries.  Therefore, it took place.  There is a weakness here, of course.  What can be asserted a fact without evidence, can be discarded without evidence. 

4.  The Assumption in my life.  53 years ago tomorrow I walked into the Jesuit novitiate in Grand Coteau, LA.  30 of us entered more or less together.  Two of my classmates are still Jesuits. 

On that day 50 years ago my life took a 180 degree turn from being a typical  bratty teen- ager to a monk.  From days spent with friends, cars, and radios, I entered a world of silence, meditation, physical work, and study.  Feast days were eagerly anticipated and the Assumption was one of the big ones.  The date is still big with Jesuits and it brings back fond memories.  It comes at a convenient time at the end of the summer and before the school year. 

I still celebrate August 15, not at all with the same belief pattern that I had when I entered the Jesuits August 15, 1958, 18 years old just out of high school.   I celebrate because of a fondness for Mary and a fondness for my years as a Jesuit.

The Assumption is celebrated tomorrow.  What do you think about it?  What do you believe?

Picture 1:    Celebration

Picture 2:   Communion

Picture 3:   Cliff

Picture 4:   Emma

Picture 5:   Leo

Picture 6:   Wedding of Victoria Looney (an old friend since her childhood) & David Cline

Picture 7:   Wedding at the gazeebo, Plano City Park

Readings:

Acts 8, 5-8, 14-17   There was great joy in that city.

Psalm 66,  Let all the earth cry out to God with joy. 

1 Peter  3, 15-18,  It is better to suffer for doing good than for doing evil.

John  14, 15-21,  Do not let your hearts be troubled.

Harper says, "Hi, Everybody, Happy Memorial Day."

Reminders on Acts:

What : The second half of Luke’s work, the first part being his gospel.  Acts starts after the Resurrection.  We will read Acts all through May and read the last selection June 1, then June 7, Pentecost.  The work focuses on the spread of the early church with special attention given to Peter and Paul and their conflicts over who was to be a Christian, and Jewish laws, like circumcision.  The conversion of Paul is described. 

CC and Kayla say, Welcome, Everybody, fun to see you."

Who: Luke, an educated and civilized Jew who wrote in Greek.

Date:  around the year 65, or about 30 years after Jesus’ death.

Our Selection: More growing pains in the early community.

Watch 2 readings today, the lovely Psalm 66, and the conditional love in John's gospel.  I would like to talk about unconditional love.

Emma and Sienna say, "It's fun here, come on in."

Could the Love be Unconditional ?

I would like to talk about conditional vs. unconditional love this morning.

It seems I hear a lot about unconditional love for kids, for animals, and for other people.  I like that.  I would like to be able to love unconditionally, at least, once in a while. 

Ever think about how the New Testament presents unconditional love?  In fact, I think the New Testament presents a conditional love.  The whole story of our redemption is based on conditional love.

Here comes The Family, Zoe & Tori & Buddy with their mom, Michelle, and granddad, Gilbert.

What does conditional love sound like?  When Rosemary tells me I will love you if you bring me coffee in bed.  Or I will stay with you another year if you mow the grass.  Look at the word John puts in Jesus mouth this morning, "If you love me, you will keep my commandments."

I would propose that God’s love and acceptance of us is unconditional.  I can see this love in people and I think people reflect the nature of God.   Let me illustrate the point with a little story.

"Did somebody say Cupcakes?", Sienna and Brooklyn.

As you know, Rosemary & I head to New York every first weekend in May for the 5 Bike Tour and for a big family reunion at her nephew Brian’s house in Essex Fells, NJ.  After all this is finished Sunday evening, Rosemary & I stay Monday to visit The City and to have dinner with one of her girl friends and classmates from her days at the College of New Rochelle.  Her girl friend is Juanita and her husband is Charlie, fun people.

Believe it or not, they are members of a community very similar to ours.  Anthony Padovano is the priest who coordinates the community.  It was this couple who mentioned they know you folks by name because they read our blogs.   Juanita rattled off the names of the kids, Zoe & Emma, Leo & Cowboy Cole, and others. 

