This is my homily for Sunday 31 October 2010, 31st 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.
Wisdom 11:22-12:2 | Psalm 145 | 2 Thessalonians 1:11-2:2 | Luke 19:1-10
[__01_- Keep Your Head Down__] In San Francisco, in the first two games of the World Series, the Texas Rangers didn't hit a home run and Josh Hamilton, their best hitter, (and of the best in the major leagues) was 1-for-8.
Last night, Josh Hamilton hit a 426-foot home run at home in Texas.
How do you connect with a baseball – or a tennis serve? What Josh Hamilton (or Venus Williams in tennis) would tell you – is this -- keep your head down.
This is the focus you need to concentrate.
In the Gospel of Luke, Zacchaeus – a chief tax collector of Jericho – is concentrating. Doesn’t he have to – in order to climb up and through the branches of a tree?
Zacchaeus also is an example of one who is focused on Christ and who is more focused on Christ than his own sinfulness.
Zacchaeus, in a popular sense, is also 1 for 8, a low batting average with the people he serves. He has struck out many times.
[__02_- Prayer, Conversation & Confrontation__] Yet, here is Zacchaeus persistent, as Paul urges us. That is, insistent in season and out of season, in season and in the post season, all the time. (cf., Timothy 4:2)
Zacchaeus is the forgiven sinner who wants to give back. (CCC 2712)
Zacchaeus is the forgiven sinner who wants to connect with God’s mercy and love and is willing to climb the sycamore to do so. It is difficult to confront a tree, to go up there alone, to keep one’s head down. Drawing himself into a tree takes Zacchaeus away from his office, his flat-screen display,
It would have been easier for Zacchaeus to stay on solid ground, the terra firma.
Entering into prayer for 10 or 15 minutes or is also a conversation with our Lord and Savior. But,this could also be a confrontation with something difficult, uncomfortable.
Keeping one’s head down in contemplation can be an intense silence. But we believe this is how we hear the Lord speaking. Also, this silence helps us to survive (even thrive) in our activity and separate the true signal from the noise.
[__03_- Tree Climbing __] Zacchaeus is in the tree.
How does he do it? What do tree-climbers and mountain-climbers and ladder-climbers tell us? They differ a bit from the MLB baseball player.
They say, “don’t look down”. That is, don’t look all the way down, 90° degrees to the ground. You could lose your way.
This is also the message to Martha who is in the kitchen ... don’t look too far down. It’s OK to stay focused, but don’t look all the way down, 90°.
Hearing that Jesus will be in town, Zacchaeus looks down only enough to get in and out of the tree.
But, in other ways, Zaccahaeus is refraining from looking down...and this too will help him balance. As a good tree-climber would, he focuses on the branch he is on, rather than on every single branch of the past.
Zacchaeus does not look down on:
[_3.01] HIMSELF and his own sinfulness. He could have. His record of dishonesty and using others for personal gain has earned him, shall we say, a low job approval rating in Jericho.
But, today, is a new day and new Election Day for him. Zacchaeus does not indulge in self-pity but rather rejoices in what he can do turn himself around and reconcile with those he has hurt.
Zacchaeus is also the most reviled and despised person in town. Yet, he does confesses from a tree top where everyone can hear and see.
Confessions are not usually heard here but anything is possible.
Zacchaeus is not looking down on himself but giving thanks for his life and what he will make of it with this second chance.
[03.02] OTHERS -- Zacchaeus also does not look down on others.
• On yourself and your own sins – Z. doesn’t. Repentance does not mean indulging in blame of oneself. Z. doesn’t and he’s the most despised person in town. He confesses from a tree-top where everyone can hear and see him. Confessions are usually not heard there … but anything’s possible.
• Don’t look down on the sins and faults of others, past and present. – see next 2 bullet points…
• ___ CCC 2845 - There is no limit or measure to this essentially divine forgiveness, (cf. Matthew 18:21-22; Luke 17:3-4) whether one speaks of "sins" as in Luke (11:4), "debts" as in Matthew (6:12). We are always debtors: "Owe no one anything, except to love one another." (Romans 13:8) The communion of the Holy Trinity is the source and criterion of truth in every relation ship. It is lived out in prayer, above all in the Eucharist. (cf. Matthew 5:23-24; 1 John 3:19-24)
• CCC 2845 – St Cyprian - God does not accept the sacrifice of a sower of disunion, but commands that he depart from the altar so that he may first be reconciled with his brother. For God can be appeased only by prayers that make peace. To God, the better offering is peace, brotherly concord, and a people made one in the unity of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. (St. Cyprian – FN 149 to CCC 2845) ______ CCC 2845
[03.03 – coming back to earth] You and I and Zacchaeus are more secure by focusing on who we really are …paying attention ..keeping our head down …but without also turning our head all the way down to the ground. Then, we keep our balance and center.
Zacchaeus does not look down; he looks at Christ through this time of conversation and contemplation. And, this helps him to see more clearly what he needs to do. Then, he can come back down to earth more securely. [__end__]
Sunday, October 31, 2010
Sunday, October 24, 2010
Originality (2010-10-24)
This is my homily for Sunday 24 October 2010 (30th 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.
****ACKNOWLEDGMENT: I credit Sean Otto for the concepts of original justice mentioned in this homily, i.e., definition of “original sin” as a loss of “original justice”. Sean Otto makes an excellent distinction, saying that original sin (and its penalty) differ from actual sin. Reference: Otto, Sean, “Felix Culpa: The Doctrine of Original Sin as Doctrine of Hope in Aquinas’s Summa Contra Gentiles”, The Heythrop Journal, 2009.
