IT  WAS  NIGHT

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for this Tuesday in Holy Week  is, “It Was Night.”

Until recently the Greek, “En de nux” – was translated in the New American Bible, “It was night.”

Then someone or the team that made changes in the latest New American Bible translation added the word “and.” So we heard this morning, “And it was night.” [John 13:30]

This might sound picky, picky, but I wished they didn’t put that “and” in there.

I say that because our best English teacher in the seminary told us about the gift Ernest Hemingway gave to American writing.  Give short  - exclamation point like sentences. So, “It was night” is perfect. I consider  whoever changed this was not into good dramatic English or how this would sound in church. I assume they were into trying to come up with a good translation of the Greek.

It was also pointed out to us when studying New Testament Greek and the Gospels, that the Gospels in Greek had many, many, many  long sentences with the Greek word “kai” – “and” in them. Surprise! John 13:30 does bit have a “kai” in it.

So I don’t know the mind or methods of the translators of this text.

That’s life. Be prepared not to get one’s way.

THE THEME

John presents a powerful message in this part of the Gospel of John.

Jesus is at supper for his last supper. Judas has already planned on having Jesus arrested and killed for money.

Jesus, at supper, that night, is about to enter into the dark – into evil – into night. He’ll be arrested – kissed with a betrayers lips – beaten – whipped – mortified – made fun of – crowned with thorns.

Night means – people have left the light. Night means darkness and sin.

We’ll find this all through Paul’s thoughts. People do the sneaky things in the dark – in the night. [Cf. Romans 1;21; 11: 8-10; 13:12.]

Dante in his Inferno – Hell  - considers hell as darkness – in the dark… Hell is going “Into the eternal darkness, into fire and into ice.”

Luke calls this period near the end of Jesus’ life: ‘This is the hour of darkness.”  [Luke 22:53]

We hear on every Good Friday – that it got very dark that afternoon – when Jesus died on the cross.

The metaphor of hell is not just fire. The metaphor of hell is very much darkness.

The sinner is often pictured as being sneaky – slipping around in the dark - stealing – sinning – not wanting to be seen.

How many men – who are addicted to porn – are sneaking and surfing around in the Internet – in the night – not wanting to be caught – and sometimes the light goes on and they are caught.

Break-ins, happen in the night.

People who steal – try to keep others in the dark.

Robert Frost’s poems can often get into dark stuff.  He uses this metaphor a lot. He writes, “And fire and ice within me fight / Beneath the suffocating night.”  In his 1928  poem, “Acquainted with the Night,” he writes, “I have been acquainted with the night.”

CONCLUSION

These are a few words to reflect upon. We are all acquainted with hiding our sins and sinning in the hide – in the night.

Christianity is all about coming out of the dark, Jesus coming out of the cave and the shadows, and experiencing the dawn.

As John says in his prologue to Jesus: “The light shines in the darkness , for the darkness does not overcome it.”

This week, this coming Thursday and Friday and Saturday are all about darkness – as we wait for the arrival of Easter – and Jesus rising from the dark of sin and death. Amen.

March 31, 2015

                 HEAVEN AND HELL

From time to time people call our church

and ask to talk to a priest.

An appointment is made to meet with them

in one of three small meeting rooms

in the corridor just outside our parish church.

Well, this guy came in and after a few comments,

some chit chat – and all that – he uncovered – 
he showed me – he told me - the question 
he had in his fist – in his craw – on a piece of paper – on a piece of his mind:“Father I don’t believe in hell”   - and then he added, “And actually, I don’t believe in heaven as well.”

I paused.

I wondered.

Well that was short and sad – 
and short and bleak.

I said, “I’ve heard of the non-belief in hell – 
a lot – especially – on high school retreats – 
but the non-belief in heaven – well, that’s rare.”

“Well,” he added, “Is that all right to think this way?”

“Well, hell, what do you think?” I questioned back

to his question.

Silence. 

I knew, hey, I’m old, that one of the best tricks

of the trade in listening is questions is to

answer questions with questions. That’s 
an old time rabbi and Buddhist master’s trick.

