WHAT’S OUR TAKE 

ON THE COMMON GOOD?

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for this Tuesday in the Second Week of Easter is, “What’s Our Take on the Common Good?”

Today’s first reading from the Acts of the Apostles, chapter 4, talks about common possessions  - common ownership - having everything in common - everyone putting their money in the common pot.

The history of the Catholic Church, Christianity, has groups who lived with everything in common.

We know that Jesus and his disciples did  this. At the end of Lent we heard that  Judas held the purse and he used it to help himself from the common treasury. We know from the Acts of the Apostles that early Christian communities followed that practice - that way of living.

We know from the history of the church there have been religious orders who pooled  their time, treasure and talents together. I took a vow of poverty in 1960 and I have never had to worry about a home and food and money ever since. It’s an easier way of doing life.

A friend of mine - a Redemptorist said that he tried the Trappist’s - and in the house he lived in - all wash was done together and you’d take large t-shirts an 34  jockey shorts or boxers from the common pile if that was your size.

I’ve been asked 1000 times: do you have your own vestments? Do you have your own bank account? Do you have your own car?  Take cars: all of us priests here drive the car we have been given and if a guy is stuck and his car ain’t working, you can ask another guy to borrow his so called “his car” till his car is fixed.

We used to have common ownership of cars - but the practice changed when people realized that some guys wouldn’t fill up the gas in a car for the next guy - or keep an eye on its being serviced.  In general, we found out that if all take care of the cars, sometimes nobody is taking care of some cars - and the next guy is not in the know

We know from our world that some people have started communes.

We know that some countries and sections of the world came up with ideas like communism.

What’s your take on the common good - and cult like groups - and the common life - and property etc. etc. etc.?

In our day, we know that people is this parish are very generous with their time as well as their money to especially to help the poor.

What are your thoughts about the common good and the common life of folks?

Thomas Merton was a Trappist Novice Master and he once said on a tape I was listening to, “If I had to do this job of novice master all over again, I would tell the novices, ‘Don’t slam doors. Think of the other guys.”

In other words, when doing life, “Think of the next guy!”

Here are some mixed thoughts about common ownership of property and life.

FAMILY

We could start with marriage and the family - that we are obligated to care for  and are members of.

It’s called family - the family car, the house, the common table and refrigerator.

We spot a nice last piece of apple pie on the next to the bottom shelf of the refrigerator - and we think, “I’ll have that tonight around 9 PM”  and we open up the refrigerator and it’s gone.

Bummer.

Who gets the clicker for the television? Who fills and who empties the dish washer?

The common life and ownership provides the opportunity to learn how to not be selfish and think of others.

Living as family - we learn who is selfish and who is generous.

We learn the difference between me, me, me and we, we, we.

OUR BIGGER HOME: THE EARTH

Concerned about time, some of you got to get to work - so let me just cover one other common good place: our home - this earth.

The earth is our home.

I learned from the famous architect and social commentator, Buckminster Fuller [1895-1983] Please take good care of the common bathrooms - the public restrooms - along the highway stops of life.  It’s my bathroom too. Think of the next person.

If you are tossing a paper towel into a waste basket and you miss your shot, get the rebound, and dunk it into the basket.

As you know there are folks who want to deregulate environmental protections  here in the United States. If I mention this from the pulpit, I might be handed a letter of complaint that I’m being political.

As a kid when we took the Sea Beach Express train to Coney Island we went over a small bridge over some water which we all called, “Perfume Bay”. It's real name is, 'The Gowanus Canal." We kids would hold our noses with our fingers and go, “Oooooooh!” at the smell.”

So I have been aware of polluted waters - bad air - and dirty bathrooms all my life - not just in 2018.

When I hear that some people want to cut down on regulations on carbon emissions, etc. etc. etc. I think of the day about 20 years ago when I crossed the border in Nogales, Arizona going into Nogales, Mexico. We were heading for  Magdalena, Mexico. I noticed the change in air almost immediately.  Cars were coughing smoke - and I was taking it in. I asked the 3 other people I was with, “Do they have emissions tests in Mexico?” They laughed at me.

