PRAYING  IN  THE  DARK CLOUD

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for this 5^th Monday in Ordinary Time  is, “Praying in the Dark Cloud.”

At the end of today’s first reading there is a sentence that grabbed me: “The Lord intends to dwell in the dark cloud….”

That seems quite intense – as well as intriguing – as well as interesting. 

It’s 1 Kings 8:12.

I looked up about a dozen translations of this text translated from the Hebrew “BAR ARA PEL”  and most have either “the dark cloud” or “the thick cloud.”

It triggered for me immediately, Saint John of the  Cross – as well as F. Scott’s Fitzgerald’s comment in an essay in The Crack-Up.

Quote: “In a real dark night of the soul it is always three o'clock in the morning, day after day.”

People have certainly experienced God – and screams for God – and the feelings of the absence of God – when there is horror happening – liquor being spilled – relationships or family is falling apart or being flimsy  and they can’t sleep at three o’clock in the morning – or three in the afternoon.

PRAYER THOUGHT

Solomon tells us in this text  from 1^st Kings that he built a  princely house – a dwelling for the Lord – where The Lord can abide forever – but then once more his comment, “The Lord intends to dwell in the dark cloud.”

If we look at our life, we know we have experienced God in churches as well as in dark clouds.  We have experienced God in sunrises and sunsets – in the mountains or on or at the ocean – the desert or the maternity ward.

In the scriptures we have the prominence of clouds – as places where people experienced God. For example, In Exodus we have the pillar of fire and the cloud – leading Israel in the wilderness.

It’s good to sit on a porch on a rainy day – if there is roof overhead  - and watch the rain and the clouds and experience God.  It’s good to get a window seat on a plane – on a cloudy day – and look out the window as our plane breaks out of the clouds and all is light – if it’s daytime. Or it’s good to sit on a porch at night and look at the sky or the stars or both – and the red moon – like last night – and the silver moon – full or in slivers - other nights.

THE CLOUD OF UNKNOWING

That comment in 1 Kings 8: 12 also triggered for me, thoughts about The Cloud of Unknowing – the book. This 14^th century book is still around – and one can read it on line – and read commentaries on it. 

Tricky stuff – if it brings us to realize – we can never nail down God – even on a cross – or in words – or images.

The Hebrews gave us the 1^st and 2^nd commandments – as a warning not to have false images of God – and to think we know God – as God really is.

Life is getting glimpses of those we live with – but as they said of JFK, “Johnny We Hardly Knew You.”  Well, if that’s with each other, it’s a zillion zenith glimpses getting to know  God.

Yet in the meanwhile,  the clouds  lift at times and we get glimpses of the Son.

In the meanwhile, if you find yourself in the dark when it comes to God, count yourself in the company of Mother Teresa and every person – even the atheists – when they wonder and wrestle about God – especially when they are in a dark cloud.

Or like Saint Scholastica, whose feast is today, who wanted to talk to her twin brother on a long dark rainy night.

February 10,  2020

WINTER  RAIN

Not as nice as Spring or Summer rain,

but Winter rain has its blessings! Take them.

Beats snow if you’re traveling. Washes

your car and the roads, if you’re lazy.

Softens up the earth – soaks roots –

and satisfies thirsty trees and plants.

“Winter rain” – sounds like the name of an

Interesting novel or a short poem, but who

who has the time to write it – unless there is

winter rain on the other side of your window.

© Andy Costello, Reflections 2020

February 10,  2020

Thought  for  Today

“The need for change bulldozed a road down the center of my mind.” 

Maya Angelou

SALTY  AND  LIGHTY

[From time to time, I like to write a story, to try to  capture the message of the gospel or one of the readings. So  today  I  wrote this short story – entitled SALTY and LIGHTY. It uses the theme of the gospel call to all of us to be salt and light.]

Once upon a time, there were two brothers: Wally and Willie. Twins ….

Wally liked his name when people called him “Wally” – but not when people called him “Walter” his baptismal name. Wally was a Wally – funny – sweet – always had  a smile - ever on his face.  Wally.

His twin brother Willie – preferred being called “Willie” and not William – his baptismal name -  but being 12  minutes older than his brother Wally – he seemed to be a bit more serious – than his brother Wally – but not that much – yet for reasons unknown – these things are mysterious -  people tended to call him the more formal name of William – but he preferred Willie.

They were only brothers – twins -  the delight of their mom and dad’s lives - Millie and Mike.

They went to the same grammar school, St. Ursula’s – the same high school – St. Christopher’s – and the same college – St. Anselm’s University.

Wally - after graduation with a business degree – went to work for K-Mart –  Wall-Mart wasn’t around yet. He did that and he did well – but his dream was to own his own business – and finally he spotted a Delicatessen for sale – the owner a Norwegian – who wanted to retire and move to Florida.

