November 9,
2008
Three people came up from the crowd Jesus had been addressing, and asked for a
moment’s quiet conversation. They looked concerned.
Master, said the first. I have spent most of my adult life rejecting other
people. It was my family culture, to look down on the people around us ---
because they weren’t as rich, or as nice looking, or as liberal or as
conservative or as morally squeaky clean. I’m not sure whether we got this way
from an inferiority complex, or jealousy, or fear that if we dared stop looking
down at others and looked into our own hearts, we’d see we were a mess...
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October 26,
2008
20 years ago it was an important enough story to get into the New York Times:
Can Elizabeth Taylor’s Passion compete with her friend Calvin Klein’s Obsession?
It was a story about perfumes, of course. ...
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October 19,
2008
The Gospel tells us … often … to give God what’s God’s. But today it says
something else. Give God what’s God’s … and give Caesar what’s Caesar’s.
Caesar is … the government. Governments come in many forms. They are good, bad,
in between. But if we use government services … roads, libraries, civil
protection, safety enforcement, due process of law courts … we owe the
government something back...
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October 5,
2008
One of the seniors at the legal advice session stood up and said: I think I’ve
decided what to do with my money. I’m going to hand it off to my children with
the understanding that if I ever need it back for anything they’ll give it to
me. ...
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September 21,
2008
Homilies during stewardship season are shorter than usual, so we have time to
enjoy the witness talks. But this story Jesus tells today surely bears some
comment.
First of all, I guess when it comes to working a full day for God, beginning
from dawn and not slouching off till evening ---the one worker who bore the
whole heat of the day working for God was Jesus. ...
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September 7,
2008
Protestant pastor Truit Gannon tells how as a teenager he loved to drive the big
wine-colored Harley Davidson with hydroglide fork that belonged to Hugh, a young
employee of his father. One day he asked … again … Hugh, can I drive your
wheels. And he remembers a very special answer. “Sure. You can drive it anytime
you want, and anywhere you want, and as often as you want. Just remember to
drive it like it was mine and not yours.” ...
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august 31, 2008
Navy Commander J.P. Wilkins and crew were working feverishly to repair a plane
in time for an important flight. They held their breath while Wilkins conducted
the final inspection. As he reached behind an equipment box, he skewered his
finger on the exposed end of a safety wire. The cut bled profusely. Sticking his
head out of the plane to ask for a first-aid kit, he noticed two crew members
studying a small red pool beneath the aircraft. “That’s my blood!” he called
out. Two faces brightened. “What a relief,” one said. “We thought it was the
hydraulic fluid!” (Dynamic Preaching XXIV, #3, p. 53)...
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august 24, 2008
I’ve been to the Caesarea Philippi. It gathers at the base of an impressive
sheer rock cliff, with a hole near the bottom, out of which gushes this spring
of crystal clear water that forms the beginning of the Jordan river. Very
beautiful, and a perfect place to relax, think, pray and have an intimate
conversation...
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august 3, 2008
Two men looked out through prison bars. One saw mud; the other saw stars. On
almost any day of your whole life, you can see two things: mud and stars. Mud is
the stuff that’s sticky, ugly, and makes the going rough. The mud is problems,
issues, obstacles, aches, pains, stresses...
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july 27, 2008
In the Guadalajara Art Museum sits the painting I love above all others. Large,
colonial, religious theme --- it’s not famous … but I’ve seen it four separate
times … and each time it reaches out and grasps me and almost won’t let me go.
I’ve tried to get a poster of it, thinking if I had a copy in my room to look at
every day, I’d be a better person...
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july 20, 2008
I can barely believe what Jesus said about the weeds. I mean, he’s a religious
reformer. Religious reformers know the dangers of complacency. They want
everything holy, right and pure. They want the weeds out, and they want them out
now....
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july 6, 2008
The scribes and Pharisees left in a huff after Jesus’ exuberant proclamation
today.
