NOVEMBER 18, 2016

ZACCHAEUS  MOMENTS

Jesus , I've seen you on 100 crucifixes
and in a 100 broken persons, but Jesus,
I need to get away from these Good Friday moments. I need you to backtrack and 
see me up a tree like Zacchaeus and 
call me to come down - so we can sit down 
and have a good meal and a good talk 
together - and then plan a future together.

                                                                                                              © Andy Costello, Reflections 2016

November 17, 2016

ALIENS

Jesus walked down our streets,

stepped up our steps, stopped into

our stores and bars, slipped through

our alleys - took our trains, planes,

and buses and saw all the people he

spotted the last time he made this trip.

But this time he scratched his head.

This time something was different.

Martha and Mary were not talking and

Mary was not complaining. They were

alienated  from each other …. and didn’t

seem to feel that Lazarus had died….

And the father didn’t run to hug his lost son ….

nor did he walk out into the field to talk with
his older son who was working, working, all

by himself. The blind man didn’t cry out that

he wanted to see …. The lady on the sidewalk

didn’t reach out to touch the edge of his cloak.

The thief on the cross didn’t talk to the other

thief on his cross. They just hung there as if someone was missing. For Jesus it felt like Birmingham [1] - not Calvary - but it was worse.

Everyone was silent - looking at their phones -looking all alone. Jesus didn’t know what to do.

© Andy Costello, Reflections 2016

NOTES

[1] Poem by Geoffrey Studdert Kennedy, "Indifference" or "When Jesus Came to Birmingham."

[[1

November 16, 2016

RESPOND OR REACT?

We do have a choice,

well sometimes, well,

most of the time … the

more we get the knack

of responding instead

of reacting to others.

It can be in traffic. It can be

in a conversation or a conflict.
Tell me the key? It’s time.
Taking the time to reflect,

to refigure - but especially to

walk, walk, before talk, talk.  

  

© Andy Costello, Reflections 2016

BEHOLD I STAND AT THE

DOOR AND KNOCK

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for this 33^rd  Tuesday in  Ordinary Time is, “Behold I Stand at the Door and Knock.”

TODAY’S FIRST READING

In today’s first reading from the Book of Revelation we have a very well-known Biblical text, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock.” [Rev. 3:20]

I would think we have heard that text and sermons on that text enough that it has become a part of our spiritual life.

It knocks on our door!

And every time we have a sermon or a homily on this text from Revelation the preacher always brings in the story of Holman Hunt’s famous painting, “The Light of the World.”

We know the story - we’ve heard it in a hundred sermons. We know the key message,  “The knob is on the inside.”

The message of that painting and that text is that it’s our move.

Christ wants in - but do we want him in?

TODAY’S GOSPEL

And it doesn’t always happen on weekday readings that the first reading fits in perfectly with the gospel, but today it does. [Cf. Luke 19: 1-10.]

Jesus invites himself into Zacchaeus’ house and Zacchaeus invites Jesus into his life.

We know these stories and we know them well.

What a great way to begin personal prayer  - whether here in church or in our  Eucharistic chapel down below - or while sitting on our back porch  - or in a special prayer chair - that we have in some quiet part of our house.  To just pause, breathe, be, and before doing anything else, to hear Jesus knocking on our door - on our mind - on our heart.

Knock! Knock! Knock!

“Behold I stand at the door and knock.”

What a great opening prayer to a time of prayer, “Come Lord Jesus. Come Lord Jesus.  Come on in, Lord Jesus.  Come on in.”

BACK TO THE PAINTING

The painting is entitled, “The Light of the World.”

In the painting we only see Jesus. He is standing there with lantern in hand and it’s well lit. And his face and his garments radiate light.

In the painting we see the weeds and ivy all over the door area - as if the door hasn’t been open for years.

Holman started the painting when he was 22 and didn’t finish it till he was 29. It wasn’t till 50 years later that he explained the painting. The door is the closed mind. I thought the meaning was very obvious - because maybe I heard sermons on this many, many times. However,  maybe not everybody gets it - if their minds are closed to Jesus and closed to hearing an explanation.

The painting was started at night. Somewhere along the line, Holman Hunt said he went to Bethlehem to see the light there - to make sure he had it right.

There are 3 versions of this painting. The first and best is in Keble Chapel in Oxford. He wasn’t happy with how they had it set up, so he did a larger and second version - and this hangs in St Paul’s church London - where Hunt is buried.  It’s not as good. A third smaller version is in Manchester.

I would think, unless you saw the painting in person, it doesn’t make much difference because there are so many copies of this painting all around the world - on many walls, in many books and movies and what have you.

Last night as I was doing some research on the painting, I noticed that it went on a worldwide tour between 1905 to 1907. It’s said that 4/5 of the population of Australia saw it.

We get that. We’ve all seen the painting somewhere along the line.