Zoe just looking beautiful again.

So we are having dinner this Monday night.  At least they are and I am having a glass of wine.  I don’t eat after 4:00 and, therefore, don’t have to take meds for acid reflux. 

We were talking about blessings and good things in our lives, when Juanita says that about 4 months ago she had one of those special experiences.

They are getting ready for the beginning of their Sunday Mass when a new couple comes in and sits next to Juanita.   The celebrant welcomes the new couple and says that the man is Jack Egan, formerly a priest of their archdiocese.

Tori at work.

Juanita is immediately curious.  Her mother used to work at the local Catholic Charities and she remembered hearing her mother talk about this Jack Egan. 

As soon as their Mass is over she immediately asks the man if he ever worked at the local Catholic Charities.  He says, “Certainly.”  She says, “Do you remember my mother, Jo Torres.  She worked there many years.  And I remember that she liked you and mentioned your name often.  ”

Who is that Spider Man? Could that be Buddy?

“Yes, absolutely, I loved her.  In fact, I remember frequently coming into her office while she was working on a case study, tears just streaming down her cheeks.”

Juanita is quite touched and says that she never knew that about her mother. 

Jack Egan says, “What a special moment.  I did not know your mom liked me so much and you did not know how touched she was by the people.”

Cupcake of the Week to Maureen for being The Great Grandmother.

An illustration of unconditional love.  And this from human beings.   They receive the gift from The Source. 

What is your image of Our God’s  love for you and acceptance of you?  Conditional or unconditional.  How do you know?

Source: Thanks, Juanita, for letting me share your story with our community.

Who is that Cupcake Thief? Why, that looks almost like Leo. Impossible.

Readings:

Isaiah, 63, 16-19, 64, 2-7,  You are our father, we are the clay and you the potter.

 Psalm 80,    Lord, make us turn to you; let us see your face and we shall be saved.

1 Corinthians 1, 3-9   I give thanks to my God always on your account.

Mark 13, 33-37,   Be watchful, be alert.  You do not know when the time will come.

Emma says, "Hi, Everybody, Welcome."

Isaiah observations and reminders–

Who: Guess which of the 3 composers put this section together.  A clue: chapter number.  Like, chapter 63.  A pretty high number, yes, Isaiah number 3. 

Where is he: if the author is number 3, he is back with the people in Jerusalem, a Jerusalem totally destroyed by the Babylonians. 

Today’s message: because he is back in Jerusalem, you would expect happiness.  On the contrary, he is bemoaning the state of affairs and is blaming himself and everybody’s sinfulness for the destruction.  But in the end he reminds Yahweh that they are his special people.  So…?

Cathy says, "Can you believe it, he forgot my birthday!"

Advent Special

I would like to talk this morning about how to make our time from now to Christmas a special time.  Some of these ideas I have touched upon before, but they stand repeating occasionally.

When I returned to the States in the late 80's and began to work full time as a spiritual director & psychotherapist, I was struck every fall by an anxiety that I found in people.  They were nervous about the coming Christmas season. 

Leo, the Peace Whisperer.

I remember people bringing this up as early as the beginning of the school year in September.  Certainly by October and most certainly by Halloween.  People were tense and anxious because of memories of bad Christmas seasons. 

Because of this and because we are just beginning the season of Advent, the season of preparation for Christmas, I would like to review some ways to prepare ourselves for a marvelous Christmas.  I have 5 observations.

Cole at work.

1.  First, beware of fear and depression.  I read Mark's story about the man traveling abroad and I can  get spooked into thinking God is going to grab me when I'm not looking.  Nonsense.

Depression seems to surface more during the Christmas season, because of at least one reason.  Expectations.  We expect more out of the Christmas season, peace, love, warm relationships, gifts.  When the reality comes in below the expectation I have, I get disappointed and maybe depressed.  Memories of disappointing Christmases can depress me. 

Cole & Emma taking care of official business.

