CHEWING ON THAT

 
 INTRODUCTION
 
The title of my homily is, “Chewing on That.”
 
In today’s first reading from the book of Revelation,  we have a familiar message and a scene we can easily picture.  John hears a voice from heaven. It says, “Take the scroll and eat it – chew on it - digest it – get it into your stomach – and then speak to the nations from your gut!”
 
We heard that same message from Ezekiel the Prophet. It’s in Chapter 3 of the Ezekiel scroll - verses 1, 2, and  3.
 
In both readings we hear that the scroll  will taste as sweet as honey – but in Revelation – a change occurs from Ezekiel – that what is digested – what is eaten – becomes sour.
 
Interesting.  Is that put there because the message that needs to be proclaimed in John’s Revelation is tough stuff – a mighty challenge?
 
A CHALLENGE
 
Instead of seeing the Bible as one book – or 60 or 70 scrolls – see it as  lots and lots of words and scenes and images. Take it a bite at a time. See it as different words.  In the Hebrew Bible there are 419, 687 words and in the Greek New Testament there are 138, 647 words. That’s a lot of words.
 
Chew the words. Digest them.  Savor them. Taste them. Bite into them. Swallow.  Absorb. Stomach them.  Ponder. Ruminate on the word.  Let them nourish you.
 
Let the words  become flesh!  Let the words become you.
 
You can’t eat – you can’t swallow – the whole Bible – all at once.
 
It’s hard enough  to digest both readings from weekday Masses – or the 3 readings we hear on Sundays.
 
As you might  know – if you have been blessed to have been invited and you attended a Bar or Bat Mitzvah – the kid being confirmed goes up to the tabernacle, opens it up, and takes out one of the many scrolls in that box - or someone hands it to them.
 
They carry it down and head for a pulpit. They unroll the scroll – and put their finger or a bronze or gold pointer on a text and read it out in Hebrew.
 
It’s a text they picked. It’s a text they memorized. It’s a text they studied. It’s a text that summarizes their hopes and dreams and vision for their  life.
 
We saw Jesus do just that in the Gospel of Luke – chapter 4.He goes back to his home town of Nazareth. He enters the synagogue. They hand him a copy of the Scroll of Isaiah.  He reads Isaiah 61:
 
“The spirit of the Lord has been given to me.
He  has anointed me to bring  good news to the poor,
to proclaim liberty to captives,
sight to the blind,
to give the  stepped-on freedom,
and to proclaim a year of favor from the Lord.”
 
When we hear that scene – when we picture that scene – when we chew on that scene and text – it too – like any text - can become us.
 
A challenge for you today. You’re in this house of prayer – like we heard in today’s gospel. If you could pick out – if you could  read out one text – one scripture text – that is you – that you have chewed upon  – stomached – digested – and have been nourished by – or challenged by – what would that one text be?
 
It’s you.
 
By naming it, you will be telling yourself a lot about yourself.
 
CONCLUSION
 
Mine is Galatians 6:2,  “Bear or carry one another’s burdens and in this way, you will fulfill the law of Christ.”

November  20,  2020

 

TO   BELL THE  CAT

 

Now that’s an old idea:
              to bell the cat.
Every time we forget
where we left the keys
or our glasses or our phone,
we say to ourselves,
“It would be nice if we put

a bell on it to tell us
               where it is.
So too, on second thought,

wouldn't it be great if we 
could put a bell on our demons.

 

© Andy Costello, Reflections

November 20, 2020

 

Thought for Today

 

 “Advice from an old carpenter: Measure twice, cut once.”

 

 

 

November 19,  2020

EDGE

I prefer the edge.
It’s easier to watch from there.

It’s easier to slide away,
           to step away, to fly away.
It gives more choices.
It avoids tassels and hassles,
           getting caught,
           getting pulled into
           the middle of river –
           or the middle of the conversation                               or a fight I want to avoid.

 

© Andy Costello, Reflections 2020

Painting: Abstract Cubism 

Clark Kent, Superman

by Tom Mervik

November 19, 2020

 Thought for Today

 

“Those trying to prove there is no hell usually have a reason for it.”

 

Someone

THE BOOK OF ONE’S  LIFE:
YOU NEVER KNOW
HOW MANY MORE PAGES,
HOW MANY MORE CHAPTERS,
HOW MANY MORE TWISTS AND TURNS
 

 
Today - November  18 -  is the feast of Saint Rose Philippine Duchesne.
 
