Readings:

Genesis 60, 1-5, Rise up in splendor, Jerusalem, the glory of the Lord shines upon you. 

Psalm 12, The Lord, every nation will adore you

Ephesians 3, 2-6, 11-14,  You have heard of  the stewardship of  God

Matthew 2, 1-12, Magi from the East

 

 

 

The brain trust.

 

 

Readings:

Download Readings 1-3-2021

 

Homily:

Download Mike's Homily 1-3-2021

 

 

Our beautiful Georgie reading Isaiah.

 

Our Kevin reading Ephesians, while Connie, his mom looks on.

 

Thanks to the Team

Music,  Ben & Shonda

Readers,    Georgie & Kevin, and Buddy, the candle blesser

Gospel,  Deacon Mike Carrell

Homily,   Deacon Mike Carrell

Eucharistic Prayer A & B, Stack & John Cade

The Magic Zoom makers,   Hue & Richard & Mike 

Final Blessing, Rosemary

For hosting us at Legacy, Becky

 

 

 

Remembering…..Mike reading.

 

Please Remember these special people:

For Carrie's ex, Larry;  For Alan Stryker;  For Joe Sullivan;    For Rosemary's great niece, Rylie ;  For Richard's grand daughter, Madeleine; For David Dinsmore's bad shoulder from a biking accident;  For Esparza's new great grandson baby, son of Monique;  For all the medical personnel struggling to treat the tsunami of sick people, in particular, locally, Cindy's staff at Presby, Dallas, and at Frisco Presby, the mother of Harper and Betsy, Kendle, working in labor & delivery, and for Hue & Linda's daughter, Doctor Rosemary Beavers;   For Mary & Dave Hall's g-daughter Allison Keller working at St. Lukes, The Woodlands,   For Loretta's aunt Alicia;  For Sir Charlie & Jan;  Shonda's mom & Cody & Ben & Leo & all of Shonda's dear family;

 

John sharing the Eucharistic Prayer still in the Christmas spirit.

 

Jackie's mom, sister, & friend, Lynn;  For both Jean & Cliff Wright;  For Rick Turner searching for a kidney donor, Type O neg; For Meredith, cancer free;    For John O'Donnell & Jean & their daughter, Molly;   For Dee, and for her daughter, Lisa; For John Schanot's continued health;  For Anthony & Sabrina;    For a young man who is suffering from depression;  John Cade's mother in law, Kalliopi Piskiouli and Lambrini, plus John's daughter, Joey, with cancer; for a little 4 month old boy undergoing an operation, from Barbara & for Rollie with Corona; for the medical staffs, teachers, and coaches in our public & private schools.

 

Birthdays: Tom Fleming, 64, Cheryl O'hagan

Anniversary: Richard & Carol, 45th

 

 

Community Finances, January 3, 2021

Expenses: $200.00

Outreach   $450.00  (often for Souls Harbor, Legacy, etc.)

Thanks again, Folks, for doing what you can.

 

 

Am I dreaming?  Or is it a nightmare??

 

Rosemary's Blessing

When the decorations of Christmas have been packed away then the work of Christmas begins:

Lord, help us

to find the lost,
to heal those broken in spirit,
to feed the hungry,
to release the oppressed,
to rebuild the nations,
to bring peace among all peoples,
and to make a little music with the heart…

Adapted from Work of Christmas Begins by Howard Thurman

 

 

Readings: Baruch 5, 1-9; Psalm 126, The Lord has done Great Things for Us; We are filled with Joy; Philippians 1, 4-11; Luke 3, 1-6

 

Baruch:

  

Author: probably not Baruch, who was Jeremiah's secretary.  More likely some anonymous person or persons a few centuries after Jeremiah. 

  

Date of composition: during the Babylonian Captivity, ca. 550, or during the Maccabees' revolt ca. 100 BCE.  More likely the latter.  If so, like Daniel, the little book intends to strengthen resistance of the Jews during the Macabeean Revolt, using the Babylonian time to encourage the people.

  

 

Our passage: a message of optimism, hope, peace, and a new day.  The passage reflects 2nd Isaiah's message (chapter 40), which is likewise quoted in Luke's gospel for today.  The famous 2nd Isaiah: Luke uses this source to build his nativity narrative.  See also the lyrics of Handel's Messiah.