I think of cigarette smoking regulations here in the United States. There has been a vast change in thinking and practice about smoking in the last 25 or is it 50 years.

Emphysema is a reality. “Cough. Cough. Cough!”

I’m sure you have heard about the air pollution in Beijing. China. The place is filled with smoke and air pollution. It’s hard to see the distance some days. 

Finally, there are people making the effort to improve the quality and the environment. It’s happening.

I think of deregulations of laws when it comes to strip mining in Kentucky. Instead of mine shafts and all that, the method of getting at the coal became strip mining. Mountain tops are removed with bulldozers and all the coal is exposed. Then after all the coal is gotten, it’s left alone. When snow melts and rain flows down the mountain, homes and places in the valley and hollows are flooded. There are fines - which companies pay the local governments - which are far less expensive than  replanting trees and resoding  and resoiling the earth.

The Golden Rule is not being kept.

Think of the other guy - not refilling one’s wallet.

The earth is our home.

I hear people criticizing our pope and his concern for our mother earth - and praising those who want to deregulate.  Hello! It’s the money. It costs money to keep our waters clean - to stop pollution of air and water. So why wouldn’t big polluters want deregulation and attack those who are for Mother Earth.

Hello! Pro-lifers of the world scream for the health of Mother Earth and the abortion of life around us.

We live here near the water - concern for the water - which is 77 % of the globe - is concern for each other.

CONCLUSION

Let’s hope the common good, becomes our constant common concert.

Don’t litter - write letters of concern.

Don’t pollute - march, make signs, promote a healthy environment.

It’s for our common good.

GOD  IS  ALL  ABOUT BEND

Bend is beautiful …. lose your bend

and you’ll be seen as an old lady ….

Smile. Okay old men too. Be flexible

with your mind and your heart and

your opinions. If you forget about

bending, folks will avoid you at every

party and every family get together.

Bend. Bend those face muscles. Smile.

Bend your ears. Listen up and listen

to others. If you don’t get what they

are saying. Tell them: “Please explain.”
If you don't pray, bend your knees. Pray.

Smile. It’s not always about age.

Take the father of the Prodigal Son.

Now there was a father who could bend.

Take the older brother. Now there was

a stiff who couldn’t bend. He was stuck

in have to’s  - instead of want to’s. So God 
is all about bend - giving and forgiving. I 
was wondering, maybe the whole of creation bends. If you could go out into outer space maybe you’ll find yourself back home in inner space, bent back into your mother’s womb.

  

© Andy Costello, Reflections 2018

April 10, 2018 

Thought for today: 

“In the dry places … towns, like weeds, spring up when it rains, dry up when it stops. But in a dry climate the husk of the plant remains.  The stranger might find, as if preserved in amber, something of the green life that was once lived there, and the ghosts of men who have gone on to a better place.  The withered towns are empty, but not uninhabited.”  

Wright Morris [1910 - 1998 ] The Works of Love [1952], chapter 1

WHAT’S  WITH  MARY?

 [Today we’re celebrating the Feast of the Annunciation. March 25^th was Palm Sunday. Instead of a homily on today’s readings - I decided to fiddle around with some thoughts about Mary. Mind you: this is a first draft of a sort of a story.]

Two women - one Protestant - the other Catholic - were simply talking by chance at a conference. The Protestant woman asked the Catholic woman, “What’s with Mary?”

The Catholic woman replied, “What do you mean?”

“Well you Catholics  - seem to make a lot out of Mary?”

“Yes, we do, but what are you wondering about?”

“Well,” the Protestant woman, whose name was Martha said, “My husband and I are now retired and we took about 5 bus trips and 5 cruises in the last 2 years and we visited various Catholic churches. Most Protestant churches seemed to be closed during the week. Catholic churches are often part of tourist places. Many of them are named after Mary and they all have statues and stained glass windows and pictures of Mary in them. So we were wonder, what’s with Mary?”

The Catholic woman said, “Well, you’re right. We do make a lot about Mary. You can see on my name tag that my name is Mary. In the past, we often named one of our daughters Mary. My parents did and I gave my first daughter the name Mary as well.”

