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.

16th Sunday Ordinary B - God speaks through Compassion

One evening a rich man was riding in his limousine when he saw two men along the road eating grass. Disturbed, he yelled at his driver to stop and got out to investigate. He asked one man "Why are you eating the grass?" "Well, we don't have any money for food" the poor man replied. "So we have to eat grass." "Well then, come with me to my house and I'll feed you" the rich man said. "But sir, I also have a wife and two children with me. They are over there, under that tree." "Ok, bring them along too" the rich man replied.

Turning to the other poor man he stated, "You come with us, also." The second man, in a pitiful voice, then said, "But sir, I also have a wife and four children with me!" "Very well then, bring them all" the rich man answered. They all piled into the limousine, which was no easy task.

Once under way, one of the poor fellows turned to the rich man and said, "Sir, you are truly too kind.. Thank you for taking all of us with you. Will it not be a bother for you to feed so many of us?” The rich man replied, "No problem, glad to do it. You know what? you'll really love my place  because the grass is almost a foot high, with you all I won’t need to mow the lawn."

This story relates much to the first reading where the prophet Jeremiah talks about shepherds who are supposed to feed and pasture the sheep instead they drive the sheep away and scatter them.  Why? Because these shepherds had no compassion.

Truth is, we live in a compassion-less world and many people do not just seem to care what happens to others.  Compassion! Some people think of compassion as weakness. Many view it as something “weak, soft people do”. In reality, expressing compassion towards others reveals strength of character.

The word compassion in the Bible means, “To be moved inwardly; to yearn with tender mercy, affection, pity and empathy.” The phrase, “moved with compassion” means to be moved in the “inner organs”. It has the same idea as our modern expression, “From the bottom of my heart.” Someone has defined compassion as “Sympathy coupled with a desire to help.” Sympathy means “The capacity to share feelings, to enter into the same feelings, to feel the same thing”. So, compassion is “sharing the feelings of others and possessing a desire to help them in their trouble.”

One of the things that made Jesus so attractive was his compassion for people–  the willingness to put himself in their place and feel what they were feeling.  It moved him to reach out to them – to do something to meet their need or say something they needed to hear.

“Filled with compassion” is how those who knew Jesus described him.  For example, in response to a man with leprosy, pleading on his knees to be made clean, we read that “Jesus, filled with compassion, reached out his hand and touched him.”   And the man was immediately cured of his leprosy.  Likewise for two blind beggars who shouted at Jesus to have mercy on them, we read that Jesus had compassion on them.  He touched their eyes and immediately they could see. 

After some days spent healing sick people and teaching the huge crowds who followed him, Jesus said, “I have compassion for these people.  They’ve already been with me three days and have nothing to eat.  I don’t want to send them away hungry or they may collapse on the way.”  His concern moved him to act.  He took the seven loaves and few small fish his disciples had found and divided them over and over until, miraculously, thousands “all ate and were satisfied.”

And today as we hear from the Gospel of Mark (6:34):  “Jesus saw a great crowd, and he had compassion for them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd.” 

This statement continues from the first reading: “Thus says the Lord: I myself will gather the remnant of my flock and I will bring them back to the fold, and they shall be fruitful and multiply.  I will raise up shepherds over them and they shall not fear any longer, or be dismayed, nor shall any be missing.” (Jer.23:4)

Today the liturgy invites us to be compassionate and merciful just as the Father is. It challenges us to show this compassion by taking care of the flock- taking care of each other, not from a distance, but by journeying right next to our fellow human beings in our homes, in our communities, in the world. Pope Francis in his first Angelus address emphatically says: "A little bit of mercy and compassion makes the world less cold and more just."

Baroness Catherine de Hueck Doherty, a holy woman who spent the rest of her life taking care of the poor, founded the Friendship House Movement in Toronto way back in the 1930’s. It was a Catholic interracial apostolate to help the poor regardless of color.

One day she was called to one of her houses that served the poor. This particular house was experiencing internal strife and intrigues.  Her staff there were fighting and arguing, and she was called to referee.

