This is my homily for Sunday 19 September 2010, 25th Sunday for the on-campus Sunday Mass (7:30 p.m.) of Fairleigh Dickinson University (FDU) Teaneck, NJ. Mass is every Sunday during Fall 2010 + Spring 2011 semesters. I am the Catholic campus minister for this campus and for the FDU Newman Catholic Association.
Readings: Amos 8:4-7 | Psalm 113 | 1 Timothy 2:1-8 | Luke 16:1-13
[__01] Can you judge a book by its cover? Can you judge a book by its cover or by what is inside?
We believe that the inside is what counts, in a book or a person.
In the Gospel, a servant, a steward appears – on the surface – to be doing his job. He is collecting money on behalf of the master, his boss. And, on the surface, he appears to be upright and honest.
This does not mean he is really upright and honest.
In fact, he has been behaving dishonestly and his behavior is noticed. He is caught. The Good News, however, is not that the “criminal” receives mercy, gets an acquittal.
The Good News is the mercy which he receives. The Good News is his willingness to turn his life around. This is the Good News for us that we can turn back to God in repentance and in confession.
And, the Good News is that we are not judged by what is on the cover. We are judge based not onl success or wealth or education. None of these things are bad. However, these do not reflect what exists in our hearts.
[__02] The steward - the servant in this parable -- is called in to the office. And his boss says to him from behind the desk:
“What is this I hear about you …?” (cf. Luke 16:1).
This is similar to the student being called into the office of the principal who says, “what’s going on in class? What is this your teacher is telling me?”
The servant has been caught stealing, caught with his hand, as we say, in the cookie jar. No more cookies for him. And, this is not circumstantial – or external – evidence on the cover. This is the internal reality also.
Surely he faces punishment.
[__03] However, there is a different type of justice, a justice and mercy given to the one who repents who is striving to change his behavior.
Jesus does not condemn the sinner in the Gospel but rather the one who covers up.
Remember what Jesus says about the scribes and the Pharisees, saying that they preach but do not practice:
“They preach but they do not practice .. ‘woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites. You lock the kingdom of heaven before human beings. You do not enter yourselves nor do you allow entrance to those trying to enter.’” (Matthew 23:3, 13)
The steward of this parable is praised for making the effort to change. He is no hypocrite; he was simply someone who was caught stealing and is now trying to change.
The master does not get even with his servant.
[__04_] This Sunday (September 19), our Catholic Church, in Birmingham, England, Cardinal John Henry Newman is beatified and recognized as “Blessed John Henry Newman” at a Papal Mass in Birmingham, England.
This beatification is the final step before Cardinal Newman would be canonized a saint.
And, John Henry Newman is known as one who examines things beyond the cover, beneath the surface, beyond the appearance ---- in both his academic research and spiritual ministry.
He took a degree from Oxford and went on to teach at Oriel College, Oxford.
Newman also touches on what we can and cannot gain from academic learning.
For example, it is our calling to go to school, and come to church, for that matter. so that we will be changed from the inside out. We are not here – at school or church – to have a more attractive appearance or cover.
However, sometimes, we are tempted to go for the cover, for what is glossy and beautiful.
We also may be tempted to enter certain relationships, entertain certain friendships for what they seem to offer us externally.
That is, I want to be friends with you because you are good looking, because you are amusing, because you are popular. Of course, I would not say these things out loud.
However, I might act this way.
I also might avoid a friendships with someone who invites me to change, who challenges me, who makes me uncomfortable or who is unpopular with others.
Would I judge a book by his cover? By her cover? Maybe.
And, we might do the same in attitude toward education and learning.
Newman writes:
“The danger of an elegant and polite education is that it separates feeling and acting. It teaches us to think, speak and be affected aright [i.e., to feel aright.]”
In other words, our education teaches us to have opinions, to vote on Election Day, to read the newspaper with a critical eye, and to ask questions.
However, does this learning/education change us on the inside, change our actions?
[__05_] The steward of the parable is in for a rude awakening – an education – in the boss’s office, in the principal’s office.
It would appear to be Bad News for him. Game Over. However, this is Good News.
The Good News is that he is willing to give up his profit making -- and -- use his intelligence to give back what he had gained.
Jesus uses exaggeration and hyperbole here also.
The steward surrenders not only his own profit but also bestows what does not belong to him. This may seem unnecessary, even dishonest. Perhaps, he is prolonging the original scandal. What we learn here is that Jesus’s own law and order are not our own. This is a new law & order series.
This new system is described to Samuel the prophet who is seeking the new king of Israel among the sons of Jesse. After interviewing seven sons of Jesse, Samuel is surprised that the Lord does not want any of them. Then, Samuel learns there is one more son, the youngest, the smallest, the nearly forgotten. This is David who is out tending the sheep.
The Lord directs Samuel to avoid judging by the cover, by the appearance and to select David … not despite his weakenss but for a strength no one else sees. This is the Good News that we are not judged by "appearance" or "countenance" or "lofty stature"
Not as man sees does God see, because man sees the appearance but the LORD looks into the heart. (1 Samuel 16:7) [___end___]
Saturday, September 18, 2010
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
The Probability of a Recall (2010-09-12)
This is my homily for Sunday 12 September 2010, 23rd Sunday for the on-campus Sudnay Mass (7:30 p.m.) of Fairleigh Dickinson University (FDU) Teaneck, NJ. Mass is every Sunday during Fall 2010 + Spring 2011 semesters.I am the Catholic campus minister for this campus and for the FDU Newman Catholic Association. Please see my profile below.
Readings: Exodus 32:7-111, 13-14 | Psalm 51 | 1 Timothy 1:12-17 | Luke 15:1-32
[_01_] The Good News of the Gospel today is the discovery of the missing, the finding of the lost.
