RED  AND  BLACK

Quote for Today  March 4,  2011

BLACK BLOOD

"The first transfusions used blood from lambs. Rumor had it that they made you sprout wool. In 1670, such experiments were outlawed in Europe.

"Much later on, around 1940, Charles Drew came up with new techniques for processing and storing plasma. In light of his discoveries, which were to save millions of lives during the Second World War, Drew was named the first director of the Red Cross blood bank in the United States.

"He lasted eight months in the job.

"In 1942 a military directive prohibited mixing black blood with white blood in transfusions.

"Black blood! White blood? 'This is utter stupidity,' Drew said, and he would not discriminate against blood.

"He understood the matter: he was a scientist, and he was black.

"So he resigned, or was resigned."



From Eduardo Galeano [1940- ] in Mirrors, Stories of Almost Everyone, Nation Books, New York, pages 299-300, translated by Mark Fried, 2009

Picture on top: Charles Richard Drew [1904-1956]

GUESS 

THE  FUTURE

Quote for Today - March 3,  2011

"I think there is a world market for about five computers."

Words of IBM chairman, Thomas J. Watson Sr. [1874-1956] in 1943.

THE COLOR OF

The color of olives
green-brown or black,
but I prefer black.

The color of watermelon,
green-yellow-streaked outside,
but I prefer the red juicy inside
even with the pits.

The color of snow,
white first snow,
wow – tasting cold flakes
on my tongue,
but after a long winter,
I prefer the grey piles of snow
melting towards spring.

The color of Lent
ashes, purple,
the grey black skin of fish,
but I prefer white lilies,
the alleluia trumpets
of Easter and Resurrection
and the Paschal Lamb.

© Andy Costello, Reflections 2011

THE COMPLAINER

Before you begin, let me complain:
I begin to feel tension
whenever you walk into a room.
And here’s why. You complain.
You gripe. You grumble.
Too much and too many times …
biting, barking, scratching, clawing,
muttering grunts and nasty comments
about politics and politicians,
traffic, religion – or lack of religion.
It seems you don’t like people
who are different or look different.

Well, let me tell you something:
You make me nervous because
it seems you go around trying
to round up vocations to your
way of life: “Come follow me!”
Well, I don’t want to walk with you.
In fact, I want to avoid you.
And when I am stuck with you,
I find myself inwardly complaining,
griping, grumbling about you.

Now, is this what you want?
Is that why you complain?
Is it complainers like me
who make complainers like you
or are we both in a vicious circle?
Well, I don’t like you and
I don’t like myself when
I’m complaining. So why
do we do this to ourselves?
It’s a cliché, but is all this
simply all about,
“Misery wanting company?”

© Andy Costello, Reflections 2011

WEATHER REPORT

You’re like an old tiny
black and white TV set
sitting on a corner kitchen shelf,
sending out low sounds.
ongoing background pictures
from the weather channel.
You keep sending signals
about what kind of mood
you’re in right now. I see
and hear the lump sound
in your throat,
the tightening fist,
the sound of a foot,
tapping on your wooden chair.
Turn the channel.
Then turn up your volume.
Give me real news about
what’s happening in your world.

© Andy Costello, Reflections 2011

EARLY MARCH

Barren reminders,
the tops of

these empty trees,

these barren crosses,

still shivering in the cold,
still shaking in the wind,
till March, till I spot
crocuses at my feet.

Winter is almost over.
"Christ has died.

Christ has risen.

Christ will come again."
"O come let us adore Him,
Christ the Lord."

© Andy Costello, Reflections 2011

WHAT’S IN YOUR CHALICE?

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for this 8th Wednesday in Ordinary Time is, “What’s In Your Chalice?”

It’s sort of like the question in the Capital One TV commercials, “What’s in your wallet?”

What’s in your chalice?

Robert Fulghum, the minister and writer, used to ask on retreats he gave to men: “Take out your wallets and put them on the table. What’s inside your wallet tells you a lot about yourself? What’s in your wallet? What does each item tell you about yourself?”
What’s in your chalice?

TODAY’S GOSPEL

In today’s gospel Jesus talks about the chalice – and it triggered various thoughts and wonderings and memories and questions.

Jesus disciples are vying to be # 1. They are missing what he’s trying to teach them about life. He tells them he’s going to Jerusalem where he’s going to confront and face the big test, the big issue, what God the Father wants life to be all about. It’s going to hurt. It’s a baptism. Can you drink that chalice? They say, “Yes we can!” He says, “You will drink it!” Jesus then indicates that life is all about giving – serving – willing to lay down one’s life for others. Not so easy. Not so easy.

Can you drink that chalice?

On the altar right now is a chalice. It’s one of the two chalices used at this Mass.

When you come to communion you have the opportunity to receive the bread and the cup. Either way and both ways, one can receive Christ and be in communion with him and all here at this Mass. Your move. Your choice.

The chalice, the cup, the Holy Grail, is charged with memory, mystery, moment. Your move.

It brings us into the Last Supper, into the garden, to the Cross – and then to the Resurrection and New Life.

It’s not easy to take the chalice. Jesus hesitated in the garden to take the cup and gave a million preachers the opportunity to reflect on one of life’s great mysteries: What’s in the chalice?

PRIEST RETREAT

I’ve given many priests’ retreats. A couple of times as an evening reflection in chapels I placed an empty chalice on the altar. I said to the priests: at the end of the service you’re invited to gradually and slowly and one at a time – with pauses in between to come up to the altar – stand where you stand for Mass – and then look at the chalice and into the chalice. Everyone sees the gold outside. People know our outside, but what’s inside – in the empty spaces no one can see?

Then I asked them to calmly put all of their life so far into that chalice on the altar – all – everything – the whole story – and then add what’s to come – and then pick up that heavy chalice and offer up all to God.

One night after doing this – a few hours after doing this – I heard a knock on my door – and a priest who was on the retreat asked to talk to me – and he poured out his whole life – he poured out all that was in his chalice in front of me – and it was a great moment of grace – and he thanked me for that he saw about life – his life – that evening.

CONCLUSION

What’s in your chalice?

Today after this Mass – if I remember – senior moments are appearing in my chalice more and more – I hope to leave one chalice on the altar and invite all of you – or any of you – to come up and stand at the altar and see what’s in your chalice and then lift it up and offer all to God.