Saturday, May 13, 2017

May 13, 2017



UNASSUMING

Impossible….

To be unassuming is
impossible….

Assumptions:
we all have them....

Trees bud ….
Bugs bug ….
Spring arrives ….
Birds return ….
Birds eat bugs….
The phone rings….
People bug us ….
They surprise us....
They want us ....

It's Saturday morning 
and we have to get moving
and they have nothing else to do....

At least these are
some of my assumptions
and they are not
impossible….

© Andy Costello, Reflections  2017


Friday, May 12, 2017


SAINT  PANCRAS 
TRAIN STATION IN LONDON

When I was taking the train from London - through the chunnel - under the English Channel - to France and Belgium, I was intrigued that a train station in London was named, “St Pancras Train Station.”



Today, May 12, is the feast of St. Pancras, so how about a few comments about that train station with the name of a saint in it?

With a little research I found out that the station was built right near St. Pancras Church in London.

Next question: how did a Roman teenage boy saint and martyr get recognition in England.

Answer: Pope Gregory the Great - 567 to 633 - sent a  missionary named Augustine [who became Augustine of Cantebury - c. 534-604 - no,  not the famous Saint Augustine of Carthage] - along with relics of the martyr Saint Pancras. Various churches in England were dedicated to Saint Pancras - one of which is the Old Church St. Pancras in London.

That’s the story in about about 60 words. While waiting for the train for Brussels  at St. Pancras station I noticed the big bronze statues - especially of the poet John Betjeman - who wrote poems on the trains coming to and from that station.



That's John Betjeman - with his brief case - probably looking up at the train schedule.

Wrong hand dummy!

Notice also the couple kissing hello or goodbye in the station. If you ever get there, check out the images at the base of that kissing couple as well.















OH,  SAY WHAT YOU SEE


INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for this final St. Mary’s high school Mass for this school year is, “Oh, Say What You See.”

If you go to a Baltimore Orioles game - and other many games in Maryland, when they sing the Star Spangled Banner - the crowd likes to yell out that “Oh!”

The title of my homily is, “Oh, Say What You See.”

The title of many of our frustrations is, “Oh say can’t  you see what I’m seeing?”

The title of many of our family arguments and relationship problems is, “Oh!  Can’t you see what I see?  Oh! Can’t you see, get, understand, how I see this?”

COMMUNICATION

Life is saying what we see - what we perceive - what we get.

What do we talk about when we talk about life?

We tell each other what we’re seeing.

So and so is dating so and so.

Teacher X is fabulous. Teacher Y is so so. Teacher Z is interesting.

Did you see who’s pregnant? She looks so beautiful. He looks so happy.

I hope to see St. Michael’s this weekend. We’re sailing down there on Saturday morning. I hope the weather will be okay - but nice and windy.

I hope we see some dolphins.

I hope the weather is clear. On a clear day you can see forever.

We spend our whole life  looking. We spend our whole life go figuring - first telling ourselves what we’re seeing - and then we tell others.  It’s called “thinking”.  It’s called “communication”. “It’s called “life.”

The 3 rules for a good marriage are: communication, communication, communication.

The person who came up with that must have saw people not communicating.

The person who came up with that must have people seeing differently that each other - wearing different glasses, contacts, eye balls.

SCHOOL

School - education - learning is all about learning how to see.

Schools are vision centers.

When we go to the eye doctor or a vision center they show us these letters through these prisms - which is better, this or that, this or that.

We hesitate - but sometimes that is much clearer.

When we are learning - we are learning is this picture better than that picture - that vision.

Our eyes change as we go through life.

Do all of you see better in May than what you saw last September - and that seeing includes your family, your friends, life, the environment, a sport, chemistry, calculus, society, social studies, God, your neighbors, and money?

Every year St. Mary’s, St. John’s, the Naval Academy, and all the schools of Annapolis, have folks coming back for anniversaries.

We all see differently at our 25th anniversary than we saw when we graduated or got married.

A couple of years ago I went with two classmates to go through Montana for two weeks - a drive through vacation - to see the Lewis and Clark spots on the 200th anniversary.  The 3 of us talked about what we saw in the 3 different spots we served: Clem in Brazil, Tom in the Caribbean, and myself in the United States.

“Oh, say what you see.”

It was a great vacation - and we saw a lot more than Montana.

ROOMS

In today’s gospel from John 14: 1-6 Jesus says, “In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places.”

That’s talking about the hereafter - which we imagine - but nobody has ever seen.

At the end of today’s gospel Jesus tells his disciples, his followers, “I am the way, the truth and the life.”

If I hear Jesus saying anything, he’s telling us how to get to heaven.

