June 9, 2020

B    L   M

They have been walking 

for more than 400 years now: 

when we get that we get
that Black Lives Matter? 

© Andy Costello, Reflections 2020

June  8,  2020

20  BEATITUDES  FOR  2020

Blessed are the George Floyd’s

whose horrible  deaths proclaim

to us that all life matters.

Blessed are the protestors who

are proclaiming that black lives matter.

Blessed are the sign makers.

May they come up with messages

that both move and challenge us. 

Blessed are those who wear masks

and give each other at least 6 feet,

so as to keep this virus at a distance.

Blessed are the medical professionals,

nurses, doctors, EMT, etc. who are

caring for our sick and those infected

with the coronavirus.

Blessed are those who say,

“Thank you” on a regular basis.

Blessed are those who think outside the box.

Blessed are those are humble enough 

to know they don't know it all.

Blessed are the researchers

who are searching for countless hours

and in countless ways for a vaccine to heal us.

Blessed are those who have reached out

to help those who lost loved ones who need

our presence, our care, our concern, our prayers

as they deal with the death of their loved ones

without benefit of religious and human ceremonies.

Blessed are those who vote with social justice in mind.

Blessed are those who are giving food

to the hungry and cold water to the thirsty.

Blessed are those who do not lie.

Blessed are those who can take a knee in prayer 

and in humble support of the others. 

Blessed are the police and firefighters

and the many others who do all kinds

of services to all those who protect our communities.

Blessed are our freedoms – especially of the press –

the ability to vote in person or through the mail.

Blessed is the loot that reminds looters

to pay back for what they have taken wrongly.

Blessed are those who hesitate and listen

when they are hearing new and different ways

when inside and outside of the box.

Blessed are those who know that those who try

make mistakes - but that they are humble enough 

to acknowledge their mistakes and mis-takes and 

ask for forgiveness so they can keep on trying. 

Blessed are those who call for bridges

instead of walls.

© Andy Costello, Reflections 2020

June  8,  2020

Thought  for  Today

“Living with a saint is more grueling than  being  one.”  

Robert Neville

June 7,  2020

STATIONS   OF  THE  CROSS

SOME  1000 YEARS AGO

It took the longest time –

a long time ago – for folks to move

these massive stone crosses

to their sacred  places in Ireland.

A lot of people had to put their

shoulders, muscles, brains,

their skills into use to move these

mighty crosses – to their Calvary.

With logs and ropes - they moved

these massive slabs of stone into

place  - I’m sure inwardly screaming -

“Why  here and not back there?”

I’m sure  some also said, “Christ

Almighty help those who see this

cross to get support in carrying

their daily crosses. Oh yes!  Amen.”

© Andy Costello, Reflections 2020

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/06/06/us/coronavirus-priests-last-rites.html?campaign_id=9&emc=edit_nn_20200607&instance_id=19164&nl=the-morning®i_id=133020063&segment_id=30288&te=1&user_id=26d0f8138588c55db9624e0998acf410

LAST  RITES 

FROM THE NEW YORK TIMES

CHECK IT OUT.

HIT THE LINE BELOW

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/06/06/us/coronavirus-priests-last-rites.html?

THE  TRINITY:
HINTS AND HESITATIONS

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for this Trinity Sunday is, “The Trinity: Hints and Hesitations.”

When it comes to God – we know the warnings – especially of  Idolatry and Surety.

We know that Israel warns about even using God’s Name and Islam warns about images.

Sunni Islam is more iconoclastic than Shia Islam. I didn’t know that.

We know the difference between the look inside a Catholic Church building – compared to Calvin based Christian churches and we know Calvinists burned – as well as looted - Catholic churches.

So we know from history about Iconoclasm – the breaking of images when some people thought they became too much.

Last night I saw a word I never saw before: A N I C O N I S M.

When I broke it down – I finally got it. It has the word “icon” in it – and it’s against icons.

We know when it comes to ourselves – when another starts to tell us they know our motives and our meanings – and who we are  -  we want to scream – “You don’t know me.  Heck,  I don’t even know myself for God’s sake.”

So we don’t know each other  - how much more God.

We’ve heard in our lifetime the difference between a kataphatic approach to God [“kata” – the Greek prefix meaning “with” – "phatic" meaning "images"] and "apo – phatic"– "without images".]

