RSVP (2020-08-30, Sunday - 22)

RSVP

2020-08-30 _ 22^nd Sunday

● Jeremiah 20:7-9  ● Psalm 63 ● Romans 12:1-2 ● + Matthew 16:21-27  ●

Title: RSVP

[_01_]   The title of this homily is: R.S.V.P. = “please respond”

Recently, I received an invitation from a friend to an outdoor BBQ / picnic in September. He has never invited me to a BBQ because there is usually a get together in December / Christmas inside a restaurant.

            The text read as follows:

“You are invited to our first – and maybe annual – BBQ outdoors in the backyard. Please RSVP by ….”

            I was not in on the planning of this outdoor BBQ, but it seemed to me that this September outdoor event is going to replace the indoor gathering in December, that we may not be able to have because restaurants are not open yet.

          That’s just my “hypothetical” prediction about the meaning of this RSVP.

[_02_]   We read in 1^st Corinthians, N.T., that the reason for Jesus’ suffering and the Cross was a reminder that we cannot predict the future.

          What seemed to be a defeat for Jesus is actually a victory. As St. Paul writes: “the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength.” (1 Cor 1:25)

          So, there is strength in suffering – contrary to what Peter the Apostle may have thought when he first heard about the Passion of our Lord – there is strength in suffering.

[_03_]   In the Gospel, this Sunday, Peter the Apostle is being asked to RSVP. You and I are all being asked to RSVP, to respond to a future and current reality of suffering.

          This is the personal invitation from Jesus, our Savior:

          “Take up your cross and follow me.”

          So, there is strength in suffering. I’d like to touch on this strength in 3 ways:

[_04_]    SUFFERING as … 

Conventional strength

Confidential strength

          Communal strength

Suffering can be a “conventional” or widely accepted strength because it’s supposed to make us “better”. But in this very conventional view suffering is equated with military boot camp, NFL combine, or spring training.

          The conventional view, then, is that suffering separates the weak from the strong.

[_05_]        Suffering is – by “convention” and popular acceptance that there will be some difficulty in everyone’s life.

          And, conventionally we can view certain forms of suffering and pain as a gift for personal improvement, betterment.

          I went for physical therapy once and the P.T. jokingly said, “you know I am here to inflict pain on you with these exercises”

          In fact, practitioners in both physical health and mental health do not exist in order to cause us pain, though there may be discomfort in the short term. And, thus suffering is conventional and commonplace.

[_06_]     But, that’s not the suffering Jesus has in store for us. We suffer so that we can join our vulnerability to his.

          But, at this point in the Gospel, Peter does not quite get this. Peter would be OK with the suffering part as long it would lead to victory in Jerusalem.

          Peter has a conventional view of suffering as something which is not beautiful and not consoling

          The Christian view of the Cross, however, is that Jesus’ suffering and our suffering with him is beautiful and consoling.

[_07_]      2^nd. CONFIDENTIAL.

          Suffering is something that touches each of us in different ways at different times. The same tragic circumstance touches each of us distinctly.

          And, while we are called to share each other’s burdens and help each other, we often cannot remove the root cause – “eradicate” – of someone’s suffering.

 

[_08_]     While I am aware that I cannot know what everyone’s exact suffering is…this fact was emphasized to me recently.  I was with 2 of my friends and while both of them knew me, they did not really know each other’s history and biography.

          One said to the other how wonderful it was that the other one’s son would be attending a very fine high school. He thought it was a fine high school because he went there! Then, he said, and you and your wife are going to be so proud when he graduates from this very fine high school.

          But, my friend had suffered the death of his wife several years ago…she will not be there physically at such a graduation, having died several years earlier.

          I felt the need – based on “convention” to apologize for the error, and the person how made the error never really knew.

          I realized, however, that I was not going to fix this by anything I said.

          Suffering is confidential.

