MOTIVE?

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for this 21^st Tuesday in Ordinary Time is, “Motive?”

“Motive” with a question mark.

Motive?

WHOLE GAGGLE

There is a whole gaggle - a whole flock - of possible motives going on in the air - in any given situation.

When we are watching or reading a mystery or a detective novel or TV show, the program often starts with a murder. NCIS has the formula down perfect. The opening scene is always a murder or killing - and hints are given if we catch them - who’s the bad guy - or gal - usually guy.

In the back of our mind as well as the NCIS team is the question: motive.

Get that, get the killer.

What are the basic motives?  Revenge, money, fear, anger?

What are the basic motives going on in life?

How about: to impress, to protect, hunger, thirst, to be loved, to be understood?

How about to be recognized, to prove to myself and those around me, I worthwhile, I’m worth something, I’m here, I’m smart, I’m not stupid?

Then there are the twists in motives: to be bad and to prove it or to prove that my parents were right, that  I’ll never amount to nothing, I do nothing.

TODAY’S PSALM RESPONSE

Today’s Psalm Response is classic Biblical Psychology. “You have searched me and you know me, Lord.” From Psalm 139.

O Lord, you have probed me and you know me; you know when I sit and when I stand; you understand my thoughts from afar. My journeys and my rest you scrutinize, with all my ways you are familiar.

“You have searched me and you know me, Lord.”

“Even, before a word is on my tongue, behold, O Lord, you know the whole of it. Behind me and before, you hem me in and rest your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; too lofty for me to attain.”

“You have searched me and you know me, Lord.”

Yet - hopefully - we’ll calmly work with the Lord  - and walk with the Lord - when it comes to motives - and that we get to know ourselves - especially our urges to be a better self.

At some point, hopefully,  we also move from judging others as a way to avoid walking and talking with ourselves. Jesus said that best when he talked about seeing specks in our sister or brother’s eye and miss the plank in our own eye.  

I assume the plan is to walk with the Lord - when it comes to judging motives. Here’s where humility and humble prayer comes into our motives - and understandings - hopefully…. as we grow into goodness, niceness, greatness and grace.

TODAY’S FIRST READING

Today’s first reading from 1^st Thessalonian from the year 50 or 51 - the earliest New Testament document - deals with Paul’s visit to two cities. [Cf. 2:1-8]

Philippi gave him grief and rejection. They gave him bad mouth.

Thessalonika gave him joy and acceptance. They gave him good mouth, good words.

Save guy - different reactions.  I’m sure this has happened to us. We’ve been there - when it comes to how we are accepted or rejected by family members or co-workers,

TODAY’S GOSPEL

In today’s gospel from Matthew 23: 23-26 - Jesus goes after the Pharisees. Once more they are being picky, picky, picky - off on the tiny and not being aware of the big things we should be off on: mercy and fidelity.

I assume the Pharisee inside us has the motive to look good - and keep the focus on the other guy - to make him or her look bad.

Don’t we want to hide our bad. Don’t people dump everything in the closet or  the bedroom - when guests are coming. We clean the outside of the cup and dish - in hopes nobody looks inside where it’s dirty and where there are our disasters.

Keeping up appearances is our program - whereas we should calmly investigate and do the forensics on our own  motives and pray for Jesus to help us to clean up our closets - basements - and inner rooms - so that charity and good news will come out of our mouths and being.

CONCLUSION

As today’s first reading ends, let us pray to be determined to share with each other not only the gospel of God, but our very selves as well, so dearly beloved we have become to each other.

SEEING  IS  BELIEVING

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for this feast of St. Bartholomew is, “Seeing Is Believing.”

In today’s gospel from John 1: 45-51 we see the word see or saw 6 times.

Seeing is a significant word for John - appearing 107 times - but the Gospel of John uses 5 different words for “to see”.

It means knowing, believing…. It means physically seeing …. It means insight ….

We had a priest in the seminary - Teddy Meehan - who said all the time, “Do you see?” He wanted us to see what he saw. Don’t we all? We nick-named him, “Do You See?”

We counted how many times he’d ask that question in just one class. I remember one class he said it, 247 times.

Do you see?

In the gospel of John the key message is to see Jesus.

