22nd Sunday Ordinary B - What comes from the heart?

("Big Heart - Oil Painting by Peter Max)

What is the heart a symbol of? Starts with an L…..  If you take out my heart what will you find in it? The word has an L and an O. (People shout: "Love") Again that, what is in the heart? Blood. And What is the heart a symbol of? Life. Heart pumps blood.

The heart is found in the center of the chest and this is, in essence, the epicenter of the human torso and must be the origination point of human actions. Aim for the heart. Heart stops. No blood flows. No life. Thus the heart symbolizes our humanity. It was only in the middle ages that heat started to become the universal logo for love. In Turkey, for example, the seat for the emotion is located in the liver, that is why there is the expression “My liver, my soul.”  Another case is in Nigeria where they consider the belly the seat of emotions. In the books of the Bible like Pentateuch, Jeremiah and Psalms, the human kidneys are cited figuratively as the site of temperament, emotions, prudence, vigor, and wisdom.

So for today’s gospel we look at the heart as synonymous to life. Just as our life has its ups and downs, joys and sorrows, it too has produced its own share of good and evil.

“Things that proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and those defile the man….” (Mt 15.18)  But there are those too that come out of a man’s heart that sanctifies him – from evil thoughts to good intentions, from murder to saving a life, from fornication to self-abnegation, from theft to generosity, from lies to and slander to gratitude and appreciation.

So how could it be that this same heart that beats the life in us could produce both good and evil?

There is a term in computer lingo - GIGO – garbage in garbage out. If you put in an untidy code so too will be your result in contrast to a cleanly inputed line of code. Same is true with our lives. Good or evil, whatever we put in takes control of our heart and its output. To dynamically rephrase Samuel Coleridge: “What goes to the heart, will come out of the heart.”

There is this African tribe that does the most beautiful thing.  When someone does something hurtful or wrong, they take the person to the center of the town, and the entire tribe comes and surrounds him. For two days they’ll tell the man every good thing he has ever done.

The tribe believes that every human heart comes into this world as Good.  Each one’s heart desires safety, love, peace, happiness.

But sometimes in the pursuit of those things the human heart makes mistakes.  The community sees these misdeeds as the heart crying out for help.

And so they band together for the sake of their fellow man to hold him up, to reconnect him with the true nature of his heart, to remind him who he really is, until he full remembers the truth from which he had temporarily been disconnected… the truth which says: “we all have a good heart.”

And as Christians we know that we have a good heart because it was made in the likeness of the heart of Christ (remember this coming first friday the Sacred Heart of Jesus).

References:

Hotguy. (2012).“What comes from the Heart, goes to the Heart.” All with good Taste.

http://allwithgoodtaste.com/2012/07/19/what-comes-from-the-heart-goes-to-the-heart/

True Activist. (2014). “I was recently told of an African tribe that does the most beautiful thing.”

http://www.trueactivist.com/gab_gallery/i-was-recently-told-of-an-african-tribe-that-does-the-most-beautiful-thing/

21st Sunday Ordinary B – The Joshua decision. No turning back.

Life is made up of tough decisions.  Deciding in favor of something or someone is one thing but strive to be faithful to that decision is more crucial. Like marriage: It’s a decision a couple takes yet it’s a lifetime of trying to stay faithful to each other. That’s why Paul in his letter to the Ephesians says: “Wives be subject to your husbands as you are to the Lord. Husbands love your wives as Christ loves his Church.” (Eph.5:25)

There is a story which goes that at the end of time when all the couples were standing in line waiting to get into heaven, the angel Gabriel appeared and said,

“Ok now, I want all the men to form two lines. Men you have to decide where you will stand. One line will be for the men who were the true heads of their households. The other will be for the men who were dominated by their wives.”

Gabriel continued, “ Oh and we need all of the women to report to Mary and Martha on the other side of the gate please.” The women left while the men hurriedly formed two lines. The line of men who were dominated by their wives was seemingly unending. The line of men who were the true head of their household had just one man standing in it.

Gabriel said to the first line, “You men ought to be ashamed of yourselves. You were appointed to be the heads of your households and you have not fulfilled your purpose. Of all of you, there is only one man who obeyed.” Then Gabriel turned to the lone man and asked, “Tell us, how did you decide to stand alone in this line?”

