Deacon Greg 6-21-20
I get to be one of the first to offer you the greeting, Happy Summer, as astronomically speaking, this year’s Summer Solstice occurred about an hour ago! It’s quite common to hear folks refer to this as the “longest day of the year,” when actually a day is always 24 hours, meaning no one day is longer or shorter than the other. A more precise description might be that today, the day of the Summer Solstice, is actually the one day of the year that has the most light within its 24 hour duration. Also, since it’s actually celebrated tomorrow, I get to be one of the first to wish you Dads a Happy Father’s Day!
So the operative question today is what do we do with all of this light?
One thing that we all do of course is the Summer vacation! One of my fondest memories of my own Father is actually a combination of two Summer trips we took to the Gulf. Like many families, our parents saved money and valuable vacation time throughout the year, banking them for that crucial week away. We were the types to head to the Gulf!
One year my Dad splurged on one of those 1/2 day deep sea fishing trips! We all went to the dock one morning, got on to this amazing boat... just us, the Capt. and his First Mate, and set sail (actually we motored) out of Destin Harbor into the wonderfully calm Gulf of Mexico. It was Sunny, warm, and the water, as they say, was as smooth as glass. Our six hour journey took us a few miles out, where we trolled, and caught as many fish as we could, keeping us all busy for many hours. My Mom and Dad, my brother and sister and my grandmother, all had one of the best day’s ever! But that’s not the memory.
It was a year or two later, after saving up time and money again, that we all agreed that we had to go back to the beach, especially so we could take another awesome 1/2 day deep sea fishing trip. But there was one important difference this time... The day we took the trip was cloudy, windy, and a little rainy, with a forecast for more.
My brother and I headed up to the observation deck like before, and Mom, sister and MomMom hung out in the Cabin. Dad, of course, kept close to the Capt., enjoying that feeling of being out on his boat, sailing on that ocean. It was when we left the harbor that things were apparently going to be much different. They call them swells.
That little boat was tossed about like a fishing bobber, and we all, let’s just say tossed our breakfast.
So the over dramatized and romanized memory is this... My Dad and Mom paid a lot of hard earned money, and invested a lot of time for that 1/2 day and we were gonna fish! While the moment might not have been ideal, we tried to follow Dads lead, and we rode those swells and cast those lines just like that Old Man in his Sea!
Looking back with that hindsight of being a Dad and a PopPop myself, I can now understand the concept of dreaming dreams, hoping that one day they’ll come true. Sometimes they work out perfectly, just like your dreams, other times you have to adjust and adapt to the moment, experience things as they are, even if it’s in the midst of a struggle, and like my Dad said, “I paid a lot of money for this boat! Now get out here and fish!”
Is it too trite to make that same connection today? I mean, our Heavenly Father has big plans for us, and there’s much to do on this voyage of ours, and there’s plenty of light today to get in a lot of fishing... So let’s fish!
As a people, we spend a lot of time working and investing for a time like this! While it’s not the same as that vacation you’re saving up for, it does come with countless hours of planning, preparation and dreaming. In the dark of winter, our Advent journey to Christmas focuses on that light in the darkness. Our Springtime Lenten journey to Easter reveals the power of what that light has done for all of God’s people. And this Summer journey of ours, with Pentecost as our motivator, brings us together as Church to begin to work in the midst of all if this light!
Like my Vacation memory, the Prophet Jeremiah must have had some good times when everyone listened and cooperated. Times like when the Gulf was smooth as glass and the fish practically jumped into the boat. But that same prep, and those so same dreams that came to him in the darkness, were also met with choppy seas and queazy stomachs. In today’s First Reading, Jeremiah is definitely experiencing the later, but in the midst of the turmoil what does he say for all to hear and see? “Sing to the Lord, praise the Lord!”
Jeremiah spent a lot of time alone in prayer listening to the Lord. There was a lot of investment on his part, preparing for the moments he knew would come. Whether it was the night before a big day of “propheting,” or the season leading up to a time of great light, when there was nothing to hide. The things that he heard in the darkness, he proclaimed in the light!
Jesus told the Twelve, and he tells us the same here today, the day with the most light, fear not, for nothing is concealed that will not be revealed in the light of this long day. There are no secrets that will not be known. Those amazing things that he whispered to you in the darkness last night, or back during Advent and Christmas, and Lent and Easter.... It’s time, as individuals and as Church, time to proclaim the Good News, here in the light of day! Proclaim the truth of God’s love for all people, shouting from this rooftop!
Now I must admit that in our cycle of Mass, this a pretty common theme, year after year, during this time, during these beginning days of Summer, when there’s more light and more time. In previous years, these early days of Summer were pretty typical. It was a time to reap the investment from saving our money and time for a relaxing vacation, in the midst of a relaxed world of people. Well this year is different! We are in the midst of what I’ll call some choppy seas!
But we as a people and a Church have invested a lot of our time and dreams getting ready for this... It’s time to get on out here and fish!
There’s fear and worry about viruses, wearing masks and following strategies to help keep things in check... Let’s do what we’ve been asked to do. C’mon, get out here and fish!
There’s talk and debates on threats to equality, justice, and freedom, and the reforms needed to fix a broken society... Let’s do what we have to do. C’mon get out here and fish!
