Sunday Homily, February 17, 2008, 2nd Lent

Readings:

Ecclesiastes 1, 2; 21-23,  All things are vanity.

Psalm 90,  If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.

Colossians 3, 1-5, 9-11  Seek what is above.

Luke 12, 13-21, You fool, this night your life will be demanded of you.

 

 

Ecclesiastes Observations: 

Author:  unknown.   A belief was that it was Solomon

Date: 
 250-150 years before Christ.

Subject: 
the work is a putting together of a lot of folk sayings and life
observations which represent wisdom sometimes, sometimes not.  For instance, today’s selection. 

Today: 
pretty pessimistic.  It says that
everything is vanity. 

 

Colossians
observations:  We are done with this work for now,
fortunately.

Best line of
the Day: check the Psalm, the 4^th stanza, “Fill us at daybreak with
your kindness, that we may shout for joy and gladness all our days.”  This has been my experience the past week in
Iowa.  More in the homily.

 

Fill us at daybreak with
your kindness

Fill me
at daybreak with your kindness, that I may shout for joy and gladness. 
This was Iowa, folks. 

If you
don’t know what this is all about it is this. 
Sunday, July 21^st, Chris and I set out on our bikes with an
estimated crowd at times of 35,000 riders. 
We departed the west side if Iowa at the Missouri River and finished at
the east side and the Mississippi River 7 days later, Saturday. 

The
whole experience really touched my spirit, but let me single out three special
events, hospitality, trust, and beauty.

First, hospitalty.  Most of
the nights on the ride my team, Spokes of Hope, a cancer support team from
Indianapolis, found homes at which we could set up tents in the yard.  This was a little more private.

 

One
family in Oskaloosa, the next to the last night, knocked me out.  They had a nice big 5-9 acre lot with two
houses for the family.  They hosted about
80 people, Spokes of Hope and Livestrong, Lance Armstrong’s former cancer
program. 

When we
arrived they had spread out on their deck chips and dip and drinks.  At 5:00 they themselves served us all an
enormous dinner.  The next morning they
sent us on our way with a great breakfast. 
All gratis, no charge.   Hospitality.

In Des
Moines a widow of about 6 months invited our 14 member team into her nice
house.  She is a doctor and teaches at
the local medical school.

She,
also, fixed us all a big dinner and a big breakfast.  She sent us on our way with a few dozen
chocolate chip cookies and brownies.  The
Indianapolis folks are probably still eating those cookies.   All
gratis, no charge.  Hospitality.

Next, trust.  Never did I fear my bike would be
stolen.  In the small towns where it was
impossible to ride because of the mass of people, bikes were dropped
everywhere.  In fact, the problem was
remembering, “Wow, where is my bike?”

One
afternoon I rode up to a Tom Thumb type grocery store that had an $8 all you
can eat pasta & dessert sale.  This
was in the last overnight town on the road, Fairfield.  I remember hesitating at first.  My bike. 
Lots of people around.  Plus lots
of bikes.  I left my bike with my helmet & gloves hanging from the handlebar.  An hour
later it was right there along with all the other bikes & bikers.  The trust, everywhere.

Finally,
the beauty.   Don’t believe the idea that Iowa is flat.  It is not mountainous, okay.  It is hilly. 
This trip had lots of hills and lots of scenic vistas, plus beautiful little towns.  Once
I must confess at the end of a day 110 miles long I had to walk a hill, my
thigh muscles saying they just might like to cramp.   I learned prudence from Rosemary.

There
were a number of occasions when the hospitality, the trust, and the beauty, to
not even mention my gratitude at being able to do this, just touched me to
tears as I rode peacefully along.  Which
made me say to myself, “Watch out, man, you can’t see and you will crash.”

This is
the psalm line exemplified, “Fill us at daybreak with your kindness, that we
may shout for joy and gladness all our days.”

How is
it for you?

 

 

Trouble on the back bench!

 

Readings:

Sirach 3, 2-6, 12-14,   My son, take care of your father when he is old

Psalm 128,  Blessed are those who fear the Lord and walk in his ways  (fear the Lord?)

