Update 8-Dec (the person I work for is based in Europe, and wants us all to use dates in that format): down below in the comments, a week or so ago (I know, I've been struggling to keep up, even with our not-really-that-busy blog), Jean threw down this challenge:
Try "Catholic homily on sheep and goats with sports references." I'll give you odds you get at least one mention of Notre Dame or Knut Rockne ...
Like the servant who invested his master's five talents and had 10 waiting for the guy's return, I did as Jean requested. The result is pasted at the bottom of the post.
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Here is another in our occasional series of homilies generated by ChatGPT, the artificial intelligence engine from OpenAI. As you may see for yourself below the break, it somehow avoided any mention of Broadway theater, not to mention the game of golf, so it seems a bit defective to me. But according to an Axios newsletter I read a bit earlier today, ChatGPT is evolving "insanely fast". You may judge for yourself whether it has outstripped your poor blog author and any other preachers who stood at the pulpit before you this past weekend. Here is ChatGPT's homily, generated just a few minutes ago:
Title: Embracing the Call to Mercy
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
As we gather today to reflect on the Word of God, we are presented with a powerful and challenging message from the Gospel according to Matthew - the parable of the Sheep and the Goats. In this passage, Jesus paints a vivid picture of the final judgment, a scene where the Shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.
The imagery used by Jesus is profound and deeply symbolic. The sheep, representing the righteous, are those who have embraced the Gospel message and lived it out in their daily lives. They are characterized by acts of love, compassion, and mercy. On the other hand, the goats, representing the unrighteous, are those who have neglected the needs of others, turning a blind eye to the suffering around them.
Jesus makes it clear that our salvation is not merely a matter of words or beliefs but is intimately tied to our actions, especially our acts of mercy. He identifies Himself with the least of these, emphasizing the importance of our response to those who are hungry, thirsty, strangers, naked, sick, or imprisoned.
As Catholics, we are called to examine our lives in light of this parable. How have we responded to the needs of our brothers and sisters? Have we fed the hungry, given drink to the thirsty, welcomed the stranger, clothed the naked, cared for the sick, and visited the imprisoned?
In our busy lives, it's easy to become preoccupied with our own concerns and forget the call to love our neighbors. However, Jesus reminds us that our faith is not a private matter. It must be lived out in our relationships and in our care for those in need.
The Corporal Works of Mercy are not optional extras for the super-religious; they are the tangible expressions of our faith. When we reach out to others in mercy, we are, in fact, reaching out to Christ Himself. This is the essence of Christian living – a life of selfless love and service.
The call to mercy is a challenging one, but it is also a call to greatness. It is an invitation to imitate our Lord, who came not to be served but to serve. As we reflect on the Sheep and Goats passage, let us renew our commitment to living out the Gospel in our daily lives. Let us strive to be counted among the sheep, knowing that in serving others, we are serving Christ.
May the Holy Spirit empower us to be agents of mercy in a world that so desperately needs it. Through our actions of love and compassion, may we bear witness to the transformative power of the Gospel and, on the day of judgment, hear those beautiful words from our Lord, "Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world" (Matthew 25:34).
Amen.
UPDATE: here is the sports-reference homily requested by Jean. Perhaps the best I can say about it is, it's mercifully brief. But YMMV.
Ladies and gentlemen, brothers and sisters in faith, and all sports enthusiasts gathered here today, may the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Today, as we reflect upon the Gospel of Matthew (25:31-46), we find a profound message about the separation of the sheep and goats—a message that resonates not only in the spiritual realm but can also be mirrored in the world of sports.
In the Gospel, Jesus speaks of the final judgment, where the Son of Man will separate the righteous (the sheep) from the unrighteous (the goats). The sheep are commended for their acts of kindness and mercy, while the goats are rebuked for their neglect of those in need. This separation is a reminder of the choices we make in our lives, both on and off the playing field.
In the world of sports, athletes often find themselves faced with choices that mirror the parable. Consider the athlete who uses their platform to inspire and uplift others, both teammates and fans alike—the sheep in the world of sports. They dedicate time to charitable causes, mentor younger players, and contribute positively to the community. In doing so, they reflect the love and compassion that Jesus calls us to show one another.
