The Flying Eagle Patrol
When Brian Doyle was 13, he spent a “life term” — all right, 14 days — at a Boy Scout summer camp. Young Brian quickly established himself as the worst camper there. Tracking, swimming, canoeing, archery, woodcraft — the bespectacled Brian exhibited no talent or competence whatsoever. His happiest times were just sitting on a knoll among the trees watching for birds and wondering about lunch.Writing in The Christian Century (June 28, 2011), Brian remembers his experience with the Flying Eagle Patrol with surprising wonder and gratitude.
“I wonder now that the Flying Eagle Patrol was so gentle to me, it’s most useless member, and these were the years when boys were cruel to each other, for fear of being least and weakest; but they were kind, and I remember their totally genuine delight when I earned my single merit badge, for making both a roaring fire and a stew. I remember their faces, around that startling fire, how they laughed — not at me for having finally done something well, but at the surprise of it; the gift of unexpectedness, perhaps. Or maybe they were smiling at my probably hair-raising stew; but they ate every scrap of it, and the one among us who was best in the woods was the Eagle who quietly washed the pots and plates.
“Perhaps all these years later, I should remember my helplessness . . . but it’s the pots clean as a whistle that I remember, and the whistling of [a fellow] Eagle coming to retrieve me from my knoll high above the seas of trees.”
The Flying Eagle Patrol not only taught young Brian how to survive in the woods but also mirrored Jesus’ vision of a community of disciples grounded in his example of selflessness and service. Such a church, centered in the reality of the cross and the certainty of the resurrection, represents a value system that runs counter to our own; it compels us to make choices we would rather not make or opt for, to put ourselves and our own needs second for the common good, to step back to lift up the fallen and slow down to enable the weak and struggling to play their part in the life of the common good. The life of the true disciple of Christ is one of generous, selfless and sacrificial service to others in order to bring the joy and hope of the resurrection into our lives and theirs. Scouts honor!
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Going out of her way
Valerie was a nobody. In 2010, though, 23-year-old Valerie Price went to Somalia to work as a nurse. She wanted to help people who had nothing. She wanted to offer them a better way of life. Valerie was concerned about her safety, but nothing would stop her from doing her work. She was in charge of a feeding centre in Mogadishu. Through her life-saving efforts, children who had been near starvation were fed. Valerie even established a school so the children could learn and have some hope for the future. Valerie was fortunate to see some of the fruits of her labours. Earlier this year Valerie made the national news. She was killed by armed bandits outside the school she had started. Valerie was willing to risk her life to help other people. Jesus tells us that in losing her life she actually found it. Application: Are we ready to put ourselves out, endure hardship, or even lose our lives for Jesus?
Gerard Fuller in ‘Stories for all Seasons’
In today’s Gospel, just as Jeremiah spoke of his sufferings, Jesus seems to prepare his disciples for his approaching passion and death. Like Jeremiah, Jesus has to face the consequences of his relationship with God and his mission on earth, which will lead to his passion and violent death. Peter tries to deflect Jesus from the path that lies ahead. He is like so many of us who want to protect those whom we love respect and care for. Peter took Jesus aside and rebuked him, saying, “Lord! This must never happen to you.” “Don’t talk about suffering! Can’t we find an easier way? Can’t we compromise and find an equitable solution that does not cause pain?” Jesus denounces Peter: “Get behind me, Satan!” Then turning to the crowds Jesus puts the demands of the Gospel with all that they entail. Whether anyone comes after him is voluntary, but once they choose they must know that His path is not an easy comfortable path, it demands constant self denial, a saying ‘No’ to oneself and ‘yes’ to God. He then placed before them this paradox of Christian and human life. “Whoever wishes to save his life will lose it and whoever loses his life for Jesus’ sake will find it.” Strangely, those who are truly living are those who have never stopped finding ways of loosing themselves in other people for Jesus’ sake.
The agony of life
There is not one of us who would not wish to shield those we live from suffering. The parent is always on the lookout to protect the young from all the human hazards that face every child on the road to maturity. To spare a loved one pain brings a deep fulfillment and joy. St Peter was no exception. The bond between him and Christ had grown deeper over the previous months so he was horrified when Christ spoke of his future suffering in Jerusalem. Peter would have none of that nonsense. He assured Christ that such talk was out of place. But of course, it was not out of place. In God’s plan Christ was to suffer and die on his road to resurrection and glory, on his journey to open up for us the eternal life of God. In his agony, Christ was lonely and afraid but he knew that the Father would not desert him no matter what happened. The road of suffering is the road of life travelled by many. It is good to know that Christ travelled it despite Peter’s protests which we hear in today’s gospel. It is reassuring to believe that the Father will never desert us no matter what our agony.
Tom Clancy in ‘Living the Word’
Losing to win
In the 1984 Olympics at Los Angels, 16-year-old Mary Lou Retton became the first American girl to win a gold medial in gymnastics. To accomplish this extraordinary feat, she had to make sacrifices during her two years of intensive training prior to the Olympics. While other teenagers were enjoying themselves with a full schedule of dating and dancing, Mary Lou Retton could only participate on a very limited basis. To improve her skills she had to practice long hours in the gym; to nourish her body properly she had to practice long hours and to increase her confidence she had to compete frequently in meets. But what Mary Lou Retton gave up in terms of good times and junk food was little compared to what she gained when she won her Olympic gold medal. What she lost in the usual social life of a teenager she found in the special setting of becoming a champion gymnast – acceptance, camaraderie and respect. Mary Lou Retton’s Olympic experience illustrates somewhat Christ’s paradox in today’s Scripture: “ Whoever would save his life will lose it. But whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.”
Albert Cylwicki in ‘His Word Resounds’.
Saving one’s soul
“What good will it do you, even if you gain the whole world, if you lose your soul?” These are good words to recall when we are faced with important and difficult choices. Here is a modern example. The scene: a prison for political prisoners neat Moscow (during the era of Stalin). Ivan, knew at once that they wanted something from him. “Would you like a remission?” they asked him. ”What do I have to do?” he asked. “We’d like to transfer you to another prison to take charge of an important project. If you agree, you will be free in six months.” “What is the project?” “We want you to perfect a camera that works in the dark, and another miniature one that can be fitted to the jamb of a door, and which works when the door is opened. We know you can do this.” Ivan was perhaps the only person in the whole of Russia who could produce a blueprint for these devices. After seventeen years in prison the idea of going home appealed to him. Here surely was the answer to his wife Natasha’s prayer. All he had to do was invent a device that would set him free. “Could I not go on working on television sets as I am at present?” he asked. “You mean you refuse?” said the general. Ivan thought: Who would ever thank him? Were those people out there worth saving? Natasha was his lifelong companion. She had waited for him for seventeen years. “I couldn’t do it,” he said at last. “But you’re just the man for the job,” said the general. “We’ll give you time to make up your mind.” “I won’t do it. Putting people in prison because of the way they think is not my line. That’s my final answer.” Ivan knew what his ‘no’ meant. A few days later he was on a train to Siberia to work in a copper mine where starvation rations, and probable death awaited him. No fate on earth could be worse. Yet he was at peace with himself.
Flor McCarthy in ‘New Sunday and Holy Day Liturgies’
The cost of discipleship
Nelson Mandela spent twenty-seven years in prison or ten thousand days (approximately). Before that he was on the run for a couple of years. Of the time he was on the run he wrote later: It wasn’t easy for me to separate myself from my wife and children, to say good-bye to the good old days when, at the end of a strenuous day at the office, I could look forward to joining my family at the dinner table, and instead to take up the life of a man hunted continuously by the police, living separated from those who are closest to me, facing continually the hazards of detection and of arrest. This was a life infinitely more difficult than serving a prison sentence. (Long Walk to Freedom, 1994, Little, Brown and Company) What drove him to make such great sacrifies was his love for his country. This was the ‘cross’ he carried because of his love for his people.
Flor McCarthy in ‘New Sunday and Holy Day Liturgy
Crossroad to life!
In the 1998-99 persecutions against Gujarat’s Dangi Christians, many tales of faith fortitude went unrecorded. I still remember the battered and bleeding youth, Sitaram Devasyabhai, who told me, “I will not give up Christianity even if they kill me!” earlier in Karota village of the Dawada mission where I served as priest, Poslabhai Vasava confessed, “I find great strength in Jesus crucified although friends joke that I adore a helpless, naked deity.” A young Christian from Mumbai, Neil Gaikwad gave witness to self-sacrifice. For twelve hours during torrential rains that submerged Mumbai in July 2005, he swam to save the lives of 60 people trapped in a bus. Eyewitnesses said, Neil must’ve gone up and done 40-50 times to take people out.” Texan Lance Armstrong too combated cancer and went on to win the prestigious Tour de France cycle-rally on July 24, 2005, for an unprecedented 7th time in succession. Neil and Lance demonstrate that life comes through dying to self, and all Crossroads lead to Heaven.
Francis Gonsalves in ‘Sunday Seeds for Gospel Deeds’
The Folded Page
“Up in the attic of an old house,
as raindrops pattered down on the roof,I sat paging though my old schoolbook.
“I came to a page that was folded down.
Across it was written in my own childish hand:
‘The teacher was right; now I understand.’
“There are many pages in the book of life
that are hard to understand.
