March 5, 2016

JUST WONDERING?

Do mirrors ever talk to each other about what they see and hear?

Do tables, chairs, couches, ever talk about their yesterdays?

Do tissues ever tell what the tears they collected were all about?

Does the person who prepared the meal ever check who took what and who left what on their plate?

Do poets ever hear, “I don’t get it”?

© Andy Costello, Reflections 2016

March 4, 2016

TRANSUBSTANTIATION

Transubstantiation…. Such a big word

for what was happening to me. My body

and my blood were slowly becoming the

body and blood of Christ. I guess I had

to grow first. I guess I had to be crushed -

kneaded, baked, hang on a vine, be picked,

crushed, till I was  bread - till I was wine -

and then the Yes. I’m doing, I’m living, I’m

giving,  my life in memory of him. I’m letting

people eat up my time and my life and they

are doing the same for me: communion.

Take and eat. Take and drink. Thank you.

© Andy Costello, Reflections 2016

March 3, 2016

SKIN

Skin sometimes splits.

Skin sometimes itches.
Skin sometimes hurts.

Skin sometimes needs care.

Skin sometimes needs salve.

Skin sometimes needs band-aids.

Skin always needs attention.
Skin always needs awareness.

Skin is always us - the package - 
       the color, the age and the look!

© Andy Costello, Reflections 2016

March 2, 2016

SURROUND  SOUNDS  

Sometimes we’re sitting there at a concert -

surrounded by people and live music. We
hear an orchestra or a rock or a folk singer

on stage - making music that fills the air - and
it costs lots of money for the concert tickets.

Sometimes we’re sitting there at home or

anywhere - surrounded by sounds coming

from everywhere and it doesn’t cost  us a
penny to listen to a whole orchestra of all

kinds of sounds. We just have to listen.

Sometimes it’s a bowling ball hitting 9 pins -

almost 10 - and we hear the scream from the

sender down the other end of the bowling alley.

Sometimes its birds chirping and singing on

a lawn of April rain - with worms, everywhere.

Or there’s a dog barking and someone

should have told her, “Nobody’s home yet!”

Sometimes it’s an ambulance or fire engines

rushing and running to a call - in rush hour -

“Uh oh!” Or it’s loose manhole cover 300 feet

up the street from our bedroom window - and

we only hear it from 2 or 3 in the morning.

Sometimes we’re visiting a nursing home;

now that’s the place of differing sounds.

A determined old man with a grey aluminum

walker is navigating a tile floor - scrape mixing

with the sound of the shuffle  of slippers -

along with the voiced sounds of aches and

pain and the grunts and groans of aging.

Bees, cicadas, let us know they are making

their rounds - but how come moths and

squirrels don’t make any sounds - so too our

brother or sister. I haven’t heard from either of

them lately. Are they making any sounds?

Andy Costello, Reflections 2016

March 1, 2016

PRETENSE

Pretense: so what’s so wrong with pretense?

Sometimes we have to fake it - to make it -

through the moment - through the interview -

to get past the question we were not expecting.

Sometimes pretense, posing, acting, hiding

behind a façade gives us time to interview

ourselves - to get at questions we never asked.

Sometimes we're so hurt or so surprised or we're feeling so stupid or so lonely that pretending gets us at least to the edge of a bridge or door. 

Sometimes pretense gives us time to sort out

our best deep down thinking and praying, so

as to figure out our best self - our best answer.

Pretense: so what’s so wrong with pretense?

 Andy Costello, Reflections 2016

MERCY  AND  FORGIVENESS - 

SOME OBSERVATIONS 

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for this 3^rd Tuesday of Lent is, “Mercy and Forgiveness - Some Observations.”

Mercy and Forgiveness:  two words we hear in today’s 2 readings as well as the Psalm Response.

This year we’re hearing and will be hearing these two words - mercy and forgiveness - over and over and over and over again.

What’s your take on these two words: especially mercy?

The title of my homily is, “Mercy and Forgiveness - Some Observations.”

FIRST OF ALL - POPE FRANCIS

First of all we can say that a constant theme of Francis has been “mercy” - and he wants to stress it especially in this year of mercy we’re in.

He has a book out, The Name of God is Mercy.

The title of his Opening Announcement or Letter  for this year of mercy was: The Face of Mercy.

In that Opening Letter for this year of mercy, Francis begins with this sentence - this statement: “Jesus Christ is the face of the Father’s mercy.”

See Christ, see mercy. See mercy, we are seeing God.

Hopefully when we are merciful, people will see God  - in whose image and likeness we were created.

So that’s my first observation:  See Christ - see Mercy - See God - as Pope Francis puts it.

SECOND OBSERVATION - FORGIVENESS EASY, MERCY DIFFICULT

My second observation is this: it’s easier to grasp what the word “forgiveness” is compared to what the word  “mercy” means.

We get today’s parable about forgiving. A guy begs forgiveness for a debt - is forgiven - and the then goes out and won’t forgive his neighbor who owes him far less. [Cf. Matthew 18: 21-35.]

I get what the word and concept of forgiveness means. We know about forgiving ourselves, forgiving others. This doesn’t mean forgiveness is easy. It’s difficult. But I think we get the meaning of forgiveness far quicker and clearer than what mercy means.

