WE  HAVE  NEVER  

EVEN  HEARD 

THAT  THERE  IS 

A  HOLY  SPIRIT.

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily is a sentence in today’s first reading, “We Have Never Even Heard That There Is A Holy Spirit.” [Acts 19: 3]

By now we have all heard that there is a Holy Spirit.  We have been hearing since we were babies, “I baptize you in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost.”

If we were cradle Catholics,  our moms and dads - probably our moms - brought us into church and had us as little, little, little kids make the sign of the cross at the Holy Water font, “In  the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.”

And we heard the word “Ghost” be retranslated to “Spirit” along the line - especially 50 years ago or so with the Second Vatican Council.

And some might have gotten involved in the Charismatic Movement - when the Holy Spirit was stressed over and over again big time.

And if we went to Catholic School  - we might have been taught to pray when taking tests or making major decisions to pray, “Come Holy Spirit.”

QUESTION: WHERE IS THE HOLY SPIRIT IN YOUR LIFE?

Where is the Holy Spirit in your life?  Where is the Holy Spirit in your prayer life?

Do you pray, “Come Holy Spirit!” Do you pray, “Veni Creator Spiritus!”

If you look at your life, were there periods when you focused on God the Father, or Jesus, or the Holy Spirit?

If you look at your life, does the Feast of Pentecost hit you in certain ways that are different than other moments in the Church year?

Have you ever heard a great sermon on the Holy Spirit?

If you had the opportunity to preach on the Holy Spirit, what would you say?

When you made your confirmation in the faith, did the revelations - did the teachings of the Church - on the Holy Spirit - hit you?

Have you ever been asked to be a sponsor for a grandson or granddaughter or a niece or a nephew or someone in an RCIA program, at their confirmation? Did that trigger any Holy Spirit reflections or thoughts or prayers?

COME HOLY SPIRIT

Pentecost is next Sunday.  It’s 50 days after Easter - pentekoste - 50 - in Greek. We’re familiar with the Greek word “penta” for 5 - as in the Pentagon - as in pentameter - 5 metrical feet.

We’re familiar with the 3 classical images or metaphors for the Spirit:  wind, fire and the dove.

Which hits us the most?

Have we sat and watched a quiet bird flying - and thought of the images of the Holy Spirit hovering over Jesus - and a voice said, “this is my beloved Son, listen to him.”

Have we watched a fire and said to the Spirit, light a fire in me?

Have we stood there and let the wind push our sails, sweep over our faces, touch our skin and thought, “Spirit! Spirit! Spirit!”  Have we thought of breath, oxygen, air, as metaphors of the Spirit.  Ruah - the Hebrew word for spirit - the wind, the breath of God, breathed into Adam at the human creation.  Have we thought of the word “ghost”  for the Holy Spirit - not as in Caspar the Ghost - but gust - coming from the German word for spirit - geist.

Come Holy Spirit.

CONCLUSION

Find a quiet place - a good place for prayer.

Use a rosary. Say slowly and reverently, “Come Holy Spirit.”

Or chant, “Veni Creator Spiritus.”

Or chant, “Come Holy Spirit.” 

May 9, 2016

NEW PASTOR

A church heard they were going to get

a new pastor - a new leader - and they

wondered just what this person would 
be like. The committee went out for lunch -

right next to a factory that made Buddha
statues. They spotted it on the way out. 

“Why not?” someone said. So they walked 
into the display area and saw their future 
hope. Spontaneously, all said, “No contest.”
Someone added, "But we don't want a statue!"

© Andy Costello, Reflections 2016

ASCENSION

She sat there at Mass - that Sunday.

They were celebrating both Mother’s Day and Ascension Thursday that Sunday.

She thought to herself,  “Interesting….  Tricky….  A juggling act….”

She remembered a comment she heard a priest say in a sermon many years ago on Mother’s Day.  “No matter what the gospel is, no matter what the readings are, no matter what the feast is, if you don’t make your sermon about Mothers, you’re toast.”

“Hey,” he added. “It’s women. It’s mothers - who fill the benches - but not all the time. It depends on the parish. It depends on the culture.”

She did the opposite. She often did - as she sat there listening to the priest babble on about mothers - including his own mother.

She sat there thinking about her life as an Ascension.

A climb - a sets of stairs - one after the other - some landings - reaching for the skies - heading for the stars.

Ascension….

She was the first in her family to go to college.

She was the first in her family to get married and have a baby - twins in fact.

