Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross

 

Nm 21:4b-9

Ps 78

Phil 2:6-11

Jn 3:13-17

 

“We adore Thee O Christ

and we bless Thee,

Because by Thy Holy Cross

Thou hast redeemed the world.” 

 

It is always a surprise when no one reflexively genuflects at hearing the antiphon that introduces each of the Stations of the Cross.  It has a potentially Pavlovian effect on anyone who attended parochial school prior to Vatican II.  Friday afternoon Stations during Lent were a way of life.  The implications of the antiphon were certainly lost on the 200 or so kids at St. Mary’s Grade School in Plymouth, PA.  But, in a mere nineteen words we have a brief Catechism of the Catholic Faith.  The antiphon exposes the infrastructure of our lives. 

 

Thus, this ancient feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross—sometimes known as the Triumph of the Holy Cross—is one of the rare feasts that trumps the regular Sunday liturgy on what would have been the 24^th Sunday of Ordinary Time.  The readings for the feast are familiar.  They present such a profusion of riches that there is no reason any priest should repeat the same homily for this feast more often than every five or six years.   

 

The description of Moses lifting up a bronze serpent on a pole stands out in the Torah for its incongruity with everything that went before it.  This was a people for whom graven images were forbidden, for whom worshipping the golden calf brought down Moses’ wrath at Sinai.  But here, the image of a serpent on a pole reversed the punishment which the Lord had sent on the people just as they were preparing to enter the Promised Land. 

 

I’m not sure what to make of it. 

 

The Jewish Study Bible hastily notes that, “Rabbinic interpreters were disturbed by the magical nature of this cure, and suggested that it was the glance of the afflicted to their father in heaven, rather than the snake, which effected the cure.”  

 

I cannot hear or read these verses without automatically thinking of the staff of Aesculapius which is the actual symbol of medicine as opposed to the double-winged caduceus that is the symbol of the U.S. Army Medical corps. 

 

The easiest read of these verses is that they prefigured Jesus’ crucifixion.  John’s Gospel certainly makes that point easy to see.  “And just as Moses  lifted up the serpent in the desert, so must the Son of Man be lifted up,so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.”

 

With that in mind we can only stand at the foot of the Cross and say;

 

“We adore Thee O Christ

and we Bless Thee,

Because by Thy Holy Cross

Thou hast redeemed the world.”

 

Last night, as we do every Saturday evening when praying the breviary, we said the canticle from Philippians, the second reading, with its own Pavlovian effect.  I suspect more than one or two here can, upon hearing: “Though he was in the form of God . . .” continue on from memory.  As is the case when proclaiming the Magnificat from the pulpit, there is always the risk of continuing on to the Doxology: Glory to the Father, and to the Son . . .  after the concluding words of this canticle. 

 

The Cross was a punishment reserved for slaves.  It was the most shameful of all means of execution.   But, through Jesus’ humble willingness it became, and remains, the living sign of salvation. 

 

Unpacking the few verses of John that make up today’s Gospel could take us right through to supper.  “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son,so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life.”

 

This verse is a mine field for preachers, and a stumbling block for many who confront their own deaths or the death of a loved one. 

 

Father Marrow points out, and indeed he never failed to emphasize, that

“What the gospel of John proclaims as the purpose of the coming of the only Son into the world is “eternal life” not exemption from dying, and certainly not immortality, but the overthrow of the power of death itself.  This the evangelist calls “eternal life.” Thus, to redeem the world is to deliver all those subject to death from it not by exempting them from dying, but by granting them life eternal.

 

Some time this evening make what Jesuits call the Triple Colloquy from the Spiritual Exercises as described by Ignatius, “Imagine Christ our Lord present before you upon the cross, and begin to speak with him, asking how it is that though He is the Creator, He has stooped to become man,and to pass from eternal life to death here in time, that thus He might die for our sins.” 

 

And then ask yourself: “What have I done for Christ? What am I doing for Christ?

What ought I to do for Christ?”

 

And then repeat.

 

“We adore Thee O Christ

and we Bless Thee,

because by Thy Holy Cross

Thou hast redeemed the world.”

 

____________________________________________

 

 Fr. Jack, SJ, MD

Homily for the 24th Anniversary of 9/11/2001

 

The memories are grim.  Some are communal and shareable. Others are highly personal and difficult to share without weeping.  A few are impossible to articulate.  Every anniversary carries its own weight and meaning.  Every anniversary is experienced uniquely. The first was quite different from the tenth and was different from today’s 24th.  No one can predict what next year’s milestone 25^th will be like. 

