Sunday Homily, August 2007, 21st of Ordinary Time

Readings: Hosea, 6, 3-6; Psalm 50; Romans 4, 18-25; Matthew 9,9-13; plus a good Alleluia verse, Luke 4, 18, about which I would like to speak.

Hosea: as with most of the prophets, Hosea is disturbed by the infidelity & behavior of the Hebrews.  He tells them how bad they are and warns them that their bad ways will have consequences.  Yahweh will punish them.  He lives about 700 years B.C. & worked the area of the north, called Israel or Galilee.

Me Bring Glad Tidings to the Poor?

Many of you, I am sure, have your favorite auto mechanic.  And if you don't, you probably wish you did.  Rosemary & I have an Italian Catholic family, the Lucidos, who run One Stop.  Trouble with it is that it is a little distance, near 35 & Royal. 

In Richardson there is another of these reliable mechanics.  I don't know the man, but he has a reputation of being reliable, dependable, reasonable with his prices, and a curmudgeon.  A grump, a no patience, no compliments, non-smiler. 

A family I know who has lived in Richardson forever has believed in this mechanic.  The family has raised three kids who are now grown up and at least into their 20's.  As is the case in so many families, one of the kids, the oldest boy, has had his troubles migrating from adolescence into adulthood.  In and out of school, not able to find what he wanted to do, hanging with friends who likewise could not find their way. 

In the past couple of years, this boy finally married, had some kids, and actually graduated from college.  I think this was his first year to teach in special ed.  It looked like the kid was really putting his life together and going somewhere.

In the spring the boy had car trouble and naturally he took his trouble to the family mechanic.  All went well and the car was fixed for a reasonable price. 

A few days later the father got a call from the curmudgeon mechanic.  What do you think he was calling to say? 

"I am calling," he said, "to compliment you on your son."  The mechanic who never gives compliments and who had known and followed the son through his growing pains, said the boy had turned out marvelously, courteous, friendly, saying "Yes, sir," & "No, sir," and was really a pleasure to be around. 

I think dad just about fainted dead on the phone.

I tell this story because it exemplifies one approach to "The Lord sent me to bring glad tidings to the poor."  A marvelous line.  For three reasons.

     We are all the poor and need to hear glad tidings.  We are less than we want to be, we hurt others, we fail in business and in sports, we fail as spouses, as parents, as priests.   Then along comes glad tidings: "I did not come to call the righteous but sinners.  Pretty good news for us sinners.

   The Lord sends Me to bring glad tidings, good news, compliments.  The Richardson curmudgeon mechanic brought happy tidings to a father who could have felt rather poverty stricken over the years as a parent.  This is one of the main motivations I work as a priest & therapist.

   The result of the glad tidings is greater inner peace–for the person who receives the gift and for the person who brings it.  Certainly the father felt greater peace and probably the mechanic felt a peace.

With whom do you share glad tidings & how?

AUDIO: http://mysite.verizon.net/reso7rjy/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderfiles/2008-06-08.mp3

Readings:  Ecclesiastes 1, 2; 2, 21-23; Psalm 90, If Today You hear his Voice, Harden not your Hearts; Colossians, 3, 1-11; Luke 12, 13-21

Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time – Intro to Readings

Our first reading is from the Book of Ecclesiastes, which makes up some of the Wisdom literature.   The book is concerned with the purpose and value of human life. While admitting the existence of a divine plan, it considers such a plan to be hidden from man, who seeks happiness without ever finding it here on earth. 

The authorship has been attributed to Solomon, but that was just to get the book some credence.  It was written long after Solomon, around 250-150 BCE.  One could easily conclude that the book is rather pessimistic, as in its opening which we read today, “vanity of vanities, all is vanity”, and it concludes in chapter 12 with the following:  “The last word, when all is heard: “Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is man's all; because God will bring to judgment every work, with all its hidden qualities, whether good or bad.” 

This book is also the source of those well known lines from chapter 4:  “There is an appointed time for everything, and a time for every affair under the heavens.  A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to uproot the plant.”

Our second reading is the last for some time from Paul’s Letter to the Colossians.

The Gospel continues with Jesus’ journey up to Jerusalem.  The opening verse, which is omitted from the start of today’s reading, is worth noting:  “Meanwhile, so many people were crowding together that they were trampling one another underfoot.”  Luke is introducing the sense that things are starting to get serious.  And the reality is that the topic today is a serious one.

Acts 1:  “. . . for John baptized with water,  but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”

Ephesians 1: May the eyes of your hearts be enlightened, that you may know what is the hope that belongs to his call, what are the riches of glory in his inheritance among the holy ones, and what is the surpassing greatness of his power for us who believe, . . . 

