January 18, 2020

RESTLESS

It begins with too many blinks.

Then the toe tapping and the

finger itching. It’s then I know

you’re nervous. “What’s up?”

Fears I know. It’s anxiety ….

The opening up the cabinet

above the sink. He reaches for 
and then hands me the letter.

Everyone gets at least 7

such letters in their life –

The ones that tells of a

death, being dumped, fired ….

I read your letter. I now

know why you’re edgy -

scared – worried ….

Thanks for trusting me.

Let’s do next together.

Let’s get the best doctor.

Let’s get the best lawyer.

Let’s pray to the best God.

© Andy Costello, Reflections
Painting on top: Pablo Picassso,
Reading the Letter

January  18,  2020

Thought  for  Today

“The  only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.”  

Edmund Burke (1729-1797)

ME  TOO,  O  LORD

INTRODUCTION

The  topic  of my homily for this Saturday in the First Week of Ordinary Time is, “Me  Too, O Lord.”

That’s a good short prayer when listening to the gospels. 

“Me too, O Lord.”

Or take a rosary.  Move through the 59 beads saying, “Me too, O Lord.”  It only takes – 3 or 4 short minutes. 

This thought comes to mind when I hear today’s gospel from Mark 2: 13-17.

It triggers for me the controversial topic of Intercommunion.

Who can and who cannot come for communion?

Being a priest for 55 years this year, I’ve noticed lots of things when it comes to who’s who and who’s receiving communion.

HOW TO HEAR THE GOSPELS

Let me snag just one.

I was taught the following principle:  to understand the gospels think the years 60 to 100 more than the years 30 to 33.

To understand the gospels, think about the audience being Christians more than Jews.

The stories and teachings happened in Jesus time, but all is geared for the Christian communities.

So, today’s gospel has a scene where Jesus eats with tax collectors and sinners and some scribes and Pharisees saw whom he was eating with – whom he was associating with – whom he was in communion with and they complained.

And he said, “Those who are well do not need a physician, but the sick do.  I did not come to call the righteous but sinners.”

The fact that this story is in the gospels, tell me that the

early Christian communities had people doing to each other what people were doing to people in Jewish synagogues and temples and homes when Jesus walked about.

And there are people in our churches and Christian communities today who are like the scribes (those who could write, the educated ones) and the Pharisees (the righteous ones.)

Me too, O Lord.

There are people today – in our churches – who see their brothers and sisters going to communion – and complaining  – instead of seeing the gospels – as looking into a mirror at oneself.

Me too, O Lord.

Every time I’m with family or friends I hear about people leaving the church because of blasts from the pulpit or the pews.

I think of this new movie The Irishman – from the book, I Heard You Paint Houses. It has stuff in there about Russell Bufalino from the Wyoming Valley in Pennsylvania – up there near Scranton/Wilkes Barre – a guy who was in the Mafia – who might have been in on the murder of Jimmy Hoffa.

Well he came to a retreat house in the Poconos before I was stationed there. He came on a retreat and some men complained that he was there.

“Well,” the rector said, “Why wouldn’t we be happy he’s here?”

Me too, O Lord.

TODAY’S FIRST READING

As an aside I laughed when I heard today’s first reading from the First book of Samuel 9: 1-4,  17-19; 10:1.

Saul’s father, Kish, had some asses who ran off and Saul was sent out to find them.

If I was a teenage boy in church – and I was sitting next to buddies – I would be elbowing them - when I heard they went out looking for asses.

Well keeping with my theme, feel an elbow every time you hear the gospel – feel Jesus elbowing you as you hear about all kinds of different characters.

In other words, I’m deaf, dumb, blind, a Pharisee, a Lost Sheep, a Lost coin or son.

CONCLUSION

I need to be in communion with Jesus. I need to eat with Jesus. I need to eat with and eat  up Jesus. Amen.

Me too, O Lord.

January 17, 2020

MEDIUM

Medium is like being one of the 

bridesmaids or bridegrooms at 

a wedding. You’re there – but 

you’re not noticed. It’s like 11 AM 

or 3:30 PM or being 45 years old. 

