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Look Not

Carmelite homily for Wednesday, February 28, 2024 – Lectionary 232 (Matthew 20:17-28).

Back when I was in college I was asked to be the caretaker of a professor’s house. He was the dean of his school, while he was on an extended sabbatical. Beautiful place – grand piano, great art on the walls, great musical selection – beautiful place. I would invite my friends over, not so that we would be comfortable or just use the place, but to Show Off! That’s what I was busy doing was showing off! How much of our day is spent showing off? They are all to look at me, or give me attention, or it’s all about me. Me, My, I. And I think that’s what we see in today’s gospel. John and James send their mother to ask for positions of honor for the sons. Why? Because they want to be more important than the rest. And then the other disciples, the other apostles, all get angry at John and James and so they’re all upset too. And Jesus says, “Can you drink the chalice?” And they say, “We can!” But the chalice is the chalice of humility. It is not one they can easily drink after all, because they are far from it. Saint John of the Cross says, “It is a great wisdom to know how to be silent. Look at neither the remarks nor the deeds nor the lives of others.” I think that all the apostles miss that and maybe that’s the chalice that Jesus wants them to drink. To be silent and not look at each other, neither the remarks nor the deeds nor the lives. To be content just to be in the company of Jesus.

Our Father – Backwards

Carmelite Homily for Tuesday of the First Week of Lent, February 20, 2024 – Lectionary 225 (Matthew 6:7-15).

A few years ago my spiritual director gave me a task: to say the “Our Father” backwards. Not word by word backwards, that would be pointless, but phrase by phrase backwards, so that the meaning of those phrases can take on new life. Because we can whip through the “Our Father” in seven seconds, and none of those phrases have any meaning at that speed. Today in the Gospel Jesus gives us the “Our Father” – Matthew’s Gospel. And there is such value in here. For example, Saint Teresa of Avila, in her book, The Way of Perfection, says that just in those two words. She says, “In two words, Our Father, you fill our hands completely.” And she riffs for chapters on just those two words, Our Father. Tying it to the Prodigal Son; tying it be being brothers and sisters, tying it to that the son is always forgiven, tying it to if that’s our father what other titles or what other nobility do we need? She goes on and on in those two words. So that’s my task for you today: try to say the “Our Father” phrase by phrase backwards. Let me try it. Amen. Lead my not into evil. Deliver from temptation. As I forgive those who trespass against me, forgive me my trespasses. Give me my daily bread. Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done. Or – thy will be done, thy kingdom come. We’re doing this backwards. Our Father in heaven. Our Father. Amen.

Repent = Rethink

Carmelite Homily for the First Sunday of Lent, February 18, 2024 – Lectionary 23 (Mark 1:12-15).

In today’s Gospel the very first words out of Jesus’ mouth in Mark’s Gospel is “Repent, and believe the Good News!” We hear that word “repent” and we think it is kind of a negative word. That it means to be sorry for our actions. But no, that’s not what it meant in those days. It meant repent = rethink. Like we use the word “pensively” to mean “thoughtfully.” ‘Pent’ means ‘to think.’ So what Jesus is announcing is “rethink” – think differently; think new. And it’s Good News. Everything we thought about life: oh, we’ve got to just survive it, or I’ve got to take care of just me, or life is hard, or God is mad. All that, no, rethink. It’s Good News. Life is meant to be Good News. Saint Therese says, “You will not arrive at what you desire by your own path or even by high contemplation, but only a great humility and surrender of heart.” I think that’s what Jesus means when he says, “Repent and believe in the Good News!” And that’s what Jesus is inviting us to. He is inviting us to put on the mind of Christ. The mind of Life. In Paul’s letter to the Philippians he begins with this beautiful passage about, “don’t worry about just yourself but worry about your neighbor too; take care of them.” And he concludes that passage with “put on the mind of Christ.” That’s what “repent” means: to put on the mind of Christ. And when we do that we see, “wow, I was thinking wrong; or I was doing wrong; or I was just simply wrong!” And then the new meaning of repent – sorry – can kick in. Because, wow, was I dumb! It’s time for me to rethink and relive. And that’s the Good News.