After listening to a couple of hours of bickering, she finally stopped them short and concluded the meeting. She said: “I have reached a decision. I am closing this house!” Everyone was shocked and exclaimed: “But Baroness, who will feed the poor and shelter the homeless?” Her response was: “The government can ladle soup, and make a bed as efficiently as we can.  We are called to do it with love and compassion.  And if we cannot do it with love and compassion, we are not doing it anymore.”

Compassion is more than feeling sorry for someone. It is more than pity. Compassion is a desire to reach out and make a difference in the life of someone else. In truth, compassion is a desire to be Christ to someone else.

References:

Carr, A. (2003). “The Compassionate Christ.” The Sermon Notebook.

http://sermonnotebook.org/new%20testament/Matthew%209_36-38(2).htm

Hall, M. (2011). “The Compassion of Jesus.”  NSW Council of Churches.

http://nswchs.com/2011/09/06/the-compassion-of-jesus-sermon-by-margaret-hall/

Harmon, C. (2013). “Full text: Pope Francis’ first Angelus address.”  The Catholic World Report.

http://www.catholicworldreport.com/Blog/2091/full_text_pope_francis_first_angelus_address.aspx

Dolan, M. (2000). Priests for the Third Millennium. Huntington, NY: Our Sunday Visitor, p.51.

15th Sunday Ordinary B - Prophet: Profession or Calling?

What is a prophet? Ephesians:1.13 – When you hear the word of truth, and believe in Him, you will be marked with the seal of the Holy Spirit.

An elderly woman had just returned to her home from an evening of religious service when she was startled by an intruder. As she caught the man in the act of robbing her home of its valuables, she yelled, "Stop - Acts 2:38!" (In the name of Jesus, turn away from your sin...) The burglar stopped dead in his tracks. The woman calmly called the police and explained what she had done.  As the officer cuffed the man to take him in, he asked the burglar, "Why did you just stand there? All the old lady did was yell a Bible passage to you and you listened."

"Bible passage?" replied the burglar, "I thought she said she had an AXE and two 38's!"

This burglar heard the words of the old lady and believed in her and now he is marked by the police.  That at least prevented any more disaster in his life.

In the first reading of today, when Amos prophesied in Bethel, Amaziah the high priest drove him away: Go back to Judah where you came from and prophesy there. But never again here at Bethel for this is the king’s sanctuary.” (Am 7.12) They did not listen to him there because he was not a professional prophet.

In those days, if you want to be a professional prophet you need to have credentials. This means you either have to be coming from a long line of prophets as your ancestors or you go to Prophet University and join the fraternity of prophets (association or guild). And then the professional prophet is now deployed. They go and foretell the future of the king, the soldier, the merchant, the farmer and after they get their commission. The more prophecies favorable and fulfilled, the better their track record, more popular they become (they get to be more in demand and sought after), the higher their talent fee. They just have to make sure that their prophecies please their clients for them to collect their fee. It’s just a job not a calling for them.

Instead Amos did not come from a line of prophets nor was he schooled in the art of prophecy. He had no credentials. He was a herdsman tending to his flock and his sycamore trees. This was until God called him to prophesy to Israel – the northern kingdom. The irony is he is coming from Judah – the southern kingdom governed by a different king. So why would he want to be a prophet? And yet Amos heard God’s word and believed in Him. That is why he is marked by the Spirit of God. That’s why for him to be a prophet is a calling not a job.

You see, Amos had to tell the northerners that Israel had become corrupt and unjust; the most elementary aspects of justice and equality were routinely trampled on. Unless the kingdom of the north mended its ways and returned to the ways of God, disaster would overtake them in the form of natural events and military defeats. But the Kingdom of Israel did not heed Amos’ words, and in 722 B.C. the Assyrians totally destroyed the Northern Kingdom, erasing it from history. With this I think you can prophecy what happened to Amos as well as the others.

Nowadays, our “prophets” are sometimes well-informed scientists and experts, and we cannot say that they are not sent by God to bring us to our senses (even if they are unaware of their mission). Pope Francis has joined his prophetic voice to the truth that comes to us through the work of scientists in his encyclical Laudato Si’. He warns humanity to mend its ways, for continued disregard for the environment and contempt for the created order can only end in tragedy for all. If the work of scientists or the words of the Pope are ridiculed or rejected out of hand through ignorance, fear or self-interest, then we will have no one to blame but ourselves. We can only hope that minds and hearts are open to his prophetic warning.

