|
My all-time
favorite movie is The Christmas Story. But, my all-time favorite
movie concerning bible stories is Mel Brook’s The History of the
World—Part One.
Perhaps the most
famous scene in that movie is when Moses descends from Mount Sinai just
after God presented Moses the three stone tablets upon which God had
written His fifteen commandments. Moses announces to the Hebrew people,
“The Lord, the Lord Jehovah has given unto you these fifteen...” at
which point one of the tablets slips from Moses’ grasp, drops, hits the
jagged stone terrain, and breaks into smithereens. Seeing what has
happened, Moses’ eyes widen and, after composing himself a bit, a look
of sadness and dejection appear on his face. Then, Moses raises his
head and announces for the Israelites to hear, “Oy! Ten! Ten
commandments for all to obey!”
While that certainly
was a funny scene, that’s not my favorite scene in The History of the
World—Part One. My favorite scene is based upon today’s first
reading.
Waging war against
the Amalekites, Moses climbs up to the top of the hill along with Aaron
and Hur. Moses is holding in his right hand the staff God had earlier
given Moses as a sign that God had anointed Moses to lead the Hebrew
people to freedom in the Promised Land. As Moses raises his arms upward
to heaven, something miraculous happens, namely, the Hebrew army gets
the best of the battle. But, when Moses’ arms grow weary and he lowers
his arms, the Amalekites get the best of the battle. So, taking note of
this miraculous phenomenon, Aaron and Hur—literally Moses’ right- and
left- hand men—decide to support Moses’ arms. The outcome?
The Hebrews mow down the Amalekites with the edge of the sword.
However, while Moses
(who is portrayed by Mel Brooks) follows this script literally, Aaron
and Hur don’t because the fun to be had is just too much to resist.
Once Aaron and Hur notice how the miracle take place each time Moses
raises his arms upward toward heaven, Moses’ left- and right- hand men
decide to engage in a little mischief by raising and lowering Moses’
arms slowly and, then, faster and faster. As Aaron and Hur do so, the
two contesting armies—one moving forward and the other moving
backward—follow the lead of Moses’ staff scrambling forwards and
backwards across the desert floor. Taking note of this, Aaron and Hur
then decide to engage in a little more mischief by moving Moses’ arms to
the left and right and, then, in ever-widening circles. The scene ends
as the desert floor is transformed into a sandy dance floor with the two
contesting armies mimicking a Rockettes’ performance at New York City’s
Radio City Music Hall. And, if I recall this scene correctly, some of
Hebrew soldiers even were sporting Statue of Liberty-style crowns on
their heads.
Fortunately (or
perhaps, unfortunately), this scene in The History of the World—Part
One has forever changed the way I envision today’s selection from
the Book of Exodus. Rather than seeing a miracle, I begin to chuckle
every time I hear or read the story because I see a floor show not a war
and Rockettes not Amalekites. I know it’s irreverent, but the image is
forever emblazoned on my memory. What can I say? No wonder
the Greeks said the Muses were goddesses capable of casting evil spells
upon audiences!
Now, the reason I’ve
recounted that scene from The History of the World—Part I is
because, in today’s gospel, Jesus tells the parable of the widow and the
unjust judge. The parable is oftentimes referred to as “the parable of
the widow’s mite” in that her perseverance eventually won her justice
against an unjust adversary. That’s spelled “m-i-t-e,” as in the
importance of persevering against injustice.
The “story behind
the story” is that the widow was quite likely the helpless victim of an
absolutely corrupt court and legal system. All the widow wanted was for
the unjust judge to aid her in getting the inheritance left by her
now-deceased husband. The widow’s adversary was probably an unjust and
crooked lawyer who was holding back for himself the inheritance that
rightfully belonged to the widow. But, here’s the catch: in order to
get a hearing before the judge so that the widow could get her money,
the widow needed a bribe to pay off the judge. But, the widow didn't
have any money to bribe the judge because the lawyer was withholding the
money. As a result, the widow couldn't get a hearing or her money.
She was in a tight spot with no place to turn!
Typically, preachers
use this parable to discuss in a very high, serious, and sober tone the
importance of persevering in prayer. Certainly, that is not to be
underestimated because, as Luke tells his readers, “Jesus told his
disciples [this] parable about the necessity for them to pray always
without becoming weary.” But, seen through the eyes of Mel
Brooks—and in this case, through Jesus’ eyes—there’s something humorous
to be considered because Jesus says the unjust judge told himself “I had
better decide this widow’s case before she wears me out.” That phrase
can also be translated, “before she gives me a black eye.”
So, taking a little
director’s license and resetting the scene—along the lines of how Mel
Brooks would have portrayed this parable had he done so in The
History of the World—Part One—here’s this unjust judge sitting in
his courtroom. All he is looking for is a bribe. That’s it.
Nothing more, nothing less. Each day this poor, little, old widow
keeps coming into the courtroom, approaches the bench, waves her right
arm in the air, and demands justice. With no bribe to offer, day after
day the judge tells the widow to leave his courtroom. “Woodj’a just get
outta’ here, lady, before I have the bailiff forcibly remove you?”, the
judge demands as he turns to the clerk of the court and asks, “Anything
important on the docket today?”