Luke 24:  “. . . And behold I am sending the promise of my Father upon you; but stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.”

Mary Jane reading from the Acts of the Apostles

Thanks…     

Music,   Ben & Shonda

Outreach: $   230.00   

Thanks again, Folks, for doing what you can.

Shonda gets a cookie for her birthday

Rosemary's Blessing:

Christ has no body now on earth but yours,

     no hands but yours,

     no feet but yours,

Yours are the eyes through which Christ’s

     compassion is to look out to the world,

Yours are the feet with which Christ is to

     go about doing good,

Yours are the hands, with which Christ is to 

     bless all people now.

From a prayer by Teresa of Avila (1515–1582)

Readings:  Exodus 24, 3-8; Psalm 116, I will take the cup of Salvation, and call on the Name of the Lord; Hebrews 9, 11-15; Mark 14, 12-26

Exodus: 8 points on the readings, including Exodus–(2 on Exodus, 4 on points from the other readings, 2 more on Exodus

    1.  This is the 2nd book of the Torah/Pentateuch, the first section of the Old Testament.  Deuteronomy, which we visited last week, is the 5th & last book.

    2.  Story: This is a fabulous and edifying fable that tells how the Israelites got out of slavery in Egypt with the leadership of Moses. 

    3.  Passover: the night the angel passed over the first born male children of the Jews because they had smeared lamb blood on their door posts.  But the angel killed all the Egyptian first born sons to make Pharaoh let the people go.  Remember, this is not history, rather like a fable, like Aesop's Fables.  The Last Supper was a Passover meal.  

    4.  Covenant vs Contract: in a contract two parties agree to do something.  If one fails, the contract is often null.  In a covenant two people agree, and even if one party fails, the other party honors the covenant.  The Covenant between Yahweh & the People:  the people will honor Yahweh as their only god; Yahweh will protect and care for them as his chosen, and bring them into a new land.

    5.  Sacrifice & holocaust: ancient tribal belief that I must offer to my god (s) things precious to me to appease the god's anger or win his favor, for example, animals, prisoners, and the most beautiful girl in the community.  Jesus was seen as this sacrifice to appease the god, and also as the high priest who usually performed the sacrifice.  Thus the emphasis on blood & death.

    6.  12 tribes: the 12 sons of the patriarch Jacob (or Israel; the 3 patiarchs were Abraham, Isaac, & Jacob-Israel).

    7.  Author & Date of Exodus: not Moses.  Rather a compilation of material from different centuries, that was mostly put together after the Babylonian Captivity, e.g., ca. 550 BCE.

    8.  Our Selection from Exodus: the people have been wandering in the desert and are now being given laws and customs they must observe.  The Covenant is being sealed.

The Special Meal

As usual, last Thursday & Friday I am preparing thoughts and ideas for our homily today.  I tell Rosemary that I want to talk about the theme of special meals in connection with Eucharist and that I am going to take a big risk and put it together after the Collin County Classic Bike Rally.  Why?  Because I am anticipating that the meal they serve to the riders after the ride will be special, a meal from heaven. 

After the race yesterday, however, I totally was not hungry.  My stomach is not sick, just tight from so much exercise.    In fact, if I want anything it is  half of a cold watermellon.  I even pass up some tremendous food at the Eshelbrenners where they were celebrating Gloria's visit from Seattle.  She is getting married this Labor Day and guess who is doing it. 

So I head home and tell Rosemary please get the watermellon ready.  She opens it and, ugh, it is over ripe.  So I go to Tom Thumb and finally about 3:30 I have the first bite of watermellon.  Folks, it was watermellon from heaven.   I did not have a big feast, but I had a special meal of watermellon & a salad.

What is your special meal?  Your favorite?  Your favorite restaurant?  Favorite meal of the year?  Thanksgiving?  I talk about this because special meals are the form on which the Eucharist was originally built.  I see 3 characteristics about a special meal that are common with good Eucharistic celebration.

    First, camaraderie and conviviality.  I expected that we would have a bunch of our people at the McKinney North High School dining room for lunch.  It would have been an electric ambiance with everyone just finished the run.  It did not turn out that way.  Thanksgiving can have this characteristic.  Our Vines celebrations have it.

    Second, quality food and drink and often special food.  Thanksgiving we have turkey, birthdays have ice cream & cake with candles, weddings have special cakes.  In Tanzania a goat was roasted over a spit to celebrate a wedding.  It lasted all day long.  Which brings up time.  Special meals take an hour or more when it is really working.  We at Vines spend an hour, maybe a little more.  We have good wine and good bread, home made bread. 

