Thursday, April 6, 2017

April 6, 2017

AHEAVENISTS  
AND  AHELLISTS 

There are some who don’t believe in a
heaven or hell - an afterwards - becoming
atheists-  throwing out God - to boot.

There are some who don’t know
they believe in a heaven or hell -
here and now - in their inner circus.

There are some, you can follow them -
and you’ll hear them say, “The hell
with you!” - or “Go to hell - you ____.”

There are some, you can watch them.
They want Paradise - Heaven - Love -
here and now  - in their inner circle.

There are some - who learn, who change -
who convert - moving from hell to heaven -
and some who give up and go to hell.



© Andy Costello, Reflections  2017

I made up two new words for this reflection:
ahellists and aheavenists.  We all know the word
atheists.  All three words begin with the
so called, "Privative Alpha".  Alpha is the first
letter in the Greek alphabet.
Alpha-Privative words are words that have
the prefix "a" before a consonant and "an"
before a vowel. Notice the word privative.
The privative-alpha takes away from the
rest of the word. Some examples:
agnostic, without knowing. We are
unable to have knowledge of God.

Abyss - means without a bottom.

Anorexia - without the desire for food.

Amorphous - without a form.


Wednesday, April 5, 2017

April 5, 2017

SPRING ENVY

The dead dry leaves caught in
the bushes on the edge of the
lawn envied the young budding
leaves of Spring in the trees.

Officially,  they said to one another,
“Been there, done that, back then.”
But the creep of envy underneath
their comments could be felt by all.

Going to weddings, seeing couples
holding hands, the rich getting richer,
my team didn’t improve, envy
breezes through the air every Spring.



© Andy Costello, Reflections  2017


Tuesday, April 4, 2017


TO KNOW 
WHAT’S KILLING US


INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily is, “To Know What’s Killing Us.”

Have we ever said, “This is killing me!”?

It could be work - overdoing it. It could be - being out of work - and we are feeling the stress of not being able to get a job. It could be laziness, no exercise, letting our bodies sink deeper and deeper into couches or Lazy Boy chairs.  It could be our kids on their cell phones - all the time - and nobody is listening to anyone - and that causes us agita - agita. It could be alcohol or overeating. It could be addiction to solitaire - or TV - or porn - or what have you. Name your poison.

It could be aging parents - and nobody in the family is helping - and I feel stuck with that job. But helping them is not what’s killing me. What’s killing me  is that the my brothers and sisters don’t do squddily squat - and my parents are always raving how good they are.

It  could be envy, anger, fear, worry, lack of trust - negativity - negativity - negativity.

Have we ever said, “This is killing me!”?

TODAY’S READINGS

In today’s first reading from the Book of Numbers it’s the saraph snakes in the desert. They are killing folks.  People are being bit and they are dying.
So Moses orders that someone make a bronze snake and mount it on a pole and point at it and tell the folks, “This is what is killing you - being bit by this snake - this serpent. So watch where you walk and check your tent site.

In today’s gospel Jesus says sin is what is killing you. Not believing who Jesus is - is what is killing you - but if I be lifted up - if you realize that I am the Son of Man - if your realize I AM - the one sent from the Father - if you believe in me - then you will be saved - and not condemned.

TITLE OF MY HOMILY

The title of my homily is, “To Know What’s Killing Us.”

We need to know that - as well as knowing what will save us - better who will save us.

So the medical profession puts the snake on the pole as their emblem - that we go to the doctor to find out what’s killing us.

So our Christian churches put images of Christ on the Cross to tell the world, “Christ is the one who will save us.”  Christ is the great doctor and healer of our souls.

So they point to Christ on the pole saying: this is what we do to each other when we do nasty to each other - but we can also hear from the cross - the great message of forgiveness. We don’t know where we are doing.

THE PARADOX

The paradox of the cross is that awareness of what’s killing us - what killed Christ - can save us.

We are daily Mass goers, so we know the scriptures better by hearing them over and over again.

How many times have we heard the gospels say, “The Scribes and the Pharisees were looking for ways to kill him.”

Spending their time plotting venting nasty innuendos against Jesus backfired - it always does - and killed the Holy Spirit within the Pharisees. They were able to get Jesus killed - but they killed true Judaism and true religion in their own hearts and minds.

CONCLUSION


Keep your eye on Jesus - and he’ll point out what gives life and what causes the death - especially of the Holy Spirit within us.
April 4, 2017


ENTANGLEMENT

How and when, do rosaries
and necklaces, string and thread,
get tangled up? I don’t know.
Maybe it's when we are looking 
for something else in the top 
drawer - tangle happens.
Then again I don’t know why.

Our mind is a top drawer 
with all sorts of ideas 
and images, memories 
and moments - each next 
to or under each other, and
without looking tangle happens.
Then again I don’t know why.



