TALKING ANIMALS

The title of my homily for this 5^th Friday in Ordinary Time  is, “Talking Animals.”

As we just heard,  today’s first reading - Genesis 3: 1-8 -  has a talking snake.

As we all know, snakes don’t talk - but they still sneak and snake around in the grass and they still scare people.

And when we hear this story about the snake tempting and talking to the woman in the garden - we don’t stop listening. We listen because we know the truth that is told in this story.

We were taught, when we were taught the Bible, “Not every story is true, but every story contains a truth.”

We were also taught that in the 1800’s researchers  on ancient literature figured out it was often  a different kind of literature than what people were used to. Ancient history and ancient stories like the Iliad and Odyssey were telling us how things came to be historically - but with a different type of history.

Well when writers jumped to the  Bible, and used these same principles, upset happened.

Church guardians said, “Uh oh, we have to take these ancient stories about the creation of the world in 7 days - and God making woman out of the rib of a man - and the parting of the Red Sea in 2 and the 10 Plagues literally.”

But in time the Catholic Church for one said, there are different types of literature in the Bible. There are myths and legends like we find in the story telling of most cultures. There are factual stories and there are times when story tellers tell great stories - with great truths - but with a different kind of literature.

The title of my homily is, “Talking Animals.”

Actually we still talk this way.  Listen! People say things like, “You’re a sneaky snake. You are.” “Don’t bark at me.” “You’re barking up the wrong tree.” “Stop monkeying around.” “You’re a pig.” “What a stupid ass.” “Don’t be so catty.”

It wasn’t important that George Washington told the truth to his father - he didn’t lie about chopping down the cherry tree. It’s important that we don’t lie.  Paul Bunyan didn’t have to be a giant but we need big people to build big countries.

It was important to tell kids to beware of strangers - so someone came up with the story of Little Red Riding Hood - with its story of the Big Bad Wolf - who could talk.

Go into any local library and - go into the children’s section and you’ll find all kinds of stories about talking dogs and cats, lions and tigers, camels and kangaroos.

And read those stories to kids and  read the Bible to kids and they will get it when we tell them about God making us out of the mud and clay of the earth. They’ll find out about the big flood wiping out the whole world because of sin and saving just Noah - and yes God often wants us to start again.

Read today’s first reading about Adam and Eve and you’ll hear the story of every couple - listening to nonsense that will destroy them in the long run.  You’ll hear that people nibble on forbidden fruit.

People get this - but we get in trouble with science and modern history methods when we read the Bible literally in sections that are not literal.

The Catholic Church in its official teachings said all this in a great encyclical, Divini Afflante Spiritu in 1943 - and resisting these truths about the Bible having  different types of literature was criticized.

It learned: once people caught onto all this, they appreciated the Bible all the more.

And we have.

February 15, 2015

MORE SONGS

There’s always more…. 

There’s always more in us …. 

There’s that second song 

we  haven’t sung yet. 

There’s always that other 

who stands by us or off 

to the side and says, 

“What about singing …?” 

©  Andy Costello, Reflections 2019

February   15, 2019 

Black History Month Thought for Today:  

“Rumor is rarely more interesting than fact,  but it is always more readily available.” 

Stephen Carter

February 14, 2019

VALENTINE’S  DAY:

BEST  SELLER

Valentine’s Day - a best seller - for 

chocolates and flowers - rings and things -

cards and taking her out for dinner -

even if just a diner and the lights

are bright and the chatter is loud -

louder that a low light restaurant.

It’s the thought - the remembering -

the thanking for all up to now - with

the hope of a lot more to come.

Why in the world did the Church

drop Valentine’s Day and St.
Christopher? Hey we all need to

travel and to travel with each other?

© Andy Costello, Reflections 2019

February  14, 2019 

Black History Month Thought for Today:  

“The greatest lie ever told about love is that it sets you free.”  

Zadie Smith (On Beauty)

BE  AWARE  

THE VIDEO CAMERAS ARE WATCHING

Be aware!  The  video  cameras are on and they are watching.

