August 6, 2019 

Thought for today: 

“Christ is God or He  is  the world’s greatest liar and imposter.” 

Dorothy Day, From 

Union Square to Rome, 1938

FOOD, GLORIOUS FOOD

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for this 18 Monday in Ordinary Time is, “Food Glorious Food.”

I’m sure some of you have seen the movie or play, Oliver, where they sing “Food, Glorious Food.”

The kids in the orphanage are starving and they want food, glorious food.

Even if it’s gruel or ugly grey cereal or porridge.

What’s your take on food?

TODAY’S READINGS

In today’s two readings we hear about people wanting food.

We are all hungry for food - any kind of food at times - and at other times food we like - really like.

Hunger is a real thing.

Complaining about food or lack of food is a common experience.

In the first reading from Numbers 11: 4b-11  the children of Israel are crying for food - meat, fish, cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions and garlic. And all that is sitting there is manna.

I love the translation of manna as,  “What is this?”

In today’s gospel - Matthew 14: 13-21 - they have to make due with five loaves and two fish - and somehow Jesus feeds the crowds and there are twelve wicker baskets filled with food left over.  Jesus pulls this off for about 5000 men, not counting women and children.

What’s your take on food?  What’s your take on these texts? There are many.

HERE ARE TWO TAKE OUTS ON FOOD FOR HOMILY THOUGHTS

The first would be having the attitude of thankfulness when it comes to food. Be thankful.  Say grace before meals.

Thank God and then thank the shoppers and thank the payers and shoppers and  thank the preparers and the cleaners of food and pots and pans.

Thanksgiving Day is a good model to keep in mind when it comes to food.

On that day we celebrate with food, glorious food.

On that day we celebrate with taking more time to talk and just be with each other.  Thanksgiving Dinner is usually the longest meal of the year.

On that day people make it a point to show up as family - with each other.

The second theme would be to make sure everyone has their daily bread.

It’s easy to pray, “Give us this day our daily bread.”  It’s easy to say, “I love you.”   It’s difficult to donate to food pantries, to work in the St. Vincent de Paul Society, to make sure folks have enough food.

At the end of a life, could we say, “I helped provide for 5000 meals for others.”

CONCLUSION

Okay those are two thoughts that hopefully trigger good thoughts about food.

Just in case my homily didn’t float or feed you, here are 5 quotes about food.

“Life is uncertain. Eat dessert first.” That’s from Ernestine Ulmer

“The only time to eat diet food is while you’re waiting for the steak to cook.” That’s from Julia Child.

An onion can make people cry but there's never been a vegetable that can make people laugh.” That’s from Will Rogers.

“If you really want to make a friend, go to someone’s house and eat with him… the people who give you their food give you their heart.” That’s from Cesar Chavez

“He was a bold man that first ate an oyster.” - Jonathan Swift

August 5, 2019

EVENTUALLY  EVERY  CAR 

Eventually every car  gets dents ….

Shopping carts, other cars, in

parking lots - nudge our car - ugh….

Eventually every one of us makes

mistakes, sins, does dumb, hurts

others as well as ourselves.

Eventually everyone becomes who

we are more from our mistakes than

our grace - but eventually grace wins….

© Andy Costello, Reflections 2019

August 5, 2019 - 

Thought for today: 

“We know too much  for  one  man  to know much.”  

J.  Robert  Oppenheimer,  

1954 in a talk.
Tomorrow is the anniversary
of the dropping of the first
atomic bomb on Hiroshima
August 6, 1945 

YOU PROBABLY THINK 

THESE READINGS 

ARE ABOUT YOU.  

DON’T YOU?   DON’T YOU? 

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily is, “You Probably Think These Readings Are About You?  Don’t You?  Don’t You?”

They are. They are.

I’m stealing this idea from a song by Carly Simon - called, “You’re So Vain.”

That’s a theme in today’s readings - especially today’s first reading which begins this way, “Vanity of vanities, says Qoheleth, vanity of vanities! All things are vanity.”

I can’t sing but in this song by Carly Simon she begins with this message, this image, these words:

You walked into the party
Like you were walking on a yacht
Your hat strategically dipped below one eye
Your scarf, it was apricot
You had one eye on the mirror
And watched yourself gavotte
And all the girls dreamed that they'd be your partner
They'd be your partner, and

You're so vain
You probably think this song is about you
You're so vain,
I'll bet you think this song is about you
Don't you?
Don't you?

It’s an intriguing and an interesting song.  This week Google “You’re So Vain” song by Carly Simon.  Listen to it every day. Check out today’s readings again. Read them again every day. They too can be found on Google.  Put them both together. That’s basically my sermon for today.