It’s like Act II in the play – and 

half the audience is somewhere 

else in their brain. Beginnings and 

endings get all the notice – but 

being in the middle is most of life. 

© Andy Costello, Reflections

January 17, 2020

Thought  for  Today

 “Half of the harm that is done in this world / Is due to people who want to feel important.”  

T.S. Eliot, The 

Cocktail Party, 1949

EXTRAS   FOR  EXTRA  HELP

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for this Thursday in the First Week in  Ordinary Time is, “Extras for Extra Help.”

If  there  is anything we Catholics know about -  it’s the  extras - extra prayers - extra items  - extra external  souvenirs and symbols of religion - that people add on for  help.

We know about crucifixes, medals and chains and rosaries around necks, religious magnets on refrigerator doors and 14 to 18 inch crosses on walls – and in cars tiny 2 inch crosses and St. Christopher medals – which are still being sold.

Go through any Catholic home for people over 55 and you'll spot an image or statue of Mary somewhere.  I'm of Redemptorist background and we were tasked since 1867 to get images of Mary, the Mother of Perpetual Help, in homes and churches all around the world.

Perpetual Help - How's that for an extra!

If there is anything we humans know about it’s the external souvenirs we have for extra help: rings and things.   We went to the movies yesterday – to see 1917.  They had a black and while photograph  on a wooded beam in a German  trench – and of course when a soldier was shot and killed they found in his pocket a black and white picture of his mom and sisters.

What’s in your wallet? 

I remember listening to an audio tape  talk by Robert Fulghum or someone and the speaker asks his audience to take out their wallets and tell the members of the small group they are in what’s in their wallet.  It can be very revealing.

What’s in your wallet?  Do you have something that reminds us about who we are all in the mind of others or they in us or what have you?

I asked people once to write on a small piece of paper a  favorite Bible text and  keep it in your wallet. Mine is Galatians 6:3. “Bear one another’s burdens - In this way you are fulfilling the Law of Christ.”  I figured if I preached it, I better do that myself.

Knowing it’s there, it’s helps me keep that text and theme in mind and put the text into action.

So, we have these mementos, these souvenirs, these tokens to give us an extra edge.

I love the image of having a small prayer book – and making it a portable cemetery – where we put all our death cards – and we can go through our cards once a month

I remember a period in my life when I got interested in Native American life and literature, etc.. I’m in Washington DC  – and  I dropped into the Bureau of Indian Affairs - which is in the U.S.  Department of the Interior. It was in an off season and well before the It was a good experience.

I asked at the front information desk, if I could see someone important – so I could ask some questions.

It was  valuable moment and I got to ask lots of questions.

One thing the curator said was this: much of Native American  life was to get power – good medicine – over others, one’s enemies. So, Indians  have lots of beads and feathers etc. and traveling souvenirs.

This happened way back - before the opening of the National Museum of the American Indian in 2004.

Check that out - with an eye to jewelry and items people use to extra help and strength - the theme of this homily.

Jewelry designer Jennifer Fisher in a magazine article about her work said, "Jewelry is like your armor.  Personalizing  it gives you strength and power."*

CONCLUSION

So what else is new? The Israelites had the ark of the covenant. Reread today’s first reading about how they personalized that box to give them strength and power. [Cf. First Samuel 4: 1-11.]

So what else is new?  Christians have this gospel text to tell us  that Jesus is there when our skin feels ugly or we feel crappy and small and unclean. Amen. [Cf. Mark 1: 40-45.]

Footnote *"Chains of Love," by Eric Wilson, Instyle, magazine,  page 515, September 2015

January 16, 2020

SEMITRANSPARENT

Sometimes we’re good at hiding

our feelings; sometimes we’re not.

Sometimes it all depends on whom

we’re with and what’s going on in our lives.

Most of the time we’re semitransparent and it’s

only those who care - who dare to ask, ”What’s up?”

© Andy Costello, Reflections