God’s warning also comes in the form of the apostle’s proclamation as prophets of the gospel of Jesus. They were to travel light – nothing for their journey except for their staff, their sandals, and the clothes on their backs just like the true prophets of old. Why? Because they have heard the word, believed in Jesus, and are now marked by the seal of the Spirit.

And this alone should be enough. We are all called to be prophets and to convey God’s truth in this world. But just like the professional prophets, the temptations for us are great to see this just as a profession and not as a calling. Temptations abound for us to prophecy on the side of the rich and powerful and to ignore the poor and abandoned because it is more convenient.

Three boys are in the school yard bragging about their uncles’ professions- “So, who’s your uncle?” The first boy says, 'My uncle scribbles a few words on a piece of paper, he calls it a poem, they give him $50.' The second boy says, 'That's nothing. My uncle scribbles a few words on piece of paper, he calls it a song, they give him $100.' The third boy says, 'That’s peanuts. My uncle scribbles a few words on a piece of paper, he calls it a sermon, and it takes eight people to collect all the money!'

Today let us remember, just like Amos, Ezekiel, Isaiah, Jeremiah, the apostles - to be God’s prophet is our calling. After the priest has baptised us with water, he then anoints us with holy oil as he says: “God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ has freed you from sin. He now anoints you with the chrism of salvation. As Christ was anointed Priest, Prophet, and King, so may you live always as members of his body, sharing everlasting life.” We were called to be prophets through our baptism when we heard the word, believed in God and were marked by the Holy Spirit. Let us be faithful to that calling.

References:

Glenn, A. (2005). Prophecies for dummies. The Skeptic Report.

http://www.skepticreport.com/sr/?p=449

Lewis, S. (2015). Often man refuses to hear the truth. The Catholic Register.

http://www.catholicregister.org/faith/frscottlewis/item/20527-often-man-refuses-to-hear-the-truth

MIndel. N.(2015) The Prophet Amos. Chabad.org. Kehot Publication Society.

http://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/112277/jewish/The-Prophet-Amos.htm

Gill, M. & J. Spoolstra. (2015). Jesus: Priest, Prophet, King. Link to Liturgy.

http://www.linktoliturgy.com/index.cfm?load=page&page=614

14th Sunday Ordinary B - The Homer Simpson Effect

An old man is wondering if his wife had a hearing problem. So one night, while his wife is sitting in her lounge chair, he goes behind her and says softly to her, “Honey, can you hear me?” He gets no response. He moves a little closer and says again, “Honey, can you hear me?” Still, he gets no response. Finally he moves right in front of her and said, “Honey, can you hear me?” This time she looks up with surprise in her eyes and replies, “For the third time, Henry, Yes, I can hear you!”

Who has the hearing problem now, the man or his wife? We are all too ready to blame the other person for a breakdown in communication when all the time we ourselves might be principally responsible for the situation.

In today’s gospel we read of a serious breakdown in communication between Jesus and his townspeople. It was so serious that Jesus was literally unable to perform any miracles there. “And he could do no deed of power there, except that he laid his hands on a few sick people and cured them.” (Mk 6:5)

A breakdown in communication is brought about when one party refuses to listen to the other. 

We hear of it happening in ancient times, the time of Ezekiel as in today’s first reading. God gave him an unpleasant task of telling them that because of their infidelity the temple in Jerusalem would be destroyed. “Thus says the Lord God: Son of man, I am sending you to the children of Israel… whether they listen or refuse to listen, they shall know that there has been a prophet among them.” (Ez. 2:3.5) God wants to communicate with his people through his prophet Ezekiel and his people continue to turn a deaf ear. This is still happening in our time.

