Saturday, February 3, 2018

February  3, 2018


WATCHING

You didn’t see me watching you -
watching everything you were watching -
whatever you were watching.

I watch babies. Their eyes watch
what’s happening around them - I think -
but I often wonder what they see.

Then - I think - I stop watching - others eyes -
trying to figure what they are watching - that is - till they are 85 years old in a nursing home.

I guess a lesson in all this is: to watch
what I’m watching - name it - now - in
between - my first and second childhood.


© Andy Costello, Reflections 2018




February 3, 2018

Black History Month Thought for today:



“I am an invisible man...I am a man of substance, of flesh and bone, fiber and liquids — and I might even be said to possess a mind. I am invisible, understand, simply because people refuse to see me.” 


Ralph Ellison (Invisible Man)

Friday, February 2, 2018


PRESENT


INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for is, “Present.”

Today we are celebrating the Feast of the Presentation - February 2nd.

We celebrate the day Jesus was brought by Mary and Joseph to the temple to present him to the Lord our God.

THE  present -gift - was presented to the Lord our God.

So I’d like to present a few ideas to look at on the theme of present - and presentation.

EXAMPLES

How many classrooms, how many meetings, have we been at when we said, “Present” when we heard our name called out? “

What a great morning prayer - to hear God call out our name - the first thing in the morning - and we say to God’s voice, “Present.”

What a great morning prayer - to call out to God, God’s name - the first thing in the morning and we hear God say back to us, “Present.”

What a great morning prayer:  to say to all those we are going to meet this new day of life, “Present!” and then to look directly into the center of the eyes of all those I’ll meet today, to say “Hi.” Translation:  “What’s going on inside your temple today. Tell me what’s happening? I’ll try to be present to you today.”

What a great morning prayer it would be,  to say to the planet, “Present”. I will try to be present to you today - to water my plants, to pay attention to you - to see trees and birds - flowers and green or brown earth of grass.
When we say first thing in the morning: “Present” - we’re announcing that we are present to God this new day of life and God is present to us, this new day of life - as well as to each other - and to the whole of creation.

Each day is a feast.

A mother - our mom - a day or two after finding out she was  pregnant with us - going into church and presenting us to the Lord - and praying for a healthy pregnancy.

And doing that for 8 months or so.

Pregnancy - presentation - we are the present - the gift of God.

Present. Thank you God.

Then we are born - and we scream our first scream.

Translation from baby talk or life talk, a scream, a cry, is saying,  “Present! I am here!”

Presentation: a baby is brought to church to be baptized, anointed, blessed, presented to the Lord - and to the Church and to the world.

I like crying babies - at baptisms and at Church.

Father Joe Krastel was telling me the other day - about his surprise - when he found out about babies and children at Heritage Harbor.

When do you go to get your share of babies babbling and crying?

I like to hear the sound of crying babies - because of calls at times to pray over babies who are still born - or who are about to die when born at Anne Arundel Medical Center.

Sometimes it’s a blessing. Sometimes it’s a horror that is present.

I remember a funeral Mass last year for a tiny baby girl that who only had 3 days of life.  The funeral was on a Saturday morning at 9 AM - at St Mary’s.  Her parents had her remains in a tiny box on a tiny table in the center aisle - up front - near where a casket would be.  They had next to her picture a small vase of flowers.

At 10:30 AM there was going to be another funeral. It was for the governor’s father.  However,  around 8:30 in came flowers - about 30 or 40 vases and bouquets of beautiful flowers - and they surrounded the little baby girl’s remains.

I told the father right after the funeral Mass to stand there with the flowers and someone take he and his wife’s picture. It was a beautiful scene. It was a scene of the beautiful. It had presence and presents.

HERE ARE  MORE EXAMPLES OF PRESENTATION AND PRESENCE.

At our first day of school.

At the day we won a spelling bee.

At the day we got our first basket in basketball.

At the day we were starting to really be present. It was our 3rd  birthday party.

At the day we graduated from kindergarten.

At the day we made our first communion, confirmation, graduation.

At the day we walked into high school or college or the day we came down the aisle to be presented by our dad to our husband to be. It was the day we were present to take and make vows to each other.

At the day we were handed our first child….

At the day we entered the military or police or our first job or what have you.

At the day we moved into Heritage Harbor.

Presentations - we were present for  a lot of them.  It’s called, “Life!”

CONCLUSION: MOVING INTO PRAYER

Thank you God.

