December 16, 2017

FEET

Feet - as necessary - as important as hands….

Feet - washed by Jesus, who had the same

experience of having his feet washed and

then dried by a woman’s hair.  "Oooh nice!"

Feet - taking us everywhere along the

roads of our Palestine and the streets of our

Jericho and Jerusalem - and sometimes

we wish we could walk on water….

Feet - sometimes we’re unaware of our feet.

We stub our toes. And sometimes we’re

unaware of those who do the footwork

in our life: mail carriers, nurses, police….

Feet - sometimes we feel nailed down - 
like Jesus on the cross. We're stuck, feeling
abandoned - and we can't walk away.
We can only say, "Father forgive them...."

© Andy Costello, Reflections  2017

December 15, 2017

FROZEN  TUNDRA  TURF 

Hard, cold, cemetery earth,

especially in winter wind,

makes the resurrection so

much easier to believe.

Who would want to spend

earth’s eternity underground

surrounded by cement, ashes,

decaying casket and bone?

Who wouldn’t want to grab

Christ’s hand and join heaven’s

dance, the Perichoresis, with

Father, Son and Holy Spirit? Amen.

© Andy Costello, Reflections  2017

Perichoreis - the ancient Greek

word - that pictures God as the

God of the Dance - harmony,

music and togetherness. 

^{THE DARK NIGHT} 

^{OF  THE  SOUL}

GOSPEL: A READING FROM THE GOSPEL OF JOHN 13: 21-30

After he had said this, Jesus was troubled in spirit and testified, “Very truly I tell you, one of you is going to betray me.”

His disciples stared at one another, at a loss to know which of them he meant. One of them, the disciple whom Jesus loved, was reclining next to him. Simon Peter motioned to this disciple and said, “Ask him which one he means.”

Leaning back against Jesus, he asked him, “Lord, who is it?”

Jesus answered, “It is the one to whom I will give this piece of bread when I have dipped it in the dish.” Then, dipping the piece of bread, he gave it to Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot. As soon as Judas took the bread, Satan entered into him.

So Jesus told him, “What you are about to do, do quickly.” 

But no one at the meal understood why Jesus said this to him. 

Since Judas had charge of the money, some thought Jesus was telling him to buy what was needed for the festival, or to give something to the poor. As soon as Judas had taken the bread, he went out. It was night.

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily is, “The Dark Night of the Soul.”

Today is the feast of St. John of the Cross [1542-1591]

He is famous for that phrase: “The Dark Night of the Soul.” 

It's the title of his treatise  [c.1583] based on his poem: Songs of the Soul Which Rejoices at Having Reached Union with God by the road of Spiritual Negation [c. 1578]

Theologians, poets, psychologists, and spiritual writers often talk about “The Dark Night of the Soul."

Napoleon talked about, “Two o’clock in the morning courage: I mean unprepared courage.” This can be found in the Memories of Napoleon written down by Emmanuel-Auguste-Dieudonne from the island of Saint Helene - where Napoleon was held captive. [Cf. his journal writings from December 4, 5, 1815 - in Las Cases, Memorial de Ste-Helene 1843.

Henry David Thoreau wrote about, "The Three o'clock in the morning courage, which Bonaparte thought was the rarest." That's n Walden [1854] chapter 4, Sounds.

F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote in his book, The Crack Up, "In a real dark night of the soul it is always three o'clock in the morning." [1936]

SO

So in psychology - many times in talking about depression - people feel like they are in a dark night. They can’t sleep or they are sleeping too much.

So in prayer - many people in talking about praying and spirituality - they talk about feeling bored, empty, dry, feeling like they are in a desert or having been deserted by God.

John of the Cross and Teresa of Avila - who knew each other as Carmelites - and friends - often talked about the Dark Night.

A key word one reads is, “Nada!”

They are feeling nothing when they pray - and then bringing that into her spirituality - Teresa will say, “Nada” - let nothing disturb you.

When it comes to God, they feel nothing at times. Nada. They feel like they are in the dark.

GOSPEL

I picked the gospel text I read for today from the gospel of St. John.

I was going to pick just the last 3 words, “It was night” as the reading - but I thought that could be a distraction.

John the Poet - very different from Matthew, Mark and Luke - plays on the theme of sin as darkness.

Judas by his betrayal of Jesus entered into the night - into the dark night of sin - into the dark night of the soul.

