Daily word, 25 Oct 18

29^th Thursday of the Year (25 Oct 2018)

Eph 3. 14-21; Ps 33; Lk 14. 49-53

Homily of Fr. Paul Panaretos, S.J. during Full Spiritual Exercises

Full of It. . .

...Fear, that is. I was a timid child. Maybe my first tramua contributed to that. My first trauma was my mother gone. It is a dim twilight on the horizon of my memory. Its details I learned years later: our aunt came to drive mom to a baby shower. I wouldn’t nap—during which mom and my aunt would have gone to the shower. Mom left me with my sister—then was gone.

As my sister recounted that I felt my fear afoot within me. I did not relive it; I felt its distant rumbling: distant yet real, like a rumble heard but not yet recognized as thunder.

My first fear seeped into me. Going to school was wrenching: I had to leave mom. I did come to enjoy school very much. In high-school my gran-dmother, who always lived with us—how close grandma and I were—in high-school grandma died. First I raged because she left me; then rage morphed into phantom guilt, and I kept people distant—though many never noticed what I felt and what it did within me; even I didn’t notice!

Things, possessions distracted me from my fear and my loss; they never eased them. So furtive its grasp that I was unaware. Recently I’ve grown aware that fear lurked in the 12 years between my ordination as a priest and my entering the Jesuits. I grew in those years, to be sure; yet fear frustrated my free choice to live my priesthood as a vowed religious.

Looking at myself over time did not show me flaws; rather, that fear is always lurking in my life. Fear is universally human with individual symptoms. Jesus encouraged not to fear in the face of threats to oneself. Do not fear those who kill the body….¹ He then encouraged not to allow fear to control us through things. What possessions can do! Recall the one who saw Jesus as an arbitrator; Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me?….² Possessions led him to make an inappropriate request of Jesus: people outside a family did not meddle in its disputes. Seeing what possessions do Jesus told his parable of a wealthy man: not with abundant crops; he entrusted his future to them. Abundance is “an insolent quack,” a 1^st-C, wealthy Roman citizen noted. “From what…evils…can riches free us, if they deliver us not even from an inordinate desire of them?”³

Who can deliver from fear and what it uses to keep us from being true to ourselves and others? We cannot deliver ourselves. Jesus casts us the lifeline of his Spirit: fire is gospel-symbol of Jesus’ Spirit. He offers his Spirit as he travels with each of us and earnestly wants us to accept. My mission holds me, consumes me and I’m intent to fulfill it for you, for all.

Fear creeps in when we want to want with Jesus. Jesus’ Spirit-peace does not always leave personal or domestic life undisturbed. In many guises fear prevents freely choosing to accept Jesus’ offer of peace. Fear is a paper-tiger. We can’t tame it; rather Jesus shreds it. Stay near Jesus to do that for you.

__________

1. Luke 12.4.
2. Luke 12.13.
3. Plutarch, On Wealth, 2.

__________

Wiki-images: by Jessie Eastland Astronomical Dusk CC BY-SA 4.0; by Valis55 Altus Segment CC BY-SA 3.0

Saturday word, 20 Oct 18

28^th Saturday of the Year (20 Oct 2018)
Eph 1. 15-23; Ps 8; Lk 12. 8-12

Homily of Fr. Paul Panaretos, S.J. during Full Spiritual Exercises
Letting Our Futures Emerge

How did Jesus mean his words: blasphemes against the Holy Spirit? To answer I’ll use an already and a not yet: an already and a not yet in the drama of Luke’s gospel. We approach well Jesus’ words we already heard by recognizing a tendency. Our ever-present penchant to define and categorize leads many to twist Jesus’ words and have Jesus say what satisfies us. Jesus did not emphasize the second commandment that forbids abuse of God’s name. Nor have humanly imagined worst-case behaviours—actions named in attempts to define blasphemes against the Holy Spirit—captured the heart of Jesus’ words. They continue his support for his disciples not to fear.¹ Why did Jesus encourage not to fear?

Events had taken an ominous turn. After Jesus had spoken truth to the religious professionals—cleansing outside does not get to one’s inner self—they grew terribly hostile and lay in wait to ensnare him.² Hunters immediately can appreciate the premeditation and planning involved; all of us can appreciate deeper involvement intensified their hostility. Jesus was aware of possible outcomes: persecution; arrest; death for him—and any who walked with him. My friends, do not fear, emphasized God’s caring protection.

