COME TO THE WATERS!

“WHAT  HAVE YOU TO DO  

WITH US, 

JESUS OF NAZARETH?”

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for this 22 Tuesday in Ordinary Time is a question from today’s gospel. It’s from the man in the synagogue - in Nazareth, “What Have You to Do With Us, Jesus of Nazareth?”

Then the sick man, the man described as having a demon, or being unclean, yells out, “Have you come to destroy us? I know who, you are - the Holy One of God.”

GOSPEL OF LUKE

We’re into the Gospel of Luke now - right up to the end of this Church year - and Luke is going to tell us the very reason why Jesus came.

Today we are hearing why Jesus came into our existence. We’re told to wake up - to not be in the dark - to not be caught off guard.  We’re being told that Jesus is the Holy One of God.

Yesterday we heard that Jesus incorporates Isaiah 61 to tell us why he came: “to anoint us,  to bring us good news, to bring us freedom, to take away our blindness to let us see, let us go free.”

As we hear in the first chapter of Luke, Jesus came to bring the message, “Do not be afraid.”

He also came to tell us stories - parables. He came to introduce us to Mary. He came to bring us his Spirit - and on and on and on.

So Jesus came not to destroy us - but to restore us.

Each of us who receives Jesus, who invites Jesus into our inner synagogue - to be in communion with us - has to do their homework and discover what Jesus has to do with us.

SELF-DESTRUCTION

In the time of Christ we hear about demons and evil spirits.

As we read through the gospels we find out that’s how people thought about sin and mental sickness - and strange behavior - and depression - in the first century. They are  forces inside us.

In our lifetime we’ve heard people say, “The devil made me do it.”

In our lifetime we’ve seen family members and neighbors do self-destructive behavior.

Alcohol, drugs, eating disorders, addictions, porn, gambling, procrastination are all self-destructive patterns and behaviors.

I am a diabetic - and I have found that sugar and sweets can be diabolical. I have to fight taking sweets. And when I do take too many carbs,  I can feel the impact of high sugar. So I know about being self-destructive - like not walking enough - not doing enough exercise

SELF-HEALING

And we can do restorative behaviors. We can be saved. Jesus can arrive in our synagogue - as well as meet us on the road, in our house, garden, field, or stable.

St. Francis of Assisi once spoke a tiny piece called, “Wild Forces” that goes like this: 

WILD FORCES 

              There are beautiful wild forces 

              within us. 

              Let them turn the mills inside

              and fill sacks 

              that feed even 

              heaven.

CONCLUSION

"Within" is the key word.

Jesus came to earth dwell within us - in our inner Bethlehem - to be born again. 

And that man in today’s gospel - is  a voice within us - that’s worried about Christ coming into the synagogue within us. 

Down deep we fear Christ will destroy us. 

Today’s gospel is telling us Christ does just the opposite. Within this synagogue this morning, let Christ do to us what he did to this man in today’s gospel.

September 5, 2017

ACHES

There are aches and there are aches.
There are hungers and there are hungers.
There are thirsts and there are thirsts.

There are passions and there are passions.

There are quests and there are quests.
There are desires and there are desires.

There are wants and there are wants.

There are agonies and there are agonies.

And guess what? God is in all of them.

© Andy Costello, Reflections  2017

MISSION  STATEMENT

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for this 22 Monday in Ordinary Time  is, “Mission Statement.”

That thought hit me when I read today’s gospel - when and where Jesus comes into the synagogue in Nazareth - unrolls the sacred scroll - and reads the words of Isaiah.  [Cf. Luke 4: 16-30.]

That moment has been described as his inaugural address.

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,

because he has anointed me

to bring glad tidings to the poor.

He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives

and recovery of sight to the blind,

to let the oppressed go free,

and to proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord.”

I’ve never heard it described as his or Isaiah’s mission statement - although it’s a very good one.

MISSION STATEMENTS

I tried to find a date and who is responsible for the modern phenomena of trying to get companies and organizations to meet and hammer out a mission statement.

Couldn’t find that information to my satisfaction - but I’ll keep trying.

I’m sure - before the so called “Coming up with a Mission Statement” - practice evolved,  leaders, organizations, new governments, down through the years tried in speeches to announce to their members what their plan or hope is for the future.

I’ve heard mostly negative comments about mission statements. They are too generic. They are not specific. Members - as well as those walking into a company or school or church or organization - don’t seem to know or notice a mission statement near the entrance. Mission statements don’t seem to move folks to put  the mission statement into practice.

Estée Lauder has this in their mission statement: “bringing the best to everyone we touch.”

