SLOW BUT STEADY

We think of sleep as a time for recharging the body, but the brain is actually quite active during sleep — dreaming.  Our dreams can be soothing or scary, mysterious or helpful, and realistic or fantastical.  Sometimes we wake up having no idea we’ve dreamed, while other times, we can closely recall our dreams because they were so intense and vivid.[1]

What an incredible night Daniel has when he goes to sleep!  When he slept vision after vision occur in his dreams.  While partially terrifying, the visions also provide assurances of hope for the future and expectations of God’s victory are not in vain.

In the Gospel, Luke is appealing to Jesus the teacher; whose primary audience is his disciples.  Jesus compares the coming of God’s realm to a blossoming fig tree.  It signifies a change in season is near and thus it shall be with the coming realm of God.  The fig tree signifies part of a “settled life,” symbolizes “the good life” of joy, peace, and prosperity.  Establishing a fig tree is not easy.  Great effort and years of cultivation are needed before a fig tree will blossom in all its fullness.[2]

Jesus knows very well that the reign of God will be a long time in coming.  So, he compares its slow growth to the slow growth and development of the fig tree—and finally its magnificent flowering.  The fig tree’s maturity is steady once it has become established.  Some would say our Christian faith is only 2,000 years old, and we are still waiting for its full flowering.  Many might say it’s still too soon to tell what the fig tree is really going to end up looking like.

Jesus assures his followers the kingdom of God is near and we, his followers, must remain vigilant, hopeful, and steadfast in our faith, for the full blossoming is on its way.  The Scripture passage immediately preceding today’s Gospel, reminds us that Jesus declares there will be signs of “what is coming upon the world” (Lk 21:26).  “But when these signs begin to happen,” Jesus says, “stand erect and raise your heads because your redemption is at hand” (Lk 21:28).

As we wait and are vigilant for the change of season, let us be patient and yet active in our Christian duty of cultivating and nurturing this slow but sure “fig tree” we call our life of faith.[3]

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[1] Healthline.com, “What’s Causing My Vivid Dreams?”

[2] Weekday HomilyHelps. Exegesus by Dr. Carol Dempsey, OP.

[3] Ibid, Homily Suggestion by Linus Mundy.

THE HANDWRITING IS ON THE WALL!

Throughout human history, public walls have been used to communicate various ideas from political dissent to love messages to purely artistic endeavors.  Our own culture has expanded and enhanced this age-old art form we commonly refer to as “graffiti.” [Please don't take up your spray paint and go about saying Deacon Joe thinks graffiti is an art form and an appropriate way to get your message across to the public.]  The word finds its origin in ancient Rome.  It is the plural of graffito, which means “to scratch” and commonly refers to drawing on a wall in such a way as to be seen by the public to communicate a particular message.  The word “graffiti” finds its roots in writing on the walls of the ruins of ancient Pompeii and Rome around 50 B.C.

Graffiti is a worldwide phenomenon.  Communicating messages around the globe.  Who of us can forget the tearing down of the Berlin Wall in 1990?  As we watched it come tumbling down, we noted it was full of graffiti on its western side.  For years this 15-foot high, over 100-mile long, wall had borne messages to the world of a long hoped-for freedom.[1]

Today’s first reading evokes this saying: “We better care about the future; we will be spending the rest of our lives there.”  Daniel cares a lot about the future and as a prophet he declares the truth.  The tragic truth Daniel needs to tell King Belshazzar is his Babylonian empire is ending.  The “writing is on the wall” literally.

The story is a profound lesson in humility, underscoring the foolishness of idol worship, offering a glimpse into the expectations of a God who embodies the Babylonian empire with its power, influence, and domination.

The “writing is on the wall” for all of us as well.  Many generations after Daniel, Jesus dramatically reinforces this message of humility, this lesson of putting material things and ego things in their proper place.  God and neighbor come first.  Do the big choices—and even the little choices we make every day—demonstrate we have our priorities straight?  It’s only human to want what we consider “the good things in life.” But our faith gives us new and challenging definitions of just what those good things are.

We are living in a pluralistic culture that tells us there are many paths to God.  In light of eternity what is the kingdom of Babylon, what is the United States of America, when compared with the kingdom forfeited by men and women without Christ, men and women who will be “weighed on the scales and found wanting”? (Dn 5:27)

“Mene, Tekel, and Peres.” (Dn 5:25) God’s graffiti. The handwriting is on the wall!

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[1] Preaching.com “The Handwriting Is on the Wall” by O.S. Hawkins

TIME AND SPACE

I believe there is a time and a place for everything and that there is a necessary balance in human engagements.  This seems to be particularly important when it comes to entering the church for Mass.

The sacredness of the church goes back to the days of the temple.  We hear in our first reading how Judas and his brothers assembled the whole army, after their enemies were crushed, went up to purify the sanctuary and rededicate it. (1 Mc 4:36-37) For eight days the community celebrated the dedication of the altar, and to celebrate for eight days on the anniversary date thereafter.  I’ve been blessed to see 5 altars dedicated by the Bishops of the Diocese of Orlando, including the Cathedral and this altar.  Bishop Barron talks of 5 paths to understanding the Catholic faith to reengage those who have left or living on the fringe.  The first path is Charity & Justice, the second is Beauty.  The Church and her worship spaces, her liturgy are beautiful, but most often misunderstood.  The beauty and sacredness of our churches command and demand our utmost respect.  It is no wonder that we read of Jesus driving out the merchants telling them, “My house shall be a house of prayer, but you have made it a den of thieves." (Lk 19:46)

When I consider our own local house of prayer, the visitors I invite are in awe of the beauty of the sacred space, yet I can’t help but think of the many broken people who come.  The wounded and searching people.  Let’s face it, we are all to some degree broken believers who enter this sacred space seeking answers to and refuge from life challenges, seeking reconciliation with God, and maybe just seeking a fleeting moment of peace.

And so, Mother Church, over time, has developed norms which include an element of sacred silence to establish and cultivate an environment of prayer, while also acknowledging the human social dimension of welcoming and greeting.

The 2002 General Instruction of the Roman Missal speaks very specifically about silence before and during the liturgy.  Reading: “Sacred silence also, as part of the celebration, is to be observed at the designated times.” . . . “Even before the celebration itself, it is praiseworthy practice for silence be observed in the church, in the sacristy, in the vesting room, and in adjacent areas, so that all may dispose themselves to carry out the sacred celebration in a devout and fitting manner” (45).

I also found a reference (from the Introduction to the Order of Mass, a pastoral resource issued in 2003 by the U.S. Bishops’ Committee on the Liturgy) that speaks favorably of Mass attendees being “made welcome by representatives of the community and acknowledged informally by their neighbors.”

Now, I’ve seen both references taken to the extreme.  Where reverence for the sacred silence is strictly enforces upon entering church to the point that the environment becomes like a stuffy museum or welcoming equates to a constant chattering in the pews without consideration for those around them attempting to quiet their hearts to hear God calming whisper of consolation. 

So, I return to my opening line, there is a time and a place for everything.  Sacred silence and welcoming, done in proper balance, respects the sanctity of the sacred space and allows for the community to be welcoming, to be united in prayer and fellowship