HARD TIMES
SOME TIMES

Sometimes we’re going through 

hard times - and our song is the 

old song, “Hard times …. No more.” 

There’s a death or a divorce 

in the family. So and so is 

not talking to so and so no more. 

We’re out of work. We’re out of money. 

We’re just feeling out of it - and we don’t 

want to go though all this pain - no more. 

We’re up on the cross. We say to Christ, 

“I can’t do this no more - no mas.” 

Please cut short this Bad Friday. 

Skip Saturday and make today Easter - 

so I can rise to good times once more. 

Please God. Hard times …. No more.” 

© Andy Costello, Reflections 2018

HARD TIMES COME AGAIN NO MORE

Stephen Foster 1854

1.
Let us pause in life's pleasures and count its many tears,
While we all sup sorrow with the poor;
There's a song that will linger forever in our ears;
Oh! Hard times come again no more.

Chorus:

'Tis the song, the sigh of the weary,
Hard Times, hard times, come again no more.
Many days you have lingered around my cabin door;
Oh! Hard times come again no more.

2.
While we seek mirth and beauty and music light and gay,
There are frail forms fainting at the door;
Though their voices are silent, their pleading looks will say
Oh! Hard times come again no more.
Chorus

3.
There's a pale drooping maiden who toils her life away,
With a worn heart whose better days are o'er:
Though her voice would be merry, 'tis sighing all the day,
Oh! Hard times come again no more.
Chorus

4.
'Tis a sigh that is wafted across the troubled wave,
'Tis a wail that is heard upon the shore
'Tis a dirge that is murmured around the lowly grave
Oh! Hard times come again no more.
Chorus

I  AM 

INSIDE  MY  HEAD 

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily is, “I am Inside My Head.”

Today - August 29^th, we look at  the beheading of St. John the Baptist.

The gospel is quite vivid. It’s easy to picture the whole scene.  I’ve seen it acted out in a few movies about Christ. Movie producers and directors would obviously want to include a dance - of a young woman - dressed dancingly in a revealing dress - as she was manipulating her step-father - and pleasing all the men in the room.

It’s also easy to hear and think about Herodias, her mother, and her inability to let go of her anger towards John the Baptist.

Then there is Herod  and his bitter regrets that he shot his mouth off and said to Herodias’ daughter, the dancer, “I swear to you, ‘Ask for anything you want. I’ll give it to you – even up to half my kingdom.’”

THE FLY ON THE WALL

We’ve all heard the phrase, “the fly on the wall”?

At times we all say and think things like,  “Wow would I like to be a fly on the wall in the president’s marriage when his wife heard about the intern or the dancer who  could cause a storm.”

I remember a talk a nun named Maureen McCann gave years ago. She  used the image of a radio - or any speaking device that has a speaker loudness dial. She said it’s good to listen to what we ourselves are talking to ourselves about - inside our head.  She said there are various stations on the radio. Pick one. Turn up the volume and listen. She also said we talk to ourselves about all kinds of people and situations. Well, dial into one - turn up the volume - and then listen carefully.

Be the fly on the inside of the walls of your skull.

We humans spend all kinds of time thinking about what we say and do - every day.  How many different conversations do we have with ourselves?  How many topics do we cover? How many experiences have air time in our brain?

We all know  about Descartes’ famous saying, “I think. Therefore I am.” “Cogito. Ergo sum.” It’s one of the few things everyone can say in philosophy.

TODAY’S GOSPEL

Looking at today’s gospel I see it is rich in human comments and conversations.

As already mentioned, Herodias can’t shake John the Baptist’s attack on her marriage situation.

As already mentioned, Herod bitterly regrets that he was over bragging and over promising, when he shot his mouth off to his step-daughter, the dancer. Checking out with her mother,  she had a blank check, so she then gives the ugly request, “I want the head of John the Baptist brought in on a silver platter.

I AM STATEMENTS

The title of my homily is, “I Am Inside My Head.”

Jesus liked to make I Am statements.

God did one big one to Moses in the Book of Exodus. Who are you God asked Moses and God answered, “I Am Who Am.”

In this homily I’m suggesting, “Listen to yourself.”