          Take up your cross and follow me.  Or, as Jesus also says of suffering:

          “Come to me all you who labor and are heavy burdened and I will give you rest.”  (Matthew 11:28)

[_09_]      Suffering is not simply a conventional phase of therapy.

          And, while shared suffering can help us to bond, it is also to a degree confidential.

          The confessional and sacrament of penance reminds us that there is a place for us to share our deepest sufferings, even out loud, yet privately. That’s confidential strength.

[_10_]      3^rd. Suffering is communal.

          Suffering can draw us together. I have noticed – perhaps you have noticed – that those who have experienced suffering are also those able talk with tenderness and sensitivity to others not because they have all the answers but because they know what some of the questions are.

[_11_]       The conventional view is that suffering itself is going to make us better. We are not made better by suffering. We endure suffering out of our own goodness and also by God’s grace.

          We might be hurt or even injured in our suffering. Suffering may be due to an inherent evil.

          But, the unconventional and Christian view is that suffering need not destroy us. Sin and death will not destroy us.

          It can bring us together.

          Take up your cross and follow me.

          That’s the invitation.

          Please RSVP as soon as you can.      [_fin_]

Wake Up. Shape Up. Shake Up. (2020-08-23, Sunday-21)

 2020-08-23 _ 21^st Sunday

● Isaiah 22:19-23  ● Psalm 138 ● Romans 11:33-36 ● + Matthew 16:13-20  ●

[_01_]   Like many people, I want to win.

I have a bit of a competitive streak. So, when I heard there was an “intelligence quotient” I.Q. test available online/computer and that my friends are signing up. I thought, I am in, I want to register and compete on this IQ test.

A few weeks ago, I had such an opportunity to “sign up” for such an IQ test right there at the comfort of my computer without going anywhere.

It was about 8 in the morning. I was fresh, ready to go.

I wanted to win, with a high score.

[_02_]    After the final question, I was asked for my email address which I did not want to give up to someone I did not know.

          Also, it was getting kind of close to the beginning of Morning Mass at 8:30 am. And, I had a choice to make…. Do I hang around this I.Q. test and the computer, or do I go where I am supposed to be, to church?

          I decided in a rare act of self control around the computer where I can be easily distracted and drawn in and I said,

          “You Jesus are the Christ, the Son of the Living God.”

          I am not giving my email address, I am walking away from the I.Q. test.  I had to be in church.

[_03_]    GOSPEL.

          The disciples are being asked questions by Jesus as teacher. It’s not an I.Q. test.

          1^st Q: “who do people say that I am?”   

          And, they respond:  some people ‘like’ you as Elijah, say you as Moses, ‘like’ you as Jeremiah.

          Then, Jesus asked, “but who do you say that I am?”

          Jesus was trying to wake them up to his identity.

          That it’s not about their I.Q., or my I.Q., but that our lives are about Jesus, and our personal relationship to him.

          Faith is a wake-up call.

          I’d like to discuss in this homily, faith as a “wake-up”, for I had to wake myself to choose “church” over the computer.

          What’s my natural and preferred natural way of doing things? Take the I.Q. test, rack up points, and prove how smart I am to everyone. That’s my twisted broken way. There is another way. Wake up!

          2^nd Faith is also a shape-up. I use the word “shape”as in circle or triangle.  Faith as a shape up.

          3^rd. And, faith as a shake-up. We are in time “shake up” or instability right now.

 

[_04_]   Faith is a shape-up.

By the way, all the regular physical work-out gyms are closed, we are open for your fitness and discipline. No membership fee!

And, we are called to practice virtues and disciplines with intention.

          Through prayer and quiet, I can better see – we all can – the shape or connectivity our lives. This is the continuity or shape of faith rather than the disruptive force of my own ego helps me to see this. It is a commitment.

         

[_05_]     Faith in God and Gospel has provided me with the consolation beyond my I.Q. and personal strength that God is merciful to me not only in my triumphs but also in my troubles.

          Also, in prayer and quiet time before the Blessed Sacrament reminds me to see how I have been blessed by my own parents and family, by you the Lourdes parish family, by our parish staff and volunteers.

