January 31, 2018 

Thought for today: 

“Wit  is  the  only  wall 

between  us  and  the  dark.”  

Mark  Van Dore, “Wit, “A Winter Diary and Other Poems, 1935

January 31,

MOTIVE

Security, success, money, freedom, love,

lust, loneliness, new, newer, newest?

Does there always have to be a motive?

Is anyone standing there supposing my motives?

If there is, what’s their motive for that?

Envy, feelings of inadequacy, superiority feelings. 

© Andy Costello, Reflections 2018

ABSALOM,  ABSALOM - 

LEARNINGS,  LEARNINGS

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for this 4^th Tuesday in Ordinary Time is, “Absalom, Absalom, Learnings, Learnings.”

I’m only going to say some words about today’s first reading from the Second Book of Samuel. [Cf. 2 Samuel 18: 9-10, 14b, 24-25a, 30 - 19:3].

The gospel is intriguing as well - with stories about the teenage girl thought dead, but alive, and the woman with the blood problems. But time is a factor….

I got thinking and reading about Absalom last night - thinking about a homily for this morning.

As we heard from this section of the second book of Samuel yesterday, Absalom was one of David’s sons.

He rebels - going to war with his father - as he is trying to take over some of his father’s kingdom.

And David doesn’t know what to do.

David had a lot of conflicts in his life.

We know of his fight with Goliath.

We know of his getting Uriah the Hittite’s wife Bathsheba pregnant - and then tried to figure out a way of having him killed.

We know of his split with Saul - Israel’s first king - how they were early on in a sort of father-son relationship. The story I like is when he sneaks into the camp site of Saul and takes Saul’s spear while he is sleeping. David’s companion, Abishai,  says, “Here’s his spear. Let me pin him to the ground right now.” The next day from a distance David screams across the hill to Saul, “Here’s your spear!”  Hint! Hint! I could have killed you. “I’m sending the spear back to you.”

LECTURE IN NEW YORK

In 1994 I got a 6 month Sabbatical and I took it in New York City.

It was a nice break - no work - no responsibilities.

One day, I noticed in the paper that a Rabbi was giving a talk on David at a synagogue in mid-town.

I signed up. Interesting. It was worth it.

Looking back the key thing I remembered was that the speaker said that those who put together the Jewish Scriptures about David - were  those rabbi’s and writers who favored David used the power of the pen to make David much better than he was in reality.

And that’s one of the Bible texts that we have for today.

The speaker also said, “David was a flawed king - a sinner if there ever was one - but he did a lot of good  for the nation - for the people called the Israelites.

WILLIAM FAULKNER

William Faulkner wrote a novel  - entitled Absalom, Absolom.   It was about a man name Thomas Sutpen.

The novel describles a man who like David who had a tough life - losing his sons. Thomas Sutpen was a bit like David. He led a flawed - self destructive life.

The story takes place in Mississipi - at a  mansion built by Thomas Sutpen. and then his desire for sons.

Here  in today’s first reading Absalom gets caught by the hair in a tree as he’s riding along on a mule.

Joab - one of David’s commanders, who is also connected to the sister of David -comes along and drives three  spikes through the heart of Absalom.

Thomas Sutpin in the novel, Absalom, Absalom, experiences the violent death of his chidlren.

THOUGHTS FOR THE DAY

Where to go with all this?  How to end this homily.

One thought for the day would be the reminder to read not only the Bible but also novels and see what stuff they get us in touch with.

Thomas Sutpen - according to William Faulkner - wanted sons.

What do we do we who don’t have sons?

What do we do, when life doesn’t work out for us as we hope it will?

Thomas Sutpen - once went to the front door of a house - and he was told, “You’re a back door person.”  That one experience triggered a lot of stuff - especially his desire to be rich, an owner of a giant mansion, with slaves and plenty of property.

Is there any life experience that drives us to be the way we are?

This book and his other writings helped him win the Nobel Peace Prize for Literature.

What was a book that grabbed you?

What was a book that got you to look at family?

Faulkner peeled off layer after layer of a person.

Has there been a novel that did that for you?

In reading some reviews and interviews about Absalom, Absalom, I  read that Faulkner presented both a wounded devil as well as a wounded Christ.

Did any book get you to see Christ and the devil in a new way?

CONCLUSION

My conclusion would be: Learn, learn…. and what literature helps you learn.

And P.S. I spotted something very interesting.

Two outstanding American writers were Hemingway and Walkner.

I was taught that Hemingway wrote short sentences. For example, “He shot the dog.” Faulkner on the other hand had great material, but was lazy when it came to writing. I spotted a comment while reading a review of Absalom, Absalom.  The longest sentence in literature is 1,288 words. It can be found in Chapter 6 of the novel. 

Read, read.  Learn, learn.

January 30, 2018 

Thought  for  today: 

“Never  pick  a fight  with anyone who  buys ink by the barrel.” 

