THERE  IS  UGLY

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for this Second Monday in Advent is, “There is ugly.”

FIRST THE UGLY DUCKING FAIRY TALE

Hans Christian Andersen [1805-1875] wrote fairy tales - over there in Denmark. The one tale many people remember is the story of the Ugly Duckling - which he dreamed up in 1842. Later on in life he said it was the story of his life.

I spotted this in Wikepedia, “In reviewing Hans Christian Andersen: A New Life by biographer Jens Andersen, British journalist Anne Chisholm writes ‘Andersen himself was a tall, ugly boy with a big nose and big feet, and when he grew up with a beautiful singing voice and a passion for the theater he was cruelly teased and mocked by other children’. The ugly duckling is the child of a swan whose egg accidentally rolled into a duck's nest.”

The little duckking is born and all the other animals in the barn yard called it “Ugly” - so it stayed alone - and tried to stay clear from the bullying in the barnyard.

It escaped and had to deal with winter and aloneness. One day she saw a flock of swans - but she was too small, too young, to fly away with them.

A farmer took the ugly duckling in - but the kids were too noisy and too  rough so the Ugly duckling wandered away again - till she saw a flock of swans.

By now the Ugly Duckling had grown and matured and she’s in a pond and she sees herself in her reflection. She is beautiful.  With that she joins the community of swans.

TODAYS READINGS

In today’s readings we have this story in another translation.

In the first reading it’s the earth - which was a desert - which is ugly. That is till it bloomed - till it flowered - till it blossomed. 

In the first reading it’s the desert that is ugly, till its dry river beds start to flow. Pools are filled with water. The dangerous jackals, and lions disappear. Joy and gladness are heard - sorrow and morning flee.  

In the first reading it’s Israel that is ugly - that is till the blind see, the deaf hear, the lame leap like a stag, the mute sing.

In the gospel we hear the story of the Ugly Duckling in the story of the paralyzed man. His friends carry him to Jesus. They run into a wall of people around the house Jesus is in. So they go up on a roof - remove the tiles - and lower him down by a stretcher right into the middle of the room. There he is on the floor looking up at Jesus.

Despite some bullies who are after Jesus, Jesus heals this paralyzed man and forgives him his sins - and the man goes home celebrating - his new found legs and freedom.

In the meanwhile bullies still exist.

APPLICATION

Today’s readings can become us.

The Ugly duckling story can become us.

Our world can change. Our surroundings can change.

The Bad and the Ugly can become the Good.

When I was on the Lower East Side as a young priest, I used to walk by an ugly lot. An apartment used to be there - but it fell in and was removed. Next came garbage, toilet bowls, shopping carts, mattresses and tons of junk. The only thing growing there were weeds.

Well, a group of people decided to clean it up. They got permits and permissions. Then they brought in trucks and they removed the junk. They planted grass and trees and flowers. They put in some benches. They put in a neat garden. It was no longer an ugly eye sore.

Well the obvious message is we can do this with our homes, our lives, our neighborhood, our world.

CONCLUSION

The title of my homily was, “There Is Ugly.”

I was going to add, “There Is Beautiful Too.”

Then when I was reading about Hans Christian Andersen, I found out that he was going to title his story, “The Young Swans” - but no, he called it, “The Ugly Duckling” - for surprise and for suspense.

December 7, 2015

COLD  FEET

Yes, they are cold - and the blankets

weren’t working - so I couldn’t sleep

till somehow I warmed these feet. So I

got out of bed, called you up, and said,
“I’m sorry!” Got back to bed. It worked.

What I was scared to do for 3 months

and 3 days, I did and warmed up my

feet in the walking to the phone and

hearing you say, “Thank you!” And  I

woke up this morning with the peace
I hadn’t felt in 3 months and 3 days.

© Andy Costello, Reflections, 2015

THIS IS MY PRAYER

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for this Second Sunday in Advent - Year C - is, “This Is My Prayer.”

