A DEAF KID NAME TOMMY

INTRODUCTION

The title of my story for today is, “A Deaf Kid Named Tommy.”

In today’s gospel - for this 23 Sunday in Ordinary Time [B] we have the story of a deaf man. We don’t know his name. [Cf. Mark 7: 31-37.]

Jesus is traveling in an area below the Sea of Galilee - to the east of the Jordan River - in an  area called “The Ten Cities” - the Decapolis.  A group of people bring  to Jesus a deaf man who has a speech impediment. They beg Jesus put his hand on the man and heal him.

We find several stories like this in the gospels. People beg Jesus to heal daughters, sons, friends or servants.

In this story Jesus takes the deaf man away from the crowd. Maybe the theatrics and the drama that happens with these healings gets to him. He puts his finger into the man’s ears and spitting touches the man’s tongue and looks up to heaven and groans, “Ephphatha” - the Aramaic words for  “Be opened.”

And immediately - according to the gospel of Mark - the man’s ears are opened and his speech impediment was removed.

The man began to speak plainly.

At that Jesus ordered than nobody say anything about all this - but the more he tried to calm everyone down - and be quiet, they were screaming - “It’s amazing!” “It’s a miracle!”  “It’s a healing!”

The title of my story for today is, “A Deaf Kid Named Tommy.”

This is a true story. I was there. I saw it. This happened  around 1990 in upstate New York.

Let me introduce the characters in the story and the setting of this story.

THE SCENE AND THE SETTING

The scene is outdoors - late September  - and it’s warm.

There is a big building - 4 stories high. It’s a big retreat house - a former seminary building where I went to school. Now I was back there again. It’s also place for our novices - young men becoming Redemptorists. But it’s mainly a big retreat house.

It has a kitchen in the basement. There is no air conditioning down there. The windows are open - with bars on the windows. It’s a warm day.

It’s after lunch and there is group of junior high school kids from an all girl’s high school making a 3 day retreat.

TEDDY

The first character in my story that I want to introduce is an old priest - around 85 years of age.  His name is Francis - but we called him “Teddy.”

He had buck teeth all his life and Teddy Roosevelt was famous for his big teeth, so Father Teddy got the nick name “Teddy.”

He’s raking the lawn - from weeds he whacked.

Teddy is quite deaf - but he had hearing aids - but often didn’t use them.

Teddy had a great personality - warm - friendly. If he was an American Indian he’d be called, “Great Heart.”

I was talking with Father Ronny Bonneau today at lunch - telling him I was going to tell this story today for my homily and he said, he was walking down the corridor of this retreat house and Teddy is looking out the window and says to Ronnie, “Look at Molly down there.”  Molly was a beautiful retriever dog. “Look at him waving his tail.” Then he said, “Too bad we humans lost our tails. It’s a great way to know if someone is very happy.”

I told him a similar story. I was walking down the 2^nd corridor and there was Teddy trying to get a bee into a glass  near the window. I asked him what he was doing.

He said he was trying to get the bee into the glass so he could bring him across the corridor - and into his room and let him out on the other side of the building - so he doesn’t have to climb up to top of the 4^th floor and then down the other side.

So that’s Teddy.

TOMMY AND DANNY

The next two characters are Tommy and Danny - brothers.

They were the dish washers in that basement kitchen.

Tommy was stone deaf - totally deaf - from his babyhood.

Danny was not.

Tommy was the noisiest dish washer in the history of dishwashing.

He would slam - bang trays of dishes on the stainless steel tables that were part of the dishwashing section of the dining room.

And when the windows were opened you could hear his grunts as well as dish racks slams on the stainless steel tables.

Danny was more carefully and totally non noisy as he was doing dishes with Tommy.

THE CROWD - THE OTHERS

Every story - well not every story - but stories usually have the crowd or the others.

After lunch the two cooks, waiters and waitresses, and Tommy and Danny would take a break after some of the work was done. If the weather was nice - this break would take place in the shade at some benches and picnic tables across from the door up out of the kitchen.

THE STORY

Well this day I’m sitting there with some of the kitchen staff chatting.

The high school girls came out of the building and hearing the noise in the kitchen from Tommy - they were looking through the bars - the windows - down into the kitchen. I’m seeing all of this. We’re seeing all of this. We hear the girls call other girls to check out this guy in the kitchen doing dishes. They are pointing at Danny. The cook says, “I betcha that Tommy thinks they are looking at him.”

Then the girls in a large group head down to the river.

15 minutes later, we’re still breaking, Tommy and Danny come up out of the kitchen for a break as well.

Danny joins us.  We’re kidding him about the girls checking him out.