Sorry God for the days - or years - I was not present to you.

Sorry God for the times I forgot I am a gift and those around me are gifts to me and I didn’t say “Thank you” for the gifts - the presents I have received.

Sorry God for the times I sat down for food together - but I was somewhere else - on the phone - elsewhere - anywhere but the place I was in.


Sorry Jesus for the times I forgot about your real presence in the Eucharist - the bread of life - as well as the real presence of you in the Body of Christ - the community  - in the hurting, in the hungry, in the forgotten, in those who are dealing with one specific station of the cross that day. 
February 2, 2018



SIGNS OF THE CROSS

I spot white wooden crosses along
the road - Route 301 -  where
someone died in a car crash or 
three wooden crosses reminding 
me of the 3 crosses on Calvary.

I see crosses in churches -
and on a wall in homes - usually that
of older people. The younger folks
haven’t reached a Bad Friday yet, one
that in time might become a Good Friday.

I see crosses in faces on the subway
or in the back seat of a car - going
down the highway. - maybe worrying
about mom in the hospital or hospice -
cancer - pancreatic - usually a killer.

I see crosses in my psyche, in my soul,
when everything is not going my way -
when I find out I can’t control my life -
when nobody asks or seems to care
what’s going on my hill called Calvary.

© Andy Costello, Reflections 2018
February 2, 2018




Black History Month Thought for today:

"I used to want the words 
‘She tried’ on my tombstone. Now I want ‘She did it.’ 


Katherine Dunham (African-American dancer, choreographer, author, educator and social activist).

Thursday, February 1, 2018

February 1, 2018


SOMETIMES  GOD ….


Sometimes God hides in the corner
of a dark bedroom when we stub
our toe at 3:11 in the morning.

Sometimes God is like ear wax
when our ears are all  filled up
and we can’t find a cue tip.

Sometimes God is sitting right there
with the whole family at Thanksgiving
Dinner and everyone is there except ….

Sometimes God is there at the ocean
and it’s early morning and the sun is
about to slide above the horizon.

Sometimes God is back on the cross:
so and so has cancer, so and so’s
marriage is breaking up and I’m hurting.

Sometimes God is in the letter O in
loneliness and the letter I in indifference
and the letter U when you rejected me.

Sometimes God is invisible - in the wind
and in the sound of dripping water and
in the door that just won’t open.

Sometimes God is in a horrible sermon
or a confusing Bible Text or in a prayer
that just doesn't do it for this moment.
  

© Andy Costello, Reflections 2018
February 1, 2018 

Black History Month Thought for today: 



“We are not fighting for integration, nor are we fighting for separation. We are fighting for recognition as human beings.... In fact, we are actually fighting for rights that are even greater than civil rights and that is human rights.”

Malcolm X (Black Revolution)

Wednesday, January 31, 2018

January 31, 2018 

Thought for today: 

“Wit  is  the  only  wall 
between  us  and  the  dark.”  

Mark  Van Dore, “Wit, “A Winter Diary and Other Poems, 1935
January 31,



MOTIVE

Security, success, money, freedom, love,
lust, loneliness, new, newer, newest?

Does there always have to be a motive?
Is anyone standing there supposing my motives?

If there is, what’s their motive for that?
Envy, feelings of inadequacy, superiority feelings. 


© Andy Costello, Reflections 2018

Tuesday, January 30, 2018


ABSALOM,  ABSALOM - 
LEARNINGS,  LEARNINGS

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for this 4th Tuesday in Ordinary Time is, “Absalom, Absalom, Learnings, Learnings.”

I’m only going to say some words about today’s first reading from the Second Book of Samuel. [Cf. 2 Samuel 18: 9-10, 14b, 24-25a, 30 - 19:3].

The gospel is intriguing as well - with stories about the teenage girl thought dead, but alive, and the woman with the blood problems. But time is a factor….

I got thinking and reading about Absalom last night - thinking about a homily for this morning.

As we heard from this section of the second book of Samuel yesterday, Absalom was one of David’s sons.

He rebels - going to war with his father - as he is trying to take over some of his father’s kingdom.

And David doesn’t know what to do.

David had a lot of conflicts in his life.

We know of his fight with Goliath.

We know of his getting Uriah the Hittite’s wife Bathsheba pregnant - and then tried to figure out a way of having him killed.

