Wednesday, December 16, 2015

December 16, 2015

10  THINGS  TO  PONDER

It rains.
Iron rusts.
Skin wrinkles.
Expect love.
Colors fade.
Weather changes.
Fashions change.
People sin.
Forgiveness helps.
God ponders.


© Andy Costello, Reflections, 2015

Tuesday, December 15, 2015


CHANGING  ONE’S  MIND


INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for this 3rd Tuesday in Advent is, “Changing One’s Mind.”

When it comes to life - unless we’re blind -  one of the things - we discover is that people change their minds.  

They switch jobs, spouses, houses, ideas - sometimes right there - while ordering off the menu at McDonald's.  “Wait! Switch that to a Big Mac.”

If we can say, “Yes” -  we can also say, “No!”

If we can marry - fall in love - be nice to each other - the opposite can happen. When and while the Good is going on, great. When and while the Bad and the Ugly are playing on our screen, ugh.

In fact, love and niceness and goodness - wouldn’t be great unless the opposite could also be a choice.

Freedom - free will - choice - are down deep essential ingredients for being a human being.

CHANGING AND GROWING

The title of my homily is, “Changing One’s Mind.”

Heraclitus said, "There is nothing permanent except change." 

So one of the secrets of life is learning to deal with change - because it’s going to happen.

So if we are alive, we can grow - we can learn to know - we can see that there were some things we were not seeing.

Why? Because that’s the way we are - changing our mind in relationships, religion, politics, friendships, - in everything. How and what we see at 10 is different than what we see at 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90.

Hopefully, we know much more about our mom and dad - brothers and sisters - life - God - than we did 20 years ago.

If we don’t, we’re not talking to our family and each other. If not, we’re not growing and learning. If not, we’re not thinking.

AN ARGUMENT: NIGHT AND THE NEXT MORNING

I’ve discovered that we can’t remember everything - every moment of our lives - but there are some moments that we never forget.  Some are dramatic moments - some are so, so moments. Strange - paradoxical to what I’ve just said, sometimes there is no choice in what we remember and what we forget.

I remember one such small moment. I was at a meeting for us Redemptorists. I was sitting at this dining room table for six one evening. In reality I was a listener, because I never got into the argument that happened.

Looking back I don’t remember what the fight was about - but I do remember that  this one guy was adamant with his opinion and three other guys argued against his position vehemently.

The next morning I just happen  to be sitting with the same guy who was in the argument the night before. Surprise the same argument came up - and this time the guy had switched his opinion from the night before and was arguing with the same arguments the others were using against him the evening before.

I was tempted to say something - but I didn’t - but I’ve often thought about that reality. Maybe he couldn’t admit that he might be wrong - the night before. Maybe he thought about it the whole night.

For some reason  that small human happening  - has often intrigued me. It surprised me.

In time I learned that’s one of the benefits for arguing. It helps us clarify our truths.  We might not admit we’re wrong or what have you in the present moment - but in time we change.

As Anonymous put it, “Change is always happening. People don't always see it, understand it or accept it.”

As Maynard Ferguson put it, “Change is always happening. That's one of the wonderful things about jazz music.”

That’s the beauty of music, food, life, religion, philosophy, sports, politics - and what have you.  Life is being given opportunities to learn, to grown, to know different slants on life.

GOSPEL

Today’s gospel - Matthew 21: 28-32 - triggered this topic of changing our minds. One son said, “no” for starters, but in time he changed his mind and said “yes” with his actions. The other son said, “Yes” with his mouth, but “No” with his body.

Conversion, transformation, change, repentance are gospel hopes.

Change is the hope of every person - about their children, their parents, their politicians.

Lao Tzu said, "If you do not change direction, you may end up where you are heading."  

Things don’t have to stay the same. We’re not robots. Things are not pre-determined, Stephen Hawking said, "I have noticed even people who claim everything is predestined, and we can do nothing to change it, look before they cross the road."

Life calls us to change - wake up - get moving in new directions. I am challenged by the poetic message of W.H. Auden,


Life calls us to change - wake up - get moving in new directions. I am challenged by the poetic message of W.H. Auden,

We would rather be ruined than changed,
We would rather die in our dread
Than climb the cross of the moment
And let our illusions die."

CONCLUSION

Christmas is coming.

May Christmas this year be a change.

May you experience Christ, family, friends, gifts, cards as a whole new experience this year. Amen.



December 15, 2015


FISHING  FOR  PEOPLE

Jesus called us to fish for people -
netting other people into his Way -
his Way of seeing - his Way of being.