CARLY SIMON’S SONG

It became a top song through the years for Carly Simon. Various guys thought she was singing about them.  She wrote a song called, “Bless You, Ben” with the words, “You came in when nobody else left off.”  Something was missing so she shelved or middle drawered  that song.

Then at a party someone described someone who just came in - “as if they were walking onto a yacht” - and she went back to that Ben song - and re-worked it and re-did it.  It triggered lots of questions - and guessing games: “Who was the you? Who was the guy she was talking about in the song?”

She gave all kinds of hints - as well as saying it was basically about 3 different guys and she gave hints and promised answers as money raisers as well as having fun with it.

So listen to that song this week a few times and hear the question, “You probably think this song is about you …. Don’t you? Don’t you?”

It is. It is.

We can be so vain. We can. We can.

TODAY’S READINGS

Once more the title of my homily is, “You Probably Think These Readings Are About You?  Don’t You?  Don’t You?”

They are. They are.

The first reading is from the Book of Ecclesiastes.

Most people know this book from the Bible because of Chapter 3 where he gives us the great message, “For everything there is a season and a time for every matter under the heavens: a time to be born, and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot the plant….”

That’s another song to listen to - by the Birds ….

Qoheleth or The Teacher - the one who speaks - speaks often in his book about Vanity.  Vanity of vanities, vanity of vanities. All things are vanity.”

It’s a strong theme. You’ll find it in Jane Austen and Shakespeare and so many writers and poets and song writers and movie makers.

In Hebrew the word is HEVEL or HEBEL.  It means this: everyone take their hand. Put the back of it - about three inches away from your mouth. Then breath … push air - blow air onto the back of your hand. 3X 3X 3X.

That’s HEVEL - that breath of air.  That’s vanity.  Where does that air go? It disappears.  It fades. It makes its way around the world. It’s goes into corners and out windows and doors - and into other human beings.

Vanity. Disappears. Invisible.

In today’s first reading Qoheleth, the Teacher, laughs because he tells us that everything we worked for - with all our skills, with all our wisdom, with all our knowledge, is going to be left to someone else.

You can’t take it with you.

We’re going to disappear - like the wind - like invisible breath.

The clay, the mud, the earth, from which I eat and become is going to crumble. The sculpture that God the Artist and Sculptor created and blew air into - to make a human being - is eventually going to run out of gas, run out of air, have more and more trouble breathing. I’m learning this big time this year - trying to get my breath back.

That breath, that vanity, is going to disappear - along with this body called me.  I notice the skin on the inside side of right arm - just below the elbow is  wrinkling more and more - as I move towards hitting 80 this year.

Vanity of vanities.  All things are vanity.

You gotta laugh. You gotta laugh. You gotta cry. You gotta cry.

Bummer. Bummer.  Tough stuff. Tough stuff.  Humbling. Humbling….

And then today’s gospel.  What a mirror. What a message.

This rich man has a great harvest.  He’s saying to himself. “What shall I do? What shall I do? I don’t have space enough to store my harvest. I’m going to tear down that barn. That barn. That barn. And build larger ones.  Then I’m going to say to myself. I got it made. Woo! Wow! Do I have it made?”

And then Jesus says, “The fool…. The poor sucker. He’s going to die tonight.”

Vanity…. His breath will disappear and along with his wealth will go to others.

Hopefully, we realize that this message is about me.

COMING TO CHURCH

So we come church - we come to God - to hear these readings - to hear the words of these songs.

We come to church to realize what Saint Paul is telling us in today’s second reading.

What lasts…. What lasts…. Is God.

Life. Eternal life. The me that’s me - that’s above this earth.

The hidden is eternal and Christ came and did this life - to bring us to believe in eternal life.

That is the message - the reappearance  after death - after our crucifixion - that’s what these readings - that’s what this Mass of faith - hidden in all of us - in the bread and the wind - in the songs - is about.

Whether we’re Greek of Jew - Barbarian, Scythian - slave or free - it’s about us - faith - Christ - can give us this new Vanity of Vanities - the Holy Spirit -the Holy Breath Called God.

Breathe it in baby…. breathe it in - it’s about us. It’s about us. Forever….

August 4, 2019

FROM   SOMEWHERE  ELSE 

It seems that everything 

is from somewhere else - 

people too - so why do 

folks scream about some 

new strangers moving 

into our neighborhood? 

Bread, jam, playing cards, 

cars, apricots, tables, chairs, 

and the woman at the register 

at the front of the store - the 

woman with the accent - make 

this whole deal international. 

© Andy Costello, Reflections 2019

August 4, 2019 

Thought for today 

“If only there were evil people somewhere insidiously committing evil deeds,  and it were necessary only to separate them from the rest of us and destroy them. But the line dividing good and evil cuts through the heart of every human being. And who is willing to destroy a piece of his own heart?” 

Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn  

in The Gulag Archipelago.