“Interesting,” Martha said.

“Yes, it’s simply a Catholic thing,” said Mary.

“Oh, okay,” said Martha. “Just wondering….”

Then Mary said, “Now,  we don’t think Mary is God. Some people accuse us of that - more in the past - but we never thought that.”

“Oh, okay,” said Martha.

“But,” said Mary, “We pray to Mary. We ask Mary for help - just as we ask people to pray for us - as well as saints.”

“Oh,” said Martha. “But I go directly to God.”

“Great,” said Mary.

Silence….

Martha was still a bit unclear about Mary’s answers about Mary, the mother of Jesus. In a tiny way, it was like the Martha Mary story in the Bible - but that Mary was a different Mary.

Then Mary said, “I would suggest that you have some problems and some questions about Mary in other places.”

“What?  Explain,” said Martha.

“We Catholics know other questions because we have been asked them a lot - and preachers  from time to time address them.”

“Here’s a few: The Immaculate Conception …. the Perpetual Virginity of Mary…. No brothers and sisters of Jesus …. Mary is called the ‘Mother of God’ - not just the “mother of Jesus” …. Mary was assumed into heaven …. now those are some of the questions to ask Catholics.”

Martha’s face showed puzzlement at that comment.

Mary said, “One priest in a sermon once said, ‘We put Mary, the Mother of Jesus,  on pedestals. We’re not scared to  honor her big time. Why not? Wouldn’t you make your mom the best, if you could.’”

Then Mary continued, “Let me look up something on Google. This priest who was preaching said that some preacher from the 1100’s preached a 4 word homily on Mary’s Immaculate Conception.

As she was looking this up on Google, she said the preacher said one of the words was “potuit” So Mary typed into Google, “potuit” and then added, “I think another word was “ergo”.

Sure enough, Google said it was a Saint Eadmer of Cantebury + 1124  who said,  “Potuit, decuit, ergo fecuit.”

“God could do it.”  “It was only right that he should do it.” “Therefore he did it.”

“The famous, John Duns Scotus and others repeated that message.”

Mary said, “Aren’t these tiny phones fabulous?

Mary continued, “If Jesus was God and Mary had other children, what would they be?”

Then Mary said, “That problem never came up. However, when the Bible uses brothers and sisters, people in Bible times called close relatives and neighbors brothers and sisters - just as we do - when people say, ‘Hi bro!’ or ‘We’re close. We’re sisters.’”

Silence….

Then Mary said, “But if you really want to know what I think about this,  it’s this.  People want an edge. People want signs from God. People want help from God any way they can get it. People want a more human God. God is neither male nor female, even though we call God our ‘Father’ - so Mary equalizes some of all this a bit.”

Pause …. Then Martha said, “That’s a handful!”

Mary continued, “And many people make God a crusher and a destroyer - God isn’t - but in the scriptures - that’s how God is described and prayed to at times - to crush enemies - well, thank God Jesus is often presented as a forgiver - and his mother is often presented as a caring presence - and a perpetual helper - so balance helps us in our understandings on how to be like the image and likeness God we were created to be.”

“Oh,” said Martha, “That’s a lot of stuff to process. I need wine.”

Mary said, “I need water - which God often changes to wine - in rain and water irrigating vineyards - as in the story of the Wedding feast of Cana - when Mary helped a couple at their wedding - when they ran out of wine. She told her son Jesus to help this couple and he changed 6 large stone water jars into 6 large stone jars of wine.”

ANNUNCIATION

"I need you -

because words need flesh.

Without you, I can’t do this.

So once more I ask you:

Will you do this?"

She said, "That’s impossible."

God said, "With me it is possible."

"But …."

Well, then, she said, "Do it."

And God did it.

Look, what happened next.

© Andy Costello, Reflections 2018

April 9, 2018

Thought for today: 

“If there were a  drunken orgy somewhere, I would bet ten to one a church member was not in it.  But if there were a lynching, I would bet ten to one a church member was in it.” 

Reinhold Niebuhr [1892-1971]

THE CHAIR AND THE CARPENTER

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily is, “The Chair and the Carpenter.”

