JUST ONE PROVERB

INTRODUCTION

The title of my reflection is, “Just One Proverb.”

Today’s first reading (Proverbs 21: 1-6, 10-13) gives us 10 proverbs.

I read them a few times to see which one hits or grabs me the most if I had to pick one of them.

PROVERBS 21:2

I decided on the 2nd one – Proverbs 21: 2: “All the ways of a man may be right in his own eyes, but it is the Lord who proves hearts.” [New American Bible Translation – NAB]

OTHER TRANSLATIONS

Next I checked out 5 other Bibles to see if another translation of Proverbs 21:2 would grab me more. Here are 5 other translations:

[Jerusalem Bible: JB] “A man’s conduct may strike him as upright, Yahweh, however, weighs the heart.”

[Jewish Study Bible -JSB] "All the ways of a man may seem right to him, but the Lord probes the mind.”

[New Revised Standard Version: NRSV] “All deeds are right in the sight of the doer, but the Lord weighs the heart.”

[New English Bible: NEB] “A man may think that he is always right, but the Lord fixes a standard for the heart.”

[King James Version: KJV] “Every way of a man is right in his own eyes: but the Lord pondereth the heart.”

By doing that I think I got the gist of the proverb.

THE GIST

We think we’re right in doing what we do – but the proverb challenges us to pause and bring God into the picture.

It challenges us to ask: Is this God’s will? If I sat down at table with God and talked over my decisions - would any of them be different?

It challenges a Christian to ask, “WWJD?” What would Jesus do in this situation?

Someone makes a mistake and they are wrong and we know they are wrong, but they keep telling us we are wrong. We get angry. We want to slam them verbally. We pause. We think. We say a quick prayer. Or we hear our conscience say, “Maybe you’re right, but why rub it in?”

Or we struggle to make a decision about moving. We're thinking about taking a new job in another part of the country. Then we stop and pray over it. We decide not to move because our kids are at a crucial age. We’ve already moved three times, so we say, “This is a great opportunity, but money isn’t everything. Kids, family, neighbors, friends, church are better if we stay.”

Or we’re sure we’re right about something, but we say to ourselves, “Maybe I ought to get a second opinion.”

Or we’re sure we’re right, but we say to ourselves, “How many times have I been so sure of myself and surprise I was wrong. So maybe I’m wrong about her or him or this or that. Come Holy Spirit.”

CONCLUSION: MAKING A PROVERB A PRAYER

Maybe trying to put this proverb into a prayer might also be an eye and soul opener. So here are three quick first draft tries at turning Proverbs 21:2 into a prayer.

1

God, I like to be right –
who doesn’t? –
but tip the scales
in favor of the most good
for the most people.

2

God,
we are being bombarded
by all this political wrangling
and name calling.
It seems everyone
has to be right in debates
and political ads and
talk show and call in programs;
and politics are ruining our coffee breaks
and tail-gate parties,
so why can’t we let go of the infighting
and love one another
and cut the nonsense,
pursue the truth, live the truth,
and make decisions for the common good with love. Amen.

3

Lord,
when it looks
like I’m being pig headed
and I’m feeling the need to be right,
and I’m actually wrong,
and I’m being stupid,
for God’s sake,
put your pinkie
on the scale
of the person
who is actually right,
so I can see it. Amen.





[I have only been including in my blog, homilies from Sunday, but someone asked for a copy of this homily. The readings are for the 25 Tuesday Ordinary Time, Sept. 23, 2008. I know that all of the translations above use the word "man" - except one. I prefer translations that are more inclusive. Surprise, if I change what's in the book, I've had people yell ; if I don't, I have people yell. I laugh during the readings, because more and more people are reading the readings - and they know if a reader adds "and women". I think it's funny - better, that it's strange that so many people are reading the readings - instead of just listening. If this was done during a play, someone would say, "This is crazy!" I realize people have hearing problems. I realize some people get more out of a reading if they are reading it. I realize that some people can't understand some readers. I realize publishers make money if people purchase these little books that have the readings. Who's right? Who's wrong? Or are they the wrong questions? I think it's more important to have a sense of humor than a sense of righteousness. Religion can be as tough as politics when it comes to the question of wanting to be right - the topic of this homily and what I looked at reflecting on Proverbs 21: 2. Enough already.]

