STUPID, STUPID, STUPID 

SMART, SMART, SMART 

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for this 21 Friday in Ordinary Time is, “Stupid, Stupid, Stupid, Smart, Smart, Smart.”

If you’re anything like me, you say at least  a dozen times a year, “Stupid, Stupid, Stupid.”

I miss an appointment or say the wrong thing or can’t find my keys.

Or sometimes I or we say, ‘Dumb, dumb, dumb.”

Meaning: “How could I be so dumb?”

Next, making a jump, I don’t know if we ever say, “Smart, Smart, Smart.”

Okay, we might say that once every 10 years - especially when we do something smart. Smile, it could be a moment when we do something - and we realize at the moment we were not dumb. We didn’t do dumb. We did smart.

When we say, “Smart, Smart, Smart” - we might think we shouldn’t say that, because it’s not right. That’s more like the sin of pride.”  And we all want to avoid criticisms like: “Who does she think she is?”

In the meanwhile, we rather go for humility and keep saying,  “Stupid. Stupid. Stupid.”

But is that humility? Because there is that saying, “Humility is truth.”

And the truth might be there are times when we’re smart.

TODAY’S READINGS

Today’s readings triggered these thoughts.

In the first reading for today, 1^st Corinthians 1: 17-25, Paul talks about wisdom and foolishness.

The word “wisdom”  and the word “wise”  are used 10 times in this English translation of today’s first reading. In the Greek text  - the Greek words used are “sophia” and “sophos”.

 In today’s gospel, Matthew 25: 1-13, our English  translation uses the word wise - in describing the five wise virgins - but the Greek word is not “sophos”.  The word is “phronismos” - which in my opinion is better translated “prudent”.

The word for foolishness “moros” in Greek - is the same in both readings.

I know you were dying to hear all this - whereas I’ve read it’s not wise in preaching to bring in Greek words.

WISDOM

The title of my homily is, “Stupid, Stupid, Stupid, Smart, Smart, Smart.”

An obvious message would be: Wisdom is a goal in everyone’s life

We hear this all through the scriptures and I’m sure all through our early life from our parents and our teachers.

Jesus often calls out people to be wise.

So that’s a desired goal in life.  

It’s a goal and a hope in Israel’s library - in the scrolls called: the wisdom literature.

I would think the call would be to be wise in relationships, use and attitude wards  money, and how we use or manage or balance our time.

I would think it would be good to know what skills we have - and to look to where we can share our talents. An obvious skill is to grow in wisdom, age and grace.

This is a good area to talk to our peers, parents, and counselors about.

It would be wise to figure out who the wise are.

It would be wise to find out from others what others are skilled in and to give them “atta girl’s” or “atta boy’s”.

CONCLUSION

One last message from all this would be to pause and look at our life and say, “Stupid, Stupid, Stupid”  where we are dumb and to say, “Smart, Smart, Smart” - where we are smart.  But, of course,  it would be smart to talk to each other about all this - and maybe then we’ll get a better handle on the wisdom of life and others see us performing. Amen.

August 31, 2018 

Thought for today: 

“Anyone  can  write one book: even politicians do it. Starting a second book reveals an  intention to be a professional writer.” 

Len Deighton  [1929 - ]

August 31,  2018

INSIDE

Hey, you never know  what’s inside. 

We hesitate at the door before we open it.

I bet the person who never had watermelon 

before ever expected it was red inside.

Hey pumpkins and some melons are orange inside.

Some people we thought nasty inside -

we find out they are nice inside - even

it they are not worried about God

or if Santa Claus is watching.

Me too sometimes.

© Andy Costello, Reflections 2018

August 30, 2018

PREFERENCES

Isn’t that another interesting thing

about us people: we have preferences.

It’s wonderful, when it works out

or when we can make adjustments.

Some like the end piece of the

meatloaf. Some don’t. Wonderful.

Some like NBC; some like CNN.

Some like FOX - uh oh! Smile.

Some like the Early Mass,

some like the Evening Mass.

Some have given up on God and

some are discovering God’s Presence.

Some like the Father, some the
Son and some the Holy Spirit.

© Andy Costello, Reflections 2018

August 30, 2018 

Thought for today: 

“In Mexico an air conditioner is called a politician because it makes a lot of noise but doesn't work very well.” 

Len Deighton [1929 - ]

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...."