The Powerful Play

Finding our verse, our voice and our vocation

04/30/2017

Acts of the Apostles 2:14, 22-33 

Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice, and proclaimed: "You who are Jews, indeed all of you staying in Jerusalem. Let this be known to you, and listen to my words. You who are Israelites, hear these words. Jesus the Nazarene was a man commended to you by God with mighty deeds, wonders, and signs, which God worked through him in your midst, as you yourselves know. This man, delivered up by the set plan and foreknowledge of God, you killed, using lawless men to crucify him. But God raised him up, releasing him from the throes of death, because it was impossible for him to be held by it.

         In 1989 – long before you graduating seniors were even born! – an extraordinary movie was released called, “Dead Poets Society.” Robins Williams starred as John Keating, an unorthodox teacher at an all-boys high school. He taught literature standing on his desk, ordering his students to tear out the introduction to their book, and always pushing them outside their comfort zone, so they could “suck the marrow out of life” - live life to the fullest.

         One day in class he explained the purpose and power of poetry. He said: “I have a little secret for you, huddle up. We don’t read and write poetry because it’s cute. We read and write poetry because we are members of the human race, and the human race is filled with passion. Medicine, law, business, engineering, these are noble pursuits and necessary to sustain life. But poetry, beauty, romance, love, these are what we stay alive for.” Keating went on: “To quote from Whitman, ‘Oh, me, oh life, of the questions of these recurring, Of the endless trains of the faithless, of cities filled with the foolish…What good amid these, O me, O life. Answer. That you are here, that life exists, and identity. That the powerful play goes on and you may contribute a verse.’” Then Keating asks his students: “What will your verse be?” I’d like to pose that question to all our graduating seniors this evening: the powerful play of human history goes on, and you may contribute a verse. What will your verse be?

         Now notice that finding “your verse” is not the same as choosing a career or getting a job – medicine, law, engineering, or business – it’s a deeper question than that. It’s the reason God put you here on earth at this time in history, with your special set of skills and shortcomings, among your particular family and friends, and in Fort Smith, Arkansas, of all places! Please believe me when I tell you that you are not an accident, or a mistake; you are not an “oops baby” as some parents say. Walt Whitman was speaking to you graduates when he wrote: “The powerful play goes on and you may contribute a verse.”

          In the first reading today we see that finding “your verse” is equivalent to finding your voice. At least that was the case for St. Peter. Acts of the Apostles says: “Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice, and proclaimed: ‘You who are Jews, indeed all of you staying in Jerusalem. Let this be known to you, and listen to my words.” When Peter touched the tap-root of his verse, he found his voice, and he began to live his vocation. Find your verse, raise your voice, and live your vocation.

          Now, it takes time and prayer and trial and error to find our verse, and voice and vocation. When I was in high school, I thought I had found my verse: I wanted to teach philosophy at a university and marry a nice Catholic girl, and have twenty kids. Apparently, there is a shortage of nice, Catholic girls who want to have 20 kids! It took me a while but I slowly realized that was not God’s will for me – that was not my verse – until I pursued the priesthood. It’s like that old adage, “If you want to hear God laugh, tell him your plans.” Tell him what you think your verse is.

          But I’m not the only one who has some interesting ideas about what our life verse may be. Some of our graduating seniors do as well. For example, Seth Becker is an old school political guy. He says he will run for president someday. Would you all raise your hands if you would vote for Seth for president of the United States? Abby Dahlem loves the restaurant called “Purple Cow.” She intends to go to college to learn interior design. Maybe the Purple Cow inspired her to come up with a better color for the cow! Or, take young Hannah Maestri, who has a very unique and rare talent: she can wiggle her nostrils without moving the rest of her nose or face. I’m not sure how much someone will pay you for doing that, Hannah, but people have paid to see a lot less, and be sure to give 10% to the church. You probably know that Ben Keating has off-the-charts musical talents with the trumpet. But did you know he has also created his own dance? Every night I keep expecting to see him on Dancing with the Stars (nothing yet)! Nathan Barker never drinks carbonated soft drinks or sodas, and he loves to wear bow-ties. Everyone who wears bow-ties becomes rich and famous. Lydia Weidman has mean soccer skills, and even meaner dance moves. We need a dance-off between Ben and Lydia at the reception after Mass. I think Emma Kate Fitzgerald will become an OBGYN. When she was little, her mom was pregnant with Avery and she asked where the baby came from. Her mom said, “God put the baby in there.” During Sunday Mass, she saw Monsignor O’Donnell walking down the aisle and thought he was God (people often think priests are God), and said, “Mom, there’s God! He put the baby in your tummy!” Sidney Bieker goes on mission trips to Nicaragua as part of Project Hope, and intends to pursue pre-med at UAFS.  

