Friday, April 29, 2016

April 29, 2016


THE HARD - 
THE  DIFFICULT 

The hard, the difficult - is made of rock.
Red brick sidewalk, curbstone, doesn’t give.
Bending grass does, so too red rose petals,
or the soft fabric of a towel on a clothesline.

It’s hard. It’s difficult - since you died - 
and I’m not made of stone or rock. I'm just
a handkerchief that is frayed from taking it
out of my pocket - too many times lately.


© Andy Costello, Reflections 2016

Thursday, April 28, 2016

April 28, 2016
The Agnew Clinic, 
by Thomas  Eakins
[1889]
WITHIN

The stethoscope, the ear, the eye, the X-ray,
the MRI, the CT/Cat Scan, the PET scan -
all tell some of the within - but it isn’t till the
knife of the surgeon - who opens up the fleshy
within - that we know - what’s really going on.

Sometimes - it takes the knife and the cut of
time and pain - surgeons - to really know - 
what was really going on - in one's within.
And sometimes it’s good - not to know - till we
really know - the what of one’s fleshy within.


© Andy Costello, Reflections 2016


Portrait of Dr. Samuel D. Gross,
[The Gross Clinic] 1875
by Thomas Eakins

Wednesday, April 27, 2016

April 27, 2016


ROCKS  AND  WATER

My mom used to say she grew up
on Galway Bay, Ireland - right on
the water - so close, “You could
put your big toe out the back door
and it would be in the water.”

My dad used to say he grew up
only a rock’s throw away from
my mom - right there near the Bay
in Ballynahown, County Galway,
Ireland - with lots and lots of rocks.

A few years ago we finally got to see
the water and the rocks - the what they
loved to talk about - family, farm, store,
Galway Bay, Ireland - going across
the water to this rock called America.


© Andy Costello, Reflections 2016








Tuesday, April 26, 2016

April 26, 2016

LONG DISTANCE CALL

Buzzzzzz - a low hum vibrating or
a distinctive song - coming out of
your pocket or bag - and even if
you don’t reach for your iPhone,
I know I’m no longer the I you’re
with - in your mind or in your heart.
I can read your face. You're wondering
when you can distance yourself
from me and be with your call. In
the past it was much more difficult
to know who was present and who
was absent - who was making a
long distant call - who was talking with
whom - without any one knowing it.
Now it's Bzzzzz or music, music, music.

 © Andy Costello, Reflections 2016

LEAVING  US  PEACE; 
GIVING  US  PEACE.

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for this 5th Tuesday after Easter is, “Leaving Us Peace;  Giving Us Peace.”

Today’s gospel,  begins, “Jesus said to his disciples: ‘Peace I leave with you; my piece I give to you.” [John 14:27]

“Leaving Us Peace….” That’s like Jesus leaving the gift of peace at our doorstep or on a table for us to pick up and eat.”

“Giving Us Peace ….” That’s like Jesus standing there and handing us peace - like the peace he gave his disciples in the Upper Room at the time of the Resurrection and a week later to Thomas. “Peace….”

MEANING

The Greek word used which we translate into “peace” is  “Eirene”. 

That becomes the little used English word “irenic” - meaning “moving towards peace or conciliation.  I thought the word “serene” comes from this as well  - but Webster doesn’t seem to go that way.

However, we know the name Irene - from which this word arises. She was the Greek Goddess of Peace.

The name Irene according to Google means: “one who creates a serious, thoughtful nature and is shrewd, efficient, and business-minded.”

Another Google entry describes the name Irene as meaning, . “A crazy, fun person who doesn't care what people think of her. Usually a pretty girl, who  easily gets her crushes to like her back.”

Is anyone here old enough to remember the song, “Irene, good night Irene, I’ll see you in my dreams.”

WHAT DOES PEACE CONSIST  OF?

The word “peace” has a whole basketful of meanings:  harmony between people and nations; friendliness; freedom from abuse; order - as is the opposite of disorder;  rest; contentment; shalom; wholeness; perfect….”

If that is what peace is, I pray, 
          “Lord Jesus 
           leave peace at our door 
           and on our table. 
           Lord, Jesus, 
           give us - grant us - peace. 
           Lord Jesus, 
           then make us 
           instruments of your peace.”

AN EXAMPLE

I once heard someone tell the following story.

There was this regular group therapy session for 6 men. They would meet once a week.

It was action - noise - energy - yelling - what have you - except for one man. He was always quiet, peaceful, and never said a word. When asked if everything was okay, he would say with a smile, “Okay!”

In the 6th time together someone mentioned his father.

At that, this guy - who was always perfectly calm - flicked a tiny piece of lint or dandruff off his jacket sleeve - near his wrist.

The counselor who was running the group spotted this and said, “Wait a minute. John did you just push a piece of dandruff off your sleeve?”

“What?” said John.

“When Harry mentioned his father, you went, FLIP with your fingers and knocked something off your sleeve.”

