Yes, We Have No Bananas

The Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Today's Word:
1 Kings 19:4-8 (The prophet Elijah eats of the food given by God while traveling to Mount Horeb)
Psalm 34:2-9 (Taste and see the goodness of the Lord)
Ephesians 4:30-5:2 (Do not grieve the Holy Spirit, with whose gifts you have been sealed)
John 6:41-51 (The Bread of Life Discourse: 'The bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world')

And: James 2:1-26 (Faith vs. Works)
Isaiah 40:28-31 (They who hope in the Lord will renew their strength, and soar like eagles)
Romans 7:14-20 (Paul of Tarsus: 'What I do, I do not understand; for I do not do what I want, but I do what I hate')

Where do I begin  - especially when I want to keep this reasonably short?

Jesus is moving on to the greater subject at hand. Not only is there nourishment for the soul, but he's the one providing it. And as may be expected, some just can't believe this. Jesus does not appear as one who would command authority, like the king they've believed the long-awaited Messiah to be. They cannot see beyond the hard reality before them. We'll come back to this.

Today's message in the letter of the Apostle James can best be summed up in this catchy little ditty:
It's about as useless as a screen door on a submarine
Faith without works baby
It just ain't happenin'
One is your left hand one is your right
It'll take two strong arms to hold on tight
Some folks cut off their nose just to spite their face
I think you need some works to show for your alleged faith

Well there's a difference you know
'tween having faith and playing make believe
One will make you grow the other one just make you sleep
Talk about it
But I really think you oughtta take a leap off of the ship
Before you claim to walk on water
Faith without works is like a song you can't sing
It's about as useless as a screen door on a submarine

Faith comes from God and every word that He breathes
He lets you take it to your heart so you can give it hands and feet
It's gotta be active if it's gonna be alive
You gotta put it into practice
Otherwise

It's about as useless as a screen door on a submarine
Faith without works baby it just ain't happenin'
One is your right hand one is your left
It's your light your guide your life and your breath
Faith without works is like a song you can't sing
It's about as useless as a screen door on a submarine

--Screen Door (1996)
Rich Mullins

Okay, now on to today's Signs for Our Times:



Actually, this is an understatement. You probably won't see this sign (or it's graphic counterpart) unless you're on a slope with an incline of 6% or more for a distance of at least half a mile. By then, you're in at least the foothills of mountains (if not in the mountains themselves) or in great river valleys.

What's interesting about this is that when driving in these surroundings, you have to pay more attention to things up close. When going uphill, you may not have enough momentum to reach the top, requiring you to shift into a lower gear to provide more pulling power to the engine. When going downhill, you have to watch that you don't pick up too much momentum, in order to keep the vehicle under control and preserve braking power. Again, shifting to a lower gear is sometimes in order.

But seeing the mountain or drop-off ahead takes focus away from the overall view of the roadway.  Because you have to slow down in these areas, you can get a bit disoriented and think you've come out of the area when in reality you're somewhere deep in the middle of it. You have no idea where the crest of that hill is, or if you've reached the bottom of the mountainside. The driver has to make a judgment call; and once committed may not be able to correct himself if that call turns out to be in error.

Sometimes, a lifeline is thrown out in the form of:

But they're not always used, and even when used may not be effective in preventing damage or loss of life.

Believe it or not, there's a great connection here. Jesus' contemporaries can't seem to accept how God has provided for them, even as he explains himself. The sheer controversy behind this is what ultimately sends Jesus to Calvary, where he gives his flesh "for the life of the world."

Even the most devout of followers can be blinded by the immediacy of what's before them, watching gauges, looking for twists and turns, trying to figure out if they've finally come through safely.

Judas, one of Jesus' inner circle, was one such person. All this just didn't add up to him, so he turned Jesus over to the authorities. When he realized that their intent wasn't simply to reprimand but kill Jesus, he tried to recant. But as they had what they wanted and weren't about to give up their trophy, in utter despair Judas took his own life. Jesus could have forgiven him, but he was so blinded by the guilt of his action.