Nice - and I assume Jesus did the same.

THEME FOR THE YEAR

I would think a theme for the year has more impact. Like this year our theme at St. Mary’s is “All Are Welcome.”

Now that could be polled at the end of a year or during a year - to see if it’s happening or happened.

I know - after hearing about that theme - I’ve said, “Welcome”  to a lot more people in the last few months than before.  I had two baptisms yesterday at St. Mary’s and strangers came in off the street before and after the baptisms to visit our church. I know I said, “Welcome” and then asked, “Are you from here?”  I say that second part, “Are you from here?” because I’ve missed on that a bit - only to find out the stranger has been here for the past 45 years.

I remember saying “Welcome” to someone and they said, “Thank you. That’s the first time anyone said that to me in the past 9 years.”

I know I said welcome to the next couple I met right after that and they said, “Thank you!” and then they said they just moved to Annapolis and are checking out churches.

I know some people walked out of Mass a few years ago when a priest here made comments about gay people from the pulpit.

It seems to me that Pope Francis, Jesus and the Catholic Bishops of the United States are challenging Catholics to be more welcoming than the past with all  people.

Okay, pet Pitbull’s and Rottweilers are not welcome at our church - at least from me. However,  pet Pitbull and Rottweiler type people are. And I would assume that people with Rottweilers, Pitbull’s, pugs and poodles are welcome if we ever have animal blessings on the feast of St. Francis.

So to me themes for the year have more power, influence, impact than mission statements.

OUR MISSION STATEMENT

Does our mission statement for St. Mary’s Parish have any influence on our practices - and how we serve people.

On the front cover of our bulletin - on the bottom - here it is: “St. Mary’s Parish, a sacramental Roman Catholic community united in Jesus Christ our Redeemer, proclaims God’s love: serves the needs of others; educates in the faith; and joyfully celebrates God’s presence and promises as we seek the Kingdom of Heaven.”

I’m sure some of those 40 words were tossed around, wrestled with, and hammered out.

On our website, with our schools in mind, we read,  “St. Mary’s Parish, a Catholic congregation served by the Redemptorist Order, includes St. Mary’s Church and St. John Neumann Mission Church. St. Mary's Elementary and High School located in downtown Annapolis, Maryland, serve students in grades Kindergarten through 12. Anchored in faith, rooted in tradition, and committed to excellence, our programs build lifelong learners who are servant leaders.”

My wondering is: How much impact do these mission statements have?

I would think discussion - bringing them up at times - could be helpful - if someone felt something or someone was being neglected. 

CONCLUSION

Looking at today’s gospel - and its quote from Isaiah  61: 1-2, I would think a key to a good mission statement and theme for a year, would be that it has some upset - some very clear challenge -  in it.  That is, Jesus in it, the cross in it, as well as resurrection and new life in it.

At the end of today’s gospel - it says that the folks in Nazareth, Jesus’ home town, “rose up, drove him out of the town, and led him to the brow of the hill on which their town had been built, to hurl him down headlong.”

I was wondering if I have ever said something that would get people want to toss me out of this parish.

September 4, 2017

CROSSING  THE  THRESHOLD 

When you’re nice, you’re nice,

but when you’re nasty, you’re nasty.

When you’re sweet, you’re sweet,

but when you’re sour, you’re sour.

When you’re at a threshold, pause and

picture yourself in the room you’re entering.

When you’re in that room, how do you

want to be:  nice or nasty, sweet or sour?

© Andy Costello, Reflections  2017

September 3, 2017

WHERE DO BARKS GO?

Where do barks go after barks go?

Do they go under beds or into closets?

Or do they just remain there in a dog's mind,

wondering why didn’t someone hear my bark

and come and pet me or give me a treat and
find out why I was barking in the first place? 

“Bark! Bark!” There I’m doing it again. 
Does anyone hear my barks? "Bark! Bark!"

Maybe this time someone will wonder where
my bark comes from and what I really want.

© Andy Costello, Reflections  2017

September 3, 2017

PASSION

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for this 22 Sunday in Ordinary Time is, “Passion.”

Passion - having passion - being passionate. It means being on fire - filled with emotion - high energy - not cool - not calm -  but heated up.

I think it’s also the name of a perfume from Liz Taylor.

Passion.

Does it work?

Will this sermon work?

Where are you right now? 

What do you need from the Lord this Labor Day Weekend?

JEREMIAH

I got this theme and thought for this sermon from Jeremiah in today’s first reading. It’s a very emotional text. I want to read it again - but I’ll pick another translation - to let that get into the mix - of thoughts about passion.