We know of his split with Saul - Israel’s first king - how they were early on in a sort of father-son relationship. The story I like is when he sneaks into the camp site of Saul and takes Saul’s spear while he is sleeping. David’s companion, Abishai,  says, “Here’s his spear. Let me pin him to the ground right now.” The next day from a distance David screams across the hill to Saul, “Here’s your spear!”  Hint! Hint! I could have killed you. “I’m sending the spear back to you.”

LECTURE IN NEW YORK

In 1994 I got a 6 month Sabbatical and I took it in New York City.

It was a nice break - no work - no responsibilities.

One day, I noticed in the paper that a Rabbi was giving a talk on David at a synagogue in mid-town.

I signed up. Interesting. It was worth it.

Looking back the key thing I remembered was that the speaker said that those who put together the Jewish Scriptures about David - were  those rabbi’s and writers who favored David used the power of the pen to make David much better than he was in reality.

And that’s one of the Bible texts that we have for today.

The speaker also said, “David was a flawed king - a sinner if there ever was one - but he did a lot of good  for the nation - for the people called the Israelites.

WILLIAM FAULKNER

William Faulkner wrote a novel  - entitled Absalom, Absolom.   It was about a man name Thomas Sutpen.

The novel describles a man who like David who had a tough life - losing his sons. Thomas Sutpen was a bit like David. He led a flawed - self destructive life.

The story takes place in Mississipi - at a  mansion built by Thomas Sutpen. and then his desire for sons.

Here  in today’s first reading Absalom gets caught by the hair in a tree as he’s riding along on a mule.

Joab - one of David’s commanders, who is also connected to the sister of David -comes along and drives three  spikes through the heart of Absalom.

Thomas Sutpin in the novel, Absalom, Absalom, experiences the violent death of his chidlren.

THOUGHTS FOR THE DAY

Where to go with all this?  How to end this homily.

One thought for the day would be the reminder to read not only the Bible but also novels and see what stuff they get us in touch with.

Thomas Sutpen - according to William Faulkner - wanted sons.

What do we do we who don’t have sons?

What do we do, when life doesn’t work out for us as we hope it will?

Thomas Sutpen - once went to the front door of a house - and he was told, “You’re a back door person.”  That one experience triggered a lot of stuff - especially his desire to be rich, an owner of a giant mansion, with slaves and plenty of property.

Is there any life experience that drives us to be the way we are?

This book and his other writings helped him win the Nobel Peace Prize for Literature.

What was a book that grabbed you?

What was a book that got you to look at family?

Faulkner peeled off layer after layer of a person.

Has there been a novel that did that for you?

In reading some reviews and interviews about Absalom, Absalom, I  read that Faulkner presented both a wounded devil as well as a wounded Christ.

Did any book get you to see Christ and the devil in a new way?

CONCLUSION

My conclusion would be: Learn, learn…. and what literature helps you learn.

And P.S. I spotted something very interesting.

Two outstanding American writers were Hemingway and Walkner.

I was taught that Hemingway wrote short sentences. For example, “He shot the dog.” Faulkner on the other hand had great material, but was lazy when it came to writing. I spotted a comment while reading a review of Absalom, Absalom.  The longest sentence in literature is 1,288 words. It can be found in Chapter 6 of the novel. 

Read, read.  Learn, learn.
January 30, 2018 

Thought  for  today: 


“Never  pick  a fight  with anyone who  buys ink by the barrel.” 


Jim Brady, 1981,  in Norman Augustine, Augustine’s Laws, 1986
January 30, 2018


TWO  TYPES  OF  PEOPLE 


Did you ever notice there
are two types of people?

Those who try to get out of things.
They avoid. They never volunteer. They
lower their eyes and fold up their nets.

Then there are  those who raise their hand,
go the extra mile, volunteer, and cast their
nets into the depths of the sea for a catch.


© Andy Costello, Reflections 2018



Monday, January 29, 2018


PROBLEM - SOLUTION:
2000  PIGS

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily is, “Problem - Solution: 2000 Pigs.”

“Problem-Solution: 2000 Pigs.”

LIFE - 101

A good part of life falls under the title or box called, “Problem-Solution.”

Life has its problems: family problems, work problems, school problems, scheduling problems, time problems, money problems, health problems, anger problems, drinking problem, drug problem, laziness, time problems.

One of life’s learnings is to be able to say to oneself and to another: “I have a problem.”

Old people like me remember the moment on April 13, 1970, at 2:59 PM when Jack Swigert, an astronaut, on Apollo 13, called Houston Control from outer place, “Okay, Houston, we’ve had a problem here.”

