ENJOY 

AND 

THANK

Quote of the Day: March 5, 2010

"My tongue is smiling."

Abigail Trillin, 4 years old, as she finished a dish of chocolate ice cream. Her dad, Calvin Trillin, quotes her in his book, Alice, Let's Eat, Random House Books, 1978

LAZARUS, OUTSIDE
MY OFFICE BUILDING

Hungry, starving….
It’s lunch break at work.
I walk out – past a bum,
sitting on the sidewalk.
He’s there every day;
but I stopped seeing him
about two months ago.
He’s always there – litter,
an empty bag flattened out
on the street – a helluva
place to park one’s bones.
He shakes his Styrofoam cup
begging for money.
I no longer hear his muted voice,
“Have pity on me!
Dip the tip of your finger
into your wallet and give
me a dollar – or some change.

Hungry. Starving.”
He disappeared. Did he die?
Is he on some other corner?
I died – and nobody said
at my eulogy, “He could
never go by a beggar on a
corner – without stopping
to give a dollar or some change.”
Now I wish I did – or someone
else did – because this is
a helluva way to be.





© Andy Costello, Reflections 2010 - This is poetic reflection for today's gospel, Luke 16:19-31, "The Rich Man and Lazarus."

OLD  AGE 

Quote of the Day: March 4,  2010

Old Age: “The time when men pay more attention to their food than to waitresses.”

Anonomous

THE PITS

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for this 2 Wednesday in Lent is, “The Pits.”

When was the last time you heard someone say, “It was the pits.”

What is your word, phrase or sound for “The Pits”?

Mine is, “Ugh!”

"Ugh" as in “Ugly” or a derivation of that word or sound. “Ugh! The Pits!”

TODAY’S READINGS

Today’s first reading [Jeremiah 18:18-20] has the word “pit” in it – which triggered the title and thought for this homily. It’s from the Prophet Jeremiah. As you know he was thrown into a pit. It was the pits. It was the price he paid for being a prophet.

Jeremiah was ditched, pitched, thrown into a pit – a cistern – because he challenged and rubbed people the wrong way. [Cf. Jeremiah 381-13]

And in today’s gospel, Jesus says, “We’re going up to Jerusalem and I’m going to be wiped out – crucified, killed.” [Matthew 20:17-28]

It’s the pits guys. Get ready for it.

And they will hear none of this nonsense from Jesus.

It’s like saying, “We’re going to put this enormous image of Jesus on a cross in our church – right up front – in your face – because this is what everyone is headed for – you just don’t know when at times."

It’s the pits.

Then in today’s gospel, the mother of James and John comes to Jesus asking that her boys get top billing. She wants the perks for them – not the pits.

And Jesus laughs and tells her, “Life is all about drinking the cup of suffering and struggle and service.” Translation: “Who said it was going to be easy?”

LIFE

Is it the pits?

Does it depend upon whether you’re an optimist or a pessimist?

How come some people see differently than other people?

How come some people seem to always have a scowl on their face and others seem to always have a smile on their face?

How come some people seem to have more trouble than other people?

How do I come up with the attitudes, I have come up with?

Can we see in a child, how they deal with having to go to bed at a certain time, having to eat their vegetables, having to turn off their games and do their homework – or be at supper – can we see the 50 or 75 year older in that child on how they deal with those moments?

Is life the pits or the pats on the back?

How do we see life: it’s purpose, plan, ups and downs, ins and outs?

Is it a wedding banquet or a traffic jam?

Is it being the bride or bridegroom or the waiter or waitress?

Who looks happier?

How do you see life?

I love Thornton Wilder’s words from his play, The Skin of our Teeth. I quote them all the time. “My advice to you is not to inquire why or whither, but just enjoy your ice cream while it’s on your plate – that’s my philosophy.”

To me it’s not, “The Pits!” It’s, “The Attitude!”

CONCLUSION

I don’t know about you, but I avoid people if I can, who seem to see life as “The Pits!”

I don’t know about you, I see the pits in the watermelon and oranges and grapes with pits, but I spit them out or cut them out and enjoy the taste and flavor of the watermelon, the orange or the grape much more than the pits.

I also love it when someone cuts up the fruit – and removes all the pits. Yet if I see a pit, I simply spoon it out, and enjoy the chew of all that delicious fruit.

I know there are pot holes and pits, but it’s not the whole road – and I am grateful for whoever did all that work to create Route 97. It always seems to me to be a great ride.

And I pinch myself for being an optimist – because when I was sitting there in my playpen or high chair as a child, I know I didn’t say back then, “When I grow up, I’m going to be an optimist.”

But I do know, I did say to myself, “When I grow up, I don’t want to be a grouch.” I remember rather clearly the day we were playing stickball on the street – 62nd Street, between 3rd and 4th Avenue. It was the late 1940’s. An old man – probably in his 50’s – on our street wouldn’t give us our ball – a pink Spaldeen – that had gone in his front yard – but instead he growled at us.

And I have met grouches – who see life as “The Pits” – and I know Jesus talks about the cross – and I know life has its crosses – but I prefer Jesus’ text, “Unless you be like little children, you’re not going to be experiencing the kingdom.” Amen. [Cf. Matthew 19: 13-15]

MISSED IT

Quote of the Day:  March 3,  2010

“There is still sunshine on the wall.”

