Celebrating 100 over years in Irondequoit
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Cycle A
- Shameful even-to mention
- Q309: I have never been blind or seeing-impaired (except for needing glasses), so how can I relate to today’s gospel of the blind man (John 9:1-41)?
- Q465: Why does God seem to make “politically incorrect” decisions by choosing the most unlikely candidate for important positions?
Shakespeare's "Midsummer Night's Dream" is a delicious fantasy. It involves three interacting groups: an engaged duke and queen and their courts, the king and queen of the fairies and their Sprites, especially the mischievous Puck; and a group of lower-class craftsmen who are rehearsing a play "Pyramus and Thisbe" to present at the duke's wedding.
The craftsmen are: the play director, Quince, a carpenter; the "star", Bottom, a weaver; Flute, a bellows-mender, Snout, a tinker, Snug, a joiner, and Starveling, a tailor. They have their human failings, broadly sketched. They also have their virtues: mutual respect; regard for their audience; and, especially, a nice innocence of conversation.
These virtues are illustrated in the following dialogue when they gather to rehearse. Quince: "Have you sent to Bottom's house? Is he home yet?" Flute: "If he come not, then the play is marr'd. It goes not forward, doth it?" Quince: "It is not possible. You have not a man in all Athens able to discharge Pyramus but he." Flute: "No, he hath simply the best wit of any handicraftman in Athens." Snout: "Yea, and the best person, too; and he is a very paramour for a sweet voice." Flute: "You must say `paragon'; a paramour is, God bless us, a thing of naught." Snout had innocently confused "paragon" (an ideal) with "paramour" (an unlawful lover) ... Flute gently told him that paramours are something the decent Christian does not discuss.
In today's second lesson St. Paul establishes this Christian principle of what is inappropriate for conversation.
"Take no part in vain deeds done in darkness; rather, condemn them. It is shameful even to mention the things these people do in secret." A few lines above in his epistle Paul has said "as for lewd conduct or promiscuousness or lust of any sort, let them not even be mentioned among you; your holiness forbids this. Nor should there be any obscene, silly or suggestive talk, all that is out of place."
Today sex is widely discussed and obscenity is widely used. The media are certainly to blame in large part for setting a bad example by their lack of restraint in this regard. They would be far more responsible if they heeded St. Paul's admonition: Never let evil talk pass your lips; say only the good things men need to know that will really help them (Eph. 4:29).
I doubt we can quickly talk the media back into decency. But if we can ourselves respect our own holiness and the dignity of our neighbor, we will be careful to heed St. Paul's rules of decent conversation, as well as the admirable example set by Shakespeare's bellow-maker, Flute.
-Father Robert F. McNamara
Q. 309: I have never been blind or seeing-impaired (except for needing glasses), so how can I relate to today’s gospel of the blind man (John 9:1-41)?
The story of the “man blind from birth” is the story of every Christian. We are spiritually blind until Jesus comes into our lives. If we respond to his initial gift of faith, and celebrate that free gift with the ritual and sacrament of Baptism, then our “spiritual blindness” yields to “spiritual light” as Christ comes to dwell within us.
Others may delude themselves into thinking they can “see,” that they have the whole truth, just like the Pharisees in the gospel, and just like those who willingly Compromise true faith in our own society. However, only Jesus Christ is the way, the truth and the life! The gospel speaks of the “Pool of Siloam,” and the “blind man” is asked to wash himself in that healing water. “Siloam” means “Sent,” or the “One Sent.” Jesus himself was the One Sent by God to save us and to heal us (John 3:16ff), and it is only in Jesus - - our saving and life giving water - - that we find our newborn eyesight. This spiritual eyesight comes with our Baptism, and also yields a baptismal responsibility to proclaim the news of the Healer and his Healing Power.
There is a risk in being a true follower of Jesus, the risk of being ridiculed and excluded from the social world around us. The Community of St. John and other early Christian communities experienced this rejection, and rejoiced in sharing in the very life of Christ!
Know Your Catechism! Since sin is universal, those who pretend Not to need saving help are “blind” to themselves (CCC #588). Jesus is the truth and the light, and his true followers may not remain in darkness (CCC #2466). Have you formed your conscience properly so that it recognizes the universal truths taught by the Church Magisterium (CCC #1781)?
Q465: Why does God seem to make “politically incorrect” decisions by choosing the most unlikely candidate for important positions?
These readings are great lessons about who can really “see,” and how each one of us must trust in the light of Christ as we make our pilgrim’s progress back to our heavenly Father. We tend to judge others based on exterior qualities; but God looks into the heart of every person and knows the “real” identity of everyone.
The Prophet Samuel (1st Reading: 1 Samuel 16) makes that lesson explicit when he points to David, the youngest of Jesse’s eight sons, and identifies him as God’s choice to be king of Israel. “Primogeniture” was a legal concept in Old Testament law that gave privileged inheritance rights to the eldest son. But God is not bound by man’s way of looking at things. One might be the strongest, or the smartest, or the oldest, or the richest sibling. But those things don’t matter to God; he looks into our hearts, and “sees” our basic disposition and attitude towards both God and others. Only those qualities of love and justice matter in the eyes of God.
In the Gospel (John 9), it is the man who was blind from birth who is able to “see.” The leaders of the Pharisees, on the other hand, who knew the man had been blind but could now see, were unable to “see” the power of God at work in Jesus. So it was really those leaders who were “blind” all the time. But the formerly-blind man is now brought to belief in Jesus by stages, as he opens his heart to permit God to work his transforming power in his life. Is this not the story of our own lives?
There are two levels of “seeing” – the physical level and the spiritual level. Only the person whose heart is open to God can see the deeper meaning of his miracles and parables.
KNOW YOUR CATECHISM! Jesus was very clear: those who pretend not to need salvation are blind to their own sinfulness (CCC #588). Jesus worked this miracle on the Sabbath, the “day of the Lord of mercies” (CCC #2173). Jesus is God’s “anointed” in a way quite unique from that of David, since Jesus was anointed to be “Messiah” – God’s anointed (CCC #695).