[__01- Agreement & Disagreement / originality- _]
The Pharisee and the tax collector show the difference between the humbled and the exalted. The Pharisee and the tax collector might disagree about many things.
But, I think they would agree on one thing – that originality is valuable.
Originality is valuable.
For example, original ideas make money. A higher value is assigned to an original painting, an original song, original architecture. And, the Pharisee believes he is original. He is the real thing.
What does the Pharisee say about himself? He thanks God that …
“O God, I thank you that I am not [**made / created**] like the rest of humanity - greedy, dishonest, adulterous or even like this tax collector …” (Luke 18:11)
For the Pharisee, originality is the dividing line between what is good and what is bad.
But, we believe that originality is not so much of a dividing line. It is also what brings us together.
Originality is our unity. We are all made the same.
We are all made the same, made to be in friendship with God.
But, it also means that, originally, we are all sinners. And, this is what the tax collector is recognizing. But, the Pharisee does not believe this.
[__02- originality of sin / ages old_] We believe that sin has been with us from the beginning of our existence, from the beginning of time.
We believe there is original sin. And, in everyday speaking, we might use original sin to explain things that might go wrong.
[__03- originality of sin – everyday examples_] Why do lock my doors at night? (original sin); why do I have anti-theft alarm on my car while locked in the garage? (original sin); why do I re-confirm a hotel reservation (original sin). Why does the professor in the classroom watch the students during a written exam? Would anyone turn to see another student’s answers? (well ..there is original sin).
We use original sin to explain the things that could go wrong. Thinking this way, however, we may be thinking/feeling as the Pharisee does.
That is, sin is something other people do. And, I need to protect myself from their trespasses against me. Before I even think about “forgiving them their trespasses”, I want to be sure I am safeguarded.
And, this is what the Pharisee thinks.
Original sin, however, is meant to grow in compassion and understanding for each other.
Rather than to divide us from each other.
[__04- original justice & Felix Culpa & made the same_]
“This [understanding] of original sin is, so to speak, the "reverse side" [flips side] of the Good News that Jesus is the Savior of all … and that all [of us] need salvation and that salvation is offered to all through Christ. We [profess] that original sin and salvation [and baptism] in Christ go together. …”
One writer/researcher suggested we might think of original sin also as an absence of peace or justice or reconciliation – from the beginning.
And, “in the beginning” is from the book of Genesis when God is originally revealed.
In the beginning of any relationship – “in the beginning”, when everything is original and pristine, we think that there will be justice and peace and reconciliation. We may even think things are going to be easy.
Consider the beginning of anything:
• The first day of school
• The first day of a new job
• The first date
• The honeymoon
We think things are going to be easy. Then, something goes wrong. Perhaps, I hurt someone or someone hurts me. Or you say or do something or someone does something to you.
And, we lose that original sense of justice and peace and reconciliation. (We may lose confidence that we can work it out. We need a little extra (call it grace) if we are to forgive that person who has hurt us …or if we are to admit we are wrong.)
And, the same was true when God created the first man and woman and gave them all intelligence and freedom. Original sin is loss of this sense of justice.
And, there is no perfect set of laws – even the 10 Commandments – which is going to make them do what they do not want to do.
There is free will for all of us, free to love or not.
So, we believe that Jesus comes to restore our sense of justice and to reconcile us. And, we believe Christ’s grace surpasses what was lost.
And, thus, we also call the first sin (original sin) the felix culpa, “happy fault, the necessary sin of Adam which won for us so great a redeemer.” (Easter Proclamation at the Vigil).
Contrary to what the Pharisee may say, we really are all the same originally and worthy of the same grace. We may have different gifts and talents but we are all the same before God.
And, while “sin” might scare us and even make us walk a little faster in a dark parking lot … “original sin “is also a doctrine meant to bring us hope and remind us we are all worthy of grace and redemption through baptism and the sacraments. And, we can all take up our place in the new temple to pray. [__end__]
****ACKNOWLEDGMENT: I credit Sean Otto for the concepts of original justice mentioned in this homily, i.e., definition of “original sin” as a loss of “original justice”. Sean Otto makes an excellent distinction, saying that original sin (and its penalty) differ from actual sin. Reference: Otto, Sean, “Felix Culpa: The Doctrine of Original Sin as Doctrine of Hope in Aquinas’s Summa Contra Gentiles”, The Heythrop Journal, 2009.
[__01- Agreement & Disagreement / originality- _]
The Pharisee and the tax collector show the difference between the humbled and the exalted. The Pharisee and the tax collector might disagree about many things.
But, I think they would agree on one thing – that originality is valuable.
Originality is valuable.
For example, original ideas make money. A higher value is assigned to an original painting, an original song, original architecture. And, the Pharisee believes he is original. He is the real thing.
What does the Pharisee say about himself? He thanks God that …
“O God, I thank you that I am not [**made / created**] like the rest of humanity - greedy, dishonest, adulterous or even like this tax collector …” (Luke 18:11)
For the Pharisee, originality is the dividing line between what is good and what is bad.
But, we believe that originality is not so much of a dividing line. It is also what brings us together.
Originality is our unity. We are all made the same.
We are all made the same, made to be in friendship with God.
But, it also means that, originally, we are all sinners. And, this is what the tax collector is recognizing. But, the Pharisee does not believe this.
[__02- originality of sin / ages old_] We believe that sin has been with us from the beginning of our existence, from the beginning of time.
