In the Vineyard of the Lord: Homily for 27th Sunday in Ordinary Time

  

Is 5:1-7

Ps 80

Phil 4:6-9

Mt 21:33-43

 

Today’s gospel begins where last Sunday’s ended and continues the vineyard theme. Taken together the first reading and the Gospel illustrate the dependence of the New Testament upon the Old Testament reminding the reader that one cannot understand the New Testament without first knowing the Old.  The images of the vineyard, the wine press, and the tower that Jesus used in the parable, came directly from Isaiah. They make the same painful point about fidelity, or lack thereof, to God’s law.  But Jesus moved beyond Isaiah. 

 

Cultivating a vineyard is complicated, difficult, and demanding work.  Running a vineyard is not so much a job as it is a vocation and way of life. I completed tertianship in 2011 during eight months in Australia.  Yes, it was a dream come true, particularly for a photographer.  We did the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius during the thirty-day retreat at the Sevenhill Jesuit Retreat House located on the grounds of the Jesuit winery near the town of Clare, South Australia.  The Clare Valley, with 35 wineries,  is an important part of the Australian wine industry.

 

Begun by Bavarian Jesuits in 1851 Sevenhill was one of the first wineries in the Clare Valley.  The setting on 1000 acres of rolling hills is beyond beautiful.  BUT . . . the beauty obscures an important fact.  Caring for a vineyard is backbreaking work that demands both physical stamina and familiarity with organic chemistry.  Sometimes, despite precautions, hard work, the commitment of the wine master and the dedication of the workers, the harvest is not good and the wines are less than wonderful.  Unfortunately, 2011 was catastrophic. It was unusually cold and cloudy. There was way too much rain during the harvest.  Only sixty percent of the grapes were even harvested.  The others died on the vine.  But, the winemakers at Sevenhill and the rest of the Valley were not giving up.  Once the scope of the problem was defined, the staff at Sevenhill rolled up their sleeves and began to prepare for 2012.

 

So it is with God who loves us and forgives our sins rather than giving up on us.

 

We heard of the vineyard owner’s dismay In the first reading when, despite constructing the vineyard, putting in a watchtower to prevent sabotage, and carefully cultivating the grapes, he harvested useless sour grapes.  Isaiah was, like Jesus in the gospel, using the image of the vineyard for the people of Israel, people who, despite God’s care worshipped false idols, ignored the law, and became like sour wild grapes unfit for wine or anything else.  

 

The vineyard is a symbol for the people in the psalm as well.

 

The psalmist asks the Lord to restore the vineyard and care for it despite the poor harvest, despite the people violating and forgetting the covenant yet again. In the psalm we ask the Lord to restore us despite our drive to commit the same sins over and over while periodically throwing in a few new ones.

 

The psalm is a combination of confession, faith, and bargaining.  But  the  psalmist,

who captured the essence of human behavior in the psalm, knows that God is forgiving and will relent.  Jesus takes the vineyard image further than Isaiah when he predicts His own death.  But he also tells of  the mission to the Gentile, who were not part of the old covenant.

 

“The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone.”  Truer words have rarely been uttered.

 

There are three more verses at the end of this parable.  The last two are critical to put the parable and of all of Jesus’ teaching into context. We read, “When the chief priests and Pharisees heard his parables, they knew that he was speaking about them.  And although they were attempting to arrest him, they feared the crowds for they regarded him as a prophet.” The truth hurts.  Sometimes the truth hurts the one who reveals it, particularly in the cancellation culture of the U.S.  Killing the bearer of the truth may be much easier than making fundamental changes in our lives, actions, and attitudes as a result of hearing that truth.

 

 

Five more chapters of parables and discourse follow chapter 21 before Matthew recounts Jesus’ passion and death.  All of the parables and discourses are familiar.  All of them challenge us, just as they challenged Jesus’ hearers.  At times they are painful

because we see ourselves reflected in them.  The reflection is not pretty.  We can clean up that picture easily enough. The instructions are found in the second reading.  Do “what you have learned and received and heard and seen in me.  Then the God of peace will be with you.”

