I  WANT  WHAT  I  WANT 

WHEN  I  WANT  IT 

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for this 7th Tuesday in Ordinary Time is, “I Want What I Want When I Want It.”

Don’t we all?

Well, it all depends.

I read that it’s the addict’s creed.

It’s everyone’s need when someone does something we don’t like or they don’t do what we want them to do. Like, for example,  - pick up their dog remains and we step in it. Or, for example, - they walk down the main aisle in the middle of a sermon and the whole church is watching them - including the preacher.

Smile.

TODAY’S READINGS

When I got the idea for this homily from today’s two readings.

James is telling us in the first reading where wars and conflicts come from.

They come from right here [Point to the heart and head]. Right inside this me that I am.  We covet. We envy. We’re jealous.  We want.

We want what we want when we want it.

In today’s  gospel, Mark 9:30-37 -  the disciples are fighting on who is the greatest.

They don’t want to hear that this Jesus enterprise brings on the cross - the dying to self - the rising, the resurrection for others.

The call is not to be served, but to serve.

The gospel tells us about little children. They are all surprise. They are out of our control. They need service. They need attention. They need us. Talk about wanting what they want when they want it. Think of children.

So too dogs.  “I want a treat! Woof. Woof.”

DESIRE

Buddhism is not the only religion that gets at desire.

Jesus challenges us to get in touch with what we want.

Blessed are you when you hunger and thirst….

We could also add, “Feeling angry - when you hunger and thirst.

So once again, it all depends.

What we want is what we want: our will.

My will be done - on earth as it is in heaven.

This is everyday stuff.

I hate it to go to a restaurant or anywhere with another - or be in the other seat in the car - and the other is going crazy - with the line - with the waiting - with the traffic.

Where’s the waiter!  I want what I want when I want it.

I love the cartoon that says, “You want it when?”

Xerox that one. E-mail it to yourself. Hang it on your mirror. Magnet it to your refrigerator door.

On the NBC evening news  with Lester Holt they have been featuring the long lines at airports to get screened. In Chicago the line and the wait can be 3 to 4 hours and many are missing their flights.

Talk about terroism.  This started big time with 9 - 11 and we have been dealing with the after shocks ever since.

I don’t know about you. I am waiting for the tipping point and figure out new ways of dealing with all the  craziness of the human heart.  You want that? When?

When I drive through those wide overhead E-ZPass go throughs  - that can register 3 cars at once - I wonder if  airports will come up with a massive bomb sniffing xRay machine - that a crowd can walk through all at once.

THREE QUOTES

Listen to what James says again - but this time in the first chapter of James, “Let patience have her perfect work, that you may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.  If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God.” James 1:4-5

Anwar Sadat said,  “Most people seek after what do not possess and are thus enslaved by the very things they want to acquire.” 

Logan Pearsall Smith wrote, “There are two things to aim at in life: first to get what you want; and after that to enjoy it. Only the wisest of mankind achieve the second.”

I would add a third:  The really wise learn how to deal well with not getting what one wants.

I remember hearing the Jesuit psychiatrist and priest, James Gill telling about a heart [or was it a stress specialist?]  in California who urges Type A people to do the following spiritual practice of how to deal the stress of long lines. 

I have done this ever since.

It’s a simple trick. When you see 3 lines in a bank or supermarket, always pick the longest line. Then when you get up to the front, jump off the line and once more pick the longest line. I’ve been doing this in Giant - Office Depot - wherever - ever since - even toll booths.

I'm not a Type A person - but if one is - an added practice is to try to recall your high school classmates by name while standing or waiting on long lines - or the capitals of all the states in the U.S. or whatever.

CONCLUSION

The thought for the day is patience.

Key game plan would be patience;

Key ways of being patient: the ability to laugh - the ability to wait - the ability to get there very early and close your eyes as you move up on the line - and if you really want to confuse others - go back and start again - on the longest line.

May 17, 2016

AT EVERY WEDDING

At every wedding,

every woman present

is seeing her life walking

down the aisle; 
at every wedding 
every man - well

at least 53.6 % of the all
the men who are present -
are still wondering
what it’s all about.

