LAWSUITS

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for this 23 Tuesday in Ordinary Time is, “Lawsuits.”

That’s the specific issue that shows up in today’s first reading from 1^st Corinthians 6: 1-11.

Last night I read the readings for today to see if I could come up with an interesting and a helpful theme or topic for a short homily.

Lawsuits was a key issue in the beginning of today’s first reading - and then a bunch of sexual issues at the end of the reading. The gospel has the theme of Jesus praying before deciding.  That’s a very smart move.

Wanting to know more about lawsuits in the city of Corinth around the year of 50’s - grabbed me.

So I grabbed a few  commentaries on First Corinthians to see what they say about lawsuits and the first part of today’s first reading. [1]

It was interesting on what William Barclay said. He usually gives details I don’t know about - or have forgotten. I often wonder where he had the time and the energy to pull together all the information he has gathered.

A FEW COMMENTS ON LAWSUITS

So a few comments from commentaries on lawsuits.

Paul has a Jewish background - but he was also from Tarsus - a Greek town in Cilicia  - but it was also a Roman town - which made him a Roman Citizen - so he would have various scenarios in his mindset.

For starters, Paul would know what the Jewish communities did when there was a disagreement about money, property and personal injury.  Often you would try to settle the situation by talking to each other. If that didn’t work, you’d go to the village rabbi - and try to settle it that way.

Well, here in Corinth, Paul found out that the Greeks were really off on lawsuits - a lot more than his Jewish counterparts.

Barclay doesn’t have enough ancient writings about what precisely was going on in Corinth, but he found literature on lawsuits in Athens at the same time, so he bases his commentary on that.

Instead of going to the elders, the Greeks ended up going to court a lot more.

First step with the Greeks when it came to a possible lawsuit. Go to private arbitrators. Each side would get an arbitrator and a third was chosen - whom both sides would accept. Then both sides with their arbitrators would appear before a judge.

If that didn’t work in a Greek lawsuit, you would go to a court called the Forty. Then they referred the matter to a public arbitrator.  These arbitrators would be all local citizens in their 60^th year - at least this is what they did in Athens. I’m sure human nature and people being people - some would and could get out of this civic duty. 

If this didn’t work, then big cases had to be settled by juries - that might consist of 1000 to 6000 citizens - all of whom had to be 30 years or over.

That’s what Barclay said was done in Athens. Sounds rare and too complicated for me.

Moreover I began wondering what they would do in small towns - but what  I just mentioned from Barclay was very interesting.

There were no TV’s - and therefore no Judge Judy - so big cases must have been the talk of the town.

We know that Paul took his case to Rome - when he was charged for being a rabble rouser and a Christian.

Reading this stuff was helpful, because now that is one more issue - lawsuits - or how folks settle money or property or physical hurt issues in ancient times - and I’ll wonder about from all times down through the ages.

BACK TO JESUS

Stepping back, I said to myself, “Of course there were court cases in the time of Jesus.”

In the gospel we hear about brothers coming to Jesus to have him settle a money dispute. Jesus said settle your problems yourselves before going to court over something and you cost yourself a fortune. Jesus at times talked about Judges. Jesus was arrested and put on trial and the crowd made the decision, “Crucify him!”

So it struck me: expect this in every human situation. There are always going to be money or property fights.

ST. ALPHONSUS

Of course…. Right before us is a statue of St. Alphonsus who was a lawyer - back in the early 1700’s - who lost a law suit over a property deal. We were taught he made a mistake in reading a key detail. Now some of our historians say that he lost the case because of a well-placed bribe - and not from his side.

What to do, get a good lawyer.What to do, talk to others.

What to do, pray. In today’s gospel Jesus went into the mountains to pray before making his big decision on whom to call by name. 

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NOTES

[1] William Barclay, The Letters to the Corinthians, Revised Edition, pp. 48-51; The Navarre Bible, Corinthians, pp. 77-79;

September 5, 2016

SMOTHERED

Sitting in church after Mass -

watching the altar server

putting out the candles….

No air …. Smothered….

The candle goes out ….

She felt that way in

her marriage at times ….

Then she spotted light

coming through the

stained glass windows.

  

She made the sign of the cross -

got up - walked outside - feeling

free - breathing in the fresh air.

© Andy Costello, Reflections 2016

SOMETHING  BEAUTIFUL
FOR  GOD

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily is, “Something Beautiful for God.”