All we can do is fold them down and write:
‘The Master says to leave this for now.
It’s too hard to understand.’
‘Then, someday in heaven,
We’ll unfold the pages, reread them, and say,
‘The Master was right; now I understand.'
Mark Link in ‘Sunday Homilies’
"I won't do it! That's my final answer."
In a prison for political prisoners near Moscow, during the Stalin era, Ivan, a prisoner and expert in physics and optics, sat facing the prison governor and army general. Ivan knew at once they wanted something from him. "Would you like a remission?" they asked him. "What do I have to do? What's the project?" he asked. "We want you to perfect a camera that works in the dark, and another miniature one that can be fitted to the jamb of the door, and which works when the door is opened." Ivan was perhaps the only person in the whole of Russia who could produce a blue print for these devices. After seventeen years in prison the idea of going home appealed to him. Here surely was the answer to his wife Natasha's prayer. All he had to do was invent a device that would put a few unsuspecting fools behind bars in his place, and he would be free. "Could I not go on working on television sets as I am at present?" he asked. "You mean you refuse?" asked the general. Ivan thought: Who would ever thank him? Were those people out there worth saving? Natasha was his life-long companion. She had waited for him for seventeen years. "I couldn't do it," he said at last. "But you're just the man for the job," said the general. "We'll give you time to make up your mind." "I won't do it. Putting people in prison because of the way they think is not my line. That's my final answer." Ivan knew what his 'no' meant. A few days later he was on the train to Siberia to work in copper mines where starvation rations, and probably death awaited him. No fate on earth could be worse. Yet he was at peace with himself. Jesus talked of losing life, but he also talked of gaining life. This death to self is, in fact, the entrance to a higher life. It is death for the sake of life.
Flor McCarthy in 'New Sunday Holy days and Liturgies'
Film -The Devil's Advocate
When a talented small town Southern lawyer Kevin Lomax, discovers his client is guilty, he goes to the restroom to compose himself. He returns to the courtroom, humiliates the prosecution's young witness and emerges victorious. Soon after, he is offered an opportunity to join a prestigious firm in New York. His wife is uncertain about the move and his very religious mother is against it, but he joins and strange things happen in New York. Kevin's wife is lonely and hallucinates, Kevin's confidence in his work begins to falter, he is attracted to a female lawyer and his relation with his wife suffers. He gets a wealthy but guilty businessman acquitted of murder charges. Kevin's wife claims that she has been assaulted by John Milton the company's head. When Kevin confronts Milton he discovers that Milton is the devil incarnate who offers Kevin the world and the opportunity to sire an Antichrist. Milton reveals that Kevin is actually his son, and Kevin put a gun to his head and pulls the trigger. Suddenly, Kevin is back in the restroom where he had gone to plan the next move for his guilty client. He decides to do the right and noble thing - to discontinue defending the client, knowing that he will be disbarred. But as he leaves the courtroom, a journalist asks Kevin for an interview that will make him a celebrity. The Devil's Advocate deals explicitly with sin and the screenplay raises themes of God, the devil, salvation, damnation and freewill. The film is about choices people have to make to live an upright life with all its challenges, or to live an easy life that leads to doom. Jesus, in today's gospel, reminds us that we have to make a choice for him or for the Satan. The way of the devil is attractive and comfortable. The way of the Messiah is the way of the Cross, hard, challenging but in the end fulfilling.
Peter Malone in 'Lights Camera..Faith!'
It wasn't easy...
To play the role of a leader, a prophet is never easy and entails readiness to face hardship and suffering. Nelson Mandela spent twenty-seven years in prison or ten thousand days approximately. Before that he was on the run for a couple of years. Of the years he was on the run, he wrote later in the Long Walk to Freedom: "It wasn't easy for me to separate myself from my wife and children, to say good-bye to the good old days when, at the end of a strenuous day at the office, I could look forward to joining my family at the dinner table, and instead take up the life of a man hunted continuously by the police, living separated from those who are closest to me, facing continually the hazards of detention and arrest. This was a life infinitely more difficult than serving a prison sentence."
Flor McCarthy in 'New Sunday and Holy Day Homilies'
Losing to gain
In the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles, 16 year old Mary Lou Retton became the first American girl to win a gold medal in gymnastics. To accomplish this extraordinary feat, she had to make many sacrifices during her two year period of intense training prior to the Olympics. While other teenagers were enjoying themselves with a full schedule of dating and dancing, Mary Lou Retton could only participate on a very limited basis. To improve her skills she had to practice long hours in the gym; to nourish her body properly she had to follow a strict diet, and to increase her confidence she had to compete frequently in meets. But what Mary Lou Retton gave up in terms of good times and junk food was little compared to what she gained in self-satisfaction and public acclaim when she won her Olympic gold medal. What she lost in the usual social life of a teenager she found in the special setting of becoming a champion gymnast -acceptance, camaraderie and respect. Mary Lou Retton's Olympic experience illustrates Christ's paradox in today's scriptures.
Why do injustices prevail?
Eugene Orowitz was a skinny, 100-pound sophomore at Collingswood High at Collingswood, N.J. One afternoon the gym coach held classes in the middle of the track field to show the kids how to throw a javelin. After instructions he let the kids try their hand at it. The longest throw was 30 yards. "You want to throw it too, Orowitz?" the coach asked Eugene. The other kids laughed at Eugene. Someone shouted "Careful! You'll stab yourself!" Eugene pictured himself as a young warrior about to battle the enemy; he raised the javelin and threw it over 50 yards till it crashed into the empty bleachers, its tip broken. The coach ignoring his feat, looked at the broken head and said, "What the heck Orowitz, you broke the thing. It's no good to the school any longer." That summer Eugene began throwing the javelin in a vacant lot. By the end of the year he threw the javelin 211 feet, farther than any high schooler in the nation. He was given an athletic scholarship at the University of Southern California and he began dreaming of the Olympics. Then one day he didn't warm up properly, and tore the ligaments of his shoulder. That put an end to javelin throwing, his scholarship, and his dreams. Eugene dropped out of college and took a job in a warehouse. -The tragic story of Eugene Orowitz raises a vexing question. Why does God let misfortune wreck the lives of so many good people?
Mark Link in 'Sunday Homilies'
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From Sermons.com
I like the story of the young man, eager to make it to the top, who went to a well-known millionaire businessman and asked him the first reason for his success. The businessman answered without hesitation, "Hard work." After a lengthy pause the young man asked, "What is the SECOND reason?"
We want to deal this morning with the lure of the easy way. Jesus and His disciples were at Caesarea Philippi. Their ministry to this point had been a stunning success. Crowds pressed in on them everywhere they went. People eagerly reached out to touch this attractive young teacher from Nazareth. The disciples themselves were caught up in the excitement of it all. Jesus asked them, "Who do you say I am?" and Simon Peter answered enthusiastically, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God!" It was one of the most dramatic moments in the disciples' pilgrimage with Jesus.
Then Jesus changed the subject. He began to tell them that the crowds would soon turn against Him; He would be crucified, on the third day he would be raised. The disciples didn't know what to make of all this. Simon Peter took Jesus aside: "Forbid it, Lord, that these things should happen to you." Jesus' response to Simon Peter is as harsh as any words in the New Testament: "Get behind me Satan! You are not on the side of God but of man."
Perhaps Jesus called Simon Peter 'Satan' because of Jesus' experience in the wilderness immediately after His baptism by John. In today's parlance, it was there that Satan revealed to Jesus the way to make a million dollars in three easy steps turn stones to bread, leap off the pinnacle of the temple, "Bow down and worship me!" I see Satan not as a red caped figure with a pitchfork but dressed in a $400 suit and offering in a glib and polished tongue instant success, instant glamour, instant gratification. We can see Satan almost anywhere today. Jesus encountered him this time in Simon Peter: "Forbid it, Lord, that you should have to suffer and die."
If there is any doubt that Jesus is resisting the lure of the easy way, listen to the words that follow: "If any man would be my disciple, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me."
We are the devotees of the easy way even though everyone in this room knows two important truths.
1. The Path to Personal Success Is that of Self-Denial.
2. Self-Denial Is Essential to the Salvation of the World.
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Although autumn does not officially start until September 23, we all know that this weekend, Labor Day Weekend, signals the end of summer. The "holiday" season is over. It is time to "get back to work" Tuesday morning. And we all, all generations, know it - whether we are in kindergarten class or on a corporate totem pole. After Labor Day it is "business as usual." No more holidays.
Holidays used to be "holy days," times to mark the moment by calendar days which paid special attention to historic happenings, commemorated special events, and celebrated significant milestones. Instead of acknowledging the sacrifice of the saints, this weekend is all about one last barbecue, one last swim in the lake, or maybe one last packing up a kid heading off to college. It is a "holiday" that is important, but not really a "holy day."
One of the least celebrated, but most participated in "holidays" in the United States falls on April 17, although it is "moveable feast," depending on who is in office and how active our politicians. It will probably get pushed back a few days more in the next several years, but right now the "holiday" of note falls on April 17.
