Occasionally I find a writer
who not only pens a great novel or poem
but time after time delights me with wisdom
or shocks me with brutal honesty.
Maybe that happens to you sometimes as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Some of those writers I invoke here often-
like a Barbara Brown Taylor
or the poet Mary Oliver.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Another whom I turn to with some frequency
may be less known than these,
even though he was a Pulitzer prize finalist\u00a0
as well as a finalist for the National Book Award,
and his writings, translated into 27 languages,
have often been compared to the works\u00a0
of C.S. Lewis and G.K. Chesterton.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Frederick Buechner, who died in 2022,
was a Presbyterian minister, author and preacher.
As a theologian he is not all sunshine and buttercups,
and prods us to be realistic about the dark
in our lives and particularly in religion\u00a0
nudging us to consider the possibility of hope\u00a0
from the most unexpected of quarters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In his\u00a0Telling the Truth<\/em><\/a>,<\/em>\u00a0a slim volume of less than 100 pages, It is his conviction that each one of us must My musing on the work of Buechner The tale of Noah is alternately tragic and comedic There is a quite amusing\u00a0animated video<\/a>\u00a0online entitled That highlights some of the absurdities of this story: As for tragic elements \u2013 certainly the prophet\u2019s attitude ranks high. But there is something else going on here A distinctive genre in its own right, Think about the TV shows\u00a0South Park<\/em>\u00a0or The Simpsons<\/em>, And what do these satirical works contribute to society? While it may not be something we recognize very often, Take for example the book of Job,\u00a0 The Psalmist is no slouch when it comes to satire. The prophets even use\u00a0vulgarity<\/a>\u00a0when satirizing pagan gods, Jesus as well was pretty good with a satirical quip. Now I know you are very excited So maybe today we have discovered the scriptural basis That certainly would be a theological comfort On the other hand, as a rhetorical device, God mocking Jonah, because he is an inept prophet; Augustine wisely notes that Hope has two beautiful daughters: Courageous anger against extremism, In some ways, even though we read the story of Jonah first, Today\u2019s Gospel is the beginning of a story of discipleship. So will our discipleship blunder towards tragedy, While it might not seem a pressing question, While it was not reported in the Chicago Catholic<\/em> this past week, The Head Demon asked for suggestions to remedy the situation. Another demon suggested telling the OSP folk Finally, one little devil in the back reasoned: We may not be in a hurry John Green is an unusually poetic and honest author.\u00a0\u00a0 In his succinct and sometimes blunt rhetoric, he reminds us It is his reflections on \u201csomeday\u201d however\u00a0 One day, you\u2019re 17 and you\u2019re planning for someday.\u00a0\u00a0And then quietly, without you ever really noticing, someday is today.\u00a0\u00a0And then someday is Yesterday.\u00a0\u00a0And this is your life.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Today we accept the seashore summons of the Christ Let it be so, through Christ our Lord. <\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Augustine wisely notes that Hope has two beautiful daughters
Buechner writes about the gospel alternately as
tragedy, comedy and fairy tale.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
— first perceive the tragedy of human failure
— then the comedy of God\u2019s unwavering love
— and finally the fairy tale of God\u2019s willingness to enter into our world and save us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
and his gift for speaking the unvarnished truth of God\u2019s word
in all of its tragic and comedic dimensions
was prompted by today\u2019s first reading.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
with so many fairy tale elements, it could have been crafted
by the biblical precursor of Walt Disney.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe subversive story of a rebellious prophet
who hates God for loving his enemies\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
— Like featuring a selfish prophet contrasted with humble and repentant pagans,
— A prophet so toxic that he even gives a behemoth from the deep uncontrollable indigestion
— Whose incredibly powerful 5 word sermon
— pushes not only the world\u2019s most powerful king<\/span>
— but even his cows to repent.
— Which ignites new outrage in our toxic prophet who apparently has more care for some newly sprouted vine than a throng of humanity.
— And ultimately chews out God for being too compassionate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As for the Comedic \u2013 well, where else have you heard about cows repenting?
And when it comes to fairy tales \u2013 maybe it\u2019s self-defense, but I\u2019m sticking with the 5 word sermon as the most effective in human history.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
that Buechner\u2019s 3 categories don\u2019t exactly cover.