The message is to follow Jesus.

The message is that Jesus is the way, the truth and the life. Jesus is the door, the gate, the Good Shepherd. Jesus is the Living Bread and Wine. Jesus is the light of the world. I am the resurrection and the life. I am the Son of God. The Father and I are one. I am life giving water.

Do you see?

NATHANIEL

Here in early part of John, the first chapter, we have 2 invitation scenes or situations.  Andrew discovers Jesus when someone says to him, “Come and see.”  Philip says in today’s gospel to Nathaniel, “Come and see.”

Nathaniel like Andrew, like Peter, come and see Jesus - to see if he is the one.

Jesus sees Nat and says, “Here is a true child of Israel. There is no duplicity in him.”  He’s not a divisive or a divided person. And Nathaniel is surprised and says, “How do you know me” and Jesus says, “Before Philip called you, I saw  you under the fig tree.”  Under the fig tree means - I saw you sitting there at your house. They think he comes from Cana and Cana like Nazareth, you’d know every person in the village by name.

SEEING IS BELIEVING

Sit in your home - at your house - here in this house - under this fig tree - which has figs, Christ, hanging from it. Sit under this cross - this eat this fruit, this wheat, these grapes, this break, this wine - and take an eat. This is my body…. this is my blood.

Do you get that? Do you see that?

In this gospel text - just the first chapter of John, we see Jesus as the Son of God as well as the Son of Man.

In this gospel text - just the first chapter of John, we see Jesus as the ladder  - that we can ascend to heaven and connect with God the Father - and come back and connect with each other.

COME AND SEE

When I read the gospel of John I get a quote from Teilhard de Chardin, “The whole of life can be found in the verb to see.”

Do you see?

CONCLUSION

I had a nice personal moment this morning at 8:30.

I’m sitting there at the Kids Mass in the St. Mary’s Schoolyard. It’s very bright - as I’m looking out and seeing 700 or so kids - or more - so I close my eyes slightly to be more comfortable in the light.

Surprise I see through my slightly opened and slightly closed eyes - grey light. I see what looks like one of those sonograms - showing what's going on in a mother’s womb - with a baby inside.

What hits me next is that I am alive. This is life. I am alive from conception to birth to death - and I have been blessed with the wonderful world of in between. Christ is here in all this.

I say a prayer of thanks for seeing the whole mystery of life as if I’m in the womb of the world. It’s all here - right in front of me - especially in all these elementary school kids who have their whole life in front of them.

Then came the question: Do I see Jesus here? Then I hear the answer, “Come and see.”

Then the prayer, “Thank you Jesus. Amen - Amen.”

August 24, 2015

WORST SERMON EVER HEARD

After Mass, he stood there in the back of church

as I was saying “Good bye! Have a great week!”

and shaking hands to all those on their way out.

Finally, it was just the two of us. He said, “Can I

tell you something?” “Sure,” I said. So he said,

“That was the worst sermon I ever heard.”

Of course that would catch me off guard.

Of course I said “Sorry.” Then I thought inwardly,

“Bring back all those people who just went by

and said, “Nice sermon, Father. Thanks for your

words.” I also thought of the old saying, “You can

get 20 compliments and 1 complaint. Guess what you’re going to remember?”  What he wanted, he said, was to have the preacher challenge us - get us angry - and then to go out and make a difference. I said, “That’s not me! 
I like to be liked. I don’t want people to spot me but to spot themselves - look into themselves - and see where they are being called.” It didn’t make any difference. I wasn’t his cup of tea. 
Like the people in the gospel we had for yesterday, he walked away. Like Jesus 
I needed to tell someone about what happened to me. This morning I woke up still thinking 
about the moment - so I assume his comments were  wrestling inside me all night - and I said

to myself, “Wait a minute. Contradiction guy!

My sermon did stir you up - enough for you to

come up to me with some angry words. I guess

I did challenge you. I got you to talk to me.”

© Andy Costello, Reflections 2015

Picture on top: Here I am falling
on my butt - while skating on
our pond in our Minor Seminary,
St. Mary's North East, Pa, in the
early 1950;s

SUBMISSION

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for this 21^st Sunday in Ordinary Time [B] is, “Submission.”

