August  14,  2020

Thought   for  Today

“There  is  too much doing  -  too little being.  When we begin to get  strenuous life begins to grow intolerant.”

Martha Ostenso [1900-1963]

Norwegian-American Novelist

August  13,   2020

FORGIVENESS:

MORE  OR   LESS

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for this 19^th Thursday in Ordinary Time is, “Forgiveness:  More or Less.”

The gospel Matthew 18: 21 to 19:1 talks about forgiveness – so I figure I better look at forgiveness in this homily – and I better tie it in with peace the overarching theme of this year’s  retreat.

The first reading is from Ezekiel  12: 1-12.  He is a very interesting character to say the least. I’ve always thought about Ezekiel as a mime expert. 

Look up Marcel Marceau the great French  mime or pantomimist on Google. Or think about people statues you’ve seen on the streets of big cities – people dressed as the Statue of Liberty or a tree or Abraham Lincoln or what have you.

Mime is often silence – no words – so read the words of Ezekiel that way.

Someone said something like this,  “90% of communication is through the eyes and only 10 % is through the ears.”

Ezekiel seems to have known that.

[GESTURE: I don’t know. Maybe?]

Jesus is big with words – but he does paint pictures with his words – like today’s gospel about the man who is forgiven big time – and then goes out and won’t forgive little time.

We can picture him -  More or Less…..

Ezekiel is big with gestures – small skits and plays – like today’s first reading of him digging a hole in the wall in the night – but calling people to see him do his act – his skit - and then slipping through the hole in the wall with his baggage – and migrating elsewhere.

WORDS  ON  THE  BIG  WHITE  CARDBOARDS

I went through today’s first reading and today’s gospel and jotted down some of the words on big pieces of white cardboard – with words in bold black print.

Let me show them to you:

WALLS,  PAYBACK,  BAGGAGE,  HOLE,  EYES,  EARS,  EXILE MIGRATE, NIGHT,  DARKNESS,  BURDEN,  CAPTIVE,  DIG, PATIENCE,  ANGER, DEBT, HEART,  FORGIVE, LEAVE.

[I mime that I have these pieces of big white pieces of cardboard.]

NEXT  IMAGE:  CARDBOARD BOXES

I remember hearing a guy telling us in a talk something he had done.  He was transferred without warning from A to B.

Evidently he wasn’t happy with his change. He got his stuff to the new assignment, but he left about a dozen boxes outside his room – in the corridor.

He said that they remained there for about two years  – till one day – he brought them into his room.  Then he closed his door and looked at the boxes.  He said to himself: “Guess I wasn’t happy being changed to this place.”

Then he said he laughed.

NEXT  IMAGE: BAGGAGE  AT THE AIRPORT

I once went to the airport to pick someone up. I parked my car and went inside the terminal.  I was rather early, so  I sat down in a spot where I could see everything and everyone coming and going.

I love people watching at an airport.

I stationed myself in a seat where I could see people coming out from their flights – before headed for the baggage carousels downstairs.  It’s great watching people waiting for people – like I was.  Some had signs. When a group would come out into the terminal there would be people hugging and greeting each other.

Story…. Stories….  When was the last time the group or family or spouse or whoever saw this person who  is arriving by flight from somewhere over the rainbow?

I got a seat where I could also see people getting out of cars and grabbing wheels and carts to bring stuff from their cars into the terminal and head for the check-in counters.

Well I spot this lady getting out of cab. She grabs two of those carts with a platform for about 5 bags and  then a clothing rack for a lot of garment bags.

She was youngish so she was able to push one cart by one hand and pull the other cart by the other hand.

All together she had about 10 suitcases of various sizes and about 15 garment bags.

Where was she headed and for how long?

For good or to come back home again – if this was her home?

If she was coming back, would she have more or less?

I can still picture this gal going through life pushing and pulling her carts.

Life! 101

RETREAT HOUSE

People come on retreat to this retreat house with their suitcase or suitcases and maybe bags and maybe garment bags.

Will they go home with more or less than they arrived with.