Such discover and finding is a process; and, -- involves -- a method of searching.
• The shepherd and his 1 sheep out of 100 (one percent, 1%).
• The woman and her 1 coin out of 10 (ten percent, 10%)
• The father and his 1 son who is physically lost out of 2 (fifty percent, 50%).
[_02_] How do are lost objects discovered or found?
The method you and I follow and the method which the Father-Son-Holy Spirit follow are different. Two different methods.
Here is what you and I rely on:
• “Recall from the past” (memory)
• “Probability for the future” (percentages, odds)
[_03_] First, recall from the past.
Where was I? Losing my keys recently, I tried to “recall” all my steps, places where I had been, the shelves, the counters I might have passed, the pockets in which the keys are hiding from me -- defiantly. That’s memory or recall of the past.
[_04__] Secondly, “Probability for the future.”
I ask myself these questions?
• What is the percentage chance that I will find this object?
• Also – what is the probability that the object will have value after I find it? It could be: faded, disfigured, incomplete.
It takes energy and persistence to overcome the percentage odds. That is, it takes energy for me to search even when the odds of finding something of value may be low.
The Good News is that the Lord is energetic and persistent in waiting for you and me.
This is the parable of the Good Shepherd going after the 1%, the woman seeking the 10%. These parables remind us that God’s love goes beyond recall from the past and probability for the future.
[_05__] This can be true in our own experience of God’s love forgiveness.
For example, we can turn back to the Lord in repentance, in confession as many times as we wish. Confessing our sins, you and I may recall (very clearly) our own weakness, brokenness.
The prodigal son also recounts the history of betrayal to his father, saying, “I no longer deserve to be called your son.”
However, it is the Lord’s way, Christ’s way in confession to welcome us without such a memory. And, in confession, no one brings up your profile.
The father of the Prodigal Son does not retain such a memory of offenses. Nor does he rate his son statistically, even when the probability of his son’s return seems low.
[_06__] This searching, this waiting is not easy. There is no easy formula of past-memory and future-probability to tell us what’s next in life.
To tell us what is next if we are waiting –
• For healing of an illness
• For a relationship to improve
• For an answer to a question.
But we remember the Lord is patient and asks us to imitate him.
[_07__] On 9/11/2001, we witnessed hundreds of police, fire, EMS and civilians who gave their lives to rescue the lost and to find the injured. These police, fire, and EMS did this out of persistence and sacrifice. They responded to a call, a 9-1-1 different from all others.
They did not have clear memory, a clear plan or a probability of what would come next. But they knew the search – the search may have been for your friend, your child, your spouse, your loved one. The search itself was worthwhile.
We are grateful that their call of duty went beyond recall and probability.
[_08__] These parables remind us the Lord also believes in the search process, one unfolding each day. It unfolds in our prayer, our worship, and in the work of our lives.
Along the way, we might also take a wrong turn, and feel lost. We know that the Lord is waiting for us, inviting us to seek him above all things. And, he waits for us, even against all odds. [_end_]
Readings: Exodus 32:7-111, 13-14 | Psalm 51 | 1 Timothy 1:12-17 | Luke 15:1-32
[_01_] The Good News of the Gospel today is the discovery of the missing, the finding of the lost.
Such discover and finding is a process; and, -- involves -- a method of searching.
• The shepherd and his 1 sheep out of 100 (one percent, 1%).
• The woman and her 1 coin out of 10 (ten percent, 10%)
• The father and his 1 son who is physically lost out of 2 (fifty percent, 50%).
[_02_] How do are lost objects discovered or found?
The method you and I follow and the method which the Father-Son-Holy Spirit follow are different. Two different methods.
Here is what you and I rely on:
• “Recall from the past” (memory)
• “Probability for the future” (percentages, odds)
[_03_] First, recall from the past.
Where was I? Losing my keys recently, I tried to “recall” all my steps, places where I had been, the shelves, the counters I might have passed, the pockets in which the keys are hiding from me -- defiantly. That’s memory or recall of the past.
[_04__] Secondly, “Probability for the future.”
I ask myself these questions?
• What is the percentage chance that I will find this object?
• Also – what is the probability that the object will have value after I find it? It could be: faded, disfigured, incomplete.
It takes energy and persistence to overcome the percentage odds. That is, it takes energy for me to search even when the odds of finding something of value may be low.
The Good News is that the Lord is energetic and persistent in waiting for you and me.
This is the parable of the Good Shepherd going after the 1%, the woman seeking the 10%. These parables remind us that God’s love goes beyond recall from the past and probability for the future.
[_05__] This can be true in our own experience of God’s love forgiveness.
For example, we can turn back to the Lord in repentance, in confession as many times as we wish. Confessing our sins, you and I may recall (very clearly) our own weakness, brokenness.
The prodigal son also recounts the history of betrayal to his father, saying, “I no longer deserve to be called your son.”
However, it is the Lord’s way, Christ’s way in confession to welcome us without such a memory. And, in confession, no one brings up your profile.
The father of the Prodigal Son does not retain such a memory of offenses. Nor does he rate his son statistically, even when the probability of his son’s return seems low.
[_06__] This searching, this waiting is not easy. There is no easy formula of past-memory and future-probability to tell us what’s next in life.
To tell us what is next if we are waiting –
• For healing of an illness
• For a relationship to improve
• For an answer to a question.
But we remember the Lord is patient and asks us to imitate him.
[_07__] On 9/11/2001, we witnessed hundreds of police, fire, EMS and civilians who gave their lives to rescue the lost and to find the injured. These police, fire, and EMS did this out of persistence and sacrifice. They responded to a call, a 9-1-1 different from all others.
They did not have clear memory, a clear plan or a probability of what would come next. But they knew the search – the search may have been for your friend, your child, your spouse, your loved one. The search itself was worthwhile.