          To see the connectivity and shape of our lives.

 

 [_06_]    Faith in God is also going to shake us up. It’s a shake up. There will be instability.

          Right now, we are in a time of great shake up, instability, uncertainty due to the pandemic, due to sheltering at home, school.

          At the end of the Gospel this Sunday, Jesus orders the disciples to be secret and silent.

          Jesus, first, reveals he is the Messiah but then tells them not to say anything. Why?

          Is this yet another shake up?

          He says this because he knows that they still need further instruction on who the Messiah is, their I.Q. needs to go a few points higher.

          For now, he is waking them up and shaping them up. And he will further shake them up next Sunday.

          I’d like to share an example…  

 

[_07_]   At the beginning of game # 5 of the 2013 basketball season, I was a chaplain for the men’s basketball team at [FDU] Fairleigh Dickinson University in Teaneck. I already been the chaplain – with the team – for 4 games.

          We liked to win, to be victorious also, just as I wanted to win on the I.Q. test.

We had 1 victory, 3 losses. No one – I assure you – was blaming me or blaming God for having only 1 victory. Were “one and three”.

          Game # 5 was scheduled at Rutgers (New Brunswick, actually at the R.A.C. in Piscataway). We were in a hurry to get to the basketball arena, due to a traffic delay and heavy rain.

          We were one hour late.

          Due to the delay, things changed before the game. The coach told me, “Ok, Father Jim, there is no time for a public prayer with the players in the locker room. Silent prayer today, Father Jim, private prayer.”.

          It reminded me – in some parallel way – what Jesus says to the disciples: “don’t’ tell anyone about me…” Be silent.

          Then, the team went out to the basketball court to play Rutgers whom Fairleigh Dickinson defeated in an upset. FDU does not normally beat Rutgers and certainly not in Rutgers “home” arena and not after being one hour late.

          The coach was pleased. From that point on, I did a lot of silent prayers, private prayers for the team.

          I still pray for the coach and players.

          So, the shake up for me was remember that those we pray for … when we are separated from them…or maybe they do not even notice us praying them, that these prayers matter…

 

          And, they are not just effective because someone wins, but because we experiencing the win or loss together.

          About 4 months ago – in May of this year, the same coach of the same team wanted me to pray with his team again. This time it was on a Zoom conference call. The season was over, cancelled as all sports have been, but he wanted his players to know that their connection to each other as a team and their growth as individuals is went grade point average or shooting percentage or wins and losses.

[_08_]     We are called to pray for others, even for those who do not believe in God, those who do not go to church or cannot come to church right now.

          Jesus prayer for us and questions to us remind us to … WAKE UP… 

both life and eternal life.

          To be shaped up and changed by his mercy. For mercy and forgiveness are not gifts or “stamps of approval” so that we can remain the same but so that we can be converted and change and recognize Jesus as the Christ, the Son of the Living God, our Savior.

          And, faith reminds that Jesus will endure the ultimate shakeup laying down his life for you and me.  That’s the greatest love and victory of all.

          Want to win?

          Tune in next Sunday.

          To be continued.

 [_fin_]

The Woman of Canaan. Honor.Humor.Humility (2020-08-16, Sunday-20)

2020-08-16 _ 20^th Sunday

● Isaiah 56:1, 6-7 ● Psalm 67 ● Romans 11:13-15, 29-32 ● + Matthew 15:21-28  ●

DISCIPLES. DEAL. DISMISSAL. NEXT !

[_01_]    Right at the moment that the Canaanite woman appears on the scene with a request for healing of her daughter and with a profession of faith in Jesus, but before the woman can actually reach Jesus, the disciples intervene.

[_02_]     It’s important recognize that the disciples are not rebuffing her completely. They are just trying to get her “a deal” i.e., some help from Jesus and then everyone can move on. It’s easy to read the passage and see the disciples as being un-helpful. They are – in a material sense – interested in helping her. She is interested in not just material help.

