October 16, 2011
Isaiah 45, 1, 4-6 + Psalm 96 + 1 Thessalonians 1: 1-5 + Matthew 22, 15-21
It is the oldest book of the New Testament. It was written justs 17 years after the death and resurrection of Christ. You would think that Christian people would know it as well as any of the gospels and quote verses of it by memory, hold up signs with chapter and verse numbers as one sees on occasion for John and Romans, but that never happens. Most people cannot even pronounce the name of it. I can’t count how many times I have heard well-meaning but unprepared lectors stand up and say: “A reading from the first letter to the Theologians.” The same readers by the way think Paul wrote letters to Philadelphia!
Perhaps the fact that the First Letter to the Thessalonians is only proclaimed on seven Sundays out of 156 Sundays in the three year cycle of our Lectionary contributes to our ignorance of this gem. It is not proclaimed nearly as often as Romas or 1 Corinthians both of which we hear 34 times over the three year cycle. I don’t know what this means in the mind of those who arranged the lectionary, but I do know what it is doing to us. Being pounded for offences, hearing short clips of serious theological rhetoric leaves us all longing to get the second reading over as quickly as possible so we can stand up for Alleluias and dive into the Gospel where there is something to imagine and wonder about. Now three of the seven occasions to hear 1 Tessalonians occur this month, and I do not want the opportunity to draw upon this most ancient wisdom to slip away. So today I want to turn your attention back to the second reading on this first of three Sundays. Two weeks from now I will speak of it again. In the meantime, I want to urge you to take up 1 Thessalonians at home and read it and read it again with this knowlege.
The city is still there in modern day Greece. When Paul was there, it was politically a Roman city for two hundred years, but very Greek in culture. It was the capital of the province of Macedonia. A port city on the Aegean Sea made it a very complex mix of cultural, commercial, and religious influences. Paul, Silvanus and Timothy came there, and their preaching was effective in turning hearts to Christ. It did not take long for the Jewish leaders to rise up and throw the apostles out claiming that they were causing an “uproar.” After a short time, Paul sent Timothy back to Thessalonica to see how things were going among the convert/christians, and he sent Timothy with this letter. Today we heard the greeting. There is no heated theological debate going on. There is no error or misconduct to correct. There is simply encouragement for a holy life. Toward the end of chapter five when you do your reading, we will come upon a verse that is the heart of this Epistle proposing three things that will nurture and sustain holiness in life. He says: “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumsstances: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”
In light of this, I wonder why in a culture of plenty where there is so much to satisfy us — wealth, clean water, food to waste, medical achievements, technological advances, way more entertainment than a balanaced life needs is there so little joy and so much sadness, depression, and anxiety? Why are mood altering drugs as common as asperine in our medicine cabinets? Our society has succeeded in multiplying pleasures, but it has difficultly in generating joy because joy is a spiritual value. It is a sure sign of the presence of the Holy Spirit. Thomas Aquinas thought that Joy was the most noble human act. We are drawn to joyful people, and I believe it is because we are always drawn to God. Joyful people can lead us to God.
For the past several weeks, we have been laughing at ourselves at Mass as we stumble along through a few minor changes of langauage; and the laughter is good. This is a celebration; but often it doen’t look like it. Sometimes I wish there was a huge mirror here and you could see what I see. Paul speaks to us today, just as he did to the Thessalonians. The Joy he looks for and calls for in us is not shallow silliness, but a deep and confident way of looking trouble in the face and of laughing it away. The Gospel today is a perfect example for us. The topic of taxes sets us up for a squint eyed examination of a controversial and divisive issue. Wouldn’t you like to hear the Tea Party, the Democratic Party, Republican Party, and Independents give you their read on this Gospel? I’ll bet in the end the giving to God ends up being the pocket change that’s left over! So you read today’s Gospel and you have to smile and maybe laugh at those silly Pharasees in league with their own enemies, the Herodians. Jesus catches them red-handed with Ceasar’s coin! You can almost see those standing around laughing as the Pharisees and Herodians realize they have been caught with that coin they should never have had in their pocket. The trappers have just been trapped!
Joy springs from gratitude. When we recall things, events or people for which and for whom we are grateful, our joy increases. We are in this place today to remember, and to give thanks. How could we leave here without more joy?
As I read and re-read 1 Thessalonians this past week, I began to remember my great Jesuit training for which I am so grateful everyday. And then I remembered this:
There’s a barber in a small town. One day he’s sitting in his shop, and a man walks in wearing a pair of sandals and a long brown robe with a hood. The man, very thin and quite ascetic looking, sports a short beard. He sits down in the barber’s chair. “Excuse me,” says the barber. “I was wondering, why are you dressed like that?” “Well, “says the man, “I’m a Franciscan friar. I am here to help my brother Franciscans start a soup kitchen.” The barber says, “Oh, I love the Franciscans! I love the story of Saint Francis and how he loved the animals. I love the work you do the poor, for peace, and the enviornment. The Franciscans are wonderful. The haircut is free. And the Franciscan says: “Oh no, no, no. We live simply, and we take a vow of poverty, but I do have enough money for a haircut. Please let me pay you. “Oh no,” says the barber, I insist. This haircut if free!” So the Franciscan gets his haircut, thanks the barber, gives him a blessing and leaves. The next day the barber comes to his shop and finds a surprise waiting for him. On the doorstep is a big wicker baskest filled wih beautiful wildflowers along with a thank-you note from the Franciscan.
That same day another man walks into the barber’s shop wearing a long white robe and a leather belt tied around his waist. When he sits down in the chair, the barber asks, “Excuse me, but why are you dressed like that?” And the man says, “Well, I‘m a Trappist monk. I’m in town to visit a doctor, and I thought I would come in for a haircut.” And the barber says,, “Oh I love the Trappists! I admire the way your lives are so contemplative and how you all pray for the rest of the world. This hairtcut is free.” The Trappist monk says, “Oh no. Even though we live simply I have money for a haircut. Please let me pay you.” “Oh no,” says the barber. “This haircut is free” So the Trappist gets his haircut. Thanks him, gives him a blessing, and leaves. The next day the barber comes to the shop, and on his doorstep there is a surprise awaiting him: a big baskest filled with delicious homemade cheese and jams from the Trappist monastery along with a thank-you note from the monk.
That same day another man walks into the barber shop wearing a black suit and clerical collar. After he sits down, the barber says, “Excuse me, but why are you dressed like that?” And the man says: “I’m a Jesuit priest. I’m in town for a theology conference.” And the barber says, “Oh, I love the Jesuits. My son went to a Jesuit high school, and my daughter went to a Jesuit college. I’ve even been to the retreat house that the Jesuits run in town. This haircut is free.” And the Jesuit says, “Oh no. I take a vow of poverty, but I have enough money for a hairtcut.” The barber says, “Oh, no. This haircut is free.” After the haircut the Jesuit thanks him, gives him a blessing, and goes on his way. The next day the barber comes to his shop, and on his doorstep there is a surprise waiting for him: ten more Jesuits.
There you are, my friends: joy, laughter, and humor are unappreciated values in a spritiual life. They are desperately needed every day. With a smile and some laugher, you can face any evil everyday of this week and nothing will get you down. Do your homework: read 1 Thessalonians before the end of the month.