August 1, 2018

Thought for today: 

“It is the creative  potential  itself in human beings that is the image of God.”   

Mary Daly, Beyond 

God the Father, 1973

WHOM  DO  YOU  LOOK  TO?

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily is, “Whom Do You Look To?

When you’re looking for an answer or for help, Whom do you look to?

I have found out that some daily Mass goers - more than those who only go to Sunday Mass -  like to read the Mass readings for the day before Mass - either here in church or at home.

I read them because I have to do that in order to come up with a short weekday Mass homily. So I’m surprised when others tell me they also  check the readings before Mass.  Some even read commentaries or other’s homilies to see and hear what other folks are saying.

This tells me that there are folks who want to be nourished by the word of God - the scriptures.

And that gives the first clear answer to the question that is the title of my homily for today: “Whom Do You Look To?”

Folks look to the Bible, the scriptures, for light and insight.

LAST NIGHT

Last night I sat down with the readings for today. I read them a few times to see what possible themes and issues they are looking at. 

Sometimes I ask myself, “Now the folks are going to hear these readings tomorrow morning.  What questions will they hope to get an insight about?”  Then I work on a short homily on that question.

Sometimes I remain self-centered and just think about what hits me. I might say, “Preached about that…. Preached about that …. Preached about that.” Then hopefully, there is something new to think about and I say to myself, “But what about this other issue right here?”

Well right there near the end of today’s first reading from  Jeremiah 14: 17-22, a question hit me. Jeremiah says different nations have idols, but idols  don’t give rain.  Then he says: “It is to you alone, O Lord, that we look.”  Then Jeremiah concludes, “You alone have done all these things.”

So that’s a second answer to the question: “Whom do we look to?” 

We look to the Lord.  So  besides the scriptures, we look to our Lord.

NOW LOOKING AT  THE SAME QUESTION - BUT LEAVING OUT THOSE FIRST TWO ANSWERS - THE SCRIPTURES AND THE LORD -TO WHOM DO WE TURN?

A third answer might be good food for thought on a Tuesday morning. It’s others….  We turn to others.

I immediately thought of my dad - the perfect gentleman and dad. It’s been hitting me in my old age, that I didn’t talk to my dad enough. It was neither our fault. I went to the seminary early and we never got home in those days.  So I pause and wonder how lucky some men are to have a dad to turn to for advice.  As priest, I didn’t have family and kids, so I didn’t have that father and son conversation. And my dad wasn’t a priest, so….

Next I thought about folks to whom I did turn to in life.

I once spent 2 weeks at Wernersville, Pa - at the Jesuit retreat house there - on a workshop on some of the discernment principals of St. Ignatius of Loyola.

Today, July 31^st, is his feast day.

I have been looking at what I learned there those two weeks for more than the last 30 years at least. I discovered a wonderful Jesuit priest, Frank Miles, whom I had great conversations with. I also had a good Jesuit priest - Father Jim Gladstone - of the Midwest Province - as a spiritual director when I was in Wisconsin. He was at Marquette.

I also made about 5 directed retreats at Wernersville and I taught Jesuit discernment stuff for 9 years.

So when it comes to Jesuit or Ignatian spirituality,  I learned to ask myself on a regular basis the following two questions: “What gives me life?” and “What kills me?”

That’s one of the learnings I picked up at Wernersville: “What gives me life, do more of; what kills me,  do less of.”

In reality, it looks like just the opposite at times.

For example, exercise looks like it might kill me and lying around - relaxing looks like it will  restore me.

Not always….

Next I learned at Wernersville, that we learn most of this life stuff, by looking backwards - by hindsight - by reflection.  That’s one good reason to make retreats and take reflective walks.

Experience is not the best teacher.  Learning from our experiences can be the best teacher.

My next learning at Wernersville was to make scripture texts my own piecemeal - that is, one at a time. A wonderful spiritual director whom I had, Frank Miles, SJ. told me that he owned about 75 scripture texts.  They were his. So we don’t have to know the whole Bible, we just have to own our key texts. And learn them slowly.

