FROM  A  DISTANCE

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for this first Monday in Advent is, “From A Distance.”

That’s the thought that hit me when I read today’s gospel [ Matthew 8: 5-11].

The centurion asks Jesus to cure his servant from a distance.

He tells Jesus, “You don’t have to enter under my roof, just do it from here.”

And Jesus - after telling everyone around him - that this guy has great faith - the best he’s seen so far - good thing his mother was not around to hear that -  Jesus heals this man’s servant from a distance. It’s not mentioned in today’s gospel what happened next - maybe because the next sentence has one of those being turned out into the dark where there will be weeping and grinding of teeth [Matthew 8: 12.] But Matthew says, “And the servant was cured at that moment.”

I added, “From a distance.”

INTERESTING

I began thinking about that.

I don’t have time to do research - to find out if we humans are the only ones - besides those above us, “angels and God” - who are able to fathom “from a distance”.

I don’t know about cat and dog memories and brains.  Elephants are supposed to have great memories, but I haven’t seen anyone walking a pet elephant on their front lawn. Smile they don’t make plastic bags that big. Oooooh. Horrible thought. So I don’t know what elephants or dogs or cats or laboratory rat brains can do from a distance.

We see on the evening news at times - feel good  stories about dogs remembering their masters and mistresses when years separate them.

So I better not make comments about “animals and distances”.

Yet we humans - have a whole world of “from a distance” - thinking about and praying for sons and daughters away at college - in Afghanistan - or in San Diego - worrying about their lives or their marriages.

We spend a good bit of time talking to and about people in other rooms and in other parts of the country - all from a distance.

Faith can move mountains - so we pray for all kinds of people and intentions  - alive and dead people - from a distance.

Are we the only ones who can do that?

That’s a question this text triggered.

SONG

There is a song that Bette Midler sang - and I’ve heard it at funerals etc., “From a Distance.”

That song voices concerns about hope and harmony, no guns or bombs - no disease or “No hungry mouths to feed.”

O would that….

The song mentions  God watching us “from a distance”. 

Now that’s an act of faith.

That makes us different than animals.

That’s the faith this centurion had.

CONCLUSION: YET

I could go on and on, but let me make one major conclusion.

First of all, it’s at the reality of from a distance compared to up close where we can get into big trouble. From a distance - is where we have our expectations - our pictures - our imaginings of what an ideal family, spouse, kid, other is. Then when we compare that to what we actually experience  under our roof, it’s there that we go bananas and berserk,

Next, it’s in the up close - in the place where the tire hits the road - that we have to work - sweat - and struggle to bring about what we hope for from a distance. Yes love exists from a distance - but up close is where the words become flesh.

Yet we humans also want a faith that brings people together under roofs - a faith that  gets people to approach each other - because faith that doesn’t show up with love up close - under roofs - is not faith.  Faith is up close  - in close to body and soul of others - isn’t love.

December 4, 2017

INTERGENERATIONAL

I heard suicide is intergenerational.

Oooooooooh! Well, if that’s true,

how about love, visiting an old aunt

or uncle, laughter and playing cards?

How about grandkids and grandparents

dunking chocolate chip cookies in milk?

© Andy Costello, Reflections  2017

HAS ANYONE 

EVER WAITED FOR YOU?

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for this First Sunday in Advent is, “Has Anyone Ever Waited For You?”

One of the main themes for Advent is, “Waiting.”

Advent has these great W words: Waiting, Watching, Wondering, as well as Worry.

I was tempted to preach on the word “Watch!” because it’s so loud and clear in today’s gospel from Mark 13: 33-37.

However, I began thinking about this season of Advent, for starters, I began thinking of the theme of waiting.

Christ has already come - some 2000 years ago - yet we Christians celebrate this feast every year: the coming of Jesus Christ.

FOR STARTERS

For starters, for some reason, I found myself being asked, “Has anyone ever waited for you,  Andrew?”

I don’t think I ever heard or asked myself that question.

“Has anyone ever waited for you, Andrew?”

I laughed, because at every funeral and wedding, those in the sacristy are asking: “Where is he?”  I like to cut it close - getting to the church just in time. Why waste time?

But here I’m asking the question in a different, a deeper sense.

Has anyone ever waited for us?

The obvious answer for most of us is, “Of course, my mom waited for me for 9 months.”

What was that like?  I never asked my mom that question.  Yet pregnancy is a waiting period - 9 months.  She was used to this - I  being the 4^th child - and last. Thank God they had 4. Thank you, mom. Thank you, dad. Thank You God.

I love the comment that the last child is always the best child - because they finally got one right.

But what was that like - to be a submarine - under water - for nine months - with a mom waiting for us to break water?

Question: has anyone ever asked their mother that question?

I’ve never asked my mom that - nor my dad.

Question:  does any mom or dad remember their thoughts when they became and were pregnant?

If they do, I’m sure those thoughts are more aware and more acute for their first child.

I know some moms write down their thoughts in a journal.

Oldest kids got the most photos. How about journals?

If you kept a journal, please pick some good moments to share that with your kid - no matter how old he or she or you are.

