ASKING  FOR  A  SIGN

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for this 4^th Sunday of Advent [A] is, “Asking for a Sign.”

It comes from the first sentence in today’s first reading from Isaiah 7, “The Lord spoke to Ahaz, saying: ‘Ask for a sign from the Lord, your God….’

As soon as I read that I said to myself,  “Hey, everyone does that.”

Everyone wants signs from God.

FOR EXAMPLE

For example, someone is sick so they ask God for a healing. And then we start looking for signs that we or a love one is getting better.

For example, a kid has stopped going to church. Christmas is coming. We want to hear them say something like, “We’re going to the Christmas eve Mass and we hope there is parking.”

For example, we know a family marriage is shaky and we’re listening for a brother or sister or one of our kids to give off a sign that things are better.

TO BE HUMAN

So to be human is to look for signs.

We look for the handshake.  We look for the other’s eye in an interaction, to see if they will look us in the eye.  We had a fight the last time we were with them and we hope things are now better.

We listen to sound tones - in phone calls - to see if forgiveness might be coming or has already happened.

We get new neighbors.  We look for signs about what kind of neighbors they might be.

We get a new boss.  We’re watching. We waiting. We’re wondering. We’re hoping. We’re trying to figure what they might be off on.

I hold that we have unwritten lists of what to look for in a good doctor, plumber, mechanic, restaurant, teacher, book, priest, TV program, barber or hair dresser.

We have our signs - our leading indicators.

We sing the old song inwardly, “Don’t talk about love. Show me!”

To be human is to look for signs.

THE OLD TESTAMENT

In the book of Exodus, the pharaoh is given 10 signs, 10 horrors, 10 tragedies, before he’ll let the Israelites go. He doesn’t believe in Moses’ message from God.

Divorces, splits or break ups, don’t happen after 1 mistake. There is always the 10 plagues or 10 disasters before someone sees the light.

THE FOUR GOSPELS

If we read the gospels, we see this question about looking for signs happening from time to time.

People nag Jesus for a sign to prove he has the right to say what he is saying and to do what he is doing.

Sometimes he gives signs; sometimes he doesn’t.

He challenges people’s faith - that it’s all based on signs and wonders - and not on faith - faith is better.

Jesus tells us to read the signs of the times.

In the gospel of John we notice a dynamic happening: This is the first of his signs. It happened at a wedding in Cana of Galilee where Jesus changed water into wine. We can follow that thread - that pattern - to see all 7 of Jesus’ miracles: the 7^th being the resurrection.

Last Sunday we had the scene in the gospel when John the Baptist - in prison - sent some of his disciples to ask if Jesus is the One.  And Jesus tells them to tell John the Baptist what they see: “the blind regain their sight,  the lame walk, people with leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raise, and the poor have  good news proclaimed to them.”

Today’s gospel gives us one of the birth of Jesus stories in the gospels.

Joseph believes the dream he has and takes Mary into his home.

Christmas - the Christmas story - the Christmas sign - is one of the two great signs of Christianity - of our faith.

The sign of the baby and the sign of the cross are central to our faith.

They touch the beginning and the end: birth and death.

We just had our Parish Mission and on the last night Father Kevin MacDonald asked folks to bring to church a faith or a love sign from their home. He and Deacon Leroy went through the church on Thursday night and blessed those signs. Right behind me a lady had a cross and right next to her a lady had a painted nativity scene.

St. Francis of Assisi stressed the crib and the cross as two great signs.

St. Alphonsus stress the big 3 signs: the crib, the cross and the tabernacle.

If you are looking for signs - meditate on the two great signs - one at the end of Advent - and the manger will be put up this coming week and we’ll venerate the cross on Good Friday.

And isn’t the Eucharist the great faith sign of Catholic Christians?

And we do, but we shouldn’t, make fun of C and E Catholics.

This Christmas put on your fancy winter coats - but also a rich smile, so that those who come to Mass - get a glimpse of great Christmas joy. Amen. 