We are grateful that their call of duty went beyond recall and probability.
[_08__] These parables remind us the Lord also believes in the search process, one unfolding each day. It unfolds in our prayer, our worship, and in the work of our lives.
Along the way, we might also take a wrong turn, and feel lost. We know that the Lord is waiting for us, inviting us to seek him above all things. And, he waits for us, even against all odds. [_end_]
Sunday, September 5, 2010
You've Got First Class Mail (2010-09-05)
This is my homily for Sunday 5 September 2010, 23rd Sunday for the on-campus Sudnay Mass (7:30 p.m.) of Fairleigh Dickinson University (FDU) Teaneck, NJ. Mass is every Sunday during Fall 2010 + Spring 2011 semesters.I am the Catholic campus minister for this campus and for the FDU Newman Catholic Association. Please see my profile below.
READINGS: Wisdom 9:13-18b | Psalm 90 | Philemon 9-10, 12-17 | Luke 14:25-33
[_01_] An envelope is sent home.
This is one way teachers capture our attention. Sending an envelope home will command the attention of both the parent and the child/student.
Paul’s letter, our second reading, the letter to Philemon, bears a resemblance to the report card -- or the note sent home by the teacher. An evaluation is being offered – by Paul – not only for the “child/student” but also, we might say to the “parent/guardian”.
And, Philemon is the guardian. Philemon is homeowner, the addressee of the letter. The letter is addressed personally to him.
This letter to Philemon differs from some of the other New Testament letters. In these, Paul typically addresses all of the Corinthians of Corinth, or all of the Philippians of Philippi.
And, in those cases, we are called to apply the general message personally to our lives.
[_02_] But, here we have a letter which arrives individually in Philemon’s mailbox. And, he might be surprised that people are still reading his mail this many years later.
The letter pertains to Onesimus, his slave.
Paul is sending a personal note home from jail, from prison. Paul remains there and Onesimus is being released, released back to Philemon his owner.
Philemon receives the letter.
And, the letter challenges Philemon, challenges him as a slave owner and as a Christian to treat his slave with care, respect, dignity.
Here, we see a development in the early Church in the attitude toward slavery.
Paul is not trying to upend the social order and abolish slavery. Rather, he is appealing to one particular slave owner.
Paul reminds Philemon that we are all one in the Body and the Blood of Christ. We are called to take care of each other, even those we might be tempted to scorn or to mock.
[_03_] Paul is warm and generous toward Onesimus in prison. Paul is in prison. However, though an inmate himself with Onesimus, Paul has a social status greater than that of Onesimus. Paul is a Roman citizen; Onesimus is not.
Paul is in this prison because he asserted his right to a trial in Rome.
Paul’s own legal trouble began back in Palestine where was recognized as one who was preaching the Christian gospel. Some of the Jewish leaders wanted him detained, arrested, scourged, even executed.
Paul – as a Roman citizen – asserted his rights not only to a change in venue. That is, Paul wanted a trial in Rome, the capital of the empire. Paul is “extradited” back to Rome for trial and lands in prison there. It is in this prison that he meets and befriends Onesimus, the runaway slave.
[_04__] And Paul tells Philemon,
“[I send Onesimus] no longer as a slave, [but rather] a brother.”
So, Paul is saying that as a Roman citizen, he has a responsibility even to a slave.
And, we have a responsibility also.
As high school (college) seniors, responsibility to the freshman; as teachers, to students; as parents, responsibility to children; as Americans, to responsibility immigrants and to those new in our country; as bosses responsibility to workers (every day is Labor Day); as adult children responsibility also to parents with special needs.
[_05_] Paul treats the slave Onesimus with love, respect in prison.
And, he sends a person letter inviting Philemon to the same.
It is a letter with a first-class stamp, a personal appeal. And, these are the letters, the notes sent home that we find difficult to ignore. [_end_]
READINGS: Wisdom 9:13-18b | Psalm 90 | Philemon 9-10, 12-17 | Luke 14:25-33
[_01_] An envelope is sent home.
This is one way teachers capture our attention. Sending an envelope home will command the attention of both the parent and the child/student.
Paul’s letter, our second reading, the letter to Philemon, bears a resemblance to the report card -- or the note sent home by the teacher. An evaluation is being offered – by Paul – not only for the “child/student” but also, we might say to the “parent/guardian”.
And, Philemon is the guardian. Philemon is homeowner, the addressee of the letter. The letter is addressed personally to him.
This letter to Philemon differs from some of the other New Testament letters. In these, Paul typically addresses all of the Corinthians of Corinth, or all of the Philippians of Philippi.
And, in those cases, we are called to apply the general message personally to our lives.
[_02_] But, here we have a letter which arrives individually in Philemon’s mailbox. And, he might be surprised that people are still reading his mail this many years later.
The letter pertains to Onesimus, his slave.
Paul is sending a personal note home from jail, from prison. Paul remains there and Onesimus is being released, released back to Philemon his owner.
Philemon receives the letter.
And, the letter challenges Philemon, challenges him as a slave owner and as a Christian to treat his slave with care, respect, dignity.
Here, we see a development in the early Church in the attitude toward slavery.
Paul is not trying to upend the social order and abolish slavery. Rather, he is appealing to one particular slave owner.
Paul reminds Philemon that we are all one in the Body and the Blood of Christ. We are called to take care of each other, even those we might be tempted to scorn or to mock.
[_03_] Paul is warm and generous toward Onesimus in prison. Paul is in prison. However, though an inmate himself with Onesimus, Paul has a social status greater than that of Onesimus. Paul is a Roman citizen; Onesimus is not.
Paul is in this prison because he asserted his right to a trial in Rome.