Jim Brady, 1981,  in Norman Augustine, Augustine’s Laws, 1986

January 30, 2018

TWO  TYPES  OF  PEOPLE 

Did you ever notice there

are two types of people?

Those who try to get out of things.

They avoid. They never volunteer. They

lower their eyes and fold up their nets.

Then there are  those who raise their hand,

go the extra mile, volunteer, and cast their

nets into the depths of the sea for a catch.

© Andy Costello, Reflections 2018

PROBLEM - SOLUTION:

2000  PIGS

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily is, “Problem - Solution: 2000 Pigs.”

“Problem-Solution: 2000 Pigs.”

LIFE - 101

A good part of life falls under the title or box called, “Problem-Solution.”

Life has its problems: family problems, work problems, school problems, scheduling problems, time problems, money problems, health problems, anger problems, drinking problem, drug problem, laziness, time problems.

One of life’s learnings is to be able to say to oneself and to another: “I have a problem.”

Old people like me remember the moment on April 13, 1970, at 2:59 PM when Jack Swigert, an astronaut, on Apollo 13, called Houston Control from outer place, “Okay, Houston, we’ve had a problem here.”

Main B Bus Undervolt was malfunctioning.

In time, it became a hash tag - I always wanted to use that word “hash tag” in a homily - “Houston, we have a problem.”

I've heard people say that many times in the last 47 years, "Houston, we have a problem."

In life, we all need to learn to say, “I have a problem.”

Then name the problem.

We humans mal - meaning bad - function.

Things break. Things go wrong. People go wrong.

TODAY’S READINGS

In today’s readings we hear about two people who have problems.

In today’s first reading we hear about David - a shepherd - who becomes the king of Israel.

If you read the Jewish Bible - you’ll read a lot about David - who ends up with a lot of problems.

In today’s first reading we hear about Absalom - on of David’s many sons - who breaks with daddy - and tries to take over the kingdoms David controls.

David had lots of problems - lust problems, family problems, perception problems.

He’s sharp in some ways and dumb in other ways.

He wants what he wants when he wants it. He steals Uriah’s wife - Bathsheba - gets her pregnant - and then has her husband killed.

Polygamy - many wives - causes him lots of trouble.

Here in today’s first reading he has this old guy - Shimei - attacks him in public. The guy is yelling public slurs and nasty comments about David. One of his guards says, “Let me chop his head off.”  

To solve this problem, David basically says, “Ignore him.” Then he says, “I deserve it.”

David was smart enough to know his lifestyle got him into a lot of problems.

In today’s first reading,  we'll hear that Absalom gets killed himself  - for riding too fast on his mule. He gets his hair caught in some overhead tree branches - and Joab is told about this. Joab is the son of Zeruiah, the sister of David. This is all family intrigue here. Joab hearing this moves fast towards Absalom and drives three pikes into Absalom's heart - still alive and still hanging from the tree.

It’s kind of dramatic writing and Bible story telling, but the story teller is telling us, “There are consequences.”

In today’s gospel, there’s this strange character who lived and camped out in a cemetery - amongst the tombs. Mark the gospel story teller, tells us that he often howled and screamed.

If this was Annapolis, everyone would know about this guy - cities know their strange rangers.

Everyone in this Gerasene region of Palestine knew about this guy.

And spotting Jesus he runs to Jesus and yells, “What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God?”

Jesus seeing his problems tries to heal him by praying, “Unclean spirit, come out of the man!”

Then Jesus asked the unclean spirit his name and he says, “Legion is my name. There are many of us.”

And the unclean spirit, the sickness in this man, asks Jesus to let him alone.

And off to the side there is  a large herd of swine - feeding on the hillside.

And Legion - this large herd of unclean voices plead with Jesus, “Send us into the swine - to the pigs”  - “Let us enter them.”

And Jesus does, and the unclean spirits came out of the man and entered the pigs and they ran down the hill - about 2000 of them - and they ran into the lake and drowned.”

PROBLEM

It’s good psychology, it’s good theology, it’s human experience, for some weird reason, we don’t like to get rid of our problems.

We hold onto our problems - as we fly through the space of our lives.

We could say to ourselves, “Houston, we have a problem.”

The addict, the person with a drinking problem, the person with an eating disorder, the cutter, the cheater, the procrastinator, has the problem for a long time.

We are repeat performers.

We are déjà vu people.

This is Catholic School's week. Now the advantage of Catholic Schools, is that we can hear this in school and church and life.

The person with relationship problems with guys or gals or the person who puts off - or is lazy or cheating problems - will have this voice - this issue for life.

And we all hear that repentance, change, forgiveness, understanding, prayer, grace, faith, hope and charity - can heal us.

We hear that Jesus can drive the 2 or 20 or 2000 pigs within us - can be driven out of us.

CONCLUSION

And like this guy in the gospel, we can become calm, healed and return to our family a new person. Amen.

January 29, 2018 

Thought for today:

“Why waste money  on  psychotherapy 

when you can listen
to the B Minor Mass?”   

Michael Torke