Anyone know what I'm talking about? It is "Tax Freedom Day." From January 1 through April 17 all the income you earn goes to pay your taxes. Not a fun fact. But as of April 17, or 18, or 19, depending upon your tax bracket, you are free. For the rest of the year you are working, and earning a living, to support your own family, to pay down your own mortgage, to keep your own bills from taking over your life. But for 107 days of the year, everyone is working to pay off their taxes. And we're not the only ones. Someone described London as filled with "the exhausted, the timid. The burgled, raped, assaulted. Overtaxed. Under-rewarded. Choked on thin air. Allergic to everything."
Not good. Yet that is definitely NOT the biggest crimp in our lives. The tax crunch is not the biggest elephant-in-the-room blocking our creativity and missional life. We might spend 107 days or almost one third of a year paying off our federal tax bills, but we spend the rest of the year, except for a few brief "holiday" moments, paying "time taxes." Life imposes "time taxes"...
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It Is Not I
It is said that St. Augustine was accosted one day on the street by a former mistress sometime after he had become a Christian. When he saw her he turned and walked the other way. Surprised, the woman called out, "Augustine, it is I". Augustine as he kept going the other way, answered her, "Yes, but it is not I."
It is an amusing story - one that comes close to making the same point the German theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer made when he wrote "When Christ calls a man to follow him, he calls him to die."
Richard J. Fairchild, "In the Way or on the Way"
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Taking Risks for Faith
It doesn't seem to me that many of us are risking very much for our faith. I once heard someone describe the average Christian today in terms of a person dressed in a deep-sea diving suit, oxygen mask firmly in place, marching resolutely into the bathroom to pull the plug out of the bathtub. An old slogan says: "Expect great things from God; Attempt great things for God." We're pretty good at the first; not so hot with the second.
Remember the words of Shakespeare: "Our doubts are traitors, And make us lose the good we oft might win, By fearing to attempt." (Measure for Measure, I, iv.) Peter at least dared to attempt.
Donald B. Strobe, Collected Words, www.Sermons.com
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Costly Grace
Cheap grace is the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance, baptism without church discipline, Communion without confession, absolution without personal confession. Cheap grace is grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, grace without Jesus Christ living and incarnate. Costly grace is the treasure hidden in the field; for the sake of it a man will gladly go and sell all that he has. It is the pearl of great price to buy which the merchant will sell all he his goods. It is the kingly rule of Christ, for whose sake a man will pluck out the eye which causes him to stumble, it is the call of Jesus Christ at which the disciple leaves his nets and follows him.
Costly grace is the gospel which must be sought again and again, the gift which must be asked for, the door at which a man must knock. Such grace is costly because it calls us to follow, and it is grace because it calls us to follow Jesus Christ. It is costly because it costs a man his life, and it is grace because it gives a man the only true life. It is costly because it condemns sin, and grace because it justifies the sinner. Above all, it is costly because it cost God the life of his Son: "ye were bought at a price," and what has cost God much cannot be cheap for us. Above all, it is grace because God did not reckon his Son too dear a price to pay for our life, but delivered him up for us. Costly grace is the Incarnation of God.
Dietrich Bonhoeffer, The Cost of Discipleship
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You Can't Take the Cross
Recently I ran across a story that absolutely amazed me... and yet it's a story that may well represent the "cater-culture-give-'em-what-they-want world" in which we now live. A church wanted to improve attendance at their major worship services, so they hired a powerful advertising agency to come in, study their situation, and make recommendations.
The ad agency did their research... and then suggested to the church that they should get rid of all the crosses in the church... because the crosses might send a negative message to prospective young worshippers!
Now, I'm sure that in its history, that advertising agency has come up with some brilliant ideas... but, in my opinion, that was not one of them! We can't get rid of the cross! We don't want to get rid of the cross. The cross is the dramatic symbol of our faith, hope, love, and forgiveness. The cross is the powerful reminder of God's sacrificial and redemptive love for us. And the cross is the constant signal to us of how God wants us to live and love today... as sacrificial servants. We are not called to be prima donnas... We are called to be servants. We are called to take up the mission of Christ... and to emulate the servant spirit of our Lord.
Now, I'm sure that in its history, that advertising agency has come up with some brilliant ideas... but, in my opinion, that was not one of them! We can't get rid of the cross! We don't want to get rid of the cross. The cross is the dramatic symbol of our faith, hope, love, and forgiveness. The cross is the powerful reminder of God's sacrificial and redemptive love for us. And the cross is the constant signal to us of how God wants us to live and love today... as sacrificial servants. We are not called to be prima donnas... We are called to be servants. We are called to take up the mission of Christ... and to emulate the servant spirit of our Lord.
James W. Moore, Choosing the Way to the Cross
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Your Place is Behind Jesus
One of the early church fathers, a man named Origen, suggested that when Jesus said to Peter, "Get behind me, Satan," what he actually meant was, "Peter, your place is behind me, not in front of me. It's your job to follow me in the way I choose, not to try to lead me in the way YOU would like me to go." Certainly what Jesus said immediately after his rebuke of Peter would support that interpretation. He told all of his disciples, including Peter, that not only did HE have a task that was set before him by God, but that THEY also had work to do. "Deny yourself, take up your cross, and follow me," Jesus said. "Get on this new thrill ride with me. There will be many dangerous twists and turns in the tracks, but I promise you it will never be dull. It will mean putting someone other than yourself first, being concerned not so much with what YOU want, but what God wants for you. It won't be easy and sometimes it won't be much fun, but it will never be boring."
Johnny Dean, Life on the Roller Coaster
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He's Going to Make It Hard on You
Bob Hodges, a Presbyterian minister in Rogersville, Tennessee, tells about duck hunting with a friend of his on Cherokee Lake in East Tennessee. His friend, Riley, who had just recently given his life to Christ, began to ask some serious questions about his Christian pilgrimage. Riley's old friends were making it very difficult for him to remain consistent in his obedience and commitment to Christ. They seemed to delight in trying to get him to fall back into the old patterns of life. They ridiculed him for spending so much time with "the preacher." Riley asked, "Why is it that I'm having more trouble since I became a Christian than I ever did when I was lost? Everything seems to go wrong. I'm having such a struggle!"
Bob Hodges spoke up, "I'll tell you why, Riley. A couple of ducks fly over and you shoot. You kill one and injure the other. They both fall into the lake. What do you do? You have to get out of the boat and go pick up the ducks, but which one do you go after first?"
"Well," Riley drawled, "that's easy. I go after the injured one first. The dead one ain't goin' nowhere!"
Hodges said, "And that's the way it is with the devil. He goes after injured Christians. He's not going to bother with the man dead in his sin. But the minute you give your life to Christ, you'd better get ready; the devil is going to come after you. He is going to chase you; he's going to make it hard on you."
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A clay pot sitting in the sun will always be a clay pot. It has to go through the white heat of the furnace to become porcelain.
Mildred Witte Struven
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Our Logo
Marketing experts are always quick to tell start-up businesses how important it is to develop a corporate logo. "Brand identity" they call it, pointing out that symbols serve to generate not only product familiarity but also identification with the overall philosophy of an organization. As the authors of one book on logo design state, "The success of any business or organization lies in its ability to persuade its audience to do what it wants. The ultimate goal of any designer when creating a logo is, of course, to develop a rhetorical and informative mark - one that not only identifies the company and its business, but also helps persuade viewers to respond in a specified manner."
For Christians and other religious groups we might agree that the same holds true. The old adage, "a picture's worth a thousand words" reminds us that even around the spiritual dimensions of our lives we can be consistently and powerfully moved by a single sign or symbol. For the Jewish people it is often the Star of David, for Buddhists, the figure of their enlightened teacher, and for us as Christians the central "logo" of our life together is the cross, that sacred sign of God's sacrifice offered through Christ. Through this marking we're continually reminded of God's undying love for the world and of our call to love and serve one another throughout the course of our earthly existence.
Lael P. Murphy, Come Survey the Wondrous Cross as a Symbol of Our History
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The Sacrifice Play
Sacrifice is not a word we use much these days, is it? When was the last time you used it or thought about it in terms of your own life? When was the last time you sacrificed anything for anybody? Come to think about it, there's only one sport as far as I know where the term is actually used. Do you know which sport that is? You can almost hear Harry Cary announcing it over the radio, "And there it goes, a long fly ball to left; easy out, but the man on third tags up and trots home. Sacrifice fly."
What a great idea -- you're out, but you helped someone else score a run. Baseball is one of the few sports where you lose but the team still gains. Do you remember the way comedian George Carlin spells it out in his routine about the contrast between the hardness of football and the softness of baseball? He says: In football you Tackle! In baseball, you "catch flies..." In football you Punt! In baseball you "bunt..." Football is played on a Gridiron! Baseball is played on a "field..." In football you Score! In baseball you "go home..." In football you Kill! In baseball you "sacrifice..."
Baseball may be the only sport where you actually can hear this word. It's one of the few places anywhere that you hear it in a self-centered, take-care-of-yourself, don't-worry-about-anybody-else society...
