CERTAINTY

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily is, “Certainty.”

I noticed in today’s gospel, the word, “certainty” and I began to reflect upon it.

Certainty! Not certainly – but certainty. However, those two words are certainly close.

I don’t remember thinking about the topic of certainty – or ever preaching a homily or a sermon on it.

Certainty!

Are you interested in thinking about certainty today or this week? I would hope you would say, “Certainly!” or said in another way, “Amen, amen!”, the yell of the crowd in today’s first reading. One of my hopes for a homily is that it gives something to chew on and think about that week.

Certainty.

TODAY’S GOSPEL

Today’s gospel is interesting. It begins with the opening words of the Gospel of Luke – chapter 1, verses 1 to 4. Then it skips the infancy narratives – all those wonderful stories in early Luke that we hear at Christmas time – and it jumps to chapter 4 – when Jesus starts his ministry as an adult – coming back to his hometown of Nazareth.

And as you know the Church presents on a 3 year cycle, A, B, and C, Matthew, Mark and Luke.

This year, letter C, is the year of Luke and we’ll be listening to his Gospel all year – in ordinary time. So parishes offer workshops and talks and writers write books on the gospel of the year.

Listen again to how Luke begins his gospel.

“Since many have undertaken to compile a narrative of the events that have been fulfilled among us, just as those who were eyewitnesses from the beginning and ministers of the word have handed down to us, I too have decided, after investigating everything accurately anew, to write down in an orderly sequence for you, most excellent Theophilus, so that you may realize the certainty of the teachings you have received.”

If you have time, read the beginnings of the 4 gospels and compare them. Interesting – very interesting.

So Luke is telling us that he did a lot of investigation into the life of Jesus. He tells us that there are various people who have done the same thing. We do have snippets of some of these gospels – but thank God they didn’t get accepted into the canon of our scriptures – because they have some odd stuff – like the little kid Jesus making mud birds and he told them to fly and they flew.

Thankfully, Luke's gospel survived. Praise God. And as you know, Part 2 of his gospel, The Acts of the Apostles, is his investigation of the story of the Early Church as well.

He tells us that he is writing for a Theophilus. Those of you who are from Philadelphia – hear the Greek word, “philos” in that name. It’s one of the Greek words for “love” – “philos” – as in Philadelphia, the City of Brotherly Love. "Adelphos" is the Greek word for "City".

And you who are word smiths can hear in the word “Theophilus” – the first syllable – the Greek word for “God” – “Theos”. So Theophilus is a “Lover of God”. We don’t know for certain whether Theophilus was a specific person – or whether Luke is writing his account for anyone who wants to be a “Lover of God”.

In today’s gospel reading when we jump to Chapter 4 of Luke, verses 14 to 21, we find out that Jesus was brought up in Nazareth – that there was a synagogue there – and that the scriptures were written on scrolls - - that were rolled open or closed from either side.

We then heard Jesus’ words of his inaugural address – or homily – which is a commentary on scripture. It’s only 9 words in English – 10 words in Greek. But first he reads from Isaiah – chapter 61.

We don’t know if Jesus was standing on a platform or a pulpit – like the platform in today’s first reading – when Ezra stands up and speaks from daybreak till midday. Now that was a long, long sermon.

Jesus reads Isaiah’s great words:

"The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,

because he has anointed me

to bring glad tidings to the poor.

He has sent me

to proclaim liberty to captives

and recovery of sight to the blind,

to let the oppressed go free,

and to proclaim a year

acceptable to the Lord."

Then he rolls up the scroll and hands it back to the attendant in the synagogue and sits down for his homily. Luke says everyone is looking at him. Then he gives his 9 or 10 word homily or inaugural address, “Today this Scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing.”

That’s it.

Would you want all homilies to be that short?

All eyes were fixed on the speaker and all mouths said, “Certainly.”

Then Jesus leaves the synagogue and starts to put those words into practice.

Action speaks louder than words.

CERTAINTY

That word “certainty” in Luke’s gospel grabbed me. I looked it up in the Greek, the language of the Gospel of Luke.

The Greek word used is “asphaleia” and the Greek dictionaries say it means, “firm, not liable to fall, steadfast, safe, sure.”

I began to wonder if the word “asphalt” is also rooted in this word and I found evidence that some word scholars think that.

We want certainty. We want security. We want firmness. We want sureness. We want safety. We want strength.

We want the asphalt road ahead of us to be certain. We don’t expect the earth to quake.

We don’t want potholes either.

The reports from Haiti are telling us that the people are scared – hesitant – about everything – worried about another shock, another earthquake.

If we had an accident on West Street – where St. Mary’s cemetery is, every time we drove by that spot, we feel it. Or if a loved one is buried in the cemetery of that earth – we feel it every time.

When I drive over the spot where my mother was hit while walking across the street – 59th Street and 6th Avenue, Brooklyn, New York, in a hit and run accident that killed her, that spot screams a loud, loud scream every time - and several times I avoided that spot.

Imagine being in Haiti – when every inch of earth is screaming – here is where he or she or they died. Imagine the hurt and shake and uncertainty that is everywhere – especially coming from the very ground one is standing on.

We want certainty.

GOING DEEPER

Going deeper, but I have to do a lot more thinking about this – and I hope to do that this week – this issue of certainty is certainly a major human concern.

