February 5, 2016

BLAME, BLAME, BLAME

Once again I’m playing the blame game -

even naming names. I do it all the time -

but there always seems to be one name 
I leave off the list. Of course, it’s my name.

© Andy Costello, Reflections 2016

February 4, 2016

IT’S  ALWAYS SOMETHING

It’s always something.

The right front tire just doesn’t feel right.

The air conditioner is not getting

any air to the back of the van.

Someone left the bathroom window open
and let in this dang mosquito. Uuuuuum!

Mrs. Mary Manana is late again.

I was nervous, so I started biting my

nails and I bit some skin to the blood.

The pear looks like it has acne.  

The mellon doesn’t have a “thunk” sound.

The butter is too soft. I like cold butter.

Somebody around here left it out again.

The movie was good but there was one

scene that I didn’t think was plausible.

The dinner was perfect, but how come they

never have chunky blue cheese dressing.

The concert was good, but they didn’t

play, “Yellow Rose of Texas.”

Someone always ruins everything by

saying, “It’s always something.”

© Andy Costello, Reflections 2016

February 3, 2016

MUSIC

It’s not good if you don’t have

a favorite song - a song you

start to sing when you hear it

on the elevator or on your car radio -

a song that grabs you in the gut.

A few words or the melody really 
moves you or connects you with 
a memory.... Wait - pause - start to 
hum and see if your song appears 
on your lips or in your belly.

© Andy Costello, Reflections 2016

February 2, 2016

POTATO  CHIPS 

Too - too - often - potato chips -

slip between our lips without

our tasting any one of them.

We don’t savor the salt flavor

of each chip - the salt that

sticks to our tongue. Too - too -

often our years slip by so quickly

and unconsciously - without our

even tasting the delicious salt on

each decisive and significant moment

of our lives and we toss the empty

bag of time into a plastic trash can

and we grab a fresh bag of chips.

There’s nothing worse than stale

potato chips - dreams that fell to the

floor - which are swept away the

next morning - another day - too -

too - often never savored or tasted.

© Andy Costello, Reflections 2016
I learned this theme about not being
mindful from Thich Nhat Hanh,
the Vietnamese Buddhist  monk.

In the Google search engine, type in "Mindfulness Thich Nhat Hanh" and you'll be able to watch and hear Thich Nhat Hanh teach about mindfulness.

FAITH  BUCKET  LIST

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for this feast of the Presentation is, “Faith Bucket List.”

FIRST: JUST BUCKET LIST

Let me look at the phrase, “Bucket List” first. It's rather recent.

So I did a little research last night and there are several examples of the phrase, “Bucket List” before the 2007 movie with that name - starring Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman.

Most connect the phrase with a list of things to do before we kick the bucket.

The movie made the phrase popular and a lot better known.

Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman in the movie, “Bucket List” play two men in a cancer ward - who are terminal - so they take off to accomplish all the wishes on their bucket list of dreams to accomplish before they die.

I’m sure you have used the phrase or have been asked the question by someone who used the phrase. We all have things more or less that we would like to do before we die.

I said to myself, “This can’t be that brand new an idea or a phrase.”

I’m sure it’s in Shakespeare and in many a poem.

Sure enough I remember reading about the Make-a-Wish Foundation. That goes back to 1980 - in Phoenix Arizona. It too spread around the world as well: to help fulfill a wish that some kid has before he or she dies.

And obviously a nursing home could be labeled at times, “House of Regrets.”

TODAY’S GOSPEL READING

In today’s gospel reading for the Feast of the Presentation of our Lord in the Temple,  Luke reports about  a wish Simeon has before he dies.  He wants to see the Christ - the Anointed One.

He was told in a revelation from the Holy Spirit within him - this would happen - before he died - and sure enough we have his  prayer in the temple that day when Mary and Joseph brought the baby Jesus up to the temple in Jerusalem  to be consecrated and blessed. His prayer is the “Nunc Dimittis” - Now you can dismiss your servant, O Lord.

His wish is fulfilled before he dies.

FAITH BUCKET LIST

The title of my homily is, “Faith Bucket List.”

Let me now jump to faith related wishes in our bucket of life wishes.

