HAS ANYONE EVER CALLED 

YOU AN ANGEL OR A SAINT?

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily is, “Has Anyone Ever Called You an Angel or a Saint?”

I don’t know about you, but I have heard people say to me, “You’re an angel!”  or  “You’re a saint.”

Translation: I did them a favor. I covered for them. They were stuck and I got them out of a jam.

Translation: we’re supposed to be charitable - we’re supposed to be nice - we’re supposed to helpful to each other - and we figure that’s what angels and saints do.

ANGELS OR SAINTS

November 1^st - the Church celebrates all the saints - known and unknown.

During the year we also celebrate the feast days of archangels - Michael, Raphael,  Gabriel - as well as and our guardian  angels - but angels are more fuzzy than flesh and blood saints.

However, angels  are worth thinking about at times. They are part of our theology and understanding about God - and life with God and each other.

And lately I’ve been hearing a reference to something Abraham Lincoln said in his First Inaugural Address - March 4, 1861:  “We are not enemies, but friends. We must not be enemies. Though passion may have strained, it must not break our bonds of affection. The mystic chords of memory will swell when again touched, as surely they will be, by the better angels of our nature.”

Have you been hearing speakers talk about the better angels of our being?

Then the speaker contrasts the better angels of our nature with our bad angels.

I don’t know if we think or talk like this or picture life this way.

A writer named Stephen Pinker spoke about this choice of good or bad angels in a book, “The Better Angels of our Nature: Why Violence Has Declined?”

Has it - when we think about the regular reports of killings and violence around our world?

Pinker talks about 5 Inner Demons: Predatory Violence, Dominance, Revenge, Sadism and Ideology.

He also talks about 4 inner angels: Empathy, Self-control, Moral Sense and Reason.

He thinks we have improved.

Each of us has to ask if we  have improved.

Who’s sitting on my shoulder or my back: demons, the devil, or angels of messengers of mercy and compassion?

Then there are saints.

Which works better for you?  Concentrating on angels or saints?

ALL SAINTS DAY - SOME QUESTIONS

November 1^st we are celebrating the saints.

Do we have a favorite saint?

Advertisers are trying to get us to model our lives - our looks - by good looking people - and what they wear, what they drive, what they use.

The Church is trying to get us to model our lives  - our way of doing life - by the saints?

Looking at our own lives - what are our strengths - and what do we need - what qualities do we see we’re lacking.

Are we a procrastinator or a doubter: pick St. Thomas the Apostle as an example of being late or absent or we have our doubts.

Are we clumsy, pick St. Camillus de Lellis as a patron saint.  He was saying Mass and preached and tripped on the steps into the front bench.  He was called to anoint and pray over a sick person and accidentally knocked a bed post over and it fell and cut the person in the bed in his head. Lots of blood.

Have our kids given up on all the Christian values we tried to get them to come back to church and the faith,  pray to St. Monica  - who prayed for her son Augustine for years and years and years.

Do we have a drinking or drug problems, there’s Francis Thompson the poet and the Irish holy man, Matt Talbot.

CONCLUSION

The title of my homily is, “Has Anyone Ever Called You an Angel or a Saint?”

Don’t do good to get compliments. Do good. Be an angel…. be a saint …. who 

makes life sweeter for those around us. Amen.

November 1, 2018 

Thought for today: 

"Geddes MacGregor in The Rhythm of God tells of a priest who, when asked, 'How many people were at the early celebration of the Eucharist last Wednesday morning?' replied, 'There were three old ladies, the janitor, several thousand archangels, a large number of seraphim, and several million of the triumphant saints of God.' Such a 'cloud of witnesses' answers a deep human urge to be part of something larger, to not stand alone, to give our little lives meaning. One drop of water, left alone, evaporates quickly. But one drop of water in the immense sea endures."

October 31, 2018

FIVE  SPIRITUAL  PRACTICES 

FOR  NOVEMBER

Don’t use the pronoun “I” for just one day.

Say one clear “Thank you” to someone

every day this coming month and circle

the day you did it - and if you have a

full month by November 30 - say “Thank you!”

