Sunday, 12-26-10, Holy Family: Sirach 3, 2-14; Psalm 128, Blessed are Those who fear the Lord and walk in his ways; Colossians 3, 12-21; Matthew 2, 13-23.

Intro to readings

 We could easily believe that political correctness is a recent development, but I want to show you how it existed in the first century of the Church. 

 Our second reading today from the letter to the Colossians is a great example of “spin”.  Lets take a moment to consider the setting. 

 There are 13 letters which have Paul’s name associated with them.  Modern scripture scholarship has determined that seven are indeed written by Paul, there are three, which he definitely did not write, and there are three where there is doubt about his authorship. 

 Understand that when Paul wrote for instance to the Romans, he was writing to a small Christian community within Rome, something not unlike our little community here.  Society in the Roman Empire at that time was strongly patriarchal, namely it all centered on the man! Women, children and slaves were considered similar to possessions, namely they had no rights! 

 Now the extraordinary thing about Paul’s preaching was that he saw all people, by virtue of their baptism being equal, all belonging to the body of Christ.  Recall one of his familiar lines: “in Christ all are equal, there is no male or female, no slave or free”.  

 In the first letter to the Corinthians, chapter 7 we meet the “radicalism of Christianity”, – just as Jesus shocked the authorities by dining with sinners, Paul sees all as God’s children and equal.  So in his letter to the Corinthians he says husbands and wives are equal.  He is very careful to make sure that both have the same rights – they are equal! 

 Now take a look at the extended section of today’s second reading and we will see the spin put there by someone after Paul’s death.  In an attempt to make Christianity “fit” better into Roman society we have the phrase ‘wives be submissive to your husbands’.  Paul would have never said such a thing!  Yet he gets the blame for it today!! 

Feast of the Holy Family – Homily

 Today we celebrate the Feast of the Holy Family, that of Joseph and Mary and the child Jesus, whose birth we celebrated yesterday.  I would like to reflect a little on the images we have of the Holy Family and how we are part of that family by our Baptism. 

 In the gospel we read today, this family experienced what many families today have to go through, namely living in a strange land.  Matthew doesn’t tell us how things were for them in Egypt, but at least they stayed there a few years, they were not killed.  When they returned, it was to settle in a different region, to Nazareth.

 Thanks to a global economy, unlawful governments, wars, or the plague of drugs, many people today are forced to move, either within their own country or to foreign lands.  They come as strangers into our midst.  But we don’t have to be from somewhere else to feel like a stranger.  Sometimes due to misunderstandings, or fear or hurts we can just as easily feel like a stranger in our own family.

 The Feast of the Holy Family gives us time to reflect on our actions.  By our baptism we are part of that Holy Family.  Jesus is our brother. 

 The challenge, which the gospel puts before us today as Christians, is how well do we welcome our brothers and sisters.  Remember the words of Jesus, when I was hungry, or lonely or sick, you did it to me.  Out of fear we too quickly can build walls to keep others out, either out of our country, or out of our lives.

 At St Vines, we do reach out.  Over the past year we certainly have helped the sick, through our participation both by volunteering and financial aid to the CCAC.  We have served meals at Thanksgiving; we have helped build the houses with Habitat for Humanity, given toys to kids who might otherwise not have them, and food to the Food Pantry.  These are great things and we need to continue to do them.  But we can too easily miss opportunities to tear down walls within our own family.

 As we begin a New Year, a time when we make all kinds of resolutions to do better, lets not forget to see how we may become more conscious of the Family of God and those who are lonely, from another place, struggling. 

