Monday, March 7, 2016

March 7, 2016

PLEASE

When did we say, “Please!” for 
the first time? Did we hear our
parents or older kids begging 
another for something: “Please!”

Did it work? Did another grant our
wish? Is it one of the first great
lessons in life - to beg another
for a favor - and they do it?

Is all this the foundation of prayer
and relationships? What happens
to us when nobody listens and we
simply can’t get our way? Uh oh!

Does that lead us to “Pretty please”
or plea bargaining - or does it stop us
from learning life’s second lesson:
learning to say “Thank you”?


© Andy Costello, Reflections 2016

WHAT’S NEW?

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for this 4th Monday in Lent is, “What’s New?”

What's new?

Today’s first reading from Isaiah 65 begins by the Lord saying, “I am about to create new heavens and a new earth.”  Then he adds that, “The tings of the past shall not be remembered or come to mind.”

Newness…. What’s new?  To think on that theme today.  There is something in us that calls for a new me - a better me - a more creative me - a holier me - a nicer me. Hopefully, we sense this in Lent. Easter me, O Lord.

I was thinking yesterday - Sunday - when doing my homily - that I was skipping any mention of  the first and second reading. I was only concentrating on the gospel, the story of the Prodigal Son. I felt guilty. The readers practice those first two readings and we preachers often skip them or fly by them.

Yesterday’s second reading from 2 Corinthians began, “Whoever is in Christ is a new creation: the old things have passed away; behold, new things have come.”

Surprise: today’s first reading has almost the same message here in Isaiah 65.

SO WHAT’S NEW?

The title of my homily is, “What’s New?”

I’m standing there last night in a hospital room at Anne Arundel Medical Center around 11 PM talking with someone who is about to die. Talking? Yes? Her mind was still very much present. She’s around my age and I could see the wrinkles and the damage from cancer.

Sometimes in such situations I don’t want to talk death and resurrection - especially with the family around the bed - because I don’t know where they are - with the whole death and dying process. I don’t know where the person is - with death and dying. I assume the nurses know something - because they called.

So last night I took the chance and said, “Remember me when you see God.” I said, “Soon you’ll be brand new in the kingdom of heaven.”

I don’t know what my thoughts will be when I’m in the same situation. I hope I’ll see this world as a womb - a second womb - and once more I’ll be a brand new baby - this time about to being born into eternity - into the everlasting kingdom.

Death and resurrection - the old and the new - we’re very familiar with these two realities. We’ve experienced both in our times.

New cars…. new homes …. new jobs …. new people in our lives …. new experiences we have to face.

We like the smell of the new. It could be a new car - home - restaurant - marriage - Spring - the first day in school, high school, college, joining the army, navy…. or it could be when that last kid leaves and we’re in an empty nest.

Life.

WITH FAITH - WITH GOD

Isaiah says the Lord does all this.

Today’s Psalm 30 says that the Lord does all this. The Lord rescues us. There will be no more mourning - no more night - but dawn and rejoicing.

Today’s gospel from John 4 tells us that Jesus changes the water into the new wine. Today’s gospel tells us that Jesus is the healer - the one who makes all things new. It is by faith that the Royal Official’s Son is healed.

CONCLUSION

There is something in us that likes the new  - whether it’s a new born baby in front of us in church or at the checkout line at Giant or Graul’s.

There is something in us that likes Good News - someone got a new job or got engaged - or a daughter or granddaughter or son won an award.

There is something we come to church for - the gospel - which means Good news.

We like good news.

We need good news.

We need the Gospel - which means Good News.


May we all be to and for each other Gospel - Good News. Amen.   
CONTINUING EDUCATION:
TALKS - HENRI NOUWEN






CONTINUING  EDUCATION 
ON 
THE PRODIGAL SON 
BY 
TWO  DUTCHMEN: 
REMBRANDT  
AND  
HENRI  NOUWEN








Sunday, March 6, 2016

Rembrandt: Return 
of the Prodigal Son

SHORT  STORIES 

The title of my homily for this Fourth Sunday of Lent, [C] is, “Short Stories.”

When was the last time you read a good short story?

Do you read short stories?

I like to have a paperback copy of short stories by my bed - to read at night - before going to sleep.   Right now I have one called, “The Hill Bachelors.” That’s  the title of the last short story in a book of short stories by the Irish writer William Trever. I’ve  gone through the short stories of John Cheever, Flannery O’Connor, Raymond Carver, George Saunders,  Colm Toiban and others. I haven’t gotten to Alice Munro, the Canadian short story writer yet - but plan to….

How about you? Have you read any good short stories lately?

CHAPTER 15 - GOSPEL OF LUKE

I bring this up because today’s gospel presents one of the greatest short stories ever told: the parable of the Prodigal Son.  In fact, in the 15th chapter of Luke we have three short stories by Jesus.

Moreover we have the reason why Jesus told these 3 stories - all of which have the same plot - but with various nuances. The Pharisees - the religious righteous ones - and the scribes, the educated ones who could read and write - were complaining about Jesus hanging around with tax collectors and sinners. Terrible! Tch, tch, tch....  Terrible.... That's us.