She was the first - as a result - to make her parents - grandparents - and she didn’t realize how powerful a moment that was - till she began listening to her parents - a moment even more powerful than she having her first baby - she herself - along with her husband.

She wondered, “Is there an official Grandparents Day? I’m sure Hallmark and florists and restaurants would be pushing for that.”

Then she thought, “Oh, that’s what they were needling us about - on our wedding day - and every chance after that!”

“When are you going to have a baby?”

“We want to be grandparents.”

Her mom wanted to show pictures of her granddaughters - the twins were girls - to every friend she met in her book club and in the Giant parking lot and at the soup kitchen where she volunteered.

Ascension. Yes having a baby and having a grandkid - and having twins mind you - these were ascension moments.

Rising.

Higher and higher.

Upward and outward mobility.

Family - the family tree expanding - branching out - reaching up for the skies.

Ascension.

Her mom - she heard this from her dad - behind her mom’s back - no longer bragged about her daughter’s salary - 6 figures mind you - now that was as ascension - compared to their salaries - but now her mom was bragging about the twins.

And a chance to baby sit - and wheel those kids around the block - now that it stopped raining - now that Spring had finally sprung.

Ascension….

And as she sat there in that church that Ascension Feast as the priest continued to  babble on about mothers - she thought about her three brothers - and all their life struggles. One had gambling problems. One had a drinking problem. The other had women problems.

Being a mother - being a parent - can be tough. It never  stops.

Yet in time - all three boys - her brothers - recovered.

Now that was ascension.

Now that was resurrection.

Now that was Spring.

Now -  that got everyone in the family past many Bad Fridays - and Saturdays and the rest of the week as well.

And all three got back to church - much to their parent’s surprise.

That ended her mom’s constant prayer at church for her sons. That ended her mom’s constant comment to her friends about her kids dropping out of Church. “I don’t know what we did wrong.  We took them to church. We made sure they got good religious education. They didn’t have a Catholic school in our area - but our parish had a good Religious Education system.”

She never did mention her daughter - who went to church - in all this.

“Aaah,” her daughter thought - sitting there in church -  “Optimist - Pessimist - Positive - Negative - Glass half-full, glass half-empty - her mom.”

“Ah, let mom have them to brag about for a while….”

Ascension.

And as she sat there in church that Mother’s Day - that Ascension Thursday on a Sunday - she pinched herself. Her twins were long gone. They were the only kids they had - but they had tried for more.  She looked at her marriage - wonderful - oh it had its ups and downs - ins and outs - but it was  a great marriage - even though her husband died in the First Gulf War - because of an I.E.D - messy, messy, messy, difficult, difficult, difficult. Lots of tears and lots of tissues.

No ascension there - but in time yes - because he was a great guy - a Lutheran from Minnesota - with a Norwegian background - and went to church with her and the twins all through their growing up - in army bases and when he was not away on duty.

In fact, she was saying slowly but clearly - to herself -  a year or two after his funeral, how lucky they were to have the gift of faith. Thank you Jesus. Faith certainly is a light in the darkness - sunshine in winter - Easter Sunday after a tough Good Friday.

Ascension Thursday weeks and days after Easter …. Hey life happens in degrees.

She loved her post-mom  job: a radio announcer of country western music. Her degrees - both bachelor’s and Master’s  in Communications from Northwestern,  certainly helped in her early years and now that their twin girls were married - and she had gone back to work. They were having kids on their own. They had made her a grandmother - and folks only heard her voice on the radio. It was still a young voice and she knew and loved her music.

All these moments she realized were ascension moments as well.

Yes, life is taking those steps - putting one foot in front of the other - better climbing those stairs - one step at a time - one landing at a time.

Ascension.

Ooops the priest just finished his sermon.

What was he talking about anyway?

She smiled because on that Mother’s Day, she knew what she was talking about to herself  - and it made sense - good sense - great sense to her - even though she wasn’t preaching to herself about Mother’s Day - but Ascension Days.

May 8, 2016 - Mother's Day

M O M

More  On  Mom….

What more can I say?

Mainly: a big “Thank you.”

Not just on Mother’s Day….

But every day….

Feelings of gratitude for

the sacrifices moms make

for us your sons and daughters -

and dads as well - every day.

“Thank you!”

Wasn’t that a main value and

a main lesson our moms taught us?

Say ‘Thank you!’ to the waitress

or the library lady at the check-out

desk or grandpa for buying all of us

ice cream or our teachers as we moved

on to our next classroom in life as well.