SIGHTS AND SOUNDS

Children,
running, laughing in the playground just outside their classrooms.
A mother,
crying in her car in a parking lot, caught inside her marriage mistake.
An ambulance,
screaming, rushing somewhere in the mornning.
Then rain,
steadily dripping on deep green leaves – drip, drip sounds down to hard thirsty ground.
Me,
watching a fly wanting to get outside – buzzing to be free –
so I walked to my window, opened it up,
and let the fly, fly away,
while the kids across the street ran inside,
and I stayed at my window
watching and hearing the sights and sounds of our world.

© Andy Costello, Reflections, 2008

THE INFINITE

During the day
there are those brief moments,
a connection or reconnection
having lunch with a friend,
sharing good bread, cold butter,
tomato bisque or great pea soup with ham,
a funny wise crack at work,
or a slip of the tongue, the laugh,
or even a moment of pain,
being hurt, ignored, or simply
forgotten – and the day ticks on,
and then those moments are forgotten
before sunset or supper,
but sometimes in the night,
before going to sleep,
these moments of joy or pain come back,
remembered, sat with, brought to prayer,
and slowly the spiritual
becomes the possible dawn
of the Infinite.

© Andy Costello, Reflections, 2008

VENETIAN BLIND

Slices of afternoon sun
silently slide in and sit there
on the couch waiting for me
on the other side of the room.
I’m blind when I sit here
on this side of the room,
stuck in this stuffed chair,
when I only see the shadows,
when I only see the darkness.

© Andy Costello, Reflections, 2008

RIVER ROAD

He loved to walk alone
along the old macadam road,
along the edge of the river.
That’s where he did his best talking to himself.
Potholes, broken bottles, discarded beer cans –
didn’t bother him.
They were in his past.
Now it was only the river,
the flowing of the waters,
the present and the future.
He stopped now and then,
here and there, along the road,
to see the sun reflecting
on the running river ripples,
and then to hear the delicious
sucking sounds
of our Forever Flowing God.

© Andy Costello, Reflections, 2008

MOSES

His name was Moses.
Honestly, his parents named him, “Moses”.
As a kid he got into a fight in a school yard,
because some boys were being bullies,
picking on this other kid – a tiny kid.
Boys will be boys.
And they picked on him after that – verbally -
and from a distance. He was a tough kid.

So he was glad when his family moved.
One day he was at a garden stuff store.
His dad was checking out lawn stuff.
He spotted these packets – so many packets –
flower seeds – but they were trapped in the tiny bags.
The pictures on the packages were stunning.
And so for the rest of his life,
whenever he had spare change,
he would buy packets of flower seeds –
with the neat pictures of flowers on the outside.
Then when nobody was looking –
and he looked very carefully,
he didn’t want anyone picking on him,
he would – yes he’s the one –
he would secretly rip open
the top of the package
and plant those flower seeds
here, there, and everywhere.
He never told anyone he did this.
And he did this all his life –
and whenever he saw flowers
freely dancing in a breeze –
whenever he saw folks stop
to look at flowers,
he would smile –
he was the one who set them free.

© Andy Costello, Reflections, 2008

LIFE: IT TAKES TIME TO LEARN

WHAT WE HAVE TO LEARN.

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily is, “Life: It Takes Time To Learn What We Have To Learn.”

I read today’s gospel story (Matthew 20:1-16a) – and wondered if Jesus would tell the same story today.

Then I asked myself, “Could I come up with a story that gets at the same issue that Jesus is trying to get at.”

Then I heard an inner voice, “Try it.”

And I came up with two stories.

FIRST STORY: DANCING WITH THE STARS

Rose was dancing since she was three years old. Tap dancing. Ballet. Irish dancing lessons.

She was good. Since she was the oldest of Mr. and Mrs. Treetopper’s 4 kids, there were pictures of Rose everywhere – plus CD’s. Her grandparents on both sides were always bragging about their future Broadway Dancer. The other 3 kids felt left out at times.

Rose was a star – better than all the other dancers in her troop and dancing schools.

Rose was a star – all through grammar school and high school. Then instead of going to college she went to a school for the arts in New York City – taking courses in dancing, singing, and acting.

Rose graduated from this school of arts after 2 years – and went to try out after try out after try out in hopes of making it on Broadway.

She never landed a leading role in any Broadway musical – only small parts.