We want certainty in our homes – in our marriages – in our families – in our jobs – in our bodies.

We take so much for granted – till there is an earthquake. The doctor tells us we have a heart problem. We find out we have a lump. A spouse says or does something that is an “Uh oh!” We notice one of our married kids showing a bit too much affection to someone else.

We watch TV and we hear about someone who had bomb material in his underwear – and we’re going on a airplane flight next week.

The stock market takes a tail spin.

Certainty.

We’ve all heard the old saying, “Nothing is certain in this world but death and taxes.”

GOING EVEN MORE DEEP

Going even more deep, let me make a paradoxical statement – but something we all know down, down deep.

What makes life and love so wonderful is the uncertainty. The other doesn’t have to love me, but if they do, then I experience the wonder of love and appreciation.

If the other had or has to love me – and stay married to me – then that can be boring or hell – but it’s heaven when love is freely given.

The weather can be nasty; isn’t that why we love a beautiful day?

I can’t be certain that I am going to wake up tomorrow morning. Isn’t that the excitement of every new day of life - when I do wake up in the morning?

The plane lands on the runway. We made it. Phew! Isn’t that the silent reflection of every passenger on every plane trip? Okay, you’re flying all the time and you never think of that. Guess what, a lot of passengers are.

The family, the place we work, the parish, is like a body as we heard in today’s second reading – with all kinds of different parts and characters – and most of life’s problems are people problems – personality clashes. So when the body, the group, the world, with all these different characters, all these different nationalities, all these different talents and takes, when all cooperate and are united, then life is fabulous.

CONCLUSION

We can be certain that every homily has a conclusion.

Stay tuned to Luke. He’ll take us on a journey with Jesus – from Nazareth to Jerusalem. He’ll tell us what he heard Jesus said and did. He’ll tell us how Jesus put into practice what he read from Isaiah that opening day in Nazareth. He brought Good News to the poor. He proclaimed freedom to those who felt captive or trapped. He helped those who were blind to see. He let the oppressed go free.

Stay tuned to Luke this year. You’ll see your story in the Gospel stories that Jesus told us.

Stay tuned to Luke this year. You’ll see that Jesus had the reality of certainty in God his father – but he had to deal with the uncertainty of others. You’ll see that Jesus knew life was a road – but it had twists and turns and you couldn’t be certain was around the next bend. The road will be narrow at times and it will be crossy at times.

Stay tuned to Luke this year. You’ll find out that the closer Jesus got to Jerusalem, the tougher life became. Luke will tell us that the cross is ahead – darkness and death is ahead – uncertainty is ahead.

Stay tuned to Luke this year because you’ll find out that there is light at the end of that darkness. There is the certainty of morning and resurrection.

Stay tuned because in The Acts of the Apostles, Part II of Luke, the Sequel, you’ll hear the same story repeated, where the Early Church had to go through this same process.

Stay tuned because each generation has the same story – and that’s why Luke took the time to tell us how it goes with certainty.

SIN - FILLING 

THE VOID

Quote of the Day" - January  24,  2010

"All sins are attempts to fill voids."

"Tous les Peches sont ses tentatives pour combler des vides." Simone Weil [1909-1943], from Gravity and Grace, 1948, page. 27

THE  SECRET

Quote of the Day:  January 23, 2010

“Don’t make yourself so big. You are not so small."

Jewish Proverb

THE  HOW 

OF BECOMING 

HARD  HEARTED

Quote of the Day: January 22, 2010

“Too long a sacrifice / Can make a stone of the heart.”

W. B. Yeats [1865-1939], Easter, 1916

DEATH? WHAT DO 

YOU THINK OF DEATH?

Quote of the Day - January 21,  2010

“In the last analysis it is our conception of death which decides the answers to all the questions life puts to us.”

Dag Hammarskjold [1905-1961], Diaries.

DIET:

AN AFTERNOON OF MISERY

Quote of the Day: January 20,  2010

“There was only one occasion in my life when I put myself on a strict diet and I can tell you, hand on heart, it was the most miserable afternoon I have ever spent.”

Denis Norden [ 1922- ], Oh, My Word

GOD'S  ONGOING  CONCERT 

OF JOY.

DO  YOU  HEAR  IT?

WHAT  INSTRUMENT  

ARE YOU PLAYING?

Quote of the Day: - January 19,  2010

“We are all strings in the concert of God’s joy.”

Jacob Boehme [1575-1624]

WE'RE   ALL

PART OF 

GOD'S  STORY!

ARE  YOU 

READING THE BOOK?

Quote of the Day  January  18,  2010

“There are only two or three human stories, and they go on repeating themselves as fiercely as if they had never happened before.”

Willa Cather [1873-1882], O Pioneers!

“MARRIAGE:
FILL THE JARS WITH….”

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily is, “Marriage: Fill the Jars With….”

In today’s gospel [John2:1-11], Jesus tells the servants at the wedding, “Fill the jars with water.” And we know the rest of the story. We’ve heard the story of Jesus’ miracle of turning water into wine at Cana at Sunday Masses as well as many a wedding.

GREGORY PIERCE

Gregory Pierce, a businessman, a publisher, community organizer, husband and father, said, “Preach about work and relationships. Those two places are where most people spend most of their time.” (1)

So when I read this gospel, the obvious thought was, “Say something about marriage.”

