REFLECTIONS  ON  REJECTIONS

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for this Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time [C] is, “Reflections on Rejections.”

What are your reflections on rejections?

How have you dealt with the rejections of life?

In the beauty contests of life - no one wins every one of them.

How have you done when you came in second place - or you didn’t even place - or you didn’t even make the team - or the cut - and you feel cut?

Have you ever said or felt like saying, “What am I chopped liver?” or “What am I chum for sharks?” or  “I feel like you’re throwing me under the bus.”

Rejections can feel like a massage with sandpaper. It can be tough being phased-out, fired, retired, or forgotten.

Tough topic for today.

TODAY’S READINGS

Today’s readings triggered  the topic and the theme for this homily and it’s not even Lent.

In today’s first reading Jeremiah gives us some reflections on being rejected.

Prophets are rejected - especially when they tell the truth. As we know - the truth often hurts - but it can set us free.  

However, when people sense a correction or a suggestion that will hurt is coming - the speaker, the prophet, is often rejected.   

When we're baptized, we're anointed prophets, priests and kings - and queens. 

However, being a prophet - speaking up - let's be honest, it's a calling we often avoid. Everyone knows the messenger is often shot - shot down. 

Parents are often prophets when they are trying to tell their kids they can date better. But kids won’t listen till they are crying in their beer - another choice prophets and parents are always screaming about - telling about - hinting about - and rejected for.

Jeremiah hears the Lord telling him to stand up and tell others all that I command you. Then the Lord adds, “Be not crushed on their account!”

The Lord tells Jeremiah that I “have made you a fortified city, a pillar of iron, a wall of brass.” Prophets need good bullet proof vests.

That’s the first reading.

Today’s gospel has Jesus being celebrated till he starts challenging - especially his home town. He fires back at them that prophets are never accepted in their home town.

Once more parents and siblings tell someone in the family when they are playing with fire - and they are going to be burnt - if they continue as is.

Rejections - reactions - remarks soon follow.

"Well, what about when you...?"

Today’s gospel ends with his whole town driving Jesus out of town. They want to throw him off a hill on which their town was built - but he passes through their midst and went away. I don’t know how Jesus did that, but that’s how Luke tells the story.

THE CROSS

We Christians have as our central symbol the Cross. It’s THE ultimate sign of rejection.

We have that big gigantic cross up front - at St. John Neumann’s Church. The big one here is in the back - off to the side on the way out. 

Big crosses  scream out the message of rejection loud. I heard that some didn’t want that big cross at St. John Neumann’s.

Sometimes I think that big cross is too much - too tough - too in your face. 

Would butterflies and the beautiful birds of the air be better? How about the Risen Christ? 

I wonder at times how much in the  past 15 or so years, how has that big cross at St. John Neumann influenced the reflective life of those who come to Mass here. 

I got the thought it could be even tougher - if it was a really blood crucifix. Or what would it be like to have added to the wall the cross is attached to - a black paint sprayed on graffiti word, “Reject.”

Imagine having that word as a nickname?

I don’t know about you, but I never liked preaching that says that our rejections and our sins - were hitting and hurting Jesus the day he died on Calvary.  

Yet - yet - yet - I have to keep on reflecting on the impact of my mistakes. How do my words, my sins, my way of treating others, my gossip, hit the  Body of Christ.

The title of my homily for today is, “Reflections on Rejections.”

BIRMINGHAM

I’m sure you heard the poem “When Jesus Came to Birmingham.” It's Birmingham in England - from which our city in Alabama is named.  

It’s a poem by G. A. Studdert-Kennedy. It goes like this:

WHEN JESUS CAME TO BIRMINGHAM

When Jesus came to Golgotha, they hanged Him on a tree,
They drove great nails through hands and feet, and made a Calvary;
They crowned Him with a crown of thorns, red were His wounds and deep,
For those were crude and cruel days, and human flesh was cheap.

When Jesus came to Birmingham, they simply passed Him by.
They would not hurt a hair of Him, they only let Him die;
For men had grown more tender, and they would not give Him pain,
They only just passed down the street, and left Him in the rain.

Still Jesus cried, 'Forgive them, for they know not what they do, '
And still it rained the winter rain that drenched Him through and through;
The crowds went home and left the streets without a soul to see,
And Jesus crouched against a wall, and cried for Calvary. 

HOW WE TREAT ONE ANOTHER

This will be a good homily if we reflect on rejections and then we treat one another better this week than last  week. 

This will be a good homily if we reflect on rejections and then we love one another better this week than last week.

