Monday, March 23, 2015


ROCK  THROWING 

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for this Monday in the 5th  Week of Lent is, “Rock Throwing.”

Sex sells. Sex opens eyes and ears. Sex triggers questions and wonderments. Sex is how we got here. Sex is in today’s First Reading and today’s gospel.

FIRST READING

In today’s first reading from the Prophet Daniel we have the story of Susanna and the two dirty old men – both of whom are Peeping Toms with lots of lust. [Daniel 13:41ff.]

They try to seduce her. They can’t pull it off. They fabricate a tale about Susanna. She goes to trial. They try to get her killed. She ends up being saved by the prophet Daniel – and the two men end up being executed.

Great story – that has lasted down to this day!

TODAY’S GOSPEL

Today’s Gospel – obviously paired with the first story for today. It has the woman saved by the Prophet Jesus and the rock throwers put down their weapons of woman destruction.[John 8:1-11]

MESSAGE FOR US

You heard both stories.  What is the message for you?

I like the message from the gospel: “Let the one among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.”

I hate the joke about a stone flying through the air – and hitting the woman and Jesus saying, “Mother.”

But paradoxically I do like the joke because it tells me that people know the story about not throwing stones and the story about Mary being without sin.

I also like the comment that those who put down their stones are the oldest at first. That tells me that sins – and then forgiveness – is understood the older we are – hopefully.

We can also add that women’s rights are improving – slowly around the world – compared to the women in both these stories. Yet still read in the papers and women being beaten and killed for sexual behavior and men get away with similar behavior.

HITTING OURSELVES

A side point.  I have learned from listening to a lot of people – that the one person who doesn’t drop their stone – is ourselves. 

Many people hit themselves their whole lives for mistakes made – especially sins of the flesh.

CONCLUSION

Drop the stones.

Stop and drop judging others.


Be understanding.
March 23, 2015
SLICES OF LIGHT



Slices of light slid long -
along the light gray board porch,
gliding through the gray wooden
slats along the sides. All the porches -
along the street seemed empty – silent ….
Right now everyone must be at supper 
or still not home…. But later on this
summer evening while walking up 
and down this street I will hear outside voices – 
up there on those porches –  up the steps – 
up the lawn – up another set of stairs - neighbors - 
folks chatting, without being seen – just voices – sitting in the dark - folks enjoying a hot summer evening and the clinking of glasses of ice tea, lemonade, water. If we all stopped to voice our moods: we'd say, "Lord, it's good to be here. 
Lord, it doesn’t get any better. 
This is Holy Communion. 
These are moments of grace.
These are slices of life – slices of light."


© Andy Costello, © Reflections 2015


“SIR,  WE  WOULD LIKE 
TO SEE  JESUS.”


INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for this Fifth Sunday in Lent [B] is, “Sir, We Would Like to See Jesus.”

TODAY’S GOSPEL

This request happens in the opening scene in today’s gospel.

The scene tells us a lot.

It tells us some Jews were Greeks or some Greeks had become Jewish.

It tells us that people had heard about Jesus and wanted to meet him.

Some Greeks had come to Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover Feast.

Once more Andrew was the go to guy.

PRESIDENT NIXON AND EHRLICHMAN AND THE VIETNAM WAR

Today’s gospel story triggered a story about something I heard on a TV talk show or read during the Vietnam War protests here in the United States. I looked this up to fact check, but couldn’t locate this incident – but I know I’m close to the facts.

President Nixon was elected president in 1968.

Two of his inner circle, John Ehrlichman and H. R. Halderman – because of their German names – and because they tried to isolate the president – became known as “The Berlin Wall.”

As the story that I remember goes, two young men from somewhere our west drove all the way to Washington D.C. to protest to the president of the United States about the War in Vietnam. They went to the White House demanding to see President Nixon in person.

They voiced their way all the way up to John Ehrlichman – who met them in person. They were extremely agitated and extremely demanding. Ehrlichman found them annoying – but they wouldn’t give up in their desire to see the president to voice their protest in person.

Nixon said to get rid of them.

Ehrlichman in the back and forth with the president finally said to the president, “Just see them and get them off our back.”

Nixon said, “Okay, bring them in.”

They were lead into the Oval Office or wherever they met and got seats right in front of the president – face to face.

They couldn’t believe they got that far and they froze. They panicked. They couldn’t say anything. They became tongue tied. If I remember the story correctly, the president had to stand up and go over to both these young men and try to coax out of them just what their complaint was.

Mission accomplished – with much fear and trembling.

I often wonder how these 2 men tell their story for the rest of their lives.

Today’s gospel doesn’t tell us what happened with the Greeks. Did these Greeks ever get to see Jesus? Were Jesus’ comments to Philip and Andrew or to the Greeks as well?

Those are the two similar stories.

FOR A HOMILY

For a homily, I’ve often thought, what I would think, what I would feel, what would I ask, if I ever got to meet Jesus face to face.

I’m sure we’ve all heard about the story from St. Teresa of Avila who asked God how come you give your friends – so much suffering. Jesus responded, “That’s the way I treat my friends.” And Teresa said back to Jesus, “Well, maybe that’s why you have so few of them.”

I think that’s one of those legendary type stories. I also think many of these so called stories along these lines are legendary stories – and private revelations – many of which are simply legends – so that’s one of my questions when I die and meet God.

About two weeks ago we were having a conversation at  breakfast and the topic was: what would be our 10 top questions to God after we die?

“Why mosquitos?” I hear that question a lot of times.

“God, was there a plan and how did I do?”