When we sin - when we betray our spouse - when we cheat - it’s hard to look the other in the eye. “It is night!”  We have eaten, bit in into the sour bread of sin - and we can’t be in communion with each other.

Paul - especially in Romans - talks about sin as darkness.

Thieves wear masks.  People going into court hide behind a coat or newspaper.

CONCLUSION

We’re heading for Christmas - the great feast of Light - especially in the Northern Hemisphere - where Christmas comes in the Darkest time of the Year.

Yet isn’t it neat to see so many lights on trees and houses - and in windows - and light in people’s eyes - as they are shopping for gifts to express their love and appreciation for the people in their lives.

December 14, 2017

DARK  NIGHT

Dark night,

needing light,

as I maneuvered my way

to the bathroom at 2:30 in the morning.

Dark night,

avoiding the light,

as I danced my way,

away from You, O God, for a thousand nights.

Dark night,

returning to the light,

as I crawled my way,

bruised and broken, back to You,  Dark God.

© Andy Costello, Reflections  2017
Painting on top: Philip Koch

.

FEAST OF SAINT LUCY -
DECEMBER 13 -  

PATRON SAINT 

OF THOSE WITH BLINDNESS 

OR EYE TROUBLES

PRAYER FOR OUR EYES

Lord,

thank you for my eyes.

Help me to see clearly - 
especially in seeing the good in others.

Give me healthy eyes

and when my eyes are going bad,

help me to find 

the best medical help possible.

Amen.

December 13, 2017

DARK  BLUE  BOTTLE

It was a dark blue bottle -

holding  dark blue wine  -

at least that’s what it looked like -

as I looked through the outside

into the inside of the blue bottle.

God,  why didn’t you make some
of us with skin of blue - such a

calming color? The blues could

be the peacemakers. They could

be the ones bringing us calm.

Well, God, you didn’t. So we the black

ones, the tan ones, are the ones who 

have to make peace with one another,

pouring out our wine and  our blood,

so that we can be calm for one another.

© Andy Costello, Reflections  2017

OUR  LADY  OF  GUADALUPE

At Malvern Pennsylvania Retreat House

Juan Diego, Malvern Pennsylvania

FEAST OF OUR LADY

OF GUADALUPE -

THE NUMBERS

INTRODUCTION

The title of my few thoughts is, “Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe - The Numbers.”

Today, December 12, about 3 million people will go to Tepeyac, Mexico, for the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe.  It’s a feast day that starts with the first revelations of Mary to Juan Diego, a Christian Native American on December 8^th - going further to December 12, 1531

Around 20 million people make a pilgrimage to Our Lady of Guadalupe Shrine per year.

What about other shrines and other numbers.

Lourdes, France  has about 8 million per year.  Apparecida, Brazil gets about 6.6 million people per year. Fatima has about 4.5 million per year - this year obviously more - with its 100^th Anniversary.

Guadalupe is the largest and best attended Marian Shrine in the world.

In Hinduism, we have  the largest holy place in the world. It’s dedicated to Ayyappan. It’s in Southern India - in the Kerala region - which is also the most Catholic area  in India.  This shrine gets about 40 to 50 million pilgrims  a year. This happens mostly in late December and early January. The key god is Ayyappan - who is a war god and the god of growth. Women in their child bearing years don’t want to go in pilgrimage to this place - because Ayyappan is celibate.

CONVERSATIONS

Start conversations about the holy places you’ve been to.

I haven’t been to Salt Lake City to see the Mormon’s sacred center.

But I’ve been to Israel.  If you get the opportunity, if you haven’t already, to to Israel. I did in 2000. I saw Bethlehem, The Lake of Galilee, the place of the Last Supper, Jerusalem, the Jordan, the Dead Sea, the mount of Transfiguration  and what have you.

I liked being on the Lake of Galilee the most - because I figured that would be closest to the what a place looked like in the time of Jesus.

I’ve been to various other holy places.  I’ve been to Monte Cassino - the key Benedictine place. It’s in Italy, along with Assissi and all the big churches in Rome.

In France, I got to Montmartre and Notre Dame in Paris. But the one shrine I wanted to go to was Chartres Cathedral, 50 miles south and west of Paris. It supposedly has the most beautiful stained glass windows in the world.  It has big time history - being the Marian Shrine to visit way before Lourdes.

But I did get to  Lourdes  which did give me a feel of what it’s like to go on a pilgrimage.