I saw that comment in today’s second reading. Paul says the following in a Letter to the Christian Community in Philippi - which is part of Greece,

“And this is my prayer:
that your love may increase ever more and more 
in knowledge and every kind of perception, 
to discern what is of value, 
so that you may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, 
filled with the fruit of righteousness 
that comes through Jesus Christ 
for the glory and praise of God.”

Those words, “And this is my prayer….” triggered for me a series of questions:

·       “Do I have a prayer? A deep inner ongoing prayer?”

·       “If I do, what is it?”

·       “Are their various inner deep prayers that I have?”

·       “If I have an inner prayer, have I changed it through the years?”

·       “What are other people’s prayers, if they have an inner ongoing prayer?”

SAINT PAUL’S PRAYER

Let’s take a closer look at St. Paul’s prayer.

I would rewrite it. Greek New Testament sentences tend to be long and have few periods.

Paul prays that those he is writing to have an increase of more and more love in their lives. Good. Don’t we all want more and more love in our lives. That’s a good prayer.

But Paul refines what kind of love he’s talking about:  in how they know life and how they perceive what’s going on around them in their lives.

Next he prays that those he is writing to discern - figure out - understand -  grasp - what is of value - that is, that they are pure and blameless and do what is right till they meet Jesus Christ. And lastly that they do everything for the glory and praise of God. Those of you who went to Jesuit schools know that’s the Jesuit motto: AMDG - “Ad maiorem Dei gloriam” - “For the greater Glory of God.”  Isn’t that what athletes are doing when they make a great catch or hit or basket. [Gesture: the point towards the heavens.]

So Paul is giving us a handful - a mindful - of basic prayers there….

Love - knowing and seeing what’s right and of value - and doing all for the glory and praise of God. Good prayer. Good prayers.

MY PRAYER

I’m going to end my homily this morning by asking all of us: do I have a basic prayer - and if I do, what is it?

I did my homework on this yesterday. I ask you to do your homework on all this today and this week.  Right now my prayer would be for peace in the world. Enough with the shootings. Enough with the wars.  Enough with the bloodshed. Enough with the craziness.

The other day when the San Bernadino killing stuff was coming in and as I was watching the news,  I was hoping [Hoping was the word I was using. Is hoping a prayer?] I was hoping that the killers were not Moslems. They mentioned there were three.  Then I  sensed that some TV commentators were hoping they were Moslems or Isis. I’m not sure of this - but I sensed they were saying that. I said this out loud to a couple of folks and they were hoping the same thing: that they were not Moslems.

Obviously, this is horrible stuff - and we wouldn’t want anyone to be doing this.

What would it be like to be living in Syria or Northern Iraq? I’m sure the majority of folks there - Christians and Moslems - are hoping and praying for peace - security - and an end to violence. What happened here in one day is happening every day in some places in our world.

So is that my answer to my first question which is: Do I have an ongoing deep inner prayer?

As I thought about all this - and these are just first draft thoughts and questions, I realized that I don’t think that’s my inner ongoing prayer. But the other day and recently that was my current inner prayer.

I sense that my ongoing prayer is different.

DROP OUTS AND THOSE WHO HAVE LOST THEIR FAITH

I’m hearing and reading and noticing that it looks like our Church numbers are down.

I have  also been hearing lately that we have to reach those who have dropped out as well as the unchurched - and we need to come up with programs to do just that.

I heard of one parish in Pennsylvania who were asking for volunteers to stuff letters - letters of invitation - to folks who are not going to church to come back home this Christmas - no questions asked.

I would like to know how many people who have dropped out - got that thought to come back home to Church when Pope Francis was on TV - 24/7 - visiting the United States September 22 to   27, 2015.

That hope triggers for me a sense of what my inner prayer is. It’s for people to have faith - faith in God - that the Lord be with them.

Pope Francis keeps using the word “mercy” - which means “kindness” and “understanding”, “forgiveness”. It means “welcome home” - as in the Prodigal Son story.