© Andy Costello, Reflections 2016

May 16, 2016

WIND CHIMES

Sometimes in the night

the wind chimes are all music -

as I slip into a deep, deep sleep;

but sometimes they are

fingernails scratching on

the dark blackboard called,

“Can't sleep... Awake all night.”

Why is that? Why?

© Andy Costello, Reflections 2016

CULTIVATE  PEACE

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily is, “Cultivate Peace.”

We’re back to Ordinary Time - the 7^th Monday - and we have some great readings for today.

So some thoughts about cultivating peace….

The last sentence in today’s first reading from James 3:13-18 has James writing, “And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace for those who cultivate peace.”

CULTIVATE

I don’t know if any of you are farmers. However, I’m sure we all have grown something - whether it’s a garden with gardinias or zucinni.

I remember as a little boy spotting those fingernail size black pits in a red watermelon and planting them - not knowing the difference between pits and seeds or what have you.  Surprise in time I saw green blades of new life.

Did I do any cultivation? Well, I watered and watched.

That was the extent of my cultivating watermelons. I don’t remember ever getting a watermelon in a clay dark orange brown flower pot as a result.

Cultivating - watering - raking - caring for - keeping rabbits away from the tomotato plants or what have you.

CULTIVATING PEACE

The title of this homily is, “Cultivating Peace.”

So I typed into google, “Cultivating Peace” and found lots of suggestions.

One blog gave 40 suggestions.

One blog gave 5 suggestions.

Another gave 7 suggestions or practices.

I have seen on various banners the words of Pope Paul VI, “If you want peace, work for justice.”

So if we want to cultivate peace, there are lots of practical steps we can follow.

For starters, Pope Paul the VI’s words from 1972 - on a world day for peace is a good place to start.

In his letter for that day, he urges respect for every person.

In his letter he stresses the vision to see every person and to help every person to see themselves as just that: a person - who is sacred - unique - to be recognized - to be seen and heard - and that they realize they are also responsible for this. When someone puts themselves down, we can challenge them and say, “Oh no, you can’t escape that easily. You have thoughts, feelings, experiences, learnings, observations, skills and you have to use them all.”

In his letter he stresses that every person has the right to express themselves.

We can cultivate those goals at every doorway find ourselves at - with other people  - in every conversation - in every setting we find ourselves in - with the people we’re with.

“Rita, you haven’t said anything yet. What’s your take on this?”

“Wait a second, it doesn’t seem fair - when we ________ “ [You fill in the blank.]

I remember hearing a good talk about peace. The speaker drew a pie and then cut it up saying that everyone is allowed to speak their piece, that everyone gets a piece of the pie and everyone a piece of the action - otherwise we won’t have peace.

I noticed on these blog pieces about peace the value of breathing, pausing, walking, plants, music, communication, listening, the outdoors, sunlight, exercise, etc. etc. etc.

Working with and on a few of them are ways of cultivating peace.

TODAY’S GOSPEL

Here in today’s gospel, Jesus takes the time to be with this boy who has serious problems.

Presence - what’s that Woody Allen quote about just showing up? “Eighty percent of success is showing up

Jesus asks questions.  That’s another great way of cultivating peace.

I love the question from Jesus: “How long has this been happening to him.”

I can picture any of us saying that about strange behavior.

Jesus says with his action the need to be with each other.

Jesus says with his words, the need for faith and prayer.

Jesus did his part to help this kid.

CONCLUSION

Want peace, work for it.

Want peace, say the Peace Prayer attributed to Saint Francis, every day. Then put into practice all those ways the prayer states for being an instrument of the Lord’s peace.

Want peace, do the do of fairness - or what you see as the best way to cultivate peace. Just do it.

May 15, 2016

TONGUES  OF  FIRE

Spirit,

God,

Holy Spirit,

You call us

to be prophets -
that is people 
not scared to speak up.

You light a fire in us  -

to get us to ask,

to seek,

to knock
and then to listen -
then to do whatever it takes -

to get us to talk to each other -

especially when we don’t know

why the other is avoiding us -

or refusing to tell us
what’s burning them about us.