Picture 1:    Jack

Picture 2:    Ryan with cookie

Picture 3:    The Reads, Teresa, Taylor, Doug, & Zack

Picture 4:    Emma, one of the 5 Bambini

 Picture 5:    Santa arrives

Picture 6:    All the Good Kids awaiting Santa 

Readings: 1 Kings 19, 4-8; Psalm 34, Taste and See the Goodness of the Lord; Ephesians 4, 30-5, 2; John 6, 41-51

Kings:  a review–

Subject: The kings of Israel.  The Big 3 were Saul, David, & his son Solomon.  The Book of kings follows the Book of Samuel, which describes the lives of the the kings up to the death of David.  Kings takes up the life of Solomon, his building of the temple, his death, and the fate of the kingdom following his death, i.e., it divides and is conquered. 

Time Period: : from ca. 900 – 550 BCE, or from Solomon to Nebuchadnezzar & Cyrus of Persia (Iran).

Authors: a compilation of many sources that was put together at the end of the Babylonian Captivity, ca. 550 BCE.

Our Selection: focus is on one man, the prophet Elijah.  The kingdom has already been split.  Our story takes place in the northern state, Israel.  Time of severe drought.  The king is Ahab; his queen, the famous Jezebel.  The prophet Elijah has scolded them for turning to false gods to end the drought.

There has been a contest: Elijah vs the 450 prophets of Baal, ultimately to see which side would be more effective in bringing rain.  2 bulls were slaughtered.  Naturally, Elijah wins when Yahweh answers his prayer, sends down fire, and consumes the bull Elijah has slaughtered.  When he wins, he slaughters the 450 prophets of Baal. 

We enter at a point where Jezebel is furious with Elijah for killing her favorite prophets and aims to kill Elijah.  He is going to run away all depressed. 

We will read an expanded chapter 19, from 1-13.

Taste and See the Goodness of Life

The psalm today says to "taste and see the goodness of the Lord."  I would like to suggest that we taste and see the goodness of life.  I have a Yosemite story that exemplifies this.

The scene.  It is day 5 of our 9 day trip in the park.  We are at about 9,000 feet.  Our last campsite has been at a beautiful high altitude lake called Miller Lake.  No one else was around it but our group of 10.  It has rained every afternoon since we entered Yosemite, more rain than I have ever seen in all the years I have come to Yosemite.  

We have to descend from the lake, reach the bottom of Matterhorn Canyon, then climb up the canyon as far as we can go & still have shelter from trees.  I've told the guys in the lead to look for just the right spot to camp in overnight before we go over our third pass of the trip, the third of four, all above 10,000 feet, the first one above 11,000.  

When I arrive in the campsite the guys have chosen, it is close to the time for the rain to begin.  Everyone has set up their tent except me and one or two others.  I notice we are not in compliance with camping rules, but who am I to suggest that everyone move their tent 100 feet away from the trail and the mountain stream.  

So I set up my own tent in a wooded area with lots of vines & bushes, take a quick dip in the mountain stream to clean up, and climb into my dry tent for a brief snooze before the rain passes and we get out for dinner around 5:00.  

Just before 4:00 while the rain comes down a ranger lady arrives at the lower level of our camp.  She asks to see our permit, like happened on our second night with no problem.  This is the first time in years I see rangers again in the park.  Everyone tells her that Stack has the papers.  She arrives at my tent.  I open up she informs me there in the rain at 4:00 P.M. that we have to move our campsite.  We are too close to the trail, too close to the stream, we have built a small, illegal fire ring, and we even had a shower rigged up in a tree over the trail.  She could give us a dozen citations, even fine us, really me as the coordinator of the group.

No discussion would budge her.  Not the rain, not the hour, nothing.  She left saying she would go up canyon, then return later to see our progress.  I felt horrible.  I remember sitting in my tent thinking, "What next?"  I figured at least we could wait until 4:30 to see if the rain would stop. 

Meanwhile, on the lower level of the campsite, Rob & Ray spring into action, rain or no rain.  They head up canyon, at least we would be getting closer to the pass, and search out a campsite, across the river, which the ranger had suggested.  We had already waded 3 times the same mountain stream and each time had to put on sandals because the water was higher than our boots.  There was a little bit of resistance, with hope to find something on our side of the stream.

