February  7, 2019 

Black History Month Thought for Today:  

“I am an invisible man...I am a man of substance, of flesh and bone, fiber and liquids—and I might even be said to possess a mind. I am invisible, understand, simply because people refuse  to see me.” 

Ralph Ellison (Invisible Man)

February 6, 2019

MISUNDERSTOOD

There I said it, “Misunderstood.”

It happens.

It happens to everyone -

every once and a while.

Sometimes we can help

another by just listening.

Better ….  Underline this:

just shut up and just listen to

another when this happens to them.

The worst thing …. The worst thing ….

The worst thing to do is to make

the other feel misunderstood - again.

© Andy Costello, Reflections 2019

February  6, 2019 

Black History Month Thought for Today:  

“Not everything that is faced can be changed; but nothing can be changed until it is faced.” 

James Baldwin (As Much Truth 

As One Can Bear, New York Times)

THREE WOMEN

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily is, “Three Women.”

Today - February 5^th is the Feast of St. Agatha - and I’ll be reading the gospel for today - the 4^th Monday in Ordinary Time - Mark 5: 21-43.

I would like to talk about 3 women.

THE FIRST WOMAN

The first woman is the daughter of Jairus - a 12 year old  girl.

She’s the daughter of a synagogue official and she is critically ill.

The story here in the gospel of Mark is a wonderful story - with various tiny details. It shows the love of a father for his daughter. Jesus takes her by the hand.  The assumption is that it’s a story closer to the time of Jesus - because it has Aramaic in it, “Talita koum”. It’s about her - not Jesus. He asks the family to keep it quiet. That’s significant - because there is a large crowd outside the house. And lastly Jesus says, “Get her something to eat.”

THE SECOND WOMAN

The second woman is also in today’s gospel. She is a  woman who has medical problems - problems with her blood. She has had her blood problems for 12 years - for as long as Jairus’ daughter has lived.

Mark is the best of the 4 gospels for details. He tells us that the woman has gone broke with medical bills from doctors.

She comes up with a plan. Obviously she has heard that Jesus is a healer - so her plan is to sneak up behind Jesus when he’s in a crowd and just touch the hem of his garment and   be healed.

She does just that and Jesus feels his healing powers going out of him and into this woman and she is healed.

Jesus turns around and asks, “Who touched me?”

Finally,  the woman fesses up. She has been healed.  Jesus tells her to go in peace and be free of your illness.

THE THIRD WOMAN

Those two women are in today’s gospel.

This third woman is Saint Agatha. Today is her feast day. She was an early Christian martyr.

She was killed around 253 A.D.

The church presents 4 women martyrs for the 4 winter months: Cecilia - November; Lucy - December; Saint Agnes - January; and today’s saint, Saint Agatha -  February.

Agatha  was a virgin Martyr. She was challenged to give up her chastity and virginity  to a tyrant down there in Southern Italy - in Sicily. She was beaten and martyred.

Great legends and stories came up about these women saints in the church.

Here is the statistic that grabbed me about St. Agatha. Last night, when reading up about Saint Agatha I read that religious ceremonies and processions last 3 days at this moment in Catalania, Sicily. Two different articles that I read said that it’s the second largest religious ceremonies in the whole world.  Over 1 million people are in Catania in Sicily for St. Agatha every  February 3, 4 and 5^th.

I assume the 1^st is the annual pilgrimage of Muslims - the HAJJ - to Mecca. Over 2 million go there in August or so - for 5 days.

A big silver cart that  weighs 40,000 pounds - with a very expensive statue of   St. Agatha - is pushed through the city. Type into Google, Saint Agatha, for details - especially thousands of men in white pushing the carriage that is loaded with jewelry

CONCLUSION

That’s it. That’s enough.

February 5, 2019

NASTY

I never heard of anyone 

naming their dog “Nasty” - 

and I’ve met nasty dogs. 

But I did know a farmer

who named one of their

cats, “Hemorrhoid.”

“She was a pain

you know where,”

he said with a smile.

Now, I have been

tempted to nickname

various people, “Nasty!”

Why? Well it’s because of their

comments to my face - but

mostly behind my backside.

© Andy Costello, Reflections 2019

February  5, 2019 

Black History Month Thought for Today:  

“Healing begins where the wound  was made.” 

Alice Walker (The Way Forward 

Is with a Broken Heart)

WHAT  IS  JESUS 

SAYING  AT  US? 

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for this 4^th Monday in Ordinary Time  is, “What Is Jesus Saying at Us?”

The key word, the key idea , is AT. Spell it out.  AT - as in “AT Us”. [Point]

TODAY’S GOSPEL

I read today’s two readings and the psalm - looking for a sermon thought or a sermon issue for today.

Today’s first reading is very heavy - talking about people being beaten, stabbed, stoned, killed,  and sawed in half. [Cf. Hebrews 11: 32-40.]  In today’s psalm response we have the word, “comfort” and one of these days I’ll preach a sermon about comfort - and our desire to be comfortable. Another interesting topic. [Cf. Psalm 31 refrain: “Let your hearts take comfort, all who hope in the Lord.”]

I spotted in the gospel for today [Mark 5: 1-20] a very interesting statement. Jesus and his disciples go to the other side of the lake. A crazy character approaches Jesus and starts yelling at him.  He had been living in a cemetery - in the middle of a tomb field.  He was a guy who was hard to control. He had to be chained - but he broke free from his shackles many a time.

Seeing Jesus - he screams out, "What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I adjure you by God, do not torment me!"

Then the comment that grabbed me: “Jesus was saying to him, ‘Unclean spirit, come out of the man.’”  Did the man hear him - sense him? Did Jesus hear his own thoughts?

NUMBER ONE TOPIC OF CONVERSATION: PEOPLE.

I can somehow connect to this experience.

After weather, sports, Super Bowl,  the number one topic of conversation among people is people - especially the people in our family - especially the people who bother us - annoy us - especially the characters - the crazies.

Someone said something that goes like this, “Dysfunctional people are less than 10% of the people around us - in our lives - but they take up over 90% of our energy and conversations.”

Wow is that true.

Now here’s where I want to go.  Think of a dysfunctional - a bothersome - a PITA  person in our life and come up with the number one ongoing sentence we think - we inwardly whine - we inwardly scream - about that person.

It could even be Jesus’ statement in today’s gospel, ‘Unclean spirit, come out of this person.”

It could be, “I just wish you would give up trying to be in control of the world.”

It could be, “Enough with the suggestions.”

It could be, “Stop the complaining - stop dragging into every conversation - stuff about the president, the church, the parish, the liberals, the conservatives, the young people of today, TV talk shows, etc. etc. etc.

Who is the first person who comes to  mind when I ask you, “Who drains you?” ‘Who always rains on your parade?”

Next what do say inwardly about - and AT  this person - inwardly of course.

CONCLUSION: 3  QUESTIONS AND KEYS TO THIS SERMON

What do people say inwardly AT you? 

What do people want you to change?

What  does Jesus secretly say at you - like what he said of this man in today’s gospel?