Father Greg

Fully Full

Carmelite homily for Thursday, March 14, 2024 – Lectionary 247 (John 5:31-47)

There are a lot of complainers out there. You know the example of a half-filled glass: do you see it half empty? or half full? And the key is to see it as half full. But there are some people out there that if you gave them a full glass, not even half full – full! And they would say, “but you left your fingerprints on it.” No matter what you do or what you say, you’re wrong and they complain. I think that’s what’s going on in today’s gospel. Jesus is preaching and the people – the chief priests, the scribes, the Pharisees – everybody is complaining. And so he says, “John the Baptist gave testimony to me, you ignored that; Moses gave testimony to me, you ignored that.” No matter what he does or says – complaints. My own solution has been that if I didn’t ask you for a critique, I don’t want a critique. And if you give me one I’m not going to look at it. But I think Teresa of Avila, Saint Teresa, has another solution, a better solution. She writes, “For a soul surrendered into God’s hands doesn’t care whether they say good or evil about it.” Her solution is to get really close to God. Get so close, be nestled in his arms, pressed against his heart, be filled with love. And then you really don’t care what they say because she’s right. “For a soul surrendered into God’s hands doesn’t care whether they say good or evil about it.” Let’s try that solution: get really close to God.

Stuck? Try a New Road

Carmelite homily for Tuesday of the Fourth Week of Lent, March 12, 2024 – Lectionary 245 (John 5:1-15)

We all know someone who is stuck. Maybe stuck in an abusive relationship where there’s no life, or damage. Or stuck in the past. They cannot let it go; they cannot forgive. Or stuck in an addiction that just is destroying everything around them and themselves. Or stuck in always needing to have the last word or control everybody. There’s a lot of ways to just get stuck and be unhappy and not be alive. In today’s gospel, there’s a man, a cripple, at the side of pool in Bethesda. And the thought then was, probably a popular devotion thing, that when the water was disturbed – it could have been by a frog or by wind or something – but whenever the water was disturbed it represented an angel in the water. And the first person in got healed. It could’ve been a psychosomatic thing. But the guy was never in first because he was a cripple. So when Jesus comes by and says, “Do you want to be healed?” the guy gets all whiny and says, “Everybody gets in before me; no one helps me; oh, poor is me.” And Jesus says, “Do you want to be healed?” The guy is stuck, though, in old ways of thinking. He did not see what was right in front of him – a new solution. Saint John of the Cross says, “Travelers cannot reach new territory if they do not take new roads and unknown roads and abandon the familiar ones.” Oftentimes that’s us. We’re not happy, but we do not want to change. We’re scared of something new; we’re scared of the unknown. That’s what Jesus is there for. Jesus is there to take our hand. To offer us the new road, to offer us the solution, to offer us to be healed. That’s the gospel for today – to be more alive, more happy, more filled, more whole. That’s the gift that Jesus is offering each of us.

They Think They’re the Christ!

Carmelite homily for Sunday, March 10, 2024 – Lectionary 32 (John 3:14-21) – Fourth Sunday of Lent

When I was joining the Carmelites I thought that I should learn a little bit more about the Order I’m joining. So I picked up the works of Teresa of Avila, a big name in the Carmelite Order. But soon I threw the book on the ground saying, “this woman thinks she is the Christ. I cannot believe they canonized her!” So then I went to the next big figure in the Carmelites, Saint John of the Cross. I start reading him. And I throw the book on the ground. I cannot believe that this man thinks he is the Christ. I cannot believe they canonized him. But they’re on to something. In today’s gospel, Nicodemus comes to Jesus quietly and at night, to learn from him. And we get that famous line, John 3:16, “God so loved the world that he sent us his only Son, not to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him.” We kind of think it is a Get Out of Jail card. You just play “I have faith in Jesus and I’m home free.” No, I think God has an agenda besides getting out of jail free with Jesus. God’s agenda is to turn us into Jesus. To turn us into the Christ. Teresa of Avila is right. John of the Cross is right. We have this famous quotation of Teresa of Avila – you’ve heard it before – Christ has no body now on earth but yours. I think that’s what she’s trying to convey. That’s what Jesus is trying to convey to Nicodemus. “Christ has no body now on earth but yours. No hands, no feet on earth but yours. Yours are they eyes with which he looks compassion on this world. Yours are the feet with which he walks to do good. Yours are the hands with which he blesses all the world. Yours are the hands, yours are the feet, yours are the eyes, you are his body. Christ has no body now on earth but yours. No hands, no feet on earth but yours. Yours are the eyes with which he looks compassion on this world. Christ has no body now on earth but yours.” I think that’s the key here. That when our thoughts are like Jesus’, when our actions are like Jesus’, our compassion is like Jesus’, our love is like Jesus’, our forgiveness is like Jesus’, our actions and deeds are like Jesus’, the more they are, the more indistinguishable they are from Jesus, then we are the Christ. Christ is us on earth now today. Teresa is right. John is right. Jesus is right when talking to Nicodemus. That’s the call of life. That’s the call of the Father sending his Son. That’s the call of today’s gospel.