Rightly so: Jesus knew spiritual forces contended not only human ones. In saner, more modest moments we share Jesus’ realism. We know, for example, brute force against another has an origin that eludes our grasp: the human heart. Hearts suffer unseen though real cyclones that swirl and lash long before tongues lacerate, fists beat, fingers fire weapons or groups plunder from others and the earth what groups do not need. Such spiritual forces vie in us as much now as in Jesus’ day.³

Fear is the spiritual force Jesus addressed. A not yet in the gospel-drama gives it a face. You’ll recall it: a certain servant girl looked at [Peter] intently and said, “This man also was with him.” But he denied it, saying, “…I do not know him!”⁴ Peter denied Jesus before others! Everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven. Peter’s forgiveness was a visitation: risen Jesus rejoined Peter, and he welcomed Jesus. Every storm in Peter’s heart—regret, shock, guilt, sorrow, pain—did not hinder Jesus returning to Peter and calming his heart-storms. Peter did not reject Jesus’ loyal, loving friendship. Outright rejection, totally refusing God’s love blasphemes against Holy Spirit.

To welcome risen Jesus is to be taught by the Holy Spirit! Learning is not only speech; we also learn silently. Healing is silent. We learn silently when we welcome Holy Spirit to heal our hearts; healed hearts move us to welcome and not resist.

Risen Jesus is ever at the doors of our hearts.5 Refusing him entry is anyone’s choice; it seems a choice not easy to complete. St. Paul, once breathing threat and murder against the disciples of risen Jesus⁶ discovered Jesus so near to him he could not recognize who touched and beckoned him or how. Logic and sense were useless; he ceased resisting.  

Let’s close with another already and a not yet. If something is lodged in your heart, ask Peter and Paul to present you to risen Jesus to breathe Holy Spirit on you. Welcome Holy Spirit to soothe you. What will yet happen no one can predict. Rely on count-less testimonies that Holy Spirit dislodges blocks, opens long-closed hearts, melts the frozen, warms the chill, heals our wounds, renews strength; waters dryness and washes away residues of guilt⁷ we never knew we lugged. We’re perfectly poised to begin to let Holy Spirit’s |not yet for us| emerge as our already.

__________

1. Luke 12.1-7, yesterday’s gospel selection. Fear appears 4 times in 2 verses.
2. Luke 11.53.
3. Colossians 2.8, 20. 
4. Luke 22.56-57.
5. Revelation 3.20.
6. Acts 9.1.
7. Based on the still sung prayer; its earliest form is in 11^th Century manuscripts.

__________

Wiki-images: by Mahargg Jesus teaching his disciples CC BY-SA 3.0; Healing Light, detail PD-US

Tuesday word, 16 Oct 18

28^th Tuesday of the Year (16 Oct 2018)

Gal 5. 1-6; Ps 119; Lk 11. 37-41

Homily of Fr. Paul Panaretos, S.J. during Full Spiritual Exercises

Review Questions

A review of Jesus activity as we heard it over 6 days poses questions for us on retreat. After Jesus answered his disciples request and taught them to pray Jesus attended to the concerns of others. First, Jesus healed a person in the grip of demonic possession. Freeing the person amazed the growing number of people gathering around Jesus—but not all. Another’s good fortune threatened them, and Jesus and his ministry angered them. 

• Questions for us: Am I in awe of God’s loving kindness? Or, am I upset because God loves?

Angry ones missed God’s caring presence—the bible’s phrase, finger of God, communicated that. Finger of God first described God’s care when Pharaoh summoned Moses to end the plagues. I was surprised to recall who first spoke the phrase: Pharaoh's magicians. The magicians said to Pharaoh, “This is the finger of God.” But Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, and he would not listen to them.¹ 

• Questions for us: Do I desire a more supple, receptive heart? 
• Am I asking God to transform me? 

Others seemed captivated by Jesus’ person. The glare of their admiration blinded them to Jesus’ message of God’s closeness to them and all. Given the resistance Jesus had faced I used to hear the words shouted to Jesus, Blessed is the womb that carried you, and the breasts that nursed you, as a sincere blessing. Jesus saw through them; he clarified he was in the service of his message: On the contrary, blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and do it!

• Questions: does my admiration—even adoration—of Jesus blind me to how Jesus invites me to join him in living his message?
• Am I reluctant to proclaim it with my choices? In his homily yesterday Greg opened our eyes that reluctant prophets live today.