The man sheepishly replied, “My wife told me to stand here.”

Joshua told the Israelites that they had a decision to make. They can only stand in one side or the other. “Choose this day whom you will serve. The gods your ancestors served in the region beyond the River or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living.  As for me and my household, we will serve the Lord. (Js. 24.15) Joshua made a decision and to that decision he wished to be faithful till death.

In the gospel is a similar story where the disciples had decided to follow Jesus. But then when Jesus tells them: “Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you.” For the Jews there are already a lot of food that is forbidden to be eaten (they can’t eat pork, or blood, and many other things- food has to be kosher- conforming to the regulations of kashrut -Jewish dietary law) and here comes Jesus offering his very own flesh. Of course you will hear the disciples saying: “This teaching is difficult; who can accept it?” And one by one you see disciples headed towards the exit turning his back on Jesus. Until finally Jesus turns to twelve and asks: “Do you also wish to go away?” And Peter speaks for them reminiscent of Joshua: “As for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.” He answers Jesus: “Lord, to whom can we go? You have the words of eternal life.” (Jn.6:60-68)

Have you ever heard of the song: “I Have Decided to Follow Jesus?” This is a traditional folk tune from Assam, Northeast India.  

According to Dr. PP Job in his book “Why, God, Why?” the lyrics of this song was based on the last words of a dying man. It was said that around 150 years ago a Welsh missionary converted a man, his wife, and his children to Christianity. Angered by this, the village chief demanded that the man renounce his faith, but he would not. Instead he spontaneously sang the now-famous words, “I have decided to follow Jesus. No turning back.” Reportedly, the chief ordered his archers to kill the man’s two children; but the man sang, “Though no one joins me, still I will follow.” The archers shot his wife, but still the man refused to deny Christ, and he was executed while singing: “The cross before me, the world behind me.” The chief was moved by this heroic bravery. ‘Why should this man, his wife and two children die for a Man who lived in a far-away land on another continent some 2000 years ago?’ the chief asked himself. With tears in his eyes, the chief declared, “I too now belong to Jesus Christ!” and the entire village converted.

I have decided to follow Jesus;

No turning back, no turning back.

Though I may wonder, I still will follow

No turning back, no turning back.

The world behind me, the cross before me;

No turning back, no turning back.

Though none go with me, still I will follow;

No turning back, no turning back.

And the last stanza ends with a question:

Will you decide now to follow Jesus?

No turning back, no turning back?

May our answer be: “Lord, to whom can we go? You alone have the words of eternal life.”

References:

Manning, H. (2014). Bible Verse Sunday: We Will Serve the Lord

http://heathermauthor.blogspot.ca/2014/01/bible-verse-sunday-we-will-serve-lord.html

Dr. P.P. Job. (2003). Why God Why? I have decided to follow Jesus.

http://www.hymnary.org/text/i_have_decided_to_follow_jesus

http://doctormargo.blogspot.ca/2015/01/january-11-2015.html

19th Sunday Ordinary B - The "Popeye Experience"

“I am the bread of life. Whoever eats of this bread will live forever.” (Jn.6:51)  Or in the words of a famous cartoon character: “I'm strong to the finish when I eats me spinach, I'm Popeye the sailor man.” 

Today I’m going to tell you about the Popeye Experience.  Popeye is a simple, yet uneducated, squinty-eyed sailor man with a pipe and a speech impediment who sails the seven seas. He has adopted an infant he calls Swee’Pea, and has a chubby friend named Wimpy (I’d gladly pay you Tuesday for a hamburger today.) Popeye is in love with a tall, skinny lady named Olive Oyl.

Unfortunately, his nemesis, the muscled bully named Bluto/Brutus, is also attracted to Olive Oyl and keeps trying to kidnap her. When Popeye comes to her rescue, Brutus beats him up until he becomes weak and almost helpless. He then reaches his tipping point wherein he says:

"That's all I can stands - I can't stands no more!"

And then, he gets his can of spinach which he literally gulps down. And immediately this gives him superhuman strength and problem-solving abilities to defeat his archenemy Brutus.