You have tricked me, Lord,

and I was tricked.

You have overpowered me

and I am powerless.

      I am made fun of  all day long;

      everyone mocks me.

      Whenever I speak, I have to cry out;

“Violence and destruction.”

When I proclaim the word the result is

      insult and put downs all day long.

      I say to myself, “I not going to mention him

or his word or his name anymore,”

But then it becomes like fire

burning in my heart,

imprisoned in my bones.

So I grow  weary holding it in, 

I can’t take all this.

Have you ever felt that way? Words like bowling balls are hitting pins in your mind.  You’re angry - red hot angry - with the way you’re being treated by someone or some group or by God - or even yourself.

When was the first time I was really passionate about something or someone? 

When was the last time I talked to God the way Jeremiah talks to God in today’s first reading.

What gets you angry? What makes your blood boil? What gets you hot under the collar? What are you passionate about?

BACKWARDS AND FORWARDS

To be human is to be able to be in the here and now as well as to be able to look backwards and forwards.

I would assume -  when we’re young we tend to look forwards. I would assume when we get older we look backwards a lot more.

Life is both.

Life is drive and reverse.

Life is windshield and rear view mirror.

And life is the present moment we’re in - when we’re driving along doing all this inner talking and sometimes screaming - laughing and crying.

At a boring meeting - or when we’re at the airport - and our flight is late - we can do history - our own history. We can look backwards.  Or we can dream of next week or next year - and figure out what’s going to happen to our kids.

Today’s first reading is backwards thinking. Jeremiah is looking back on his life and complaining to God - feeling being duped by God.

Today’s gospel Jesus is looking forwards into his future and tells his disciples that’s where he’s headed - into the future - going to Jerusalem to facing life’s enemies: the elders, the priests and the scribes [those who could write, the educated].  And Peter says, “Don’t go there.”

And Jesus, who praised Peter in last Sunday’s gospel says to Peter this Sunday, “Get behind me, Satan! You are an obstacle to me. You are thinking not as God thinks, but as human beings do.”

Great stuff to think about here.

Take the passion called "anger".

People are angry at God at times - or how we think God thinks.

Or notice the trio in Jerusalem that Jesus says he's going to face: elders, priests, and scribes.

Anger at elders - people older than us - who gave us  advice - that put a brake on our dreams - or we imagine or inwardly accuse them of doing that.

Anger at priests. As priest I’ve heard a lot of people angry at priests, chief priests, church teachings - nuns - marriage laws - life laws.

Anger at the scribes - those who are more educated - than us - the intelligentsia.

Anger effects our body. Look at the fists and the neck of an angry person. Imagine what it’s doing inside - when a person's mind is like a sledge hammer fist.

I once heard about a relative being in a car with his wife and someone cut them off - and this relative went after the other driver and crashed into him on purpose.

Road rage is a reality. 

I also read last night about roid rage. That’s angry itchy mental hemorrhoids in ones skull.

So today's readings can get us in touch with our passions  - especially the passion called "anger".

Great stuff in today’s readings.

Looking at the gospel for today, the question: How did the disciples take this message of Jesus - that life is the cross, self denial, sacrifice, giving up for the others, especially one’s life.

Jesus said, “For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.”

SELF-DESTRUCTIVE PASSION

Now - as we know - there can be self-destructive passion.

Someone said the number one passion that destroys human beings is envy. 

What’s eating so and so? She doesn’t seem happy.

Someone said the number one passion that destroys human beings is resentments.

Someone else said it is regrets.

Passion - being inwardly or outwardly passionate - when it’s self destructive needs to be dealt with - otherwise there is destruction.

Then there is good passion.

The church and our world is asking us this September 3 to be passionate about keeping our earth better - cleaner - healthier. I hope you’re noticing that our school kids, ES HS and College are being pushed to make this planet healthier.

What am I doing to stress better house keeping for our home called "Planet earth".

And prophets for a better planet I’m sure feel duped by God when floods come - as well as  when they experience people who say climate and earth issues are all a hoax.

Am I passionate about working to make us aware of our earth - that we're doing out part to make things better?

CONCLUSION

So to be a human being is to be passionate about a lot of things - hopefully for the better and not the worse.

In Christ on the Cross - going through his passion, we see the best and the worst when it comes to passion.

Let me close with a quote from Rumi: “With passion pray. With passion work. With passion make love. With passion eat and drink and dance and play. Why look like a dead fish in this ocean of God.” Rumi [1207-1273]

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Painting on top: Chinese Painting, Passion, by Andrea Realpe