Tag: Prophet

Best unkept secret

A homily for the 21st Sunday in Ordinary Time, August 21, 2022

Is 66:18-21, Heb 12:5-7, 11-13, Lk 13:22-30

When we come across something fascinating or exciting or uplifting, do we keep it to ourselves?

Or do we share it with our families and friends — the old “you tell two friends, and they’ll tell two friends, and so on…” from the shampoo commercial? Do we start the fire of exponential growth?

What if something we find fascinating or exciting or uplifting flips the status quo on its head? Does that change what we decide to do?

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Not to be missed

A homily for the 16th Sunday in Ordinary Time, July 17, 2022

Gn 18:1-10a, Col 1:24-28, Lk 10:38-42

This is not a rant about people (especially motorists) whose faces are buried in their phones and digital devices nonstop (although it could be).

This is more of an observation about what they’re missing.

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This way

A homily for the 13th Sunday in Ordinary Time, June 26, 2022

1 Kgs 19:16b, 19-21, Gal 5:1, 13-18, Lk 9:51-62

In 1966, Walt Disney produced a movie called “Follow Me, Boys!” about a man who settles down in a small town and becomes a scoutmaster. It starred Fred MacMurray, best known to the TV generation as the father in “My Three Sons” and to the Turner Classic Movies generation as the star of “Double Indemnity.”

In one scene in “Follow Me, Boys!” MacMurray stumbles into a restricted area and is questioned by the Army. After he explains he’s a scoutmaster, the soldiers challenge him to tie a sheepshank, a complicated knot he never got the hang of.

Had he tied it, the knot would have been incontrovertible proof that he was a troop leader.

Oops.

(His identity did eventually get clarified.)

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So far away

A homily for the Feast of the Ascension of the Lord, May 29, 2022

Acts 1:1-11, Heb 9:24-28; 10:19-23, Lk 24:46-53

Years ago, in an episode of St. Elsewhere, the doctor played by Howie Mandel dies on the operating table and opens his eyes in Heaven, where he sees former patients celebrating in a beautiful countryside. 

He asks one of the patients when he would see God, and then Howie Mandel taps Howie Mandel on the shoulder, introducing himself as The Almighty. 

“Everyone sees me differently,” God explains, “because I created each of you in my image and likeness, and to you, I look like you.”

Fascinating interpretation, yes?

Then, back on Earth, the surgeons at St. Eligius Hospital revive Howie’s character and he leaves Heaven. For the time being.

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Teamwork

A homily for the Fifth Sunday of Easter, May 15, 2022

Acts 14:21-27, Rev 21:1-5a, Jn 13:31-33a, 34-35

Professional athletes have a lot of privileges and advantages that we regular people don’t, but maybe the biggest advantage they have over us is: They get to have a preseason.

Before they start their annual campaigns toward winning a league title or a world championship, athletes spend weeks or even months training to get better at their sport.

And then they get to scrimmage or play preseason games under real rules and typical conditions, with scores that are zeroed out when the real season starts.

Wouldn’t it be great if we all had preseasons anytime we started a new endeavor?

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Forward march

A homily for the Second Sunday of Easter, April 24, 2022

Acts 5:12-16, Rev 1:9-11a, 12-13, 17-19, Jn 20:19-31

Why do we follow someone?

Why do we pay attention to politicians, movie stars, athletes, religious leaders or cult leaders?

Is it what they say? Is it what they do?

Is it because their words or actions — or both — make the world better? Better for humankind? Better for all of God’s Creation?

Is it because they have that je ne sais quoi quality about them?

That “It” quality…

That charisma…

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Alive again

A homily for Easter Sunday, The Resurrection of the Lord, April 17, 2022

Acts 10:34a, 37-43, Col 3:1-4, Jn 20:1-9

It’s appropriate that Easter is the crowning jewel of springtime.

Both Easter and palpable spring come after a long period of waiting. We had 40 days of Lent; we had (was it only?) three months of winter.

Both trigger some housecleaning. One brought about spiritual housecleaning; the other involved scrub brushes and elbow grease.

Both give us extreme joy. Both give us a sense of relief.

Both renew our faith in resurrection.

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Who are you?

A sermon* for the First Sunday of Lent, March 6, 2022

Dt 26:4-10, Rom 10:8-13, Lk 4:1-13

It’s easy to give up chocolate for Lent if you don’t like chocolate or if it gives you zits.

It’s easy to abstain from meat on Fridays if you love Chilean sea bass.

It’s easy to be kind to other people if you don’t come in contact with anyone while isolating because of COVID.

But is Lent supposed to be easy?

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MYOB

A homily for the Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time, February 27, 2022

Sir 27:4-7, 1 Cor 15:54-58, Lk 6:39-45

I’ve been blessed — or cursed — with good peripheral vision, as well as a really quirky ability to see certain things really quickly. It manifests as words or phrases literally jumping off a bulletin board or something similar when I pass, and then I have to stop and read the whole poster or memo to find out where “Donald Duck” or “#6 Sub” was referenced.

And when I say “I have to stop,” I mean this phenomenon literally freezes me in my tracks. I can’t resist.

Training back in my Boy Scout days added to this. Long before “See something, say something” became the American mantra, we Scouts were taught to be highly aware of our surroundings. I recall our scoutmasters actually brought in experts from Fort Monmouth to run the workshops. The military chant is “Stay alert — stay alive!”

I must concede that being highly aware of your surroundings is a great skill to have on the Parkway at 80 mph at 8 a.m.

But back in Catholic school, during the other hours of my day, Sister Raphael Marie browbeat us nonstop with a totally opposite message:

MYOB

Mind. Your. Own. Business. (or Beeswax, when somebody was going for “cute”)

Don’t stick your nose in where it doesn’t belong.

And MYOB seemed diametrically opposed to WWJD.

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