“The nerve of that hayseed from Nazareth,” muttered Zadoch. “I spent six years
in school getting my credentials, and I’ll be crucified if I swallow that
malarkey about little ones grasping God’s hidden mysteries quicker than the wise
and the learned. Why does he think the Holy One gave us minds! His sayings are a
trifle too convenient and self-serving. Compared to us, he’s a little … so he’s
trying to make that a virtue....
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june 29, 2008
Most of you know the World War 1 story of the statue of Jesus in the bombed
Church. The trunk was still there, but the two outstretched arms had been
shattered. At the bottom a soldier had written: He has no arms but yours...
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june 15, 2008
The auditorium erupted with thunderous applause. Msgr. O’Malley had just
finished giving his final scripture speech. The text was … the opening line of
today’s Gospel. “At the sight of the crowds, troubled and abandoned like sheep
without a shepherd, the heart of Jesus was moved with pity for them.”
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june 8, 2008
The Pharisees didn’t have enough integrity to take their problem with Jesus to
Jesus. They went griping to his disciples. Maybe they thought they had a better
chance of intimidating them than intimidating the Master...
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june 1, 2008
(from Dynamic Preaching, XXIII:2, 57) An elderly woman walked up to a little old
man rocking in a chair on his porch. Weathered and feeble, he had the most
content smile. “I couldn’t help noticing how happy you looked,” she said.
“What’s your secret?” “Well, he said, “my philosophy is, if it feels good, do
it! I smoke three packs of cigarettes a day,” he gestured with a wrinkled yellow
hand, “and I drink a case of whiskey a week, eat fatty foods, and never
exercise.” “That’s amazing!” said the woman. “So … how old are you?” Came back
the raspy voice: “Twenty-six.”
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may 11, 2008
A wise story from Ghana says three women dearly wanted children, but it wasn’t
happening. Finally near despair they went to the local medicine man. “Yes, you
can be helped with this. But you need to think carefully, because there’s a
condition attached. On the day you give birth … you will go mad.”
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May 4, 2008
Jesus, we don’t want you to go!
Jesus replies: But I must go to the Father. The Father is greater than I. I love
him, I am his second self, and I will be seated at his right side. If you love
me, you’ll be happy for me that I’m going.
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april 13, 2008
Some people simply are not sure --- not sure of what they think, not sure of
what they feel, not sure of who they are. This was never a problem with Jesus of
Nazareth. He is calmly, quietly sure about what he feels, what he thinks, and
above all who he is … and he’s not shy about expressing it.
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april 6, 2008
The Emmaus Gospel is all about a profound spiritual activity we don’t do nearly
enough. Emmaus is all about having a good conversation. Conversations are
powerful proofs we’re spiritual. In a real conversation, our lips form funny air
vibrations and somehow our partner intuits what’s inside us. I begin to grasp
what’s in you; you start to understand what’ in me. Conversations make us laugh,
cry, get mad, make peace. They may be light or heavy, surprising or predictable.
At their best, they change us.
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march 30, 2008
Consistent tradition says that years after today’s event, Thomas the apostle
ended up a missionary to India. I see him evangelizing there, telling today’s
story, one of the climaxes of John’s Gospel, again and again.
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march 23, 2008
Pastor Cameron Smith tells the story of maybe the only white man in Georgia
buried in an all black cemetery. He had lost his mother as a baby, and his dad
hired a profoundly Christian black woman named Mandy to help raise him.
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February 17,
2008
“Mirror, mirror on the wall, who is the fairest of them all.” That’s what Snow
White’s step-mother, the wicked queen, used to ask her magic mirror. And the
mirror replied.
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February 10,
2008
Since college days Mary Frances had always been fascinated by the Adam and Eve
story. There were so many interpretations: literal, psychological,
psychoanalytical, mythical, historico-critical. When I die, I’m going to ask
that couple some questions! she laughed.
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February 3,
2008
At election time we hear from our politicians. It’s good to know who they are.