All sorts peopled the growing crowd around Jesus: angry people; resistant, hard-hearted ones; personal admirers who seemed clueless that Jesus lived a message: God is present and will heal and transform those who are willing. Jesus contended with another circle: those hostile to both him and the message he lived.

As the gospel unfolds Pharisees embody hostility. Urban, middle class and few—1% of the population of Palestine—they wielded power to their advantage not for others. Power warped their inmost selves. They hid their rapacious hearts behind ritual observances many could not afford. Rituals available to all, Pharisees  observed in ways to outdo others. They trusted their rituals more than God!

• Question: Whom do I trust?

Jesus accepted the invitation of a Pharisee—Jesus reached out to everyone. Jesus reclined without ceremonially washing; that shocked his host and other guests. Hospitality melted into hostility. Jesus defended himself: Pharisees were more concerned about appearances than their inner selves. Cleans-ing outside does not get at one’s inner self. Jesus echoed the Psalmist in calling Pharisees fools bible-speak for those who resisted the wisdom God offered freely and generously. The Psalmist put it crisply: Fools say in their hearts, “There is no God.”² 

• Questions: Am I discovering myself? Do I fear my true self? 
• Am I inviting Jesus to help me look at my inner self and love me so I can love myself and others? 

Never is it too late to join Jesus and welcome him into our lives. Jesus accepts our every invitation to join us and leads us nearer to our freedom with and in him--the freedom he offers us.

__________

1. Exodus 8.19 in the Septuagint (LXX), the bible of the apostles and the earliest church.
2. Psalm 14.1.

__________

Wiki-image Jesus dining in a Pharisee's home PD-US; God's love lights our path JRC

Sunday word, 07 Oct 18

Twenty-seventh Sunday of the Year B (07 Oct 2018)

Gn 2. 18-24; Ps 128; Hb 2. 9-11; Mk 10. 2-16

Homily of Fr. Paul Panaretos, S.J.

Aware of What Jesus Asks

The cultural world of the bible differed so much from ours—from diet to dress; from geography to gender roles; from climate to understanding time and history, to name a few differences. They are so great that moderns can ask honestly, Can we understand the scrip-tures at all? Differences alone do not make understanding them difficult; the documents are fragile because we are so distant from them in outlook time and technology.

Take the roles of women. For us the roles of women extend across more of life; we can miss that Genesis sounds something we take for granted. Men and women are complementary: they enhance and accent each other. Bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh sought to express that; so did they become one flesh. The unity the phrases spoke in Jesus’ day stressed the view of no divorce.

Two other cultural factors were at play: one, marriage united two families more than two individuals; the other, divorce shamed men in both families. Because marriage united families divorce sundered families: divorce was social. Women could not be shamed in the their culture: also not easy for us to appreciate. The bible’s culture was hypersensitive to honour and shame; the culture revolved around honour and shame. To regain family honour feuding would erupt and blood would be spilled.

Remarrying meant adultery in bible-culture. Adultery in Jesus’ world was a strategy; not at all how we think of it. Adultery was a strategy by which a man could shame another man; regaining honour meant bloodshed. To prevent bloodshed and social stability no remarrying was the way.

Norms of ancient Mediterranean culture shape the words of scripture we heard. Knowing that means not that we are suppose to ape their norms; instead we can begin to understand what Jesus asks: to seek the Creator’s intention for us, everyone and everything—from the beginning of creation God acts. Jesus’ heart was in sync with the God’s creating heart.

To seek the Creator’s intention behind and within everything keeps us close to Jesus here and now in our culture. While our culture differs from Jesus’ culture in many ways, placing ourselves in the heart of our Creator challenges us to live in sync with the intentions of the Creator. To pattern our lives on Jesus both helps us grow more in sync and rewards us with true peace in a too fragmented and fast-paced world.

In your daily 15 minutes with Jesus this week

• Rest in the life of our triune God.
• Ask Mary and your patron saint to present you to Jesus.
• Chat with him: praise him for dying and rising for us; thank him for giving us himself as our model for living.
• Ask him for grace to live more confidently as his friend and follower.
• Close saying slowly the Lord’s Prayer. His words, thy kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven, is our daily plea to be in sync with our Creator’s caring intention for us, everyone and all around us.

Link to this homily’s Spiritual Exercise

___________

Wiki-images Garden of Eden by J Carlos CC BY-SA 3.0; Pharisees seek to entrap Jesus PD-US