February 13, 2020

Quote for today:

“The battles that count  aren’t the ones for gold medals. The struggles within yourself—the invisible, inevitable battles inside all of us — that’s where it’s at.” 

Jesse Owens

February 12, 2020

INNER VOICES

At times I’ve been tempted to collect your mistakes,

to write them down in a book, listing time, date, place, 

the things you said, or did to me that hurt - really hurt.

Then months later when a border war or skirmish

between us erupts, I can pull out my list of your

mistakes and splash them in your face, like acid.

Wait. I can’t do that. We’re Christians. We’re

humans. I don’t want to do  that.  I choose not

to hold onto all  the stupid things you do.

Yet! But! Wait!  A hesitation appears. If or when

you pick out something I’ve done wrong, a mistake,

I'll  have no book or words  to throw at you.

Yet! But! Wait! Come to think about it – there is

a benefit for me in not keeping such a diary ….

My space would begin to stink with smelly thoughts.

So, I guess, love for you is really love for me too.
Good thing someone took the time to write down
the words of Jesus - on why to love one's enemies.

© Andy Costello, Reflections 2020

February 12, 2020

Thought   for  Today

“I can accept failure. Everyone fails at something. But I can’t accept not trying.” 

Michael Jordan

PEGGY

Everyone should have a sister named “Peggy”.

Today – February 11^th – would be her 82^nd  birthday – but her deathday – got in the way of that – November 5, 2013.

She was a sister – doubly.

She was our sister – Peggy – to Billy, Mary and myself.

She was Sister Saint Monica as an Immaculate Heart of Mary nun – to so many sisters in that community of Sisters – centered in Scranton, Pennsylvania.

Nuns in her community were allowed some where back there – to go back to their original names.

Peggy stuck with Sister Saint Monica – maybe because she got the nickname of “Saint” at times – and/or because she liked the name, “Monica” – and she had a wonderful niece named Monica – the reason she picked Monica for her nun’s name.

Who wouldn’t like the name Sister Saint Monica?

I’m sure if she had a name – in being a nun – like Sister Mary Aligatious – she would have been back to Peggy on Day 1.

She was a servant – not just because Jesus calls us Christians to be servants – not just because that was part pf the title of the nun group she joined – but because it was her nature. 

A servant ….

[Here's Sister St. Monica with her first class: 69 darlings as she called them in St. Mary of the Mount, Pittsburgh]

As a result, she ended up serving in many places  in Pennsylvania: Williamsport, Pittsburgh, Dushore, Sugar Notch, Scranton,. She was also in Manhasset, L.I. NY, Wilmington, Delaware, Rocky Mount, North Carolina and Verona and Delran, New Jersey.

When stuck, when someone came down with a sickness, Peggy was a piece on the chess board who could easily be moved.

She loved Rocky Mount. North Carolina.  She got me – her brother the priest – to preach a parish mission – in her parish for a week. I could see how much the parish, the parents, and the kids in the school there loved her.

She loved her last job – getting old nuns in the Marywood Scranton area – jobs as tutors for kids of all ages.  It also got her a car that came with the job – not a new one – but a decent car.

She liked Harvey’s Bristol Cream – a party – making Irish Soda Bread – scale models of the tough strong bread with raisons and carraway seeds.

Mary – was always my favorite sister – and I used to love to say that to bust on Peggy – well Mary and I miss her this day.

We have to get up to her grave in Moscow, Pennsylvania, not too far from Scranton – again soon – but not when there is snow on the ground.

There’s more – this is just a little bit – about my sister Peggy – a Saint  - and such a neat person.

Thought I give a little shout out for her today her birthday.

Last night on Bull – Bull’s wife had a baby – and a doctor – a heart surgeon – whom Bull and his team helped in a trial – showed up at the hospital to thank Bull and see their new baby.  The doctor kissed the baby and said something like “The world is  much better today – because you are now on the planet.”