THIS GOSPEL

When I do a wedding I ask the couple to pick the 3 readings. I like it when they pick the story of the wedding feast of Cana – but most of the time they don’t.

So here’s my chance. I have a chance to say a positive thing as well as a scary thing about marriage that I would not say at a wedding.

As the wedding song goes, “We’ve only just begun / White lace and promises / A kiss of hope and we’re on our way.”

BLINK

I was talking to a guy in the parish recently at his and his wife’s 25th wedding anniversary. Being guys we talked about work. He told me one of his jobs was interviewing people who might be interested in being part of a franchise. Listening to what he did reminded me of something I had to do years earlier – figure people out. I mentioned to him something that a counselor told me years ago. “I was trained to listen to my belly. When I shake someone’s hand and welcome them for their first session – I jot down in my brain – what my belly is saying at that exact moment.” I then told this guy in the parish about a seminarian that I was dealing with. He was tough stuff. And as my hand was shaking his hand for the first time, my belly said, ‘Sick!’”

I said to myself, “Uh oh!”

I was aware of all the warnings: Jesus’ messages about not judging… I knew about the sayings, “You can’t tell a book by its cover.” “Before judging someone you have to walk a mile their moccasins.”

Then this guy who was celebrating his 25th anniversary said one word to me, “Blink.” Then he added: “Read Malcolm Gladwell’s book, Blink.”

I had seen the title on the best seller list, but I hadn’t read it – nor did I have a clue about what it was all about.

So I bought it with a gift certificate I got for Christmas.

Blink.

It’s easy reading.

And as I read I realized why this guy in the parish told me about the book.

Blink is all about that first moment – that gut reaction – or gut instinct.

Be aware of it.

BLINK – YOU’RE MARRIED

Now here is the scary stuff – the challenging stuff – the nervous stuff.

I am aware that some of you are not married – or are married – or you are divorced – or your spouse has died.

But let me get back to Gregory Pierce of Chicago’s comment: talk about relationships and work.

Well, in Malcolm Gladwell’s book, Blink, he talks about a psychologist, John Gottman, who works in a clinic near Washington University in Washington State – and he has filmed and studied over 3,000 couples. And Blink says that Gottman and his team can predict whether a marriage is going to work or not 95 % of the time by just studying a 60 minute tape of the couple – and 90% of the time by just looking at a tape of 15 minutes of a couple talking and being with each other.

That’s quite a statement!

The couple sit in two chairs on a platform – which measures their body movements – and shifts in their chairs. They have wires and things connected to their hands and ears, etc. And there is a video camera taking pictures of each of them the whole time.

One exercise is to have a couple wired up and with cameras rolling –they are asked to talk together just 15 minutes about a recent source of conflict they’ve had with each other.

The team and the machines measure 20 different emotions – disgust, contempt, anger, defensiveness, whining, sadness, stonewalling, neutral, etc.

Afterwards Gottman and his team study the film. They study facial expressions, heart rate, movement, shifting, sweating, temperature, and they put everything into a complex mathematical code.

John Gottman, the Washington State psychologist, has written a book, The Mathematics of Divorce. I don’t intend to buy that book, but I’m glad I bought and am reading Blink.

John Gottman said he can sit at a restaurant and watch a couple at another restaurant and figure out the state of that marriage.

I found myself saying, “Is he married? If he is, how is the state of his marriage? If he was in a restaurant with his wife, would he be looking at her or concentrating on the next table? How would that make his wife feel?”

He’s been doing this marriage research for over 15 years with machines and cameras.

He has found out – now here comes the tie in I’m going to make with today’s gospel – that if he focuses on what he calls the Four Horsemen: defensiveness, stonewalling, criticism and contempt, he will come up with what he wants to know.

And if he had to pick one of the four, it would be contempt.

Gottman considers this the single most important sign that a marriage is in trouble.

Listen to this excerpt from the book: “You would think that criticism would be the worse,” Gottman says, “because criticism is a global condemnation of a person’s character. Yet contempt is qualitatively different from criticism. With criticism I might say to my wife, ‘You never listen, you are really selfish and insensitive.’ Well, she’s going to respond defensively to that. That’s not very good for our problem solving and interaction. But if I speak from a superior plane, that’s far more damaging, and contempt is any statement made from a higher level. A lot of the time it’s an insult” ‘You’re a b…. You’re s….’ It’s trying to put that person on a lower plane than you. It’s hierarchical.”

Contempt!

I said to myself I have to do a lot of homework on what contempt means.

I would assume that’s what a good book does. It challenges us with one good insight – at least one good question.

That last word in Gottman’s comment that I quoted hit me, the word, “hierarchical”. Here I am up here in a pulpit – above you. What kind of body language do I give off? Do people turn off priests in a blink?

The only sure body language sign I spot in church is the look at the watch – sometimes done quite dramatically. I also know that watches for some have disappeared and folks tell time with their cell phones. Is that why people look down from time to time?

Could they video and then do a study of the faces and body language of people at Mass?

So I have to ask myself: What signals and messages do I give off? What are the inner thoughts I have down deep inside me? And then the big question: is there any contempt in this big jar called “me”?

