VISITATION

INTRODUCTION

The  title of my reflection for today - December 21st - is “Visitation”.

That’s a theme in today’s two readings: Song of Songs 2 8-14; Luke 1: 39-45

Visitation.

Question: What do you reflect upon when you say the second joyful mystery of the rosary – which is: The Visitation.

TO UNDERSTAND THAT QUESTION

To understand what I mean by that question, let me go this way.

When John Paul II came up with his push for 5 more mysteries of the Rosary, I said to myself, “Oh no!”

Then in time I got used to how to handle these 5 new mysteries to reflect upon while saying the rosary.

I see the rosary the same as Muslims see a prayer rug. I take it out to tell myself  - and others – that I am now going to pray.

5 LIGHT BEARING MYSTERIES

When I say the 5 light bearing mysteries I go the following way some times.

For the first mystery: the baptism of Jesus I’ll think of 10 people whom I baptized  - one for each  Hail Mary – saying a prayer for them.

For the second mystery, Cana, I think of 10 people I married.

For the third mystery: preaching or proclamation I say prayers for 10 preachers that day -  at weddings, funerals, daily Mass, etc. for places – churches and retreat houses, etc.

So too that all people like Jesus move more and more towards Transfiguration – that 4^th Luminous Mystery.

And the 5^th Mystery – The Eucharist – that Jesus feeds us all with his being – and all Christians move back to the true presence of Christ – in the Bread – especially family members by name that they come back to Mass.

THE VISITATION

Okay, so that’s how I do the rosary – for all 20 mysteries.

I move it back and forth from Jesus and Mary to us – to me – and in that way the rosary becomes real for me.

So, for this second joyful mystery – the Visitation – the theme in today’s gospel, I’ll think of 10 great visits in my life – or 10 important visits people have or I’ve seen.

People getting home for Christmas.

People visiting neighbor in the hospital, the nursing home, the funeral home.

Lovers meeting  - rushing to be with each other as we hear in today’s first reading – from The Song of Songs – read at many a wedding.  It’s not always 1^st Corinthians Love is patient, love is kind ….

Or praying people will come back home to each other  - that family members will visit each other - talk to each other…. phones, skype, in person, e-mail, text….  Visits …. Visitation.

CONCLUSION

Life is mystery – mysteries – joyful, sorrowful, glorious, light giving - but not always.

December 21,  2019

OH NO,  NOT  AGAIN

Yes, it happens, over and over again.

No work … out of work … sorry ….

So,  we move on to the places where

there are “Help Wanted” signs in fields

and factories. And we get the jobs – we

get the money – we build the roads and

we build the buildings – we make the beds

and we wash the dishes – and then we

move on till the next place. Some of us

make it; some of us don’t. So, we drift

into shame and stereotypes and sadness.

Bullies and politicians – make fun of us –

get their votes and make us their jokes.

And few us remember this was our story

way back when – when we were young  

and when someone helped us up the ladder.

© Andy Costello, Reflections 2019

December 21, 2019 

Thought for today: 

“My very  chains  and I grew friends, / So much a long communion tends / To make us what we are.” 

In Sam Keen’s book, 

To A Dancing God, [1970]

December 20, 2019

FEELING  AT  HOME

Feeling at home - 

having a sense of home - 

can only be known - in the heart – 

at Christmas time – or when we 

come home for a funeral or for 

a wedding or after a divorce 

or a deep inner hurt – felt when 

sitting in a soft chair - or around 

the kitchen table in t-shirts  - 

or seeing a black and white photo – 

or a diploma on the wall - or 

when walking around the old 

neighborhood. We pause. We stop.

We know.  We breathe. We realize 

we’re comfortable as we suck

in a breath of old air.

We’ve been here before.

© Andy Costello, Reflections 2019
Painting: Early Sunday Morning
by Edward Hopper

December 20, 2019

Thought for today:

“You have  nothing  to lose but your chains.”  

Karl  Marx, Manifesto, 1848

HOW  WAS  IT?

INTRODUCTION

The  title of my homily for this Thursday in the Third Week of Advent is, “How Was It?”

In  the  second half of life, do we all look back on our life and talk to ourselves about how it was?

Then it’s nice if there is somebody – or somebodies - who are willing to ask us, “How was it?”

“How was what?” we counter.

“Our lives" comes the answer.

How was our life?

And then they listen – they hear us out!

BRENDAN

I remember I ran into a guy – Brendan -  a confrere – a Redemptorist – whom I sort of accidentally asked, “How’s it going?”

I didn’t know he  had just come back a week earlier from a 4-month Sabbatical at Notre Dame in Indiana. He had just made a continuing education program for priests.

I had time. He had time. He talked. I listened.

So, he told me all that he had experienced – side trips – football games – books – experts – learnings.

And he said at the end: “Thanks for asking. You’re the first person who did.”

I learned from that moment – seeing Brendan’s face and hearing his enthusiasm. So from then on: whenever I heard of a guy who took a Sabbatical,  I’d ask, “How Was It?”

I made that part of my life – to do that.

X

As I thought about that - I realized I still have a beef about something that used to happen during the 8 ½ years I was in Lima, Ohio. 

Myself and another guy used to do parish missions out of Lima - working as a preaching team - working in lots and lots of parishes. 

We’d get back from a parish mission and show up for breakfast the next morning – and one guy there would never ask, “How was it?” Instead he would be reading the morning newspaper – as if we had never left town.

That was one of those inner gripes – we never say – moving around in our inner cage.

Grrrrrrr!  Gripe!

 BARREN

These thoughts hit me when I read today’s two readings.

In both readings the word “barren” appears. Two women are without children – the number 1 answer  women answer with when asked “How was your life?”

Out come the pictures.  Out come the stories.

So, Samson’s mom – didn’t have Samson yet – to tell the world about her Rockyesque like son. So too Elizabeth didn’t have her son John the Baptist yet – to brag to the world about.[Cf. Judges  3: 2-7, 24-25a; Luke 1: 5-25]

We who have chosen celibacy – we who have not had children – hopefully we are not barren.  We have life to talk about.  I always like to ask teachers: “Did you ever have a student – whom you knew was going to become a star – and he or she became a star?”

ERIK ERIKSON

I have always liked Erik Erikson’s 8 stages of life.

I have asked thousands – stress on thousands of people: “Did you write your autobiography yet?”

At funerals of older folk, I like to repeat a quote I once heard, “When an old person dies, it’s as if a whole library has burnt down.” 

Imagine the autobiographies in this room – hopefully one or two written down - and all the rest are at least a talking or audio books.

Erik Erikson’s 7th stage of life is Generativity vs. Stagnation.

What have I done with my life?

Now this can be a dangerous topic – because sometimes some people never got  the opportunity to star?  It could be health reasons or what have you.

But for those who had the opportunities - hopefully we can all make a decent account of our stewardship.

CONCLUSION

So hopefully, with the grace of God we have not stagnated.

And the added beauty of it is, if we have stagnated, we can all change and come into the garden – in the last hour. Amen.

So the title of my homily was: "How Was It?"

Maybe that’s what God asks us when we walk into – the banquet hall – as well as all those who will be waiting for us.

“How was it?”

Knowing me I’ll say, “How was it?” That’s not the question. It’s,  "How is it here?"

December 19, 2019

LAST  NOTE

Sometimes the last note

from the piano player lingers

and sometimes it doesn’t last.

Just wondering what my last

note will say – my last song

will sound like – then be gone.

Love lasts – but so too hurt ….

I just hope my last note – my

last words will sound like love.

© Andy Costello, Reflections 2019