THREE WOMEN

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily is, “Three Women.”

Today - February 5^th is the Feast of St. Agatha - and I’ll be reading the gospel for today - the 4^th Monday in Ordinary Time - Mark 5: 21-43.

I would like to talk about 3 women.

THE FIRST WOMAN

The first woman is the daughter of Jairus - a 12 year old  girl.

She’s the daughter of a synagogue official and she is critically ill.

The story here in the gospel of Mark is a wonderful story - with various tiny details. It shows the love of a father for his daughter. Jesus takes her by the hand.  The assumption is that it’s a story closer to the time of Jesus - because it has Aramaic in it, “Talita koum”. It’s about her - not Jesus. He asks the family to keep it quiet. That’s significant - because there is a large crowd outside the house. And lastly Jesus says, “Get her something to eat.”

THE SECOND WOMAN

The second woman is also in today’s gospel. She is a  woman who has medical problems - problems with her blood. She has had her blood problems for 12 years - for as long as Jairus’ daughter has lived.

Mark is the best of the 4 gospels for details. He tells us that the woman has gone broke with medical bills from doctors.

She comes up with a plan. Obviously she has heard that Jesus is a healer - so her plan is to sneak up behind Jesus when he’s in a crowd and just touch the hem of his garment and   be healed.

She does just that and Jesus feels his healing powers going out of him and into this woman and she is healed.

Jesus turns around and asks, “Who touched me?”

Finally,  the woman fesses up. She has been healed.  Jesus tells her to go in peace and be free of your illness.

THE THIRD WOMAN

Those two women are in today’s gospel.

This third woman is Saint Agatha. Today is her feast day. She was an early Christian martyr.

She was killed around 253 A.D.

The church presents 4 women martyrs for the 4 winter months: Cecilia - November; Lucy - December; Saint Agnes - January; and today’s saint, Saint Agatha -  February.

Agatha  was a virgin Martyr. She was challenged to give up her chastity and virginity  to a tyrant down there in Southern Italy - in Sicily. She was beaten and martyred.

Great legends and stories came up about these women saints in the church.

Here is the statistic that grabbed me about St. Agatha. Last night, when reading up about Saint Agatha I read that religious ceremonies and processions last 3 days at this moment in Catalania, Sicily. Two different articles that I read said that it’s the second largest religious ceremonies in the whole world.  Over 1 million people are in Catania in Sicily for St. Agatha every  February 3, 4 and 5^th.

I assume the 1^st is the annual pilgrimage of Muslims - the HAJJ - to Mecca. Over 2 million go there in August or so - for 5 days.

A big silver cart that  weighs 40,000 pounds - with a very expensive statue of   St. Agatha - is pushed through the city. Type into Google, Saint Agatha, for details - especially thousands of men in white pushing the carriage that is loaded with jewelry

CONCLUSION

That’s it. That’s enough.

February 5, 2019

NASTY

I never heard of anyone 

naming their dog “Nasty” - 

and I’ve met nasty dogs. 

But I did know a farmer

who named one of their

cats, “Hemorrhoid.”

“She was a pain

you know where,”

he said with a smile.

Now, I have been

tempted to nickname

various people, “Nasty!”

Why? Well it’s because of their

comments to my face - but

mostly behind my backside.

© Andy Costello, Reflections 2019

February  5, 2019 

Black History Month Thought for Today:  

“Healing begins where the wound  was made.” 

Alice Walker (The Way Forward 

Is with a Broken Heart)

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.