THE SUBJECT

 WAS BREAD

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily is “The Subject Was Bread.”

And I want to touch on two basic points: the value of long walks and what we can learn from being broken.

WALK THE WALK - TALK THE TALK

My first point would be the value of walking. Like the disciples on the road to Emmaus, we  discover a lot of stuff from a distance.

Sometimes we have to get away from home to figure out what is  happening back home.

Sometimes we have to get away from it all, to understand it all.

These two men in the gospel found this out. It wasn’t till they walked the walk and talked the talk that they discovered that Christ had risen from the dead.

I’ve heard that phrase, “Walk the walk and talk the talk,” a few times in the past couple of years, but it has not been till lately that I really heard it.

So let me use it a bit more this morning.

So if we have a problem, don’t just stand there, do something. Don’t just sit there or sleep there in upper rooms, get out of bed. Get off our butt and go for a good walk. Hence the value of puzzles - fishing - climbing - traveling - all un-upper room stuff. That’s just standing there. So don’t just stand there, do something. We’ll have a chance of putting it all together by getting away from it all.

Sometimes we have to get away from it all, walking so far that what is near makes sense.

And when we walk the walk, we’ll find ourselves talking the talk. And as we walk, if we monitor ourselves,  we’ll find ourselves talking to ourselves.

Every night, when it is dark, it’s smart to look back on our day and in prayer, hear Christ ask, “How was your day?”

Some people can’t deal with silence. Can you? Some people can’t drive in a car by themselves without turning on the radio. Can you? They need music. Can you be quiet? They need talk. Can you be silent? They can’t spend a free day by themselves. Can you? They need to turn on the TV. Can you be reflective? And when they try prayer, they wonder why they have so many distractions. Help.

So there is a value in taking long walks. They can be like plane or bus trips home when someone dies. A person does a lot of thinking in moments like that. Help.

And if you start being able to be alone and do a lot of walking and talking to yourself, get a journal. You’ll find yourself having a lot to jot down.

WEST END: WALKING ON THE WATER

When I was stationed at West End, I noticed that a lot of people used to walk by the ocean - or around Tankanasee Lake. So walking prayer helps talking prayer and listening prayer.

So my first suggestion is: Walk the walk, talk the talk. Walk, talk, talk, walk. Walking prayer. Talking prayer. Listening prayer. Try it, you’ll like it till it all makes sense.

When I look back on  my life, I see also see the value of taking trips with just one other person. Three’s a crowd.

Prayer can be a long trip with God.

EMMAUS STORY

At the heart of the Emmaus story is this point that it wasn’t till these 2 men walked the walk away from Jerusalem that they talked the talk that brought them back to Jerusalem.

How many times has it happened that it wasn’t till the next day we see how stupid we were. It wasn’t till later that we noticed that our assumptions and our expectations are all wrong.

Some commentators say that Jericho is west, so these 2 were heading backwards into the dark - away from the dawn. Then when they recognized Christ in the Jewish Bible stories as they talked, and recognized him in the breaking of the bread, and in the story of their lives, and on reflecting on it all, it all made sense. And obviously, they had to run home to announce that they too experienced Christ - the Risen One.

So Emmaus can be now - on any road - on any trip - at any Mass - at any meal - in any conversation.

THE SUBJECT WAS ROSES

I don’t remember the movie enough to get the facts straight. But once there was a movie named, “The Subject Was Roses” [1968]. Patricia Neal plays the part of Nettie Cleary. She’s married to John Cleary, played by Jack Albertson. The marriage was dull and boring. Once when it hit the skids, Nettie  took money from a coin collection. She then packed and took a bus from Port Authority in N.Y. to Spring Lake, N. J. or somewhere down there on the New Jersey Shore and spent a few days walking along the beach and talking to herself about her marriage. What hit me was the need to get away from it all to get back to it all.

I might have it all wrong, but the key memory that brought her back was that her husband gave her roses once. Later on she was to find out that the son Timothy - played by Martin Sheen -  suggested it to the father. “Here give them to her. It means a lot to a woman to receive roses.” The husband gave her the roses, but it wasn’t his idea. They were given without heart, without understanding.

THE SUBJECT WAS BREAD THAT WAS BROKEN

My second point is the learnings that we can come up with - when we are broken.