Or Everything is Doomed

Carmelite homily for Ash Wednesday, February 14, 2024 – Lectionary 219 (Matthew 6:1-6,16-18)

Humility doesn’t mean being smarmy and allow people to walk all over you or to treat you like a doormat. No! Humility means not being controlled by your ego. That’s what we see in today’s Gospel. When you pray, don’t pray in front of everybody so everyone says, ‘look how holy she is.’ Or when you give gifts or donations don’t blow a trumpet or call attention to it so everyone says, ‘look how, how generous he is.’ Or when you’re fasting don’t look all beaten up so everyone can say, ‘look how god-focused she is.’ No, that’s all ego. The idea is to not let ego control this, but to let love control this, God control this, the other control this, your heart control this. This is the call for Ash Wednesday. Saint Teresa of Avila writes, “If there is no progress in humility, everything is going to be doomed.” Let’s make that the focus for this Lent – progress in humility. Which means simply, don’t be controlled by your ego, be controlled by love.

Loves Me More

Carmelite Homily for Thursday of the Fifth Week in Ordinary Time, February 8, 2024 – Lectionary 332 (Mark 7:24-30)

There was a young man; life on the streets; no job. A few parishioners decided to help him. They found him a low-income apartment. They found him a job. And he ruined it all. He didn’t show up for work; and he had people living with him and the landlord threw him out. And he said, “Everyone is right; they said that I would never amount to anything.” I said, “And you’re telling me that everybody is making you into this? What does God have to say? And what do you have to say?” I think that’s what is going on in today’s gospel. The Syrophoenician woman comes to Jesus and asks for healing for her daughter and he says, “I do not give food intended for the children to the dogs.” I think that he’s trying to check out what she has bought into. Because everybody called Syrophoenicians ‘dogs.’ They weren’t worth it. And she’s a woman besides, in a male-dominated culture. But he’s treating her like an equal. He’s trying to lift her up. Find out what she’s bought into – what fallacies or what stupidities she’s bought into. He is treating not that way, but like an equal. I think Saint Teresa of Avila says this nicely when she says, “O love, that loves me more than I can love myself, or even understand.” I think that’s what’s going on with this Syrophoenician woman – great love! And that’s what’s going on with Teresa of Avila – great love! And that’s what’s going on with us – great love! So no matter what we think about ourselves, Jesus loves us greatly. Let us respond to that.

Healing Smiles

Carmelite Homily for the Fifth Sunday of Ordinary Time, February 4, 2024 – Lectionary 74 (Mark 1:29-39)

Saint Therese of Lisieux, a Carmelite, oftentimes called the ‘Little Flower’ has an autobiography called “A Story of a Soul.” A very popular book. And in that book she writes about one of the sisters. Here’s what she writes (I love this passage): “There is in my community a sister who has the ability to displease me in everything – in her ways, her words, her character, everything seems very disagreeable to me. And still, she must be a holy religious, very pleasing to God. So not wishing to give in to this natural dislike I was experiencing, I told myself ‘charity must not consist only in feelings but in works’ and I set myself to doing for this sister what I would do for the person I love the most. I was content with giving her my most friendly smile. And with changing the subject of the conversation. For one day at recreation she asked, ‘would you tell me dear Sister Therese of the Child Jesus what attracts you so much towards me? For every time you look at me I see you smile.’ I was smiling because I was happy to see her. I did not add, though, that this was only from a spiritual standpoint. All Sister Therese did was smile at her. And it was enough to re-integrate her into the community; make her feeling belonging, and loved, and respected. It’s that simple. In today’s Gospel we have the healing of Simon Peter’s mother-in-law. Well, we can do that too. And it doesn’t have to be a drastic healing like that; it can be as simple as what Saint Therese did – a smile. They say that loneliness is rampant in society today. Twenty-seven percent of adults say they are chronically lonely. Maybe as Valentine’s Day approaches send a card, maybe a smile, maybe just a little word or a phone call. Bring healing. Just ease loneliness with a smile. I think that’s what the call of Jesus in today’s Gospel is – bring healing.

You Already Promised

Carmelite homily for Friday, February 2, 2024 – Lectionary 524 (Luke 2:22-40) – the Presentation of the Lord

In the Liturgy of the Hours (the Divine Office) we pray three Canticles. In the morning, Lauds, we pray the Canticle of Zechariah (the Benedictus). At Vespers, evening prayer, we pray the Canticle of Mary (the Magnificat). And at Night Prayer, Compline, we pray the Canticle of Simeon (the Nunc Dimitis). In today’s Gospel we have the prayer of the Nunc Dimitis. In all three of these Canticles, it’s interesting, that the prayer – Zechariah, Mary, or Simeon – says, “God you promised this; now you need to deliver this.” Like today Simeon has been promised that he would not see death till he saw the Christ, and he prays, “your word has been fulfilled.” I think that’s the teaching of today’s Gospel of the Presentation, and all these Canticles from Luke’s Gospel – when you pray, pray for something God has already promised. That’s what Zechariah does. That’s what Mary does. That’s what Simeon does in today’s Gospel. We pray for what’s already been promised. What’s been promised? Life. Peace. Adoption into Christ. Fullness of Life. Resurrection. Eternal Life. These are the things that have been promised by God, so we can be cheeky in our prayer – like Zechariah, like Mary, like Simeon. If God has promised, then we can say, “okay, God, deliver.”

