IRISH 

EYES 

ARE  SMILING! 

July 12, 2017

PLEASE  BE  SEATED

100, 1,000, 10,000 people

have sat in this chair - on

this plane, train, bus, church,

restaurant or park bench.

Sometimes we notice  each other,

with a smile, holding the door,

an eye touch or even a hand shake.

Please be seated. Hi. Hello. Oh ….

Who are you? Where have you been?

Where are you headed? Tell me

something about yourself before

we stand up and get on our own way?

© Andy Costello, Reflections  2017

ISRAEL: 

WRESTLING  WITH  GOD

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily is, “Israel: Wrestling with God.”

As far as I could pick up in reading about the name “Israel”,  it means, “Wrestling With God.”  Not all agree on that, but Jewish theology is richer when the word “Israel” is translated into “Wresting With God.”

In today’s first reading from Genesis, Jacob - has a name change. He now becomes Israel. He had wrestled with his brother Esau coming out the womb holding his older brothers heel. The name goes well with the story of his life - how he wrestled with various people and situations - and how in today’s reading - he wrestles with someone all night long till the break of dawn. And his hip is knocked out of place - and it seems for the rest of his life Jacob had a pronounced limp.

LIFE  AS  WRESTLING

Wrestling can at times be another word for life.

People are sometimes described, “She’s wrestling with something.”  “He’s wrestling with something. 

Using today’s gospel, we could say, “Sometimes we have to wrestle with our demons.”

I’ve been at many AA meetings - and listened to lots of  “drunkalogues” - a person telling their life story - and many of the stories mention demons. Wasn’t rum labeled “demon rum”?

I’ve also visited folks at Shepherd Pratt - St. Elizabeth’s in Washington D.C. and many other Mental Health Centers. Often in listening to people, I hear about what they are wrestling with,  struggling with, and what have you.  

When we were kids, we often watched wrestling on TV - especially when our uncle Cole was living with us. He thought wrestling was real and baseball was fixed.  He could be a curmudgeon. Yet wrestling is real. Did you ever live or work with someone, who is always into causing mismatches and mishmash?

If we look at our life as a wrestling match, we could ask, “What has been our main enemy?” “What has been the main event?” “Who have been our toughest opponents?” 

Big families offer bigger opportunities for kids to grow. Today’s smaller families provide less opportunities for emotional growth.

One bathroom is a house has its opportunities for patience as well.

Big families also provide the challenge of comparison problems - sibling rivalries - as well as hearing the words, “Not fair” a lot more than when we are   alone.

So the home can be a wrestling ring - so too the playing field - so too the workplace - so too the classroom. Everyone can’t be the smartest kid in the class.  Not everyone can  get the quarterback position. Not everyone can be the lead in the play.  Teachers sometimes have pets - and it isn’t me.

As Chief Justice Roberts said in a commencement address at his son’s graduation from elementary private school recently, “Every kid has to learn that life is not fair.”

PRAYER IS WRESTLING

Prayer is a conversation and a communication with our God. It can also be a wrestling match from time to time.

Prayer - with God - speaking and listening -  is the stuff of every  relationship - and wrestling is part of every relationship.

Read the Psalms.  They  are often about complaints with God.

We think, “My will be done!” more than we pray, “Thy will be done!”

CONCLUSION

Israel was a new edition of Jacob.

His mother tricked Esau - Jacob’s twin brother - out of his legal rights.

And that wrestling match has been going on ever since in and with Israel.

The names are different - that’s all. 

ANTWERP  TRAIN STATION 

HISTORIC  

FLASH  MOB 

DANCE

July 11, 2017

SOMETIMES  COMMUNICATION HAPPENS 

Sometimes communication happens; 
sometimes it doesn't.

Sometimes we don’t look the other in 

the eye because we don’t see eye to eye.

Sometimes the solution is simple, but 

we simply don’t want the problem solved.

Sometimes we have given up on

another, so why give in to another?

Sometimes I don’t listen because it seems

you don’t want to  listen either. Do you?

Sometimes we have to get a flat tire 

to realize we’re going around in circles.

Sometimes what seems to be, 

actually is what it is.

Sometimes there’s a right time and

sometimes there is a wrong time to talk.

And sometimes these are simply excuses not

to communicate and sometimes we connect.

© Andy Costello, Reflections  2017

ROCKS  AND  RELICS,

REMAINS AND REMINDERS

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for this 14^th Monday in Ordinary Time is, “Rocks and Relics - Remains and Reminders.”

Today’s two readings trigger thoughts about rocks and relics - and those two words triggered thoughts of two other “R” words: remains and reminders.

STONES: THERE IS SOMETHING ABOUT STONES - OR ROCKS

There’s something about stones that gets us to hold onto them.

Here’s Jacob going to a shrine - near Haran. The world, the Middle East, is filled with shrines.  They are sacred places. They are stairways to heaven.

I grew up hearing that in Brooklyn there is either a bar or a church on every corner. That’s an exaggeration. Bars yes. Churches no.

