[__01__] Several
years ago, a co-worker told me about a walk in the woods, a stroll and journey
she took with her two children, age 7 and age 5. Jessica, the 7-year-old had
become exhausted during this journey.
For
years, she and her family and children had lived in New York City, in
Manhattan, and they had recently moved to the suburbs [of Connecticut]. I
understood they were in a large wooded area, similar to South Mountain or Eagle
Rock Reservation, but they were not far from actual the civilization of county
roads and traffic lights and pavement. Surely, Jessica well aware of this.
After
an hour or so, she was tired but Jessica and her brother and mom and dad were
used to long walks … in New York. Jessica started to inquire about alternate
means of transportation, a bus … a taxi, perhaps.
I
imagine the children benefited physically, spiritually from their walk. Do we not all benefit, at times, from
perseverance and consistency?
[*** P
A U S E ***]
[__02__] In Book of the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus
reminds us about our walk, our journey with him. Sometimes, it is not easy to
find the way.
We
read in the Gospel of Matthew, “Strait is the gate and narrow is
the way which leadeth unto life and few there be that find it.”
(Matthew 7:14)
Jesus
was speaking to his disciples and to us about our Christian journey, on which
calls us to make choices, to be generous, to repent of our sins.
“Strait is
the gate and narrow is the way which leadeth unto life and few there be that
find it.”
(Matthew 7:14)
[*** P A U S E ***]
[__03__] In our
Sunday Gospel, we have just read abou the strait or narrow gate and the way to
the Temple and to God’s presence in the time of our Savior.
However,
as Jesus points out, many people have missed the gate, have misunderstood the
coordinates.
We
might say they are too far NORTH or too “HIGH” up being concerned about their
position, their prominence or their popularity with others. We have all been to this longitude of our
ego.
They
are called – we are called – to come down a bit, further SOUTH.
Or,
we might say they are too far WEST, they are concerned about finding a new
frontier, a new opportunity, when their call from God might be closer to
home. And, is not Jesus our SUN which
rises in our EAST?
I
just use this as an example of COORDINATES which help us to find our
destination.
By
the way, we might observe that it is NOT an evil or bad outcome if someone were
to recognize us in the way that the scribes are recognized in the marketplaces.
After
all, it is good to be remembered to be identified.
What
Jesus is cautioning us about is our attachment to this recognition or the
despair, the bitterness that could result if we were not noticed or recognized,
saying:
“Beware the
scribes who like to go around in long robes and accept greetings in the
marketplace.” (Mark 12:38)
[*** P A U S E ***]
Of
course, naturally, we want to be recognized, noticed.
However,
we can walk a narrower way, go through the gate that is not a straitjacket but
rather a strait that is a safe passage when we surrender this recognition, or
this desire for recognition.
In
a similar way, St. Paul is famous for writing us that it is not that money is
the root of all evils but that “the desire
of money is the root of all evils” (1
Timothy 6:10).
John
Henry Newman observes that Christian discipline begins not simply by a
surrender of something material but of something spiritual. It begins not by
writing a check but by allowing God’s law to be written in us, by considering
our desires.
Thus,
each day, we not only consider what evil we can give up or surrender… but also
what good we can give up for the sake of another.
This
helps us set our coordinates and find the narrow gate.
[*** P A U S E ***]
[__04__]
While
ignored by most people, the woman of the Gospel was noticed by our Savior
because she had her coordinates set properly.
She
knows the gate is a strait, the channel has boundaries, and the way is narrow.
She
only has 2 small coins and leaves them both at the Temple and for the Temple.
Can
we also put up with the loss of what is dear to us, to give up something
voluntarily as a gift to God?
For
example, we could be challenged at times to give up our anger, our bitterness.
Anger – is not necessarily – evil. There is, for example, righteous anger about
injustice. St. Paul writes, “Be ye angry
and sin not.” (Ephesians 4:26)
However,
is not as – Newman points out – dangerous to “indulge our anger … to fuel our
anger.”[1] After all, what can incite or raise our anger
to bitterness is when someone says… hey,
you’re angry! So … it is the narrow
way, the disciplined way is to surrender this, to give it up, to seek the
narrow way.
[__05__] On this
Founder’s Day, we pause and remember those who also walked a narrow way to
establish and build a our first church at Cherry and Chestnut Streets in
1914-1915, and our church here at the Eagle Rock Avenue crossroads in 1964.
It
was through their sacrifices – and the sacrifices of many today that we are
able to worship, to serve God and to preach the Good News.
[__06__] By many acts of kindness and generosity, you
also give all that your have to our Temple, our Tabernacle, our church
[*** P A U S E ***]
[__07__] Our Savior wishes to recognize that our
discipleship and discipline are not only about a choice between the good the
evil, between justice and injustice.
It
is also a discernment about what is the greatest blessing- or the greater of
two goods – at any point in time.
In
1914, our founding pastor, Monsignor Nicholas Marnell and his trustees, David
J. Blake and Edward F. Byrne, and our first parish community, were called to
establish this church, this parish to build.
Yes,
the community already had a beautiful church, St. John’s in Orange which was in
1914 …already in existence and thriving for over 60 years. St. John’s was founded
in 1851.
Our
community had to start small ..and we
had our first Catholic Mass in West Orange, 101 years ago – today [this Sunday / tomorrow] on November 8,
1914, at 7:00 am.
Then
– about a year later, the celebration of Sunday Mass started in the church at
Cherry and Chestnut Streets.
Strait
was the gate and narrow was the way leading to the 1964 construction of this
church. We can be grateful for the patience, perseverance of our priests and
deacons, our Sisters of Charity, the People of God of West Orange who helped us
arrive here today.
[__08__] In the
Gospel this Sunday, our Savior wishes us to remember to put him first, ahead of
all praise and recognition.
Beware
the GPS coordinates of the scribes and Pharisees who point themselves too far
NORTH with their ego and too far WEST with their explorations to recognize God.
On
its own, Newman has observed that this love of praise is “innocent” an “innocent passion.”[2] Of course, who among us does not want to be
praised, to have our sons and daughters praised, our family recognized. We pray
for their prosperity, don’t we? And we pray for our own.
[__09__] Newman remind us, however, that praise and
applause can make us forget our weakness, our fragility our brokenness After
all, are we not selective about what praise we will head.
Two
different people might praise you – or me – or extend a compliment for the same
thing. However, we may treat one of the two unjustly. We may prefer the praise – or value the
opinion – of one person more than another.
Or,
as Jesus says in the Gospel, about life and death, one compliment we will take
[seriously] the other will be left. (cf.
Matthew 24:40)
???
I set myself up as the judge. ??
[__10__] The
101st Anniversary of our parish foundation reminds us to give thanks
for God’s presence among us.
[__11__] When
young Jessica was in the woods [in Connecticut], she made one more attempt to
avoid the long walk home. On the way back, she paused, and as any true New
Yorker would, put her hand in the air, and turned her attention to find –
somewhere in the distance a yellow vehicle with the “on duty and available”
light illuminated.
She
was hailing a cab.
Her
mother, in disbelief, was told,
“Don’t’
worry, Mom, one will come … one will come.”
What
hope, prayer, faith.
[__12__] We can also give thanks for our journey of 101
years, the walk we have made and the fact that our Lord has come and will come
again.
He
has come to save us in his word, in the Sacraments of the Church which we
celebrated here, in his presence in the Tabernacle and with our Holy Communion,
his coordinates for us.
“Strait is
the gate and narrow is the way which leadeth unto life” (Matthew 7:14)
Our
Lady of Lourdes, Pray for Us.
[__13__]
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