Journeying Too

Carmelite Homily for Thursday of the Fourth Week in Ordinary Time, February 1, 2024 – Lectionary 326 (Mark 6:7-13)

In today’s Gospel the disciples are being sent out two by two to do the work of Jesus – to teach, and to heal, and to exorcise as part of the Good News. This is the external mission. They are not aware and we’re not often aware that there is an internal component, almost like a parallel agenda. That this work will change them, deepen them, wizen them, mature them, make them more and more (and make us more and more) like Christ. Saint Teresa of Avila I think knows this when she says, “The feeling remains that God is on the journey too.” Everything is God’s agenda; yes, to do the external work; but, yes, to do the internal change. This is the work of Jesus; this is the work of God. “The feeling remains that God is on the journey too.”

Crazy Busy

Carmelite Homily for Tuesday of the Fourth Week in Ordinary Time, January 30, 2024 – Lectionary 324 (Mark 5:21-43)

One time I was talking with a vocation prospect on the phone who wanted to meet with me so I gave him my schedule. He says, “you’re not busy; you’re crazy busy.” We’ve heard that phrase before – crazy busy. In today’s Gospel Jesus is crazy busy. He’s going to preach to the disciples, the official comes, “can heal my daughter who is home sick,” he goes to follow him, but the woman is very sick says, “if I but touch his cloak I’ll be cured,” he wants to know who did that, the official’s servants come, “your daughter has died,” he goes anyway, there’s this cacophony of ailing, he says, “but she is sleeping,” and they all laugh at him – crazy busy. We can be crazy busy. Jesus stays focused. He’s wearing the Tsit-Tsit, that’s a tassel that reminds a Jewish man to pray and that’s what the woman who is trying to touch – his center of prayer. And then he does heal the daughter. He remains people-centered and God-centered. That’s the call of today’s Gospel. Saint Teresa of Avila says, “What a pity it was to have left you, my Lord, under the pretext of serving you.” Ahh, that could be us. What a pity it is when we have left our families, left our loved ones, under the pretext of work. ‘Dear Abby’ says, “I never met anyone on their death bed who said, ‘I should’ve spent more time at the office.’” Let us remember to be centered on loved ones, centered on prayer, centered on God. So we never say, “What a pity it was to have left you, my Lord, under the pretext of serving you.”

Rebind – Rejoin – Reconnect

Carmelite homily for the Fourth Sunday of Ordinary Time, January 28, 2024 – Lectionary 71 (Mark 1:21-28)

The Greek word for ball is “bollus.” It is where we get our word “ball” from. And if we take a ball and we divide it we have two balls – “di-bollus.” That’s where we get our word “diabolical” from: to divide something; to take a unity and make it two things. This is where we get our word “diabolical” and the shortened form is “devil.” This is the mission of the devil: to separate. And we see this in today’s gospel. Jesus comes into the synagogue. We’re at the beginning of Mark’s Gospel and this is the function of Jesus in Mark’s Gospel: to reconnect. So he goes into the synagogue and there’s a man with an unclean spirit and he drives out that devil. This man is divided; he has two beings in him. And whether we take it literally or metaphorically, this man is divided. And that’s what Jesus’ vision is, is to reconnect, to rejoin. This is the word “religion.” To rebind; that’s what religion means – to reconnect or to rebind. That’s Jesus’ mission throughout the Gospel. Whatever is separated, whether it is by superiority or judgment or sickness or the devil. Anything that separates, Jesus reconnects, recombines.

I think that is the mission of spirituality; that’s the journey of spirituality. In the Spiritual Canticle by Saint John of the Cross we see this culminating unity with God. This complete re-lig-ion with God. In the betrothal verses: “There he gave me his breast. There he taught me a sweet and living knowledge. There I gave myself to him, keeping nothing back. There I promised to be his bride.”

This beautiful marriage rite of two becoming one is how John of the Cross sees our spiritual journey – not only unity with each other, but unity with God. To rebind, re-lig-ion, rejoin. Not to divide, that’s the work of the devil, but to combine, to unify – the work of God.