AROUND YOUR NECK

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for this feast of  the Solemnity of Mary - the Holy Mother of God -  is, “Around Your Neck.”

ANTHROPOLOGY

Who was the first human being to wear something around their neck?

Are there any paintings - and there have been a lot of paintings in the history of our world - are there any paintings of Adam and Eve where they have something around their neck?

I remember watching a documentary about the history of our world - how we evolved - how we migrated - how we came about. Showing some hunters moving along through the woods or mountain passes some early people stopped to bury one of the group who had died. The narrator said this was a jump in our evolution - to stop to bury our dead. To pause, to cry, to leave a marker for the next time we come back this way. “Here is where X died and is buried.”

The title of my homily is, “Around Your Neck.”

Did someone take something from the deceased - put a rope or string through it and wear it around their neck as a reminder of a loved and appreciated one?

Who was the first human to wear something around their neck?

I assume in classes and courses on anthropology someone mentions the human practice of wearing medals and chains, rosaries, bones and beads, shells and stones, around necks. 

Thinking about this - while putting together this homily - yes, in those National Geographic Magazines and Documentaries about aborigines and native peoples around the world, often they are wearing stuff around their necks.

TODAY’S FIRST READING

Why am I mentioning this topic?

Well, in today’s first reading from Numbers 6 we have the Aaronite Blessing.

Hear the reading again: “The Lord said to Moses: ‘Speak to Aaron and his sons and tell them: “This is now you shall bless the Israelites. Say to them: The Lord bless you and keep you! The Lord let his face shine upon you, and be gracious to you! The Lord look upon you kindly and give you peace!’”

I remember reading years ago that they found in a dig in Jerusalem two amulets or charms that people would have worn.   It was silver and in the shape of a scroll. The anthologists were very careful examining it. They were estimated to be some 2600 or 2700  years old.  Next they figured from its size - the size of a quarter or a finger - and the hole in it, that someone wore this around their neck. Next they saw that there was writing on these amulets - and they were very, very, very careful in unrolling these amulets.

Surprise they discovered it was the Aaronite Blessing.

Did the person who wore it - were there many of these - try each day to be gracious and kind and bring peace to those they met that day?  And if they did, did their face shine?

TODAY

Today - January 1^st -  is a feast for Mary, the Mother of God.

Today is also called, “World Day of Praying for Peace.”

Wouldn’t it be great if people who wear a rosary around their neck or the neck of the rear view mirror in their car - wear that - not just as a piece of jewelry - but also as a reminder to pray for others - in the various mysteries of life.

Wouldn’t it be great if those who wear an image of Mary around their neck - hold it for a moment - say a prayer for the day - or a Hail Mary - that they be full of grace - that they realize that,  “The Lord is with us today” - and do what Mary did - see everyone we meet as blessed - accept ourselves as not only graced and blessed - but we are sinners at times - and may that help us to understand each other better.

Wouldn’t it be great if we all prayed at least a Hail Mary together each day for peace in our world and in our families and work places and play stations.

And wouldn’t it be great if the father of each family - or mom - or both or all said the Aaronite Blessing each day or each night before going to sleep.

CONCLUSION

The title of my homily is, “Around Your Neck”.

I once had a wonderful prayer experience.  I was simply sitting in prayer - and I sort of spaced out - perhaps even falling asleep - and I picture Christ as the Good Shepherd walking with me around his neck - like I was the lost sheep and he just found me.

I woke up and reflected on the possible message.  Christ is carrying me and all of us when we get  lost like stupid sheep around his neck. Then I began thinking how the underneath of a sheep must smell - and that’s me - skin to skin - my underneath - skin to skin -  to Jesus’ neck. Amen.

January 1, 2018

POTENTIAL

Happy New Year! 

January 1^st triggers 

various resolutions, 

which are triggered by our dreams,

which are triggered by our potential.

January 1^st hits us with hopes

because of its feeling of newness:

new calendar, new year.

We don’t think.

Instead, we dream 
that this new year

I’ll do more.

I’ll march more.

I’ll play more.
I'll pray more - better,
I'll pray better with the help of God.

I’ll use the gifts

I have been given more.

Amen!

HAPPY  NEW  YEAR

MAY GOD'S BLESSINGS 

FILL OUR HEARTS AND HOMES IN 2018

FAMILY  CONVERSATIONS

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily is, “Family Conversations.”