We believe there is original sin. And, in everyday speaking, we might use original sin to explain things that might go wrong.
[__03- originality of sin – everyday examples_] Why do lock my doors at night? (original sin); why do I have anti-theft alarm on my car while locked in the garage? (original sin); why do I re-confirm a hotel reservation (original sin). Why does the professor in the classroom watch the students during a written exam? Would anyone turn to see another student’s answers? (well ..there is original sin).
We use original sin to explain the things that could go wrong. Thinking this way, however, we may be thinking/feeling as the Pharisee does.
That is, sin is something other people do. And, I need to protect myself from their trespasses against me. Before I even think about “forgiving them their trespasses”, I want to be sure I am safeguarded.
And, this is what the Pharisee thinks.
Original sin, however, is meant to grow in compassion and understanding for each other.
Rather than to divide us from each other.
[__04- original justice & Felix Culpa & made the same_]
“This [understanding] of original sin is, so to speak, the "reverse side" [flips side] of the Good News that Jesus is the Savior of all … and that all [of us] need salvation and that salvation is offered to all through Christ. We [profess] that original sin and salvation [and baptism] in Christ go together. …”
One writer/researcher suggested we might think of original sin also as an absence of peace or justice or reconciliation – from the beginning.
And, “in the beginning” is from the book of Genesis when God is originally revealed.
In the beginning of any relationship – “in the beginning”, when everything is original and pristine, we think that there will be justice and peace and reconciliation. We may even think things are going to be easy.
Consider the beginning of anything:
• The first day of school
• The first day of a new job
• The first date
• The honeymoon
We think things are going to be easy. Then, something goes wrong. Perhaps, I hurt someone or someone hurts me. Or you say or do something or someone does something to you.
And, we lose that original sense of justice and peace and reconciliation. (We may lose confidence that we can work it out. We need a little extra (call it grace) if we are to forgive that person who has hurt us …or if we are to admit we are wrong.)
And, the same was true when God created the first man and woman and gave them all intelligence and freedom. Original sin is loss of this sense of justice.
And, there is no perfect set of laws – even the 10 Commandments – which is going to make them do what they do not want to do.
There is free will for all of us, free to love or not.
So, we believe that Jesus comes to restore our sense of justice and to reconcile us. And, we believe Christ’s grace surpasses what was lost.
And, thus, we also call the first sin (original sin) the felix culpa, “happy fault, the necessary sin of Adam which won for us so great a redeemer.” (Easter Proclamation at the Vigil).
Contrary to what the Pharisee may say, we really are all the same originally and worthy of the same grace. We may have different gifts and talents but we are all the same before God.
And, while “sin” might scare us and even make us walk a little faster in a dark parking lot … “original sin “is also a doctrine meant to bring us hope and remind us we are all worthy of grace and redemption through baptism and the sacraments. And, we can all take up our place in the new temple to pray. [__end__]
Saturday, October 16, 2010
On Paper (2010-10-17)
This is my homily for Sunday 17 October 2010, 29th 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.
[__01] On August 22nd, the BBC News Service reported that the miners of the San Jose Mine in Chile were fortunate to be in one group and team of 33 underground; they had a lot of resources within the group to help one another.
These gold and copper-miners –rescued this week – had been trapped 700 meters vertically underground, starting 5 August when their main access tunnel collapsed.
On August 22nd, the chief engineer warned that rescue would take at least 120 days
(four months), to bore (or dig) a hole with a shaft 66 cm (26 inches) in diameter.
In fact, these 33 miners were rescued within about 70 days.
They emerged with some health issues but in remarkably good spirits. And, all were alive.
[__02] On paper, these miners – from the beginning – knew that their bosses (their company) would search for them. On paper existed a map of the mine and its shafts and tunnels including the tunnel which had collapsed.
There was a paper trail leading to them. But there was no actual trail yet. They even heard the drills overhead.
It took real strength – emotionally and physically – to let these facts on paper become faith and in their hearts during those 70 days.
When you are lost, we you want to be found. You don’t care that there is a map out there somewhere that – hypothetically – someone could read and, then, use to discover you.
And, the woman of the Gospel parable has a similar concern.
Will she really be found? Saved?
[__03] The woman of the Gospel parable is also buried, perhaps even under legal paperwork. And, she has gone to the judge many times.
And, given that she probably lacks money also, she seems to have a slim chance of success on paper.
And, her chances are worse by the lack of compassion of the judge. He does not want her case; he does not want to care.
[__04] Sometimes, we may feel discouragement or disappointment over our own circumstances, our own chances for rescue.
We may wonder: Does anyone hear me? See me? Understand me? Even if I hear the drills, will anyone really get to me? Do we feel buried underground?
[__05] We may face a situation which is unjust. For example,
• We might see – people zooming ahead of us in the left lane, speeding?
• Do you and I also see other people zooming ahead of us– at work – at school – zooming ahead of me– even cheating me – to take what I feel belongs to me. Do I witness them handing in work they did not do …or perhaps – at work – being rewarded even though they did not do their fair share? We may feel tempted to do the same? After all, if life is not fair, why should I play by the rules? This is similar to the widow in the parable.
• Or, do we see other people who have escaped difficulty and enjoyed material comfort by simply avoiding commitment .. or by avoiding sacrifice …and simply putting themselves first. This is also unjust.
Both are unjust. It is unjust when others get ahead or zoom ahead by (a) dishonesty or … (b) selfishness.
[__06] We come together as a community, a Catholic community, who believes in the value of faith and sacrifice and honesty.