It worked. Wally’s Deli – was extremely successful.  People loved working for him. He made great subs – long before Subway. He knew people wanted the best cold cuts – Boar’s Head – and the best breads and spreads.  His Deli had a great catering service and put together at least through the years  10,000 after baptism parties, showers, Super Bowl parties, retirement parties, etc. etc. etc. parties.

Willie went a different route – going into the Marines – having gone into the ROTC program at St. Alselm’s University. He was in Vietnam – was wounded – but not that serious.  But seeing too many wounded warriors – he set his sights on becoming a psychologist –  in the military – and that is what he did with his life. Too many soldiers were in too many dark places.

After 20 plus years in the marines, Willie moved back to New Jersey – just a block away from Wally – when he retired.

The parish church they both went to needed ushers – so Willie signed up for the 10:30 Mass each Sunday – and he talked Wally into joining him.

A funny thing happened to All Saints Church – once these two guys – Wally and Wille - had really worked their way into the 10:30 Mass.

Attendance at that Mass went up – new customers – as well as switchers from the 8:30 and the 12:30 Masses.

It took a while for parishioners to notice this.  It took a while longer for the pastor – the one priest in this small New Jersey parish – to notice this subtle change.

Wally and Willie didn’t see it happening. They were too busy ushering.

But it was happening.

Hospitalty – the best wheel chair spots for those in wheel chairs and their attendants – humor – knowing names – and who goes with whom – all were secrets of the usher job description.

And the pastor realized it was Wally and Willie – the best ushers he ever had. People – without knowing it – felt much more at home at the 10:30 Sunday Mass. The pastor did as well.  For some reason his sermons were slightly more joyful, funny, hospitable, insightful at the 10:30.

One Sunday there – it was a game changer – it was a name changer. The gospel was from Matthew – from the Sermon on the Mount. It was about the moment Jesus told his disciples they are to be salt and light – to make a difference wherever they go – as salt does and as light does  – making subtle changes to food and to the room. Well,  the pastor was talking to Wally and Willie after Mass and blurted out: “Wally and Willie you guys are like salt and light around here. I’m going to call you Salty and Lighty.”

“Who’s who?” said, Wally to the Pastor.

“Wally, obviously, you’re Salty.”

Wally, Willie and the Pastor all laughed, but from that day forward, Salty and Lighty – were Salty and Lighty – much  more than Wally and Willie.

Now things change.

Salty and Lighty, Willie and Wally, both decided to go to Florida for the month of February – renting condo’s in the Port St. Lucie area – they both were losers – being Mets fans. Their wives had friends in that area as well.

Their kids – no twins – but 3 kids each – were long gone and married. So, a month away was a great winter recipe for both of them and their marriages.

Yes – wow did their parish back north in New Jersey miss Salty and Lighty  big time when they were gone – each February.

What people also slowly discovered – well not all -  you’d have to go to the local hospital – to possibly spot this - both gave two days every week – except February – to usher people – in wheel chairs and what have you up and around the hospital – as volunteers – wearing rich blue blazers.

And wow did they make a difference in the hospital those Monday’s and Tuesday’s – their 2 Volunteer days.

P.S.  When the pastor was retiring – the party being catered by Wally’s Son’s Deli – the pastor publicly  thanked Wally and Willie – Salty and Lighty -  as the best ushers he’s ever experienced. And they got a standing ovation – bigger than the Pastor got. And the pastor added: “If the diocese ever has an Ushers Hall of Fame for churches or the diocese – I’m putting your names in for the first ballot. Thank you Salty and Lighty.”

February  9,  2020

Reflection

RAIN

How do you paint rain?

How do you photograph rain?

If you’re an artist, you won’t

even ask the question

You’ll see cobblestones and umbrellas,

and lovers walking in the rain.

You’re in Paris dancing and singing in the rain
like Gene Kelly because nobody is watching.

I don't know about Noah, but you'll
be thanking God for rainy, rainy days.

 © Andy Costello, Reflections 2020

February  9,  2020

Thought  for Today

 ”I swear to the Lord I still can’t see why democracy means everybody but  me.” 

Langston Hughes

UNDERSTANDING

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for this 4^th Saturday  in  Ordinary Time is, “Understanding.”

It’s the obvious theme to think about and to pray for – as it appears in the story about Solomon in today’s first reading.

Understanding ….

THE STORY

Solomon, the young son of David, goes to a place called Gibeon – a high place – and high places were where people liked to climb to – in order to get closer to God.

On an altar there Solomon offered a thousand  burnt  offerings.

A question: who lugged all those offerings and the wood for the fires – up that mountain?