Come!

Send those tongues of fire

to both of us because 
it seems that the fire
called "love" has gone out -

and we feel like a burnt out case -
someone the other 
does not want to deal with.

© Andy Costello, Reflections 2016

SHORT  PRAYERS!

SUBTITLE: COME HOLY SPIRIT

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily is, “Short Prayers! Subtitle: Come Holy Spirit.”

“Short Prayers! Subtitle: Come Holy Spirit.”

Today is the feast of Pentecost.  Meaning: “Fifty” - meaning for us Christians, “Fifty Days  After Easter.”

Today - and in this time of the Church Year - we celebrate the coming of the Holy Spirit - on the Early Church.

TODAY’S  READINGS

The disciples, the followers of Jesus,  were down. They were locked in on themselves. They had lost Jesus their leader. And if you read the Gospels  -  like the gospel reading for today - you hear how Jesus the Risen One appeared to them - and spoke words of peace to them. “Peace be with you.”

Then Jesus breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.”

Then Jesus said, “I send you.”

Jesus is sending us - after saying these short, short sentences:

·       “Peace be with you.”

·       “Receive the Holy Spirit.”

·       “I send you.”

But, then Jesus says something very deep. He gives a deep, deep revelation. “Whose sins you forgive, they are forgiven. Whose sins you retain, they are retained.” 

Instead of the word “retain”,  I’d rather translate the Greek word “KRATEO” into: “hold onto” and translate this sentence as follows, “Whose sins you let go of, they are gone; whose sins you hold onto, they are held onto.”

Wow!

If there is one thing I learned as a priest and a human being, it’s right there.

We all know that one.

When we human beings make mistakes or are mistaked on - blamed - or hurt by another, we can forgive them or ourselves at some point - hopefully - and experience “peace” in the upper room of our mind - or we can hold onto hurts or sins that can weigh us down for life.

Confession - forgiveness - doesn’t just happen in those confession boxes we have in Catholic Churches. But yet, yes, I’ve heard from the other side of the curtain at various times: “Phew!" [Make the sound of pushing out air] - It's the sound of letting out of bad air and bad memories and mistakes and sins and then I’ve heard the [Make gesture of sucking in]  the sound of sucking In of New Air. It's time for a new beginning.

That scene in confession boxes - and in counseling rooms - and in relationships and marriages and family - when forgiveness takes place - when letting go takes place - triggers the dawn of a new human creation.

It triggers the moments - in human evolution - when we humans evolved far enough to stop clubbing each other with angry grunts and stone sledge hammers - and sensed God - our God who bent down and breathed into the clay of earth from which we come - and we came to live and breathe in the Holy Spirit. Come Holy Spirit.

The word used in the first book of the Bible, Genesis, The Beginning, is RUAH - the Hebrew word for Spirit, Breath, Life, Air, Wind, Breeze.

RUAH - you can hear the sound of Air, Breath, Spirit, Life in that word, that sound.

Come RUAH of God. Rush into us.

And if we read the Acts of the Apostles - as we heard in today’s first reading - the Spirit, the Wind, rushed on that hide out - that locked upper room - and shook up that building, those disciples - and they felt this strong driving wind - and they experienced “tongues” - “as of fire”  -  as the reading puts it - and these tongues of fire filled them with the Holy Spirit and they began to speak in different tongues - as the Spirit enable them to proclaim.

I’ve heard various theories and ideas about “speaking in tongues” and instead of bringing folks together, sometimes it brings division - so I’ve decided on holding that a great understanding is that Love - Peace - God appears and can be understood in all languages - all tongues.

And that’s what we hear in the second part of today’s first reading from the Acts of the Apostles - that the Gospel of Christ - moved out of that upper room, out of Jerusalem,  and out into the Greek speaking and then into the whole Mediterranean basin, and world and all these tribes and people there.

