WHAT  IS  JESUS 

SAYING  AT  US? 

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for this 4^th Monday in Ordinary Time  is, “What Is Jesus Saying at Us?”

The key word, the key idea , is AT. Spell it out.  AT - as in “AT Us”. [Point]

TODAY’S GOSPEL

I read today’s two readings and the psalm - looking for a sermon thought or a sermon issue for today.

Today’s first reading is very heavy - talking about people being beaten, stabbed, stoned, killed,  and sawed in half. [Cf. Hebrews 11: 32-40.]  In today’s psalm response we have the word, “comfort” and one of these days I’ll preach a sermon about comfort - and our desire to be comfortable. Another interesting topic. [Cf. Psalm 31 refrain: “Let your hearts take comfort, all who hope in the Lord.”]

I spotted in the gospel for today [Mark 5: 1-20] a very interesting statement. Jesus and his disciples go to the other side of the lake. A crazy character approaches Jesus and starts yelling at him.  He had been living in a cemetery - in the middle of a tomb field.  He was a guy who was hard to control. He had to be chained - but he broke free from his shackles many a time.

Seeing Jesus - he screams out, "What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I adjure you by God, do not torment me!"

Then the comment that grabbed me: “Jesus was saying to him, ‘Unclean spirit, come out of the man.’”  Did the man hear him - sense him? Did Jesus hear his own thoughts?

NUMBER ONE TOPIC OF CONVERSATION: PEOPLE.

I can somehow connect to this experience.

After weather, sports, Super Bowl,  the number one topic of conversation among people is people - especially the people in our family - especially the people who bother us - annoy us - especially the characters - the crazies.

Someone said something that goes like this, “Dysfunctional people are less than 10% of the people around us - in our lives - but they take up over 90% of our energy and conversations.”

Wow is that true.

Now here’s where I want to go.  Think of a dysfunctional - a bothersome - a PITA  person in our life and come up with the number one ongoing sentence we think - we inwardly whine - we inwardly scream - about that person.

It could even be Jesus’ statement in today’s gospel, ‘Unclean spirit, come out of this person.”

It could be, “I just wish you would give up trying to be in control of the world.”

It could be, “Enough with the suggestions.”

It could be, “Stop the complaining - stop dragging into every conversation - stuff about the president, the church, the parish, the liberals, the conservatives, the young people of today, TV talk shows, etc. etc. etc.

Who is the first person who comes to  mind when I ask you, “Who drains you?” ‘Who always rains on your parade?”

Next what do say inwardly about - and AT  this person - inwardly of course.

CONCLUSION: 3  QUESTIONS AND KEYS TO THIS SERMON

What do people say inwardly AT you? 

What do people want you to change?

What  does Jesus secretly say at you - like what he said of this man in today’s gospel?

UMBRELLA  FOR  TWO 

They have been working together -

for two years now - same office - in

a large business complex in the city.

It was lunch time. These two males and

a young female intern in a smart suit

were in the elevator - going down.

One guy had his umbrella in hand -

like a cane. Upstairs looking out the

window, he could see that it was raining.

The other guy - who probably played rugby -

said, “Real men don’t use umbrellas.”

The young intern stood still and smiled.

All three got out of the elevator - and

headed for the front door. It was raining

and both guys went in different directions.

An older woman walking in the rain, had
a newspaper to cover her hair. He handed 
her his umbrella and she said, “Wow!”

He didn’t know the young intern was

walking behind him - as she said, “Real

men give their umbrellas to real women.”

© Andy Costello, Reflections 2019
Painting: Umbrellas by
Rauf Janibekov

February  4, 2019 - 

Black History Month Thought for Today:  

“Man, if you gotta ask you'll never know.” 

Louis Armstrong [1900-1971]. 

This was his response when 

asked by Jazz is.

REJECTION

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for this 4^th  Sunday in  Ordinary  Time [C] is, “Rejection.”

I read over the readings and then ask, “What theme - what thought - is in these readings.

Sometimes I use the Bible text of Samuel, “Speak Lord, your servant is listening.”

The theme of rejection hit me - especially from today’s first reading - which has comments about Jeremiah who was called by God and ends up being rejected by the people. Next - more specifically in today’s gospel - which Jesus is rejected early on.

EXPECT REJECTIONS

If you run for office, expect rejections.

If you root for a team and wear their jersey or T-shirt, expect rejections.

If you write a letter to the editor of a newspaper, expect rejections.

If you write a novel - and don’t self publish, expect rejections.