 2.  Unlike Mark's warning about sleeping, I would propose that we need more rest at this darker time of the year.  Our ancestors used to sleep when it went dark.  Today we force ourselves to stay awake and lights keep us awake.  Doctors are saying we need more sleep in the dark days of winter and are recommending, get this, 9 hours.  Maybe try an extra hour.  Try a siesta.

3.  Along with more sleep, try a little more exercise.  My internist tells me that he wants me to exercise every day.  I do.  Walk through the neighborhood.  Ride a bike.  Along the way look at the colors of the red oaks and Bradford Pear trees. 

Cupcakes of The Week to Tom & Denni, Brent & Meredith, and Erin.

    4.  Have you got anything special you do every year for Christmas, during Advent?  Something to get you into a Christmas spirit?  If not, what about finding something? 

Two things I have got to do every year: take in a performance of Handel's Messiah and take in the Dallas Symphony Christmas concert.  I may get in an extra one or two of these, but I find this so touches my spirit.

Brent & Meredith and Erin.

 I know a few families who tour Christmas lights.  Here in Plano is Deer Park.  One of the best is Highland Park, Beverly Drive and Armstrong Parkway, both east and west of Preston.   In Deer Park, you may walk around.  In Highland Park there are horse drawn carriages. 

    5.  Finally, in line with Mark's gospel, watch, but positively, watch for the daily miracles and blessings.  Review your year for the biggest blessings, like I mentioned before Thanksgiving. 

Guess who is 5 years old this week!

I hope you are not anxious about or nervous about the coming of Christmas.  If you are, even more relevent is my question,

 'What are you doing to make  Christmas this year a beauty?'

The Best Music, Wendy, Bethany, Shonda, and Ray.

Who let that rabbit in here??  Happy Easter, Everybody.  Welcome.

Readings:

Acts of the Apostles  10, 34-43.   You know what has happened all over Judea

Psalm 118,  This is the day the Lord has made.  Let us rejoice and be glad.

1 Corinthians 5, 6-8,   A little yeast leavens all the dough.

 John 20,  1-9,    The Resurrection

Chloe with Nora and Charlotte and their buddy, all say, "Happy Easter, Folks, welcome in."

 Resurrection

I would like to talk about the Resurrection this morning.  I suspect that you, like me, consider this event a one time event from ancient history.

However, on the contrary, I want to suggest that resurrection events are multiple and present tense.  They take place daily or, at least, frequently in our lives.  A resurrection moment is a moment of great positive feeling, great consolation, a Kilimanjaro moment, and a time when I say ‘It is good to be alive.’

 Joanie  and the kids.

Let me give you 4-5 examples. 

First, there is a bike ride the last Saturday every August in and around Wichita Falls, yes, the famous Hotter ‘N Hell.  After you have ridden the 100 miles and just before the finish line in town, you pass over a bridge leading up and then down to the finish.  Many a time when I am on top of that bridge, I am in tears, tears of gratitude and positive feelings.   I can say to myself, ‘It is so good to be alive!’

The Gerwers, Casey & Rob, and the kids.

Secondly, another bike ride in July, for a week, 500 miles, crossing Iowa from west to east, from the Missouri to the Mississippi.    When I come down a hill and behold that enormous gorgeous river, I have a Kilimanjaro moment.  Tears again, gratitude, wonder. ‘It is good to be alive.”

Cody with Ben & Olivia.

Thirdly, Labor Day every September we put together a group of 5-12 people and we head out back packing.   I started doing this with the Jesuits back in “89 and we have seen numerous beautiful parks.  For me The Beauty is Yosemite and especially our particular route on the east side, a route I call Matterhorn Canyon.

There are 3 passes of 10 thousand feet.  Kilimanjaro moments each.  Equally positive are 2-3 special campsites.  ‘It is good to be alive in Yosemite.’

Harper with her daddy, Brian, and her granddaddy, Ted 

2 more.  Every Fall and Spring many of us in the community volunteer at the Love for Kids picnic at Circle K ranch in Flower Mound.  2 weeks ago I am standing at the entrance to the pavilion to welcome the kids, who are all handicapped.  They come with their marvelous parents.