Today we celebrate Mother Teresa as a Saint - September 5^th. She died this day - September 5, 1997.

Pope Francis said yesterday - at her canonization - that she’ll always be known as Mother Teresa. I find myself thinking of her with that name - and not as St. Teresa of Kolkatta.  In fact, I am not sure how to spell Calcutta - with a K and an A.  I also can’t pronounce or spell her original name: Anjezë Gonxhe Bojaxhiu.

Besides that we have those other two great Saint Theresa’s - Avila and Lisieux.

I was asking myself: “When did I first hear about Mother Teresa?”

I think it was when I heard about and watched Malcolm Muggeridge’s in the 1969 TV movie and documentary “Something Beautiful for God.”  It then came out as a book in 1971.

Here was someone doing something beautiful for God.  I assume we all added, “Something beautiful for the many people she helped: the poor, the dying, those with HIV/AIDS, the sick, the hungry,  the children, the homeless, the drug addicts, the alcoholics.”

I assume Malcom Muggeridge was one of the first publicists to put her into the public view - and once that happened - all of us felt urges to do something beautiful for those who were in non-beautiful situations.

WHAT HAVE YOU LEARNED SO FAR ABOUT MOTHER TERESA?

What’s your take on Mother Teresa?

The first thing was simply and dramatically to know about her and what she did with her life. The theme for our schools and parish this year is, “Go make a difference.”  Mother Teresa certainly did.

Next she founded the Missionaries of Charity - some 4,500 strong - working in a 133 different countries in the world. Her nuns are in Italy, India and Iceland. How about that? When I heard Iceland - I thought, “Surprise!”

I once heard someone say that religious orders in the Catholic Church make it if the founder of a new order is strong. Better if she or he is a dictator. No meetings - no discussion - just give orders and get going with what you’re being called to do. That’s a theory - that I never checked out - or read much about - but I assume is true -  at least as far as Mother Teresa is mentioned.  You get a lot of things done - and done fast - if everyone follows your orders.

I heard that she wanted every one of her sister’s convents to be the same. I heard that in one of her places - someone put in couches for the sisters and out they went into the street.

Next, the complaints…. and the criticisms.  She was a human being. We heard that her original order - the Sisters of Loreto where she started - some were glad to see the back of her.

If you don’t like someone, you’ll things you don’t like and vice versa.

She was a great fund raiser. Some complained about who gave her money and others complained about where the money went. Some was used to build new convents for her nuns. Of course …. Hello!

Some complained that she could have come up with better ways of keeping people alive - instead of having houses for the dying.

Some complained that they could have had better needles and cleaner places.

She received the Nobel Peace Prize and many, many awards.

One last comment would be the following.  I’ve heard nuns frustrated with priests and others who raved about Mother Teresa and didn’t give enough affirmation to nuns who were working their tails off.  The Catholic Church in the United States would not be what it is today - without all the work nuns did here and around the world. I could hear them saying, “What are we chopped liver - giving our lives in classrooms, hospitals, visiting the sick, etc.?

There was a nun in my sister’s order  of nuns, the IHM’s of Scranton, Sister Adrian Barrett [1929-2015] I never talked to her, but I spotted her a few times. She was short like Mother Teresa. She had a smile that was better than Mother Teresa’s smile. She did lots and lots and lots of service to lots and lots of poor folks and there was a TV Public Television documentary on her entitled, Sister Adrian, the Mother Teresa of Scranton. It was narrated by Martin Sheen.  I don’t know - but I wonder if she  and her sisters would prefer she be simply called, Sister Adrian a Great Servant of the Poor.

CONCLUSION

So that’s a few comments about Mother Teresa on her first feast day as a saint. In time what will be her title: Patron saint of the dying, those with AIDS, India, wrinkles, or what have you. Smile.

September 4, 2016

RADIANCE

We know the radiance of the sun -

dancing on the tops of the morning

ocean waves - running in towards

the shore - or the blinding light of the

sun glancing off an afternoon window -

or on a full moon - in a cloudless sky -

at midnight. We know that radiance.

But we also see the radiance of an

engagement ring on the girl nobody

expected would ever marry or the

sight of that first born great granddaughter

brought to see great granny at the nursing

home - or a son or a daughter coming back

home to God and church this morning.

© Andy Costello, Reflections 2016

FAMILY ISSUES

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for this 23 Sunday in Ordinary Time [C] is, “Family Issues.”