The topic was triggered especially by today’s second reading from the Letter to the Ephesians. It has the “hot button word,” “subordinate” - as in, “Wives should be subordinate to their husbands as to the Lord.”

Some people hear that and don’t go any further.

Evidently the text has been used in arguments about who’s right, who’s wrong, who has to do what, sexuality, control, power in marriage - and in a family.

The original text comes down to us from the Greek. Obviously, we hear in English Language Masses the English translation.

I would translate the Greek verb, “HUPEIKO” with the English word, “submit” - but our translators chose “subordinate”.

I’ll submit to that. I’m subordinate to the Church authorities - above me.

With a semi-smile on my face, I would think “subordinate” is softer than “submit”  - so I wonder if the translators chose “subordinate” - to be a bit more PC correct - which is another “hot button phrase” - so as not to be trumped or jumped on for being insensitive to women.

In spite of that, I would think people would understand the meaning of the word “submit” more than they would “subordinate”.

EPHESIANS 5:21-32

So for some, today’s second reading is a “hot button Bible text.” They sense  it’s telling wives that they are not equal partners in a marriage. “Be  subordinate to your husband” - then it adds “as to the Lord.” God is God. Our husband is certainly not God.

It’s a real topic to think about - because when talking to couples - I often hear men say that the two most important words in marriage are, “Yes dear!” I would think the more important two words would be, “Let’s talk!” - “Let’s listen.” - and  “Love you!” and “Wow - thanks!”

I know of a woman - in another state - who calls the rectory when this text is coming up. Her question to a priest is, “Are you going to read that text this Sunday?”

Probably not that clear what’s this all about,  he might say, “Well, we’ll use the cut down version.”

Or we might have a stale mate.  Smile.

It’s my sense that this battle is on the other side of the glass ceiling and people have come to terms with the issues involved in their own way. I also sense we’ll get to where we’re going to get in time - women’s ordination, etc. etc. etc. I would always hope our church will say these 2 word sentences, “Let’s talk.” “Let’s listen.”

[We congratulate first time servers here at St. Mary’s - so I did that to a young girl server one Sunday and added to be cute, “Maybe someday you’ll be pope.” In another situation I might say to a young girl, “Someday you might be president”. Well I got a phone call complaining about I’m for women’s ordination. I assume that will come - long after I’m dead - but I’m not going to say that from the pulpit - otherwise that’s all some people will hear and it will kill my homily further.]

BRUCE MALINA - CREIGHTON UNIVERSITY

Years ago I attended a one week seminar on scripture and one of the speakers was Bruce Malina of Creighton University.

The issue of woman’s place, rights, respect, recognition in the church came up. 

Looking back, thinking back,  I believe Bruce Malina said something like this:  My field is the first century Mediterranean basin.  Woman’s place was in the back room and in the kitchen. Men’s place was outside - smoking and talking - with their tools leaning against the side of their homes.

Next he said you can want different, but this is the way it was in the world of the First Century New Testament.

Then he showed us an old documentary - a black and white movie - of a small out of the way Greek island from around the early 1930’s. Sure enough the men were out front - and the women were in the back rooms and in the kitchen.

If you want to read a good book on all this from a culture different than here in Annapolis read The Bookseller of  Kabul. It was written by the Norwegian journalist Asne Seiersgtad. She got imbedded into the home of bookseller in Kabul, Afghanistan - and her book helped me understand a lot more about a woman’s place in other cultures.

SUBMISSION

The title of my homily is, “Submission.”

Now that’s a topic worth thinking about - worth reflecting upon.

Submission.

That’s a skill we all need.

One of our biggest problems in life is our inability to submit.

I know I was always last minute in finishing and submitting a term paper.

I am still the same in finishing homilies - like this one that I submit to you today.

Submission - if you come to Mass you have to submit to the person in the pulpit and the altar that you get. If you don’t want to, you can read the bulletin or your own inner tapes.

Submission - how good are you with that one?

I know some people can’t submit to traffic jams.

I know some people can’t submit to wrinkles and aging.

I know some people can’t submit to life.  It happens.

How about cancer, death, rejection?