NUMBERS

I have the word “numbers” in my title. I’m sure you heard what a Hajj for a Moslem is.  It’s one of the 5 sacred pillars of Islam - to make a sacred pilgrimage in your lifetime to Saudi Arabia and Mecca and to the black stone - that goes way, way back in Moslem History.  They got 2.35  million folks there this year.

Parts of the sacred shrine at Mecca have had people breaking off pieces of the sacred stone. During the French Revolution they broke off parts of Chartres - but  luckily it was not destroyed.

RELICS

Interestingly Chartres has the supposed garment of Mary.  Studies say it’s a legend - but when we went there the tour guide said, that it didn’t make any difference if it was  real or whether it was not. The key factor is whether people believed it to be Mary’s cloak.  They did.

In Tepyyak, they have the cloak of Juan Diego, which has the image of Mary on it.  Like the tilma or cloak of Mary, this too was  tried to be destroyed, but no luck.

CONCLUSIONS

Pilgrimages are good.

Our Mary pilgrimages are very Catholic. Mary is very Catholic and Lourdes and Fatima, Guadalupe and Aparacida connect us deeply with Mary.

If you have a chance, go for it. 

December  12, 2017

C  OR  D  STUDENT

There are no specific A, B, C, D’s, or F’s

for imagination skills. Well, take that back.

The student with a creative imagination

can come up with a great short story or

poem or work of art or book report.

But in real life -  the A, B, C, D, or F person -

who has a good imagination - might be the

one who imagines a new solution for cancer

or a way to do things that were never done

this or that way before. Hire her. Hire him.

  

© Andy Costello, Reflections  2017

THE  PARALYSIS 

THAT  COMES  

FROM  NOT  FORGIVING 

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for this Second Monday in Advent  is, “The Paralysis That Comes from Not Forgiving.”

TODAY’S READINGS

Today’s readings trigger thoughts about what forgiveness and non-forgiveness can do to us.

Today’s gospel from Luke 5:17-26 tells the story of the paralyzed man who was brought to Jesus for healing. The Pharisees and teachers of the law are also there to check out this Jesus. Jesus not only heals this paralyzed man, but he also forgives the man his sins.

The first reading from Isaiah 35:1-10 talks about the earth blooming and blossoming. It also talks about the opposite feeling weak and feeble. God makes the difference.

And that’s the theme of the Gospel as well.

So we have here a clear comparison: being paralyzed or being free to blossom.

PARALYSIS

Let me begin by talking about being paralyzed by not forgiving.

When we don’t or won’t forgive - we can become stuck.

When we’re angry, it’s often because we won’t forgive.

Keep your eye on your hands when you’re angry.  Often they have become fists. Often they have become hard. And it’s hard to shake hands with fists.

In fact, tightened hands, fist shaped and sculpted in a closed position,  can bring us feelings of physical pain, arthritis like, in our hands.

THEY ARE OUT THERE

Every once and a while, we find out, someone is angry with us.

Often we don’t know it, but they know it.

When they see us or spot us, we trigger repeat feelings of anger in others.

As priest I have experienced this.

Sometimes it’s me they are angry with. Sometimes it’s priests in general.

This collar - the priestly collar - a white plastic collar - against the black of a black shirt - has the power to trigger memories and anger in others. A little tiny piece of white plastic can have big time power. [Show white plastic collar.]

Some priest might have yelled at someone. Some priest said, “No” to someone - who wanted a funeral at a certain date - but the priest said he couldn’t do it. Someone wanted to talk to a priest in a one priest parish and the secretary who answered the phone said that it was the priest’s day off - and he would call tomorrow. The caller gets furious and screams, “The hell with the Catholic Church.”

I have two relatives right now who have stopped going to church - one because of a priest who brought up homosexuals and abortion in every sermon - over and over and over again; the other because their bishop got accused of protecting priests who abused children.

A lot of damage and a lot of anger has come from the sexual abuse of people by priests. Check out the numbers of church drop outs from the Church in Ireland.

FORMS OF FORGIVENESS

Forgiveness is the call.

Forgiveness needs a lot more than words.

It starts with communication. It calls for turning the other cheek. It calls for checking things out. It calls for money at times. It calls for counseling. It calls for time. Sometimes timing is everything.  Forgiveness calls for honesty.  It calls for acknowledgement. It calls for grace. It calls for the Holy Spirit.

