April    15, 2019 

Thought for today: 

“One should be able to return to the first sentence in  a  novel and find the resonances  of  the entire work.”  

Gloria Naylor, New 

York Times, June 2, 1985

I HAVE GRASPED YOU 

BY THE HAND

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for Monday in Holy Week is, “I have grasped you by the hand.”

I heard that message in today’s first reading from Isaiah 42:6.

I can picture that image.

HELD BY THE HAND

The little kid is scared. It’s her first day at school.  Her mom or dad or both are holding her hand as she is being led into school.

The old man is dying. He’s in hospice. His family is around the bed - and they are holding his hand.

I had a wedding on Saturday afternoon. The bridegroom  tells me at the  practice, “See that guy over there in the front bench.  When he was 12 and his sister was 9, they were at Disneyland. They weren’t in the car - when his parents were in the car  - and they were both killed.” I’m sure when those two kids went to their parents funeral Mass, when they walked into church - their hands were held by their uncles and aunts - coming down the aisle.

A neighbor dies at the age of 49.  His wife comes down the aisle - this time alone - but her neibghbor and her husband never hold hands walking across the parking lot towards the church - but this Monday morning they do.

GOD HOLDS US BY THE HAND

Isaiah - in today’s first reading - tells us that God holds us by the hand.

Picture ourselves walking into heaven God holding us by the hand.

This God who created the universe - this God who created everything - this God who gave us the gift of breath and life - this God who made all the crops - this God grasps us by the hand.

This God walks us out of the prison of darkness and into the light - walks us out holding our hand.

Kenneth Clark, in his fascinating book and in his TV documentary on Civilisation, talks about Europe in the 1800’s trying to grasp light - in the enlightment - joy in the great works of Bethoven - meaning - reason - hope - in great paintings.

That is true for every age and every person - out hands, our eyes, our ears,  are hoping to grab, grasp, answers, God, meaning.

Picture Christ’s hands nailed to the cross this week - wanting to have God his father to reach down to his son who was feeling forsaken and grasp him.

Picture Christ picturing Mary of Martha and Mary fame - just below him at Calvary - looking her in the eye - knowing she had anointed him with expensive perfume  just a short time earlier for his death.

Picture Mary his mother grasping Jesus’ hands  when they took him down from the cross.

CONCLUSION

During this Mass - take one of your hands and with it grasp your other hand and remember all those who held you by the hand during this life.

During communion at this mass when you receive Christ - hold him tight for a moment by hour hand and then enter into deeper communion with him.

HOLY WEEK 2019:

WHY IS THIS WEEK DIFFERENT FROM ALL OTHER WEEKS?

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily is: Holy Week 2019: Why Is This Week Different     from All Other Weeks?

We don’t have to be Einstein to know about the Relativity of Time.  He put his theory into various verbal boxes.  He told students at Princeton that an hour with your girlfriend can feel like 10 minutes - while 5 minutes visiting with your grandma in the nursing home - can feel like 5 hours. 

The one I like best is: “How long a minute takes depends on what side of the bathroom door you’re on.” Or “How long a sermon takes depends on who’s preaching.”  This goes for waiting for red lights to turn green - depending on how much of a rush you’re in - as well as in a dozen other human experiences.

HOLY WEEK

In Jewish homes where the Passover Meal in celebrated, the youngest member of the family asks the oldest leader of the family, “Why is this night different  than all other nights?”  And the youngest kid is told - with everyone listening, “This is the night we escaped - passed over -  from the slavery of Egypt - as we headed for the Promised Land.”

It took 40 years - but they finally made it. It must have felt much longer, because there was a lot of complaining in the desert.  “Moses! Why did we listen to you and your plans?”

Christians - Catholics are coming to the end of the 40 Days of Lent.

We are  asked today, Palm Sunday, “Why is this week different from all other weeks?

This week  we touch upon and experience some of the key final moments of Christ’s life as well as our lives.

This week we hear about Judas making his final decision to betray Jesus for 30 pieces of silver. It’s called “Spy Wednesday”.   We’ve all experienced being betrayed or sold out because of money. And those moments in our life took longer than other moments.

This week we have Holy Thursday - when Jesus has his last meal with his disciples.  It’s the Passover Meal. We  hear about his washing of their feet.  We hear his last words - powerful words of love - especially in the gospel of John.  We hear about his begging his disciples to pray with him in the garden for at least an hour.  We all have or want to be with our loved ones when they are dying - and we get angry when some members don’t show. We remember last meals with our loved ones.  I was thinking yesterday about the  last meal I had with my brother in February of 1986 at Tio Pepe’s in Baltimore.  He had brain cancer but his taste buds had come back just in time for that meal. Delicious memory. He died that March at the age of 51.

This week we have Good Friday. The arrest. The torture. The bullying in jail. The crowd who praised him on Palm Sunday were screaming for his crucifixion on this Friday. Life. It has it’s joyful and sorrowful mysteries.  Life.  It has its stations of the cross.  Life. It has its deaths.

Next Sunday we arrive at Easter: the glorious mystery - the great faith moment.

CONCLUSION

This week - Holy Week 2019 -  can be different - if we take the time to make it different.

Your move.

Check the bulletin or go on line and plan to be at least one hour with the Lord.  Okay - the Holy Saturday night service is 2 hours and 17 minutes - and the Easter Mass is usually 59 minutes and 27 seconds depending upon who’s up front and how long it feels and what’s going on in your life.

April 14, 2019

INTRIGUING   WORDS

Smorgasbord, keepsake, curmudgeon,

moss, squeaky-clean, mucilage, laminate,

steamfitter, heirloom, G-man, minestrone,

seaweed, ramification, pink, slice, jar, jaw,

trumpet, sycamore, synthesis, nickel,

minimalist, tortoise, incognito, kayak, gill,

flax, elixir, dolly, grease, sesquipedalion ....

© Andy Costello, Reflections 2019

April    14, 2019 

Thought for today: 

“In the childhood memories of every good cook,  there’s a large kitchen, a warm stove, a simmering pot and a mom.”  

Barbara Costiryan, 

in “Holiday Entertaining” 

New York, 22 October 1984

April    13, 2019 

Thought for today: 

“This is the grave of Mike O’Day  

Who died maintaining his right of way.  

His right was clear, his will was strong, 

But he’s just as dead as if he’d been wrong.”

 20^th century Anonymous

April 13, 2019

ORBIT

We all have various orbits:

family, friends, fellow workers,

church, and then we had those old orbits,

classmates, teams, organizations that

more or less float away from us as well.

Where we crash, spin out of control,

become confused, is when we are

spinning in two different directions

at once - like having dinner with family

and being on a iPhone at the same time.

Then there is God - who somehow

can orbit in and around all of  us -

all at the same time - but that’s

something we can’t do because

we’re not God, but we can try to be.

 © Andy Costello, Reflections 2019