Saturday, January 25, 2020





THE   CONVERSION 
OF  ST.  PAUL 


INTRODUCTION 

Today, January 25th we’re  focusing on the conversion  of St. Paul. 

Today’s first reading - Acts 23: 3-16 - gives us one of  the two versions of his conversion that are in the  Acts of the Apostles.  We could read either. [Cf. Acts  9: 1-22.]

We don’t know what day it was that this actually happened – but January 25th is as good as any.

Any day is a good day to get new insights, change, convert, grow.

DETAILS

Saul’s name changed to Paul. Paul’s brain changed.  He had been against  Christians – arresting them – chaining them – dragging them to Jerusalem - having them imprisoned – having them killed.

He was there for the stoning to death of Stephen the deacon.

His thought patterns changed.

He realizes his wrongness.

He describes it as a blindness.

He realizes what he was doing.

He gets baptized and becomes a great voice that adds new  Good News to the history of religion in our world.

He does what today’s gospel [Mark 16: 15-18] challenges us to do: “Go into the whole world and proclaim the gospel to every creature.”

Paul  is still doing this.  People are still reading and hearing and thinking about his messages.

Today’s a good day to say: I have to think about this.  He made quite a change.

To me that’s one of life’s big questions. Can a person change?  We’ve all experience people we wondered about.  We inwardly asked: Can he or she ever change?

Saul – Paul did. Buddha and Augustine changed?

Every Lent – on Ash Wednesday – every Christian hears the words: Change and believe in the Good News – or Remember you are dust and into dust you shall return.
 
WHAT PAUL GIVES US

Besides messages in the Acts of the Apostles, his letters give us messages that people have received and in this way - now with Christ in their lives - they end up becoming new in new and newer ways. 

HOMEWORK

We could do some homework.

I think a good practiced is to take a book of the Bible for the year.  It’s still January.  One of these years pick a letter of Paul – read it and then line up say 1 key message in that letter that is worth making one’s own.

Like picking Galatians.

Like I like Galatians 6: 2: "Bear one another’s burden. In this way you'll be fulfilling the Law of Christ."

CONCLUSION

Then at the end of the year you'll hear someone say, "Wow you’ve changed."




January 25, 2020

TENSION  ON  THE  TABLE 


He placed his glass of scotch – with ice – 
on the table top - on rich antique wood - and 
she -  the woman of the house -  spotted this 
from the other side of the room – and it stopped 
the flow in the conversation she was having. 

A loud inner scream erupted from within, “No! No!” 
And she sped across the room – picked up his 
glass and said, “We have better scotch than this. 
Let me get it for you.” She did and she napkin 
wiped the table top with an inner, “Phew!” 

Her husband noticed the whole scene, thinking 
“I wish I was an antique table and I got some of 
her attention to some of these details. Hey we’re 
only married 24 years. She’s no antique but let me 
tell you how I feel at times. Good thing I don’t drink.” 

 
© Andy Costello, Reflections


January   25,   2020

Thought  for  Today 



 “If you dam a river it stagnates.  Running water is beautiful water.”  


English proverb

Friday, January 24, 2020

January 24, 2020



KNOCK,  KNOCK, 
WHO’S  HERE?

Make a statement, 
leave an impression, 
make a memory, 
create, imagine …. 
Ooooooopppps,  
I walked into the
wrong room. 
These are not 
my kind of people. 
But I guess I had 
to walk in here 
to find this out. 
I’ve done this before. 
Deja vue. I’m slow. 


© Andy Costello, Reflections

January   24,  2020

Thought for  Today 

"We must never undervalue any person. The worker does not like it when their work is disliked in their presence. Well, God is present everywhere and every person is God's work."

St. Francis de Sales

Thursday, January 23, 2020

January  23, 2020



Thought for Today


 “Being bored is an insult to oneself.”

Jules Renard


January 23, 2020


I  NEED  TIME 

It takes time to “Go figure!” 
It takes time to figure out 
just what happened - and 
then it takes time to go figure - 
if what I gathered -  is close 
to what might have happened. 
Much of life is a maze! Amazing. 
Bummer! But it the long run 
it takes time to peel away 
layers - to knock down walls - 
while new walls are being built. 


© Andy Costello, Reflections

Wednesday, January 22, 2020


January 22, 2020


 UNDER  THE  HOOD

Stuck in traffic ….
Looking for a parking spot ….
Trying to get in or out of a parking lot
just before Christmas …. in a rush ....
These are the moments we see
what’s under another’s hood ….
Otherwise we really don’t know
another – their language or
their patience points ….

© Andy Costello, Reflections

January 22, 2020

 “Greater love has no one than this, that one  lay  down their life for their friends.”  


John  15:3-23

Tuesday, January 21, 2020


January  21,  2020


INSTILL

One has to become quiet –
quite quiet - quite  still ….

One has to go off to the side -
step back – sit sideways –

before one can get to essences –
before one can see still points

in their soul. It’s then – when -
they have clarity, that they

can have the calm grace
called “stillness”  – "peace".

It’s then – right then - they might
realize instillness has happened.


© Andy Costello, Reflections


January  21,  2020



Thought   for  Today

 “The most difficult thing in life is to know yourself.”

Thales
Thales of Mileto
(c. 626-545 BC)
(1906) Velos Salgado

Monday, January 20, 2020

January 20, 2020




BLACK   BALLOON

Finally, someone bought me.
I had been on the bottom of
a pile of red, blue, and yellow
baloons - unblown up – empty -
airless for four weeks now and 
nobody seemed to want a black balloon -
just red, yellow and blue. Finally, I’m
out of the store – this kid screaming
“Daddy, hurry,  HURRY, blow up
my balloon” He did and on went
the string that the store keeper
gave my dad – and the kid hung onto
that string – and I loved it, LOVED
it  – me floating up into the wind
hi and mighty – in the wind - in
the sunshine – in the scream
of a  kid – with a black  balloon –
me – high above the crowd -
that is - till he saw the ice cream
sign – and then- it was THEN –
he accidently let my string go
and I was flying, high, HIGH,
above the park, above the crowd
chanting the words of the King,
“Free at last, thank God, I’m free at last.”

© Andy Costello, Reflections


January 20, 2020



Thought for Today

“There is nothing more tragic than to find an individual bogged down in the length of life, devoid of breadth.”

Martin Luther King Jr.

Sunday, January 19, 2020

January 19, 2020




UNDERNEATH

It takes effort and energy,
“elbow grease” as the cliché goes
to get to what’s underneath
whatever that ugly dark stuff is
that sticks to pots and pans.

Sometimes we have to dig,
scrub, sandpaper it,
to get to the truth
of what you’re really
saying or not saying here.

In other words,
“Are you saying
what you’re saying
or are you saying
something else?”

© Andy Costello, Reflections


January  19, 2020




Thought  for  Today

 “Not the power to remember, but its very  opposite, the  power to forget is a necessary condition for our existence.”  

Sholem Asch,  
The Nazarene, 1939