Sunday Homily 11-16-08, 33rd & Last Sunday, Ordinary Time

 

 

You ready to read, Buddy?

 

Readings:  

 Jeremiah 31, 7-9,  The Lord has delivered his people.

Psalm 126,  The Lord has done great things for us, we are filled with joy

 Hebrews 5, 1-6,  Every high priest is taken from among the people.

 Mark 10, 46-52,   Bartimaeus, the blind man.

 

 

 

 

While Emma lights the candles, Buddy reads the Blessing of The Candles, a first time ever for Buddy.

 

Jeremiah observations:

Who:  one of the Big 3 Prophets, 52 chapters, the “broken hearted prophet,” because he hated being so unpopular and having to condemn so much. 

Baruch, Jeremiah’s scribe seems to be who put down the prophet’s message.   Jeremiah probably died in Egypt.

When: put together before & during the B.C., Babylonian Captivity, say 555 before Christ  (reminder, Babylon is near present day Bagdad, Iraq).

Remember, too, that time before Christ is counting downward or backwards.

 

 

 

Our Belief.

 

Interesting Side Note: (another reminder) can you guess when the Genesis story of creation in 7 days was composed?  Biblical research reveals that the creation story was put together during the Captivity, this same time, i.e. ca. 555.

Why?  The priests & prophets (e.g., Ezekiel) of the Jews in captivity determined that the people would not be assimilated into the local gene pool as their cousins in the northern kingdom had done when made to live with the Assyrians.  They decided they would establish customs & religious practices that would make the Jews so different they would not intermarry.  Three special laws were established: 1.  male circumcision; 2. dietary laws and laws about not touching menstruating women; and 3. the Sabbath.

 

 

 

The Healing Touch

 

The priests put together the 7 day creation story to suggest that Yahweh approved of their Sabbath law.  They had Yahweh rest on the 7th day to bolster their demand that all Jews take a day off every 7 days.  Before the Babylonian Captivity there was no legislated Sabbath and no myth of Yahweh creating the world in 7 days with the 7th being a day of rest.  So, now you know when the story was created & by whom, the priests, and why, to keep the Jews united vs the Babylonians.  It worked, even down to today.

Subject of the work: the usual prophet message—condemn, pay, peace.

Today's subject: Beautiful message of peace and consolation.  It is coming.

Sources: Bishop John Shelby Spong, The sins of Scripture; Wikipedia

 

 

 

The Healing Touch for Emma.

 

 

Homily:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ash Wednesday Services at Marlene's house.  2017 Keystone, Plano 75075 at 7:00.

 

 

Who let this ex-Jesuit student in here?  We need a sergeant at arms.  Is this the real Jim Shropshire?

 

Readings:

Leviticus  19, 1-2, 17-18,  You shall love your neighbor as yourself

Psalm 103,  The Lord is kind and merciful.

1 Corinthians 3, 16-23,  Do you not know that you are the temple of the Lord.

Matthew 5, 18-48,   Love your enemies.

 

 

 

Welcome back home from Seattle, Gloria

 

February 23 homily

The structure of our Christian Sunday service, still today, has an intimate relationship with our brothers and sisters who attended their Jewish Sabbath Synagogue Service yesterday. After they sang songs, and gave praises to God, a teaching was given to them from the Law or Prophets that contained an expectation for the coming of the Messiah.

 

 

Deacon Mike sharing his thoughts on our readings.

 

In like manner, we sang and praised God with psalms, and we also received a teaching from the Law given by the Lord to Moses that ‘We are to love our neighbor as we love ourselves.’ Recall the commentary present in the first reading. It informs us that we are not to judge, or take revenge, or hate, or hold a grudge, against a neighbor. 

 

 

 

 

Welcome, Annabella, to Dallas where your mother grew up.

 

A second reading was not present in the Liturgy of the Word of the Early Church. Sometime in the last century however, the Church began to include this additional reading to enhance the gospel teaching of the Sunday service. Today it prepares us to become temples of God’s Spirit, so that for we can welcome and live the wisdom of the words spoken by the Messiah in the written Good News of Jesus Christ.

 

 

Happy Mardi Gras Aggie & Allen.

 

Today’s first reading, “that we are to love our neighbor as we love ourselves,” is fulfilled by the inspired writers of the Matthew gospel with the teaching to us that instead, ‘We are to love our enemies and pray for those who seek to persecute us; That’s how we can become children of our Father in heaven!

 

 

Good Work, Tori.