At one point my attention was caught by a little blond girl about 2 years old seated in a pram.  She had her left hand over her eyes, her head was down on the little basket, and she was sobbing her eyes out.  She broke my heart.  I think she might have been scared by all the people. 

Our Great Candle Lighter, Cole, at work.

Bill Hammond has a story about a little boy about 3 who had a left prosthetic leg.  I noticed him coming in, for sure.  Bill says that later the boy & his family approached the horses for a sponsored ride.  The family told Bill they did know.  The boy did not even like to pet dogs. 

The little boy, however, was so excited once he got on the horse that the horse walkers toured the boy around not one time, but two. 

I think we have the Zurchin clan here, Tom  & Charlotte, Chloe & Nora with Denni, and Claire & Andrew.

What are your resurrection moments?  When was the last one?

Carol with Karen, John, & Richard.

Readings:

Jeremiah 31, 31-34 ,  I will make a new covenant.

Psalm 51,    Create a clean heart in me, O God.

Hebrews 5, 7-9,   He became the source of Salvation.

 John  12,  20-33,   Unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies.

Emma says, "Hi, Everybody, Welcome in."

Jeremiah observations: 

What:  We have not seen Jeremiah for a long time, since before Thanksgiving.  Remember that he is one of the Big 3 Prophets (because of the size of the work, e.g. 52 chapters in Jeremiah), who are Isaiah, Jeremiah, & Ezekiel.   I love Jeremiah, he is such an attractive and transparent character.  

Author:  most of the work is put together by Jeremiah’s scribe Baruch.  Jeremiah is described as the broken hearted prophet because of his heart rending life spent warning the people & kings that their behavior was going to be punished.  The people hated him for this.   

Time:  ca. 555 before Christ, as an easy date to remember.   Jeremiah speaks before and during the Babylonian Captivity.  Like all prophets, he condemns before, and he consoles during the Captivity.  This event is monumental in the life of the tribe and in the life of Jeremiah.

Harper, too, says, "Hi, Everybody."

The Scene:  Remember that the Holy Land had a north & a south, Israel & Judah.  First, the northern kingdom, Israel, was defeated by the Assyrians, 622 BCE.  These Hebrew tribes vanish into the DNA of the region, “The Lost Tribes of Israel.”  Next, the Babylonians & Nebuchadnezzar defeat the Assyrians and threaten the southern kingdom, Judah, with the capital Jerusalem.  Jeremiah is watching this and seeing it as Yahweh's punishment.  In 600, more or less, the Babylonians do destroy Jerusalem and cart the Hebrews into slavery.

Today's selection, chapter 31.  Jeremiah is consoling the people who are now in captivity.  He suggests that God wants to make a new deal or, as it is called, a covenant.  Yahweh is promising to forgive the people and treasure them.  Jeremiah addresses the people right off using first person singular, I, meaning God.

Sources: Fr. Reginald Fuller, St. Louis U., Wikipedia; Answers.com; Encyclopedia of Judaism

Cole says, "Who is trying to put me on?"

Hate My Life?

I have a story this morning which I have told twice, once at St. Mark's, over 8 years ago and here about 4 years ago.  Pardon me if you've heard it. Some of the best stories I tell over & over, they are so poignant.  The story speaks to my point today, hate my life?  I had permission for the story.

It happened many years ago when I was working full time as a psychotherapist out of an office at Jesuit.  I think it was the first Monday morning of May.   I know it was a beautiful morning.  A boy came to see me who had been in my office on and off for about six years.  He had just graduated from high school and enlisted in the Air Force.  He had struggled since grade school with bouts of depression, and that morning seemed to be in great shape.  We did not even spend more than 30 minutes together, his mood was so up beat and care free.

The Best Helpers, Georgie and Kevin.

He left.  Maybe two or three hours later a call came in.  The boy had left Jesuit, crossed Inwood to the Lincoln Center complex at LBJ, drove up to the top of the four floor garage, parked his car, headed to the edge of the garage, and walked over the side.  He landed on the cement street four floors below, face down flat.