Everyone knows that Arnold Schwerznegger is our governor. And his wife is …
Maria Shriver. What you may not know is that Maria’s father was one of the
greatest and most creative politicians of his generation.
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January 27, 2008
When Jesus spoke to him James straightened up as in a trance. “Get back to work
and stop paying attention to him,” growled his father. But the young man whose
life seemed like a puzzle with no solution had heard his own soul sigh. Jesus
had said only a few words: “James, I know what you need. Come after me.” He
dropped the net … and his old life with it … and followed.
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January 20, 2008
Everyone coming to our church over the past several weeks got to see large
Christmas trees twinkling with lights, a forest of poinsettias, the antique gold
hanging on the altar, and red, white and gold banners and flags all over the
place. Beautiful! But come to Church this Sunday and maybe you feel,
especially after all the visual holiday fuss, a little disappointed and let
down. It’s all so bare. It’s all so … ordinary.
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January 13, 2008
On my day off, maybe half the time I go visit MOMA. Not Momma, m-o-m-m-a, who
lives in far-off Torrance, near LA. I visit MOMA, m-o-m-a --- the San Francisco
Museum of Modern Art. It does something amazing for me.
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December 9,
2007
The trees of the forest were having their morning chat. “Are you done with your
Christmas shopping.” “Mostly. This year, it’s electronic gadgets, and may be a
sweater or two.” “Are you going to think much about God?” “No, not much. I may
go to Mass, but I don’t want serious thoughts about God to spoil my holidays.
God hasn’t sent any prophets for 400 years. I think God doesn’t care much what
we do. He’s finally willing to leave us in peace.” There was laughter. (Man
starts coming up aisle with ax)
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December 2, 2007
Sleep walking. A disorder that occurs when a person walks or does another
activity while they are still asleep. The University of Maryland says sleep
walking can have to do with fatigue, lack of sleep, anxiety, mental disorders,
reactions to drugs, or medical conditions. When someone sleep walks, they may
look awake and do complex activities like move furniture, go to the bathroom,
dress and undress, even drive a car … but they’re asleep.
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November 25,
2007
(from Dynamic Preaching, XXII, 4, pp. 55-56) Fred Craddock tells of a family out
for a drive who saw a stray kitten stranded on a traffic island. The three
little ones in the car all started the chorus: “Stop the car. There’s a kitty
out there, crying his heart out!” Stop the car. Stop the car.”
The family already had too many pets, and the kitten might be diseased. But dad
pulled to the side of the road, and got out. When he reached for it, sweet
little kitty spat, scratched and bit his hand till it bled! Fighting an instinct
to strangle the ungrateful little beast, he carried it to the car and put it in
the back seat with the kids.
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November 4,
2007
I celebrated my 40th birthday by climbing 14,495 ft. Mt. Whitney, the tallest
mountain in the US outside Alaska. Don’t think it was Mt. Everest. There’s a
trail.
How I hated that trail! It refused, again and again, to take the easy
obvious way. You’d see an easy stretch. It would turn away and drag you up
an icy ridge. There was a stream to follow. It left the stream and made
your sides ache again as you climbed, climbed.
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October 21, 2007
A young black man in South Africa asked his minister why blacks had to suffer so much poverty, hardship and oppression. “Why doesn't God do something? he wailed. “He has,” came the answer. “He created you.” (Dynamic Preaching: XXII, 4, 18) The young man took the answer to heart. He was the future Archbishop Tutu, and he helped get rid of apartheid.
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October 14, 2007
The Samaritan Jesus healed in today's reading later became, after Christ's death and resurrection, a baptized Christian. The apostle John ran into him seven or eight years later. He was very sad to discover he'd contracted another disease and was now permanently bed-ridden.
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September 23, 2007
Every week, it seems, someone new gets caught embezzling … swindling … the government or shareholders or gullible seniors. When Jesus starts this steward story, about an incompetent steward who turns into an embezzler, we know where he's headed. He's going to denounce dishonesty, and insist we be fair and transparent, especially with other people's money.