For, from a literary perspective,
more than tragedy, comedy or fairy tale,
the Book of Jonah is unadulterated satire.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
satire is particularly well-suited
for critiquing social practices and hypocrisy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
novels like\u00a0Don Quixote<\/em>\u00a0or\u00a0Animal Farm<\/em>,
or movies\u00a0Dr. Strangelove<\/em>\u00a0or\u00a0Monty Python\u2019s Life of Brian<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In the case of\u00a0South Park,\u00a0<\/em>which has generated
serious\u00a0scholarly studies<\/a>
and even multiple\u00a0graduate theses<\/a>,
according to\u00a0one author,<\/a>\u00a0this highly irreverent show
targets far left and far right ideologies
and reveals the absurdity of extremist points of view.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
satire is similarly employed in the bible
to critique social, political and religious extremism,
and especially hypocrisy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
in which God satirizes Job\u2019s lack of wisdom or power,
musing about whether Job was around\u00a0
when\u00a0God laid the foundations of the earth<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In one\u00a0blistering passage<\/a>\u00a0mocking hand-made idols, he writes:
They have mouths, but cannot speak,\u00a0
eyes, but they cannot see;\u00a0
they have ears but cannot hear,\u00a0
noses, but they cannot smell;\u00a0
they have hands, but cannot feel,\u00a0
feet, but they cannot walk;\u00a0
nor can they utter a sound with their throats.\u00a0
Those who make them will be like them \u2026<\/em>\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
wondering why they don\u2019t answer,
musing that they must be asleep, or traveling
or taking a bathroom break.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Consider that he named unstable and double-crossing
Peter as \u201cRocky\u201d;
suggests that its easier for a
camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for the rich to enter heaven<\/a>;
or chides pharisees as blind guides for
straining out gnats but swallowing camels<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
to learn that the bible is filled
not only with comedies, tragedies and fairytales,
but also satire, sarcasm, and mockery,
some of it from the lips of the Son of God.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
for the Gospel according to Bart Simpson,
or The Epistle from Dr. Strangelove,
giving us permission to share in this biblical gift
of caustic and disparaging language.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
to many a politician and public figure today
who seem to excel in belittlement and ridicule.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
satire is not first and foremost about diminishment
but about change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
the Psalmist chastising idol makers
because they shattered a primary commandment
to have no other gods but the one
who delivered them from slavery;
and Jesus rebuffs certain Pharisees
because they are so OCD about observing legal minutiae
that they miss the law of love.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
their names are Anger and Courage.
Anger at the way things are
and Courage to see that they do not remain that way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
whether it is a prophet chastising God
for being too compassionate,
a Catholic prelate chastising the Pope
for undermining the deposit of faith,
or some reckless politician
undermining the voice and dignity of the people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
it is the ending \u2026 a DISAPPOINTING ending.
Whereas the gospel story of fresh discipleship is the beginning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jonah is the end of one \u2026\u00a0.
And, like a long past Advent,
this community today lives between the two-
between a fresh call to discipleship
and an ending that individually and collectively\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0
we have not yet reached.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
embrace the comedy of human existence,
or immerse itself in God\u2019s mythic entry into our world,
into our community, into our lives?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
and you and I have a lot on our agendas this week,
I\u2019m getting ready to leave the country for a month.
Impertinent Paul reminds us that time is running out.
Running out to care for a planet.
Running out to care for migrants.
Running out to stop the starvation.
Running out to stop the violence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
there was a clandestine meeting of local demons
summoned by Satan himself, as there seems to be a local crisis
as enough community members from OSP
are not making it to hell.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
One demon suggested telling the people\u00a0
that there was no hell,
but he was quickly refuted,
pointing out the 49-76 season of the Whitesox,
the Cubs missing the playoffs a 2nd<\/sup>\u00a0year in a row,
and then the Blackhawks \u2026 Bulls \u2026 and Bears…<\/p>\n\n\n\n
that there was no heaven.
That was quickly shot down as well,
for they\u2019re weekly nourished by great worship
and they have an Irish Pastor \u2026\u00a0\u00a0.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
since we can\u2019t convince them there is no hell
nor convince them there is no heaven,
maybe we can convince them there is no hurry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
— But St. Paul is
— A warming globe is<\/span>
— Every child brutalized on our streets is<\/span>
— And each innocent dying in a neighborhood that has become a warzone is<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You might know his touching 2014 novel\u00a0
The Fault in our Stars<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
that the world is not a wish-granting factory;
that the world may be broken but hope is not crazy;
and that the marks humans leave are too often scars.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
that grabs my attention today.\u00a0\u00a0He writes:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
that the time for discipleship is now.
That the time for standing up against prejudice\u00a0
and warmongering is at hand.
That Someday is today \u2026\u00a0.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\nTheir names are Anger and Courage.
\nAnger at the way things are
\nAnd Courage to see that they do not remain that way.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":28,"featured_media":63221,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3294],"tags":[3654,3249,3253],"class_list":["post-63193","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-ars-praedicandi","tag-3rd-sunday-of-ordinary-time","tag-ars-praedicandi","tag-ed-foley"],"yoast_head":"\n