How can we love one another better? Answer: by putting into practice all the things what love is like in today’s second reading: being patient, being kind, not being jealous, not being rude, not seeking our own interests, not rejoicing when another makes a mistake, and on and on and on.

There are lots of people crouching against a wall and crying for Calvary.

Translation: the Birmingham poem triggers the thought of suffering alone being worse than suffering with others around.

There are lots of people who feel all alone because they have experienced the one or all of the 4  D’s: Divorced, Dumped, Dissed or Dropped.

Then there are the little rejections. 

How many times have we been in a conversation and someone else jumps right into the middle of  our conversation in person or by cell or iPhone? 

How many times have we experienced someone yawning in our face, looking at their watch or looking over our shoulder as we're telling them a fabulous story? 

FEELING ALL ALONE

The Bible says very early on that it's not good to be alone. Even Adam and Eve hid from God - who wanted to walk with them in the cool of the evening.

I have in my room a Styrofoam cup with some writing on it. It's something someone told me about a girl in West Virginia. She was in a small college and was doing horrible and an academic dean asked her why she was there. 

She answered, “I came here to be went with and I ain’t been went with yet.”

When I heard that at a coffee break in a small parish I was preaching at in Southern Ohio just across the Ohio River from West Virginia, I said, “Let me write that down?" And I fished out of my pocket a ballpoint pen and wrote those words on my Styrofoam coffee cup - without spilling my coffee.

There are millions of people on this planet who cry that same cry, “I came here to be went with and I ain’t been went with yet.”

The opposite of rejection is acceptance.

Our pope has declared this year, the year of “Welcome” - “Mercy” - “You matter!”

The Christian is called to be Christ - to be like Christ - to welcome all people. The Christian is called to spend time and love and self with others - and take away some of those feelings of rejection that so many people feel.

Where to start: in house - in one's own home.

Where to start: in heart - in one's own heart.

CONCLUSION

This week, I would challenge myself and all people to start with oneself and with God.

Unless we feel acceptance and being loved by God - who sent Jesus into our own home and heart, to accept us - then we won’t be bringing that God of love - that God love - to others.

If we feel rejected by God, then we might do the same to others by rejecting others.

So start with self and then bring the love God feels towards us - towards others.

When we love one another, we are taking away the rejections of our world. Amen. 

January 31, 2016

CREPITUDE?

Crepitude? It’s the creeping crawling feeling

of aches and pains that can come with aging.

Getting older, some say, “Crud!” or “Crap!” - 

when they feel  the creep of crepitude. Those

two words are pain sounding four letter words. 

Note: crepitude is not yet in the English dictionary.

The French dictionary, yes, but it’s a rare word.

What about two new words: "cruditude" and 
"crapitude"? No! I'll stick with "crepitude".

"Decrepitude" is a normal English word that can be heard in the early rounds of a Spelling Bee?

I like crepitude better - so I'm pushing it here.

Crepitude can also be found in our spirit and our

bones - usually arriving on cold days near the end

of January. Ugh! We still have to get through

February and half of March till we get to Spring.

© Andy Costello, Reflections 2016

January 30, 2016

SILENCE FOR A NON-BELIEVER

Silence….

He said, “I’m a non-believer.
I don’t believe in God, nor do

I believe in heaven or hell.”

Silence….

Eventually I said, “If you’re saying

that  - then I believe you must have

been burnt by some hell.”

Silence….

Then I added, “Volunteer

to help in a hospital or a

nursing home or pick up your

grandkids after school.”

Silence….

“Okay climb a mountain

starting in the morning or

walk a beach in the evening.”

Silence....

“Or start gardening and watch

your garden grow. You never

know what might pop up.”

Silence....

“Or perhaps, best case scenario:

some afternoon, drop into a

quiet church and sit in the

semi-darkness. Watch the flicker

of the red candles off to the side.”

Silence….

“Hey, you might be there when

one goes out - and you might

even get up and light one

for yourself. You never know.”

Silence….

© Andy Costello, Reflections 2016

January 29, 2016

8  ECOLOGICAL BEATITUDES

Blessed are the birds, they don’t have to get

to airports and stand on lines in order to fly
to get to where they want to get.

Blessed are the rivers, the lakes, the ponds,

the oceans and the fish, tiny and giant creatures,

they know without them,  there would be no we.

Blessed are the trees - giving us tables and

chairs, doors and homes, pencils and paper,

and okay - there is always the cross.

Blessed are the flowers - giving us beauty

and color - gift and surprise - poetry and pause -

telling us life is not all business and busyness.

Blessed are the babies - they give us chances

to think of others, end our selfishness, me, me,

me, and give it our best for their future - not ours.