When I read today’s readings - all  3 of them - as well as the psalm - I went, “Oooh!  Where do we go with this stuff?”

Here are the readings if you want to check them out:
              Wisdom 9: 13-18b;
              Psalm 90:3-4, 5-6. 12-13. 14. 17;
              Philemon 9-10, 12-17;
              Luke 14: 25-3e

Hating parents, brothers and sisters, even oneself, and putting Christ first - that does not sound like Christ stuff - especially in the Gospel of Luke - the Gospel of Mercy -  our gospel for this year. What’s that about?

Building towers with insufficient funds, fighting battles with two few soldiers, not letting our possessions possess us - could babble a bit about that - but what to say?

The first reading from the book of Wisdom  - reflecting on the mind of God - not being able to understand the why of God - oh yeah, we all do that one - we all have our questions about how God works - especially in times of storms - personal - regional - the stuff on the coastlines of our lives.

The Psalm for today - Psalm 90 - that God is our refuge - yes - the steadiness of God - yes - yet God as the psalmist or song writer puts it - what are we compared to a thousand years in the mind of God? Our  sense of time is this: old is 70, 80, 90 years - or less. Hey last week in the papers they had a story about fossil bits of ancient bacteria embedded in stones in Western Greenland that go back  3.7 billion years ago. The story said that they are  220 million years older than the oldest stuff from Western Australia - that was estimated to be 3.48 billion years ago. No wonder we describe some folks as old fossils.

The second reading from Philemon - - sounds like Pokémon. It’s a little known - a little used letter - of Paul that is dated around 57. Paul now old, now in prison in Rome or Ephesus - is awaiting his trial. He wants to send his run-a-way slave Onesimus who was helping Paul with his preaching - back to Philomen his owner. Interesting. Intriguing. Could tie that into what Georgetown is doing now with its slave history. By the way, what’s your take on that - if you’ve been following that story in the papers or on line.

So where to go with a homily - and I haven’t really said anything yet.

So let me say and trigger a few things about family issues - because Jesus brings that up in today’s gospel and also because “Don’t we all have have family issues - all the time?”

Relax - next Sunday we have Luke 15 - the best chapter with the 3 great parables on mercy: the Lost Sheep, the Lost Coin and the Lost Son.

So some stuff on family - family issues.

How are you doing with your family issues?  What’s going on in your family lately?

How about 3 quotes and 3 issues - and see if they trigger some car talk on the way home today - or when you’re just sitting there with other family members.

THREE QUOTES

Everyone always quotes this quote from Anna Karenina by Tolstoy when it comes to family, “Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.”  It’s a great quote because it triggers a lot of, “Wait a minute…. Let me hear that again.” “Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.”  Do you agree with that?

Thomas Fuller [1654-1734] said, “He that has no fools, knaves nor beggars in his family must have been begotten by a flash of lightning.”

Nora Ephron way back in 1986 said, “Your basic extended family today includes your ex-husband or -wife, you ex’s new mate, your new mate, possibly your new mate’s ex and any new mate that your new mate’s ex has acquired.” She added,  “It consists entirely of people who are not related by blood, many of whom can’t stand each other.”

THREE ISSUES

Now let me see if I can come up with 3 issues for homework for everyone this week.

Could I come up with a good sounding slogan? Like Meet, Greet, Seat, Eat.

Or like the old one: “The family that prays together, stays together.” The numbers go up if families pray together - better if they have God in their mix - and more important prayer at home besides church, temple, mosque or what have you? Of course you’d expect to hear that in church - but check out the numbers. The numbers of Catholics who go to church - is down to under 35% and the number of family breakups are going up. Talk about that in your own marriages and families. Here you are in church this morning. Visually I see numbers of church goers going down - and stories about kids not going to church going up.

Pope Francis said to put this on your refrigerator door: “The 3 most important sentences in every family should be: May I, Thank you, and I’m sorry.”

That was on our refrigerator door in our rectory. Someone took it down.

Let me give the following 3 - unless you’ve already gone off on something I’ve already said - or you already in your afternoon.

Here are 3 family issues: meeting, meals and marriage.

ONE - MEETING

Families gotta do things together. Families gotta meet together. I’m very aware from being part of over 30 Kairos retreats with our high school seniors - that family schedules are very tough these days. There are lots and lots and lots of this and that’s and that’s and this-isses. Lots.