It would sound better if I entitled it, “The Chair and The Chairmaker” - but I wanted to use the word, “carpenter” because that’s what Jesus was.

Jesus was a carpenter of wood and then a carpenter of words ….

This is a sermon I have often  wanted to put together and present - as a way of talking about God. 

Better: if a person denies the existence of a God - I would ask - if you saw a chair - would you deny that a chairmaker existed who made that chair?

I would hope that person would realize that’s a trap - but I also hope they would decide either a yes or no answer.  If they said they don’t believe in a chairmaker, then I would not argue with them. If they said they would believe in a chairmaker, then obviously I would ask if they believed there was a planet maker.

My sermon has two parts,  Part One: The Existence of a Chair and Part Two: The Person Called the Chairman or Chairmaker or Carpenter.

PART ONE: THE EXISTENCE OF A PROP CALLED A CHAIR

Notice in the center of our sanctuary a chair. I think Father Tizio is the best preacher I’ve seen - in using a prop.

Check out the chair. It’s there.

Whether or not that’s a chair is not a matter of belief. So I wouldn’t say, “I believe there is a chair just sitting there.” I would say there is a chair there. We humans call that a chair and we trust our eyes.  If we were blind, another way we could know of it’s existence would be touch.

We know things exist by our senses for starters: chairs, floors, neighbors, trees, mountains, milk in the refrigerator, hamburgers in McDonalds.

We know by our senses that there are stars, the moon, deep outer space.

We just know that.

PART TWO: THE CARPENTER OR CHAIRMAKER

Next we know there was a chairmaker, a carpenter, a designer, a factory worker - who came up with the chair.

Next I would say, we know there was a starmaker, a moon maker, a planet creator - by common sense.

We call the chair maker a carpenter.

We call the star and the whole of the universe maker,  our creator. We call our creator, God.

PART THREE: WHAT IS THE CHAIRMAKER LIKE

Now I come to Part Three of this Sermon. What is the chairmaker like?

I don’t intend in life to argue with someone about  whether or not there is a star maker any more than I would argue with anyone whether or not there was a chairmaker or a carpenter.

But I would want to discuss what the chairmaker or carpenter is like.

That’s where this talk, this sermon gets interesting. At least that’s my hope. I’m moving from the objective to the subjective.

I grew up on a street that had some 94 homes.

I could simply count the front doors.

What those people were like - one learns by meeting, interacting with, talking to, investigating,  observing, asking, checking, talking with.

Looking at that chair there, I have no clue to the personality of the maker.

A guy up the street on my right was a grouch. If a ball went into his front yard, if he was on the stoop, he would not let us get the pink spaldeen ball - sometimes called a “pinkie”.

Mr. Maher, on the other side of the street, whose dog was named Pal, would watch us play and point to where the ball went - if it went into his front yard or the one next to him.

Do you get that distinction between the neighbor and what the neighbor is like?

So too with God.

People have different takes on God - just as I had different takes on the people on my block when growing up.

From telescopes and microscopes we go deeper and deeper into outer or inner space.

The scientist and the astronomer can tell us how far outer space goes and that might get out of people a “Wow” and a “Why” - a how and a how far?

From that we might say: “God is vast.” “God is good at math.”

The Bible gives us thousands and thousands of answers to the question: what is God like?

Isaiah the prophet has a different take on God compared to other prophets.

Preachers have different takes on God?

Who’s right?

Moreover Biblical scientists tell us that there are at least 3 Isaiahs - because computers can tell us that the same person could not have written the early part of Isaiah compare to later parts.  Teachers looking at homework can tell that this kid could not have written this.  In fact they can look up something that sounds familiar and see where the kid plagiarized it.

A classmate of mine got a 0 on a paper.  Weiser was the book my classmate used to write a paper on one of the Psalms. The professor wrote: Weiser 100, Krug 0

So different people have different takes on God and some of them wrote books and sections of books on the Bible.

Next people read the Bible and quote a take on God that they agree with or they like - and avoid one’s they don’t like.