“Thank you, mom.

© Andy Costello, Reflections 2016

MOTHER’S DAY

BLESSING

May God, the Creator of all life, pour down choicest blessings on the woman who brought us into this world: our own mom. Amen.

May God, the Sustainer of all life, strengthen all mothers: young moms, not so young moms, single moms, grandma’s stay at home moms, out-to-work moms, each and every mom. Amen.

May God, the Protector of all life, direct all those who stand in and serve as moms: teachers, principals, school secretaries, lunch room staff, nurses, guidance counselors, day care workers, baby sitters. Amen.

May God, the Giver of Eternal Life, bring all of us into the Kingdom of Everlasting Life, starting with Mary, the Mother of Life, and all the Saints, and all those who have gone before us, forever and ever. Amen.

And may Almighty God bless us, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

© Andy Costello, Markings, 

Painting on top,

Mother and Child, 1902

by Pablo Picasso

May 7, 2016

MOTIVE?

I used to think lust and greed

were the main motives - but now

I’m thinking - the main motives

are comfort and convenience.

Then there is laziness: of body, of mind -

not thinking and not soul searching.

Am I saying this because I’m older - or

because I want you to think, I’m wiser?

Ooops! And I sense in time I’ll realize

that pride - that sneaky sin - is the main

sin - and the main motive - this wanting

to feel and think I'm better than you.

Oooooooh!

 © Andy Costello, Reflections, 2016 

AFTER

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for this 6th Friday after Easter is, “After.”  

A  F  T  E  R  [Spell it out.]

I didn’t know whether to call these thoughts, “After” or “Afterwards” or “Aftertaste” or  “Aftermath” or “What Happened Next”.

After all is said and done….

What happened next?

Feelings ….

The morning after….

Hangover …. as a result of ….  subsequent….  sequel….

After.

What are your thoughts and feelings when you are experiencing the after - the after the before and after…. but only afterwards.

What are you talking about?

TODAY’S READINGS

After reading today’s readings  the thought of "after" was triggered - as an afterthought.

We’re going through the Acts of the Apostles these days after Easter. The disciples had experienced an ending. Jesus their hope was arrested and killed. So these readings are after Good Friday, after the death of Jesus, after the resurrection of Jesus. [Cf. Acts 18: 9-18]

What happened after Jesus died on the Cross? 

Is that all there is?

We’re going through the Gospel of John - these days after Easter - especially these last words of Jesus - which he spoke at his Last Supper. They are words collated, written down, reflected upon, well after Jesus death, resurrection, ascension in heaven, etc., etc., etc.

Today’s gospel image that Jesus uses is about a woman giving birth to a baby - with tears and pain - but all that is replaced after she gives birth to her baby. 

Joy replaces sorrow.

So too Jesus’ sorrowful mysteries move into glorious mysteries.

AFTERWARDS

I do a lot of weddings.

I hear a lot about all the preparations for the big day.

Two weddings back the bridegroom went up to BWI five times in one day - the day before the wedding.

Luckily for us, BWI is not that far away.

Weddings... anticipation… weather… will everything work?

The day finally arrives - the clock is ticking.

The vows, the toasting, the dances, the microphone, the cutting of the cake, each moment, each event, each part is played out - and then it ends.

The moms and dads sit there on chairs in their home or in a hotel room - exhausted…. It’s done. It’s over. Phew.

The bride and groom - often on Monday morning - getting on a plane - phew all that is over - and they are off to their honeymoon - a new beginning - finally.

Endings .... beginnings ....

Before…. after …. now …. next.

Life….

Sometimes

SOMETIMES

Sometimes the after’s are tough.

After the kids graduate and go off to college, the military, marriage….

After the house feels empty....

After the funeral and the cemetery and the visitors are gone and we’re all alone - or feel all alone....

The house - is filled with the reminders of the before.  The pictures, his or her chair, the bed, the empty place next to us in the car - in the church - at Thanksgiving Dinner with the kids.

After can be a lonely feeling.

Not always.... It all depends.

Sometimes the aftertaste of a good meal - the sherbet - the decaf coffee - the apple pie with ice cream - delicious.

Aftertaste can get us to smile and lick the underneath of our upper teeth.

Aftertaste can also be a burnt tongue.  We didn’t know the soup was going to be that hot.

Sometimes the aftertaste of a wrong word - by us to a sister-in-law or a friend - can still burn. Some hurts hurt a long time afterwards.

Sometimes a sin singes us for life.