After weeks and
months of receiving no satisfaction, however, the widow returns to court
this particular day and approaches the bench as is now customary. Both
she and the judge know the routine. But, today, the widow is holding a
stylish Gucci purse in her right hand. And, instead of waving her
right arm in the air and demanding justice, the widow moves her right
arm backward toward the courtroom behind her and then swings her arm
forward with full force toward the bench. Astounded as he watches this
change in behavior and with his eyes widening to the size of two saucers
as the judge sees what’s coming his way in what seems like a slow motion
film of a car accident, the widow lands her stylish Gucci purse smack
dab, square, and dead-center in the judge’s right eye.
“I had better decide
this widow’s case before she gives me a black eye.” That’s the widows
might—spelled m-i-g-h-t—and, in this case, the potential threat of an
exercise of power that an unjust person—like the unjust judge—fears.
So, being reasonable as well as unjust, the judge decides to hear the
widow’s case.
That’s the image—the
potential threat exercise of power against injustice—Jesus used to
suggest how even sinners—and, in this case, the unjust judge—will
eventually do what’s right. But, they’ll do what’s right not
because that’s what sinners should do, but because they fear what will
happen if they don’t do what’s right.
It’s sort of like
my paternal grandmother. She would say to all of us cousins, “You
ever do anything to embarrass me and I will kill you.” Somehow we
all survived and I don’t believe she murdered any of us. It’s like
that, too, with my sister and her two sons. One is 6'2" and the
other is 6'4. But, when she points her index finger at them, both
know she has the power to mow them down! Just knowing what
potentially could follow doing something wrong was enough to stop all of
us from getting into trouble.
Yes, perseverance is
important in that it reveals the depth of a personal commitment to see
wrongs made right—that’s the story of the widow’s mite. But, Jesus
reminds his disciples, mite oftentimes may not convince sinners to
change their ways. Sometimes persistence requires something more:
letting them know that the failure to do right will result in a black
eye—which is the story of the widow’s might. In short, if Jesus’
disciples are to get sinners to do what’s right, sometimes disciples
will have to press beyond perseverance—that’s the widows mite—and
express what’s right by threatening to use of a greater power they
fear—that’s the widow’s might.
God provides us—as
God provided Moses and the widow—the tools we need to overcome evil as
it manifests itself to us. If we are to mow down the enemy or get an
unjust judge to act justly, we need to use those tools and, perhaps,
even have a little bit of fun along the way, if we are to believe Mel
Brooks. But, sometimes, as Jesus reminds his disciples, the only way to
overcome the power of evil is to let it know that you’ll give it a black
eye if need be. Mite—as in the widow’s perseverance—sometimes requires
the use of might—as in the unjust judge fearing that the widow will give
him a black eye with her stylish Gucci purse—in order to overcome evil.
Today is Mission
Sunday. God calls all of us to be missionaries no matter what our
age—young and old alike—by persevering in proclaiming what’s right, even
when the enemies of good don’t want to hear about what’s right. We live
in an age and time when we must persevere against many evils. I can
think of divorce. I can think of chemical and drug dependency. I can
think of miscreant children and young people as well as business
executives and corporate titans. I can think of terrorism. And, that’s
to say nothing about the Ten Commandments (or was it the Fifteen
Commandments, as Mel Brooks asserts?) like, idolatry, swearing and
cursing, not observing the Lord’s day, dishonoring parents, murder,
adultery, lying, coveting, and the like. Scripture teaches that we
are to persevere in seeking to overcome evils like these, grave and
small alike. But, when mite—the widow’s perseverance—doesn’t make
right, scripture also teaches that we must let evildoers know we will
use might—of the type like power behind the widow’s stylish Gucci
purse—to give evildoers a black eye they surely will regret.
Only through
perseverance—mite and, if necessary, might—will we be victorious over
the evil forces present in our world. These forces seek to make
what’s wrong right and what’s right wrong. It’s our moral
obligation, as disciples, to make sure that evildoers—whether they like
it or not—do what’s right.
A brief
commercial break...
With only
64 days left until Christmas Day, the people at Magnificat® produce a
companion edition for the season of Advent. Similar to a what older
Catholics may remember as a "prayer book," the companion edition
contains all sorts of prayers, readings, reflections, art, and
activities for every member of the family to prepare each day of the
season of Advent for the coming of Christ at Christmas.
Grandparents might consider purchasing a copy for themselves and copies
for each of their grandchildren. Confirmation sponsors might consider
purchasing a copy for themselves as well as the person they sponsored in
the faith. Spouses might purchase a copy for themselves and use it for
daily prayer during the season of Advent. Parents might purchase a copy
for the family and use it to lead prayer before dinner each evening.
At a
price of $3.95 for 1-4 copies plus $1 shipping/handling, $2.50 for 5-9
copies plus $3 shipping/handling, and $1.50 for 10-49 copies (plus $5
shipping/handling), the companion edition makes a perfect and very
affordable opportunity to prepare for the coming of Christ at Christmas
as well as an Advent gift to spur family, friends, and colleagues toward
greater spiritual growth during the season of Advent.
The
companion edition has a limited press run that sells out each year.
Furthermore, orders are filled in the order received. So, place your
order early.
To place
an order for the 2007 companion edition of Magnificat® for the season of
Advent, call
1-970-416-6670 or email
specialissue@intrepidgroup.com for ordering information.
|
HOMILY