 

Today, there is an entire generation that was still in the womb in September 2001. Many are students here and in every university in the U.S.  They are adults but have no first-hand memories.  Meanwhile, a significant portion of those whose recollections contributed to the communal memory have died. 

 

Twenty-four years ago yesterday, we woke on the day before the morning of

though we didn't know it.  The only ones who did were the al-Qaeda terrorists who were busy making the final checks on their coordinated plan of mass murder and their own suicides. 

 

Twenty-four years ago last night we went to bed as usual.  Some drifted off into deep sleep while others tossed and turned with worry about family, finances, or the weather forecast.

 

Twenty-four years ago last night the great silence descended on monasteries

throughout the world as the Church ended compline with the chanting of the Salve Regina.

 

Salve Regina, Mater Misericordiae

 

"Hail Holy Queen, Mother of Mercy

Our life, our sweetness, and our hope. . . . "

 

The killers knew it would be their last night alive.  None of their victims knew

that when they woke they would see their last sunrise,  they would kiss their children for the final time. Some would receive the Body and Blood of Our Lord in what would be their last communion.

 

When we woke on September 11, 2001 some of us felt refreshed and eager for the day to begin. Others wanted another hour or six of sleep.  It was time to brush the teeth, shower, and have the first few cups of coffee.  At 8:45 AM EDT we were on the way to work or already at school. 

 

Some went for a morning run.  Others walked the dog.  Routine daily tasks had to be done.  Perhaps it was garbage day.  Perhaps it was the first day on a new job.  The sixty seconds between 8:45 and 8:46 marked the last minute of life as we had known it up to then.

 

Everything changed at 8:46 EDT when American Airlines flight 11 crashed into the North tower of the World Trade Center.

 

United Airlines flight 175 crashed into the South tower at 9:13 EDT.

 

American Airlines flight 77 struck the west side of the Pentagon at 9:37 EDT.

 

United Airlines flight 93, from Newark, NJ to San Francisco was hijacked by Ziad Jarrah who had trained as a pilot here in the U.S.

 

His attempt to divert the plane toward D.C. aiming for the White House or the Capitol was foiled after a struggle with pilots, flight staff, and passengers.

Jarrah and his confederates intentionally crashed the plane in an empty field

near Shanksville, PA at 10:03 EDT.

 

The attacks were over. 

 

Twenty-four years ago tonight few of us slept.  For those who did, sleep was troubled, non-restoring, and interrupted by nightmares or tears.  The silence was deafening. Our lives were irrevocably changed. They would never return to what they had been. 

 

Twenty-four years ago tomorrow September 12 was the first full day after the attack. The true horror was still sinking in as the numbers of the dead ticked upward every several hours.  Stories of heroism and self-sacrifice were partial antidotes to despair. 

 

Today, twenty-four years later, those of us who lived through what has come to be called 9/11 still wonder, grieve, and weep.  And, as we have for the past years, we pray for the victims' families and loved ones.  We pray for ourselves.  Most especially we pray for those who were killed by radical terrorists.

 

Requiem aeternam                                  

dona eis, Domine,

et lux perpetua luceat eis.

Requiescant in pace.

 

"Eternal rest

grant unto them O Lord,

and let perpetual light shine upon them.

May they rest in peace."

___________________________________________________________________

Crucifix in the family chapel of the Charterhouse of the Transfiguration in Vermont.

 

 

Head of the Crucified Christ in the Charterhouse in Pleterje, Slovenia

 

 

 

 

 Fr. Jack, SJ, MD

What Does It Cost? Homily for the 23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time

 

Wis 9:13-18b

Ps 90:3-6; 12-17

Phmn 9-10, 12-17

Lk 14:25-33

 

A few years ago I giggled while reading a newspaper story in which the headline trumpeted the scientist Richard Hawking's declaration: "God not necessary to create the universe."  I giggled because  of the corollary that popped into my head: "Richard Hawking not necessary to explain God."  And then I remembered an old graffito and broke into a laugh. The graffito read:

 

“God is dead.  Nietzsche”

And below it . . . .