And, we believe, for example, in the words of Paul to the Corinthians (2 Cor 8:9), “[Jesus] though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor so that by his poverty you might become rich.”
We believe that we are made rich and whole by the sacrifice Jesus makes for us. This is also the body of Christ which we receive in Communion. And, we are complete by our relationship to him.
This calls us also to make sacrifices for each other. This calls us to play by the rules.
Playing by the rules is not simply to avoid being caught by the teacher or by the boss.
We choose this because we want to be known who we truly are, not just on paper but in reality.
We also believe there is a reality beyond our paper-profits or paper-accomplishments.
And, we do not earn God’s love by our honesty. However, we are loved even if we fail or fall behind when we are honest and others may not be.
And, we are loved even when we are:
• Buried underground
• Buried in paperwork
• Trying to do our best
And, as Jesus says in the Gospel, we also believe the Lord is a just judge who hears prayers of those who call out to him day and night. (Luke 18:7) [END]
[__01] On August 22nd, the BBC News Service reported that the miners of the San Jose Mine in Chile were fortunate to be in one group and team of 33 underground; they had a lot of resources within the group to help one another.
These gold and copper-miners –rescued this week – had been trapped 700 meters vertically underground, starting 5 August when their main access tunnel collapsed.
On August 22nd, the chief engineer warned that rescue would take at least 120 days
(four months), to bore (or dig) a hole with a shaft 66 cm (26 inches) in diameter.
In fact, these 33 miners were rescued within about 70 days.
They emerged with some health issues but in remarkably good spirits. And, all were alive.
[__02] On paper, these miners – from the beginning – knew that their bosses (their company) would search for them. On paper existed a map of the mine and its shafts and tunnels including the tunnel which had collapsed.
There was a paper trail leading to them. But there was no actual trail yet. They even heard the drills overhead.
It took real strength – emotionally and physically – to let these facts on paper become faith and in their hearts during those 70 days.
When you are lost, we you want to be found. You don’t care that there is a map out there somewhere that – hypothetically – someone could read and, then, use to discover you.
And, the woman of the Gospel parable has a similar concern.
Will she really be found? Saved?
[__03] The woman of the Gospel parable is also buried, perhaps even under legal paperwork. And, she has gone to the judge many times.
And, given that she probably lacks money also, she seems to have a slim chance of success on paper.
And, her chances are worse by the lack of compassion of the judge. He does not want her case; he does not want to care.
[__04] Sometimes, we may feel discouragement or disappointment over our own circumstances, our own chances for rescue.
We may wonder: Does anyone hear me? See me? Understand me? Even if I hear the drills, will anyone really get to me? Do we feel buried underground?
[__05] We may face a situation which is unjust. For example,
• We might see – people zooming ahead of us in the left lane, speeding?
• Do you and I also see other people zooming ahead of us– at work – at school – zooming ahead of me– even cheating me – to take what I feel belongs to me. Do I witness them handing in work they did not do …or perhaps – at work – being rewarded even though they did not do their fair share? We may feel tempted to do the same? After all, if life is not fair, why should I play by the rules? This is similar to the widow in the parable.
• Or, do we see other people who have escaped difficulty and enjoyed material comfort by simply avoiding commitment .. or by avoiding sacrifice …and simply putting themselves first. This is also unjust.
Both are unjust. It is unjust when others get ahead or zoom ahead by (a) dishonesty or … (b) selfishness.
[__06] We come together as a community, a Catholic community, who believes in the value of faith and sacrifice and honesty.
And, we believe, for example, in the words of Paul to the Corinthians (2 Cor 8:9), “[Jesus] though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor so that by his poverty you might become rich.”
We believe that we are made rich and whole by the sacrifice Jesus makes for us. This is also the body of Christ which we receive in Communion. And, we are complete by our relationship to him.
This calls us also to make sacrifices for each other. This calls us to play by the rules.
Playing by the rules is not simply to avoid being caught by the teacher or by the boss.
We choose this because we want to be known who we truly are, not just on paper but in reality.
We also believe there is a reality beyond our paper-profits or paper-accomplishments.
And, we do not earn God’s love by our honesty. However, we are loved even if we fail or fall behind when we are honest and others may not be.
And, we are loved even when we are:
• Buried underground
• Buried in paperwork
• Trying to do our best
And, as Jesus says in the Gospel, we also believe the Lord is a just judge who hears prayers of those who call out to him day and night. (Luke 18:7) [END]
Sunday, October 10, 2010
Thank You: End or Beginning? (2010-10-10)
This is my homily for Sunday 10 October 2010, 28th 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.
[__01] Why do we say thank you? A thank you note can be the elegant conclusion to an important endeavor.
Thank you “notes” come in various forms – they might not even be written. The “note” or communication might be –
• Spoken – such as in a speech
• Written – in a card
• Acted out – such as in applause or other ceremony. A trophy, perhaps. The Oscar – and that leads to more thank you’s by the Academy Award Winners.
Thank you’s come in various forms and methods. How we say thank you may vary.
[__02] When do we say Thank You? Here, we might simply say … well, at the end of something, such as –
• Wedding
• Big party
• Important speech
• Championship or prize
The speaker (or writer) wants to identify the contributors, every single person who contributed.
There can be so much pressure in the public thank you, especially if someone insists you we stand up a microphone. That’s could be daunting … and, perhaps, also exhausting. It takes effort.
[__03] In the Gospel, there is 1 leper who is healed and who gives thanks to the Father, Son and Holy Spirit for this cure of leprosy.
