Sunday Homily 2-22-09, 7th Ordinary Time
Readings: Isaiah 43, 18-25; Psalm 41; 2 Corinthians 1, 18-22; Mark 2, 1-12
Isaiah: Some reminders–
The Book of Isaiah is one of the Big 3, along with Jeremiah & Ezekiel, because they have a lot of chapters and therefore say a lot.. Isaiah has 66 chapters.
Author & Time: The book has at least 3 contributors. Chapter 43, today's selection is from Isaiah 2, who seems to be writing during the Babylonian Captivity of the Jews who lived in and around Jerusalem. The time was ca. 575 BCE. Isaiah 1 wrote before the Captivity. Isaiah 3's material might come from after the Jews returned to Jerusalem, the time after the Assyrians under Cyrus conquered the Babylonians. Cyrus let the Hebrews return to Jerusalem.
Our Selection, Chapter 43: the writer has Yahweh speaking to his defeated and depressed people. This is the Book of Comfort, and informs the Jews that times will get better, which they do, at least for these Jews' children & grandchildren.
How Make Lent a Winner
There is a story floating around about this guy in Washington, D.C. One cold morning in January he took his violin down into a subway station. He set up his spot, pulled out his violin, and began to play for the throngs of commuters rushing to and fro. He played for about an hour.
During the hour a few people paused and listened for a few moments, then hurried off to their train. Another lady dropped in a dollar while she rushed by. Others paused quickly and some tossed in a bill. The people who most focused their attention on him & his music were kids. They would stop dead in their tracks mesmerized. Their parents would have to drag them on to their destination while the kids looked back over their shoulders.
After the hour the man had accumulated about $30. Nobody cheered, nobody applauded at the end of his performance. Nobody even noticed. Not that the guy needed the money or the applause. He was Joshual Bell, one of the best violin players in the world. Two days before this, in fact, his concert in Boston had sold out with tickets averaging $100. The violin he plays costs over 3 million.
The Washington Post had set up this event where Joshua Bell would perform in the subway station. The goal was to see how people would respond to beauty in an ordinary place at a busy time. Perhaps 1,000 people passed by Joshua Bell in that one hour during which he played 6 pieces of classical music. No one actually stayed for the whole of even one piece. Only a handful paused for no more than a couple of minutes. Only the kids wanted to stay and listen.
The wonder is, is this typical of us. If I do not have enough time to pause 5 minutes and appreciate one of the best musicians in the world play some of the best music in the world, what other beauties am I missing? And missing every day.
I tell this story because we are beginning Lent Wednesday. I confess this is not one of my favorite times of the year, mostly because of the history I have with it being focused on sin and penance. Give up this, give up that. If you would like to take this as an occasion to become a better, more fully alive human, I would like to suggest two positives.
First, sensitivity. Sensitivity to the beauty around me, like that music, to the beauty of people as a community and individually, and to the beauty of myself, my health, my gifts, my education. It was not Lent, but last Wednesday I went to visit the new Trinity River Audubon Center in south Dallas. Just the building I found to be architectural poetry. Maybe once a week something of this type is planned during the next five weeks.
The second positive has to do with the story in Mark about the four guys who brought their paralyzed friend to Jesus for healing. I find this story so right on. I love it. The man could not get there on his own, but his friends could get him there. Oops, when they get to the house where Jesus is, they find they cannot get through the crowd. No problem. They climb the roof, break a hole, and lower him down.
We had houses like this in Tanzania. The roof is made out of tree poles laid across the house with about 1 to 2 feet of space between each one. Other branches are placed on top. Then a mud like clay is put on the branches. Over the mud usually is a smoother clay. We had a Jesuit house near the base of Kilimanjaro whose flat roof was cement and we would sit up there to watch the sunset against the mountain, every night 6:00 to 6:30. Being on the equator sunset & sunrise takes place the same time every day and lasts 30 minutes.
So these guys cut a hole through the roof and lowered down their friend. This is friendship and community at its best, me helping you when you need it and you helping me when I need it. Hillary says it takes a village. I would suggest it takes a community.
So the second positive to make myself a richer person in this Lent: service, help my neighbor with his roof. Somebody needed to help Peter with the roof of his house. I hope the four guys helped him. Bill Hammond, Bob McGrath, & I are all going to work on housing in Galveston next week. One small step, one small contribution.
So, if you want to make yourself a richer person in the next 5-6 weeks, if you don't want to pass by the Joshua Bells on your commute, and you like to help out, how about sensitivity and service?
AUDIO: http://mysite.verizon.net/reso7rjy/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderfiles/2009-02-22.mp3
Picture 1: Mass with T.J. Helping
Picture 2: Birthdays, Maggie & Chloe, Ron, T.J. Dana (17), Rosemary, & Diane
Picture 3: Clare (mom) & Chloe dancing & Ron Kovatis
Picture 4: Communion helpers, Patricia, Geri, Don, Ron, & Beth