          But you still haven’t answered Walt Whitman’s question: “The powerful play goes on and you may contribute a verse. What will your verse be?” And the answer doesn’t lie in getting a job in medicine or law or engineering or business, but only when we answer the deeper query: why did God make me? And how will you know when you have found your verse? It’s when you find your voice. My verse is to be a priest and to preach – sometimes I can’t shut up! – because I have found my verse, and my voice, and my vocation. When people meet the man or woman they’ll marry, or when they have a baby, they tell the whole world on Facebook and Twitter and Snapchat and Instagram! When you find your verse, you find your voice, and tell the world why God made you; they won’t be able to shut you up. And that, my dear graduates, is called “your vocation” – how you will proclaim, in your own unrepeatable way, the good news of Jesus Christ. 

           By the way, do you know how Robin Williams died? It was very tragic: he committed suicide. I say this with all due respect to his family and friends, but maybe for a moment he lost his verse, or took his eyes off it. Like he said in the movie, “Poetry, beauty, romance, love, these are what we stay alive for.” Find your verse and never lose it.

          Let me leave you with a few lines from a prayer John Henry Newman. The 19th century cardinal wrote: “God has created me to do him some definite service he has committed some work to me which he has not given to another. I have my mission…He does nothing in vain. He knows what he is about. He make take away my friends; he may throw me among strangers. He may make me feel desolate, make my spirits sink, hide my future from me. Still, he knows what he is about.” Dear graduates, when you find your verse, you will know what you are about, too.

Praised be Jesus Christ!

Entertaining Angels

Discerning between angels of light and dark

04/26/2017

Acts of the Apostles 5:17-26 

The high priest rose up and all his companions, that is, the party of the Sadducees, and, filled with jealousy, laid hands upon the Apostles and put them in the public jail. But during the night, the angel of the Lord opened the doors of the prison, led them out, and said, "Go and take your place in the temple area, and tell the people everything about this life." When they heard this, they went to the temple early in the morning and taught. When the high priest and his companions arrived, they convened the Sanhedrin, the full senate of the children of Israel, and sent to the jail to have them brought in. But the court officers who went did not find them in the prison, so they came back and reported, "We found the jail securely locked and the guards stationed outside the doors, but when we opened them, we found no one inside."

          One of my favorite passages of Scripture is Hebrews 13:2, which reads: “Do not neglect hospitality, for through it, some have unknowingly entertained angels.” Do you know what episode the ancient author is referring to in the Old Testament? It’s the story in Genesis 18, where three strange men visit Abraham and he shows them hospitality, and they turn out to be three angels of God. Because Abraham gave perfect strangers a warm welcome, he was blessed by them in return. But I believe that passage has a much broader application, that is, people always come into our lives who are like angels, we may not recognize them, but it’s very important how we treat them, whether we show them hospitality, whether we treat them respectfully or rudely.