QUESTION

Then there is what’s inside us.

What do we arrive with and what do we go home with?

More or less.

I’m still thinking of the person one of the guys mentioned in their talk.  An aunt held onto a gripe about getting a wedding invitation later than the others in the family and she ended up not talking to the other members of the family for 3 years.   

Then when she was invited to an anniversary she came back – without saying a word.

What was that about?

As priest I’ve heard similar stories dozens of time.

One of the questions in the examination of conscience or consciousness from Tuesday evening was something I’m still thinking about.  It was a good question – right in this area. The question: Is there anyone in my life back home still waiting for me to say, ‘I’m sorry!’”?

LIMA STAIRCASE

Last night I came down here to this chapel and counted the steps.

I was hoping there would be 1 step from the body of the church into the sanctuary.

There are two steps.

When I was preaching in all kinds of parishes around Ohio and the rest of the country,  I noticed in many grammar schools they had staircases with words on them – words you would see face to face as you walked up the stairs.

Just one word at a time: faith, hope, charity, patience, courage, understanding, respect.

Well, if I had a can of white paint and I could paint one word on the face of these two steps, what words would I paint.

Since the theme of the retreat is PEACE, I would paint the word PEACE.

Since the theme of this talk is FORGIVENESS, I would paint the word FORGIVENESS.

I would add that PEACE is the goat, the end, the hope and FORGIEVENSSS is the means, the way, to get there.

Notice in today’s gospel, Jesus says to forgive 77 times.

Remember Jesus also said if you’re coming to the altar and you got something against a brother or a sister, first go and be reconciled with your brother or sister and then come an offer your gift at the altar. [Confer Matthew  5:23.]

CONCLUSION

Enough already ….

The last sentence in today’s gospel is, “When Jesus finished these words, he left Galilee and went to the district of Judea across the Jordan.”

I hope you go home with less of the heavy stuff and more of the good stuff.

  

August 13,  2020

WATER

I stood there at the black iron railing

watching the rain and the water from

the falls becoming one in the pool

down below – and then the flowing

into the stream – knowing that will flow

into the river – and the river will slide

into the ocean – and then the rain on

my face  will discover anonymity in

becoming part of the big picture – so I

better put out my tongue to taste and

enjoy some small drops  before they

disappear into the all – into the big.

© Andy Costello, Reflections 2020

August 13,  2020

Thought  for  Today

"God, what pathetic creatures had inherited the earth,  to walk a little while with their eyes upon the stars and turn their gaze too soon upon the ground that held their feet!"

Martha Ostenso [1900-1963]

Norwegian-American Novelist

August   12,   2020

TAKING  THE  STAIRS

When he was in the army,

an instructor gave the advice

“If possible, take the stairs!

It’s good and simple advice.”

So he was in good shape into

his eighties. His grandkids

noticed this and always took

the stairs – never the elevator.

As his kids and grandkids did

the world, they noticed how

lucky some people were – to

only have stairs – no elevators.

Ooops. There was a side effect:

people thought them strange when

they only took the stairs – but they

would whisper: “Thank you Pops!”

© Andy Costello, Reflections 2020

August 12,    2020

GENOCIDE OR MASS  MURDERS:

ONE OF MY 5 QUESTIONS FOR GOD

The title of my thoughts for this Wednesday in the 19^th Week in Ordinary Time is: “Genocide Or Mass Murders: One of My 5 Questions for God.”

Every once and a while I hear someone say, “This is one of my questions I have for God after I die.”

I have that thought at times.  How about you. I also have  the question: “Does everyone have a list of questions they want to ask God when they die?”

TODAY’S FIRST READING

Today’s first reading – Ezechiel 9: 1 to 7 – then 10: 18-22 - has the story of people being marked with an X. That’s the last letter in the Hebrew alphabeth – called a Tau or Thau.

Here in Ezechiel those who are to be saved are to be marked on the forehead with an X.

The rest are to be slaughtered.  Well, those are the ones I'm thinking and asking about this morning.