This Samaritan leper returns, makes the effort, to say thank you.
He is the only 1 of 10 who does so.
[__04] He gives thanks after this healing, after this time of suffering. He gives his thank you at the end.
[__05] **** What does a thank you note express? Does it express that our relationship is a transaction completed. That is, please pay the check or please take your card. Or, does it is express that our relationship is continuing.
A thank-you also expresses my hope, my trust, my feeling that you – and I – have some ongoing relationship, some continuity.
In purely business transactions, we may not be interested in this. We start looking at our watches, trying to get home. So, when the project is completed or the meal served, we say…
• “Thank you”; then,
• “Check, please.”
[__06] In the Gospel, the leper who returns to give thanks is not simply coming back to pay the bill or settle the account. And, the fact that he is the Samaritan coming back is meaningful too.
*** Who are the Samaritans?
They are from the ancient Promised Land of Israel (the northern part) and Judah (the southern part). Jerusalem (and the Temple) are in the southern part. Thus, the southern part is regarded as legitimate and faithful. The North, not so much, if at all.
About 800 years (722 or 721 B.C.), the ancestry and heritage of the Samaritans is disrupted. They are captured and taken off into exile by Assyria.
Eventually, they return and settle in “Israel”, i.e., in the North. The Samaritans adopt the Jewish Torah (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy). However, they are geographically and spiritually distant from the Temple. They do not follow the Temple rituals.
Thus, the Jewish people (including the Pharisees, the scribes, and Temple priests and Christ’s own disciples) would have been taught to regard them as inferior and unfaithful. ***___
[__07] But, it is this inferior one who wants to continue the relationship with Christ.
Jesus is saying, look, has no one else but this “foreigner” returned to give thanks. Has no one else but this one that we regard as not religious, not faithful, not very honest, not very virtuous … has only he returned?
Does only he believe? Apparently so.
Then, the question, where are the other nine? Where am I? Where are you?
[__08] Where is my thank-you? Is it something I have yet to write, a phone call I have yet to make?
And, is my thank you something that is given simply to complete a transaction …or because I want to continue a relationship?
Our prayer, our attendance at Sunday Mass is also an act of saying thank you, of praying our thank you to God.
To say thank you for our education, even for the homework we don’t want, to say thank you for our parents, our teachers, our classmates.
Saying thank you does not mean everything is perfect. Saying thank you does not mean you have to lie or say something dishonest or exaggerated.
But, don’t we say thank you – don’t we think it is proper to say thank you even if the gift we have received is something…
• We did not want
• Was in poor taste
• I already have one…
• I’d rather a different color
Even then, aren’t we willing to say thank you, because of the relationship, the friendship. Yes, it is the thought that counts.
[__09] Thank you is not an endpoint but a point of continuity.
Toward the end of Sunday Mass, we receive Holy Eucharist. And, the word “Eucharist” means “to show favor, to show grace, to show gratitude.”
And, the Eucharist is part of an ongoing journey , part of our journey toward eternal life with Christ, part of an ongoing thanksgiving.
And, we are called to say thank you for the gifts we receive.
The ones that are perfect and desirable; the ones that are not so perfect or desirable.
[__10] Thank you is not just a word, it is also an action. For example, giving back to help young people, to be kind to younger brothers and sisters.
Or, for those who have much to be kind to those who have less. In college, those who have less might mean those who have less … academic success than I do; or have less playing time than I do on the team; less money.
Or, for juniors and seniors to be kind to freshman and sophomores. This is also an act of thanksgiving. This is a way of saying ..
“I am so thankful for my life. I know what my life is, that it has value. And, I want to share that with you.”
[__11] And, we are called to say thank you for those who stretch us and challenge us. When we are stretched or challenged by others, we don’t want to say thank you…
For example, do I want to thank the friend who is serious when I want to joke around or vice versa.
I don’t feel thankful in such cases. I may, then, become similar to the “other nine” in the Gospel who do not return.
[__12] This is also the case of for those of us who might take care of those who are older or ill, or terminally ill.
When we take care of someone, we are also saying thank you for their lives. Consider that all of us here might some day have to do this for our mothers or fathers …or spouses …or children.
** The act of thanksgiving takes effort. For example, consider the effort of an author who has finished his or her book, now is called to write that section, that long section sometimes, of Acknowledgements, of gratitude, to identify all those who contributed to his or her work.
It takes effort for the leper to turn around and come back.
It might have been easier for him to imagine that he was healed because he was …
• Eating right
• Running on the treadmill
• Has a superior body type
But, the leper does not attribute his health to these practices.
And, we might consider this. As hard as we work, it is not only our own effort that makes things right or possible, but also God’s grace and will.
Thank you is expressed not by what we say but by what we do. We can do this each night, to acknowledge to pray…
And, we then affirm, by saying thank you that our faith has saved us. [_end_]
[__01] Why do we say thank you? A thank you note can be the elegant conclusion to an important endeavor.
Thank you “notes” come in various forms – they might not even be written. The “note” or communication might be –
• Spoken – such as in a speech
• Written – in a card
• Acted out – such as in applause or other ceremony. A trophy, perhaps. The Oscar – and that leads to more thank you’s by the Academy Award Winners.
Thank you’s come in various forms and methods. How we say thank you may vary.
[__02] When do we say Thank You? Here, we might simply say … well, at the end of something, such as –
• Wedding
• Big party
• Important speech
• Championship or prize
The speaker (or writer) wants to identify the contributors, every single person who contributed.