Clearer: Listen to your I am statements.

Don’t cut off your head. Listen to what’s going on inside your head.

What are your I am statements today?

I think, therefore I am.

I feel, therefore I am.

I am at Mass. God I need you.

I am happy today.

I’m worried about our Catholic Church today.

I’m worried about our country and our world today.

I’m thinking about my family today.

I regret, therefore I am.

I can’t let go of things – especially hurtful things people say – and I hold onto them for hours, days, weeks, years, sometimes a lifetime; therefore I am.

I want to scream sometimes when I see wrong, unfairness, laziness, craziness, and sometimes I say nothing and then beat on myself for not speaking up – and sometimes I do speak up – and when I do, sometimes people chop my head off – or I do it to myself; therefore I am.

I am an angry echo – echo – echo in the soul – anger triggered by the presence of another, or the reminder of another, or of a painful experience from another – and it seems ever times I run into this person or see this person – I want to cut them down. I want to chop off their head.

I cry, therefore I am.

I tried, therefore I am.

I pray, therefore I am.

I laugh, therefore I am.

I’m funny, therefore I am.

I forget, therefore I am.

When I am young, I spend too much time in the future; when I am old, I spend too much time in the past. Therefore I am.

I die. Therefore I was – because others cry, laugh, tell stories about me and then in time, I am forgotten – and the words and numbers on my tombstone, fade.

I am I am today.

God, Christ, you are - you are today.

Let’s do this life together.

I am with you all days - and I believe you said, “I am with you all days, even to the end of the world.”

Listen up.

Hopefully we all say, "I am...."

August 29, 2018 

Thought for today: 

“As the global expansion of Indian and Chinese restaurants suggests, xenophobia is directed against foreign people, not foreign cultural imports.” 

Eric Hobsbawm  [1917-2012]

WEIGHTIER  

THINGS  OF  THE  LAW

  

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for this 21 Tuesday in Ordinary Time - and the Feast of St. Augustine is, “Weightier Things of the Law.”

That’s what Jesus points out in today’s gospel. Then he tells us what  they are: judgment, mercy and fidelity.

Let me present these 3 choices and then give some quotes from Saint Augustine for each. Today is his feast day.

FIRST: THE ART OF JUDGMENT

The first of the 3 is judgment - “KRISIS” in Greek. It’s an art - a skill - to be able to make smart, healthy, life giving  judgments.

It means decision. It refers to crucial moments - junction moments in life. Do I turn right or left - or do I go  backwards or forwards?

We have the power to make judgments - choices. We make judgments with our conscience on laws - to do what is right - to do what is better for me, myself and I and  for all.

So we have the ability to judge what is right in everyday life.

We’re talking here about making judgments to do the right thing for others. That we be fair with each other.

So we need to use our brains to avoid doing the bad thing.

Here is a quote from St. Augustine telling us what we should be doing with our life. “What does love look like? It has the hands to help others. It has the feet to hasten to the poor and needy. It has eyes to see misery and want. It has the ears to hear the sighs and sorrows of men. That is what love looks like.”

Every day we have threshold moments.  We’re walking towards a door - and there are people moving towards that same door as well. Some people open the door and let others go in first. Then others - it seems - have no awareness of others. They come to a door - walk right into a room  - without any awareness of other people heading for that same door.

The same thing happens in parking lots moving around and then out of the mall or church parking lots or where have you.

Every day we have to make judgments about what to do. We make those judgments based on all kinds of training, experiences, education, upbringing. In Jesus’ time the Jews had well over 600 laws in the books and Rabbi’s talked about which ones had the most weight.

Recall in the scriptures, how many times Jesus was asked about laws and which one were the most important. He said they were two: to love God with our whole mind, soul,  strength and will and to love our neighbor as ourselves. The Golden Rule is right in there.

SECOND - DOING MERCY

The second reality or gift or skill we should have in our soul  is mercy. In today’s gospel the word  “ELEOS” in Greek appears.  It’s having compassion and caring about others - especially when they are hurting.

It’s the gift of understanding - forgiving - bending - accepting others - especially in their weaknesses. We need to forgive. We need to be kind to others.

