A  RIVER  RUNS  
THROUGH  IT

INTRODUCTION

The title of  my homily for this 4^th Friday in Ordinary Time is, “A River Runs Through It.”

There is no mention of a river in today’s two readings - but last night - for some reason  - after reading today’s readings - I thought of rivers and their presence in our lives.

Next time you’re in a plane - try to get a window seat - and keep  your eye on the landscape you’re flying over.

On a clear day, you should see a few rivers.

If you’re on the ground and you have time, take the time to stop, to pause, to look at any river you just happen to see - any river you happen to be at - or at any river you meet.

If there is a bench there - that’s why it’s there - to  sit and watch a river go by you.

It can be a neat experience. It can be a learning experience.

There are a lot of rivers running through the landscape of our lives.

RIVER’S WITHIN

Metaphors come from realities.

We also have rivers within us - in our imaginations - in our understandings and in our efforts to figure life out.

So be poetic enough to check out the rivers inside our being - inside our mind, inside our memory, inside our imagination.

Pause. Pray.  Look. From time to time, check out  rivers within..

Inside and out - within and without.

I lived on the Hudson River in New York for 14 years of my life. I’d go down most mornings around 6 AM when everything was still quiet. I’d  watch what was on the river at that moment.  It’s also when I started the practice of dipping my hand into the water of any river I was at and make the sign of the cross.

Holy water fonts are everywhere.

I lived  on the Patapsco River here in Maryland - near Ellicott City - for  1 year  - 3 months. It wasn’t a scenic spot - because right nearby was a box factory that dumped chemicals into the water. Yet that river is still one of the memories in my life. I realize we have around here the South River, the Severn River and the Maggoty River.

So I’ve see lots of rivers from the sky, from bridges, and up close.

The title of my homily is, “A River Runs Through It.”

I can see a beautiful river like the Hudson or an ugly river like the Patapsco as they  flow through my memory.  

I’ve also done a lot of traveling - and the rivers I knew here in the United States - get me to spot them around the globe.

The Jordan River in Israel was a disappointment. The Lake of Galilee wasn’t - but it doesn’t send enough water into the Jordan.

I saw the Shannon River in Ireland as well as the Foyle River in Derry and the Liffey River in Dublin.  All three were beautiful - especially the Foyle River in Derry - Northern Ireland.

I’ve see the Danube, the Seine, and the Neva Rivers.

What rivers have you seen?

BOOK AND MOVIE

Back in 1992 a movie came out, “A River Runs Through It.”

It’s mainly about 2 brothers  - and their father a stern Presbyterian Minister - and the story of their lives.

It was a book first and made into a movie and was nominated for a few Academy Awards.  It won one for cinematography.

I saw that movie and I’m sure that’s why that title popped up last night - and I used to entitle my homily.

LET ME SWITCH FOR A MOMENT TO BUDDHISM

The Buddhists recommend sitting and meditating at rivers.

They would add just  closing your eyes and take in the rivers inside you. See your life gliding along and gliding  by.

Look at what’s on other’s boats - as they glide by.

See what memories flow down or up your rivers.

The short novel, A River Runs Through It, begins with this sentence:  "In our family, there was no clear line between religion and fly-fishing" and its last sentence was, "I am haunted by waters" ….

See your baptism at the river Jordan and on and on.

CONCLUSION

Thinking back  - where I really got this thought from is today’s gospel,

Herodias harbors a grudge against John the Baptist.  When her daughter dances and Herodias promises her anything, she asks her mother, “What should I ask?”  It’s then her mother asks for the head of John death.

Give the lady what she wants.

So she has him killed - and as the old saying goes, stuff on docks or harbors rot - they are meant to be made to be sent down the river.

The grudge she held in her stomach,  rotted in her gut. Watch your grudges and angers against others. Put them on a barge or a boats.  Then send them down the river and  wave to them till they go out of sight.

February 8, 2019

AT  SOME  POINT

At some point, 

Step Two happens. 

At some point, 

the other half of life appears. 
At some point, 
we wake up. 
At some point, 
we discover we are the surprise. 

At some point, 

waiting on line, 

sitting in a doctor’s office, 

in church at a funeral, 

being dumped by a lover, 

seeing one’s first child born, 

Step Two, the other half 
of life begins to happen.

© Andy Costello, Reflections 2019

February  7, 2019

CUTS

Some cuts just appear.

We don’t know when

we bumped against

something that nicked

our arm or our face.

Some cuts won’t disappear.

These are the ones on

the skin of our soul.

Someone just won’t talk to

us and we don’t know why.

© Andy Costello, Reflections 2019

February  7, 2019 

Black History Month Thought for Today:  

“I am an invisible man...I am a man of substance, of flesh and bone, fiber and liquids—and I might even be said to possess a mind. I am invisible, understand, simply because people refuse  to see me.” 

Ralph Ellison (Invisible Man)

February 6, 2019

MISUNDERSTOOD

There I said it, “Misunderstood.”

It happens.

It happens to everyone -

every once and a while.

Sometimes we can help

another by just listening.

Better ….  Underline this:

just shut up and just listen to

another when this happens to them.

The worst thing …. The worst thing ….

The worst thing to do is to make

the other feel misunderstood - again.

© Andy Costello, Reflections 2019

February  6, 2019 

Black History Month Thought for Today:  

“Not everything that is faced can be changed; but nothing can be changed until it is faced.” 

James Baldwin (As Much Truth 

As One Can Bear, New York Times)

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.