Passerby saw it, called 911, and in a second the paramedics from just around the corner were on the scene.  He was in Parkland in a flash.  He lived.

A break for the Music Girls.

It was not for about 3 weeks until I got to visit him.  He apologized.  I admit I was mad.  I loved this kid.  He fooled me.  He said that he had been in a zone, happy because he knew he was out of there, meaning he was ready to go to the other side.  He wanted to escape the pain of life and go to heaven.  He said he had no fear in walking off that fourth floor, none of the hesitation you feel before you jump off the high diving board the first time. 

You may guess why I tell this story.  It exemplifies what happens when you take literally "whoever hates his life in this world will preserve it for eternal life."  This little piece of advice, taken the wrong way, can be so dangerous. This boy hated his life.

The offertory team, Hugh and Sydney, Lily and Scott.

I would suggest there is a negative and a positive way to hate my life. 

The negative is exemplified by this kid's story.  This is often what is happening when you hear of someone cutting on themselves.  If I hate my life and hate myself, I will want to punish myself.  I am bad.  So I cut myself.  Or I may think that I am such a loser that no one will pay me any attention if I do not do something dramatic like spill my blood. 

Like father, like son, Ray & Leo.

Even without such dramatic examples, I do not want to encourage someone who hates their body, hates their job, hates their family, hates their school, hates.  Just thinking about this I recoil.   There may be reason for the hatred.  However, "There is a better way," I want to say and I would say it.   I believe in talk therapy.   Feelings are all okay.  I just don’t want some to stay around. 

You know someone depressed like this?  Ask them if they are suicidal.

On the positive side, I would suggest two things.

First, the word hate can be considered as hyperbolic, a big word meaning exaggeration.  It is like Rosemary telling me, "You get me up at 4:00 tomorrow morning for spin class & it is divorce!”   Think she is exaggerating?  I hope.   

Victoria at work with the next tech invention.

Secondly, I would suggest that this all has to do with being more alive now, in this life. The grain of wheat falling to the ground and dying fits in with this.  For example: look at March Madness.  Many of these players have died to themselves to achieve & to be better players.  How many hours in the gym have they spent practicing free throws?  When they could be hanging out, sleeping in, text messaging?  And they love their lives.  I’ve seen boys do this at Jesuit. 

Goofy, but I hate my life to love my life.  I don't want to get up early.  I could sleep in to 11:00.  However, I, get up and head over to the Jewish Community Center, 6:00 A.M. spin class.  The result, I love life.  

Zoe & dad, Randolph.

The boy who jumped is now okay, amazingly.  It took him years of physical recovery.  Two things did not happen that blessed him.  He did not damage his brain and did not damage his spine.  Every other bone, plus his teeth, were broken.  Once he got strong enough he went to medical technical school, got his certificates, and now has good jobs in various hospitals in the city.  I don't think he hates his life anymore.  In fact, he loves it. 

How do you love your life?

Sources:  The Center for Liturgy, St. Louis U.; St. Raymond Catholic Church, Dublin, CA; Carmelite Order Web; Homilias Domincales.

Readings: Jeremiah 20, 7-9; Psalm 63, My soul is thirsting for You, O Lord, My God; Romans 12, 1-2; Matthew 16, 21-27

Jeremiah:

Some short observations–

    1.  One of the Big 3, Isaiah, Ezekiel, & Jeremiah, big because of the size of the work.

     2.  Follows the classic prophet profile: denounce the behavior of people, threaten God's vengeance, and finally, consolation for the reformed.

     3.  Who are prophetic people today?  Perhaps our 3 guest speakers.

Please catch today's homily recorded in the video. 

 
 
Picture 1:    Beginning of Mass with account of Hotter 'N Hell Hundred (as in miles & temp), a bike tour out of Wichita Falls

Picture 2:    Cole with his grandmother, Diane.

Picture 3:    Leo & Sophia, Ben's daughter

Picture 4:    Delgados back in their corner finally.