Today we’re celebrating the Feast of the Holy Family.

I assume the call is to look at our family life and have a conversation on the question: “How are we doing?”  And then plan and work to make things better - if better is called for and agreed upon.

YESTERDAY - AT A WEDDING

I got the idea for this homily  from something a couple mentioned to me in a conversation we had yesterday at a wedding reception.

We were just standing there talking - at the tiny food time - hors d'oeuvres  - before the sit down dinner. It's the part of the wedding reception that I like the most. It's because it’s before the blast of the music. It’s when people can talk to each other. “How are you doing? What’s new? What’s happening? Haven't seen you in 100 years.”

Yesterday, this couple was telling me  that they used to do marriage preparation. This was years ago - up in New York - out on Long Island.

They said that 4 couples - who were to be married - would come to their house for 4 sessions - on 4 different nights. Their two sons loved it because around 5 PM they would say, “What are the goodies for tonight mom?”

This couple said, “Looking back we learned the most from doing this - more than the couples heading for marriage.”

How many times have we heard, the teacher learns the most - the preacher as well - hopefully.

Another couple who used to do this in Chicago had told me what they learned from helping with marriage preparation. It was this: the most important moment for most couples was when they asked a couple to say their vows - in a practice session - out loud to each other.

After hearing that, when I meet with couples, I’ve do that with every couple. I learned.

Well this couple yesterday said, “Couples told us that the most important thing they learned in their marriage preparation sessions with us was the drive home after  the evening sessions. They said they would be talking about stuff from that evening - stuff they had never talked about before.

If you’re married here's a question for you today: when was the last best conversation you and your spouse?"  What triggered it? What were the questions that came up? How did the conversation go? Any follow up?

SPECIFIC ISSUES

In thinking about this - last night - while putting together this homily  - I asked: “What are the key topics for conversation in marriage and family life?”

Obviously, the first question is the January government question: “The state of the union address - the state of the state address - or what have you.”

It’s the “How are we doing question?”

It's a good, "New Year's question."

My first week - in my first  assignment - Most Holy Redeemer Parish - on the Lower East Side of New York - a couple were coming in to talk about their upcoming marriage. I had just got out of the seminary and I had no clue about marriage. I was to find out I had no clue about anything.  That afternoon I just happened to pick up the New York Daily News and the Inquiring Photographer was a regular feature in that paper. A question was asked and 4 people would answer it. It was underneath  their photograph. Well, that day the question was about marriage and someone said, “The top three problems in marriage are: money, sex and in-laws.” Well, I told that couple that comment that night and they paused and said, “Wow! You’re right.” That was 1967.  Is that still right?

There’s a specific question for a couple to begin a conversation with: “What are our three top questions.”

When I am on Kairos' Retreats with our high school kids - St. Mary’s Kids - I’ve been on 34 of them so far - and a lot more retreats - with a lot more people before coming here - one of my first questions I ask kids in any small group I get: “What do meals look like in your family?”

I think every family needs to reflect on that question.

My second question would be “expectations”.

What do we expect around here?

Then after getting expectations - I like to ask people to add adjectives.

Key adjectives would be: unrealistic, unknown [as in I didn’t know that - or you never brought that up before].  Other adjectives would be: fair, unfair, changed….

The third question would be a fishing expedition. Okay, what else do we need to address. This could  bring up topics like time together, vacations, the Sabbath, anger, aging parents, money, costs, cleaning and chores, etc. etc. etc.

TO BE PRACTICAL

It might seem crazy, impractical - but I think families and/or couples should meet once a month - go for an hour or less - never going over 1 hour - having one person by name in charge as monitor - and having one other  member - as secretary with a spiral note pad - and hopefully at a second meeting - the notes from that earlier meeting will be read out for starters.

Let's be honest, we don't follow up.

CONCLUSION

The title of my homily is, “Family Conversations.” 

Have you ever said in frustration: this place is a zoo. We have elephants in our living room, alligators in our basement, pit bulls roaming the house and as a result we have stuff that needs to be cleaned up - and there is no plastic bag big enough for the clean up.

As a family, why not talk about having that conversation - about having Family Conversations?

December 31, 2017

DOOR KNOB

I turned the door knob.

