January 30, 2019
Thought for today:
“It is good if we can bring about that God sings within us.”
Rabbi Elimelekh
Wednesday, January 30, 2019
Tuesday, January 29, 2019
ANOTHER TAKE ON TAKING AWAY SINS
FROM THE HUMAN HEART
AND THE MEMORY
INTRODUCTION
The title of my homily for this 3rd Tuesday in
Ordinary Time is, “Another Take on Taking Away Sins from the Human Heart and
the Memory.”
As priest I know that people remember their sins - more
than their good things - and many for the rest of their lives.
Even though they have gone to confession - people
remember their past - especially their past sins. When someone tells that past sins keep returning to their memory - I
say - “Of course: we remember our
mistakes. The opposite is dementia.”
FROM TODAY’S FIRST READING
I get this thought and this question from today’s first
reading from Hebrews 10: 1-10.
Today’s first reading says that people make
sacrifices year after year to feel
cleansed of sins - to remove the consciousness - the remembrance of their sins.
The Letter to the Hebrews says a lot about the why of
worship and making sacrifices. It talks especially about the sacrifice of
Christ . It talks about Old Testament sacrifice of animals. Doing this is part of what human beings do to
try to get rid of our memories of our
sins.
Human beings who have cheated on their spouses can tell
you they keep on giving gifts to the other - to make up for our sins.
Was it Irma Bombeck who said, “Guilt: the gift that keeps
on giving.”
SUNDAY EVENING
The title of my homily is, “Another Take on Taking Away
Sins from the Human Heart and the Memory.”
Last Sunday evening I sat in the benches here at St. John
Neumann when Father Ronnie Bonneau was
giving some remarks to the RCIC -
Becoming a Catholic as a kid - and he was talking about going to confession for the first time
- or any time.
He said that God’s motive for forgiving us is love. God
loves us. God wants us to say we’re sorry and to move on.
Well as I listened I found myself thinking the following:
“Maybe we can’t accept that God forgives us, because we can’t forgive those who
hurt us.”
Said in another way, “If we learn to actually forgive
someone who hurt us, then we might learn to realize God forgives us and others
can forgive us.”
Again, if we can really forgive another then we might
realize, “Well, if I can do this, God can do this.”
CONCLUSION
That grabbed me. I
don’t know how well that grabs you. Just as I began thinking about forgiveness
in my own way - when listening to another - maybe you have your own insights.
Forgiving and being forgiven is a lifetime question -
wondering - struggle.
January 29, 2019
“Oooh. Lucky for this lady that they dropped
JESUS TAKES 10 VERBAL SELFIES
“Oooh. Lucky for this lady that they dropped
those rocks and just walked away -
one by one - beginning with the oldest.”
“Mom…. I hope you don’t do this
every time now - when people are stuck.”
“I knew someone was pulling
on the tassel of my cloak.”
“Thomas, oooh! So many doubts."
“Peter. Promises. Promises -
and having so much promise.”
and having so much promise.”
“Andrew - always so reliable.”
“So much bread and fish left over.
Okay, we can do without the fish.”
“No. Not again. I can hear them now.
I just wanted a half hour nap - okay
an hour - to catch up with some sleep.”
“They didn’t get that parable. I know it.”
“That cross we passed on the road….
I sense it’s an “Uh oh! and an “Oh no!”
© Andy Costello, Reflections
2019
Monday, January 28, 2019
SOME THOUGHTS ABOUT
SAINT
THOMAS AQUINAS
INTRODUCTION
The title of my sermon is, “Some Thoughts About Saint
Thomas Aquinas.”
Today, January 28th, is the feast of St.
Thomas Aquinas - so I asked myself,
“What thoughts hit me when hearing the name of St. Thomas Aquinas?”
HERE ARE SOME
9 COMMENTS
I’m in Italy - getting a guided tour by Father John Ruef
of various Redemptorist holy places. John points out the train window. “See
that hill there. That’s where Thomas Aquinas was from.” All I saw was a hill in
the distance. Everyone has to be from
somewhere? Point to where you’re from.
I’m up the hill in Monte Casino. St. Thomas Aquinas was sent here for studies
as a tiny kid. Later on someone proposed him for abbot of Monte Cassino - a Benedictine monastery - even though he
was a Dominican.
I’m in Cologne, Germany for 1 hour - to see the great cathedral
there. I was told to take a train 1 hour
earlier from Hamburg to Paris - but get off for an hour in Cologne and check
out the Cathedral. St. Thomas was there as a student before the cathedral was
started in 1248 as well afterwards on a return stay after 1250.
I’m in Paris. I had the thought: St. Thomas spent the
heart of his theological teaching here.
If you ever hear some
theologian being condemned - criticized - being called a liberal or a
conservative or modern or what have you - step back and remember that Aquinas
was criticized and condemned by various people in his time. He discovered Aristotle and various other
ways of doing and teaching theology and philosophy - that others did not
accept. In time his outlook and method - called “Scholasticism” ends up being
made the top recommendation for seminarians in the Western world. Around 1960 - when I entered the Major
Seminary - I heard names like Rahner, Congar, Marin-Sola, Haring, Chenu, De Lubac, - being criticized by other church
members. Karl Rahner, for example, was
told he can’t submit his writings for publication. These teachers ended up
becoming the key voices for the Second Vatican Council - and then that cause
uproar as well.
St. Thomas Aquinas’ key theological teaching was: "Nihil est in intellectu quod non sit prius
in sensu." (Nothing is in the intellect that was not first in the senses). That is an essential stance for a way of
thinking - which shows that we value science and the visible.
Another key principle was, “Authority is the
weakest of arguments.” Give me reasons.
If you ever hear someone described as a dummy - remember
Thomas Aquinas was called, “The Dumb Ox.”
If you ever write, remember that Aquinas dumped his stuff - calling it
straw. He burnt it.
CONCLUSION
Just a few ideas
coming from and about St. Thomas Aquinas.
January 28, 2019
This is a well known Basque song.
Here is an English translation:
LETTING GO
AND HANGING ON
They met each other in the third grade, and
once again in the sixth grade and always tried
to sit next to each other in the eight grade
The other kids kidded them when they
saw them talking and walking and holding
hands in the first year of high school.
They fell in love with each other in their last
year of high school and their parents figured
it would end at the end of their senior year.
They went to college far from each other
and in time letters and mail and phone
calls became less and less and less.
Birds fly north and birds fly south
and these just two celebrated their 50th
anniversary this
past July 4th.
©
Andy Costello, Reflections 2019
Tyoria Txori
This is a well known Basque song.
Here is an English translation:
The bird's a bird
If I had cut its wings
It would've been mine,
It wouldn't have gone away.
If I had cut its wings
It would've been mine,
It wouldn't have gone away.
But, that way
It would no longer have been a bird.
But, that way
It would no longer have been a bird.
And I...
Loved the bird.
And I...
Loved the bird.
If I had cut its wings
It would've been mine,
It wouldn't have gone away.
If I had cut its wings
It would've been mine,
It wouldn't have gone away.
But, that way
It would no longer have been a bird.
But, that way
It would no longer have been a bird.
And I...
Loved the bird.
And I...
Loved the bird.
Lara lala...
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