December 24, 2015

CHRISTMAS  MEMORIES

No comparison….

There is no comparison between

a child’s Christmas - the waking up,

the rubbing of eyes - and then the

realization and the run - that there

are surprises under the Christmas tree

to be unwrapped - ripped open - that

wonderful sound - wrapped surprises -

boxes one has been feeling, shaking,

picking up - for at least 10 days now -

and then the photo shots by one’s 

parents of their kids kneeling at

the Christmas tree on Christmas morning….

No comparison….

There is no comparison between

a 55 and older’s Christmas - with all those

same memories - and so much more -

gifts - Christmas gifts - life time gifts that

one has been feeling, shaking, picking up -

for at least 50 years now - those photos

in one’s memory - sitting there looking at

the Christmas tree on Christmas morning.

© Andy Costello, Reflections 2015

December 23, 2015

BELLS

We’re lucky - that is blessed  -

if we live with bells within ear reach.

They could tell us a church is nearby -
announcing when prayers or a Mass or
a marriage or a funeral was happening -

or someone has chimes on their porch

and the wind is passing by. If not, we're

not cursed - but we could buy a grand-father clock with bells or get to church. 

© Andy Costello, Reflections, 2015

MAGNIFICENT

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for today, December 22, is, “Magnificent.”

Since we have Mary’s Magnificat as today’s gospel, the word and the theme of magnificent hit me.

What would it be like to have an ink pad and one of those rubber stamps with the word, “MAGNIFICENT” on it?

What would it be like to go into Office Depot orStaples and ask to have such a rubber stamp made up with that word “MAGNIFICENT” on it.

I wonder if the person at the counter would be surprised. They would have seen and sold standard rubber stamps with words like “FRAGILE,” “SEND,” “APPROVED,” “REJECTED,” and “FYEO - For Your Eyes Only.”

But the word “MAGNIFICENT,” I don’t know if they would have that.

MARY IN HER MAGNIFICAT

Mary in her Magnificat stamps as magnificent the goodness of the Lord, the realization that the Lord spotted her - a lowly servant up there in the tiny village of Nazareth - that the Almighty has done great things for her, that God has shown mercy on those who fear him in every generation and on and on and on.

She rubber stamps God’s valuing the poor and God’s frustration with the rich and powerful who don’t do for the poor and the weak enough.

LOOKING AT OURSELVES

Looking at ourselves, looking at our neighbors, our parish and our world, what would we stamp as magnificent? Do this slowly and we might see moments we saw a beautiful sunrise or a forest of rich red Autumn leaves or the volunteers in the St. Vincent de Paul Society helping the poor.

We might stamp as a MAGNIFICENT moment seeing kids coming towards their Christmas presents on Christmas morning.

We might stamp as MAGNIFICENT being at marriages, baptisms, Thanksgiving dinners with a filled house - and anniversaries.

We might stamp as MAGNIFICENT a kid’s choir or an adult’s choir singing Christmas carols - or a mighty chorus singing Handel’s Messiah full blast.

We might stamp as MAGNIFICENT a funeral that was quiet, simple, sweet for a mom or a dad - or a big funeral like the one we had for Bernie Bernsten who was always here for this Tuesday morning 8 AM Mass.

I don’t know about stamping a big chocolate chip cookie in milk as MAGNIFICENT or a juicy pulled pork sandwich at Adam’s Ribs.  I don’t know about a team winning the National Championship, the World Series or the Super bowl or the Stanley Cup.

We have the mouth - we have the mind and the words - the eyes that see - and we could have an imaginary stamp to stamp anything we see as MAGNIFICENT. So it could be a great play - a great song  - a great meal - a great piano recital or violin solo - or a radical moment with God in prayer.

It could also be in French - MAG NI FIQUE - spoken with a hand gesture and with a kiss smack of the lips.

CONCLUSION

A test - some homework - a questionnaire:

Looking at our life, imagine yourself stamping 5 top moments from one’s life with the word “MAGNIFICENT” on it - especially moments that were full of grace - and the Lord was with us.

Looking at our life, with an imaginary rubber stamp, stamp the word "MAGNIFICENT" on 5 people who have been "MAGNIFICENT" to us and for us.

December 22, 2015

SOUNDS RESOUNDING

Flute, lute, piano notes, sweet sounds,

float out open windows - go through

walls and skin and into ear drums and

message and massage the human

heart and we scream, “Life must

go on and on and on forever and a day.”

© Andy Costello, Reflections 2015

THE  HAIL  MARY! 

SAVOR  IT!  SAY  IT  SLOWLY! 

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for December 21st in Advent is, “The Hail Mary! Savor it! Say it Slowly!”

I have a complaint - but I don’t want to make this a complaining homily.

The complaint is the rushing of prayers: like the Hail Mary.

Instead of complaining, I want to suggest a few things about saying the ancient prayer: the Hail Mary.