I have gone crazy inwardly when priests make digs - sandpaper quips -stupid comments to folks in church on Ash Wednesday - Easter - and Christmas - to once or twice a year Catholics. I want to scream out, “Welcome!”

I began to notice at weddings and funerals that folks would say afterwards: “Now that wasn’t too bad.” Better folks in the back of church after weddings and funerals would say, “I might be coming back to church Father.”

So I have found myself praying for folks at weddings and funerals that God makes sense to them - that faith and hope and trust in God - as part of their life - is triggered.

So this Christmas give your seat to those who look lost - who are looking for room in this Inn.

FRANCE PAGAN

I’ve been saying and reading and hearing how we have been moving into a period called “post-Christianity” - for many Catholics and Christians.

That means they are not seeing life with the Christian  and Catholic value system that they were given.

As I was working on this homily yesterday, I remember first hearing this about France - when I was in the major seminary in the 1960’s. I was hearing the phrase “France Pagan” - that less than 10 % of the people of France were going to church.

I heard mention of a book entitled, France Pagan - which I saw but never read. I looked it up in preparing this homily. It was entitled, France Pagan: The Mission of Abbe Henri Grodin. In the late 1930’s and early 1940’s he was in on Worker - Priest movement. Pope John 23 of all people suppressed this movement. Pope Paul VI started it again. Then it was stopped again.

Abbe Henri Grodin used the phrase “the deChristianization of Europe”.

The message he screamed was to reach out to the French working class. What better way than to get out of the rectory and get into the working places.

I remember my first day in my first assignment as a priest. I put down my suitcase to shake hands with my first pastor and he said within one minute pointing to the floor of the rectory: “Andy, this is not the parish. It’s out there in the streets and homes of this neighborhood.”  I became a priest to go to Brazil - but here I was on the Lower East Side of Manhattan - right in East Village - and along with Haight Asbury in San Francisco - it was the center of the whole thing called, “The Hippie Revolution.”

It was right after Vatican II and that meant nothing to all kinds of folks I bumped into all through those few streets called, “Most Holy Redeemer Parish.”

I noticed as I read about this stuff yesterday mention of another book, Not Cassocks  But Coveralls. It had the same message: be out there with the people.

Last month we had a province meeting - a convocation - and one of the speakers was Bishop Joe Tobin - who was our former Rector Major in Rome. He’s now Archbishop of Indianapolis. Talking about coveralls, he told the story about when he was pastor in our church - Most Holy Redeemer in Detroit - that he was in his coveralls working on a toilet of a poor lady in the parish. Joe can fix anything. Well, he gets it fixed - walks back to the rectory and they tell him, Mother Teresa is down the street in her nun’s place there and she wants to see you. He say, “I got poop all over these coveralls - and I gotta change and take a shower first.” “Nope,” they said, “right now. She wants to see you right now.”  So he meets Mother Teresa, he told us, in his poop and coveralls. I loved the story. I never liked pomp and circumstance. Now I’m going to restate that: I like poop and circumstance. And isn’t that what Pope Francis told bishops and priests?  Be out there with the people. Smell like the sheep.

So I have to think about all this. Do I end up doing what Father Eddie Byrne did when I was working on the Lower East Side. His parish was very poor so he drove a taxi cab at night. The last and probably only job I had in life was working one summer during college delivering Coca Cola. That’s the real thing. Isn’t the call of the gospel to make all this real? Yes, we come to church, but real gospel life is to be lived out there with the people - at work and with their families.

CONCLUSION

So thinking about all this, my deepest prayer would be: Faith - faith in God - faith in Jesus Christ for us Christians - and Catholics.

What’s your deepest prayer?

These are just first draft thoughts on paper about all this. I sense this is what Paul was about. I sense this is what I hear lots of parents saying about their kids who have dropped out of Church - especially when they say, “I don’t know what my kids will do when the tough stuff of life hits them big time.” Or to say the same thing with a better translation - part of which I can’t say in church: “when the s_ _ _ hits the fan.”