Paul’s own legal trouble began back in Palestine where was recognized as one who was preaching the Christian gospel. Some of the Jewish leaders wanted him detained, arrested, scourged, even executed.
Paul – as a Roman citizen – asserted his rights not only to a change in venue. That is, Paul wanted a trial in Rome, the capital of the empire. Paul is “extradited” back to Rome for trial and lands in prison there. It is in this prison that he meets and befriends Onesimus, the runaway slave.
[_04__] And Paul tells Philemon,
“[I send Onesimus] no longer as a slave, [but rather] a brother.”
So, Paul is saying that as a Roman citizen, he has a responsibility even to a slave.
And, we have a responsibility also.
As high school (college) seniors, responsibility to the freshman; as teachers, to students; as parents, responsibility to children; as Americans, to responsibility immigrants and to those new in our country; as bosses responsibility to workers (every day is Labor Day); as adult children responsibility also to parents with special needs.
[_05_] Paul treats the slave Onesimus with love, respect in prison.
And, he sends a person letter inviting Philemon to the same.
It is a letter with a first-class stamp, a personal appeal. And, these are the letters, the notes sent home that we find difficult to ignore. [_end_]
Saturday, August 28, 2010
Wait Watching (2010-08-29)
This is my homily for Sunday 29 August 2010, 22nd Sunday. On-campus Mass at Fairleigh Dickinson University (FDU) Teaneck, NJ resumes 7:30 p.m. Sunday August 29 for the 2010-2011 school year. I am the Catholic campus minister for this campus and for the FDU Newman Catholic Association.
Readings: Sirach 3:17-18 | Psalm 68 | Hebrews 12: 18-19, 22-24 | Luke 14:1, 7-14
[_01__] In the Gospel, we observe guests who want to be seated, in a hurry.
They care only that they are in first class, in the honored seats.
“Every man, woman, and child for himself.”
Has the party formally started? Has anyone been seated? Did they RSVP? Who knows?
It is possible that some of those who are sitting in the honored seats also belong in the honored seats. Maybe the President and Vice President and Governor and a few Senators are there. However, to everyone who is not (or not yet) such an elected official and VIP, Jesus is speaking, to all of them and to all of us.
The Lord speaks about the waiting that is involved in our lives, and the patience involve, and the delays we experience.
[_02__] In many areas of our lives, we encounter delays in getting there.
• In sports, to be strong, to be intelligent to compete well. It takes practice.
• In academics – to learn, to study. It takes time.
• In music, the arts – to use our ears and hands and eyes for true beauty. It takes technique and rehearsal.
Then, we also see
• Awards that others receive
• Houses or rooms – or residence halls - they live in.
• Friends whom they have.
And, we wonder, “Why can’t I have that?”
[_03_] It is important to ask the Lord for what we really want. To ask him how our waiting, how our goal, how our objective may be beneficial.
For example, to ask him in prayer, how we can grow to be best we can, how we can excel in the classroom, on the field, or improve in our relationships with others.
And, also it is important to consider how are our relationships, our efforts helping others, showing love.
• What we are we doing to help others who may experience a delay?
• What am I doing to help the new student in my class, or on my school bus, in my dorm? To help the person in a new place or the new one who is far from home?
• What we are doing to exalt the humble? To give up our seats, to help the last and the least become first?
[__04_(Σ)_] There is waiting involved in the spiritual life and in many aspects of our lives. One example from the Gospel is Thomas the Apostle.
In the Easter Gospel, we recall that Thomas is the one who is not present when Jesus appears to the other apostles in the Upper Room.
John Henry Newman, in his sermon Faith and Sight, reflects on the life of Thomas who has to wait one more week than the other apostle to discover Jesus has risen from the dead.
However, Thomas is blessed in this period of time, this period of waiting.
And, blest are we, blest are we also who blessed are all who wait up on God’s will, blessed are those who have not seen and have believed. (John 20:29)
[__05__] There is waiting involved in the spiritual life and in many aspects of our lives.
• Studying, reading, writing – waiting as we try to understand the material. It does not all happen at once or in one semester.
• Making new friends, and maybe, also, letting go of old friends who may have gone a different way, to other schools, to new jobs.. This does not mean that these friendships will end. But, they may enter a different phase.
• There is waiting involved in showing our affection, our love for others. Sometimes, others do not return our love in the way we had been expecting.
The Good News of the Gospel reminds us that the Lord is with us when we wait, whether we are already seated or whether we are delayed, even with cancelled flight, and at the back of the line where the last shall be first. [__end__]
Readings: Sirach 3:17-18 | Psalm 68 | Hebrews 12: 18-19, 22-24 | Luke 14:1, 7-14
[_01__] In the Gospel, we observe guests who want to be seated, in a hurry.
They care only that they are in first class, in the honored seats.
“Every man, woman, and child for himself.”
Has the party formally started? Has anyone been seated? Did they RSVP? Who knows?
It is possible that some of those who are sitting in the honored seats also belong in the honored seats. Maybe the President and Vice President and Governor and a few Senators are there. However, to everyone who is not (or not yet) such an elected official and VIP, Jesus is speaking, to all of them and to all of us.
The Lord speaks about the waiting that is involved in our lives, and the patience involve, and the delays we experience.
[_02__] In many areas of our lives, we encounter delays in getting there.
• In sports, to be strong, to be intelligent to compete well. It takes practice.
• In academics – to learn, to study. It takes time.
• In music, the arts – to use our ears and hands and eyes for true beauty. It takes technique and rehearsal.
Then, we also see
• Awards that others receive
• Houses or rooms – or residence halls - they live in.
• Friends whom they have.
And, we wonder, “Why can’t I have that?”
[_03_] It is important to ask the Lord for what we really want. To ask him how our waiting, how our goal, how our objective may be beneficial.