A question for you:  have you ever climbed a mountain and felt the presence of God in a high place?

Colorado?  New Hampshire? The Alps? Top of the Empire State Building? The World Trade Center towers – before they fell?

If you’ve done that – and a high place triggered some awe filled moments - you had a glimpse of  what the author of the first reading is triggering.

After all that smoke and offerings,  God appears to Solomon in a dream and says, “Whatever you want, you got it.”

Solomon realizing he’s young and inexperienced – and he’s now in charge of the kingdom – he  asks God for the gift of understanding.

Great story – about what a leader needs  - it’s understanding.

NEXT QUESTION

What’s your take on what understanding is?

It’s different than knowledge – like 2 plus 2 is four. That’s knowledge.   Like water is made  up of H2O.  That’s information.  Understanding is not information. How to be a good leader? There are formulas and recommendations and anecdotes, but it’s still has a lot of the subjective in it.

So, a person can have the gift of understanding – and have a 4^th grade education or a person with a PH. D. from Cornell can be as dumb as cardboard.

People sometimes ask me to recommend a priest or a therapist and I say - ask around. I also found out what people really want when it comes to getting a car fixed – a good mechanic – but when it comes to relationship and family and marriage stuff, whom to talk to: people want a person who listens and hopefully  understands a bit of what to say and suggest.

HIGH SCHOOL  RETREATS

I’ve been at a lot of high school retreats and part of that is small group work and it’s always nice to hear a kid say, “My dad. He understands.”  “My mom. She understands.”  “My Spanish teacher. What a gift. She has two teenage daughters and she understands kids.”

HOW TO BECOME AN UNDERSTANDING PERSON?

Listen. Cry. Wear their  moccasins. Give others your  time.  Understanding people say,  “Let me think about this.”  They say,  “I’m not too sure about this, so I’d recommend you talk to Gloria who is a great counselor.”

MAGAZINE ARTICLE

To me, I should end this homily right here, but I just happened to pick up a copy of Commonweal two days ago: the May 3, 2019 issue.

If I haven’t read an issue of a magazine, the year and the date doesn’t make any difference. I picked up this issue because it had listed on the cover  an article “On Raymond Carver” – and I liked his short stories.

Anyway, after reading about Raymond Carver, I spotted an interview with Carolyn Forche about her and about her Memoir – and I love memoirs. It  described her experience living in Central America.  Surprise she experiences understanding.

She’s asked by the interviewer: “How did  your experience in El  Salvador affect your personal faith or your spirituality?”

Carolyn Forche answers: “You know, that’s a really interesting                        question because I went to Catholic school for twelve years as a child and I was taught by Dominicans, and after my formal schooling in a Catholic school ended, I went out into a secular university and out into life, and it was during the time of the Vietnam War and the civil-rights movement.  I drifted away from practicing Catholicism.  It wasn’t that I was no longer spiritual, but I didn’t practice Catholicism and  had that sort of questioning attitude that all high-school students develop.  And then I find myself in El Salvador and suddenly there’s the popular church, and people having Masses on boulders in the middle of the countryside, and I’m meeting these wonderful priests who are deeply committed to the poor and the wonderful nuns also deeply committed to the poor, and I’m introduced to the principles of the theology of liberation.

“And then there is of course Msgr. Romero at the heart of everything.  He is the one voice in  the country that has any institutional power that is speaking back to this barbarity and this butchery.  And you know, despite what it eventually might cost him, he was brave.  They were all brave, these nuns and priests.  I saw faith practiced in a living way.  In a way that  I think Christ would have approved of. I had never been in a community like that.  I had never met Catholics like that. And I’m not saying that the whole church was that way because of course there was still the old, established, hierarchical, conservative church in El Salvador, but the vibrancy of the popular church was not to be denied.

[Now here comes the paragraph that has the word understanding in it. It also has a sentence and an image that are great.]

“So, I tiptoed back into Catholicism through this.  I said, ‘I’ not a good Catholic,’ and Msgr. Romero gave me Communion anyway.  Nobody cared if I wasn’t a good Catholic.  Nobody asked me when the last time I went to confession was, because I’d have to be truthful; it had been years.  I found  myself surrounded by these wonderful souls who had all accepted the preferential option for the poor, which is of course the understanding that if you are going to put yourself at the service of the poor, you must also accept their fate.  You have to be fully with them, including in their manner of death.

CONCLUSION

A bit long – but I hope that triggers some thoughts about understanding.

Christopher Fry in his story The Boy With a Cart, 1925, wrote,

Between

Our birth and death we may touch understanding

As a moth brushes a window with its wing.

May you have touched understanding people and an understanding God – and you are an understanding person.