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From Fr. Tony
1: “There is no Poland without a cross.” Years ago, when Poland was still under Communist control, the Prime Minister ordered the crucifixes removed from classroom walls. Catholic Bishops attacked the ban, which had stirred waves of anger and resentment all across Poland. Ultimately the government relented, insisting that the law remain on the books, but agreeing not to press for removal of the crucifixes, particularly in the schoolrooms. But one zealous Communist school administrator, the director of the Mietnow Agricultural College, Ryszard Dobrynski, took the crosses down from his seven lecture halls where they had hung since the school’s founding in the twenties. Days later, a group of parents entered the school and hung more crosses. The administrator promptly had these taken down as well. The next day two-thirds of the school’s six hundred students staged a sit-in. When heavily armed riot police arrived, the students were forced into the streets. Then they marched, crucifixes held high, to a nearby Church where they were joined by twenty-five hundred other students from nearby schools for a morning of prayer in support of the protest. Soldiers surrounded the Church. But the press was there as well, and pictures from inside of students holding crosses high above their heads flashed around the world. So did the words of the priest who delivered the message to the weeping congregation that morning. “There is no Poland without a cross.” (http://www.nytimes.com/1984/03/09/world/student-protest-swells-in-poland-return-of-crucifixes-is-demanded.html)– Perhaps the cross has come to symbolize comfort to us because we have had to sacrifice little in our lives. The more we are called upon to carry our own crosses, the more we will understand the one our Savior carried outside the city gates to the hill called Golgotha. That is why today’s Gospel challenges us to deny ourselves, take up our crosses and follow Jesus. (http://frtonyshomilies.com/) Fr. Tony
2: Jesus’ call to be extremophiles or “extreme-lovers.” Probably, you’ve never met these creatures called extremophiles. This is because they are extremely small microorganisms which live in environments where the Fahrenheit temperature ranges either from 170 to 215 degrees (water boils at 212 °F), or down to several degrees below freezing point — or in acidic media. One such extremophile is Pyrococcus furiosus. Pyro is only one of many microorganisms attracting the attention of scientists today. Biotechnologists are learning a lot from such microorganisms living way out there, in dangerous places like hot springs, polar ice caps, salty lakes and acidic fields. They live in conditions that would kill humans and most plants and animals. Extremophile microbes are also busy industrialists, reports The Futurist magazine, because they produce enzymes that are enormously useful in the food, chemical, pharmaceutical, waste treatment and other industries. Suppose you need an enzyme to replace bleaching by Chlorine (Cynthia G. Wagner, “Biotech Goes to Extremes,” The Futurist, October 1998). — Today’s reading points us to the Greatest Extremophile of all time. In the district of Caesarea Philippi, Jesus reveals himself to be an extremophile, showing his disciples that “he must go to Jerusalem and undergo great suffering at the hands of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised” (Mt 16:21). When Peter objects to this extremely painful prediction, Jesus rebukes him sharply: “Get behind me, Satan! … you are setting your mind not on Divine things but on human things.” He then tells his disciples: ”Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.” (16:24-25). (http://frtonyshomilies.com/) Fr. Tony
3: “Quo vadis Domine?” There is an ancient legend about Peter, which became the basis for a famous novel and motion picture. At the time of the great persecution under Nero, the Christians of Rome told Peter to leave. “You’re too valuable,” they said. “Get out of town! Find your safety! Go to another place and preach the Gospel.” Peter hastily hurried out of town as fast as he could. But as he hurried along the Appian Way, away from the Eternal City, he was met by Christ, going toward the city. Peter said to him in Latin, “Quo vadis, Domine?” “Where are you going, Lord?” To which Jesus replied, “Back to Rome, to be crucified with my people. Where are you going, Peter?” Peter’s eyes filled with tears of remorse, as he turned and walked back to Rome, where, according to tradition, he was crucified head downward, feeling that he was not worthy to die in the same manner as had his Lord. Jesus’ question to Peter comes to us also. “Where are you going?” Are we going with Christ, or away from him and from his cross? That’s the really important question. It doesn’t matter how far we have traveled. What does matter is the direction in which we are going. (http://frtonyshomilies.com/) Fr. Tony
4: “They prayed in the stands. They prayed in the team huddles.” Like a burning fire within, the irresistible word of the Lord compels us to resist evil. It strengthens us to speak for the reign of God. The following high-impact story, circulated through the Internet, illustrates the challenges for today’s Christians as well as the appeal of Saint Paul “not to conform … but be transformed”. “Tennessee Football”: This is a statement that was read over the PA system at the football game at Roanne County High School, Kingston, Tennessee, by school principal Jody McLeod.
It has always been the custom of Roanne County High School football games, to say a prayer and play the National Anthem, to honor God and country. Due to a recent ruling by the Supreme Court, I am told that saying a Prayer is a violation of Federal Case Law. As I understand the law at this time, I can use this public facility to approve of sexual perversion and call it “an alternate lifestyle”, and if someone is offended, that’s OK. I can use it to condone sexual promiscuity, by dispensing condoms and calling it, “safe sex”. If someone is offended, that’s OK. I can use this public facility to present the merits of killing an unborn baby as a “viable means of birth control”. If someone is offended, no problem … I can designate a school day as “Earth Day” and involve students in activities to worship religiously and praise the goddess “Mother Earth” and call it “ecology”. I can use literature, videos and presentations in the classroom that depict people with strong, traditional Christian convictions as “simple minded” and “ignorant” and call it “enlightenment” … However, if anyone uses this facility to honor GOD and to ask HIM to bless this event with safety and good sportsmanship, then Federal Case Law is violated. This appears to be inconsistent at best, and at worst, diabolical. Apparently, we are to be tolerant of everything and anyone, except GOD and HIS commandments. Nevertheless, as a school principal, I frequently ask staff and students to abide by rules with which they do not necessarily agree. For me to do otherwise would be inconsistent at best, and at worst, hypocritical … I suffer from that affliction enough unintentionally. I certainly do not need to add an intentional transgression. For this reason, I shall “Render unto Caesar that which is Caesar’s” and refrain from praying this time. However, if you feel inspired to honor, praise and thank GOD and ask HIM, in the name of JESUS, to bless this event, please feel free to do so. As far as I know, that’s not against the law – yet.
One by one, the people in the stands bowed their heads, held hands with one another and began to pray. They prayed in the stands. They prayed in the team huddles. They prayed at the concession stand and they prayed in the Announcer’s Box. The only place they didn’t pray was in the Supreme Court of the United States of America – the Seat of “Justice” in the “one nation, under GOD”. Somehow, Kingston, Tennessee remembered what so many have forgotten … We are given the freedom OF religions, not the freedom FROM religion. Praise GOD that HIS remnant remains! JESUS said, “If you are ashamed before men, then I will be ashamed of you before MY FATHER.” (Lectio Divina). (http://frtonyshomilies.com/) Fr. Tony
5. Three holy, religious priests, a Dominican, a Franciscan, and a Jesuit were in the same hospice. All were near death. One evening, the Angel of Death appeared before them and informed them that it was their time. He said, however, that each could have a final request before accompanying him from this world as they had scrupulously practiced the triple norms of Christian discipleship in their pretty long lives. The Dominican went first, and he asked to gaze upon the face of his Savior. In an instant, the face of Christ appeared before him. He was satisfied and felt he could die with no regrets. The Franciscan was next. He asked to touch the wounds in the hands and feet of Jesus before he died. No sooner had he spoken than Christ appeared and invited him, as he did Thomas, to examine His wounds. The dying priest touched Christ’s hands and feet, wept with joy and was content and at peace. Finally, the angel turned to the Jesuit and asked his final request. Without hesitation, the Jesuit replied: “I’d like a second opinion.”