This is a very easy homily - because we all know and say the Hail Mary all the time.

So a homily entitled, “The Hail Mary! Savor it. Say it Slowly.”

BREAK IT DOWN

Let’s begin with “Hail.”

It’s a greeting - a message - a connection - we say 100 times a day. It’s simply, “Hi!” or “Hello.”

In German, it’s “Heil!” We’ve heard that before.

So “Hi Mary!” I’ve never heard anyone who tried to modernize the Hail Mary to “Hi Mary!” - but “Hi” or “Hey” or “Hello” is what we’re saying. It’s the call to connect - to greet. It’s the beginning of communion and connection - be it long or short.

Next comes the other’s name. Who are the names of the persons in our communion - connection. Mom, dad, brothers, sisters, neighbors, friends.

Name tags are an attempt to help communication.

I read somewhere that the number one word people who are in love say is the name of the person they love. They are saying it inwardly all the time.

I’ve been with many high school groups - and I've noticed that girls write the name of the kid they like, love, are after - 100 times on their note pads or loose leaf fillers. Men sometimes do the tattoo.

Full of grace comes next.  We’ve heard people say, “You’re full of baloney", etc. etc. etc. Mary is filled with grace, which means for starters: gifts - the gifts we need, especially, faith, hope and charity.

We’ve all heard someone begin talking to us - buttering us up - and we wonder what they want - what they want to eat up in us - probably our time.

Does Mary say back to us, “Okay what do you want?”

And in the Hail Mary we express what we want. Help - for us sinners - for our family - for health - for patience - for strength.

We add, “the Lord is with you!”  Translation: Mary, you can do it. You can help. You have the Lord on your side.

All those who think we think Mary is God - tell them we don’t. But we do think “The Lord is with her.”

And because of the Lord we think she is blessed among all women - because  blessed is the fruit of her womb, Jesus.

I noticed on the Democratic debate on Saturday night each candidate was asked about roles their spouse might take on if elected president. Fun was made of Bill Clinton if Hillary wins. Martin O’Malley our former governor - made a double blessing - that his wife, Katie, doesn’t need me to be delegated any duties - and besides that she gets her skills and gifts from her mother. One commentator said, “Smart move, praising not only his wife, but also his mother-in-law.”

So praise is key to the Hail Mary - not just prayers of petition.

We know the first part of the Hail Mary contains 2 scripture texts from here in the Gospel of Luke. We heard one here in today’s gospel.

We also know that by at least the 13^th Century the Hail Mary was being used in the Western Church and had added two words, “Mary” and “Jesus” to make the prayer clearer. We see that in various writings. St. Thomas Aquinas is often mentioned for saying this.

We also know Part Two, the "Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death" - is first found in print by 1495 in Girolamo Savonarola’s “Esposizione sopra l’Ave Maria.”

We know that the Dutch Jesuit Saint, Peter Canisius - whose feast is today - has that second part of the Hail Mary in his 1555 catechism.

Scholars next say that it made its way into the Catechism of the Council of Trent 11 years late. Here’s the sentence in that Catechism. "we render to God the highest praise and return Him most gracious thanks, because He has bestowed all His heavenly gifts on the most holy Virgin ... the Church of God has wisely added prayers and an invocation addressed to the most holy Mother of God ... we should earnestly implore her help and assistance; for that she possesses exalted merits with God, and that she is most desirous to assist us by her prayers, no one can doubt without impiety and wickedness.”

CONCLUSION

So when saying the Hail Mary, say it slowly. Savor it. It has a long history.

Say it to Mary - not at Mary.

Didn’t Jesus - the fruit of her womb - say something like that - not babbling our prayers, but praying our prayers.

Let’s close with a Hail Mary.

December 21, 2015

OUR FINAL ENTRANCE

Some worry about what will happen

when they die. Me: I go with two

Jesus stories. I’ll take either for

my entrance into heaven. There

was a wedding feast in Galilee

while down the road the Prodigal

Son was making his way home.

© Andy Costello, Reflections 2015

[Cf. John 2: 1-11 - Luke 15: 12-32.]

DOCTOR  FAUST  AND

MARY  OF  NAZARETH 

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for this Fourth Sunday in Advent, Year C, is, “Doctor Faust and Mary of Nazareth.”

I noticed in today’s gospel that the baby in Elizabeth’s womb leaped with joy when Mary came down from Bethlehem  to Jerusalem to help her cousin. Luke tells us that the baby in Elizabeth leaped for joy two times.

Moms - what is like the first time your baby moved in your womb?

What does that do for a mother to be?

Us men have no clue - at least I don’t - what that must do for a mom’s psyche - her spirits - her life - her spirituality - to feel the moving of a baby in her womb.

It got me thinking about Mary. What was that like when Jesus began to “kick” or “leap” in Mary’s womb? What were her thoughts and wonderings? I’m sure all of you here who have been moms know what those thoughts and wonderings are like.