 

That peace will surpass all understanding.  That peace will trump anything we can imagine.   

 

___________________________________________________

 

The photos are from the Charterhouse in Pleterje, Slovenia which I had occasion to visit several times while in the country.  It was a situation that grew out of my relationship with the Charterhouse in the U.S., a relationship established a year earlier.   

 

 

Part of my lunch.  The rose was nicely chilled.  This is one of my favorite still lifes. 

The monastic church from the gallery.

One of the cloister walks.  The corpus at the end of the hall was made by one of the monks. 

The town of Šmarje, a shortened version of St. Mary's.  This was taken from the car that would transport me from the train station in Krško to the house. 

 

Fr. Jack, SJ, MD 

Hypocrites Anonymous: Homily for the 26th Sunday in Ordinary Time

  

Mt 21:28-32

 

Today's gospel appears late in Matthew, just after Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem.  In the days between that entry paved with palm branches and hosannas and the arduous journey when he carried the cross of our salvation, Jesus engaged in a number of debates and discussions with the chief priests and elders. These debates helped to seal His death warrant.  He was cutting too close to the bone, for the authorities to bear, proving  the saying, “the truth hurts.”Through the use of parables, Jesus pointed out the contradictions between what the priests and elders preached and how they lived.  Jesus pointed out how

the priests and elders heard John’s call to repentance, but failed to heed it.

 

The second son in the parable, the one who said he would go to work in the vineyard but did not go,  represents those who proclaimed the law but failed to follow through on its principles and demands. They are the hypocrites.  They are the actors who play a role in which they do not believe. They could be judges, mayors or government officials anywhere today.

 

The first son, who initially refused to work in the vineyard but then fulfilled the father’s request, represents the social and religious outcasts of the time, the sinners, who, despite not following the law in the beginning,  heard the call to repentance and eventually heeded it.  They are like us who, after many attempts, finally quit smoking, get sober, return to the Church after a long “vacation,” or in general simply get it, eventually hearing the call to repentance  and acting on it.

 

While the second brother mouthed an obedient response to the father’s request,he did not follow through. The first brother though initially unwilling did what he was commanded. While not perfect obedience the seriousness of any sin was mitigated by his later action.  How often have we acted, like the hypocritical second brother?  How often have we made a commitment and then not honored it?  How often have we acted like the first brother, initially refusing a request but then, as the result of a guilty conscience, quietly going and doing what we were originally asked? 

 

We can all accuse ourselves of mouthing principles that we fail to practice; the “do as I say not as I do” syndrome?   Sometimes it requires the pain of having the hypocrisy of one's actions pointed out to drive a conversion.

 

I quit smoking back in 1977--thirteen years after starting--when, after harshly lecturing an ICU patient about the dangers of her continuing to smoke, I leaned over to listen to her heart.  A pack of Marlboros, the red and white crush-proof box, fell out of my white coat pocket and onto the sheet.  The patient reacted with unmistakable anger.

 

All I remember of her diatribe was the accusation that I was a hypocrite, a liar, and fundamentally dishonest.  She continued for a bit but I remember nothing more as I was wondering if I could break the glass and jump out of the eighth floor window. That experience was excruciating. I quit smoking that moment.  Embarrassment is one of the most painful motivators of change anyone can know.  And I remain grateful to that patient for saying what had to be said.

 

We heard in the psalms, “The sins of my youth and my frailties, remember not; in your kindness remember me, because of your goodness.”  Even when we have acted like the second son when we have been hypocritical or disobedient, it is not too late. We heard the promise in the first reading that If anyone turns from wickedness and does what is right and just, his life shall be preserved, he shall live and not die.

 

Truly, good and upright is the Lord. 

 

________________________________________

October 1 is fast-approaching and with it the 13th anniversary of making final vows at Campion Center in Weston MA

 

 

Fr. Jack, SJ, MD

That Ain’t Fair! Homily for the 25th Sunday in Ordinary Tim

   

Mt 20:1-16

 

Today’s gospel from Matthew was just proclaimed a few weeks ago on August 19^th,

the 20^th Wednesday of Ordinary time.   A rerun of the gospel within a few weeks  complicates life when Father is preaching to the same congregation. 