For example, to ask him in prayer, how we can grow to be best we can, how we can excel in the classroom, on the field, or improve in our relationships with others.
And, also it is important to consider how are our relationships, our efforts helping others, showing love.
• What we are we doing to help others who may experience a delay?
• What am I doing to help the new student in my class, or on my school bus, in my dorm? To help the person in a new place or the new one who is far from home?
• What we are doing to exalt the humble? To give up our seats, to help the last and the least become first?
[__04_(Σ)_] There is waiting involved in the spiritual life and in many aspects of our lives. One example from the Gospel is Thomas the Apostle.
In the Easter Gospel, we recall that Thomas is the one who is not present when Jesus appears to the other apostles in the Upper Room.
John Henry Newman, in his sermon Faith and Sight, reflects on the life of Thomas who has to wait one more week than the other apostle to discover Jesus has risen from the dead.
However, Thomas is blessed in this period of time, this period of waiting.
And, blest are we, blest are we also who blessed are all who wait up on God’s will, blessed are those who have not seen and have believed. (John 20:29)
[__05__] There is waiting involved in the spiritual life and in many aspects of our lives.
• Studying, reading, writing – waiting as we try to understand the material. It does not all happen at once or in one semester.
• Making new friends, and maybe, also, letting go of old friends who may have gone a different way, to other schools, to new jobs.. This does not mean that these friendships will end. But, they may enter a different phase.
• There is waiting involved in showing our affection, our love for others. Sometimes, others do not return our love in the way we had been expecting.
The Good News of the Gospel reminds us that the Lord is with us when we wait, whether we are already seated or whether we are delayed, even with cancelled flight, and at the back of the line where the last shall be first. [__end__]
Friday, August 13, 2010
Parting Gifts (2010-08-15, Assumption of BVM)
This is my homily for Sunday 15 August 2010, Feast of the Assumption. On-campus Mass at Fairleigh Dickinson University (FDU) Teaneck, NJ resumes 7:30 p.m. Sunday August 29 for the 2010-2011 school year. I am the Catholic campus minister for this campus and for the FDU Newman Catholic Association.
[__01] This Sunday, we celebrate the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. And, we hear this Gospel of the visitation of Mary to Elizabeth.
On this feast of the Assumption, we recall a final gift, one last gift.
Sometimes, after we stay somewhere, we feel obligated – or we feel moved – to leave some gift with the person or family with whom we stayed.
We offer this in exchange for the value of their time and hospitality in the house. And, also, in the hope that we will be invited back someday.
We might offer a gift, then, not only when we arrive but also when we leave.
[__02] Perhaps, at the end of her three-month stay with Elizabeth, Mary offered some gift to Elizabeth, something material.
We are not sure based on the Gospel.
However, we do know that by the end of Mary’s stay – the end of Mary’s stay on earth – Mary leaves behind something and someone behind.
Elizabeth also leaves someone behind.
Mary is mother of Jesus; Elizabeth is the mother of John the Baptist.
On this feast, we recall the legacy of Mary and Elizabeth, the legacy of Mary through Christ.
Today is the feast of her Assumption, marking the end of her earthly life.
The Blessed Virgin Mary falls asleep in death and is taken up to heaven. Her life is her final gift to us; however, we also believe that her life – her intercession for us – continues in heaven.
[__03] Thomas Merton observes – making the quite obvious statement in one of his essays – that death is the end of life.
However, Thomas Merton cautions us not to fear death or to become obsessed with death.
It is true that all life – all of our lives – are limited, just as our stay in any place is limited.
Merton suggests that we look beyond these superficial fact that that death is the end of life. His point is that if we treat death superficially – or without some appreciation of its seriousness – we will also treat life – our lives with superficiality.
And, if death becomes trivial … well, life can become trivial too.
[__04] Elizabeth and Mary – in the Visitation – are treating their lives and the lives they are nurturing with gratitude and some seriousness.
They recognize that the lives of their children are gifts. They are gifts to be treasured. However, they are also gifts that cannot fully possess or contain. Sometimes, these gifts contain surprises.
Ultimately, they are also gifts to be surrendered and shared.
This is the call to all of us – to remember that our true home is in heaven and the gift we will leave behind is also our lives.
[__05] At this Mass, M. and D. bring their child .... recognizing her life is also a gift, a gift they are now sharing their baby with all of us, with this Christian community.
And, it is also our responsibility to help them with our prayers, and with the example of our own honesty, integrity, and sacrifice.
We help this .... family also to bring their gift – their child – to the altar today and each day that they pray for her and for themselves and for their family. [__end]
[__01] This Sunday, we celebrate the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. And, we hear this Gospel of the visitation of Mary to Elizabeth.
On this feast of the Assumption, we recall a final gift, one last gift.
Sometimes, after we stay somewhere, we feel obligated – or we feel moved – to leave some gift with the person or family with whom we stayed.
We offer this in exchange for the value of their time and hospitality in the house. And, also, in the hope that we will be invited back someday.
We might offer a gift, then, not only when we arrive but also when we leave.
[__02] Perhaps, at the end of her three-month stay with Elizabeth, Mary offered some gift to Elizabeth, something material.
We are not sure based on the Gospel.
However, we do know that by the end of Mary’s stay – the end of Mary’s stay on earth – Mary leaves behind something and someone behind.
Elizabeth also leaves someone behind.
Mary is mother of Jesus; Elizabeth is the mother of John the Baptist.
On this feast, we recall the legacy of Mary and Elizabeth, the legacy of Mary through Christ.
Today is the feast of her Assumption, marking the end of her earthly life.
The Blessed Virgin Mary falls asleep in death and is taken up to heaven. Her life is her final gift to us; however, we also believe that her life – her intercession for us – continues in heaven.
