February 20, 2019
Black History Month Thought for Today:
“Writing is one of the few professions in which you can psychoanalyse yourself, get rid of hostilities and frustrations in public, and
get paid for it.”
Octavia E. Butler
Friday, February 15, 2019
February 19, 2019
ZIGZAG
Life is zigzag.
We all know that.
We don’t want it that way,
but that’s the way it goes.
We want straight, clean cut,
lines - no veering off course.
We say things like that when
there is a rejection, a divorce,
bad weather, or the crazies.
We forget to marvel when the
zigzag has scenic overviews,
surprising people and the brand new -
especially moments of grace.
especially moments of grace.
© Andy Costello, Reflections 2019
EULOGY
If I could write my own eulogy,
what would I write?
If I was sitting there hearing my eulogy,
what would the eulogist say?
If I was hearing my eulogy would I say
the old jokes? You're talking about someone else.
If I was hearing my own eulogy,
what would I hope is not said?
Is the eulogy and the words at the wake,
the real final judgment?
If God gave my eulogy,
what would God say?
Is there a final judgment?
© Andy Costello, Reflections 2019
DEAD
TREE - LIVE TREE
INTRODUCTION
The title of my homily for this 6 Sunday in Ordinary Time is, “Dead
Tree - Live Tree.”
When a preacher starts to work on a
homily or a sermon he or she likes to come up with an opening story or an
opening image - that everyone can picture - something everyone can feel and
sense.
Today’s first reading from Jeremiah gives
two diverse images: that of the dead tree and a live tree.
All of us have seen both - dead
flowers, dead bushes, dead branches, and
dead trees - as well as their opposites. Jeremiah describes a bush out there in the
desert, dead, infertile, no longer producing life.
PSALM 1 AND JEREMIAH 17
Today’s Psalm has the same image: live tree near running water and dead leaves, blowing in
the wind. It's from Psalm One - the first of all the psalms.
Jeremiah says to the people that we have two choices in life: do you want to be
a dead bush or a live tree? The choice is always ours?
Listen to these words again from
Jeremiah:
“Cursed is
the man who trusts in human beings,
who seeks
his strength in flesh,
whose heart
turns from the Lord.
He is like
a barren bush in the desert
that enjoys
no change of season,
But stands
in a lava waste,
a salt and
empty earth.
Blessed is
the man who trusts in the Lord,
whose hope is the Lord.
He is like a tree planted beside the waters
He is like a tree planted beside the waters
that
stretches out its roots to the stream:
It fears
not the heat when it comes,
its leaves
stay green;
In the year
of drought it shows no distress,
but still bears
fruit.”
Which would you rather be?
Obviously, we would all choose to be the living tree. We want 4 seasons? We want
life? Who wants to be a deadbeat? The choice is always yours.
Jeremiah then, like any good
preacher, gives the secret, the way to be the tree and the way not to be the
dead bush.
The secret is basic: it’s trust.
Down deep at the bottom of me, at the lowest levels of the soil of my soul, I
have to ask myself, “What do put my trust in?” Or better, “Who do I put my
trust in?” Is it God or others or stuff? So we have to do is to examine where
we put our trust. What do I put my trust in? Obviously, it’s in God - the Living God - who
is living water - flowing deep within me.
TODAY’S GOSPEL
Today’s gospel uses a basic human
experience: that of blessing something or someone or cursing something or
someone. We are very familiar with each. We bless and curse every day.
It's Luke's version of the Beatitudes - but he only gives 4, but then he adds 4 Badattudes as well.
Blessing and Cursing are 2 very
basic human behaviors. We praise the other person - or we curse him or her. We praise a day or we
curse a day. We praise a meal or we curse a meal. We praise a movie or we curse
a movie. We dread or rejoice. We curse the other driver for crawling along in
the left lane or not using their blinker or we praise them for letting us out into
traffic in front of us.
CONCLUSION: SECOND READING
The title and theme of my homily is, "Dead Tree - Live Tree."
Even if we're dead, we can come back to life.
February 17, 2019
GOING TO COMMUNION
IN THE DARK OF NIGHT
Sometimes when I’m at church
I look at the backs of heads - and
wonder about what’s going on
inside the dark of another’s mind.
Sometimes when I’m at church
I look at faces - as another comes
back down the aisle - after receiving
Holy Communion - union with Christ.
Sometimes when I wake up at
two-thirty in the morning, I walk
down to the back porch and look
out into the dark night - past the stars.
Sometimes if it’s cold in the dark
night I get out of bed and walk into
my inner room - close the door -
and enter into deep communion.
Sometimes in these moments of
Holy Communion, I
know you know,
what’s inside my mind and behind
the smile on my face in the dark.
© Andy Costello, Reflections 2019
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