There’s a lot more – and in a second or two you’ll be giving me signals, “Enough already.” And then, “Boring!” or “Interesting.” Whatever. So I would recommend the book called, “Blink.”

THE GOSPEL

I would say the challenge is to bring oneself to Jesus in deep prayer and face with him what’s inside me.

Like water becoming wine, we need to change contempt into humility. Better work with Jesus to change contempt into humility – to change vinegar into wine. Tough stuff.

CONCLUSION: TODAY’S SECOND READING

I also think today’s second reading [1 Corinthians 12: 4-11] would really help. A couple, a family, a job site, each individual has to realize I have only so many gifts and I have so many weaknesses – and others have so many strengths and gifts – as well as weaknesses – so we better together if we expect the marriage, the family, the work place to work.





Painting on top, Marriage Feast At Cana by Juan de Flandes, 1465-1519. It was painted in 1500. It is oil on wood. It is now in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.

(1) Gregory F.A. Pierce, Spirituality at Work, 10 Ways to Balance Your Life on the Job, Loyola Press, Chicago, 2001.


(2) Malcolm Gladwell, Blink, The Power of Thinking Without Thinking, Back Bay Books, Little, Brown and Company, New York, Boston, London, 2005

WALK TOGETHER
HAND IN HAND

Quote of the Day: - January 17, 2010


“Don’t wait for the Last Judgment. 
It takes place every day.”


Albert Camus [1913-1960], The Fall

SOIL  SELF  DESTRUCTION 

Quote of the Day - January 16,  2010

“The nation that destroys its soil destroys itself.”

Franklin D. Roosevelt [1882-1945], letter to state governors, February 26, 1937

SHUSH!  

I AM THINKING

Quote of the Day: January 14,  2010

“Life consists in what a man [or woman] is thinking of all day.”

Ralph Waldo Emerson [1803-1882], Journals, 1847

UNORIGINAL  SINS

Quote of the Day: January  13,  2010

“Should we all confess our sins to one another we would all laugh at one another for our lack of originality.”

Khalil Gibran [1893-1931], Sand and Foam, 1927

THOMAS MERTON'S TAKE 

ON DISCOVERING  GOD

Quote of the Day - January  12,  2010

“Our discovery of God is, in a way,

God’s discovery of us.

We cannot go to heaven to find Him

because we have no way of knowing

where heaven is or what it is.

He comes down from heaven and finds us.

He looks at us

from the depths of His own infinite actuality,

which is everywhere,

and His seeing us

gives us a superior reality

in which we also discover Him.

We only know Him

in so far as we are known by Him,

and our contemplation of Him

is a participation of His contemplation of Himself.”

Thomas Merton, [1915-1968], Seeds of Contemplation.

Picture "borrowed" off a Thomas Merton web site.

A HOMILY ON “DIGS”

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily is, “Digs!”

The question I want to ask is, “Do we do digs?”

FIRST READING

Today’s first reading from the first chapter of the First Book of Samuel triggered this question.

A man with the interesting name of Elkanah had two wives: Peninnah and Hannah.

Peninnah had sons and daughters by him; Hannah was childless.

The story teller is a good story teller – because he implies as well as makes it very clear that Elkanan favored Hannah over Peninnah.

Was being upset at not being the favorite the reason why Peninnah made digs at Hannah? The text uses the word “rival”.

The story teller makes it clear that Elkanan understands the situation – especially when Hannah refuses to eat – but just weeps. And you can hear him say to Hannah, the question that ends today’s first reading, “Hannah, why do you weep, and why do you refuse to eat? Why do you grieve? Am I not more to you than ten sons?”

Great story!

It can trigger lots of stuff – the stuff of story telling.

What does it trigger in you?

DIGS

Well it triggered in me the question of digs.

Would anyone with lots of kids dig those who don’t have kids?

Would those who wear a size 4 dress dig those who wear a size 16 dress?

Would those who went to college dig those who have a G.E.D.?

Do tall people make digs at short people?

Do males do this to females?

Do so called, “Liberals” make digs at so called, “Conservatives” and vice versa?

What about skin color?

What about nationality?

What about size of house, car, salary?

What about accomplishments of kids?

What is the difference between digs and healthy pride and wanting to share good news?

UNSPOKEN DIGS

Then there are all of the above – but kept within – the so called sin of “Judging others”.

A few questions: Do our inner digs about others slip out on our face or the tone of our words or what have you – and we don’t even know it? Does unconscious speak to unconscious loud and as real as if we were aware of it? Is communication 90% unconscious?

If any of that is true, uh oh? Maybe this is some of what Jesus had reflected upon when he gives us this inner stuff in the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew: inner murder, inner adultery, inner hell, inner logs, inner fasting, inner prayer, inner thorns and thistles, figs and fruit, one's inner house being built on rock or sand.

SELF DIGS

Then I began to think about self digs, self attacks, self stabbings - doing all this stuff to ourselves.

Do we keep on digging into our inadequacies?

I'm assuming this is background stuff on the issues of inner comparisons and envy – the things that can eat us up.

CONCLUSION

Today’s gospel can wake us up – and shake us up.

It’s time to hear the call of Jesus and stop tossing our nets to catch stuff that doesn’t give life – and follow Jesus and fill our nets with the stuff that gives life.

