August 5, 2017

LIKE AN IRON

Like an iron - that looks like

an old phone - one piece -

solid iron - from the 1800’s -

in a small town museum -

or a barbell - 100 pounds -

on my basement floor.

Well, sometimes I feel

that solid and that secure.

Then there are days when

all plans go south or sour.

The unexpected happens.

I feel like a dropped - half eaten -

ice cream pop - on the sidewalk -

covered with 1,000 crawling ants.

Relax! Today is not that kind of

a day, so please give me a call.

© Andy Costello, Reflections  2017

ST. JOHN VIANNEY,

THE CURE OF ARS

SOME CONVERSATION POINTS

INTRODUCTION

The title of my thoughts is, “St. John Vianney, the Cure of Ars, Some Conversation Points.”

Today, August 4 is the feast of St. John Vianney. By now I hope you have heard of this saint - and know a few things about him - so as to think about him and talk a few conversations about him.

Okay, so that’s the goal of my words right now. To provide some conversational topics.

SAINTLY PRIESTS

The first topic would be saintly priests.

St. John Vianney’s dates are 1786 to 1859.

He died this day at the age of 73.

He was a parish priest in a little town names Ars for some 40 years.

In his day, someone said, “There is a holy man in Ars. Go and see him.”

More than one person must have said that, because at some point 300 people would come to Ars per day. The town was small - 40 homes, 4 taverns, and about 1000 people at the most.

My first conversation question would be: “Do you know any holy priests? Have you ever met one? When? Where? Tell me about him.”

I think of Father George Wichland - a saint who died in 1992 - who made sure lots and lots and lots of people in Baltimore got food.  I think of a classmate - who is definitely a saint. I think of Brother Raymond O’Brien - another saint, a Redemptorist - who died in 1988 - who had a sense of whenever a Mass was being said, he would just know it. His message to me was his sense of the presence of Christ in the Eucharist in whatever house he was in.

Question: Who have been the priests you have met that were definitely holy people?

Who have been people you know who were holy?  Why? Tell me what they did that led you to that conclusion?

So that’s my first conversation piece: who have been saints that you have met - someone whom others would have said what was said of St. John Vianney, “There is a Holy Man in Ars; go and see him.”

CONFESSIONS

St. John Vianney is known as the Patron Saint of Confession.

After getting this reputation, he ended up hearing confessions 12 hours a day during the winter - and 17 hours a day during the warmer weather.

For the sake of conversation, think and talk about that.

How long were the lines? Did people talk to each other on line? Did people try to sneak ahead? Did people allow people to sneak off the line to go to the bathroom?  How about eating?  How about hotels or sleeping places? Where would I get answers to these questions?

I remember reading Francis Trochu’s book on St. John Vianney, but I don’t remember any of his answers to those questions.

What about John Vianney getting out of the confessional? When did he eat, say Mass, go to the bathroom, sleep?

Could he read hearts as some said he could?

I remember hearing that the Redemptorist Saint, St. Clement Hofbauer heard confessions  for long, long hours and got hemorrhoid problems.

St. John Vianney lived till 73 - got 2 hours sleep per night - ate mostly potatoes and was quite thin. How about his health?

I did read that 4 times he wanted to run away from Ars to be a contemplative.

What’s your take on him as a confessor?  Did you ever go to a priest who was a great confessor?

I know that St. John Vianney’s role as a big time confession listener - is sitting there - every time after Mass - but at “the wrong time” - when someone says, “Father could you give me 5 minutes? I want to go to confession.” I don’t know about other priests, but I’ll hear that person’s confession.

QUALIFICATIONS FOR A PRIEST

A third and final conversational topic would be qualifications for a priest

.

We’re always heard that John Vianney didn’t have enough education. He had to work - farming - so the family could survive.

When someone asked a bishop can we ordain him, the bishop didn’t ask if he had high marks, but he asked if he was holy.

So he was allowed to be ordained a priest, but he had to walk to Austria to get a bishop to ordain him.

There was a shortage of priests at the time, because 300 priests were killed during the French Revolution - religion was banned - and times were changing.
They were going to put John Vianney in a situation where he didn’t have to hear confessions, because he didn’t have enough education in this area.

They put him in Ars - which was considered “A punishment parish”.  It was a tiny place - and didn’t have much going for it.

In time he turned the place around.

CONCLUSION

So I hope those 3 points are food for thought - enough to start a conversation: what is planted in our garden.

August 4, 2017

HOLY COMMUNION

You have to take bread,

you have to get bread,

before you get Holy Communion.

You have to break bread,

you have to share bread,

before you get Holy Communion.

You have to eat with each other,

you have to digest each other,

before you get Holy Communion.

You have to be grateful,
really mean your "Thank you's",
before you get Holy Communion.

You have to experience a Mass of
words and everyday sacrifices,
before you experience Holy Communion.

You have to marry one another,

you have to become one with each other,

before you get Holy Communion.

You have to break up with another,

you have to excommunicate another,

before you understand Holy Communion.

You have to leave your gift at the altar,

go and forgive each other,

before you get Holy Communion.

You have to give yourself to each other,
in Holy Communion with each other,
before you become the Body of Christ,

Amen.

© Andy Costello, Reflections  2017

MOUNTAIN

Sometimes mountains,

sometimes deserts,

sometimes oceans,

sometimes walls,

sometimes swamps,

sometimes others,

sometimes ourselves.

What are we to face today?  

August 3, 2017

AUGUST

August doesn’t carry much glitter

or glamour. It’s a so, so month.

For kids there’s the suspicion - the

sense - that it’s back to school soon -

with moms buying school supplies

and clothes for the upcoming school year.

It’s hot and humid. Lawns are dry - hard -

and dust flies when they are mowed.

Latino laborers are in the fields -

digging and picking up potatoes.

Then there’s the evenings - beer

and wine - and voices can be heard

from invisible people on porches

or lawns or stoops or steps.

They don’t have enough of

those cool breezes that could

make moments on dark porches

or comfortable coves or inlets,

much more memorable. April and

October, November and December,

now they have the possibility of a

lot more pizzazz and a lot more push.

© Andy Costello, Reflections  2017

August 2, 2017

DIFFERENCES

Differences, distinctions,

comparisons, contrasts,

red, green, blue, orange,

black, white, yellow,

seeing differences help us

to see what we’re seeing….

female, male, young, old,

but sometimes we forget

those are only labels on the

package. Remove the

packaging and find out,

"Who and what’s inside?"

© Andy Costello, Reflections  2017

"Look at the birds of the air...."  Matthew 6:26