Sometimes somebody has to die or leave, before we find out how much that person means to us and how much this person does for us.

The disciples experienced Christ in the breaking of the bread. Jesus didn’t give us roses. He gave us bread and he gives us wine - back to basics.

But the key word today is “breaking”. Sometimes it’s only when we are broken, when the bottom has caved in, when we have given up and walked away, when we are crushed, that we understand the meaning of it all.

We have to break open the package to get to the contents. We  have to take off the wrapping, to find out what’s inside the package. We have to break the bread, we have to chew the bread, so as to get it into your systems.

So Jesus gives us “our daily bread”. And we experience our daily “breaks”.

The subject was bread - bread that was broken.

Broken brings some people back to Mass - and they recognize him in

the breaking of the bread.  We recognize Jesus in the breaking of the flesh. We recognize Jesus in the breaking of a life. We recognize Jesus in the breaking moments of our lives.

“Were not our hearts breaking inside us as talked to us on the road and explained the Scriptures to us?”

CONCLUSION

So I’m preaching two basic themes this morning:

1) Learn how to be by oneself. Taking long walks by ourself is one of the best things we can do for ourself. Like the disciples on the road to Emmaus, we’ll discover a lot of stuff that is happening back home. Sometimes we have to get away from it all, to understand it all.

2) Being broken - like bread - reveals a lot of things. Sometimes somebody has to die or leave, before we’ll find out how much that person meant to us and how much that person did for us. 

April 19, 2017

GOD

Dammed-if-You-do,

dammed-if-You-don’t.

Do those words echo from

earth into the Trinity - each day?

Jack is praying for rain and Jill is

praying for sunshine today in Peoria.

God, take mom, she’s suffered enough.
God, leave mom, for another day, we pray.

And won’t we be surprised 
to meet in heaven so and so 

whom we asked God to damn a dozen

times when we were on earth?

© Andy Costello, Reflections  2017

OUR  RELIGION   

IS  PERSONAL, 
RELATIONAL 

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily is, “Our Religion Is Personal, Relational.”

It has a catechism. We have a Bible. We have rules and regulations and all that, but the bottom line is this: our religion is all about a personal relationship with God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit.

Our religion is all about entering into communion - Holy Communion - with Jesus who brings us into the Trinity.

So it’s not words. It’s the Word become flesh who lived and walked amongst us.

It’s not prayers. It’s being with God - and God is often quiet - silence - presence - keeping all the universe going and together with all the more there is - especially with all we don’t even know about yet.

THE GOSPEL OF JOHN

As we know there are 4 gospels. The first three, Matthew, Mark and Luke, are filled with many of the teachings - sayings and parables of Jesus.

The fourth gospel, John, is quite different than Matthew, Mark and Luke.

The 4 gospels stress being in relationship with God, but I see the gospel of John stressing having a relationship with Jesus more.

Let me simply run through the gospel of John - chapter by chapter - from the beginning - by mentioning people - especially one to one moments Jesus had with different persons.

In the beginning was the word - and that word became flesh - and John the Baptist witnessed to that person called Jesus. He was not Jesus. Jesus was Jesus. [1:19]

Like Andrew we approach Jesus and ask, “Where do you stay. Who are you?” [1:40]

And Jesus says, ‘Come and see!” Like Peter, someone comes to us and says, “I think I have found the messiah, the one we are all looking for.

Like the couple who have run out of wine, Jesus can fill us to overflowing. [2:1]

Like Nicodemus, we can come to Jesus in the night. [3:1]

Like the Samaritan Woman, Jesus can give us living water. [4:1]

Like the sick, Jesus can wash us clean and heal us. [5:1]

Like those without bread, Jesus can feed us when we’re empty.[6:1]

Like the adulterous woman, Jesus can get those who want to condemn us to put down their rocks.[8:1]

Like the blind man Jesus can give us sight. [9:1] 

When we feel like sheep without a shepherd, Jesus can recognize us. [10:1]

When we die like Lazarus, Jesus will raise us from the dead.[11:1]

Like those who are hungry and thirsty, Jesus can take away our thirsts and hungers. [13:1]

When we realize like everyone we are condemned to die at some point - when we have to make our way of the cross, Jesus did it before us. [18:1]

And after we die there is resurrection. Like Thomas and Mary Magdalen,   Jesus will let us touch him the Risen One.[20:1]

Like the apostles Jesus will feed us with the Bread of Life.[21:1]

Those, in general, are the people and situations Jesus found himself in.