RESEARCH

For a homily I began to do some research. First I wanted to know what the Greek word was for  “leaped”. It is “skirtao”. Here in the gospel of Luke, this is the only place that image and word appears.

The baby kicks Elizabeth - jumps - moves - leaps - inside her womb. What a moving message and great image!

That image appears only once in the Bible. It’s when Rebecca is pregnant with twins.

Next I looked up if anyone else used that image of leaping - in some poem or play or story - somewhere. 

Surprise I found one in Christopher Marlow’s 1604 play, The Tragic History of Doctor Faustus. 

The leap doesn’t take place in a womb - but in the womb of the mind of Doctor John Faustus.

Next I wondered if using the idea of leaping in the womb of a woman like Elizabeth and Mary - if that leaping of the mind of Doctor Faustus - could be a contrast for some thinking in a homily.

I hesitated because if I do that, I’d be making quite a leap as well. If it doesn’t work - and I don’t pull it off - I’d have a pretty messy sermon - that is far-fetched. You be the judge.

So in Christopher Marlowe’s play on Doctor Faustus, he has Doctor Faustus wanting to leap!

Christopher Marlowe took an old legend about a man named Faust who sold his soul to the devil for 24 years of power over everything. He makes the deal and the rest is a fight between good and evil. The rest is a tragedy of fear - with all kinds of characters in it.

Near the end of the 24 years - when he’s about to die and be thrown into hell he screams out that he would love to “leap up to my God!” He asks, “Who will pull me down?” Then he says these powerful words, “See, see where Christ’s blood streams in the firmament - [the stars]! One drop would save my soul - half a drop: ah my Christ!”

He wants to leap up to taste a drop - or even a half of drop of Christ’s blood.

The title of my homily is, “Doctor Faust and Mary of Nazareth.”

Elizabeth - pregnant with John the Baptist - experiences a visit from her cousin Mary. The baby in her womb leaps with joy towards the beginning of the Christ in Mary’s womb.

Is that what Luke is trying to get us  to imagine? That we leap towards the Christ - like Marlowe has Doctor Faustus wanting to leap towards Christ’s blood and be saved.

Mary of Nazareth is full of grace. What were her thoughts as her blood was forming the Christ - that his blood was mixing with her blood - in her womb. And the baby within her leaped for joy.

Doctor Faust is filled with evil and horror and hurt - and wants to leap up for at least half a drop of Christ’s blood.

HEAVEN AND HELL?

Shakespeare’s plays and this play by Marlowe and many medieval plays were put on stage to put big themes before people.

This is not far-fetched. Right now we have Star Wars - Number 7 -The Force Awakens.

It was interesting to read that L’osservatore romano - the Vatican Newspaper - said the villains in Star Wars # 7 - aren’t portrayed as bad or evil or dark enough - nothing like Darth Vader in past Star Wars movies.

Bigger than Star Wars - fighting the force of evil and good - are issues for us to think about and reflect upon - from time to time - and being priest I would obviously say - when we come to church on Sunday.

Heaven and Hell - Good and Evil - are portrayed big time in lots of plays and movies.

Each of us has to face our smaller heavens and hells each day.

In Doctor Faust by Marlow - he has to deal with the Seven Capital Sins and visions of hell all the time - besides his fantasies of power and the miracles he can perform - like conjuring up grapes in winter.

In our lives we want the easy way out at times - and in the meanwhile we have to fight our wars with sin and evil - at home and at work - and in our heart and mind - nothing like San Bernardino and Paris and Star Wars or Doctor Faustus.

IN THE MEANWHILE

in the meanwhile we can pray the rosary or the Hail Mary and ask Mary to visit us like she visited her cousin Elizabeth and hopefully the Christ within us stirred.

Hopefully this Christmas Christ is born again in us. Or we smile because that happened a long time ago. The adult Christ has grown up - and long ago left the stable of our soul - and we have an adult to adult relationship with Christ.

CONCLUSION: OUR LADY OF PERPETUAL HELP

Let me conclude this way: we Redemptorists were asked 150 years ago to push and promote one of the many images of Mary - and Jesus. It’s called Our Lady of Perpetual Help.

I come from a parish in Brooklyn with that name - and during World War I and afterwards  I saw people coming to that church praying for their loved ones at war. I saw all through my years in grammar school years people coming to that church to kneel and pray before that image of Mary and I heard many priests say that in times of trouble - family wars, what have you, Mary is there as Perpetual Help.

Take a look at that picture or icon.

The first thing to look at is the sandal on the foot of Jesus. It’s falling off.

See her son having an image of his future suffering - see the cross and the nails - in the angels hands - and he runs and leaps into her arms - losing his sandal in the process.

And once more she feels the leap of Jesus in her lap.

Be like that - leap like Jesus into his life or his mother’s life - and receive perpetual help without having to sell one’s soul.