August 22, 2018

CHURCH STEEPLES

Do steeples and crosses, 

do churches and cemeteries, 

still stir up in us a God, “Hmm”, 

a God advertisement -  that 

God is above us and around 

us and underneath us? 

Or has all that ended and now  

it’s up to babies fingers, oceans, 

mountains, the morning shower, 

or  autumn leaves to get us to 

pause and hear God’s, “I am here” - 

hovering like a fly in your midst? 

© Andy Costello, Reflections 2018

August 22, 2018 

Thought for today: 

“Man ceased to be an ape, vanquished the ape, on the day the first book was written.” 

Arthur Helps [1813-1875]

HOW HARD IT IS 

TO LOSE AND TO LET GO

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for this 20^th Tuesday  in Ordinary Time  is, “How Hard It Is to Lose and to Let Go.”

Today’s two readings have various messages.  If you read them ahead of time, what message - what question -  hits you from today’s two readings?

The one that grabbed me is what Ezekiel said, “You might think you’re  a god - small “g” god - but you’re not God.”

Ezekiel continues, “You might have great wisdom and great riches, gold and silver, but you are still not God.”

The gospel has a follow up from yesterday’s gospel  in the story about  the young man wants to follow Jesus. Jesus says, “Keep the commandments”. He says, “I do that - but I want more.”  So Jesus tells him to let go of everything - “sell it all - and give the money to the poor - and then come follow me.”

He can’t do that  - so he walks away sad.

Jesus then says to his disciples, how hard it is to enter the Kingdom of heaven. Jesus goes further, “Amen I say to you, it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for one who is rich to enter the Kingdom of God.”

I’m sure you’ve heard us preachers tell what different scripture scholars think the eye of the needle. I’ve heard it could be a gate in Jerusalem or part of a boat a big rope goes through. Others say it’s just what Jesus said, “A camel can’t go through the eye of a needle.” In India we might say, “It’s like an elephant trying to get into the back seat of one of those smart cars.”

TITLE OF MY HOMILY ONCE MORE.

Once more the title of my homily is, “How Hard It Is to Lose and to Let Go.”

Part of being a human being is that we lose things. Life has great finds and great gifts, but it also has moments of loss.

Yesterday we heard about Ezekiel losing his wife.  She died and that is a horrible feeling.

We are not God. We lose people; God doesn’t. God gets all people.

We lose people by:  death - divorce - being dropped -  people moving to Florida.

We lose homes. Houses burn. How tough is that? Houses that have  pictures - mementos - gifts - a dad’s chair - a table that his come down through the generations - all gone in a fire.

On our high school retreats Ginny has an exercise. I’ve done it 37 times. I vary it every time. Your house is on fire. You can grab 3 things - not counting pets or persons - what would you rescue?

So we are not God. We lose things. We age. We lose our youth. We lose our health.

Watches keep ticking - even if we lose our watch.

THE CROSS

This reality of the possibility of loss is life - it’s part of the classroom - called life.

We are not God, so hopefully the cross - not being able to control life, not being able to control God, not being able to control our future, hopefully brings us to God - brings us to the realization I am not God - therefore I need God and others.

Surprise - God one ups us. He becomes one of us and he discovers he can’t control the horrors - the sins people do to each other.

Surprise - God let go of controlling us - in giving us freedom and free will.

Surprise -Just as the young man in yesterday’s gospel had the freedom of walking away - well God gave us that ability - and in that very reality - lies the beauty of life.

Love is not love - if it’s a have to love - if it’s not a freely given love - if it’s not a love that can be cancelled.

Love is a choice. It’s a bummer if it isn’t.

Love is wonderful, beautiful, powerful, when we realize it’s a gift given to us - when it could be ignored or not given. Amen.

Can I get you a piece of pie or a dish of ice cream - vanilla, peach or butter almond?

August 21, 2018

OPTICS

What you see is from where 

you are sitting: 

like in a wheelchair, 

like in a bus - aisle seat, 

like in the driver’s seat, 

like at the head of the table, 

like in the judge’s seat, 

like in the corner. 

© Andy Costello, Reflections 2018

Picture of Joni Eareckson Tada

August 21, 2018 - 

Thought for today: 

“We all admire the wisdom of people who come to us for advice.”  

Arthur Helps [1813-1875]

DON’T CROAK 

BECAUSE OTHERS 

WILL TELL YOU TO GO  CROAK 

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily is, “Don’t Croak, Because Others Will Tell You to ‘Go Croak.’”

I wasn’t sure just what to preach on today.  The first reading talks about Ezekiel losing his wife. She died. I had 2 funerals last week of husbands losing their wives. So that is on my mind - so maybe address that reality. Today’s gospel talks about the rich young man who couldn’t let go of his possessions. Evidently they possessed him.  I’ve thought at times about preaching how possessions can possess us - how stuff can stuff us.

However when I was reading up about St. Bernard, whose feast is today, I noticed a great anecdote - and I decided to underline thoughts that triggered.

As I read the life of Bernard, I began reading how he was often asked to help the church in lots of areas: in disputes with Abelard, with disputes about 2 popes being voted for at the same time, in disputes with the Benedictines vs. the Cistercians, with organizing the Second Crusade against the Muslims - and various other key issues of the time.

In the meanwhile he was trying to be a Cistercian Monk and to practice quiet and contemplation.

Then in the midst of all this the Pope asked a cardinal named Harmeiric to write a letter to silence Bernard.

So that’s when and where I get the title of my homily, “Don’t Croak, Because Others Will Tell You to Go Croak.”

Rome and people in Rome complained about Bernard basically being a busy body. He was described as as meddlesome monk. “Cardinal Harmeric, on behalf of the pope, wrote Bernard a sharp letter of remonstrance stating, ‘It is not fitting that noisy and troublesome frogs should come out of their marshes to trouble the Holy See and the cardinals.’”

“CROAK! CROAK!” 

That’s my attempt at imitating a frog. I know I have to work on it.

Well, upon receiving a letter of complaint, Bernard wrote back that he was dragged by force to help at the council. He wrote, “Now illustrious Harmeric if you so wished, who would have been more capable of freeing me from the necessity of assisting at the council than yourself? Forbid those noisy troublesome frogs to come out of their holes, to leave their marshes ... Then your friend will no longer be exposed to the accusations of pride and presumption.”

Rome - the Pope - and Cardinal Harmeric were impressed with Bernard’s comments. [Cf. Marie Gildas [1907]  in "St. Bernard of Clairvaux" in Charles Herberman, Catholic Encyclopedia, 2, New York: Robert Appleton. 

PRACTICAL APPLICATION

That example hit me.

How many times in life have family asked us our opinion about family?  How many times have someone asked us about politics?

Then when we give our opinion we have the same experience as Bernard: we attacked.  We described as being worse than a frog.

CONCLUSION

It’s then our move - to bite the bullet or to speak up.

Either way, don’t croak!

August 20, 2018

WAITING ROOM

Are all rooms waiting rooms?

Waiting for the doctor?

Waiting for the test results?

Waiting for another to die?

Waiting for the son to come home?

Waiting for the daughter to tell all?

Waiting for a spouse or lover?

Waiting for a child to talk about

          their first day of school?

Waiting for a book club to show up

          and talk about their latest book?

Waiting for a counselor or lawyer

to talk about a troubled marriage?

Are all rooms waiting rooms?

© Andy Costello, Reflections 2018