27- Additional anecdotes:
1) Heroic modern cross bearers: Valerie Price, Maximilian Kolbe and Dom Helder Camara: Here are the stories of three Christians who accepted the challenge of Christian discipleship given in today’s Gospel, by “denying themselves, taking up their crosses and following Jesus.” Twenty-three-year-old Valerie Price went to Somalia to work as a nurse. She wanted to help people who had nothing. She wanted to offer them a better way of life. Valerie was concerned about her safety, but nothing could stop her from doing her work. She was put in charge of a feeding center in Mogadishu. Through her efforts, children who had been near starvation were fed. Valerie even established a school so the children could learn and have some hope for the future. She became nationally known for her committed service. Valerie, however, was killed by armed bandits outside the school she had started. She was willing to risk her life to help other people. (http://frtonyshomilies.com/) Fr. Tony
St. Maximilian Kolbe was born in Poland. It seems that his early years – while good – were not that remarkable. He was devoted to Mary. He became a Conventual Franciscan priest. His Faith was important to him. But when the Nazis invaded Poland in 1939, Kolbe saw the writing on the wall. He knew that if he were to be a person of Faith – and be true to his Faith – he would probably have to suffer. In February 1941, because he spoke out against the horror of the Nazis, he was arrested and imprisoned at Auschwitz. On July 30, 1941, a prisoner escaped from Auschwitz, and in retaliation, the commandant of the camp lined up the inmates of cellblock 14 and ordered that ten of them be selected at random for punishment. They would be consigned to an underground bunker and starved to death. Ten men were selected. One of them, Francis Gajowniczek, cried out in tears, “My poor wife and children! I will never see them again.” At this point Maximilian Kolbe stepped forward and volunteered to take his place. The commandant accepted his offer, and so Fr. Maximillian Kolbe assumed his place among the condemned. By August 14, Kolbe was dead, his body cremated in the camp ovens. (http://frtonyshomilies.com/) Fr. Tony
Dom Helder Camara was an Archbishop of the poorest and least developed Archdiocese of Brazil. But he has been described as “one of the shapers of the Catholic Church in the second half of the twentieth century.” Early in his life, he was part of a conservative political movement inspired by Italian Fascism. But as he became more and more involved in pastoral work in Rio de Janeiro, he became increasingly affected by the poor. In trying to relate the message of the Gospel to their sufferings, he underwent a radical conversion, which finally reached the point where he himself was labeled a Communist and called “the red bishop.” His was an outspoken witness for peace and social justice in a land ruled by a brutal military dictatorship. Dom Helder’s message was reflected in his style of leadership. Instead of a pectoral cross of gold or silver, he wore a simple wooden cross. He moved out of the bishop’s palace and lived in a much poorer house. He encouraged the training of lay catechists and opened the seminary doors to lay people and women. His own door was always open to any who sought him, and he presented himself as truly the servant of the people. His house was sprayed with machine-gun fire, his diocesan offices were repeatedly ransacked, he was banned for thirteen years by the government from any public speaking, the newspapers were not permitted to mention his name, and even the Church in Rome continually questioned his orthodoxy. When he retired as Archbishop of Recife, his conservative successor reversed nearly all his initiative. He died on 27 August 1999, aged 90. But his spirit lives on. Valerie and St. Maximillian Kolbe and Don Helder Camara did not choose to suffer – they chose to live the Gospel, to be true to the covenant God offered them. Valerie wanted to serve the poor – she didn’t want to be shot to death. Maximillian Kolbe wanted to preach the Gospel in every way possible – he didn’t want to be starved to death. Don Helder Camara wanted to be with his people – he didn’t want to be reviled. (http://frtonyshomilies.com/) Fr. Tony
2) “I will take your identification and wait here.” Bruce Riggins was working sacrificially with underprivileged people in London. When the reporter asked one of these women what had inspired her Christian Faith and action, she shared her story of how seeing another Christian’s Faith converted her. She was a Jew fleeing the German Gestapo in France during World War II. She knew she was close to being caught, and she wanted to give up. When she came to the home of a French Huguenot, a widow working with the underground came to tell her it was time to flee to a new place. This Jewish lady said, “It’s no use, Ma’am, they’ll find me anyway. They are so close behind.” The Christian widow said, “Yes, they will find someone here, but it’s time for you to leave. Go with these people to safety; I will take your identification and wait here.” Then the Jewish woman understood. The Gestapo would come and find this widow and think she was the fleeing Jew. As Bruce Riggins listened to this story, the now-Christian woman of Jewish descent looked him in the eye and said, “I asked her why she was doing that and the widow responded, ‘It’s the least I can do; Christ has already done that and more for me.'” The widow was caught and imprisoned in the Jewish woman’s place, allowing the Jewish fugitive time to escape. Within six months, the Christian widow was dead in the concentration camp. The Jewish woman never forgot and became a follower of Christ through that one widow’s living sacrifice. Who knows how many people will come to new life through the witness of our living sacrifice? What will it be for us? Mission field? Ministry? More committed service in our Church or in our workplace? Only we and God can decide. Whatever it is, let us just do it – present our bodies as a living sacrifice to God, holy and acceptable, deny ourselves, take up our cross and follow Jesus. (http://frtonyshomilies.com/) Fr. Tony
3) Generic Christians: As Maxie Dunnam was driving one day on Poplar Avenue, in Memphis, Tennessee, he noticed a bumper sticker on the car in front of him. He inched closer and saw that the bumper sticker read in big letters, “I am a Generic Christian.” That got his attention. He tried to get closer. Some smaller letters were written beneath the larger ones. He got dangerously close to the back of the car to read the words, “Ask me what I mean.” He was intrigued even more. What was the person with this bumper sticker trying to say? A couple of blocks later the driver pulled into a car wash. Dunnam had no intention of having his car washed that day. Nevertheless, he also turned in to the car wash hoping to meet and speak with the driver with the intriguing bumper sticker. The man told him that he was a member of a local congregation. He was so tired, though, of the denominational emphasis in so many churches that he wanted to proclaim a different kind of message. He wanted the world to know that he was a Christian not tied to any label – hence a generic Christian. The man might have had a point, but on further reflection Dr. Dunnam says, “I wonder if we don’t have too many generic Christians and not enough disciples who are ready to deny themselves, take up their crosses and follow Jesus as demanded by today’s Gospel.” [Maxie Dunnam, Congregational Evangelism, (Nashville: Discipleship Resources, 1992), p. 25]. (http://frtonyshomilies.com/) Fr. Tony
4) Christians in the Roman amphitheater who accepted Jesus’ challenge: The year is AD 177. The place is the arena at Lyons, France and the sport is killing criminals, runaway slaves, and Christians. A letter from the local Church to a sister Church in Turkey describes what happened: “The Roman governor who ruled France in those days ordered the Christians to form a procession for the enjoyment of the crowd. First Maturus, then Sanctus, Blandina, and Attalus were led to face the lions in the amphitheater. The virgin Blandina, after the whips, after the lions, after the iron chair, was at last thrown into a basket and presented to a bull. For a time, the animal tossed her, but she had now lost any sense of what was happening, thanks to her Hope, her steadfast Faith and her close communion with Christ.” (Quoted by Christopher Kelly in Times Literary Supplement, 22 December 1995). The governor was so fond of violence that he ordered his soldiers to turn the faces of the mauled, mutilated, dying Christians in his direction, so he could enjoy their final moments of agony. The people who were in the stadium, the people who roared even louder than the lions when Blandina and her Christian companions were led into the arena, were not the rabble, but the respectable, the wealthy, the good, decent, law-abiding citizens of France. Think we have finally risen above exploiting the kind of canned violence that the French and the Romans cheered at in their Coliseums? Like the ancient Romans and the French, we are bombarded daily by images of brutality on our computer, movie and TV screens, and we seem to need ever more heinous acts to quench our blood lust. “Today, experts estimate that by the end of elementary school, the average American child will have seen 8,000 screen murders and more than 100,000 acts of violence. In real life during the past decade, there has been a fifty-five percent increase in the number of juveniles arrested for murder. More American teens today die from violence than from disease” (Louis Moore, as quoted in Current Thoughts and Trends, January, 1996). Today’s Gospel text acknowledges the painful reality that we live in a violent world and that we are a violent people. Consequently, we find it difficult to accept the challenge Jesus extends to those who would be true disciples: “Take up [your] cross and follow Me …. whoever loses his life for my sake will find it” (vv. 24-25). (http://frtonyshomilies.com/) Fr. Tony
5) “…I’ll fight; while men go to prison…” Remember the words of General William Booth, founder of The Salvation Army and a friend to the down and out? Three months, before his death he wrote: “While women weep as they do now, I’ll fight; while little children go hungry as they do now, I’ll fight; while men go to prison, in and out, in and out, as they do now, I’ll fight; while there is a drunkard left, while there is a poor lost girl upon the streets, while there remains one dark soul without the light of God, I’ll fight – fight to the very end.” Can you imagine General Booth writing a book entitled Looking Out For Number One? What has happened to us? “If any man or woman would be my disciple,” Jesus says to us, “Let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.” That is the word we desperately need to hear. It is a call, as M. Scott Peck would phrase it to walk “a road less traveled.” In Zig Ziglar’s analogy, it is the lonely stairway as opposed to the crowded elevator. Or as Jesus himself once said, it is the narrow way that only a committed few will pursue. (http://frtonyshomilies.com/) Fr. Tony
6) “There is no Poland without a cross.” Years ago, when Poland was still under Communist control, the Prime Minister ordered the crucifixes removed from classroom walls. Catholic Bishops attacked the ban, which had stirred waves of anger and resentment all across Poland. Ultimately the government relented, insisting that the law remain on the books, but agreeing not to press for removal of the crucifixes, particularly in the schoolrooms. But one zealous Communist school administrator decided that the law was the law. So, one evening he had seven large crucifixes removed from lecture halls where they had hung since the school’s founding in the twenties. Days later, a group of parents entered the school and hung more crosses. The administrator promptly had these taken down as well. The next day two-thirds of the school’s six hundred students staged a sit-in. When heavily armed riot police arrived, the students were forced into the streets. Then they marched, crucifixes held high, to a nearby Church where they were joined by twenty-five hundred other students from nearby schools for a morning of prayer in support of the protest. Soldiers surrounded the Church. But the press was there as well, and pictures from inside of students holding crosses high above their heads flashed around the world. So did the words of the priest who delivered the message to the weeping congregation that morning. “There is no Poland without a cross.” Perhaps the cross has come to symbolize comfort to us because we have had to sacrifice little in our lives. The more we are called upon to carry our own crosses, the more we will understand the one our Savior carried outside the city gates to the hill called Golgotha. (http://frtonyshomilies.com/) Fr. Tony
7) Mistaken identity: Mistaken identity is not all that uncommon, especially since there are only so many variations of our common facial features. After both Albert Schweitzer and Albert Einstein had gained worldwide fame and had had their pictures printed in a variety of media, some mistook the former for the latter. Once Schweitzer was approached hesitantly by a mother and daughter duo who asked if he were the great scientist, Einstein. Rather than disappoint them, with more magnanimous grace than he felt, Schweitzer signed an autograph, “Albert Einstein, by way of his friend, Albert Schweitzer.” Or take the case of Queen Elizabeth II of England. She was stopped on one occasion in Norfolk as she entered a tea shop. Two women were exiting carrying baskets of cakes and breads. One commented to her that she looked remarkably similar to the queen. “How very reassuring,” said the modest royal personage, and moved on. Her daughter, Princess Anne, had a similar encounter. At a sporting event, she was approached by a woman who said, “Has anyone ever told you that you look like Princess Anne?” She replied, “I think I’m better looking than she is.” Mistaken identities may be commonplace, but on some occasions, they are more serious than others. Certainly, that is true in Matthew 16. Just before these verses, Jesus had asked his disciples what people were saying about him. Did they get it right? Peter did. But when Jesus explained that it was by undergoing a shameful death on the cross that he would accomplish his Messianic mission, Peter tried to discourage him and was challenged by Jesus for it, as described in today’s Gospel. (http://frtonyshomilies.com/) Fr. Tony
8) What it is that separates man from the great apes? Richard Leaky, the famous archeologist who worked in northern Kenya, discusses in his book, People of the Lake, what it is that separates man from the great apes. It is not man’s intelligence, says Leakey, but his generosity. Only human beings have the ability to share. Only human beings are capable of genuine compassion. Only human beings are capable of laying down their lives for a friend. When it comes to taking up the cross of self-denial, however, many of us have not discovered our humanity. If we don’t care what happens to this world, who will? If we don’t feed the hungry, who will? If we don’t shelter the homeless, who will? If we don’t tell the world about Christ, who will? If we don’t pray and offer sacrifices, who will? (http://frtonyshomilies.com/) Fr. Tony
9) “That’s the reason, Ruth. No one else is doing it.” You may know the thrilling story of Glen Cunningham, a young man whose legs were so badly burned when he was a boy that doctors said he would never walk again. However, this determined champion went on to win an Olympic gold medal as a miler. Even more importantly, Glen Cunningham devoted his life to helping troubled young people. Once, his wife asked, “Glen, why do we have to give so much more than others? No one else is doing what we are.” Glen answered, “That’s the reason, Ruth. No one else is doing it.”