Take a 10 minute walk outside at least

three times a week during November

and enjoy those trees and leaves.

In this month beginning with All Saints,

pick out a Saint you don’t know and

Google her or him and then pray for a

key virtue in that Saint’s life  to try to put

into practice in her or his honor.

Collect  all the death cards you have

anywhere and read the prayer on that 

card for that person this month of the Dead.

© Andy Costello, Reflections 2018

October 31, 2018 

Thought for today:  

“Unless you move to Google, stop acting like  you know everything.”

Apples, Peaches, 

Pears and Grapes,

by Paul Cezanne 

IN  TOUCH

Stay in touch ….

We say that at times ….
Not to everyone ….

But to those whose

presence touches us

in the deeply felt moments

and music or life - when we

are with them - as if we were 
in a bowl of fruit together  -

but different as apples and oranges -

and then they are off to college

or off to the airport till next

Thanksgiving or that wedding

next June. How many people

are there in life whom we 

delight to be in touch with. 
They are still life to us, peaches 
or pears or plums in a bowl?

© Andy Costello, Reflections 2018

THE  EPHESIANS 

5: 21-33  MARRIAGE  TEST 

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for this 30 Tuesday in Ordinary Time is, “The Ephesians 5: 21-33 Marriage Test.”

I am not a professional marriage counselor, but I would think today’s first reading would be a helpful marriage counseling or evaluating test.

I am aware that counselors use pictures and drawings at times to get glimpses of what people are like - how they react - how they think - how they see life etc.

For example, I know counselors sometimes present pictures - like 3 silhouette drawings of a mom, a dad, and a kid and ask, “Which one of these three is not a family?”

Or for example,  they are shown three animals and they are asked, “Which animal is more you?” Then they are asked, “How do you see another family member?”  And they listen to the answers the other or others give.

TODAY’S FIRST READING

Today’s first reading gets at;  who’s in charge - who’s the boss - dealing with imperfections.

It deals with love and forgiveness and respect.

It deals with differences. It deals with holiness, God and church.

A Christian marriage counselor could have couples read this reading quietly - then each could read it out loud - then discussion could follow.

I know a lady who calls up the rectory of her parish church when this reading is coming up the following Sunday and says, “It better not be read.”

This reading or a similar one has notes on the side saying a substitute can be chosen or a condensed version can be read.  I always wonder about that because those with missalette can see the whole reading.

I remember being at a biblical conference in Chicago and a lady asked about this text  -  complaining that is was sexist - and doesn’t give women full equality - and the scripture scholar who responded s by saying,  “Look, this is written by someone from long ago.  It mirrors how people were thinking back then, not now.”

The speaker also said, “We have various other documents from the mind-set of the 1^st century in the Mediterranean Basin. This document and several NT texts show the treatment of women far better in comparison.”

MARRIAGE 2018

I’m not married - so I’m quite hesitant to say anything about marriage.

As Clint Eastwood once said in a Dirty Harry movie, “A man has got to know his limitations.”

However, a woman once asked to speak to me about her husband. I listened. Then she said to me: “Wait a minute. You’re not married, so you don’t understand men.”  I smiled and said, “Wait a minute I live with 9 of them.”  She paused - thought for a few moments - smiled - laughed and said, “You’re right.”

Not being married I’m see marriages where a wife is way ahead of the man. I’ve seen marriages where one is better than the other in different areas - say, “She is much better with finances than he is.” Or “He’s a better cook!”

So I would think this text from Ephesians has to be considered in the light of a much more educated woman.

And looking at today’s gospel,  with its two images - first of the mustard seed and the making of bread - using wheat flour and yeast. Both look at growth. So when talking about marriage,   couples better be growing - and better be better - after 10 or 20 years of marriage compared  to earlier years of marriage.

CONCLUSION

I would think couples need to evaluate how they have grown, where they are now, and how do they want to become. I would think reading a good marriage improvement book or course or counseling or a Marriage Encounter weekend - with some good self-tests - would certainly help - along with scripture  reading and prayer. Amen.

October 30, 2018 

Thought for today: 

“Take a deep  breath. It’s just a bad day not a bad life.”