Main B Bus Undervolt was malfunctioning.

In time, it became a hash tag - I always wanted to use that word “hash tag” in a homily - “Houston, we have a problem.”

I've heard people say that many times in the last 47 years, "Houston, we have a problem."

In life, we all need to learn to say, “I have a problem.”

Then name the problem.

We humans mal - meaning bad - function.

Things break. Things go wrong. People go wrong.

TODAY’S READINGS

In today’s readings we hear about two people who have problems.

In today’s first reading we hear about David - a shepherd - who becomes the king of Israel.

If you read the Jewish Bible - you’ll read a lot about David - who ends up with a lot of problems.

In today’s first reading we hear about Absalom - on of David’s many sons - who breaks with daddy - and tries to take over the kingdoms David controls.

David had lots of problems - lust problems, family problems, perception problems.

He’s sharp in some ways and dumb in other ways.

He wants what he wants when he wants it. He steals Uriah’s wife - Bathsheba - gets her pregnant - and then has her husband killed.

Polygamy - many wives - causes him lots of trouble.

Here in today’s first reading he has this old guy - Shimei - attacks him in public. The guy is yelling public slurs and nasty comments about David. One of his guards says, “Let me chop his head off.”  

To solve this problem, David basically says, “Ignore him.” Then he says, “I deserve it.”

David was smart enough to know his lifestyle got him into a lot of problems.

In today’s first reading,  we'll hear that Absalom gets killed himself  - for riding too fast on his mule. He gets his hair caught in some overhead tree branches - and Joab is told about this. Joab is the son of Zeruiah, the sister of David. This is all family intrigue here. Joab hearing this moves fast towards Absalom and drives three pikes into Absalom's heart - still alive and still hanging from the tree.

It’s kind of dramatic writing and Bible story telling, but the story teller is telling us, “There are consequences.”

In today’s gospel, there’s this strange character who lived and camped out in a cemetery - amongst the tombs. Mark the gospel story teller, tells us that he often howled and screamed.

If this was Annapolis, everyone would know about this guy - cities know their strange rangers.

Everyone in this Gerasene region of Palestine knew about this guy.

And spotting Jesus he runs to Jesus and yells, “What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God?”

Jesus seeing his problems tries to heal him by praying, “Unclean spirit, come out of the man!”

Then Jesus asked the unclean spirit his name and he says, “Legion is my name. There are many of us.”

And the unclean spirit, the sickness in this man, asks Jesus to let him alone.

And off to the side there is  a large herd of swine - feeding on the hillside.

And Legion - this large herd of unclean voices plead with Jesus, “Send us into the swine - to the pigs”  - “Let us enter them.”

And Jesus does, and the unclean spirits came out of the man and entered the pigs and they ran down the hill - about 2000 of them - and they ran into the lake and drowned.”

PROBLEM

It’s good psychology, it’s good theology, it’s human experience, for some weird reason, we don’t like to get rid of our problems.

We hold onto our problems - as we fly through the space of our lives.

We could say to ourselves, “Houston, we have a problem.”

The addict, the person with a drinking problem, the person with an eating disorder, the cutter, the cheater, the procrastinator, has the problem for a long time.

We are repeat performers.

We are déjà vu people.

This is Catholic School's week. Now the advantage of Catholic Schools, is that we can hear this in school and church and life.

The person with relationship problems with guys or gals or the person who puts off - or is lazy or cheating problems - will have this voice - this issue for life.

And we all hear that repentance, change, forgiveness, understanding, prayer, grace, faith, hope and charity - can heal us.

We hear that Jesus can drive the 2 or 20 or 2000 pigs within us - can be driven out of us.

CONCLUSION

And like this guy in the gospel, we can become calm, healed and return to our family a new person. Amen.


January 29, 2018 

Thought for today:




“Why waste money  on  psychotherapy 
when you can listen
to the B Minor Mass?”
 
  


Michael Torke
January 29,  2018


CHRISTIANITY  IS  DIFFICULT


Christianity  isn’t  complicated.
Christianity  is  simply difficult.

Take the idea of forgiving 70 x 7 x,
or putting down stones
or turning the other cheek,
or going the extra mile for another,
or the measure you measure with is
the measure you will be measured with.

People know these truths because they
know they will set them free. People know
these truths because people are the heart
of the matter. Christ knew people by 
entering into people. Christ knew people 
by being in communion with them.

Christianity isn’t complicated.
Christianity is simply difficult.