Silence.

Then – so as not to be funny or cute or a SA

or use my degrees, I said,  “I don’t know!”

“You don’t know?”

“Right,” I repeated myself, “I don’t know.”

He said, “That’s all you’re going to say –

that you don’t know?”

“Correct and I’m not dying to find out.”

He said, “Is there any other priest I could talk to.”

I said, “Okay, but I’ll have to ask around and get back to you.”

He backtracked a bit, “You’re a priest”  and then he added,

“You have to believe in heaven and hell?”

I said, “Look the Bible quote I keep in mind is this one: ‘Eye has not seen; ear has not heard;

nor has it entered the human heart,  

what God has prepared for those 
who that love Him.”

Pause….

Then I continued, “I love God, so I’ll let him 
surprise me – what’s after all this.”

Silence….

Then I said, “Let me ask you a question,

‘Do you believe there is a heaven 
and  a hell here on earth?”

Silence….

Then he pulled the back to back question 
trick on me. “Do you?”

I said, “I do!”

“Ooooh,” he said.

Then I told him “That’s my answer 
to your question in the first place.”

He said, “It is?”

“Yep,” I said, “Once you start to figure out 
the existence of heaven and hell in the here 
and now – you might start believing 
in the reality of presence of hell in the hereafter.”

Then he said, “I guess I have to make an offer

to myself to think about all this.”

© Andy Costello, Reflections 2015

EXTRAVAGANCE

INTRODUCTION

Extravagance! The title of my homily is, “Extravagance!”

Sometimes extravagance is nice. Sometimes it’s too much. Sometimes simplicity seems better. Sometimes it’s hard to figure out what’s best.

Extravagance

TODAY’S GOSPEL

In today’s gospel Mary took some very expensive perfumed oil – 300 days wages expensive and anointed Jesus’ feet and  dried them with her hair. Now that’s extravagance – and the scent was sent all through the house.

And Judas – the Iscariot – got riot feelings over this gesture of love.

And Judas – who was about to betray Jesus – said, “Why wasn’t this oil sold and the money given to the poor.”

And Jesus – said, “Leave her alone. Let her keep this for the day of my burial. You’ll always have the poor with you – but you won’t always have me.”

TITLE AND THOUGHT

The title and thought of my homily is, “Extravagance.”

It’s good to take some time sometimes – and think about when others were extravagant to us and we were extravagant to others.

Extravagance – those special gifts we poured on kids at Christmas – and the joy filled the house.

Extravagance – those money tips the father of the bride or bridegroom handed out to everyone who served at a wedding for their kid.

Extravagance – the expensive card with extravagant words a husband gave to his wife – and it said, “Happy Anniversary – July 31^st.” and then the words, “See inside for the explanation.” And she opened it up – and her husband wrote, “I know you thought, ‘July 31^st isn’t our anniversary. But it was July 31^st – a week before I actually talked to you the first time – that I spotted you sitting there a few tables away and I said, “Woo! Look at her! Woo. Woo. Woo. Woof, woof, woof.”

Extravagance – bringing the family to Disneyworld – even though it would mean taking a second job for the Christmas season

Extravagance – it was raining – but her hair was just done – and her husband hailed a cab – even though they couldn’t afford it. It was during their public transportation days.

Extravagance – putting a 20 in the poor box – so the poor could have more.

Extravagance – holding in a story we’re dying to tell – but we’re all ears – allowing the others to tell their stories.

Extravagance – feeding the 5000 – feeding the 500 billion ever since with the Bread of Life – Holy Communion.

Extravagance – the kid next door shovels our snow and cuts our grass – knowing we’re getting older. Extravagance.

Extravagance – letting the other get in the elevator ahead of us – and saying to the wrinkled old lady we let in – “Wow that’s a great perfume – it’s gotta be super expensive.

CONCLUSION

Thank you God for being so extravagant - giving me all these extra days of life – these extra breaths of fresh air – and a chance to see Spring spring into life with all kinds of flowers and resurrection – and new life. Amen. Come Lord Jesus. Amen.