Miguel de Cervantes [1547-1616], Don Quixote, Pt. ii, chapter. 3.

THANK  GOD  I  CAN'T

Quote of the Day: March 2,  2010

“The most merciful thing in the world, I think, is the inability of the human mind to correlate all its contents.”

Howard Phillips Lovecraft [1890-1937], The Call of Cthulhu [1928], chapter 1.

MERCY: A KEY
CHARACTERISTIC OF GOD

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily is, “Mercy: A Key Characteristic of God!”

We better have a grasp and a handle on this word and theme – "mercy" – because we use it so often at Mass and in religious thinking and talking.

“Mercy!”

In today’s gospel Jesus tells us to, “Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.” [Luke 6:36]

The word in Luke in the primary Greek text is, “oiktirmos”.

When I saw the word “mercy” in our English text, I was expecting that the Greek word would be either “eleous” or “splanchnon”. Nope. It was “oiktirmos” – which can be translated into English by “compassion”, “pity”, “forgiving”, “having a feel for what others are going through”.

I checked out The New Revised Standard Version, The King James Bible, the Good News Bible, and a few other Bibles to see how they translate Luke 6:36. Some use “mercy”; others use “compassion”.

So in general, “mercy” or “compassion” gives us a sense of what Jesus was saying.

MERCY: A CHARACTERISTIC OR ATTRIBUTE OF GOD

Question: When it comes to understanding God, do we see God having “mercy” as a key characteristic?

We use this word “mercy” a lot – like in the Divine Mercy chaplet or in the early prayers at Mass, “Lord, have mercy. Christ have mercy. Lord have mercy.” That is the English translation of the ancient prayer, “Kyrie eleison”. Notice the Greek word “eleous” in the word “eleison” – “eleos” the word I was expecting to find in the Greek text - which was translated "mercy".

Question: when we say that word “mercy” – when we pray that word “mercy”, do we really believe God has compassion and mercy?

As I listen to people carefully, I think at times they really don’t buy it. They worry about sins of their younger days. They think God is going to zap them when they die.

If there is one key characteristic, one description, that Jesus tells us is the Father, it’s that the Father is full of compassion, forgiveness, and mercy.

Now for those who don’t want to see God that way, they can find texts in both the New and Old Testaments that have God as an angry God.

Preachers and readers of the scriptures have their choice: God’s fist or God’s embracing arms.

Dilemma.

I’m saying here that I hear people struggle with this issue.

I’m saying here that Jesus saw people in his day having this very struggle about what God the Father is like.

START WITH SELF – AND MOVE TO GOD!

Next, if I hear what Jesus is trying to do in the gospels, it’s to get people to stop and go into themselves. Start with self.

I could be wrong that God is a loving Father. Maybe God is going to zap me for my life’s mistakes when I die. It seems that not everyone sees mercy as the key characteristic that describes God. However, I’ll take that - compared to there not being anything after we die.

That’s talking about God.

There is one person right here, right now, whom I can find out if mercy is one of the key characteristics that describes that person.

It’s me.

Right here, right now, I can take a good look at myself.

Is mercy a key characteristic that describes me?

As I was thinking about this theme and topic of mercy, I was wondering, if I don’t forgive others, if I don’t forgive myself, then maybe that’s the person who projects this non-mercy onto God.

Isn’t that remaking God in our own image and likeness?

Does it start with self? If I don’t really believe God forgives me my sins, then maybe that’s why I see God as one who doesn’t forgive or show mercy.

This is tricky stuff.

However, I think when I do that, when I think my image of God is the correct image of God, then that is utter self-centeredness. I also think it’s idolatry – making God in my image.

BUY MERCY

I choose to take Jesus at his word. He tells us that God is a very forgiving Father – a very merciful Father . We find this especially in Luke - the gospel writer we're focusing on this year.

I choose texts that support my hope that God is a merciful God – and I know as priest I’m not going to convince those who can’t accept forgiveness – who can't accept mercy.

In today’s gospel, Luke uses the image of the marketplace where are merchants selling grain. They pour the measure of grain you ask for into your cloak. Then they shake it. Then they add some more. Then they shake your garment even more. It spills over. Now that’s the kind of mercy and forgiveness I want God to pour into my heart and mind. And then I want God to even add some more. Like someone putting gravy on our mashed potatoes or parmesan cheese on our spaghetti, I want more, God, more.

Now that’s God. That’s the Good News.

CONCLUSION

In today’s gospel Jesus says, “Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.”

It’s the psalm refrain for today: “Lord, do not deal with us according to our sins.”

Who wants to go through life shamefaced – a word that we heard Marcy read in today’s first reading from Daniel 9: 4b-10. Who wants to spend our while life feeling guilty and stupid about mistakes we made 40 years ago or 4 weeks ago?

Today’s let’s try to treat each other with mercy – in church – in the parking lot – on the road – at work – in the stores – in our homes – in our hearts and minds and soul.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

A couple of people asked that I put this homily - for the 2 Monday in Lent - on my blog. It was a first draft homily - for a Monday morning. I tweaked it a bit just now - so I hope I didn't ruin whatever it was that hit a few folks the "right" way.