March 6, 2015

THERE  ARE  NO  ATHEISTS 

Everyone has a religion,

something or someone

they want to wrap their life,

their nights and days around.

Everyone has a God

that they worship and adore:

the dollar, the bottle,

the one they gladly give their Sundays

and often the rest of the week to.

Everyone has their meanings,

their reasons for living,
their songs and their movies,

their texts, their scriptures,

chapter and verse.

Everyone has their pope,

their authority, their rock,

their traditions - they might 
not know it, but they have them.

Everyone has a love,

themselves, herself, himself,

someone or something.

Everyone has gifts, wealth,

no matter who they are,

or where they are.

Everyone has a spin around.
What's your name for your God?
Enjoy your Merry-Go-Round -
even if it's broken or your fix it.

© Andy Costello, Reflections

March 5, 2014

BLANK  CANVAS

The painter starts with still life:

apples, bananas, peaches,

pears, plums. Then they move

onto flowers, mountains, oceans,

lakes, and then finally, you and me.

We’re into Genesis – beginnings.

Take your time – soon there will be

trouble in paradise and soon you’ll

hear for sure – what paradise is.

Amen

© Andy Costello, Reflections.

March 4, 2015

OPEN UP, O LORD

Break through

the boundaries

of draught,

locked skies,

missing cloud sky,

inactive space.

Pour down upon us, O Lord,

rain, rain,

water, water,

so we can live,

so we can grow,

so we can know you,

Lord, above and below

And deep in

the living waters.

© Andy Costello, Reflections, 2015

SOMETIMES, IT ALL DEPENDS

ON HOW WE SAY  IT! 

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for this Tuesday in the Second Week in Lent is, “Sometimes, It All Depends on How We Say It!”

Many times when I read the scriptures, I find myself wincing.

For example, in today’s first reading from Isaiah 1:20, Isaiah has God saying, “But if you refuse and resist, the sword shall consume you….”

To me – evidently not to Isaiah – and others - God is going destroy, earthquake, zap people. I had the same experience when reading the Koran – there God is going to burn, burn, burn.

I wish the author would say his words – with blue cheese or soft melted butter – instead of with peppers and hot sauce – swords and stones.

I try to keep in mind the old saying, “A spoonful of honey will catch more flies than a barrel of vinegar.

OLD JOKE

When I hear some people communicating with those around them, at times I hope they would get the message from the old story about the two brothers and the cat.

Once upon time there were two bachelor brothers. One brother lived with mom who was  bedridden and he did everything for her. The other brother was a salesman. At least once a month – he’d be on the road – so he would bring his cat over to the house of his brother – the one who lived with mom in her old age –and this other brother would take care of the cat. – while his brother was away.

Every night – whenever he was away – he’d call his brother and ask how the cat and how mom were doing.

So on the first night of his trip from Maryland to Los Angeles he calls and says to his brother,  “How’s my cat doing?”

The brother in  Maryland says, “The cat died.”

Big pause.

Then the brother in Los Angeles says, “You don’t say  it like that.”

“Oh!  How should I say it?”

The brother in Los Angeles said, “Well, the first night and the first call you say, ‘The cat went up on the roof.’”

Pause.

Then the brother in Los Angeles continues, “Then the next night I call you, you say that the cat fell.” Then the next night I call you say, “The cat is not doing that well. Then the next night I call you say, ‘The cat is struggling.’  Then the next night when I call you calmly say, ‘The cat has passed away. Sorry!’”

“Oh,” says the brother in Maryland.”

Then the brother in Los Angeles says, “By the way, how’s mom?”

The brother in Maryland pauses a bit and then says, “Mom’s up on the roof.”

CONCLUSION

There’s different ways of saying what we want to say.

Wouldn’t it be great if we spoke with better respect and kindness to each other?

We’ve all noticed folks who are grouchers or complainers or downright abrasive when it come to how they talk to waiters or waitresses,

Wouldn’t it be nice if a husband and wife were having a conversation on the way to church – and one says to the other, “I was wondering about our kids. Maybe when they come next month – we don’t nag them about going to Church or what have you. Maybe we buy great bagels and make them a super breakfast and say nothing about going to church.  Maybe they pick up the beauty of the Mass from us. Amen

March 3, 2015

OLD FLYING PAN

In a wonderful eulogy by her son,

Grandma, when she died, was

described as an old frying pan.

She was solid – black iron solid.

She sizzled and sang or hummed

in her kitchen like bacon cooking.

Her perfume was the scent of eggs

and fried sliced potatoes. Grandma

was as essential as a kitchen is to

a home, as essential as a 75 year old

frying pan. That was our grandma.