The Lord God gave us the following orders: “You can eat from any of the trees from the garden,   except the tree of the knowledge of good and bad.”

And Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit.

Be aware! The video cameras are on and they are watching.

Every once and a while video cameras catch people cheating, sneaking, taking what doesn’t belong to them.

And we laugh - as long as it isn’t us.

Over in the high school  - in the corridor - someone spotted a small gift from a dog. The spotters said, “Hey we just got new video cameras. Let’s check out whose dog did this.”

They watched - and sure enough - it was Pepi - one of the priest’s dog. Someone stopped to start talking - and Pepi - used to moment to drop a gift to the main corridor.

Be aware!  The video cameras are on and they are watching.

[Short reflection for today, February 13, 2019, the 5^th Wednesday in Ordinary Time.]

February 13, 2019 

DEW 

Dew on tulip petals,

dew on morning grass,

dew on my shoes in the garden,

dew can be impatient,

dying to get back into

the sky, into the rain,

into the ocean, complaining

how boring it is to be clinging

to a tulip or it can be calm

and it  can wait its turn

to get moving again

seeing these moments

like patient subway riders
standing on the platform,

waiting for their train -

all of nature in due time.

© Andy Costello, Reflections 2019

February  13, 2019 

Black History Month Thought for Today:  

“Hate, it has caused a lot of problems in the world, but has not solved one yet.” 

Maya Angelou

February  12, 2019 -

Black History Month Thought for Today:  

“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” 

Maya Angelou

HOW  FAR ARE  OUR  LIPS 

FROM OUR HEART?

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for this 5^th Tuesday in Ordinary Time  is, “How Far Are Our Lips From Our Heart?”

When it comes to religion and spirituality, this is a very important question.

It could also be a very important question for all our relationships.  Are we really talking to each other, looking the other in the eye, giving the other ear service and not just  lip service?

ISAIAH

I’m taking this message from a quote from Isaiah that Jesus mentions in today’s gospel.

Jesus quotes Isaiah 29: 13,

“This people honors me with their lips,
but their hearts are far from me;
in vain do they worship me,
teaching as doctrines human precepts.”

Listen to how the Jerusalem Bible translates that same text into English.

“Because this people approaches me only in words,

honors me only with lip-service while its heart is far from me,

and my religion, as far as it is concerned, is nothing

but human commandment, a lesson memorized….”

When Isaiah and Jesus use the word, “heart”,  what do they mean?

By heart Isaiah and Jesus mean  what we find all through the scriptures when we hear people using the word “heart”.

Our heart is our center, our command center, who we are down deep. Of course the heart is a pump, but in human understanding we know all about what one’s heart means.

We’ll see it full speed ahead this Thursday, Valentine’s Day.

It’s our red blooded feelings plus our cold blue brain. It’s the whole me that is the total me.

So Isaiah - and then Jesus - is saying, “We can mouth an “I love you” with our lips, but we can be 5,000 miles away.

We can be with each other - and really be somewhere - else.

Haven’t we all seen a preacher preaching - and  without thinking - he looks at his watch. We don’t know - but he might have just given us  a dead giveaway. His might be giving a memorized - outside his heart homily.

So too the prayers at Mass - so too - all communication - all receiving communion - with Christ and each other.  Do we have real presence - being there with all  our heart.

IT’S HARD TO BE WITH IT.

Today’s first reading is part of one of two creation accounts in the first book of the bible, Genesis. We can hear it - and not hear it. Our brains and our minds can be in the middle of this afternoon right now.

Creation is still going on. It’s ongoing. - but it’s difficult to be present to the whole of the universe  unfolding - as it’s happening.

The cook doesn’t always have her heart in her cooking.

Imagine if an artist was right here - with a big canvas - and he starts painting a picture of flowers, or a garden, or a whole street, or the planet.

Watching we could become mesmerized by the beauty being created right in front of our eyes.

Still someone might yawn. Someone might  look at their  watch. Someone might unpocket their cell phone to check a text.

