April 18, 2015

THOUGHT POLICE

There’s the food police - watching,

commenting on what people are eating.

There’s the clothing police - watching,

checking out what people are wearing.

There’s the thought police - watching,

listening to what people are saying,

writing, preaching - ready with rocks

in hand, Letters to Editors in mind

or to authorities, heresy hunters,

wanting to nail to the nearest cross

those who think differently.

Uh oh! I better be careful. I better

not offend the thought police.

© Andy Costello Reflections, 2015

April 17, 2015

LUCKY MOVE    

She wanted to tell me

her life story - so I dropped

in to see her. I listened.

I heard her. I saw her

smile as she spoke. A week

later she died. Was that

the same smile I was looking

at as I was looking at

her face in the casket?

© Andy Costello, Reflections 2015

April 16, 2015

BIRDS

                                                            E

                                                  A    K

                                            T  

                                                                          A        

                                                                         L  O  

                                                                                  O 

                                 E                                                    K

                  A       H   

                     T  T

                      

                                        B           S

                                           I     D

                                              R

                                                                          R

                                                  O                  I

                                                        F          A

                                                             T   E

                                                                H

© Andy Costello, Reflections, 2015

April 15, 2015

SKULL

Bone beneath the skin,

skull beneath the scalp,

death you are always

stalking, walking with me.

Is there anything I can do

to outwit and outlast you?

© Andy Costello, Reflections 2015

SHOUT  OUTS

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for this 2^nd Tuesday after Easter  is, “Shout Outs”.

Sometimes in a homily - I give a so called, “Shout Out” and sometimes someone in the back of church says after Mass, “Thanks for the shout out.”

At first I didn’t know what a “shout out” was.

Now I do.

HOMILIES

In a homily, I might nonchalantly say, “It’s wonderful to meet people who volunteer for the ESL program – the English as a Second Language Program - here at St. Mary’s.” Or I might say, “I’m amazed at all the people here at St. Mary’s who volunteer to serve in the St. Vincent de Paul Society. I open the door to go down to the office to check for a Baptism on a Monday evening or a Wednesday afternoon and the corridor is filled with folks needing assistance. They  come here for help and our people are helping them.”  Then someone says after Mass, “Thanks for the shout out.”

I know it helps a parish or any organization to publicly thank the ushers or collection counters or coffee and donut volunteers – or to have on the walls of a business or school or hospital – “Employee of the Month.” – “Teacher of the Week” – “Nurse of the Month”.

Did you notice how neat the floors and the flowers here at St. Mary’s are this Easter?

TODAY’S READINGS

Today’s first reading from the Acts of the Apostles is a shout out for all  these folks in the early church who shared their time, their resources and their capital for the needy.

At the last part of today’s first reading there is a wonderful story – which is a shout out for a man named Joseph – who sold a piece of property that he owned – and brought the money and put it at the feet of the Apostles.

Down through the centuries - I’m sure this reading from the Acts of the Apostles – Chapter 4 – verses 32 to 37 – especially this story about this guy named Joseph –– has urged folks to give to the poor and the needy.

Then the gospel gives a shout out for a man named Nicodemus who comes to Jesus in the night looking for answers. I assume it’s a shout out for all those with faith questions to come forward – even if they have to do it on the sneak – or in the dark.

Today’s gospel is also a shout out  - a warning about what can hurt us – the snakes around us that can bite us. John quotes Jesus telling everyone to see their demons, their snakes, their problems, their addictions – hang them on a tree – scotch tape them to a wall - keep them on a refrigerator door in their mind - and keep one’s eye on them.

Did you notice on TV – these ads – with their powerful anti-smoking ads?

SHOUT OUTS

Shout outs work – even though there could be hesitation to use them.

To build a church or a hall, money is received and plaques announcing pledges and donations go up on walls. They are shout outs. So too stained glass windows named for people or families. Anyone involved in fund raising knows this. It keeps the money coming in – but we know Jesus also said, “Don’t wave your pledges like a flag with your name on it in public. Some do that. They have had their reward.”  Yet we also know they encourage others to do the same. Life can be complicated and a paradox.

CONCLUSION

The title of my homily is, “Shout out’s.”  Maybe the best comment – and attitude would be: “Make one’s good works get other people to also work to help the hungry and house the homeless – and forget about oneself.”

April 14,  2015

APPROACHING CERTAIN PEOPLE

Approaching another, getting closer.

I’m almost there - near - at the edge of you.

Yet I’m still not sure  - if what I say -

will be taken wrong - so to be honest,

to be VERY  honest, I’m wondering -

just how - exactly how you are going to react,

so I back, back, back away from you. Sorry.

Approaching another - almost there-

Yet you seem scary at times. Yet I know

you’re neither an alligator nor a Rottweiler.

Approaching another …. Yet  - yet -

yes another yet and then another yet.  

I’m still not sure whether you want me 

to approach or avoid you or what?

Approaching another…. You seem different.

I’ll say to myself, “I’ll wait for another day,

but  this has been going on for years.”

So I approach you - like I approach

a rose bush - watching out for the  thorns -

wearing work gloves - being cautious.

Approaching another…. I stop suddenly

and approach another at the coffee break

and then I head back to my desk -

okay,  sometimes I stop to ask

about a balloon tied to a chair -

what’s that all about and then again

sometimes I don’t - lest it take time so

I tend to  back off or back down - almost….

It seems I need more work on my approach.

© Andy Costello, Reflections, 2014

I’M  ALL SHOOK UP

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for this 2^nd Monday after Easter is, “I’m All Shook Up.”

GETTING THE BIBLE

I'd like to say a few words about understanding the Bible a bit more.  One of the steps in getting and grasping the Bible is when it shakes us up.

There might be a fresh insight in a section of the Bible that gets us to  scratch our head and say, “I don’t get it.”

It’s when the words we hear and the words we read seem confusing.

We find out that donkeys and snakes don’t talk – and the sun doesn’t stop moving – and we say, “Uh oh.” It’s then we say, “Well, if this ain’t true, then how do I know what’s true.”

TODAY’S READINGS

In today’s readings we hear about people all shook up.

In fact at the end of today’s first reading from the Acts of the Apostles – it says the place where they were, shook. Was that an actual earthquake or was that poetry or metaphor?

That’s what the Holy Spirit does. The word for Spirit in Hebrew is RUAH – meaning breath, air, wind.

The word of God should challenge us. Often it begins with confusion – and then when we get the word – when the wind intervenes – we shake in our being – then comes the challenge – and then the call – to be bold with the Word of God.

And then comes upset from others.

That’s what we’re hearing in these Post Easter texts.

In today’s gospel we hear about Nichodemus – who comes to Jesus in the night – because he’s scared – and he’s confused.

THE GOSPEL OF JOHN

Many of the gospels after Easter are from the gospel of John – we have throughout the year – Matthew, Mark and Luke – and then comes the Evangelist of the different color: John.

His characters often have to get shook up – to begin to get Jesus.

Birth is birth – not rebirth. Water is water – not living water. Wind is wind – not the Holy Spirit.  Blindness is with our physical eyes – not spiritual blindness. Lame has to do with our feet and legs – not lame in the spirit. Light is light – not spiritual enlightenment. Bread is bread – not the living bread – Jesus. Wine – is his blood – big jarfulls of the blood of Jesus.

CONCLUSION

To begin to get Jesus – we have to get confused – shook up – first. Then we can move from the literal, the visible, to the imaginative, the spiritual, the invisible.

Perhaps that’s why Nicodemus is the model for people who pray in the night – who come to Jesus in the dark – who experience Jesus – the Light of the World.