But some people are sharks and
barracudas and piranhas and
they bite and chew us up every time.

And some people are salmon or
bass, gold fish or guppy,  cod or
haddock, Mahi-mahi or mackerel.

Wait! Christ’s choice would be to net
all those sharks and barracudas, all
those people who chew us up like bread.


© Andy Costello, Reflections 2015

Monday, December 14, 2015


ORACLES

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for this 3rd Monday in Advent is, “Oracles.”

An oracle - is not a word - that we use that often.

Without looking it up in a dictionary - we get a sense about what it means.

It’s a speech - that’s more than a speech. In fact, when someone gives a really important speech, it’s called an oration at times.

And that word “oration” comes close to the word “oracle”.

Notice both of them have as their first three letters “ora” - the Latin word for prayer.

So an oracle is speech from on high - from God - special - powerful - with authority.

TODAY’S READINGS

I noticed that word “oracle” in today’s first reading. Balaam, son of Beor, gives voice to an oracle. [It’s found 5 times in 24th Chapter of Numbers 24: 3, 15, 20, 21, 23.]

 Then Balaam adds that it’s the utterance of man whose eye is true. It’s “the utterance of one who hears what God says, and knows what the Most High knows.” It’s from “one who sees what the Almighty sees.”

Well  if that is true, we better listen.

Today’s gospel - Matthew 21: 23-27 - doesn’t use the word “oracle” - but we have a scene where Jesus is questioned for his utterances - for his proclamations - but especially for what he is doing - which he often says - he heard from his Father - who is God.

WE CHRISTIANS

We Christians listen to this Jesus - we watch this Jesus - we do a lot of things in memory of Jesus.

For example this Meal, this Mass,  this moment, here in this church - is being done in memory of Jesus.

OUR RESPONSE

Our first response should be prayer!

Today’s Psalm response is from Psalm 25: “Teach me your ways, O Lord.”

That’s a great mantra - a great prayer. “Teach me your ways, O Lord.”

Today’s Psalm has us praying, “Your ways, O Lord, make known to me; teach me your paths. Guide me in truth and teach me, for you are my God and my savior.”

THREE RESPONSES TO PEOPLE WHO GIVE US ORACLES

In the history of the Church there have been lots of people speaking oracles - as if they were speaking for God.

Many of these are so called, “Private Revelations.”

Often I keep my mouth shut when people ask me about these so called, “Private Revelations.”

They often turn up and become very popular.

But if you ask me about them, I’d give these 3 responses.

First - Pray about them.

Secondly, ask questions about what is being said.

Don’t be scared to ask questions. Mary did?
Be like the Pharisees and ask questions about oracles, “By what authority are you saying these things.”

And often the one giving the revelation says that what they are saying comes from God.

There it is: they are giving us an oracle.

Give everything the litmus test. Does what a person is saying lead us to love the Lord our God, with our whole heart, mind, soul and strength - and love our neighbor as ourselves.

If someone is telling us this is God speaking and something seems wrong - and you disagree - don’t be scared to disagree - you’re not the first one.

There are lots of folks announcing this is God’s will - and at times I just keep quiet or I for one think inwardly, “I disagree!” or “I’m not that sure about what you are saying.”

The history of the church is a history of folks giving us “private revelations” and people accept everything as gospel truth.

Thirdly, use the Gamaliel principle. It’s found in the Acts of the Apostles - 5: 35-39. He uses it on this new revelation called, “Christianity.”

The Gamaliel Principle is this: Give an oracle time. Stall. Hesitate. If this is from God, then why fight God. If this is baloney, time will tell it’s baloney.

CONCLUSION


Oracles are tricky stuff. Listen carefully and say and pray, “Teach me o Lord, your ways.” Then see what fruit comes from the oracle.
December 14, 2015

DARK GOD

Have you ever gone into a dark room
and you sense someone is sitting there?

God is ….

God is just there - like in a dark confessional
or on a soft sofa just waiting for us in our dark.

  
© Andy Costello, Reflections, 2015
Thought on the Feast
of St. John of the Cross,
one of those who wrote about
the Dark Night of the soul -
like F. S. Fitzgerald who wrote
in The Crack-up [1936],
“In a real dark night of the soul
it is always three o’clock
in the morning.”

Sunday, December 13, 2015




JOYFUL

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for this 3rd Sunday in Advent [C] is, “JOYFUL.”

On a scale of 1 to 10 - 10 being the highest - how would you score yourself as a joyful person?

