Cyclic Poems, Set B, "Pulsar" - 4. Sunday's Sermon

“You can be seated. . . As we get ready to celebrate Saint Patrick this week throughout the environs of Milwaukee, either through celebration or exploitation, we are reminded in today’s readings and liturgy about true prayer and true supplication to our Lord, Yahweh. This communion between the sacred and the profane always begins with a call and then a response. Sometimes the call comes and the response comes suddenly. Sometimes only tenacity in character helps in the long wait of a supplicant might have to endure while pleading, petitioning, Yahweh. Also, we are usually always preoccupied with the results and forget that the sacredness of prayer and response is just as important as the miracle or the gift from Yahweh. In the same model but angulated differently sometimes the Lord’s call and our response to it itself is a holy act of communion. So, by extension, the actual sacred communion begins in the call by either the sacred or the profane. So usually you pray and think of what will happen when you receive your petition. ’ I will give an additional alms.’ ‘I will take a pilgrimage.’ ‘I will exclaim that there is no God but Yahweh!’ And these are just slight examples in geste of what we are capable in ability to promise. This said, that the sacredness is in the act of the supplicant and the hearer, in today’s first reading of Yahweh’s reading we are instructed to cry out for help to Him, Yahweh. And if we do so He will answer ‘here I am.’ Again, we should see the sacredness in the act. We are also reminded to take pleasure in His Holy Day; we should describe our Sabbath as ‘Delightful.’ Again, we should see the sacredness in the our dedicating a day in our week to our Lord. This does not mean that we should only do this once a week but basically to amplify at least one day in the glory of Yahweh. Also, oddly enough, we are asked to not only not travel about on this sacred day, but also refrain from idle talk. Again, we should see the sacredness in the act of communicating, especially on Sunday between our loved ones and our distant petitioners. Prayer to Yahweh, again, should not be considered idle talk. Not only is this point explicitly explained in the first reading, it is illustrated elegantly in today’s responsorial Psalm. Today’s is taken from a segment of the Prayer Of David. David asks, supplicates, Yahweh to listen to his prayers, to take pity in him, to fill his heart with joy. ‘Yahweh, hear my prayer, listen to the sound of my pleading.’ Here our universal religious should see the sacredness in the act of asking and receiving. Now, today’s Gospel is from Luke. Here though, our Lord called out Levi, the tax collector, the Lord commanded ‘Follow Me.’ Not only did Levi also say ‘here I am Lord,’ he showed his mindfulness of the sacred matter by making a great celebration in Jesus’ name. Regardless of others say, He answers with a yes, and not only a ‘yes,’ but a ‘YES’ with exclamation points, bells, whistles, flowers, celebrations. ‘Yes.’ In decision, we should see the sacredness in the bond of asking and receiving...Glory be to our Lord through Jesus Christ. Yes, indeed. Now let us prepare ourselves for our other sacred Catholic Communion.”

He turns and goes to the altar.