Tommy is 30 feet away - by himself - looking lonely and lost - a normal look for him. He’s leaning against a tree. Just then the girls come back - from the river and spot Danny and run towards him.

He blushes.

None run towards Tommy.

He tightens his fish and bangs it against his stomach - just below his heart.

The nun and a couple of adult chaperons tell the girls, “We have to get back to the retreat.”

I spot Tommy crying.

I spot Teddy raking leaves.

I go over to Teddy to tell him about Tommy. He adjusts his hearing aid.

I had seen Tommy and Teddy greeting each other after meals - and somehow communicating. Deaf to deaf. Smile to smile.

So Teddy goes over to Tommy - who is still all alone -  to console him and he hears Tommy say - with deep loud  grunts, “Unfair. Unfair. Unfair.”

Teddy gives him a hug and I see him crying on this old priest’s shoulder.

CONCLUSION

Years later I heard that Tommy got one of those machines that has wires that go into the skull and a person can learn to hear 16 sounds - that can help a person learn more words - and less grunts - more words that “Unfair. Unfair. Unfair.”

September 9, 2018

Reflections

LETTING GO

Each night,

to let go,

to lose control,

to fall asleep,

perchance not

to wake up in the morning.

Now,

if that

doesn’t cause fear -

this putting all

into unknown nothingness

or into God’s hands,

what does?

© Andy Costello, Reflections 2018

September 9, 2018 

Thought for today: 

“People are,  if  anything,  more touchy about being thought silly than they are about being  thought  unjust.” 

E. B. White

September 8,  2018

HIDDEN  CHAPELS

There are countless chapels -

not known as chapels or churches -

anonymous holy places - here and

there and everywhere - all over our world.

I have walked into them - by accident

or happenstance - only to be surprised

by God within. Most of the time I have

been alone - but not always - and

there is God waiting for me, “Hello!”

The older I get, the more I see these

countless chapels of radiance:

a baby’s hand, a marriage bed,

ice cream cones - in every hand of a

laughing family on a hot summer evening.

Then there was this old lady - saying

her rosary in a wheelchair just inside

the front door in a nursing home - and

there I am a month later kneeling at her

body in her casket in a funeral home

saying one “Hail Mary” on that same rosary.

© Andy Costello, Reflections 2018

September 8, 2018 

Thought for today: 

“I have a secret  passion for mercy … but justice is what keeps happening to people.”  

Ross Macdonald

September 7, 2018

THE  OLD  AND  THE  NEW

INTRODUCTION

The title of my  homily for this 22 Friday in Ordinary Time is, “The Old and the New.”

We have those 2 basic 3 letter words - old and new -  in the 2 parables or examples  in today’s gospel: old cloth and new cloth; old wine and new wine in old and new wineskins.

So this homily will be about the old and the new.

WE KNOW BOTH THESE REALITIES

These 2 concepts - the old and the new - are basic to life.

Both are valuable - both are “It all depends”.

An old penny could be worth a penny or also a $9000.  It all depends.

If we go to the city dump, we can find lots of old stuff worth nothing. We might also find something old that is worth a lot.

I went with my sister yesterday to buy a new TV set.

The old one was fading - something had gone wrong - all the faces were blue and green and purple. She bought a new one. I never read directions, but this time I installed it - with fears - but got it done.

She doesn’t believe in cable so we bought a new antenna. It didn’t work as well as the old antenna -  so I took the new one off and put the old antenna on the new TV and it worked fine.

NEW WINE OLD WINE

We know all about old and new wine - even without drinking.

Jesus knew about old and new wine - as we hear in today’s gospel..

When 2000 - New Year’s Eve arrived my niece’s husband George opened up a bottle of wine from 1900.  It was more valuable than new wine. But like cloth, if it opens up a bit, it could turn to vinegar.

Wine was kept in jars as well as leather leather bags.

HUMAN BEINGS

Human beings can dry up as well and complain their lives away.

People can die at 45 - but they are buried at 75.

Some people don’t think or read or learn or change or question or reconsider and become crochety.

Some people haven’t had a new idea in a half century.

Some people want the old Latin Mass - and drive liberals like me crazy. I say, “Well, why don’t you go back further and say the Mass in Aramaic?”

I don’t know about you, but my skin near my elbow is all wrinkled.

I can wish I was young again or I can thank my skin for giving me a good container for over 78  years now.

CONCLUSIONS: SUGGESTION

I think a good reflection on old age - is a smart move.

I think reflection on wrinkles is a good idea.

I think writing our autobiography is a great idea.

September 7, 2018

THE ONE AND THE MANY

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily is, “The One and the Many.”

