May 3, 2019 -
“’I know of no joy,’ she airily began. ‘greater than a cool white dress after the sweetness
of confession.’”
Ronald Firbank [1886-1932],
Valmouth,
(1919) Chapter 4
Friday, May 3, 2019
Thursday, May 2, 2019
VISE
Sometimes I feel like I’m in a vise -
being squeezed by time and the phone ….
“Can you?” “Will you?” “Please?”
Then the advice from inner voices:
“Stop your whining!” “You have to ….”
“This is what love is all about.”
“Service!” “Service!” “Service!”
Then comes the ooze of guilt,
when I want to “Run!” and
“Hide.”
Ever feel this way?
© Andy Costello, Reflections 2019
Wednesday, May 1, 2019
BACKGROUND
Background is background ….
We don’t notice it when we’re
in the middle of a great moment
up front and central and we’re alive.
But sometimes we realize afterwards ….
Wow! She was a good waitress
Wow! She was a good waitress
or my mom and dad did an awful
lot of great things for us kids.
And Mary and Joseph are in the pages
and the stories of scriptures - as the
Patron Saints of Background - and
all that work behind the scenes.
© Andy Costello, Reflections 2019
May 1, 2019
Barack Obama quoted Nelson Mandela to create
the most-liked tweet in history. It goes like this: "No one is born hating another person
because of the color of his skin or his background or his religion. People must
learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love. For
love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite."
:
Tuesday, April 30, 2019
THE COMMON LIFE
INTRODUCTION
The title of my homily for this Monday in the Second Week
of Easter is, “The Common Life.”
There are some Bible texts and readings that we totally
ignore - perhaps semi-consciously - because they are too challenging.
There are some church goers who won’t forgive their
brother or sister from their heart 70 times 7 times - even though Jesus said we
need to do that. [Cf. Matthew 18: 22.]
Today I want to highlight and reflect upon the opening
sentence in today’s first reading from the Acts
of the Apostles. It’s Acts 4: 32: “The community of believers was of one
heart and mind, and no one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but
they had everything in common.”
Now that’s both a challenging text - and a “Wait a minute text.”
It hasn’t been erased or expunged or manipulated out of
existence from our scriptures for some 2000 years now.
UH OH MOMENTS
Before I came to Annapolis I was stationed in Lima, Ohio
and from time to time I would hear about some folks from some years earlier -
folks from different parishes in the area - who had left everything - families
included - and went to live a common life on a farm that was bought by the group.
And everything was thrown into the common pot and taken
from the common pot. It lasted a few
years. It broke up some marriages and families and what have you. Looking back,
I never got nosey enough to try to meet
anyone and find out about anyone who
tried this way of life.
In Christian communities down through the centuries, groups
and individuals tried living in common. We see this clearly in the Early Church
- especially in these readings - after
Easter - like today’s first reading.
How long did that movement last? Was it because folks were expecting the End -
the Parousia? When that didn’t happen,
did this visionary way of living life end?
Have you ever wondered or thought about living in a commune
- and living a community life with a group of people.
From time to time I’m sure you have heard us Redemptorists
talk about our parish and our community in Ephrata, Lancaster County,
Pennsylvania.
And / or you might have heard that they have a historical spot in Ephrata called, “The Cloisters.”
It was where a German immigrant - named Joseph Conrad Bissel - started in 1732 - a strict
community of Christians. 1732 was 100 years before we Redemptorists came to America.
In 1732 - that same year - in Scala Italy - just up the steps from Amalfi
- St. Alphonsus started the Redemptorists. We were to live as community - and
preach and work as community - but the emphasis was on the work of preaching together
more than the common life together.
That area of Pennsylvania has a history of several types
of communal living. I’m sure you’ve heard of the Amish and the Mennonites.
Next, I’ve never heard of anyone who made a comparative
study about these strict Christian communities and religious orders and
congregations.
How about looking into the Mennonites as compared to the Franciscans?
That would be a good study.
I had a job called Novice Master for 9 years - for 9
different classes - and I was with them in living a common life for a year -
not working together, but living, learning and being together. It was a
wonderful experience. And we
Redemptorists are a religious community
with the vows of Poverty - Chastity - and Obedience.
Next, I would assume, if someone spent a year living with
the Mennonites or Amish or a year living with the Redemptorists or Franciscans
or Sisters of Notre Dame - you would see similarities and you would see differences.
With regards money - and the common pot - and common
ownership - in principle you would see underneath a common vision.
I don’t have a bank account - or oodles of money. We go
out to dinner many a Sunday night as a community. We went to Adam’s Ribs this
Sunday night - 7 of us. I got a Cheeseburger - burnt to death with fries and
cold slaw. Someone else got salmon. Someone else got ribs.
The money came from a common box
There are benefits from this type of living. I have never
had to worry about money in my life.
CONCLUSION: A LEARNING
Now I could end here, but as I was thinking about this,
something hit me.
I would suggest taking
some time to reflect upon common ownership and more sharing of our goods - and
money - as we read in today’s reading from the Acts of the Apostles.
What is like to have a vow of poverty - and live a common
life? Do the Redemptorists who serve in
this parish as priests and in the past with brothers as well - and also the School Sisters of Notre Dame -
witness anything to the people of this parish?
Would families - reading today’s first reading - see
their life as living a common Christian life together? Do Catholic Families
ever think about the best way to budget their money and tithe their money - and
look at values - and capitalism - and greed - and need - and maybe share more
with the poor?
I have lived this common pot and common way of doing life
since 1960.
I have read the Prophets Amos and Hosea when it comes to
the poor.
I have read the Social Justice Letters or Encyclicals of
modern popes about lots of issues when it comes to all this.
I know St. Basil
said, “The bread in your bread box belongs to the hungry; the coat in your closet belongs to the naked;
the shoes you let rot belong to the barefoot, the money in your vault belongs
to the poor”.
I would ask people to read Matthew 25: 31-46 - the Parable of the Sheep and the Goats - about
the great judgment at the end of the world - and wonder, “Maybe Jesus is very
serious about all this.”
April 30, 2019
SIGNATURE
What does my signature look like?
What does it say about me?
What did it look like the first time
I put my name on anything?
What does it look like now?
Is my signature a Rorschach Blot?
If I was to put my name to the
Declaration of Independence and
I knew it was to be on display
for hundreds of years to come,
would that make a difference
in how I write my signature?
What are the most important
documents I put my name to?
© Andy Costello, Reflections 2019
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