Friday, February 9, 2024

 Friday of the Fifth Week in Ordinary Time

 (I Kings 11:4-13; Mark 7:31-37)

The film Babel, an Academy Award nominee a number of years ago, showed how the world is interconnected.  A Japanese schoolgirl is deaf and mute like the man brought to Jesus in the gospel today.  She is also desperately lonely.  Her father, who is depressed over the loss of his wife, had been hunting in Morocco where he left his gun with a guide.  The guide sells the gun to a herder who presents it prematurely to his son.  The son is goaded into shooting at a tour bus and seriously injures a Southern Californian woman traveling with her husband.  The couple left their children with their Mexican housekeeper whose reckless nephew takes them across the border, then jeopardizes everyone’s life by trying to evade the Border patrol upon returning.  The story leaves the viewer identifying with all of these characters in the global human quest for love.

In today’s gospel Jesus takes compassion on the deaf-mute whom he heals.  Most people today have a similar trouble in hearing– not so much with their ears but with their hearts.  They cannot hear what God is telling them through the Scriptures.  They also falter in speech by forgetting to thank God for the blessings they have received. 

In a world where convenience and pleasure have overtaken discipline and dedication as human goals, we do well to allow Jesus to open our ears and to coordinate our tongues.  We want to assimilate the Word of God so that we might proclaim it to the world. This message is similar to that of Babel – people need to listen carefully to one another and to respond compassionately.

 

Friday, February 17, 2023

 Friday of the Sixth Week in Ordinary Time

(Genesis 11:1-9; Mark 8:34-9:1)

Not only athletes but quite regular men and women look to artificial sources for self-enhancement.  After all, if steroids could turn a good hitter into a superstar, might they not make an average body into the desire or envy of everyone?  The reading from Genesis today teaches us that the use of technology to boost oneself is really almost as old as the human species itself.

The inhabitants of Babel live not long after Noah.  God told Noah and his sons to “multiply and fill the earth.”  Yet some of his descendants defy the order by coming together to build a city!  By their own admission their purpose is egotistical.  They want “to make a name for themselves” by means of technology -- molding bricks and hardening them with fire.  They seem to think that they might rival God by constructing a tower so high that it reaches heaven.  The idea is ludicrous.  God has to go down to stop the folly before the people destroy themselves. 

What Genesis is critiquing is not the desire of humans to improve themselves but the hubris or pride that drives them to win the adulation of others.  People want to become idols – to be considered gods among their peers.  God is not jealous.  He knows quite well that whatever humans make of and by themselves, they will never be even cockroaches in comparison to Him.  But God wants His noblest creatures to do better than that.  He confuses their languages and resends them throughout the world to open their eyes as it were.  God wants them and us to acknowledge the richness of different cultures so that we might turn back to him in awe and gratitude.

Friday, February 18, 2011

Friday of the Sixth Week in Ordinary Time

(Genesis 11:1-9; Mark 8:34-9:1)

Not only athletes but quite regular men and women look to artificial sources for self-enhancement. After all, if steroids could turn an average hitter into superstar, might they not make any body everyone’s desire or envy by adding proportion? The reading from Genesis today teaches us that the use of technology to boost oneself is really almost as old as the human species itself.

The inhabitants of Babel live not long after Noah who was the first born human after the death of Adam. God told Noah and his sons to “multiply and fill the earth.” Yet some of his descendants come together to build the city of Babel! By their own admission their purpose is egotistical. They want “to make a name for themselves” by means of technology -- molding bricks and hardening them with fire. They seem to think that they might rival God by constructing a tower so high that it reaches heaven. The idea is ludicrous, of course. God has to go down to stop the folly before the people destroy themselves.

What Genesis is critiquing is not the desire of humans to improve themselves but the hubris or pride that drives them to win the adulation of others. People want to become idols – to be considered gods among their peers. God is not jealous. He knows quite well that whatever humans make of and by themselves, they will never be even cockroaches in comparison to Him. But God wants His noblest creatures to do better than that. He confuses their languages and resends them throughout the world to open their eyes as it were. God wants us to respect and admire the richness of different individuals and cultures so that we might turn back to him in awe and gratitude.

