Saint Monica’s Church, Edmond, Oklahoma
Your Excellency Archbishop Coakley,
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, especially the grieving members of the Costello family,
Before going any further I must also mention how touched we are by the presence of an impressive number of dignitaries, for both the state and national levels, in particular that of Madame Governor Fallin and of our distinguished Senators and Representatives. Please forgive me, if I am not able to mention everyone by name at this sizeable gathering.
“It could be said, wrote Pope Saint John Paul II, that human history is marked from the very beginning by the limit God the Creator places upon evil.” (Memory and Identity, 38) The remark is profound. It echoes something the great Saint Augustine once said:
You are beset by trials, are you, and shaken by all the things in this world that offend you, even though you have taken your stand on God’s gracious promises? But even these troubles can do you no harm. Their limits have been imposed on them by the Lord, because the sea is his. This world is the sea, but God made the sea too, and its waves can rage only as far as the shore, which he has assigned to it as its boundary. There is no temptation to which the Lord has not set a limit. Let temptations come, then; let troubles come; you are being finely wrought by them, not wrecked. (St. Augustine, Enarrationes, in Psalm 94, n. 9)
This idea of God havimg set a boundary to evil, the idea that, in fact, Divine Mercy is precisely that limit on evil, as the same holy pontiff also said, goes with another important principle: God, who is almighty, could stop all evil should He so choose, but chooses rather, sometimes, to allow it. Why? For one purpose and one purpose only (He cannot ever want evil): so that a greater good might come out of this evil. (cf General Audience of Benedict XVI on May 31, 2006)
Sometimes, however, we simply see no good emerging from a tragedy: we wonder where was that limit God was supposed to put on evil? It seems as if a massive tidal wave, a moral tsunami, has washed us away. As we mourn today the passing of Mark Costello, of Mark the statesman, the business man, of Mark the devoted husband and father, of Mark the faithful Catholic Christian, of Mark the friend and brother of monks—the friend of so many—we have been washed away, and we are searching.
For those who remember, about one year ago there was much debate in this greater Oklahoma City area and around the nation about the so-called “black mass” that was scheduled to take place (and did take place, though in a greatly reduced form) in a local civic center. Mark was a very outspoken critic of the event, a sacrilegious parody of what Catholic hold most dear. Other voices joined his, including that of our Governor. You said at the time, dear Archbishop Coakley, something to the effect that if this horrible thing were to take place there would be very bad consequences for the city. I am afraid we have just witnessed a realization of that sad prophecy, not only for the city but for the entire state and beyond. But what does it all mean?
In the Roman Catholic liturgical calendar today is the Feast of the Passion or the Beheading of Saint John the Baptist. That too, as we read about it in the Gospel, was the brutal killing of a good man for no reason. At the time it must have seemed like an unbearably sad event that could be of no good to anyone. But as the life of the Church went on, the witness of this man, of this prophet, of this saint, filled the Church and the world with a precious light that has inspired countless generations of human beings. Through the witness of Saint John the Baptist God brought good out of evil. Where the waters of evil abounded for a moment, with God’s permission, the work of grace “super-abounded”, and evil was driven back, more than ever, behind its limit, like the tidal wave back to the shore. Divine Mercy, Divine Love, you see, had had the last word.
The link between Mark Costello and my monastic community located near Tulsa goes back many years. Like several other young men at the University of Kansas in the 1970s and early 80s he became interested in a rather unusual project, one involving some American students pursuing vocations to the religious life in an ancient French abbey. Like our archbishop here as a matter of fact, Mark first visited the French abbey during a “year abroad” program in Ireland in 1976. Although he did not think he had a vocation to become a monk, Mark did come back for another visit to the French abbey and kept contact over the years.
Having married his wife, Cathy, and settled in his native Oklahoma, Mark was many years later one of the people most instrumental in arranging for the American monks in France to come back to the United States in 1999. From the very start, he and his family accompanied the new monastic community established in the Tulsa diocese in all its stages of development until the present day, often brainstorming with the monks and with his friends about how to help on the material and administrative levels, as these things are less familiar to monks. The Costellos have been the best of friends for our abbey.
All of this does not even begin to cover the many accomplishments of Mark Costello, who was twice elected Labor Commissioner of Oklahoma after having founded several successful telecommunications and software companies. He was a beloved benefactor to Gregory the Great Academy, a very fine school, where some of his sons have attended, and to many other wonderful causes that are well known to many of you. It would not be possible to pass it all in review here. We are here to offer prayers.
In the end there remain the mystery of evil and the mystery of Divine Mercy. Both command our attention, as we experience the loss that death brings, but only one prevails. In a few weeks the Catholic Church, will begin a special Holy Year of Divine Mercy, as proclaimed by His Holiness Pope Francis. May that year bring an abundance of mercy to the contemporary world, where such evil seems to be overflowing its banks, especially with regard to the precious reality of the Family. Mark Costello must be seen as a kind of martyr of the Family, as he fell victim while doing his utmost to reach out to a deeply disturbed son. On the face of it his efforts seem utterly to have failed. But then again so did Our Lord’s in all appearance, as He died on Calvary, the place of execution of criminals, the place of human failure. We know by Faith that in the end Divine Mercy will prevail; that the waters of evil will find their boundary; that the light will win. There is our path forward. After death there is the Resurrection of the Dead, that gentle and final revenge of God. After hatred there is love, the loving, healing revenge of Divine Mercy, the firm shoreline God places on the sea of evil.
Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen.