In our own time, people will come into times so difficult that they cannot see past it, even in prayer. God is forever patient; but we aren't. Push will ultimately come to shove. The descent down the mountainside is such that either the runaway ramp is missed or can't be accessed, if it's even there. It reminds me of another song that has a wry bit of humor in it - please pardon it under the circumstances...

It was just after dark when the truck started down
the hill that leads into Scranton, Pennsylvania
Carrying thirty thousand pounds of bananas
Carrying thirty thousand pounds of bananas.

He was a young driver,
just out on his second job.
And he was carrying the next day's pasty fruits
for everyone in that coal-scarred city
where children play without despair
in backyard slag-piles and folks manage to eat each day
about thirty thousand pounds of bananas.
Yes, just about thirty thousand pounds of bananas

He passed a sign that he should have seen,
saying "shift to low gear, a fifty dollar fine my friend."
He was thinking perhaps about the warm-breathed woman
who was waiting at the journey's end.
He started down the two mile drop,
the curving road that wound from the top of the hill.
He was pushing on through the shortening miles that ran down to the depot.
Just a few more miles to go,
then he'd go home and have her ease his long, cramped day away.
and the smell of thirty thousand pounds of bananas.
Yes the smell of thirty thousand pounds of bananas.

(The song builds up in intensity and excitement)
He was picking speed as the city spread its twinkling lights below him.
But he paid no heed as the shivering thoughts of the night's
delights went through him.
His foot nudged the brakes to slow him down.
But the pedal floored easy without a sound.
He said "Christ!"
It was funny how he had named the only man who could save him now.
He was trapped inside a dead-end hellslide,
riding on his fear-hunched back
was every one of those yellow green
I'm telling you thirty thousand pounds of bananas.
Yes, there were thirty thousand pounds of bananas.

He barely made the sweeping curve that led into the steepest grade.
And he missed the thankful passing bus at ninety miles an hour.
And he said "God, make it a dream!"
as he rode his last ride down.
And he said "God, make it a dream!"
as he rode his last ride down.
And he sideswiped nineteen neat parked cars,
clipped off thirteen telephone poles,
hit two houses, bruised eight trees,
and Blue-Crossed seven people.
it was then he lost his head,
not to mention an arm or two before he stopped.
And he smeared for four hundred yards
along the hill that leads into Scranton, Pennsylvania.
All those thirty thousand pounds of bananas

--from 30,000 Pounds of Bananas (1976)
Harry Chapin

Catch It And You Keep It

The Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Today's Word (RC):
Exodus 16:2-15 (Manna "fell from the sky" to feed the wandering Israelites)
Psalm 78:3-4, 23-25, 54 (The Lord gave them bread from heaven)
Ephesians 4:17-24 (Be renewed in the spirit of your minds)
John 6:24-35 (The Bread of Life Discourse: "Do not work for food that perishes but for the food that endures for eternal life")

And (UMC): James 1:12, 16-19 (What A Christian Has/Does, qpka. 'What A Fool Believes')
('Fool' in this context is taken as the rejection of ways of the world to follow Christ!)

And today's Sign for Our Times:

Falling Rock

The puns and wordplay are all intended.

For once, I'm going to follow the advice of St. Francis of Assisi, who once taught his brothers in the Friars Minor to "preach the Gospel...and when necessary, use words."

I ask you quite humbly to figure this one out. A couple of well placed symbols and pictures speak a multitude of words.

If you catch it, you'll want to keep it.

Not Goodbye, But Welcome Home, Earl

It's been an unusual week in an unusual summer.

This summer in Chicago is one of the coolest I can remember. I don't recall one day when the temperature reached 90 or higher here (it managed 88 early in June).