This phenomenon is called the Homer Simpson Effect.  You see Homer Simpson is a guy who is not very good at listening. It shows in two ways. The first manifestation of the Homer Simpson effect - If we refuse to listen…we can’t hear! In one episode Homer Simpson meets Elon Musk (American-Canadian inventor of Tesla electric cars), then invites him to where he works – the nuclear plant. Homer tells him: “If anybody asks you something you don't understand, just say protons.” It’s like closing both ears with your hands and saying: “La la la.”   This is also called in communication as inactive listening – “In one ear and out the other.” You hear the words, but your mind is wandering and therefore no communication is taking place.  We do it many times when we do not like what is said to or of us. We do this when we are asked something beyond our comfort zones. When the word of God pierces our conscience, we close our ears, we shut down our brains, and we simply refuse to listen.

The second manifestation of the Homer Simpson effect – You hear only what you want to hear! - also known in communication as selective listening.   

In a Christmas episode of the Simpsons, Homer was supposed to be back at the house early from work in time for Christmas Eve. He however spends time drinking at Moe’s bar. Marge, his wife upon finding out, kicks him out of the house.  Homer wanders around town until ends up at a depressing party for mall workers where they drink without joy. Marge finally comes and rescues him from that party. And what is the lesson of this for Homer: “Thank you magical creatures of the mall! You have all taught me a Christmas message I'll never forget. The place to get drunk is at home.”

In the second reading, St Paul was sent to preach to the Corinthians. Paul did get many followers as he preached to them a God who resurrected from the dead to rescue us all from slavery. They all believed. 

But when Paul tells them of the need to be humble, of bearing their thorns in the flesh, of learning to boast of weakness and to trust only in God’s grace, many left him. They only want a God who is powerful and can make them only strong. In short, they selected only what they want to hear.

The Corinthians pretended to hear and agree to what Paul said when actually their intent was to not act on the message, but make the other person think they would – selective listening. This happens to us too whenever we pray. Sometimes we listen to God only for the solutions to our problems that we would like to hear. When we listen to the homily we listen only to the part that we like and shut our ears to those parts that would inconvenience us. We select what we want to hear.

We see this in real life. Wife says: “You know, I love you, yet you are a slob. Amazing how lazy you are! Don’t even think you can go out to the bar with your friends tonight. I need your help to clean and there is no way I can take care of everything myself.” (Husband hears only those in bold.)

This Homer Simpson effect is the reason why a prophet is not listened to or taken seriously in his own hometown. We see this in Ezekiel, Paul, and Jesus today. And yet the mark of a true prophet is one of active listening – to listen to the intent and the content. Ezekiel, Paul, Jesus were open to God’s word and they preached it as is. We are all called to be prophets too because of our baptism and we can start by really, attentively listening to Him.

References:

Goldie, K. (2013). Hear No Evil: The Science Behind Selective Hearing.

http://greatist.com/happiness/selective-hearing-real-better-communication

Jennerich, E. (2005). Infopeople Project [infopeople.org]

https://infopeople.org/sites/all/files/past/2005/customer/4Types_of_Listening.pdf

Paradis, J. 14th Sunday in Ordinary Time - Cycle B. Agustinian Friends.  http://www.augustinianfriends.org/homilies/hom_14b.pdf

Richards, L. (2009). 14th Sunday in Ordinary Time - Cycle B. The Reason for our Hope.

http://www.thereasonforourhope.org/pdfs_homily/20090705.pdf

13th Sunday Ordinary B - Tiramisu

Three men wanted to kill time – to make time stop. So they stood on top of a building and decided to throw their watches down the street. Watch breaks, time stops, watch dies. The first man threw his watch and it broke when it hit the bottom of the building. Time stops, watch dies. Then the second man did the same thing, and it also broke. 

The third man threw his watch down the building, but ran down to pick it up. When he reached the two, they find his watch still ticking, still alive, time has not stopped. 

The other two men were very confused, so they asked how that was possible. The third man told them, “Oh it wasn’t that difficult. My watch is 10 minutes slow.”

Death is when time stops. And yet God did not make death. God created us for life.  When they came to the house of Jairus, Jesus heard people weeping and wailing loudly. As Jesus enters, he tells them: Why do you weep? The child is not dead she is only sleeping.”