 

So, how did Jesus of Nazareth live today’s gospel reading? He took upon himself to love others as he had been loved by the Lord; He kept the perfect law! In like manner he called out to the Father he loved as he was being crucified with the words, “Father, forgive them for they do not understand what they are doing!”

 

 

 

Candle Lighting time with the experts, Tori & Zoe & Buddy.

  

Readings:

Genesis  18, 1-10,  Sara will then have a son.

Psalm 15, He who does justice will live in the presence of the Lord.

Colossians 1, 24-28,  It is He whom we proclaim.

Luke 10, 38-42,  “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me by myself to do the serving?  Tell her to help me.”

 

 

Introduction  

As Abraham gives, showing hospitality to the strangers in our first reading from the Book of Genesis, Abraham receives. In like manner, Paul addresses the Colossians in our second reading to show mercy, kindness and pardon to others for they are Christ in the World.

 

Homily 

 When I would go on retreats with young people wanting to celebrate the Church’s sacrament of Confirmation they would receive a booklet with songs, prayers but also some blank pages.  I would say to them, ‘You will always receive the desire of your heart,’ and I would ask them what they thought this meant. 

It was not unusual to get a response like this, ‘The desire of my heart is to win the lottery; but since the odds of me doing that are slim to none, I do not believe that statement is true.’ ‘Before I give you an answer,’ I would say, ‘I want all of you to write down in your booklet what you would do if you actually won a lottery… say, a 100 million dollars.’

 They were to take their time and not share with others what they had written.  ‘What’s in your notebook is yours and yours alone today.’ When I perceived that they had all written enough, I would say, ‘What you have just written down is the desire of your heart!  Wanting to win a lottery is not a desire of your heart, rather it is a desire of the flesh. I hope that all of you shared your desire to show goodness and justice; tenderness and compassion to those less fortunate than yourselves.’

 To the degree we desire to give from our heart will be the degree to which we do give and receive.  Life-giving relationships are precious! To the degree that we are in relationship with one another, we are in relationship with God. Those who welcomed the stranger and visited the sick are those who inherited the kingdom of God.

 Often we informally invite others over to our home; other times we have a birthday or anniversary gathering.  We have family and friends over for Thanksgiving, Easter or Christmas. But sometimes we might find ourselves getting caught up in all the details, decorations, and preparations, so much so that sometimes, when we don’t even expect it, you might hear or even say, ‘I’m glad that’s over and I won’t have to do that for another year.’

 When that happens our priorities weren’t in the proper order.  We forgot listening to, affirming, enjoying, and making friends. It happened to Martha in our reading from Luke today.  Picture Jesus saying to her softly and in private, ‘Martha, Martha, you worry about many things, Mary has chosen the better portion and it shall not be taken from her.’

 It wasn’t that Mary hadn’t been helping her.  She had.  But when Jesus came through the door that day, Mary made him the priority of her life. It was time to begin a lasting and loving relationship.  
 

Martha’s priorities had been which tablecloth should she use, should we
eat at the table inside or outside, should I sweep the floor again, should I
put all of the food out at once. Would Jesus recognize that the vegetables were fresh? 

 These things had become more important to her than Jesus’ presence.  Mary sat at Jesus’ feet and listened to his words that he wanted equally to share with Martha.  We have come to sit at table with God and each other. 

How have you been building relationships with one another since you entered here this morning.  Take a moment to welcome someone near you
that you didn’t acknowledge and embrace when you arrived.

 

 

 

1 Kings, Elijah went a day's journey into the desert.

Psalm 34, Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.

Ephesians 4, Be kind to one another, compassionate, forgiving one another.

John 6, I am the bread of life.

 

 

Connie reading from Kings.

 

Thanks……

Music,    Ben & Shonda

Readers,  Connie, John, & Buddy, our candle blesser 

Gospel,     John Cade

Homily,   John Stack

Eucharistic Prayer A & B,  John Stack & John Cade

The Magic Zoom makers,     Richard, Hue, & Mike

Final Blessing, Rosemary

For hosting us at Legacy for all these years & will miss you enormously, Becky

 

 

John reading from Corinthians.

 

Readings:

Download Readings 19th Ordinary Time 8-8-21

 

Homily by John Stack

Download Homily by Stack 8-8-2021

 

 

The team.

 

Kings:  a review–

Subject: The kings of Israel.  The Big 3 kings were Saul, David, & his son Solomon.  The 2 Books of kings follows the 2 Books of Samuel, which describe the lives of the the kings up to the death of the Great King David, my favorite.  1 & 2 Kings takes up the life of Solomon, David's son, his building of the temple, his death, and the fate of the kingdom following his death, that is, it divides and is conquered. 