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September 9, 2007
An old piece of business wisdom says: Failure to plan is planning to fail. If your business goal, and strategies to get there, aren't clear and planned, you'll fail.
Jesus was a great believer in future planning. If you build a tower, sit down, make plans, calculate expenses. If you're thinking of engaging in war, be clear what success you want, what resources you have … and determine in advance whether it's feasible. Plan.
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August 26 , 2007
Praise God from whom all cyclones blow
Praise him when rivers overflow
Praise him when lightning strikes the steeple
Brings down the church and kills all the people.
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August 19 , 2007
When Emily was a little girl, her parents looked deep into her brown eyes and repeated what seemed like a million times: “Don't get into trouble. Emily, don't get into trouble.”
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August 12 , 2007
Granny J had lived in the same house for 75 years. The ramshackle place with its well used furniture, throw rugs and old lace doilies, was now in the inner city. Despite the fact that she shared her neighborhood with winos and dope addicts, Granny never locked a door. She would listen calmly to the pleas of her family to be more sensible, but her answer was always the same: “If anyone is in need, they can take what they want.”
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August 5, 2007
The Father of light gathered all his angels around him. “It's time for me to make my will,” he said.” “Father,” one of them replied, “does that mean you're going to die?” .
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July 29 , 2007
When I get to heaven (knock, knock), I'm going to say, Father Abraham, I admire your moxy. You bargained with God … and got God down from sparing Sodom and Gomorrah for fifty innocent people all the way down to ten.”
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July 15 , 2007
Thank God for good Samaritans! Moved with pity for a fellow human being, they embrace and inconvenience, leave their circle of convenience took a risk, embraced an inconvenience … instead of waiting and hoping someone else would do something. We can't take care of everybody. But for sure, from time to time, everyone should help take care of somebody. And first on our list: beat up strangers no one seems to care about.
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July 8 , 2007
Mom and I spent last week in that most splendid, uniquely American New York City . We saw where George Washington took his oath of office, his desk, the pew he used in St. Paul 's chapel, old Fraunces tavern where he said farewell to his officers after the war. We saw the Statue, fireworks, the Empire State Building … and the World Trade Center .
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June 24 , 2007
Finding the right name for a child can be a big deal.
Some psychologists think naming is a powerful part of giving identity. Strong names, artistic names, mystical names, saint's names … will predispose a young person to follow a path. For some cultures an unnamed child is not yet fully human. And have you ever known this to happen: a couple picked out a baby's name months before the birth, but as soon as they see the little one, they settle on something completely different. “This just isn't a Madeline, they say. This just isn't a Frederick .”
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June 17 , 2007
In one of his conferences, A O'Brien says: So many people… are loved by no one and feel that no one cares for who they are!... (They) feel that, if they are sought out, it is only because of the use other people can make of them: economic benefit, commercial connection, passing pleasure or sexual dalliance, never because of what they are themselves…How can you find happiness if you are not recognized, esteemed, and finally loved for who you are? … And who can tell you that you, with your hope for love, are not a bizarre being, abnormal, living by chance … but a subject known and loved from all eternity by the one who created you: God, whose image you bear. Who will tell you this, if not Jesus Christ . (cited in Days of the Lord , vol. 6, p. 87)
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June 10 , 2007
Catholics have always felt that the miraculous multiplication of loaves takes place weekly, every Sunday. Hundreds of millions gather with bread … in Belgium and Boston , Tanzania and Texarkana , Somalia and Salinas , and everywhere in between, and after we pray the bread gets multiplied … inwardly and outwardly. And the hunger of millions of human hearts … and there's nothing hungrier than a human heart … the hunger of hundreds of millions of human hearts gets fed.
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June 3 , 2007
The ancient Assyrians, Sumerians, Greeks, Romans, etc. --- almost all looked and saw that life was full of movement. Winds, sparks, tides, seasons, rises, falls, motions, forces, give, take, attack, retreat. How to explain it? There must be many many gods.