“Nietzsche is dead.  God”

 

Humans are fallible unknowing creatures who struggle to make sense out of the world. no matter if they are brilliant scientists like Hawking or if they are illiterate. They ask the same questions though the wording is different.  Any answers are tentative and always in need of revision,  depending on more factors than can be listed.

 

The first verse of the reading from Wisdom is key to understanding the dilemma of being human. “Who can know God’s counsel or who can conceive what the Lord intends?”  That verse should be inscribed over the entrance to every church, theology school, and seminary in the world.  It should be inscribed on our hearts.  Perhaps recalling that question would temper some of the theological-scriptural-sociological-psychological arrogance of preachers and theologians as well as the merely observant. It might tamp down the smug certainties of fundamentalists and militant atheists alike.

 

Who can know God’s counsel?

Who can know what God intends?

 

No one.

 

That doesn’t mean humans don’t pretend to know God’s counsel.  It doesn't mean they won't offer a strong opinion on what the Lord intends, sometimes giving the impression that they were God's hired consultants. 

 

“Scarce do we guess the things on earth, and what is within our grasp we find with difficulty.” That is a concise history of science. It is summary of all medical advances since Hippocrates, and a synopsis of world history from before it was written down.

 

Men on the moon . . .

But we can’t alleviate the traffic on 128, I-93, or Storrow Drive.

 

Heart transplants are routine . . .

the common cold remains a scourge.

 

Seedless watermelons

(wasted research dollars as they lack flavor as well as seeds). . . 

but hunger afflicts much of the world.

 

All of those accomplishments were achieved with great difficulty.  Our only choice is to accept our mortality, to admit our fallibility and our status as flawed beings. Our only choice is to recall that we are sinners, but sinners who are loved by God, whose counsel or intent we can never know.  When we recall this we can only marvel at the insight of the psalmist:

 

“For a thousand years in your sight

are as yesterday, . . .

or a watch in the night. . .”

 

We do not know God’s counsel.  We do not know what the Lord intends. It can never be otherwise.

 

Jesus’ parable reflects the first reading and illustrates the difficulty of being human and fallible. Who does construct a tower without calculating the cost?  Probably the same people as those responsible for the Big Dig. Who marches into—or withdraws from— battle without calculating the strength of his troops or the cost of his actions?  Only a fool.  But Jesus is not simply addressing the need to plan ahead.  He is warning us of the cost of commitment.

 

What is the cost to someone who chooses to follow Jesus?  It is high.  It is high in ways that are unique to each of us who make that choice.  The cost of following Jesus is high in ways dependent on our individual life stories, our individual vocations,  and our unique talents.

 

Jesus reminds us frequently that the cost of following Him is going to be high. Perhaps higher than we calculated.  It may also be easier than expected.  Because we cannot know God’s counsel or what He intends, we can only say yes to following Jesus on the grounds of faith, the kind of faith that the Letter to the Hebrews defines eloquently as: “Faith is the realization of what is hoped for and evidence of things not seen.”

 

And then we pray with the psalmist:

 

"Fill us at daybreak with your kindness,

that we may shout for joy and gladness all our days.

And may the gracious care of the LORD our God be ours;

prosper the work of our hands for us!

Prosper the work of our hands!

_______________________________________

A bit late posting.  It is football season.  Penn State was playing (and won though it was not pretty).  The photos are from a recent trip to the Charterhouse in Vermont.  Stayed in a very large mid-50s house that is almost a museum of pastel kitchen, dishes. and furniture.  The house overlooks Arlington, VT

Took this while sipping the first of many cups of coffee that day.  It was one of the most beautiful days of the summer.  The fog is about 2600 feet below the house. 

The living room and the deck overlooking the valley.  The problem with the house is that the windows don't open. Ventilation is only possible from the small screened windows near the baseboards.  I generally stay in the maid's quarters off the kitchen as it actually has windows that open.  

Carved wooden statue of St. Bruno, the founder of the order.

The Carthusian seal on the window of the small museum at the summit.  The clouds and sky are the reflection.  The glass is tinted and very thick  

Tempted to steal this from the wall. A quilt with the seal of the order repeated multiple times.

Am fascinated by these glasses on display.  They look like something from which June Cleaver or Harriet Nelson would sip their bubbly.

Shooting down.  No, I was not standing on a chair. 