CONCLUSION

The title of my homily is, “Behold I Stand at the Door and Knock.

Surprise! Even if we keep the door locked, even if the knob is on the inside, Jesus comes through walls. [Cf. John 20: 19-23]

November 15, 2016

BASIC

As basic as being nice….

As basic as rye bread and cold butter….
As basic as loving one another....

As basic as holding the door for the next person….

As basic as giving a phone number on an answering machine slowly and then repeating it slowly ….

As basic as giving a subway seat to an older person especially with packages ….

As basic as saying, “Nice moon tonight, God….”

As basic as using one’s car signal ….

As basic as not slamming doors  - especially when others are napping ….

As basic as taking grandkids out for ice cream - often ….

As basic as leaving a public restroom neater than when one used it ….

As basic as listening….

As basic as saying, “Thank you!”

© Andy Costello, Reflections 2016

November 14, 2016

WHAT IS,  WHAT WAS

Sometimes I feel like a big clumsy dark boat,

with straining - pulling - stretching ropes -

anchoring me to an old tar - oil stained dock,

and the water below - tide shifting - churning -

turning me this way and that - but I’ll take this,

as well as setting out to sea once again - than

to be an abandoned - no longer used  boat -

just sitting there remembering lots of what was.  

© Andy Costello, Reflections 2016

SECRET  REVELATIONS

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for this 33 Monday in Ordinary time is, “Secret Revelations.”

BOOK OF REVELATION

Today’s first reading is from the opening words of the Book of Revelation and then it jumps to the 2^nd chapter of the Book of Revelation.

We are going to cover the rest of the Book of Revelation for the next and last 2 weeks of the Church Year’s weekday readings.

So I thought I’d say a little about the Book of Revelation - under the theme of Secret Revelations.

The alternative year’s readings are Maccabees and the Book of Daniel.

A question: have you ever studied the Book of Revelation with a commentary in book form, or tapes or a Bible Study Group?  It would be well worth it.

It’s dated from around the year 90 - written sometime during the reign of Emperor Domitian - whose dates are 81 to 96 AD.

It’s filled with visions, drama, song, apocalyptic language and images.

If it was on stage, we would see the Lamb, armies marching, people breaking open the seals of secret documents, trumpets, roaring dragons, lions, beasts and bowls, angels, clouds, the river of life, a new heaven and a new earth.

The main stress - the main image - of the book is Jesus Christ - the Lamb of God - who saves us and is our hope of salvation.

And because the church is going through tough times - like persecutions the language in the Book of Revelation is code language at times.

That’s why a guide would be helpful. Moreover there has been a lot of research on the type of literature we have here - and it’s often connected to the Book of Daniel - which was written also in dangerous times.

Scott Hahn was some wonderful insights on the Book of Revelation connecting it loud and clear with the Mass.

CHURCH: LOTS OF VISIONARIES

For a thought for the day besides this quick introduction to the Book of Revelation which begins today, I would like to say a few words about the phenomenon of secret writings and secret revelations.

The history of Christianity has had a lot of visionaries down through history who put their visions into written form.

From what I pick up - visionaries catch the attention of those who feel they are in the dark - they don’t know - and they would like to be in on the secret.

The Early Church has had various groups - who end up being called, “Gnostics.”

They are in the know - and often they are declared to be heretics.

When it comes to religion, we’ll meet many people, who want to have an edge. They want to be safe. They want eternal life on the other side of the unseen side of death.

Secrets sell. Secrets sell books. Secrets make money. Before I came to Annapolis - which has it’s set geographical boundaries - I was on the road  - all over Ohio and lots of other places. I also was in 3 retreat houses - for 22 years of my life - where people came from all kinds of places. So I have had varied experiences of  people from lots of places - who have told me that they have read a book by a visionary.

I’ve checked some of them out.

Most of the time I have kept my mouth shut - following the Gamaliel principal: - if this is of God, it will last, if this is nonsense, it will end up on some book shelf gathering dust. [Cf. Acts of the Apostles 5: 38-39.]

Rome rarely gives its approval of visionries - some of whom I consider crazy. Visionaries talk about the end of the world is coming. Some talk about Mary being God. Others talk about St. Joseph being the Holy Spirit.

For example, the visionary of Bayside, Long Island, Veronica Lucken  made statements about Paul VI being an imposter and lots of other strange comments - so called “Secret Revelations.”

These books sell.

And if someone said there is a visionary in Virginia or Ocean City, I guarantee there will be traffic jams.

CONCLUSION: ENOUGH WITH THE WHINING

I don’t want to say much more - other than saying, “Why wouldn’t people concentrate on the gospels - like today’s gospel and pray with the Blind Man - I want to see - like seeing our neighbor in need or a person who could use a “hello” and a “compliment.”

Instead of reading stuff that often is complaints and fuzzy theology and spirituality, read with the gospels - and if you have a good guide, go for the Book of Revelation.

Amen.