I felt that way about my sister Peggy.

I conclude with my opening comment:  everyone should have a sister named “Peggy”.

February 11,  2020

WRONG   DAY

Some days are wrong days.

There is no weather woman or man

on TV to tell us tomorrow is going

to be a wrong day. Sorry.

Some days are wrong days.

It could be the two comments

or misunderstandings that came

into work today with so and so.

Some days are wrong days.

Or it could have been the traffic –

a bridge between us was out –

or traffic just was not flowing all day.

Some days are wrong  days.

I noticed people were tapping

their fingers or scratching their

backs  today a bit more than usual.

Some days are wrong days.

The only consolation is that 

there was yesterday and we’ll find out

what tomorrow will be like tomorrow.

Some days are only a day away.

© Andy Costello, Reflections 2020

February  11, 2020

Thought  for  Today 

“A man without knowledge of himself and his heritage is like a tree without roots.”

Dick Gregory

PRAYING  IN  THE  DARK CLOUD

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for this 5^th Monday in Ordinary Time  is, “Praying in the Dark Cloud.”

At the end of today’s first reading there is a sentence that grabbed me: “The Lord intends to dwell in the dark cloud….”

That seems quite intense – as well as intriguing – as well as interesting. 

It’s 1 Kings 8:12.

I looked up about a dozen translations of this text translated from the Hebrew “BAR ARA PEL”  and most have either “the dark cloud” or “the thick cloud.”

It triggered for me immediately, Saint John of the  Cross – as well as F. Scott’s Fitzgerald’s comment in an essay in The Crack-Up.

Quote: “In a real dark night of the soul it is always three o'clock in the morning, day after day.”

People have certainly experienced God – and screams for God – and the feelings of the absence of God – when there is horror happening – liquor being spilled – relationships or family is falling apart or being flimsy  and they can’t sleep at three o’clock in the morning – or three in the afternoon.

PRAYER THOUGHT

Solomon tells us in this text  from 1^st Kings that he built a  princely house – a dwelling for the Lord – where The Lord can abide forever – but then once more his comment, “The Lord intends to dwell in the dark cloud.”

If we look at our life, we know we have experienced God in churches as well as in dark clouds.  We have experienced God in sunrises and sunsets – in the mountains or on or at the ocean – the desert or the maternity ward.

In the scriptures we have the prominence of clouds – as places where people experienced God. For example, In Exodus we have the pillar of fire and the cloud – leading Israel in the wilderness.

It’s good to sit on a porch on a rainy day – if there is roof overhead  - and watch the rain and the clouds and experience God.  It’s good to get a window seat on a plane – on a cloudy day – and look out the window as our plane breaks out of the clouds and all is light – if it’s daytime. Or it’s good to sit on a porch at night and look at the sky or the stars or both – and the red moon – like last night – and the silver moon – full or in slivers - other nights.

THE CLOUD OF UNKNOWING

That comment in 1 Kings 8: 12 also triggered for me, thoughts about The Cloud of Unknowing – the book. This 14^th century book is still around – and one can read it on line – and read commentaries on it. 

Tricky stuff – if it brings us to realize – we can never nail down God – even on a cross – or in words – or images.

The Hebrews gave us the 1^st and 2^nd commandments – as a warning not to have false images of God – and to think we know God – as God really is.

Life is getting glimpses of those we live with – but as they said of JFK, “Johnny We Hardly Knew You.”  Well, if that’s with each other, it’s a zillion zenith glimpses getting to know  God.

Yet in the meanwhile,  the clouds  lift at times and we get glimpses of the Son.

In the meanwhile, if you find yourself in the dark when it comes to God, count yourself in the company of Mother Teresa and every person – even the atheists – when they wonder and wrestle about God – especially when they are in a dark cloud.

Or like Saint Scholastica, whose feast is today, who wanted to talk to her twin brother on a long dark rainy night.