December 18, 2016

ANNAPOLIS

Annapolis: restaurants and red bricks -

T-shirts and knick knacks - tourists

and Naval Academy runners - running

through our streets - strengthening

themselves and us for the future -

thank you; Chick & Ruth’s - Middleton’s -

Mangia and Café Normandie - pubs,

taverns, restaurants and a delly;

St. Mary’s and St. Anne’s and the

Presbyterian Church in between -

people, people, everywhere - our town

just one town, on the edge of the waters -

the Bay - around for a long, long time;

one store opening - one store closing;

one car arriving - one car leaving;

Main St., Alleys, Duke of Gloucester St.,

State Capital and County Seat -

Annapolis - and this is just Downtown;

and oops there’s Eastport - don’t you

ever, ever, ever, forget Eastport.

© Andy Costello, Reflections 2016

December 17, 2016

LINES

I like lines only when I like lines….
Otherwise I don’t like lines….

Like sign your name on the line

near the bottom - of the insurance

form - where it’s marked in yellow

marker - or long lines in the bank

or supermarket - or Burger King….

I don’t like those lines - no! No way!

But I like lines on three lane highways,
especially when it’s raining and I

can’t see too well…. and I’m liking

this pope and I’m liking this Jesus

who seems to be saying in Luke -

that the line into heaven is much

longer than the line into hell - but

this Matthew fellow scares me

at times …. especially in Chapter 25.

© Andy Costello, Reflections 2016

SIN  AS  A  SPIDER  WEB

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for this 4th Friday in Advent is, “Sin As A Spider Web.”

Today I would like to talk and reflect a bit about sin.

When I read today’s first reading, the theme that hit me was sin. Isaiah gives the message of keeping the Sabbath free from profanation and one’s hand from any evildoing. [Cf. Isaiah 56: 1-3a, 6-8.]

That’s sin - but it doesn’t mention spider webs - like being caught in a spider’s web - but that’s the image that hit me.

So first a bit about sin - the web of sin.

Sin can ensnare us and we can ensnare others.

Relax sin is a big topic, but  I won’t talk too long.

OLD STORY

You have all heard the story of the man who went into a church one evening by himself. He came home and his wife who was with the kids said, “Well, how was the sermon.”

“Okay.”

“What did the preacher talk on?”

“Sin.”

“How long did he preach?”

“One hour.”

“What did he say?”

“He was against it.”

Well, I’m against sin, but I won’t speak an hour.

Only 8 minutes.

SPIDERS

Back to the spider’s web…. That’s the image of sin that came to me when I was reflecting on sin this morning. I have a meditation poem somewhere about being caught in sin is like being caught in a spider web.

Now I don’t know much about spiders, but I imagine things about them and I wonder about them.

Spider webs, I imagine, can be found everywhere around the world -  indoors and outdoors.

And you can find them in many a church - and sometimes people notice them - especially when sermons are long.

I wonder at times when I see a spider’s web: “When was this web constructed and how did a spider get up there in the first place?”

I also wonder, “How long do spiders live?”

And here in this church, on the first step over there in the corner, below the statue of St. Martin of Tours there has been a spider’s web with  carcasses of dead bugs at times.

Next, I picture spiders out for themselves not giving a dang about anyone else. They use their web as a way of trapping other bugs so they can suck the life out of them.

Me, Me, Me

They are out to trap others for themselves - of course.

They are totally self-centered.

They have no ounce of compassion in them.

We’re dealing here with the survival of the fittest.

We’re dealing here with the need for food.

The spider has no thought for the well-being of a mosquito or a moth or for those who have to clean churches.

They are all about: Me. Me. Me. Self. Self. Self.

Life is to watch out for # 1 and # 1 is me.

Now obviously the image is weak - as an image for sin - and being caught in the web of sin -  because humans are well over 100 or 200 pounds.

BACK TO SIN - AND ITS MENTION IN TODAY’S FIRST READING

Today’s first reading is from Isaiah.

Isaiah was a dreamer. In today’s first reading he gets into his dreams for the Sabbath and the Temple.