Time Period:  from ca. 900 – 555 before Christ, or from Solomon to Nebuchadnezzar & Cyrus.

 Authors: a compilation of many sources that was put together at the end of the Babylonian Captivity, ca. 555 before Christ. 

Our Selection: focus is on one man, the prophet Elijah.  The kingdom has already been split.  Our story takes place in the northern state, Israel.  Time of severe drought.  The king is Ahab; his queen, the famous Jezebel.  The prophet Elijah has scolded them for turning to false gods to end the drought.  

  There has been a contest in chapter 18: Elijah vs the 450 prophets of Baal, ultimately to see which side would be more effective in bringing rain.  2 bulls were slaughtered.  Naturally, Elijah wins when Yahweh answers his prayer, sends down fire, and consumes the bull Elijah has slaughtered.  When he wins, he slaughters the 450 prophets of Baal.   

We enter at a point where Jezebel is furious with Elijah for killing her favorite prophets and aims to kill Elijah.  He is going to run away all depressed.   

 

 

Peace, Everybody.

 

Remember these special people:

For John & Karen Anderlick's unborn grandson;  For Alan Stryker;   For Candice Taht, friend of Mary Hall;   For Rosemary's great niece, Rylie ;  For Richard's grand daughter, Madeleine;   For Esparza's new great grandson baby, son of Monique, & Frank with shingles;  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 Sir Charlie & Jan;  Shonda's mom & Cody &  Leo & all of Shonda's dear family; For Ursuline Sr. Mary Troy,   for John Simari

 

Peace for you, Marsha.

 

Jackie's mom, sister, & friend, Lynn;  For Rick Turner searching for a kidney donor, Type O neg.; For Meredith, cancer free & John Schanot;    For John O'Donnell & Jean;   For Jean & Cliff Wright;  For Dee, and for her daughters, Lisa & Lauren  ;  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; from Barbara, a little 10 month old baby boy named Ford recuperating from an operation; for David McKeon's brother, Hugh; For Beth's friends & brother;   for the medical staffs, teachers, and coaches in our public & private schools.

 

Birthdays: Linda Beavers & Rose Banzhaf & Carrie Bieda.

Anniversaries:  Souls Harbor (1956),

Hugh & Linda, 46, 

Mike & Judy, 57

Mary Hall & Dave

 

Community Finances,   August 8, 2021

Expenses: $1615.00

Outreach: $325

Thanks again, Folks, for doing what you can.

 

 

Rosemary & her Blessing of the Week.

 

 

Rosemary's Blessing:

Come, O Dancing God,

Spirit of Life and Love,

of Beauty and Diversity,

stir up my soul,

bathe me in your light,

and unleash my own spirit

that I may dance with you

and be light for those around me

and reflect your love to all that I meet this week.

 

Edited and adapted from a blessing by Fr. Andrew M. Greeley

 

 

Richard with communion for Cathy.

 

 

 

 Readings: 2 Kings 5, 14-17; Psalm 98, The Lord has revealed to The Nations His Saving Power; 2 Timothy 2, 8-13; Luke 17, 11-19. 

                                                  

Twenty eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time- Intro to the readings.

 

Our first reading today is from the second book of Kings, and was written about the year 560BCE.  The Book of Kings was written at a time of great crisis.  In 587 the Babylonian king, Nebuchadnezzer and his armies had attacked the southern kingdom, Judah, and destroyed the Temple in Jerusalem, and taken the Jewish people back to Babylon as slaves. 

 

 The big question for the Jews was “where was their God in all of this?"  What about the promises he had made on Mount Sinai?  The 400 year rule of the Davidic line of kings has come to an end.  The purpose of the writer is to tell the people that it is not God who has been unfaithful, but the people.  He  encourages them to see that God is still faithful to his people. 

 

Our short story in today’s reading fits with the gospel in that someone saw that the gospel was about lepers and so find something about lepers in the Old Testament!  Recall that in those days most gods were seen as local, and so we find Naaman, who is a high ranking general from Damascus, where Paul was heading when he had his vision, asking Elisha if he can take two mule loads of the earth back with him.  He has been cured by Elisha’s god and wants that god to be with him when he returns home.  To get the full impact of this reading I want to read to you the piece which leads up to our reading today:

 

Naaman, the army commander of the king of Aram, was highly esteemed and respected by his master, for through him the LORD had brought victory to Aram. But valiant as he was, the man was a leper.  Now the Arameans had captured from the land of Israel in a raid a little girl, who became the servant of Naaman's wife.  "If only my master would present himself to the prophet in Samaria," she said to her mistress, "he would cure him of his leprosy." 