    Thirdly, rituals.  At Thanksgiving we often say a prayer of thanks.  At weddings, cake cuttings.  At special events, blessings can be mentioned.  At Vines we have our rituals, the sign of peace, the music, the readings and great homilies.  Next week we have a special blessing for the old dads.

I would propose that special meals are the foundation for Eucharistic celebration.

What meals are special to you?  How do you initiate them?

AUDIO:  http://mysite.verizon.net/reso7rjy/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderfiles/2009-06-14.mp3

Picture 1:  Cole Ryan Webster welcoming the community with Kevin & T.J.

Picture 2:  Cole's baptism with his mom Erin & dad Chuck, Lisa & Brandon

Picture 3:  Lynda with Kayla

Picture 4:  Peyton & Madison with their mommy Ashley

Readings:  Isaiah 40, 1-11, Comfort, give comfort to my people, says your God; Psalm 85, Lord, let us see your kindness, and grant us your salvation;  2 Peter 3, 8-14, The Lord does not delay his promise;  Mark 1, 1-8, I am sending my messenger ahead of you; he will prepare your way.

Mass for Second Sunday of Advent, 12-4-11, John Cade Celebrating

 Opening Prayer   Let us pray: O God, we gather together in this season when we celebrate and experience anew your coming in the Christmas mystery. We acknowledge that you are not far away, but with us wherever we are, calling us to live in unity and love. We ask for increased sensitivity to your presence with us and we give you thanks both now and forever and ever…   Amen.   

A few words about the readings today, from the prophet Isaiah, the second letter of Peter, and the Gospel of Mark.

     The first reading is from the Book of the Prophet Isaiah, Ch 40:1-5, 9-11. The fact that this reading is from Chapter 40 tells us that the prophet is now turning from chiding the people for their failings to prophesying better times to come and giving words of comfort.

    The words we hear from Isaiah today probably relate to the journey home from captivity in Babylon. Isaiah appears to use this passage symbolically to describe a moral cleansing and renewal by the Jewish people prior to their returning to Jerusalem.

     Georg Freideric Handel is one of the most famous composers in the Baroque period. He was born in Germany, but spent most of his adult life in England and is best known as the composer of the Messiah in 1741. In place of reading the passage from Isaiah, we will listen to the words put to music in Part I of the Messiah. You may wish to sing or hum along. Or you may just want to soak in the power of Isaiah’s words.

     The second reading is from the Second Letter of Peter, Ch 3 (8-14).  This reading also refers to a coming of Jesus, not at Christmas, but at the end of time. It repeats the theme of last week’s reading from Mark to “Be watchful.”  And in the Gospel reading, the author of Mark has John the Baptist introduce Jesus as the Messiah to the people of Mark’s time.

 Gospel of Mark, Chapter 1 (1-8).            

     The beginning   of the gospel of Jesus Christ the Son of God. As it is written in Isaiah the prophet: Behold I am sending my messenger ahead of you; he will prepare your way. A voice of one crying out in the desert: Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths. John the Baptist appeared in the desert proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.

     People of the whole Judean countryside and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem were going out to him and were being baptized by him in the Jordan River as they acknowledged their sins.

     John was clothed in camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist. He fed on locusts and wild honey. And this is what he proclaimed: One mightier than I is coming after me. I am not worthy to stoop and loosen the thongs on his sandals. I have baptized you with water; he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.       

  HOMILY:

     All three readings today refer to the coming of Jesus. First, the prophecy of Isaiah is interpreted by the author of Mark as referring to the Messiah to come. Second, Peter’s reference to the final coming of Jesus at the end of time. And third, Mark’s use of John the Baptist to introduce Jesus as the real thing coming after John.

     In Isaiah Ch 40, and in the first words of Mark’s Gospel, there are pronouncements that something big is happening. Like: “Get ready!”, “Come see!”, “He is coming!”, “Here He is!”

     Well, if you don’t yet know, Lambrini and I are totally enthralled with our grandsons, Leo and Freddie. Recently we have noticed how Leo (almost 3) greets us when we go to his home or he comes to ours. His greeting is some sort of pronouncement, like: “Come see what I did! I did it!!” (pointing to Xmas tree,hands out gesture), -or- “Come see!! I have stuff to show you!!” –or- “YiaYia! Look!! YiaYia’s here!!” – or, last time he came to our home for a visit, “I’m back!”  

     What enthusiasm he expresses for life as it comes to him day by day. What sensitivity to people and events of every day, that we grownups take for granted, or have little wonder or excitement about.