 

It would be easy enough to pull out the homily from a few weeks ago and rerun it,

hoping that no one would notice.  Changing the order of ideas or sentences might work

but would veer perilously close to sloth, one of the seven deadly sins defined as:

habitual disinclination to exercise or laziness, or in this case spiritual sloth, a disinclination to think about and pray with the gospel. 

 

On a weekday a reasonable option would be not to give a homily as a homily is not required on weekdays.  But, a homily is required on Sundays. 

 

The final option is to reread and reconsider the narrative asking what else there is in the reading.  What else could form the nucleus of a homily?  Besides the question of fair and unfair,  today’s gospel has in the backgroundthe sins of envy and perhaps jealousy.

Many consider envy and jealousy as interchangeable or synonyms.  They are not.  Envy and jealousy are related but they are not identical concepts.  One may lead to the other, generally from envy to jealousy, and the two can coexist. No matter, they are not the same thing. 

 

I was unaware of the distinction until a conference during psychiatry residency.  The attending asked the difference between envy and jealousy. A few brave souls suggested that they were the same thing.  The attending said they were not. He explained: “Envy is wanting what another has.  Jealousy is fear that another is going to take what you have.”  Envy may be beneficial if it encourages us to work harder to get what we envy.  If a student envies a friend’s grades that envy may push him or her to put down the computer games and study harder so as to get the same grades.  But, envy may be destructive if it drives the individual to sabotage the efforts of a friend or neighbor.  Or if it leads one into debt while trying to keep up with the Jones’s.  Jealousy, the fear that another will take what I have, results in conflict, anger, and harm.  Shakespeare described jealousy as ‘the green eyed monster” in Othello,

 

Jealousy leads to rage and murder. It triggers war.  Jealousy includes elements of

suspicion, fear, anxiety, and hostility. As opposed to mere sabotage, which has the goal of hindering the success of the one we envy, jealousy drives revenge with the goal of grievously harming the other. At times it leads to murder.

 

Like all of Jesus’ parables there is no definite conclusion in today’s narrative.  The parables never end with the equivalent of “and they lived happily ever after.”

Jesus parables always end on a question mark.  This makes us ask “and then what?

 

What happened after the workers had been paid?  We know the first hired resented that the Johnny-come-latelies were paid the same as they were. Some of the late-starters only worked for one hour.  That ain’t fair.

 

Was there some pushing and shoving during the walk home?  Were cross words exchanged?  Maybe a few swear words?  What did the first hired have to say about the land owner?   What were the last ones hired saying about him?  Did someone contact the union rep?

 

The first reading describes God as generous and forgiving.  The landowner asked the disgruntled workers if they were envious because he was generous. The answer was obvious. 

 

Some time today, ask yourself  “How would I respond to the same situation?”

 

 _______________________________________________

Photos below were taken several years ago in the autumn while visiting Horseneck Beach which is located in MA very near the border with RI.   Autumn is my favorite time at the beach.  I try to avoid beaches in the summer when there are people around and the smell of sun block is heavy in the air.  

 

 

 Fr. Jack, SJ, MD

 

 

 

On Forgiveness: Homily for the 24th Sunday of Ordinary Time

  

Sir 27:30-28:7

Mt 18:21-35

 

Peter asked, “Lord, if my brother sins against me, how many times must I forgive him?  As many as seven times?”  Forgiving someone seven times seems reasonable.  Indeed forgiving someone seven times seems positively magnanimous, even saint-like if you will.  Jesus’ reply must have startled Peter.  Not seven times but seven times seventy-seven times. 

 

Jesus was not giving Peter a specific number or setting limits on forgiveness.  Rather, by using hyperbole he was indicating that forgiveness must be infinite. Jesus' reply is analogous to something most of us heard when we were kids andswore we would never say upon becoming parents or uncles. But we do. “If I told you once I told you a thousand times.”  Sometimes a thousand underestimated the real number but mostly it was hyperbole for effect. The gospel parable is chilling on two levels:  The first is the servant’s callous behavior toward a fellow servant where he showed himself as a man who couldn't or wouldn't forgiveas he was forgiven. The second chilling element is the punishment meted out to him when the master learned of his actions.  One could ask why the master was not forgiving toward the wicked servant.  It is a good question. 