10) “The least compassionate people I ever knew.” Michael Slaughter in his book, Unlearning Church, tells about a religion editor from a local newspaper who came to his Church to interview him about a conference they were having. At the end of the interview, he asked if she went to Church. He assumed she did, since she was a religion editor. She said, “No, I am a Buddhist. I was raised in the Church,” she went on, “but about ten years ago, I became interested in Buddhism because the highest value of Buddhism is the value of compassion.” Michael Slaughter says her next comment made him feel as if she had put her hand in his chest and squeezed his heart. “The people I grew up around in the Church,” she added, “were some of the least compassionate people I ever knew.” “Ouch,” says Michael Slaughter, and then he adds, “Yet Jesus is compassion made visible.” And he’s right. Jesus is compassion made visible. Having Jesus’ name, but not his heart is a dangerous combination. It can make us turn away people that Jesus is calling us to embrace. (http://frtonyshomilies.com/) Fr. Tony
11) The Hollywood movie, The Insider. In 1995, Jeffrey Wigand made headlines when he exposed illegal and unethical practices by his employer, Brown & Williamson, a major tobacco company. Overnight, Wigand lost his $300,000-per-year job. He became the target of death threats. Wigand faced tremendous pressure from former friends and colleagues. His ordeal was documented in the Hollywood movie, The Insider. Today, Jeffrey Wigand is still the target of occasional threats. He is making only about one-tenth of his former salary. But he claims to be happier now than he’s ever been in his life. In an interview with Time magazine, Wigand commented, “I felt dirty before [as a cigarette executive]. Now I feel good . . . I don’t need the cars and fancy ties and all those trappings that consumed me once. My enjoyment comes when some kid comes up to me and says, ‘I’m never gonna smoke.’ I can take that to the bank, whatever bank you want to call it.” It takes nerve to offend your friends, offend your employer. Many Christians are pleased that Jesus died on a cross on their behalf, but they seem to try studiously to avoid taking up a cross of their own. (http://frtonyshomilies.com/) Fr. Tony
12) “My God, I could have bought back two more people with this ring:” There is a powerful scene in the movie Schindler’s List. In the beginning of the story, a Czech businessman named Oskar Schindler builds a factory in occupied Poland using Jewish labor because, in those tragic days at the start of World War II, Jewish labor was cheap. As the war progresses, however, and he learns what is happening to the Jews under Adolph Hitler, Schindler’s motivations switch from profit to sympathy. He uses his factory as a refuge for Jews to protect them from the Nazis. As a result of his efforts, more than 1,100 Jews were saved from death in the gas chambers. You would think that Oskar Schindler would have felt quite pleased with himself, but at the end of the war Schindler stands in the midst of some of the Jews he has saved, breaks down in tears, takes off his gold ring and says, “My God, I could have bought back two more people [with this ring]. These shoes? One more person. My coat? Two more people. These cufflinks? Three more people.” There he stands, not gloating but weeping with regret that he has not done more. I wonder if one day you and I, as followers of Christ, will ask ourselves, “Could I have done more? Have I truly borne the cross of Christ?” That is the first question on today’s test: is our Faith sacrificial? Is it costing us something? (http://frtonyshomilies.com/) Fr. Tony (http://frtonyshomilies.com/) Fr. Tony
13) Free legal service: Tony Campolo was preaching in West Virginia one night. Two young lawyers were part of the congregation. Campolo’s sermon was on the cost of discipleship. At the conclusion of the service the invitation was given for people to commit themselves fully to Christian service. The two young lawyers did not come forward. However, they did accept the challenge to change their lives and seek ways in which they could more fully serve Christ. The two men practiced law together. As a result of the call to discipleship, these lawyers decided to offer free legal services to poor people in their county. This was a decision that went beyond the amount of free service that most law firms provide. These lawyers would help anyone in the county who needed their help – without cost. People responded to their generosity. Their commitment to helping the poor, though, changed their lives in ways they did not expect. They soon gained new paying customers. Even more surprising, a number of people who had been delinquent with their bills suddenly paid them in full. “I suppose they didn’t want to cheat lawyers who helped the poor,” one of the lawyers explained. These men have taken the first step in becoming disciples of Jesus, and they are headed in the right direction. They are doing something significant for Christ in their everyday lives. [Tony Campolo, Wake up America! (San Francisco: Harper, 1991), pp. 83]. (http://frtonyshomilies.com/) Fr. Tony
14) In baseball and in Christian life you “sacrifice…” In football, you “Tackle!” In baseball, you “catch flies…” In football, you “Punt!” In baseball, you “bunt…” Football is played on a “Gridiron”! Baseball is played on a “field…” In football, you “Score!” In baseball you “go home…” In football, you “Kill!” In baseball, you “sacrifice…” Baseball may be the only sport where you actually can hear this last word. It’s one of the few places anywhere that you hear it in a self-centered, take-care-of-yourself, don’t-worry-about-anybody-else society. In contrast to football, sacrifice may sound like a sign of weakness, but I hardly think of any of the Atlanta Braves or Minnesota Twins as weak. Baseball’s one thing; life is quite another.- In our society, there are still Christians who sacrifice their lives for Christ and who really deny themselves and takes up their crosses. [The Gates of New Life, Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1940), p. 3]. — Here is a young man who wanted to be a lawyer, but his father died, and he had to leave school and work to keep things going at home. Here is a young woman who wanted to be a great doctor but was never admitted to medical school. Here is a businessman who had hoped all his life to make his business a great success, but the competition was much tougher than he had ever expected, and he soon found himself declaring bankruptcy. Here is a couple whose marriage is on the rocks. When it started out it was so sweet and good but now… now it’s just not the same. There is not a person in any congregation who has not sacrificed a hope, or a dream as burnt offering on the high altar of the providence of God. (http://frtonyshomilies.com/) Fr. Tony
15) “I wasn’t hard enough on myself, that’s all.” During the Los Angeles Open Golf Tournament a few years ago, Arnold Palmer, the legendary golfer, was interviewed while practicing on the putting green. “Arnie,” he was asked, “What do you feel was wrong to make you play so poorly this past year?” Without looking up from his putting, Arnold answered in his own direct way, “I wasn’t hard enough on myself, that’s all.” Two hours after this brief interview, the same reporter came back to find Palmer still practicing on the putting green. The reporter concluded, “The greatness of Arnold Palmer is his choice of the hard way.” Success in life requires a willingness to resist the lure of the easy way. A sound body requires that we exercise, eat the right foods, conquer bad habits. A sound mind requires that we read, that we observe, that we continually learn. A sound marriage requires that each partner go into it with the understanding that marriage is not a 50/50 proposition but a 70/30 one in which both parties give the 70. A sound family means that we take the time to be sensitive to the needs of our children and that we provide not only for their physical needs but for their emotional and spiritual needs as well. Such goals require sacrifice, they require perseverance and they require determination. But every one of us knows that the path to personal success is the path of self-denial. (http://frtonyshomilies.com/) Fr. Tony
16) A Russian Soldier Fights for Christ: Every aspect of our lives, everything we do, can glorify God and help build up his Kingdom. The great Catholic apologist and writer G.K. Chesterton once said that when he became a believer, it even changed the way he brushed his teeth. This is one of the reasons why Christianity is such a dynamic religion – it isn’t limited to the sacristy and the altar; it overflows into everything we do and fills us with desires to do more and more. One of Pope St. John Paul II’s favorite phrases was a line written by St Ireneaus in the third century: “The glory of God is man fully alive.” The Christian God is a Father Who rejoices in seeing His children grow and flourish. Years ago, a book came out that told the story of a young man who had been drafted into the Russian Communist army. He was a Russian who loved his country, but he was also a Christian. Of course, Russian Communism had no room for Christianity – it was an atheist social system. And so, during his training, the officers paid special attention to this Christian soldier. They were constantly looking for opportunities to humiliate him in front of the other soldiers, to make life hard for him, so that he would give up his Christian Faith. But no matter how closely they watched him, they couldn’t find anything to punish him for. In every point of military discipline, he was the top soldier: he was always on time; his uniform was always impeccable; his performance was exceptional; his knowledge always complete. He was a Christian, and so everything he did, from kitchen duty to the parade ground, he did with love and excellence, making his whole life into a spiritual worship that was pleasing to God. (E- Priest). (http://frtonyshomilies.com/) Fr. Tony