Mercy is tricky. In a way, for starters, we know or think we know, what mercy is. We pray for it all the time: Lord have mercy. Christ have mercy. Lord have mercy.

I hear mercy as a begging for forgiveness. We’re screaming, “Take pity on me. Give me a break. I made a mistake, but give me a second chance - another chance, another try at it.”

Then comes the mystery, the wonderment, about mercy. We have our glimpses - but there is the hope that Francis is right - that all those who talk about God being a God of mercy - that they are right.

This is our God. We hope God is the Part One King in today’s gospel who forgives the guy who owes him. We hope God is not like the Part Two King in today’s gospel who doesn’t forgive the debtor when he finds out that he wouldn’t forgive a fellow servant. Doesn’t God forgive 7 times - 70 times?

And that’s just a slice of our deep wonderings about just what is our God like.

THIRD OBSERVATION: FRANCIS’ 5 MESSAGES ABOUT MERCY

In his book, The Name of God is Mercy, Francis gives 5 messages, 5 observations about mercy. I add them to my homily in case I’ve confused you with my observations.

First of all, Francis says mercy is the essence of God. It’s God’s ID card.

Secondly, take some time and come up with some names of people who showed you what mercy is. Francis mentions several priests he knew. Lent is a good time to do homework on questions like that. So name some names of family members, friends, co-workers, neighbors, parishioners, whom you see as merciful.

Thirdly, see listening as a key part of mercy. Listen but don’t judge - like in confession - like in being with each other.

Fourthly, avoid self-righteousness. In fact, Francis secretly hopes that those who are rigid, self-righteous, always complaining about the faults and behaviors of others, that they slip - and maybe this will help them slide into more understanding.

Fifth and lastly, put compassion into action. Show us your mercy.

SKIN: SOME REFLECTIONS

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for this 3 Monday of Lent is, “Skin: Some Reflections.”

Since both readings for today talk about Naaman - a man who had skin problems - I decided to do a little reflecting on skin.

Give me some skin. Give me something on skin.

REFLECTIONS

Skin….

It’s us. It’s our color. It contains stories. It contains time. It’s our face to the world.

We rub our skin. We itch our skin. We pick our skin. We wonder about our skin. We worry about our skin. We check out our skin in the mirror.

It gets cut. It gets burned. It gets scared. It gets bruised.

We don’t think about skin as an organ of the body, but it’s listed as just that - and the largest organ in our body - roughly 20 square feet.

It gives doctors, skin doctors, dermatologists, plastic surgeons, a job to do.

It used to be  described as the easiest of the doctor jobs: if it’s dry make it moist; if it’s moist make it dry.

Not true because we can have problems with rashes, eczema, psoriasis, acne, dandruff,  cellulitis, keratosis, shingles, warts, melanoma, scabs and hives, just to name  a few possible problems and worries.

What’s your take on your skin?  Mirrors can help us stare time in the face - seeing our wrinkles and our aging.

Acceptance is the name of the game.  If someone came up with a great skin cream, I’m sure they would not call it,  “Acceptance”. Instead it would be called, “Beauty Preserver” or “Game Changer.”

TODAY’S FIRST READING

Naaman the army commander of the king of Aram had leprosy. I’ve often heard that leprosy in his day - was not necessarily Hansen’s Disease, but any kind of severe skin problem or issue.

The message of this story from the 2^nd book of Kings 5: 1-15ab, is that the God of Israel is the true God. He can heal skin problems and soul problems.

Naaman appears as a brusque type of character - who thinks it is bizarre to have to go to the king of Israel for a healing.  He goes - but he thinks he can buy his healing with all kinds of gold coins and classy clothes. He goes to the king of Israel for the healing. The king basically says, “You’ve come to the wrong person. Who do you think I am?”  He’s angry with the whole idea, the gifts as well as a letter from Naaman’s king?

In the meanwhile Elisha the prophet hears about the story and sends a message that all Naaman has to do is wash himself 7 times in the Jordan and he’ll be healed.

Elisha is giving him a free, “Get out of leprosy pass.”

Naaman balks at that and says, “Our rivers are better than the dinky Jordan River.”

His servants tell him, “Follow the prophet’s advice.”

He relents - goes to the Jordan - does what he is told and is healed.

TODAY’S GOSPEL

The people in today’s gospel - Luke 4:24-30 - are sort of the same way. They don’t like the way God works or Jesus’ description of how God the Father works. Once more we hear the story of Naaman - along with a similar story about Elijah the Prophet and a poor widow.

God is a God of surprises.

For some people it’s their way or the highway.  And their skin tells you in the face what they are feeling. Red roaring anger - which along with tightened skin in our fists shows up when we don’t get our way.

CONCLUSION

The title of my homily is, “Skin.”

This Lent touch your hands. Rub your eyes, ears and face. Smooth your skin and thank God for the gift of life.

Jesus was comfortable with skin. He touched ears - even putting his finger in them. Eyes as well. He took some of his spit and touched someone he wanted to heal in his mouth and tongue. He reached out to those with leprosy. He let people reach out to touch him. He let a woman wash his feet with oil and dry his feet with her hair. He washed feet. He touched the dead.

Let Jesus do the same for you. Amen.