I have been reminded in many ways of things to which I should focus. Because it's slow at work, I have even more time to ponder. I haven't slept all that well in weeks, though I'm not suffering aches or pains to any great extent. There's just a lot to have to consider, and no clear way to move in many ways. This is not a feeling of a lack of fulfillment; but more a feeling that I haven't quite expressed adequately how thankful I am for what I have and the people in my life.

And that was before I found out Friday afternoon that Earl died...which brings me to the Sign for Our Times:

 

Earl was a virtual "jack of all trades" at Cornerstone. I've known him nearly as long as I've known Mike. He sang in the old choir, and moved to the modern praise teams (even though I sense he didn't like some of the contemporary songs). He was a lay leader (the Methodist equivalent of an elder) and wore any number of hats; trying to list them all would be a disservice to him as I'm sure I would miss something. Earl was a tax accountant in his 'day job'. That meant putting in long hours from January through April - yet he would still manage to do any number of things at the church, including helping maintain the schedule of supporting ministers (musicians, ushers, and so forth). His wife directs the Sunday School program, and his daughter is part of the music ministry, following in her dad's footsteps.

I knew Earl had developed diabetes and had some health issues, but he seemed to take it in stride.

There's probably a host of things I don't know - at least not yet. But Earl found his "Dead End" sign last Friday, and it's my sincere belief that the next sign he sees might look something like the one I've included above. Life is not intended to end; but it is changed forever.

I know Earl is not Catholic, but I don't think he or anyone else will mind if I offer a traditional acclamation:
Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord; and let perpetual light shine upon him. May he, through the love and mercy of God, rest in peace.

And for the rest of us:

Precious Lord, take my hand,
Lead me on, let me stand,
I am tired, I am weak, I am worn;
Through the storm, through the night,
Lead me on to the light:
Take my hand, precious Lord,
Lead me home.

When my way grows drear,
Precious Lord, linger near,
When my life is almost gone,
Hear my cry, hear my call,
Hold my hand lest I fall:
Take my hand, precious Lord,
Lead me home.


When the darkness appears
And the night draws near,
And the day is past and gone,
At the river I stand,
Guide my feet, hold my hand:
Take my hand, precious Lord,
Lead me home.

--Precious Lord, Take My Hand (1932)
Thomas A. Dorsey
(Note: This is part of the standard repertoire I sing at many Catholic funerals.)

Hope Is Alive...

...so vast, it's overwhelming - and yet, so elusive at times, it's a bit scary...

The Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Today's Word:
2 Kings 4:42-44 (Elisha's receipt of the first fruits of harvest are shared with the people; there was some left, as God willed)
Psalm 145:10-18 (The hand of the Lord feeds us; he answers all our needs)
Ephesians 4:1-6 (Paul calls for unity of the spirit through the bond of peace)
John 6:1-15 (The Bread of Life Discourse, Prologue: Jesus feeds the multitudes on five barley loaves and two fish)

and: (UMC) Romans 5:1-11 (In justification through Christ we are given hope, which does not disappoint because the love of God is poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit)

Sign for Our Times:

Bang Your Head!
 

Thankfully, you won't find this one along the road. Today I have to be thankful for the creative person who had enough time on his or her hands to come up with this!

The lesson I have brought home from the weekend's 'worship experiences' (a term I have to consider carefully, as it could easily be taken improperly) is...is that I'm very human.

I also admit I was wondering where I would go with this, considering I'd already dealt with the Bread of Life Discourse right after Easter. After I'd finally said "Done!" to the daily musings I'd posted during Lent and Eastertide, I realized that this is something that I wanted to continue doing, as it was a way to sort out mundane life and find the better moments in them.

Theologically, I'm sure most readers will have read or heard it all before - Jesus feeds thousands on five loaves of bread and two fish. This leads to the lengthy discourse that it is not merely physical hunger that Jesus is satisfying. But it is in the way that this miracle is described by John that strikes me as important today.