On the other hand, there are those who may neglect their responsibility as role models. Athletes who prioritize personal gain, fame, or success without regard for the impact they have on others may find themselves identified as goats in this sporting analogy. Their focus on individual achievement, without a genuine concern for the well-being of their teammates or the community, places them on the path of separation.
As we navigate the playing fields of life, let us strive to be the sheep—the athletes who recognize the interconnectedness of our actions and the impact they have on those around us. Whether we're on the field or in the stands, let us be mindful of the opportunities we have to uplift one another, to extend a helping hand, and to contribute positively to the world of sports and beyond.
In conclusion, let our lives reflect the teachings of Jesus, both in our spiritual journey and in the arenas where we compete. May we be counted among the sheep, showing kindness and compassion to those in need, and thus, find ourselves welcomed into the eternal joy of God's kingdom.
May the Lord bless you and keep you, on and off the playing field. Amen.
Interesting comparison.
ReplyDeleteYou: Jesus gives us unlimited "mulligans" to get our lives "straightened out" in unspecified ways until we die. If we aren't straightened out by then, the implication is that it's off to the pit. You lose! The homily at seems disgusted with us, and Jesus will be too!
Bot: Jesus calls us to specific acts of compassion and mercy. Those who ignore the call get "separated," from God in some unspecified way. Don't be a goat. Punishment is soft-pedaled.
Your sermon seems more urgent. Time is passing while we "fool ourselves" about our own spiritual fitness, and emphasizes death as the "time's up" moment that could come at any time. The golf metaphor seems tailored to an upper middle class audience who would identify with and feel frustration in a golfer taking endless mulligans, holding everybody up, whacking divots in the fairway. An incompetent at best, a cheater at worst.
The Bot's message gives more specifics about how we are to "straighten out" our lives. But it is aimed at a general audience and focuses on what we are to do for others, less on what happens to us if we don't.
The Bot's message lacks any "sit up and take notice" moments, the kind of sermon that allows your mind to wander and mentally make your laundry list or nurse a grudge.
Your golf metaphor may not speak to everybody, but instead of ignoring it, a listener might think, "I don't get that analogy, but he could have said xyz." Which means you have kept them thinking about the theme of the reading and how they might interpret it.
Jean, thanks. As a matter of fact, when I actually gave the homily, I asked the folks in the congregation to raise their hands if they knew what a mulligan is in golf. Some raised their hands, but not as many as I would have expected. Golf is not really the most popular of sports, I guess.
DeleteAt one time, golf was a respectable game for the working man and woman. Some outstanding professional golfers (Lee Trevino might be the best-known) learned the game on public courses, as I did when I was a boy, although nobody would have mistaken me for a great or even good golfer. There is no doubt that the great majority of PGA touring professionals are from the country club set, but I'm not quite ready yet to concede the sport to the one percent.
The Chat grinder generated something that was very familiar and generic and I kind of glazed over. Real Jim's homily was more attention getting. I'm not much of a sports fan but I know the references. Jim, maybe next time we can do a kind of Turing test. Put you and revbot's homilies out on a post and we pick out which is yours.
DeleteBy the way, the artificial cylons in the remake of Battlestar Galactica were religious. Sorta Catholic, actually.
My dad played golf. He was athletic and very good looking, and Gramma made him learn so he could play with his rich uncle at the country club outside of Indianapolis, where Dad was going to business school on Uncle Morris's dime. Gramma thought playing golf would move Dad into Uncle Morris's orbit where he would make contacts with other RBs ("rich bastards," Dad's shorthand for the wealthy) and "marry up."
DeleteGreat plan in theory, but Dad spent most of his time in the "colored" bars in Indianapolis listening to jazz and at the muncipal golf course, which let Dad and his friends in.
Upshot was that Dad got better at golf than Uncle Morris. Dumb move because Uncle Morris was very vain about his game on account of having hired some high-priced pro for exclusive lessons. Getting beaten by a wastrel nephew who just "picked up" the game on the wrong side of town was a blow. Dad also flunked out of biz school.