This is a first draft homily for the First Monday in Ordinary Time, January 11, 2010. The readings are 1 Samuel 1:1-8 and Mark 1: 14-20. A couple of people asked me if I was going to put this on my blog. I haven't been putting weekday homilies on this - but when asked, I sometimes do.

TALKING  BEHIND  YOUR  BACK

Quote of the Day  January  11, 2010

“What people say behind your back is your standing in the community in which you live.”

Edgar Watson Howe [1874-1942], Sinner Sermons, 1926

COMFORT

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily is, “Comfort.”

It’s the first word in today’s opening reading from Isaiah.

“Comfort, give comfort to my people, says your God.”

Question: should I preach on the theme of comfort?

Shouldn’t I be preaching on the cross?

Yet, I thought, but there will be time enough for that – many a time for that – Lent and Good Friday – and funerals – those 2 or 3 funerals we attend each year – and more as we get older – and even then, especially then, the theme of comfort would be very helpful.

“Comfort, give comfort to my people, says your God.”

MOTIVATION

I have always been interested in the question of motivation. What’s behind what we do? Why? Why? Why?

Fear? Lust? Power? Prestige? Vanity? Money? Ego? Hunger? Love? Anger? Frustration? To send a message?

Seeing that word “comfort” jump off the page in the first reading, I began wondering, how strong a motive is comfort?

COMFORT QUESTIONNAIRE – 11 QUESTIONS

Here are 11 questions. Answer "Yes" or "No".


1) When you just finished dinner at someone’s house and the dinner was horrible and they say "How was everything?", are you comfortable saying, “Everything was fine!”?

2) When you have just talked about someone behind their back and you see their best friend is there and they go off to the side and take out their cell phone, are you comfortable?

3) When you lie, are you comfortable?

4) When you’re in a borrowed car, do you adjust the driver’s seat for your comfort or do you leave it as is – thinking about the owner of the car who lent it to you – and you know you won’t be able to get it back to the way that person likes it for himself or herself?

5) When you’re in a car with 4 people and you’re in the passenger seat next to the driver and there is someone in the seat behind you, do you move your seat up, so as to make sure the person behind you has enough leg room?

6) When you have a guest staying overnight in your house, do you make sure they have an extra blanket on a cold night?

7) When you’re in church and the rows are long, do you move into the middle, so as to let folks into the benches without climbing over you?

8) When someone wants the outside seat and you have to climb over them, do you assume their motivation is claustrophobia or diarrhea or urinary problems – and they might need to move to the bathroom on the double?

9) When you’re parking your car on the street and you know the folks next door are up there in age and like the spot right in front of their house, and you could take it, because someone is in your usual spot, but you park down the street, so as to make it convenient for your neighbors?

10) When you’re all alone with yourself, are you comfortable with yourself or is anger or anxiety or inadequacy or guilt your middle name?

11) Are you comfortable with "Yes" "No" questionnaires, that don't provide an "All Depends" or "Undecided" or "Sometimes" possibility?

SECOND ISAIAH

Today’s first reading is the beginning of what they call, "Deutero-Isaiah" or "Second Isaiah" – Chapters 40 to 55. It’s also called “The Book of Comfort.”

It wasn’t till the 18th Century that scholars began to say that all 66 chapters of Isaiah were not from the same author. Some had thought that centuries before – like Ibn Ezra who lived around 1167 – but in the 18th century, scholars were saying the first part of Isaiah was from 150 years earlier and this section of Isaiah was written to speak to those in the Babylonian Exile. (1)

There was a call to give comfort to the people in slavery and to give them the hope of a New Exodus.

Obviously, hopefully, every human being wants to give comfort to those in horrible situations - those in Darfur or those in Somalia or those out of work – or those whose house burnt down.

Hopefully our heart feels anguish for the homeless on these cold nights.

Hopefully our heart feels the pain of the family that is ripped apart by a death – a tragedy – a crime – a rape – a horror.

When I walk down the corridor at St. Mary’s Rectory on Duke of Gloucester Street on Monday evening or Wednesday afternoon, I feel for all the poor that the people of St. Mary’s are helping – especially those who volunteer their time and love ministering in our St. Vincent de Paul Society.

Comfort. Give comfort to my people.

BAPTISM OF JESUS

Today the Church celebrates the Baptism of Jesus.

Looking at the readings, one key message for this feast is that it is celebrating the moment Jesus starts his public ministry.

He goes to the Jordan River to be baptized by John the Baptist – and the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove – we’ve seen that image in church art – and vestments – comes down from the heavens and lands on Jesus. Then a voice also comes from the heavens and says, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.”

I’ve often wondered if the reference to the dove is a reference to the story of Noah who sends out the dove from the ark on the flooded earth – and the dove comes back empty beaked – and Noah sends it out again after 7 days and this time it comes back bearing an olive branch – and Noah knew there was land somewhere – and he waited another 7 days and he sent it out again – and this time it did not return – and Noah knew the horror was over.

Is the message of the landing of the dove on Jesus the message that with Jesus the horror is over?

Is the message of the voice from heaven that Jesus is the Beloved Son and when we realize that’s how he treated every person he met – as a beloved son or daughter, brother or sister, when we do that, we will be doing our part to bring peace in this world and an end to horror stories.