It's clear that the disciples lack the resources to feed such a large group. When asked, Philip says that even two hundred days' wages - 7-1/2 months of labor - would not be enough to feed everyone more than bread crumbs. It's also clear that these men - all considered adults (with the possible exception of John), couldn't seem to think outside the box. When a boy offers the five loaves and two fish, Andrew comments what is plainly evident - that this isn't going to be enough.

It's the boy's humble offering, though, that makes all the difference in the world. Through this act of selfless charity and innocence, all are fed to the full, with a dozen baskets of excess to boot. It is not what is given, but what is behind the act of giving that makes all the difference.

There's a lot to learn from this, stuff that I as yet still see just moments too late.

As I made my way home with my son this morning, I discovered that one of the tires on my car needed air. I stopped to take care of this, having my trusted gauge - an inexpensive item no motorist should be without, as many air stations don't have the built-in gauges. As I was attending to my low tire, another motorist pulled into the station. He asked me if the unit had a built-in gauge, and I answered that unfortunately it didn't. About thirty seconds later it came to me that it wouldn't take that much time to offer the man the use of my gauge and simply wait while he attended to his car. By that time, though, he had left.

And that's just a small thing. Place on top of that so-called 'conventional wisdom' when it comes to dealing with anything out of the 'ordinary': caring for an aging parent who can't take care of him/herself the way s/he once did; struggling with raising a child with autism or any life-changing condition; even struggling to make healthy choices regarding diet and physical activity. These challenges in life are answered with hope through the Bread of Life.

The constant reminders of what is wrong in our world numb us to the point where we begin to give up hope. Yet hope is indeed alive. Hope will rarely let adversity take the upper hand. Hope opens the door for inspiration, for thinking outside the box, to make possible that which seems utterly impossible.

My dear wife practices Reiki - in a simplified nutshell, she is a spiritual healer. Today she confided in me that she is compelled to reach out to people in deep need, even when she knows well enough that their track record most likely got them to this low place. She said it makes her crazy doing so (her words), but the compulsion is too great to walk away. She 'gets it', though, where many others do not. She doesn't go to lengths to explain it; she just does it. The explanations can come later for the interested.

That's what Jesus would do - and what the next four Sundays will address - the explanation of how he makes possible what would otherwise be a dream, left to die without hope of fulfillment.

The Hills Are Alive With The Sound Of Sheep

The Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Today's Word:
Jeremiah 23:1-6 (RC - "Woe to the shepherds who have misled and scattered the flock of God's pasture...I will raise up a righteous shoot to David")
2 Samuel 7:1-14 (UMC - "Should you build me a house to dwell in?")
Psalm 23 (RC - The Lord is my shepherd)
Psalm 89:20-37 (UMC - He shall cry to me, 'You are my God, who brings me victory')
Ephesians 2:13-18 (RC; 2:11-22 UMC - Christ is peace and hope to all)
Mark 6:30-34 (RC; +6:53-56 UMC - Jesus had pity on the people assembled, for they were as sheep without a shepherd)

Sign for Our Times:

Motorists traveling through parts of Arizona may encounter this "Sheep Crossing" sign.

Sheep raising is more prevalent in the western US than in other parts of the country. It's even bigger in other parts of the world - New Zealand, Australia, and Ireland come to mind as places where sheep might outnumber the human population in places.

That said, it is often hard for us suburban and city folks to identify with all these shepherding references in the Bible. Even though we're savvy enough to understand that this was a steady profession at the time of Jesus, we can't easily wrap our brains around the concept.

Today I heard those references put in a context that I most readily understand - music.

It's really quite simple - God is the Composer; Jesus, the Conductor; and we are the musicians; members of the band, as it were. If the band's supposed to be playing a ballad and the guitar starts 'rocking out' (or the piano player gets rather funky), Jesus is going to leave the band on stage and go after that wayward musician. And if the singers don't harmonize well? The sound produced is not very good. But when there's good harmony? Oh, what beautiful music we can make! (Thanks, Father Dennis!)