Diabolical

Carmelite homily for Thursday, March 7, 2024 – Lectionary 240 (Luke 11:14-23)

The Greek word for ball is “bolus.” And so “diabolus” means to make into two balls. That’s where we get our word “diabolical” from – to take a ball and split it. Diabolical means ‘of the devil.’ “Devil” is just a short form of “diabolus.” In today’s gospel, Jesus has healed a mute man and the Pharisees charge him with being “diabolus” – Beelzebub! That he is dividing, but they’re the ones. Pharisee actually means, literally, the separated ones. Where Jesus’ message and mission is to reconnect, to rejoin. That’s what religion means – re-ligio – to connect, like ligament. And so that’s why Jesus closes the gospel saying that if you’re not with him, you’re against him; if you’re not gathering with him, you’re scattering. Because his mission is to recombine, to make whole, to make well, to make full. If you’re not doing that, you’re “diabolus” – pulling into two. That’s the key here: are we dividing or are we joining?

Seventy Times Seven

Carmelite homily for Tuesday, March 5, 2024 – Lectionary 238 (Matthew 18:21-35).

In today’s Gospel Simon asks a really good question, “How many times do I have to forgive my brother? As many as seven?” And Jesus answers, “Seventy times seven.” What’s going on here; first off, when the woman is anointing Jesus’ feet and the Pharisee says, “Uh, if he knew what kind of woman this is he wouldn’t let this happen.” And so Jesus lets the Pharisee have it, but then he closes with, “Besides, she is forgiven much for she loves much.” I think there’s a tie, there’s an intrinsic tie between love and forgiveness. So when Simon is asking this question about his brother, and his brother happens to be Andrew by the way, is there love lost there, is there love missing? As Saint Teresa of Avila says, “If we fail in love of our neighbor, we are lost…beg our Lord to give us this perfect love of neighbor.” That’s really what’s at stake here, not forgiveness but love of neighbor.

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.

Let’s Talk About Doubt and Fear

Carmelite homily for Sunday, February 25, 2024 – Lectionary 26 (Mark 9:2-10) – Second Sunday of Lent

Today’s Gospel is Mark’s account of the Transfiguration, where, it says, Moses and Elijah appeared and were seen conversing with Jesus. It doesn’t say what they were talking about, but here’s what, I think, they were talking about. Moses spoke and said, “Jesus, I doubted. I struck the rock twice when God said to strike it. I almost failed my mission because of doubt. Do not doubt. And then Elijah would speak and said, “Jesus, do not fear. I was afraid of King Ahab and Queen Jezebel and I ran from them. And I almost failed my mission because of fear. Do not be afraid.” That’s the invitation of today’s Gospel; yes, doubt and fear are powerful motivators in our life and there’s no way we can escape them. I think the invitation is: don’t let them control you.

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.

Wrong Thinking – Right Thinking

A homily for Ash Wednesday, February 14, 2024

When Jesus was entering Jerusalem, the people pulled down palm tree branches down and threw them before him. We commemorate this on Palm Sunday by receiving palms. And then just before Ash Wednesday we bring those palms back to church to burn them. And I think it’s a great thing to burn them because, I think, the palms represent wrong thinking. They wanted to make Jesus king like King David, or like Ceasar, or like King Herod. They wanted a physical king who would drive out the Romans, give them economic security, and give them all jobs; and that’s not what Jesus came for. It was wrong thinking. So I think it’s great that we take palms and we burn them. We burn these palms, and when they turn to ash, we put these palms on our heads to represent right thinking. Because that is what, I think, Ash Wednesday and Lent is all about – right thinking. We take these ashes and then we apply these ashes to our heads to say, ‘we’ve got to start thinking right.’ And we can have all sorts of wrong thinking. We can think, nobody loves me, or I’m a loser, or everyone hates me. Or we can have wrong thinking, I’m going to get revenge, or I’m going to get them, or I need all the money I can get. It’s me first. There’s tons of wrong thinking out there. I think that’s what Ash Wednesday is about. We put a cross of ashes on our foreheads to say, ‘let’s try right thinking for the season of Lent.’