  

The Advent Wreath:

  

Date:

a.  Pre-christian Germans used wreaths at the darkest, coldest time of winter to signify resistance to the season and optimism that warmth and light would return.

b.  ca. 1500 German Lutherans emphasized the wreath and eventually it spread throughout Catholic & Protestant groups.

   

 

Symbolism: 

a.  green boughs indicate continuous life even in the winter. 

b.  the circle signifies both immortality and the past, present, and future focus of Advent.

c.  the lit candles symbolize the light & warmth coming in the person of Christ.

 

Purification: self purification before entering the temple
was common long before the time of Christ.  He did it.  Fasting & penance (hair shirts) were intended to purify me before I celebrated the birth of Jesus (the past), the presence of Jesus (the present), and the hope of being together with him (future).  This goes way back to the time of the earliest Christians in the first couple of centuries after Jesus' death.  For example, in Saragossa, Spain, 380 CE, a church council decreed 3 weeks of fasting & penance as self purification for the celebration of Christmas.

 

Our Fifth Anniversary Today, the Past, the Present, the Future

 

The year is 2004.  There were two special months that year, August and December. 

  

It was August when the first step took place.  I got suspended by the bishop because someone sent in an anonymous letter saying Stack wanted to get married.  This was amusing because I had been saying this for years.  What was different was that in 5/5/05 we were planning to do it.

    

So, rather than have the opportunity to say good bye to folks, I said, “Yes, okay.  I am out.”  And I moved out of Jesuit.

 

The second step.  The first Sunday of December, this Sunday five years ago, we went public with our celebrations.  I remember being rather anxious that Sunday and then utterly humbled and touched at seeing so many of you and so many others whom I had not see for four months, all come pouring into the cafetorium.  I was all choked, first seeing everyone, then trying to start the celebration after walking down that passageway that no longer exists.

 

 

 

This Mass came about because of the number of people who kept asking, “Where are you saying Sunday Masses and can we come?”  I had been using peoples’ living rooms and patios, but we had room for no more that about 25 people. 

Bernadette was especially influential in the process.  We even came close to using the club house at their subdivision, Spring Park.  It would have been beautiful and one third the cost (they wanted us to pay only $100 per Sunday).  Trouble was, 100 people was the maximum. 

 

When we decided to go public I had three hopes in mind.  One, that we would celebrate, all that we have and all that we are.  Secondly, that we would emphasize healthy spirituality on a basic Catholic/Christian foundation.  A spirituality of acceptance.  And thirdly, that we would be a helping community while not focusing on money, which is why I decided to do away with passing the hat at the collection time.  

  

People occasionally ask me, “Where are you going with this community?  What about the future?  Do you want to expand?”   Other than what we are doing, I have no idea about the future or where we are going.  I don’t have a need to expand.  I love our size which enables people to know one another.   

 

An extraordinary blessing of this 5^th anniversary year that affects our future is the

gift that Tony and Gayle bring.  I have asked at least a dozen married priests in the greater Dallas area to help us out and none of them felt comfortable doing so.  And then along comes Tony. 

   

Consequently, in the spirit of Advent we treasure the gifts of the past, we confidently leave the future in God’s hands, and we celebrate the gifts of the present.

 

How?

  

Picture 1:  Mass with Kevin helping

Picture 2:  Mass beginning

  

Picture 3:  Mass Helpers

 

Picture 4:  Cathy on her birthday, Mike & Geri

 

Picutre 5:  The Brunch, Marilyn, Marlene, Theresa, and Tom

   

Readings: Acts 13, 43-52; Psalm 100; Revelations 7, 9-17; John 10, 27-30

Acts – More on the travels of Paul and Barnabas.

How do I know I’m hearing the "Voice?"

Nine days ago there was a small article in The Dallas Morning News, Friday, April 20, that noted that "Pope Benedict XV has reversed centuries of Roman Catholic teaching on limbo."

What I was taught as a child was that unbaptized babies went to limbo if they died. So now what?

Infant baptism was all important. I should even baptize a baby without the parents’ knowledge if I was in a hospital and a baby was dying. Limbo was not heaven, but it sure was not hell, sort of an in between.

I was reminded by the first reading and the gospel of another belief I was trained in as a child: if you are not Catholic you are going to hell. I remember thinking how sad it was that so many of my parents’ friends, all protestant, were not going to heaven. It seemed weird.

Paul & Barnabas say that because the Jews rejected Jesus’ word, they condemn themselves as unworthy of eternal life. Likewise, they say that those destined for eternal life came to believe.