TITLE AGAIN

The title of my homily is, “Has Anyone Ever Waited For You?”

HOBOKEN, NEW JERSEY

It was December 22 or so, 1953.  I went to a high school minor seminary in North East, Pennsylvania. They had them back then. In time, many realized, that’s too soon.  I had wanted to be a priest all through my grammar school years - so I gave it a shot. Most left. It was a long process to the priesthood: 4 years high school, 4 years college, 1 year novitiate, 4 years of theology. Then a final 6 months or so called: Tirocinium.

I got off the train that December 22, 1954 for a 13 day Christmas vacation. It was my first time home since I had left late August.  I left weighing around 130 pounds - a short little pudgy guy with freckles. There are pictures.

I was now about 108 pounds - still short, very short. I looked like an escapee from Auschwitz.  My father was standing there on the train platform in Hoboken, New Jersey, waiting for me.  Then home to Brooklyn.

I didn’t think of this till last night when I was writing this. He’s long dead - but I would  now love to know his thoughts. How long was he standing there.  What was he thinking?

However, I do remember his question - when he saw me - this scrawny little kid - coming home for Christmas: “You’re not going back are you?”

I said, “Yes, of course. I love it.”

I must have looked horribly malnourished.

I don’t remember what my mom or brother or two sisters thought when I got home - if anything - that Christmas - or anytime growing up.

Thinking about this, I’m wondering, “Does anyone really talk to each other?”  “Do people today talk to each other - more than yesterday.”

“Yesterday”  Is that why that Beatle song had such an impact on so many people.

Christmas: what were our Christmases like when we were little?

Yet, I remember Christmas a lot more than any other time growing up.

ADVENT

We begin the season of Advent today.

There are helpful booklets in the back - to read and reflect upon - for this season of Advent.  Take one. I know people say they are very helpful.

Suggestion: this Advent - this Christmas - make it a good time to read, to think about, to talk to each other about, what it was like growing up - what it was like becoming whom we have become so far.

Good question for each other: “Has anyone ever waited for you?”

DOWN DEEP - DEEP DOWN  - VERY DEEP

Does every person down deep, deep down, very deep - wait for God?

Is that what this Christ, Christmas, is all about?

Waiting for God?

Listen to the Christmas songs - starting with “Oh come, oh come, Emmanuel” - and ending up with “Silent Night”.

Listen to the words and hear the theme of waiting: we waiting for God and God waiting for us.

Is every church on the planet a waiting room - where God waits for us?

How many times around our world - every day - do people drop into churches - sit in a bench - and say to God - “Hello” and how many people hear back from God, “I’ve been waiting for you.”

A church is a waiting room.

Prayer is waiting.

Life is people waiting for people.

Type into Google, “Song: People” and listen to the words in this context of waiting.

Whom are the people you waited for?

Who are the people in your life - who are waiting for you to say something?

Who are the people in your life - who you are waiting to hear from?

When was the last time you experienced God waiting for you?

Prayer moments with tears are a hint.

God is not stupid.

God comes as a baby.

God is a helpless baby for starters.

We are stables - messy stables for starters.

We can be dumb donkeys, dumb ox, dumb sheep at times.

But it’s here where Jesus starts.

THE GOSPELS

But the gospels are more than the Christmas stories.

At some point hopefully Christ starts to grow within us - in wisdom, grace, and age.

At some point hopefully the adult Christ walks into our village or to our shore - and calls us to walk the rest of our life with him.

CONCLUSION

The title of my homily is, “Has Anyone Ever Waited For You?”

Life involves lots of waiting: for birth and for death, on lines and in doctor's offices and in traffic, for someone to heal and for someone to recover.

The thought of this homily is that Christ is waiting for us: Christ starting as a baby  - becoming an adult. Amen.

December 3, 2017

I’VE SEEN SOME GREAT SCENES

I’ve seen some great scenes in my life -

babies faces on shoulders in church and

in the supermarket - an old, old couple

walking down the street holding hands -

Chartres Cathedral - the Atlantic Ocean

while on the Queen Mary - the Rockies

in Colorado - a spring rain watering lawns,

and oh yeah, I’ve been to art museums.

© Andy Costello, Reflections  2017

December 2, 2017

AVANTE-GARDE  OR  ANTIQUE?

If avante-garde and antique married

would divorce be inevitable? Not

necessarily so. I would assume it

would be an, “It all depends.”

Are we talking about house, furniture

or are we talking about ideas and ideals?

Are some people by nature past oriented

and some people tend to love the new?

Yet,  I would assume problems arise when

people po po the past or want to do things

in the way we always do things. Wait a

minute: is this an argument in the abstract?

© Andy Costello, Reflections  2017

WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS  RIGHT NOW?

INTRODUCTION

Today’s first reading - Daniel 7: 2-14 -  is a head scratcher.  I’m glad I don’t have to do the first reading these days before the end of the church year. It’s written in apocalyptic language. I’ve heard people ask: “Was the person who wrote this stuff on LSD?”

Today’s gospel - for this 34 Friday in Ordinary Time - Luke 21: 29-33 - is 1,000 times clearer. We can all picture someone studying a fig tree - or any tree - and knowing what time of  the year one is in right now. There is a world of difference in trees about to bud in spring and falling leaves trees if Autumn. Luke simply says: “Consider these realities.”

