A DAY IN CAPERNAUM,  

A DAY  TO  REMEMBER   

INTRODUCTION

In January - it might even be this very day in January - but it was the year 2000 - I was in a bus with about 25 other priests and we went to Capernaum for a day.   We left our Palestinian Hotel in Tiberias - and headed to a place called Capernaum.

It was a day to remember.

In fact all the days on that 2 week tour of the Holy Land and Holy Places - 18 years ago - were days to remember.

The bus pulled into a space on the right - next to a building - in the shade - and then we went through a gate into Capernaum. The place wasn’t too big - but still the space had a grab to it.

Two buildings stood out - both of which are mentioned in today’s gospel.

One has a round roof - the other no roof.

The first was the Synagogue in Capernaum.  It wasn’t the actual one Jesus was in. That’s up for historical speculation and study. 

Architectural historians say the building there today  was built on top of  the remains of a synagogue built on top of an older synagogue.

All in all, in the time of Jesus - there was a synagogue here - somewhat like the one we walked over to - that morning.

Father Steven Doyle our retreat master and guide read today’s gospel - probably beginning with yesterday’s gospel. It tells of Jesus going into the synagogue in Capernaum with his disciples.  Then Stephen mentioned  other gospel stories that took place in this synagogue.

Then he gave us an hour to pray and reflect on the scene. So we sat down on the stone benches along the sides of the old synagogue - and prayed and reflected on the moment - where we were present. The synagogue had no roof - just some side walls, pillars and stone benches.

Then - after about spending an hour there - we walked over to Peter’s Mother-in-law home. This building was unique. There was a Christian Church here a few times. Like the synagogue, earlier buildings were here and crumbled in time.  

Peter’s mother-in-law’s house could be seen down below through a glass floor. There was an ancient building under this small church.

Once more, hearing the gospel read on the spot - after getting into that church -  we were able to picture the gospel story better.

Then we went out and walked about the whole village. It wasn’t that big, but it was a spiritual experience.

At the other end of the property, we could see the red roof of another church. Steven Doyle pointed out all the lumps and earth bumps in the big field that led the way to the  Greek Orthodox church - some 500 yards away.  Stephen Doyle said that digs in the future will show  a lot more than what we know right now.

So those two buildings and the red roofed Orthodox church in the distance were the 3 main places I can still picture to this day.

CAPERNAUM

So that place and that day in Capernaum that we visited in January of 2000 still holds some good memories for me.

Capernaum was central for Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.

Capernaum was central for Jesus as well.  The gospels tell us that Jesus centered himself here as then he started his public ministry.

The Lake was not too far away.

Nazareth was only 25 miles away.

Questions kept hitting me - and thoughts kept hitting me.

Whatever happened to Peter’s wife as well as his mother-in-law?

What house here did Jesus stay in? Do they have any markers anywhere?  

Was Joseph still around when Jesus moved from Nazareth to Capernaum?

It was here that the centurion’s servant was healed - as well as the man with the shakes. I never used the word "palsy".

CONCLUSION

I don’t know how to end this - other than saying, “Some days are different than other days."

Next I came up with a question. If every day was loaded down with all kinds of unique and specific places to visit or people to experience, could our RAM - our Random Access Memory - hold onto all these specific days - like I did for just “A Day in Capernaum” - or would our memories be like a crowded subway car in rush hour?

January 10, 2018

Thought for today: 

“When you have nothing to say, say nothing.” 

Charles Caleb Colton [1780-1832] in Lacon [1839-1822] Volume 1, no, 182

January 10, 2018

SHADOWS

Shadows move ever so slowly -

on sidewalks, up and down trees,

across lawns - and then they sort

of disappear - maybe for a siesta.

Shadows show up once again -

silently -  this time on the other side

of 3 PM. Lord, please let me prefer

light to shadows each and every time.

© Andy Costello, Reflections 2018

MISJUDGMENTS

INTRODUCTION

The title and theme of my homily for this first Tuesday in Ordinary Time is, “Misjudgments.”

Misjudgments are missed judgments.

It’s something people do on a regular basis. It’s something people confess on a regular basis. It’s something we hear about in scriptures on a regular basis.

Misjudgments.

LADY IN TODAY’S FIRST READING

It happens to Hannah in today’s first reading.

Eli the priest in this reading from 1 Samuel thinks she’s drunk.

She wants to have a baby. She wants to get pregnant. She wants a son - and her mouth is moving in prayer - but not out loud.  Eli is watching her and goes over to her and says, “How long will you make a drunken show of yourself. Sober up from your wine.”

Hannah answers, “It isn’t that my lord. I am an unhappy woman. I have had neither wine nor liquor. I was only pouring out my troubles to the LORD. Do not think your handmaid a ne’re do well; my prayer has been prompted by my deep sorrow and misery.”

Eli answers like a priest, “Go in peace, and may the God of Israel grant you what you have asked of him.”

Too bad he didn’t say, “Ooops I’m sorry for misjudging you.”

Anyway, she goes home and she gets pregnant - and she and her husband Elkanah have a son, Samuel.

MS LADY

I know a gal who got stopped for weaving while driving.  The police asked her to walk a straight line. She couldn’t - so they gave her a ticket and told her to be in court  for the charge of drunken driving.

She hadn’t taken anything to drink and luckily she told someone who told her to check with her doctor.  They discovered she had MS and nobody knew it. Her dad had it. And her sister got tested after that and she too had it - and they found out pregnancies can exacerbate the MS.

