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Exploring the word

27 Sep 2015 - Twenty-sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle B

Who loves a challenge? Let’s have a show of hands! That’s great. Now consider: Who loves being publicly called out and verbally thrashed for doing wrong? Who enjoys a dark, punitive sermon about the world’s evil and our personal share in it? Fewer takers? If your assembly is normal, chances are they don’t really want a bold homily. What most of us want is a mixture of entertainment, consolation, affirmation, and warmth. Throw in some humor and you’ve got the recipe for a charming Sunday service. Is the purpose of Mass to be a charming experience? Early New Testament preachers couldn’t be accused of much charm. Stephen is put to death mid-proclamation for bringing the Good News to the people—which sounded more like a litany of their crimes to his street-side assembly. Peter’s Pentecost homily likewise defines his listeners as murderers. Paul regularly teaches, in person or by letter, using sarcasm, shame, and other methods today’s preacher or catechist would consider deeply inappropriate. If we read James’ letter to the assembly in the righteous spirit in which it was written, we hear the dramatic difference between what the first-century and 21st-century assembly of believers will bear. The homilies of the church fathers reveal this same willingness to go for the spiritual jugular. But woe to the contemporary pastor who imitates their technique in his parish. Jesus might urge the guilty to tie stones around their necks and drown in the sea, or cut off their hands and pull out their eyes. But he was Jesus. Without those unique credentials, we can’t get away with that kind of explosive rhetoric. My current pastor is a truth teller. But he couches every slice of truth with a generous coating of self-deprecating humor so the bitterness is sugared, and the medicine goes down easily. Everyone seems grateful for the pleasant delivery system. I realize that in other cultural contexts, the shouting priest is normative and the bully pulpit is exactly that. Some folks expect to be bloodied up and shamed down a bit in church. I don’t advocate that approach and wouldn’t sit for it myself. But I also regret that in my parish, we have to be virtually sweet-talked into the gospel. We just don’t want discipleship to hurt or even to pinch. What would earn a preacher the right to speak to us boldly, candidly, and challengingly about all we’ve done and failed to do? Might the sacrifice of a hand, a foot, an eye still be required of us? There are things I simply cannot reach for, walk toward, or take in precisely because I have chosen to follow Jesus. Where do we hear this, if not in church? Related scripture links God’s generosity at work: Gen. 33:11; Num. 10:29; Sir. 35:7-14; Luke 6:38 The evils of gluttony and excess: Sir. 31:12-20; 37:26-30; Amos 4:1-3; 6:1-7 Lilies of the field: Matt. 6:25-34; Luke 12:22-34 Faith is sufficient: Matt. 17:19-20; Mark 5:34, 36; 6:8; 11:22-24; Luke 11:9-13; John 14:12-14; 20:27-29; 2 Cor. 5:7; Gal. 5:6; Heb. 11:1

Authors Alice Camille

Homilies Truth Homily

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Exploring the word

07 Sep 2014 - Twenty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle A

A FEW GENERATIONS ago, the idea that Big Brother was watching us was a fearful notion. George Orwell invented Big Brother in 1949 as the all-seeing eye of a police state that would emerge by the year 1984. While the name implies a fraternal and benevolent watcher, Big Brother was actually the fierce custodian of a lockstep society where contrary thoughts could be crimes, and no one might be trusted. The year 1984 came and went, as did the 20th century. In our brave new century, we've grown accustomed to Homeland Security having access to our most intimate e-mails and financial transactions, even as they backscatter x-ray our bodies and search through our baggage as we travel. Not only are we used to being observed, many of us are comforted by the notion that, in a dangerous world, someone is on duty, watching and protecting us. Some two-and-a-half millennia ago, Hebrew prophets were the premiere watchers. Assigned by God for the task of keeping the nation safe, they bore the prophetic news, good or bad (but mostly bad) to anyone who would listen. As you can imagine, when prophets worked solo, as they often did, they were routinely ignored by the average citizen as well as by the court. Bad news has never been popular. Criticism is unwelcome even by the saintliest among us. Which explains why Jesus advocated that truth tellers adopt a broader approach. By all means, protect the dignity of the individual in need of conversion through private confrontation. But if that doesn't work, Plan B has to involve a small delegation of others to confirm the diagnosis. Rarely does this take the shape of a formal "intervention," when a sit-down gang shows up in your parlor to deliver the news. Group discernment is often a coffee-shop affair, one at a time. When I have coffee with three family members or friends in the same season who tell me I'm not seeing clearly, I am obliged to consider they may be on to something. Group discernment works in the other direction as well. If I feel summoned to be the watcher in a given situation and find trouble, I need to talk to a spiritual director, wise friend, or spouse to test the waters and see if my "take" on a situation is an objective one. This also implies I have to accept the wider discernment if virtually everyone I trust is telling me that my conviction to accuse or criticize is poorly considered. A genuine "church" intervention is always done gently in love, never out of self-righteousness or the spirit of anger. Healthy families do this naturally, often in shorthand from long practice: "Talk to Richard." "I will." And then: "Richard, your mother and I have been concerned . . ." Related scripture links Where guilt lies: Lev. 19:17-18 The need for witnesses: Deut. 19:15 Lessons on settling disputes: Matt. 18:1-5 (child), 10-14 (sheep), 15-20 (talk), 21-35 (forgive) Catechism links If another sins: CCC 553; 1088; 1373; 1444; 2472 The debt of love: CCC 1824; 2055; 2196; 2845

