September 27, 2019

DULL!  BORING!

He heard someone talking about someone

behind his back. “He’s dull! He’s boring!” 

Oooooh, that hurt, really hurt, when he figured

out the “He” in the comment was he.

That pushed him down the stairs into a  

dark basement of silence for about a week.

“What to do?” He didn’t know. “Is it too late?”

He didn’t know. “I’m too dull and boring.”

© Andy Costello, Reflections 2019

September  27, 2019 

Thought for today: 

“Great grief is a divine and terrible radiance which transfigures the wretched.” 

Victor Hugo [ 1802-1885] 

Les Miserables [1862], 

Book 5, Chapter 13

HOW  DO  I  SEE  JESUS?

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for this 25^th Thursday in Ordinary Time  is a question, “How Do I See Jesus?"

Today’s gospel ends with this sentence, “And he kept trying to see him - namely, “Jesus.” [Cf. Luke 9:9]

The “he” is Herod.  Herod keeps wanting to see Jesus.

THE YEAR 85

One of the ways of reading the Gospel of Luke or any Gospel or any text  is to imagine the author - for example  Luke - aiming his messages at the people of his time - in the 70’s or 80’s - not the time he is writing about - which is Jesus’ time -  in the 30’s. 

Get that distinction?  He’s looking back from the 80’s as he is writing about the 30’s,  

I saw that date for when Luke wrote this text in  Ray Brown’s commentary on Luke - as well as 3 other reference books on Luke. It’s around 85 A.D. - give or take 10 years - as the commentaries put it.

NEXT STEP

Having read and heard today’s gospel  about Herod wanting to see Jesus - - I imagined Luke wanting the people he was writing for - to think about whether they wanted to see Jesus - and then how they saw Jesus.

So a question: How do I see Jesus - here in 2019

?

If I were an artist, how would I paint or sculpt him. What does his face look like.

What is my favorite Gospel text - that sums up Jesus for me? For example, “Come to me you who are heavily burdened and I will refresh you.” Or “I believe. Help my unbelief?” Or “Take and eat this is my body…. This is my blood.”

Or there are 4 gospels, which one is my favorite?  And what does that say about me?

If someone looked around my room or my prayer book, what images of Christ would they spot?

HEROD FINALLY GOT HIS WISH

In Luke 22: 8, Herod gets his wish. Luke writes, “Herod was delighted to see Jesus. He had heard about him and had been wanting for a long time to set eyes on him; moreover, he was hoping to see some miracle worked  by him.”

Jesus remained silent - not answering Herod’s questions - so Herod ends up being like the guards - who had Jesus in custody - laughing and making fun of Jesus.

That tells us that something.

Did Luke notice Christians in his local communities having a very superficial take on Jesus?

Thursday of last week, September 19^th, was the feast of San Genaro - St. Januarius.  I’m sure the cathedral in Naples was filled with folks wanting to see his blood bubble that day?  The sensational always has a grab. Who was in church the next day?

CONCLUSION

So this homily was just some thoughts and questions to get us looking at our relationship with Jesus-  looking back when we were young - and now when we are older - at Mass - when receiving Christ in communion - seeing Christ in each other - as well as the poor, the old, the week, and the bullied….

September 26, 2019

FLAW

I just don’t like it that I have flaws.

Yes, flaws. You know: weaknesses; 
memories of mistakes that I made; 
spaghetti stains on white shirts;

challenging me to stop criticizing

so and so - for his mistakes as well.

Bummer: worse still - at times - I think

I hang my flaws out on my clothes line

so I don’t have to see my main flaw:

the fatal one - the one that really nags me -

the one that keeps me in the human race.

© Andy Costello, Reflections 2019

September  26, 2019

Thought for today:

“Love and commitment, it appears, are desirable, but not easy. For in addition to believing in love, we Americans believe in the self.”  

Robert Bellah

September 25, 2019

EDGE

I find myself at the edge of people

at times - not knowing whether to

continue around corners, become

quiet, say, “Good bye!” or wait for

a “Next ….” I’m sure they're wonder-

ing the same about me. “Next ….”

I guess we all can be edgy at times -

knowing there is always something

around the corner - around the edge

of each other - the edge of a next.

© Andy Costello, Reflections 2019

September  25, 2019

Thought for today:

“Nor can I suppose that when Mrs. Casaubon is discovered in a fit of weeping six weeks after her wedding, the situation will be regarded as tragic. Some discouragement, some faintness of heart at the new real future which replaces the imaginary, is not unusual, and we do not expect people to be deeply moved by what is not unusual. That element of tragedy which lies in the very fact of frequency, has not yet wrought itself into the coarse emotion of mankind; and perhaps our frames could hardly bear much of it. If we had a keen vision and feeling of all ordinary human life, it would be like hearing the grass grow and the squirrel's heart beat, and we should die of that roar which lies on the other side of silence. As it is, the quickest of us walk about well wadded with stupidity.” 

George Eliot 1819-1880, 

[Marian Evans Cross]

in Middlemarch [1871-1872], 

chapter 22. 

Dorothea makes that comment in Rome as she’s dealing with unexpected issues that have come up in her marriage.

I like this quote because it  articulates the silence we all feel when reality settles in after our imagined expectations crash into a wall.

Better put: “Often the way life works goes like this: Illusion. Disillusionment. Decision.”

At first things look good. Then we discover pluses and minuses.

For example, the restaurant looked good from the outside and the menu on the window. We went in - and wow were we disappointed.

It looked like a good investment, but ....

"I thought she was a good choice, but in time, wow was I wrong .... or wow I found out she must much better than I could imagine ...."