December 22, 2018 

Thought for today: 

“Thou shalt not spread my word with the sword.” 

Colin Powell

December 21, 2018

WINTER

Water in the pond and the lake

turning to ice - cold moving up

the street into our house and

into our bones - winter is here.

Appreciating big warm blankets,

radiators, the sound of heat pipes

clanking and banging, knowing

here we are till at least March.

Winter - grey mists and then

white snow…. Even if Christ

wasn’t born on December 25,

it was a very good choice.

© Andy Costello, Reflections 2018

THIN  PLACES

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily is, “Thin Places.”

In Celtic Spirituality - aspects of which come out  of  middle Europe - and moved to Ireland and Scotland, there is a phrase, “Thin Places” or “Caol Áit”.

Probably, because both of today’s readings begin in the great outdoors, I thought of “Thin Places” when I read the first from the Song of Songs and the second, the gospel,  from Luke.

When I’m not too clear about what something means - like “thin places”, one way I learn about the unknown, is  to preach about that unknown topic.

So I did some Google research and came up with some ideas and words about  “Thin Places.”

DESCRIPTION

Gaelic - which includes Scotland and Ireland - and many islands off the coast of both these countries have sacred places - beautiful places - where people feel God’s presence.

If a place is too busy, too noisy, too self-centered, that would be called  a thick place.

Now there are also other places called “thin places” - and your thin places can be different than my thin places.

There is a Celtic saying that  goes like this: “Heaven and earth are only three feet apart, but in thin places that distance is even shorter.”

Let me repeat that, because if you get that, you can begin to get what Celtic spirituality means by, “Thin Places.”

“Heaven and earth are only three feet apart, but in thin places that distance is even shorter.”

In Celtic Spirituality - and hopefully in Italian and Spanish, and German and Filipino Spirituality, hopefully the message is that God is here - closer than 3 feet away.

We come to church - to get in touch by God and to touch God.

After reading up about this last night, I heard that if we get in touch with God here, we can get in touch with God out there.

SOME EXAMPLES

Let me give some examples of “Thin Places” - places where God breaks through or where a sense of God can happen.

In a nursing home a person is in a bed with tubes and they are breathing hard and there is their spouse - in silence - in semi-darkness - holding their spouse’s hand as well as God’s hand. That could be a thin place.

When I’m in a funeral home and the body is in a casket and there is a kneeler there before the body,  I reach down and say one Hair Mary on one rosary bead in the dead person’s hand.  That has often been a God moment for me. Now I can call that a thin place.

When I meet a  mom with a new baby in one of those baby carriers, I like to say, “Can I see your baby.” She unzips or unsnaps the hood, and shows me a 6 week old baby. That is often a thin place.

In the movie City Slickers, Billy Crystal is at a camp fire with a bunch of guys on a western vacation. They talk about the moment a kid goes to his first Major League baseball game with his dad. They walk through the dark underbelly of a major league ball park. Then they go up through the tunnel. They see blue sky and they come out and see that great green grass, the people, the players practicing, and they go “Wow” with awe. For me seeing that moment on the screen was a thin place.

It’s Thanksgiving - my sister-in-law is sitting there looking around the room. She sees all her kids and their husbands and their kids - laughing and being with each other - and she says pointing to her kids, “This is what makes it all worthwhile.” That could be a thin place.

TODAY - DECEMBER 21^ST, IN NEWGRANGE IRELAND

Today, December 21^st, in Newgrange, Ireland, a small group of people go into this prehistoric cave like dwelling. It was under a mound or a small hill. It’s  dated back to 3200 B.C. There is a 10 year waiting list to get in there today.

A shaft of light goes through one opening - to the center of the mound - and it goes directly to the other side and out an opening.

It’s a sacred moment - on this day - the shortest day of the year - when we have more darkness than light - and then we move into winter - as we move towards the spring and more light.

This building is older than Stonehenge in England or the pyramids in Egypt.

In Celtic spirituality the dark is feminine - like in the womb - as mothers long to bring a child into the light of the world.

Mary - from her dark womb - brings Christ the Light of the World - into the world.

In today’s gospel she moves with haste into the hill country to be with Elizabeth who is filled with her baby as well. She runs like the lover in today’s first reading from the Song of Songs - and all of creation - bursts, flowers, the winter is over.  The Holy Spirit has touched Mary as well. Elizabeth says the words of the Hail Mary, “Blessed are you among women and blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus.

It was a thin place between Mary and Elizabeth as they held each other in God.

So thin places are more than places. They can be moments - when we sense the presence of God - moments when we are in the presence of God - and that is every moment.

CONCLUSION

So that’s a few words about “Thin Places”.  Once you bring that idea into your spirituality, you’ll come out of dark tunnels and see new light.

 December 21, 2018 

Thought for today: 

“Don’t panic.” 

Colin Powell

December 20, 2018

SCROOGE

Scrooge appears on stage

at this time of the year - for

each of us - I guess -  not

to appear as a scrooge at

this or any time of the year.

Mean, cheap, lacking the giving

instinct  - not tossing some green

in the pot at the guy or gal with the

bell on the sidewalk at the bottom

of Main Street or at the mall.

And every year - and every time -

we see the play - we celebrate

that I can change, people can

change - once we explain our story

- so that happy endings happen.

© Andy Costello, Reflections 2018

December 20, 2018

Thought for today: 

“`Broadway is a street,’ typed the columnist, `where people spend money they haven’t earned to buy things they don’t need to impress people they don’t like.’” 

Carl Sandburg, p. 173

STORIES  

TRIGGER  STORIES

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily is, “Stories Trigger Stories.”

As we all know stories trigger stories.

I tell you a story about a blue rock and you begin thinking about a blue car you once had or a rock band or a rock you once tripped on and you hurt your left shoulder.

Stories trigger stories.

TODAY’S READINGS

Today’s first reading from Judges tells the story of Samson - which triggers the story of John the Baptist in our gospel.

Obviously Luke - today’s gospel - has the story in Judges in mind.

Notice the connections - no strong wine or drink - an angel of the Lord comes and makes an announcement - consecration to the Lord - barren no children - then a son.

Stories trigger stories.

The Bible - the scriptures - the Old Testament and then the New Testament - have many interconnecting stories. If you ever spot the Jerusalem Bible sitting around - just page through it - and notice all the interconnecting cross references.

Jesus is the New Moses. That’s a constant theme - especially in the gospel of John. Moses left Egypt - Matthew has to get Jesus to Egypt - so he can head for the Promised Land.

Jesus is the new Gideon - a savior - who will help the people.

When Jesus came they ask and they wonder if he is Elijah or one of the prophets.

         

WE DO THE SAME THING

We do the same thing - all the time.

I tell a story and it reminds you of something that happened to you - and first chance you get, you cut me off and you tell your story.

This happens all the time.

It happens with jokes as well.

Listening exercises are given to people - and they are trained to hear what the others are saying - and not cut in with our story.

A person was telling me recently that a parish in the Midwest  trained a team of about 12 people to go around the parish in 2’s - to knock on doors and see if they could talk to Catholics who had dropped out of church.  The parish numbers had gone down big time. Their job was to ask dropouts their story.  They were not allowed to tell the persons they were listening to their story. They were just to listen. Then at the end to say, “Thanks for telling us your story. We’re from St. Mary’s and you’re always welcome back.”

It worked.

CONCLUSION

Stories trigger stories - but they didn’t let their stories - to stop them from listening to other people’s stories.

Today ask someone to tell you their story - without you telling your story. Watch what happens.