          I say this because the verb being used for “dismiss” is not one that implies complete rejection, but one used in other contexts where the “dismissal” is also an act of compassion, in the way that a prisoner would be “dismissed” from prison or a someone who owes money would be “dismissed” from debt.

          (Examples in Matthew chapter 18, parable of the unforgiving servant, and one is “dismissed” from debt/money owed, or Barabbas being dismissed from jail by Pontius Pilate).

          The disciples just want this to be over. They are more interested in a transaction than a transition/conversion.

 [_03_]     Canaan.ANCESTRY.COM

          She does not want this to be “over”. She just arrived.

          Her arrival and ancestry – in the ANCESTRY.COM of ancient Israel and Palestine is important..

          As an outsider to Jewish faith, as a Canaanite, she recognizes Jesus as Messiah. She is quite insistent.

          The disciples are trying to “help” her even if they really just want to get her a “deal” and then move on.

GRANDMA

[_04_]    I’d like to compare the disciples and their deal making to an incident with my grandmother years ago.

          Just at the moment before my parents were to sign on the dotted line to buy their first house, my grandmother came to see the house and she even met the real estate agent to which she said this about the price:

 “Can’t you get this couple (i.e., my parents) a lower price, a better deal?”

          My grandmother’s request was heard. It is remembered fondly by our family. It had absolutely no monetary effect on the price or down payment or anything.

 [_05_]     My parents did, in fact, get the money together, purchase the house and we moved in a month later. My grandmother was very pleased with the purchase, telling my parents never to move, never to sell this 3 bedroom home with a nice front and backyard for the very high price of $38,000.

          In a way, my grandmother had faith went beyond the “art of the deal” – she believed in the house, our family ….

MORE THAN A DEAL

[_06_]   Getting someone a deal is not the same as truly faithful and loving relationship.

          The disciples are interested in the transaction or the deal. The Canaanite woman is interested in more …

          In this passage, the average disciple does not quite have the same faith as the Canaanite outsider.

[_07_]      I’d like to touch on 3 aspects of her faith which also are lessons for us.

HONOR. HUMOR. HUMILITY

[_08]     1^st .HONOR.

          We pay respect quite natural and easily to people whom we know to be powerful and influential or reputable.

          In a way, my grandmother “honored” and esteemed the real estate agent by attributing to him the power to reduce or renegotiate the price.

          Whom do we honor?

          One of the things we have learned during the pandemic about our own community, neighborhood and world is that there are countless unnoticed essential workers, some in recognizable uniform, some not so easily recognized in the supermarket, at a construction site, in a hospital …and not just nurses and physicians but also those who sanitize and clean work in building security.

          There are many people we are called to honor and respect even before they do anything.

          Isn’t this one aspect of real respect/faith/love for another person. I am focused on who you are than what you do.

          The Canaanite woman of the exemplifies love for Jesus even before he does anything.

          Are we not called to love and honor God and neighbor similarly?

[_09__]     2^nd.HUMOR.

There is banter and exchange  and humor between Jesus and the woman.

          Is there any humor in my prayer? Do we share with God only our hopes and fears and not the strange – and sometimes funny things – that remind us of who we are.

          For months now and longer for many of us – we have experienced great isolation and perhaps the inability to share with others just everyday humorous things. This is also a cross to bear. I remind you to have conversations with Jesus as your Savior each day, to explain to Him – in your words – what has happened. This type of prayer reduces our isolation He is real.

          [*** pause ***]

          Pope John XXIII was known for his good humor in his night time prayers in which he could recall many stresses and anxieties of the day, but also would pray, “Lord, now it is your church, I am going to sleep…”

          Sometimes, we try very hard to control outcomes or result. But, do we see the humor and lesson when things do not go our way.

          Monsignor Joe Petrillo – our pastor of many years – was very good at this, even sharing his faux pas of which this particular one was revealing.