In the gospel Jesus says his sheep hear his voice and he gives them eternal life. Not that I want to be a sheep. Sheep are scared of everything.

These are two items of belief that I was trained on and they are no longer credible. 50 years from now what other beliefs will end up in the dust bin of history? No meat on Friday ruled my parents’ lives. Where is it? Yes, coming back, I know.

If there is no limbo, how does this affect the idea of original sin? Is there an original sin? What about the statement that God the Father sent his Son to die for our sins? Is this true?

Which leads me to ask, how do I know? In the gospel Jesus says, "My sheep hear my voice." How do I know among so many messages and voices that I am hearing the voice? I thought I was hearing the voice as a kid when I believed in limbo and the fact that only Catholics were going to heaven. Was the voice I heard divine or just some person who thought he or she knew? But didn’t. I do not want to be a sheep like I was in my youth, and follow anyone who thinks they know.

A couple of thoughts about discerning the voice.

First, I think the real voice gives my spirit peace. The other voices bring violence and turmoil.

I may not like what the voice whispers in my spirit, but ultimately I am peaceful. I may be dying. The voice says accept.      

Secondly, the voice gives me self-confidence. The false voices create doubts and lack of a sense of harmony. Like for years I doubted the limbo idea. Some well intentioned soul thought they knew. St. Augustine thought only Catholics go to heaven.

Like a sheep I could run from the questions. As a person listening to the voice I’ll face my questions.

Which brings us to The Question: What do you believe in; what are 5 things you believe in?

Download the homily as an mp3 file.

Readings:

Ecclesiastes   1 2; 2, 21-23, Vanity of vanities, all things are vanit.

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

Colossians 3, 1-5, 9-11,   Put to death the parts of you that are earthly

Luke 11, 1-13,  The rich man who hoarded all his wealth in bigger barns, then died.

 

INTRODUCTION:  

After the Jews received the commandments and oral law, they received from God the Judges; the last of whom was Samuel. During this period of time the following wisdom was practiced: Jews were to follow the example of the Judges. They were to use their free will to determine what was right or wrong using the oral law and the Commandments as their guide.

When the people asked for a king, Samuel said, ‘No!’  Why?  A king would take the best of everything from you; your sons and daughters, your land, your vineyards. He will become rich and you will become poor.  Do not put your faith in a king instead of God. 

 

Fast forward through King Saul and King David, to our first reading from Ecclesiastes.  The one who labored in our first reading was King David.   His son Solomon, did not labor for, but was the beneficiary of all of his possessions.  Solomon was worldly wise and clever; but not spiritually wise. He certainly did not use the oral law or the commandment to guide his decisions, nor did he suggest to others to do so until the very end of Ecclesiastes.  Our second reading continues the teaching we are receiving from Colossians.  We are to humble ourselves to be the hands and eyes and heart of Christ in the world by showing compassion and generosity to others.  To put on Christ infers that we have died to the greed that is idolatry,

 

 

HOMILY:  Samuel’s reasons for not having a king where fulfilled by Solomon.  He abandoned his father David’s advice to him, and he lavished himself with expensive gifts.  He lusted after women, taking 700 wives and 300 concubines.  He had 4000 stalls filled with expensive horses.  In a dream Solomon asked for wisdom to rule God’s people with justice.  Remember the parable I shared with you some time ago about Solomon and the two prostitutes?  He asked his servants for a sword, saying that he would cut the living child in two, giving half to one and half to the other.  He used fear not wisdom to identify the real mother.  He was clever; but not spiritually wise.

 

In the New Testament Letter of James, the rich are reminded of the wisdom that comes to us from above. It is the good news of Jesus Christ. Those who seek him receive the Holy Spirit so that their labor is pure and gentle, and filled with compassion.  The wisdom, of course, is that we are to put on Christ.

The inspired writer of the Luke gospel used the word rich to describe the man in today’s parable.  This Greek word suggests that the man had more than ample property to make willingly, with gratitude, a generous gift. But he didn’t; his wisdom was foolishness.  The parable is to be understood this way:  The Lord’s judgment, ‘you fool,’ is how he gave answer to the rich man’s greed that was idolatry.

 

Generosity is always a gift of gratitude toward God.  Giving of our time and talent is just as important as giving material wealth.  In everything give thanks for that is God’s will for us in Christ Jesus.  The wisdom that comes from above is meant to be contagious, those served with love are given the opportunity to do the same for others.

 

 

 

 

Palm Sunday Procession begins.

