Reflections By The Bay

Saturday, March 12, 2016

March 12, 2016

DISARMAMENT

A smile disarms a gathering of fists and

stuck solid stone minds that are already

made up before the meeting begins.

Relax. Zip lips. Unzip ears. Smile.

You’re being filmed by the camera eyes

of everyone else in the room. So, "Smile!"

Friday, March 11, 2016

March 11, 2016

SOCKS WITH HOLES IN THEM

Too many sermons have holes in them

like Father McKenzie's socks - as he

darns together words that he hopes -

will take away the loneliness in the

benches of his church - scattered

with people in corners and behind

poles - all the lonely people who

long for communion - who long for

union - who long for others - who

long for Christ - the Lonely One -

who takes away the sins of our world.

Father McKenzie please, please, meet
Eleanor Rigby before she dies.

March 10, 2016

PHONE CALL

Rejected too many times, he crawled

into dark alleys - settling amongst the

plastic garbage bags… becoming

the sole possessor of himself -

becoming odder - someone who

used to be someone’s husband,

son, brother, father, all of the above -

and all of us screaming out on this cold

night. "Where are you? Call. Please call!"

Wednesday, March 9, 2016

March 9, 2016

NOT ENOUGH

What do I do when

I feel like

I’m not enough?

Well, that feels

better than feeling

like I’m nothing.

And both feel

better than thinking

I’m something else.

Especially when
I don't know when
I don't know enough.

Tuesday, March 8, 2016

THE CHURCH

WITH THE RUNNING WATER

Once upon a time, down south, deep down south, a church building committee met to start planning for a new church building. For Sunday morning Mass, they were using a local restaurant for 9 years.

In the meanwhile they saved up a good bit of money for their future church.

Three big senior citizen villages took root in the area - with a good bit of Catholics in the mix. In the meanwhile that Sunday morning restaurant Mass was a bit crowded - even with a second Mass. It used to be just 10 AM. With this new schedule, 8 and 11:30 A.M., there was time for breakfast right there after each Mass. It was a win-win for the parish as well as for the restaurant.

Still a church of their own was the hope and the dream and the plan.

That night, the church building committee met in one of the homes of a parishioner. Their meeting began with a home mass. Surprise, surprise, it was on the 4^th Tuesday of Lent and the first reading talked about Ezekiel’s vision of the temple and lots of water [Cf. Ezekiel 49: 1-9, 12] . The gospel - from the 5^th chapter of John - talked about the healing water at the healing pool at Bethesda. This man who was a crippled for 38 years was healed by Jesus. [Cf. John 5:1-16]

“Why not build a church with running water inside?” was one of the first suggestions - with a laugh - as the meeting began.

“Yes,” said someone else. “I’ve always loved fountains in Malls - with benches off to the side. I’ve always wondered, “Why not for our church?”

Everyone became energized - saying, “Why not? Why not?”

The realists in the group - they weren’t all dreamers - said, “I don’t know. I think running water and ongoing splash would become a distraction during Mass.”

“Besides that,” said someone, “we have a lot of senior citizens in these 3 new developments in our area. Hearing that water during Mass, the ongoing flowing, even with hearing problems, obviously they would be saying, ‘Where’s the bathroom?’”

The pastor was a listener. He let people dream. Why not let folks put their minds and hearts into this project? They are paying for it. It’s their money. It’s their church. They will be here a long time after I’m gone.”

One dreamer said, “Let’s have a square church - with parking lots on all 4 sides - North, East, South and West - and 4 gates leading up to 4 entrances - with beautiful streams of water from the church building. We have this beautiful river right there on the side of the church - so we won’t need extra water - and we would be cleaning and clearing it up.”

Then this dreamer added, “As we heard in the today’s first reading from Ezekiel, we can also have beautiful fruit trees along the paths leading to and from the church - as Ezekiel has for the temple. And at the right season, parishioners can pick up fresh fruit. Neat.”

Next, looking at the gospel the pastor said, “I’ve always wanted to be in a church with total immersion - for baptism. This is our chance. We can have a beautiful baptism pool in the middle or the church - with flowing water.”

Someone added, “Why not let the children and the handicapped have access to some nice small pools just outside of church. Most of the year we have warm weather.”

And that’s what they did. They built a beautiful church - inside and out - with lots and lots of running clear water - fountains and pools.