Colossians 3, 12-21, Put on compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness , and patience.

Matthew 1, 18-24,  This how the birth of Jesus Christ came about.

 

 

Meeting of the board.  

 

A second Christmas Homily

This morning I have another Christmas story.

For many years I have had a really good friend who is an Ursuline nun.   Just thinking about Sr. Mary gives me fond memories of celebrating the early morning community Mass in the sisters' quiet chapel in the residence.

 

 

Ben & David with David's daughter, Darbi Anna.

 

It also reminds me that I have a rare special relationship with the Ursulines.  I went to Christ the King grade school when the Ursulines staffed it.   I am educated by the Ursulines. 

Today there are no sisters living in the old convent with the beautiful little chapel.  Sr. Mary says she now lives along with 5 or 6 other Ursuline sisters at a retirement home that was popularly known at Tremont.  It is located on Harvest Hill Drive just across the Dallas Tollway from Jesuit and St. Rita's' Catholic Church.

 

 

The Girls' candle lighting team with Zoe, Tori, and big sister, Georgie.

 

I know it well because my mom lived there and died there.  She passed through all the 3 levels, individual apartment, partial care, and full care.  

There is sister who still works at Ursuline Academy, you guessed it, Sr. Mary.  Every morning she gets up, spends the day at her school office.  Then drives back to Tremont. 

 

 

 

Buddy reading the Blessing of the candles.  He has  not memorized the blessing on this the first day.

 

 

Last summer she decided it was time for her to give up driving and sell her little car.  A difficult decision.  She would use Huber.  

One morning around Labor Day she could not get Huber. So she decided to use the app. Lyft.   A guy came, picked her up at Tremont and took her to Ursuline.  During the trip she probably explained to the driver what she did at the school.  

 

 

The Whole Team.

 

She exits his car, asks how much, and is told "No Charge."  She explains that she will still need a ride home in the afternoon.  Plus, she will make the trip every weekday.  

"How much?"   "No Charge!"  

 

 

The offertory team with Bill, Tom, & Denni

 

The man, a Nigerian, has come every work day, September, through December, No Charge. 

Who is the Sr. Mary in your life? 

 

 

Communion Helpers, Lynda, Tom and Claire.

 

 

 

Readings:                          

Acts  2,  1-11,  There appeared to them tongues as of fire.

Psalm 104,  Lord, send out your spirit and renew the face of the earth.

Romans 8, 8-17,    You are in the spirit.

John 20, 19-23,  Peace be with you.

 

Homily by Mike

 

Well, I just finished reading Bishop John Shelby Spong’s new book titled Biblical Literalism: A Gentile Heresy, which is a study of the Gospel of Matthew.  Bishop Spong is one of my prime mentors in understanding the Christian faith and the Christian Scriptures.  My main reason I picked a chapter of his book for us today is that it is on understanding the Sermon on the Mount in relation to Pentecost, which we are preparing to celebrate next Sunday.  Also, Bishop Spong’s book is on the Gospel of Matthew, and Matthew is our default reading source whom we read from most of this year (of Cycle C readings).  In his new book Bishop Spong teaches how Matthew composed his Gospel to match up with the festivals of the Jewish year, all celebrated in the synagogue.  In this chapter he shows us how Matthew matches the Jewish celebration of Pentecost or Shavuot with Jesus as the New Moses.  Moses was the most significant person in Jewish history.  The second major celebration of the Jewish liturgical year, after Passover, is Pentecost or Shavuot.

At Pentecost, or Shavuot, Matthew provides the liturgy readings that make it clear to the Jewish followers of Jesus that Jesus is the new Moses.  The Book of Exodus tells the story of how Moses went up Mount Sinai, received the law directly from God and announced it to the people.  In their acceptance of God’s law from Moses (The 10 Commandments) the Jewish people entered into a covenant with God.  Matthew, in his Gospel, has Jesus go up a mountain and then deliver to the people God’s new law—the Beatitudes.  In accepting this new law from Jesus, his followers enter into a new covenant with God.     

