December 20, 2018
“`Broadway is a
street,’ typed the columnist, `where people spend money they haven’t earned to
buy things they don’t need to impress people they don’t like.’”
Carl Sandburg,
p. 173
Thursday, December 20, 2018
Wednesday, December 19, 2018
STORIES
TRIGGER STORIES
INTRODUCTION
The title of my homily is, “Stories Trigger Stories.”
As we all know stories trigger stories.
I tell you a story about a blue rock and you begin thinking
about a blue car you once had or a rock band or a rock you once tripped on and
you hurt your left shoulder.
Stories trigger stories.
TODAY’S READINGS
Today’s first reading from Judges tells the story of Samson
- which triggers the story of John the Baptist in our gospel.
Obviously Luke - today’s gospel - has the story in Judges
in mind.
Notice the connections - no strong wine or drink - an
angel of the Lord comes and makes an announcement - consecration to the Lord - barren
no children - then a son.
Stories trigger stories.
The Bible - the scriptures - the Old Testament and then
the New Testament - have many interconnecting stories. If you ever spot the
Jerusalem Bible sitting around - just page through it - and notice all the
interconnecting cross references.
Jesus is the New Moses. That’s a constant theme -
especially in the gospel of John. Moses left Egypt - Matthew has to get Jesus
to Egypt - so he can head for the Promised Land.
Jesus is the new Gideon - a savior - who will help the
people.
When Jesus came they ask and they wonder if he is Elijah
or one of the prophets.
WE DO THE SAME THING
We do the same thing - all the time.
I tell a story and it reminds you of something that
happened to you - and first chance you get, you cut me off and you tell your
story.
This happens all the time.
It happens with jokes as well.
Listening exercises are given to people - and they are
trained to hear what the others are saying - and not cut in with our story.
A person was telling me recently that a parish in the Midwest
trained a team of about 12 people to go
around the parish in 2’s - to knock on doors and see if they could talk to Catholics
who had dropped out of church. The
parish numbers had gone down big time. Their job was to ask dropouts their
story. They were not allowed to tell the
persons they were listening to their story. They were just to listen. Then at
the end to say, “Thanks for telling us your story. We’re from St. Mary’s and
you’re always welcome back.”
It worked.
CONCLUSION
Stories trigger stories - but they didn’t let their
stories - to stop them from listening to other people’s stories.
Today ask someone to tell you their story - without you
telling your story. Watch what happens.
December 19, 2018
BODY PARTS
© Andy Costello, Reflections
2018
BODY PARTS
If you’re happy,
tell your face and give
the world a great smile
If you’re sad,
get what’s bothering you
off your chest.
If you’re lonely,
move your feet and
knock on a friend’s door.
If you’re all talk,
shut up and visit a shut in -
and listen to them.
If you’re wondering
why you’re here,
reach out and help someone.
If you’re doubting God,
open your eyes to all
the beauty surrounding you.
If you’re grouchy,
move your mouth and praise
someone for something quick.
If you’re lazy,
get off your butt and do
something sweet for someone else.
Tuesday, December 18, 2018
December 18, 2018
TABLE
Who came up with the first table?
Was it a rock or a board placed
on two rocks? At
some point did
some carpenter put together a
wooden structure - so that we
didn’t have to eat on the ground
or off a blanket or an animal hide?
Did that lead to the idea of an altar?
Who made the first altar? Did the
first altar, did the first table move
our consciousness, a few degrees
closer to the importance of eating
together, praying together with
each other and with our God?
© Andy Costello, Reflections
2018
IF YOU WANT JUSTICE,
WORK FOR PEACE
INTRODUCTION
The title of my homily is, “If You Want Justice, Work for
Peace.”
That’s a saying that Pope Paul VI gets credit for -
putting it out there on January 1, 1972
in a message for the celebration of the Day of Peace.
We
all know the beatitude: “Blessed are the Peacemakers for they shall be called
children of God.”
We all know and say the Peace Prayer coming from the
tradition of St. Francis of Assisi. “Lord, make me an instrument of your
peace….today.”
TODAY’S READINGS
I thought of Paul VI’s message, “If you want justice,
work for peace” when I read today’s readings.
Jeremiah 25 - today’s first reading - proclaims - that “The Lord’s name is
justice.”
How do you describe, how do you define, justice.
I like to say it means fairness - the very word - every
kid screams in games or on how he or she
feels they are being treated. “It’s not fair, Bobby can stay up later than me.”
“It’s not fair, the teacher like Sally more than me.”
Paul VI was saying: if we treat each other with fairness
and equal respect, we’ll have more peace in the family, in the world, in our
groups.
The Psalm response for today was:
“Justice shall flourish in his time, and fullness of peace for
ever.”
Today’s gospel describes Joseph
as a righteous man. He treated Mary
well.
THE CATHOLIC SOCIAL DOCUMENTS /
TEACHINGS
Paul VI gets credit for putting into one short sentence
the essence of Catholic Social Teachings. “If You Want Justice, Work for
Peace.”
I keep hearing in meetings - and in writings - the call of our Catholic Church to evangelize
the world.
Sometimes I wonder just what evangelization means. Is it
pushing for a strict and narrow agenda - liberal or
conservative positions? Is it simply to teach, preach, stress the gospel to our
world?
If Catholics knew our Social Justice documents - and then
tried to work them into our lives - our families and our neighborhoods - and
our world, then I think things would be clearer what Christ was about.
I would be strongly in favor of pushing that agenda: that
everyone knew Rerum Novarum [Leo
XIII, 1891], Quadragesimo Anno 1931, Mater et Magister [1961], Pacem in Terris [1963] , Populorum
Progressio, Humanae Vitae [1968]. Labore, exercens [1981], Caritas in veritate, [John Paul II,
2009 and Laudato si [2015] from Pope Francis on the environment.
However, if the Church stressed and preached on the
social justice teachings, there would be complaints and screaming. People would say, “This is politics!” “This
is socialism.” “You can’t preach in the pulpit about Labor Unions or Capital
Punishment or the Climate.”
THE CROSS
The cross is central to this church building - this large
crucifix on the front wall of our church here at St. John Neumann.
Christ was crucified for a reason.
I wonder when I think about what we’re called to preach
about: Do we ever preach messages that could get us killed?
It was Jesus’ call to die to self and selfishness and to
sacrifice and care for others.
Read Matthew 25: 31-46: I was hungry, I was sick, I was naked, I
was in prison and you visited and tried to help me.
Read Galatians 6:2: “Bear one another’s burdens and this
way you’ll fulfill the law of Christ.”
Listen to these words from St. Basil the Great, “When someone steals another's
clothes, we call them a thief. Should we not give the same name to one who
could clothe the naked and does not? The bread in your cupboard belongs to the
hungry; the coat unused in your closet belongs to the one who needs it; the
shoes rotting in your closet belong to the one who has no shoes; the money
which you hoard up belongs to the poor.”
CONCLUSION
The title of my homily for today was: “If You Want
Justice, Work for Peace.”
This message from Pope Paul VI is a one sentence message
that is central to the great collection of Social Justice Encyclicals or
Letters from our recent popes.
If people knew this is what we stand for, would they
still stand with the Church? Or would
they walk away - because their religion stays inside the church buildings?
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