It was locked.
I rang the bell.
No luck.

I knocked on the door.

Nobody answered.

I looked under the mat.

There was no key there.

I looked in the window.

It seemed nobody was inside.

I went around the back.

Nothing was open.

Well, there is always next year.

© Andy Costello, Reflections  2017

PLEASE  WRITE

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for this Sixth Day within the Octave of Christmas  is, “Please Write.”

Last night I got that thought after reading today’s first reading from the First Letter of John 2: 12-17

We heard in today’s first reading 6 times “I am writing” or “I write to you.”

So an obvious message for a short reflection this morning is, “Please write.”

THE OTHER NIGHT

On Thursday night I caught a Book TV program in which Charles Gibson, the old Television guy, interviews David McCullough.

They began talking about how the writing of diaries - memoirs - journals has sort of disappeared.

McCullough asked: “Do you want to last forever?  Do you want to be historic? Keep a journal and when you finish, get it into an archives and people will be reading you for ages to come because you’ll be it - the only thing written.

Then McCullough - in talking about his research when  writing his historic books on John Adams and Harry Truman and others - how wonderful it was to read countless diaries and memoirs and journals and letters, about the times and places and situations people  found themselves in.

Each diary takes one into a different era and a different place.

What would it be like to be living in a small house in Ohio or Indiana in 1790? If we read diary entries about that period, we’ll read about what was going on in people’s lives and minds.

GOSPELS AND LETTERS

Well, thank God people wrote down the sayings and stories of Jesus - like today’s gospel from Luke about Anna the Prophetess - telling everyone in the temple in Jerusalem who were awaiting redemption - here he is - our redeemer.

And we noticed in Matthew the other day that the holy family headed for Egypt - and Luke has them going back to Nazareth - and because of that written discrepancy we know what kind of writing Luke and Matthew were giving - especially that Jesus was seen as the New Moses - and had to get him to Egypt - to connect Jesus with those writings.

And thank God we have all these letters from the Early Church that tell us what was going on then.

PLEASE WRITE

Get a good ball point pen and a good spiral pad and write your life - whom you met - what you saw.

David McCulllough the other night said that John Adams or someone in that time wrote, “I went into this room yesterday to think.”

He then implied in his writings we don’t do enough of that ourselves.

I think we do - but we don’t write down what we think - or we do on twitter and facebook - and it’s stuff we really don’t think out.

And to contradict myself, I keep reading that everything on the internet lasts - but there is no access  - unless Robert Mueller  and his team will be investigating us.

December 30, 2017

FORGIVENESS

Forgiveness is the get to get.

Forget everything else as Hafiz

the Persian poet from way back

in the 1300’s put it. “Forgiveness

is the cash you need” “to craft

your falcon wings / and return

to your true realm, our true realm

of divine freedom.”* Jesus got

this - along with Hafiz - along

with anyone who wants true

freedom and to live with empty 

hands without rocks.

© Andy Costello, Reflections  2017

*Cf. A Year With Hafiz, released by Daniel Ladinsky 

into English and entited Daily Contemplations 

[Penguin Books, 2010] page 354, November 18.

December 29, 2017

PAUSE

To pause is good - before we throw words

or  rocks or respond or react to another.

To pause is good - when we think we know

why another said or did what they did.

To pause is good - when we are going to

buy a new car or house or horse or idea.

To pause is good - before we stop listening to

another because something they said, triggers 

a similar story in us which we want to tell.

To pause is good - when we are going to

pray - and so we say to God, “Before I start, 

is there anything you want to say to me?”

© Andy Costello, Reflections  2017

LIGHT  AND  DARKNESS 

DREAMS  AND  NIGHTMARES

INTRODUCTION

Today - on this feast of the Holy Innocents - I would like to reflect upon the basic themes of light and darkness.

They are big themes in all religions.

Another way of wording it could be, “dreams and nightmares”.

Each of us and all of us in both our own private world - as well as in our public world - experience both light and darkness - dreams and nightmares - good and evil - right and wrong - grace and sin - ying and yang.

FIRST READING

In today’s first reading John tells us this message very clearly. If we don’t admit that we make mistakes, that we sin, we’re liars. We’re in darkness and we don’t know it.

But in God, he tells us, there is no darkness.

Carl Jung, fools around with the thought of darkness in God, because of the themes and reality of sin and evil in the world as part of reality.