As I read about her life last night,  it hit me,  “Wow, what surprises, what twists and turns, great what’s next?”
 
So, the title of my sermon is, “The Book of One’s Life: You Never Know How Many More Pages, How Many More Chapters, How Many More Twists and Turns.”
 
20 years ago, did you know you’d be in Asbury Park – in 2020 and dealing with a pandemic like the world   is dealing with this year?
 
One of the great blessings of religious life – is the variety of places we get assigned to – the people we meet – the stories that wrap themselves around our lives.
 
I’ve been writing e-mails a bit more lately to a classmate in Curitiba, Brazil – population 1 million 900 thousand – and 3 ½ million if you include the surrounding area. My classmate Larry is  telling me they are dealing with a horrible draught – right now - no water.  I joined the Redemptorists to get to Brazil – never got assigned there. Larry ends up spending his life there.
 
Surprise.
 
In today’s first reading from the Book of Revelation John is called to go through an open door and walk up to a throne – that is all jewels – emeralds – that would be beautiful green glittering emeralds and 24 elders sitting on other thrones – dressed in white and wearing gold crowns on their heads – and then he hears flashes of lightning and rumblings of thunder. And he sees and hears a lot more. He hears “Holy, Holy, Holy!”
 
It’s some scene, some dream, some mysterious experience.
 
Today’s gospel has the parable of the 10 servants and the gold coins – and each of the ten servants has their life ahead of them – and the question is – what am I going to do with my gold coins? What am I going to do with my life. Surprise. Surprise. Surprise.
 
I don’t like it in these stories when the king says “Slay them!”
 
The only way I can understand them – like the parable the other day about the wasted talents – is for a person at the end of their life – with their head in their hands – hiding from themselves - crying and grinding their teeth – because of a wasted life.
 
Life to give it all – to do it all – out of love of God, neighbor and self.
 
Wow the stories of our life that we are called to live to the full.
 
Today is the feast of St. Rose Philippine Duchesne.  She was born in 1769 in Grenoble France.  She died this day, November 18, 1842 in St. Charles, Missouri.
 
As a young girl she heard about missionary work in the Americas – but entered a Visitation Convent when she was 18.
 
Just before final vows her father yanked her out of the convent because of oncoming French Revolution.  Lots of priests and nuns were killed.
 
At 23 she left the convent – and for 12 years she took care of people – priests, nuns and kids.
 
When the revolution slowed down, she tried to buy the old convent and start it up again. It didn’t work.
 
So, at 35 she joined the Society of the Sacred Heart of Jesus founded Sophie Barat. 
 
She still had the dream of going to America.
 
A bishop from Louisiana came and asked for volunteers and  at 49 she got the dream – Mother Barat appointing her as superior of 4 other nuns. It was an 11-week trip across the Atlantic.
 
It was a struggle – but in 12 years they opened 6 schools in Missouri and Louisiana – and had 64 sisters – 14 from Europe and 50 from the Mississippi Valley.
 
But instead of work with the Indians, they wee to fun a school for girls of settlers.
 
She still had her dream of work with the Indians and finally at the age of 71 – with poor health she got it.  They started a school  - and churches with the Jesuits.
 
All the time in America she had trouble with English.  Now it was trouble with the language of the  Potawatomi.
 
She worked and she prayed and got called by the Indians Quah-Kah-Ka-num- ad—‘Woman-who-prays-always.’”
 
She got called back to Missouri in 1842 – and spent 10 years in St. Charles - where she started a first school there.
 
She died this day Nov. 18, 1842
 
In 1988 Rose Philippine Duchesne was canonized by Pope John Paul II. She is listed in Missouri as a first  women in their Pioneer Roll of Fame. The inscription on the plaque reads, “Some names must not wither.”  Then it states that Quah-Kah-Ka-num-ad is one of those names - not to be forgotten - but to be  remembered and revered.
 

November  18,  2020

NERVOUS?

 
Nervous?
Scared?
Hesitant?
 
Rely on others.
Take a chance.
There are good people in your life.
 
Others see what we don’t see.
Hey you never know.
Maybe you got the goods!

 

© Andy Costello, Reflections 2020