Do we listen to each other? Do we listen to God? Do we have an ear trained to understand that some of us are meant to be drummers, and others more suited to the clarinet, the glockenspiel, or the French horn? Or, as Isaiah writes, Are we like sheep gone astray; every one to his or her own way?

It's the director's (or conductor's) mission in music to interpret what the composer has written and assure that Beethoven's Pastoral Symphony indeed sounds pastoral. Yes, music is a subjective area - and many a contemporary artist has tried 'updating' a classic piece of music, putting a different spin on the original composition. Those who are successful at this do so without removing the feel and overall ambience of the original. In another context, while improving the wheel it's not reinvented.

At this point in the cycle of readings, the stage is being set for one of the greatest of Jesus' presentations of God's eternal concert. He will speak to the assembly at some length; and then, being as considerate as he is, will feed the large crowd - not just with words, and not just with food; but with his very essence. Beginning next week and for the next five weeks, we will once again consider Jesus as the Bread of Life and the Cup of Hope, Promise, and Salvation.

Prayer: God, you created us with such great potential - and yet, many times, we act much like sheep in the pasture. Help us to see Your will, your plan, your composition for life and the part we play in it. And may the music we raise truly be a worthy song in praise of Your glory, power, wisdom, and love. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

When The Going Gets Rough...

The Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Today's Word:
Amos 7:12-15 (Amos, a shepherd and 'dresser of sycamores' is chosen to serve God as a prophet)
Psalm 85:9-14 (Justice shall walk before God, and prepare the way of His steps)
Ephesians 1:3-14 (In Christ God has given us every spiritual blessing)
Mark 6:7-13 (Jesus sends out the Twelve to preach: "Whatever place does not welcome you...leave there and shake the dust off your feet in testimony against them")

Sign for Our Times:

Between the long winter, the wet spring, the uncertain summer thus far, and the lack of resources, it doesn't take much to feel that just about every road has become rough.

Life's road can be pretty rough at times, too.

There are times, it seems, that the road that leads to Heaven isn't even paved; let alone the condition of the pavement where it is in need of work.

On Saturday I came to another level of understanding that the road ahead for several people I know and love is going to be even rougher than they've experienced up to now. And by the very fact that I know this adds the probability of several rough places I will have to make my way through carefully.

The "Rough Road" sign warns of two things. First, it tells the traveler that he/she must use extra care and safe practices to traverse this stretch safely. Second, it's a warning to "use at your own risk." If a safer route is available, it might be in your best interest to alter your route.

Sometimes, though, there is no choice. You might have to get to somebody who lives on that sorry stretch of road - or you might live along it yourself. And you really think it's about time that the appropriate jurisdictional authority would get over here and fix the road, making it safer for travel once more; but it just doesn't want to work out that way. If you were one of those types who knew the roads "like the back of his hand" you'd pray that they'd just close the road altogether; but as long as somebody lives there, the road - with its many bumps, dips, and potholes - has to remain open, regardless of how desolate it looks or how impossible it seems to have to use it.

If you're a person who's never experienced a rough spot in your life, you are indeed blessed and hopefully thankful. But I'd venture a guess that the vast majority of adults have traveled at least one rough road in life's journey, and usually more. Some have never known the joys of a smooth ride through any part of life. And no matter how optimistic an outlook you have on life, our best guess is that the location of our golden years is far from the idyllic utopia we mapped out in the dreams of younger days.

Whether we're an unlikely prophet like Amos, or pressed into service such as the Apostles, or just trying to make it through another day, we're all on a journey. Yesterday's events for me were a reminder that the journey gets a little rougher along the way. It's a blessing to know that this journey is not one you travel alone. A firm sense of faith, a hefty helping of hope, and lots of love go a long way to smooth out the rough spots. Please pray with me today for those people in your life who are going down a rougher road. Most likely they did not choose that route deliberately. Please also pray for the people whose rough lives and situations are known only to God who, as the prophet Isaiah writes, can exalt every valley, level the mountains and hills, straighten the winding road, and make the rough places plain.