In today’s gospel from John [20:11-18] Mary meets Jesus - the Risen Christ - and she wants to cling to him - hold onto him - to be in communion with him. So too us - but she has to let go  - so as to go tell the rest of us - that she has seen the Lord - who is going to the Father - our Father and your Father.

ST. ALPHONSUS

St. Alphonsus said all this in his classic book: The Practice of the Love of Jesus Christ.

Alphonsus at times floundered around in worry, dark moods,  scrupulosity, till he discovered the whole secret of life, of sanctity, of happiness, is the practice of the love of Jesus Christ.

How do we do that?  Answer: it’s the same answer as to how to get into Carnegie Hall: Practice, practice, practice.

CONCLUSION

So here we are in church for morning mass - practicing, practicing, practicing, being in communion with Jesus Christ.

We’re hugging, holding onto Jesus. We’re tying our ligaments, realignments, our religion from which the word “ligaments” is rooted, and we’re tightening ourselves to Christ, who brings us deeper into the Trinity, who brings us deeper and deeper into the community called The Body of Christ. Amen.

April 18, 2017

CRACKS

When watching walls

and beams -  we sometimes

spot cracks. The weight

of structure - or the change

of weather - can change

the face of what we’re looking at.

So too the skin and face

of self - in the mirror - we can

spot cracks and wrinkles -

smiles that slipped because

of the weight of mistakes we can’t

shake - sliding out - wearing us out.

© Andy Costello, Reflections  2017

RUNNING

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for this Monday in Easter Week  is, “Running.”

I noticed that word in yesterday’s Gospel - the Easter Sunday Gospel - from John 20: 1-9.

Mary of Magdala ran back from the empty tomb to Simon Peter in John 20: 2. Then in verse 20: 4 Peter and the Beloved Disciple ran together to the tomb - but the Beloved Disciple ran faster.

Then in today’s gospel from Matthew 28: 8-15, Mary Magdalen and the other Mary are described as moving quickly - as well as running. Check Matthew 28:8.

The Greek word used is TRECHO - to run - to rush.

So how about a little thinking - and reflecting - on running for a Monday after Easter quick homily?

QUESTIONS

Do you still run?

Are you usually in a rush?

Compared to your parents, are you quicker or slower that they were usually.

My dad was always up early - ready to move - earlier than my mom - who was always there early as well - for wherever we were to go to next.

My dad  was lean and described as a runner when he was young.

I heard a man - seeing my mother  - in her late 70’s -  going up the Avenue in Brooklyn - saying, “Mrs. Costello you’re faster than a bus.”

How fast are you?

Is your mind faster than your legs?

Are you early or are you like me, usually close to late, sometimes late, but getting a lot of things done?

I picture myself - while driving from St. Mary’s - to here at St. John Neumann - looking at my watch 5 times while rushing to this Monday Mass every week at 12:10. I get out of the car and I love running, dashing - rushing into the sacristy and ready to start down the aisle at 12:10 and a half.

And I love to see people check their watch as I walk down the main aisle.

Are you a watch watcher?

QUOTES

Charles Joseph, Prince de Ligne [1735-1814], whoever he was, said of  the Congress of Vienna, “The Congress doesn’t run - it waltzes.”

Great quote, because some people never answer questions. They just waltz around an answer - sometimes.

How about you?

How do you see our congress?

Are you direct or indirect?

Do you think some people who are direct - should learn to button their lips more and unbutton their ears and mind - and rush to listen more and better?

What’s your attitude towards heaven? The hereafter?  Christ as the meaning of life?

What do you think of this quote from the Letter to the Hebrews:

“With so many witnesses in a great cloud on every side of us, we too, then, should throw off everything that hinders us, especially the sin that clings so easily, and keep running with patience in the race we have started. Let us not lose sight of Jesus, who leads us in our faith and brings it to perfection….” [Hebrews 12: 1-2]

The scriptures - especially St. Paul like to use the image of getting to heaven as being in a race - with Christ as the finish prize.

