WHO  ME?

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily is, “Who Me?”

Today is the feast of St. Matthew.

In today’s gospel from Matthew, Mathew the Tax Collector, is sitting there at his custom’s post and Jesus passes by. He stops. He spots Matthew. He calls Matthew! Matthew stands up. Matthew follows  Jesus. Just like that.

GESTURES

If you want, take your hand and hold up your index finger towards the ceiling.  Now point it towards your chest and say, “Who me?”  Try that!

Next take that same finger - make out you’re Jesus - and point that finger towards Matthew and once more say, “You! Follow me.”

“Who me?”

The key message from this gospel and from this reading is this: “God calls the one who is a sinner.”

At the end of today’s gospel  we hear that Jesus has come to call the sinner.

There it is: the central message, the  central point of Christ.  Jesus came to bring mercy - forgiveness - understanding - acceptance - love for each of us.

CARAVAGGIO

 In 2014 I went to Rome on a trip with people from the parish I was in. We went with a group on a bus trip  to Rome. The plan was take different tours or side trips around Rome.  Since I once spent 5 weeks in Rome, my plan was to go to the Redemptorst Headquarters and see some Redemptorists there that I knew.

However,  I spotted two old ladies who were on our tour. They were by themselves. I knew them from other trips. I asked them what they were going to do. They said, “Oh, just walk around.” Hearing that,  I dropped my plans and asked if they wanted company. “Gladly!” One was 77 and the other was 82.  I figured that would be the thing to do.

We saw St. Peter’s and then started walking.  I had been with them on other tours and if they saw a Victoria’s Secret - they had to go in. So I waited outside. They came out laughing and laughing - without buying anything.  Next,  we found ourselves in the Piazza Navonne - where they have three fountains - including the enormous Neptune statue.

Surprise I see a church over the water sprays of the fountain and I said, “Let’s check that church.”

It was the French church - San Luigi dei Francesi - St. Louis of the French. It was a baroque church from the 1500’s. Surprise - I didn’t know this - but it had 3 famous painting of St. Mathew.  A Cardinal - with the name of Matthew wanted paintings of St. Matthew.  They got an artist but he dropped out, so someone picked Caravaggio.

By total accident I saw 3 Caravaggios that day: The Call of Matthew, The Inspiration of St. Matthew and the Martyrdom of Matthew ....

I liked The Call of Matthew the best.

There was Matthew - the sinner - in a tavern with Christ pointing towards him.  There was Matthew pointing his finger towards himself - seeming to say, “Who me?”

He’s at table with 4 others counting money. Christ calls Matthew the sinner.

Seeing that I had a future sermon.

Today I’m finally using it. Caravvagio the sinner painted great big paintings - with light and shadow. He understood  calls from God or Christ. He was so good he had many offers and commissions.

Caravvagio knew grace, call, love, sin, light darkness. He was a pimp, a murderer, being chased by police, escaping from prison - probably murdered himself at 38.

We bought the book - the guide book from that church - with the 3 paintings of Matthew.

CONCLUSION: HOMEWORK

If you use google - type into the search box, “Caravaggio; the Call of Matthew.”  

Study the painting in the context of today’s gospel reading: Matthew 9:9-13.

Then check out the various YouTube short videos on Caravaggio and Matthew.

If Caravaggio becomes an interest for you - or even an addiction - go for it.

What I’m saying is this: there are lots of paintings by Caravaggio. Study them all. Connect them to the Bible text they are depicting and you’ll have some great spiritual reading and picturing.

Or if you get to Rome get to see this painting by Caravaggio: the Call of Matthew. Pope Francis loved this painting and told people going to Rome, to make sure you spent time at this painting. Amen.

September 21, 2019

HOW TOUCHING

When sitting there in buses, banks, 

doctor’s offices, church or airports,

spot the human touches - hands,

shoulders, arms, dandruff flicking,

unconscious when an old song plays

on the radio - or when a sermon makes

sense or a slight touch when pouring milk

in another’s coffee cup - giving a hug after 
a kid finishes a game she lost. "I just want to

to reassure you, you’re not alone.  You got me.
You have me. I'm with you through it all …."

© Andy Costello, Reflections 2019

September  21, 2019 

Thought for today: 

“Something every  couple  should save for their  old age - their marriage.” 

Anonymous

September 20, 2019

GO  FIGURE

Somewhere along the time line

of my life, I began noticing

images of people whenever

I saw a sky full of clouds.

