Inconvenient Truths (2011-01-30)

This is my homily for 30 January 2011. I am the Catholic campus minister for Fairleigh Dickinson University (FDU) campus and for the FDU Newman Catholic Association. We celebrate Catholic Mass - during Fall and Spring semester - every Sunday Mass (7:30 p.m.) at the Interfaith Chapel, 842 River Road, Teaneck, NJ.

[__01__ ] Today, we hear the beginning of our Lord’s Sermon on the Mount. Jesus speaks from the Mountain and gives each of the 8 Beatitudes which means “blessing”.

A “blessing” is something we receive that is valuable.

One way that older folks (anyone over 31 years of age is “older” ….) speak to younger folks is to tell them about their blessings growing up. However, to the younger folks, these recollections do not appear to be blessings.

For example, when I was your age,
• We did not have television – or we did not have color TV
• Or, we did not have a car
• Or, we did not have the ability to use wireless internet while drinking a Cappucino at Starbucks.

In other words, life was hard. But … at the end of these recollections, the person telling you will also say … almost unfailingly .. but we were happy … we did not know what we were missing…or we had each other … or words to that effect.

And, the younger person walks away scratching his or her head, wondering how anyone could live without unlimited talking and texting. It’s a paradox to be both happy and - somehow also - less comfortable.

In other words … we were blessed because we did not have certain things… we were blessed by not having everything that was valuable.

[__02__] And …so it is with the Beatitudes. Listeners - disciples - may also scratch their heads and wonder. Reading them, we are challenged to understand what they really mean … to understand the paradox contained in them, as one biblical commentator wrote. (John L. McKenzie, S.J., Jerome Biblical Commentary, "Matthew").

For example, consider this, perhaps difficult, beatitude, “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the land.”

Now, this particular Beatitude might remind you/me of our parents or our grandparents who lived through times of great poverty and struggle. And, in some way, they were forced to be “meek” … in other words to be “restrained” …. To endure difficulties without become resentful.

Though they might have been sad, they were not defeated by their sorrows.

[__03___ ] Now, it is difficult to be restrained – patient [meek] – for a long period of time, isn’t it?

After all, the Beatitude promises us a future word … “blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the land.”

Hearing this, we want the present-time of meekness to finish and the future-time of inheritance to start, don’t we?

We will admire this meekness – this patience – under certain circumstances … up to a certain point.

[__04___] But … there is a point at which we might think this “meekness” .. this “patience” has to be terminated … right?

For example, a child receives an instruction from his parent [or teacher.] Then, the child carries out that action. We call that meekness, responsiveness, obedience, even wisdom.

The same would be true of any person who is serving or under the leadership of someone else.

“Meekness,” “mildness”, “patience” …it all makes sense when someone else is in charge.

But, after some time, we grow up … and we get to be in charge, don’t we?

For example – as a working professional with employees, or a teacher with students, a parent with children, or a person caring for a loved one who is sick.

In this regard, we are accustomed to giving orders …

We might conclude, then, that we have “inherited the land” …that we have graduated from meekness, right?

[__05__ ] But the Beatitudes remind us to endure patiently, even mildly …when we are tempted to keep score … or react impatiently …. Or to flaunt our power or authority …or lord it over others.

As we read in the 1st letter of Peter, chapter 3:

“Finally, all of you, be of one mind, sympathetic, loving toward one another, compassionate, humble. Do not return evil for evil, or insult for insult; but, on the contrary, a blessing, because to this you were called, that you might inherit a blessing. For: "Whoever would love life and see good days must keep the tongue from evil and the lips from speaking deceit, must turn from evil and do good, seek peace and follow after it. For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears turned to their prayer, but the face of the Lord is against evildoers."” (1 Peter 3:8-12)

The Beatitudes often reminds us that we can do without certain conveniences …not the convenience of something electronic ..or something online ..or something we own or can purchase.

But, rather the convenience of being in the right, the convenience of getting my way…the convenience of being popular.

And, doing without these conveniences, these comforts, we are blessed and await a future reward. [__end__]