© Andy Costello, Reflections

HOW  DO  YOU  MEASURE? 

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for Monday in the Second Week of Lent is, “How Do You Measure?”

One of life’s most basic realities is measuring.

We spend much of our life measuring life – measuring things, experiences, as well as one another.

OUR QUESTIONS

If we did an autopsy on a brain, we would see 1 thousand questions for starters – and then thousands more. We’re asking questions all the time – many of which are an appeal to what’s good and how do we measure that?

·       What’s a good day?

·       Who’s a good person?

·       What’s a good meal?

·       What makes us happy?

·       How much should we forgive?

·       What’s a great movie?

·       What’s a great song?

·       What’s a great work of art?

·       What’s a good sermon?

·       What’s a good book?

·       What’s the best use of my time?

·       How much should I spend on a car?

·       Who’s a good doctor around here?

·       What makes a great parish?

·       What’s a good school?

·       What makes a good marriage?

·       What’s stupid?

·       Who determines ugly?

·       What’s a generous tip?

·       What determines a mortal sin – that is some              behavior or thinking that can destroy us?

And on and on and on.

TODAYS READINGS

Today’s two readings, especially today’s gospel, triggered my homily question for today: “How Do You Measure?”

I prefer today’s gospel – when it comes to measuring – how to behave, how to give, how to judge.

We think Pope Francis as someone who is user friendly. We see him as a pope who is a breath of fresh air for our church. Then we consider the pastor of our parish when we were in high school, whose name was Father Awful Stricter. Compared to Pope Francis, Father Awful was someone to avoid at all costs.

We compare both to each other and then both to Jesus in today’s gospel.

I don’t think anyone would be scared to go to Jesus for confession – or to Pope Francis.

If the Jesus in today’s gospel is the real Jesus – so too if the Jesus we meet in Luke 15 is the real Jesus,  I assume Pope Francis is like Jesus and hopefully that’s the same story for all of us.

I like Jesus’ way of measuring – that we find in today’s gospel.

Jesus must have seen some merchant in the market place. The guy was not stingy.  If you bought 5 pounds of wheat – you actually got at least 10 pounds – because he kept on pouring more and more into your sack – and pushing more and more into your request.

I wonder if he learned that’s the way to sell your stuff – and get many a satisfied customer.

As we heard in today’s gospel, in giving we receive. Give a lot and you get a lot of customers.

CONCLSUSION: TWO JOKES

I think of two jokes when I heard today’s gospel about measuring.

Both jokes are about one armed men.

Did you hear about the one armed fishermen who said he caught a fish this big? He put out one arm obviously.

Did you hear about the one armed golfer who missed a putt by this much. He put out one are to show how far he came to getting the ball into the cup.

I hear Jesus putting out one arm and saying this is how much I forgive you and love you understand you.

How do you measure a good group of people at Mass?  It’s one filled with people who laugh at my jokes.

March 2, 2015

NOT BEING

LISTENED TO

Listen to yourself the next time someone doesn’t listen to you – when you inwardly complaining because you weren’t being heard. .

Everyone has had that experience!

We’re talking here about yawns.

We’re talking here about the other looking at their watch or the clock  on the wall or at the door or over our shoulder – while we’re talking.

We’re talking here about being cut off by another.  

We’re talking here of unreturned phone calls.

And when it happens with the same person too many times, in deja vu situations, frustration roams the corridors of our mind.

We wonder if we should just tell another whom we’re connected with what we’re feeling, what we wondering. Maybe we should just say, “Well, I guess that’s it.  I guess this is how relationships end.”

And maybe the other really wants to say: “Disappear. You’re really not that interesting to me anymore. I’m bored with you.”

If that’s the case, the nothing is less painful than the something.

To listen to another is difficult.

To listen to another is to believe that another has something to say that is worth hearing.

To listen to another is to empty ourselves.

Speaking to another is taking a chance.

Speaking and listening are essential for communion.

To communicate is to take and eat, to digest another, their thoughts and feelings, to be invited by them into their upper room.

To communicate is to believe another matters.

It’s a willingness to walk with them, to talk with them, in the cool of the evening in the garden of their delights or to pray with them in their agony in the garden,  to help them take the cup and stay awake with them in their darkest hours.

Until we begin to do this, how can we pray, how can we receive communion how can we know what’s the matter or what matters.

When we do this, we have begun to pray, we have begun to listen,

we have begun to matter to each other.

Hello. How are you? Is anything the matter?

I suppose those are the first questions to ask another who doesn’t seem to be listening.

© Andy Costello, Reflections