So Jesus told them three stories which appear here in Chapter 15 of Luke: the Lost Sheep, the Lost Coin, and the Lost Son.

Today we heard the 3rd story - the longest of the 3 short stories here in the middle of the gospel of Luke.

PHILIP YANCEY

Philip Yancey retells this Prodigal Son story in one of his books - but it’s about a lost daughter. I’ve read it a bunch of times - but have listened to it on CD a dozen times. I cry every time - probably because we have a lost niece for over 30 years now - and I’ve have been hoping forever that she come back to the family.

Philip Yancey’s story is entitled, “The Lovesick Father.”  It’s in his book, What’s So Amazing About Grace?

The story begins like this, “A young girl grows up on a cherry orchard just above Traverse City, Michigan. Her parents, a bit old-fashioned, tend to overreact to her nose ring, the music she listens to, and the length of her skirts. They ground her a few times, and she seethes inside. ‘I hate you!’ she screams at her father when he knocks on the door of her room after an argument and that night she acts on a plan she has mentally rehearsed scores of time. She runs away.”

You know the story…. You just heard it.

Philip Yancey’s version doesn’t have an older brother or sister - who won’t forgive - but he ends up zeroing in on the powerful story of a forgiving and loving father - filled with unconditional love.

SHORT STORY WRITING - SHORT STORY READING

All of you would be writers, think short story writing - besides short story reading.

If you want to write short stories, short story writers tell you that you need to have a conflict - a tension - some opposition. A good short story gets the reader to say, “Oh yeah, that’s me. That’s my story.”

So it has to ring true.  It’s not a sermon. It’s not preachy. It has to have a plausible plot. Characters have to be quite different from each other. It’s not a novel - so it can’t have too many plots. In fact one seems best. Novels are a different kettle of fish. So write about opposite type people dealing with issues and ideas or outlooks that seem them collide.

I like to make a whole sermon a story at times. I’ve done that probably 50 times. And I’ve written another 100 or more short stories in my life - some of which are published.

If you want to write - and if you don’t have enough time - write short stories.

OR START WITH 6 WORD SHORT STORY

A creative - tricky - imaginative - idea is to write a 6 word short story.

I’m sure you heard that Ernest Hemingway is famous for his bet that he could write a 6 word short story. Supposedly  he won the bet. Others say this story Hemingway isn’t true and in fact there were earlier similar stories.  His short story was,  "For sale: baby shoes, never worn."

If you do crossword puzzles or Sudokus, why not try your hand at 6 word short stories?  Here’s a bunch that I like. Some seem closer to a story than others. I picked ones that are stoppers - most of which say a lot more than any sermon I preached. They teach me that short is better - story is better.

Dinner for two, widower and memories.

Borders meant nothing. The birds migrated.

Wasted day. Wasted life. Dessert, please. - Steven Meretzky

Google was invented. He stopped thinking.

They quarreled, the child started crying!

Dear God, please take me instead.

“I’m significant” screamed the dust speck.

She read her obituary. And smiled.

No one is listening. Except Siri.

“Alcohol brought us together, and apart.”

...and then they never talked thereafter...

CONCLUSION

The title of my homily is, “Short Stories.”

I pushed reading and writing them.

I said that Jesus in today’s gospel told the story of a father having two sons - two very different sons - and how each of us can play any of these 3 characters or roles in our life. We can be the one who messes up. We can be like the father -  the one who forgives and knows what God the Father is like. And sometimes we can be the righteous one. We just don’t like the message of Jesus when it comes to forgiving 70 times 7 times. We don’t like the pope and his message of mercy - forgiveness - compassion - understanding and acceptance of those who really mess up their lives.

A parable is from the Greek word PARABOLA - remember them in math. They are like a boomerang - tossed out and they hit us sideways.

And today’s gospel, can we put it in 6 words?
·        Father, two sons, avoiding being home.
·       “Dad, maybe he should have left?”
·       Second son: “What did I do wrong?”

Ooops that last one is 7 words. Please forgive me.



March 6, 2016
Murillo, Return of  the
Prodigal Son, 1667-1670

TWO  BROTHERS

It’s not good to be alone.
It’s good to have sisters and brothers.
It's good to have others we have to be aware of.

How many people have said,
“It’s nice to have more than one bathroom,
but looking back I think we learned a lot
more from having only one bathroom
when we were growing up. It made us
think of others on a regular basis.”

How many people have also said,
“Comparisons are odious - unhealthy.”
Well maybe - but at times in family -
being the oldest or the youngest or
being in the middle has lots of
possibilities for struggle and learning.

Now looking at the story of the Prodigal
Son and the Older Brother - did the
Father suffer more worrying about the
older or the younger brother?


© Andy Costello, Reflections 2016




Saturday, March 5, 2016

March 5, 2016

JUST WONDERING?

Do mirrors ever talk to each other about what they see and hear?

Do tables, chairs, couches, ever talk about their yesterdays?

Do tissues ever tell what the tears they collected were all about?

Does the person who prepared the meal ever check who took what and who left what on their plate?

Do poets ever hear, “I don’t get it”?



© Andy Costello, Reflections 2016