“Why Hitler? Why did you let Hitler live that time he almost drowned?” That’s a story about the kid who saved Hitler from an icy river when they were kids. Moreover, that kid later became a priest. Is that story true?” And what about the story about Hitler’s mother – Klara – wanting to abort him and a doctor talked her out of it? Is this stuff true?

Thinking about questions people have for God, got this I thought: Perhaps that would make a good homily.  Then I thought that I always said to myself: get a default homily. Just in case some time you get stuck – someone gets sick - and need to come up with a homily very fast, you can grab  your default homily.  Ask everybody what are your 3 top  questions you’re going to ask God when you die? Line them up as a default homily.

So I said start working on that. I’m sure I can let that question sit there on the edge of my brain or consciousness for the next year or so – and while driving or being at something that’s boring or what have you, jot down questions for God.

When I do die, when I do come into God’s presence, what will I really do? How does that work? Will I become totally speechless – like those 2 guys who finally got that interview with President Nixon?

BACK TO JESUS

Maybe a good question to ponder would be this scene in today’s gospel?

If I came up to Jesus – here or hereafter – what would be my 5 top questions.

Looking at those questions, would be a good self-test as well as being –very helpful.

Try it, you’ll find yourself refining answers to that question from time to time and that  can be very helpful.

So a key first step would be to jot down your first 3, 5 or 10 questions you’d ask Jesus when you see him.

A key second step could be to read the gospels and check out all the scenes in the 4 gospels when people came to Jesus with questions and see if they would be your questions.

Today’s gospel is from John and this is one of the key literary forms John uses in his gospel. Unlike Matthew, Mark, and Luke, who have many people meeting Jesus, John only has a few key characters who approach Jesus: Andrew, John the Baptist, the Greeks, the Woman at the Well, Nichodemus, the Hungry Crowd, the man sick 39 years, Martha and Mary, etc. What are their questions? Are any of their questions like your questions?

My mom and dad, are both long gone. As I grow older I hear more and more questions I want to ask them.

CONCLUSION



Dealing with all our questions we’re sitting with – can be a great meditation – especially our key questions to God and to Jesus Christ.

Sunday, March 22, 2015

March 22, 2015



HAVE YOU HAD YOUR 
SUSAN BOYLE MOMENT YET?

Have you had your Susan Boyle moment yet?

Will you have to wait till your death – when 
someone gives your eulogy and surprise
everyone finds out they never really knew 
who you were  - when you were - in our midst?

Or will it be that moment when you said 
something really funny or very clever 
or you gave us all a great insight or a song? 
Surprise! Surprise! We never really knew you.

Or was it your spouse - in the 8th year of your
marriage who said, "Woo, wow, Lucky, lucky, me?"

Have you had your Susan Boyle moment yet?


© Andy Costello, Reflections 2015

Saturday, March 21, 2015

March 21, 2015




DE COLORES

Some people only see in black and white,
while others see all the colors of the rainbow.

Me, I see with my imagination – thanks be to
being born before TV – with only the radio.

I could close my eyes and imagine The Fat Man,
Sargent Preston, The Shadow and The Green Hornet.

I was able to picture Fibber McGee and Molly,
their closet and Throckmorton P. Gildersleeve.

I’ve often wondered if those brought up before
color TV see differently than those born afterwards?

How about those who read and never heard a radio,
a TV, black or white or color, how did they see life?


© Andy Costello, Reflections, 2015

Friday, March 20, 2015

March 20, 2015



WHERE IS HOME?

In a lifetime, we’re often asked,
“Where is home?” Where is home?

Is it Thanksgiving evening after the long meal
together with family – with nothing to get
us up to start cleaning the dishes and the 
silverware and put the leftovers for tomorrow
away today? And we're just sitting there talking
and laughing and telling old stories together....

Is it in our mother’s arms as a baby or at
Mom and Dad’s grave if they’re dead?

Where is home? Where is home?

Is it evening when we’re coming home
after a long hard day of work or school?

Is it in a church – coming back after years and 
years of being away – and someone at the church says, “Welcome home!” and there we are, being  together once again at home in church.

Where is home? Where is home?

Is it 500 miles away? Is it a quiet morning and
we’re looking out a train window to see familiar
faces on a platform – who are looking for our face –
and our suitcase – coming down those 3 steps?

Or is that moment after we die – in a far country –
and God our Father says, “Quick! Bring out 
the best robe and put it on him; put a ring on her finger and sandals on his feet. Bring the calf we’ve been fattening, and kill it;we are going to have a feast, a celebration, because this son of mine was dead and has come back to life; he was lost and is found.”  And they began to celebrate.

Where is home? Where is home?


© Andy Costello, Reflections 2015

Thursday, March 19, 2015

March 19, 2015

FULL OF GRACE

Joseph thought she was most beautiful woman in the village of Nazareth. She carried her water jar and she carried herself with so much grace whenever she walked to the village well for water. 

Well, one day Joseph made the comment to his friends: “There is the most beautiful woman in the whole wide world. Look at her. She is full of grace. She could turn water into wine."

Then with a spark in his eyes and a smile on his face he said, “That is the woman whom I’ll marry."

Then he added, "Wait till you see our first son. He’ll be the best carpenter in the world wide world as well.”

And from that day forward Joseph got a new title, “Full of Exaggeration.” 

In the meanwhile, whenever the young men and the young women of Nazareth, saw them walking together, they loved to whisper, “Wait till 'Full or Exaggeration' marries 'Full of Grace.' Guarantee: things will be different around here.”



© Andy Costello, Reflections, 2015