And as our second reading from Paul to the Corinthians puts it: when brothers and sisters work together with Jesus as Lord, then all our spiritual gifts can be used in the service of all. We are one body - and when we are baptized into the one Spirit of Christ - all the different parts of that Body can bring - can breathe - that Spirit into our world.

 SHORT PRAYERS

Ooops!  A nice short word….  Ooops.

The title of my homily is, “Short Prayers! Subtitle: Come Holy Spirit.”

Let me try to be practical and get this done in a page and a half.

My goal is 10 minute homilies - which means about 4 ½ pages - 14 pica - 8 ½ by 11 inch paper.

I have a theory that every human being prays short prayers - atheists included - non church or temple going people as well.

Listen to people. Listen to their sounds. Listen to their screams.

“Oh my God, noooooooooooooooooooo!”

“Holy _________” You know part two - but notice “Holy” in part one.

“Jesus Christ!”

“OOOOOhhh No!” I hold that’s a prayer to the Power beyond our powers - when things happen that are out of our control. “Ooooooh NO!”

In Hinduism and Buddhism there is the basic sound: OM - spelled OM  or AUM - a sacred sound that has inner heart connection - connecting the prayer or the meditator with the FORCE - the Creator - holding this world together.

When I go into a funeral parlor - and the body is there - and there is a rosary in the hand of the deceased - I reach for one bead - and say a Hail Mary - with and for that person.  And if a loved one kneels next to me - I suggest to the spouse or child of the person who died, “Let’s pray a Hail Mary together.”

And I have been saying for years, “Rosaries aren’t just for Hail Mary’s - they are great worry beads.”

Where is your rosary?  Will they find it in your pocket when you die.

If you’ve lost your rosary, find your rosary when you get home today and this week use it for prayers.

I suggest short prayers. Notice that’s the title of this homily.

Subtitle: “Come Holy Spirit.”

This week every day, say on the 59 beads, “Come Holy Spirit.”

That takes less than 2 minutes.

Or finger the beads and say, “Oh my God.”

Or, “Jesus Christ.”

Or “OM” or “Home”

Or, “Peace.”  Or if there is someone who won’t forgive you, say on each bead thinking of the other, “Peace be with you.”  Or, “I forgive you.”

Or breathe 59 times.

Or someone said the 2 most basic prayers are, “Help” and “Thanks”.

In the cloud of unknowing - that medieval English book - it says if you’re in a burning building - and you open the window - you’ll scream one word, “Help!”

Someone said, the secret of happiness is 3 short words, “Yes” “No” and “Wow”

Take your beads and say, pray, to God and a Good Life, “Yes” - that will take you a minute or “no” 59 times - or “Wow”

And watch what happens.

Amen.

Or “Amen” on each bead.

CONCLUSION

The title of my homily on this feast of Pentecost was, “Short Prayers! Subtitle: Come Holy Spirit.”

FEAST OF PENTECOST

PENTECOST LITANY

                    

Come Holy Spirit.

Come Spirit of God.

Wind, Fire, Praise,

pour into us

surprise into us,

create into us new life today.

Come Holy Spirit.

Come Spirit of God.

Breathe into us your gifts,

especially the ability of seeing your gifts,

shining in every person that we meet today.

Come Holy Spirit.

Come Spirit of God.

Give old people young visions,

give young people old wisdom,

and give both the fire and the desire

to make their dreams come true.

Come Holy Spirit.

Come Spirit of God.

Send a strong rushing wind

into the upper rooms of our minds,

replacing stale, paralyzing fear

with fresh, ongoing peace.

Come Holy Spirit.

Come Spirit of God.

 Help us to stop talking 

long enough to hear,

that we’re really not listening 

to each other,

but we're speaking in the language

of babbling that divides us.

Come Holy Spirit.

Come Spirit of God.

Give us the gift of tongues,

give us the ability of speaking

in the language of love that unites us

Come Holy Spirit.

Come Spirit of God.

Help us to all work together

to build the City of God,

with Jesus as the Tower

and the Ladder that touches the sky

and takes us into the Kingdom.

© Andy Costello Markings

May 14, 2016

COME  HOLY  SPIRIT

Come Holy Spirit, come.