She found herself inwardly screaming, “Not fair. Not fair. Not fair.” Gals no where near her skills and abilities landed the leads – because they did such and such with the director or this and that.

In the meanwhile, Rose kept dancing.

Rose made a living out of the small parts – as well as waitressing – and one day she was just sitting there with a few of her friends at a friends’ apartment. There on the wall was a poster with a picture of a little 3 or 4 year old ballerina with words, “There are no small parts – only small people.”

Suddenly she realized something deep within herself. The next time she danced, she was amazing, she was a star. A director spotted her specialness – her change - and offered her a lead. She was on her way.

Life went on.

Rose won 3 major awards and she had 4 leading roles in musicals. She got married. When her first child arrived, she retired from dancing. When the kids were all in school, she started a small dancing school. There on the wall was a poster of a small girl dancing and the words: “There are no small parts – only small people.”

And she knew the kids she taught wouldn’t get that message. She knew about life. Life: it takes time to learn what we have to learn. However, some of their parents would get the message and enjoy the beautiful scene of seeing their kids dancing – parents who wouldn’t complain when their kids had small parts.

End of first story.

SECOND STORY: THE FOOTBALL PLAYER

He was furious when he didn’t make the varsity football team.

He expected to make it. He was a senior. He thought he paid his dues. He ran 5 miles every evening – after working all day in a cinder block plant. He did this 5 days a week all through June and July and into August. He lifted extra weights. He even practiced dancing with his sister, Charlotte, to become more “steppy” and more light on his feet.

He was furious when he didn’t make the team.

What was worse, the coach’s son made the team – and he was only a sophomore. One of the teacher’s sons made the team – and this kid was out of shape and moved like pug dog.

He sat in the stands – went to every home game out of loyalty – didn’t tell anyone about his anger and his envy.

However, his dad knew what he was feeling. He went out of his way to invite his son to Circuit City when he wanted to check out a flat screen TV, took him golfing, took him deep sea fishing one weekend, and on and on and on – things he wouldn’t have done if his son had made the team.

He went to college – didn’t play varsity sports – but he was the best one-on-one basketball player in his dorm. He did well academically. It wasn’t till his sophomore year in college that he was able to let go of his anger at his high school coach. He didn’t know he was letting go of this anger – but he had done it slowly and unconsciously.

Life: it takes time to learn what we have to learn.

In his junior year of college, he fell in love with a funny gal –– but she dumped him for a freshman. It hurt. It hurt big time. But he got over it by his senior year when he met a great gal who was also a senior.

Three years later they got married – had three kids and their three kids got married and each had three kids.

Well, one day, his grandson Booker - yes his name was Booker – a senior in High School, came to his grandpa – with a long face.

“Grandpa I didn’t make the varsity football team and it’s not fair. I really worked hard to get in top shape. I lifted weights big time. I ran 6 miles every other day. The coach’s son made the team – and he’s a loser – and has two left feet – and a bunch of juniors made the team and I didn’t. Not fair. Not fair. Not fair.”

His grandpa listened and listened and listened and listened to Booker. Then he said, after he figured Booker said everything, “Booker, I need to get some stuff at Computer Unlimited – and you know me, I don’t know anything about computers and you know tons. Could you help me?”

And grandson Booker, even though he was feeling “crumbolo”, took his grandpa to Computer Unlimited – after checking out his grandpa’s computer. This took his anger away for an afternoon. Booker felt great that he was able to help his grandpa.

That night when grandpa went to bed, he lay there wide awake. He realized how blessed he was to have 3 sons and 9 grandkids – and how life works – and how Booker in time would realize how life works – how things work out – and how in the long run, people enjoy the gift of life – even though life is not fair at times - even though they don't make the team, get the job, or get the part in a school play. He would learn that others get A’s in papers and he’ll get a B or others will get the awards – when his stuff is much, much better. He’ll learn that someone else will get an end piece of cake with a lot more icing than he – even though it’s his birthday – and the kid with the worse fishing gear catches the biggest fish – and the other guy gets our gal – and we better see what we have – not what we don’t have.

Life: it takes time to learn what he have to learn.

End of second story.

CONCLUSION

And I heard an inner voice from Jesus that said, “Nice try, but I think my story is better.”

And I said to Jesus, “Unfair, unfair, unfair!”

And Jesus laughed at me and I laughed back.

Life: It takes time to learn what we have to learn.