If you wear a wedding dress, expect someone not to like it.

If you tell a joke, expect a boo, a thumbs down, or a rejection.

JEREMIAH AND JESUS ARE REJECTED

So both Jeremiah and Jesus are rejected.

In chapter 38 of Jeremiah we have the story about his being arrested and thrown down into a muddy cistern. His words and his message is rejected.

In today’s gospel the mob grabs and pulls Jesus so as to throw him off a cliff at the end of their town. Somehow his time has not come yet.

But Luke is telling us - as well as  the Old Testament - they are telling us that prophets tend to be rejected.

Just pick up any copy of the Washington Post or the New York Times or Time magazine and go through it - and you’ll find a report about some speaker out on justice and fairness and the rights of people being arrested and possibly killed somewhere around the world.

Speak out against abortion or gay rights and upset happens in the hearts and minds and pews.

Upset happens.

Rejections happen.

PRACTICE - PRACTICE - PRACTICE

As we go through life we get   various opportunities and occasions to practice how to deal with rejections.

I never dated. I always wanted to be a priest  - so I missed out on that opportunity of learning how to deal with rejections.

Classrooms, sports fields, every day situations give us plenty of opportunities to learn how to deal with rejections.

Living with priests - some of us having hearing loss - gives plenty of opportunities to learn how to deal with rejection.

The yawn is a dead give away.

I am in the midst of telling what I think is a great story - and surprise the other person yawns.

Or my story reminds them of a great story  they have to tell - and surprise they cut me off every time  and tell their story.

WHAT TO DO?

Today’s second reading from First Corinthians talks about love - in very practical terms.

It’s more than an emotion and a Valentine’s Card.

It’s patience. It’s not being jealous. It’s not being filled with self. It’s not being rude. It’s not being self inflated. It’s listening. It’s loving the other person.

It’s not brooding and being angry with those who are filled with themselves or happy when they are cut off or make a mistake.

It’s having confidence and courage like Jeremiah in today’s firs reading. He doesn’t allow himself to be crushed - when cut off or being rejected.

What to do?

 One thing I learned to do and it works is speaking up for the person who has been cut off.  I have noticed that I can calmly say - when the cutter offer takes a breath - “Wait a minute. Joe you didn’t finish your story. What happened?”

I’ve noticed that another appreciates that.  He or she appreciates acceptance and recognition and being heard. He or she feels someone knows I exist.

CONCLUSION

I remember hearing a sermon once about today’s second reading. The preacher said, “Everyone, it seems, chooses this reading from 1^st Corinthians for their marriage ceremony. If only they put it into practice in their marriage.”

Plenty of “I love you’s” help.

But plenty of listening and patience, avoiding rudeness as in tiny rejections [like not praising the meat loaf or the homemade bread] these are the stuff of love and making marriages and daily living work nicely.

Or as someone said: The glances over cocktails that seemed so sweet - don’t seem so sweet over shredded wheat.”

When they do, you’ll be getting a signal, things are sweet. - things are going well.

PETER AND  ANDREW

Once upon a time there were twins: Peter and Andrew.

Neat kids. Fun kids.  You’d like them if you knew them.

Peter was older than Andrew by 17 minutes and loved to brag all the time that he was the older  - and the smarter brother - because he came out of his mother’s womb first - when they were new born babies.

They were now 12 years old.

It was their grandmother’s 85^th birthday - and they drove 3  hours that Super Bowl Sunday to their grandmother’s house for dinner.

But first they went to Sunday Mass ….

They got up early  and made it to their grandmother’s church for the 11 AM Mass.  Grandma and her other son and his wife - who lived close by - and their 3 kids were waiting in the church vestibule for Peter and Andrew and their parents.

Mass was 55 minutes - so they were back to grandma’s house by 12:15.

It was a good day - parents talking to each other with their mom. Grandpa  had died 10 years ago.

And the 5 kids - cousins - played Monopoly and threw a football outside for a while. It was cold - but not that cold.

Peter and Andrew - the twins - didn’t dress alike. Some twins do that. Other twins - some of them hate that - but mostly when the twins are both boys. Their mom liked dressing them alike  when they were little - but not now. They were past that - at least that’s what they would say.  But they found themselves often thinking alike. Twins are often asked that question.

But there was one thing where they were totally different. Peter wanted the New England Patriots to win the Super Bowl and Andrew was rooting for the Los Angeles Rams.