On a scale of 1 to 10 - 10 being the highest  - how would your family or the people you work with, or the people who live next to you, how would they score you as a joyful person?

Great selfie question: “Am I a joy to be with?”

GAUDETE SUNDAY

Today is Gaudete Sunday - the middle Sunday in Advent. Gaudete means “rejoice”.  We have the same idea in the middle of Lent - Laetare Sunday - which also means “rejoice”.

The theme for today is just that: Joy!

You heard in today’s readings that word “joy” or “rejoice” over and over again.

At the end of Advent is Christmas…. At the end of Lent is Easter…. There they are: two Church seasons that lead us to two big Christ feasts.

In both Christmas and Easter, we hear about joy - Christmas joy and Easter joy. Twice a year Catholics, Christmas and Easter Catholics,  got that right.

How does one get joy? The obvious Christian message is: “Get Christ.”

And Christ will challenge you on how to love, how to give, how to serve, how lay down one's life for one's friends - as well as those who are stuck. And giving - doing for others - will lead to great joy.

TWO BIG JOYFUL SONGS

The opposite to joy is sadness.

If sad, listen to music. Better: joy filled music.  If sad at Christmas time, don’t just sit there in your sadness. Take a good walk. Talk a good talk with someone. Do something for someone. Maybe a neighbor is all alone and you can bring some joy and some soup to them.

Listen to music - joy filled music.

Two great joyful songs are the Ode to Joy by Beethoven and Joy to the World by George Frideric Handel who worked on that musical piece - amongst others.


Today, is December 13. In 12 days we’ll be celebrating Christmas and everyone knows and sings - even Catholics - Joy to the World. 

I’ve also noticed that people sing hymns in church that have the music for Beethoven’s Ode to Joy.

Last night I read up on Beethoven’s Ode to Joy. It’s near the end of his famous  9th Symphony.

Beethoven took the words of the German poet Friedrich Schiller - which he wrote in 1785 - and were slightly revised in 1808 - and put them at the end of his 9th Symphony.

It has never fell off the charts. People have been singing it ever since. 


It’s a great piece for those Flash Mobs.

It became the National Anthem of the European Union in the 1970’s - and in various other places around our world.


Every December in Japan - the Ode to Joy is sung - everywhere - by all kinds of groups. It’s like groups that sing Handel’s Messiah in the United States, Canada, Germany and England at Christmas time.

Schiller - the original author - in his poem - was calling Europe to be united - to have deep respect for all human beings - to open up the prisons that were holding political prisoners who spoke up for human freedom.

Schiller’s poem begins by saying that joy is the divine spark in every human being.

CHRISTMAS

That would be the place I would want to go - to call the world to realize God is within the heart and minds of every human being - but often that spark goes out.

The results are the horror stories of our world.

If that divine spark has gone out, I would hope every Christmas that divine spark be rekindled - in the stable - in the cave - in the manger of our minds or hearts.

I would see Christ as the one who came to cast fire upon the earth - as we heard in today’s.  John the Baptist - when asked if he was the Christ - answered, “I am baptizing you with water, but one mightier than I is coming. I am not worthy to loosen the thongs of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fan is in his hand….”

Christ can be that spark that ignites us.

I’m sure some time in your life you started a fire - and you cupped your two hands and blew into that fire to  get it going.

I see that spark like a little baby of a flicker - till it starts burning brightly - and warms the earth.

I would think that’s a way to re-tell the Christ story - the Christmas story.

I always loved being at my sister’s house at New Year’s - and they would fill up the fire place with wood and then get a fire going - a fire that warms the house and puts a smile on everyone’s face.

CONCLUSION

I began this homily by asking about how joyful you are - on a scale of 1 to 10, 10 being the highest.

I said that Christ is the one who can come into our world - can bring Joy to our world.

Someone once said, "Joy is the echo of God within us."

That joy begins as a spark. Breathe on it. Fan it. Ignite it. Bring that joy into your everyday world - by thinking and doing for others. Amen.
December 13, 2015


ALL JOY, ALL PAIN

I used to think that God was all joy. I did.
After all - God is in control of everything.
God has everything. God knows everything.
Why wouldn’t that mean - one has only joy?

In that I realized why God sent his only son.
God kept hearing the cries of the poor, the
cries of the hurting, the complaints of the
many - betrayals - denials - rejections - pains. 

So God said, I have to find out what this is 
all about, so he sent his only Son - who felt
his first rejection as a baby - with a lot
more pain to come after that. Ok now I get it.


© Andy Costello, Reflections 2015