Other religions propose a God of evil and a God of good; a God of darkness and a God of Light.

John tells us that in God there is no darkness.

John of the Cross and Dionysius the Areopagite tell of the divine dark. I suspect that an evil dark doesn’t exist in God - but it does exist in us. So  I don’t know about this divine dark. Of course, when it comes to God, we are in the dark. And when it comes to us, we are often walking in darkness - especially when we sin.

THEME

So the theme of dreams and nightmares, light and darkness is in each of us.

GOSPEL

In the gospel for today we have Joseph and Herod. Joseph’s dream is to go to Bethlehem with Mary, to register and then to come back home to Nazareth. The trip began with a nightmare. There was no room in the inn for them. The trip ended with a nightmare: Herod’s plan is to kill all the males. In a dream, Joseph is given the light. Go to Egypt. All this stuff in Matthew are ways that Matthew brings in his theology - especially using OT stuff.

We’re all called to redemption  - to get out of slavery - Egypt - to go through the waters of Baptism - the Red Sea or Reed Sea - and to head for the Promised Land.

But let’s develop the darkness and light, nightmare and dream theme a bit more.

DENIAL

If we reflect  upon all this we have to admit that we do have dreams and nightmares. We often wake up in the morning in a dream, or just after a dream, and often we say at breakfast, “Wow did I have a weird dream last night.” And sometimes we wake up during the night in the middle of a nightmare.

ANALOGOUSLY

Analogously, we have to admit that sometimes we have dream days and nightmare experiences, when we are awake.

So dreams and this unconscious life are going on 24 hours.

PLANE CRASH

A plane ride is sometimes seen as a dream.  We look ahead to a warm place in the middle of a cold winter. We’re going to have a dream trip - a dream vacation.

Beautiful.

Then - sometimes there is a nightmare. It’s snowing big time in Erie or Chicago and our flight from BWI or wherever - is cancelled because of flight delays - because of the weather.

RELATIONSHIP

A relationship looks beautiful. Sometimes it becomes a nightmare.

GLEN CLOSE

I remember reading an article about Glen Close the actress in U.S.A. once. She said she was  the good girl in the movie, The Natural, and The World According to Garp, and some other movies. She said she wanted to play the part of someone who is evil. So that’s what she got when she played the evil Alex in the movie, Fatal Attraction. Then there is her movie, Dangerous Liaisons - which is all about Good and Evil.

JOE LEDDY

A guy I know - Joe Leddy once said, “A professor at Manhattan used to say that all of us could become Francis of Assisi or Joseph Stalin."

All people, all trips, all plans, all days, can become a dream or a nightmare.

ALFRED HITCHCOCK

Alfred Hitchcock thrived on all this, loving to point out, the possibility of danger in a quiet country motel or on the symbol of security, Mount Rushmore.

SHADOW

Surprise. Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men? The Shadow knows.

OPTIMIST -- PESSIMIST

Does one become a pessimist or remain an optimist?

I would suggest being a realist.

Trust but verify.

SELF

As regards self, to admit that I could be like Herod and become filled with bitter jealousy, fear, bitterness, lack of trust, those feelings taking over, and I end up destroying innocent life.  Or I can become like Joseph: a rescuer.

CONCLUSION

The title and theme of this homily for this feast of the Holy Innocents has been, Light and Darkness,  Dreams and Nightmares.

Often we are in the dark. So we need Christ the light of the world.

Look at the history of the world and see what happened when Christ came into our world. Amen.

Here's an E-Christmas Card - Christmas in a Child's Gaze

from the Redemptorists 

in Australia.

December 28, 2017

HOLY  INNOCENTS

Who is holy and who is innocent?

Does the child who whines and

wants her way - is she breaking

her innate goodness? Is she

being selfish - at its early stages?

How about the boy who knocks

over the other kid’s sand castle

at the beach - when strangers stop to say

to the builder, “Nice job. Nice job!” and
all the breaker made was a mud puddle?

How about the other end of life?

Who is holy and who is innocent?

Is it the old guy or gal at the end

of the nursing home corridor who

spreads smiles and joys to all?

© Andy Costello, Reflections  2017

ST.  JOHN 

AND BEING CALLED 

TO BE A SAINT 

INTRODUCTION

Today, on the feast of St. John, I would like to preach on the calling of each Christian to be a saint by mirroring and practicing a specific feature of Christ.

