Anamchara

HOMILY FOR THE 22ND SUNDAY OF THE YEAR--8/29/10--WALK HUMBLY WITH GOD

22^ND SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME–8/29/10

by Msgr. Eric R. Barr, STL

 

READINGS: SIRACH 3:17-18,20,28-29; HEBREWS 12: 18-19,22-24; LUKE 14:1,7-14

I. How To Meet God In Two Easy Steps

A. In your mind, let the movie cameras roll: It’s twilight, and the stars are just coming out as the sun is setting, Behind you, a vast level desert, and in front of you a mountain red like blood. And swirling in front and above that mountain a tornado big as the biggest one in the movie, "Twister", and in the midst of that tornado, fire, lots of it, burning ever brighter as the night grows darker. Thunder booms, a sound like trumpets roaring, and then, The Voice, so powerful that you miss the words, so powerful that your belly tightens with fear and awe, and you wish it would stop but you find yourself drawing ever closer to the mountain.

B. Check your Bibles–that’s what Moses and the People saw and heard their first night at Mt. Sinai. And they were afraid, for they knew it was God, the same God who had just crushed Pharaoh’s army, his chariots and charioteers. But they did not run into the darkness of that desert, because in their fear they also had a need for God. They found themselves drawing closer to the mountain. In their need, they discovered God and they were awestruck. Not much different from us, right? When we are in need and call out to God, he can be stunning. We see his power when he saves us from certain death, or at a beautiful moment when a baby is born, or between a married couple when they express their love sexually, or even when we come across a beautiful landscape. When we are lost and God reveals himself to us, it can take our breath away, and we are left with an abiding awe–what or who was that who has just touched our lives? Now, I’ve experienced that, and no doubt some of you have too. It doesn’t take a great holiness to experience God this way, just an open heart, a heart open to the possibility that God might come and visit. Having an open heart is the first step in meeting God. But this experience of God, great as it is, is kind of one sided. God takes our breath away, stuns us with his power, and is gone. For a long time, the Israelites felt that was all the experience one could really have with God. I’ll bet we think an encounter with God is kind of sporadic too; in other words, it doesn’t happen very often.

A BLESSED 100TH BIRTHDAY TO BLESSED MOTHER TERESA--august 26

 
Truly Something Beautiful For God--Blessed Mother Teresa, along with Pope John Paul the Great, one of the most powerful and motivating saints for our modern times.    

RAY BRADBURY CELEBRATES HIS 90TH BIRTHDAY--CONGRATULATIONS!

 CATHOLIC SHORT STORY AND SCIENCE-FICTION NOVELIST RAY BRADBURY CELEBRATES HIS 90TH BIRTHDAY!

One of the world's best writers celebrates his 90th birthday today.  You might wonder why such news is included on this blog.  It's simple.  He's Catholic; he's a fantastic writer; and he should be read by anyone who loves great literature.

He is, of course, the author of so many famous books and stories:  The Martian Chronicles, Faherenheit 451, Dandelion Wine, Something Wicked This Way Comes, The Illustrated Man.  Hundreds of short stories are his as well.  My favorite title of all his short stories--Dark They Were, and Golden-eyed.  Makes you want to read it right away!

So much of his work has been made into film and indeed, he wrote the screenplay for John Huston's Moby Dick.

I like him because, along with Tolkien and Lewis, he taught me to write and express myself.  He grew up in Waukegan, Illinois, not too far away from me, but I am sure I will never meet him.  Nevertheless, I feel a kinship for him because he taught me to dream, to wonder, and to use literature and story to answer the deep questions of humanity.  How cool is that?!  His Catholic influence is seen throughout much of his work, particularly in his emphasis on the beauty of creation, the necessity for a Creator, and the importance of redemption and the unlimited reach of the salvation of Christ (just read the Martian Chronicles and see if I'm right or not).  He does not write that often of specifically Catholic things, but when he does it is spot on.  But his Catholic ethos is clearly evident throughout his work.

Happy Birthday Mister Bradbury!  And thanks for the stories and all the wonder!  Ad multos annos!

"We should go to the moon and prepare a base to fire a rocket off to Mars and then go to Mars and colonize Mars," ... "Then when we do that, we will live forever".----Ray Bradbury

BACK FROM VACATION!!!