In time people came from all over to see and to pray at this church. In time they built a replica of the baths of Lourdes, France, and they had healing services all through the year. Being down there, in the deep, deep south, they had lots of people who had arthritis and were in wheel chairs - and many said they felt much better after a Holy Bath. And at every healing service at the Lourdes Baths they would read the 5^th chapter of John - as well as do a renewal of Baptism vows.

And yes they built big bathrooms - near all 4th entrances to the church and no, there didn’t seem to have a more than normal rush for the rest rooms.

March 8, 2016

ANONYMITY

Teenage girls scream at the rock star -

with the name - with the albums - with

the posters - with the glistening guitar -

but then the tune changes and the rock

star at some point wants to hide under

a rock and just be at home - alone -

without a name - incognito - hiding

in a t-shirt inside his house - and hiding

behind sunglasses on the street - while

the anonymous loner on the street longs

for someone - just one person to know

him or her and to say, “Hello. Hi. Are you

okay today? What's going on with you?
Want to take a walk? What to chat?

Monday, March 7, 2016

March 7, 2016

PLEASE

When did we say, “Please!” for

the first time? Did we hear our

parents or older kids begging

another for something: “Please!”

Did it work? Did another grant our

wish? Is it one of the first great

lessons in life - to beg another

for a favor - and they do it?

Is all this the foundation of prayer

and relationships? What happens

to us when nobody listens and we

simply can’t get our way? Uh oh!

Does that lead us to “Pretty please”

or plea bargaining - or does it stop us

from learning life’s second lesson:

learning to say “Thank you”?

WHAT’S NEW?

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for this 4^th Monday in Lent is, “What’s New?”

What's new?

Today’s first reading from Isaiah 65 begins by the Lord saying, “I am about to create new heavens and a new earth.” Then he adds that, “The tings of the past shall not be remembered or come to mind.”

Newness…. What’s new? To think on that theme today. There is something in us that calls for a new me - a better me - a more creative me - a holier me - a nicer me. Hopefully, we sense this in Lent. Easter me, O Lord.

I was thinking yesterday - Sunday - when doing my homily - that I was skipping any mention of the first and second reading. I was only concentrating on the gospel, the story of the Prodigal Son. I felt guilty. The readers practice those first two readings and we preachers often skip them or fly by them.

Yesterday’s second reading from 2 Corinthians began, “Whoever is in Christ is a new creation: the old things have passed away; behold, new things have come.”

Surprise: today’s first reading has almost the same message here in Isaiah 65.

SO WHAT’S NEW?

The title of my homily is, “What’s New?”

I’m standing there last night in a hospital room at Anne Arundel Medical Center around 11 PM talking with someone who is about to die. Talking? Yes? Her mind was still very much present. She’s around my age and I could see the wrinkles and the damage from cancer.

Sometimes in such situations I don’t want to talk death and resurrection - especially with the family around the bed - because I don’t know where they are - with the whole death and dying process. I don’t know where the person is - with death and dying. I assume the nurses know something - because they called.

So last night I took the chance and said, “Remember me when you see God.” I said, “Soon you’ll be brand new in the kingdom of heaven.”

I don’t know what my thoughts will be when I’m in the same situation. I hope I’ll see this world as a womb - a second womb - and once more I’ll be a brand new baby - this time about to being born into eternity - into the everlasting kingdom.

Death and resurrection - the old and the new - we’re very familiar with these two realities. We’ve experienced both in our times.

New cars…. new homes …. new jobs …. new people in our lives …. new experiences we have to face.

We like the smell of the new. It could be a new car - home - restaurant - marriage - Spring - the first day in school, high school, college, joining the army, navy…. or it could be when that last kid leaves and we’re in an empty nest.

Life.

WITH FAITH - WITH GOD

Isaiah says the Lord does all this.

Today’s Psalm 30 says that the Lord does all this. The Lord rescues us. There will be no more mourning - no more night - but dawn and rejoicing.

Today’s gospel from John 4 tells us that Jesus changes the water into the new wine. Today’s gospel tells us that Jesus is the healer - the one who makes all things new. It is by faith that the Royal Official’s Son is healed.

CONCLUSION

There is something in us that likes the new - whether it’s a new born baby in front of us in church or at the checkout line at Giant or Graul’s.

There is something in us that likes Good News - someone got a new job or got engaged - or a daughter or granddaughter or son won an award.

There is something we come to church for - the gospel - which means Good news.

We like good news.

We need good news.

We need the Gospel - which means Good News.

May we all be to and for each other Gospel - Good News. Amen.

CONTINUING EDUCATION:

TALKS - HENRI NOUWEN

CONTINUING EDUCATION

THE PRODIGAL SON

TWO DUTCHMEN:

REMBRANDT

AND

HENRI NOUWEN

Sunday, March 6, 2016

Rembrandt: Return

of the Prodigal Son

SHORT STORIES

The title of my homily for this Fourth Sunday of Lent, [C] is, “Short Stories.”

When was the last time you read a good short story?

Do you read short stories?

I like to have a paperback copy of short stories by my bed - to read at night - before going to sleep. Right now I have one called, “The Hill Bachelors.” That’s the title of the last short story in a book of short stories by the Irish writer William Trever. I’ve gone through the short stories of John Cheever, Flannery O’Connor, Raymond Carver, George Saunders, Colm Toiban and others. I haven’t gotten to Alice Munro, the Canadian short story writer yet - but plan to….

How about you? Have you read any good short stories lately?

CHAPTER 15 - GOSPEL OF LUKE

I bring this up because today’s gospel presents one of the greatest short stories ever told: the parable of the Prodigal Son. In fact, in the 15^th chapter of Luke we have three short stories by Jesus.

Moreover we have the reason why Jesus told these 3 stories - all of which have the same plot - but with various nuances. The Pharisees - the religious righteous ones - and the scribes, the educated ones who could read and write - were complaining about Jesus hanging around with tax collectors and sinners. Terrible! Tch, tch, tch.... Terrible.... That's us.

So Jesus told them three stories which appear here in Chapter 15 of Luke: the Lost Sheep, the Lost Coin, and the Lost Son.

Today we heard the 3^rd story - the longest of the 3 short stories here in the middle of the gospel of Luke.

PHILIP YANCEY

Philip Yancey retells this Prodigal Son story in one of his books - but it’s about a lost daughter. I’ve read it a bunch of times - but have listened to it on CD a dozen times. I cry every time - probably because we have a lost niece for over 30 years now - and I’ve have been hoping forever that she come back to the family.

Philip Yancey’s story is entitled, “The Lovesick Father.” It’s in his book, What’s So Amazing About Grace?

The story begins like this, “A young girl grows up on a cherry orchard just above Traverse City, Michigan. Her parents, a bit old-fashioned, tend to overreact to her nose ring, the music she listens to, and the length of her skirts. They ground her a few times, and she seethes inside. ‘I hate you!’ she screams at her father when he knocks on the door of her room after an argument and that night she acts on a plan she has mentally rehearsed scores of time. She runs away.”

You know the story…. You just heard it.

Philip Yancey’s version doesn’t have an older brother or sister - who won’t forgive - but he ends up zeroing in on the powerful story of a forgiving and loving father - filled with unconditional love.

SHORT STORY WRITING - SHORT STORY READING

All of you would be writers, think short story writing - besides short story reading.

If you want to write short stories, short story writers tell you that you need to have a conflict - a tension - some opposition. A good short story gets the reader to say, “Oh yeah, that’s me. That’s my story.”

So it has to ring true. It’s not a sermon. It’s not preachy. It has to have a plausible plot. Characters have to be quite different from each other. It’s not a novel - so it can’t have too many plots. In fact one seems best. Novels are a different kettle of fish. So write about opposite type people dealing with issues and ideas or outlooks that seem them collide.

I like to make a whole sermon a story at times. I’ve done that probably 50 times. And I’ve written another 100 or more short stories in my life - some of which are published.

If you want to write - and if you don’t have enough time - write short stories.

OR START WITH 6 WORD SHORT STORY

A creative - tricky - imaginative - idea is to write a 6 word short story.

I’m sure you heard that Ernest Hemingway is famous for his bet that he could write a 6 word short story. Supposedly he won the bet. Others say this story Hemingway isn’t true and in fact there were earlier similar stories. His short story was, "For sale: baby shoes, never worn."

If you do crossword puzzles or Sudokus, why not try your hand at 6 word short stories? Here’s a bunch that I like. Some seem closer to a story than others. I picked ones that are stoppers - most of which say a lot more than any sermon I preached. They teach me that short is better - story is better.

Dinner for two, widower and memories.

Borders meant nothing. The birds migrated.

Wasted day. Wasted life. Dessert, please. - Steven Meretzky

Google was invented. He stopped thinking.

They quarreled, the child started crying!

Dear God, please take me instead.

“I’m significant” screamed the dust speck.

She read her obituary. And smiled.

No one is listening. Except Siri.

“Alcohol brought us together, and apart.”

...and then they never talked thereafter...

CONCLUSION

The title of my homily is, “Short Stories.”

I pushed reading and writing them.

I said that Jesus in today’s gospel told the story of a father having two sons - two very different sons - and how each of us can play any of these 3 characters or roles in our life. We can be the one who messes up. We can be like the father - the one who forgives and knows what God the Father is like. And sometimes we can be the righteous one. We just don’t like the message of Jesus when it comes to forgiving 70 times 7 times. We don’t like the pope and his message of mercy - forgiveness - compassion - understanding and acceptance of those who really mess up their lives.

A parable is from the Greek word PARABOLA - remember them in math. They are like a boomerang - tossed out and they hit us sideways.

And today’s gospel, can we put it in 6 words?

· Father, two sons, avoiding being home.

· “Dad, maybe he should have left?”

· Second son: “What did I do wrong?”

Ooops that last one is 7 words. Please forgive me.

March 6, 2016

Murillo, Return of the

Prodigal Son, 1667-1670

TWO BROTHERS

It’s not good to be alone.

It’s good to have sisters and brothers.

It's good to have others we have to be aware of.

How many people have said,
“It’s nice to have more than one bathroom,

but looking back I think we learned a lot

Saturday, March 5, 2016

March 5, 2016

JUST WONDERING?

Do mirrors ever talk to each other about what they see and hear?

Do tables, chairs, couches, ever talk about their yesterdays?

Do tissues ever tell what the tears they collected were all about?

Does the person who prepared the meal ever check who took what and who left what on their plate?

Do poets ever hear, “I don’t get it”?

Friday, March 4, 2016

March 4, 2016

TRANSUBSTANTIATION

Transubstantiation…. Such a big word

for what was happening to me. My body

and my blood were slowly becoming the

body and blood of Christ. I guess I had

to grow first. I guess I had to be crushed -

kneaded, baked, hang on a vine, be picked,

crushed, till I was bread - till I was wine -

and then the Yes. I’m doing, I’m living, I’m

giving, my life in memory of him. I’m letting

people eat up my time and my life and they

are doing the same for me: communion.

Take and eat. Take and drink. Thank you.

March 3, 2016

SKIN

Skin sometimes splits.

Skin sometimes itches.
Skin sometimes hurts.

Skin sometimes needs care.

Skin sometimes needs salve.

Skin sometimes needs band-aids.

Skin always needs attention.
Skin always needs awareness.

Skin is always us - the package -
the color, the age and the look!

March 2, 2016

SURROUND SOUNDS

Sometimes we’re sitting there at a concert -

surrounded by people and live music. We
hear an orchestra or a rock or a folk singer

on stage - making music that fills the air - and
it costs lots of money for the concert tickets.

Sometimes we’re sitting there at home or

anywhere - surrounded by sounds coming

from everywhere and it doesn’t cost us a
penny to listen to a whole orchestra of all

kinds of sounds. We just have to listen.

Sometimes it’s a bowling ball hitting 9 pins -

almost 10 - and we hear the scream from the

sender down the other end of the bowling alley.

Sometimes its birds chirping and singing on

a lawn of April rain - with worms, everywhere.

Or there’s a dog barking and someone

should have told her, “Nobody’s home yet!”

Sometimes it’s an ambulance or fire engines

rushing and running to a call - in rush hour -

“Uh oh!” Or it’s loose manhole cover 300 feet

up the street from our bedroom window - and

we only hear it from 2 or 3 in the morning.

Sometimes we’re visiting a nursing home;

now that’s the place of differing sounds.

A determined old man with a grey aluminum

walker is navigating a tile floor - scrape mixing

with the sound of the shuffle of slippers -

along with the voiced sounds of aches and

pain and the grunts and groans of aging.