Here we are at the beginning of a new school year. I was wondering about what to say today. What do we need at this first high school Mass? Father Tizio said: make it short. It’s hot today.  So for starters, I thought it would be a good idea to say a few words about each one of us as well as all of us: the one and the many.

GESTURES

Take your index finger and put the tip of that finger right here in the center of your forehead and say, “I’m one!”

Now take that same finger and like a windshield wiper point that finger back and forth to everyone here and say, “We are the many. [Do it yourself.]

The title of my homily is, “The One and the Many.”

Get that and you got my homily.

SOMETIMES

Sometimes we’re the one; sometimes we’re the many.

Sometimes we’re an individual, Josh or Tina,  and sometimes we’re students at St. Mary’s.

Sometimes we’re the one and sometimes we’re the many.

Sometimes we’re Mr. Healy and sometimes we’re the teachers and staff at St. Mary’s.

Sometimes we’re the one and sometimes we’re the many.

Sometimes we’re the quarterback and  sometimes we’re the defensive line or  we’re the people in the stands.

Sometimes we’re the coach and sometimes we’re the referees.

Sometimes we’re the manager at Burger King on West Street and sometimes we’re the young people and adults working behind the counter and the customers in the place.

AT THE END OF THE DAY

At the end of the day, why not ask ourselves, “How’d did I do as one person on the planet today? Was it a great day? Did I serve my brothers and sisters well - whether we are a teacher, a member of COSA, a freshman or a senior or  a mom or grandparent talking us to or from school today.

At the end of the day, how’d we do as part of the Many? What are the groups I’m in?  Whom do we picture as part of the many manys I’m in each day. That would include our family, our class or after school?  How many “thank you’s” did I say today?

How was I as a one? How was I as a many?

Many is spelled “M A N Y” -  but being a Dodger fan, the word “many” triggers the other “Manny” - on the Dodgers - thanks to the Orioles. The Manny is doing well for us, but we just fell out  of first place again - thanks to the dang Mets - Father Tiz’s team - and this one priest, our pastor,  was rubbing it in to this one me.

The we called the Dodgers are going to have to step it up - in the coming September run and rush for the World Series and do it as a many. We almost did it last year - losing right at the end.

I’m one of many priests on the planet doing my life - and we’ve had some bad publicity lately because some ones in our midst messed up - mostly in the past - but bad news, sin, bad behavior has consequences for the Many.

REFLECTION

We reflect on life as a someone.

How do we see ourselves as part of the many?

What do I offer the different groups I am part of?

What are my unique gifts?

St. Paul in one of his letters  said we’re like a human body. Some of us are good listeners - all ears. Some of us are handy.  Some of us are good as “goers” and “getters”. We’re good on our feet. Some of us are all heart. Some of us are brainy - future engineers and teachers.  Some of us are great see-ers - asking questions about what’s missing or what could be improved.

Our theme for the year is a prayer to the Lord: “Open my eyes, Lord.”

Looking at myself - what is this one called me - good at?  Am I then a doer or a don’t er - and if I’m a don’ter, then am I complainer?

How do I see myself?

One of the purposes of a school is to learn about working together as a many - a team, a play, a class - as well as shining as a one.

We come together and rub shoulders and ideas and jokes and healthy digs and share laughter as a many - and then we reflect upon what’s happening inside this one mind and one personality called me.

We are in families - a many - but we’re also a one in that same family: the oldest, the youngest, the one, the dog bringer outer, the dish washer, the comedian, the saint, the trouble maker, the forgiver, the suggester.

PLAY GROUND

Look for a metaphor for a school - I thought of a playground. We have one just at the bottom of the street across the street from us. I haven’t been in a playground in a while, but one can learn as much as we can wherever we’re playing.  Sometimes life is a slide. Sometimes life is a climbing up and down experience.  Sometimes we’re on a see saw, up and down, up and down, balancing life with another.  Sometimes we’re in a sandpit digging away - building and knocking down and building up again.

We’re one; we’re many in the playgrounds of life. How do I see school? How do I see life? How do I see my role on this planet?

SCHOOL

Life is a school - we learn life one by one - with the many.

Hopefully we learn respect - which has the word spect in it - that we learn to respect the one’s around us - one by one.

Hopefully we learn the golden rule - do to others what we would like for ourselves. And don’t do to others the things that bug us from others.

Hopefully we learn the magic short, short sentences of life: I’m sorry. Please forgive me. I forgive you. Thank you. Nice smile. Nice move. Help? Can I do anything? How’s it going? You go first.

The more each one learns the good stuff as an individual - then the more the  many benefits.

CONCLUSION

I think that’s enough as a starter for this new year. These are the thoughts of one person - to you the many. Amen.