          On Monday, I was mowing the ground here at Trinity and wearing jeans, a t-shirt and a baseball cap. I did not look like a priest. Three seventh graders were playing basketball on the outside courts, and I stopped to join them. They were Julian, Logan and Eric. When they saw me approaching, they thought I might be some stranger coming to kidnap them and take them to some cabin in the woods, like in the movie, “The Shack.” But when they realized it was me, and I wanted to play basketball, they took me to the woodshed instead! The teams were me and Eric versus Julian and Logan. Eric and Julian have great perimeter shooting, and Logan loves to work the ball inside. There’s only one rule when you play basketball against a priest: the priest must always win. And we did, thanks to Eric’s sharp shooting. But my point is that we don’t always recognize the people around us, some people are like angels and like Abraham, we should “unknowingly entertain” them.

           In the first reading today, an actual angel frees the apostles from prison. But notice that while Peter and the other apostles saw the angel, the guards didn’t see anything. It takes the eyes of faith to see angels, especially if they come in disguise, maybe even disguised as the guy mowing the lawn. And how can you tell if someone is an angel of God? Jesus explains in the gospel, that “everyone who does wicked things hates the light…But whoever lives in the truth comes to the light.” In other words, some people are disguised as angels of light that lead us to the Light (which is Jesus), while other people are more like angels of darkness (like that guy in the movie “The Shack” who kidnapped the little girl) and they lead us away from God. The hard part is figuring out who’s the stranger standing in front of us, like Julian and Logan and Eric learned. Only with faith can you tell who’s who.

           Boys and girls, I want you to think about the people who come into your life. Sometimes they are perfect strangers, but sometimes they are also close friends. Ask yourself: is this person really an angel in disguise? And if so, are they leading me closer to God or away from the light? When someone offers you alcohol, or invites you to smoke, or tries to talk you into trying drugs, do you think that is an angel of light speaking to you? (The correct answer is “no.”) On the other hand, when someone invites you to go to Mass, or to visit someone in the hospital, or to help the poor at a local food pantry, or challenges you to not be lazy and to finish the school year strong, what kind of angel is that? (The correct answer is “angel of light”). What I’m saying is we need to sharpen our “spidey senses” – remember how Spiderman had a sixth sense and could tell when danger was close by? – so that we can discern the angels all around us. Looking at people with the eyes of faith will help us to entertain only the good angels, and to reject the fallen angels.

           Julian and Logan and Eric stared at me suspiciously because I was a stranger, and they did the right thing. But when they realized I was a priest, they showed me hospitality and let me win at basketball. That was also doing the right thing. I hope you’ll remember Hebrews 13:2, “Do not neglect hospitality, for through it, some have unknowingly entertained angels.” That’s a small Scripture passage that contains great spiritual truths.

Praised be Jesus Christ!

Memoir Mentors

Paying our debt to our memorable mentors

04/25/2017

Mark 16:15-20 

Jesus appeared to the Eleven and said to them: "Go into the whole world and proclaim the Gospel to every creature. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved; whoever does not believe will be condemned. These signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will drive out demons, they will speak new languages. They will pick up serpents with their hands, and if they drink any deadly thing, it will not harm them. They will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover." Then the Lord Jesus, after he spoke to them, was taken up into heaven and took his seat at the right hand of God. But they went forth and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the word through accompanying signs.

          We all have mentors in our lives, people who have shaped our thinking and therefore our behavior and therefore our whole life. They are our go-to guides, whom we look to for light in the darkness. Several years ago I met Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas in Little Rock. He was the keynote speaker at the “Red Mass,” which is for all those who work in the legal profession: judges, attorneys, paralegals, etc. He shared his sincere struggles with the Catholic Church, which he had left in his twenties, but returned to later in life. One of Thomas’ mentors was the pastor of the Cathedral in Savannah, where Thomas was an altar server. That pastor was Msgr. Andrew McDonald – recognize that name? – who would later become bishop of Arkansas. Justice Thomas accepted Bishop McDonald’s invitation to speak at the Red Mass because Thomas saw him as one of his childhood mentors.

          I later read Thomas’ memoirs, called My Grandfather’s Son, which described his debt to his maternal grandfather, who raised him. Myers Anderson was tough on Thomas, and sent him to Catholic schools. He sternly warned him: “If you die, I will drag your body to school and leave it there for three days, just in case you’re faking.” Being a mentor does not mean you are a mamby pamby. Our mentors make us who we are.