There can be so much pressure in the public thank you, especially if someone insists you we stand up a microphone. That’s could be daunting … and, perhaps, also exhausting. It takes effort.
[__03] In the Gospel, there is 1 leper who is healed and who gives thanks to the Father, Son and Holy Spirit for this cure of leprosy.
This Samaritan leper returns, makes the effort, to say thank you.
He is the only 1 of 10 who does so.
[__04] He gives thanks after this healing, after this time of suffering. He gives his thank you at the end.
[__05] **** What does a thank you note express? Does it express that our relationship is a transaction completed. That is, please pay the check or please take your card. Or, does it is express that our relationship is continuing.
A thank-you also expresses my hope, my trust, my feeling that you – and I – have some ongoing relationship, some continuity.
In purely business transactions, we may not be interested in this. We start looking at our watches, trying to get home. So, when the project is completed or the meal served, we say…
• “Thank you”; then,
• “Check, please.”
[__06] In the Gospel, the leper who returns to give thanks is not simply coming back to pay the bill or settle the account. And, the fact that he is the Samaritan coming back is meaningful too.
*** Who are the Samaritans?
They are from the ancient Promised Land of Israel (the northern part) and Judah (the southern part). Jerusalem (and the Temple) are in the southern part. Thus, the southern part is regarded as legitimate and faithful. The North, not so much, if at all.
About 800 years (722 or 721 B.C.), the ancestry and heritage of the Samaritans is disrupted. They are captured and taken off into exile by Assyria.
Eventually, they return and settle in “Israel”, i.e., in the North. The Samaritans adopt the Jewish Torah (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy). However, they are geographically and spiritually distant from the Temple. They do not follow the Temple rituals.
Thus, the Jewish people (including the Pharisees, the scribes, and Temple priests and Christ’s own disciples) would have been taught to regard them as inferior and unfaithful. ***___
[__07] But, it is this inferior one who wants to continue the relationship with Christ.
Jesus is saying, look, has no one else but this “foreigner” returned to give thanks. Has no one else but this one that we regard as not religious, not faithful, not very honest, not very virtuous … has only he returned?
Does only he believe? Apparently so.
Then, the question, where are the other nine? Where am I? Where are you?
[__08] Where is my thank-you? Is it something I have yet to write, a phone call I have yet to make?
And, is my thank you something that is given simply to complete a transaction …or because I want to continue a relationship?
Our prayer, our attendance at Sunday Mass is also an act of saying thank you, of praying our thank you to God.
To say thank you for our education, even for the homework we don’t want, to say thank you for our parents, our teachers, our classmates.
Saying thank you does not mean everything is perfect. Saying thank you does not mean you have to lie or say something dishonest or exaggerated.
But, don’t we say thank you – don’t we think it is proper to say thank you even if the gift we have received is something…
• We did not want
• Was in poor taste
• I already have one…
• I’d rather a different color
Even then, aren’t we willing to say thank you, because of the relationship, the friendship. Yes, it is the thought that counts.
[__09] Thank you is not an endpoint but a point of continuity.
Toward the end of Sunday Mass, we receive Holy Eucharist. And, the word “Eucharist” means “to show favor, to show grace, to show gratitude.”
And, the Eucharist is part of an ongoing journey , part of our journey toward eternal life with Christ, part of an ongoing thanksgiving.
And, we are called to say thank you for the gifts we receive.
The ones that are perfect and desirable; the ones that are not so perfect or desirable.
[__10] Thank you is not just a word, it is also an action. For example, giving back to help young people, to be kind to younger brothers and sisters.
Or, for those who have much to be kind to those who have less. In college, those who have less might mean those who have less … academic success than I do; or have less playing time than I do on the team; less money.
Or, for juniors and seniors to be kind to freshman and sophomores. This is also an act of thanksgiving. This is a way of saying ..
“I am so thankful for my life. I know what my life is, that it has value. And, I want to share that with you.”
[__11] And, we are called to say thank you for those who stretch us and challenge us. When we are stretched or challenged by others, we don’t want to say thank you…
For example, do I want to thank the friend who is serious when I want to joke around or vice versa.
I don’t feel thankful in such cases. I may, then, become similar to the “other nine” in the Gospel who do not return.
[__12] This is also the case of for those of us who might take care of those who are older or ill, or terminally ill.
When we take care of someone, we are also saying thank you for their lives. Consider that all of us here might some day have to do this for our mothers or fathers …or spouses …or children.
** The act of thanksgiving takes effort. For example, consider the effort of an author who has finished his or her book, now is called to write that section, that long section sometimes, of Acknowledgements, of gratitude, to identify all those who contributed to his or her work.
It takes effort for the leper to turn around and come back.
It might have been easier for him to imagine that he was healed because he was …
• Eating right
• Running on the treadmill
• Has a superior body type
But, the leper does not attribute his health to these practices.
And, we might consider this. As hard as we work, it is not only our own effort that makes things right or possible, but also God’s grace and will.
Thank you is expressed not by what we say but by what we do. We can do this each night, to acknowledge to pray…
And, we then affirm, by saying thank you that our faith has saved us. [_end_]
Sunday, October 3, 2010
Sustainable Economics & Life (2010-10-03)
This is my homily for Sunday 3 October 2010, 27th 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: Habakkuk 1:2-3, 2:2-4 | Psalm 95 | 2 Timothy 1:6-8, 13-14 | Luke 17:5-10
[__01] The Gospel asks us what we will do when we come in from the field, when we come in from the wilderness.