Or the artist might be somewhere else - because this is the 65^th time he has done this same painting.

Or our eyes and our mind could be totally in sync with all of creation.

OR WE COULD BE TOTALLY OFF ON THE WRONG THING

In today’s gospel Jesus spots the Pharisees off on the picky, picky, little nonsense stuff and miss the whole of religion and life.

The example I always like to keep in mind is the moment we went to see the musical, No No Nanette on Broadway. It was a Wednesday Matinee and we couldn’t get good seats. We were off to the side up in those mini balconies - looking down on the front of the stage - as well as the orchestra pit.

Well, surprise, surprise, I missed much of the musical watching a cellist playing his instrument - but really reading the whole  of the New York Post, Sports Section included, all through his playing. He had it down.

It seemed to me that the other musicians were into the show, into the music, but not this guy. He was into his paper.

I am glad what I saw that day.

It became a valuable lesson for me

When I’m into the Mass, I want to be into the Mass - and into the readings - and into the prayers

I want there to be less there 1 millionth of an inch of  space between me and Christ.

Impossible? No.

Difficult - of course.

February 12, 2019

LONELINESS

Loneliness is a lonely word.

It sounds so lonely.  Was it

one person - all alone - who

came up with it? Was he or

she having a bad day? What

happened?  The dictionary

dates it back to 1607 - but

I assume it’s too late to find

out now what happened back

then - which is often the story

when it comes to loneliness.

Twoliness - 2019 - is a new

word to try out. Talk to me.

© Andy Costello, Reflections 2019

February 11, 2019

FLOWERS

You think you have it so tough?

Think of all the flowers who

gave it their best shot. They

blossomed. They bloomed

but not one person in the

whole wide world noticed them.

Not one husband gave one to

his wife. Not one plucked it

and put it an altar to honor God.

So the next time you think it’s

not fair - nobody noticed you -

think of some fantastic flower

in some deep jungle which 
nobody spotted in their week of life.

Ooops. P.S. Tomorrow spot

some old lady and say, ‘Wow!

You look extra beautiful today!

 © Andy Costello, Reflections 2019

HEALING PLACES, 

HOLY PLACES 

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for this 5^th Monday in Ordinary Time is, “Healing Places, Holy Places.”

Churches are holy places - as well as healing places.

LOURDES

Today we celebrate the Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes.

Lourdes is certainly one of the planets great holy places and healing places.

What are your holy places?  Where are your healing places?

Father John Barry - who taught us in the minor seminary - once said in the classroom, “If you ever get a chance to go to Lourdes, go.” Then he added, “And make sure you got to the baths there.”

In 1996 I got my chance on a trip to Ireland and then France with my two sisters and my brother-in-law.  Each of us got a spot to pick in France. My sister Peggy - a nun - picked Lourdes - maybe because today - February 11 - her birthday.  My sister Mary picked Bordeaux. Her husband picked Paris. I picked the most important Marian Shrine in the world: Chartres.

Each - was a healing place - a neat picture of St. Alphonsus in Bordeaux and Montmartre - the church of the Sacred Heart  -  Sacré-Cœur - overlooking Paris. Chartres was on my bucket list. And my sisters to their loss wouldn’t go into the baths when we visited Lourdes.

VARIOUS HOLY AND HEALING PLACES

The title of my homily is, “Healing Places, Holy Places.”

Today’s two readings can be healing places.

Many people sit with their Bible - which puts them in a holy place and a healing place.

The first reading is the beginning of the Book of Genesis. It tells us of the creation of the world. [Cf. Genesis 1: 1-19.]

Where are your Holy Places: the Maryland Shore, the mountains, the oceans, the sky at night, looking out the kitchen window at the morning sunrise?  Where are your healing places: the bathtub, a good shower, your marriage bed - whether your spouse is living or dead [memories] swimming, exercising, walking, a good book, shopping,  a rocking chair, a nap, sleep, a good meal out with family or friends, Thanksgiving Dinner, seeing a baby or baby-sitting a grandkid?