CHESTERTON

Chesterton once remarked that Christianity has not been tried and found wanting, “It has not been tried.”

GANDHI

Gandhi, when asked about his thoughts on Christianity said, “It sounds like a good religion. I’m still waiting to see someone live it.”

SOMEONE IN CHINA

A Chinese person after listening to some Christians said, “Christianity: it’s a very talky religion.”

SAINTS

To counter these objections, Christianity has often pushed its saints. Here are some of the people who lived it. These are some of the people who did it.

Just as Jesus is the word of the Father, so the saint is the word of the Father and / or the word of the Son or both or add the Spirit for all Three.

It's an exaggeration, but we could say that Jesus is all the colors of the rainbow - while the saints are pictured as one specific color.

ST. STEPHEN

For example, St. Stephen’s feast day was yesterday. He is presented as enfleshed forgiveness. He is the word “forgiveness” personified.

ST. AUGUSTINE

St. Augustine has various appeals. To many he is the saint who put things off - like practicing chastity.  He would say, "Not yet." Then one day he changes. We all put things off, especially our conversion, especially habits that we know we ought to change. Someday maybe we too will change.

ST. ANDREW

St. Andrew in the gospel of John is featured as the one who brings his brother to Jesus.

In the other gospels, he is featured as the one who sort of silently steps in when needed.

I see him as the patron saint of background stories - always there, but rarely noticed - only when needed.

ST. PETER

St. Peter appeals to us as the saint who puts his foot in his mouth, who makes promises,  who brags,then climbs into his mouth with both feet. Don’t we all make promises that we don’t keep?

ST. THOMAS THE APOSTLE

And St. Thomas the Apostle gives glimmers of hope to all those who have lots of doubts, who want to see before they will believe. “Proof: I want to see proof. Show me.”

STILL HAVE A CHANCE

These saints show us that we still have a choice based on our personality.

We can put our foot in our mouth, and take it out again. We can recover. We can make up for our mistakes.  We can have doubts. We can put off our conversion, but hopefully, someday we will change. Someday we will become our best self. Someday we will become saints. Someday we will be one of the colors of the rainbow called, “Christ.”

Maybe we’ll be an example of forgiveness like Stephen. Maybe we’ll be an example of poverty like St. Francis. Maybe we’ll be an example of prayer like St. Therese of Lisieux.

ST. JOHN: WHAT COLOR, WHAT MESSAGE

Since today is the feast of  St. John the Evangelist, what does he  represent?

What color of the rainbow is he?

I see St. John as a poet - a bringer of Good News - by using everyday images: bread, wine, water, perfume, light, wind.

He is the one who tells others, about Jesus.

He has the need to tell, to brag about Jesus.

He tells us he had stuff to give away to follow Jesus. He left all to follow Jesus.

He tells us that his mom once pushed to have him and his brother be seated at the right and left of Jesus in the kingdom.

Jesus said, “That’s not mine to give.” But there he is at the last supper next to Jesus. And when the others took off scared, he stayed. And there he is under the cross next to Jesus.

He tells us that he could run faster than Peter, but yet he respected Peter as the head. Peter saw and believed -but John believed first.

In all this I think John is doing what we all do. We want to share with others directly and indirectly what we’ve done and where we are.

MOTIVE

And why did John share? He gives us the reason in today’s first reading. So that the joy he feels, we’ll feel. He wants to share in our joy as well, otherwise he won’t be complete.

CONCLUSION

So that’s a bit about St. John and some saints.

In the past, Saints tended  to be put on pedestals - statues with eyes raised to heaven - maybe with hands folded in prayer.

Today we’re back to the older way of presenting saints. They are presented as being on our level and featured with a specific agenda - in everyday life. We look at them, see their specific feature, and then we ask if we can see ourselves being called to that feature, which then fills out all the colors of the rainbow, called, Christ - for our world to experience.

O  O  O  O  O  O  O

Painting of St. John the Evangelist 

by David de Haen

December 27. 2017

THE GOSPEL OF JOHN

In the beginning - page one of this scroll -

the choice is proclaimed: "Will I accept 
these words - as well as the Word - to

become flesh and dwell within us?"