I once got tested for an enlarged liver and the doctor asked if I was drinking too much. I said to the doctor, “Not me. I have never drunk ever in my life except for the small sip of mass wine.”

And he said, “You’re lying. All priests drink.” 

I responded, “Not me.”  Then I added, “If you want to think that way - you can think that way - but welcome to the world of misjudgments.

CONCLUSION: THREE SOLUTIONS

Three solutions.

First solution: One of my favorite sayings is from the Talmud, “Teach thy tongue to say, ‘I do not know.’” We don’t know. We have not walked in another’s shoes. We just don’t know - so instead of judging others, simply say, “I don’t know.”

Second solution: have a sense of humor.

Here’s one of my favorite stories. Every day a man in Ireland walks to and from work pushing a wheelbarrow. He works in a cemetery and he keeps his shovel and his gloves in his wheelbarrow.

And on his way home from work, he stops at his favorite pub. He leaves his wheelbarrow outside in front.

Well this one day it starts to pour rain while he’s inside chatting with the boys. A buddy says,  Paddy, it’s pouring rain. I’ll drive you home. Come on. My car is out back.” Well, Paddy says, “I guess I can leave my wheelbarrow out front and pick it up in the morning on my way to work.

So the next morning he picks up his wheelbarrow and goes to work.

Well Maude - the town gossip - who lives just across the street from the pub spreads the rumor that Paddy spent the night on the floor of the pub drunk. She said I looked out the window a few times and his wheelbarrow was outside the pub all night.

Well, Paddy heard the gossip.

That night he put his wheelbarrow outside Maude’s bedroom window  - for all the town to see.

Third solution: follow the golden rule. Would we want someone to do this to us?

January 9, 2018

Thought for today: 

“Nobuddy ever fergets where he buried a hatchet.” 

Frank McKenny “Kin” Hubbard [Abe Martin] 1868-1930] in Abe Martin’s Broadcast [1930]

January 9, 2018

WAVES

Wave after wave after wave

making their way to the shore ….

There is something mesmerizing,

hypnotizing about waves, waves.

I stand there watching them moving

towards the beach - and I’m aware

they have been moving this way for

at least billions of years now and more.

Is it because there is no me in waves -

only we in waves.  No wave is trying

to outdo the wave before or after….

Now surfers, they are another story.

© Andy Costello, Reflections 2018

REENACTMENT

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for this feast of the Baptism of Jesus is, “Reenactment.”

One of the things we do in religions as well as life is reenactments.

At Gettysburg and the Civil War battlefields of Virginia - there are reenactments of the battles fought there.

Here in Annapolis - the Annapolis, Historic Society - put on 4 Script Plays of stuff that happened in town and around here during the 150^th Anniversary of the Civil War.  Bob Warden of our parish - and on that committee - made sure that stuff happening in St. Mary’s got into the script. I got the chance to be 5 different Redemptorists - one of which was Father Seelos - and I starred - just kidding - on stage at St. John’s College.

We read letters and newspaper clippings etc. etc. etc. from that period. It was an education for me - not being from Annapolis. Every time I go by Parole I think of scenes from there in the play - as well as the small military cemetery on West Street - opposite and down a bit from St. Mary’s cemetery. I think of a Russian Sailor who is buried there - getting killed in a bar fight in town. A Russian boat docked at Annapolis - during the Civil War.

REENACTMENTS

So folks do reenactments all over the world - small ones - like the renewal of marriage vows - and big ones like anniversaries of the signing of the Magna Carta or the Declaration of Independence.

I saw in the paper the other day that the 200^th anniversary of Emily Bronte is happening this year or so.

Well, we Catholics have the Mass. We have Holy Week. We have Christmas. Do this in memory of me.

The teaching and theology of the Mass is that not only is it a reenactment - it also puts us into the Upper Room - and Christ is in the bread and the wine - as he was at the Last Supper.

This teaching is heavy duty stuff. It’s an amazing act of faith. I hope you have heard us priests and deacons say that an important way of reading and hearing the Scriptures - is that they are talking not only about what happened in the life of Jesus - but also what was happening in the Early Church.

Much of what is being stressed and argued about is put there from the life of Jesus to deal with stuff from the years 60 to 100.

So when we read John 6 and hear about people walking away from Jesus when he told folks this is his body - which he is giving to them for eternal life and they say, “This is hard to believe” and they walk away. Well it was also hard to believe in the Johannine Community and folks walked away then as well. And it’s tough for people like Bill Maher on Television when he publicly makes comments about the Mass and I assume the faith he was brought up on.

BAPTISM

Well, I was taught in the seminary about the baptism of John and how Christ entering into it - the feast we are celebrating today.

He didn’t get baptism for the removal of Original Sin in himself - but for all of us - just as God the Father helped the Israelites move from the sin and slavery of Egypt and head for the promised land.

As I stood there at the River Jordan in Israel in January of 2000 I thought of all this - especially watching a group of Protestants being baptized in the Jordan. I remember our guide, Father Doyle a Franciscan Scripture scholar, saying it probably didn’t happen here - at this spot of the Jordan, but down there - closer to the Jordanian Border - but we can’t get close to that spot, because of possible problems.

I remember him saying that John the Baptist was reenacting the first crossing of the Jordan way back and Baptism was being dipped into that history again - and he was calling Israel to renewal  - and for all of us to hear that we are the beloved children of god.

CONCLUSION

For most of us our parents did this for us, when we were baptized.

We do this every Easter.

We can do this every time we come into this church - going by the baptismal font and dipping - baptizo - in Greek - our finger into the water and making the sign of the cross in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen.