THE THIRD SIGN: 

THE  HEALING  OF THE PARALYZED  MAN  

AT THE POOL AT BETHESDA 

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for this 4^th Tuesday in Lent is, “The 3^rd Sign: The Healing of the Paralyzed Man at  The Pool at Bethesda.”

As you know John gives us 7 signs, 7 special miracles. in his gospel.

Yesterday we had the 2^nd sign, the Healing of the Royal Official’s Son and yesterday’s gospel also mentions the first sign: Cana, where Jesus changed  water into wine..

Today, let’s concentrate on this 3^rd sign in John: the healing of the paralyzed man at the pool of  Bethesda.

38 YEARS

It’s an amazing story: the man has been ill for 38 years.

And Jesus asks him a key question: “Do you want to be well?”

Before that question, I began wondering, “Does anyone have a sickness or a problem that lasts for a long time - like 38 years?”

I remember hearing someone say of a relative, “She talks too much.”

I never noticed that before - but every time after that - I began to notice she talks too much - giving comments on every subject that comes up.”

Is that two problems: telling or making comments about others - and second, talking too much?

38 years is a long time.

Do we all have our lifetime patterns or problems - some of which paralyze us at times?

Like overeating - or drinking too much.

I pick raised skin - usually on my lower arms.  How long have I been doing that?  Sometimes someone seeing that says, “Stop picking!”

Wondering was I doing that in my high chair as a kid after finishing my Cheerios.

I hear someone say of someone, “She’s been picking on her sister all her life - especially giving her sister diets or making comments about her behind her back - forever.”

Could someone be an alcoholic or a picker or jealous or feel inferior for 38 years or 58 years or more  of course?

I knew a guy who was born deaf - and at 24 he got a procedure that helped him hear various sounds - and wow did his face become different.  He had to wear a devise at his hip and a wire in his ear - but he began to hear - and then laugh and his face became an ongoing smile.

I heard a psychologist say once: “The earlier the problem, the bigger problem.”

Do we all have lifetime deafness in some  areas of our life?

Is the oldest, the youngest, the middle child, different because of where they are in the family tree?  Are we different for 38 years or 68 years of life because of what was going on in our family at a certain time of our life?  Is a brother or sister different because they had or had not the benefit of a grandfather or grandmother - and then she or he died or moved or what have you?

Could a mistake or something someone said or how one is treated paralyze a person for 38 years?

Can a death kill us.

CAN I BE HEALED - UNPARALYZED?

Today’s first reading is flooded with water.  Jesus said he was living water.

Could / can I be flooded, Niagara Falls washed, healed, by the flood waters of God and begin to produce fruit on all sides of my life - as today’s reading from Ezechiel  puts it.

SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION

Don’t you love those two scenes near the end of the movie, The Shawshank Redemption  when Andy Fresnene escapes  through the  water pipes - sewer pipes of water - and finally comes out free - baptized - in the waters - in the rain - and he raises his arms in salvation - and freedom - and freedom.and then you see Andy Fresnene  at the vast ocean - in the sunshine freed.

This man in today’s gospel who is sick for 38 years experiences the ocean - the living water - of  God that day.

Something to think about today - and whenever you take a shower or a bath or go to the ocean or a pool.

March 13, 2018 

Thought for today: 

“Voting  is  a  civic  sacrament.” 

Theodore M. Hesburgh, Reader’s Digest, October 1984

March 13, 2018

WATER

The earth is almost 80% water ….

Rain …. A morning shower ….

A drink of cold water on a hot day ….

Lake Superior …. Lake Erie ….

The Mississippi and the Hudson Rivers ….

The Aral Sea and the Salton Sea ….

Water, water. everywhere with lots

and lots of drops of  water to drink ….

So why Lord, did your people spend

40 years in the dessert and why Lord

did you spend 40 days in the dessert

and why did you ask us to spend 40

days of Lent in the dessert when
we can get in the car and get ourselves

to the water - to the bay - to the Ocean?

© Andy Costello, Reflections 2018 

A  REQUEST

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for this Fourth Monday in Lent is, “A Request.”

If you heard Jesus was nearby, and you could approach him, and make one request what would it be?

It’s like the old, “You got one wish” stories.

If you had one wish or one request, what would it be?

MAKE A LIST

Don’t blurt out your immediate response. Take your time. Make a list.

Be like a kid standing in an ice cream store - and all those flavors are in those big round containers - right in front of you - behind glass. Pick one.

FOR FAMILY, FRIENDS, OR WORLD

What would be your request?

The royal official from Capernaum - comes to Cana - where Jesus was and asks Jesus to heal his son - who was near death.

And Jesus heals the royal official’s son from a distance.

And the gospel of John for today says, “Now this was the second sign Jesus did when he came to Galilee from Judea.” [Cf. John 4: 43-54]

I don’t know what I would ask for - if I had one request.

For beginners, I would pick some family stuff where people are not talking to people.

Then again, there are people with cancer, who asked for prayers - for healing.  But why not pray for those doing cancer studies so a lot of people will be healed?

I think of one of our priests, Father Dennis Billy, who had bad cancer a few years back - but is doing very well  - is teaching, giving talks,  writing books and is doing good priestly stuff.

I prayed for him and a bunch of people like my niece Margie who is in remission from her cancer.

Or should I pray for so and so that he wake up and change?  How does that work?

WHAT ABOUT THE ACTION SIDE - THE WORK SIDE OF PRAYER?

One of my favorite sayings is, “Pray for potatoes - but pick up a shovel.”

The royal official got in his chariot or however he got to Cana - to make the request in person.

Today’s first reading from Isaiah 65: 17-21 has the Lord talking about creating a new heavens and a new earth.

That triggered the Woody Allen joke comment: “God created the world, except certain parts of New Jersey” 

Aren’t we making God’s prayer come true if we do our part to make our world beautiful. I know I have always been nudged by Buckmister Fuller’s comment: “Whenever you use a public bathroom, make it cleaner than when you walked in.”  I know I have been doing that ever since.  Fuller’s comment always triggers the Golden Rule.  I like a clean stall and sink in a bathroom - so why not make it happen for the next person?  I can do that - and wash my hands afterwards.

CONCLUSION

So that’s my homily. Make a wish. Make a request. Make a prayer. Then pick up a shovel and start digging.
!                                                                               

March 12, 2018

OPINIONS

Everyone has different opinions,

perceptions and understandings

about everything.

Everything ….

Everyone doesn’t realize this so

we keep on talking and eating

with each other.

Everyday ….

Everyone has disagreements

now and then and we sense

we’re different for a few moments.

Everyone….

Everyone is different - and to prove

my theory - remember the saying

about no snow flake is alike.

Every snow flake….

 © Andy Costello, Reflections 2018

March 12, 2018

Thought for today: 

“The greatest thing in family life is to take a hint when a hint is intended - and not to take a hint when a hint is not intended.”   

Robert Frost (1874-1963)

Painting on top: Norman Rockwell, Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays

NOW  THAT  WAS DUMB!

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for this Fourth Sunday in Lent [B] is, “Now That Was Dumb.”

How many times in our lifetime have we said to ourselves, “Now that was dumb.”

We said the wrong thing. We did the wrong thing. We thought  the wrong thing. And when that’s our pattern, we continue doing the wrong thing over and over again.

That’s dumb - but we still do dumb things.

We could have got gas at that last exit - but we didn’t - and we run out of gas on this next  ramp on the New Jersey Turnpike. I’ve done that two times. I thought I learned from the first time I did that.

I did learn from the second time - so I could only say, “Dumb…. Dumber…”  but not “Dumbest.”

But in other things, I can be a repeat performer of dumb things.

TODAY’S GOSPEL

Today’s gospel triggers these thoughts.  Jesus said to a guy named Nicodemus that when Moses was in the desert people were being bitten by poisonous snakes, so he grabbed a poisonous snake - nailed it to a pole - gathered the people - pointed to the snake and said, “This is what is killing you. Avoid these creatures.  They bite. They’re poisonous”

That’s my basic message for this mass: “Don’t do dumb!”

Yet we do dumb many times.

Name your poison.

Anger - procrastination - laziness - booze - not practicing - not thinking - jealousy - comparisons - not getting enough sleep - eating too much junk food or sugary,  sugary drinks - etc. etc. etc.

Name your poison.

Know the 7 Capital Sins.

St. Paul in his letter to the Romans talks about the same thing.  I say to myself, “I’ll never do that again.”  Or “I am going to do this” and then I go out and do just the opposite.

Now that is dumb.

St. Augustine read St. Paul and said the same thing in his classic book, The Confessions.

Before you die you better read that book every 10 years - and each time you’ll hear something new.

St. Augustine said, “I tell my right hand I’m going to do this and then I do the opposite with my left hand.”

In today’s gospel Jesus says that we do this. We prefer darkness to the light.

Listen to Jesus again: “And this is the verdict, that the light came into the world, but people preferred darkness to light, because their works were evil.”

It’s dumb when we overeat dessert. There on the table is endless ice cream and cake and we take too much. Then we can’t sleep  because we’re having a sugar high.

It’s difficult to turn off the TV - get enough sleep - especially when it’s late and we have a busy day in the morning.

And funny - sometimes we remember the dumb - for the rest of our lives.

For example, I’m around 32 years of age. I’m in Connecticut. It’s early Sunday afternoon. Some guys asked me to join in a pickup basketball game - 3 against 3 - and I say, “I gotta get back to New Jersey - and finish a paper for school Monday morning.” I was going part time to Princeton Theological at the time working on another Master’s Degree.

“Okay,” I said - and one game ran into a second game - into a third game.

Dumb me. I don’t know if we won or lost.  I’m sure we had a good time. But Sunday traffic and a long trip from Suffield Connecticut - above Hartford - to Long Branch, New Jersey - had me home around 11 P.M.

The result was a C-Paper - staying up late - half asleep - and being very tired the whole next day.

Now that was dumb.

But I’ve been doing that my whole life: Dumb, dumber, dumbest.

I say it every time, “Now that was dumb.”

How about you?

EGGS  AND A GUITAR

We can also do smart.

It’s work.

It’s difficult.

But we can do smart.

It takes practice, practice, practice.

I remember a baseball player, Howard Johnson, who played for the Detroit Tigers.  They moved him from the outfield to third base in Spring Training.

The manager, I think it was Jim Leyland, who had him catch fresh eggs.

The first few dozens broke - but once he learned now to go with the flow and the throw - he was soon a very smooth catcher of hits to third base.

Practice, practice, practice.

The result was a good third baseman.

Eggs - practicing with eggs…. Someone might have said, “That’s dumb. That’s stupid, stupid, stupid” and never become a regular third baseman.

That’s sports. Let me switch over to music.  I remember a guy I met in my first parish on the Lower East Side of Manhattan.  He practiced his guitar 6 or 7 hours a day - and eventually he got a good job in a record recording company in New York City. The practice paid off - and this became his life - getting better and better and better. Practice. Practice. Practice.

LIGHT OR DARKNESS, SMART OR DUMB

 So we have a choice.

We can walk in the light or crawl in the dark.

There are 2 kinds of people: smart or dumb.

The dumb person when things go wrong,  they start blaming others, blaming parents, blaming teachers, blaming coaches, blaming the wind or the grass for an errors or a  mistake.

It’s called scapegoating. It’s called killing the messenger.

CONCLUSION

We’re moving through Lent now.  the major sign and symbol for Lent and for Christians is the cross.

Jesus got blamed by others - for challenging others.

He was scapegoated.

He was killed for s0peaking up and out on how to do life lovingly..

He spoke up on what is right and wrong.

He was crucified on a cross.

On one side was the Good Thief and the Bad Thief on the other side

The bad thief starting making bad comments to Jesus instead of taking responsibility for his crimes.  Now that was dumb.

The other guy, the so called Good Thief, said, “Hey knock it off. We’re here because we know what we did wrong. but this man did nothing wrong. He is innocent.”

So Jesus then said to the Good Thief. Today, you’ll be with me in paradise.”

Translation:  honesty, admitting we made a mistake is the key to paradise. Now that’s being smart.

March 11, 2018

WINKED

She winked,

but he didn’t see it.

She did,

that is, his wife,
she saw it.

Sometimes husbands

or wives for that matter,

are in trouble and

they don’t know why.

© Andy Costello, Reflections 2018

March 11, 2018 

Thought for today: 

“The frontiers are not east or west, north or south, but wherever a man fronts a fact.”  

Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862), A Week on the Concord and Merrimack Rivers [1849] Thursday.

2’S

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for this 3 Saturday in Lent is, “2’s”

Here’s another one in today’s gospel.

“Two people  went up to the temple area to pray: one was a Pharisee and the other was a tax collector.”

That’s a 2.

COMPARISON AND CONTRAST

Two teaching tricks for  2’s are comparison and contrast.

The teacher presents two different characters - contrasts both of them - making them very different - and then asks the student to compare both of them and then learn from the differences.  Hopefully, we see ourselves in the story.

JESUS GAVE US SEVERAL  2’S

Jesus gave us various  2’s, He also gave us 3’s and 4’s as well - but this morning I’m just going with 2’s.

In Luke 15, Jesus tells us about a man who had 2 sons. One son messed up big time. The other was a goody goody.  When the bad son - who is the youngest - came home - out of selfishness and stupidity - he gets welcomed home by his dad - who throws him a party and celebrates his return. However,  the older brother won’t forgive the younger brother or go into the house to welcome his brother home.  

They are complete opposites. Jesus contrasts them big time and asks us to compare ourselves with both. Who am I like?

In Matthew 25 we hear about God the Great Shepherd separating the sheep from the goats. He is asking us to see the contrast between both and compare ourselves - to see if I’m a sheep or a goat. If  I feed  the hungry,  get someone who is a thirsty something to drink, if I visit the sick or those imprisoned, then I’m a sheep.  Or am I someone who doesn’t do anything for others,  then obviously I am a  goat.

In Luke 10  am I like Martha or Mary?

In Matthew 7 - am I taking the narrow road or the busy road?  One leads to life; one leads to death the other leads to death.

On the cross am I like the good thief or the bad thief.  

In Luke 21- the rich put tons of money into the poor box - and the poor widow put two small coins in - and she put in more than all the others.

BACK TO TODAY’S GOSPEL

Back to today’s gospel, compare the contrast Jesus made of these 2 people in the story.

The Pharisee went up front to be seen. The tax collector, the sinner, stayed in the back and wouldn’t even look up with his eyes.

The Pharisee was making his prayer a selfie. He was talking about how great he was and how bad the guy the guy in the back was.  The Pharisee said he fasted 2 times a week and paid tithes or taxes on his stuff.  The tax collector talked to God - prayed to God, “O God  be merciful to me a sinner.”

The Pharisee was examining the other guy’s conscience - saying that guy is greedy, dishonest and adulterous. The poor guy then makes his confession.   “Oh God,  be merciful to me a sinner.”

CONCLUSION

John Fortescue - a  writer from the 1400's -  is the author of the well known comment, “Comparisons are odious.” I would say, “Sometimes they are; and sometimes they can teach us a lot.”

March 10, 2018

Thought for today: 

“Mirrors should reflect a little before throwing back images.”  

Jean Cocteau (1891-1963), Des Beaux-Arts

March 10, 2018

FLUTE

Instead of AR-15 rifles,

how about arming kids

with a flute, an oboe

or a violin.  How about

playing music instead of

skunk spraying anger at others?

How about using our fingers

to toss a Frisbee  or to play a piano

in place of bullying others with tweets?

© Andy Costello, Reflections 2018 

THIS IS MY KINGDOM

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for this 3^rd Friday in Lent is, “This Is My Kingdom.”

In today’s gospel  (Mark 12: 28-44) Jesus says to the scribe [Translation: one who could write - one who is educated], “You are not far from the Kingdom of God.”

THE KINGDOM OF GOD

Somewhere along the line preaching and talking about the theme of “The Kingdom of God” - faded and fell away - at times.

I don’t remember hearing too many sermons describing the kingdom of God. I’m sure I’ve preached various sermons about it down through the years.  But I’ve always felt that I neglected doing much research on that theme.

I’ve heard different theologians say that Jesus was more interested in bringing about the kingdom than bringing about a church - but I never followed up on that comment.

Speakers  have also stressed that the church realized something more visible than an invisible kingdom had to be founded  - one that has more structure and guidelines and organization - than the idea of the kingdom - which can be more vague and shadowy than a church.

The church would have more organization features than a kingdom. The idea of a church is more objective; the idea of a kingdom is more subjective.

HAVE YOU EVER HEARD SOMEONE SAY, “THIS IS MY KINGDOM.”

I’m sure we have all heard that - or the offshoot, “This is my castle.”

A man stands there in his house with his arm around his wife’s shoulder. Their house is big. He has finally risen in his company high enough to afford a big house.

He has his neighbors over for a dinner. His kids are playing downstairs and upstairs and on the stairs and they are having a great time. There is nice music in the background. He says to his neighbors - scanning the dining room and living room and he says, “This is my kingdom.” Then squeezing his wife, he says to all, “And here is my queen.”

That scenario comes in various comments and colors and scenes.

If we get that story - that scene - we have a glimpse of what Jesus was about.

We pray down deep each day for our ideal situation - which we think is God’s ideal situation. That’s could be what we are praying for at times when we pray, “Thy Kingdom Come” in the Our Father.

More or less we are all dreamers. We want peace in the valley - peace in the air - happiness in the family - a good job - things going pretty well for everyone - and if we consider ourselves religious, we put God in that picture.

LABELS

I’ve noticed that we don’t tend to say, “I am a kingdom of God person.”

We say, “I am a Christian.”  or “I am a Catholic.”

Or we might also say, “I am a conservative or a liberal  or a Third Order Franciscan.”

We might say, “I’m an Irish or an Italian or a Polish American. We might say we’re a New Englander or a Southern or a Californian or a Chicagoan or a Marylander or an Annapolitan.

But we don’t say, “I am a kingdom of God person.

TODAY: A KINGDOM PERSON

Today, in this homily, I would like to get us thinking about being a Kingdom of God person.

That would mean for starters that we try to love the Lord our God with our whole heart, with all our soul, with all our mind and with all our strength.

That would mean we try to love our neighbor as ourselves.

The beauty of this could be - we can be on the same page with Jews and Moslems and Protestants - because the idea of a kingdom is not exact - like a specific religion - with some visible signs of membership.

CONCLUSION

This is said not to confuse or water down Christianity - but to move towards some common ground with each other - not just as human but as good human beings who believe in God and try to put into practice values that Jesus stressed.

March 9, 2018

Thought for today: 

“Women are wiser than  men  because they know less and understand more.” 

James Stevens  (1882-1950), The Crock of Gold [1930]. chapter 2.

Agree or disagree? Was this ever true?

March 9, 2018

SALT AND PEPPER

If you had to describe

a friend would you want

them to taste like

and be nicknamed

salt or pepper?

© Andy Costello, Reflections 2018 

March 8, 2018

Thought for today:

 Mother Teresa  when she was a young woman

“The biggest  disease today is not leprosy or tuberculosis but rather the feeling of being  unwanted, uncared for, and deserted by everybody.  We can cure physical diseases with medicine, but the only cure for loneliness, despair, and hopelessness is love.” 

Mother Teresa

March 8, 2018

SHADOWS

So elusive.

they keep slipping away,

like trying to remember

a name when you’re

almost 80.

© Andy Costello, Reflections 2018 

March 7,  2018

MY CEILING

Ceiling, you have a plain face

even with your stains

from all these years

living above me.

Ceiling, you’re like a camera,

quietly perched above me,

watching and hearing everything,

unnoticed by me all these years.

Ceiling, now that I know

you know all my secrets,

I got news for you:

I’ll never let you out of this room.

© Andy Costello, Reflections 2018

March 7.  2018

Thought for today: 

“As long as you know that most men are  like  children  you  know everything.”  

Coco [Gabrielle] Channel, [1883-1979]

March 6, 201

LISTENING

Some people say more by listening

that those who try to say things by

talking - and these talkers only learn

this when they stop talking and listen.

© Andy Costello, Reflections 2018

March 6, 2018

Thought for today: 

“People ask you for criticism, but   they only want praise.”   

W. Somerset Maugham [1874-1965] Of Human Bondage (1915) Chapter 51

March 5, 2018

LENT

Living on borrowed time -

God lent me all these years so far.

Thank You, God. Thank You, God.

I’ve been burnt. There are ashes.

But most of the time - there have been

sunrises after sunsets, blessings and

surprises, mornings after dark nights.

There’s are crosses on the side of

the roads I’ve traveled. But I have

been handed the creed that there is

resurrection at the end of every Lent.

There is Spring at the end of every

winter and green leaves and birds

are waiting for another chance to 

bud and wave, sing and soar.

© Andy Costello, Reflections 2018

March 5, 2018

Thought for today: 

“Regrets  are  as personal  as fingerprints.”  

Margaret Culkin Banning, “Living With Regrets,”  Readers Digest, October 1958