Remember, at that time most people were illiterate.  The Torah, the Books of Moses, were read at every Sabbath liturgy.  They read the entire 5 books of the Torah every year—compare that with our reading a mere fraction of the Bible once every 3 years. Shavuot or Pentecost was celebrated in a big way (it was huge!), with a 24-hour vigil, so they needed a lot of readings and songs to fill the vigil.  That’s where Psalm 119 came into play—the longest psalm of all with 176 verses (psalms were the synagogue’s hymnal).  This was the psalm sung at the celebration of Shavuot.  Psalm 119 is relentless in its praise of the beauty and wonder of God’s law and the covenant that sprang from accepting and keeping God’s law. The meaning of this covenant is what was renewed liturgically each year, and was what the 24-hour vigil was all about.   

Matthew combined Psalm 119 with the Sermon on the Mount to present Jesus as the new Moses.  Psalm 119 fits the Shavuot liturgy with stanzas for each of the 8 3-hour portions of the vigil.  Psalm 119’s first stanza has 8 verses and the first 2 begin with the word “blessed”.  The Sermon on the Mount also begins with 8 verses, each starting with the word “blessed”.  We call these the Beatitudes.  So Matthew used Psalm 119 as the basis on which to build the Sermon on the Mount. Next Matthew has Jesus give commentaries on each of the 8 beatitudes, 1 for each of the 8 3-hour portions of the vigil.  Matthew then has Jesus do a commentary on the 10 Commandments, going deeper into the heart of these original laws of God.

This whole Sermon on the Mount is a beautifully crafted interpretation of Jesus as the new Moses.  And it’s all organized around the psalm used at Shavuot, Pentecost.  This amazing take and understanding of Matthew’s writing of his Gospel knocks my socks off and I love it.

As we prepare for Pentecost, what is our commitment to the new law?  How do we renew our covenant with this understanding of Jesus as the new Moses?                                                                                                                                                              

 

 

 

 

Welcome in out of that 26 degree cold, Dear Emma and Dear Beth.

 

 

Readings:

Leviticus 13, 1-2, 44-46,  If a  man is leprous, the priest shall declare him unclean

Psalm 32,  I turn to you, Lord, in time of trouble.

 Corinthians 10, 31-11, Whatever you do, do for the glory of God.

Mark 1, 40-45, A leper came to Jesus

 

 

 

I bet I can guess why Ben & Olivia are not here today.   Like 26 degrees!

 

 

On the readings:

• The book of Leviticus is the third book of the Hebrew Bible. Most of Leviticus is written as God’s speeches to Moses on Mt. Sinai which Moses repeated to the Israelites. It’s almost all about rituals and moral practices to follow in order to live in ritual purity. It describes the many ways you can be ‘unclean’; today’s reading is one example. Leviticus describes many rituals and rules to be followed. Like the stories in Genesis and Exodus these rules were created to give the Israelites a special identity, to help hold them together during the Babylon captivity in the sixth century B.C. And it worked.

 

 

Our dearest Candle Lighter of The Week in action.

 

 

• In First Corinthians Paul tells the early Christians in Corinth to not be obsessed about Jewish food laws when eating with others. In this same letter before today’s passage Paul said, “I’m not going to walk around on eggshells worrying about what small-minded people might say; I’m going to stride free and easy, knowing what our large-minded Master has already said. If I eat what is served to me, grateful to God for what is on the table, how can I worry about what someone will say?”
• Mark’s Gospel reinforces that caring for another is more important than rituals and rules. I’ll talk more later about how this might relate to how we practice Lent, which begins on Ash Wednesday this week.

 

 

Who let these characters in here, Joe (Geri's brother), Geri, and Mike?

 

 

Homily:

 

Mark’s story of Jesus and the leper is a good example of how Mark used stories to highlight the Good News Jesus preached. From Leviticus we know a leper could neither approach nor talk to Jesus. As a leper, he was unclean and would have to stay totally apart from others in out-of-the-way places and speak only to cry out ‘Unclean’. So, already, Mark is telling Jewish followers of Jesus that the old rules no longer apply.

 

 

 

Hi, Leo.  You are looking terrific this morning.