What the Lord has said to you in the dark, speak in the light… And there’s a lot of light out there these days, and yes, maybe even a few waves... Let’s make good use of this opportunity. After all, we’ve worked hard to make this happen!
So the operative question today is what do we do with all of this light?
One thing that we all do of course is the Summer vacation! One of my fondest memories of my own Father is actually a combination of two Summer trips we took to the Gulf. Like many families, our parents saved money and valuable vacation time throughout the year, banking them for that crucial week away. We were the types to head to the Gulf!
One year my Dad splurged on one of those 1/2 day deep sea fishing trips! We all went to the dock one morning, got on to this amazing boat... just us, the Capt. and his First Mate, and set sail (actually we motored) out of Destin Harbor into the wonderfully calm Gulf of Mexico. It was Sunny, warm, and the water, as they say, was as smooth as glass. Our six hour journey took us a few miles out, where we trolled, and caught as many fish as we could, keeping us all busy for many hours. My Mom and Dad, my brother and sister and my grandmother, all had one of the best day’s ever! But that’s not the memory.
It was a year or two later, after saving up time and money again, that we all agreed that we had to go back to the beach, especially so we could take another awesome 1/2 day deep sea fishing trip. But there was one important difference this time... The day we took the trip was cloudy, windy, and a little rainy, with a forecast for more.
My brother and I headed up to the observation deck like before, and Mom, sister and MomMom hung out in the Cabin. Dad, of course, kept close to the Capt., enjoying that feeling of being out on his boat, sailing on that ocean. It was when we left the harbor that things were apparently going to be much different. They call them swells.
That little boat was tossed about like a fishing bobber, and we all, let’s just say tossed our breakfast.
So the over dramatized and romanized memory is this... My Dad and Mom paid a lot of hard earned money, and invested a lot of time for that 1/2 day and we were gonna fish! While the moment might not have been ideal, we tried to follow Dads lead, and we rode those swells and cast those lines just like that Old Man in his Sea!
Looking back with that hindsight of being a Dad and a PopPop myself, I can now understand the concept of dreaming dreams, hoping that one day they’ll come true. Sometimes they work out perfectly, just like your dreams, other times you have to adjust and adapt to the moment, experience things as they are, even if it’s in the midst of a struggle, and like my Dad said, “I paid a lot of money for this boat! Now get out here and fish!”
Is it too trite to make that same connection today? I mean, our Heavenly Father has big plans for us, and there’s much to do on this voyage of ours, and there’s plenty of light today to get in a lot of fishing... So let’s fish!
As a people, we spend a lot of time working and investing for a time like this! While it’s not the same as that vacation you’re saving up for, it does come with countless hours of planning, preparation and dreaming. In the dark of winter, our Advent journey to Christmas focuses on that light in the darkness. Our Springtime Lenten journey to Easter reveals the power of what that light has done for all of God’s people. And this Summer journey of ours, with Pentecost as our motivator, brings us together as Church to begin to work in the midst of all if this light!
Like my Vacation memory, the Prophet Jeremiah must have had some good times when everyone listened and cooperated. Times like when the Gulf was smooth as glass and the fish practically jumped into the boat. But that same prep, and those so same dreams that came to him in the darkness, were also met with choppy seas and queazy stomachs. In today’s First Reading, Jeremiah is definitely experiencing the later, but in the midst of the turmoil what does he say for all to hear and see? “Sing to the Lord, praise the Lord!”
Jeremiah spent a lot of time alone in prayer listening to the Lord. There was a lot of investment on his part, preparing for the moments he knew would come. Whether it was the night before a big day of “propheting,” or the season leading up to a time of great light, when there was nothing to hide. The things that he heard in the darkness, he proclaimed in the light!
Jesus told the Twelve, and he tells us the same here today, the day with the most light, fear not, for nothing is concealed that will not be revealed in the light of this long day. There are no secrets that will not be known. Those amazing things that he whispered to you in the darkness last night, or back during Advent and Christmas, and Lent and Easter.... It’s time, as individuals and as Church, time to proclaim the Good News, here in the light of day! Proclaim the truth of God’s love for all people, shouting from this rooftop!
Now I must admit that in our cycle of Mass, this a pretty common theme, year after year, during this time, during these beginning days of Summer, when there’s more light and more time. In previous years, these early days of Summer were pretty typical. It was a time to reap the investment from saving our money and time for a relaxing vacation, in the midst of a relaxed world of people. Well this year is different! We are in the midst of what I’ll call some choppy seas!
But we as a people and a Church have invested a lot of our time and dreams getting ready for this... It’s time to get on out here and fish!
There’s fear and worry about viruses, wearing masks and following strategies to help keep things in check... Let’s do what we’ve been asked to do. C’mon, get out here and fish!
There’s talk and debates on threats to equality, justice, and freedom, and the reforms needed to fix a broken society... Let’s do what we have to do. C’mon get out here and fish!
What the Lord has said to you in the dark, speak in the light… And there’s a lot of light out there these days, and yes, maybe even a few waves... Let’s make good use of this opportunity. After all, we’ve worked hard to make this happen!
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