          Today is the feast of St. Mark, the Evangelist, and he, too, had a memorable mentor, namely, St. Peter. Yes, that St. Peter. You will recall that Mark wrote one of the four gospels – Matthew, Mark, Luke and John – but you’ll also remember that Mark was not one of the twelve apostles. So, how did Mark learn about the life of the Lord? Mark was a follower of St. Peter, indeed, Mark was his Peter’s personal scribe and interpreter, faithfully following the Fisherman on his journeys, all the way to Rome, where Peter met his martyrdom. This fact explains the reason for the readings chosen for today’s Mass for St. Mark. The gospel records Jesus final command to his apostles, who “went forth and preached everywhere while the Lord worked with them.” St. Mark knew well how far the apostles went in preaching because he was by Peter’s side. And in the first reading from the letter of St. Peter, the Prince of the Apostles writes: “The chosen one at Babylon send your greeting, as does my son, Mark.” Mark was not literally Peter’s son, but that shows how much affection Peter had for Mark, like Myers Anderson had for Clarence Thomas. In other words, the readings invite us to see the power of Peter as the main mentor for Mark. Peter’s preaching shaped Mark’s thinking and therefore his behavior, and therefore his whole life. Our mentors make us who we are.

          Today, try to think of your own mentors, and if possible, take the time to thank them. Maybe it will be a parent, or a grandparent, or a teacher, or a coach, or even a priest! Sometimes we may never meet our mentors, like when they are authors of books, like Shakespeare, or Scott Hahn or Archbishop Fulton Sheen. But they, too, shape our thinking, our behavior, and our lives. I’ll never forget how Fr. George Tribou would invite me to supper at Steak and Ale when I was home from the seminary. I can’t remember our conversations, but I wouldn’t be surprised if had said, “If you die, I’ll drag your body back to the seminary and leave it there for three days, just in case you’re faking.” My mentors were no mamby pambies.

          But also realize that you are mentors to others, and do not underestimate your influence. Charles Barkley once famously said, “I’m not going to be a role model for anyone.” But whether he likes it or not, Sir Charles is a role model that many young people emulate. Yesterday, while mowing the grounds at Trinity, I stopped to play basketball with some 7th graders, like Fr. Jack Harris used to play at recess with us. I love seeing Sr. Becky and Sr. Judith and Bill Buerlger and Martha Osbun helping with the reading program after school.  Do you realize what they are doing? They are shaping those children’s thinking, and therefore their behavior, and therefore their whole lives. Who knows, maybe one day many years from now, one of those students will become a Supreme Court Justice, and thank them in their memoirs.

          Praised be Jesus Christ!

Raise the Roof

Praying and praising God with voices and volume

04/24/2017

Acts of the Apostles 4:23-31 

After their release Peter and John went back to their own people and reported what the chief priests and elders had told them. And when they heard it, they raised their voices to God with one accord and said, "Sovereign Lord, maker of heaven and earth and the sea and all that is in them, you said by the Holy Spirit through the mouth of our father David, your servant: Why did the Gentiles rage and the peoples entertain folly? The kings of the earth took their stand and the princes gathered together against the Lord and against his anointed." As they prayed, the place where they were gathered shook, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness.

          There is a modern phenomenon today called, “raise the roof.” You see it symbolized when people raise their two hands, with palms up, as if they were trying to push up the ceiling. To “raise the roof” means to make a lot of noise, to stomp and shout, to be loud and proud, to virtually blow the roof off the place where people are gathered.

