February  23, 2022

Feast of St. Polycarp

7 Wednesday Ordinary Time

JAMES 4: 13-17 -

MORE OR LESS -

IN POETIC FORM

 

I like today’s first reading – James 4:13 – 17.

 

Last night I read it a few times and it gave me heavy thoughts.

 

I also thought, “Let it stand by itself!”

 

That would be enough, Then I said, “Be poetic.  Why not put it into poetic form? It’s puzzling – so put it in a puzzling poetic form – but keep it simple.    

 

The homilist is supposed to do something like that with the text – and not just walk away – like a match or a candle going out.

 

So here’s James 4: 13-17 in poetic form.  I’ll call this, “Tomorrow!”

 

TOMORROW

 

Tomorrow.

 

Wait. I might not get a tomorrow.

 

I could be just a puff of smoke. I could be just for a moment.

 

Air hanging in air – just for a moment – then disappearing.

 

Today.

 

Okay I’ll take today. Right now I’m here in the here and now – of today.

 

I’m here.  I’ve been there.  But I might not be in the next.

 

Surprise! In fact I could be gone – by tomorrow.

 

That’s humbling.

 

You never know.

 

That takes away any argument for arrogance.

 

So I guess the thing to do – the right thing to do – is to do what the letter of James tells us to do, “If the Lord puts me in his will for a next, take it - and live it. -  Take it and say, ‘Thanks.”

 

To not - to not do that - would be stupid – and actually – it would be a sin.

 

So today - I’ll do - today. - I’ll try to live today – to the  full.

 

And tomorrow – I’ll do tomorrow - if I get a tomorrow.  

I hope to.  Thank You God.

 

Together – we’ll find that one out – like today – like yesterday – but tomorrow

Thank You.

 February 23, 2022

HUMILITY

 
I’d like to be able to say, “You can’t be humble till you’re 50 or over.”
 
It’s true.
 
Yet being over 50 and being humbled so many times before and after 50, I know whatever I say has flaws.  So you can’t say, “You can’t be humble till you’re 50 or over.”
 
Yet it’s true.
 
By 50 you know you’ve lied to yourself too many times.
 
By 50 you know you’ve never did the work to make ¾ of your dreams or plans come true.
 
By 50 you know you’re a sinner and its not just pious words to say that.
 
By 50 you know you’re failing and one of these days you’re going to die. Your body tells you so.
 
By 50 you understand what James M. Barrie meant when he said, “Life is a long lesson in humility.”
 
By 55 – if you’re smart - you have added humor to humility.  Not cynicism, please God.  Humor, please God.
 
Because if you can’t laugh, you can’t cry over the mistakes and the failures and all the “might have been’s.”
 
Without humor, you will be a sour old man or woman – angry at everyone but yourself.
 
With humor, you’ll know it’s you who is responsible and it’s okay.  The rest of the gang has a long list of failures - as well.   They also have  flashes of greatness and goodness – as well.
 
By 60 you finally realize – experientially – that St. Teresa of Avila’s words are not a flippant cliché.
 
Her words: “Humility is truth.
 
You have to  see that -  admit that – cry at that - and laugh at that.
 
Translation: at yourself.
 
Enough for now.
 
 
 
 

© Andy Costello, Reflections 2022

February  23,  2022

 

Thought for Today

 

“The written word, unpublished, can be destroyed, but the spoken word, can never be recalled.”

 

Horace, [20 B.C.]

 February  22,  2022

 

Thought for Today

 

“Patience is a flower that grows not in every garden.”

 

New England Saying

 February 22,  2022

Reflection

February  21, 2022 

Thought for Today

 

“A word is like a bird: when someone sends it forth, the sender cannot recapture it.”

 

Ahikar, Teachings,

c. 575 B.C.

 February 21. 2022

Reflection