October 31,  2015

LET NO ONE SCARE YOU

Happy Halloween.
Don't be scared
with scary characters
in our midst.
Saints are around us as well.

                                                                 © Andy Costello, Reflections 2015

October 30, 2015

NOT LIKE YOU, GOD

I thank You, God,

that I am not You.

I know I try that from

time to time - especially

when I second guess

about what just happened.

I thank You, God

that I am not You.

I know I do that often

when I think I know why others

are doing what they are doing,

and what they should be doing.

I thank You God,

that I am not You.

You’re much more forgiving,

much more understanding than me,

so please God give me Your

ability to laugh at me like You do.

© Andy Costello, Reflections, 2015

October 29, 2015

POTATOES

Potatoes - I’m prejudiced about potatoes.

They look so lower class - in the field -

in the store - in the vegetable section of

the supermarket. They are basically ugly -

compared to strawberries, watermelons,

peaches, ice cream - and walnut pie - BUT

but surprise - potatoes can surprise us.

I’ve seen folks laughing - smiling big time

while eating potato chips or French fries -

or roasted potatoes - or even baked potatoes

with white sour cream or cold butter. BUT -

but sorry - I hate boiled potatoes. They look

ugly. I know some folks like them.  Ugh. 
I don’t. In looks, they haven’t moved far 
enough up the food chain for my satisfaction.

"Kind of tough on them, aren't you?"

"Yes!"

"Hey, I thought you were Irish?"

"Yes."

© Andy Costello, Reflections 2015

October 28, 2015

YOGURT ON A SILVER SPOON

There are so many things just sitting there -

right before our eyes - making life so interesting.

Take the crawl of a caterpillar: does she know

where she’s headed? How about the stem

of a pumpkin. That’s cut off and tossed, right?

Then there’s the sweet lick of types of yogurt on a cold silver spoon. I also like to see a kid 

stopping and then stepping back to hold the door

for someone 50 years older than they are - especially some guy with a face that looks 

like it hasn’t smiled in 27 years. Come on guy, smile. Thank the kid. Wow! He did it. He thanked him.

Nice going old guy. Nice going young guy.

© Andy Costello, Reflections 2015

GROANING  PRAYERS 

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for this 30^th Tuesday in Ordinary Time is, “Groaning Prayers.”

Today’s first reading from Romans 8: 18-25 brings up the whole idea of groaning prayers.

They are groaning sounds which we can begin to see as prayers - sounds we make when things are out of your control - as in others, as in weather, as in health, as in the big mysteries of twists and turns in life. They are deeper than screams to our God and at others and at ourselves.

Last night after reading today’s first reading I was trying to figure out just how they would go.

So I experimented with various groans:

·       uuhhhhhhh

·       ooooooooooohhh

·       aaagggh

·       urrrrrrr

·       grrrrr

·       mmmmmmmmh

FOR STARTERS - THE IDEA OF GROANS

We’ve all heard people groaning and moaning - oohing and ahing - coming out with non-verbal soundings.

I’ve yet to hear them in church with Father Tizio’s puns - but a good pun is supposed to get a superficial - sort of surfacy - groan or moan. However, I’ve heard people make those pun groaning and moaning sounds in the corridor.

Paul in Romans 8 tells us that the whole of creation is groaning - like a woman screaming and groaning and moaning in giving birth.

Is that a woman’s greatest prayer - the groans in giving birth to a baby - bringing new life into our world?

I’ve never been at a birth - but I’ve been at several deaths - and heard the so called “death rattle” as well as painful other sounds when someone is dying - or feeling great pain - especially when they have to lift or shift their bodies.

TWO TYPES OF GROANS

I don’t know if anyone did homework on all this. This is a first draft about these sounds.

I assume that there would be two basic sounds - 2 basic groans. - joy and sorry, celebration and destruction. Awe and uh oh!

Paul says all of creation gives off groans.

Wolves howl - dogs growl and also whimper when they are hit by a car. I’ve seen documentaries showing  animals caught in an animal trap. They can  make eerie hurting sounds. I heard whales and dolphins yellings caught on sound recorders from under the sea. Are they mating calls? Are they screams. Everyone get here quickly - I found a whole supermarket of food. Do they have death moanings?

I’ve heard humans blurt - actuate - deep hurting sounds - when they are caught in a trap - stealing - cheating on a spouse - seeing a son or daughter caught in a horrible accident or crime or scandal. 

I’ve always been on the side of sound -  if a tree falls in a forest - I believe that it makes sounds - even if nobody hears it.

I picture glaciers screaming a squeaking, ice grinding and chunk - plummeting - making growling losing it sounds - when they start to split - losing big sections of their being - ice and snow that might have been part of themselves for 20,000 years.

SO WHY NOT HEAR ALL THESE GROANINGS AS PART OF REALITY?

Why not pray with these groans? See them as groans to God - groans  of pain and sounds of joy - about all the wonders and realities of creation.

Picture the sound of a kid who is living in a horrible home or orphanage and someone wants to adopt her or him. See, hear, their sounds when they realize they are free. Hear their celebration as we celebrate that God adopts us into the Trinity - as Paul tells us happens in today’s first reading.

Get in touch with the deepest sounds we all make in the depths of the ocean of our soul.