          Now, in no place do people try to “raise the roof” more than in college football games, where incidentally, the stadium has no roof. I recently looked up the top ten loudest college football stadiums. All you Hog fans will be happy to hear that Reynolds Razorback Stadium was ranked number 6 with its loudest decibel recorded at the October 15, 2016 game against South Carolina. We went hog wild and hit 117 decibels which sounded like standing next to a jet engine. Number one on the list was Husky Stadium, where Washington plays, with a decibel level of 133.6 recorded back in 1992. I don’t think the fans have gotten any quieter since then, especially as the Huskies continue to win. Football fans cheer unabashedly and apologetically for their teams, unafraid to make complete fools of themselves, just to “raise the roof.” I know they do that because I’ve been one of those fools.

          In the first reading today, we see that this phenomenon of raising the roof is not so novel or so modern. Indeed, it is quite ancient and eternal. The only difference between then and now is that people back then were not attending football games, they were attending Mass. The Acts of the Apostles records how the disciples reacted to the preaching of the Apostles. It says, “And when they heard, it, they raised their voices with one accord.” And it goes on to add, “As they prayed, the place where they were gathered shook.” I remember Scott Hahn once saying that the early Christians at Mass would shout the “Amen!” so loudly that it made the pagan temples tremble. Those early Christians were not raising the roof for a touchdown, but because their prayers were raising the dead. In other words, their faith in Jesus rising from the dead emboldened them to pray earnestly for eternal life for their own beloved dead. The early Christians “raised the roof” because their prayers literally “raised the dead.”

          My friends, what a stark contrast there is between the fanaticism of football fans, and the apathy in the attitudes of Catholics at Mass: it is a perfect study in opposites. Some of the oldest jokes are about people falling asleep in church. I like to say, “I don’t mind if you sleep in Mass, just don’t snore so loud that you wake up the fellow next to you.” The only thing raising the roof in church is the sound of our snoring. And to be sure, we do need to maintain a holy hush and reverent reserve and quiet in church. But that does not mean we should mumble our responses to the priest, or fail to sing. I’ve been to Masses where people sing and respond and pray with heart-felt faith and fervor. It wasn’t exactly like standing next to a jet engine, but it was very edifying. Maybe we would “raise the roof” more in church if we really believed our prayers could also “raise the dead.”

          Next time you’re at a football game and cheering your head off like an idiot, stop for a second and ask yourself: “Why do I cheer like this here, but hardly open my mouth at Mass?” Then you can go back to cheering loud and proud for the Razorbacks. I’ll probably be standing next to you, and cheering even louder.

          Praised be Jesus Christ!

Eyes Closed

Seeing Jesus better with the eyes of faith.

04/23/2017

John 20:19-31 

On the evening of that first day of the week, when the doors were locked, where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in their midst and said to them, "Peace be with you." Thomas, called Didymus, one of the Twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples said to him, "We have seen the Lord." But he said to them, "Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands and put my finger into the nailmarks and put my hand into his side, I will not believe." Now a week later his disciples were again inside and Thomas was with them. Jesus came, although the doors were locked, and stood in their midst and said, "Peace be with you." Then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here and see my hands, and bring your hand and put it into my side, and do not be unbelieving, but believe." Thomas answered and said to him, "My Lord and my God!" Jesus said to him, "Have you come to believe because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed."

          Can you see better with your eyes open or with your eyes closed? What a silly question, right? Well, I would suggest to you that when it comes to spiritual and supernatural things, you see better with your eyes closed. Have you ever wondered why lovers close their eyes when they kiss each other? I saw that in the movies once. In a sense, they see better with their eyes closed because they can see their beloved better. Do you recall that riveting final scene in the movie, “Raiders of the Lost Ark”? The Nazis have grabbed the Ark of the Covenant and want to wield it as a weapon for their own perverse purposes. When they open the lid of the Ark, do you remember what Indiana Jones says to Marion? He shouts: “Marion, don’t look at it. Shut your eyes. Don’t look at it, no matter what happens.” The Nazis had their eyes wide open but they were blind to the real Beauty inside the Ark. But those who closed their eyes, on the other hand, looked with the eyes of faith and saw the glory of God. Supernatural things are seen only with your eyes shut.