HOWEVER

However, when I began thinking about these readings - so as to come up with a homily - what hit me - was a question: “Where is the American mind right now - with all that has been - happening -  this past year - these past few months - especially this past week or so?"

So the title of this - whatever this is - I can’t call it a homily -  is a question: “What Are Your Thoughts Right Now?”

With all that is happening in our world - here, there and everywhere - I think we’re all doing a lot of thinking.  What are you considering?

There’s the men in the Entertainment and Political world who have been outed for past sexual sins and behaviors and what have you.

There’s the tweets. There’s the comments about rockets and fake news and other news and what have you.

Then there were all those natural disasters in hurricane and fire season. I’m sure the people in Puerto Rico and the Islands and Texas are still dealing with their disasters - still big time.

I was thinking: wouldn’t it be a good idea if we jotted down 5 thoughts and shared those 5 thoughts with each other - listening - hearing them all out - and maybe commenting on them to each other after we’ve given our 5. 

Here’s my temporary list which I might pare down to 5 if I have time?

Number One would be: I’m wondering if every male in the United States - right now - is stepping back in their brain and examining their sex history - their lives - their growth - saying inner sentences and blurts like, “Uh oh! Oh no! Wait a minute! I can’t believe this?”

Next I have been thinking about news? I live with folks - rub shoulders with others - who see and hear the same news as I hear, but we’re coming up with totally opposite viewpoints about the same news.

There is a world of difference between Fox News and CNBC News - between Lawrence O'Donnell and Sean Hannity.

Where’s the truth?

Do some news agencies try to get to the truth? Is that the main motive or is truth secondary - with the main motive to be getting better ratings and with greater ratings, does greater revenue result. Is that the main motive?

Thirdly, I’m asking: If A gets fired, how come B is not getting fired?

Why is the phrase “truth to power” being heard more and more and more in our public discourse lately?  Have you noticed that lately?

I wonder if some public males got naked so others will recall the famous, “The emperor has no clothes on” parable? Wow that’s a curve ball. Well, do people self-destruct on purpose?  I've often wondered about that.

Let me ask that question in another way: down deep does everyone have to be exposed to who and how they really are - especially if they down deep need to be caught in their sins - so as to pay for their sins or ask for help?

Will Jesus’ phrase, “Let him without sin cast the first stone” start to make an appearance?

Lately this is all about men, I ask, “Will something about women - in some other area make an appearance one of these years?”  We hear lots of comments about women's power and lack of power.  Should that comment be framed differently?

Obviously.

Women have power.

Obviously.

Women are blocked from powerful positions.

Men too?

People do that to each other.

When women or anyone who comes into power - have to face the struggles, temptations, the use and abuse of power - that comes with position?  Where will women’s abuse of power show up?  Are there nuances that men - as well as women - are not aware of?  I don’t know. Just throwing out the question.

Being a priest, I also ask, “Do priests feel a bit of relief right now - unfortunately hearing about this latest round of abuse - having been through the child abuse crisis that began showing up big time back in the late 1980’s?

Okay, we still appear in the press and the courts and the movies and on TV series - and we priests still say, "Oh no!" when we hear about some person who has been hurt by one of us.

Will some helpful teaching or understandings from Christianity show up to help us all.  Will there be more articles about grace - falls from grace - Mary being full of grace - Christ being the forgiver  and teacher of what goes on in the human heart?  Christ often talked about the within - that we are  all flawed, cracked, broken - that we all have demons - that the place to pray and visit and clean out is our own inner room?

What’s with Islam? Come on Islam!  Explain yourself better.

For the sake of transparency, I’m a Democrat, and I don’t pay taxes as a priest with a vow of poverty, so can I ask, “Who’s telling the truth? Is there a truth? I'm thinking about this tax bill. What’s the truth? Is it for those with Stocks? Or is for those who are lower middle class or what have you? Is all this about the party and / or the guy - so he / they can have one thing done besides a Supreme Court Justice. Therefore we're better than the last guy?  Is that what’s really going on?  I keep reading that the bill is not even finished being written yet.

Does anyone know the bottom line with the Russian stuff - will we get to that? Will that lead to impeachments and jail time for various folks?

CONCLUSION

So those are a few of my questions.

And are their answers that are as clear as a fig tree in spring or a fig tree in autumn?

December 1, 2017

THE STUBBORN LEAF

The tree shook, and shook,

but it couldn’t shake off - that

one last leaf -  that one last

leaf - hanging onto - branch 17.

The tree said to itself, “Okay,

stubborn leaf, I’ll wait you out -

till you finally fall and you’re all

alone - on the cold, cold ground.”

However, the tree couldn’t shake the idea -

that it still had  one last leaf - still hanging on -

still hanging around - so it finally said with

resignation in early spring, “Okay, you win!”

The tree realized - life’s big lesson: you don’t

always get what you want, when you want

what you want. It was  then - and only then -

that - that last leaf let go - and with a last laugh.

© Andy Costello, Reflections  2017