© Andy Costello, Reflections  2017


Monday, April 3, 2017


EVEN  THOUGH  I  WALK 
IN THE DARK VALLEY 
I  FEAR  NO  EVIL; 
FOR  YOU  ARE  AT  MY  SIDE


INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for this 5th Monday in Lent  is the psalm response for today’s Mass, “Even Though I Walk In the Dark Valley I Fear No Evil; For You Are At My Side.”

TODAY’S READINGS

Today’s readings both have  the situation of a woman being accused of adultery and men want to kill them - stone them to death.

In the first reading from Daniel  it’s 2 Dirty old men who lust after Susanna and in the gospel it’s the woman caught in adultery - who  the Scribes and the Pharisees want to use her to kill her and Jesus as well.

The Psalm reading for today is Psalm  23 - which is very appropriate - because in both stories - each woman needs God to be at their side in such a horrible situation.

In the first reading it’s Daniel who saves Susanna. In the gospel it’s Jesus who saves this woman caught in adultery.

WHEN WE ARE IN A DARK VALLEY AND EVIL WANTS TO STONE US.

Everyone from time to time finds themselves in situations where others want to condemn us.

Till this day in India this same situation happens - because of male domination. Culture, custom control whom you can date and marry.

To this date in Islamic cultures where Sharia Law is imposed, sometimes women are stoned to death because of whom they date, want to marry, whom they fall in love with.

Back in the time of Puritan New England we had amongst the Puritans the same type of laws. We’ve all read or heard of Hawthorne’s book, The Scarlett Letter.

In our families there are stories about judgment for whom someone wants to marry.  He’s a Muslim. She’s of another color. He has tattoos and jewlerly.

He’s a mechanic or a maintenance man or a butcher or a baker or what have you.

STEPPING BACK AND SEE THE BIG PICTURE

In listening to people I have discovered some good news. It’s when people are worried when they become too judgmental.

To get the big picture, we need to say, “I don’t know why so and so is doing such and such a thing.”

There’s an interesting new book out, It Didn't Start With You: The Mystery of Inherited Trauma by Mark Wolynn.   It’s worth reading because of his thesis - that perhaps we are still influenced by what our great-grandparents have done.

He walks people back 3 or 4 generations.

The dark valley is a long dark valley.

I have to think about that. I did remember hearing, if you want to change someone, you have to start with your grandparents.

Maybe we picked up attitudes, religion, strictness, legalism, from our parents who picked it up  from their parents and they picked it up from their parents and on and on and on back.

Maybe we have to pause and realize God is at our side - walking with us - all through the generations.

Maybe once we sense God’s presence in our life - perhaps our God whom we think is fast asleep - we have to wake God up or let God shake us up and begin to influence us and others for the better.

Many of you worry about faith and grandkids.



Keep practicing your faith. Someone is picking it up.  Maybe today we are influencing 4 generations to come. Amen. 
April 3, 2017

SPACE

Space - that place - empty -
where we place stuff - chairs -
words - sounds - that fill the
silence - the donut hole in
the gold links of a necklace
chain - just sitting there on a
naked neck - not noticed until
or unless silence becomes irksome -
and someone wants to run out into
the night and stare at the black
vastness of the universe and
scream, “God where are You?”

 © Andy Costello, Reflections  2017


Sunday, April 2, 2017


PSALM  130

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for today is, “Psalm 130.”

Today is one of the 2 times in the Sunday Mass liturgies we use Psalm 130 - so for that reason and a few others, I want to preach on it today.

Do you want some good prayers?  Try the Psalms.  There are 150 of them in the Bible. They are the Book of Psalms.  They are the song book of Israel in the Bible - but without the music. It’s been my experience that if you read the psalms you’ll find at least 7 that will grab you - because of their words and images. Every funeral we hear The Lord Is My Shepherd - Psalm 23.  Today I’m featuring Psalm 130.  Pray Psalm 130 all through life - especially in the last third of our life.

We have heard of it with its Latin title: “De Profundis.” “Out of the depths …. Out of the pits ….  Out of the bottom of my dirty bird cage - with old newspapers and you know what on its bottom, I cry to you oh God.”

LET ME REPEAT THE PRAYER - PSALM 130

Let me recite the prayer in full once again. It’s only 89 words in the translation from the Hebrew that we have here in our Missalette. Psalms sort of slide by us without much mention - especially by preachers.

PSALM 130 - OUT OF THE DEPTHS

Out of the depths I cry to you, O LORD;
LORD, hear my voice!
Let your ears be attentive
to my voice in supplication. 

If you, O LORD, mark iniquities [sins],
LORD, who can stand?
But with you is forgiveness,
that you may be revered. 

I trust in the LORD;
my soul trusts in his word.
More than sentinels wait for the dawn,
let Israel wait for the LORD.

For with the LORD is kindness
and with him is plenteous redemption;
And he will redeem Israel
from all their iniquities.


