Sunday Homily 1-31-10, 4th Ordinary Time

Readings:  Revelation 11, 19; 12, 1-6; Psalm 45, The Queen stands at your Right Hand, arrayed in Gold; 1Corinthians 15, 20-27; Luke 1, 39-56. 

Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary – Intro to Readings

The Book of Revelation or the Apocalypse is one of those books of the Bible, which really needs careful study.  Written probably around the year 90 CE, its purpose was to offer encouragement to the early Christians who were undergoing brutal persecution under the Roman emperor Domitian. 

The style of writing is highly symbolic.  We find beasts representing evil and in this case the Roman Empire. 

In today’s reading we have a description of a woman, not Mary, giving birth to a child and the dragon is waiting to devour the child.  Our tendency is to immediately think the woman is Mary, but there were mythical stories from India to Rome about a goddess who would bring forth a savior-king, and this woman would be pursued by a horrible monster, a personification of evil. 

Our second reading is from Paul’s First Letter to the Corinthians.  This is the longest of the letters in the New Testament, and in fact is one of the longest surviving letters in Greek from that period.  The letter addresses specific issues within the community, which we are told in Acts 18:4 Paul visited.  Today’s reading focuses on the contrast between Adam and Christ, and the fact that Christ’s mission is to return the kingdom to God the Father. 

Picture 1:   Mass begins with Kevin helping

Picture 2:   Wendy, Shonda, & Ray

Picture 3:   What happens when priests marry: granddaughter Eleanor with mom, Roshene, & grandparents, Gayle & Fr. Tony

Picture 4:   Sienna with her mom & dad, Erin & Payton

Readings: Acts 15, 1-2, 22-29; Psalm 67, O God, let all the Nations praise You; Revelation 21, 10-23; John 14, 23-29.

Acts:  a quick summary of the facts–

Author: Luke, a "doctor," a Gentile who converted to Judaism and then became a follower of Jesus.

Date: Maybe before, but more likely after the two big dates–

70 C.E.  failure of the Jewish revolt against Rome & destruction of the temple.

88 C.E.  the Jews who were followers of Jesus leave the synagogue and go on alone.

Material: story of the early Christian communities, not totally historical.

Mother's Day: a brief history–

1.  Greece & Rome: Cybele was the mother of all gods

2.  in the U.S.

a.  Julia Ward Howe: during Civil War, ca. 1870,  as a counter to the tragedy

b.  Anna Jarvis: 1912, pushed for 2nd Sunday of May, Mother's Day, with emphasis on the apostrophe, i.e., a single mother of a family, not all mothers.  Ended up regretting the day because of commercializaiton in the 40's before she died.  Hated Hallmark Cards' canned messages instead of personal notes.

c.  President Woodrow Wilson: 1912, made it a national holiday.

Sources: Legacy Project & Wikipedia

A Mother's Day Story

A year or so after I returned from East Africa, so around '88 or '89, my mom had to go into the hospital for some minor treatment.  She was living at home and I was living at Jesuit, though I went to visit her every day. 

On this particular day I was driving her west on LBJ from Preston to go to what was called at that time, Deadman Medical Center.  It is on LBJ between Marsh Lane & Webb Chapel.

As we ride along she reaches over with her left hand, pats me on the right leg, and says, "I'm proud of you."

Wow!  That blew me away.  I was really touched inside.  Here I am just back from about 10 years in East Africa.  I've been a Jesuit by then 30 years, more or less.  And my mom's affirmation still meant so much. 

Two events happened in that car.  One, my mother used words to affirm me.  Secondly, she touched me in a tender, affirming way.  The result: inner peace, just what is mentioned in today's gospel, the gift, ultmate gift.

If you are like I was when I grew up, I did not have enough positive stroking and certainly I lacked touch. 

You mothers, daughters, married, singles, all of you.  You got the gift.  You can bring peace with two simple acts, a word and a touch.

With whom and how many times a day do you share your gift?   

Picture 1:  3 of the 8 men who all gathered to bless the foreheads of all the female members of the community as our entrance rite, Tony Bob, & Richard 

Picture 2:  Fred blessing Rosemary's forehead with blessed ointment

Picture 3:  Jeff Morrow & Bob McGrath blessing the foreheads of the female members of the community in their section

Picture 4:  Cole receiving his first communion with his mom, Gail

Picture 5:  Shelby receiving her first communion from her mom, Debbie

Readings: Amos 61-7; Psalm 146, Praise the Lord My Soul; 1 Timothy 6, 11-16; Luke 16, 19-31. 

Intro to Readings

I want to talk about our first reading in a bit more detail than normal.  The Book of the Prophet Amos is extremely interesting in so many ways, yet we only have readings from it this year today and last Sunday, and on only one Sunday last year and none next year!! 

The book falls into the grouping referred to as the minor prophets, not due to their importance but more to the length of the books.  There are twelve books in this grouping, contrasting with the major prophets Isaiah, Jeremiah and Ezekiel.  The book was originally put together around the year 750 BCE and its main message is that the Northern Kingdom of Israel and the Southern Kingdom of Judah are in trouble because they have neglected the poor. 

Both Kingdoms are doing very well.  Both kingdoms have had peace and stable rule, but only some of the people are very wealthy.  Most are very poor.  One interesting aspect of the book is that it introduces the concept that all of the nations, not just the Jews, are under YHWH’s jurisdiction, and all will suffer because they have not followed God’s laws. 

Amos himself was a shepherd and his work is mainly a social commentary on the current injustices he sees in society.  He anticipates what we know will happen in 721, the invasion and destruction of the northern kingdom by the Assyrians.  Our reading today fits perfectly with the message in the gospel. 

Twenty sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time – Homily

I remember when the church changed the words of the “I confess” and added “and what I have failed to do”.  It added a new level to my understanding of sin.  It used to be that I sinned by doing something and now I was being told that I could also sin by NOT doing something! 

This is exactly what happens to the rich man in today’s gospel reading from Luke.  By all accounts he was a success- he did very well for himself by the world’s standards- he had very nice clothes and ate the finest foods every day!  There was only one problem – he didn’t do anything about the poor man parked outside his door.  Oh, he knew he was there, he even knew his nam.   He just failed to do anything about him.

The rich man saw himself as far superior to Lazarus.  Even in the afterlife he thought he could have Lazarus do his bidding.  He failed to see that all men are created equal and that we are all brothers and sisters in God’s eyes. 

It is worth noting that even though the rich man appears to have everything, he doesn’t have a name, whereas we do know the poor man’s name, Lazarus.  To further highlight the difference between the rich man and Lazarus, Luke gives us the detail about the dogs, which were considered unclean animals, licking Lazarus’ sores.

The story is aimed at the Pharisees, who thought of themselves as careful followers of the Law of Moses.  They were also wealthy.  Luke has two agendas running through the parable. 

One is the danger we fall into when we think we are doing things according to the law.  As Catholics our tradition could very easily lead us to fall into a similar trap.  If we obey all the rules, get all the boxes checked; so to speak, then we will end up in heaven.  It has a tendency to create a kind of mechanical process to our faith!  Plus we run the risk of then deciding that anyone who doesn’t follow those rules just won’t make it.  This was the whole problem, which so many of the Jews had with the whole message of Jesus.  They were scandalized by his behavior.  He ate with tax collectors and sinners!!

The second item on Luke’s agenda was the challenge of the resurrection!  The rich man thinks that if Lazarus would only reappear from the dead, then his brothers would change their behavior.  Belief in the resurrection isn’t as simple as seeing someone come back from the dead!

The message for us today:  make sure we are not mechanically just following a formula in our lives, and what does the resurrection mean to me today?

Picture 1:    Mass Beginning

Picture 2:   Communion

Picture 3:   Bobby handing over our check to CCAC

Picture 4:   Jackie receiving our $2000 monthly donation to the Collin County Adult Clinic

Readings:

Acts of the Apostles  2, 1-11,  Arrival of the Holy Spirit

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

1 Corinthians 12, 3-7, 12-13, different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit.

 John 20, 19-23,   Peace be with you; receive the Holy Spirit. 

Welcome back home from Arkansas, CC  I really miss you when you are not here.

Pentecost

This morning I want to talk about the feast of Pentecost.   I propose that a Pentecost event takes place often in our lives.  It is a light bulb happening.  I see more clearly.  I have more energy.   There are light bulb events and light bulb people.  For example.

I know a lady who graduated from high school some years ago.  She was 18 and decided she would go to college.  She signed up, went to her accounting class, and got a D.  “That decided me,” she told me, “college was not for me.”

So she met her husband, got married, and had three kids.  Much more fun.

Says Olivia, "Welcome, Everybody."  Olivia, do you realize what a megawatt smile you have?  It brightens my day.

Fast forward about 30 years.  Her kids have grown up and they have graduated from college.  One is continuing studies to become a doctor.

It is Christmas.  They are all sitting around the table.  Somebody asks, “Is there anything in your life that you regret not doing?”  Various answers come in. 

My friend says, “I regret not getting my college degree many years ago.”  “Well, why don’t you go and get it?,” everybody says. 

Emma, you make my day.  Welcome back after a bunch of weeks missing you.

So she decides to take the entrance exams at CCCC (Collin County Community College).  See how it goes.  She takes two exams, math and reading.  She barely flunks the math, which is her long term weakness.  Remember the D in accounting. 

The reading exam?  She flat out fails the reading exam, also.  The college admissions office tells her they cannot admit her. 

Yeah, Ben is back everybody.  What a treat to have you and Sophia back, Ben.
 

What a blow!  Is that the end of it?  In fact, no!  She decides to appeal to take the reading test again. 

End of story, end of college career?  Nope, she aces the reading exam and is allowed to enter the college. 

What a scene.  The Girls' play station with Harper, Tori, and Zoe, with Olivia watching over the whole scene.

She proceeds to pass two years at CCCC during which time she takes a, you guessed it, an accounting course.  Fortunately, she has a husband who understands these arcane concepts.  Like, he says, “ You see this dollar?  That is an asset.”  And so on.  With his help she gets even a good grade in the class. 

After the two years at CCCC, it is time for another big step.  By the way, all during this time she is working full time.

Offertory with Carol Ann & Doug, Caroline & David.
 

The next big step is Texas A & M at Commerce.  Do you realize how far it is to Commerce.  Also during this time she is not taking a light load, like 9 hours.  Oh, no, once she even takes 18 hours.  This is a monster load for a full time student. 

After two years of A & M she is finally ready to graduate.  She even wins an award, not a cum laude, not even a magna cum laude, but a summa cum laude.  With the Highest Honor.  Latin.

My little buddy Seth is helping me to celebrate the wedding of his mom & dad, Monique and Zack, last Friday evening at The Rectory.
 

Karen Anderlick, thanks for being my inspiration and our Pentecost Person.

Who is your Pentecost Person?

Karen Anderlick, Summa cum Laude.

Readings:

Exodus 17, 3-7,   Why did you ever make us leave Egypt?

Psalm 95,  If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.

Romans   5, 1-8,  We have peace with God.

John  4, 5-42,  A woman of Samaria came to draw water.

Winter Rose say, "Hi, Everybody, welcome to the baptism of my big brother and me."

Exodus observations :

What: After two weeks in the first book of the Bible, today we move to the second. The book basically tells the heroic struggle of Moses to get the Hebrew people out of Egypt, where they had gone because of the drought in their land some decades or centuries before. 

Author: The book is about Moses, but he is not the author, as was thought for centuries. Instead, it is a compilation.

Katie says, "Welcome, Everybody."

When:  Take a guess.  Yes, during and after the Babylonian Captivity, 555 before Christ.  Why now?  To help the Jewish tribe stay together.  Biblical commentators will say this is the most important book in the Bible.  Why?  Cultural history gives identity, especially one that goes from tragedy to triumph.  Plus, the writers, the priests-Levites, emphasized that God considered this tribe to be The Tribe.

Today’ selection: an amusing story about how the Jewish people are bummed out with Moses for taking them out of the so called cushy slave life of Egypt into a desert with no water and no food.  

Zoe also welcomes Everybody.

Water

This morning I would like to mention 3 comments about John’s gospel that contemporary Bible scholars make.  Then, proceeding from the general observations, I would like to look at today’s gospel and especially the play on water.  Is it a symbol maybe?

Observation 1: 3 writers can be identified as contributing to the gospel of John.  The 3 authors worked over a period of 25 to 30 years, up to around 90.

Ethan ready for his baptism.

Secondly, the figures in the stories are literary creations, perhaps built around certain people.

Third, the words that Jesus uses are not just recordings, but words composed by the writers to convey a message or a symbol, like water. 

Which leads to our selection from John this morning, the Samaritan woman at the well.  She is talking about ordinary well water.  Jesus is talking about symbolic water, living water that gives life to the spirit. 

Brookly and Robyn say hi.

I would propose this living water takes all sorts of forms.  For example.

Remember the first time we had our penitential rite?  When Mike proposed the idea I confess I was a bit skeptical.  I was thinking, ‘Nobody is going to want to do this.  More focus on sin.’  This is why I don’t like Lent, the endless focus on sin.  What does the ordinary Mass always begin with?  Focus on me a sinner. 

Sienna just looking beautiful.

Was I pleasantly surprised.  In fact, that penitential rite was pure water to my spirit.  I was humbled and most touched. 

So, events can be living water, people can be living water.  Put them together and my spirit is moved. 

Now we have another idea from Mike, our team idea man, and I have my usual skepticism, the rice and bean brunch after our celebration two Sundays from now.  I am saying to myself, ‘We are going to lay an egg, no one will like it, it will come off silly or pointless.’  All this while trying to stay open to new ideas.

Leo briefs Kevin on how to help out today.

Meanwhile, I am thinking of our little friend in Cuernavaca, Karina, and her mother Maria Theresa, before she died.  What do they eat every evening, rice and beans.   When I stayed with them in ’86 while I was learning Spanish, what did they eat?  Although to satisfy this gringo, they would pick up a roasted chicken or bread. 

In fact, Rosemary & I would always buy roasted chicken for them when we visited them over the years.  Karina told me it was the only time all year they ate chicken.  There are millions all over the world who subsist on rice and beans, if they can at least.

Toy World with Emma, Zoe, and Torri.

So who am I to say this rice and beans brunch will not bring us all living water and our spirits will be touched?

Sign Rosemary and me up.  And you? 

Sources:  Raymond Brown and John Shelby Spong

The penitential rite, one of three lines.

Readings: Isaiah 50, 4-9; Psalm 116, I will walk before the Lord, in the Land of the Living; James 2, 14-18; Mark 8, 27-35

Isaiah: 

Date of Composition:

A picture of the time span:

        1. Solomon (he of Wisdom, the temple builder, 700 wives, & 300 mistresses–if he really existed) dies ca. 900-1000 BCE

        2. the Hebrew kingdom divides into 2 parts, the north, Israel (Galilee), the south, Judah.

        3.  Assyria destroys Israel and obliterates the 10 Hebrew tribes located there, ca. 725.

        4.  Babylon carries into captivity the Hebrews of Judah, ca. 590.

Contemporary scholars conjecture that this work could have been composed over a period of 400 years, i.e., 700-300.  It obviously begins by predicting disasters.  They happen,  the 2 big tragedies in Jewish history up to the Holocaust, the Assyrian destruction & the Babylonian Captivity.

Author (s): obviously it was composed by numerous people.  Isaiah himself is considered behind chapters 1-39.  In fact, line 1 identifies Isaiah as the author of the ideas.

What is it about:

Chapters 1-39: predict doom for the Hebrews because they have not been faithful to their one god, YHWH.

Chapters 40-55: called Isaiah 2, this & the remaining chapters (56-66) are called The Book of Consolation.  They try to assure the people who are now in exile that YHWH will restore them to their former glory & peace.  In fact, in chapter 45 the composer even mentions the name of Cyrus, the king of the Persians who defeats Babylon & sends the Hebrews back to Jerusalem.  So the composer knew of Cyrus and a date can be narrowed down.

This Isaiah 2 section presents 4 suffering servant songs, #3 being our selection today.  Jews see the servant to be the Hebrew people/nation.  Christians see the servant to be Christ.  Isaiah 2 is considered maybe the most influential O.T. book, especially on the New Testament.  On Isaiah 2 Mark built much of his gospel, especially the story of the crucifixion.

Handel's Messiah uses Isaiah 2 for its lyrics.

Chapter 56-66: more assurances of a return to peace & glory.

Our selection: Isaiah 2.  The suffering servant is talking about the abuse he is experiencing.  Then he proclaims, 'YHWH will help me & I won't be put to shame.' 

Take up Your Cross and Follow

As most of you know, the last Saturday in August I joined Bill Hammond & 14 thousand plus other nuts to ride in the Hotter 'N Hell Hundred (as in miles).  Folks, it was ecstatic. For me participatory athletic events like this have an elixir, a kinetic energy that touches me all the way down to my toes.  In fact, for the second year in a row, as I rode down the ramp of a bridge and headed toward the dramatic finish arch, I had tears of consolation in my eyes.  I am humbled that I can actually be part of the event.

As much as I was intoxicated by the over all event, two smaller happenings moved me.  Both occurred in the latter 50 mile section, the section where I know I am more wako than I thought.  I had pulled into one of the marvelous rest stops around mile 70.  There were tons of riders & volunteers all around.  I went over to a chair to rest a few moments.  Near me was a group of about 6 guys in their late 20's, very athletic and full of personality and energy.  One of their guys was sitting about one seat over from me and he was teasing back & forth with the other guys.  I look over at him and he's got no left foot.  I am stunned.  Lying on the ground was his artificial foot and he was massaging his stump.  So, what am I complaining about!

Later I am pedaling along and clumps of riders are passing me.  I see ahead of me a young guy whom I just might pass, hooray.  I get up behind him, say, "On your left," and begin to pass him.  I look over at him as I am coming along side and he has no arms.  He has metal prosthetics.  I gulp.  Suddenly I am embarrassed to pass him. 

I talk about this because it feeds right into something that is mentioned in Mark, a paragraph that has great potential for healthy living, and for unhealthy living.  Mark mentions that to follow Jesus I have to deny myself and take up my cross.  I got to lose my life to save it.  Hey, I don't like denying myself and I am not attracted to the idea of taking up a cross.  Look what happened to him.

Folks, we have infinite demand here again.  The other side being infinite acceptance.  Let me touch three points, a little history and an explanation of the unhealthy and healthy approach to these ideas.

First, the history.  When Mark wrote you can bet he was under the influence of the philosophy of dualism.  That is, all the world is divided into two, bad-good, flesh-spirit, body-soul.  To enhance the growth of the spirit & soul, the flesh & body has to be disciplined.  In fact, basic appetites & attractions must not only be disciplined but hammered into quiescence. 

Which leads to the second point, the unhealthy & healthy living.  It is easy to see how a person, influenced by this philosophy could be hard on himself, in fact, could do damage to himself.  It is called masochism.  Spiritual practices that mirrored this philosophy were part of my early Jesuit training.

In order to detach ourselves from our attachment to our families, our love of our families, we young Jesuits were never allowed to return home for a visit, not for Christmas, Easter, anything.  I remember one summer vacation floating down the Calcacieu River in a pirogue in s.w. Louisiana with a classmate of mine, and he told me that a few miles away in New Orleans his brother was getting married at that very time. We thought that was normal.  We had to extinguish our desires.  This is how the idea of denying myself can be unhealthy or at least just unnecessary.  I have told you about the little rope scourges we were expected to use on ourselves especially on Fridays. 

Thirdly, on the healthy side, I have my two handicapped guys in the HHH.  I would propose that to live a healthy life, to develop a wholeness in myself, to aim to be a Renaissance person, I need to focus on four targets, the intellectual, the physical, and the spiritual/psychological.  This involves denying myself and self discipline, it involves moderation.  I am my cross.  The reward is contentment & peace.

The fourth element in wholeness is you got to live for others, like James' reading brings up.  Jesuit talks about being men for others.  I specialize in aiding the underprivileged.  I do it not for me but for them.  In giving, however, I am richer. 

Those two guys I encountered in the HHH have taken up their crosses, they have denied themselves and I would suggest that they are more content and peaceful than if they had stayed home watching TV.

Your cross?  What is it?

Picture 1:  Mass with Kevin & T.J.

Picture 2:  The Choir with Celeste, Marianne, & Ray

Picture 3:  Birthdays & Anniversaries, Theresa McClure, Doug, Teresa, & Taylor Read, and Chloe's mom Claire (24)

Picture 4:  The Donut Shoppe with Chloe surrounded by Frank, Jackie, her mom, Claire, and grand dad Tom