[__03] Thomas Merton observes – making the quite obvious statement in one of his essays – that death is the end of life.
However, Thomas Merton cautions us not to fear death or to become obsessed with death.
It is true that all life – all of our lives – are limited, just as our stay in any place is limited.
Merton suggests that we look beyond these superficial fact that that death is the end of life. His point is that if we treat death superficially – or without some appreciation of its seriousness – we will also treat life – our lives with superficiality.
And, if death becomes trivial … well, life can become trivial too.
[__04] Elizabeth and Mary – in the Visitation – are treating their lives and the lives they are nurturing with gratitude and some seriousness.
They recognize that the lives of their children are gifts. They are gifts to be treasured. However, they are also gifts that cannot fully possess or contain. Sometimes, these gifts contain surprises.
Ultimately, they are also gifts to be surrendered and shared.
This is the call to all of us – to remember that our true home is in heaven and the gift we will leave behind is also our lives.
[__05] At this Mass, M. and D. bring their child .... recognizing her life is also a gift, a gift they are now sharing their baby with all of us, with this Christian community.
And, it is also our responsibility to help them with our prayers, and with the example of our own honesty, integrity, and sacrifice.
We help this .... family also to bring their gift – their child – to the altar today and each day that they pray for her and for themselves and for their family. [__end]
Thursday, August 12, 2010
The Final Bell (2010-08-08)
This is my homily for Sunday 8 August 2010, 18th Sunday in ordinary time. On-campus Mass at Fairleigh Dickinson University (FDU) Teaneck, NJ resumes 7:30 p.m. Sunday August 29 for the 2010-2011 school year. I am the Catholic campus minister for this campus and for the FDU Newman Catholic Association.
[__01] We have bells and alarms timed to tell us what to do.
We are accustomed to such bells … (or alarms) – when we wake up in the morning, when we go to school, when we watch or play soccer and basketball.
Recently, in the World Cup in South Africa, we became aware of the way that time is kept for the end of the game. That is, we cannot simply watch the clock countdown and expect a final whistle. In soccer, the referee keeps track of all the injuries during the game and adds time to be sure the full game is played.
In this regard, the official time or final whistle (or bell) is a big secret, known to the referee alone. The players are not sure when the game is up.
And, the servants in the parable are not sure either when the game is up or their lives are over.
[__02] They do not hear or see anything ringing or wrong. They might benefit from a system of alarms. Jesus cautions us that they “the servants” – in particular one servant - lack a sense of urgency.
[__03] Sometimes, we also wish the bell would go off and solve the problem.
But the bell does not solve the problem for the servants who see nothing wrong in their lives… who are not sensing anything in their consciences.
Sometimes, we can be the same way. We need more than the publication of the laws, the rules. We need someone to deliver a personal message.
Even if the players receive a yellow cards and red cards from the referee, they still might not behave.
It has to be more personal. We receive this personal message through Jesus himself and through the New Testament.
• For example, Jesus confronts the money changers at the Temple. He could have simply spread rumors about them.
• Jesus also talks to to Peter, James and John about their envy and jealousy. He does not wait passively for them to change. He confronts them.
• And, he also confronts Temple officials who will arrest him for his views.
This is a personal message… and, it’s risky to deliver a message personally.
For you and me, this may mean sacrificing or risking our reputation or popularity.
It could mean challenging others … even confrontation … trying to correct someone in a loving way.
For example, if we have a co-worker who is objectively failing to do his or her job… we might have a responsibility to tell this person.
Or, we have classmates at school who are doing something dishonest … or harmful, we have a responsibility, at least, to avoid the same behavior. However, we also may have a responsibility to tell them.
Our first reaction might be not to tell – but to tell on – the other person. However, the loving thing can be to tell them.
In the parable, the problem – the chaos among the servants increases because no one ever says anything…
[__04] It is not easy to confront someone who is doing something wrong. We often wish someone else – with more authority – the teacher or the boss would do it. Or, we wish the bell would ring.
Or that the referee would stop the game and throw someone out of the game.
But, sometimes, it falls to us. And, it can be a great and loving service we are doing. The person might be angry… the person might not want to be your friend anymore. But, on the other hand, you may be rescuing the person from some much greater punishment.
It is certainly a risk. At such times, we need to say at least 2 prayers…
(a) pray for yourself that you will hear the Holy Spirit …understand what to say..when to say it…
(b) pray for the other person….that he or she will be willing to listen.
(c) And .. it’s also OK to continue praying …in your head while you are having this difficult conversation.
[__05] It would be nice if a rule book or other authority figure would keep everyone in line… but, that does not always happen. As the parable says, we are the servants entrusted with the house. We are also called to keep peace even if this is risky at times, to do the loving thing
We do so because the Master may show up anytime now, ringing the bell. [__end_]
[__01] We have bells and alarms timed to tell us what to do.
We are accustomed to such bells … (or alarms) – when we wake up in the morning, when we go to school, when we watch or play soccer and basketball.
Recently, in the World Cup in South Africa, we became aware of the way that time is kept for the end of the game. That is, we cannot simply watch the clock countdown and expect a final whistle. In soccer, the referee keeps track of all the injuries during the game and adds time to be sure the full game is played.
In this regard, the official time or final whistle (or bell) is a big secret, known to the referee alone. The players are not sure when the game is up.
And, the servants in the parable are not sure either when the game is up or their lives are over.
[__02] They do not hear or see anything ringing or wrong. They might benefit from a system of alarms. Jesus cautions us that they “the servants” – in particular one servant - lack a sense of urgency.
[__03] Sometimes, we also wish the bell would go off and solve the problem.
But the bell does not solve the problem for the servants who see nothing wrong in their lives… who are not sensing anything in their consciences.
