Monday, March 30, 2020

March  30,  2020



I  AM  IN   NEED   OF  FAITH


It’s when I realize, I’m me,
simply me – with no titles -
no bragging rights – no nothing –
when life is going right or especially
when life is going wrong - when
disappointment or darkness takes over,
it’s then I hear prayer calls.

It’s then I realize, I’m like Abraham
called to walk by faith,
to take steps -  to make moves
I never thought I could take or make.
It’s then I know I have to make
sacrifices that seem mysterious or impossible,
but I can make them,  because I am.

It’s then, I realize, I’m like Jesus,
called to hear Our Father’s will,
to hear Our Father’s voice.
It seems it’s then I hear
God saying things like,
“I am with you all days
even to the end of the world.”


© Andy Costello, Reflections 2020


March   3,   2020


Thought  for  Today

“If our misfortunes were laid in one common heap, most people would be content to take their own and depart.”

 
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Sunday, March 29, 2020


DEATH’S IF’S
  
INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for today is, “Death’s If’s.” I better spell that out, “D e a t hs” and “I fs”.

Life has its if’s – and at death, there are lots of emotional “If’s.”

We’re sitting there in church – and the coffin is sitting there next to us or the ashes, the cremains, and we are thinking and praying and feeling and “iffing”.

If I had done this. If I had done that.

Of we if some if’s about the person who has died, “If only, the roads weren’t icy.” “If only she had gone home another way.” “If only he hadn’t smoked.”

Of we give God some of our “if’s”. “If only we had more time together. If only she or he could enjoy more retirement.”

Life has its if’s and death has its if’s.

SAMMY DAVIS JR.

I remember watching Johnny Carson or some talk show years ago and the host had Sammy Davis on the couch. And he asks Sammy, “Why do you always publicly tell folks, ‘I love you?’”

And Sammy Davis paused and became very serious. Then he said, “Well, I had this friend whom I grew up with. We went to school together and did everything together. Well, I always wanted to tell him, ‘I love you!” and I never did. And I got a call that he died in an accident and I regretted over and over again, “If only I had said, ‘I love you!”

That hit me and it got me saying to many people, “I love you!”

And I love it sitting in my car trying dropping someone off at BWI or any spot like that and I’m watching someone kissing someone and you can see them mouthing those 3 words, “I love you.”

And I’ve noticed it happening with parents dropping kids off at school here for school and games – and I’ve seen husbands and wife’s do this – just running down to the store to get milk or cake.

“I love you.”

SMILEY BLANTON

I love something Smiley Blanton, the psychologist used to say. I always use this. He said something like this. After listening to people coming in for counseling for 20 years – I began hearing them saying two words. In fact, every problem seemed to be summed up with those two words and they are, “If only.”

If only I didn’t marry her.

If only I didn’t have this affair.

If only I hadn’t started drinking.

If only I could stop running around.

And on and on and on.

And Smiley Blanton then said, “I thought about it and figured the solution has to be as simple and it was. It’s only two words, “Next time.”

That’s just what Sammy Davis did. Next time he felt like saying to someone, “I love you” he said it.

WEST STREET – OR MOVIES – OR EVENING NEWS

We’re in a Cemetery – any cemetery and we walk around and look at the dates. Don’t we stop at some stones and say, “If only….”

Don’t we definitely feel that way when we visit the Vietnam Memorial in Washington DC or visit Gettysburg or we see the movie, “Saving Private Ryan” or turn on the TV news every day now and we see all the people who are dying from the Coronus 19 death. Don’t we feel lots of “If’s!”

MOBY DICK

I always wanted to read the novel, Moby Dick. I would say, “If only I had read it in college.” But I didn’t.

Well, there I was in Barnes and Noble and there is a whole table full of copies of Moby Dick marked down. I think 4 dollars. I bought it. I read it. I loved it and I was not ready for it in college.