© Andy Costello, Reflections 2018


Sunday, January 28, 2018


VOICES!  
LISTENING  TO THE VOICES


INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for this 4th Sunday in Ordinary Time [B] is, “Voices! Listening to the Voices.”

Today’s 3 readings along with Psalm 95 can be unpacked a bit by considering the theme of voices and listening.

We sang 4 times in the Responsorial Psalm, “If today you hear his voice; harden not your heart.”

So the title of my homily is, “Voices! Listening to the Voices.”

TEDDY MEEHAN

I was stationed 2 times, a total of 14 years - with a wonderful  priest, Father Frank Meehan.  He lived till his 90’s and went through life with the nickname of  “Teddy” because he had buck teeth like Teddy Roosevelt.

He lived and taught in our seminary - a four story building - in Esopus, New York, 15 minutes away from near Kingston, New York. 

Teddy was on the second floor. Well one day I saw him with a glass and an index card at a window sill - trying to do something. I asked him what he was doing. He said he was trying to get a bee into the glass. He said, “This building is 4 stories high. This bee got trapped here at the second floor window. He could fly up to the roof. However, that  would be too high  for him to fly - that is, if he wanted to get to the other side of the building. So, I just carry him across the corridor in this glass and let him out on the other side.”


That's what he was doing. Interesting.

VOICES ARE DIFFERENT

Let me now jump to voices. Like bees - voices are buzzing around us all the time.

Unlike bees however, voices can go right through walls.


There are exceptions. In certain places -  buildings block sound - like those on Church Circle in Annapolis.  If I’m driving home - heading through Church Circle - and I hit the red light - and I have my car radio on - the radio dies when I’m next to the building there across from St. Anne’s.

But most of the time voices come through walls.

In fact, this room is filled with voices right now. I don’t know how many, but if everyone who has a cell phone turned them on right now - we could have lots of voices in this church. So too radios and TV’s or what have you.

Voices are everywhere.

If we were on a bus or a plane or in a restaurant - if we listen, we can hear lots of voices.  

Voices. In this homily my voice is saying to listen up. Listen to the voices. They are everywhere.

PRAYER

Prayer is all about listening.

Prayer is all about God’s voice saying all sorts of things.

God speaks to us in thousands and thousands of ways.


Memories - stories - fill our RAM - our Random Access Memory. 

I remember sitting on our stoop in Brooklyn, years and years ago.  and my nephew Michael is at bat - playing stick ball on the street - and he sees this lady trying to pull her grocery wagon up the steps of her stoop - and he drops the bat - yells to the other kids - “I’ll be right back” and runs and pulls the lady’s wagon up the steps - she opens the door - he pulls it in - and comes flying back - and continues the game.

All the kids saw that act of kindness.

He was doing what Teddy was doing with the bee.

He was doing my favorite Bible text, Galatians 6:2, "Bear one another's burdens and in this way you're fulfilling the law of Christ."

I hear that text all the time when I see someone carrying something heavy.

Everyday all of us can hear the voice of God - saying, "Make life easier for this person." “Listen to this person.”  “Give this person the right of way.”  “This person is crying. Somethings wrong. Give them your ear.”

TEMPTATIONS

Temptations are voices.

They can go, “Hhhm” to us.

For example the temptation to gossip - the temptation to judge - the temptation to make fun of - another.

TODAY’S GOSPEL

In today’s gospel this guy has unclean spirits in him.

He yells out that he knows who Jesus is.

This too can happen to us.  That's the good news - if and when we turn to Jesus.

Our problems, our history, our day, can be loaded down with too many ugly voices. If they can get us to cry out to God - then that's good news.  

What a great prayer, "I know who you are and I  need you Jesus Christ."

And hopefully we pause and listen to Jesus pray over us as he says, “Quiet come out of him.”

Today’s gospel can get us to know Christ better.

He wants to make us whole - not divided.

CONVERSATIONS

Today’s second reading gives us a hint about the voices inside every person we meet.

People are filled with voices - anxiety - worries.

Each day at coffee breaks or car pools or  cell phone calls - we can really listen to others and really mean it when we say, “How are you doing?”

However, I don’t know about you, I’m finding myself getting worse and worse as a listener and a conversationalist.

I have so many stories in my 78 year old memory - stories that get triggered by other people’s stories - and I end up not listening to the other.

I have to keep on saying, “Shut up and listen.

CONCLUSION

So the title of my homily is, Listen to the voices.

This week listen to the voices that are our surround sound.