(Start the mass with inviting people to greet one another and then teach how to greet as a Buddhist.) The word “Buddha” comes from the root buddh, which means to wake up. A Buddha is someone who is awake. When Buddhists greet one another, they hold their palms together like a lotus flower, breathe in and out mindfully, bow and say silently, “A lotus for you, a Buddha to be.” This kind of greeting produces two Buddhas at the same time. They acknowledge the seeds of awakening, Buddhahood, that are within the other person, whatever his or her age or status. This will be done in a Christian way, Christhood, that are within the other person. We can greet one another, “A lotus for you, a Christ to be.” (Invite to greet again as a Christian.)
(Homily) To me, life seems successive Mondays after the ordination. What I mean by this is that my rector at the seminary used to talk to the seminarians, “Don’t forget that the Monday come after the day of your ordination and all congratulation parties.” He was quite right. The Monday has arrived and stayed with me, teaching me to know that life is more likely dutiful than enjoyable and requires more patience than ability. Archbishop Niederauer talked in the presbyteral convocation, “When we see a tombstone of someone, we only see the years of birth and death. But life is more likely the dash, the time between birth and death.” And during the dash, we usually find ourselves called to be watchful as we strive to fulfill our daily responsibilities. As a mother, a father, a grandmother, a grandfather, a son, a daughter, we all try to accomplish what our close ones expect us. It seems to take a lot of time and energy from us to reach these expectations day after day. We struggle just to be a decent person.
As the gospel reads, however, our life is not ours, but given by the master who traveling abroad and we are his servants in charge, each with his own work ordered to be on the watch. If we take this view, a paradigm shifts. We are not the messiah who is in charge of everything but useless servants who are simply called to be faithful to what the master has taught. And the first and foremost important quality to the servant is being dutiful and watchful. So the following question would be how to become more mindful and watchful in the daily routine where we seem to struggle and to be lost.