 

 

This Gospel story turned Leviticus on its ear concerning the idea of being ‘unclean’. [Leprosy was incurable then, so their best survival practice was a strict quarantine. Since about 1880 we have known leprosy is caused by a particular bacteria; for over 60 years now it is treatable and curable with antibiotics.] The old rules said: lepers were ‘unclean’ and had to stay out of the way of others, and they were not to touch or be touched. In Mark’s story he has the man with leprosy not stay out of the way away and has him dare to speak out; and he also has Jesus talk to and touch one known to be ‘unclean’. So, in Mark the rules are changed, and Jesus is approachable by anyone.

 

 

 

 

The Best.
 

 

 

In Paul’s letter to Corinthians he turns the rules in Leviticus upside down by questioning the rules about food and the eating habits of Jewish Christians. Paul said they should relax and “eat your meals heartily.”  

So, considering these teaching stories from Leviticus and Mark and Paul, what do you do for Lent to prepare for Easter?

 

 

 

 

Somebody finally gave that man a job.  

 

 

1) Some may give up sweets or do something else healthy. In the 60’s every Lent I would say “I’m giving up watermelon.” (I even used to get a laugh, since back then everyone knew watermelon wasn’t available till summer.)

2) Some will go to south Texas to work with victims of Hurricane Harvey—people struggling to get their houses and lives back in order. You are the community sending those who go; they represent us and this community’s caring for those in need. They will come back to our community members with stories of fun and comradery. They may also have stories about primitive lodging. (Ask Bill what he’s taking ‘just in case’.)

 

 

 

Peace, Angela and Cathy. 

 

 

3) A third possibility is to consider a teaching quoted in Ash Wednesday’s Mass from the prophet Joel 2:13—a favorite Bible verse of Stack’s: “God is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and rich in kindness.” Why on Ash Wednesday?     This verse is also found in Psalms 86, 103, and 145; and in the books of Exodus 34:6; and Jonah 4:2; and Nehemiah 9:17.

 

 

 

Bill, updating the plans for a dozen or so of our community heading to Dickenson, TX to join Professor Jim Mahar of St. Bonaventure U. & his 50 or so students, to help with the clean up after the hurricane.  There is still lots to do.

 

 

What if everyone prepared for Easter by imitating that verse?—withholding acts of anger; performing acts of mercy and kindness.   What will you do for Lent?

 

 

 

 

An old geezer taking the Sunday off thanks to John Cade.

 

 Readings: Exodus, 34, 4-9, Note the great line, The Lord is Gracious & Merciful, slow to anger, and rich in kindness & fidelity;

Daniel 3, Glory and Praise Forever;

2 Corinthians 13, 11-13;

John 3, 16-18.   Great readings today!

 

Father’s Day History:

 Four steps:

     1.  The Civil War started thinking about a Mother’s Day.  Anna Jarvis pushed it ca. 1907 and it was made official in 1914 by President Woodrow Wilson.

       2.  Monongah, WV mining disaster, 210 fathers killed, Dec. 6, 1907 (just before Christmas & after the Mother’s Day activity).  Fairmont, WV.   Grace Golden Clayton pushed the idea. 

        3.  Spokane, WA, Sonora Dodd & influence of Mother’s Day.  Dodd’s dad had fought in the Civil War and all by himself raised Sonora & her 5 siblings.   

        4.  Pres. LBJ made it special, 1966.  Pres. Nixon made it a national holiday, 1972.

 

Exodus Story: 

The Israelite people have been wandering around in the Sinai Desert for many years after escaping from old Pharaoh in Egypt.  Moses has been invited up Mt. Sinai to receive 10 Commandments.  

He comes down loaded with two stone tablets written on both sides and discovers that the people have become  exasperated with him and the wandering in the desert.  They have created a gold bull to celebrate with and to worship.

Old Moses, all angry, throws down the tablets and breaks them.  He calls Aaron, his lieutenant, tells him to gather the Levite tribe, the priestly tribe, and he tells them to slaughter all the rest.  They do.

 

Then, and here we take up the reading, Yahweh tells Moses to make two more tablets and to return to the top of Mt. Sinai, where he will get another set of commandments.  It is here where that marvelous line about the nature of God is mentioned again, "The Lord is gracious & merciful, never gets angry, and is abounding in love."

