Thanksgiving Starts with Giving

          There’s a wonderful children’s book called The Giving Tree, by Shel Silverstein, about a beautiful tree who loves a boy very much.  Every day, the boy would come and gather her leaves, climb her trunk, and swing from her branches, and the tree was very happy.  As the boy grew older, he wanted more out of life, so the tree gave him her apples to sell and make money.  She later gave him her branches, so he could build a house; and she even gave him her trunk, so he could make a boat and sail away.  Each time she gave something to the boy, the tree was very happy.  On this special day, The Giving Tree and our Gospel remind us that Thanksgiving starts with giving.

          The Gospel of the ten lepers is, of course, about gratitude.  Ten lepers are healed, but only one returns to thank Jesus.  Through the good example of the one leper, Jesus teaches us that giving thanks, being grateful for the gifts we receive from God, makes us very happy.  Just think about it, we can’t be grateful and unhappy at the same time.  Being grateful reminds us of the positive things in our lives; it lets us relive the blessings and graces we receive and experience them over and over again.[1]  But we can’t forget that gratitude starts when someone gives us a gift, or affords us some act of kindness.  Gratitude begins with giving.  In our Gospel, the one leper’s gratitude begins when Jesus gives the ten lepers the gift of good health, so our Gospel not only challenges us to be grateful; it challenges us to give, too.  

          Christ’s life on earth was a life of giving.  Through healing, teaching, feeding, forgiving and offering his own life for our salvation, Jesus showed us that God created us to give of ourselves for the benefit of others.  Just as we love God by loving our neighbor, we thank God by giving to our neighbor – apples, branches, trunk and all.  That old Thanksgiving hymn says it well: “Now thank we all our God with hearts and hands and voices.” 

          Let’s face it, sometimes we can be a lot like the nine lepers or the boy in The Giving Tree – we don’t feel very grateful, or we don’t take the time to express our gratitude.  Sometimes when we hurt, or we’re sick or angry, or when life overwhelms us, we have a hard time seeing all of the wonderful things that we should be grateful for.  It’s in those times especially, that we should give, because giving will make us very happy.

 

          Today is Thanksgiving – the day we set aside for gratitude.  It’s also a great day to give.  Maybe we’ll lend a hand with the cleaning and cooking.  Maybe we’ll visit someone who’s lonely, or write a letter, text or email to someone we miss.  Maybe we’ll volunteer at a soup kitchen or shelter.  And maybe, just maybe, we’ll like giving so much, that we’ll make a point of giving a little something of ourselves to those who need us every day.  If our Thanksgiving starts with giving, I guarantee that we’ll be very happy. 

Reading:  Luke 17: 11-19

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[1] M. Renee Miller, A Guide to Spiritual Practice:  Gratitude Practice.

Using Our Time Wisely, Homily for the 32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A

          As the father of two teenage daughters, the way I spend most of my time can be summed up in two words:  I wait.  I wait as they pick out the perfect outfit; I wait while they apply the finishing touches to their make up; I wait when I pick them up from extra-curricular activities; and I especially wait for that narrow window of opportunity when I can ask them a question without getting my head bitten off.  Over the years I’ve learned that it’s best if I find other things to do while I wait:  I apply the finishing touches to my makeup – just kidding, this is natural beauty.  I read a book or newspaper, check my emails, practice the homily I’m about to give.  You get the idea.  As Christians, we wait, too, and our readings this evening advise us to use our time wisely.

          We, as Christians, believe that Christ will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead in what we call the eschaton, the end times.  From Saint Paul’s words in our second reading, we learn that the earliest Christians believed that the eschaton was imminent, and they were concerned that Christ had not yet returned.  Some two thousand years later, we still wait.  Although our souls are thirsting for God “like a dry, weary land without water,” Jesus makes clear in our Gospel that we have to wait.  But he also makes clear that we shouldn’t be sitting around doing nothing; we have to use our time wisely.

          Wisdom is generally understood as good judgment based on knowledge and experience.  The Hebrew Scriptures equate wisdom with God, and in “early Christian literature Jesus is said to be the incarnate Wisdom of God.”[1]  That’s why our first reading instructs us to seek out Wisdom, to watch for her at dawn; to keep vigil for her.  “But wisdom [isn’t] passive.  She [doesn’t] simply wait for the sage.  She ‘hastens to make herself known.’”[2]  It’s a two-way street.  God is always offering us his Wisdom – in Scripture, in prayer, and in the quiet of our hearts – but we also have to seek it.  As the wise poet and playwright Oscar Wilde once said, “With age comes wisdom, but sometimes age comes alone.”  In other words, acquiring Wisdom requires an effort on our part, too.