Blessed are the sun and the moon

they give us light and energy by day

and a reason to look up in the night.

Blessed is the wind - it helps sail our boats,

spin our windmills, fly our kites, clear the air

and walk with our God in the cool of the evening.

Blessed are wheat and grapes, they give us bread and wine - and a chance to celebrate moments in memory of Jesus who walked this earth with us.

© Andy Costello, Reflections 2016
Cf. Laudato Si'

January 28, 2016

SEEING  IS  BELIEVING

Stop! See what you’re seeing - just in case

you miss all that is right before your eyes.

See the sky - see the ground  - see all that

is in between - but don’t do this in traffic.

See the trees: the deciduous and the evergreen -

and wonder how and why that’s all about.

See the people - smile at the shapes, the sizes,

the wrinkles and the smooth, the young and the old.

Stop! Realize you’re in a library walking by story after story, fiction and non-fiction - history and mystery.

© Andy Costello, Reflections 2016

January 27, 2016

DEATH IN WINTER

Snow - like a grey white empty silk kimono -

leaning against a cold grey gravestone -

but underneath me - underneath that stone -

the scream that rolls back stones - the scream

called, “Resurrection - Jesus - New  Life.”

© Andy Costello, Reflections 2016

TIMOTHY  AND  TITUS

Today we celebrate the feast of two early Christian Saints: Timothy and Titus.

Timothy and Titus: sounds like a law firm.

Their names do not appear in the gospels - but they do appear in the other New Testament readings. The name Timothy appears 24 times in the New Testament. That’s a lot more than most of the Apostles. Titus’ name appears 15 times in the New Testament.

Both met Paul when they were young men. Both travelled with Paul. Check Galatians 2: 1 ff. and hear about Titus.

Check out Acts 16: 1-3 and hear about Timothy. Timothy becomes a close companion to Paul - starting with Paul first meeting him at Lystra.

READINGS

There are some options for today’s readings. I’m using the ones that appear in the Lectionary. I went with the first reading that appears there for today’s feast: 2nd Timothy 1: 1-8.

Timothy was part Jewish - from his mother, Eunice. We even get his grandmother’s name: Lois.  His dad was Greek. They come from up in Galatia.

Titus was a Gentile on both his mom and dad’s side.

The literature implies that Timothy was more fearful and hesitant than Titus.

Using the letter “T” - Timothy was timid; Titus had tact.

Today’s gospel from Luke 10:1-9 mentions traveling 2 by 2. I don’t know if these 2 travelled specifically together. It doesn’t sound like that - but I did spot one connection: Titus replaced Timothy at Corinth. I spotted that in an article on St. Titus by R.G. Boucher in the New Catholic Encyclopedia.

We get glimpses of what these two men were like from the different mentions in the New Testament.

I assume that Paul figured out who they were and what they were like by being with them and depending on them.

Paul used both these men to bring messages to others - as well as organizing and running local Christian communities.  Paul used Titus to enter a hornet’s nest for Paul: Corinth.

I caught a smile from the gospel here in the Lectionary for today, Luke 10:1-9.  Jesus says that he sent out his disciples 2 by 2 and said, “Carry no money bags.” Surprise that’s one of the jobs Paul used both Timothy and Titus to do.

Timothy is reported to have been stoned to death and killed when he was 80 years of age.

Titus also makes it to old age - being made a bishop in Crete. As far as I know, he died a natural death.

There are 2 Letters to Timothy and 1 to Titus in our bible. They are called part of the so called “Pastoral Letters.”  They give us a few tidbits or quick snapshots into a Church that is growing and developing. We notice that folks get some bumps and bruises when personalities rub into each other.

Some people say - when there are difficulties: the issue is always money.

I say it’s always people.

FOR EXAMPLE

I can place, move, put this piece of paper here - then I can pick it up and place it over here. Then I can pick it up quickly and move it right over to here.  

In doing this I don’t have to ask the piece of paper if I can move it.  But if this is a person, I have to think twice. I have to take another’s temperature. I have to figure out from past experiences, how to ask nicely, what this other person likes and what have you.

CONCLUSION

I hope today’s feast encourages all of us to do our best as Christian disciples of Christ.

In case nothing I said has any energy for you as a thought for the day - let me end with this message. In today’s first reading Paul says to Timothy, “Don’t be a coward. Let the spirit in you catch fire again. Blow on the fire. Give it some extra air." Wind, fresh air, is  an image of the Holy Spirit, so Paul is saying, "Catch fire and let your powers  of peace and love and self control roll. Get hot, but keep cool."