Water, wind, bread, wine, light, night,

helping me the reader to soar,

to see with eagle eye from on high,

what I’m not seeing here down below ….

Wheat becoming bread becoming body,

water becoming wine becoming blood,

healing at pools, eyes beginning to see,

lakes filled with fish, Lazarus returning ….

To meet Jesus at noon at the well,

to thirst for and then to taste living water;

to meet Jesus in the night - in the dark -

to be Nicodemus and not Judas.

To drop rocks, to have supper with him, 
to have feet washed, to hear the new

commandment, to remain in his love, to die,

and then to rise to have breakfast with him.

© Andy Costello, Reflections  2017

Feast of Saint John the Gospel Writer

December 27

FORGIVE AND FORGET

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily is, “Forgive  and  Forget.”

How many times in our life have we heard someone give us the advice, “Forgive and Forget”?

Both can be difficult to pull off.

FIRST FORGET

It’s interesting what we remember and it’s also interesting what we forget.

We see someone and without knowing it, they look like a high school classmate who used to pick on us - bully us - bother us - many years ago - but we don’t know why the appearance of this person is bothering us.

We go by a cemetery on a road we never were on before - and we feel the sacred - or we feel scared - as we drive by.  It’s a different feeling when a mile further ahead we drive by a high school - on the other side of that road.

Buildings, churches, fences, barking German shepherd dogs,  an old lady with a cane or an old man on a bicycle trigger past experiences. 

Sometimes we can recover and remember the source of that feeling upstream or downstream in our mind. Sometimes we don’t.

Sometimes we see so and so - and we go, “Oooouuuuuuh!” and we know exactly why we feel that way towards this person.  We can’t forget  what she said about us behind our back 17 years ago. 

There are things we cannot forget.

When I go by the Maryland Inn - and the Treaty of Paris Restaurant -  on the top of Duke of Gloucester Street - I remember and say a prayer every time. That’s where my niece Margie was proposed to by her husband Jerry. He dropped into Annapolis years ago and told me his story as we were taking a walk on the red bricks of Annapolis.

When I drive past Maimonides Hospital in Brooklyn - I feel  the memory coming out of the bricks, “This is where my dad died.”

I have been told by lots of folks who drop into Annapolis - and into St. Mary’s Church, “This is where we got married.”

Years ago - I didn’t know I did this - but we were going by Victory Memorial Hospital in Brooklyn. My nephew Michael was in the car with us. Well, I went, “Shuuuuuuuuuuu!” as we went up a particular street and past a particular building.  He or maybe his brother or sisters asked, “Why the “Shussh!?” And I answered, “This is where I was born. In this hospital here.”  A year or two later, Michael got hit by a car and was knocked out and  they took him to another hospital to be checked. He woke up - looks around - and says to the nurse, “Is this where my Uncle Andy was born?” My sister Mary told me that story.

Imagine all the memories and sentences and comments and scenes we have in our RAM - our Random Access Memory - in our brain?

Remembering is who we are - and advertisers want to know all about memory triggers.

Forgetting - as in forgive and forget - is tricky business - as well.

NEXT FORGIVING

Forgiving is also tricky - but it’s a lot more part of the will. It’s more of a choice - compared to forgetting and remembering.

I can forgive someone - even though I can’t forget what they did to me.

The gospels don’t tell us we have to forget.  They do tell us to forgive.

Jesus tells us to forgive 70 times 7 times.

In fact at times before forgiving, Jesus tells us to remember - as in, “Let him or her without sin cast the first stone.”  Jesus is telling us: "Don’t forget you too have made mistakes."

ST. STEPHEN

Today - the first day after Christmas - is the feast day of St. Stephen. He is  considered by some to be the first martyr who died because he was a follower of Jesus Christ .

Stephen remembers what Jesus said on the cross when he was dying on Calvary, “Father forgive them because they don’t know what they are doing.”  So Stephen says when he is being killed, “Father don’t lay this sin on their doorstep.”

Notice in that prayer - that shout to God - that Stephen says to God, “Forget about it.”  He’s saying to forgive and forget about this - what they are doing to me.

CONCLUSION

Forgetting is sometimes part of amnesia and aging.

Forgiving is hopefully always  part of being a Christian.

___________________________________

Picture on top: The Stoning of St. Stephen by Rembrandt