Now that we know a little bit about Wisdom, we need to return to the question at hand.  How do we use our time wisely while we wait for the Second Coming of Christ?  Jesus gives us the answer.  The wise maidens in our parable are the ones who are prepared to meet the bridegroom when he comes.  We need to prepare.  How do we prepare?  We listen to God’s Word and act on it now.  (Luke 11:28) “We must personally appropriate the teachings of Jesus and enact them in our lives.”[3]  As the wise saying goes, “practice makes perfect.”  “Living the Gospel is not like hoarding oil or packing a backpack.  It’s more like riding a bike, learning a new language or being generous.  You practice until it comes naturally.”[4]  If we want to use our time wisely, we have to practice living wisely over and over again, until living according to God’s Wisdom comes naturally.

Now, I’d be remiss if I didn’t address the ominous warning in our Gospel.  Jesus makes perfectly clear that we know neither the hour nor the day when he will come, so the time to prepare for his return is right now.  Remember, the foolish maids in our Gospel were unprepared, so they were locked out of the wedding feast.  Just as it’s far too late to start studying for a test on exam day, it’ll be too late for us to start living according to God’s Wisdom at the hour of Christ’s return.  Now is the time to prepare.  Now’s the time to live according to God’s Wisdom.

†Now’s the time to forgive past hurts and mend broken relationships;

†Now’s the time to honor the God-given dignity of each person, no matter what our ethnic, political, or religious differences may be;

†Now’s the time to comfort those suffering from depression or addiction and all who are sick, hurting or afraid;

†Now’s the time, before it’s too late, to live like the saints we’re intended to be.

Yes, we wait, but there’s no shortage of opportunities to prepare ourselves for Christ’s Second Coming by living wisely right now, by living as God’s Wisdom teaches us to live.  As a wise scripture scholar warns us: “There is no knell so laden with regret as the sound of the words too late.”[5] 

          You know, when I fill my time waiting for my daughters with other things to do, I find that I don’t get angry at their glacial pace, they don’t get angry at my paternal impatience, they tolerate my questions with minimal eye rolls, and we’re all happy with their makeup and outfits.  When I use my time wisely, we end up living in peace and harmony just as Jesus taught us, even if only for a moment.  I guess that wise ketchup company was right when it said, “good things come to those who wait.” While these are all good outcomes, so much more is promised to us at the end of time when “[t]he Lord himself . . . with the trumpet of God will come down from heaven” to take us to his heavenly kingdom.  We may ask, “When will it happen?  We don’t know, so for now, we wait.  The question we should be asking, though, is whether we’ll be prepared to greet him when he comes.  We will be, if we use our time wisely.

Readings:  Wisdom 6: 12-16; Psalm 63; 1 Thessalonians 4: 13-18; Matthew 25: 1-13

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[1] Justo L. González, Essential Theological Terms (Louisville, Westminster John Knox Press, 2005) at 182.

[2] Michael Kolarcik, “The Book of Wisdom,” The New Interpreter’s Bible, vol. V (Nashville, Abingdon Press, 1997) at 491.

[3] John Shea, Spiritual Wisdom of the Gospels for Christian Preachers and Teachers:  On Earth As It Is in Heaven, Matthew, Year A (Collegeville, Liturgical Press, 2004) at 316.

[4] Mary M. McGlone, “Practice Makes You Ready,” National Catholic Reporter, vol. 54, no.2 (November 3-16, 2017) at 23.

[5] William Barclay, The Gospel of Matthew, vol. 2 (Louisville, Westminster John Knox Press, 2001) at 375.

Perfect Harmony

Blessings to Katie and David on the marriage today.  Here's the homily I gave at their ceremony.   

         I’ve been known, from time to time, to kick off a homily with a few lines from a song that speaks to the message I want to convey, so singing a little ditty for the wedding of two professional musicians seemed like a no-brainer. I struggled, though, to find a song that captured both Katie’s energetic, soulful style and David’s virtual silence. I needed a jazzy R&B song loaded with whole rests - with fermata over them – accompanied by an accordion. I didn’t find one. Then I remembered that this congregation would be filled with talented musicians - and Larry. Now, I can carry a tune, but I wouldn’t say that my voice is sought after, so I got cold feet and ditched the opening number. But I know I made the right choice because a wedding isn’t about the officiant, it’s about the bride and groom; and it isn’t about singing a solo, it’s about singing in perfect harmony. The readings that Katie and David have chosen for their wedding today explain why.