17) Mary Lou Retton losing to win: In the 1984 Olympics at Los Angeles, 16-year-old Mary Lou Retton became the first American girl to win a gold medal in gymnastics. To accomplish this extraordinary feat, she had to make sacrifices during her two years of intensive training prior to the Olympics. While other teenagers were enjoying themselves with a full schedule of dating and dancing, Mary Lou Retton could only participate on a very limited basis. To improve her skills she had to practice long hours in the gym; to nourish her body properly she had to follow a strict diet and practice long hours, and to increase her confidence she had to compete frequently in meets. But what Mary Lou Retton gave up in terms of good times and junk food was little compared to what she gained when she won her Olympic gold medal. What she lost in the usual social life of a teenager she found in the special setting of becoming a champion gymnast – acceptance, camaraderie and respect. Mary Lou Retton’s Olympic experience illustrates somewhat Christ’s paradox in today’s Scripture: “Whoever would save his life will lose it. But whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.” (Albert Cylwicki in His Word Resounds; quoted by Fr. Botelho). (http://frtonyshomilies.com/) Fr. Tony
18) Saving one’s soul: “What good will it do you, even if you gain the whole world, if you lose your soul?” These are good words to recall when we are faced with important and difficult choices. Here is a modern example. The scene: a prison for political prisoners near Moscow (during the era of Stalin). Ivan knew at once that they wanted something from him. “Would you like a remission?” they asked him. ”What do I have to do?” he asked. “We’d like to transfer you to another prison to take charge of an important project. If you agree, you will be free in six months.” “What is the project?” “We want you to perfect a camera that works in the dark, and another miniature one that can be fitted to the jamb of a door, and which works when the door is opened. We know you can do this.” Ivan was perhaps the only person in the whole of Russia who could produce a blueprint for these devices. After seventeen years in prison the idea of going home appealed to him. Here surely was the answer to his wife Natasha’s prayer. All he had to do was invent a device that would set him free. “Could I not go on working on television sets as I am at present?” he asked. “You mean you refuse?” said the general. Ivan thought: Who would ever thank him? Were those people out there worth saving? Natasha was his lifelong companion. She had waited for him for seventeen years. “I couldn’t do it,” he said at last. “But you’re just the man for the job,” said the general. “We’ll give you time to make up your mind.” “I won’t do it. Putting people in prison because of the way they think is not my line. That’s my final answer.” Ivan knew what his ‘no’ meant. A few days later he was on a train to Siberia to work in a copper mine where starvation rations, and probable death awaited him. No fate on earth could be worse. Yet he was at peace with himself. (Flor McCarthy in New Sunday and Holy Day Liturgies; quoted by Fr. Botelho). (http://frtonyshomilies.com/) Fr. Tony
19) The cost of discipleship: Nelson Mandela spent twenty-seven years in prison or ten thousand days (approximately). Before that he was on the run for a couple of years. Of the time he was on the run he wrote later: “It wasn’t easy for me to separate myself from my wife and children, to say good-bye to the good old days when, at the end of a strenuous day at the office, I could look forward to joining my family at the dinner table, and instead to take up the life of a man hunted continuously by the police, living separated from those who are closest to me, facing continually the hazards of detection and of arrest. This was a life infinitely more difficult than serving a prison sentence.” [Long Walk to Freedom, 1994, (Little, Brown and Company).] What drove him to make such great sacrifices was his love for his country. This was the ‘cross’ he carried because of his love for his people. (Flor McCarthy in New Sunday and Holy Day Liturgies; quoted by Fr. Botelho). (http://frtonyshomilies.com/) Fr. Tony
20) Crossroad to life! In the 1998-99 persecutions against Gujarat’s Dangi Christians, many tales of Faith fortitude went unrecorded. I still remember the battered and bleeding youth, Sitaram Devasyabhai, who told me, “I will not give up Christianity even if they kill me!” Earlier in Karota village of the Dawada mission where I served as priest, Poslabhai Vasava confessed, “I find great strength in Jesus crucified although friends joke that I adore a helpless, naked deity.” A young Christian from Mumbai, Neil Gaikwad gave witness to self-sacrifice. For twelve hours during torrential rains that submerged Mumbai in July 2005, he swam to save the lives of 60 people trapped in a bus. Eyewitnesses said, Neil must’ve gone up and done 40-50 times to take people out.” Texan Lance Armstrong too combated cancer and went on to win the prestigious Tour de France cycle-rally on July 24, 2005, for an unprecedented 7th time in succession. Neil and Lance demonstrate that life comes through dying to self, and all Crossroads lead to Heaven. (Francis Gonsalves in Sunday Seeds for Gospel Deeds; quoted by Fr. Botelho). (http://frtonyshomilies.com/) Fr. Tony
21) Salt March of Gandhi: One of the very important events in the history of struggle for Indian independence was the Historic Salt March. During British Colonialism in India, the British Salt Tax rule was imposed, making it illegal to sell or produce salt. Gandhiji saw this as an injustice to the people of India. Gandhiji decided to protest against it. He decided to lead 78 people through 240-mile journey from his Ashram to the coastal village of Dandi, Gujarat, on 12 March 1930. It involved high risk. Hence, veteran politicians, and experienced leaders warned Gandhi about its consequences and tried to dissuade him. But, Gandhiji was determined. Thousands of Indians, inspired by his non-violent demonstration and strong will joined him on his march to the sea.– It is a common experience that people try to be in their comfort zone, and try to dissuade those who struggle to come out of it — because it involves risk; it means daring into the unknown; it brings a lot of challenges, and it causes suffering. In today’s Gospel, Jesus shows his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and undergo great suffering at the hands of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised. The Apostles could not accept it. (Fr. Bobby Jose). (http://frtonyshomilies.com/) Fr. Tony
22) Graceful acceptance of temporary suffering results in lasting glory: When a bud goes through the pain of bursting, it is transformed into a beautiful flower. When a pupa struggles out of a cocoon, it is transformed into a charming butterfly. When a chicken breaks the shell and comes out it becomes a lovely bird. When a seed bursts the pod and falls to the ground it begins to grow as a plant. When we undergo the suffering and pain of life we are strengthened. Arthur Golden reminds us, “Adversity is like a strong wind. It tears away from us all but the things that cannot be torn, so that we see ourselves as we really are.” (Arthur Golden, Memoirs of a Geisha). St. Paul wrote: “Suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope (Romans 5:3-4).” Suffering is not the last thing in life. It leads us to something greater, as long as we are ready to accept its challenges. “A bend in the road is not the end of the road… unless you fail to make the turn.” (Fr. Bobby Jose). (http://frtonyshomilies.com/) Fr. Tony
23) Why do injustices prevail? Eugene Orowitz was a skinny, 100-pound sophomore at Collingswood High at Collingswood, N.J. One afternoon the gym coach held classes in the middle of the track field to show the kids how to throw a javelin. After instructions he let the kids try their hand at it. The longest throw was 30 yards. “You want to throw it too, Orowitz?” the coach asked Eugene. The other kids laughed at Eugene. Someone shouted “Careful! You’ll stab yourself!” Eugene pictured himself as a young warrior about to battle the enemy; he raised the javelin and threw it over 50 yards till it crashed into the empty bleachers, its tip broken. The coach ignoring his feat, looked at the broken head and said, “What the heck Orowitz, you broke the thing. It’s no good to the school any longer.” That summer Eugene began throwing the javelin in a vacant lot. By the end of the year he threw the javelin 211 feet, farther than any high schooler in the nation. He was given an athletic scholarship at the University of Southern California and he began dreaming of the Olympics. Then one day he didn’t warm up properly and tore the ligaments of his shoulder. That put an end to javelin throwing, his scholarship, and his dreams. Eugene dropped out of college and took a job in a warehouse. -The tragic story of Eugene Orowitz raises a vexing question which prophet Jeremiah asks in the first reading today. Why does God let misfortune wreck the lives of so many good people?