And it calls for the person who is hurting - to do what it takes - to heal. Otherwise paralysis can continue.

CHRIST ON FORGIVENESS

I’ve heard a lot of babbling about God from people.

I’ve heard a lot of babbling about people from other people.

Sometimes I say, “I have to think about what I just heard.”  Sometimes I make a judgment: “Sounds like sloppy thinking to me.”  Sometimes I say, “There’s more to this situation than indicated.”

So I choose the word “babbling” carefully - because I’m implying that a lot of talk calls from clarification and communication and when it’s sloppy talk it’s babbling.

For starters, Christianity has a lot to offer our world about the mystery of forgiveness.

Jesus said to forgive 70 times 7 times.  Jesus said, “Put down the stones. Let him or her without sin cast the first stone.” Jesus said on the cross, “Father forgive them for they don’t know what they are doing.”

I’d add, “They don’t know why they are doing what they are doing.”

BOOK: IT DIDN’T START WITH YOU

I could conclude here, but let me mention a book that can trigger stuff about anger and lack of forgiveness. The book gets into the issue of where our personal patterns of how we do life come from.

There’s a book out there by Mark Wolynn that states, “It Didn’t Start With You.”

I haven’t finished the book yet, but statements and anecdotes in the book about forgiveness has got me to bring the themes from that book into the issue of forgiveness.  I believe that it’s worth thinking about.

I’ve also read positive and negative criticism about some of the comments, thoughts, positions in the book. Some say it's too repetitive. Someone said take it off the shelf in Barnes and Noble and just read the first two chapters.  Others say that the theories advance need more history and back-up.

The book can get us thinking about how much we are like our parents and grandparents and great grandparents.

Question: How do we measure how much impact our grandparents have on what we do today.

I heard long before this book the statement, “If you want to change someone, change their grandmother.”

I also heard that a therapist in a big city said: “If you want to do therapy for someone, you have to work with the whole street.”

In the meanwhile each of us needs to take responsibility for our own behaviors and talk to others about our parents and grandparents, etc. etc. etc. and get a handle on why we are the way we are.

CONCLUSION

Pray to be a forgiver in hopes our spirit infiltrates our family system.

Pray to be a forgiver and see if we become more flexible and less paralyzed in our destructive thinking and behaviors.

In the meanwhile, please learn to laugh. Don’t forget the old Chinese advice: “If you want to get even with someone, buy a drum for each of their kids.”

ANOTHER  WAY  TO 
PREPARE  FOR  CHRISTMAS: 
PICK  A  CHRISTMAS  SONG 
AND  FIND  AT  LEAST 
7  RENDITIONS  OF  IT 
ON  LINE  AND  LISTEN! 

December 11,  2017

COVENANTS 

Everyone has covenants with God

under glass in their soul - even atheists,

even agnostics, even religious folks.

They are not written down on parchment

paper or chiseled into stone - but they are

there. The key ingredient is expectations.

Wow do we have expectations of God.

Watch what happens when something

goes wrong. It’s then we scream, “God!”

Then - it’s usually only then - that we finally

ask God, “What are your expectations for me?”

It’s then we can figure out our covenants with God.

© Andy Costello, Reflections  2017

December 10, 2017

THE TRUTH

As Jesus said,

“Know the truth,

and the truth will set you free.”

As they say

in Alcoholics Anonymous,

“The truth will set you free,

but first it will hurt.”

But

how far, how deep,

how difficult it is,

to really know the truth,

so we can be set free.

So

the question is,

“Who knows

why we do what we do?”

Answer: when what we do

sets us free.

Or 
will the moment of truth,
be the moment we die?
Is that the moment
when we finally see the truth?
Is that the moment
we will finally be set free?

© Andy Costello, Reflections  2017

THE  TIPPING  POINT 

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for this Second Sunday in Advent [B] is, “The Tipping Point.”

That’s the title of a book by Malcolm Gladwell from back in the early 2000’s.

The image  is simple. We’ve all built things with dominoes or pickup sticks or blocks or cards as kids and at some point it tips over and all falls down.

So too political changes and moral changes and cultural changes.

We might be seeing something dramatic going on right now with this “Me Too” movement - with people coming out about people who abused them.

The name of Gladwell’s book was: The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference.

The tipping point according to Malcolm Gladwell, is "the moment of critical mass or the threshold or the boiling point.”

