February 18, 2023

Quote for Today

"Before I got married I had six theories about raising children;  now, I have six children and no theories."

John  Wilmot

 February 17, 2023

 CARD  GAME

 

Two jacks, then two aces,

Woo, wow, can it get better?

What will my next card be?

A jack or an ace, please, please ….

Life. I know the song….

Time. I have to learn how to keep

calm, cool – without giving away

that I might have a winning hand.

What are the odds of  getting one

of the two jacks or aces that are left?

Surprise!  I got the two of hearts.

So now it's what the others have and get.

 

© Reflections, Andy Costello

February 17, 2023

Quote for Today 

"I was  born with a profound resentment against the pre-ordained,"

Quoted from

Two Hundred Years,

by Walter Baum - 1938, 155

 February 16, 2023

SPOTLESS

 

We would like to arrive in heaven

wearing a spotless garment.

Sorry….

Table cloths get spaghetti stains.

Cars get dents.

Skin gets scars.

Mouths say the wrong things.

We do dumb at times.

What do you expect me to be?

A Pharisee or something like that.

 

 

 

© Reflections, Andy Costello

February 16, 2023

Quote for Today 

"Cultures have long heard wisdom in non-human voices: Apollo, god of music, medicine and knowledge, came to Delphi in the form of a dolphin.  But dolphins, which fill the oceans with blipping and chirping, and whales, which mew and caw in ultramarine jazz - a true rhapsody in blue - are hunted to the edge of silence.

Jay Griffiths

 

GENESIS 8: 21:  ”THE DESIRES OF THE HUMAN HEART ARE EVIL FROM THE START….”

 

The title of my homily is, Genesis 8:21: “The Desires of the Human Heart Are Evil From The Start….”

 

It’s a sentence here in the 8^th chapter of the book of Genesis 8:21.

 

The Jerusalem Bible translates the Hebrew into English this way, ”Because  his heart contrives evil from his infancy,”

 

The New Interpreter’s Bible is close to that, “The inclination of the human heart is evil from youth.”

 

Each of us ought to look at that message – and be challenged by it.

 

The Bible starts off with Creation and then Adam and Eve and all is good – but soon Adam and Eve eat the forbidden fruit – they hide from God – Cain kills Abel and on and on and on – evil, jealousy, lust, wars, murders, the history  of the world.

 

We can pick up the New York Post or The Daily News – turn on the evening news and get the Bible in an earlier edition.

 

We know our heart. We know our growing up years. We know the story of our sins and our crimes.

 

The Bible tells our story – chapter and verse.

 

Genesis 8:21: The Desires of the Human Heart Are Evil From The Start….”

 

That’s the message of today’s first reading from Genesis and now the Gospel message.

 

How blessed we are to have Christ arriving at our village and helping us to see we are the Blind Man.  Jesus  takes us by the hand – takes us outside the village – puts his spit on our eyes.

 

He asks us what we see.  He asks us what we see.

 

We say everyone looks like walking trees .

 

He puts his hands on us again and restores our sight.

 

Once more Jesus asks us,  “Do you see anything.

We do. He heals us. And he sends us on our way -  a healed us, a new us.

 

 

 February 15, 2023

IF

 

If beds could talk ….

If kitchen tables could talk ….

If cars could talk ….

If church benches could talk ….

If confessionals could talk …..

If skin could talk ….

If human beings would talk,

then – then - what would they say?

What would they reveal?

We know the answer:

The real stories  of the years ….

 

© Reflections, Andy Costello