They had made several bets.  Whoever lost the bet, that one would have to make the other’s bed for a week. Whoever lost the bet, he would have to take the garbage out to the curb on Monday and Thursday and bring the plastic barrels back to the garage when they got home from school in the afternoon. Whoever lost the bet, he would have to empty the dishwasher every morning for the next two weeks.  

Grandma’s birthday cake didn’t have 85 candles - but only about  2 dozen. Her breath was good enough to blow out most of the lit candles at her first attempt to blow them out.

The twins were looking at the clock from 3 PM onwards.

They figured they would just miss part of the first quarter of the game if they made it home between 6 and 6:30.

Mom sitting in the front seat of the car  - handed the boys two bags of barbecue flavored  potato chips for the trip home.

Dad - a definite Type A driver - drove very carefully  - both hands on the wheel  - all the way home - feeling a bit nervous about possible black ice.

After all he had precious cargo here - his wife Janet  and their twin sons: Peter and Andrew.

They were home - and in the house through the garage - at exactly 6 PM.

The twins headed for the TV set.

Dad said he was going to check  out some e-mails and phone messages.

He said to Janet, “Did you see my i-Phone?”

She didn’t  - then she added, “Maybe you left it in the car.”

Dad headed out to the car and came into the house with his i-Phone in hand and two empty barbecue potato chip bags - from the back seat of their car.

Dad screamed, “Andrew you’re the slob. You left potato chip flakes all over the back seat of the car. Go out and clean out the car and get to bed right after that. No Super Bowl football for you this year.

Andrew without saying a word headed  for the garage.

He knew his dad could be this way at times - especially after a long day of driving - and he had to do the driving.

“Uh oh!,” Peter  said to himself.

Then he continued  talking to himself. “It wasn’t Andrew. It was me - who was the slob. And Andrew didn’t eat any chips at all. He knew I loved Barbecue potato chips, so he gave his bag to eat as well.”

Peter heard Andrew coming out to the garage - completely silent - and heading for their bedroom.

His dad had calmed down - after his scream - after his whining - but didn’t welcome his son back into the room where they were watching the Super bowl.

His dad didn’t tell Andrew that the Rams were already winning by 14 points.

His dad could be strict - and be such a neat nick - especially when it came to the car.

Peter went to the bathroom at half time - but really to sneak into their bedroom to see how Andrew was and give him the score.  The Rams were only winning by 7 points.

Peter mainly wanted to see how his brother was.

Peter asked Andrew, “How come you didn’t squeal on me - that I was the only one who had potato chips in the back of our car?’

Pause.

Then Andrew said, “Didn’t you hear what Jesus did in the gospel we heard at church this morning?”

Peter said, “What? What Jesus said?”

Pause.

Then Peter said, “I was thinking about the Super Bowl and had no idea what the priest was talking about at Mass. Are you kidding me?”

Finally, he asked Andrew, “What did Jesus do? What did Jesus say?”

Andrew said, “Well they were all yelling at Jesus and they were trying to take him out of town and throw him off a cliff. He kept quiet and kept moving and suddenly at the right moment he snook off the road and into the woods.”

Pause.

Peter never heard this side of Andrew ever before.

Andrew continued, “So when dad started yelling. I kept quiet. I’ve been doing that all these years. With him, you can never win. I cleaned up the potato chips in seconds. There weren’t that many and then I slipped into here.

“And by the way I have this small radio and I’m beating you by 7 points.”

The End.

Ooops. When I woke up this morning I felt something was wrong. The ending of my  story  wasn’t right. So my second ending would be: Peter walked back into the lounge - and told his dad - “Andrew did nothing wrong. He didn’t have any potato chips. It was all me - who left the back seat of the car so messy.

That was a second ending.

A third ending would have the father sitting there. It’s now in the third quarter and the father stands up and says, “Wow was I not so smart in being so tough on Andrew. I’m going to go into the boys bedroom and invite him into the game.

I polled everyone and got votes for all   3 endings.

February 3, 2019

MUSIC

The piano,

the guitar,

the drums and the violin,

horns and brass,

a folk song,

a duet,

a choral group,

a symphony orchestra,

an opera,

music,

loud and clear,

soft but moving along,

triggering moments,

triggering memories,

feelings, acceptance and rejection,

here and now, now and then,

freeing us to close our eyes,

open our ears and just be ….

© Andy Costello, Reflections 2019

February   3, 2019

Black History Month Thought for Today:

“Love makes your soul crawl out from its hiding place.”  

Zora Neale Hurston