Beware of taking this story literally.  It is mythical history making.  

 

Responsorial Psalm from the Book of Daniel: 

A great story.  Characters: three Jewish boys, a gold statue, and the great King, Nebuchadnezzar, what a name. 

Seems like old Nebuchadnezzar decided to cast a gold statue.  He wanted everyone to bow down to it.  Three Jewish boys said no.  Even though they were favorites of the king, he had to throw them into a flaming furnace.   

Far from being burned up, the boys started dancing around in joy and they sang the song we have for today’s responsorial psalm.  Though this is totally a mythical story, you can picture them.

 

Homily was given by Tony Levatino of Holy Trinity Parish.

 

Picture 1:   Consecration

Picture 2:   Our Father

Picture 3:   Father's Day Blessing

Picture 4:   Father's Day Blessing

Picture 5:   Tony 

Readings:

Isaiah 49, 14-15,  I will never forget you.   

 Psalm 62,  Rest in God alone, my soul.

 1 Corinthians 4, 1-5,   Then everyone will receive praise from God.

 Matthew 6, 24-34,    Do not worry about tomorrow, tomorrow will take care of itself.

 

 

"Happy Mardi Gras, Everybody," say Cathy and Harper.

 

Isaiah observations and reminders—

Who, This is 2^nd Isaiah.

When, This is during the Captivity in Babylon, ca. 555 before Christ. 

Subject, The writer, the prophet, is trying to lift the spirits of his fellow slaves.  He gives them exquisite news, using God’s words, “I will never forget you.”  A short but touching cameo of consolation and hope. 

 

 

And from Kevin, "Welcome in, Folks."

 

Have a Happy Lent

I admit that Lent is my least favorite seasons of the year, mostly because of the emphasis on penance I encountered as a kid and during my early years as a Jesuit.  We did penance in those days.  I don’t think it was spiritually and psychologically healthy. 

Therefore, I would like to talk about how to have a Happy Lent.  A no dread zone.  And, I would add, a belief that God cares not a whit for us doing all sorts of penance.   

 

 

Tori, too, says, "Hi, Everybody."

 

Consequently, I have two points based on being people fully alive.  The first point focuses on self nurture and has two suggestions.

First, treat yourself each week of Lent.  Like take a special day off, go out to eat, like join us at Romeos or Juliettes, have some ice cream, and go for a drive (if possible with the traffic congestion).  In fact, because we have not had a day off since Thanksgiving, Rosemary, I, and Aviana are going to visit her sister in Hilton Head for a week. 

 

 

Hi, Vivian.  It is so nice to have you with us this morning.

 

Secondly, spend some quiet time in contemplation, especially with a focus on gratitude.  I just read about a guy who survived the Burma death camps.  He said he was never a prisoner, meaning he always focused on what he was grateful for whatever torment was going on around him.

The second half of this you will maybe hate me for bringing up.  But, here I go, exercise.  I want to keep you people alive, fully alive until you are ready to check out.  This really involves only 2-3 hours per week, 30 minutes a day for six days.  There are two types of exercise, cardio and strength. 

 

 

The Candle Man of The Week, Cole, at work. 

 

Cardio involves walking, riding a bike, and running.  A 30 minute walk around the neighborhood has amazingly positive effects. 

I can certainly vouch for how good I feel after I have done a spin class at the Jewish Community Center in the morning.  I do this Monday through Friday and it is marvelous.

 

 

Delivery day is here,  TODAY.   Do we have a doctor in the house?  
 

 

Strength is for muscle and bone, and involves things like yoga, Tai Chi, and weights.  It also includes doing things like gardening (even mowing the grass?), taking the stairs, walking from the outer edge of the parking lot, dancing, and house work (like vacuuming).

The goal in all of this is to be fully alive and happy until we arrive home. 

 

 

Offertory team, John & Connie, Scott & Lily

 

So, how are you going to have a Happy Lent?

Good article on exercise,  Download EXERCISE FOR LENT 2-

 

Bethany, when is my new play mate coming to visit me?