 

 

Readings: 

Entrance, Luke 19, 28-40.

Isaiah 50, 4-7,  I give my back to those who beat me.

Psalm 22,  My God, My God, why have you abandoned me?

Philippians 2, 6-11, God greatly exalted him.

Luke 22, 14-23, The  Passion.   

Holy Thursday & Good Friday, 7:00, Marlene's, 2017 Keystone, Plano.

 

Palm Sunday procession.

 

Palm Sunday continues.

 

 

Buddy reading The Blessing of the Lenten Candles, all 5 plus 1.

 

 

Sunday, 12-26-10, Holy Family: Sirach 3, 2-14; Psalm 128, Blessed are Those who fear the Lord and walk in his ways; Colossians 3, 12-21; Matthew 2, 13-23.

 

Intro to readings

 We could easily believe that political correctness is a recent development, but I want to show you how it existed in the first century of the Church. 

 Our second reading today from the letter to the Colossians is a great example of “spin”.  Lets take a moment to consider the setting. 

 There are 13 letters which have Paul’s name associated with them.  Modern scripture scholarship has determined that seven are indeed written by Paul, there are three, which he definitely did not write, and there are three where there is doubt about his authorship. 

 

 Understand that when Paul wrote for instance to the Romans, he was writing to a small Christian community within Rome, something not unlike our little community here.  Society in the Roman Empire at that time was strongly patriarchal, namely it all centered on the man! Women, children and slaves were considered similar to possessions, namely they had no rights! 

 Now the extraordinary thing about Paul’s preaching was that he saw all people, by virtue of their baptism being equal, all belonging to the body of Christ.  Recall one of his familiar lines: “in Christ all are equal, there is no male or female, no slave or free”.  

 

 In the first letter to the Corinthians, chapter 7 we meet the “radicalism of Christianity”, – just as Jesus shocked the authorities by dining with sinners, Paul sees all as God’s children and equal.  So in his letter to the Corinthians he says husbands and wives are equal.  He is very careful to make sure that both have the same rights – they are equal! 

 Now take a look at the extended section of today’s second reading and we will see the spin put there by someone after Paul’s death.  In an attempt to make Christianity “fit” better into Roman society we have the phrase ‘wives be submissive to your husbands’.  Paul would have never said such a thing!  Yet he gets the blame for it today!! 

 

Feast of the Holy Family – Homily

 Today we celebrate the Feast of the Holy Family, that of Joseph and Mary and the child Jesus, whose birth we celebrated yesterday.  I would like to reflect a little on the images we have of the Holy Family and how we are part of that family by our Baptism. 

 In the gospel we read today, this family experienced what many families today have to go through, namely living in a strange land.  Matthew doesn’t tell us how things were for them in Egypt, but at least they stayed there a few years, they were not killed.  When they returned, it was to settle in a different region, to Nazareth.

 

 Thanks to a global economy, unlawful governments, wars, or the plague of drugs, many people today are forced to move, either within their own country or to foreign lands.  They come as strangers into our midst.  But we don’t have to be from somewhere else to feel like a stranger.  Sometimes due to misunderstandings, or fear or hurts we can just as easily feel like a stranger in our own family.

 The Feast of the Holy Family gives us time to reflect on our actions.  By our baptism we are part of that Holy Family.  Jesus is our brother. 

 The challenge, which the gospel puts before us today as Christians, is how well do we welcome our brothers and sisters.  Remember the words of Jesus, when I was hungry, or lonely or sick, you did it to me.  Out of fear we too quickly can build walls to keep others out, either out of our country, or out of our lives.

 

 At St Vines, we do reach out.  Over the past year we certainly have helped the sick, through our participation both by volunteering and financial aid to the CCAC.  We have served meals at Thanksgiving; we have helped build the houses with Habitat for Humanity, given toys to kids who might otherwise not have them, and food to the Food Pantry.  These are great things and we need to continue to do them.  But we can too easily miss opportunities to tear down walls within our own family.

 As we begin a New Year, a time when we make all kinds of resolutions to do better, lets not forget to see how we may become more conscious of the Family of God and those who are lonely, from another place, struggling. 

Picture 1:    Jack

Picture 2:    Ryan with cookie

Picture 3:    The Reads, Teresa, Taylor, Doug, & Zack

Picture 4:    Emma, one of the 5 Bambini

 Picture 5:    Santa arrives

Picture 6:    All the Good Kids awaiting Santa