April 27, 2017

MOMENTS

Time ticks steadily, uniformly,

exactly, tick, tick, tick, tick ….

But life is not time - as much as

it's moments - meetings and nexts ….

Big bangs, little bangs, people at

our front door knocking - wanting ….

And surprise we’re 77 and we have so 

much to sort out about what happened ….

Life …. Oh, Lordy Lord, it’s then we realize 
how well we lived our time or didn’t….

Time…. It’s then we want so

much more time. Tick, tick, tick….

© Andy Costello, Reflections  2017

April 26, 2017

TABLES

There are tables and there are tables. 

Then there is a favorite: it’s the one

we did our homework on when we got

home from school - plus played checkers

and Monopoly on - as well as being the

perfect place for doing jigsaw puzzles.

It was perfect as a catch all table for kids

coats. Why would anyone want to hang

up hoodies and down zipper kids' coats?

Tossed on top of each other is how

one places kids' coats and stuff.

It was perfect for cards - and it’s been in

the family for 63 years now. It has never

needed glue or tightening. It holds

memories and elbows, laughter and

babies. It’s a marriage for better for worse

and it’s never been worse. This kind

of table can’t be bought. It happened.

© Andy Costello, Reflections  2017

POPSICLE

Sometimes a moment, an experience,

a conversation on a back porch - on a

hot summer evening - with a few neighbors -

is like a popsicle - or a creamsicle -

orange and white - and we lick it.

We suck on it - making delicious sounds -

even the stick that held it in place.

We lick that too. We’re all smiling.

We’re children  again. We’re in communion

with the world - not our work - not

performance - just sucking sweet delight

from a popsicle or a creamsicle  - and we

sense God is in on our time together as well.

Holy communion doesn’t just happen in church.

 © Andy Costello, Reflections  2017

SOME  COMENTS  

FROM  MARK

[Since today is the feast of St. Mark, I asked him to make some comments at our Mass this morning.]

My name is Mark. I’m here to say one thing today: “Read my Gospel! Read my Good News about Jesus Christ.”

If you bring up a Bible after Mass today, I’ll even sign your Bible - on the last page of my Gospel. I’d prefer to put my mark there - my name there - instead of up front.

I don’t consider myself a great writer. In fact, I wanted in my gospel to simply report  the doings of Jesus more than the sayings of Jesus. 

That doesn’t mean I don’t give some of Jesus’ teachings about how to live as if you’re in the Kingdom of God - some parables, some other sayings of Jesus. But I mainly want to tell you about the healing miracles Jesus did to make life better for those who were sick and blind and paralyzed.

I did my homework. I   walked with Paul for a while and heard and read some of his messages about Jesus in his letters.  I also listened to Peter and heard about his experiences of knowing Jesus.

But I was no slave to either Peter and Paul.  I listened to other sources.  I simply tried to line up the life of Jesus for anyone who wanted to know what he was like and what he was about.

Jesus was a carpenter from the north - up there near the Lake of Galilee. He didn’t start preaching till he heard about John the Baptist’s call to our nation to repent - to change - to return to our Jewish roots - to go down to the Jordan River - to go into those waters and come up the other side like our ancestors did when they came into this land.  The front part of my gospel is about Jesus  going about doing good.    Then as I head into the bottom quarter of my gospel  - I tell about his trip down south to Jerusalem to face his destiny and to face the leaders of his people who needed a wakeup call.

Jesus was simply a carpenter who became a preacher.

He did that when he was around 30 and like any prophet and teacher and preacher he expected death for standing up to what God wants of him.

He didn’t like the way his fellow Jews were practicing their religion. It was too strict - too tough - too legalistic. They were like a fig tree - but one that didn’t produce any fruit.

It didn’t reflect the Kingdom - the way he saw  God wanting us to do life.

He taught us that the message is this - that the law is simple: love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind and with all your strength. That’s the first and greatest commandment and the second is: you must love your neighbor as yourself.

He called disciples by name to follow him. Some did. Some didn’t - walking away empty.

Early on he understood bread - people’s hunger for bread. Later on he saw people’s hunger for the bread of life - and he became that life in that bread - but he didn’t tell and do that till near the end of his life.

After preaching and healing in the North, he walked South. It was then that all hell broke loss. He told his disciples this secret - that this was going to happen - that the cross - suffering - and death - is on his horizon

When we got to Jerusalem the Pharisees made their move to destroy him.

Judas one of the key disciples sold Jesus out. He betrayed Jesus. Money, disappointment in Jesus’ mission, thinking it was more here than hereafter,

Jesus was arrested in the night.

First he had his Last Supper with his disciples. It was at the Passover Meal. He took bread. He took wine. He said, “This is my body. This is my blood. This is the Kingdom coming.”

Then he went out into the night - prayed in a garden - where he was arrested.

His disciples panicked. They fled Jesus. They deserted him. Peter denied that he even knew Jesus.

Now he was all alone  before the Sanhedrin and the Roman authorities. He was mocked, spat at, ridiculed, crowned with thorns.

The next day - when put on trial - the crowd screamed, “Crucify hm. Crucify him.”

And that’s what they did, executing him on a cross

It must have been horrible - yet he went through his passion - till the end.

He screamed out from the cross, “My God, my God, why have you deserted me?”

But his death wasn’t the end.

On the early morning after the Sabbath of that death week - a new day arose - and his disciples discovered that he rose from the dead - and appeared to Mary of Magdala and several of his disciples

Jesus closed by telling us to start like he did - be baptized - and then go into the whole world and proclaim his good news - his gospel to all.

This then is what I’m doing.

I found out later that my gospel was the first and shortest - so start with me. Then read Matthew. He was more organized. Then Luke who told the best parables. Lastly John who was more poetic.