Sometimes we are too engrossed about dying that we forget about living.  Sometimes we feel too depressed by the things going on around us that we would rather wallow in our misery like zombies preferring to live in the dark than to risk going out in the sunshine. It is because that as we journey through life, we must realize that there will be ups and downs. 

When we are knocked down and we find ourselves broken, we need a pick-me-up, or as the Italians might say, a “tirami-su” which means: pick me up or lift me up. Remember, no matter what way you are knocked down, Jesus is there to pick you up. You just have to believe.

In the gospel of today we see two females who were lifted up by Jesus. The first was a little girl of twelve years of age. The other was a poor elderly woman who has been suffering for twelve years. The first was the daughter of a rich synagogue leader, Jairus. The second was a daughter of Jerusalem symbolizing the poor and abandoned women. To the first Jesus says: “Talitha koum, little girl, daughter of Jairus, do not worry, I will pick you up.”  (Mark 5:41) To the second, Jesus says: “Daughter, your faith has made you well, I lift you up now, go in peace.” (Mark 5:34) The first daughter rose from her death because of the faith of her father. The second daughter rose from her sickness because of her faith in touching Jesus through his garments. Neither expressed their wishes to Jesus directly, yet Jesus lifted both up because he knew both had faith. Somehow both daughters believed they could be healed.

Let us have faith in the healing power of Jesus and allow Jesus to take us by the hand when we need and help us up. Let us have faith in the power of Jesus to reverse bad situations. Occasionally we are inspired when we meet sick or dying people who suffer cruel pains but who lovingly reassures us that it will all be made good in heaven. One lady who lost both feet through diabetes said smilingly “Don’t worry, I’ll get a new set of feet when I reach heaven.”

It is not only sickness that can knock us down. We can be knocked down emotionally and psychologically. We can be knocked down by the hurts others inflict on us and by what they say or do to us. It is not always true to say that “Sticks and stones will break my bones but words will never hurt me.” But the truth is, names, words, attitudes also hurt. On those occasions we also need a pick-me-up and on those occasions Jesus is also there to pick us up - Tiramisu!

Unfortunately, though many times Jesus picks us up from our infirmities, we still doubt his power and refuse to believe.

Once a man had to go shopping and, like many men, he dreaded the experience and was never very patient about it. So this particular time, when he got to the parking lot at the mall, it was jammed. He drove around for five minutes looking for a spot, getting more and more agitated.  Finally, in desperation, he looked up to heaven and said, “Lord, if you find me a parking place, I’ll go to church every Sunday for the rest of the year.” Miraculously, a car then pulled out right in front of him and a place opened up. The man looked quickly back up to the sky and said, “Never mind, Lord, I found one.”

Jesus invites us to a faith which transcends present suffering and future death. He invites us to the peace and joy of total faith in a future which is in his loving hands. No matter what we may suffer, even death, he invites us, not to fear, but to rejoice and trust in him.

Lane, T. (2013). “We have faith in the power of Jesus to heal us and pick us up.” Homily for the Thirteenth Sunday of Year B. http://www.frtommylane.com/homilies/year_b/13.htm

“… your faith has saved you; go in peace and be healed”

https://vimeo.com/channels/yearb/78215088

6th Sunday Easter: God's love through Mom

Love assures, yet love requires: “As the Father loves me, so I love you – you must love one another.” Love is an assurance, love has a requirement.

A few years ago there was this e-mail that went viral. It was written by a Korean guy about his mother:

My mom only had one eye. I hated her… She was such an embarrassment. She cooked for students and teachers to support the family. There was this one day during elementary school where my mom came to say hello to me. I was so embarrassed. How could she do this to me? I ignored her, threw her a hateful look and ran out. The next day at school one of my classmates said, "EEEE, your mom only has one eye!"  I wanted to bury myself. I also wanted my mom to just disappear. I confronted her that day and said, "If you’re only gonna make me a laughing stock, why don’t you just die?" My mom did not respond… I didn’t even stop to think for a second about what I had said, because I was full of anger. I was oblivious to her feelings. 