A relative recently asked me about this. She said, “How come I don’t like descriptions of God in the Bible where God is wiping out people and groups of people.”

I answered: “Because some people want opposition wiped out or have God throw people into hell.”

So just as we have different takes on neighbors - people have different takes on God.

Who’s right?  Who’s wrong?

Matthew, Mark, Luke and John have different takes on the Carpenter named Jesus.

Judas, Thomas, and Peter had different takes on the Carpenter named Jesus.

In today’s gospel, Thomas has doubts. Last Sunday John had no doubts that Jesus had risen from the dead.

Today has been called, “Doubting Thomas Sunday since the beginning of the church. Then in the last century today has been called Divine Mercy Sunday.

Some people think God is going to zap them for their sins.

Some people think God is going to love them more than their neighbors because God loves sinners more than the righteous.

Some people want read family members read to them Luke 15 when they are dying. Some people are scared to die, so they don’t want to hear Matthew 25 read when they are dying - because they feel they didn’t do enough for the hungry, the poor and the sick.

But both readings say something about the listener.

CONCLUSION

All this should lead to personal conclusions.

All this should lead us to get to know the carpenter.

Pull up a chair next to his chair and say each day, “We need to talk!”

April 8, 2018

EXPECT SURPRISES 

WHEN  YOU  ASK 

She was in a wheelchair.

So I took a chance and asked,

“Bummer! How did you get

yourself into a wheelchair?”

Surprise! She didn’t go there.

She simply said, “I had a wonderful

childhood. We ran and roller skated

every day and everywhere! It was great.”

© Andy Costello, Reflections 2018

April 8, 2018 

Thought for today: 


“… the person who breaks one of the Ten Commandments may well end up less sinful than the person who self-righteously denounces people who break a commandment.”  

Reinhold Niebuhr [1892-1971]

April 7, 2018

FIRST AND LAST WORDS

There are times we wonder about 

parting words. I hope mine won't be, “No!”

Last words, “Yes!” I hope mine will

be, “I love you” -  never “I hate you.”

I hope mine will be, “I’m sorry!” -

never, “I’ll never forgive you.”

I celebrate that my last words to

my brother were, “I love you.”

That was before he underwent

his brain cancer operation. Oooh!

My mom? I hope it was, “I love you!” I don’t

remember what I said that last phone call.

I didn’t know she was to be killed this day

in a hit and run accident crossing the street.

© Andy Costello, Reflections 2018
In memory of my mom who died
this day, April 7, 1987 - walking
to church in Brooklyn N.Y. 

April 7, 2018 

Thought for today: 

“The  first  question which the priest and the Levite asked was: ‘If I stop to help this man, what will happen to me?’ But… the good Samaritan reversed the question: ‘If I do not stop to help this man, what will happen to him?’" 

Martin Luther King Jr.

April 6, 2018

LONG  DISTANCE

Long distance ….

Two words used for the longest time -

when talking about phone calls ….

Long distance ….

Not now - long distance phone calls are easy -

now just inches away from ear and heart.

Long distance ….

Looking back I think of people I knew and

began to forget and they became long distance.

Long distance ….

Some are buried in a fancy box - under a

heavy stone in a rain or snow covered grave.

Long distance ….

God - sorry to say - you too have become

long distance - that is, till we …. I’m calling ….

Long distance ….

© Andy Costello, Reflections 2018

BREAKFAST  WITH  JESUS

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for this Friday in Easter Week  is,  “Breakfast With Jesus.”

Today’s Gospel is one more interesting story in the Gospel of John.  There are many more. Here are a few:

Wedding Feast at Cana - 6 large water jars;

Woman caught in Adultery and the stones in hand and Jesus writing in the earth; 

Woman at the well;

Nicodemus at night;

Blind man whose parents wouldn’t vouch for him;

the last supper and the washing of feet;

and here breakfast with Jesus.

FOOD MOMENTS

Here are 7 possible food moments with each other: breakfast, lunch, supper - a cup of tea and scones, a coffee break, a drink together and going out for ice cream.

To be human is to do interesting things - often with food.

To be human is to do interesting things - usually with others.