          One day a man is stumbling by a river totally drunk when he comes upon a preacher baptizing people in the river. He staggers to the river’s edge and subsequently falls in. The preacher turns around and is almost overcome by the smell of alcohol. He asks the drunk: “Are you ready to find Jesus?” The drunk answers, “Yes, I am.” So the preacher grabs him and dunks him in the water. He pulls him up and asks the drunk, “Brother, have you found Jesus?” The drunk replies, “No, I haven’t.” The preacher shocked at the answer dunks him into the water again for a little longer this time. He again pulls him out of the water and asks: “Have you found Jesus, my brother?” The drunk answers again, “No, I haven’t.” By this time the preacher is at his wits end and dunks the drunk in the water again, holding him down for 30 seconds, when he starts kicking his arms and legs, he pulls him up. The preacher asks again: “For the love of God, have you found Jesus?” The drunk wipes his eyes, and catches his breath, and says to the preacher, “Are you sure this is where he fell in?” Folks, you won’t find Jesus with your eyes open; you’ll have better luck with your eyes closed.

          In the gospel today, St. John presents the story of St. Thomas the Apostle; this is the episode that earned him the epithet of “Doubting Thomas.” What was at the root of Thomas’ troubles? He was trying to see the supernatural Jesus with only his natural senses. On Easter, the other apostles jubilantly tell him, “We have seen the Lord!” But Thomas retorts: “Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands…I will not believe.” A week later (which would be today, the second Sunday of Easter), Jesus appears again, and gently scolds Thomas, saying, “Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed.” In other words, Thomas was like that drunk man in the river, trying to find Jesus with his two eyes wide open, when he should have used the eyes of faith. If you want to see the Lord of Love, you must close your eyes when you kiss him.

          My friends, let me put to you the same question that the preacher put to the drunk man, “Brother and sisters, have you found Jesus??” And even if we can answer “Yes, I have!” we know in our heart of hearts that we often lose him and need to find Jesus again. Let me suggest three ways you can find Jesus, and in each case you will need to use your eyes of faith.

          First, you’ll find Jesus in the poor. Recently, 9 missionaries from Immaculate Conception went to Honduras to help the poor. But each missionary was surprised how the poor helped them! The poor helped them to find Jesus, because Jesus is in the poor. Every week volunteers help Dc. Greg and the St. Anne Society and St. Veronica’s Closet to care for the poor here in our own community. But again the poor in turn help them to find Jesus. Pope Francis, in his first major document, called “The Joy of the Gospel,” said: “This is why I want a church which is poor and for the poor. They have much to teach us…We are called to find Christ in them” (Evangelii gaudium, 198). Try to see the poor through the eyes of faith and you will find Jesus.

          Secondly, seek Jesus in the sacraments, especially in the Mass. In a few weeks, 155 children will make their First Holy Communion here at I.C. I always remind parents, who are desperately trying to snap a picture of their child at the moment of Communion, that “You’ll see what’s happening in that moment better with your eyes closed than with your eyes open. Instead of fingering your camera for a picture, fold your fingers for a prayer for your children.” As Indiana Jones urged Marion, so I urge our parents: “Don’t look at it. Shut your eyes. Don’t look at it, no matter what happens.” The Ark of the Covenant, with the Bread of Life inside, will be opened for those 155 children. Sometimes our eyes are wide open but we are blind to Jesus, while those who close their eyes in prayer will see the glory of God.

          Finally, and this is the hardest place to find Jesus, seek the Lord inside yourself. But here, again, don’t just use your natural eyes in your head, but use the supernatural eyes of faith. That is, shut your eyes to your physical appearance, and your worldly accomplishments, and the money in your bank account, and your social status.  Instead use the eyes of faith to look deep inside you. Do you where I see Jesus in you? It’s when you kneel in humble confession. I am never more proud of our parishioners than when they are the most humble confessing their sins. You may not think you look like Jesus in confession, but all I see is Jesus in you.