Friday, February 12, 2010

Friday of the Fifth Week in Ordinary Time

(I Kings 11:4-13; Mark 7:31-37)

The film Babel, an Academy Award nominee a few years ago, showed how the world is interconnected. A Japanese schoolgirl is deaf and mute like the man brought to Jesus in the gospel today. She is also desperately lonely. Her father, who is depressed over the loss of his wife, had been hunting in Morocco where he left his gun with a guide. The guide sells the gun to a herder who presents it prematurely to his son. The son is goaded into shooting at a tour bus and seriously injures a Southern Californian woman traveling with her husband. The couple left their children with their Mexican housekeeper whose reckless nephew takes them across the border, then jeopardizes everyone’s life by trying to evade the Border patrol upon returning. The story leaves the viewer identifying with all of these characters in the global human quest for love.

We should similarly identify with that deaf-mute whom Jesus heals. We too have trouble hearing– not so much with our ears but with our hearts. We too falter in our speech by forgetting to give the testimony of faith to those in need of assurance. In a world where sensual gratification has become not only the lowest common denominator but also the highest recognizable goal, we do well to allow Jesus to open our ears and to straighten our tongues so that we might proclaim what is truly a truer fulfilling. This is the message of Babel – people need to listen carefully to one another and to respond compassionately.

Homilette for Monday, November 16, 2009

Monday of the Thirty-third Week in Ordinary Time

(I Maccabees 1:10-15.41-43.54-57.62-63; Luke 18:35-43)

Many see God’s scrambling the speech of the builders of the Tower of Babel as a punishment. Perhaps they are right, but it was also as an act of mercy. The men who constructed such an edifice in the vane hope of forcing a meeting with God could only have killed themselves if they continued. It was better that God garbled their speech so that they could no longer work together.

But humans can be slow learners. In the first reading today from Maccabees the Greek king Antiochus Epiphanes wants all people in his kingdom, which includes Palestine, to assimilate Greek customs. Their children are to attend Greek schools, speak the Greek language, and adopt Greek culture. Any faithful Jew is abhorred by this prospect because he or she recognizes that God has called the Jewish people to stand apart. They are to shine as a beacon of righteousness for the world to emulate. God, we might say, revels in a multiplicity of cultures.

The Church today recognizes the imperative of preserving many cultures. Although she seeks world unity in everyone recognizing Jesus as Lord, she nevertheless promotes cultural differences. She sees the various artistic expressions, racial features, and even languages as if it were a symphony of instruments coming together to praise the Creator.

Homilette for Friday, February 20, 2009

Friday of the Sixth Week in Ordinary Time

(Genesis 11:1-9; Mark 8:34-9:1)

Not only athletes but quite regular men and women look to artificial sources for self-enhancement. After all, if steroids could turn an average hitter into superstar, might they not make any body everyone’s desire or envy by adding proportion? The reading from Genesis today teaches us that the use of technology to boost oneself is really almost as old as the human species itself.

The inhabitants of Babel live not long after Noah who was the first born human after the death of Adam. God told Noah and his sons to “multiply and fill the earth.” Yet some of his descendants come together to build the city of Babel! By their own admission their purpose is egotistical. They want “to make a name for themselves” by means of technology -- molding bricks and hardening them with fire. They seem to think that they might rival God by constructing a tower so high that it reaches heaven. The idea is ludicrous, of course. God has to go down to stop the folly before the people destroy themselves.

What Genesis is critiquing is not the desire of humans to improve themselves but the hubris or pride that drives them to attempt bypassing God in their efforts to win the adulation of others. People want to become idols – to be considered gods among their peers. God is not jealous. He knows quite well that whatever humans make of and by themselves, they will never be more than blind cockroaches in comparison to Him. But God wants His noblest creatures to do better than that. He confuses their languages and resends them throughout the world to open their eyes as it were. God wants us to respect and admire the richness of different individuals and cultures so that we might turn back to him in awe and gratitude.