          You may recall that Monsignor Petrillo also worked for the Archdiocese of Newark in the office of personnel and talked with other archdiocesan officials about the assignment of priests to parishes.

          This endeavor required Monsignor to do something he did not want to do – use a mobile cell phone, answer it give out the number and dial, et cetera.

          He did not like the phone but eventually gave in and had to take calls often from RCAN.

          One day, driving between here are Newark, he was talking on the phone and saw lights and sirens, police in his rear view mirror and was pulled over.

          In a perfectly respectful way, of esteem, Monsignor Petrillo said as only he could in his innocent tone, “Officer, would it be helpful to know that I was talking in a conversation on the phone with the Archbishop of Newark?”

          The officer’s response was also respectful and negative, “No.”

          Monsignor Petrillo got a ticket and summons.

          He did not object but he could also see the humor and irony.

          We are all called to see the humor and irony as the Canannite woman does in pleading her case.

         Faith is strengthened by a sense of humor, also of humility.

[_10_]    3^rd.HUMILITY.

We read many times in the Gospel, “the last shall be first and the first shall be last.”

          And, so, this may be our limited definition of being “humble”.  I’ll get my turn. You’ll get yours.

          But, humility is more than waiting my turn or trying to get a better deal.

          One of the things we have learned during the pandemic is how essential school teachers – of all grade levels – are for the formation and education of young people.

          And, we have learned how demanding and defining their responsibilities of teachers are.

          Many teachers have had to manage their own households while delivering a virtual lesson to students also at home.

          For several months, the experience of learning has been broadcast wi-fi into your home.

          And, in case parents did not know it before, they can see how hard every teacher works to engage children.

          And, in case children did not know it before, they can see how hard their parents work to provide for them, to give them a home and everything in it.

          It teaches us that everything is a gift from God even the things we think we earned.

          Honor God.

          Humor Him in your prayers.

          Be humble before Him.

          In this our faith will be greater each day.   [_fin_]    

Talents, Trepidation, Walking on Water (2020-08-09, Sunday-19)

 2020-08-09 _ 19^th Sunday

● 1 Kings 19:9a, 11-13a ● Psalm 85 ● Romans 9:1-5 ● + Matthew 14:22-33  ●

 [_01_]    Peter gets a bad rap, for the times he doubted Jesus.

Peter gets a bad rap – despite his jumping feet first into the water – and walking a bit – he then becomes scared by the waves and sinks.

Peter gets a bad rap – for “sinking with his faith and sinking with his feet” but the fact that he  jumps feet first shows a level of action not taken by any other Apostle. None of them is itching to exit the little cruise ship or take off his  lifejacket. Peter did all of this, of course, without a life jacket. Do not try this at home!

 [_02_]        As a young person, I learned you could get the really cool summer job of being a lifeguard if you took the more advanced swimming lessons and life-saving classes. Though I never became a lifeguard, I did take some of the classes.

 

[_03_]   In one class, you had to  come to class with all your regular street clothes, plus shoes and socks and wearing all of this, jump feet first into the swimming pool – intentionally – fully clothed and then figure out how to survive …. There is a technique to it …I am not sure that I could reproduce it today.

          But, suffice it to say, we were also going feet first and then  figuring it out along the way.  Every item of clothing was going to be part of survival… nothing was going to be wasted. Some this you could not learn in a book !

Peter as an apostle was also learning “on the job”…. “in the field”..or in his case, “in the lake.”

 

 [_04_]    You and I are also wearing many layers. We may struggle to figure out what to do with them.

          I’d like to touch on these layers and how they might affect us. We may not need all of them to survive.

          Nevertheless, knowing what they are could be helpful.

[_05_]     1^st. There are layers of TALENT in all of us.

          We all have TALENTS, GIFTS.

          Sure, it’s good to be humble not to be too boastful or overestimate ourselves …it’s good not to be too demanding of other people and their capabilities.

          On the other hand, truth about our TALENTS is also important and recognition that they are God-given is important.