Scars come with the after…. after the cut, after the hurt.

After is a human reality that is with us - in 100 different memories and feelings and reminders.

We don’t have dementia yet - so we hurt and we rejoice - depending on the after.

CONCLUSION

Ascension Thursday - Easter Sunday - are great after feasts. They are calls to have faith. They are calls to realize that we Christians believe, we know, there is an afterlife.

Ascension: get up, get moving, get off your butt, get out of your locked upper rooms, and celebrate the fresh air of new Springs, new life, new beginnings, new before’s - knowing there will be new after’s. Amen.

P.S. SOME AFTERTHOUGHTS

It’s raining right now - in fact most of this week.

After all, umbrella makers and umbrella sellers love and need the rain.

So too, little girls with rubber boots - loving the rain and the puddles - kicking and splashing....

So too flowers - they want rain.

And if you love green, lots of luscious spring green, want rain.

So too sidewalks and curbside macadam, "I need a thorough washing and cleansing - so I love the rain."

ANOTHER AFTERTHOUGHT

How well do we deal with aging, like life after 30, life after 40, life after 50, life after 60, life after 70, life after that 80, anybody here that old?

How about dealing with arthritis and wrinkles and where did I leave my umbrella and why did I come in this room in the first place and where did I leave my keys?

Any  afterthoughts?

May 6, 2016

SOMEONE  MATTERS 

A scuffy, scuzzy, someone - 

shuffled up to Jesus’ side.

He looked this someone in the eye.

He did it with love and attention like

he did to every someone he met.

A sleek, slick someone -

went, “Tch, tch, tch, tch, tch, tch!
Look at these sinners, these

nobodies,  who are slithering up to

Jesus - these illegals on our planet.”

And Jesus laughed, and laughed,

and then laughed some more.

What else could you do, when

you love every someone there is,

every someone on our planet?

© Andy Costello, Reflections 2016

May 5, 2016

BROKEN  RED  BRICKS

The red brick sidewalk had many

broken bricks. Was it the too many

winters or the too many steps? By

the way, weather and winter and use

were expected. But - like my life,

stepped on, no …. broken, weathered,

used, yes, but what’s the next step…?

© Andy Costello, Reflections 2016

SIMULATIONS  

OF GOD 

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for this Wednesday in the 6th Week of Easter is, "Simulations of God."

Since today’s first reading is about God and since the Gospel has Jesus telling us about the Father, I would like to talk about God today.

The title of my homily is: “Simulations of God.”

Simulate means, “as if” – “faking it” – “a copy” – “a deception”.

The one we love is not really the one we love. It’s only a simulation, a fabrication in our mind,  built of assumptions about the person we love. 

Then,  if we stay with and love the one we love, long enough, we’ll eventually discover who the one we love really is.

Arthur Clarke said this in this way: “The person one loves never really exists, but is a projection focused through the lens of the mind onto whatever screen it fits with least distortion.”

I’ve often said to couples preparing for marriage that there are 6 people in a marriage: the she, she thinks she is; the she, he thinks she is; the she, she really is. The he, he thinks he is; the he, she thinks he is; the he, he really is.

Say that 10 times very fast....

Well the same goes for God.

FIRST READING

In today’s first reading from Acts we have Paul walking around a Greek temple in Athens looking at the different shrines of different Gods - till he came upon an altar with the inscription, “To the Unknown God.” [Cf. Acts 17:15,22 - 18:1]

It’s easy to picture this scene from today’s first reading. When people visit a church for the first time, they take a tour of the place – with their eyes or with their feet.

I picture Paul walking around checking out all these different statues of the Greek gods. He’s fascinated.  Then he becomes even more fascinated and excited when he comes to an altar dedicated to The Unknown God. 

There was his opening for a speech and speak he did.

Interesting – in today’s reading from Acts we hear an old trick people play when they feel an inner "Uh oh!" “We’ll get back to you on this – some time when we have time.” 

Surprise! There’s no Athenian Church or Letter to the Athenians in the New Testament. I would think that would have been the best letter of Paul: To the Athenians.

THE GREATEST SIN?

Thomas Merton says the greatest sin is idolatry.

At times, I think the greatest sin is laziness.

Someone else said, “The greatest sin is our inability to accept the otherness of other people.”

George Bernard Shaw said, “The worst sin towards our fellow creatures is not to hate them, but to be indifferent to them: that is the essence of inhumanity.”

Others say, "It’s cynicism.”

So what the greatest sin is, is up for arguments.

