Friday, December 4, 2015

THREE BLIND MICE



THREE BLIND MICE

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for this 1st Friday of Advent is, “Three Blind Mice.”

I want to preach on the theme of blindness.

Why?

Well, because that’s what hit me when I read today’s first reading and noticed the phrase from Isaiah 29:18:  “the eyes of the blind shall see.”  Then I read today’s gospel from Matthew 9: 27-31 about the two blind men who cried out to Jesus as he passed by, “Son of David, have pity on us.”

TWO BLIND MICE - THREE BLIND MICE

Because Matthew talks about two blind men, I began wondering about the nursery rhyme, “Two Blind Mice.”

I looked it on Google only to discover that the nursery rhyme is, “Three Blind Mice.”

Uh oh!

I did find mention of a play on Broadway from 1949 - entitled, “Two Blind Mice.”   It was about 2 women who ran a government office - the U.S. Government Office of Medicinal Herbs. It was cut by Congress - but not for these ladies - who kept it going for 4 more years - raising money from renting rooms and parking down below. They simply never answered the phone. It played from March 2, till July 16, 1949. It failed and folded - because as someone said, Samuel Spewack wrote and directed the whole thing. and was blind to any other suggestions.

Then I looked 3 Blind Mice and found that Wikipedia report very interesting.

Let me read - I can’t sing - the Nursery Rhyme, “Three Blind Mice.”

Three blind mice. Three blind mice.
See how they run. See how they run.
They all ran after the farmer's wife,
Who cut off their tails with a carving knife,
Did you ever see such a sight in your life,
As three blind mice?

Like many of these nursery rhymes, there are various theories about their meaning. Is this one a dig at some king or queen? Is this one all about life?

At times we are like mice - running around - dashing from here to there with great fear?  Are we like the farmer’s wife - who like many folks - are scared of mice - but at times we have to face our fears and cut their tails off.

Is this a parable about Queen Mary who had 3 Bishops who were protesting against the Catholic Church blinded? In reality they were burnt to death. Is this about Protestants being blind? Supposedly this Queen Mary got the name, Bloody Mary - because under her queenship 280 to 300 protesters were killed.

Such theories exist. Queen Elizabeth who followed her had some Catholics killed - but far fewer. Henry VIII had a lot more killed than Queen Mary. During his 37 year reign 57,000 to 72,000 were executed. Some think these numbers are an exaggeration.

BLINDNESS

I choose this topic because it gets at the issue of blindness.

I choose it because it gets me to the story of the 2 blind men in today’s gospel.

These 2 men have a great prayer; “Son of David, have pity on us.”

It’s important to recognize and to state that we all need to take pity on ourselves and each other - that we are blind.

Listen to people. We’re all off on how blind, how stupid, others can be. They don’t know how to park. Then don’t know how to drive. They don’t use their turn signals. They are selfish, deaf, dumb and blind.

There is help. We can change. We can grow. We can learn to see.  We can say this because we have more than our eyes. We also have our mouth and our ears here on our head. They call all be used to communicate with each other. To ask others, “What are you seeing? What’s your opinion? What’s your take on this?”  Then to listen to each other - to see other’s view points - viewing reasoning.

TWO BLIND MEN

I also noticed that Matthew when he talks about blind men, he has two scenes in his gospel about blind men calling out. Check out Matthew 9: 27 and Matthew 20:30. There is another scene when Matthew talks about 1 blind man: Matthew 12:22.

In Mark, Luke and John, it’s only 1 blind man.  And they use the pronoun I and me!

Check out Mark 8:22 and 10:46 and Luke 18:35 and John 9.

Matthew is later than Mark, so I wondered if Matthew has an agenda here about community versus individuals. We instead of me.

CONCLUSION

Let me come with a conclusion.

After admitting I, we are blind - like 3 blind mice - to pray the prayer of the 2 blind men in today’s gospel, “Son of David, have pity on us!”

To take a rosary and say that prayer on each of the 59 beads, “Son of David! Have pity on us.”

Or just the last part, “Have pity on us.”

Or the prayer of Bartimeus - “Lord, that I might see.”

Ooops change it to: “Lord, that we might see.”



December 4, 2015




WATER, WATER EVERYWHERE

Water: oceans, lakes, rivers….
Water: 71 % of the earth.
Water: there is a saltwater ecosystem 
and a freshwater ecosystem with varing amounts of salt and nutrients - fish 
and plants in these waters.
Water: glimmer, shake, waves,
but sometimes stillness - able
to hold boats afloat and fish
below. Water: we might be the
only "best bet" water planet,
so we better watch what we do 
with our waters - lest we kill
what is giving us life along with
the air, sun and soil. Human 
beings self destruct - they commit 
suicide - so we better be careful 
on how we use our water. 



© Andy Costello, Reflections on the Bay, 2015

Thursday, December 3, 2015

December 3, 2015

PRETTY  FACE

I hadn’t seen her in at least 10 years.

When I saw her I wondered, “What happened?”

Growing up she had such a pretty face - a great
smile, one dimple - no acne - just joy and radiance.

Now a scowl ran the whole scene. Her whole
face was tight and hard. I felt an, “Uh oh!”

I sort of whispered to someone, “What happened to so and so?”

After a pause and a look around the room in
the funeral parlor, I found out what might have
happened. Woo. It was anger.  It was worse
than what a razor blade or tossed acid
could do to what was once a pretty face.