CONCLUSION

The title of my homily is, “Whom Do You Look To?”

In this homily I said we can turn to the Lord.  I said we can turn to the Scriptures. And thirdly I said we can turn to one another - a saint like St. Ignatius of Loyola - or a director - or a good friend - or one’s dad.

July 31, 2018

LIFE …. O WOULD THAT

Life, we want it to be cool,

calm, blue, see through water,

slowly shaking and making its way

to the perfect beach at our feet.

In reality, it’s ocean water -

with sea weed, brine, foam,

shells, constantly moving its
way towards pounding our shore.

© Andy Costello, Reflections 2018

July 31, 2018 

Thought for today: 

“All I want out of  life is that when I walk down the street, folks will say, ‘There goes the greatest hitter who ever lived.’” 

Ted Williams

July 30, 2018

JUST  ASKING? 

God, what do you do the most?

Create another hundred stars like

a 14 year old girl  making a batch

of great chocolate chip cookies?

Cry - seeing soldiers fighting from

a ridge of rocks - sending missiles

down into the center of a town?

Watch a soccer match going on in

Dubai or a cricket match in Mumbai

or two old guys playing chess in a park?

God, what do you like to do the most?

Watch, yawn, laugh, cry, scream,

say, “Oh no, not again!” or “More

love! More caring. More compassion.”

© Andy Costello, Reflections 2018

THE LAW OF SAG AND WRINKLE

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for this 17^th Monday in Ordinary Time is, “The Law of Sag and Wrinkle.”

LOTS OF LAWS

There are all kinds of laws in life.

We all know the law of gravity  - and the Golden Rule - and speed limits - and no parking in fire zones.  We know funny laws like: ‘Don’t take sleeping pills and laxative pills the same night.”

Then we have our own set of rules and regulations - written from experience and from consequences - like: “Don’t forget your spouse’s birthday.”

The theory of law is that laws are for the common good.  Laws benefit us - like FDA regulations or food protection laws.

Salmonella can cause stomach sickness - plus hurt a brand name.

TODAY’S FIRST READING

Today’s first reading from Jeremiah 13: 1-11  has the famous linen loincloth prop for a sermon and a message.

I have never been tempted to bring an undergarment into the pulpit for a sermon message. 

Jeremiah does. Jeremiah takes his loin cloth off - sticks it in between some rocks.  In time it rots. Then he gets it and uses it as Exhibit A in his message.

PICTURE THAT

Props, parables, picturesque language, help us to picture what the speaker wants us to see.

In this homily I’m talking about things aging.

I’m talking here about,   “The law of sag and wrinkle.”

I could have called it the law of rot.  Everything rots. Everything ages. Everything sags and wrinkles.

We heard about plants and bread in today’s gospel, Matthew 13: 31-35.

How many times have we seen someone with a bouquet of flowers and we say inwardly, “Nice.”

Flowers, plants, bushes, trees - all have their day.  All have their day - they show their bloom, their mustard tastes great on the hot dog. Hot dog.

Bread too has its moments - like coming out onto the table - being cut into -  sliced, and then someone puts delicious cold butter on the table with our daily bread.

Then we see stale bread, moldy bread, bread tosses to the birds.

It had its date.

The expiration day showed up.

Shakespeare and a lot of poets talked about the law of sag and wrinkle.

The 22 year older in bikini or gown - has her day - but some day she’ll have to bring the garbage out to the sidewalk in her housecoat at 88 - and the garbage truck driver won’t even take a first look.

CONCLUSION

In other words, Jeremiah is telling us, “Don’t be stubborn!”

In other words, “Listen!”

In other words, Jeremiah is telling us, everyone and everything has an expiration date. That’s the law.

Underwear sags and wrinkles - like skin - like body parts. That message is printed right on our package.

In other words, to be alive, there are consequences.

July 30, 2018 

Thought for today: 

“When you get hungry  enough, you find yourself speaking Spanish pretty well.” 

Josh Gibson - 

on playing 

baseball in Cuba