(Mark Link in Sunday Homilies; quoted by Fr. Botelho). (http://frtonyshomilies.com/) Fr. Tony
(Mark Link in Sunday Homilies; quoted by Fr. Botelho). (http://frtonyshomilies.com/) Fr. Tony
24) The film, The Devil’s Advocate: When a talented small-town Southern lawyer, Kevin Lomax, discovers his client is guilty, he goes to the restroom to compose himself. He returns to the courtroom, humiliates the prosecution’s young witness and emerges victorious. Soon after, he is offered an opportunity to join a prestigious firm in New York. His wife is uncertain about the move and his very religious mother is against it, but he joins, and strange things happen in New York. Kevin’s wife is lonely and hallucinates, Kevin’s confidence in his work begins to falter, he is attracted to a female lawyer and his relationship with his wife suffers. He gets a wealthy but guilty businessman acquitted of murder charges. Kevin’s wife claims that she has been assaulted by John Milton the company’s head. When Kevin confronts Milton, he discovers that Milton is the devil incarnate who offers Kevin the world and the opportunity to sire an Antichrist. Milton reveals that Kevin is actually his son, and Kevin put a gun to his head and pulls the trigger. Suddenly, Kevin is back in the restroom where he had gone to plan the next move for his guilty client. He decides to do the right and noble thing – to discontinue defending the client, knowing that he will be disbarred. But as he leaves the courtroom, a journalist asks Kevin for an interview that will make him a celebrity. The Devil’s Advocate deals explicitly with sin and the screenplay raises themes of God, the devil, salvation, damnation and freewill. The film is about choices people have to make to live an upright life with all its challenges, or to live an easy life that leads to doom. Jesus, in today’s Gospel, reminds us that we have to make a choice for him or for the Satan. The way of the devil is attractive and comfortable. The way of the Messiah is the way of the Cross, hard, challenging but in the end fulfilling. (Peter Malone in Lights Camera..Faith!; quoted by Fr. Botelho). (http://frtonyshomilies.com/) Fr. Tony
25) Cheap grace and costly grace: Cheap grace is the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance, Baptism without Church discipline, Communion without confession, absolution without personal confession. Cheap grace is grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, grace without Jesus Christ living and incarnate. Costly grace is the treasure hidden in the field; for the sake of it a man will gladly go and sell all that he has. It is the pearl of great price, to buy which the merchant will sell all his goods. It is the kingly rule of Christ, for whose sake a man will pluck out the eye which causes him to stumble; it is the call of Jesus Christ at which the disciple leaves his nets and follows him. Costly grace is the Gospel which must be sought again and again, the gift which must be asked for, the door at which a man must knock. Such grace is costly because it calls us to follow, and it is grace because it calls us to follow Jesus Christ. It is costly because it costs a man his life, and it is grace because it gives a man the only true life. It is costly because it condemns sin, and grace because it justifies the sinner. Above all, it is costly because it cost God the life of his Son: “you were bought at a price,” and what has cost God much cannot be cheap for us. Above all, it is grace because God did not reckon his Son too dear a price to pay for our life but delivered him up for us. Costly grace is the Incarnation of God. (Dietrich Bonhoeffer, The Cost of Discipleship).– Today’s Gospel challenges us to pray for the costly grace. (http://frtonyshomilies.com/) Fr. Tony
26) Pope St. John Paul II on suffering: In his apostolic letter entitled Salvifici Dolores, Pope St. John Paul II spoke about suffering. Here is a summary: 1. Suffering is evil. Evil is the absence of good, rooted in sin, which can bring about death. This absence of good can cause greater suffering, if the one who suffers thinks he/she does not deserve such suffering. 2. There are different kinds of suffering: physical, spiritual and psychological. There are also private sufferings like loneliness. And there are common sufferings like those caused by epidemic, calamity and famine. 3. Suffering comes from the world. It does not come from God. Yet the one who suffers usually turns to God to ask about the causes and objectives of suffering. 4. Suffering can be a punishment arising from the justice of God. It can also be a test, as it was with Job. And God can also permit suffering in order that it can serve as a seed for a greater good that will come because of it, holiness, or greatness.5. Our sufferings can also be joined with the sufferings of Christ for our salvation, or for that of others, not because Christ’s suffering are not enough, but because Christ has left his sufferings open to love so that the bitter sufferings of man mingled, with this love, may turn into a sweet spring which shall overflow into eternity. (http://frtonyshomilies.com/) Fr. Tony
26) “Take up your cross and follow me.” A certain lady who spent her time working for the Lord – visiting the sick and the bed-ridden, helping the elderly and the handicapped – was diagnosed of a knee-problem needing surgery. The surgery unfortunately, was not a success and so left her in constant pain and unable to walk. It seemed that the Lord had ignored the prayers of this woman and her friends for a successful surgery. This was a woman who considered herself a personal friend of Jesus. She was utterly disappointed, and her cheerful disposition turned into sadness and gloom. One day she pulled herself together and shared with her confessor what was going on in her soul. The confessor suggested that she go into prayer and ask her friend Jesus why he has treated her this way. And she did. The following day the priest met her and saw peace written all over her face in spite of her pain. “Do you know what he said to me?” she began, “As I was looking at the crucified Jesus and telling him about my bad knee, he said to me, ‘Mine is worse.’” (Fr. Lakra). (http://frtonyshomilies.com/) Fr. Tony
26) The intimate connection between carrying the cross and Christian discipleship: The following modern-day account gives insight into the intimate connection between carrying the cross and Christian discipleship (cf. “Help for the Neighborhood” in Poverello News, July 2014, p. 3-4). One of the most devastating events that anyone can experience is the death of a child. Some parents never recover from the shock and grief. For others time heals some of the pain, but there remains a deep sadness, that never quite goes away. Mayo and Karlene Ryan lived this parental nightmare. Their son, Timothy Ryan, lost his life in a tragic accident in 1986. Tim Ryan was a promising, delightful young man. He was a scholar and athlete, popular and respected at school and seemed to have endless potential, but less than one year after graduating from high school, Tim was gone, leaving behind shattered parents, family members and friends. Mayo, a longtime Poverello board member, and Karlene, a volunteer here for many years, were overcome with sorrow. Faith, friends, and the passage of time lessened some of the pain, but at some point, they decided that helping someone else might be a way of bringing some closure to the tragedy, and at the same time honor the memory of Tim. At the time of his death, Mayo and Karlene asked that remembrances be sent to the Poverello House in Tim’s name, and the Timothy Ryan Memorial Fund was started. The fund’s original purpose was to provide scholarships to men in the Poverello Resident Program. Over the years, the Timothy Ryan Memorial Fund has paid tuition to college and other vocational schools, provided specialized equipment, books and uniforms, and in general supported graduates of Poverello’s rehabilitation program in their training for a better life. There had been fewer candidates for the scholarship in the past couple of years, so Mayo and Karlene decided to turn their attention to the neighborhood surrounding Poverello, one of the poorest areas in the city. Thanks to the Ryan Fund and Mayo and Karlene’s personal contributions, children from King, Lincoln, Kirk, and Columbia Elementary Schools, 1,813 students in all, will begin their 2014-2015 school year with new backpacks, filled with items needed for school. (Lectio Divina). (http://frtonyshomilies.com/) Fr. Tony
27) Why not accept the irresistible force of God’s call as prophet Jeremiah did? The following article by Paul Thigpen illustrates the prophetic ministry of Pope St. Paul VI (canonized October 19, 2018) and shows us how the Christians of today are called to witness to God’s truth about the sanctity of life and “not to conform themselves to this age” (Rom 12:2a) (cf. “Paul VI, Pope and Prophet” in The Catholic Answer, July-August 2006, p. 4).
I read an article yesterday in the Washington Post by a woman planning to have a third child. She noted, with some perplexity, a certain reaction she has encountered to her pregnancy. Some people complain – in all seriousness – that she and others like her are just “showing off”, ostentatiously advertising their financial security. Only well-off families, they insist, can afford three children. Well, just tell that to my parents. Mom and Dad barely eked out a living in our little family-owned business, a meat market where we kids grew up working alongside them to bring home the bacon. All five kids, that is. My folks would have been mystified by the notion that we five little ones were somehow a luxury they were presumptuous to take on. I was the third child, and I certainly never felt like a luxury.
Yet I don’t think Pope St. Paul VI, who became pontiff the year my baby sister was born (1963), would have been mystified at all by this disturbing attitude. Why not? Because he described the context for its development in his encyclical letter HUMANAE VITAE, whose 57th anniversary the Church commemorates on July 25. In this profound but controversial document on the transmission of human life, the Pope laid out the reasons why artificial contraception is gravely immoral. In it, he noted that the desire to contracept is only one of many modern attempts to extend our control over every aspect of life, including those aspects that represent a mystery not of our own making, much less of our own understanding. In short, it’s an endeavor to play God, and a dangerous one indeed. When much of a society comes to believe – as ours has – that the miracle of life’s transmission is simply one more mechanical function to manipulate at will, then the “product of conception”, as they are now termed (we once called them “children”) are viewed as nothing more than a commodity. So we feel to abort them. We buy and sell them. We use them as lab rats. We figure their costs to see whether we can work them into our financial plan – just one more budget item to be added or subtracted, according to how many other luxury items we might rank ahead of them. Pope St. Paul VI courageously declared that children are gifts from God to be gratefully received, not assets to be calculated or liabilities disposed of. Fifty-seven years later, we must acknowledge his prophetic insight – and mourn a world that has largely rejected his warning. (LectioDivina). (http://frtonyshomilies.com/) Fr. Tony