March 30, 2015

MOUNTAINS

In any given lifetime, everyone needs to face
a mountain - grey solid state granite - standing
there blocking one's way to other side - or to
climb it - just because it's there - and realize
I can do it. I can make it to the top and back.

Mountains - they are metaphors - of the struggles, the challenges, we all more or less have  to face. 
Here are 10: breaking off a dumb relationship;
the death of a parent; rejection; the breaking
of trust in a marriage because of an affair; 
being fired to make room for a family member;
abuse; being used; alcoholism or addiction; 
loss of God or loss of a reason for living.

© Andy Costello, Reflections 2015 

IT’S  A  MYSTERY 

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for this Palm Sunday  is, “It’s a Mystery.”

How many times in our life have we said – while scratching our head and squeezing the skin of our face and maybe rubbing our chin, “It’s a mystery”?

How old do we have to be before we start to say, “It’s A Mystery”?

This week – Holy Week - we enter into the big mystery of life – of Christ – and of each other.

It’s a mystery!

LAST NIGHT: OLIVER WITH A TWIST

Last night I went over to Marian Hall in our school to see our high school kids put on a new version of Oliver Twist. Brothers and sisters, moms and dads, aunts and uncles, grandparents, sat there seeing their son or daughter,  brother or sister, or nephew or niece singing and dancing and staring in a musical entitled, “Oliver With a Twist.”

It was excellent. I sat there wondering what everyone was thinking and feeling – hearing and seeing. I’m sure parents were crying and laughing – wondering and being surprised – and seeing the whole life of their son or daughter up to now – on stage and in their minds and hearts.

I’m sure some said inwardly, shaking their head outwardly, “It’s a mystery.”

After the show was over – after hugs and congratulations – after flowers – a man spotted me and said, “I was at the 5 o’clock for Palm Sunday – earlier this evening – and I thought of a homily for Palm Sunday you gave 5 years ago.”

That was total surprise and I said, “What did I preach on?” I don’t even remember what I preached on last Sunday – let alone 5 years ago.

“He said, ‘You said, This is not a bad week to be quiet.’”

I said, “Thank you – I was sitting here tonight saying to myself, ‘I gotta get a homily for tomorrow, Palm Sunday. You gave me an idea.’”

This is a good week to be quiet. This is a good week – to take a nice walk – somewhere – by oneself – to be quiet and reflective. This is a good week to

drop into church when there is nothing going on – and to just sit here. This is a good week – Palm Sunday – Spy Wednesday – Holy Thursday – Good Friday – Holy Saturday – Easter Sunday – to enter into the mysteries of Christ and oneself – and of life.

MYSTERIES

Life is mystery – surprise – not knowing what’s around the next corner – what’s going to happen tonight or tomorrow.

Death….  Crashes …. Good News …. Bad News …. Births ….

Mystery is a religious word. “The mystery of faith….” “The Mysteries of the Rosary….” In the opening prayers – from the back of the church – we heard, this morning, “Today we gather  together to herald with the whole Church the beginning of the celebration of  our Lord’s Pascal Mystery, that is to say, of his Passion and Resurrection. For it was to accomplish this mystery that he entered his own city of Jerusalem. Therefore, with all faith and devotion, let us commemorate the Lord’s entry into the city of our salvation, following in his footsteps, so that being made by his grace partakers of the Cross, we may have a share also in his Resurrection and in his life.”

MYSTERY: THE ONGOING CONVERSATION

I would dare to say, “Mystery – Go Figure – Trying to Understand – our life – is the Number One conversation we have with ourselves every day of our lives – and during the night – sometimes when we can’t sleep.

Why me? Why did this happen? Why was I born? When will I die?

As Shakespeare put it in his play – As You Like It:               “All the worlds a stage, 

          And all the men and women merely players. 

          They have their exits and their entrances. 

          And one man in his time plays many parts, 

          His acts being seven ages….”