Suggestion: have a pow wow - a family meeting once a month - and talk about, “How are we doing as a family?” Everyone has to be present.  Issues have to be brought up: from dishes to doing things together.

Over in the rectory we meet at 9 AM on the second Tuesday of every month. There is an agenda and an agenda list to write in what folks want to talk about. Underneath so much in life for kids from 4 to 40 - 8 to 80 - is the fairness question.

For a format use the power cycle method: Evaluation, Recommendations, Decision, and Do it - do the decisions - besides the dishes.

SECONDLY MEALS

At every high school retreat, the 50 or so young people are divided into small groups of about 7. So I get a small group - for 4 days and I ask the following question every time: what’s it like in your family when it comes to meals together.

I want kids to hear what other families do. Some don’t do meals together. Some do. I want to plant the seed for when they are parents that they eat together.

To me that’s a key family practice and a key family value.

At a meeting here in this church a week or so ago for parents for freshmen coming into our high school, the suggestion was made to eat together at least once a month. I wanted to scream, “More!”

I wrote a whole book on the mass that’s been rejected 3 times already where I talk about the Mass as a meal and family meals. We have a lot of drop outs.

Meet and talk about meeting and eating and talking to each other.

THIRDLY - AND LASTLY

Married couples ought to meet and talk about the state of their union at least once a month.

Couples got to talk about date nights, escapes, mini-honeymoons, “How are we doing hon?”

A few couples have told me they got a good book on marriage - got two copies - and go through it together.

CONCLUSION

Enough already.

September 3, 2016

LUMP

What a horrible nickname,

“Lump.” Unless it’s ice cream....

How could a lump be welcomed?

A lump... cancer - or a mess that 
blocks a sink - or a sewer - clumps 

of gunk - blocking us up. Ugh.

© Andy Costello, Reflections 2016

REGARD

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily  for this 22 Friday in Ordinary Time is, “Regard.”

Spelled: R  E  G  A  R  D

Regard....

It’s a word that I have never stopped to look at or think about.

I never gave it any regard.

How about you?

 I like words. I like to look up their roots - their meanings, etc. etc. etc.

And I want to keep on learning words till I get dementia - and then it’s all spaghetti inside this sound box of mine - called my mind.

Why this topic for a homily?

The word “regard”  appears in the opening statement in today’s first reading” “Brothers and sisters: “Thus should one regard us ….”

That triggered my mind to stop and think about this theme or topic of, “Regard.”

HERE’S A GOOD STARTING QUESTION

Do we care about how others see us - judge us - regard us?

How we look …  how we talk … how we eat … how we speak?

Do we look in the mirror as we dress ourselves or do our face: "How will others regard me in this outfit - or with this look?"

Did you like the TV commercial for Men’s Wearhouse. George Zimmer would talk about his suits and say, “You’re gonna like the way you look. I guarantee it.”  He was selling high regard. He said, you’ll get that if you wear one of my suits.

So I’m assuming we want to be regarded as normal - fitting in - looking okay - looking good?

What about disregard? What’s going on there?

What about people who feel disregarded - disqualified - "dissed" - because of their accent, color, religion, place of origin, look?

Do people who are a PITA - pain in the you know what - often disregard what others think - and just barge - or ram rod themselves - into a scene or  a  discussion or the planning - and want their way - regardless of what others think - and as a result - they don’t get positive regard?

So do we people want regard - negative or positive - whether we admit it or not?

So please notice the word "guard" - one who watches - in the "gard" part of the word "regard."

Those are some immediate observations and questions about the issue of, “regard.”

IT’S ALL GREEK TO ME

The word “regard” is in the English translation of today’s first reading. [Cf. 1 Corinthians 4:1-5]

It was written in STOP sign red for me.

If a word grabs me in the readings for the Mass of the day, I like to look up stuff about that word.

It it’s New Testament, it would be Greek; if it’s the Jewish Bible it would be Hebrew.

We studied Greek for 4 years - not as much as Latin - but we took Greek - especially since it’s the original language of the New Testament - so that’s sitting in my resume.  

We had Latin for 8 years - and our main philosophy and theology books were in Latin - but I always wished we zeroed in on Greek and Hebrew - more - that they had a higher regard.
  

As to Hebrew, we had that one class a week for two semesters. That was it. To this day, I don’t know how I passed.

With the Internet and with some good books I have, I can dabble in both Greek and Hebrew - especially when I’m preparing a homily and want to look up a word.