 

Perhaps there are actions that are unforgivable. 

 

The message Jesus gave to Peter is to forgive as God forgives. Perfectly and without limit.  That is an ideal humans can’t attain save for exceptional circumstances.  An instance of those exceptional circumstances went on international display twenty years ago.

 

Charles Roberts, IV entered the Amish one-room school house in Nickel Mines, PA on October 2, 2006. After sending all of the boys out Roberts murdered five girls between the ages of nine and thirteen.  He critically injured five others, one of whom was severely brain-damaged. He killed himself when the police arrived. 

 

His actions horrified the world.  The actions of the Amish community horrified much of the world even more.  Roberts horrified the world by the brutality of his act.  The Amish horrified the world by their forgiveness. 

 

On the day of the shooting the grandfather of one of the murdered girls told young relatives, "We must not think evil of this man.”  Another Amish man noted, "He had a mother and a wife and a soul and now he's standing before a just God."  Still another Amish man held the shooter’s sobbing father in his arms for an hour in an attempt comfort him. Thirty members of the Amish community attended Roberts' funeral. 

 

The Amish may or may not know the Book of Sirach. Sirach is considered canonical by the Catholic and Orthodox Churches but apocryphal in the Protestant churches.  It does not appear in the Jewish Bible.  We just heard, "The vengeful will suffer the LORD’s vengeance, for he remembers their sins in detail. Forgive your neighbor’s injustice; then when you pray, your own sins will be forgiven."  This explains the behavior that most of the world found incomprehensible. 

 

Most of us are willing to forgive.  Sometimes.  Under certain circumstances.  For a limited number of times.  For some things.  Jesus instructs us that seven times is not enough.  Through the use of hyperbole Jesus is telling us we must always forgive. 

 

It is not an easy instruction to understand. 

It is not an easy instruction to accept. 

It is definitely not an easy instruction to follow.

 

And yet, that is what God gives us.  God offers us forgiveness even more heroic

than the forgiveness the Amish extended to the man  who killed their daughters

and traumatized the entire community.

 

The psalm assured us.

"The Lord is kind and merciful,

slow to anger, and rich in compassion.

 

He pardons all your iniquities,
heals all your ills.
He redeems your life from destruction,
crowns you with kindness and compassion."

 

God offers us forgiveness every time we receive the sacrament of confession.  We need only begin, “I confess that I have sinned.”

 

And ask for pardon and forgiveness.  

 _____________________________________

 

My two alma maters met on the football field today.  Penn State and Temple.  No, there were no divided loyalties.  The medical school was many blocks away from the main campus north on Broad Street.  One friend observed about my feelings about Penn State, "You didn't go to college, you joined a cult."  So true.

 Fr. Jack SJ, MD

9/11 and Christian Heroism

  

Friday night’s football game at Boston College is the annual “Red Bandana Game.”  The team will wear uniforms with a red bandana incorporated into the jerseys.  The first 10,000 spectators will be given red bandanas.  Others will bring their own.

 

The game is in honor of a BC Alumnus who died 25 years ago today in the terrorist action against the World Trade Center.  None of the undergrads at the game were born when the terrorists directed the hijacked planes into the towers, the Pentagon, and a field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania.  But they will become more aware of the story of the Christian heroism of an alumnus who placed the lives of others before his own, a man who sacrificed his life so that others might live. 

 

Welles Crowther, an equities trader in the World Trade Center, graduated from BC two years before his death. He had been a volunteer firefighter, as was his dad,  from the age of 16.  Why the bandana?  His dad gave Welles a red bandana when he was six years old.  It became a trademark that he carried  with him at all times up to his death.