Where are your healing moments with Jesu?  The people in today’s gospel [Mark 6: 53-56] - just had to touch the tassel of Jesus’ cloak - or the hem of his garment as we heard last week - and they were healed. How do you touch Jesus: in communion, in the bread, in the readings, in the adoration chapel, at Mary’s shrine, in prayers?

My mother on the way home from work - taking care of an older woman who was younger than she was - but basically bedridden, my mom would get a whole loaf of fresh rye bread - uncut - stress on the fresh - and she would put on a pot of tea and eat the whole loaf - with cold butter - cold, cold butter on freshly baked rye bread.  It can be very healing after a long day of work - especially with my sister Mary.

Food, friends, bread, wine, communion with each other - what a great Mass of healing for anyone!

CONCLUSION:

The title of my homily was: “Holy Places - Healing Places.” Lourdes, Chartres, Fatima, the Grand Canyon, Lake Louise, all can be great holy places  - wonderful healing places - to visit, so too your favorite chair at home or bench here in church.

February  11, 2019 

Black History Month Thought for Today:  

“Many and most moments go by with us hardly aware of their passage. But love and hate and fear cause time to snag you, to drag you down like a spider’s web holding fast to a doomed fly’s wings.” 

Walter Mosley (When the Thrill Is Gone)

FEELING BIG  AND  FEELING SMALL -

WOE  AND  WOW!

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for this 5th Sunday in Ordinary Time is, “Feeling Big and Feeling Small - Woe and Wow!”

That’s a theme that I noticed in today’s readings.

It’s a theme that shows up in Jesus’ comments - about life - from time to time -  and it’s a theme that is central to spirituality.

Let me see if I can catch this theme - this message - this teaching - with words and images - anecdotes and examples.

Last week someone told me what they wanted in a sermon. They want,  “Something to chew on, to digest, to think about - and work on - something to wonder about - to agree or disagree about - to nuance -  during for this new week of life.”

What do you want?

Woe! Wow! 

That’s a challenging call to every preacher.

GOOD PREACHING

For starters let me begin by saying, “In good preaching, you are not supposed to notice the preacher.”

You ought to be into the content and the message.

If you’re thinking about the preacher: “AAAAAAhhhh!”

Back in 1960, in Los Angeles, Adlai Stevenson, introduced a candidate for the Presidency of the United States. He said, “Do you remember that in classical times when Cicero had finished speaking, the people said, ‘How well he spoke’ - but when Demosthenes had finished speaking, the people said, ‘Let us march’?”

Woe!  Wow!

Father Jack Lavin used to mention at breakfast - once and a while - a story about Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen. Being a priest I’ve often thought about that story.

Home Masses in parishes were starting to show up around the country. I know I did a bunch of them. Well, Bishop Sheen was in a house in a poor neighborhood in Rochester, New York, where he was the local bishop. He had on his ornate bishop’s outfit and pointed hat. After the Mass a poor lady said, “He made me feel so small, so poor, so out of place.”

Woe! Wow!

I’m not faulting him.  I want to point out that I  remember the feelings I  had when doing home masses in full vestments. Something didn’t seem right when doing that. A mass at a kitchen table is different than a mass in a Cathedral.  A mass in a cathedral is different than a mass in a small chapel  - like the one we have at St. John Neumann.

Today - if a priest is saying Mass in a home - he might just use a stole over a shirt.

The concentration would be on the consecration. The concentration would be about the Word of God being read to the people. The consecration is about Christ coming into our midst as a tiny baby or  appearing at our boat or kitchen table - wanting to be in communion with us - sharing our bread - being our bread - and asking  us, “What do you want from life?  Empty nets or a full boat?”

Woe!  Wow!

JESUS ON TASSELS AND ROBES

Jesus was off on tassels and externals. Jesus was off on show and showing off. Jesus was off on off with the tassels.

Jesus was off on not wanting first place and looking down on those in the back spaces or places.