CONCLUSION

And how do we bring peace – bring comfort to our world?

One way is to do what Jesus did – wash feet, listen to people, heal and feed people – or as Second Isaiah put it: Comfort. Give comfort to my people.

That’s our call – that’s our baptismal call.

Obviously we couldn’t do it, if and when we were baptized as a baby, but the day hopefully comes or has come, when we begin our second baptism – our call from God like the call of this Isaiah in today’s first reading or Jesus in the gospel to bring comfort to his people.

(1) The New Jerome Biblical Commentary, edited by Brown, Fitzmyer, and Murphy, "Deutero-Isaiah and Trito-Isaiah," p. 329. This section was written by Carrol Styhlmueller, C.P.

THE LEGEND
OF THE DOVE

Jesus grew up hearing The Legend of the Dove.

Every Jewish kid grew up hearing The Legend of the Dove.

At the birth of every new baby boy, the Rabbi or others – especially grandparents – who always say the nicest things about new born babies – would lift up the baby boy and say, “Maybe this one will be the Messiah. Maybe this one will be the one, the dove lands on.”

Did anyone ever lift up a girl?

That’s The Legend of the Dove. One day a dove is going to land on someone and that someone will be the Messiah.

The landing of the dove on someone’s shoulder will be the sign.

And because the people longed for the Messiah, the Savior, the Redeemer, the Christ, which means the Anointed One, whenever people saw a dove they would stop to watch where it would land. Every time there was disappointment because every time a dove never landed on anyone’s shoulder.

Yet people watched and hoped – all through the years – to see if a dove would land on someone’s shoulder.

They would hope and pray for a Messiah, the Christ, the Anointed One, the Savior, especially during times of war – or enslavement – or drought or horror.

The Legend started way, way, way back in Jewish History – way, way back – as far back as the time of Noah.

The Legend started this way: the whole world was flooded in this big, big flood and the only people who survived were Noah and his family.

Ooops, okay there were also two of each animal – male and female – giraffes – hippos – orangutans – skunks – etc. etc. and etc.

Well, as an obvious result, that ship was noisy and smelly. There was honking and hooting all day and all night long.

What’s more, Noah and his family were sick and tired of rain – rain – and more rain – water, water, water everywhere – and the smell of animals, lots of animals, everywhere on the big boat called the Ark.

Finally the rain stopped and Noah and his family – the lions and the monkeys – the giraffes and the elephants – looked out each day – hoping to see land – land – somewhere.

Slowly the waters went down – slowly mountain tops appeared.

With that Noah sent out two ravens – who flew around – and then they disappeared.

Then Noah released a dove. Remember there were only two doves. It flew around – but having nowhere to really land, it came back.

Noah waited another 7 days and he sent the dove out again and it brought back in its beak, an olive branch.

There was hope in the air.

Noah waited another 7 days and he sent off the dove again and it never returned.

No one knew where it landed – but out of that story grew the story or the Legend of the Dove – that the dove would come back and land on the shoulder of some person – some time – the right time – and that person would be the Messiah or the Savior.

Jesus – like every Jewish kid – grew up hearing the Legend of the Dove.

Mary – knowing who Jesus was – watched and watched. Joseph – knowing who Jesus was – also watched and watched – wondering when would be the day when Jesus would leave home and start his work as our Savior.

In the meanwhile, Jesus went about his Father’s business – working in the carpenter shop with Joseph – going to the synagogue on the Sabbath – learning new stuff every Sabbath – learning new stuff every day – growing in wisdom and age and grace before God and others.

Jesus would learn about wood – about how to build a door – and how to build a house on rock and not on sand.

Jesus learned about a shepherd who had 100 sheep and one was lost and the shepherd didn’t say, “No big deal. I still have 99 sheep.” Nope he went out into the hills and the wilderness till he found his lost sheep. And Jesus stood there that day and saw this shepherd coming home with the lost sheep on his shoulders and the greatest smile on his face.

Jesus learned about people – that some people would give the shirt off their back or go the extra mile for a friend – and others wouldn’t. And he saw some people getting hurt and some would forgive the person who hurt them and some didn’t – and he would notice that those who forgave seemed much happier than those who didn’t.

When Jesus went to the synagogue – he noticed that different people had different reactions: some didn’t listen; some made great promises – but they didn’t last; some were too busy, they had too many irons in the fire; and some listened and learned and grew. While watching a farmer farming – planting seed – he realized it’s the same story as what was happening in the synagogue. The farmer throwing seed on the ground was like the rabbi sowing words into the air. Some seed landed on the path and it didn’t grow. Some seed landed in shallow soil and it didn’t really grow. Some seed landed on good soil, but too many things were already growing there. The seed didn’t have a chance; and some seed landed on good soil and produced good fruit, 30, 60 and 100fold.

Then one day Jesus heard about John the Baptist – his cousin – and he left home to go down to the Jordan River to see what John was all about.

And after listening to John preach he asked John to baptize him.

And as John was baptizing Jesus, the heavens opened and down came the Holy Spirit as a dove and landed on Jesus’ shoulder.

Then a voice from the heavens could be heard to say, “You are my beloved Son; with you, I am well pleased.”

And someone in the crowd said, “It’s the Legend of the Dove. It just landed on that man!”

