Friday, January 8, 2016

January 7, 2016

DYSTOPIA

Last week I spotted a word I had never 
seen or heard before: “dystopia”.

It’s hell! It’s a place of depression.

The dictionary says it’s an imaginary
place. They got to be kidding. I’ve met
people who live in Dystopia. I don’t
know its zip code - but I suspect from
listening to them it can be anywhere.

Thinking about it. I rather live in
Utopia, even if its imaginary. It's
the Kingdom of God. It's Heaven.
It's the dream of Jesus for all of us.

© Andy Costello, Reflections 2016
Painting on top by  Eleanor Buffan,
from Hell Paintings, a Series
of Paintings of Tortured Souls.
January 6, 2016

SIDEWAYS TALKING

Lately, I’ve noticed much of
our talking is sideways - so
little eye to eye, face to face,
connecting. We're making  
just comment jabs, at least 
it seems that way. We're 
speaking words that seem to
be sliding by - bye, bye, bye.
Wait a minute - that comment
you made the other day really
cut me. It stuck right in my
middle - right in my gut. And
sorry to say, it seems, better,
worse, 
I think that’s what you
intended to do to me - but sideways - 
on the sly. Come on now, 
let’s talk face to face, eye to eye.

© Andy Costello, Reflections 2016
January 5, 2016

WEAVING

Weaving … patterns … daily living ...
when  will I see what I’m really saying,
what I’m really doing? When will
I know what’s really going on with me,
with others? I guess stopping, stepping
back, taking a walk, discovering distance
is the secret. Looking at my tapestry
and screaming, “Artist!” - “Artist!”
is the step I have to take this year.


© Andy Costello, Reflections, 2016
January 4, 2016

RETURNING

At what age do we realize
we’ve been here before?
I’ve told this story before….
I’ve been in this situation before….
I’ve been rejected for this same thing before….
I've made this same mistake before....
Oh my God, life is filled with these over 
and over again repeat performances….
“Life is déjà vu all over again.”
Didn’t Yogi Berra say that before?
Didn’t he say everything before?
Am I repeating everyone before me?
Thanks mom. Thanks dad. 

Thanks Yogi. Thanks everyone!


© Andy Costello, Reflections 2016

Sunday, January 3, 2016

EPIPHANIES! 
THERE ARE  MOMENTS AND 
THERE ARE MOMENTS 



INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily is, “Epiphanies! There Are Moments and There Are Moments.”

As you know the word, “epiphany” means a moment we see differently. It’s a “showing” - a “revealing” - an “appearance” - a becoming aware of something that we were not seeing.

In theology,  it’s seeing the presence of God - seeing the miracle of God's creative power in everyday realities  - like the shining from shook foil in the words of Gerard Manley Hopkins in his poem God's Grandeur.


In Christianity, it’s today’s feast - when the Magi - see the Christ - in a baby - when the world changes because of the coming of Christ in the flesh.

As everyone knows, a baby can change everything.

WE’VE HEARD PEOPLE USE THE WORD “EPIPHANY”

We’ve all heard people use the word “epiphany”. 

Here are a few examples - a few stories I’ve heard along the line.

“It was a moment. It was an epiphany - a moment when I knew, when I was sure, absolutely sure that God  was aware of me - and I was aware of God.”

“It was a moment - I was stranded at the airport - my flight was cancelled. I knew I wouldn’t get home in time for Christmas. It was my fault. It was the weather’s fault. It was nobody’s fault. I sat there on a vinyl chair at the airport and heard people screaming at airline staff people at the counter. I saw people - lots and lots of people - on their cellphones - talking to people at a distance - using gestures. Lots of gestures. I was seeing an epiphany. This is life. This is my life. I want to be with - really be with my family at this moment and I can’t. I guess the unexpected hard, the difficult, the problem, teaches us much more than the easy - the expected. I now know once again that family and being there for Christmas is a top 5 value. I guess drawbacks show us how to find drawbridges. When things are out of control, I guess it’s then I try to control life and it’s then I find myself even more out of control."

“It was an epiphany when our  first daughter was born. Wow. I began to realize this is what it’s all about. Up till now I never saw these moms and dads walking through our streets - at the park - pushing a baby stroller - or a kid on a swing. Now it was me. Wow.”

“It was at my 5th rehab for my alcoholism. I failed every time. I had done the first 5 steps in AA 4 times - thinking this was the time I would make it.  It wasn’t till I heard myself and my excuses and my lies to myself about myself that I had an epiphany. I got down on my knees - close to the floor - and said to God. ‘I just realized you’re at the bottom of everything - and I guess I have to really hit bottom to realize you are you and I am I and I can’t do this by myself. I surrender. I had that epiphany 11 years and 4 months and 16 days ago - and I’m still taking one day at a time. Hey, you never know.”