 

 Naaman went and told his lord just what the slave girl from the land of Israel had said.  "Go," said the king of Aram. "I will send along a letter to the king of Israel." So Naaman set out, taking along ten silver talents, six thousand gold pieces, and ten festal garments.  To the king of Israel he brought the letter, which read: "With this letter I am sending my servant Naaman to you, that you may cure him of his leprosy." 

 

 When he read the letter, the king of Israel tore his garments and exclaimed: "Am I a god with power over life and death, that this man should send someone to me to be cured of leprosy? Take note! You can see he is only looking for a quarrel with me!"  When Elisha, the man of God, heard that the king of Israel had torn his garments, he sent word to the king: "Why have you torn your garments? Let him come to me and find out that there is a prophet in Israel."  Naaman came with his horses and chariots and stopped at the door of Elisha's house.  The prophet sent him the message: "Go and wash seven times in the Jordan, and your flesh will heal, and you will be clean."

But Naaman went away angry, saying, "I thought that he would surely come out and stand there to invoke the LORD his God, and would move his hand over the spot, and thus cure the leprosy.  Are not the rivers of Damascus, the Abana and the Pharpar, better than all the waters of Israel? Could I not wash in them and be cleansed?" With this, he turned about in anger and left.

 

But his servants came up and reasoned with him. "My father," they said, "if the prophet had told you to do something extraordinary, would you not have done it? All the more now, since he said to you, 'Wash and be clean,' should you do as he said."

 

  

 

Twenty eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time – Homily

 

On the surface today’s gospel message seems simple enough, don’t forget to say, “Thank you”.  But because I have two weeks to reflect on the story, and also because a good friend of mine whom I was ordained with years ago told me about a great homily he had heard about the ten lepers, I had to pry deeper.  My friend now lives in England and after spending thirty minutes on the phone with him the other day, neither one of us could come up with what that original ‘great homily’ was all about!  I feel there is more to Luke’s account than a lesson in ‘good manners’.

 

The story itself is classical Luke.  Jesus is still heading towards Jerusalem, although the geographic clues, which Luke gives at the beginning of the story, tell us that Luke doesn’t have a clue of the geography of the area!  Ten lepers meet with Jesus and are sent off to be inspected and declared free of their leprosy.  Only one comes back to say thanks. 

 

 There are several things we need to keep in mind.  The one who came back was a Samaritan.  Luke seems to have a thing for Samaritans; we have the “good Samaritan, the Samaritan woman at the well, and now the Samaritan leper.  What we can easily forget is that the Samaritan would not be going to Jerusalem to be declared “cured’ by the Temple priests, he would have gone to Mount Gerizim, that was their place of worship. 

 

 When the nine Jewish lepers would have been declared clean, there is explicit instructions for a thanksgiving offering clearly spelt out in Leviticus chapter 13: “³⁰And he shall offer, of the turtle-doves or pigeons such as he can afford, ³¹one^* for a sin-offering and the other for a burnt-offering, along with a grain-offering; and the priest shall make atonement before the Lord on behalf of the one being cleansed. ³²This is the ritual for one who has a leprous^* disease, who cannot afford the offerings for his cleansing.”

 

What I would like to read into today’s story is the following.  The nine lepers who went to the temple in Jerusalem were doing exactly what the Law of Moses told them to do.  Of course they were thankful, and did what the Law prescribed.

 

Whenever Jesus seems to run afoul of the Jewish leaders it is because they are trying to enforce the Law and he is ignoring it!  His laws are fairly simple, “Love God and Love your neighbor”.  Too often we have been raised to “follow the rules”.  As I have said recently, we have become slaves to the rules.  Vatican II has invited us to act responsibly and be accountable for our own actions.  Too often people need the security of “following the rules”.  I came across the following story from Margaret Silf in the current issue of the magazine “America”.