GENOCIDE

As soon as I hear about these Biblical wipeouts I find myself  thinking about all the people who have been slaughtered down through the centuries.

My guess is that the numbers slaughtered in the Bible are nothing in comparison to the killings in the last century.

In the two big wars – World War I and II - millions died.

Last night I decided to finally jot down my list of genocides in the 20^th century.   I don’t know how one brings a list to the other side of their own death. And how to make up my list is tricky. I find the numbers numbered rather differently.

What I want to talk to God about is Mao Zedong. From 1949 to 1976, he is responsible for the deaths of 40 to 80 million people.

Stalin has high numbers as well: 20 million plus.

Hitler had 6 million Jews killed – plus a lot more people killed.

I saw the movie – The Killing Fields [1984]. It talked about Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge – who killed some 1.5 million people between 1975-1979 in Cambodia.

In 1994 – in Rwanda some 800,000 people were slaughtered in 100 days. Hutus killed the minority Tutsi people and others.  I read Immaculee Ilibagiza’s book, Left to Tell: Discovering God Amidst the Rwanda Holocaust.  It made me wonder about whether the degree to which Christianity and Catholicism had an impact on stopping such murder sprees.

God what about all this? I’m serious about this. I’ve heard people say: “Well, what about all the abortions?”

Yes – down through the ages – millions and millions and millions and millions and millions of babies have been aborted.  And millions and millions and millions of babies have died still born.

I want to ask God about them too. To me they are also part of my belief that there is an afterlife – and that means a lot of healing needs to take place – but in this homily I’m choosing to ask  about the lives of those folks who have been murdered, killed, atrocitified – cut short after living some life? 

I’m 80 and have been blessed with lots of life – and have been in sweet situations.  What about those killed in genocides?

Down in Guatemala 45,000 to 60,000 were killed in the so called silent holocaust – 1980-85.  Then there other numbers – like 166,000 Mayans killed. I read that that tribal people were described as subhumans. Did that make it easier to kill them?

In Kurdistan - between 1986-1989 - some 50,000 to 182,000 Kurds were killed plus Assyians.

That’s some of the history of the world, God. What about all these people?  Will their voices ever be heard – like in eternity?

So once more, people make a big scream about aborted babies in the millions and millions and millions – but I don't hear them asking, "What about the voice and vote of all these wiped out - having lived some of  their existence – and then their story was cut short - because  of race and religion and look - or what have you?"

God what about them?

LAST NIGHT IN LOOKING ALL THIS UP

Last night in looking this up, I read about something I never heard of before.

Mao Zedong in China decided to kill all the sparrows. It’s estimated that 800,000 sparrows were killed.  People would bang pots and pans and tire the birds out and then kill them on the ground. He held that they were eating all the grain and people were starving.  Yes, the birds ate grain – yes people were starving. What Mao Zedong learned was that the sparrows also ate bugs – like locusts. No sparrows, the locusts multiplied and  killed a lot more of the wheat crop. As a result some 16 million people starved to death.

I know Jesus told us to look at the birds of the air.  I know Jesus said in Luke 12: 22: “Think of the ravens.  They do not sow or reap;  they have no storehouses and no barns;  yet God feeds them.  And how much more are you worth than the birds.”

CONCLUSION

So God when I die I want to ask you about all these birds – but most especially I want to ask you about all these people who were killed - too, too soon. You want us to be aware of the birds and the people, why didn’t you do something about them?

I know you had a horrible death on the cross – so too millions and millions and millions and millions of people.

God, one of my 5 questions is about  genocide. Prepare your homework, I'm coming one of these days.  And don't hand me a copy of the book of Job. Read it. I've also read, When Bad Things Happen to Good People by Kushner.  I also know a bit about Free Will and Prayer.  So that's one of my 5 questions. Be prepared.

August  12,  2020

Thought   for   Today

"It was a sly trick of God's to give a man work to do - it kept him from asking questions that God couldn't answer."

Martha Ostenso [1900-1963]

Norwegian-American Novelist