          Let me conclude with some of the loveliest lines in all literature penned by St. Augustine in his classic book called Confessions. After the Bible, it is the most widely read book in history. In Book X of Confessions, he explains how God is closer to him than he is to himself, but sadly that was the last place he searched for God. Augustine, the Doctor of Grace, wrote: “Late have I loved thee, o beauty ever ancient, ever new. Late have I loved thee (we always love Jesus late). You were within me, but I was outside thee, and it was there I searched for you. You were with me, but I was not with you.” Slowly St. Augustine shut his eyes as he searched for God, and he finally found God using his eyes of faith. That’s how the drunk man should have looked for Jesus, and St. Thomas, and you, and me.

          Praised be Jesus Christ!

Just a Layman

Proclaiming the Good News as priests and laypeople

04/22/2017

Mark 16:9-15 

When Jesus had risen, early on the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had driven seven demons. She went and told his companions who were mourning and weeping. When they heard that he was alive and had been seen by her, they did not believe. After this he appeared in another form to two of them walking along on their way to the country. They returned and told the others; but they did not believe them either. But later, as the Eleven were at table, he appeared to them and rebuked them for their unbelief and hardness of heart because they had not believed those who saw him after he had been raised. He said to them, "Go into the whole world and proclaim the Gospel to every creature."

          Do you know what a “layman” is? Or, have you heard the phrase, “in layman’s terms”? What does “layman” mean? It means to be an amateur rather than to be a professional. In Church canon law, we say that the whole world is divided into only two kinds of people: “clerics” or professional preachers, and “laymen” which is everyone else, all “you’s guys.” The term “layman” almost carries a pejorative tone, for example, when we say “he’s just a layman,” a sort of “Christian slacker.” When a priest no longer serves as an ordained minister, he is “demoted” to the “lay state,” he becomes “just” a layman.

          But Bishop Robert Barron surprisingly used the term “layman” once to describe Jesus. He said, “As far as we can determine, Jesus was not formally trained in a rabbinic school, nor was he educated to be a temple priest or a scribe, nor was he a devotee of the Pharisees, the Sadducees, or the Essenes – all recognized religious parties with particular convictions, practices and doctrinal proclivities. He was, if I can use somewhat anachronistic term, a layman” (Catholicism, 11). In other words, we often say that preaching is the job of the priest (and it is), not the job of the layman. But if Jesus was a layman, too, then lay people are not exonerated from preaching and proclaiming the gospel. Just because you’re a layman doesn’t mean you can be a “Christian slacker.”

          In the gospel today, the very first preacher in the Church was not a priest, and not even a layman, but rather it was a laywoman, Mary Magdalene. We read in the gospel of Mark, “When Jesus had risen…he appeared first to Mary Magdalene. She went and told his companions who were mourning and weeping.” In other words, even though Mary was clearly and canonically a lay woman - she was not in the elite ranks of the clergy - that did not stop her from proclaiming the Good News. Indeed, the Church has even bestowed upon her the auspicious title of “Apostle to the Apostles” because she preached to the apostles, who, by the way, “were morning and weeping.” Sometimes it’s the laypeople who have to preach to the preachers.    

          My friends, my point today is that we are all called to be preachers – even the layman and the laywoman – and not just leave the preaching to the professionals, the priests. That is, sometimes, we not only have to “preach to the choir,” but we must “preach to the preachers.” Quite often, people call me out on something I’ve done wrong at Mass, or something I said wrong in a homily, or forgotten to do at the office, or I’ll forget to visit someone in the hospital. And I really do appreciate it when you tell me about those things; I’m far from perfect. But I just wish you wouldn’t enjoy it so much! But I do thank you.  Of course, laypeople also proclaim the gospel first and foremost by the way you live your life: with simplicity, with humility, with cheerfulness, in a spirit of service, and in loving the poor. It’s said that Mahatma Gandhi once remarked, “I would have become a Christian if I had ever met a real one.” He may or may not have said that, but that’s still a stinging statement that both priests and laypeople should take to heart: non-Christians look to all of us to be living examples of the gospel message.