If I hear Jesus saying anything, he’s also telling us how to see better - how to see ways of doing life better - in the here and now.

If I see the purpose of St. Mary’s Schools - it’s that we all see Jesus’ way of doing life.

Looking back on what I’ve seen in life, I’ve seen young people come to the edge, the threshold of many dwelling places - they stand there and look - to see what they see in that room.  Their faces sendoff signals and messages - that I see with my eyes and my face. Smiles or scowls. Votes: Yes or No.

I see them whisper and head out the door.  They didn’t see anything they liked or what the leader liked.

I remember a mother telling me about taking her son to different high schools to see which one he thought would be a good fit. He didn’t like what he saw in the first school they visited.  He said to his mom, “These are not my people.  The next place was perfect.  He saw what he liked - and said,  “Now these are my kind of people.”

What do you see?

You go to different colleges to see what you see.

Sometimes your parents see differently.

Sometimes you have to, you better see, with your wallet or pocket book.

Young couples get jobs around here. Where to life. They see Annapolis - the water, the streets, the bars, the red bricks, the schools.  As priest I hope they see the churches - of whatever religion they belong to.

What do you see.

If you’re in a room you don’t like, if you’re with a leader, you really don’t like, do you have the courage, to get out of there and find a better room.

I’m a priest, I saw priests and I liked what they were doing, so I entered that room - that dwelling place.

If I didn’t choose being a priest, since I like writing, I think I could see myself as a newspaper and magazine writer reporter. Actually I ended up being able to do both.

CONCLUSION

The title of my homily is, “Oh Say What You See.”

How do you see yourself now - at the end of another school year.

How do you see your summer.

How do you see next year.

How do you see yourself in 25 years.


How do you see yourself entering heaven - and how do you see God seeing you.
May 12, 2017


COMING INTO THE THEATER

Coming into the theater for a movie, concert
or play, there are those dark maroon
soft - low chairs. If it’s a movie, people
are talking quietly. If it’s a concert or a play,
the talking is a bit louder - but not big loud.
There’s also more lights and a sloping floor.
If it’s a movie,  the theater  has more stairs
or steps. Anticipation and expectation are 
in the air. These feelings - these thoughts - 
are like the semi-dark rugs on the floor.
We know the décor. We know the lights
will start to get lower. We know all this
comes with the knowing - that we’re in for
an evening different than most evenings.
And everything is always better because
we’re in this together with each other.
Open the curtains. Start the music. Begin the 
movie. The lion roars. The show must go on.


© Andy Costello, Reflections  2017

Thursday, May 11, 2017



PRAYER TO MARY

Hail Mary,
full of grace,
since the Lord is with you
teach me how to pray,
teach me how to ponder
God’s inner words to me,
teach me how to say,
“Be it done to me
according to your word,”
teach me how to see others
especially those who are empty
and those who are in need,
teach me how to be present to those 
who feel they are walking
their way of the cross all alone
and to be there for them
now and at the hour
of their death. Amen.

© Andrew Costello
Painting by Moulins

MARY’S  MORNING PRAYER

Each day my whole being
proclaims the mysteries of the Lord.

Each day my whole being is a calling:
to bring Jesus into our world,
to bring Jesus to others.

Yes, swords pierce hearts.

Yes, life has its sorrowful mysteries.

Yet, each day is also filled with
life’s joyful and glorious mysteries:
rushing in haste into the hill country of others
to be present with them in their needs;
to find and to help others
when they run out of the wine of life,
when all that is left is
emptiness, blood and water.

Yes, there are agonies 
in the garden of the soul.

Yes, there is the carrying 
of the cross to Calvary.

Yet each day my whole being
proclaims the mystery of Jesus’ presence
in our world: Resurrection, Ascension, Pentecost,
then the Lifting Up and the Crowning
in the Kingdom of Heaven.



© Andrew Costello

MOTHER’S DAY
BLESSING


May God, the Creator of all life, pour down choicest blessings on the woman who brought us into this world: our own mom. Amen.

May God, the Sustainer of all life, strengthen all mothers: young moms, not so young moms, single moms, grandmas, stay at home moms, out-to-work moms, each and every mom. Amen.

May God, the Protector of all life, direct all those who stand in and serve as moms: teachers, principals, school secretaries, lunch room staff, nurses, guidance counselors, day care workers, baby sitters. Amen.

May God, the Giver of Eternal Life, bring all of us into the Kingdom of Everlasting Life, starting with Mary, the Mother of Life, and all the Saints, and all those who have gone before us, forever and ever. Amen.

And may Almighty God bless us, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.


©  Andrew Costello