So we’re walking down the road of everyday - and there is someone in need.  What do we do? Do we stop to help the other? Or do we keep moving forward - passing them by?

There are a lot of folks who are hurting - not just the mugged and robbed.

The Good Samaritan story is a billboard - a scream - a hMMMM - to stop and show mercy to the person beaten up by life - not to keep the rule of “I have to get to the gym or church or play bridge.”

I found a telling quote from St. Augustine,  “In my deepest wound I saw your glory, and it dazzled me.” 

To me that could mean we can  discover God in the love others show us when we  are wounded - whether it’s a doctor who gives her or his life - in trying to heal folks - or to drive those who can’t drive any more to the doctor.

Augustine noticed that people were amazed at great spots of nature - but miss the great beauty of themselves and others.

I think of the Grand Canyon. Years ago, like so many people, I got to see the Grand Canyon. It’s a great rift - a great cut in the earth.

I ended up walking it from top to bottom - and up to the top of the other side. It was 27 miles from the North Rim to the South Rim. I did it  in a day - 5 AM till 7 PM.

Question. People are amazed at the Grand Canyon. But do I see the great cuts and canyons in others? Do I see the great carved out holes in other people - and go “Wow!”  When I see their predicaments, do they bring out in me a feeling of wanting to help them? If I stop to be with them, do they say down deep, “Someone knows my holes and hurts.”

Augustine put it this way: “We go abroad to wonder at the heights of mountains, at the huge waves of the sea, at the long courses of the rivers, at the vast compass of the ocean, at the circular motions of the stars, and we pass by others without wondering.”

THIRD: FIDELITY

Fidelity is the last of the 3 matters Jesus describes as weightier matters of the Law. Our gospel text uses the word, “PISTIN” in Greek, for fidelity. It  is ongoing presence, ongoing trust, ongoing conviction that God is with me and I am with God.

So it’s important to make that act of faith that God knows and loves me.

Augustine wrote, “God loves each of us as if there were only one of us.”

Augustine stressed that we do that for each other. Love the one you’re with.

The call is to be present to the other person as God is present to us.

He said somewhere, “Hear the other side.” I know I’m guilty of not listening to the other person - only the stories they trigger in me.

Augustine said that he was late in loving God. It took him a while. It takes a while to read his Confessions. It can take us a while - quiet, meditation, reflection, to discover we’re too wrapped up in self and we’re missing God and others.

Augustine wrote, “You have created us for Yourself, and our heart is not quiet until it rests in You.”

Augustine wrote, “To fall in love with God is the greatest romance; to seek him the greatest adventure; to find him, the greatest human achievement.” 

Augustine wrote, “Some people, in order to discover God, read books. But there is a great book: the very appearance of created things. Look above you! Look below you! Read it. God, whom you want to discover, never wrote that book with ink. Instead, He set before your eyes the things that He had made. Can you ask for a louder voice than that?” 

Fidelity - faith - is breaking out of self and into the life of God and others.

CONCLUSION

So there they are 3 weightier matters that matter.

Put them in your basket.

August 28, 2018

TENSION

On a scale of 1 to 10 

how much tension 

do I bring into the rooms 

and conversations I enter? 

That’s the first time 

I ever heard that question? 

How in the world could 

anyone answer that question? 

Don’t know, but ask my 

brother-in-law or sister 

or my neighbor or the 

best man at my wedding. 

© Andy Costello, Reflections 2018

August 28, 2018 

Thought for today: 

“When any organizational entity expands beyond 21 members, the real power will be in some smaller body.”

 C. Northcote Parkinson  [1909 - 1993]

FOR  THE  SAKE  OF  TRANSPARENCY

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for you teachers for this new high school year - 2018-2019 - is, “For the Sake of Transparency.”

I don’t know when this principle or mantra or slogan became a value - used at meetings and brought up and into relationships.

I don’t know if teachers and school staffs pause before a new school year and look at what they are thinking - hoping - wondering about for this new year a-coming.

We’ve been here before - but some days are different than other days. We  go through some of the same doors each day - but some entrances are different than other entrances.

Not every day is the same.

There is the last day of school in June and the first day of a new school year in September.