This is a first draft story I made up last night for this morning's Children's Mass. The feast is the Baptism of Jesus. January 10, 2010. The gospel reading was Luke 3:15-16, 21-22. After the little kids' Mass I asked out loud if the story made any sense and this little kids yelled out, "No!" Everyone laughed. That's the last time I'll ask that question.

NERVOUS

IN THE PRESENCE 

OF EXCELLENCE

Quote of the Day: January 10, 2010

“The sad truth is that excellence makes people nervous.”

Shana Alexander [1925-2005], The Feminist Eye: Neglected Kids – The Bright Ones, 1970

YOU'RE   BEAUTIFUL

Quote of the Day: January 9,  2010

“I’m tired of all this business about beauty being only skin-deep. That’s deep enough. What do you want – an adorable pancreas.”

Jean Kerr [1922-2003], Mirror, Mirror on the Wall, in The Snake Has All the Lines.

A TEACHER CALLED ILLNESS

Quote of the Day: January 8,  2010

"Illness tells us what we are."






Italian Proverb

IN A RUT?

Quote of the Day:  January 7,  2010


“Choose your rut carefully; you’ll be in it for the next ten miles.”


Road sign in Upstate New York

DÉJÀ VU

“Happy New Year!” I hear that
from all those around me at this
year's New Year’s Eve Party.
I hear the horns – along with
the fireworks in the distance –
along with the hugs and kisses
of the present moment. But now
that I’m 70, the fear of déjà vu
is the loudest horn, the loudest
bang – the kiss that I can’t miss....
Yet, I stand there, hope in hand,
risks in mind, remembering
all those screaming dreams
I want to realize before I die:
the resolve to avoid all those déjà vu’s
that would prevent a Happy New Year.

© Andy Costello, Reflections, 2010

FRIENDSHIPS

Quote of the Day:  January 6, 2010

“One friend in a lifetime is much, two are many, three are hardly possible.”

Henry Brooks Adams [1838-1918], The Education of Henry Adams, 1916

Picture with two friends and classmates, Tom Deely [Right] and Clem Krug [Left] in Montana - 2004 - while doing a Lewis and Clark Bicentennial Vacation

COMPLAIN - 

COMPLAIN - COMPLAIN

Quote for the Day:  January 5,  2010



“I personally think we developed language because of our deep inner need to complain.”



Jane Wagner [1935- ], The Search for Intelligent Life in the Universe, 1986, performed by Lily Tomlin [1939- ]

WHAT DO YOU GET
OUT OF THE BED
IN THE MORNING FOR?

Quote of the Day:  - January 4, 2010


“Do you know what the greatest test is? Do you still get excited about what you do when you get up in the morning?”


David Halberstam [1934-1937]

[Picture on top of my brother "Billy" or "Pat" and his family - and dog, Polly". He would have been 75 years of age today. Happy Birthday.]

TWO GIFTS

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily is, “Two Gifts.”

We have just come through another Christmas and so we know about gifts. Does everyone – everyone – have at least one special person in their life – that they took time and care to pick the right gift for that person: a spouse, a parent, a child, a friend?

Hopefully, we have several good close people in our life. In my experience, I think at times people toss around the term “friend” too loosely. I have often thought about the comment, “If you have or had 5 really close friends in your life, you’re lucky.” I always love it when someone says with great depth and sometimes tears – like at a 25th wedding anniversary, that their spouse has been or has become their best friend. I was at a 25th wedding anniversary celebration here in Annapolis last Tuesday evening and the wife said just that.

When getting the perfect gift for the perfect person, we first think about that person. We do some figuring. Then we decide – or we go shopping – look around – and then we decide on a perfect gift.

So we know about gifts.

THE MAGI

This Sunday we are celebrating the feast of the Epiphany – and we probably have heard comments that the gifts of the Magi – the Wise Men – would have been different – if they were 3 Wise Women.

There would have arrived on time. They would have cleaned the stable. They would have brought a casserole. They would have brought practical gifts like diapers.

Someone also said, “They would have asked for directions.” However, in reality, in the story in Matthew, the Magi or Wise Men do ask directions. It’s a key part of the story – to let Herod in on the birth of the new king – to create a tension - to give a hint about the horrible thing that is about to happen.

Looking at the gifts the Magi brought Christ, we can say that gold is practical. Frankincense, incense? That might be practical in a barn – with those smells – but myrrh? I don’t know.

However, we have surely heard down through the years, that Matthew’s story has many symbols in it – as well as several leads to other texts and stories in the scriptures. With these 3 gifts, Matthew might be telling us the following about Christ: gold that he is king; incense that he is divine – the smoke rises; and myrrh – that he is going to suffer.

And scholars like to point out that Matthew might be telling his Jewish community that Jesus is the New Moses. Just as there was the slaughter of the little boys in the Moses story by the Pharaoh– in the Book of Exodus, so too Jesus is the New Moses – who survives the slaughter by the New Pharaoh, Herod, and he will lead us through a New Exodus – through the waters of Baptism – into a New Promised Land and New Life. And Matthew is the only gospel that brings Jesus into Egypt – which strengthens the image of Jesus as the New Moses – because Moses saves his people by leading them out of Egypt.