Sometimes, we constantly demean or degrade or refuse to accept or use our actual God-given gifts. Or, we do not expect the best of ourselves.  (Reference: Dietrich Von Hildebrand, Transformation in Christ (1940), “Ch. 1 The Readiness to Change”, San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 1990, p. 23)

Or, we do not expect too much of others due to a prior disappointment.

          So, we need TRUTH and TRUTHFULNESS regarding our talents and how to use them. We can falsely underestimate what we or others can do.

          Talent is a layer, do not lose sight of it.

          Also, we pray to God that we may understand our talents and those others.

[_06_]        2^nd. There are layers of TREPIDATION (or layers of FEAR), in all of us.

          Sometimes, the right type of foresight and judgment can really keep us out of trouble.

          But…too much FEAR or TREPIDATION and we do not do anything.

[_07_]     These layers can also get in the way of really seeking FORGIVENESS and being REPENTANT of our FAULTS and SINS.

[_08]     2^nd.  The idea

of REPENTING of our SINS may not fit in with our human natural of idea of what it means to have “TALENTS” or what it means to have “TREPIDATIONS / FEARS”

         

[_09_]    Why would I want to repent – or admit I have done something wrong …if it is all over and done with, water under the bridge and … by the way…I am not really sure if the other person even noticed?

          Isn’t that going to harm my “talents” or reputation? Isn’t that going to be scary? Causing fear? Trepidation?

          Who wants to do that?

          You do. I do. Peter did.

 

[_10_]    1 of the reasons Jesus offers us the Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation – the confessional – is because we ourselves may not instantly attain the perfection or totality of contrition internally and instantly.

          We need the covenant with God to manifested to us through the priest/pastor which helps us to say out loud – yet also privately – what we did wrong and to join that contrition to a community of believers and also to God.

          Have you not – in offering your apology to someone else – come to a new realization of sorrow for wrongdoing? In other words, our regret is no longer private but part of a community, relationship.   Similarly, coming before God, we realize that our repentance is not something purely private or solitary.

          Forgiveness does not reduce our TALENTS; forgiveness need not cause us TREPIDATION, fear.

And, when we admit our wrongdoing to a person we love as also to Jesus whom we love, it can only strengthen the relationship.

 This repentance also helps us to forgive others… to start to forgive them – is to recognize that we are all sinners, in need of being rescued, and like the bread and wine on the altar, capable of being part of the Body of Christ in the world. [_fin_]

Add, Subtract, Divide ... Multiply ! (2020-08-02, Sunday 18)

2020-08-02 _ 18^th Sunday  ● Isaiah 55:1-3 ● Psalm 145 ● Romans 8:35, 37-39 ● + Matthew 14:13-21  ●

 [_01_]     This is the Gospel of the multiplication of the loaves and fishes.

          Given that that this is the multiplication – multiplying – I’d like to touch on 4 aspects of being in church – or praying – that lead up to this calling to us to be multiplied.

          For it is not just the loaves and fishes that are multiplied, because the multiplication is a precursor to the sacrifice of Jesus’ Body and Blood on Calvary. And, we – receiving his Body and Blood – are multiplying his presence …multiplying his presence in our own homes, in our own school, in our own family.

          Our Savior has this goal for all of us to be multiplied I’d like to touch on in this in 4 parts, as the 4 parts of going to Mass.

 

[_02_]     Part. 1. ADDITION.

          “Addition” or 1 + 1 = 2, helps us to understand multiplication.

          And, what happens at the beginning of Mass or even before we come to Mass – there is some addition – or adding – going on..

          That is, when you come to church –to Sunday Mass – or even when you pray at home as part of our parish family – you are consciously choosing to add yourself to the assembly, to the community.

          These days, this adding or “addition” is more complicated because we are supposed to register for Sunday Mass.

          There’s even a headcount limit. I.e., we cannot have more than 100 people inside the church building.

          I assure you, we will keep you safe and we are not yet near the 100 person limit.