          Our first reading from Genesis teaches us that from the opening act of creation, man and woman were meant to live together in perfect harmony. Christ himself blesses this union with his presence at the Wedding at Cana in our Gospel. It’s no accident that Jesus’ first miracle takes place at a wedding because he who himself is the marriage of humanity and divinity graces marriage with the superabundant gift of God’s love. And as Saint Paul tells us in our second reading, nothing can separate us from the love of God. God’s love is the key to a successful marriage because God’s love perfects marital harmony.

          In the context of music, harmony is a combination of notes that has a pleasing effect. In the broader context, harmony can be understood as agreement, unity, friendship and peacefulness. I got that from Membean. I think all of us can agree with the words of Scripture that count among our most cherished blessings “a wife and husband who live in harmony.” (Sirach 25:1) So what brings harmony to a marriage? Love. As the Bard put it so eloquently, “[W]hen love speaks, the Voice of [God] makes heaven drowsy with the harmony.”[1] That was for you, Mary. Love is willing the good of another,[2] and it’s only when human love between a man and a woman is transformed by the love of God in Christ that it can become the kind of love that endures forever.[3] “What happened at Cana two thousand years ago happens in reality at every wedding feast.”[4] The loving presence of the Lord at your marriage today transforms your love for each other and gives you all you need to live together in perfect harmony. Let’s face it, that man and woman can live together in harmony is a miracle in and of itself. That miracle is only possible when you welcome God’s love into your marriage.

          Think of marriage as a symphony written by husband and wife note by note over the course of their life together. Your symphony will have its allegro and andante movements, and no doubt, a lot of whole rests. You may also encounter the occasional strepitus. All music students who can define strepitus in class on Monday will receive 10 extra-credit points. To stay in tune with each other, to keep harmony in your relationship no matter what tempo, key signature or accidental you face, you have to keep your eye on the divine conductor. Think of God like . . . Mr. Angeline - offering you a steady, constant, deliberate beat. When things get a little too crazy, God will be like . . . Mr. Andrews providing a cool, casual, bluesy rhythm to soothe your minds and calm your hearts. And when life is overwhelming, like the Prism Concert, God will stand tall above the crowd like Mr. Hopta, giving you big, bold, clear direction. If you keep your eye on the divine conductor and follow him throughout your marriage, you will live in God’s love, and you will make beautiful music together.

          You know, we’ve been meeting for more than two years preparing for this day; and I can honestly say that I count our time together among the strangest two years of my life. In our early meetings, Katie did all of the talking; she even answered the questions I asked David. I thought they were a ventriloquist act for a while. Katie asked hundreds of questions - some that I’ve never been asked before, and hope never to be asked again. David asked one. As we progressed into marriage preparation, I started to learn a little more about you – I heard about David’s computer obsession and Katie’s compulsion with candles and lotion. I stopped counting at 37 candles on your wedding registry. I learned that Katie worries about everything, that David does speak and that he has a wry sense of humor. When I asked Katie and David what they’d like in their wedding homily, David requested a limerick. Ask and you shall receive.

On Katie and David’s big day,

The sermon was great, so they say.

Deacon Mike preached his heart out

To make sure they’d start out

Their marriage in sweet harmon-ay.

But most of all, during these last two years I learned that you are two very different people who make beautiful music together. I learned that you love each other very much, that your love is firmly rooted in God’s love and that you have all you need to live in perfect harmony.

          It’s been my honor to spend these last two years with you – as strange as they were – and to contribute a few notes to what I’m sure will be a beautiful symphony. Though I shied away from serenading you this afternoon, I hope you know that I join the choirs of angels in singing your praises before the throne of God, praying that you live a long, happy life together in perfect harmony.

Readings: Genesis 2: 18-24; Psalm 128; Romans 8: 31b-35, 37-39; John 2: 1-11

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[1] William Shakespeare, Love’s Labour’s Lost, Act IV, scene iii, ln 342.

[2] See Catechism of the Catholic Church 1766, quoting Saint Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologiae, I - II, 26 4.

[3] See Reginald H. Fuller, Daniel Westberg, Preaching the Lectionary:  The Word of God for the Church Today, ed. 3 (Collegeville, Liturgical Press, 2006) at 563.

[4] Pope Francis, General Audience, February 14, 2014.