How about reality?  The ice cream cone - even two scoops of butter almond - melts and drips - and disappears into our bodies as we eat it - or onto our t-shirt or the sidewalk.

Everything comes to an end. Kids go off to college.

Summer ends. School starts again.

The clock keeps ticking. Morning arrives and we got to get up to go to work.

Horror happens - divorces happen - people cut us off in getting out of the church parking lot - people cut us off in the middle of the story we’re telling. People yawn.  Some people are not polite and tell us, “You’ve told that joke ten times now. Hello!”

Submission.

Of course, sometimes we have to resist - protest -  yell - change - make moves - talk to each other. “Do you know a good lawyer?”

So there are some things we should not submit to: abuse, violence, craziness.

Some people vent inwardly or outwardly behind the other person’s back.

Some people call the police.

Some people write to the newspaper or the bishop or the pastor.

TODAY’S OTHER TWO READINGS

Maybe I should have concentrated on today’s other two readings.

I picture Joshua’s in today’s reading - nearing his end - old age happens - and folks are dropping out - or giving up their religious heritage and faith - - bummer - and all he can say is, “Well, as to me and my household, we will serve the Lord.”

I picture Jesus in today’s gospel - standing there and seeing all these people walking away - telling him they can’t accept what he’s saying.

We who have seen family members dropping out of our faith - know the feeling.  And the numbers are increasing.

Jesus  submitted to all  that - but says to Peter, “Do you also want to leave?”

Simon Peter answered him, “Master, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life We have come to believe and are convinced that you are the Holy One of God.”

CONCLUSION

The topic of submission calls for deep consideration.

The choice is ours.

This issue of submission or subordination calls for communication - talking and listening. Husbands and wives submit to talking to each other.

Ooops in case nobody got what I was talking about - let me tell you what might have also triggered this topic for me.

On Friday evening we had a wedding rehearsal for a wedding for Saturday afternoon. A little boy was to be the ring boy for the wedding. On Friday night he sees this big aisle and breaks free of this little girl, older and taller than he. He runs full speed ahead to the front here, turns right and then shoots down the side aisle, across the back, and down the aisle again. His mother can’t catch him - and they kid looks like he’s only been doing 3 months of walking.

Then he spots the steps up front here and he goes right at them - crawling up the 3 steps - conquering them - and his mom and dad catch him at that and he goes back up there a few times.

It was a great scene. I loved it.  Of course his parents were scared he might have done it yesterday in his tux.  He didn’t. He was perfect.

But that kid needs to learn all about submission and subordination and his parents need to learn how to do that.

If you get that, you got my sermon. Amen.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Painting on top: American Gothic, Grant Wood, 1930

August 23, 2015

COLD BUTTER

Cold yellow butter -

applied to toasted 
whole wheat bread,

cut into twin triangles,

on a small round white plate,

and then placed in

front of me,
but there's more,

a clear white plate arrives,

bigger, with two fried eggs

and three slices of bacon,

a cup of coffee - with

four drops of milk.

It doesn’t get any better -

but it does:

I have the whole day

in front of me -

thank You, God,

thank You.

© Andy Costello Reflections, 2015

August 22, 2015

EXIT

I’ve wondered at times if people look for

certain things when they enter a room or

a house - a restaurant or a store. I don’t

know if I do - or if anyone does. Maybe 
some wonder about things like: Where is the bathroom? Is there an exit. Who’s here?

Who’s not here? Who’s who here? What's 
here? What's going on here? I repeat, I 
don’t know if anyone thinks about one of
these questions consistently or consciously. 
If I had to guess or give an answer for myself,

I think I’d say, “Where’s the exit?” Now

what does that say about me? What does

any answer, if we have one, say about us?

© Andy Costello, Reflections, 2015

August 21, 2015

MUTE

There is that mute button on the TV remote.

There is that button on the side of cell phones

to tone it down. But there is no button on each

other - when the other is too much with us -

so sometimes we gesture  to each other -

with a “Shush!” finger to our lips or we signal

to another with hands palms down - to “Calm down!” Then sometimes that causes a scream
or the  other becomes furious which proves we’re right. We need a “Mute” button - so hurry
up evolution. Hurry up!

© Andy Costello, Reflections, 2015