© Andy Costello, Reflections, 2015

Painting on top by
Stacey Gammon Fine




Wednesday, December 2, 2015

December 2, 2015

BACKSTORY

I’ve been hearing this word, “backstory”
in the past few years - but I can’t find its
backstory - other than research found its
earliest use in 1984. There had to be
another word or words to describe what we
all want to know - the backstory instead of stabbing people in the back with our stories about what we thought really happened.



© Andy Costello, Reflections 2015


December 1, 2015

 DECEMBER

The rush month - whether we want it or not….

Sorting things out after Thanksgiving…..

Christmas cards start arriving daily ….

At least a dozen, “Oh no’s!”

Invitations… invitations … invitations….

Traffic, traffic, traffic, traffic, back up’s….

Party …. Party …. Party …. Party ….

Shopping …. Shopping …. Shopping ….

Gifts - searching for the perfect gift for ….

Church services … some nice songs ….

The Salvation Army bell and cash ….

Snow - not yet this year - now that would slow us down ….

Slowly Mary and Joseph arrive by donkey ….

And Christ appears in our world …. ready or not.

And the Mass in the word Christmas - becomes “Oh! Now I get it."





WHAT'S WITH YOUR NAME?

Painting of St. Andrew 
the Apostle,
by Artus Wolffort, 
1581-1641



The title of my homily for this feast of St. Andrew the Apostle is, "What's With Your Name?"


At the beginning of the baptismal ceremony for a baby,  the priest or deacon asks the parents, "What name do you give your child?"


I always like to ask, "Is there a special reason for this name?" "Is there a grandparent with that name or what have you?"  


In other words, "Why this name?" Basically I'm asking, "What's With Your Name?" Hence: the title of this homily.


Sometimes parents just like the sound of the name - like yesterday - I baptized a little baby girl: "Serena."  It was Serena Cassandra. Serena as in serene. Nice.


I once read: when picking the name of a child, go out on the back porch and scream, "Serena ... or Charlie ... get in here."  If it sounds right, go for it.


TODAY - NOVEMBER 30th


Today, November 30th, is the feast of St. Andrew the Apostle. Every year on this day folks say to me, "Happy Feast Day."


I used to say, "I wasn't named after St. Andrew the Apostle, but St. Andrew Avellino - because I was born on his feast day." I just say, "Thank you." 


Lucky for me, I like the name Andrew. I'm glad I didn't get Avellino for a middle name. 



Yet I like St. Andrew Avellino. And I didn't like that he was dumped from the church calendar and replaced by St. Leo - the Great - a pope. So I prefer St. Andrew Avellino over Pope Leo - even though Leo got the added title - "The great."

St. Andrew Avellino was an Italian priest and preacher and writer. His dates were 1521  to 1608. He's the Patron Saint of Naples and Sicily. Our founder of the Redemptorists - St. Alphonsus Liguori was a big Neapolitan Saint. Moreover, Alphonsus like St. Andrew Avellino - was both a canon and civil lawyer. St. Alphonsus started the Redemptorists in 1732 - and in 1731 - the letters of St. Andrew Avellino were published in Naples. If you read St. Alphonsus, you'll notice that he liked  to quote Andrew Avellino. 


ANDREW JACKSON




Next at my baptism my dad added to that Andrew, the name, "Jackson" - the 7th president of the United States - and the guy on the 20 dollar bill. 

Andrew triggered Jackson....


He told me there was a story that was heard from the pulpits in Ireland while growing up - that the 7th president of the United States - would have been Catholic - if there were more priests from Ireland who would have gone to Southern United States. Not enough went, so many Irish Catholics lost their Catholic faith as a result. I've thought at times, "Maybe I should have asked to work in the south. I had asked to go to Brazil - but didn't get that. Would have I been stationed in our Richmond vice province if I had asked to go there?"


BACK TO ST. ANDREW THE APOSTLE


Now, even though I like St. Andrew Avellino, I do like the apostle Andrew. 


But the gospel story I like is from the Gospel of John - not the one I just read from the Gospel of Matthew. 


In Matthew he's with his brother Peter and Jesus walks along the edge of the Lake of Galilee and calls these 2 brothers to come with Jesus to fish for people.  In the Gospel of John, he's the one who meets Jesus first and asks Jesus some questions - hangs with Jesus for a while - and the next day says to his brother Peter, "We have found the messiah. Let me bring you to meet him."


I like to see Andrew as the patron saint of bringing people to Jesus.


I want to do that with my life.


I like to hear in people's conversion story about how someone at work or some stranger - got some person - to come to Jesus. 


That would be enough.


CONCLUSION


Today on the Feast of St. Andrew the Apostle I'm asking you, "What's with your name? Why did those who named you, choose your name?"


I'd also challenge all of us to bring people to Jesus like St. Andrew the Apostle did. Amen.





Monday, November 30, 2015

November 30, 2015


TODAY’S PRESENT MOMENTS

God, sometimes I can’t help it.
I get pulled back to yesterday or
I get pushed ahead into tomorrow.

I’m watching re-runs and re-plays
of comments made yesterday or
I’m into next weeks if only’s.

God of the Present Moment - help me
to see how this t-bag just changed this
cup of hot water into tea today - right now.
 

© Andy Costello, Reflections, 2015