So hopefully we know God – a bit – and we don’t know God – a lot.

In fact, the more we know, the more we know we don’t know,

And we know we don’t like it when someone tells us they know God’s mind and will and plans.

I know I felt something was wrong – some time there at North East -  when I heard so and so say he knew God’s will about another kids’ so-called vocation.

I also remember the night when a brother Redemptorist  invited me to go with him to Long Island to a charismatic meeting that someone  invited him to.  He wanted company and I guess he wanted another pair of ears and eyes.

And at that meeting,  someone tape recorded a person who was speaking in tongues and then another person played the tape and told everyone  in the room what the Spirit was saying – one message being,  a marriage should break up – and I said to myself, “Let’s get out of here!”

One of my favorite statement from the Talmud is: “Teach thy tongue to say, ‘I do not know.’”

And yet we preach – and yet we get our degrees  - and we get ordained  - and we are called upon to preach – even about the Trinity.

So my first two messages for today – Trinity Sunday  - are hesitation and hints.  I think we preach hints – hopefully – after thought and reflection and prayer too – hopefully with deep humility – with thoughts afterwards – with more hesitation – especially  after we preach.

TODAY IS TRINITY SUNDAY

John told us on Friday he remembered Mark Tucker’s first mass on a  Trinity Sunday  - that Mark said, “Thank God - God chose not to go it alone."

I think we all – when it comes to "seeing" God – move from places and stuff – to understand – and grasp at God.

Shamrocks help  - us get 3 in 1.

The Grand Canyon and a starry, starry  night get us to say, “There is a God.”

Dave Stanford - Lake Erie

So too water and waterfalls and the ocean – and a walk in the woods.

But relationships get us to move into the personal – and being persons gives us a heads up when it comes to God.

We reflect upon hearing someone say I had trouble with God as Father – because I had troubles with my father.

We reflect upon hearing someone say I had trouble with God as Spouse – as Love – because I had problems in my marriage or never got married.

We reflect upon Genesis 1:26-27 where we hear we are made in the Image and Likeness of God.

In a footnote on that text in the Jerusalem Bible I read that the Fathers of the Church said there is a hint of the Trinity in that text.

I remember – when I was stationed here the first time - I had a choice once of a 12 week course at Princeton Theological  by Walter Burghardt on that text – or another course. I didn’t choose Walter – and I’ve often wondered what I missed.  Yesterday I heard names and read comments and thoughts by writers like Gregory of Nyssa and Tertullian and Augustine on Genesis 1:26-27 and once more – I realized how little I know.

One author said Aquinas moved more to the mind over against Augustine when it came to the Trinity – but John Tauler and Eckhart moved back to the heart.  I know I could not think that or know that – because to say that would take a lot of research and a big table with a lot of open books on it.

HINTS AND HESITATIONS

So I like the idea of hints and hesitations.

My dad is long dead – 1970.

But I know that in this last part of life – I’ve done a lot of thinking about who my dad   was – absolutely quiet – and a perfect gentleman.

Going away to North East at 13 – did that block my chance – to get to know my dad better – as well as God as Father?

Does something happen in the father-son relationship to every son – in general – in the teenage years and young adult years.

I pondered that a bit – in my Native American – readings and research.

I don’t know.

I’ve also pondered the meaning of Father for a priest  in these last 18 years – once I got into parish work big time.

I know I don’t like the title “Father” – when  I see it as a prop – to enhance a weak priest – and wow can that be judgmental.

I know I like the title “Father” when someone wants a priest – any priest – because they feel prodigal or like a lost sheep.

And father is just one hint – of how God is God – God as Father.

There’s mother and spouse.

Then there is Christ the Second Person – and luckily we have the 4 voices – amongst many – telling us who Christ is -  as well as hearing Alphonsus before and after he began experiencing the practice of the Love of Jesus Christ –

Then there is Spirit -  wind, breath, fire, dove and many ways  God breathes and blows and flies and flows and burns in our lives.

So obviously, God is only hints and hesitations.

CONCLUSION

Maybe the best thing would have been to repeat the last sentence in today’s second reading: “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the  fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with all of you.”

June  7,  2020

Thought   for   Today

“I intend to live forever.  So far, so good.”

Steven Wright

Readers’  Digest

p. 57, November 2000