          In any case, coming to Mass to prayer, is often a conscious effort to pray and to add our prayer to an already busy schedule.

 

[_03_]     That is, that’s how we logically look at the task of praying. But, Jesus wants us to do the ADDITION a different way. That is, rather than adding our prayer to our To-Do list or daily schedule… rather… add our To-Do list or daily schedule to our prayer.

          Make Mass and prayer the center and priority of our day.

          St. Paul summarizes this,saying “Pray constantly, pray unceasingly.”

          Jesus touches on this in the encounter at home with Mary and Martha, reminding us that Mary has made Jesus’ Word her priority and focus and works everything in around that. For Martha, it seems to be the other way around.

          The better part – Mary’s part – is to put add the prayer as the first agenda item.

          Coming to Mass, nevertheless, you are added to our number. You count and  our lives are connected, not only physically but spiritually.

And, even if you participate from home, you are added to our number.

Jesus wants to add you here.

         

 

         

[_04_]     Part 2. SUBTRACTION.

          Subtraction helps us to get to multiplication. What is subtraction? 7 -2 = 5.

          That’s subtracting.

          Coming to pray or putting ourselves in God’s presence involves some subtracting or minimizing.

          This doesn’t mean God or the Church wants to diminish you or seize anything from you, but we are all called to take step back to allow God to work in our lives, to cooperate.

          We are called to subtract in order to cooperate with anybody.

          For example, recently, I was moving a desk down the stairs with my brother. We were moving it together. The desk was not super heavy. Part of the trick of moving a large object is to allow the weight to be distributed to be shared. I.e., do not try to lift it all by yourself. Subtract your own effort a bit, allow the person to add some effort. That’s a healthy subtraction.

          John the Baptist also summarizes this, saying of Jesus, “He must increase, but I must decrease.” (John 3:30)

          Subtraction is Good News.

          And, at Sunday Mass, I suggest that when we are attentive to readings and Gospel, we are trying to allow God’s ideas and God’s love to replace some of our own plans.

          We need SUBTRACTION in order to see this.

 

[_05_]     Part 3. DIVISION.

          Division helps us to understand multiplication.

          In the Gospel parable this Sunday, we see that the solution and salvation was in the loaves and fishes.

          But, before there was multiplication, there was a problem of division.

          I.e., the disciples were “divided” and disagreeing with Jesus about how to feed the crowd.

          What the disciples see – visually and naturally – are 5 loaves and 2 fishes, a quantity way too small to be divided and shared among so many.

          The disciples wished to dismiss the crowd, to disperse them, to divide them.

          Let them order on Instacart or GrubHub or stop at the supermarket on the way home.

 

[_06_]     We may have a similar attitude when we think of relationships in our life in which there are cracks or stress fractures or fault lines – i.e., “divisions.”

          We may meditate on these precisely when we are in church or in quiet. We may wonder how to heal them, if they can be healed, is there anything we can do?

          Sometimes, it’s long division!

          In the Gospel, Jesus reminds us that if our prayer or receiving of Communion reminds us of “division” with a brother or sister…in other words, if we are at the altar and remember that our brother or sister has something against, us, go first and be reconciled with this person, then return to the altar.

          We all have divisions that we may want to run from or avoid.

          And, for this…I suggest the solution is the multiplication…

 

[_07_]     For, by this miracle, Jesus is not simply saying he is going to multiply loaves and fishes, but he’s also going to multiply the compassion you bring to others, the forgiveness your bring, the hope and energy you bring…no matter how small or insignificant you may think it is.

          Jesus is going to multiply what we bring.

          Jesus is going to multiply the host and body and blood, multiplied so that it will nourish not only you but those whom you know and see…nourish even those you do not yet know.

          It starts by ADDING ourselves to God’s presence, SUBTRACTING our own ego so that God may work…  recognizing DIVISIONS and SINFUL FAULTS that need healing and allowing Jesus to multiply his presence in us and in our world.

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