Moses to Jesus, John Wayne to Clint Eastwood
Summary of a Fr. Gerry Creedon homily from January 30, 2005
"Blessed are the meek, for they
will inherit the land." Matt. 5:4
I RECEIVED A MESSAGE this snowy morning from
a mother with a newborn child who wished to receive the Eucharist in her home.
I felt badly I could not abandon the crowd who would brave the ice to come to
the next Mass. So I asked each Extraordinary Ministry of the Eucharist (EM)
as they arrived if they might oblige. Each had another duty. Finally one arrived
guilty because she was late. I suggested that she would be relieved of her burden
of guilt if she would perform an errand of mercy. It worked like a charm. Who
said that guilt had become a useless emotion?
Remember when Clint Eastwood played the role of the tough guy, Dirty Harry?
He was in continuity with John Wayne, the strong, macho male who took control.
Always being number one can be a dangerous trap for an individual or a nation.
In recent films he displays a fragile, vulnerable side to his personality. In
Million Dollar Baby, he plays the guilt ridden Irishman whose hurt opens him
to the pain of others.
Today's first reading describes God's people as a remnant who are humble and
lowly. In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus blesses the poor in spirit, the grieving,
the meek, those who search for justice, the merciful, the pure of heart, the
peacemakers and the persecuted. This strange paradoxical road to happiness stands
at the center of our faith. In Luke, Jesus gives this discourse on the plain.
In Matthew he is on the mountain. He parallels Jesus and Moses. The Ten Commandments
give way to the Beatitudes. The thunder of "Thou shalt not" gives
way to gentleness.
Jesus did not choose the Pharisees, the hierarchy of his time, to promote his
message; he picked shepherds, fishermen, a teenager like Mary, and Magdalene.
The upcoming season of Lent is given to us to shed our pretensions of self-
sufficiency. Through prayer, fasting and almsgiving we are asked to identify
with the hungry and the poor of the earth. The Rice Bowl Project calls us to
eat less so that others may eat.
Through our pain, our guilt and our admission of vulnerability we open our
hearts to a suffering world.