Fr. Jack, SJ, MD 

Pride and Fake Humility: Homily for 22nd Sunday of Ordinary Time

 

Sir 3:17-18, 20, 28-29

Lk 14:1,7-11

 

“Every one who exalts himself will be humbled, and every one who humbles himself will be exalted.'”

Jesus’ teaching on humility in the context of a banquet is unique to Luke’s Gospel.  But as we heard in the first reading it is not unique in scripture. “Humble yourself more the greater you are, and you will find favor with God.”

The book of Sirach was written about 180 years before Jesus’ birth. Humility is its particular hallmark. In chapter one verse 27 of Sirach we read “For the fear of the Lord is wisdom and discipline; faithfulness and humility are his delight,”  Verse 17 of chapter 7 advises “More and more, humble your pride;  what awaits mortals is worms.” The challenge presented by Sirach is knowing what humility is and what it isn’t.

Saint Benedict defined twelve steps of humility in his Rule. The first sentence of Chapter Seven of that Rule introduces those steps by quoting today’s gospel admonition against exalting oneself.  All in all, the word ‘humility’ appears over thirty times in the Rule of Benedict.  As is true of Sirach, the challenge is to discern what true humility is and how to live it. 

Humility is an interesting and frequently misunderstood virtue. It is something we can fake easily enough while preening interiorly. Today one might call that kind of humility virtue signaling or humble-bragging. It is easy to fake humility, it is difficult to live it, particularly in this day of relentless self-promotion and ubiquitous “selfies," this last being one of the ugliest words in English, both in its sound and in what it implies. The image of the banquet is an excellent illustration of the danger of excessively high self-regard, a danger that is at epidemic levels today. 

Arrogating a place of honor without being asked is a blatant example of excessive self-regard, and a potential cause for extreme humiliation, “I’m sorry, this seat is reserved for someone who is important.  Please go stand behind the rope.”  However, true humility is not persistent and public self-criticism,  breast beating, and public self-abasement.  Humility refers to a proper sense of self-regard.  It demands honestly admitting one's mistakes to oneself and trying to correct them. It means accepting one’s limitations such as they are. It also means accepting ones abilities and, when one has done well,  realizing it with a graceful attitude. Most significantly for our times today true humility does not mean deflecting or denying compliments or praise. Quite the contrary.  Humility means accepting compliments and praise with gratitude and leaving it at that.

Compliments are an interesting phenomenon.  We learn a lot about ourselves and others by observing how we, or they, respond to them.  A compliment is an expression of regard from the speaker to the recipient.  A compliment is a verbal gift from one person to another.  It is a form of affection.

"That dress looks very good on you." 

"You mean this old rag?  You need to see your eye doctor."  

"That is a beautiful photograph." 

"Oh a twelve year-old could have done as well.” 

This kind of response is not humility.  It may appear so on the surface.  But, in reality this response is pride wearing the badly applied makeup of humility. The simpering deflection of a compliment is meant to encourage even more reassurance and praise,  praise that can only be accompanied by a cascade of superlatives.

"Oh no, you are soooooooo wrong.  That painting is exceptionally well done.  The composition, the color, the brushstrokes . . . .'  “Aw shucks, ma’am” as one traces a semi-circle in the dust. Responding to a compliment with fake humility is an attempt to manipulate others into piling on the accolades.  More significantly, it is a rejection of the other's gift that is on par with refusing a proffered handshake. There is only one possible response to a compliment:  A slight smile, perhaps a nod, and  words to the effect, "Thank you, it is kind of you to say so."   

Hubris, the opposite of humility, is defined as  extreme pride, especially pride and ambition so great that they offend the gods and lead to one's downfall.  It was hubris and not hunger or a desire to chomp on an apple, that led to Adam and Eve’s expulsion from the garden. And, it took very little persuasion for Satan to appeal to and further inflame, that pride and ambition. The results were disastrous.  It is pride that drives one to assume a prime seat at a banquet without having been asked to take it.  Pride is the driving force behind many of the sins we commit on a regular basis.  Pride is sin in and of itself as heard in the 

Carthusian penitential rite that begins: "I confess to Almighty God and to you my brothers that I have sinned exceedingly through pride . . . "  Pride is a deadly sin and the driver behind many of the other sins we commit. 