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May 27 , 2007
In my hand is a shower-head. It has very little value if it stays on the shelf of the hardware story. But if it's connected to a water line (connect to hose), it's amazing what it can do! (from Robert Schuller: cited by Dynamic Preaching , vol. XXII, no. 2, p. 65)
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May 20 , 2007
They were continually in the temple praising God.
“Thank you, God,” said Peter, “for the true friendship of Jesus. He didn't abandon me, even though three times I abandoned him. I know now there's someone I can always count on … even when that someone isn't me!” View Full Homily: (English)
May 9 , 2007
The joy of Catholics at Jesus' resurrection is so great we celebrate Easter for 50 days. And in the second readings of all those post-Easter Sundays, we feast on the part of the book of Revelation that describes our assured future, now that Jesus has triumphed.
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April 29 , 2007
Back in the 2 nd century this is how a non-Christian named Aristides tried to describe Christians to the Emperor Hadrian: Christians love one another. They never fail to help widows; they save orphans from those who would hurt them. If one of them has something, he gives freely to the one who has nothing. If they see a stranger, Christians take him home and are happy, as though he were a real brother or sister. They don't consider themselves brothers and sisters in the usual sense, but brothers and sisters instead through the Spirit, in God. And if they hear that one of them is in jail or persecuted for professing the name of their redeemer, they all give him what he needs …. This is really a new kind of person.
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April 22 , 2007
We love Peter because he's the poster boy for conversion. We watch him turn from an impulsive, silly, pompous weakling who yells love but folds when the cross comes … to the visionary, centered, courageous rock of the church who faces down the high priest and assembly, spits in their eye as he says calmly: We must obey God rather than men.
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April 15 , 2007
The Gospel just said: Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples that are not written in this book. If you're a certain kind of protestant, you don't care much about these other signs. The signs in the bible are beautiful, compelling and sufficient.
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April 1 , 2007
It was the worst plague the world had ever seen. Other diseases attack the nervous system, the muscles, the lungs, the complexion. This virus attacked the soul inside people. It twisted us, hardened us, robbed us of humanity, of compassion. It was sin, the sins of the world . and sin disfigures and maims till we stop resembling God.
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March 25, 2007
During Gospel group of men, carrying/brandishing rocks, enter sanctuary with "woman caught in adultery." (She has a rock concealed in her pocket.) They menace. Then, as Gospel continues, they noisily put their rocks down and leave. Woman kneels down with her hand on the altar. She looks up and listens to the priest during homily.
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March 18, 2007
No, Father. We didn't have to do anything. But I'll tell you what we should have done. We should have acted as if obedience, respect for parents, moral sexual behavior and religious values mattered. We should have taken some sort of stand to prevent the continuing slide of values. We should have tried to be just.
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March 11, 2007
You could call the readings of this Sunday a tale of two trees.
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March 4, 2007
This is my passport. I carry this with me when I travel. It proves I'm an American citizen. It guarantees me certain rights and privileges and advantages. I feel confident when I have it. My American government guarantees me social services, if I work I'm guaranteed a minimum wage, and I have certain civil liberties as well.