I do a lot of weddings and I’ve noticed at a lot of weddings that men are wearing brown shoes big time. When did this start? Was it deliberate? How did they come up with enough shoes to sell?

It Gladwell’s book it’s hush puppies - a shoe that made a surprise return.

How many times have we heard: Save your flannel shirts and your suits  and your outfits - the style will return?

I’ve never changed styles of haircut or clothes - and it worked.  Well at least I have thought so.

TODAY’S READINGS

Today’s readings triggered  thoughts I had when I read Malcolm Gladwell’s book: The Tipping Point.

The first reading from Isaiah 40 talks about the moment that the Jews in exile in Babylon began getting the first wind - the first words - of a possible return from Babylon to Jerusalem. Many were dragged into exile by the Babylonians with the fall of Jerusalem in 587 and were allowed to start  returning by the Persians in 537.

A voice cried out that the way out will be a straight highway through the desert, Valleys will be filled in - mountains and hills will be leveled - the rough land will be made smooth - and all will be well - again - that is when we get home again.

When I go up to see my sister in Doylestown, Pennsylvania I like going over the Bay Bridge - taking 50 / 301 and for this past year around the  60 mile mark in Delaware I’ve been noticing big yellow bulldozers making a few bigger and better highways.

Today’s second reading from the Second Letter of St. Peter talks about a day is coming. The day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night, The second reading is all about a tipping point - when all kinds of changes will take place. The second reading talks about time - God’s time - it’s not ordinary time. A day is like a 1000 years and a thousand years is like one day. God does not wear a watch or have a clock on his wall.

And today’s gospel - the beginning of the gospel of Mark - our Gospel for this church year - is all about the tipping point - in the mindset of a lot of people - who hear about John the Baptist - in the desert - who is pointing out a high way - a straight path to our God - and then John the Baptist will tip people’s lives even more - when he says I’m not the one you are looking for. One mightier than I is coming. And I’m not even worthy to tie the sandals on his feet.

TIPPING POINTS IN OUR LIFE

As you know life is not a straight line.

Sometimes life is a scribble; sometimes it’s spaghetti.

Of course we want straight lines. We want a clear 3 lane highway to God, to success, to happiness, to heaven.

Sorry that’s only in the mouth and the words of poets and the imagination of our prophets.

We have Advent and Lent - Christmas and Easter - with the hope that these special points will tip people back to God.

I don’t get angry too often, but I remember telling a priest, “Are you crazy saying to Catholics on Ash Wednesday, ‘If this is the only time you come to church - well okay on Christmas and Easter, then don’t come at all.’”

I rather work an extra hour or two on my sermon for those three days - Ash Wednesday, Easter and Christmas - and throw in a prayer - besides - that this be a tipping point for a few people present.

I like to say on the Sunday before Easter and Christmas - give your seat up to a stranger next Sunday.

Today’s first reading begins with Isaiah saying, “Comfort, give comfort to my people.”  Let’s hope this Christmas someone who shows up for Christmas Mass here at St. John’s will notice the new cushy seat cushions - without the buttons - and say, “Nice!”  Maybe I’ll come back….”

 Hey you never know when tipping points happen.  Hopefully, they won’t go to St. Mary’s. They have, I’m told, the most uncomfortable benches in any church in the United States. They are hard. They are narrow. They are not easy on the cush.

WEDDINGS, WAKES AND FUNERALS

Down through the years,  weddings, wakes and funerals have been the tipping point for various people who told me one to one - that is what brought them back.

Have you noticed that a lot more people come to baptisms than in the past? So too confirmations.  My prayer is that seeing - being - in the moment - that this moment will be a tipping point for people wanting communion again - wanting to be in communion again.

If you are asked to be the eulogist at a funeral, tell those present that the deceased went to church - if the deceased went to church. Tell about how they were Christian - how they were good to their families and their neighbors and the broken and hurting.  If they were, make sure you accentuate the positive about people.

In Tipping Point theory, they like to talk about the straw that broke the camel’s back or the feather that broke the horse or the donkey’s back. In other words be one straw, be one domino, be one good example, that is placed on the back of the life of another.

CONCLUSION

We die at a moment, but a lot of quiet decay or cancer or heart problems brings us down slowly.

So too marriages - so too buildings - so too car problems.

I hope thinking about the image of the Tipping Point - tips all of us more and more towards God and living life more and more in keeping the Great Commandment - to love God with all our heart, mind, soul and strength - and our neighbor as ourselves.