Come God, Spirit, Holiness.

Come to me as Wind, Breath, Air….

Come to me simply as a cool breeze -

so silent, here, invisible at the edge entrance

of my mountain cave …. my hiding place.

Or come to me as a loud wind, shaking me,

shaking my windows, pounding my doors,

getting me down to my foundation rocks

Come Holy Spirit, come.

Come God, Spirit, Holiness.

Come to me as Fire, Flame, Spark,

singeing my soul, scorching my selfishness,

reducing me to ashes, so I can rise to new

life, a new start, a new Church, a new next.

Come Holy Spirit, come.

Come God, Spirit, Holiness.

Come to me as Word Seed,

as you came to Mary,
as you jumped off the scrolls
of sacred scripture into so many,

come to me as you hovered

over Christ as a dove.  Let me also hear

your song: “You are my beloved son,

my beloved daughter, in you,

I am well pleased.”

© Andy Costello, Reflections 2016

May 13, 2016  - Friday the 13th

INITIALS

Why do initials carved in trees

and park benches and cement

bother me?  I was a kid once.
Does this mean that I have

become an adult - or a critical
crotchety old crocodile ? Or is more?

I don’t know. I just know I don’t

like anyone to announce to the

world by carving on a tree or a

bench or into new cement, “Jack

loves Jill”  or “Kilroy was here.”

Do it some other way!  Please.

© Andy Costello, Reflections 2016

SAINT PANCRAS

Today - May 12 - is the feast of Saint Pancras.

When we took a train from London to Brussels, to get to sight see Bruges, we had to go to the station at Saint Pancras. That was where the train that went through the Channel Tunnel was: the Eurostar.

I began wondering what a train station in London - named after a saint - was all about.

I looked it up. 

Pancras was a 14 year old kid - who was beheaded in Rome for being a Christian. This took place way back around 304.

Pope Gregory the Great sent Augustine - not THE  Saint Augustine - but Augustine who was to become Augustine of Canterbury - to England. He gave him some relics of Pancras to take along with him  - as he went there to bring Christ to England - way back when.  In time various churches named "Saint Pancras" appeared on English soil - if I have this correct.

In London, there was Old Saint Pancras Church. 

I could not find out for absolute surety, if that was where the Saint Pancras Train Station was built. It looks like a church is part of the whole enterprise.

Great train station - worth seeing if you go to London - even if you don't take a train.

It has great statues. It's a great place for people watching. It has great sounds. It's a great place for picture taking.

Check out the enclosed videos.

Amen.

May 12, 2016

CEMETERIES

There’s a certain pause - when we drive

by a cemetery. There’s something

sacred - below those stones. So too -

all our inner gravestones - heavy - here

and there in the deep soil of our souls:

with names, dates, some words - some

memories - that sum up a loved one.

And then - when we die - those memory

gravestones are buried below with us.

And then - our gravestone rises up in the

green, green grass of  Some Cemetery -

as well as the down deep hope we all have - 

that someone from time to time visits our grave

- visits some memories, says a prayer of thanks,

and then drives home not alone but with us

in the down deep graveyard in their soul.

  

© Andy Costello, Reflections 2016

May 11,  2016

PRESENCE

Sitting on a strong wooden bench -

near the pond, I closed my eyes and

listened to the sounds - sounding all

around me. I surrendered to You,

O God of the Mirror  Waters - O God of

the Universe - O God of the Without and

God of the Within. Creation continues.

Insects - a whole symphony orchestra -

were playing in stringed violin harmony

on this crisp, cool evening - before the

dark night arrived. I heard a train whistle

in the distance - and then a glunk sound -

as if a rock or something hit and sunk into

the water of the pond. I knew I was not alone.

  

© Andy Costello, Reflections 2016

May 10, 2016

THE  FROG  AND  THE ROBIN

The old frog and the new robin stopped to look at each other - for just one tiny, tiny moment. 

Frog: “Oh, to be young again.”

Robin: “Oh my God! You're ugly. I hope that never happens to me.” 

Frog: “That comment really hurt.”

