My Christmas 2017 gift to all my friends and visitors.

The Best is Yet to Come!

The message in today's readings from the Book of Wisdom (6:12-16) and the Gospel of Matthew (25:1-13) is about the need for us to cultivate wisdom and listen to its lessons.

a homily by Fr. Brian Timoney
Christ the King Parish, Pleasant Hill, California, USA
32nd Sunday of Ordinary Time (Cycle A)

Four years ago, a good friend of mine was dying of cancer. A few weeks before her death I called, asking if it would be a good time to visit. She told me that she and her best friend were going to a small Deli for lunch and that I could join them there. We sat at a table and she asked to speak to the manager. "What could you provide for a reception after a funeral," was her question. "When is the funeral?" asked the manager. "The exact date has not yet been decided" was the answer. You should have seen the face of the manager as she realized to whom she was speaking. I don't think I have ever met anyone more prepared to meet Jesus than that friend of mine, both on the material and spiritual level. Her jar of oil was full. I will not easily forget that lesson. 

Wisdom is speaking to me and I am listening and learning. That is what the Scriptures are asking us to do today.

I may not be the only one who thinks that she/he is truly wise. I may believe that my advanced age and wispy white hair, my 61 years as a priest are signs that I have learned something over the years, that I can now make good judgments free from all bias. Alas, wisdom does not come with age or experience, or scholarship, or position in church or society. It comes, from being humble. St. Teresa of Avila said that humility is truth. Only God knows the absolute truth of everything and it is in God the Holy Spirit that truth abides, the wisdom that will help us to live well and look to the future, wisdom that will help us to make good decisions in situations where it is not easy to distinguish between wise and foolish, right and wrong. 

I am sure you recall the fruits of the Holy Spirit--wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety, and the fear of the Lord. In the Book of Wisdom today (6:12-16), we are urged to love and seek wisdom. That means being on the lookout for the presence of the Holy Spirit. It may manifest itself in the innocent utterance of a child, the good counsel of an experienced religious leader, the writings of scholars, but above all in the prayerful reading of Sacred Scripture. We have to open up our hearts and minds to the words of Jesus himself. In him the Spirit dwells in all fullness, we should be prepared to be guided by what we hear Jesus say, what we see him do. It may not be what we would like to see or hear, but it is the truth and we should pray for the humility necessary to accept that truth. Wisdom herself is speaking to us.

In praying  t h  e   Gospel passage f r o m   M a t t h e w   25: 1-13  today, it is quite clear that Wisdom is telling us to be prepared for the coming of Christ, that the summons to meet the bridegroom can come quite suddenly. I am keenly aware of this truth, given my advanced age. I am not the oldest member of this community, there are some in their nineties, but old enough to know that I should be stocking up on the oil that will keep my lamp burning until the bridegroom, Jesus, comes. No, I am not being morbid or paranoid, just realistic. Scripture calls it the oil of gladness and it is described by Jesus: "Whatever you do to the least of my sisters and brothers, you do to me." That is the oil we have to stock up on. That is the oil that burns brightest and, in doing so, most clearly shows the way to the wedding feast. Surely for us all, the wise thing to do is to have a full jar. This is ultimate wisdom, the greatest gift of the Holy Spirit, to have a stock of good deeds.

Last Monday, Frs. Paulson and Vince and I were at the funeral of one of our brother priest, Fr. Tony Herrera. Before the Mass began there was open casket and people were surprised and perhaps a little confused to see what Fr. Tony had in his hand as he lay in the casket. Not  Rosary beads, not a Bible, not a Cross. It was a fork! Yes, a dinner fork. Fr. Tony was a gourmet cook and, when he had friends to dinner and the main course finished, he would say: "Keep your fork, the best is yet to come." 

There he lay, in his casket, shouting out to all of us. "The best is yet to come, the wedding banquet is ready, be prepared." There, surely, was and is the greatest wisdom.

Let us all shout with him, "The best is yet to come!" 

"The best is yet to come!" 

Again, "The best is yet to come!”  

Amen

November 12, 2017

(c) 2017 Brian Timoney
All rights reserved

CWC and Me (or is it "I"?)

I knew about the Mt. Diablo Branch of CWC for some time before joining. I had already been commercially published in the 1980s—a three-volume nonfiction work under the series title, Adult-to-Adult (Winston Press, Minneapolis, MN). Today, that title might sound sexy. Not then. The series was meant for Christian discussion groups. Since they sold well, I thought, “This writing/publishing thing is easy.”

I still didn’t think the series stamped my ticket as a “professional writer.” To be a real writer I undertook the task of writing a real book, a . . . drum roll . . . novel. It took eight years of writing and editing to arrive at a finished product and secure a literary agent. More editing delays. Finally, the book sold to a mass-market paperback house in Canada.

Any writer who knows the thrill of ripping open a box and seeing the cover of that first published book—although this wasn’t—will identify with my gut response. There it was! A Love Forbidden. A novel. A real book. With my name on the cover. I don’t mind telling you that I cried tears of authorial pride—and relief. I had finally met my own artificial standard for joining CWC.