The best description of humility I ever read came in a letter from my late mentor

Jesuit psychiatrist George B. Murray. His definition is an important corrective to the fake humility that fishes for more praise. He wrote: "The only thing you need in the novitiate is a true vocation and humility.  Humility is not kowtowing,  it is not proclaiming yer' lowness, or indulging in public self-abasement.  Humility is based on truth, ergo the real.  . . . . if you erred admit it to yourself (ya’ don't have to advertise it).  If you did good admit it to yourself (ya’ don't have to advertise it)” 

True humility is realizing our pride, admitting it to ourselves,  and then acting against that pride without making it obvious; without making a big deal out of it,

without, in George’s words, feeling the need to make public kowtow so that others will notice how humble we are. 

True humility means following Jesus' command, "Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me." 

_________________________________________________________

Just back from a much needed retreat, which accounts for no homilies the pat two Sundays.  Was at the monastery of the Maronite Monks of Adoration, in Petersham, MA, about 2 hours west of Boston.  Is small, quiet, and in a lovely setting,   The weather was a bit hot the first two days and then it became gloorious.  

The night before leaving.  Venus and Mercury are part of a six-planet alignment.

Monastic Church

E

Entry drive into the monastery.  It is set in the middle of nowhere.   No wi-fi by design and no phone because of geography. 

Shrine of the Sacred Heart

Sunrise was glorious.  This  is the view from my east-facing room.

 

 

 

 

 

Fr. Jack, SJ, MD

Solemnity of the Assumption

 

Rv 11:19a; 12:1-6a, 10ab

Ps 45:10, 11, 12, 16

1 Cor 15:20-27

Lk 1:39-56

 

The Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary; is one of three Marian feasts that remain holy days of obligation requiring the faithful to attend Mass,

unless, in the inexplicable thought of the U.S. bishops in 1991, it falls on Saturday or Monday when I guess, it is a holy day of inconvenience. The other two Marian Feasts which remain Holy Days of Obligation are: The Immaculate Conception on December 8 and The Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God on New Year’s Day. 

 

Today’s feast raises questions for many of the faithful and even more questions for the less-than-faithful and the terminally sophisticated. The first question is why do we celebrate the Feast of Mary's Assumption? 

 

Though Pius XII decreed it as dogma only in 1950, the feast has been observed in both the Western and Eastern Churches since the 6^th Century.  Despite the long duration of this observance there is no scriptural basis for Mary's Assumption, or what the Eastern Church calls The Dormition of Mary.  A few passages of scripture are sometimes cited as indicative of the Assumption.  But the explanations involve intricate mental and scriptural gymnastics. 

 

A second question is how?  As tantalizing as it might be to explore the biology and physics of the Assumption, a dogma that states that Mary was taken bodily into heaven, the question is irrelevant.  The more important considerations are:

what the feast means for us and what the dogma of Mary's assumption should teach us?

 

The Feast of the Assumption points the way for all followers of Jesus who imitate Mary’s fidelity and obedience to God’s will. . . it points the way for all who can repeat Mary’s yes at the Annunciation:

 

"Fiat mihi secundum verbum tuum"

“May it be done unto me according to your word.” 

 

Each of today’s readings is important to the feast.

 

The Book of Revelation is filled with fantastical, strange, and bizarre images  some of which will never be fully understood. The identity of the woman in this passage and the interpretations of the images are subjects of heated debate.  The arguments range from the images indicating Israel, the Church, Eve, Mary the Mother of Jesus, all of the above, some of the above, or none of the above. 

Scripture scholar Adele Collins suggests that it is more important to see the woman’s destiny than it is to know her identity.  It is a good point.   Her destiny should be ours. Many artists have painted and sculpted the images in Revelation with mixed results. One can clearly see the influence of this passage, in depictions of Our Lady of Guadalupe, the only other feast on which we hear this reading. 

 

Paul’s words both comfort and instruct us.  We heard at the beginning of the reading “Just as in Adam all die so too in Christ shall all be brought to life.”  And then at the end of the reading, “The last enemy to be destroyed is death,
for he subjected everything under his feet.”

 

Death’s destruction was contingent on Maryand her reply to the angel.

 

Mary’s obedience

stands in sharp contrast to Eve’s disobedience.  Eve’s infidelity to God’s will is trumped by Mary’s fidelity. Mary is both the antithesis of Eve and the new Eve, mother of us all.

 

Magnificat anima meo Dominum

 

"My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord, my spirit rejoices in God my savior." 