Herman Melville writes in Chapter 114, “There is no steady unretracing progress in this life; we do not advance through fixed gradations, and at the last one pause: through infancy’s unconscious spell, boyhood’s thoughtless faith, adolescence’ doubt (the common doom), then skepticism, then disbelief, resting at last in manhood’s pondering repose of If. But once gone though, we trace the round again; and are infants, boys, and men, and Ifs eternally. Where lies the final harbor, when we unmoor no more? (Moby Dick 114).

For the Christian it is Christ – Christ is our harbor where we will unmoor no more. More. Christ is our more. There is more life after death. Christ is the end and the beginning of all. Eternal life.

TODAY’S FIRST READING

In today’s first reading Ezekiel sees Israel dead, down, depressed as if they are a big field of dead bones – like dead in a mass grave or in a field after a battle or a big graveyard and he calls on the dead bones to come back to life. If only they would rise to new life.

His theme is mainly, “If only Israel would wake up.”

TODAY’S SECOND READING

In today’s second reading from Romans, Paul uses that little word “if” three times:

“If only the Spirit of God dwells in you.” It can….

“If Christ is in you ….” He can be in us.

“If the Spirit of the one who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you….” The Father and the Spirit can dwell in us.

TODAY’S GOSPEL

And in today’s gospel we have several if’s, but the big “IF” that got me thinking about this for this homily is, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.”

That’s the big if in many deaths.

And the big message is Jesus’ words are, “I am the resurrection and the life; whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?”

In other words, “Jesus is here.”

Jesus is in death.

Each death – our death – our loved one’s death – is somehow mysteriously part of Jesus’ death.

And Jesus cries.

And Jesus weeps.

And Jesus feels death and disbelief with great disturbance of soul.

RESURRECTION

Of course this is difficult to accept and believe, especially at the time of death – and John is wonderful, he tells us about the closeness of friendship and love in death – and he tells us Jesus weeps and everyone sees him weeping and say, “See how he loved him.”

And Jesus goes to the tomb and yells, “Lazarus, come out!”

And Jesus says, “Untie him and let him go.”

We believe – even though it’s tough –and we’re crying – that after death is “the next time” that is outside of time – and outside of “if”.

March  29,  2020




DOWN  TO  THE  WATER

Most of my life I’ve been blessed
by being near the water. My dad
started us off as kids when he took
us every Sunday afternoon - down
to the Narrows – that neck of water –
that  deep water cut into the New York
Harbor – with Brooklyn and Staten
Island on either side – with Coney
Island at one end – leading out to
the Atlantic – and the Statue of Liberty –
on the back home once again other side.
That was enough for starters for my
consciousness of water. After that
came times in my life I’ve been to
rivers and ravines, lakes and streams,
the Mississippi,  Erie, Oconomowoc,
Canandaigua, the Hudson, Tobyhanna,
the Ohio and  then being on the Danube
as well as the Rio de La Plata  that led us
into Buenos Aires, Argentina, and then
heading south to the bottom of South
America going around the Cape of
Hope and working our way up into
the Pacific Ocean. I’ve been baptized.

 ©  Andy Costello, Reflections 2020


March 29, 2020



Thought for Today

“Be  cheerful!  Of  all  things you wear,  your  expression is the  most i mportant.”

Saturday, March 28, 2020

March 28, 2020



MONARCH  BUTTERFLIES


Too bad monarch butterflies
don’t write journals – because
it would certainly make for
interesting reading. These
Tiffany glass beauties grace
our landscape with color.
They all don’t travel, but when
they do, they can do a 4,000
mile trip from Michigan to Mexico.
No wonder they’re called monarchs.
Would that all kings had the
ego of a monarch butterfly – 
silence, working with the next 
generation to keep the family 
going and to get the job done.

© Andy Costello, Reflections 2020


March  28, 2020 

Thought  for  Today 

 “People need love especially when they don’t  deserve it.”


Someone said this,
hopefully everyone
does this.