There are 3 stages in the Popeye experience:

1) There's a period of “being stuck" and “feeling beaten”- unable to muster up the determination to change one's circumstances.

2) Then there’s the decision to get help. To “eat the spinach” the food that revives us and gives our strength back.

3) The will to “stand up” and “live life” that we still have to the full.

We see this in today’s first reading where we meet the prophet Elijah, fleeing in the desert from that terrible Queen Jezebel.  Jezebel had sworn to kill Elijah in retaliation for Elijah’s victory over the Queen’s false prophets of Baal on Mt. Carmel.  Elijah fled to the desert.  He would try to cross it.  He knew that the soldiers wouldn’t think of following him there.  No one could survive crossing the desert. After so many days, Elijah had had enough.  He felt beaten. He was out of food and water.  More than that, he just didn’t have the stamina to continue to do God’s work.  He laid down under that broom tree, and he said to God, “Look, I just can’t do this anymore.  I’m no better than anyone who has come before me.  I just can’t continue your mission to Israel.”  And he fell asleep, hoping to die. 

But the angel of the Lord woke Elijah and gave him food and water.  Elijah took it and fell asleep again.  The angel of the Lord came a second time and woke Elijah and told him to eat and drink again.  And, the reading tells us that with that nourishment the Lord provided, Elijah walked forty days and forty nights to the mountain of God - Horeb. With the food that strengthens and gives life, God had given Elijah the power to complete the mission. 
(1 K.19:4-8)

Like Popeye and Elijah, we too at times, get tired and beaten and discouraged. And many times we feel like giving up on life. We do reach our tipping point also, after all we are only human. That’s when we are reminded of what Paul said to the Ephesians: “Do not grieve, you have been marked with the Spirit of God; live in love because Christ gave himself up for you as an offering… as a sacrifice.”  (Eph.4:30,5:2)

In the gospel, people who were listening to Jesus were about to give up because they could not comprehend what he was saying. And yet Jesus insisted: “I am the bread of life. This is the bread which comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die.”(Jn.6:50)  Jesus invites us to eat; to partake of him in the Eucharist for that is the only way we shall regain our strength to go on living – “whoever eats of this bread will live forever.”(Jn.6:51) It’s like the Popeye experience where he concludes: “I'm strong to the finish when I eats me spinach.” 

One thing to remember though is the Popeye experience is not a once and for all cycle. It’s not like he eats his spinach and he is strong forever. Nope. Every time he is beaten, that means in every episode of the series, you find him always saved by his spinach. Partaking of the bread of life in Holy Communion is not a one-time deal. Food nourishes us not once in a life time but in its daily support. That is why we always pray: “Give us this day our daily bread.”

Somewhere in New Orleans. After watching sales falling off for three straight months at Popeye’s Fried Chicken, the boss Mr Popeye calls up the Pope and asks for a favor.  The Pope says, "What can I do?" Mr Popeye says, "I need you to change the daily prayer from, 'Give us this day our daily bread' to 'Give us this day our daily chicken'. If you do it, I'll donate 10 Million Dollars to the Vatican."

The Pope replies, "I am sorry. That is the Lord's prayer and I can not change the words." So Mr Popeye hangs up.

After another month of dismal sales, the boss Mr Popeye panics, and calls again. "Listen your Excellency. I really need your help. I'll donate $100 million dollars if you change the words of the daily prayer from 'Give us this day our daily bread' to 'Give us this day our daily chicken.'"

And the Pope responds, "It is very tempting, Mr Popeye. The church could do a lot of good with that much money. It would help us to support many charities. But, again, I must decline. It is the Lord's prayer, and I can't change the words."

So the Mr Popeye gives up again. After two more months of terrible sales. He gets desperate. "This is my final offer, your Excellency. If you change the words of the daily prayer from, 'Give us this day our daily bread' to 'Give us this day our daily chicken' I will donate $1 billion to the Vatican." The Pope replies, "Let me get back to you."

So the next day, the Pope calls together all of his bishops and he says, "I have some good news and I have some bad news. The good news is that Popeye’s Chicken will donate $1 billion to the Vatican." The bishops rejoice at the news. Then one asks about the bad news.