So Uncle Morris made Dad pay back the tuition loan and sent him back to Michigan in disgrace. This was a decade before I was born.
He tried to get me to play golf when I was a teenager, but I couldn't stand more than half a par three course, and after awhile Dad realized he couldn't stand playing with me.
Like Mark Twain said, "Golf is a good walk ruined."
I played golf once in my life, when I was 14 in freshman PE. Was not tempted to take it any further. I agree with Mark Twain about it spoiling a good walk.
DeleteFor all that they called it "pasture pool", my brothers played it. One of them got pretty good.
The game du jour seems to be pickle ball. I don't know what the attraction is, it looks like ping pong played on a court.
I only played golf once in my life. Near the end of freshman year, a good friend that I had made that year, invited me to play golf with him on a spring holiday.
DeleteI made the first hole, a par 3, in four. First shot got me mostof the distance to the green, the second near the green, the third on the green, I think my friend gave me a par 4 so that I would not find out how difficult it is to get the ball into the hole, even when you are close.
Beginners luck. On the rest of the holes, par squared was a good approximation of my score.
I also worked for the Minneapolis golf club during the summer between my sophomore and junior years. A Cuban friend at my school got me the job; he had worked there. It was a good deal, free lodging in the servant's quarters and free food. So, I was able to save all my pay, and travel the next-year to the University of Washington for summer school.
My work (mostly busing dishes) began around 3 pm and continued to around 11pm. The manager of the place took a liking to me. I spent most of the time between 3-5 decorating the dining room with flowers from their garden. He was Hawaiian and had a party with Hawaiian food. I was the only one willing to eat it!
Since my mornings were free, I took courses at the University of Minnesota which like the University of Washington was an early adopter of the quarter system. I took most of the undergraduate psychology courses at these places since my Catholic College did not yet have a psychology major.
My brother loved working in the kitchen at the local country club. Chef gave the kids scads of leftovers, they got free meals, and the aforementioned RBs were all half in the bag and liberally handing out $5 tips at Christmas time.
DeleteJim, we need to know exactly with what words you asked for this homily.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I suspect that ChatGPT remembers who you are and what are your interests when it comes to homilies, and perhaps other things. If you ask for these homilies in the right way, ChatGPT homilies may come to more and more resemble yours. I will let Jean and others decide how desirable that might be.
I have opinions about AI writing programs, most of them negative. I am not interested in using them personally. But they're part of the cultural landscape now, and my opinions have zero impact.
DeleteI think using AI for a tool is fine. But I don't want people using it as a substitute for their brain. Or claiming as their creative work something that is actually a pastiche of other people's creative work. I saw a cartoon that was a good illustration; the person labeled "artist" was fishing out of a lake and putting her fish in a bucket. The person labeled AI was also fishing. But their line and hook were in the other person's bucket.
DeleteBut as Jean said, my opinions have zero impact!
My friends who are still teaching say it is a nightmare. No way to prove the Bot wrote a student's essay, and academia is in a dither about how to deal because curriculum committees can't make decisions in less than two years. Profs seem divided between two camps: "let's make the Bot our friend in the classroom!" to "require the cheating little slackers to show rough drafts." Likely was a hot topic at this year's college English conference, but I quit attending that when they put everything on Zoom during COVID and stayet virtual. I was mostly going for the lunch, schmooze, and scaring the graduate students.
DeleteJack, here is the query I put before the AI gods:
Delete"Catholic homily on Matthew's passage about the sheep and goats"
I thought its point about the importance of works of mercy was pretty interesting. Maybe I'm reading more into it than is actually there, but I suspect my inclusion of "Catholic" in the request caused it to dredge up some line of thought about the faith-vs-works controversy.
Try "Catholic homily on sheep and goats with sports references." I'll give you odds you get at least one mention of Notre Dame or Knut Rockne ...
DeleteJean - done. Check the post.
DeleteJim, I liked your homily better.
ReplyDeleteFor what it's worth, my husband likes a site for homily ideas called "Liturgy Helps " (I think?) which was linked on Deacon Greg Kandra' s site.
Katherine, thanks! Could it be "Homily Helps"?
DeleteI think it is Homily Helps.
Delete