I soon learned that, during those years of solitary labor, I would have benefitted greatly by association with a professional writing community. Such influence would have improved the quality of my writing. Just walking into the room for our monthly gettogethers, I am energized by the creative vibes electrifying the atmosphere. Dozens of novels and short stories buzz around inside the attendees, all in various drafts and phases of development. Memoirs, biographies and, of course, the imaginings of talented poets in our midst further ratchet up the voltage. I always leave having experienced a revival of my own creative juices. Over the years, dozens of my professional colleagues in CWC MD have also become dear and valued friends.

So, whenever I’m asked why I belong to the California Writers Club and faithfully attend almost every meeting . . . and why I have given back by serving two terms as president and still do as a board member, I reply with sincerity: “This is about the only place I can go every month where people understand the Writer-Me. When we converse about aspects of our creative calling, they know what I’m talking about.” Every writer needs this kind of affirmation.

Note: To date, I have published 12 books and adapted three of my seven novels into screenplays, which I currently market on InkTip.com. My most recent book is The Soul of Art (nonfiction). Another nonfiction work-in-progress is grinding its way through a tortuous first draft.

A Love Forbidden is still available free on Smashwords.com, iBooks, and other online e-book sites, as well as on Amazon.com for $0.99. It remains my "bestselling" book, after all these years.ins my "bestselling" book, after all these years.

(c) 2017 by Alfred J. Garrotto
All rights reserved

A Burst of Flash Fiction--"My Dreaded Pleasure"

Happened again! In bed too late, overslept in the a.m., missed work (some, not all, but groggily performed). I hate it when I’m snagged. Can’t help it. Powerless when it hits me. I can be in the same spot at other times with no ill effects. Good night’s sleep. Alert on arising. Mindless of time at work, to the point of being late for dinner. I track each occurrence with a pseudo-scientific star rating. Five, “Beware.” Threes, no problem. This brainy system keeps me sane, an alert employee, happily married—most of the time. Until it hits. No one to blame. Just me, hoping not to get caught. I know what I like and sniff around temptation, drawn to it like a . . . . brain’s fogged, make up your own simile. Still it’s pretty rare, all things considered. When I creep into the high fours, I know I’m in grave danger (loss of sleep, defective production, “Don’t bother me, Honey”). I even pray—last resort of a half-baked believer: “Not a five! Thank you, God or god or Krishna,” whoever’s protecting me on temptation’s path. Close call. Let me be honest with you, though, not even prayer can help me when I’m in the throes of a can’t-put-it-down novel.

(c) 2017 by Alfred J. Garrotto
All rights reserved

The Arts. . . both gift and a call to service

What's not to love about the cello? A "voice" to die for. Sexy design. Polished finish that brings each wooden fiber to brilliant life. 

This instrument first thrust itself upon my consciousness in the PBS documentary, "Joan Baez: How Sweet the Sound," that chronicles Baez's life. The segment that stood out for me was her 1993 visit to the destroyed and terrorized city of Sarajevo, Bosnia. She described her heart-rending encounter with Sarajevo Opera cellist Vedran Smajlovic. 

"Unable to stop the madness that had ripped apart the former Yugoslavia, Smajlovic honored the memory of his friends and defied their killers by doing the only thing he was good at. Placing his chair in the middle of the street, he took out cello and bow—musician and instrument melding into a single defiant force. Eyes closed to the surrounding destruction, he rendered the mournful Adagio in G minor by Tomaso Giovanni Albinoni." 

 

Be it a musician, actor, painter, or writer, anyone else endowed with creative gifts, Smajlovic's offering to his fellow Sarajevans represents an artist's supreme achievement: to become one with the work and with the audience. I imagine him getting up every morning, donning his tuxedo, as if he were going to play with his disbanded orchestra, and carrying chair and cello out onto the dangerous street to play Albinoni's soulful Adagio in G minor. 

I imagine Michelangelo on the scaffolds of the Sistine Chapel, Antoni Gaudi living the last years of his life in the dusty construction site of Barcelona's (still-unfinished) Sagrada Familia Basilica.

I think of Victor Hugo in 1861-1862, melding himself with his idealized man, Jean Valjean.

The great gift of artists is that they do not hoard their transcendent experience, but allow us differently skilled humans an opportunity to transport ourselves in spirit to a higher realm of contemplative unity, be it ever so brief. Wise beyond human comprehension are those artists who are fully conscious of their lofty and sacred calling, to inspire our world and make the world a better place for everyone.

- - - - - - - - -

I invite you to read my book, The Soul of Art, available at all online booksellers in both paperback and ebook formats.

My Art and Soul retreats/workshops explore the sacred source of artistic gifts and the mission of those so blessed to share the fruit of their talents with others for the betterment of our Sarajevo-like world.