The purpose of the Sabbath, the purpose of the temple, is to go there on the Sabbath and get out of oneself. The purpose of the Sabbath and the Temple is to be in the presence of God, the OTHER, the GREAT OTHER, God. The purpose of the temple is to stop being self-centered.

The purpose of the Sabbath is to realize we can be as sneaky as a spider, spinning webs to suck life from others for ourselves.

That’s sin. That’s what sin is all about.

Hasn’t that happened to each of us when we’re praying?

Haven’t we all now and then come here to church to pray and to be with God?  However, sometimes what happens is we experience other people - and this is good.  We experience people outside our web, outside ourselves, foreigners. This is very good. They became other than us and one with us and we see the purpose of life is to be present to them, nice to them,  rather than using them.

Sin.

This doesn't always happen.

Sometimes sin happens.

Unfortunately people, as we will read in the New Testament, and in other places, come to places of worship to show off - to be noticed  - to impress others - to be here for self. They come here wrapped in the cellophane of self. The come here to prove self. To show off. To impress. To feel less guilty. To get points.

Or as Jesus found out, to make money.

So people who come to church better take notice. Warning given. The church is a church - not a spider web.

So Isaiah is saying that a place of worship is a moment to get out of self. The Sabbath is a moment of rest. To stop the sucking and to start the worshipping. To admit there is an OTHER  and others.

That’s the real purpose of the temple.

That the temple is the center of Israel, that the center of the temple is the Holy of Holies, the center of the Holy of Holies is God. The OTHER. The Wholly OTHER. 

Hopefully, we go to the temple so that some of this might rub off on us - that there are other people on the planet besides me. They have a center as well.

That I can be with them and with God on the Sabbath and hopefully that mirrors God’s dream for the week.

So we hopefully discover God here and at the sign of peace, see others. There are no foreigners here. We die. Sacrifice to others.

GOSPEL

Today’s gospel Jesus says there are times we accept others outside ourselves as  light. We accept people as John the Baptist did, but we do this only for a time, this getting out of self-- accepting another’s light other than self.

But then we blow it out. The workshop is over. The homily is finished. It’s Monday and prefer the dark. We miss the great light. Christ is the Light of the world.

CONCLUSION: THE CHALLENGE OF ADVENT

So Advent is that challenge. It's more than a day. It's a period of time. It's a season.  It’s a challenge to die to self and accept Christ. To die to self and accept others. It’s a challenge to stop killing, sucking the life out of others.

Advent is a challenge to not be a spider but to be a Christ. 

December 16, 2016

OBJECTS

An orange, a pencil, a rectangle

of yellow butter, a plastic bag

in the middle lane of Route 95,

till an 18 wheeler sends it to

oncoming traffic coming the

other way, a darkish orange

melon cut into 22 pieces in a

solid white bowl, a deflated

basketball, one sneaker, and

a white sweat sock - still clean

but soggy wet from a night’s rain….

  

© Andy Costello, Reflections 2016

 December 15, 2016

 IRISH  SODA  BREAD 

Rough - rugged - Irish Soda Bread -

like the wind swept West Coast of

Ireland - ridges and barren rocks -

the Burren - wrinkled raisins and

caraway seeds - not to worry - cold

butter - and a cup of tea with a friend -

makes smooth the cold of a winter’s day

in mid-December - and while walking
by the family cemetery a sign of the cross

brings soft memories on a winding rocky road.

                                                                   © Andy Costello, Reflections 2016

December 14, 2016

CHRISTMAS  TREE  NEEDLES 

God, as Jesus told us, knows everything -

like how many hairs are on our head. Wow.

But Jesus didn’t know what a Christmas

Tree needle was - as one fell from our tree -

above him - into his crib - sliding into some

hay as Jesus  just laid there watching us.

I knew what they were. They last till at least

June or early July in our living room - long

after the tree is tossed - out on our sidewalk.

Now, smarty pants God, I bet you don’t know

how many Christmas Tree needles there are

around our world. You might know how many hairs

are on Chinese heads, but Christmas Tree needles

lingering under rugs and radiators, no way, there has

to be an unnoticed one on the corner of my sidewalk.

© Andy Costello, Reflections 2016