"Freedom's Just Another Word For Nothing Left To Lose"

The Fourth of July  - United States' Independence Day

Sunday's (7/5) Word:
Ezekiel 2:2-5 (God appoints Ezekiel as the next prophet to the "rebellious" Israelites)
Psalm 123:1-4 (Our eyes are fixed on the Lord, pleading for his mercy)
2 Corinthians 12:7-10 (The Lord to Paul of Tarsus: "My grace is sufficient for you")
Mark 6:1-6 ("A prophet is not without honor except in his native place, and among his kin, and in his own house")

Freedom's just another word for nothin' left to lose, and nothin' ain't worth nothin' but it's free...
--from Me And Bobby McGee (1969) written by Kris Kristofferson and Fred Foster

Sign for Our Times:



(Hey, it looks patriotic.)

How can all this get tied together in a neat package? That's ultimately what I'm hoping for.

For openers, it is the second of the summer holidays here in the USA. On July 4, 1776, the representatives of the Second Continental Congress in essence told King George III of England and his Parliament: We're mad as hell, and we're not gonna take it anymore! And while they were at it, Thomas Jefferson gathered enough inspiration to write perhaps the single most important document this nation will ever have: the Declaration of Independence. The gentlemen of the Congress were not declaring war, even though they were more or less already engaged in one. After all was said and done, they recognized that they had nothing to lose by making a public and formal declaration of their grievances with their colonial masters.

I will guess that most of us neither fully understand nor appreciate what work it takes to achieve the sense of freedom we enjoy as citizens of the United States. There was certainly no vacation or picnic back in 1776. There were no scenic routes to travel; no "purple mountain majesty above the fruited plain." All that would come later as benefits, if you will.

Is it possible that we can become spoiled after 233 years of varying degrees of autonomy "from sea to shining sea?" Yes, definitely. One need look no further than a comparison of different periods of our nation's history. From the imperialistic nature of our Western conquest to the discrimination of people and cultures both within and outside our borders to the stranger stories of our present time; from the mountains to the prairies to the oceans white with foam. It's all there.

But it's not unique.

Ezekiel was sent to the Israelites as God's prophetic messenger at the beginning of the Babylonian exile, some six centuries before Jesus. The nation had been taken captive; the temple in Jerusalem destroyed. The people and their leaders had come to take their freedom for granted. Their ancestors' deliverance from slavery in Egypt - the first Passover - and their subsequent exodus to the Promised Land was a distant memory. By the time of Jesus, some of that had changed - but some things had become worse in the fracturing and fissuring between Jewish sects. And for the ultimate freedom of all, Jesus gave himself. Humanity had lost just about everything, it had little else to lose.

While you are out and about this weekend along our highways and byways, visiting the sites and enjoying the sounds, whether it be in the open country or in one of the big cities that has added to this nation's fame and fortune, and everyplace in between, remember that the freedom we enjoy was not taken lightly by those who fought to gain it. More importantly, that we have freedom in the first place is a gift of God, and not limited to Western civilization. As many fight to gain freedom for others, it is not our way of life imposed upon another way; but rather, that all might recognize that they are truly blessed and that all may be truly free.

Prayer:
God, source of all freedom,
this day is bright with the memory
of those who declared that life and liberty
are your gift to every person.

Help all the people of this nation
 - from our leaders to those known only to You -
to continue a good work begun long ago.
Make our vision clear and our will strong:
that only in solidarity will we find liberty,
and justice only in the honor and dignity
that belongs to every life on earth.

Turn our hearts toward the family of nations:
to understand the ways of others,
to offer friendship,
and to find safety only in the common good of all.

We pray this be granted in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord. -Amen.

--taken from Catholic Household Blessings and Prayers (1989)
United States Conference of Catholic Bishops