“It was in Vermont. We were on vacation. We were backpacking as a family on The Long Trail and it rained every day for two weeks in June. It was miserable. It was cold. It was wet. Looking back, it was the best vacation we ever had as a family. We didn’t know it then, but we realized a few years later, it was an epiphany. We played cards in our big canvas tent every night. We laughed. We celebrated. We cursed the rain drip, drip, drip, as it hit, hit, hit on our tent - all through the night - drip, drip, drip.”

“I was walking down the street and I saw someone coming out of this small church - so I walked in. It was quiet, dark, empty in the afternoon. I sat down. The candles were flickering. No sound of ambulances - trucks - what have you - from the street came through those walls and stained glass windows and as I sat there, I began to pray and I had my life’s epiphany.”

THERE ARE MOMENTS AND THERE ARE MOMENTS

The title of my homily is, “Epiphanies! There Are Moments and There Are Moments.”

We know not all days are same, not all moments are the same.

Isn’t that what makes life such a gift? Isn’t that why we turn on and tune in to the evening news?  Isn’t that why we say to each other, “What’s new?” or “How was your day?”

I was visiting a couple I had married.  They were showing me their small apartment. They didn’t have much furniture yet. In fact they had a fold up card table for their dining room table. But in their bedroom they had a nice big king sized bed and on a nice dresser and on the mirror of that wooden dresser was a picture of a baby. I said, “Who’s that?”  The answer came back from both of them: “That’s what we’re aiming for?”  I got changed and didn’t visit them for a few years. They had a dining room table by then and also a son. I’m sitting there and little Charlie is at the window - holding onto the window sill - and standing on the metal radiator below - making lots of noise - and grasping at something coming through the window. I asked, “What’s he doing?” And his mom said, “Oh he’s trying to grab the light.”  Then she added, “Oh he does that all the time.”

THE READINGS

We come to church to grab some light - to see better in our darkness.

The readings for this feast of the Epiphany were grabbed to tell us about the light - revelations - a star that points to Bethlehem.

In the first reading from Isaiah, it happens in Jerusalem. Clouds breaking open and light shines through. Darkness disappears. Wasn’t it nice to see sunlight on Friday after 5 or 6 gray days. So Isaiah tells us in that first reading about the economy coming to life - business is great. Ships have arrived in our ports. Caravans of camels have arrived packed with gold and frankincense.  

In the second reading we have the radiant light that  happened in the mind of St. Paul.

In the gospel it happens to the magi from the East and the new born baby in the crib.

In this homily I’m asking you when has this happened to you: when you saw the light.

The title of my homily is, “Epiphanies! There Are Moments and There Are Moments.”

CONCLUSION

This weekend - this week - this beginning of a new hear take some time to look at the times in your life - when you have had epiphanies about yourself, your parents, your family, work, health, the meaning of life, God.


Painting on top: 
Epiphany by Art Enrico
January 3, 2016

OOOOPS


Oooops. It’s obvious who was who.
It was you who was in the elevator -
and at the water cooler - and in the room
where our coffee and donuts are. It was
you who brought up the complaint about
the smokers just outside the front door
of our building. Well, nobody wants to
tell you, but I will: some people prefer
tobacco scent to this perfume or yours.
Ooooooooooooooops! Now you know.
Ooooooooooooooops! I almost forgot
Jesus’ words about seeing specks in
the other’s eyes and missing the log
in our own eye. Ooops! I forgot the
scent of that message. Ooooooops!



© Andy Costello, Reflections 2016

Saturday, January 2, 2016

January 2, 2016

UN-REASONS

Do we ever know the real reason why
we do what we do?  Motive? Can it -
[it being the reason, the motive, the why] -
can it be surgically located in our brain?

Let’s be honest. Sometimes we don’t know
why we said what we said, did what we did,
avoided what we avoided, till long afterwards.

Some marriages crumble, some marriages
get better, years after the falling in love -
long after the moment we gave the ring,
long after the moment we vowed the vows.

This is scary stuff for the moralists and
for the other we committed ourselves to.

I guess the only solution is daily communication
with our spouse, with our others, daily renewals
of our motives to each other. But wait a minute!
What about homes, family, money, security,
contracts, others? Wouldn’t society fall apart with
such relativity talk when it comes to reasons?

Yes, yes, yes…. But no, no, no, know, know, know, know, isn’t this one reason why we have the problems and the issues we have: dumping and disappearing from each other, taking drugs and drink to drown our sorrows and felt failures,
people unable to stick to their commitments and
not looking deep into the possible consequences
of our un-thought out - un-prayed on - un-talked out - un-understood - un-reasoned out decisions.


© Andy Costello, Reflections 2016