July 19, 2018 

Thought for today: 

“We’re all of us guinea pigs in the laboratory of God.  Humanity is just a work in progress.” 

Tennessee Williams [1911-1983] 

in  Camino Real [1953] block 12

July 18, 2018

12 WRITERS

Find 12 writers whose words 

and wisdom are just waiting there.

Get a crowbar!  Open up your

mind and open up their books.

Or do Ted Talks - or lectures or

talking books - and listen! Think!

For example, read Anne Lamott,

or Robert Fulghum or John Donne,

or John Shea or Annie Dilliard or

Barbara Brown Taylor or Rene Girard,

or John McPhee, Jane Austin, Hafiz,

Thomas Moore or your autobiography.

© Andy Costello, Reflections 2018

July 18, 2018 

Thought for today: 

“The society which scorns excellence in plumbing because plumbing is a humble activity and tolerates shoddiness in philosophy because it is an exalted activity will have neither good plumbing nor good philosophy.  Neither its pipes nor its theories will hold water.”  

John H. Gardner, Excellence: Can We Be Equal and Excellent Too? 1971

WAR AND PEACE

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily is, “War and Peace.”

I never read Tolstoy’s book - War and Peace - but I did see the movie. Both are very long.

What’s your take on  War and Peace - not the book, not the movie, but the reality?

HISTORY

How well did you do in history?  What were your text books like? What are today’s history books like in comparison? What are the meetings like that put together history courses for those in high school, college, West Point, the Naval Academy, the Air Force Academy, and Master’s Programs?

Most of us had U.S. history - so we know about the French and Indian wars, the Revolutionary War, War of 1812, the Civil War, the Mexican War and the Cuban wall, then World War I and II, Korea, Vietnam, Iraq, and Afganistan wars.

I think the closest war to Annapolis was the Battle of the Severn - March 25, 1655. Annapolis was once the U.S. Capital 1783-84. If that stayed that way, would we have been in for damage in the Civil War? 

In doing some note taking last night, I spotted that the Treaty of Paris was signed on Duke of Gloucester and Main Street in 1783. I was trying to picture that scene. Where are the papers right now?

I have never taken an Annapolis city tour - so I wonder what they say about War and Peace - perhaps mentioning the Naval Academy in our midst.

A few years ago at St. John’s College we had four script plays to commemorate what was going on in Annapolis 150 years ago during the Civil War. Robert Warden, of our parish, got St. Mary’s into the story telling. I remember there was no direct fighting in town. Ooops! I think there were some bar fights.  Then there was the big Parole Camp out near Parole - for prisoners.

I’ve been to Gettysburg - which is close to Maryland - but I haven’t gotten to Antietam - near Sharpsburg, Maryland yet. I have to put that onto my bucket list.

TODAY’S READINGS

Today’s readings triggered for me to take this  tiny look at the issue of war and peace for last night and this morning. Both readings and the psalm - address the issue of cities attacked, under siege,  and captured or destroyed  in the Biblical Times.

The Bible deals with wars and rumors of war - all through its pages.

The history of the world has lots of pages that cover war.

With airplanes and big guns - mortars and missals - diminish the value of  walls and castles.

What’s your take on War?  What’s your take on peace?

ONGOING WAR

I’m sure there is plenty of study about war - being ongoing - that there is always some fighting somewhere in our world - with hopes for peace.

Right now there is ongoing fighting in Syria, Yemen, Iraq, Afghanistan, the Ukraine, Somalia, and lots of other places.

What is our ongoing take on all this?

Be grateful for those who serve and protect us?

Keep praying for peace.

Be peaceful in our own families, with neighbors, with the older and the younger generation. It should mean we be at peace with ourselves and do all we can to everyday peacemakers in everyday situations.

CONCLUSION

Just some wonderings about war and peace.

July 17, 2018

TASTE AND SEE

Words come out of mouths
and into the ears and eyes
and feelings of another.

Words are served as a story,
a meal to bite into, to digest,
to savor, and become me.

Words can become flesh.
Jesus did it. We too. Taste 
and see. Let's become a we. 

© Andy Costello, Reflections 2018

July 17, 2018 

Thought for today: 

“Man  transcends  death  by  finding  meaning in his life ….  It is the burning desire for the creature to count ….   What man really fears is not so much extinction, but extinction with insignificance.”  

Ernest Becker, in Thomas Peters 

and Robert Waterman, Jr., 

In Search of Excellence, 1982

Painting: Western Motel, 1957
by Edward Hopper

OTHERNESS

The title of my reflection for today is, “Otherness.”

There were options on readings for today, so I stayed clear of the readings - so one of my favorite themes hit me this morning: otherness.

What’s your take on otherness?

People are different.

Sometimes we forget that.