December 6, 2015

SANTA CLAUS

Not only is there a Santa Claus,

but Christmas is 365 days a year -

that is if we come down chimneys

or slide through sliding doors and

gift those in our world with our gifts.

And - oops - if we laugh and are

merry and bring Christ’s joy to our

world every day and in every way.

© Andy Costello, Reflections, 2015

December 6 is the feast of

St. Nicholas

December 5, 2015

VIOLIN

His hands were gnarled.

His step was slow.

He finally got to the folding chair up front.
He slowly opened his scuffed violin case.
He took out his violin slowly.
He seemed off key as he tried a few sounds.

He twisted a few string pegs.

He began to play and the whole room of

talking people became silent and listened

as tears rolled down as he played on 

their violin shaped hearts.

© Andy Costello Reflections, 2015

THREE BLIND MICE

THREE BLIND MICE

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for this 1^st 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

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

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.

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

TRAP

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily is, “Trap!”   T  R  A  P

It’s a word and a warning in today’s gospel - for this First Sunday in Advent.

“Beware that your hearts do not become drowsy from carousing and drunkenness and the anxieties of daily life, and that day catch you by surprise like a trap.” (Luke 21: 34)

“Trap!”

The ideas and images in today’s readings are big time, world ending, catastrophic, scary, written in Apocalypse Now language.  They are readings we hear every year - at the end of every Church year - and at the beginning of a new Church year - every Advent - which starts today.

Back in the Early Church - when these New Testament texts were written - between 50 and 115 A.D. - times were quite dangerous - especially for Christians - this new movement - and new way of doing life. But times were also difficult and dangerous for everyone - especially the little people - the poor and the powerless.

Are there any periods in the history of the world - when crazy, horrible things - were not happening? Are we any different today - than any other period in history - except today we have more people and TV news - 24-7 - and we have to fill in those TV hours with shootings and killings - and comments by one person who wants to trump another person - and gain political power and prestige or what have you?

GO SMALL THIS ADVENT

I rather go small - go personal - when it comes to traps.

This Advent - this Sunday - this moment - to ask and to look at: what are the traps we get ourselves into? What are the traps in our lives that kill us  - drain us - destroy us - drag us down toward the ground?

Food - overeating - poor eating? Drinking too much? Rushing too much?

Relationships?  Other people?  Family?  Saying too much? Saying the wrong thing? Breaking confidences? Lies. Bragging? Embellishments? And our words come back to haunt us and we say, “I should have kept my trap shut.”

“Traps!”

In my first assignment as a priest in 1967 - I was asked to say something about marriage - and it hit me loud and clear - that I knew nothing - nothing - absolutely nothing about marriage.

Lucky for me, in The New York Daily News that morning - in the Inquiring Photographer Section - the question was asked, “What are the main problems or traps in marriage?”

4 or 5 people were interviewed. Next to their picture - their answers to the Inquiring Photographer’s question - were given.

One person said, “The 3 biggest problems in marriage are money, sex and in-laws.”

I’ve been repeating that answer for the past 50 years. Are they the 3 biggest traps in marriage? Answer: they are for some and I assume they have been the daily news for many people since Cave Man and Cave Woman times.

Next time you’re in the doctor or dentist’s office,  check the popular magazines sitting there. In Reader’s Digest and O and various women’s magazines [it seems to me that they read more than us men] you’ll find at least one good article about traps.

FEELINGS

Pause for a moment and remember a moment when you felt trapped.

What did it feel like?

It was a moment when we were nervous, sweating, felt some panic.

It was a moment when we felt dumb - when we said to ourselves, “Dumb, dumb, dumb!” “Stupid, stupid, stupid.” “Uh oh, uh oh, uh oh!”

Then we add, “I do this every time.”  Then we add, “When will I ever learn?”