Robin: “Let me tell you something, Mister Frog: my life’s going to be different than yours. I’m going to soar. I’m not going to crawl."

Frog: “Honey you have no idea what you’re in for. Take a good look at your actuaries. My life span is  4 to 15 years of life. Yours, sorry to inform you, is only a year and a half for most. That's just the way it goes.   But don’t forget to enjoy the flight.”

© Andy Costello, Reflections 2016

DAMIEN OF MOLOKAI

GOSPEL  READING

A Reading from the Gospel of Luke 17: 11-19

In the course of his journey to Jerusalem he was travelling through the borderlands of Samaria and Galilee. As he was entering a village he was  met by ten men with leprosy. They stood some way off and called out to him, “Jesus, Master, take pity on us.”

When he saw them he said, “Go and show yourselves to the priests”; and while they were on their way, they were made clean. 

One of them, finding himself cured, turned back praising God aloud. He threw himself down at Jesus's feet and thanked him. And he was a Samaritan.

At this Jesus said: “Were not all ten cleansed? The other nine, where are they? Could none be found to come back and give praise to God except this foreigner?”

And he said to the man, “Stand up and go on your way; your faith has cured you.”

INTRODUCTION

Today we celebrate the feast of Damien of Molokai. His dates were 1840- 1889.

He is famous for his work with folks who have Leprosy or Hansen’s disease. He did that full time from 1873-1889. That’s 16 years. 

He died at the age of 49 - having contracted the disease as well. I  didn’t know he was that young when he died. St. Vincent de Paul was 79 and Mother Teresa was 87 when they died. Well he packed into those 49 years - lots of love - and lots of service for God’s people.

He wasn’t stupid. On the other hand he wasn’t the smartest in his class - but who knows if he had the chance for better educational opportunities? 

He was just one strong Belgian who gave his life for the folks of Hawaii - first putting in regular priestly work around Honolulu - from 1864-1873.

I get the impression from reading a bunch of things about him last night - that he was a gruff - strong - hard working - farmer type priest.

He wasn’t scared to get his hands dirty and do for others.

He ended up becoming world famous - perhaps because of reports about him working with those who had leprosy - were heard by folks who stopped into Hawaii - while sailing around the world.

Then there were complaints that the natives and others with whom he worked with didn’t get enough credit. That seems true - but it wasn’t because he was self-promoting. He and others were doing a job that could be quite difficult. In another sense there is the old saying, “Work goes smoothly if everyone worries about the work and not who gets the credit.”

STAGE PLAY

When I was in the seminary in my second year of college, I got to  direct a 3 act play. It was a great opportunity - but instead of giving me a comedy - the only kinds of plays that I had acted in - in my earlier years - I got this serious play to direct - the life of Father  Damien of Molokai. It was long, serious, and had about 21 scenes.  It wasn’t a flop. Nor was it a big success.  A priest named Frank Browne had the lead - playing Father Damien and Max Pauli - whom many here in St. Mary's remember - he played the part of very “yes sir, no sir” right hand servant for Damien.

What I got out of it, besides the experience of directing a 3 act play, was a growing awareness of the Saint:  Damien of Molokai.

PATRON SAINT OF WHAT?

To really make it as a saint, it helps to be the patron saint of some basic issue or theme or need in life.

Like being Patron Saint of Lost Car Keys or what have you. Like being patron saint of those who travel  or the one you pray to with great perseverance for lost kids to come back  to the faith - like praying to St. Monica - who prayed that her son Augustine would come home to Christ.

Damian could be considered the Patron Saint of those who work with the tough cases in life. He could be the Patron Saint of those whose motto could be People with Leprosy Matter.

His life could be a poster with the words: “Don’t reject; do respect.”

People who were working with those who had AIDS did bring Damien into that story.  

Today we could add Transgender Folks. We could pray to him for all folks whom others don’t want to touch or to welcome to the family or church table.

That’s St. Damien of Molokai.

When I see pictures of where he lived and served in Molokai, I see places and scenes that don’t look like those beautiful brochures of the beaches of Hawaii. Amen.