Today with this story about Paul going to the temple of the gods in Athens, let’s go with Merton. The greatest sin is idolatry - putting strange gods before the real God.

JOHN LILLY

I have a book called Simulations of God by John Lilly. It’s where I got the title for this homily. The book is a great examination of conscience on the first commandment.

He gives a long litany of simulations of God by people. Listen to some of them:

·       God as the Group,

·       God as Power,

·       God as Pleasure and Sex,

·       God as Science,

·       God as War,

·       God as Money,

·       God as Compassion,

·       God as Death,

·       God as The Body,

·       God as Righteous Wrath, etc.

·       He even has God as Computer.

In his book, John Lilly says he tried LSD and his mind showed him some weird stuff.

I never drank in my life – but once I had a horrible flu and was feeling miserable. Someone gave me a good dose of Nyquil. 

I ended up seeing some weird stuff – and the room was really moving and spinning at 5 miles an hour – me with an 102 degree fever. 

It taught me why some people take drugs. 

It taught me why native people take Peyote or Ketamine. 

It taught me why some Native Americans use mushrooms.

John Lilly is a M.D. Having experimented with drugs he recommends not taking drugs for so called “mystical experiences.” 

Instead to get into mystical experiences, he recommends the old fashioned way of prayer and meditation. 

He says from experience that’s a better way of getting in touch with God.

He also describes an interesting thing he pushes. He has this tank of water. The water is only  10 inches high. It’s kept at 93 degrees Fahrenheit. In the water there is enough Epsom salts so that a person can float. The tank is in a very quite place – far from sight and sound. He says that some people have experienced the feeling of discovering the great religious truths while in that tub of water.

OURSELVES

I’m sure people use a bathtub for a similar calming experience.

I would also think that Paul’s experience at that temple in Athens can bring about a similar experience as well.

Walk around. Watch people. Notice what gives life and what kills people. Notice what people think happiness is – joy is – what the purpose of life is – where God is.  

Notice people praying.

Like Paul keep on discovering Jesus Christ. Keep on meeting Jesus Christ. Go into Jesus’ presence in prayer and ask Jesus to reveal himself to us. 

Like Paul says, we’ll discover that God is not really that far from any of us. “In him we live and move and have our being.”

CONCLUSION

All this happens slowly. 

That’s why we keep on coming to church. 

That’s why we pray. 

We slowly unmask our projections and simulations of God. 

And when we do, when we meet God from time to time, we go "Wow!"

As Jesus tells us in today’s gospel, “I have much more to tell you, but you cannot bear it now.” [Cf. John 16: 12-15.]

But unlike the Athenians who say, "We'll get back to you on all this," Jesus continues. He says  the Spirit of truth will guide us – and give you more announcements to come.

As in every great marriage that works, we discover the person we married is far greater than anything we knew about the other than the first time we fell in love with them.

In prayer, we look at our pursuits and what we’re after. We ask who is our God? And in humility we might say with John of the Cross that we don’t know. And then with Jesus, to accept that as a poverty and hope that he is on the shore waiting to feed us or he is in the boat sailing along with us. Jesus is a sailor.

To go to Jesus and ask for Light

Knowing that if we stay with him long enough we will know him and then know the father

And be like Paul then proclaim him to others so we’ll get to know God. Amen

May 4, 2016

EVERYDAY  LEAPS 

That the water is good….

That you care….

That the Bic ballpoint pen won’t leak in my pocket onto my white shirt ….

That God is aware….
That you’re listening….

That I make a difference….
That this helps….
That this is caffein-free coffee....
That the dog wants more than treats….

That you’ll look before switching lanes….

That you’re telling the truth in this newspaper article….

That the surgeon knows what she’s doing….

That the bridge will hold ….
That these 4 tires are okay….

That this bourbon is actually Jack Daniels….

That there is a tomorrow….

© Andy Costello, Reflections 2016

May 3, 2016

BACKPACKS 

AND  SUITCASES 

At some point, everyone realizes

that the other walks up to us to talk

to us with a backpack or a suitcase

filled with expectations, assumptions,

stories and hopes for x y or z to happen.

At some point everyone realizes

that’s why it’s difficult to really hear

what the other is saying, wanting,

desiring or hoping for. Nope: they

have too much baggage with them.

At some point everyone realizes
I  do too. Like those folks who

check the bags at airports, we

have to see what’s inside. Then it’s

easier to talk to each other on the flight.

© Andy Costello, Reflections 2016