July 6, 2018 - 

Thought for today: 

“Much has been written  about the beauty, 

the stillness, the terror of the desert 

but little about its flies.”  

Belle Livingston, Belle Out of Order, 1959.

July 5, 2018 

Thought for today: 

“There are two things  that  will be believed of any man whatsoever, and one of them is that he has taken to drink.”  

Booth Tarkington [1869-1946]

Penrod (1914) Chapter 10.

July 5, 2018

PROPOSAL

There are those who don't believe 

in ceremony, rituals or what have you - 

moments like prayers before meals. 

If they're married, ask them how their

proposal went: then ask them again 

if they still don’t  believe in ritual. 

What about weddings, wakes and funerals? 

What about birthdays and anniversaries? 

What about all those times we were 
waiting to hear a, "Thanks!" or a "I'm sorry!"? 

© Andy Costello, Reflections 2018

July 4, 2018

FIREWORKS

Some people sparkle;

some people dud.

Some people light up the sky;

some people fizzle.

Some people are hot dogs;

some people are buns.

Some people are watermelons;

some people are a cold one.

Me?  I’m must be me and you’re just you.

Together let’s enjoy the picnic

and go “Wow!” with the fireworks
and enjoy the gifts of life together. Amen.

© Andy Costello, Reflections 2018

July 4, 2018 

Thought for today: 

“’One sacred memory  from childhood is perhaps the best education,’ said Feodor Dostoevski. I believe that, and I hope that many Earthling children will respond to the first human footprint on the moon as a sacred thing. We need sacred things.”  

Kurt Vonnegut, 

Wampeters, Forma, 

and Grandfalloons, 1974

Moon footprint: July 20, 1969

*

IF  IN  DOUBT, 

SPEAK  UP  
AND OUT  YOUR  DOUBT!  

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily is, “If In Doubt, Speak Up And Out Your Doubt!”

Spit out. Doubt!

Today is the feast of St. Thomas - and he’s famous because of his doubt.

Hey, we don’t know too much about some of the other apostles - apostles like Barthomew, Simon the Canaanite  - [not Simon Peter], James The less, Jude, [not Judas] - also known as Thaddeus.

But we do know about Thomas - mainly because of his doubt.

And when it comes to religion, there are lots of silent doubts - unexpressed doubts - theological wonderings.  

Thomas gets sort of picked on by Jesus - for being the doubter. Then  Jesus uses him to praise those who make great acts of faith.

As we heard as the ending to today’s gospel, “Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed.”

THE VALUE OF DOUBTERS

In this homily, I’m giving praise to those who doubt.

Do we have enough milk? Did anyone make sure the widows are closed?  Is the restaurant open on Monday evenings? Who’s in charge of making the reservations? 

Maybe Flint Michigan would not have  had so much lead problems with their water - if the city manager and those in charge did regular checkups.

Catholic Dioceses would have saved millions and millions of dollars if someone checked out their doubts about Father So and So.

A big benefit from the abuse problem in the Catholic Church is that parents keep a better eye on who’s trying to be with their kids. We took a horrible hit - kids getting hurt - and lots of folks not going to church because of the sins and bad example of others. Any of you who have volunteered for school and  teaching kids know you have to be certified. It’s a pain at times, but this doubt culture is protecting kids better.

In other words, having doubts can sometimes have benefits.

A FEW COMMENTS AND A FEW QUOTES

Galileo said, “Doubt is the father of discovery.”  If those in charge - of the thought police in the Catholic Church - would have had some doubts about their sureness that  Galileo was wrong, maybe we wouldn’t have been tagged as being so unscientific.

I love the saying - by someone named Francis Sayer , “Religion isn’t yours  firsthand until you doubt it right down to the ground.” Francis Sayer, Life magazine,  April 2, 1965

That fits in with Isaac Bashevis Singer’s comment, “Doubt is part of all religion.  All the religious thinkers were doubters.”

Rene Descartes wrote, “If you would be a real seeker after truth, it is necessary that at least once in your life you doubt, as far as possible, all things”  He said that in Principles of Philosophy, 1644.

But I better add that we need also to have doubts about our doubts.  I say that because when I was looking up ideas and comments about doubts the following  statement by a John Hutchinson, in Faith, Reason and Existence, 1956, hit me, “ There is  a measure of truth in the traditional doctrine that … all doubt is at bottom a dishonest rationalization of sin.”

CONCLUSION

That brings me full circle. 

So today  we celebrate the memory and the story of Saint Thomas the Apostle - which I believe is saying, “It’s good to have faith - but we’re also allowed to have doubts - and hopefully our doubts bring us find faith - especially in the wounds of Christ and the realities of life around us.

___________________

* Painting on top: The Incredulity of Saint Thomas [1601-1602] by Caravaggio (1571-1610)

July 3, 2018

BENCH

Single chair - bench - or couch?

A bench - as well as a couch -

says a lot more than a single chair.

Picture a couple on a park bench -

snuggling - or a grandpa reading

to his grand-kid on a couch.

Now picture an individual all alone

sitting there reading a paper or a

Pharisee sitting there far off - alone -  inwardly

complaining about Jesus with a dozen kids.

© Andy Costello, Reflections 2018