Bees, cicadas, let us know they are making

their rounds - but how come moths and

squirrels don’t make any sounds - so too our

brother or sister. I haven’t heard from either of

them lately. Are they making any sounds?

Andy Costello, Reflections 2016

March 1, 2016

PRETENSE

Pretense: so what’s so wrong with pretense?

Sometimes we have to fake it - to make it -

through the moment - through the interview -

to get past the question we were not expecting.

Sometimes pretense, posing, acting, hiding

behind a façade gives us time to interview

ourselves - to get at questions we never asked.

Sometimes we're so hurt or so surprised or we're feeling so stupid or so lonely that pretending gets us at least to the edge of a bridge or door.

Sometimes pretense gives us time to sort out

our best deep down thinking and praying, so

as to figure out our best self - our best answer.

Pretense: so what’s so wrong with pretense?

Andy Costello, Reflections 2016

Tuesday, March 1, 2016

MERCY AND FORGIVENESS -

SOME OBSERVATIONS

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for this 3^rd Tuesday of Lent is, “Mercy and Forgiveness - Some Observations.”

Mercy and Forgiveness: two words we hear in today’s 2 readings as well as the Psalm Response.

This year we’re hearing and will be hearing these two words - mercy and forgiveness - over and over and over and over again.

What’s your take on these two words: especially mercy?

The title of my homily is, “Mercy and Forgiveness - Some Observations.”

FIRST OF ALL - POPE FRANCIS

First of all we can say that a constant theme of Francis has been “mercy” - and he wants to stress it especially in this year of mercy we’re in.

He has a book out, The Name of God is Mercy.

The title of his Opening Announcement or Letter for this year of mercy was: The Face of Mercy.

In that Opening Letter for this year of mercy, Francis begins with this sentence - this statement: “Jesus Christ is the face of the Father’s mercy.”

See Christ, see mercy. See mercy, we are seeing God.

Hopefully when we are merciful, people will see God - in whose image and likeness we were created.

So that’s my first observation: See Christ - see Mercy - See God - as Pope Francis puts it.

SECOND OBSERVATION - FORGIVENESS EASY, MERCY DIFFICULT

My second observation is this: it’s easier to grasp what the word “forgiveness” is compared to what the word “mercy” means.

We get today’s parable about forgiving. A guy begs forgiveness for a debt - is forgiven - and the then goes out and won’t forgive his neighbor who owes him far less. [Cf. Matthew 18: 21-35.]

I get what the word and concept of forgiveness means. We know about forgiving ourselves, forgiving others. This doesn’t mean forgiveness is easy. It’s difficult. But I think we get the meaning of forgiveness far quicker and clearer than what mercy means.

Mercy is tricky. In a way, for starters, we know or think we know, what mercy is. We pray for it all the time: Lord have mercy. Christ have mercy. Lord have mercy.

I hear mercy as a begging for forgiveness. We’re screaming, “Take pity on me. Give me a break. I made a mistake, but give me a second chance - another chance, another try at it.”

Then comes the mystery, the wonderment, about mercy. We have our glimpses - but there is the hope that Francis is right - that all those who talk about God being a God of mercy - that they are right.

This is our God. We hope God is the Part One King in today’s gospel who forgives the guy who owes him. We hope God is not like the Part Two King in today’s gospel who doesn’t forgive the debtor when he finds out that he wouldn’t forgive a fellow servant. Doesn’t God forgive 7 times - 70 times?

And that’s just a slice of our deep wonderings about just what is our God like.

THIRD OBSERVATION: FRANCIS’ 5 MESSAGES ABOUT MERCY

In his book, The Name of God is Mercy, Francis gives 5 messages, 5 observations about mercy. I add them to my homily in case I’ve confused you with my observations.

First of all, Francis says mercy is the essence of God. It’s God’s ID card.

Secondly, take some time and come up with some names of people who showed you what mercy is. Francis mentions several priests he knew. Lent is a good time to do homework on questions like that. So name some names of family members, friends, co-workers, neighbors, parishioners, whom you see as merciful.

Thirdly, see listening as a key part of mercy. Listen but don’t judge - like in confession - like in being with each other.

Fourthly, avoid self-righteousness. In fact, Francis secretly hopes that those who are rigid, self-righteous, always complaining about the faults and behaviors of others, that they slip - and maybe this will help them slide into more understanding.

Fifth and lastly, put compassion into action. Show us your mercy.