September 7, 2017

MOTIVE?    

Whether we read mystery novels

or detective stories - our mind is

always wondering,  “Motive?”

She said that because she wants

me to think she’s smarter than I

think she thinks she is.

He did that because he wants me

to do something for him that I wasn’t

planning to do in the first place.

Pay backs? Getting even? Flirting?

Money? Guilt? Deflecting? Scared?

Being noticed? Not wanting to do it?

© Andy Costello, Reflections  2017

September 6. 2017

GRAVITY

Things fall downwards - all the time.

Things remain on the table - all the time.

We earthtronauts  - here on earth - are

not floating - and bumping around - like

astronauts up there. Gravity keeps us

grounded - clinging to good old mother

earth. Who planned it all this way?

Some answer “Gravity!” I say, “God!

Good old God thank You - for good old

gravity - keeping us so, so grounded.
So why in the world, O God, am I not
clinging and falling deeper into You?

© Andy Costello, Reflections  2017

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