In today’s Bible story from Genesis 28: 10 to 22a, Jacob does something everyone does: he picked up a specific stone - because he was in a special place. It was a shrine. It was that stone he laid his head on for the night. With his head on that rock he had his famous stairway or ladder dream. In that dream he meets God, the God of Abraham and Isaac. He is told that this land will be your land - and you’ll have many descendants here.

Question: check your house, your shelves, your keepsakes, your boxes,  for rocks from places you’ve visited.

Here are two rocks. 

This one is from Galway, Ireland from where my mom and dad are from.  Ireland has lots and lots of rocks. They could make a fortune by selling them. Rocks last. They are not plastic or cloth or paper. 

And here’s another rock. It’s from the Sea of Galilea - which I picked up and pocketed in January of 2000 - and I wrote where it is from with a thin pointed pen.

When we visit a place that impresses us - impacts us - we like to hold onto the place - with something from the place, a souvenir, a rock, a relic, a matchbook…. Isn’t that why people take pictures, zillions and zillions of pictures - besides sending the picture with an e-mail or Facebook to others - to share their sacred - their special - place and experience with family and friends. Cheaper than postcards - but postcards are nice as well.

In today’s first reading Jacob takes the stone he slept on - poured some oil on it - and set it up as a memorial stone. He called the place, “Bethel.”

Beth - is the second letter of the Hebrew alphabet - meaning house - and that’s its shape b - is like a single family house. Capital B is like a two story house.  We know the word “Beth” from the place listed as where Jesus was born: Bethlehem.  “Lehem” is the word for bread - or more: food. So Bethlehem is the House of Bread - House of Food - home. Home is where we eat and sleep and rest.

So Bethel - means “house of El”  Once more Beth means.  “El” is the word for God.  That’s the Semitic and then Arabic and Middle East name for God. El, Al, Allah, as found in the names Rachel, Nathaniel, Michael, Daniel, Noel, Angel.

So that’s a few words about rocks and sacred places - so rocks can be sacred and special.

Let me jump now to  today’s gospel and deal with the second word in my homily title. I used the word “relic.”

Well this lady in today’s gospel is suffering from hemorrhages for 12 years. She reaches out to touch the tassel of Jesus’ cloak.  She said to herself, “If only I can touch his cloak, I shall be healed.”

What ever happened to Jesus’ cloak?

How many did he have - if had more than one.  He stressed having very little. What ever happened to his robe - the one gambled for at Calvary.

Is the Shroud of Turin Jesus’ burial cloth?

If it is, how much is it worth?

If you go into historical museums, you find clothes from famous people.

Marilyn Monroe’s dress which she wore when she sang “Happy Birthday Mr. President - to John F. Kennedy in May of 1962 - sold for $1.25 million at a Christie’s auction in 1999 and for $4.8 million on November 19, 2016.

Would we touch it - if we could touch it - with a sense of awe?

How about the woman’s thought as she touched Jesus’ garment and she was cured?  

I have two jackets that my brother wore - and my sister in law gave them to me after my brother died. When I wear either of them in  my nieces sight - they are amazing reminders of my brother. And we looked somewhat alike - the poor fellow.

People who have lost a spouse or a parent or a child - keep - keepsakes for the sake of the person who is gone.

CONCLUSION

Enough already.  I just wanted to skip these thoughts - like a kid skipping stones on a lake.

Remember the temptation Jesus had in the desert - in beginning of his ministry -  to change rocks into bread to feed the hungry. And Jesus says “No!”  And at the end he takes bread and tells us to take and eat - this is my body, this is my blood - do this in memory of me.

And wonderfully the bread dissolves - becomes us - as we digest Jesus - and we become forever in Christ.

Not as rocks - but as fleshy, sentimental, tear stained human beings.

July 10, 2017

COMMUNICATION  SKILLS: 

PICK  ONE  FOR  TODAY 

Let’s talk clarity ….

Let’s talk charity ….

Let’s talk transparency ….

Let’s talk calmly ….

Let’s talk questions to each other ….

Let’s talk listening as a follow up ….

Let’s talk honesty ….

Let’s talk appreciation ….

Let’s talk looking eye to eye ….

Let’s take a walk ….

Let’s have the courage to ….

Let’s talk with respect ….
Let’s talk with forgiveness ….

Let’s talk more than once ….

Let’s remember the good times ….

Let’s let go of the bad times ….

Let’s allow for mistakes ….

Let’s pick up trends ….
Let's not forget the compliments ....

Let’s name the expectations ….

Let's use adjectives before the word expectations, "fair," "unfair," "unknown," "non-balanced", "first time I heard that one ...."
Let's say, "How about a time-out to ...?"
Let's ask, "Is this for always or just for now?"

Let’s name regressions and progress ….

Let’s learn to be able to say, “Not fair….”

Let’s learn to say, “Wait a minute ….”

Let’s be able to say, “It all depends …."

Let’s ask, “Is this what you’re saying ….”

Let’s make the time and take the time to ….
Let's say, "By the way we're different ...."
Let's say, "By the way, I've changed ...."
Let's be nice ....

© Andy Costello, Reflections  2017