Friday, May 22, 2015

Friday of the Seventh Week in Ordinary Time

(Acts 25:13b-21; John 21:15-19)

Jerome Murphy-O’Connor died last year.  For a while at least he probably knew as much as any Catholic scholar about the apostle Paul.  One of Murphy-O’Connor’s books is entitled Jesus and Paul: Parallel Lives.  According to the author the two had much more in common than one being the prodigious proclaimer of the other.  We can find one of the parallels among the two men in today’s first reading.

In Luke’s gospel Jesus’ case presented a singular problem for Pontius Pilate.  The Roman procurator felt Jesus’ innocence but had to contend with the angry Jewish leaders.  When he heard that the Jewish king Herod Antipas was in Jerusalem, he referred the matter to him.  Herod recognized Jesus’ innocence and sent him back to Pilate who betrayed his conscience by sentencing him to death.  The Roman procurator a generation later is a man named Porcius Festus.  He has to deal with Paul who was brought to him much like Jesus to Pilate.  Because Festus is undecided about Paul’s innocence, he invites the Jewish king Herod Agrippa II to hear his story.  Like his ancestor determined of Jesus, Herod Agrippa finds Paul innocent.  Festus, however, finds a way to avoid giving making a final judgment.  Since Paul as a Roman citizen asked to be tried by the emperor, Festus sends him to Rome for judgment.

We too can live parallel lives to Jesus’.  He lived as a simple person like most of us.  When we are patient in suffering, always loving and serving others, and intent on our relationship with God, we become like Jesus.

Homilette for Wednesday, May 16, 2007

Wednesday, VI Week

(Acts 17)

Jerome Murphy-O’Connor may be the greatest living Dominican Scripture scholar. He is also one of the world’s experts on Paul, the Apostle. A few years ago he published a book which he called Paul: His Story. The work tries to fill in the gaps about the life of Paul from what is suggested in the letters of Paul, from the Acts of the Apostles, and from what is known about the geography and history of Paul’s time. Fr. Murphy-O’Connor distinguishes his “story” from historical fiction because he does not try to put words into Paul’s mouth. Rather, he surmises what Paul must have felt and thought when, for example, he had the vision – recorded in Acts -- of first being invited to preach in Europe by the Macedonian.

We might pursue Murphy-O’Connor’s method in considering the reading from Acts today. Some of us have had the fortune of visiting Athens and seeing the Parthenon. All of us have seen pictures of the majestic buildings that represent beauty and wisdom. Of course, Paul is speaking at the Aereopagus, but that place – wherever it is -- likely inspires the same sense of high culture. We can see Paul clearing his throat preparing to use all his rhetorical power and logic to move his sophisticated audience. And the result is catastrophic! Not only do the people not respond favorably; they laugh at Paul. They dismiss him saying in effect, “That’s interesting, but tell us about it at another time.”

But Paul seems to have made one convert -- himself. He will never preach so pretentiously again. When he preaches to the Corinthians, according to his first letter to them, he doesn’t use any sophisticated language. No, he only presents to them Christ crucified which is enough, however, to convince them. Is it enough for us? Can we accept the crucified as our Lord and God? Perhaps it sounds only romantic to do so. But let’s try to be real about the consequences of accepting the crucified Lord. It means standing ready to suffer injury for his sake so that we might experience the glory of his resurrection. Is it enough for us?

Homilette for Wednesday, May 16, 2007

Wednesday, VI Week

(Acts 17)

Jerome Murphy-O’Connor may be the greatest living Dominican Scripture scholar. He is also one of the world’s experts on Paul, the Apostle. A few years ago he published a book which he called Paul: His Story. The work tries to fill in the gaps about the life of Paul from what is suggested in the letters of Paul, from the Acts of the Apostles, and from what is known about the geography and history of Paul’s time. Fr. Murphy-O’Connor distinguishes his “story” from historical fiction because he does not try to put words into Paul’s mouth. Rather, he surmises what Paul must have felt and thought when, for example, he had the vision – recorded in Acts -- of first being invited to preach in Europe by the Macedonian.

We might pursue Murphy-O’Connor’s method in considering the reading from Acts today. Some of us have had the fortune of visiting Athens and seeing the Parthenon. All of us have seen pictures of the majestic buildings that represent beauty and wisdom. Of course, Paul is speaking at the Aereopagus, but that structure – what it was -- likely inspired the same sense of high culture. We can see Paul clearing his throat preparing to use all his rhetorical power and logic to move his sophisticated audience. And the result is catastrophic! Not only do the people not respond favorably; they laugh at Paul. They dismiss him saying in effect, “That’s interesting, but tell us about it at another time.”

But Paul seems to have been converted by the experience. When he preaches to the Corinthians, according to his first letter to them, he doesn’t use any sophisticated language. No, he only presents to them Christ crucified which is enough, however, to convince them. Is it enough for us? Can we accept the crucified as our Lord and God? Perhaps it sounds only romantic to do so. But let’s try to be real about the consequences of accepting the crucified Lord. It means standing ready to suffer injury for his sake so that we might experience the glory of his resurrection. Is it enough for us?