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Homily, Corpus Christi, 2024-06-02 (year B) ●●Exodus 24:3-8 ●● Psalm 116 ●● Hebrews 9:11-15 ●● + Mark 14:12-16, 22-26 ●● AI modified version of Saturday 5:30 pm transcript
Title: Location. Location. Location
[__02__] This past Wednesday, I was driving down Main
Street at nighttime on in West Orange. And I noticed the barricades set up
along Main Street between West Washington Street and Park Avenue. And it
reminded me that there was going to be the street fair, which was yesterday in
West Orange.
And I thought, well, that's a good idea set up
these barricades ahead of time, so that they're ready to go. This was one VISUAL
reminder. Then I started then I got the robo calls from West Orange. Did your
phone ring?
This is the township of West Orange, telling you
that there would be a street fair yesterday, and then Main Street would be
closed yesterday.
Do you think I remembered this? This went in one
ear and out the other. I tried to drive down Main Street at about 915
yesterday, and was immediately rerouted.
The purpose of bringing people to the street fair
is to promote the location of downtown West Orange. So people know about
downtown West Orange. And what's going on here.
Place is important.
What is the old saying about the 3 things for a
successful restaurant or real estate venture? #1, location # 2, location, # 3, location. Location,
location and location.
[__03__] The Gospel
today begins with a search for a place. Jesus's disciples say to him, “Where do
you want us to go and prepare for you to eat the Passover?” (Mark 14:___)
Where?
Jesus who knows everything, was not writing down an
address for them, nor entering a destination in their phones, for them to find
by GPS.
He
gives the location somewhat mysteriously, this instruction:
“Go into the city and a man will meet you carrying
a jar of water” (Mark 14:__)
Go into the city, into the crowd – where there
might be a street fair and you will see – identify - a man carrying a jar of water.
This is an exceptional sight.
As you as you may well know, in Jesus's day, you
didn't get hydrated or wash your hands by turning on the faucet in your sink, in
the kitchen or anywhere else. You had to carry the water to the house. Or, somebody
had to carry it. This person was usually
a daughter rather than a son, as the sons had other work. Or, the mother rather
than the father. It was a woman of the house who would typically carry the
water.
It would have been exceptional to see a man doing
this humble menial manual task.
In a sense, this man stands for the disciples
themselves, who are called to humble service. And, he stands – most of all of Jesus
who's called to the humble task of giving up his life for us.
And to this day, we still use that expression to
carry someone's water as an as a description --- whether the a man or a woman
-- , somebody who carries somebody's water is doing a humble task of helping.
[__04__] We are
trying to move in the same direction towards a particular location. Coming to Mass
on Sunday is such a direction.
It is obligation to come to Sunday Mass not just on
Corpus Christi, but every Sunday, and sometimes we are fighting traffic to get
here. What is the traffic that we're fighting?
The traffic
we're fighting is sometimes sports on Sunday. I remember when soccer was “”discovered
/ invented” in northern New Jersey. And there was soccer games on Sunday. But
our township specifically made a choice soccer would be in the afternoon on
Sunday. Not so anymore. Soccer is 7 days / week with Sunday mornings being a
time for soccer and many other sports taking precedence.
So you and I have to fight the traffic of sports to
get here on Sunday. Sometimes we have to fight the traffic of our own desires,
our own desires for convenience or comfort, not to be without our Wi Fi signal
for one hour to be here on Sunday.
We're saying no to certain entertainment, or news
or comfort to be here on Sunday.
[][][] All of the above are good. The are in
both religious and civilian terms – “legal” and “good”. But can you and I not
sometimes get too much of good things?
[][][]
It's good for us to move in this location. It's
good for us to come to God with our petitions. We're not coming to God to
remind God that we are here. God knows you are here. He has a really good app
for that.
You and I are here to remind us of God's presence
in our lives and our need for God and the gospel:
forgiveness and mercy
loving your enemies praying
seeking forgiveness when you do wrong,
forgiving those who do wrong against.
It's difficult to do these things we come to God
and to the church to remind Have these things. We also come to church to make
sacrifices, works of mercy. One of the sacrifices we're making you're doing it
right now is fasting. We fast for at least one hour before receiving Holy
Communion. And the fasts that we make are the sacrifices we make are not meant
to be big or ostentatious.
In a fast, but there are little things we can do.
Like not putting sugar in our coffee, or maybe going with not butter on bread,
or other little things we can do, postponing a meal, things that no one else
will notice except you and God. And Jesus says in the Gospel about fasting,
when you are fasting, anoint your head and wash your face, so that you may not
appear to others to be fasting.
Also,
by saying NO to what is good, we get practice at saying NO to what is perilous
and wrong, when such situations arise.
Nobody wants to be nobody wants to be around that
person who's announcing his fasting and His sacrifice all the time. Who is the
martyr?
I am sometimes that person telling everybody how
tough everything is.
Been there done that . Perhaps you've been there
done that, too.
So we're not supposed to announce how difficult our
fasting is.
We're just supposed to do it simply also, what
happens when we do something really dramatic in terms of fasting is the same
thing that happens when you're trying to put down a rebellion. Your body will
rebel against you. So, it's good to do things gradually, in little ways.
These are ultimately they're works of mercy. St.
Paul says reminds us in first Corinthians that we are called to do all these things
out of love out of charity, St. Paul writes, If I give up my body to be burned,
or if I give up my body, so that I may boast but do not have love again,
nothing.
So we are called to do these things with love and
charity. Jesus is also reminding his disciples that it is about he's inviting
them to come with him. At the last supper. Jesus says:
“In my Father's house, there are many mansions. If
there were not I would have told you, but I go and prepare a place for you so
that where I am you also may be” (John 14:2-3)
Location,
location, location.
I pray that our worship together may bring us
together keep us together in love of God and love of neighbor.
I can't wait to see you next Sunday.
[__04__]
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