In the end we chose the site across the stream, everyone packed up wet rain flies, crossed the river, and set up on the broad grassy slope.  The campsite ended up being terrific when it stopped raining.

In many ways this experience could have turned our trip into a trip from hell.  As a matter of fact, looking back, there was a special beauty, a special good.  First, I did not have to initiate the change of camp.  Everyone pitched in with acceptance & without complaint.  Then we found an even more beautiful campsite which was a half mile closer to the pass than I have ever camped before.  And finally, after packing up wet the next morning, we climbed over Burro Pass and found my most favorite and the most beautiful campsite that I have ever enjoyed.  We dried out quickly and stayed here two delightful nights.

I could taste & see the goodness of life on this trip.

In your life, what are 2 places or ways you taste & see the goodness?

Picture 1:  Mass with Kevin & T.J.

Picture 2:  Alexandra & her dad, David

Picture 3:  Cara & her mom, Christine

Picture 4:  Shelby & her mom, Debbie

Readings: Jeremiah 31, 31-34; Psalm 51; Hebrews 5, 7-9; John 12, 20-33

Jeremiah:  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 works, e.g. 62 chapters in Jeremiah), who are Isaiah, Jeremiah, & Ezekiel.   A review:

Author: mostly Jeremiah as put down by his scribe Baruch.  Described as the broken hearted prophet because of his heart rending life warning the people & kings that their behavior was going to be punished.  And so it happened with The Babylonian Captivity.

Time:  ca. 600 BCE, as an easy date to remember, or more precisely for 40 years from ca. 610 to 570 BCE.  The Captivity went from ca. 585-550 BCE (note my error last week, typing 450).  Jeremiah probably died in Egypt during The Captivity in Babylon.

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.  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 596, more or less, the Babylonians destroy Jerusalem and cart the Hebrews into slavery.

Today's selection, chapter 31.  Yahweh is promising to make a new covenant or agreement with all the people, and to forgive them, after having shown the people who is master.  This is the only time in the O.T. that a New Covenant is mentioned.

Sources: Wikipedia; Answers.com; Encyclopedia of Judaism 

Hate My Life?

I have a story this morning which I have told only once, and that was at St. Mark's, over 4 years ago.  Pardon me if you've heard it.  It speaks to my point today.  I had permission for the story.

It was many years ago.  I think it was the first Monday morning of May, a beautiful morning.  A boy came to see me who had been in my office on and off for about six years.  He had 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 hopeful.

He left.  Maybe two or three hours later a call came in.  The boy had left Jesuit where my office was, crossed Inwood to the Lincoln Center complex, 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.

Passersby 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.

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 was in a zone, happy because he knew he was out of there.  He wanted to escape the pain and go to heaven.  There had been 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 dangerous.  It also shows how far we have evolved and matured philosophically and psychologically over the past centuries.  We are maturing.

I would suggest there is a negative and a positive approach to hating 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.  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. 

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 is a better way," I want to say.  Maybe change is called for, but hatred is not a constructive, long range motivation.  So I would say, "Don't hate it." 

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 put a TV screen up on that wall so everyone can see you like in the mega-churches, Divorce!"  Think she is exaggerating?  I hope.  I won't test. 

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: March Madness.  Many of these player have died to themselves to achieve, to be better players.  How many hours in the gym have the spent practicing free throws?  When they could be hanging out, sleeping in, text messaging?  And they love their lives. 

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 put this part of myself on the shelf for another day so I can dedicate myself to a greater.  To maintain my health and fitness I work out 45 minutes in a gym every day.  Because of the result I love my life.

My friend 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, loves it. 

How do you love your life?

AUDIO:  http://mysite.verizon.net/reso7rjy/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderfiles/2009-03-29.mp3

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

Picture 1:  Mass with Sabrina & Anthony

Picture 2:  Barb celebrates her birthday

Picture 3:  Geordie Robinson stuck at home in Dallas because of snow out at U. of CO in Boulder

Picture 4:  Chuck with sons Andrew & Danny

Readings:

Ezekiel  18, 25-28,  Is it my way that is not fair?