Sometimes, we can be the same way. We need more than the publication of the laws, the rules. We need someone to deliver a personal message.
Even if the players receive a yellow cards and red cards from the referee, they still might not behave.
It has to be more personal. We receive this personal message through Jesus himself and through the New Testament.
• For example, Jesus confronts the money changers at the Temple. He could have simply spread rumors about them.
• Jesus also talks to to Peter, James and John about their envy and jealousy. He does not wait passively for them to change. He confronts them.
• And, he also confronts Temple officials who will arrest him for his views.
This is a personal message… and, it’s risky to deliver a message personally.
For you and me, this may mean sacrificing or risking our reputation or popularity.
It could mean challenging others … even confrontation … trying to correct someone in a loving way.
For example, if we have a co-worker who is objectively failing to do his or her job… we might have a responsibility to tell this person.
Or, we have classmates at school who are doing something dishonest … or harmful, we have a responsibility, at least, to avoid the same behavior. However, we also may have a responsibility to tell them.
Our first reaction might be not to tell – but to tell on – the other person. However, the loving thing can be to tell them.
In the parable, the problem – the chaos among the servants increases because no one ever says anything…
[__04] It is not easy to confront someone who is doing something wrong. We often wish someone else – with more authority – the teacher or the boss would do it. Or, we wish the bell would ring.
Or that the referee would stop the game and throw someone out of the game.
But, sometimes, it falls to us. And, it can be a great and loving service we are doing. The person might be angry… the person might not want to be your friend anymore. But, on the other hand, you may be rescuing the person from some much greater punishment.
It is certainly a risk. At such times, we need to say at least 2 prayers…
(a) pray for yourself that you will hear the Holy Spirit …understand what to say..when to say it…
(b) pray for the other person….that he or she will be willing to listen.
(c) And .. it’s also OK to continue praying …in your head while you are having this difficult conversation.
[__05] It would be nice if a rule book or other authority figure would keep everyone in line… but, that does not always happen. As the parable says, we are the servants entrusted with the house. We are also called to keep peace even if this is risky at times, to do the loving thing
We do so because the Master may show up anytime now, ringing the bell. [__end_]
Saturday, July 31, 2010
This Old Extreme Makeover (2010-08-01)
This is my homily for Sunday 1 August 2010, 18th Sunday in ordinary time. On-campus Mass at Fairleigh Dickinson University (FDU) Teaneck, NJ resumes 7:30 p.m. Sunday August 29 for the 2010-2011 school year. I am the Catholic campus minister for this campus and for the FDU Newman Catholic Association.
Eclesiastés 1:2, 2:21-23 | Psalm 89 | Colossians 3:1-5, 9-11 | + Luke 12:13-21
[_01_] Some ideas are so innovative, so successful that the concept will be the source of comedy/satire or the concept will be taken up by others …
Such is the case of This Old House, a public-television series launched in 1979 on WGBH in Boston.
This Old House follows the remodeling projects of houses over a number of weeks. In This Old House -- and in the programs which imitate it -- the builders discover, plan and construct a home that might otherwise be lost.
A few years, later, in the 1980’s a popular situation comedy made a spoof of This Old House -- Home Improvement with Tim Allen.
And … now, on ABC, we have Extreme Makeover Home Edition (E.M.H.E.). And, we also have the Home and Garden Network and the other followers. These are the Hollywood full-color action-hero versions of This Old House. And, on E.M.H.E., they even finish the job in one week for an impoverished family.
[_02_] The Gospel parable today is also about upgrading and improving, an extreme makeover, perhaps?
In the 12th chapter of the Gospel of Luke, Jesus relates this parable –
“There was a rich man whose land produced a bountiful harvest. He asked himself, ‘What shall I do, for I do not have space to store my harvest?’ And he said, ‘This is what I shall do: I shall tear down my barns and build larger ones. There I shall store all my grain and other goods and I shall say to myself, “Now as for you, you have so many good things stored up for many years, rest, eat, drink, be merry!” (Luke 12:16-19)
This man believes he has plenty of time and money. Unfortunately, time is running out on his upgrade opportunity.
[_03_] It is certainly exciting to discover something which can be improved, upgraded, saved … salvation.
It is our faith to believe in salvation too. And, we believe that the Lord reaches out to us with his grace, to discover us, to make us over.
St. Paul touches on this in his letter to the Colossians, saying that we are also remade, rebuilt. Paul is writing about the need for meditation – prayer – repentance – forgiveness – renewal. This is the “stripping off of the old self” (cf., Colossians 3:9).
However, this is not a superficial process with paint and sandpaper. Forgiveness, in particular, goes much deeper.
Consider how difficult it is to ask for forgiveness or to show forgiveness. This is a rethinking of the whole structure. We need a new architect…and Christ is the cornerstone.
It is an extreme makeover.
Or, we might say, we are rebuilding This Old House.
[_04_] Rebuilding requires imagination … and faith and commitment. We are called to imagine God’s love for us.
This is what we do when we are trying to rebuild something which is fragile …or something which has failed or fallen down.
And, we too have fallen down at times.
It requires a subtle touch.
[_05_] The man in the Gospel parable is not into subtlety. Perhaps, it’s not necessary. He has the money (and the time, or so he thinks) to tear down and rebuild his barns. And, when we are rebuilding something strictly material, we can do that.
However, Jesus – in the parable – is encouraging us not to put our faith in material things …even steel-reinforced concrete.
There are other upgrades, improvements which we do. And, to undertake them requires observation, reflection, discovery, prayer.
[_06_] On This Old House – and usually on E.M.H.E. – they don’t just knock the whole house down. They work with what they have. And, in our daily upgrades – our daily conversion – we are called to do the same.
[_07_] For example, consider the building and renovation and upgrading which mothers and fathers do for their children.