Authors Alice Camille

truth tellers

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Homily themes

27 Jul 2014 - Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle A

"Every false way I hate,” the psalm says. The true way, Lord, “is to keep your words.” God’s words “give you a heart so wise and understanding,” and it is understanding Solomon preferred above all else, like the finders of treasure and the pearl of great price in the gospel. Such understanding, while a gift, is also a task to perform with the same care Saint Paul describes God showing in saving us.

Truth Wisdom

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Exploring the word

22 Jun 2014 - Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ (Corpus Christi), Cycle A

Every time I turn on the computer or open the morning mail, I'm offered the deal of a lifetime. Lucky me! I'm sure this doesn't happen to everyone. I'm sure I'm the chosen one to whom the universe is trying to unburden itself of a fortune or a last-chance opportunity too good to refuse. Still, believe it or not, I do refuse. At least 99.9 percent of the time I'm led to suspect that the deal in front of me is no deal at all. It's only some lousy trick to part me from my money, hijack my computer, or steal my credit card information. Once, when I was younger, I did get ripped off by a phone scam that offered to renew a magazine subscription for three years at a too-good-to-be-true price. It wasn't true. Now I'm harder to fool. Maybe the crowd around Jesus felt the same way when he talked about giving away eternal life at bargain-basement rates. Eat and drink and never die, he said. Yeah, right. Itinerant preachers wandered across the ancient world giving away the cosmic store all the time. Participate in these rituals and gain control over your enemies! Practice these wisdom instructions and live a long life! It may have sounded like the ads that claim popping this pill will rid you of arthritis or make you thin. But read the fine print. This stuff could also kill you in 30 different ways. John's discourse today was written as a question posed to a third-generation church already putting some distance between itself and its Jewish roots. If the historical Jesus had actually invited people in the streets to gnaw on his flesh or drink his blood, he might have been arrested for a grisly if not indecent proposal. What John is telling the believing community before him is this: Jesus offers Eucharistic inclusion—the deal of a lifetime—to all within the sound of his voice. His first audience replied with an emphatic, no, thank you! The question remains: What will you and I do? Because John's audience already sits in the house church around the Lord's table, their response should be obvious. Sure, count us in! In the same way it should be obvious that everyone who professes the creed is already participating in the Body and Blood of Christ. But you know that every deal has its fine print. This one is no exception. If you partake of this blessing cup, you volunteer to share in the death of Christ, as Saint Paul tells us many times. If you partake of the body of Christ, you will suffer in the many ways that his body suffers in the world today. To get everything Jesus offers, you have to offer everything you've got. Now then: Who's in and who's out? Related scripture links Christian freedom: John 8:31-36; Rom. 6:1-23; 8:2; 1 Cor. 3:23; 6:19-20; 7:21-23; 10:23-33; Gal. 3:23-4:11; 4:21-5:1; 5:13-26; Col. 3:11; 2 Tim. 2:9 Trusting in God: Ps. 37:3-4; 40:5-6; 131:1-3; Prov. 3:5-6; 20:22; Isa. 26:1-4 Catechism links Eucharist: CCC 737-739; 1113-1116; 1211; 1322-1405; 1524-1525