 

Rather than fleeing his offices on the 104^th floor when the towers were attacked,  he used his ever-present bandana to cover his nose and mouth as protection from smoke inhalation. The man in the red bandana, as he was called by those he saved, rescued at least eighteen people, sometimes guiding them and other times carrying them down the steps.  His demeanor remained calm throughout.  His name was not known until his sister saw the reports of the man in the red bandana given by those he had saved.

 

Welles’ body was not found until six months after the attack. It was discovered with the bodies of other dead firefighters from the NY fire department in what was a makeshift control center for rescue efforts in the lobby of the south tower that collapsed.  

 

In two interesting side notes, a filled out application to the New York Fire Department was found among his papers.  Welles was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom which President Trump presented to his mother and sister on Tuesday of this week.  

 

Evil can be defined as ‘that which causes harm to us as humans, as persons, as members of society.”  The events of 9/11 encapsulate and summarize the problem of evil with which humanity has grappled since the very beginning and with which it will grapple for all time.   As we pray today, we ask ourselves if there is any reason for hope after those dreadful events of a quarter-of-a-century ago.

 

Any hope that emerges from the intentional actions of a group of terrorists will not be found in official pronouncements or in treading lightly around the evil they perpetrated.  Hope will be found in the Christian heroism of individuals such as Welles Crowther or Father Mychal Judge.

 

 

Father Judge was the Franciscan chaplain to the New York Fire Department who died in the collapse of the South Tower as he was administering last rites to a dying firefighter.  Any hope we might find as we grapple with the eternal problem of evil and suffering will only be found in the selfless action of individuals and groups who act for the sake of others.  Like many of the saints Welles Crowther, Mychal Judge, and the over 300 firefighters who died that day, ignored their own needs and instincts for self-preservation so as to save the lives of others. Theirs was a Christianity of response and action.

 

I don’t know if the story is apocryphal.  I’ve heard several versions of it but it is said that a young religious was carefully dressing an ugly, smelly, and festering leg wound.  Someone who observed her said, “Sister, I wouldn’t do that for a million dollars.”  She replied, “Neither would I.”  

 

We are called to love and care for others as Jesus did and because He did. 

 

Welles Crowther, Fr. Judge, and a host of NY Firefighters knew that when they acted to save others.  And so, we pray .  . .

 

Réquiem ætérnam dona eis, Dómine,

et lux perpétua lúceat eis.

Requiéscant in pace.

 

Amen.

 

_____________________________________

The body of Fr. Mychal Judge, OFM being taken from the South Tower by firefighters.

Welles Crowther, BC class of '99

 

Fr. Jack, SJ, MD 

 

 

Give Me The Car Keys, You’re Drunk: Homily 23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time

  

Ez 33:7-9

Ps 95

Rom 13:8-10

Mt 16:15-20

 

I grew up, lived, and worked in Eastern and Central Pennsylvania until I was in my mid-forties. Much of that time was spent on the edge of Amish enclaves located along Rt. 45 between Lewisburg and State College.  Regular travelers on 45 learned to be alert for the black buggies traveling on the shoulder. 

 

An outsider does not enter into or become close to an Amish community.  Their communities are closed to those whom they call 'The English.'  Their lifestyle is simple, non-technology dependent, and led according to church teaching.  One of the misunderstood features of Amish life is the practice of 'shunning' a church member who repeatedly sins by violating church ordinances. This particular part of Matthew's gospel is used as justification for the practice that is meant to maintain  the good of the community.

 

The errant individual is confronted in the step-by-step manner outlined in the gospel.  Only after repeated attempts at correction at higher levelswill the individual be shunned, cut off from social interaction with the community, from worship with the community, or even being able to do business.  However, the individual is not completely abandoned. Even when shunned the community will help if needed.  If the individual confesses and repents he or she or she will be welcomed back.  Only the completely unrepentant who refuse to confess will be excommunicated.  While many feel shunning to be harsh and inhumane, sometimes the only way to prevent the sinner from worse is through the remedy suggested in Matthew.

 

We see a corollary is the first reading from Ezekiel in which the prophet is warned that he will be held equally guilty if he does not correct the sinner, whereas if he offers correction but the sinner persists, the sinner will be lost but the prophet will be blameless. 

 

Were the topic of shunning to be introduced into cocktail party conversation  many would roll their eyes  and allude to cruelty, perhaps with an "oh myyy gawwwwwd.'  Oftentimes they would add, "I never judge others,"  a sanctimonious lie that is among the biggest virtue signaling lies possible . . . but that is another homily.

 

We have the same responsibilities to confront sinners as outlined in Ezekiel and Matthew.  Are we culpable--legally and/or morally--for another's sin?  Most of the time we are not.  But there are times when action on our part could have made a difference, saved a marriage, or saved a life.  Consider drunk driving.

 

Driving under the influence of alcohol, marijuana, or prescription drugs is a serious and lethal problem in the United States.  Texting while driving is not much better.  Bars, bartenders, friends who over-serve, and that special class of idiot parents who purchase alcohol for teenagers' parties, are being included in the legal blame and prosecuted for deaths and injuries stemming from their action or inaction. 

 

Confronting a drunk driver is critical. Refusing to allow the individual to drive involves an act of judgment of his or her behavior. The penalty may involve confiscating the car keys, offering a place to stay over night, or calling Uber and even footing the bill. Too frequently this kind of action doesn't go well.  Sometimes it goes very badly. Friendships have been ruptured and family bonds strained.  But action is necessary to prevent death or injury to the driver or others. 

 

Paul elaborated on four of the ten commandments in his letter:  adultery, killing, stealing, and coveting. Among the four, adultery is the most fascinating. 

 

Adultery is the family gift that keeps on giving, though what it frequently gives is nothing anyone wants:  pain, separation, divorce, mistrust, loneliness, and for any involved children, a lot more difficulty than society is willing to admit.

 

About thirty-five years ago I was attending a medical meeting a few hundred miles from home.  I was not prepared to run into a colleague, who was not attending the meeting, walking down the street hand-in-hand with a woman most definitely not his wife.  There was a fascinating moment of guilty discomfort on his part--she had no idea who I was or why he suddenly let go of her hand--or why he became obviously anxious.  His marriage ended not long after our accidental encounter. The kids became alienated from their father, and the financial costs were huge.  It also ended any further socialization between us except for a nod when passing in the hallways of the hospital. 

 

It is never easy or pleasant to correct another, who is publicly sinning be it drunk driving or adultery be it the formalized shunning practiced by the Amish or saying, "Give me your keys, you are in no condition to drive." The confrontation frequently involves pain. It may result in screaming accusations along the lines of:  Who are you to judge me?"  But sometimes it is necessary so as to prevent greater pain, greater sin, and greater hurt.  

 

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Have been watching the Penn  State-Marshall game for the past while.  Penn State winning 45-0.  No contest obviously.  But still wish I were there.  In 2014 I arranged my travel home from Chad so as to be able to attend the Penn State - UCF game in Dublin's Kroke Park.  It was wonderful.  A period of exhaustion intereferred with my taking as many photos as I would have liked but I got some.  

 

I was blown away by the lines of the Samuel Beckett Bridge so much . . . 

 . . . once my roommate Paul returned to U.S. I spent several hours exploring and shooting.

The pub at which we ate. 

Poster advertising the game and welcoming us.  There were at least three times as many PSU fans in Kroke Park as UCF.  We won on a field goal that went through the uprights with no time on the clock.  Didn't realize I could still jump that high.  

Fr. Jack, SJ, MD 

 

 

Late Have I Loved Thee: Homily for 22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time

  

Jeremiah 20:7-9

Ps 63

Rom 12:1-2

Mt 16:21-27

 

Among the most useful bits of advice given in theology school was that when preparing to preach, write a paper, or even for personal devotion, it is important to read more than one translation of the readings. This is particularly true in English in which there are multiple translations that vary tremendously in style, grammar, wording, and sometimes with the agenda of the translator.  There are revisions of revisions, new versions of old versions, new versions of revised versions, and so on.  Some are written in lofty and elegant language while others approach slang.  At times one version of a reading may resonate more with a reader than an alternative.  

 

At times it helps to pay attention to subtle shades of meaning of a particular word or phrase.  Depending on the translation they can have a significant impact on our understanding of the reading.  Sometimes a reading from a different source works better than the one found in the lectionary.  Such is the case today. 

 

We just heard, “You duped me O Lord and I let myself be duped.”  Duped is not in common use today.  I suspect it is unfamiliar to those  who are not native English speakers, and possibly unfamiliar to a lot of native speakers as well.  Duped means tricked or fooled. The King James Version and the Catholic RSV use: “O Lord, you have deceived me and I was deceived.”  A version in common English is accusatory when it writes, “You tricked me Lord and I was really fooled.”  However, The Jerusalem Bible gets it right:

 

“You have seduced me Yahweh, and I let myself be seduced.”

 

Deceived. Duped.  Tricked.  Seduced. There is conceptual overlap to be sure but each has distinct nuances of meaning.  Deceived has entirely negative connotations of being lied to. Duped also suggests a dishonest approach that takes advantage of another. Calling someone a dupe is never a compliment.  Tricked is well, tricked, pulled the wool over the eyes, fooled,  the old switcherooni.

 

Seduced is the only one of these that truly works when applied to God.  Seduced has multiple meanings, among which one finds: to win over, to attract powerfully and insistently.  “You attracted me powerfully and I allowed myself to be attracted.”  “You won me over . . . “ There is no hint that God lied, was dishonest,engaged in subterfuge, or used trickery. 

 

You attracted me strongly and I allowed myself to be attracted. 

You called to me in a powerful voice and I followed. 

You waited until I came to my senses.

 

So much better than hinting that God pulled a fast one, tricked, or deceived.  God calls. God beckons. God invites.  He wins over. He does not trick, deceive, or dupe. 

 

Saint Augustine got it right. In one of his most eloquent and resonant  passages, that was the second reading in the breviary on his August 28 memorial. He wrote:

 

“Late have I loved you,

O beauty ever ancient ever new . . .

You were within me but I was outside. . .

You were with me, but I was not with you . . .

You called, you shouted and you broke through my deafness . . .

You breathed your fragrance on me . . .

You dispelled my blindness . . .

You touched me and I burned for your peace . . . “

 

There certainly is nothing suggesting trickery, chicanery, or duping in Jesus’ words to the apostles. “Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me.  For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.” 

 

Jesus is not promising an easy life, a life free of pain, suffering, or trial.  He is telling it like it is, like it was, and like it will always be for those who choose to follow him, for those who allow themselves to be seduced. 

 

“God forbid that this should be so . . . .”

 

Peter’s denial of Jesus’ statement of reality earned him a harsh rebuke.  We are not to think as Peter did.  Rather we are to accept the reality that it ain’t easy and it ain‘t gonna be easy.  But we know that. We have known that from the beginning. No deception or chicanery involved.

 

Paul gives sage advice against taking the easy way, the soft way, the way of those who deceive and dupe when he advises, “Do not conform yourselves to this age.”  Especially this age in the U S of A, an age in which “sin” “immoral” and “wrong” have been stripped of all meaning.  Indeed, in the cases of abortion, killing the sick elderly, and puberty blockade for confused children, sin and immoral have been elevated to the level of virtue for some.    

 

“You have seduced me and I allowed myself to be seduced.” 

 

When we can say that we can also sing with the psalmist:

 

“I will bless  you while I live;

lifting up my hands,

I will call upon your name.

As with the riches of a banquet

shall my soul be satisfied,

and with exultant lips

my mouth shall praise you.”

 

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There were no homilies the past two weeks as I was at the monastery in VT and had no public Masses.  Things settling to normal again.  

 

Photos were taken in Australia in 2011 during tertianship.  After two days in Sydney we were taken to Seven Mile Beach in Gerroa, NSW.  None of us was Australian. To describe our reaction to the place as happy shock captures it.  Glorious place.  

 

Sunset the first or second night.  The camera never left my side for the ten days of our stay

This silhouette captures childhood in black and white

The view from the property on which we stayed.

Fr. Jack SJ, MD