In the meanwhile life sometimes is not as clear as a race - a beginning, the run, and then the finish line.

Life has a lot of possible side trips and distractions, surprises and possible delays because of road blocks.

Here’s a quote about love: Shakespeare in A Midsummer-Night’s Dream has someone say, “The course of true love never did run smooth.” Act One, Scene One, line 132

If love, if marriage, was simply a marathon or a 10 K race, we might be able to keep our eye on the goal, but life is a long run - so too love.

No wonder the marriage vows have, “for better for worse, for richer for poorer….” 

CONCLUSION

In the long run - in a long life - it’s difficult to stay the course.

Keep moving. Keep running.

We’re not running for an empty tomb.

We’re running to find the full embrace of God the Father - and the arms on our shoulders in the moment - of Christ the Risen Lord.

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Painting on top: The Disciples Peter and John Running to the Sepulcher on the Morning of the Resurrection [1898] bu Eugene Burnand [1850-1921]

April 17, 2017

CONVERSATIONS

Conversations seem to have a mind 

of their own - drifting - switching topics - 

as they go along - and half-way through 

a room full of words - someone says, 

“Wait a minute! How did we get off 

on this question - when we began 

with a totally different topic? Where 

are we?” And the others left the room 

a long time ago - going off on totally 

different topics in their own inner rooms. 

© Andy Costello, Reflections  2017

IT’S  EASTER  TIME! 

RISE  AND  SHINE

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily is, “It’s Easter Time! Rise and Shine!”

We’ve all heard the song or hymn, “Rise and Shine! Give God the Glory.”

“It’s Easter Time! Rise and Shine.”

WHAT IF’S

Life is filled with lots of “What if’s…?

What are yours?

I became a priest with the hope of being a foreign missionary and get stationed in Brazil. It never happened. Instead, my first assignment was the Lower East Side of Manhattan - during the hippie revolution.

So at times, I’ve wondered what didn’t happen in my life as a result - what that would have been like - thinking and speaking in Brazilian Portuguese. Don’t we all wonder about the “What if’s?” in life. The latest issue of Sports Illustrated has about 25 What if’s. What if Babe Ruth was traded to the Chicago White Sox in 1920 instead of the Yankees? What if Tiger Woods followed his dream in 2005 and became a Navy Seal? So  I’ve wondered what Easter and Christmas are like - in the Southern Hemisphere - Easter in the Autumn and Christmas in the summer time.

Well, we’re in the Northern Hemisphere and Jesus rose from the dead in the Spring - in Palestine - which certainly makes for a more logical understanding of this feast day - Christ Springing and flowering into new life in his resurrection.

I’ve never been stationed in Florida - so does the geography and ecology and environment of being in 4 seasons affect our dispositions and our spirituality - and our way of thinking - more than 2 seasons - warm and warmer.

I remember asking my brother after he and his wife had a 2 week vacation in Barbados one February - what it was like - and his answer, “Well, they certainly didn’t invent the computer down there?” I hope there is nobody here from Barbados - but if there is, my brother is long dead if anyone wants to correct him.

LENT IS OVER

We began Lent some 40 days ago - and the Ash Wednesday readings - the Lenten readings - urged dying to self  during Lent.  Overcome selfishness  and self-centeredness - and rise to new life.

Are we any different today - April 16 - Easter Sunday - than we were last  Ash Wednesday - March 1^st?

Hopefully, some new life broke through the ground of our being - like crocuses in our gardens - like cherry blossoms on our trees - now that Winter is over and Spring is here. Did Lent 2017 make a difference in our way of living and doing life?

Spring is the season to spring into action - working our lawns if we’re blessed to have a front yard or a back yard.

Easter is a time to see and hear the scream and song  of birds and flowers and enjoy April Showers.

Did we get some deeper spiritual growth going on in the garden of our soul this Lent?

We heard the Preface of Lent: “For you will that our self-denial should give you thanks, humble our sinful pride, contribute to the feeding of the poor, and so help us imitate you in your kindness.”

Did it?

Hopefully some of that happened to all of us a bit better this Lent, this year - a  bit better than last year - 2016.