Authors Alice Camille

Truth Faith Participation

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Sign & sacrament

16 Sep 2012 - Twenty-fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle B

What does it mean “to speak truth to power”? Jesus provides a good example. He frequently confronted civic and religious authorities whose use of power resulted in oppression of people. That did not make Jesus a hero. Often he was thrown out of places, attacked, and ridiculed. Eventually he was killed for proclaiming the Good News. As followers of Jesus the Christ, that is our inheritance. We must summon the courage to speak the truth of our experience. We may not be called to do this in epic moments so much as in our day-to-day relationships. How do we speak the truth to people we love and live with every day? How do we speak a truth that is transformative, not destructive?

speak truth to power

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The inner word

04 Sep 2011 - Twenty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle A

What can be the consequences of the prophetic calling to speak the truth? How do prophets have to accept the consequences of their truth-speaking? What does it take to really listen to and hear the voice of Christ? Where have you seen hardened hearts? When have you seen hardened hearts softened? What melted them? Have there been times in your experience when love fulfilled "the law"?

Truth

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The inner word

08 May 2011 - Third Sunday of Easter, Cycle A

Give and receive witness to the truth of Jesus Christ: Those are two key messages in today's readings. Who are some of the least likely witnesses to Christ I've encountered? What did I learn from the strength of their faith? When I proclaim the gospel, do I speak with conviction? Can others feel the depth of my faith? Could I stand as Peter did in a crowd and speak of Jesus' resurrection and saving power? Where are my blind spots when it comes to my faith? If I had 15 minutes with Jesus on my way to work, what would I love to have explained by him? Like the breaking-of-the-bread moment for the disciples, what moments have you had when you saw Jesus in your life?

Truth witness Faith

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Exploring the word

29 Aug 2010 - Twenty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle C

"UNLESS YOU BEGIN at the rock-solid, painful truth," spiritual writer William O'Malley maintains in his gloriously simple book Holiness, "you're pumping your legs like Elmer Fudd long beyond the cliff's edge." Getting familiar with and embracing the rock-solid truth about ourselves is what humility is all about. It's the essential virtue, the one without which all the others just can't attach to us. Humility allows us to self-empty and make room for theological virtues like faith, hope, and love as well as spiritual fruits like peace, patience, gentleness, kindness, and the rest. If you want "in" on the ground floor of the spiritual life, you can't bypass the prerequisite of humility. The greater you are, the more humility you need, says Ben Sira, an esteemed wise man doubtless acquainted with the need for a daily slice of humble pie. Jesus reminds us that exaltation is quickly followed by humiliation—so it’s best to humble ourselves before others get a crack at us. In the pursuit of holiness, the more successful we seem to be the more we need to keep in mind O'Malley's assertion that "every rock, rutabaga, and rabbit fulfills God's intentions" quite perfectly, too. It's no great shakes to do what's right. Jesus confirms that in another parable when describing dutiful servants as those who complete their tasks only to claim: "We have done what we were obliged to do" (Luke 17:10). The poet James Russell Lowell pinpoints the attitude of humility when he speaks of an encounter with the Sacred Presence he once had. "I could not any more have doubted that He was there than that I was. Indeed, I felt myself to be, if possible, the less real of the two." Maybe that is what Saint Paul was driving at when he said, "It is no longer I, but Christ who lives in me." Might you and I ever be less central to our own identity than God-in-us? If we will not be emptied of ourselves, we can't become full of grace. If we insist on our preeminence, our own righteousness, well, there's a word for that: self-righteous. In Holiness O'Malley notes that self-righteousness leads to arrogance, the sort of arrogance that allowed Pontius Pilate to coolly ask, "What is truth?"—and then promptly send Truth out to be executed. O'Malley has formulated a law to cover such occasions: "The Less You Know, the More Certain You Can Be." How can we know more? We must "be" less. Wisdom comes to the humble, the same way it came to Ben Sira and to our meek Lord, the Lamb of God, who because he did not deem equality with God something to be grasped would one day be the name above every other name. Aim high? Start low. Related scripture links Jesus’ example of humility: Matt. 11:29, 12:15-21; Luke 2:7, 22:42 Teachings on humility: Matt. 5:3-1, 18:1-5, 21:20-28; Luke 6:20-26, 9:46-48, 17:7-10, 18:9-17 Bring no agenda before Jesus: Matt. 8:18-22; Luke 9:57-62 Catechism links Humility: CCC 525-526; 559; 724; 2540; 2559; 2628; 2631; 2706; 2713

Authors Alice Camille

william o'malley Truth Humility james russell lowell arrogance ben sira

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