Thank you. 

April 25, 2017

ST.   MARK'S  VENICE

HOW  MANY  TIMES 

HAVE  YOU  BEEN  REBORN? 

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily is, “How Many Times Have You Been Reborn?”

That’s a question that hit me when I read today’s gospel from John 3:1-8.

We’ve all heard the word, “reborn” or “born again” and when it shows up in Christian conversations,   it’s from the gospel of John.

Nicodemus is told by Jesus that he has to be born again from above - otherwise he cannot see the Kingdom of God.

NEW YORK TIMES

Most mornings I usually glance through the New York Times which we get - to see what’s happening around the world.

This morning I noticed on page 3 for today, Monday, April 24, 2017,  the following:  

“To Stay Married, Embrace Change

In her Modern Love column, Ada Calhoun urges readers not to get caught up in the ‘end of history’ illusion - the belief that a spouse’s personality and habits solidify at the moment of marriage.  Partners are people, and people change, she argues, a perspective that the married members of the audiences applauded.

I then tracked down the column from last Friday, April 21^st, where that comment was made. It was very interesting, scary, challenging, and thought provoking.  And not only was there an article to read, but there were 281 comments as well.”

People who were married 50, 47, 37, 6, 16 years wrote in their comments.

People who were divorced wrote in comments.

Putting both together,  I ask the question I started with, “How Many Times Have You Been Reborn.”

I was ordained a priest with 15 other guys. 9 left the priesthood. 2 came back - one to the Redemptorists and one became a diocesan priest.

I know of one who was married and divorced and remarried.

I don’t know if they would use the language of being reborn or what have you.

THE GOAL OF A  HOMILY

I see a homily - especially on a weekday - having one key thought - or one key question.

I don’t see any of us able to answer the question, if a question is presented, during the Mass or at the moment. However, I would think that it’s a good homily if something hits a person there and then and they continue processing what hit them well after the Mass is over.

For example, I preached 3 times yesterday - on the question of forgiveness - especially a person dealing with life mistakes - or sins - or hurts - in the upper room of one’s mind - more than in the confession box in a church.

After the 5:30 a man - never noticed him before - came up to me in the crowd of people leaving Mass - and said to me something like, “You said something that I have been wrestling with all my life - and I never thought about it - the way you talked about it this evening.”

Then someone else jumped in - and then another - and then another - and then we went out to dinner at Macaroni Grill - and at 10:30 last night - while watching a baseball game - I was sitting there - thinking about what that man - whoever he was  -  what he said. And I thought and prayed - I hope I see him again. I hope he was challenged and is processing what hit him or what have you.

Did what I said,  help him?

Will it lead to a life change?

I don’t know.

MY LIFE

But each of us can go inside our  upper room - out mind. That’s the metaphor and the reality in yesterday’s gospel. We can walk around inside our head and look at our  life.

Change. Rebirth. A new me….

We can divorce other people.  Can we divorce ourselves?

Am I the same me that I was at 7 years old?

Do we ever harden like cement?

Do we change?

Do people change dramatically or do people change slowly - like the paint on the walls of our homes?

Who judges?

A family member - who hadn’t seen me in a long time once said, “You’ve changed!”

There were dozens of meetings at that occasion - a wedding, a funeral, or a family get together, I’m not sure what the occasion was, but that was the only conversation or comment from that day that I remembered.

Dumb me - didn’t ask - and I still haven’t asked what this family member meant.

As priest she had a chance to see me up front - on stage - so I wondered if that triggered her comment.

I don’t know.

I assume that we are the best person to make the judgment - but with help from others.

I also assume that geographical changes can bring about changes in us.

What else? 

How about deaths, divorces, loss of jobs, retirements….

I remember hearing in a talk about the essential self, the nuclear self, the central self, that changes less than other self-stuff.

I am still wondering about that.

I know that I know more now that I knew 10, 20, 30 years ago.

I know that I don’t want to become cold and crusty - and be a selfie - that can be selfish and self-centered.

I know,  I want to be better not worse.

I know, I need to read, study, be self-reflective.

I know,  I have to shut up, take long walks, drive with the car radio off - and dig into stuff I need to dig into more.

CONCLUSION

The title of my homily was, “How Many Times Have I Been Reborn?”

For some reason I have always liked the number 5 - I have 5 fingers and 5 ties - so that’s a manageable number. So I’m going to work on coming up with 5 rebirths.

Your turn - your take - on this topic and theme and question. 

April 24, 2017

GOD, HELP ME 

WITH THIS ONE

God, help me with this one.

Are the people who write

about this right - that prayer

can change people’s minds?

A little old lady is sitting there

in her afgan covered chair

and she’s praying that her

children’s children get their

kids baptized - like right now.

Is she hoping You send a

whisper suggestion to them:

“Hey parent, don’t you realize

that people need faith  - and -

a reliance of Me when it comes

to dealing with the big stuff:

death, a shaky marriage,

their kids on drugs, or a

dozen other big things?”

If someone prays for courage

today - when facing a classroom

filled with kids who are being

bullied by a handful of kids in

their class and they are not

getting any help from downstairs -

will praying give them some courage?

What about free will? What about

serendipity?  What about time?

Does time force everyone to their

knees or to their worry beads?

© Andy Costello, Reflections  2017

Painting on top:  Old Woman Praying.
Paintings below have artists name or title of the painting underneath the painting.

Old Woman at Prayer, Nogari Giuseppe, 1763

OOOOOOOOOOOO

Old Woman with a Rosary, Paul Cezanne

OOOOOOOOOOOOO

Old Woman Praying, Matthias Stom

OOOOOOOOOOOO

Old Woman Praying with a Prayer Book 
by Hans Barttenbach, 1908