I did this with woodwork - as

well as fabric - as well as cloth.

And sure enough I’d see faces

and figures of people everywhere.

Then one day I realized,  I wasn’t

seeing people in the faces of

people right in front of me - till

I finally said, “Oh there you are!”

"There you are right in front of me.
There you are in every crowd.

not wood, not fabric, not clothes.

There you are right in front of me."

© Andy Costello, Reflections 2019

September  20, 2019

Thought for today:

“The marriage knot  should  be tied  tight enough to prevent easy loosening but not tight enough to feel like a noose.” 

Anonymous

QUESTIONS: ONE MORE WAY 

 OF  READING  THE  SCRIPTURES

INTRODUCTION

There are different ways of reading, studying, praying with or opening up a Bible. One can start with Page 1 and go to the end like any book - or one can do an individual book in the Bible one at a time - meaning starting anywhere.

A new way hit me last night when sitting down to come up with a short homily for this morning. It’s this.  Take a Mass reading - the first or the Gospel - on the middle one from a Sunday Mass. Read it. Then jot down questions about the reading that hit you.  Like, “When was this document written?”

So that’s the idea that hit me last night - as I was preparing this homily for the 24th Thursday in Ordinary Time.

So that’s why  I came up with the title of this homily: “Questions: One More Way of Reading the Scriptures.”

BETSY ROSS - TOMATOES

I remember hearing a program on NPR - National Public Radio  - about the writing of a biography about Betsy Ross.

First of all, the author being interviewed for PBS figured out there was no significant biography about Betsy Ross. So he or she decided to go there.

Betsy Ross - as you know - was in the story of how we came  up with the American flag. In the research she found out there are questions about who should get the credit etc. However, what hit me while listening to that PBS program - was the question of tomatoes. The biographer found out that Betsy Ross was interested in tomatoes - so she ended up spending a year doing research especially about the state of tomatoes in 1777.

That’s unique. That’s interesting. That’s something I remembered.

To write non-fiction, one ought to be an exact writer - and deal with all the questions a researcher might ask. Research. Research! Questions. Questions.

So that’s why I thought of questions as a way to do Bible reading and Bible research.

SO TOO THE SCRIPTURES

So in this homily, I’m suggesting reading a reading and come up with various questions that might hit  you.

So Luke 7: 36 to 50 talks about perfume - or ointment.

What do we know about perfume in Palestine in the time of Christ?

Do we have any idea what triggered the Pharisee in today’s gospel  to invite Jesus to his house for dinner?

Did Jesus ever turn down an invitation of a dinner?

Does this woman have a name?

At the end of this gospel it says that others were also at the dinner.

What did they think when they saw this woman come into Simon the Pharisee’s house - stand behind Jesus - start crying - started  weeping and washing  Jesus’ feet with her hair. Then she anointed his feet with the ointment. What was the scent like? What were their thoughts besides the one question stated at the end of today’s gospel: “Who is this who even forgives sins?”

As Father Dennis said Tuesday morning - women were second class and backroom people. Here was this woman becoming center stage?

It’s a great story that would trigger lots of questions.

In today’s gospel, Jesus tells a parable about two people in debt - one owing 500 days wages and the other owing 50 days wages. Commentators say that people in Palestine at the time of Jesus had big time debt problems. Where would they get information to say that. In the Judean War of A.D. 66-73 rebels got into the debt archives and burnt the debt records.

I hear these candidates for president saying they will cancel student college debts.  What would that be like?

Have we ever been in debt?  What was that like?

Have we ever been forgiven big time for some big mistake we made? Have you ever been near a confession and we heard some person go, “Phew! Wow!”

CONCLUSION

So that’s my homily and my idea for a homily thought.

Read today’s readings again and pick out one good question that hits you.

Like: who am I more like, Simon or the woman who washed and anointed Jesus’ feet?

Or take  the first reading for today. It says, “Do not neglect the gift you have?”  What would be the most important gift I have and on a scale of 1 to 10, how well  do I use it?  Amen.

September 19, 2019

SEPTEMBER  WIND

You have to walk outside

to know what the weather

is like - come September.

Sometimes some mornings,

the wind has a tinge of ice on its

edges; sometimes it’s still summer.

Sometimes kites are in sight;

sometimes kids blow  bubbles won’t fly.

They just plop onto the sidewalk.

Sometimes some of this makes

no sense or difference. Kids are

back to school and adults to work.

© Andy Costello, Reflections 2019