     It seems to me that the use of the pronouncements by Isaiah, and Peter, and Mark, and John the Baptist are intended to evoke in us wonder and awe in the here and now, for what is always coming into our lives, the wonder and excitement children express naturally. ‘Out of the mouths of babes’ we are instructed in how to welcome the Good News that Christmas is coming, Jesus is coming, and that Christmas and Jesus are always coming.

     If you don’t have a 3 or 4 year old in your life, to experience their dramatic pronouncements about daily events and about people, think back to when you did, or a family member did, or a friend or a neighbor did. Listen with your ears and with your heart for the wonder and the enthusiasm they express about all that is new for them every day.

     The question I leave you with is: how do you respond to your everyday Christmas events? How are you preparing for the coming of God who is always here with us?

Picture 1:    Mass Begins

Picture 2:    Candle Ritual, Diane & Jenny

Picture 3:    Jenny lighting the candles

Picture 4:    Bethany & Shonda

Picture 5:    Leo & Rosemary

Picture 6:    John's daughter Joey with Freddie

Picture 7:    Freddie with his granddad  

Readings:  

Acts 2, 1-11, They were all in one place together;

Psalm 104, Lord, Send out your spirit and renew the face of the earth;

1 Corinthians 12, 3-7, 12-13, There are different kinds of spiritual gifts, but the same spirit. 

John 15, 26-27; 16, 12-15, I Have much more to tell you.

Notes on the readings, Mike Carrell

 At the end of Luke’s gospel, the apostles receive instructions from the Lord. First of all they were told that he fulfilled the expectation of the Law, Prophets and Psalms for the coming of the Messiah. 

Then they were told that as the Father had sent him to bring forgiveness to humankind, he was sending them.

John Cade & Kevin beginning Mass

Finally they were told to wait in Jerusalem for the Father’s gift of the Spirit.  In our reading from the Acts of the Apostles, the disciples receive this gift, that Christ is alive to them through the power of the Spirit.

 In the letter to the Corinthians we are reminded that God has no favorites.  The Spirit is alive within the hearts of all who welcome the good news and put it into practice by their words and actions.

Pentecost Homily, Mike Carrell

 If you haven’t heard the story of the Master violin-maker, I share it with you now.  His violins when used by a skilled violinist produced tones so true that they resonated within the hearts of those who listened to them.  Violinists traveled from all over the country to his workshop in the mountains to seek the opportunity to purchase or play one of his violins. 

This master violin-maker had been taught by this father that the most important step in making a great violin was the choice, curing and aging of the very best wood available. This meant that the wood used to construct a violin was in a preparation process for years before the violin’s construction could begin.

Delgado Corner with Zoe, Buddy & Torri, and Leo

 This master violin-maker wanted the process begun by his father to be followed after he had died, so he wrote it down and began instructing one of his skilled wood crafters everything his father had taught him.   One day in the dead of winter, he asked the one he was grooming to follow him to enter the forest with him for it was time to choose another tree for his wood cutter so that its wood could be to put into the process of curing and aging.

It was a cold day, with some snow swirling in from the north.  The master handed a compass to the younger man, and took a colored piece of rope from the wall of his office along with a ribbon to identify the tree.  The younger man walked with him until they reached a downward slope on the parcel of land that had been given to the master by his father.

It felt much colder now, and after placing the rope, that required a certain diameter tree to be chosen, around several trees, he choose one.  Now the trees along this slope were bent and rugged looking, not like the ones where the workshop was located. 

Mike homilizing

‘Why this tree,’ asked the younger man?  The master replied, ‘Look at the compass. You will see that these trees face due north. This tree has received for the last 100 years the brunt of the incoming north wind, snow and ice, and it has endured.  This wood is your friend: it is about to give its life to you. Its cross section will give witness to a life well lived for it has been pruned many times so the sound of your violins will be vibrant and true….  

Now, what is the meaning of the story? The wood that was chosen to make great violins is another metaphor of God’s plan of salvation for us.  Each of us is the young apprentice to whom the metaphor was explained, and the music played by the violinists, that resonates within our hearts, is the Spirit.   

Leo

 The teaching in which we find today’s gospel reading begins, ‘No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends,’ and that we are Christ’s friends because he has made known to us everything that he has heard from the Father.

We have been empowered by the Spirit to live what Christ has taught us.  So, we are reminded at this feast of Pentecost and the 50^th anniversary of Vatican II to be servants of the least among us who yearn to do God’s will. Continue to extend to them peace and justice, for we have all been made in the same image, to share the same bread, to have the same Father and to be bound together by the same Spirit.

Bethany, Shonda, & Ray