Or, we might think of this as – what will I do when I come home from school? From work?
Is it not true that when we reach our home, we want to be warm, and comfortable and dry? We want our needs to be satisfied.
When we are out in the “field” or “wilderness” or at work or in class, we are fighting the elements, we are fighting to survive.
Then, we expect certain things to be more comfortable and easier when we get home.
And, it would nice – it would be good – if all my needs (your needs) were perfectly satisfied at home, when we arrived home. That would be good, but it would not be The Good News of The Gospel.
[__02] The Good News of the Gospel is that we are all servants. We are made to serve each other faithfully.
The consoling part of this Good News is that we rely on others to sustain us, to support us.
If you have taken economics or finance, you may have heard the term sustainable, sustainability.
Sustainability is “hot”. And, it should be, sustainability calls us to be good stewards of God’s creation and of finite resources.
Economists and business people often ask will something last … based on whether it is “sustainable.” Can it sustain itself? The same question is here.
However, the Good News of the Gospel is not that we are self sufficient – self-sustaining entities – that will turn a profit. But, the Good News is that we are sustainable by the love and support of another.
We are sustained by Jesus’ sacrifice of his life. We are sustained by many sacrifices made for us, by parents and others who love us.
And, we are called to sustain each other.
This means we are servants, even in our own homes. This is the challenging part of the Gospel.
[__03_] This Sunday in Catholic parishes of the United States, we reflect on the call to nurture and sustain life, the gift of life body and soul.
On this Respect Life Sunday, we recall ethical choices, choices so many of us make – to sustain our loved ones.
Providing providing food, drink, even clothing to a parent or spouse or relative who cannot do these things for himself or herself, we sustain others. This is the Gospel.
As we read in the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 25, Jesus says that as often as you fed or clothed or visited one of my least brothers and sisters, you also fed, clothed, and visited me.
Sustaining life – and respecting life – also means protecting the life of the one who is yet to be discovered or known or named or even born.
In Psalm 139 and in book of the prophet Jeremiah (chapter 1), we read:
“Lord, thou hast proved me, and known me: thou hast know my sitting down, and my rising up. Thou hast understood my thoughts afar off …. For thou hast possessed my reins: thou hast protected me from my mother's womb.” (Psalm 139:1-3, 13)
To the young prophet Jeremiah, the Lord says:
“Before I formed thee …. I knew thee: and before thou camest forth out of the womb, I sanctified thee, and made thee a prophet unto the nations.” (Jeremiah 1:5)
This reminds us of the importance of all life from even before we are born and until we die naturally
[__04_] We are called to respect life and to sustain life. Even in the comfort and privacy of our own homes, there is the command to love and to serve – and thus to sustain.
For example …
• At home -listening to our moms and dads, (honor thy mother & father, Exodus 20:12)
• At table - eating the food which is served, even in the SUB-cafeteria (the Lord fills the hungry with good things, Luke 1:53)
• In our rooms and homes -- helping around the house, to share and to smile (for God loves a cheerful giver, 2 Corinthians 9:7), and
• In our hearts -- showing mercy (forgiving those who sin/trespass against us, as we have been forgiven, Matthew 6:12).
[__05_] We are called to follow the law of love and be servants even at home.
This call to responsibility and examination of our own actions.
And, this question of responsibility and privacy brings us to a tragic case of a freshman at Rutgers University in New Brunswick.
Perhaps, you have heard about the death of a Rutgers freshman, Tyler Clementi.
We cannot necessarily assume that because something is …
• “legal”
• “private”
• “technologically possible” … or “commonly seen + heard on the internet”
... this makes it OK. And, I think we know this.
There are not laws, however, to govern every aspect of human behavior, every aspect of how I might use my phone or computer.
Last week, a Rutgers University freshman took his own life after a roommate and dorm-mate posted images of him publicly, using the internet.
It would certainly seem that the accused Rutgers students had no intention of causing any physical harm to come to their classmate, Tyler. Their actions, while cruel, do not suggest a long time of premeditated bitterness or resentment.
Their actions remind all of us that we are still accountable even if we believe what are doing is –
• Only a joke/prank
• Only in private between a few people
• Only something so minor that the law does not really cover it.
Even such actions have consequences.
We pray for Tyler Clementi of Rutgers and his family.
We pray for the accused Rutgers students. We believe that the Lord wants the sinner and the accused to live. Guilt is our path to repentance. (cf. Ezekiel 33:11).
From this tragedy, we see our own responsibility to serve and to help others to survive … whether we are in the first week of life or the first week of freshman year of college.
There is no law to govern and surround every action. However, there is Christ’s guidance and example which asks us to consider:
• the old saying --- What Jesus do? (Jesus did not have Twitter or wireless internet)
• Jesus was talking about service and love. So, ask, “what would LOVE do” – in every situation, large or small. What would LOVE do? To my friend, to my brother, sister or any person. What would not loving them do?
So, the law might catch up with us. But, the law (and police and courts) are always trying to catch up. And, they will not always catch us.
But, we have another law, the law of the Gospel which tells us – “love one another as I have loved you” (John 15:12)
And – “there is no greater love than this, than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” (John 15:13)
This law helps us to stay ahead of the curve
The call --- To sustain life, sustain life publicly, to sustain life privately..to sustain life because the Lord who sees in secret will bring to light everything (cf, Matthew 6:6; 1 Corinthians 4:5).
[_end_]
Readings: Habakkuk 1:2-3, 2:2-4 | Psalm 95 | 2 Timothy 1:6-8, 13-14 | Luke 17:5-10
[__01] The Gospel asks us what we will do when we come in from the field, when we come in from the wilderness.
