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2023-05-28 – Pentecost
TITLE: Pentecost. Text. Teaching. Translate
[_00-a__] This weekend is also Memorial Day, which began in 1866, shortly after the Civil War, in late May, a civil observance of the Spring, because flowers would be in bloom at this time.
The flowers would be a decoration upon the tombs at the cemeteries
of soldiers fallen / who had died in
battle. The original day for name for
Memorial Day was Decoration Day -- to decorate with the flowers -- the tombs of
fallen soldiers.
This is a time for us to pray for the eternal rest of all of our
military servicemen, and servicewomen to pray for our country.
There are parallels between 1866 and today in that 1866 was a time
of great division in our country. Today is also time of deep division.
But we can pray that that inscription that is on every dollar
bill, every coin will come true, that out of many we may become one (E Pluribus Unum). This is our calling. It's
not just a text message but also a teaching for us to follow.
[_00-b__] I'd like to touch on this
idea of a TEXT, a TEACHING, and
TRANSLATION.
In the Gospel, there's a text from Jesus: “Peace be with you”.
That's the text message. There's a TEACHING = i.e., he shows them his hands and
his side. The teaching is that “I gave up my life for you.” The translation is that he is sending them
out as his disciples also to show mercy and His disciples are meant to TRANSLATE
God’s mercy into their own words and actions.
[_00-c__] There are many parallels between the earlier episode at Mount Sinai
and the receiving of the 10 commandments (Exodus), and the later
Pentecost.
In the case of the journey to Mount Sinai, the Hebrew people were first
freed from slavery in Egypt. Then, the started their Exodus journey. 50 days
later, they are at Mount Sinai, and they receive the text of the law, the
Tablets of the Law, the 10 commandments.
In the New Testament, Jesus rises from the dead – freed from the
tomb and the “slavery” of his passion and death –on Easter Sunday and 50 days
later, the Holy Spirit comes with the new law.
In the New Testament, Jesus is often referred to as the new Moses,
bringing a new law that is now meant to be translated into the lives of you and
me.
It's not easy to do the translations sometimes to translate from,
from God's mercy to me and then from me to you, or from you to me.
This is the progression.
There's, there's the text of the law, there's the teaching of the
law, and then there's the translation of the law into our lives.
[_00-d__] Have you ever received a text message that
you did not comprehend?
I once received a message, a text message with the
following letters, “I D K” No idea ! So I turned to Google as search
engine / teacher. IDK = “I don’t know”
The teaching and the translation were given all at once.
Translation is a wonderful thing. There are many ways to obtain translations.
One way is to learn the language for yourself. I reading that the Rosetta Stone
software program provides such a way, with this “offer”. If you pay $179 for a
lifetime subscription, you can learn an unlimited number of languages.
Then it says you can learn 25 languages. I guess there's a limit
to the unlimited plan. There are way
more than 25 languages in the whole world!
But it is a lifetime subscription. And that's what we are signing up
for. In the in the Holy Spirit. We are signing up for a lifetime subscription
of the text of God's mercy, the teaching of God's mercy and the translation of
God's mercy.
Sometimes it takes a while to get
the text, grasp the teaching and finish the translation.
[_00-e__] Today is also to be ordination day for priests in the Archdiocese
of Newark at the Cathedral Basilica, at St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York and
many other places.
On my own day of ordination, I became a priest. Right after that people started calling me “Father”,
“Padre”. 5 months after my ordination –
October -- I went for a dental checkup.
I had been seeing this dentist and his staff for many years prior.
for dental checkups and other work.
I got to know them. They came to know me. Some
of them were interested in my in me becoming a priest. They even came to my first
Mass which was around the corner from the dental office. That was nice.
And, there I was for my first checkup after I became a
priest. At the reception desk, they called me – right out loud – “Father James
Ferry”. I was stunned by this.
There was a text, there was a teaching, but I hadn't done they translation
yet into my life, I was still getting used to the idea.
[_00-f__] I still get texts that I'm not used to. I got a text right before Mass
started. I was not ready for this text, the text was saying the A/C air
conditioning in church is not working.
I was upset by this. But, there was a teaching and translation in this.
I had to translate something about this into my life. I was upset about the air
conditioning apparently , but
then became unsure about the true status.
So, what is the teaching here? First of all, Father James Ferry, figure
out if it's really not working or not. Assuming that it's not working, that's
the first thing I need to figure out. That's the teaching.
But, I also need to translate this into my life. Because even if
it's not working, the message to you, James Ferry is don't make it the end of the
world as you know it. You can still feel fine. (homage: REM, Michael Stipe)
[_00-f__]
There is a message about God's mercy on Pentecost for us. Jesus is
talking about the Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation and going to
confession. There is here TEX, TEACHING,
TRANSLATION.
[1st. TEXT] We are called to confess our sins and
faults to God through the priest. Furhtermore, the TEXT is that priest cannot
and will not ever to mention what you say to him to anybody, including you ever
again.
And you might respond / say to me, “Padre, I am never going to
confession. No way, Jose, I'm not going I don't care. You can talk to me till you
are blue in the face. I'm not going to confess my sins.”
Well, I'm telling you, it's going to be good for you to go to
confession. That's the text.
[2nd. TEACHING] By going to confession, you and I learn in a
1-on-1 conversation with God through the priest about God's mercy, and also
about the value of sorrow and the value of contrition.
Have you ever gone to somebody
to apologize – and in the middle of the apology -- you realized, you know, it's
a good thing I apologized.
In other words, you became more more committed to your contrition
once you started the process.
There's a teaching like that in confession that we realize in the
moment the value because confession is not to make you feel worse, like bad. Or
to feel your vices, that confession is there to make you feel your worth
W-O-R-T-H and your value and that you are good.
[3rd . TRANSLATION]
By going to confession, you become a translator of God’s
mercy. You and I can live the words of the Lord’s prayer: “forgive us our
trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.”
You go to confession I go to confession, not because we're bad but
because we're good.
Priests go to confession to I try to go to Confession at one every
1-2 weeks because I need to know God's mercy in my life so that I can correct I
can be corrected when I go astray.
Therefore, I can translate that into my life. I noticed that
Rosetta Stone isn't that popular these days. Babel is much more popular. Babel
is only 8.95 / month But whether you use Babel or Rosetta Stone,
I'm indifferent to that. I'm just suggesting that the Holy Spirit is also a
lifetime subscription. Please sign up.
[_END__]
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