October 29, 2017

PIANO

The black grand piano sat there closed.

It hadn’t made music for a good 7 years.

Dusted? Yes. Played? No. Then mom died.

The black grand piano stayed - closed.

Dad died 7 years ago. Before he died,

mom only played pieces he loved. 

He was her favorite audience of one.

He would close his eyes - and just listen.

The piano was sold - bought - tuned.... The new

owner sat down on the piano stool - ready to 

play “Moonlight Sonata” on a summer’s eve. 

It was her childhood go to special piece. 

She closed her eyes and all she could feel

was death - death and silent music. The black 

and white keys were silent and still in mourning.

She prayed a prayer like a prayer before meals.

She began playing. People on the street - a new

audience - stopped when they heard the music.

They were hearing resurrection and religion and sonatas coming out the open third story window.

© Andy Costello, Reflections  2017

October 28, 2017

Reflections

MISSING

My advice:

always take the window seat….

We miss too much ….

the green, the red, the purple,

the rust colored leaves - 

the grey bark, the dark bark

of trees along the shine of silver

tracks stretching into our next.

My advice:

always take the aisle seat ….

We miss too much ….

the conversations of fellow passengers …

the sounds of children wanting,

the stories of old people where

they’ve been - and what they saw -

and what they didn’t miss.

 © Andy Costello, Reflections  2017

October 27, 2017

CROWDIES  NOT  SELFIES 

As the Bible

right in the beginning says
as we walk through the garden,

“It’s not good to be alone….”

As the song goes,
as we walk through the woods,

"No one is alone….
"Someone is on our side ...."

As the word “alone” -

when broken down - is,  “all one”….

It's then the crowdies yell -
as we walk through the world, 

“Selfies get more people

in your pictures."

© Andy Costello, Reflections  2017

October 26, 2017

ANOTHER MEETING

The speaker stood there

speaking on and on and on.

And after a while all I could see

was his mustache. All I could hear

was his meow, meow, meow.

And like Walt Whitman

or Carl Sandburg’s cat, 

all I wanted to do was to 

slowly and silently

slide my way out of this fog.

© Andy Costello, Reflections  2017

October 25, 2017

BIRDS!  AND JESUS SAID

                                                            E

                                                 A    K

                                            T

                                                                      A        O

                                                                         L  O  

                                                                                   K

                    A       E

                      T  H

                      T

                                        B       

                                           I   RD

                                             S

                                                                          R

                                                  I                     I

                                                     N              A

                                                          T  H  E

                                                                

© Andy Costello, Reflections  2017
Matthew 6:26

October 24, 2017

REMINDERS

Reminders remain on the sidewalk

of my life like autumn leaves fallen down

from trees that once were so, so green.

Reminders - like match books in a clear

glass  jar on a table by the door with the

names of so many restaurants we went to,

so many conversations we had and some

we never finished …. . Remind me:

we need to talk. Reminders: death prayer

cards from too many funerals; bubble gum

baseball cards from when we were kids….

A song in the background while walking

into a store.... An old black and movie

on Turner Classics .... A faded T-shirt used

to wrap an 8 ½ by 11 inch wedding picture

of my parents - under glass that was on 

a side table in our living room all through 

our growing up years - but now is in a box
under my bed - looked at once and a while …. Reminders....Routinely reminding me…. 
about what happened. Tell me more....

© Andy Costello, Reflections  2017

RIGHTEOUSNESS

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily is, “Righteousness.”

Last night I read today’s two readings and I wondered what would be a theme to say a few words about.

In the first reading from Romans the word “righteousness” hit me.

It’s a theme and an issue that shows up in the scriptures over and over again, so it must be a life issue that shows up over and over again.

TODAY’S FIRST READING

In today’s first reading Abraham is credited with being right.

He made the act of faith - in God’s promise to him.  Then Paul says he was right in doing this.

Then in today’s first reading Paul says we who make the act of faith in God who raised Jesus from the dead - Jesus who died to take away our sins - will be justified, saved.

EVERY HUMAN BEING

Is it safe to say that every human being wants to be right when it comes to what we figured out about life.

Is it safe to say that every human being wants to wake up after death.

Is it safe to say that every human being wants to look around after death and say to those who didn’t believe in life after death, “You were wrong.”

Is it safe to say that every human being wants to wake up after death and hear from God, “Welcome into the kingdom. You were right! You made it.”

Is it safe to say that every human being throughout life wants to be right.

In the marriage survey we give couples about to be married, there is a question that goes like this, “One of us always insists on being right.”

Agree…. Disagree …. Undecided….  Check one.

Every time I come to that question when I go through that questionnaire with couples, I find myself saying, “I think the suggested answer - "Disagree" - they give to that question is wrong. If you think you’re right, why would you think you're wrong?”  I add, “Maybe they are getting at the word “insist” or “always” I don’t know.

MAYBE THE PHARISEES CAN HELP US WITH ALL THIS

The Pharisees in the gospels are knocked for being so obnoxious about being right and the others are all wrong.

When it comes to religion, righteousness shows up like a barking Rottweiler or pit bull at times.

I suspect that’s what the gospels are trying to tell us.

Jesus is killed because the Pharisees insisted that they were right about God the Father and Jesus was wrong in his comments about the Father.

I would assume we’re being called to be like Jesus - to speak our truth - but without being obnoxious about it.

I would assume that we’re being called to be at peace with one another.

I would assume that we have some humility and hesitation when it comes to being right and labeling someone else as wrong.

CONCLUSION

The man in today’s gospel is wrong about how long he is to live - and finds that out - perhaps too late  - like tonight when he is going to die.