LISTENING WITH 

A GRAIN OF SALT

Quote for Today - July 20,  2013

"You have heard of Murphy's Law. I follow Morton's Law - taking everything with a grain of salt."

Anonymous

THE PASSOVER

 

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for this 15^th Friday in Ordinary Time is, “The Passover.”

Today’s first reading from the Book of Exodus talks about the Feast of the Passover. [Cf. Exodus  11: 10 to 12:14]

The thought of my homily is twofold:

First: if we don’t understand the Jewish Passover, we will not grasp the fullness of our Mass - and Jesus’ Passover.

Secondly: the Feast of the Jewish Passover is multi-layered and rather complicated and complex - therefore it makes understanding the feast of the Jewish Passover - as well as the Mass difficult.

MANY LAYERED

Let me begin with the idea of many layered.

 Last night I was at a small dinner party that honored Sister Elise from our St. Mary’s High School. She’s leaving at the end of this month.  It will mark the end of the School Sisters of Notre Dame being here at St. Mary’s since August 23, 1867. 

For dessert we had brownies. I picked up that  Sister Elise loves  this dessert. It had a big scoop of home made vanilla ice cream on top of the brownie - and then on top of that chocolate syrup. Being a diabetic I only had a cup of tea. Bummer.

Notice: this brownie Sundae had 3 layers.

Well, the feast of the Passover is multi-layered. It might be the running together of two or three feasts. It certainly celebrates for starters the escape and the saving of the Hebrews out of Egypt.

Well, to prepare for this homily I read different articles in Biblical Dictionaries and Biblical Commentaries on the title: Passover.

As I did that I could see how multi-layered the feast is. Scholars say in time it might have combined with agricultural feasts - that of new corn and new sheep or goats for example.  

As to the brownies covered with ice cream and then chocolate syrup, I don’t know the history of that dessert. I also don’t know if Sister Elise asked for it - if there is a story behind it - or if it is a favorite of the lady named Mary who served it. Where did she learn how to make it and what have you? I would rather have sat there and enjoyed all its layers. As a diabetic I was being refused communion with the “Yum Yum” sounds of delight around the table. I had to pass over the sugary delight.

Life can get complicated, eh?

THE MASS

So too our Mass. It too has a 2000 year history. It too celebrates many, many things.

It’s the feast of the Unleavened Bread.

We can hear in the Mass the words of the death of the First Born Son.

We can see in the Mass Jesus’ blood being sprinkled on the doorposts of our lives - so that evil and problems will fly over our homes.

The Mass connects us with Holy Thursday - and the Passover Supper that night.

It connects us with night - notice the mention of night in today’s first reading.  The Passover takes place in the darkest night.

It connects us with Jesus’ blood on Good Friday afternoon - being shed on the cross - and it becomes dark outside - as dark as night.

It connects us with the rush of life. We shoot into Mass - and shoot out again. I think we should be happy with folks here - and not complain about those who have to run. Today’s first reading has the message - eat with sandals on - and ready to run

Today’s gospel brings in the message to eat when we are hungry - and we can add the message, “May we always be hungry for the bread of life when we come into this holy temple.” [Cf. Matthew 12:1-8]

We can connect the Passover with the message at each Mass: “Behold the Lamb of God, behold him who takes away the sins of the world. Blessed  are those  called to the Supper of the Lamb.”

CONCLUSION

There is much more. This is multi-layered so we need more than one Mass to catch some of this. Amen.

O---O---O---O---O

Painting on Bottom: Bound Lamb or Agnus Dei, 1608 by Francisco de Zurbaran

NEIGHBOR

Quote - July 19, 2013

"Before going to the moon, how about visiting your neighbor next door."

Anonymous

CONVICTED

As I shook his hand I knew

he wouldn’t shake his conviction.

He wouldn’t change his mind.

He was he and I was I -

and I wasn’t going to

change my mind.

I knew that. He knew that.

I knew he wouldn’t come back

to another meeting like this.

And as he walked away

I thought of other people

who have passed out

of my life like this.

Is it the way I say things?

Is it my convictions and

my inability to change?

He made me feel

like a kid selling lemonade

on the street - and it was

a cold day - anyway - and

everyone was walking by.

Being a priest can be tough stuff.

Better: being a person can be rough.

Best – being a Christian means

rejection - walking away - and the cross.

Wait a minute! Think for a moment.

Didn’t you know that? And besides

that, maybe he’s right and I’m wrong.

Hey, you never know.

© Andy Costello, Reflections, 2013

SIGN IN PLEASE

Just after I walked in,

I put a check next

to my name indicating,

“I am present.”

Then they began

the meeting

with a roll call.

I said, “Present.”

So I was surprised

when a piece of paper

was passed around

during the meeting

to sign one’s name

if one was present.

I signed – this making

it the third time I said

“I am present.”

But it had become

a blatant lie.
I was absent

from that meeting

from beginning to end.

And from where I was sitting,

so too were most of the

people in the room.

Has this ever happened to you?

“Ooops. That hurt when you said,

‘By the way, I've been 
at a meeting that you ran.'" 

© Andy Costello, Reflections, 2013

LEAF

I was seven - just seven - just realizing -

what it means to be alive - getting

glimpses - unconscious glimpses -

that toy guns run out of caps or water -

and have to be refilled. I was just starting

to notice caterpillars and mosquitoes -

and outside my window so many

green leaves were waving to me in the wind.

All this happened in October.

Well, one day looking out my window -

I felt delight in noticing that all those

green leaves had slowly become gold,

orange, tan, red, yellow flags. While

watching all this I saw a leaf falling -

slowly spinning  down to the ground.

Wow! I ran outside to find it. Impossible.

Yet I found it. I picked it up

and brought it into our house.

I put it on the brown bureau in the

back bedroom my brother and I shared.

The next day, I could see

it was dead, really dead, dried, crisp -

just like very thin toast. Was outside

for a while and when I came in I noticed

my mother threw it out - without asking.

I guess falling, dying, drying up and

being dumped without my permission

is something I have had to learn

over and over again.

© Andy Costello, Reflections, 2013

   

THE BRIDGE

The bridge between us

across this silent room

is only 10 steps.

Yet, it seems,

we’re not willing

to pay the toll

to cross the bridge

to meet and be

sweet to each other

on the other side.

© Andy Costello, Reflections, 2013