February 21, 2020
Thought
for Today
“Diversity is not about how we differ. Diversity is about embracing one another’s uniqueness.”
Ola Joseph
Friday, February 21, 2020
Thursday, February 20, 2020
February 20, 2020
DACTYLOLOGY
I miss my older brother Billy.
He once bought the book,
30 Days to a More Powerful Vocabulary,
and then for the next month he drove
us all crazy with big words.
So I got a dictionary.
did some research,
and then said to him,
did some research,
and then said to him,
“You’re obfuscating
instead of elucidating.”
He then asked me if I wanted to be
a sesquipedalian. I asked him
what that meant?
He answered, “It’s being
a person who uses big words,
dummy.”
“Oh!”
I wish he was still alive –
because I would now tell him that I was
hippopotomonstrosesquipedaliophobic?
I’m sure he would then say,
“So you have a fear of hippos?”
"No', I would say, “It’s fear of big words.”
He’d would then
say,
“You just have to learn to flob?”
I’d then say,
“Oh, ok, now what does it mean to flob?”
“Oh, ok, now what does it mean to flob?”
He’d then say,
“Flob is both a noun and a verb.
It means to just spit or flob it out!”
He’d then say,
“Okay. Quid pro quo.
Use smaller words and
I’ll speak in English.”
“Oh!”
I miss my brother Billy.
He died too soon.
51 - from skin cancer.
He’d say, “Melanoma.”
I went to his grave
at Gate of Heaven Cemetery
near Washington D.C. several times
with his best friend,
near Washington D.C. several times
with his best friend,
a Jewish guy named Marty Goldberger.
In dactylology we were both
saying by being there, “We miss you.”
“Dactylology? Dactylology?
I could hear him saying,
"Why can’t you just say, 'Sign language'”?
© Andy Costello, Reflections 2020
Wednesday, February 19, 2020
ANGER
INTRODUCTION
The title and topic for my homily is just one word: “Anger.”
So a few words about anger on this 6th Wednesday in Ordinary Time.
FIRST READING: JAMES
James in today’s first reading says to be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger, for anger does not accomplish the righteousness of God.
James is very practical – and talks about issues we’re all aware of.
He says a lot in today’s first reading - but I stopped at anger – as a topic to think and pray about for today.
ANGER
Anger is a strong feeling of annoyance – irritation – displeasure.
James tells us to be slow to speak, to scream, to yell.
A better use of time is to ask: “What’s the trigger?”
If it’s us who is angry – we might be able to name the trigger.
If it’s another who is angry, we might not know what triggered another’s anger.
I’ve lived in community for over 50 years – so I know some of the things that get me angry or frustrated: noisy people – especially when I’m trying to sleep, people who are too early for things – and as a result they expect me to be early as well.
For example, at the last place I was stationed, we had confessions on Saturday afternoon at 3:45 and then Mass at 4:30. Well, two guys would get there at 3 PM. When it was my turn I’d get there at 3:35 or 3:40 – that’s 5 or 10 minutes early – but if myself or the other guy - 2 were scheduled every Saturday - were close to 3:45 we’d get the complaints or the watch tappers when we came in. That got me angry.
Anger managers teach people to take the time to appraise – to figure out - why certain things get us angry. Appraisal is the key world.
My appraisal why I didn’t like these guys who went out for confessions too early was: I don’t want to look late or lazy.
What do you get angry about?
Everyone has their buttons.
Is it “pasta again” or cold food or every time I want to tell a story, I get cut off by so and so. Is it control issues? Is it a fairness issue?
All the specialists about anger say anger can be good – when injustice is taking place – or someone is hurting someone else.
All the specialists about anger say there is always the “It all depends” situation when it comes to anger. People get more angry when driving in traffic – and they are behind schedule and they got to be somewhere and traffic is extra heavy – compared to if there is no rush.
Aristotle wrote, “Anybody can become angry — that is easy, but to be angry with the right person and to the right degree and at the right time and for the right purpose, and in the right way — that is not within everybody's power and is not easy.”
TODAY’S GOSPEL FROM MARK
As we all know Jesus got angry when he saw all the buying and selling going on in the temple.
We’re in Mark 8 today – when Jesus heals a blind man. Remember in Chapter 3 of Mark, Jesus gets angry with the Pharisees and the Herodians who attack him for healing a man with a bad hand on the Sabbath.
The Pharisees should have come to Jesus to have him heal their blindness – like this blind man in today’s gospel - so they could see Jesus and people in a new way – not spending life being picky, picky, picky people.
Once upon a time, there was this lady in a parish where I was saying Mass. She turned me in the bishop for breaking the bread near the consecration -when the priest says the words of Jesus, “he took bread and, giving thanks, broke it, and gave it to his disciples saying …” I would do that at times – most of the time unconsciously – but now I don’t do it – lest it get someone angry.
CONCLUSION:
An old priest I knew from somewhere else would say about pesty ladies, “I’d give that lady a wide berth” – as in docking a boat.
February 19, 2020
EYEWITNESS
I was taught by a photographer,
“If you want to take good pictures
get out there an hour after sunrise
or an hour before sunset.”
I was taught by Jesus to pray,
“Today Lord, I
want to see who
and what I was looking at
yesterday, but I didn’t
see them.”
© Andy Costello, Reflections 2020
Tuesday, February 18, 2020
February 18, 2020
EPILOGUE
No, not yet ….
I have more to say.
I see you have your car keys in hand.
I see your hands are grasping the
arm rests of your chair
as if to leave.
as if to leave.
I can see your feet are starting to move.
No, not yet ….
I have a lot more
to say.
I’m still in my second act.
Hold off with the eulogy
and the epilogue.
Sorry you’re not going to see
“The End” of this movie yet.
© Andy Costello, Reflections 2020
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