The Pope replies, "The bad news is that we will have to lose our accounts with Wonder Bread, Country Harvest, Villagio Italiano, and Aling Mary’s pandesal."

Well luckily they did not lose the account for we still pray: Give us this day our daily bread.” We still go through that Popeye experience everyday.  But instead of the spinach we are nourished with the “Bread of life” and definitely not by Popeye’s chicken.

References:

Albrecht, K. (2011). BrainSnacks. “The Popeye Point.”

https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/brainsnacks/201101/the-popeye-point

Pellegrino, J. (2015). Fr Joe’s Homilies. “Food for the Journey.”

http://frjoeshomilies.net/08-09-15.html

Raffa, J. (2011). Matrignosis: A Blog about Inner Wisdom. “The Tao Of Popeye.”

https://jeanraffa.wordpress.com/tag/popeye-the-sailor-man/

Tiballs, G. (2000). The Mammoth Book of Humor. “Give us this day our daily…”, p. 17.

18th Sunday Ordinary B - God is in the Bread

“For the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” (Jn 6:33)  Mahatma Gandhi believed this, but not being Christian, quotes it in a context understandable to his people: “There are people in the world so hungry, that God cannot appear to them except in the form of bread.”

We started last week with the miracle of the multiplication of the bread. The only miracle you will find in all the four gospels. There must be something more in this miracle than meets the eye.

Bread is food. Food extends life. Without food a person dies. And so the gospel of last week ended with everyone persistently trying to make Jesus king in order that they get free bread, free food to extend their whole life. “There are people in the world so hungry, that God cannot appear to them except in the form of bread.” These people ate the bread from the Man from Heaven. But they still were not able to recognize God.

This same situation was similar of their ancestors in the desert, the episode of which is taken from our first reading: “The Lord said to Moses: I am going to rain bread from heaven for you, and each day the people shall go out and gather enough for that day.”  

It did extend their lives until the end of their journey to Canaan, the promised land.” But then, “There are people in the world so hungry, that God cannot appear to them except in the form of bread.” Their ancestors ate the bread from heaven but they did not recognize God.

Have you ever watched the cartoons Popeye the sailorman. Whenever he is oppressed by difficult villains, all he needs is his special food -spinach and he gains spectacular strength for a moment. But later he becomes his normal self. He may become the strongest for a while but it will not be forever.

And so Jesus tells us today: "Your ancestors ate the manna from the desert, and they died… Do not work for food that perishes, but for food that endures for eternal life." (Jn.6:31,27)

And so many people did look for this food that would make them eternal… but all in the wrong places.

-Adam and Eve wanted to eat the forbidden fruit so that they could be immortal.  They did not find immortality.

-In Greek mythology, people searched for Ambrosia, the food of the Gods that could make someone immortal when taken. They did not find it.

-Juan Ponce de Leon travelled all the way to the New World to find the fountain of eternal youth. But his search was in vain.

Jesus in the Gospel tells where to look for it. “For the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” (Jn 6:33) “There are people in the world so hungry, that God cannot appear to them except in the form of bread.”  If only people can see that if they find God in the bread, they indeed will have eternal life.

Finally Jesus makes his statement: “I am the bread of life.  Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.”   And time and time again we fail to recognize Jesus in the bread. Just look at ourselves how we receive Holy Communion, when we fall in line, what are we thinking of? Dinner, friends waiting outside, our next gimmick.  Then we look at who the minister giving Communion is, instead of focusing on receiving the bread. And when we receive it in our hands is there the respect God deserves or do we just go through the motions.

Children were lined up in the cafeteria of a religious school for lunch. At the head of the table was a large tray of bread slices. The nun posted a sign on the bread tray, "Take only one. God is watching." Further along the lunch line, at the other end of the table was a large pile of chocolate chip cookies. One child whispered to another, "Take all you want. God is watching the bread."  I wonder what would happen when instead of God is watching the bread, the sign would say: "God is in the bread?" In the Eucharist, He is not only in the bread, He is the bread.

Today you are in Church because you hunger for that bread of God which comes down from heaven. When you receive him in Holy Communion today, will you be able to find God in the bread? Remember this because God cannot appear to us except in the form of the bread.