Jesus was off on not screaming with our clothes and cars and wallets, “Hey world look at me!” He wanted us to look and see the beauty and the wow of every person. Are you missing the person who needs you - especially family members. Are you missing those who are trying to touch the tassel on your cloak - the ears on the side of your head - because they want you to listen to them?

Jesus was off on people not putting people down - but raising them up - here and hereafter.

To stand taller, some people stab people in the back and then stand on their body - to feel they are taller and bigger and better. This is not what it’s about.

It’s not about first seats in banquets.

Obviously,  we priests have to watch out about all this. We get the front seats at every Mass.

Woo! and Wow!

TODAY’S READINGS

In today’s second reading - Paul to the Ephesians - Paul says it’s not about him. It’s about Christ. Hey, I persecuted you guys.

In today’s first reading Isaiah says, “Hey you should hear the stuff that has come out of my mouth.”

“However, thanks to God, the Holy One, he has cleaned my lips.”

“He has touched my lips and cleansed my mouth - of the bad stuff that has come out of my mouth. He has sent me to proclaim his goodness and holiness.”

Then he prays, “Here I am Lord, send me!”

That should be our every day prayer.

The Psalm for today says, “My mouth is for singing!”  I have a tin ear and no musical sense - but I’ll give it a try.

Today’s gospel has a beginning story of St. Peter - our first pope, our first Papa. He’s a fisherman and has just spent the night fishing and caught nothing.

His boat is empty.

Jesus gets into Peter’s boat - moves away a tiny bit from the shore and does some preaching.

Did he see the empty nets?  Did he see the empty boat?  Did he see Peter’s life?

Jesus says, “Let’s go fishing.”  That had to surprise Peter.

Jesus said, “Launch out into the deep waters and lower your nets.”

Peter says, “We have just fished all night and caught nothing, but….”

But he does it.

A fisherman can learn from a carpenter.

And his nets are filling and flopping with fish and he calls to his partners and they fill both boats till they are almost sinking.

Woe!  Wow!

Then Peter does the comparison thing.

He just saw a “Wow” and he knows he’s a “Wooooooh” and a “Woe”

Slow down Jesus.

He says to Jesus, “Leave!”

Get out of here! I’m a sinful man.”

Jesus does do that.

He fills emptiness.

He is full of grace.

He calls this empty feeling man with grace.

He says, “Come follow me! I’m about to make you a fisher of people.”

CONCLUSION

We come to Mass to hear this kind of stuff. We come to Mass to realize I’m in the same boat as Isaiah, Paul, and Peter.  We look at our life and feel, “Woo! Woe is me! I’m a sinner, so God wouldn’t want me. But Christ came to call me to reach out to others - and bring them into Christ’s network.

“Wow!”

So that’s some stuff to think about and realize this week.

“Let us march!”

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Painting on top:

Small Beetle-Big Bite

by Dwight Smith

February 10, 2019

LOCKED

The gate was locked.

I noticed that.

Sometimes I see

the same thing in faces.

I assume there is

a reason for all this.

© Andy Costello, Reflections 2019

February  10, 2019 

Black History Month Thought for Today:  

“Abortion and racism are evil twins, born of the same lie. Where racism now hides its face in public, abortion is accomplishing the goals of which racism only once dreamed. Together, abortionists are destroying humanity at large and the black community in particular.”  

Alveda King

February 9, 2019

SOMETIMES WE DON’T 

KNOW WHAT TO SAY 

Sometimes we don’t know

what to say - or what to do.

But still we go to the funeral home

and we still go to the funeral.

We too have lost our loved ones;

we too didn’t know what visitors said.

Yet we knew the Body of Christ

walked into those rooms and held us.

We know Christ’s love is still alive.
It's in the hearts of those who hold us.

© Andy Costello, Reflections 2019

February  9, 2019 

Black History Month Thought for Today:  

"Did you know that the human voice is the only pure instrument? That it has notes no other instrument has? It's like being between the keys of a piano. The notes are there, you can sing them, but they can't be found on any instrument. That's like me. I live in between this. I live in both worlds, the black and white world.”

Nina Simone

February 7, 2019

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)