          My friends, be careful how you use the word “layman.” It is not an excuse to be a “Christian slacker.” We are all called to proclaim the Good News. After all, Jesus was “just a layman.”

          Praised be Jesus Christ!

Life Before Death

Learning to take care of our body and soul

04/20/2017

Luke 24:35-48

The disciples of Jesus recounted what had taken place along the way, and how they had come to recognize him in the breaking of bread. While they were still speaking about this, he stood in their midst and said to them, "Peace be with you." But they were startled and terrified and thought that they were seeing a ghost. Then he said to them, "Why are you troubled? And why do questions arise in your hearts? Look at my hands and my feet, that it is I myself. Touch me and see, because a ghost does not have flesh and bones as you can see I have." And as he said this, he showed them his hands and his feet. While they were still incredulous for joy and were amazed, he asked them, "Have you anything here to eat?" They gave him a piece of baked fish; he took it and ate it in front of them.

          Boys and girls, do you believe in ghosts? We’ve had a number of Trinity faculty and students who’ve lost a family member to death recently. What do you think happens to those people who die? For example, Ms. Marcy Mask, Walker Catsavis, Ms. Cyndy Bedell, Mr. Plake, Parker Crisp, Ms. Rita Newman, and me, too, because my nephew Noah died recently. I say this with all due respect, but do you think they are ghosts floating around on a cloud somewhere playing a golden harp? That is, do all souls go straight to heaven after they die? Or, do you think that they have just disappeared off the face of the earth and no longer exist anywhere; are they just “worm food”? Why is there such a fascination with zombies today, like the wildly popular TV show, “Walking Dead”?

          You should know that these are very common viewpoints about life after death in the world today, and sooner or later you will hear about them. Now, I’m not saying any of this to worry you, but I am saying it to wake you: to encourage you to start thinking about life after death, because that can change your thinking about life before death.

          If you’re having trouble dealing with all this, don’t feel too bad, the apostles did, too. In the gospel today, Jesus appears to them after his resurrection and they are afraid of what they see. Luke writes: “They were startled and terrified, and they thought they were seeing a ghost.” Then to calm their fears, Jesus invites them to touch him and he even eats some baked fish to show them he’s real. The apostles were worried they were either seeing a ghost (a soul without a body), or they were seeing a zombie (a body without a soul), and both possibilities struck them with terror. But Jesus says to them, “Peace be with you.” In other words, he assured them that it’s only when both body and soul are in harmony that true peace is found, like Jesus own body and soul were in perfect unity. And this peace is true not only in life after death, but also in life before death.

          Boys and girls, we are in constant danger of thinking too much about the body (and not enough about the soul) or of thinking too much about the soul (and not enough about the body). We tend to emphasize one or the other too much: we love ghosts or we love zombies! For example, we think too much about the body. Do you ever think you will stay young and strong and beautiful forever, like you are now? Will you become as old as Coach Vitale one day, because that dude is old?! A friend of mine told me that you really lose your independence in life not when you can’t drive your car own anymore, but when you can’t wipe your own bottom anymore. Do you think you’ll always be able to wipe your own bottom?  Then you think too much about your body (and too little about your soul); you love zombies.

          On the other hand, sometimes we think too much about our soul (and too little about our bodies). Sometimes we abuse and neglect our bodies: we eat junk food, we smoke, we use drugs, we pull all-nighters. We think the body really doesn’t matter much, like Hamlet who said, “For in that sleep of death what dreams may come, When we have shuffled off this mortal coil, Must give us pause” (Hamlet, III, 1: 67-69). For Hamlet, and for many modern minds, the human body is just a “mortal coil” that we need to “shuffle off” so that the soul can be “free.” We’re almost tempted to think the body is bad, because you really love ghosts.

          But after his resurrection, Jesus appeared as a perfect body and a perfect soul, and that’s how he brought his apostles peace. When we take good care of our body and our soul, when harmony reigns in both, then, we, too, will feel peace. And we will feel that peace not only in life after death, but even in life before death.

          Praised be Jesus Christ!