 Psalm 25,   Remember your mercies, Oh Lord.

Philippians 2, 1-11,  God greatly exalted him.

Matthew 20, 1-16,  The man who had two sons. 

Homily by John Cade

Homily:  I want to focus today on Jesus’ teaching that God is now and was always with us, and how we can see God. There’s that Bible verse in today’s Responsorial Psalm 86 vs.5 that says “You, O Lord, are a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in kindness.” Stack has said it’s his favorite line in the Bible.  I decided to google this verse and found the same words in multiple places in the Bible.  Psalm 145: vs. 8-9 has exactly the same lines. And Psalm 103 vs. 8 has the same.  And it’s not just in the Psalms.  The Book of Exodus Ch. 34, verse 6 reads, “The Lord is a merciful and gracious God, slow to anger and rich in kindness.” The Book of Joel Ch. 2, verse 13 has exactly the same line. And the Book of Jonah Ch. 4, verse 2 has the same.

The take-away from those verses that describe God as “gracious and merciful, slow to anger and rich in kindness,” could be that whenever we see those traits and those behaviors, we are seeing God.  Jesus’ said the kingdom of God is here, and is experienced when we share mercy and kindness with one another.

On July 4^th I joined a group of family and friends for the Fair Park fireworks display. At the end of the evening Leo & Freddie, seeing fireworks for the first time, said, “This was the coolest ever.”

Later I remembered some of what I saw and experienced about being gracious and showing kindness.

1. I got to Fair Park early and walked around, then sat on a bench eating a corn dog slathered with mustard. I saw a woman walking with 2 children and an infant in a stroller. The little one dropped a stuffed toy to the ground. Another woman saw it and, noticing the mother hadn’t seen it happen, called out to her and pointed to it.  They made eye contact and I saw them connect with a smile as the mother picked up the toy. This was a brief but gracious human contact.
2. At one point after our group got together at the lagoon, my nephew Merik, offered to take Leo and Freddie on a walk around the lagoon. He entertained them for 30 or 40 minutes, and his act of kindness allowed the other adults time to visit.
3. Gina, a close friend of my daughters Joey and Sam, came with her husband and 2 daughters, who are a little older than my grandsons. Gina thought about the 4 kids who would be there and brought snacks for all of them and also light sticks to make necklaces or bracelets or, like Freddie, just to wave around. The kids loved it and I took note of her thoughtful kindness.
4. Most of the group had gotten snow cones while walking around. So I decided to get in line for a snow cone for myself (I was told that there were sugar free ones) and for Gina’s daughter who had missed out on one. It was a really long line of more than 30 people. After a while I struck up a conversation with a woman in line. Later another woman, also in line, joined in the conversation. At one point the latter woman, who was sort of ahead of me and the first women (line not straight but uneven), offered that we both go ahead of her. Of course by this point we had all been in line a long time and had tired feet. That was another act of kindness and mercy.

My question: when have you seen God lately?  And when do others see God in you?

"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 60, 1-6,  Rise up in splendor, Jerusalem.  Your light has come.  (Nice reading)

 Psalm 72,    Lord, every nation on earth will adore you.

Ephesians 3, 2-3, 5-6,  The Gentiles are coheirs & members of the same body.

Luke 1, 26-28,   When Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, magi from the east arrived.

Georgie says, "Hi, Everybody, Welcome into the New Year."

Isaiah 60:  observations–

1.   Who:  Can you guess which Isaiah this is, 1, 2, or 3?  Yes, this is Isaiah III who seems to have lived after the Babylonian Captivity, that is, 555 Before Christ

2.  Today’s passage: chapter 60 is addressed to Jerusalem as a symbol, which is in total destruction.    Isaiah  is trying to lift the spirits of the people who are depressed at seeing the mess that is Jerusalem.   He is saying that your day is coming, Jerusalem, when you will return to being the most splendid city of all, and by extension, the tribe.