CONCLUSION

Okay the gospel for today, Luke 13: 18-21, also urges us to calmly see and sense the beauties in our backyard: tiny plants like mustard   trees - or sitting there in a morning kitchen looking out and watching birds getting seeds out of the bird feeder - or see the rich greens and colors in the fruit and vegetable section of Giant and let our gentle growls.

Or smile when making bread - at the whole process of moments called “life”. Amen.

October 27, 2015

THE APPLE

The apple hung there  - still growing -

glistening in the light of the morning

sunrise - till it was finally ready for teeth -

ready to eat - till it screamed to the

world, “Take and eat. Take and eat.

This is what I was created for.”

But stupid, stupid, a million “me’s”

take and eat forbidden fruit instead.

© Andy Costello, Reflections 2015

“UH OH!” 

THE  INNER  SOUND 

THAT  SOUNDS  EXACTLY  LIKE 

WHAT  IT  SOUNDS  LIKE! 

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for this 30th Monday in Ordinary Time is, “'Uh Oh!' The Inner Sound that Sounds Exactly Like What It Sounds Like!”

"Uh oh!"

The Catholic Church just finished up a Synod on the Family in Rome.

It was an “Uh oh!” meeting - with reports and papers, discussions and possible decisions that they were going to deal with lots of issues. For example,  family, marriage, children, divorce, homosexuality, communion....

I'm sure some folks in our church said, "Uh oh! Pope Francis is at it again!"

Yes, he wants the Church to address some tough stuff in the major area of life: the Family.

When I read in a newspaper report that one solution to some questions is going to be:  “Talk to your priest in the privacy of the inner forum of your heart and mind,"  I said, “Uh oh!”

“Uh oh!” 

I uttered that  because that might mean more work, more time, more angst, more anxiety.”

“Uh oh!”

THE INNER SOUND CALLED, “UH OH!”

Let’s be honest: life has lots of “Uh oh!” moments.

We say it when we get spaghetti sauce on a white shirt or blouse. However,  those  “Uh oh’s!” can be taken care of with Tide Laundry Detergent.

It’s the “Uh oh’s” that have to do with people that can have the heavy duty stress.

And especially tough are “Uh oh’s” that  have to do with relationships - one’s spouse - one’s kids -  kids dating - family - moments around the dinner table - requests about rule changing in a family - and what have you.

Then there are marriages that don't make it - marriages that fall apart - marriages that crash on the rocks.

Then there is the reality of differences - differences - differences.

People are different. People differ in perception - perception - perception.

Our last two family weddings were weddings without official church blessings and settings - and of course I would be looking at them with my perception as priest - my values - my experience and what have you.

“Uh oh’s!” hopefully lead to listening - and learning how to deal with differences - and what to do when a fresh egg falls on the floor and breaks.

TODAY’S READINGS

In today’s two readings - Paul’s Letter to the Romans and Luke’s gospel story of the woman who was crippled for 18 years - we’re dealing with law vs. the spirit of the law.  We’re dealing with people vs. principle.

Do we have to leave people stuck - crippled - broken - for 18 years or for a life time?

In the issue of who can come to communion - in the discussions about this - I read the following: “Francis has carefully avoided taking sides in the debate but has appeared to tip his hand, for example, referring to Communion as ‘not a reward for the perfect but a medicine for the sick.’”

We’re church goers.  We know by now that popes are different. Francis is different from Benedict and Benedict is different from John Paul II. 

By now we've figured out things can be complicated - and simple solutions - are not always possible.

By  now we’ve figured out that life is all about figuring out how to deal with each other.

We have to learn how to deal with how kids are, how parents are, how our spouse is today, how friends, co-workers, priests, bishops, popes are - without going crazy with our "Uh oh's!"

ONE BASIC PRINCIPLE

One basic principle I have learned is this: laws, rules, regulations, are easier to deal with that to deal with people.

It's as simple as that.

In fact, laws, rules, regulations are made to make life easier for each other.

In fact, ordinarily it's practical and helpful to put things down on paper.

For example: here at St. Mary's we have weddings most Saturdays at 11 AM, 1, and 3 PM and at St. John Neumann's at 10, 12, and 2 PM.

Those 6 time slots were figured out to work well - because of musicians, priests, deacons, wedding coordinators - as well as funerals on Saturday mornings - and confessions and then Masses on Saturday afternoon. 

However, on a regular basis folks want different times - because it would work better for their wedding receptions and family situations.

It's here that I have discovered that "the law" becomes a problem.  

If one makes an exception, someone else wants the same deal or someone else gets inconvenienced. It's then that planning things becomes more difficult.

So I have had to learn the practical value of a set system - and how to say, "No!"

But .... 

We always have to butt in with a "but".

But to be personal, accomodating, flexible, able to adjust, willing to change for others is nice, but it's far more difficult than rules and regulations - set schedules.

Rules and regulations make life more easy for all involved.

CONCLUSION

However, it's right there when the "Uh oh's!" happen. 

In this homily I simply want to state that life is very much about "uh oh's!".

Christ walked into that synagogue that day and healed a woman who was bent over, crippled by a spirit, couldn't stand up straight for 18 years and Jesus healed her on the sabbath.

"Uh oh!"

Then the "Uh oh's!" start to flow like spaghetti sauce onto the table cloth.

Jesus if you did that for that lady on the sabbath, what about my daughter who has cancer or my son who has MS right now?

"Uh oh!"