                                                                                                                     

 

A bewildered traveler was once walking in a strange country. Feeling fearful, without map or compass, he came to the junction of three trails. There was no signpost to indicate where any of them might lead. As he sat on a rock, contemplating the problem, a young boy came by and wished him a bright “Good Morning!” The traveler replied, “And a very good morning to you, son. Can you help me, please? I’m not from these parts, and I’m lost. Where does that trail over there lead?” “Sorry, sir, I don’t know” said the boy.    “Well, what about that second trail there?”  “Sorry, sir,” replied the boy, “I don’t know.” By now the traveler was getting impatient. “O.K., where does this third trail go?”  “Sorry sir, I don’t know,” came the cheerful reply.  Now seriously frustrated, the traveler snapped back, “For goodness sake, boy, what do you know?”  “I know I’m not lost, sir,” came the confident rejoinder, as the boy went on his way. 

                                                                                                                                

 

It is that ability to be comfortable with not knowing, with being able to be your own person, make your own decisions after reflection that come to me as the point in the story today.  The Samaritan leper was not bound by the urgency to get to his priest to be declared clean, but decided to go back to Jesus to say thank you.  He would then still need to go the temple at Mount Gerizim.  It was his ability to act for himself and not be determined by the rules, which saved him.

                                                                                                                 

 

 

St Ambrose, the third century theologian uses a very simple analogy which I think might have value for us today in the rather turbulent times we live in.  He says we need to look at the little fish in the big ocean and try to be like that.  The fish has learned to swim in calm waters and when the sea is raging.  Neither sea bothers the fish, it is happy in its environment.  Most of us would rather the sea be calm, but it isn’t right now, not on any front.  All the rules are being challenged, all our solid truths are being questioned and it feels like the traveler at the intersection of three roads. 

                                                                                                                   

Remember the lovely story of the apostles in the boat during the stormy sea.  Why were you afraid, did you not know I am with you! 

This is the message I get from today’s simple story.

 

 

Readings: Jeremiah 17, 5-8; Psalm 1; 1 Corinthians 15, 12-20; Luke 6, 17-26.

Jeremiah – Picture this: all the students & faculty are assembled.  You go before them and tell them that they are all lazy, selfish, egotistical, and fat.  Change or you will fail in life. They boo you.  The principal, too, gets up and says the same.  You and the principal love these people.

After school you pass through the parking lot & the kids curse you, trash you, throw rocks at your car, and spit on you.  Same with the principal.  The atmosphere in the school and attitude of the students goes down. 

This is where we find Jeremiah and Yahweh.  They have warned the people and the people have rebelled.  Both Jeremiah and Yahweh are downhearted.  What we read is Yahweh’s response while he is in this depressed mood, in the eyes of the writer.

Corinthians – Paul continues to address the people of Corinth, this time about the resurrection.

Trust No One?

When I first came home from East Africa, I spent the winter at the Jesuit church in downtown Houston until I could get a program in Dallas.  One early evening after visiting my mom here in Dallas, I was returning to Houston.  I had my airline ticket and went to Love Field.  I stood in that Houston line, got to the counter, gave the attendant my ticket, and she says to me, “You are at the wrong airport.” 

Talk about feeling like a fool.  I had an A.A. ticket instead of Southwest.  To compound my feelings, when the girl asked if I would like to buy a ticket, I realized I had about $20 in change, no more.  No credit or debit card yet.  I was just back from Africa.  Plus, now I was alone, because my mom had gone back home.  No cell phone naturally. 

Despite the desire I had to crawl in a hole and disappear, I figured I had to do something dramatic quickly.  So I turned around, faced the long line of afternoon commuters, addressed everyone, and asked if someone could loan me the fare, which was only about $35 those days. 

Guess what happened.  Yes, a lady from Victoria stepped up and loaned me the money.  What would I have done if everyone had just ignored me?   Wow, it scares me to imagine it.  She was very cordial and I sent her the money later from Houston. 

“Cursed is the one who trusts in human beings.”  Remember what I said about Yahweh being depressed and hurt by his people’s behavior.  The writer of Jeremiah is imagining what Yahweh’s response would have been.  The writer might have just been hurt by his best friend. 

Trouble is, the person who trusts not one single person, that person is poverty stricken, truly poor.  You hear occasionally of people whose attitude toward others is that everyone is out to get you.  Pretty pessimistic.  Probably a sentiment resulting from hurts earlier in life.   

Today with our gift of the New Testament, we might modify this.  I would suggest that we arrive at the Kingdom today by trusting in God and by trusting people.  We enter the Kingdom more easily with a community, like we enjoy here. 

If I did not trust people, I would not have asked the crowd for air fare.  If the lady from Victoria did not trust, I would not have received a gift.  As it was, we both arrived in the Kingdom—Houston Hobby.

When was the last time you were blessed by trusting?

Click here to download the homily as an mp3 file.