To help a child grow in wisdom and intelligence and maturity requires the parent exercise authority and also to plan ahead.
This is a huge responsibility. And, it is also an exercise in humility. In the Gospel, John the Baptist describes his relationship to the Lord in a similar way. He says, “he must increase, I must decrease …or he must become greater, I must become less.” (John 3:30).
The same is true in raising a child. As a child grows and receives credit, the parent is not always acknowledged. The parent might not be credited. Yet, it also natural to take a step back and let the child increase while we decrease. This too is a blessing. This is an upgrade.
[_08_] A similar challenge applies to the care of our loved ones who may suffer illness, or disability, or are growing older.
We want to plan and control. And, under such circumstances, we could lose sight of the person. That is, we might add up all the problems, calculating how hard this care is.
Yet, illness and advanced age can be times for special intimacy and love and thanksgiving in the family. This upgrade is also a limited-time offer. Don’t let it expire.
We are called to see the upgrade – and the upside -- even when we are in difficulty. To turn our eyes toward Christ, to meditate on his death and life. We try to die to ourselves each day and to rise to new life.
Because it is not only This Old House which is being upgraded. Through our relationship to Christ, through his rebuilding, his death and resurrection, we too are also worth saving. [_end_]
Eclesiastés 1:2, 2:21-23 | Psalm 89 | Colossians 3:1-5, 9-11 | + Luke 12:13-21
[_01_] Some ideas are so innovative, so successful that the concept will be the source of comedy/satire or the concept will be taken up by others …
Such is the case of This Old House, a public-television series launched in 1979 on WGBH in Boston.
This Old House follows the remodeling projects of houses over a number of weeks. In This Old House -- and in the programs which imitate it -- the builders discover, plan and construct a home that might otherwise be lost.
A few years, later, in the 1980’s a popular situation comedy made a spoof of This Old House -- Home Improvement with Tim Allen.
And … now, on ABC, we have Extreme Makeover Home Edition (E.M.H.E.). And, we also have the Home and Garden Network and the other followers. These are the Hollywood full-color action-hero versions of This Old House. And, on E.M.H.E., they even finish the job in one week for an impoverished family.
[_02_] The Gospel parable today is also about upgrading and improving, an extreme makeover, perhaps?
In the 12th chapter of the Gospel of Luke, Jesus relates this parable –
“There was a rich man whose land produced a bountiful harvest. He asked himself, ‘What shall I do, for I do not have space to store my harvest?’ And he said, ‘This is what I shall do: I shall tear down my barns and build larger ones. There I shall store all my grain and other goods and I shall say to myself, “Now as for you, you have so many good things stored up for many years, rest, eat, drink, be merry!” (Luke 12:16-19)
This man believes he has plenty of time and money. Unfortunately, time is running out on his upgrade opportunity.
[_03_] It is certainly exciting to discover something which can be improved, upgraded, saved … salvation.
It is our faith to believe in salvation too. And, we believe that the Lord reaches out to us with his grace, to discover us, to make us over.
St. Paul touches on this in his letter to the Colossians, saying that we are also remade, rebuilt. Paul is writing about the need for meditation – prayer – repentance – forgiveness – renewal. This is the “stripping off of the old self” (cf., Colossians 3:9).
However, this is not a superficial process with paint and sandpaper. Forgiveness, in particular, goes much deeper.
Consider how difficult it is to ask for forgiveness or to show forgiveness. This is a rethinking of the whole structure. We need a new architect…and Christ is the cornerstone.
It is an extreme makeover.
Or, we might say, we are rebuilding This Old House.
[_04_] Rebuilding requires imagination … and faith and commitment. We are called to imagine God’s love for us.
This is what we do when we are trying to rebuild something which is fragile …or something which has failed or fallen down.
And, we too have fallen down at times.
It requires a subtle touch.
[_05_] The man in the Gospel parable is not into subtlety. Perhaps, it’s not necessary. He has the money (and the time, or so he thinks) to tear down and rebuild his barns. And, when we are rebuilding something strictly material, we can do that.
However, Jesus – in the parable – is encouraging us not to put our faith in material things …even steel-reinforced concrete.
There are other upgrades, improvements which we do. And, to undertake them requires observation, reflection, discovery, prayer.
[_06_] On This Old House – and usually on E.M.H.E. – they don’t just knock the whole house down. They work with what they have. And, in our daily upgrades – our daily conversion – we are called to do the same.
[_07_] For example, consider the building and renovation and upgrading which mothers and fathers do for their children.
To help a child grow in wisdom and intelligence and maturity requires the parent exercise authority and also to plan ahead.
This is a huge responsibility. And, it is also an exercise in humility. In the Gospel, John the Baptist describes his relationship to the Lord in a similar way. He says, “he must increase, I must decrease …or he must become greater, I must become less.” (John 3:30).
The same is true in raising a child. As a child grows and receives credit, the parent is not always acknowledged. The parent might not be credited. Yet, it also natural to take a step back and let the child increase while we decrease. This too is a blessing. This is an upgrade.
[_08_] A similar challenge applies to the care of our loved ones who may suffer illness, or disability, or are growing older.
We want to plan and control. And, under such circumstances, we could lose sight of the person. That is, we might add up all the problems, calculating how hard this care is.
Yet, illness and advanced age can be times for special intimacy and love and thanksgiving in the family. This upgrade is also a limited-time offer. Don’t let it expire.
We are called to see the upgrade – and the upside -- even when we are in difficulty. To turn our eyes toward Christ, to meditate on his death and life. We try to die to ourselves each day and to rise to new life.
Because it is not only This Old House which is being upgraded. Through our relationship to Christ, through his rebuilding, his death and resurrection, we too are also worth saving. [_end_]
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