 

There are lilies that must never be gilded.  The Magnificat is one of them.  Mary’s prayer does not need grammatical dissection, gender neutralization, or revisions that reflect contemporary agendas. The Magnificat calls for quietly holding the words, phrases, and images in the depths of our souls, particularly at the end of vespers, the hour that prepares us for the silence of the night, that time of darkness that is most fertile for prayer and contemplation.

 

As we pray with Mary, as we magnify the Lord, and rejoice in God our savior, we will once again recall that God has remembered—and will always remember—His promise of mercy. 

 

And thus we must say, as we always do at end the Magnificat:

 

Gloria Patri, et Filio,

et Spiritui Sancto,.

 

Glory be to the Father . . . . 

 

______________________________________________

Besides being the Memorial of Maximilian Kolbe today it is the eve of the Assumption.  It is also 26 years since I pronounced vows as a Jesuit.  No homilies for the next two Sundays as I will be on retreat with no opportunity to preach and no access to internet or phone access, the second being due to the geography of rural MA.  

 

The photos are self-explanatory.  They were taken over the years at the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C.  

 

 

Fr. Jack, SJ, MD

19th Sunday in Ordinary Time

 

Wis 18:6-9

Ps 33

Heb 11:1-2, 8-19

Lk 12:32-48

 

We heard in the Letter to the Hebrews, "Faith is the realization of what is hoped for and evidence of things not seen."  These are important words that remind us what faith is, and, with just a little thought, what faith is not.

 

True faith is not dependent on the sciences. On Wednesday we celebrated the Feast of the Transfiguration. The Transfiguration will always remain a mystery beyond the reach of historical reconstruction, scientific explanation, or geographic verification.  However, faith is not unquestioning, pious, or naive either.  It is not visiting the Mountain of the Transfiguration  to see specifically where Jesus stood, or to kiss where he might have been thought to have stood at the place of the Ascension.  There are some things we can never know.  Faith continues despite lack of proof. 

 

Both the scientifically skeptical and the unquestioningly pious must learn to live with that reality.  They must learn to live, not only with things not seen, but with things that will never be seen, fully known, or open to proof.  Faith is radical trust in God’s goodness and guiding presence, even in the midst of trial and struggle.

 

Faith is not the light at the end of the tunnel.  It is the light in the tunnel.  It is  the light that allows us to travel through the tunnel and come out on the other side. Faith is listening for the soft voice that may be obscured by the chaos of the present moment.

 

The reading from Hebrews gives a short biography of Abraham, our father in faith.  Because of faith he left home and all that was familiar even though he did not know where he was to go. In faith he accepted that he would be the father of a nation despite his age.

 

In faith he was prepared to sacrifice his son Isaac who was the fulfillment of God’s promise of generativity.  It is an astonishing story.

 

Faith always entails a degree of uncertainty. That uncertainty is highlighted in the gospel, a gospel that is disconcerting.  It is less comforting and more of a warning about our responsibilities.  Jesus reminded  His disciples to be aware of their responsibilities at all times when he told them, “But if that servant says to himself, ‘My master is delayed in coming, and begins to beat the servants . . . ,to eat . . . and get drunk, then that servant’s master will come on an unexpected day and unknown hour.  He will punish the servant severely
and assign him a place with the unfaithful.” 

 

Many parents have had the experience of coming home sooner than expected to find the kids doing what they were told not to do, partying, drinking, or any of a number of other untrustworthy behaviors.  The situation is a staple of many movies. There might have been a shocked silence, rage, tears, or promises after the fact.  The children betrayed the parents’ trust.  It could take years for it to be reestablished.

 

Jesus concluded with, "From everyone to whom much has been given,

much will be required; and from the one to whom much has been entrusted, even more will be demanded."  We have been entrusted with much: the Gospel, the sacraments, and the true presence of Christ in the Eucharist.  We will be held accountable if we do not use and learn from them.  We show our trust in God in how we respond to the gifts we have been given, how we use the time and opportunities in life to grow, particularly in the face of adversity.

 

We should not be caught by surprise like the servants in the gospel, or the kid whose parents come home earlier than expected.   We should live each day as if we were preparing to meet the Lord. so that we might sing with the psalmist:

 

"Our soul waits for the LORD,

who is our help and our shield.

May your kindness, O LORD, be upon us

who have put our hope in you."