Silence.

Then the counselor asked John, “What about YOUR father?”  - and out came a tirade of anger.

Up to that moment in their 6th time together as a group, John was peace and quiet. At that moment out came bursts of anger about his dad.

QUESTION

I’ve thought about that story from time to time - wondering if everyone has a stream or flow of angry feelings flowing in some pipe or underground stream below their surface.

Then someone goes over that manhole cover and “Boom!” - out comes a burst of anger - and the need for inner peace.

CONCLUSION

It’s a beautiful day today.

It’s spring time.

It’s resurrection time.

It’s new life time.

Take a nice walk on the calm side of yourself - and let Jesus walk with you and consider where you need peace.

Maybe you’re always thinking and saying to yourself,  “All is okay” - but underneath you have flowing an underground angry memory with God - or you’re still angry with another - your parents - a boss - a neighbor - a priest - a counselor - or angry at yourself - for something you did that was stupid or sinful or dumb years and years ago.
                  


Let Jesus touch your side - your sleeve - and hear him say, “Peace I leave with you; my piece I give you.”

Monday, April 25, 2016

WHO  WERE  YOUR  TEACHERS?


INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily on this feast of St. Mark is a question: “Who Were Your Teachers?”

To come up with a short homily  for today - for this feast of Mark - I looked at my bookshelf - for something on Mark or the Gospel of Mark. Surprise! At first instance I saw mostly books on John - a few on Luke and a few on Matthew but almost nothing on Mark.

Then I spotted a green book entitled, “The Journeying Self: The Gospel of Mark Through a Jungian Perspective” by Diarmuid McGann. He was an Irish priest from the diocese of Rockville Center in Long Island, New York.


[1942-2015]

WHO WERE YOUR TEACHERS?

He begins by telling his readers who his teachers were. I found that interesting.

He talked about his mom and dad first - then his three brothers and his one sister. Next came a scripture professor in Ireland - Father P.J. Brophy - who loved scripture - and that was the teaching and that was the learning he received. It was nothing very specific or particular about the Bible - just his love of scripture.  Next came the Jesuit Father Teilhard de Chardin and lastly were his professors at Iona College in New York.

Just reading that much - not even getting back into a book I read years and years ago - I asked myself - what did I learn from my mom and dad - brother and two sisters?

When couples are preparing for marriage that is a key question: family  of origin.

How has our family of origin effected/ affected us?

Diarmuid’s dad was the extravert - and he learned what it’s like to live in the shadow of an extravert - a bigger than life person. My dad was just the opposite. My mother was also more the introvert.  My brother was the extravert.  Diarmuid’s mother was more the introvert and she learned from suffering. She broke her neck in a car crash as a young woman.  She stayed with her oldest son in his difficult days and as well as his sister who has hospitalized for a few years.  Mom knew and learned from suffering - like her blindness coming on her in her old age.

MY TEACHERS?

Who have been my teachers?

One of the teachers who influenced me was also a scripture professor -
Eugene McAlee.  When it came to the four gospels,  he didn’t like Matthew. He didn’t give us that much on Luke - only Mary’s stuff - in the beginning there. He gave us some stuff on John - but Mark was his gospel.

And instead of taking Mark from the beginning - he taught us method. He taught us that we have the rest of our lives to learn the gospels.

He taught us the Greek side of reading the Gospels.

He taught us that Mark was precise. Mark was not poetic. Mark was details - lots of details - specific.

Mark was Joe Friday - “Just the facts mam.”

So Mark would be one of my teachers.

Mark starts off with Jesus as an adult. He challenges us right off the bat - to be face to face with Jesus the Son of God. He’s present in our midst.  Do I have an adult to adult relationship with Jesus?  Mark talks about the kingdom. It’s in our midst. Do we sense that every day - that I’m in the Kingdom and what a way to live every day?

Matthew - Mark - Luke and John? I like John first - because he was the poet and I like a poetic approach to life.  I like Luke next - because he was the story teller - and I like story tellers.  I too like Matthew least - because he can be too strict at times - especially compared to Luke - who was big or mercy and forgiveness - the message of Pope Francis - big time.  

CONCLUSION

The title of my homily is, “Who Were Your Teachers?”

Name some names - and what did you learn? What does that say about you?

What’s your favorite gospel? What does that say about you?


What do you know about the gospel of Mark?  He has many of the same stories about Jesus but tells them in his unique way. What does that tell you about Mark?
April 25, 2016


MISSING   PERSON 

Some folks seem to slid out back doors -
and disappear into the night - out of our
sight - sometimes for weeks at a time - and
some past people - for a lifetime. Oh…. Where
did all those folks in all those yearbooks go?

Me - I seem to slide away - in plain sight -
going down a side alley - into a pub within - or
a back porch - in the back of my mind - or I
like to take a long walk alone. Relax I’m talking
to you at times - but where have you been?


© Andy Costello, Reflections 2016