I wanted out of that house, and have nothing to do with her. So I studied real hard, got a chance to go study in the city, Seoul and never went back.  Then, I got married. I bought a house of my own. I had kids of my own. I was happy with my life, my kids and the comforts.

Then one day, my Mother came to visit me. She hadn’t seen me in years and she didn’t even meet her grandchildren. When she stood by the door, my children laughed at her, and I yelled at her for coming over uninvited. I screamed at her, "How dare you come to my house and scare my children! GET OUT OF HERE! NOW!"  And to this, my mother quietly answered, "Oh, I’m so sorry. I may have gotten the wrong address," and she disappeared out of sight.

One day, a letter regarding a school reunion came to my house. So I lied to my wife that I was going on a business trip. After the reunion, I went to the old shack just out of curiosity. My neighbors said that she had just passed away. I did not shed a single tear. They handed me a letter that she had wanted me to have.

“My dearest son,

I think of you all the time. I’m sorry that I came to your house and scared your children.

I was so glad when I heard you were coming for the reunion. But I may not be able to even get out of bed to see you. I’m sorry that I was a constant embarrassment to you when you were growing up.

You see……..when you were very little, you got into an accident, and lost your eye. As a mother, I couldn’t stand watching you having to grow up with one eye. So I gave you mine. I was so proud of my son who was seeing a whole new world for me, in my place, with that eye.”

With all my love to you,

Your mother

Such is a mother’s love. Just as in Isaiah 49, we ask: Can a mother forget her baby? Or can she not feel love for the child within her womb?  We all know the answer. But then Isaiah continues: “But even if that were possible, I,  Yahweh, your God would not forget you!” (Is.49.15)

That is God’s love. That is unconditional love- a love that gives and asks nothing in return – a love that originates from God. For as the first reading teaches us: “Beloved let us love one another, because love is from God; everyone who loves is born of God and knows God.” And we all know that a mom, a mother often embodies that kind of unconditional love. A mother would do anything for her child even to the point of sacrificing her own life. It’s like what we hear in the gospel of today: “There is no greater love than to give up one’s life for a beloved.” Love after all means assurance, acceptance, feeling safe with the one who loves you.

But together with acceptance comes requirements. This aspect of love is harder, especially today. We've been influenced by the idea that, maybe, we are simply programmed by evolution. And since morality seems to vary from culture to culture, it is difficult to talk about commandments anymore.

There's one commandment that young people recognize. This is going surprise some parents, young people even if they will not show it or seem to go against it, they will always recognize this requirement: Honor your father and mother. I've seen the toughest, most hardened guys, including men in prison, say that what most bothers them: they have failed their parents; they have disgraced them. It's something deep in all of us. We want our parents – our mother, our father, or a person who stands for them - to say, "Good job. Well done." We want to bring them honor. God has planted that requirement, that commandment in the depths of our being.

Toya Graham, the mother who was caught on video smacking her son after witnessing him throwing objects at officers, said she disciplined him in public because she wanted her son to learn a valuable lesson. "That's my only son and at the end of the day I don't want him to be a Freddie Gray."

No matter how tough looking her son could be with that hoodie and that rock in hand. Before mom, he could not but obey. He would never dare dishonor his mother. And as for Toya, no mother would want to lose her child and she would go to no end, would pay all cost just to keep the child safe even if this child would have to toe the line.

So moms represent both assurance and requirement. Of course, no one has a perfect mom. God gave me an amazing one, but she too had her defects. And at times mom could be irritating. But she did embody assurance and requirement. And most important she points to the one who says, "As the Father loves me, so I also love you." And: "Remain in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love.”(Jn.15.9)

References:

_______ (2011). “The eyes have it.”  http://www.snopes.com/glurge/oneeye.asp#glMf18CCBGMvWYFr.99

Chan, M. (2015). Baltimore mother who beat son for taking part in riots says “he will not be a Freddie Gray.” New York Daily News.

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/baltimore-mother-smacks-scolds-son-rioting-article-1.2201723

Bloom, P. (2015). “Assurance and Requirement.” St Mary of the Valley.

http://stmaryvalleybloom.org/homilyfor-6easter-b.html