“Stupid, stupid, stupid.”  “Dumb, dumb, dumb!”

ADVENT - GOD - PRAYER - HELP!

When trapped, then come the prayers and the curses.

“God help me. God help me!” Or simply, “Help, help, help!”

I think the curse, “God damn it!” at times - is not big time blasphemy - but sometimes a prayer. It’s a prayer when we want God to take away the bad - dam it - block it - and give us the good.

However, it’s not a prayer, but a curse when we are blaming another for the mess we got ourselves into - and we start playing the blame game - instead of working on recovery and redemption for ourselves.

I believe it can become a deep dream for God to come and help us - and it can get us into the center of Christianity.

Did you notice - did you hear - that sentence in today’s gospel, “But when these signs begin to happen, stand erect and raise your heads because your redemption is at hand.”

Problem - solution!

Advent gets us into this issue of help.

We sing, “O come, Oh come Immanuel!”

Advent leads us to Christmas - when Christ comes to us as a baby!

In some traps - we have to take baby steps for recovery.

I see that loud in clear in 12 Step Programs.

Easy does it. One step at a time. One day at a time.

We have to become humble and like a little baby.  We need a sponsor, a parent figure, counseling  to get us back on our feet again. We need to meet and learn to talk our first sensible words - for years or for life again.

Christ comes as a baby each Christmas.

I’ve seen males - mostly males - change - when they have a child to care for - to raise - and the baby changes them - the sacrifices one has to make to care for a helpless needing to have diapers changed baby.

Matthew and Luke - in their beginning pages - have Jesus appearing as a baby.

Mark has Jesus showing up at the edge of our lake - at the edge of our job - and challenges us. Jobs, work, also change people - especially when they see the values of Christ being or not being at issue in the workplace.

John has Jesus showing up in our words - “And the word became flesh and dwelt amongst us.”

Sorry to say I see a post-Christianity happening - when Christ and Church and Christ’s vision on how to live life - is disappearing.

I notice that my nieces all got married in Church - and I did their marriages - and now I see the next generation after them - getting married in beautiful places of nature - in non-Church settings - and I’m wondering what’s happening.

One niece told me - she’s not here I hope - otherwise I opened my trap again - that her Sunday morning nourishment and life giver is tennis with friends and then a great conversation with coffee afterwards. I don’t want some guy in a pulpit telling me what to do. I said nothing when she said this - but I listened and I think about all these things.

I’m wondering if the numbers are down at Masses here at St. Mary’s and St. John Neumann’s.

I will be watching for research and numbers on all this. In the United States, we’ve certainly seen the Sunday numbers go down on all this. I've read that it's between 38% to 28% of Catholics who attend Sunday Mass. 

I've been noticing that some folks are going 2 or 3 Sundays per month. 

I have been in favor of changing the words, as someone put it, from “Holy Day of Obligation” to “Holy Day of Opportunity or Grace” - and to change “Sunday Obligation” to “Sunday Opportunity”. Of course, various church folks would object to that way of thinking and theologizing. 

I rather see people at Mass because they want to be here as opposed to feel they have to be here. I hear people state the reason they go to Mass - as “under pain of mortal sin” or “I can’t receive communion till I have gone to confession.” 

I'm still thinking about all this - because obligation gets some people to Mass - till they change their attitude and go out of love of God and the Church community.

I rather stress Sunday Mass as a chance to pause - as well as taking walks and taking in great places of nature - to ponder life - and to see how my life is going - and by doing these religious and spiritual practices - I find myself walking with God more - and watching and avoiding the traps of life more - and I’m becoming  a better family person - and a better workplace person.

CONCLUSION

Advent is here.

Advent means the coming of Christ.

Advent means preparing for the coming of the Lord again, again and again.

Emmanuel means God with us - so each Advent we sing loud and clear, “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel.”

And with God with us - Christ - we are getting help avoiding the traps of life.