January  24, 2019 

Thought for today: 

“Whom the gods would make bigots, they first deprive of humor.”  

James P. Gillis

WITHERED

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily is, “Withered!”

I spotted that word in today’s gospel - early on Mark - Chapter 3: 1-6.

I would like to reflect upon healing: helping the healing process and blocking the healing process.

TODAY’S GOSPEL

In today’s gospel we have this moment when Jesus goes into a synagogue on the Sabbath and he sees a man with a shriveled up hand.

And the Pharisees whose minds had become shriveled up kept an eye on Jesus to see if Jesus would heal the man on the Sabbath. He was doing that sort of thing. Now if Jesus did it, they would be able to accuse him of breaking the Sabbath.

Jesus wanted to heal both the man with the shriveled hand and the Pharisees.

Jesus likes to heal people who are withered -- especially, people whom others want to remain withered.

Is it I Lord? Do I do that Lord?

CONVENT

Take for example, a young woman who enters the convent. She enters full of life and discovers that the convent is full of death.

In fact, it’s hell. Everyone is stuck in the past. It stifles her. She suggests change. She is cut down. She begins to wither up. She wants to leave. They want her to stay -- to stay and wither some more -- to become like them.

GEORGE WALD

One of my favorite lectures was given by the Harvard biologist, George Wald. In the talk he said that there have been religions that chose death. He calls them religions of death.

Christianity and Judaism are not.

He quotes the great text in Deuternomy, “Today I put before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. Therefore choose life.”

JESUS

Jesus said that he was the life. He said that he was the way, the truth and the life. He said that he came that we might have life and have it to the full.

CONCLUSION: ME

Where am I?

This morning ask Jesus to heal you where you are dying, withered, where you feel like a withered rejected branch, on the vine. Ask Jesus, the Vinedresser, to prune you, to cut you, where you need to be healed.

This morning, also ask, where am I killing others, draining them, dragging them, suffocating them, hindering them from deeper living.

This morning ask, where and whom, I don’t want healed and why.

In AA one hears stories about people who keep on enabling another to be an alcoholic. There are also stories - better stories - about withered people being healed.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

PAINTING ON TOP: Crow on a Withered Branch by  Kawanabe Kyosa. 

January 23, 2019

THE  ESSENCE  OF  ANOTHER

From time to time we realize we

don’t know the essence of another.

We come to a wall around that person

built by themselves or by others or both.

We try to figure them out. We label them.

They are selfish! They are givers.

They are lazy - all lust - all envy -

all pride - all greed - all need.

Then we realize we don’t even

know the essence of the me I am.

© Andy Costello, Reflections 2019

January  23, 2019 

Thought for today: 

“When people are free to do as they please, they usually  imitate each other.”  

Eric Hoffer

OH, NOW I GET IT!

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for this 2^nd Tuesday  in  Ordinary Time  is, “Oh, Now I Get It.”

GETTING A JOKE

Have you ever heard someone tell a joke - and everyone laughs - and you say, “I don’t get it.”

Like Father Tizio’s puns in the bulletin.  Has there ever been a pun and you don’t get it?

It’s smart not to lie.  There have been instances when a group of people make up a joke - that’s not a joke. Then someone tells it and the group in on it all laugh. Then those not in on it - laugh. Next one of the group in on it asks someone who laughs. “Did you get the joke?” and the person says, “Oh yeah. It’s a good one.” Then they bust the person - and tell that person it was a set up - like Candid Camera.

And sometimes  there’s a joke and we don’t get it. We feel stupid  that we don’t get it. One of our priests, Joe Austin, had a joke that he told 1000 times and I didn’t get it till a year later. He would say to people, “How long is a Chinaman.”

And people would answer, “I don’t know.”

And he’d repeat himself, over and over again, “How long is a Chinaman.”

Finally I got it, when I heard him tell a frustrated other person. “It’s not a question. It’s a statement. “How Long” -  is the Chinaman’s name. It’s like saying, “Anthony is an Italianman.”  Or “Pat is an Irishman.”

Finally the other person says, “Oh, now I get it.”

Then they add, “Horrible joke!”

TODAY’S GOSPEL

In today’s gospel - Mark 2: 23-28 -  Jesus addresses one of his pet peeves.

It’s the question of the Sabbath. He saw too many people obsessing about the Sabbath to their detriment.

As priest I’ve heard thousands of time  - people feeling quilty for missing Mass. They were on vacation - on a cruise and there is no priest on board the ship.  Or they broke their leg - or they are in the  hospital - or the weather is horrible - and they can’t get to Mass.

Jesus is saying in today’s gospel: you are not made for the Sabbath - the Sabbath is a gift for you.

He saw his fellow Israelites being off on being perfect - no work - no extra whatever - on the Sabbath. People can forget that the Sabbath is a day of rest from the rest of the week.

It seemed that they wanted to give God every second of the Sabbath - forgetting that God was giving them rest  the time of the Sabbath

CONCLUSION

Then at some point, someone gets what Jesus is saying about the Sabbath - and they realize the purpose of the day and they say, “Ok, now I get it.”

They get the whole purpose of the Sabbath as a day of rest - and not only do they stop worrying about getting to Mass when they can’t - but they stop working on the Sabbath - and it becomes a day of rest for them.

Wonderful. 

Amen,

Another animation from the Anam an Amhráin set, this hauntingly beautiful piece is sung by Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh.

HOME

Om is a wonderful chanted sound ….

Om - Ooooommm - Ommmmmmm ….

Home is a wonderful chanted sound ….

Home - Homme - Hommmmmmmme ….

Home in the arms of my wife and kids ….
Home in the warmth of my sacred walls ….

Home with the smell and scent of out

there and my missing in my coat and in hair.

Home from work - home from war - home

from being alone - home - Hommmmmme.

© Andy Costello, Reflections 2019

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Background Song in Gaelic to Cartoon on top:

Dun Do Shuil

Dún do shúil, a rún mo chroí
A chuid den tsaol, 's a ghrá liom
Dún do shúil, a rún mo chroí
Agus gheobhair feirín amárach

Tá do dheaid ag teacht gan mhoill ón chnoc
Agus cearca fraoich ar láimh leis
Agus codlaidh go ciúin 'do luí sa choid
Agus gheobhair feirín amárach

Dún do shúil, a rún mo chroí
A chuid den tsaol, 's a ghrá liom
Dún do shúil, a rún mo chroí
Agus gheobhair feirín amárach

Tá an samhradh ag teacht le grian is le teas
Agus duilliúr ghlas ar phrátaí
Tá an ghaoth ag teacht go fial aneas
Agus gheobhaimid iasc amárach

Dún do shúil, a rún mo chroí
A chuid den tsaol, 's a ghrá liom
Dún do shúil, a rún mo chroí
Agus gheobhair feirín amárach

One English Translation:

Close your eyes, my love
My worldly joy, my treasure
Close your eyes, my love
And you will get a present tomorrow

Your dad is coming from the hills
With game and grouse in plenty
So close your eyes, my love, my joy
And you will get a present tomorrow

Close your eyes, my love
My worldly joy, my treasure
Close your eyes, my love
And you will get a present tomorrow

The summer sun shines bright and warm
And potato stalks grow greener
A bracing breeze blows from the south
And we will have fish tomorrow

Close your eyes, my love
My worldly joy, my treasure
Close your eyes, my love
And you will get a present tomorrow

January  22, 2019

Thought for today: 

“I believe in the forgiveness of sins and the redemption of ignorance.”  

Adlai Stevenson