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Daily Scripture

+ 7th Week of Easter

“Parting is such sweet sorrow.”

Readings: Acts 20:17-27 Psalm 68:10-11, 20-21 John 17:1-11

I am in the world no longer, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. [John 17:11]

Shakespeare ‘penned’ the phrase quoted above. I didn’t understand it as a student of Shakespeare in high school but I began to understand it when I waved goodbye to my family as I sailed off to Italy on September 21, 1963 for a three-year stretch in Rome. In fact, it has multiple meanings and applications that I appreciate now more than ever before.

There is another phrase that perhaps gives credence to my thoughts so poorly expressed and it’s this: “Absence makes the heart grow fonder.” Ah, that’s it. At times we need to separate from ‘the source’ in order to appreciate how important it is to stay connected.

The farewell speech of St. Paul in Acts and the farewell ‘prayer’ of Jesus in John’s gospel were more likely composed by the authors of these texts along the lines of the farewell speeches of great leaders of their times in order to attract the attention of Jesus’ followers.

The departure of Jesus and later that of Paul created ‘fallow’ time in the hearts of the neophyte believers that was absolutely necessary if they were to grasp the significance of Jesus’ message and the teachings of St. Paul.

We are once again in ‘fallow’ time as we prepare for Pentecost. It’s a time of discernment during which we are invited to ponder the words and deeds of Jesus so that in his absence, we may come to know his presence in the Spirit that remains within us and around us.

As we ponder, it is important to reflect on the gifts of the Holy Spirit: wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety and reverence of the Lord. And the fruits of the Holy Spirit are qualities that are characteristic of a community living in Christ: charity, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, generosity, gentleness, faithfulness, modesty self-control and chastity.

There is much to ponder as we wait for the coming of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost.

Daily Scripture

Thursday December 16, 2004

+ 3rd Week in Advent

Readings: Isaiah 54:1-10 Luke 7:24-30

They just didn’t get it; neither do we!

“What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed swaying in the breeze? No? Then what did you go out to see? A man dressed in fine clothes?” [Luke 7:24-25]

It has been said, “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.” I think there is more than an ounce of truth in that statement and so it’s probably just as ‘true’ to state that “truth is also in the mind of the listener.” I’m not sure about that. The first statement is a “truism,” i.e., an over statement of the truth.

What some artists view as beautiful, I may view ugly. Which is true?

On the other hand although surely there is more than a bit of subjectivity to my truth-some call it bias or prejudice-surely there is an objectivity to which we are bound in the pursuit of truth.

It has astounded me over time what listeners have heard me say in a homily. They have frequently heard correctly but as frequently they have not heard what I said but what they wanted to hear. I know because I preach from a text. Sometimes what they heard is much more articulate than what I said and indeed, more insightful. However, sometimes they have gotten it all wrong and skewed the meaning of my message in another direction entirely.

In the dialogue between the “disciples” of John the Baptist and Jesus, he challenged their expectations about the message of John. They certainly didn’t go out to see a reed blowing in the wind, which were as common a sight by the Jordan as butterflies in a meadow. They must have had some reason to go to the desert.

In our search for truth, we need to beware of our subjective biases that may skew the truth of what we hear or what we read. Politicians are great at skewing the truth and so are some Church folks, conservative and liberal.

We know our biases and prejudices. Blessed will we be when we put them aside in the pursuit of the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.