Next retreat/workshop:

Saturday, June 24, 2017
9:30 a.m.-4 p.m.
San Damiano Retreat House
Danville, California
Cost: $55

For information about this event or to book future events, contact alfredjgarrotto@gmail.com

(c) 2017 by Alfred J. Garrotto
All rights reserved

Carnal Wisdom

In late November (2016), I fell down a set of concrete stairs at the Powell Street BART (rapid transit) station in downtown San Francisco, CA. After tumbling head over heels to the bottom, I did a quick check of my sundry pieces and body parts and realized that all I had broken was my ego. Based on spills I'd taken before, I decided to wait it out until the scraped skin and soreness healed on their own. By the time I returned home that evening, however, I knew something was wrong. I'd injured my bloody and painful left shin pretty badly. 

Several days later, the wound became infected and I ended up in the hospital--for four days! Following that unwanted disruption in my active life, I began a rehab process that is just now coming to an end, three months later. It turned out that what I considered a superficial wound had created a blood clot that went nearly to the bone.

I like to believe there's always something good that comes out of the not-so-good stuff that happens to me. My life experience has proven that to be true over and over again. This time was no different. Week by week, as the nurses dressed, treated, and redressed my open wound, I experienced an amazing, close-up revelation and realization that my carnal flesh has a profound, even spiritual, wisdom of its own. I'm sure this isn't news to people in the physical and medical sciences. As long as we kept the wound clean, my leg knew exactly how to reconstruct its damaged tissues, layer by layer, in perfect order.

The result? I have a new awe-filled appreciation for the intelligence of my flesh and bones. You might read this and say, "Duh, what's so new about that?" Well, for this guy who lives in his head and the clouds most of the time, it's big news! 

(c) 2017 by Alfred J. Garrotto

All rights reserved

Signs of Wisdom: A Reflection on Sirach 4:11-19

"Wisdom brings up her children and takes care of those who look for her. Whoever loves her loves life. Those who rise early in the morning in search of her will be filled with joy. Whoever possesses her will have glory and wherever he goes blessings will follow. Those who serve her are ministers of the Holy One; those who love her are loved of the Lord. He who listens to her will have good judgment. He who obeys her will rest in safety. Whoever trusts in her will possess her and his children after him will inherit her. For in the beginning she will lead him by rough paths, causing him to fear and be terrified; she will plague him with her discipline until she can count on him; and she will put him to the test by her demands. Then she will lead him on a level path, give him joy and reveal her secrets to him. But if he wanders from the path, she will abandon him and allow him to be lost."

                                               Book of Sirach

The ancient teacher Sirach speaks of two signs that tell me when I am in the presence of wisdom:

1) Love of life
2) A sense of internal joy

And like that wise man, I can attest from my experience of life that wisdom's fruit--joy and love of life--is born of trial and failure. 

•  I have walked rough paths on the way to becoming the person I am today (still in process, but gaining ground). Everything I was taught in my early life told me I would find all the happiness I wanted, or at least could hope for in this "veil of tears," within my chosen vocation. I didn't.

•  I have passed though the fire of fear and terror. It hasn't ended but fear no longer has me by the throat.

•  "She will put him to the test." Over thirty years ago, I sloughed off the safety net that kept me in a comfortable prison. What amazes me even now is that, all the while, I was loving and serving the Lord and making a positive difference in some peoples' lives. Dare I say, many? This is a testament to God's ability to change crumbs into a feast.

•  "Then . . ." comes the "level path" of joy, insights, secrets revealed. In this last portion of my life, I am putting things together, making spiritual and psychological connections as never before.

These may be signs that I am at last growing in wisdom.

Copyright (c) Alfred J. Garrotto

All rights reserved

Nostalgia

My Favorite Sweatshirt

I own a treasured relic, never worn,

it's soft gray surface inscribed with indelible ink

unreadable scratchings

autographed in some secret code.This long-sleeved archive

evaded periodic closet purges.

Who signed my shirt that day?
Are they still in or out of the game?
Where went that younger me,
who knelt before gold'n green idols?
Where in my older self is the youth
who gushed in speechless awe?

 What will become of my Oakland A's shirt
when I've taken my place in the skybox beyond?

Alfred J. Garrotto
Author of the baseball story, There's More--A Novella of Life and Afterlife #AlfredJGarrotto @alfredjgarrotto

(c) 2017 by Alfred J. Garrotto
All rights reserved

My favorite reads for 2016

Every year, I publish my list of top reads in three categories . . .

Fiction = Officer and Spy by Robert Harris (the trial and false conviction of Alfred Dreyfus) General Nonfiction = Driving the Getaway Car, by Ann Patchett (her life as a writer and best-selling author) Religious nonfiction (3-way tie)

• My Bright Abyss, by Christian Wiman (beautiful reflections on life in the midst of suffering)
• Run With the Horses by Eugene Peterson (about the Hebrew Prophet Jeremiah)
• God First Loved Us, by Antony Campbell, S.J. (Which God do you believe in?)

Alfred J. Garrotto Author, The Soul of Art