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Saint Monica’s Church, Edmond, Oklahoma
Your Excellency Archbishop Coakley,
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, especially the grieving members of the Costello family,
Before going any further I must also mention how touched we are by the presence of an impressive number of dignitaries, for both the state and national levels, in particular that of Madame Governor Fallin and of our distinguished Senators and Representatives. Please forgive me, if I am not able to mention everyone by name at this sizeable gathering.
“It could be said, wrote Pope Saint John Paul II, that human history is marked from the very beginning by the limit God the Creator places upon evil.” (Memory and Identity, 38) The remark is profound. It echoes something the great Saint Augustine once said:
You are beset by trials, are you, and shaken by all the things in this world that offend you, even though you have taken your stand on God’s gracious promises? But even these troubles can do you no harm. Their limits have been imposed on them by the Lord, because the sea is his. This world is the sea, but God made the sea too, and its waves can rage only as far as the shore, which he has assigned to it as its boundary. There is no temptation to which the Lord has not set a limit. Let temptations come, then; let troubles come; you are being finely wrought by them, not wrecked. (St. Augustine, Enarrationes, in Psalm 94, n. 9)
This idea of God havimg set a boundary to evil, the idea that, in fact, Divine Mercy is precisely that limit on evil, as the same holy pontiff also said, goes with another important principle: God, who is almighty, could stop all evil should He so choose, but chooses rather, sometimes, to allow it. Why? For one purpose and one purpose only (He cannot ever want evil): so that a greater good might come out of this evil. (cf General Audience of Benedict XVI on May 31, 2006)
Sometimes, however, we simply see no good emerging from a tragedy: we wonder where was that limit God was supposed to put on evil? It seems as if a massive tidal wave, a moral tsunami, has washed us away. As we mourn today the passing of Mark Costello, of Mark the statesman, the business man, of Mark the devoted husband and father, of Mark the faithful Catholic Christian, of Mark the friend and brother of monks—the friend of so many—we have been washed away, and we are searching.
For those who remember, about one year ago there was much debate in this greater Oklahoma City area and around the nation about the so-called “black mass” that was scheduled to take place (and did take place, though in a greatly reduced form) in a local civic center. Mark was a very outspoken critic of the event, a sacrilegious parody of what Catholic hold most dear. Other voices joined his, including that of our Governor. You said at the time, dear Archbishop Coakley, something to the effect that if this horrible thing were to take place there would be very bad consequences for the city. I am afraid we have just witnessed a realization of that sad prophecy, not only for the city but for the entire state and beyond. But what does it all mean?
In the Roman Catholic liturgical calendar today is the Feast of the Passion or the Beheading of Saint John the Baptist. That too, as we read about it in the Gospel, was the brutal killing of a good man for no reason. At the time it must have seemed like an unbearably sad event that could be of no good to anyone. But as the life of the Church went on, the witness of this man, of this prophet, of this saint, filled the Church and the world with a precious light that has inspired countless generations of human beings. Through the witness of Saint John the Baptist God brought good out of evil. Where the waters of evil abounded for a moment, with God’s permission, the work of grace “super-abounded”, and evil was driven back, more than ever, behind its limit, like the tidal wave back to the shore. Divine Mercy, Divine Love, you see, had had the last word.
The link between Mark Costello and my monastic community located near Tulsa goes back many years. Like several other young men at the University of Kansas in the 1970s and early 80s he became interested in a rather unusual project, one involving some American students pursuing vocations to the religious life in an ancient French abbey. Like our archbishop here as a matter of fact, Mark first visited the French abbey during a “year abroad” program in Ireland in 1976. Although he did not think he had a vocation to become a monk, Mark did come back for another visit to the French abbey and kept contact over the years.
Having married his wife, Cathy, and settled in his native Oklahoma, Mark was many years later one of the people most instrumental in arranging for the American monks in France to come back to the United States in 1999. From the very start, he and his family accompanied the new monastic community established in the Tulsa diocese in all its stages of development until the present day, often brainstorming with the monks and with his friends about how to help on the material and administrative levels, as these things are less familiar to monks. The Costellos have been the best of friends for our abbey.
All of this does not even begin to cover the many accomplishments of Mark Costello, who was twice elected Labor Commissioner of Oklahoma after having founded several successful telecommunications and software companies. He was a beloved benefactor to Gregory the Great Academy, a very fine school, where some of his sons have attended, and to many other wonderful causes that are well known to many of you. It would not be possible to pass it all in review here. We are here to offer prayers.
In the end there remain the mystery of evil and the mystery of Divine Mercy. Both command our attention, as we experience the loss that death brings, but only one prevails. In a few weeks the Catholic Church, will begin a special Holy Year of Divine Mercy, as proclaimed by His Holiness Pope Francis. May that year bring an abundance of mercy to the contemporary world, where such evil seems to be overflowing its banks, especially with regard to the precious reality of the Family. Mark Costello must be seen as a kind of martyr of the Family, as he fell victim while doing his utmost to reach out to a deeply disturbed son. On the face of it his efforts seem utterly to have failed. But then again so did Our Lord’s in all appearance, as He died on Calvary, the place of execution of criminals, the place of human failure. We know by Faith that in the end Divine Mercy will prevail; that the waters of evil will find their boundary; that the light will win. There is our path forward. After death there is the Resurrection of the Dead, that gentle and final revenge of God. After hatred there is love, the loving, healing revenge of Divine Mercy, the firm shoreline God places on the sea of evil.
Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen.