I have read several times - in books about preaching, “Don’t say in the pulpit, ‘In Hebrew or in Greek, the word in our text is” and then mention a Greek or Hebrew word.”

I disregard that warning or prohibition - because if we’re not aware of the Greek or Hebrew words - we can be babbling inside an empty 55 gallon drum about what’s not in the scriptures.  At the very least, I want to know the meaning of the words in the original text for the Mass scripture readings. I fail often on this - by preaching about an English translation - idea or word - and I’m missing what was in the original languages of the readings.

In today’s first reading from 1^st Corinthians, “regard” was the English word chosen to translate the Greek word, LOGIZESTHO  - from the Greek verb, LOGIZOMAI.

It was the word used in everyday business in counting apples and oranges, estimating, calculating, figuring out how many tables and chairs to set up for a dinner or what have you.

When it becomes a metaphor, it means figuring out what must I do in order to be saved - in order to be right.

What do I do to get positive regard - from myself, my judgment - or others - but especially from God?

Do I really mean it, when I say to God, “Thy will be done”?

Do I really want to do each day - what God regards should be done each day?

So Paul - here in his First Letter to the Corinthians  talks about what we must do to be judged good servants. What’s required?

Then he gives what he sees as the key ingredient. It is to be trustworthy.

Then Paul talks about who the one is who makes this judgment: it’s the Lord.

So the Lord makes the judgment in the deal. God does the reckoning. God lets us know if we figured out - if we got it right - in what we should be and should be doing regarding what’s important.

Take for example,  a group of people who volunteer to serve at a dinner for others. It could be a church group or the Red Cross or what have you.  The person who gives their word and then shows up and gives it their best will get high regard as a servant.

They are proving themselves trustworthy and they get high regard from God.

The proof is in the pudding - better making it and serving it.

The Lord’s good servant gains the trust of all.

Weren’t we all moved by the moment in the movie, “A Man For All Seasons,” the life of St. Thomas More,  when he said it was not Henry VIII whom he was worried about. It was God. He wanted to be God’s good servant.

TODAY’S GOSPEL

In today’s gospel, John the Baptist has high regard. [Cf. Luke 5:33-39.]

Now there was a serious guy - when it comes to prayer and fasting.

The scribes and the Pharisees see Jesus’ disciples. They don’t look as strict - so they got low regard.  Jesus gets low regard as well.

What’s the plan for getting high regard?

What’s the plan for getting high regard with God?

People want to know all the time - if they are church goers - what do I do to get high regard from God?

People who go to church - sometimes do what they do - to get high regard - recognition - “Wows!” - from other people. “Now she’s a holy person.”

Who is the holy person - the saint - the Good Christian?

Jesus laughed at this when he saw externalism and showing off in the Pharisees - in praying, in giving alms, in fasting, and said, “Amen they have had their reward.” [Cf. Matthew 6: 1-18; Matthew 23.]

I sense that people are asking all their lives the high regard question - especially when they are getting older and looking at their life.

It's the meaning of life question.

It's why Nicodemus came to Jesus in the night. Read the third chapter of John thirty times thirty times. 

It's why the rich young man came to Jesus, "What must I do to gain eternal life?" [Cf. Matthew 19: 16-22.]

Down deep they are wondering what God’s estimate - what  his LOGIZOMAI - his accounting for us is?

How does God judge us here and now?

Hey does God judge us after we die?

Is it an accounting - a reckoning - a regarding our life?

The scriptures certainly say that.

Jewish theology certainly said that - for those who believed in an afterlife.

One thought in Hebrew thinking was: it’s a scale - if you did 465 things right and 466 things wrong. Sorry.

Luke - and now Pope Francis - is saying, we will be regarded, reconciled by mercy. I’ll take that one.

Matthew sneaks in that we have to do something  - have the right garment for the wedding banquet.

Matthew 25 says we have to feed the hunger, clothe the naked, visit the sick and the imprisoned - otherwise we’re a goat  - and we’ll be told to go to hell.

Jesus tells us it’s never too late.

We can always pour as we heard in today’s gospel - new wine into new wine skins.

We can come into the vineyard in the last hour.

We can also keep our old good wine in our old wrinkled  skins and bring both the old and the new with us into the eternal wedding.

CONCLUSION

So that’s a homily about regard.

As I thought about it - I realized I have to give this theme of regard - a lot more regard - a lot more recognition - a lot more understanding. Amen.