There it is:  a profound prayer.

In some synagogues it’s recited every weekday. Shir HaMa’alot. Those are the first two words of the psalm in Hebrew - as “De profundis”  are the first two words in the Latin translation.

And De Profundis in Gregorian chant is powerful. Just type into Google, “De Profundis - YouTube” - and you can hear renditions by the greats:  Bach, Handel, Mendelssohn, Mozart and Salieri.  Leonard Bernstein has it in his Mass.

DEATH IN TODAY’S READINGS

Did you notice the theme of death in today’s readings?

In the first reading from Ezekiel he has the Lord saying two times, “I will open your graves and have you rise from them.”

In the second reading from Romans, Paul says even if we are dead - if we have the Spirit of the One who raised Jesus from the dead in us - we will receive life in our mortal bodies through his Spirit dwelling in us.

And the gospel has the great story of Jesus calling Lazarus back from the dead - even though he was in the grave 4 days.

And then there is Psalm 130, “Out of the Depths,”  “De Profundis,”Shir HaMa’alot” - which I’m commenting on today.

THE INGREDIENTS IN PSALM 130

First Psalm 130 is a scream. The psalms as prayer are often  cries - screeches - shrieks - shouts. The psalms teach us how to yell at God and to God. The psalms teach us how to scream.

In preaching I have said several times,  the loudest scream I ever heard in my life was from my sister Mary. It was at Lutheran hospital in Brooklyn - just outside of surgery. My mother was hit by a car while walking across a street on her way to church and then to work. It was a hit and run. She was flipped in the air and came down on her head. I got to the hospital and went upstairs to surgery. They were working on her brain. She died. It was April 7, 1987.   The doctors came out and told my sister Mary and me they couldn’t save her. The family was downstairs in the waiting room. I said to Mary, “Let’s suck it in and go downstairs and tell everyone.” She yelled, “Suck it in yourself!” And she screamed the loudest scream I ever heard.  It stopped everyone. So many of the psalms are screams.  When was the last time you screamed to God or at God?

And God hears screams from this planet every day - from Syria, Iraq, Baltimore, Chicago, North Korea, the Sudan and right now, Colombia. As of this morning the death today in Colombia is over 230 in those mud slides.

Next Psalm 130 is all about worrying about our mistakes, our sins, our iniquities. It gets us in touch with what every human being that I have ever talked to me as priest - what they worry about.  People have and hold onto memories of mistakes. And this psalm says, “Who can stand up if the Lord has a ledger, a book, a list on which God marks down when we were naughty.”  We don’t worry about when we were nice.



I already mentioned that Mozart and Salieri wrote music for Psalm 130 - De Profundis.  If you remember the movie Amadeus - about Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Antonio Salieri - I would dare say that Mozart didn’t feel the depths of Psalm 130 - especially dying at the age of 35 - and being a genius and a spoiled child all through is life. Salieri however, needed Psalm 130.  He dies at 74. In the movie and play, he’s looking back in his old age and talks about his life, his mediocrity, his jealousy, his envy - especially towards Mozart. He calls himself  the patron saint and the champion of mediocrity. He could pray Psalm 130 I’m sure with great depth. He cries near his death about his life, “Mediocrities everywhere... I absolve you... I absolve you... I absolve you... I absolve you... I absolve you all.”



Thirdly Psalm 130 says with the Lord there is forgiveness.  Couple that with the memories of our sins.  That’s a big act of faith. There is forgiveness with the Lord. Everyone over 65 worries about their life.  We drive alone at times with the hope that God is a forgiving God - who doesn’t have a score sheet.

Fourthly, there is the issue of trust - which goes along with remembering and forgiveness. Hopefully, we trust in that statement from the Lord that there is forgiveness. Trust is not only a child’s issue - the first stage of life according to Eric Ericson. It’s also the last stage in life - as we move into our second childhood.

Fifthly, we have to learn to wait for the Lord before we can experience this statement from the Lord.

We know about the experience of waiting. It’s like the military or police or people who work night shifts waiting  for the dawn.  We all experience waiting every day: waiting for that slow clock to get to 4 PM or whenever time is up. We wait for kids to get home. We wait up for spouses. We wait for kids or spouses to come back to the faith. So we know waiting.

Sixthly, the Lord is kind and he is filled with plenty of redemption. We Redemptorists have as our motto and meaning those words from this Psalm130. “With him there is fullness of redemption.” In Latin it’s “Copiosa apud eum redemptio.”  That’s our motto.  That’s our mission. We  preach trust in God. We preach “not to worry” when we look at our past. With the Lord there is fullness of redemption.”

CONCLUSION

Every one of us will die.

Every one of us hopes, Jesus is going to stand there at our grave or our remains and just as he stood at Lazarus grave - 4 days after he died, Jesus is going to scream out our name,  “______ come out!”