Or, we might think of this as – what will I do when I come home from school? From work?
Is it not true that when we reach our home, we want to be warm, and comfortable and dry? We want our needs to be satisfied.
When we are out in the “field” or “wilderness” or at work or in class, we are fighting the elements, we are fighting to survive.
Then, we expect certain things to be more comfortable and easier when we get home.
And, it would nice – it would be good – if all my needs (your needs) were perfectly satisfied at home, when we arrived home. That would be good, but it would not be The Good News of The Gospel.
[__02] The Good News of the Gospel is that we are all servants. We are made to serve each other faithfully.
The consoling part of this Good News is that we rely on others to sustain us, to support us.
If you have taken economics or finance, you may have heard the term sustainable, sustainability.
Sustainability is “hot”. And, it should be, sustainability calls us to be good stewards of God’s creation and of finite resources.
Economists and business people often ask will something last … based on whether it is “sustainable.” Can it sustain itself? The same question is here.
However, the Good News of the Gospel is not that we are self sufficient – self-sustaining entities – that will turn a profit. But, the Good News is that we are sustainable by the love and support of another.
We are sustained by Jesus’ sacrifice of his life. We are sustained by many sacrifices made for us, by parents and others who love us.
And, we are called to sustain each other.
This means we are servants, even in our own homes. This is the challenging part of the Gospel.
[__03_] This Sunday in Catholic parishes of the United States, we reflect on the call to nurture and sustain life, the gift of life body and soul.
On this Respect Life Sunday, we recall ethical choices, choices so many of us make – to sustain our loved ones.
Providing providing food, drink, even clothing to a parent or spouse or relative who cannot do these things for himself or herself, we sustain others. This is the Gospel.
As we read in the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 25, Jesus says that as often as you fed or clothed or visited one of my least brothers and sisters, you also fed, clothed, and visited me.
Sustaining life – and respecting life – also means protecting the life of the one who is yet to be discovered or known or named or even born.
In Psalm 139 and in book of the prophet Jeremiah (chapter 1), we read:
“Lord, thou hast proved me, and known me: thou hast know my sitting down, and my rising up. Thou hast understood my thoughts afar off …. For thou hast possessed my reins: thou hast protected me from my mother's womb.” (Psalm 139:1-3, 13)
To the young prophet Jeremiah, the Lord says:
“Before I formed thee …. I knew thee: and before thou camest forth out of the womb, I sanctified thee, and made thee a prophet unto the nations.” (Jeremiah 1:5)
This reminds us of the importance of all life from even before we are born and until we die naturally
[__04_] We are called to respect life and to sustain life. Even in the comfort and privacy of our own homes, there is the command to love and to serve – and thus to sustain.
For example …
• At home -listening to our moms and dads, (honor thy mother & father, Exodus 20:12)
• At table - eating the food which is served, even in the SUB-cafeteria (the Lord fills the hungry with good things, Luke 1:53)
• In our rooms and homes -- helping around the house, to share and to smile (for God loves a cheerful giver, 2 Corinthians 9:7), and
• In our hearts -- showing mercy (forgiving those who sin/trespass against us, as we have been forgiven, Matthew 6:12).
[__05_] We are called to follow the law of love and be servants even at home.
This call to responsibility and examination of our own actions.
And, this question of responsibility and privacy brings us to a tragic case of a freshman at Rutgers University in New Brunswick.
Perhaps, you have heard about the death of a Rutgers freshman, Tyler Clementi.
We cannot necessarily assume that because something is …
• “legal”
• “private”
• “technologically possible” … or “commonly seen + heard on the internet”
... this makes it OK. And, I think we know this.
There are not laws, however, to govern every aspect of human behavior, every aspect of how I might use my phone or computer.
Last week, a Rutgers University freshman took his own life after a roommate and dorm-mate posted images of him publicly, using the internet.
It would certainly seem that the accused Rutgers students had no intention of causing any physical harm to come to their classmate, Tyler. Their actions, while cruel, do not suggest a long time of premeditated bitterness or resentment.
Their actions remind all of us that we are still accountable even if we believe what are doing is –
• Only a joke/prank
• Only in private between a few people
• Only something so minor that the law does not really cover it.
Even such actions have consequences.
We pray for Tyler Clementi of Rutgers and his family.
We pray for the accused Rutgers students. We believe that the Lord wants the sinner and the accused to live. Guilt is our path to repentance. (cf. Ezekiel 33:11).
From this tragedy, we see our own responsibility to serve and to help others to survive … whether we are in the first week of life or the first week of freshman year of college.
There is no law to govern and surround every action. However, there is Christ’s guidance and example which asks us to consider:
• the old saying --- What Jesus do? (Jesus did not have Twitter or wireless internet)
• Jesus was talking about service and love. So, ask, “what would LOVE do” – in every situation, large or small. What would LOVE do? To my friend, to my brother, sister or any person. What would not loving them do?
So, the law might catch up with us. But, the law (and police and courts) are always trying to catch up. And, they will not always catch us.
But, we have another law, the law of the Gospel which tells us – “love one another as I have loved you” (John 15:12)
And – “there is no greater love than this, than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” (John 15:13)
This law helps us to stay ahead of the curve
The call --- To sustain life, sustain life publicly, to sustain life privately..to sustain life because the Lord who sees in secret will bring to light everything (cf, Matthew 6:6; 1 Corinthians 4:5).
[_end_]
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