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February 4, 2007
At every Mass we say, “Lord, I am not worthy. ” Sometimes we mean it and feel and sometimes probably we don’t. In all three readings today we see people who mean it. Isaiah has a powerful vision during temple liturgy. He sees God shaking the whole build ing and his robes filling the temple. “Woe is me! I am unclean. Lord I am not worthy…”
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January 28, 2007
Anyone who reads the Gospels knows that Jesus was a person of prayer. He prayed in the desert, on the holy mountain, by the lake, while walking, in the middle of chatting with people. He prayed memorized prayers (the psalms) and he prayed spontaneously. In addition to this he prayed, emphatically and weekly … in the synagogue. Like today…
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January 7, 2007
If Herod was greatly troubled at first, the secret interview with the Maji left him peaceful and cocky. Shrewd judge of character, he sensed immediately that Caspar, Melchor and Balthasar were without guile --- harmless, the way all truly good people are harmless…
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November 5, 2006
His friends couldn’t wait to pounce on the scribe who asked today’s Gospel question. “Ruben, you’re an imbecile. You were supposed to ask Jesus a question that would trip him. Instead, you made him look like he was a prophet or something. You stood there, stupid and adoring, and then told him he had spoken well and was surely right…”
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October 29, 2006
He was supremely expressive --- Jesus. His words, his gestures communicated ideas and feelings, God’s ideas and feelings, with power and beauty. His pithy little parables, swallowed so innocently, sometimes exploded like bombshells inside his listeners later. Part of his power was: he was so succinct. No needless words…
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October 22, 2006
James and John want the head table and the big office. They have ambitions and goals. They are A-type people on a mission, highly motivated people with a dream…
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October 15, 2006
It’s not such a strange thing to wonder, is it. It’s so human. Peter says to Jesus, I’ve given up quite a bit to come follow you. What’s in it for me? What will I get out of it?
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October 8, 2006
Driving one of those long lonely stretches in northern Arizona, Sally saw an elderly Navajo woman walking on the side of the road. She offered a ride to get some company … but once in, the lady said almost nothing. She just looked at everything intently. Finally the lady surprised her by pointing to the large brown bag on the seat…
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October 1, 2006
You may not remember his name --- Aron Ralston --- but I bet your remember his story. He was rock climbing alone in Utah back in 2003 when his arm got hopelessly pinned under an 800 lb. boulder. 10 hours of chipping away at unmovable rock only made a tiny dent. He was in the middle of nowhere. Days passed. He was going to die…
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September 24, 2006
For the last three weeks we’ve been mediating on the virtue of stewardship. Stewardship is 50% gratitude. Through prayer, through mediation, through communion with Jesus a person’s consciousness emerges to the point where you realize down to your gudgeons that everything you have is form God … and you are very very grateful…
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September 17, 2006
In the snack bar on the train a beat up old man came and took the chair on the other side of the table. Ignoring him, the lady reached out and opened the package of cookies in the middle of the table and ate one. To her amazement, he also helped himself to one…
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August 27, 2006
Ivan the Terrible, Tsar of 12th Century Russia, had a problem. What with all the murder and massacre, his advisors had to find him a wife --- a beautiful princess of the Greeks. But she was a devout Greek orthodox who would not marry him if he wasn’t baptized…
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August 20, 2006
The old lady looked around nervously to make sure no one was watching through the bedroom window. Then she removed a large framed photograph of her late husband and started twisting the knob of the concealed wall safe. Four to the left, eighteen to the right … seven more numbers and the metal door screeched and offered a faded black velvet box with the very last remnant of her Tom’s piled up wealth…
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July 23, 2006
It’s difficult and frightening for us priests to hear today’s first reading! God yells angry words to those appointed to be shepherds who aren’t doing a good job. “Woe to the shepherds who mislead and scatter the flock ... I will take care to punish your evil deeds…
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July 16, 2006
Mostly priests talk about the Gospel in Sunday homilies, but this week I couldn’t get by four words in the first sentence of the first reading. These four words form a phrase very rude … but also so dire and self-destructive … that any country that says them, any city, any church, any parish, any individual who says them and means them … inevitably itself starts to shrink, shrivel and slide down the road to total extinction…
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January 8, 2006
Epiphany is one of those days when the Catholic way of celebrating Christ really shines. I mean the playfulness and pageantry of special food, songs, 3 kings prancing around, gold vestments, fancy cups and plates, incense, festive processions with banners, gifts…
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January 1, 2006
When a new baby comes, close family and friends rush to the hospital and make over the little one. “Oh, he is so cute, isn’t she a little doll!” … and then … the next stop is always mom. Mom’s nine months of low energy, hormones, moods swings, morning sickness, distended shape and now childbirth … have surely earned her some TLC…
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