What do teachers think about the day - the weeks after - a school year ends.

How was your day is not the only question in life?

How was this school year that just ended?

What will this new year of school  be like?

When I’m watching some of these pre-season football games and a team has a new coach, how does the coach see this team, this new season. If he was on some other team and he was cut, what did he learn from that experience - and how will he see a new year - a new coaching experience?

In other words what were our learnings.  A new year can trigger that question. 

For the sake of transparency what are your thoughts right now.

FAVORITE QUOTES

“For the sake of transparency” is one of my favorite quotes.

Do you have any favorite quotes?

I don’t know what this day for teachers and high school staff will be like - but if you have some small group sessions - share your favorite quote.

If they have any coffee breaks, share your favorite quote.

For the sake of transparency, this is where I’m coming from.

One of my favorite quotes is: “The power is in the coffee break.”

One of my favorite quotes is from Kojak, “Talk to me.”

One of my favorite quotes is from Kojak, “Who loves you, baby?”

One of my favorite quotes is from Kojak, “Do you want a lollipop.”

If you watch NCIS you know that Sloan, the therapist, offers lollipops as well.  “What color do you want?” For her it’s a psychological test.

One of my favorite quotes is, “Be who you is, because if you be who you ain’t, then you ain’t who you is.”

For the sake of transparency,  let me state that again, “Be who you is, because if you be who you ain’t, the you ain’t who you is.”

For the sake of transparency we can also say, “Be where you is, because if you be where you ain’t, then you ain’t where you is.”

I don’t know where you are right. Sometimes it’s hard getting back into the swing of things.  I went to bed too late last night - I was watching the movie, “The Pelican Brief” so I found it difficult getting a homily for this morning.  

One of my favorite quotes is, “The greatest sin is our inability to accept the otherness of the other person.”

That’s true in a school, office, place of work, and classroom, and our families and our groups.

It’s a new school year, for the sake of transparency, a possible resolution could be, “Let’s see each other in a new way.”

Our theme for this new year is all about seeing.

The blind man or woman in the gospel prays, says, “Lord, that I might see.”

For the sake of transparency, it’s hard to see people. Their weight, color, age, language, clothes can block us from seeing and sensing the other.

For the sake of transparency, it’s easy to judge others - and we can’t see through the other to see their mind - heart - and personality.

We haven’t read their autobiography. They haven’t told it to us - so we make them a biography - our reading of the other - and we don’t listen to their audio autobiography of themselves.

TODAY’S GOSPEL

Today’s gospel - Matthew 23: 13-22 - has Jesus seeing through the Pharisees - those who want to appear goody goody and the scribes - those who could read and write and thought that made them better to a degree.

For the sake of transparency religious leaders can be hypocrites - actors - trying to change everyone to their way of thinking and being.

For the sake of transparency, Jesus says guides can be blind guides.

For the sake of transparency - Jesus said we can go for the gold - but we get caught up in the glitter - and miss out on what and who are the real gifts in the room are.

Jesus says, “We swear to ourselves, we have it right - when we are all wrong.”

Jesus says, there is a garbage dump - right there in  Jerusalem - and it’s called Gahanna - translation  “hell” - because it stinks of burning garbage and dumped stuff - and that’s where we can be living.

Get out of hell - and be free.

TODAY’S FIRST READING

Today’s first reading is from 2^nd Thessalonians - written and sent some time around 50 to 100 AD - the year of the Lord.

It’s more gospellly than today’s gospel - in that it gives more good news.

It has some good stuff for this new year.

This new year be peaceful with each other.

This new year be thankful for each other..

This new year have faith - may it flourish

This new year - check out how you judge - judge with God’s judments.

This year bring about the kingdom of God here at  St. Mary’s.

This year - we’ll have sufferings of different sorts - help each other with them.

This year, have a good purpose.

One of those can be, to be transparent - open - clear with and to each other.

CLOSING

Today is the feast of St. Monica - mother of Augustine - who really got messed up in his head - but he  was smart.

For the sake of transparency, she stuck with him - prayed for him - and then for the sake of transparency - he gave the world his inner stuff - his confessions - so that all of us can be transparent and give our best to the world. Amen.