Real or True?

Real or True?

During our class on Sacred Scripture, our diaconate class had a priest who was humorous, intelligent that brought the understanding of the Old Testament to light, but most of all presented the class with a way to understand what is written in Scripture.  

The one plausible theory that still remains with me is:  “The bible doesn’t mean what it says, it says what it means.”  Even when I taught, either as an electrical instructor in trade schools or as a Master Catechist for the Diocese of Pittsburgh, that theme stuck with me and to this day has become a mantra when I preach, teach, or write.  

There were times when other deacons or some priests and I talked about preaching,I dared to tell them that many of my homilies were stories without actual facts.  One friend told me he would never speak about something that wasn’t real.  My answer was just like Jesus using parables to make a point, I was using the understanding that a homily doesn’t need to be real, but it must have the sense of being true.   Every parable Jesus used to make a point on faith, challenges, or finding God in their confusing world, was in fact a true story.  The three stories of something or someone lost.  The lost sheep, the lost coin, and the Lost Son.  After reading these in their context, the reader would easily get the understanding of the Father’s relentless love to accept any one of us who struggle to find forgiveness.

There may be some preachers or writers who are reluctant to use this style when speaking or printing themes to grab their listeners’ attention to what is true without concern of whether it is real.  It is the final pronouncement of the words that have the ability to open someone's mind and heart as to the infinite grace God is ready to hand them.

With that in mind I want to add here one of my stories that may or may not have been published on this web site.  However, it is exactly what a parable is about and hopefully makes an impression.

At a parish penance service, I stood before the congregation and began; “I like to go fishing but many times once I arrive at the lake the best spots are already taken.  This one day as I was approaching the lake Jesus appeared and asked me if I wanted a private spot to fish from.  Of course my response was, “Yes.”  So he led me away from the crowded lake and had me follow him to a well hidden body of water.  As we arrived at this deserted lake  I was overwhelmed with the beauty of the surroundings and the attraction of this private body of water.  I asked Jesus, “Is this really my own lake?  His response was, “It absolutely is yours and no one else may go fishing here.”  In fact everything in the lake belongs to you.  Take the fishing rod and cast the line into the water and see what you can find.  It didn’t take long and I could feel something pulling on the line.  Reeling the line in I was surprised at what was coming out of the water.  I asked the Lord what it was.  He said, “don’t  you know what this is?”  “It’s your lake and everything in it be;longs to you.”  It’s selfishness towards other people.”  “Now try again but cast out further and find something that’s a little better.”  This time I cast out further and got another tug on the line.  As I pulled it in the item was more devastating than the first.  I said, “what is this?  It’s uglier than the first one.”  Jesus again reminded me this was my private lake and anything found belonged to me alone.  This is Lust!  Throw it away.  For the final cast Jesus said to try the deepest part of the lake.  This time I had a catch but could not pull it in.  The Lord helped me and when whatever we got caused me to shudder out of fear.  I said, “I have never seen anything as ugly as this.”  “What is ir?”  Jesus said this is the worst of anything you have held onto and is the hardest to get rid of.”  “It's pride.”  Get rid of it and make your lake clean and pure.”

Tonight before entering the confessional take an inventory of your own lake and prepare to rid this beautiful soul of anything that may be cluttering this private lake of yours.

Ralph B. Hathaway