Offering It Up (2020-09-27, Sunday - 26)

2020-09-27 _ 26^th Sunday

● Ezekiel 18:25-28  ● Psalm 25 ● Philippians 2:1-11 ● + Matthew 21:28-32 ●

Title:  Offering it up.

[_01_]   In the 1980’s, before he was an NFL football quarterback, Rodney Peete was on a track team in high school.  Rodney Peete played for USC, the Oakland Raiders and Philadelphia Eagles and other teams. But along the way, he was also a runner on his high school track team.

          Rodney told the following story of a real-life come-from-behind victory. He was the “anchor” or the 4^th runner in a 4-man relay team. By the time, he received the baton, he was almost 100 meters behind the leader and would have great difficulty catching up.

          Young Rodney was determined, however. Then, from the crowd, he heard his father’s voice cheering him on very clearly. This motivated him, energized him and so much so that he did win the race, in a dramatic come-from-behind victory for this team.

[_02_]      In his autobiography, Rodney writes in some detail about the role of his parents in cheering him on, encouraging him.

          And, I know that so many of you – as parents, grandparents, as family members and as teachers and coaches – also cheer on and encourage young people beyond what they might view as their true potential.

[_03_]        As he became a father to his own son, this moment loomed large in Rodney’s memory. But, this was not because his own was breaking records for speed. Rather, Rodney reflected on this in his autobiography because – by age 3 – his son had been diagnosed with autism and had become non-verbal and non-communicative.

          His relationship with his wife was also going downhill, deteriorating, declining …

 [Both Rodney and his wife - Holly] sought out doctors and specialists, and were told that [their son – also named Rodney or “RJ”] would never be in a mainstream school, would never speak, would never look them in the eyes, would never say "I love you."

Peete says he went into "denial," in part because of his own expectations as a man and a father.

"We believe we can fix everything," he says. "We have our own goals for our children, especially sons. I wasn't able to connect with my son, who was my firstborn son, who had my name. I was in denial about what he had, what the doctor was telling us. It was a dark time for us." 

His wife's [Holly] response, he says, was positive: "Let's roll up our sleeves."  

 [_04_]        Things began to change when a specialist asked [Rodney] to get on the floor with his son. The idea was to try to interact with the R.J. [child] on his own level.

"It was just a disaster," [Rodney] recalls. "[My son] didn't look at me. He was playing with a fire engine at the time and kept turning the wheels around and around and really didn't pay any attention to me. I got up after five minutes, disgusted and disappointed."

Then the specialist got down on the floor and [his son] started responding to her, with laughs, smiles and attempts at talking.

[NPR.ORG, Rodney Peete’s Journey to Accept Son’s Autism, April 13, 2010, https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=125902387]

 [_05_]  At this point, Rodney became increasingly angry and distant. His wife told him the following:

          “I cannot do this [care for our son] without you.  But …I also cannot do this with you… with you with your current attitude. If you do not change, you have to go, you have to leave….” [Rodney Peete, Not My Boy! (autobiography)]

 [_06_]          Much of the journey of redemption is how Rodney – as a father and husband – does change his ways – does change his mind and is on board with the mother of his son who also needs him.

 [_07_]   In our reading from the prophet Ezekiel, we are told this about turning away from what is bad to what is good. This is paraphrased   “if someone who is good turns away from what is good and commits sin and dies, it is because of the sin he has committed he must die.

          Rodney Peete was, in his case, not physically dying, but he was experiencing the potentially lethal or fatal effect of sin as he retreated from his family. And, isn’t it true that our willful free choice to do wrong is not life giving?

         

 [_08_]         For example, when we have succumbed to or surrendered to anger or revenge, we later feel cut off, disconnected, we need God’s grace to bring us back to life.

          Or, in the case of Rodney Peete who admits that he sought comfort in a glass of Scotch whiskey more than a few times, he was not living up to his calling as a father, he needed to be brought back to life.

          We all need this – perhaps our “retreat” is not necessarily into drugs or alcohol. But, there are many addictive substances, habit-forming images or behaviors that can take away our lives, and certainly – at least – slow us down.

[_09_]  Paradoxically, Rodney described that once he accepted the diagnosis of autism and and started to work in partnership with his wife…. Once he made the commitment, once he accepted what he thought was impossible, then he was liberated, free ..and able to find what was possible.

          The Gospel parable of the 2 sons that we are always at a crossroads or at an intersection.

          Very few of us are 100% the stubborn son who walks away. Very few of us are 100% the “saved” son who follows his Father’s voice to the max.

          Depending on circumstances, on our own woundedness, prayerfulness, we can find ourselves in either place.

          In Catholic tradition, we also have the devotional practice of “offering it up.”

          Of, offering up our daily hardships to give them meaning. Or, perhaps offering up the hardship we know is carried by a child, or an elderly person.

          Offer up the ordinary hardship of a telephone call that went on too long, or the inconvenience of being cut off in traffic – or in a conversation.

          Offer up the misunderstanding. Offer it up, to go into the Father’s vineyard, even if we said “No” originally.

          And, recognize that Jesus could have saved the world without us, but he invited us to be his disciples and share fully the cross and resurrection. He has called you and needs your help.

          As B16 wrote, “[offering it up means that your  (my) hardships]  somehow became part of the treasury of compassion so greatly needed by the human race. In this way, even the small inconveniences of daily life could acquire meaning and contribute to the economy of good and of human love. Maybe we should consider whether it might be judicious to revive this practice ourselves.  (Benedict XVI, Encyclical: Spe Salvi, n. 40,  30 November 2007)

 [_10_]           [_fin_]