 

 _______________________________________________

Compleetely exhausting dayl  Flower photos are easy.  No explanation needed. 

 

 Fr. Jack, SJ, MD

Vanity of Vanities: Homily for the 18th Sunday in Ordinary Time

 

Ecc 1:2, 2:21-23

Ps 90:3-4, 5-6, 12-13, 14, 17

Col 3: 1-5, 9-11

Lk  12:13-21

 

The Book of Ecclesiastes, from which the first reading was taken, is fascinating.  It is part of the Wisdom literature, a literature that, like the Book of Proverbs, continues to supply practical advice for living up to today. 

 

Today’s reading is discontinuous. It consists of chapter one verse two, the second most well-known verse of the book, at least to baby boomers, and chapter two verses 21 to 23. Were the reading to continue into the third chapter we would be able to have a sing along with music by Pete Seeger and the only pop lyrics taken directly from the Old Testament.  The song is, of course, “Turn, Turn, Turn” the 1965 hit that reached #1 on the pop charts as recorded by the The Byrds

 

 

Ecclesiastes is concerned with the purpose and value of human life, both of which are being demeaned today.  The overall outlook of the book is somewhat pessimistic as it wonders if enduring happiness is possible in this life; particularly if the life is materialistic, overly concerned with possessions, and consumed by the quest for money, honors, and acclaim.

 

There is a hint of what will be more fully revealed in Jesus’ teaching. True wisdom is not found “under the sun.”  True wisdom is perceived only through the light of faith.  The words “vanity of vanities, all things are vanity”  summarize the book  and move us directly into the Gospel.

 

“Take care to guard against all greed, for though one may be rich one’s life does not consist of possessions.”  It would be absurd to add anything to this statement.  Indeed, it would be gilding the proverbial lily.  It states a fundamental truth.  It is the only possible response to the pathetic bumper sticker that sounds like a Gordon Gekkko motto: “He who has the most toys when he dies wins.”  The problem with the motto is that one is never told what the one with the most toys wins at the time of his death.

 

Vanity of vanities.

 

Sports pages breathlessly discuss obscene contracts offered to a washed up quarterback. Prices of the latest starlet’s desert vacation home are generally seven or more figures. Despite Botox we grow old.  The only way to rephrase the motto is: “He who has the most toys when he dies:  dies.” As Jesus’ parable points out, no matter how securely our goods are stored, upon our deaths they go to someone else.  Perhaps our heirs, a goodly chunk to taxes, or as fees to the banks and lawyers who probate the estate. 

 

The second reading advises: “Put to death, then, the parts of you that are earthly: immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and the greed that is idolatry.”

 

“ . . . and the greed that is idolatry.”

 

We are acquisitive by nature.  We want what belongs to others be it the same granite countertops, the same luxury car, or tragically at times, the neighbor’s spouse, a whole separate realm of sin. The desire for the most toys can drive much of what we do,how we think, how we act and how we choose to sin.

 

Bernie Madoff made headlines a couple of decades ago for the extent of his greed and acquisitiveness. The dynamics of his greed are no different from the college student who steals her friend’s sweater. The only difference is the budget.

 

“ . . .  and the greed that is idolatry.” 

 

And the greed that is the antithesis of generosity

 

A prayer attributed to St. Ignatius, whose feast we just celebrated on Thursday, reflects the responsorial psalm and is the antidote to “the greed that is idolatry.” 

 

“O Lord, teach me to be generous

To serve you as you deserve

To give and not to count the cost

To fight and not to heed the wounds

To toil and not to seek for rest

To labor and not to ask for reward

Save that of knowing I do your holy will.

 

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The photos are from the Mass on the Solemnity of St. Ignatius on Thursday.  Jesuits from all over Boston converged on BC.  The challenge with this feast is that it falls in the middle of the summer when many faculty and others are traveling or making their own retreats.  However, it was a great celebration with superb food.  Can judge the wine as I am not a wine drinker.  Had beer instead. 

 

 

The assembled men.

Approaching communion

Image of St. Ignatius

The schola that supplied the music.  The woman singing had a beautiful voice

Looking through the doors of the domestic chapel.  

Celebrant was Fr. Claudio Burgaletta, SJ our superior and the homilist was Fr. William Leahy, SJ president of BC who will turn over the office to Fr. Jack Butler, SJ next summer.

The Mass beginning. 

 Fr. Jack, SJ, MD