FEAST
OF
SAINT CLARE OF ASSISI
Today, August 11, is the feast of St. Clare of Assisi ( 1194-1253).
Friday, August 11, 2017
Thursday, August 10, 2017
ST. LAWRENCE
GENEROSITY
INTRODUCTION
On this the feast of St. Lawrence, I would like to preach on
the theme of generosity - being generous - being a giving person.
LITMUS TEST
Down through the years generosity is the one criterion I
hope to find in another - especially a priest. Is this person generous?
If I am stuck, if I need a job done, who is the first person
that I would think of to ask for help from?
I also hope people are not hesitant to call on me.
So if people think of you as someone who is an easy touch
for time and work, I think that’s a great compliment.
ST. LAWRENCE
St. Lawrence was a deacon in the early church. He was one of the 7 deacons serving the
church in Rome. After Peter and Paul, he
is the patron saint of the city of Rome.
Along with Pope Sixtus II and a few other deacons, he was
arrested around 258 and killed. They killed Sixtus and the others first, then
Lawrence. The story is that they tortured Lawrence, so as to get the money they
figured he had.
What he used to do as deacon was to collect money and goods
for the poor and then distribute it. Evidently, he was a good collector and a
good giver and distributer. I picture him like Father George Wichland, who was
great in collecting and distributing money and food to the poor of Baltimore.
When those who wanted his money asked him, “Where is your
treasure?” he pointed to the poor.
After Lawrence was killed, a mob of poor people went to the
prefect of Rome and asked for their treasure: Lawrence.
His tomb is one of the 7 principal churches of Rome.
LEGEND
The legend is that he was burned to death on a gridiron.
I’ve seen pictures of the gridiron. It’s like a barbecue grill.
When I was in Rome I went to his shrine, where he is buried,
and there is a marble grill there, with holes in it, so the blood can drip
through into the fire.
One story has it that he was killed by the sword. The
tradition that people love is that he was burned to death and with humor said,
“I’m done on this side, turn me over.”
The Latin is, “Assum est, versa, et manduca.”
MY JOURNAL
I went to Rome for 5 weeks in 1984 - in hopes of seeing
Scala and the Redemptorist holy places. As I was looking thru my journal from
that trip this morning, to look up stuff about the shrine of St. Lawrence for
this homily, I noticed the names of John Ruef, Tom Forest, and Terry Kennedy.
The three of them were Redemptorists stationed in our house in Rome. They were
very busy people. Tom Forest was with the
international headquarters of the charismatic movement. John Ruef was consultor
general at the time. And Terry Kennedy was a professor at the Alfonsiana.
Well, preaching on generosity, all 3 were very generous with
their time to me. John Ruef gave me almost 3 out of my 5 weeks in Italy. He
took me on buses, trains, taxis, to all kinds of places that I would never get
to. He was a great tour guide. Terry Kennedy gave up a bunch of his time to
take us the shrine of St. Lawrence as well as other places in Rome that I’m
sure he saw a hundred times while taking visitors to Rome to good spots. So too
Tom Forest.
That’s generosity. That’s giving. We might not have money.
We might not have silver and gold, but what we can give so often, in the name
of Jesus of Nazareth, is our time.
TODAY’S READINGS
And I believe that is the theme of today’s readings, chosen
especially to fit this the feast of St. Lawrence.
In the first reading, Paul is trying to collect money. He
tells the people of Corinth, “He who sows sparingly, will reap sparingly and he
who sows bountifully will reap bountifully. Everyone must give according to
what he has inwardly decided; not sadly, not grudgingly, for God loves a
cheerful giver.”
Today’s gospel ends with the great
words, “Anyone who serves me, the Father will honor.” Well, Lawrence has been
honored since the 3rd century. Certainly, he served the body of
Christ.
CONCLUSION
Hopefully, like Christ, like Lawrence, we will be generous
servants - saying to all: "Take and eat. This is my body. This is my time -
given to you."
And then add, “I’m not done yet.”
Wednesday, August 9, 2017
Tuesday, August 8, 2017
WHAT SCULPTS OUR FACE?
INTRODUCTION
The title of my homily for this 18th Tuesday in Ordinary Time is, “What Sculpts Our Face?”
WHILE DRIVING
ALONG
While driving along I notice people pausing - especially
at red lights - to check out how they
look in the mirror.
I wonder at times - how many times - do people stop to
check out their soul - their being - their attitude - when they
look in the mirror - as they are going down the roads of life?
Do they look deep into their eyes and not just the surface and surroundings of their eyes?
Do they look deep into their eyes and not just the surface and surroundings of their eyes?
The eyes are the window to the soul.
How am I in there?
What’s forming my face?
What’s sculpting my face?
TODAY’S FIRST READING
We’re hearing stories about Moses and Miriam and Aaron
these days with these first readings from Numbers and earlier from Exodus. It struck me as I read these readings, “What were the faces of Moses, Miram and Aaron like?"
We’re told that God talked to Moses face to face. We also hear that Moses’ face glistened and
shined - with a bright light.
MIRIAM
I noticed in a few commentaries on today’s first reading
that the Lord was angry with Miriam and Aaron - Moses' brother and sister - for speaking out against him. They had complained, "Is it through Moses alone that the Lord speaks?" Then they added what every kid would say, "What about us?"
Deeper motives .... They had been angry with Moses because he chose a Cushite for his wife. The Cushites were from down in Ethiopia and were a bit more black. Miriam is featured the most in today’s first reading from Numbers. Envy was eating her up. Was she envious because this wife was much younger? Was she much more beautiful than Miriam?
Deeper motives .... They had been angry with Moses because he chose a Cushite for his wife. The Cushites were from down in Ethiopia and were a bit more black. Miriam is featured the most in today’s first reading from Numbers. Envy was eating her up. Was she envious because this wife was much younger? Was she much more beautiful than Miriam?
Bluntly the reading says that Miriam gets leprosy. In those
days, this was any serious skin
deformation. The book of Numbers says her
face looked like a still born baby who was missing part of his or her skin.
QUESTIONS
Reflecting on this, I asked questions about the impact of our attitudes on our face.
So that's where I got the question, "What sculpts a face."
One of the meanings for the name Miriam is “bitter”.
Would someone who is constantly bitter of soul become bitter of face?
How many times have we seen a face that has the ends of the
mouth line - turned downwards. It’s an unhappy face. How many unhappy moments,
how many inner complaints, does it take to make a face an unhappy face?
What can turn those face lines upwards at the mouth
endings - so as to be wearing an authentic happy face.
People spend millions on plastic surgery for their face
to look better, when spiritual surgery - will do it so much better - but free
of charge - if we do inner work - working with the grace of God.
CONCLUSION
August 8, 2017
BELL
That’s a big bell…. I’m sure all could
hear its sound for miles and miles
around - calling all
to prayer, all to
meet, all to know - no one is alone.
But what about bells that are retired?
Are they sort of like folks in nursing homes?
They did their job - in their time - and now
they just hang around - silent - doing nothing.
Do both old folks and old bells - just
have memories of when they felt valued
and necessary and everyone knew
they were around by their sound?
© Andy Costello, Reflections 2017
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