This is a good week to sit there and see ourselves on stage – playing our parts.  This is a good week to sit there – and pray there – and get in touch with the mysteries of our life – as well as the others in our lives – as well as Christ’s footsteps compared with our footsteps.

It’s all so – so mysterious.

I like to push using the rosary not just for Hail Mary’s – but also for prayers like, “Thanks …. Help …. Wow …. Lord, increase my faith….”

I like to push from the pulpit that we use our rosary as worry and wondering beads. We all know the 5 Joyful Mysteries, the 5 Sorrowful Mysteries, the 5 Glorious Mysteries and now the 5 Light Giving Mysteries. What a great way of categorizing moments of our lives: Annunciation moments, phone calls that changed our lives…. Visitation moments, the doorbell rings, Births, Big presentation moments in our lives – in church, school, wherever, Findings – so too the sufferings, the agonies of life, divorces, fights, the arguing that cause headaches in the garden of our brain, and on and on and on.

CONCLUSION

This is a good week to enter deeply in the mysteries of our lives and see that we are walking in the footsteps of Christ.

Some days all is celebration. These are Palm Sunday moments. Some days we have the big meal – these are our Holy Thursday moments – when we are in communion with each other. Some days are horror and the horrible – moments filled falls and death and crosses – these are our Good Fridays – but because we are people of faith and hope and love – we know what Christ announces next Sunday – there is the mystery of resurrection – Easter - the mystery resurrection and life for all eternity with God and those who have gone before us. Amen.

March 29, 2015

HOLY WEEK PRAYER

          Lord Jesus,

          this week we walk with you into Holy Week:

          Palm Sunday to Easter Sunday.

          Holy Thursday: we hear Last Supper words

          of love and bearing fruit,

          as well as hints of denial and betrayal.

          With washed feet we receive you:

          bread and wine, body and blood.

          We walk with you one last time,

          this time hearing the call for Garden prayer.

          We fall asleep unable to watch and pray one hour with you.

          We run away from you, as you are being betrayed by a kiss.

          Dark Friday: we hide there the next day in the shadows,

          trying to get glimpses of you,

          crucified on wood with words and spit and nails.

          You die -- bleeding words of thirst, forgiveness and letting go.

          Empty Saturday: we sulk there in the silence,

          filled with doubts -- doubts that any of this has any meaning,

          not yet knowing resurrection. 

          We began this week with palm branches and Hosannas;

          we end this week with anxious empty silence.Our upper rooms, our minds,

are filled with fear and lack of peace.

          Sunday: we walk backwards talking only about yesterday,

not yet knowing the meaning of today! 

          Amen! Come Lord Jesus!

          You break through our walls;

          you walk into our thoughts;

          you stand on our shores;

          you break bread and words with us again. 

          Slowly, the whole story begins to take on meaning. 

          Slowly, we rise from our sleep,

          beginning to know that all of this had to happen this way. 

          We begin to see that life is celebration and Hosannas,

          passion and pain, death and resurrection. 

          Life is love and bearing fruit;

          life is betrayals and denials;

          life is death and then the hope of resurrection. 

          Amen! Come Lord Jesus!

© Andy Costello, Reflections 2015

March 28, 2015

UNTRANSLATABLE

My life, my house, my parents, my brother and sisters, discovering Santa Claus was like the stork, playing baseball for the Bay Ridge Robins and I sat on the bench - except for one inning  the whole season, going to my first baseball game  to see the Dodgers playing at Ebbets Field and  seeing Jackie Robinson in the summer of 1947, Coney Island - the summer of 1948, what my first year in high school was like,  how I felt when people made fun of a cake I made and nobody would eat it, Bliss Park [a park we went to in Brooklyn as kids], being a priest, failing my first drivers test, passing my second drivers test, getting a book published, diving off the high board for the first time in Sunset Park Brooklyn, seeing the movie Doctor Zhivago, a day I had 2 years ago, missing the taste of Butter Almond ice cream - now that I'm a diabetic, not being able to understand what you're feeling right now as well.

                                                   © Andy Costello, Reflections 2015