Sometimes the otherness of other people gets us in trouble or gives us agita or frustration.

I never take mushrooms - how about you?

I’m not a big fan of onions as well.

I think folks are lucky here at St. Mary’s Parish.

We have plenty of seats in both churches - so people can sit where they want to sit in both churches.

We have plenty of Masses - so people can pick different Masses.

We have different priests - so  people can go to different Masses - especially  on weekends - to get different takes on different readings and life.

Some parishes list who’s saying a Mass; some don’t.

We have two tables in our dining room - sometimes. It depends on who’s home - and who sits where - as well as this and that.

Some parishes have only one priest - and the next parish is too far away.

I keep in mind the saying, “1/3 of the people like you; 1/3 don’t like you; 1/3 really don’t care.”

I keep in mind the saying, “The greatest sin is our inability to accept the otherness of the other person.”

I assume that other people disagree with that. Hey I don’t know what the greatest sin is.

I like the saying, “Teach thy tongue to say, ‘I do not know.’”  Sometimes I forget that and I say to myself, “Stupid. Stupid. Stupid.”

Or “Dumb. Dumb. Dumb.”

Those are my mutterings when I forget people see differently that I see.

Sometimes twins are different - very different - even if they are dressed alike.

Some people like t-shirts with writing on them. Some people, “That’s a no no - especially in church.”

Today - July 16 - is the feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel. 

Is Mary under that title seen as different than under the title of Mary Mother of Perpetual Help or Mary of the Miraculous Medal?

I would assume people would have different takes on that question - and answers to that question.

Protestant Churches are known to split - because of differences in the community. So they end up with First Baptist on this Corner and Living Water Baptist Church 8 blocks away.

So too Islam: Sufi’s and Shiites.

So to Buddhism and Hinduism.

So too Franciscans….

Those of you who watch EWTN - probably remember Father Benedict Groeschel - whose group wore greyish blue habits.  They were a Capuchin reform movement of a reform movement in the Franciscans.  I knew him - took some of his courses. I heard he had a photographic memory. He did, but he always called me Father Anthony.  And he had a fabulous sense of humor and life.  I liked him - knew he was much sharper and brighter than me - but he also stuck pins in some my sacred balloons.

In other words I could see how different he was from me and others ….

We Redemptorists have not had too many splits.  One was the Paulist’s here in the United States.  Isaac Hecker was a convert - liked our preaching - joined us - but conflicts arose over English-German preaching, etc. etc. etc.

The Church has benefitted and blessed by and  from both groups.

People see things differently.

Sometimes people forget that.

There are at least 15  or 50 ways to make Irish Soda Bread - as well as apple pies - as well as to put potatoes on the table.

How do you like your potatoes or pasta?

There are 4 gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.

I know a couple in Ohio who have 4 sons: Matthew, Mark, Luke and Sean.

Sean is Gaelic for John.

Matthew, Mark and Luke - are known as the Synoptic Gospels - because if you look at them - look as in optics - they are somewhat the same - but if you look at those 3 gospels tight - they are different - but John is very different than Matthew, Mark, and Luke.

I collect types of people: there are two kinds of people; there are 3 types of people; there are 4 kinds of people. For example, Introverts and Extraverts. There are those who put their foot in their mouth and those who put their foot to the peddle and get out of there before they say the wrong thing.

There are those who cause happiness wherever they go and those who cause happiness whenever they go.

I had a barber who was married 6 times. At his funeral they said he was married 5 times. His 6^th wife told me - on the side -  after that same funeral, “I was number 6, but most don’t know that.”

Did anyone ever come up with the idea for a  TV talk show entitled, “Different Wives - Different Husbands.” I’d love to see the 6 wives of the deceased husband talk - and I’d be listening to see how similar they are.

Today we’re celebrating the feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel.

St. John of the Cross was a Carmelite - and I’ve read some of his stuff - and even written on some of his stuff.  Saint Teresa of Avila was a Carmelite and a friend of St. John of the Cross.  How are they alike and how are they different?

A classmate of mine who read St. John of the Cross in the original Spanish -  dropped in to see me, just as I had finished a newsletter on St. John of the Cross. I asked him to read  my stuff and he said, “Where did you get this stuff. This is all wrong.”

I heard him out and changed some of what I wrote.

So too St. Therese of Lisieux and St. Teresa of Avila - both Carmelites. Would they sit next to each other at table - or on a bus ride?

People are different.

Sometimes we forget that and it gets us in trouble.

What’s your take on otherness?

This is what I would say for a weekday reflection on “otherness”  - something that hit me on this feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel.  That idea probably hit me because I’m not a Carmelite and we were brought up with Our Lady of Perpetual Help. Amen.

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Picture on Top: The Virgin of the Carmelitas