It’s Easter time…. Rise and Shine.

A HOMILY IDEA: MOVING THE STONES

In today’s gospel Mary of Magdala went to the tomb early in the morning - while it was still dark.  Surprise the stone was removed from the tomb. She ran to Simon Peter and the other disciple whom Jesus loved.

They ran to the tomb.

Surprise the stone had been rolled back and the tomb was empty.

For a homily idea, how about looking at the stones that weigh us down - or the stone that blocks the way out of our tomb - here and hereafter.

We’ve all heard stories about people being trapped in buildings that caved in - because of an earthquake or a bomb blast or what have you.

Rescue teams get cranes and jack hammers - and this and that - are used to lift the stones and cement slabs that are locking and blocking a person from being rescued.

The gospels tell us that Mary of Magdala and the other disciples were wondering how to move the stone when they would get to the tomb. Who will move the rock?

Listening to people as priest, I hear people tell me about what’s weighing them down.

About a month ago about 10 or 15 people asked me if everything was okay.

I said, “Yeah, great.”

But when the 16^th person asked me, I asked myself, “Is everything okay?”

It hit me that I was worried about a few people with cancer - especially a niece. I was feeling “ug - ug - ugly!” about some people - including family who were not talking to each other.”

So I realized. I admitted to myself. Some things were weighing me down. I was carrying some heavy stones on my mind and they must have been showing up on my face  - pushing outwards from my talking brain.

Are you okay?  Do you have any family or work stones or life stones weighing you down?

All of us are weighed down by our past - usually some major mistake. Or we’ve been hurt or what have you.

Who can take away the hurts or our world?

Who can take away the stones that weigh us down?

Who can take away the sins of our world?

This gospel text gives us great hope.

Jesus is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of our world.

Jesus is the stone remover - the rock roller.

Jesus is the Savior of our world.

Now right at this issue of who will remove the stone, we have a clear example of a great theological issue: who does what?

Is it all God?  Is it all me?

I have a collection of statements from various religions, which brings out that it’s an issue of co-operation.

I love the saying, “Pray for potatoes, but pick up a shovel.”

The Muslims say the same thing.  “When you camp for the night, pray to Allah - God - that your camel doesn’t run away - but make sure you tie him to your tent pegs.”

You’ve heard the funny one, “Pray to win the lottery, but make sure you buy a ticket.”

So we humans have our problems, moral,  physical, and mental struggles, issues and addictions.

We have to do our part  - all the steps necessary to take for recovery.

We can get help when things are weighing us down - physical help, psychological help (counseling, therapy, talking to a friend, or a priest or someone who is a good listener).

We have to do our best to get the best help - and ask the priest to come and anoint our dad or mom, etc.

Take the stones of gossip and talking about others.

People are rock throwers - they haven’t heard Jesus’ words about, “Let the one without sin cast the first stone.”

Or  take the stones of jealousy and envy that can weigh us down.

Jealousy and envy- words that are often mixed up.

Jealousy has to do with having something and not wanting to lose it.  It can be another. It can be money. It can be our brain power.  We are nervous of dementia as we get older. That’s jealousy - this worrying about losing what we have - because of aging.

Then there is envy - which is a funny thing. We want something we don’t have. Yet even though it weighs next to nothing, wanting it can wear us out and weigh us down.

So we need Christ to help us in these inner struggles - with these heavy inner stones.

CONCLUSION

Death is somewhat the same. Easter can obviously trigger the issue of death. That’s a big stone - the tombstone of death - even before we die.

Fear of dying, not trusting God can wear us out.

But unlike getting a shovel to dig up potatoes, in death we have to totally let God dig us out of that one.

The act of faith is that  we’re dead in death - but God is alive.

At Easter we make the act of faith that God is at the other side of death - not us - because Jesus rolled away the stone of death.

Easter announces that. St. Paul said, What if Jesus did not rise from the dead. All else is dumb - without that faith . Resurrection is the great What if.

What if Jesus rose from the dead.  Now that makes the difference for us for all eternity.

I’m assuming after we die, we’ll be wasting away or what have you or however this happens for us - and we’ll hear the words on the other side of death, “It’s Easter Time. Rise and shine. Give God the Glory!”

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Russian Icon on top: 15th Century