QUESTION

I was visiting my sister Mary in Pennsylvania for the last couple of days – so on the drive up on Wednesday and the drive back today – I had more time than usual - 3 hours each way - to think about this feast and this homily.

It struck me: if I had to come up with one gift to give to Christ – today – not back then – what gift would I give?

I remembered the Drummer Boy song – how he didn’t have any gift to give to the New Born King – then it hit him that he would play a song – with his drum for the New Born King. I don’t know about you, but that has always been one of my favorite Christmas songs.

Trouble is I can’t play any musical instrument. Years ago I did try the trombone for two weeks – but gave up. I can do the scales on the piano. I can play the “Do a deer, a female deer, Re a drop of golden sun,” song from The Sound of Music, but that's as far as I got on the piano.

As I was driving and thinking about all this during the past few days, I remembered a wonderful moment from long ago. I was with our Redemptorist novices at a 3 day Internovitiate program in an Ossining, New York retreat house. There were about 60 young men and women – who were in the process of living and figuring out if they wanted to be nuns, priests or religious brothers in the various religious orders making the program.

It was around 11:30 at night and I was sitting and praying in this big chapel – in the dark. The only light was the red candle next to the tabernacle in the distance. As far as I know I was the only person in this chapel – and I was sitting there off the side – in a back row – making a holy hour.

A door opened on the other side of the chapel and in walked someone – who came up the main aisle and then walked into the sanctuary. The person sat down on the floor in front of the tabernacle leaning into the altar. I kept absolutely quiet – not wanting to disturb him or her. Then I heard the clips of what sounded like a guitar case open. Then I heard the sound of someone grasping a guitar. Then this person began to sing a love song to Jesus – in Spanish. It was a she and she sounded like a young woman – and it was beautiful. She finished – and put the guitar back in the case – clipped it closed – and she sat there for another ten minutes – and then got up and left.

It’s one of those lifetime memories that we all have – surprise gifts – in the dark.

I remained silent the whole time. I’m glad I didn’t cough or creak a bench.

Afterwards it struck me: “How does God do all these prayers and songs – from all the people all around our world – each day, each night? How does that work? How does God work?”

I sat there – knowing I can’t sing – but I can say, “Thank You, God. Thank You, God, for everything, every day, every night, for everyone in my life – especially close friends. Amen.”

The question still remained: Ii I was to give God or the Christ – a gift today, what would I give?

While driving and thinking about this the last few days, - especially with the arrival of the New Year, – along with the thought of a new year and new year’s resolutions – which never last, I said, “Okay, this year I will try to really be present to the person I am with – or those I am with. When preaching I’ll try to really look at people. I can look right at people but not see them. I’m often somewhere else. I noticed in an article in one of the papers last month ­that the difference between Oprah and Donohue in talk show interviews was this: Oprah looks right at people and Donohue looked at people from the side. I think the article was implying that women look right at the person they are talking to – whereas men don’t. I don’t know if that’s true, but I’ve been watching myself and others this past month. I know I tend to look from the side – or don’t concentrate at all.

Listening, looking, being with another, is tough stuff. But that’s my New Year’s Resolution. So when I am eating with people I’ll try to pay attention to what people are saying – the priests I live with – and anyone I’m with. The trouble is we’ve all heard and been with those we know too often. We often know what triggers what. We know other’s stories by heart. You know our sermons and what we're off on by now.

Listening, really trying to listen, looking, really looking at the people I’m with this year, I’ll try to give that gift to the Body of Christ.

“Okay,” I said to myself, “I have a gift to give.”

Now how about you?

GIFT TO ME

Then an old Jesuit practice hit me – the idea of being quiet when praying to Jesus - and then to ask him to give us a specific gift.

I smiled at that, because that’s what we humans do. We give gifts to those we love and they give a gift in return.

“Okay, Jesus,” I said while driving, “what gift are you going to give me?”

Silence….

Then it hit me. I heard Jesus saying, “Okay, I'll give you the challenge of really listening and really looking at the people you are with this year. Go for it.”

“Cute!” I said to Jesus in reply – while driving.

Then I heard in my mind the words of the Nike ad, “Just do it!”

CONCLUSION

Having gone through all this, I felt a sense of gratitude. Nice: I had a sermon thought. Nice: I have a resolution for the New Year. Nice: Jesus was giving me undivided attention and challenging me. Thank you, Lord. Thank you.

How about you? What gift can you bring to Jesus and what gift does Jesus want to give to you?



Painting on top by Hans Memling, c. 1470, in the Prado Museum, Madrid

WAITING FOR MY STAR,

WAITING FOR EPIPHANIES.

Quote of the Day: - January 3, 2010

“I await my star.” [J’attends mon astre.]


Carlo Alberto [1798-1849], the king of Sardinia in Italy, made this the motto of his house, the House of Savoy.

MOUNTAINS CAN MOVE!

Quote of the Day: -- January 2,  2010

“A little snow, tumbled about / Anon becomes a mountain.”


Shakespeare [Baptized 1564-1616], King John, Act. III, scene 4, line 176

ONE DAY,

ONE WEEK,

ONE YEAR AT A TIME,

SWEET JESUS.

Quote for the Day:  January 1,  2010

“I am not afraid of tomorrow, for I have seen yesterday and I love today.”

William Allen White [1868-1944]