Here are some possible faith related wishes:

• That a daughter or son comes back to the faith  - the faith we brought them up in.
• That grand kids be baptized.
• That so and so be reconciled with so and so.
• That they feel forgiven by God for a mistake they made 50 years ago.
• That their spouse die before them, so he or she won’t feel the pain of loss that the one who remains will  feel.
• That their faith in life after this life increases so they won’t fear that death is the end of everything, forever and ever.

That's a few I have heard, what are you faith related hopes?

CONCLUSION

I would think that our “Faith Bucket List” is the stuff of prayer and connection with God.

I’m sure at many Masses we present ourselves - our families - our neighbors - our world - to the Lord - for the Lord’s help and blessings.

February 1, 2016

WHAT  WORKS  FOR  YOU?

What works for you?

Is this how life works?

First we do lots of things

that we hope will work for us.

Next we come up with what

works and doesn't work 
for us without realizing it.

Next we become conscious

of what works for us and

that’s how we do life

for the rest of our life.

Is it as simple as that?

So once more,

“What works for you?”

© Andy Costello, Reflections 2016

BEING   YELLED   AT

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for this 4^th Monday in Ordinary Time is, “Being Yelled At!”

TODAY’S READINGS

In today’s two readings, we have scenes where people are yelled at.

So let me say a little bit about being yelled at - but I’m not sure just what to do or say about all this.

In today’s first reading from 2^nd Samuel a man named Shimei throws stones and words at David. And David’s officers and soldiers want to know if they can go over and lop off his head.

David  says “No, if my own son is trying to kill me, let his guy alone and let him curse me.”

And the reading tells us, “David and his men continued on the road…. while Shimei … all the while was cursing and throwing stones at David.”

In today’s gospel a strange ranger from the tombs yells out at Jesus, “What have you do to with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High. I adjure you by God, do not torment me.”

The guy is filled with demons - a legion of demons. In the Roman army a Legion was 5000 soldiers.

And Jesus send this legion of demons into herds of pigs - swine - it says 2000 - and they ran down the hill  and into the sea of Galilee.

I remember standing in a boat on the Lake of Galilee - seeing what I was seeing - and I saw a cliff and thought of this scene - and then a beach - and wondered where this took place.

BEING YELLED AT

The title of my homily is, “Being Yelled At!”

I was trying to remember any time I was yelled at.

A guy in Bermuda started cursing and making obscene gestures at me for being white. I assumed that because of what he was yelling. I was with a cruise group visiting a local port. I quickly ran back to where the gang I was with were.

In Mansfield, Ohio I added “and women” to the reading of the scriptures and some guy yelled out from the benches, “It says just men.” I was trying to be P.C.

And on the Lower East Side we used to say Mass at the convent above the school on East 4^th Street. We’d go out the  back gate of East 3^rd Street rectory and walk down the street to the school, ring the bell, and a nun would hear the bell and take the elevator down to the 1^st floor - walk to the front door and let us in. Well a few times in the summer some guys across the street from the school would be sleeping on the fire escape landing - and yell out at 6:25 in the morning - at the priest was standing there, “Hey we know where you’re going and we know what you’re doing.”  The elevator couldn’t come quick enough.

Those are the only 3 moments I could come up with from my life today thinking about all this

What about you? Were you ever yelled at and how did you react and what did you learn from the moment.

RESPONSE

From today’s readings I think the learnings could be.

Be calm, as David was. That was his reaction. Don’t cut off heads. There are worse things others could attack me for. And then move on.

Next, what would be a learning from Jesus and the pigs?  Maybe it could be this: “When yelled at, be an instrument of the Lord’s peace.”

In today’s gospel Jesus sends the demons into the pigs - and they run down the hill and are drowned. Wouldn’t it be great if the echoes of anger people yell at us during a life time - if they could just run away - and stampede into the ocean of nothing.

CONCLUSION

As I said in the beginning, I’m really not that sure just what to do about being yelled at.

Maybe twist the yell of the demon plagued guy in today’s gospel and say, “Jesus do something to help me with all this. Thanks.”

We can’t send demons into  pigs or dogs or cats, but we can send peace to the other person.