Isaiah 3 should get a commission from the Jerusalem chamber of commerce.  

Hannah, Zoe, and Emma, also, say, "Happy New Year."

The Epiphany, a Cornucopia of Symbols:

2 observations & 2 postscripts–

Where to begin, folks.  There is so much symbolism in this liturgy, in Matthew, for sure, and in the combination of Matthew with Isaiah and Psalm 72.  I'll touch 2 points, each with 3 subdivisions.. 

The Picture of Delight, Leo with a Cupcake of The Week.

1.  The Wise Men have a double & triple significance because they are

a. Gentiles

b. They come from the east, considered the source of wisdom in the world of that time.  Where does the sun rise?  Where do stars rise?  A new son has been born and like the sun in the east or a star he will bring new light. 

c. They are searchers & symbolize every person’s search for meaning in life.    Remember Matthew speaks to two audiences, his fellow Israelites, whom he is chastising for not searching, and the Gentiles. 

Jan with another Cupcake of The Week.

2.  The 3 gifts. 

 a.  Gold is given because it signifies royalty. 

 b.  Frankincense, or incense, signifies divinity. 

 c.  Myrra signifies medicine.  Myrra is for human health.  It comes from a bush like tree that has a yellow, sticky sap on its bark.  The sap was good for skin infections and acne, asthma, colds, and flu, and even herpes.  It is found in Saudi Arabia & Somalia.

 A post script.  People in Europe used to write an inscription over their doors, e.g. 20+C+M+B+10.  The numbers are our year.  The letters are Caspar, Melchior, and Balthazar.   Christians made it say, “Christ Bless our house or Maison the year listed.

Richard and Carol, celebrating their 40th, receive two Power Bars of The Week, because they got more sense than to eat cupcakes and keep themselves in great shape.

Another post script.  In New Orleans Epiphany starts Carnival season, which leads up to Mardi Gras, Fat Tuesday before Ash Wednesday.  The parades are starting, folks.

 Sources: Reginal Fuller, St. Louis U. Liturgy; Biblical & Theological Resources, the Voice Institute, on line; Wikipedia; and other sources.

And Tom, too, who receives a Power Bar of The Week for his birthday and because he is our official Marathon Maniac.

The Epiphanies around Us

A while back Rosemary & I went to the exposition of some paintings of about six or eight artists. Among the artists and the reason we were there was a childhood buddy, who after a career as a lawyer now does oil paintings.  And he sells them for mucho. 

 As we were wandering around we ran into another couple who are old friends.  We asked what brought them to this exposition.  They pointed across the room to a middle aged, middle class, blondish woman who was standing by some of her works.

Offertory with John & Karen, Judy and Dick.

 Here is the story the wife told me.

 The couple we know are both academics on the university level.  Some years ago the wife had been teaching and came to know one of her students.  The student was a mother with a son about 8 years old.  At some point in time the father had abandoned them and left them with nothing.  They were living in the mother’s car. 

 My friend says to me that this shocked her and she thought this cannot continue.  She described the situation to her husband and two sons who were about 10 & 12.  Guess what they did.

Communion (bread, wine in small cups, and grape juice) helpers.

 Yes.  They invited the mother & son to live with them until they got on their feet.  The two sons moved into one bedroom and the mother & her son took the other.  Here they lived for almost a year until the husband found the woman a job. 

 The woman now is successful and is developing as an artist, selling her works for significant sums.  The son graduated from Jesuit, graduated from college, and now is married with a couple of his own kids. 

The Delgado Corner missing most of the gang.

 Obvious from the fact that they were at the art exposition, my friends are still quite close with the mother & her son. 

 I would propose that this is what epiphany is, a pointing to a presence among us and in us.  The presence is acceptance and care for others.  It points to something beautiful, a wow experience.  I received a wow experience just from meeting that woman and hearing her story.

 Who is an epiphany for you?

 For whom are you an epiphany?

Elevation.