To be human is to do life in relationships, friendships, and meetings.

Here in John 21:1-14 we have this interesting story that takes place at the Lake of Galilee. Its key characters are Peter and Jesus.

WORKING - WITHOUT ANY LUCK

At times in life, people work hard, but they get no catches.

Salesmen and saleswomen of the world tell me your stories.

DETAILS IN THIS  STORY

This story has interesting details: 153 large fish, bread and a charcoal fire.

Then there is the invitation, “Come have breakfast together.”

A GOOD QUESTION: WHAT HAVE YOU CAUGHT IN YOUR LIFE?

What have you caught in life? List 153 things.  

Caught a good milk shake place on Route 30 near Crestline, Ohio.  Caught a truck driver in Pennsylvania on Christmas Day off Route 80. He was just sitting there eating alone at a truck stop. I was alone, so I asked to join him. We had a great conversation about family. He said he had to make a living - driving a truck - far from home on Christmas day.  I met Leo Cravatta, a great Italian plumber from West Pittston Pa on a religious retreat at Tobyhanna, Pennsylvania. Is he still alive?  Had breakfast with my sister Mary a dozen times in Virginia Beach and she doesn’t like to go out to eat.

What have been your breakfasts?  Could you list 153 of them?

Is breakfast with the boys at Burger King or McDonalds or the Diner or Chick and Ruth’s one of the best blessings of retirement.  Do men do that more than women?  I don’t know.

Looking at your life, what have you caught? Whom have you met? Did you have any moments like today’s gospel from John 21: 1-14?

What would it be like to have breakfast with Jesus?  Who would do the talking? What would be the topics and themes.

If Jesus asked you, “What have you caught?” What have you netted?  How would you answer that baby?

What is your favorite breakfast?  Would you take fish?

In today’s gospel, it says none his disciples dared to ask Jesus, “Who are you?”  Would you dare to ask Jesus that question: Try it.

Would Jesus dare to ask you that question?

Obviously, Jesus went fishing and caught Peter.

Has God ever caught you?  Please describe?

For example ….

It was a dark church in Cincinnati and I just happened to walk into that church on a Wednesday afternoon and I felt overwhelmed by God and ....

It was an early morning moment when I was fishing and God ....

It was a clear star moon lit night and I was alone walking the dog and I looked up at the dark star filled night sky and Jesus ....

It was something a priest once said in a sermon and ....

CONCLUSION

In this homily of sorts I gave some random questions and comments coming out of today’s gospel.

I’m just fishing.

Can the whole of life be summed up with two words, “Gone Fishing?”

April 6, 2018 

Thought for today: 

"I  came  to the conclusion that there is an existential moment in your life when you must decide to speak for yourself; nobody else can speak for you.” 

Martin Luther King Jr.

RADIANCE

The glisten in a wedding ring,

the bouncing light off a marble table top,

the color green in her eyes,

the faces of graduates, brides and grooms,

on their big day. Sensing God’s creative

energy on a snowy day, a rainy day, any day….

God don’t let me not see your radiance today.

© Andy Costello, Reflections 2018

April 5, 2018 

Thought for today: 

“In the End, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.”

Martin Luther King, Jr.

STOP!

He hadn’t talked to his dad 

in 7 years - and 7 months. 

He saw a sign on the wall of the  bus. 

The red light was long enough 

for him to read  some words 

from Martin Luther King, Jr. 

“He who is devoid of the power 

to forgive is devoid of the power to love.” 

He didn’t have his dad’s phone number. 

Mom had died  7 years and 7 months ago.  

He got off the bus at the next stop 

and took a cab to his father’s house. 

© Andy Costello, Reflections 2018

April 4, 2018  

Thought for today: 

“Let  no  man pull you so low as to hate him.”  

Martin Luther King, Jr.

April 4, 2018

NAIL BITING

If someone says to you,

“Stop biting your nails!”

don’t listen to them.

Everyone bites their

nails, especially when

they are nervous.

I guarantee you: there

never will be a NBA,

a Nail Biters Anonymous.

© Andy Costello, Reflections 2018