Sunday Homily 6-5-11, 7th Easter
Readings: Acts of the Apostles 1, 12-14 (post Ascension, Wednesday), Psalm 27 (good), I believe that I shall see the Good Things of the Lord in the Land of the Living;
also verse 4, One thing I ask of the Lord, to dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, that I may gaze on the loveliness of the Lord and contemplate his temple.
1 Peter 4, 13-16; John 17, 1-11
Acts:
Observations & a final review—(Author, Date, Place, Subject)
Author: This is Luke, the physician, the companion of Paul, the Gentile writing for Gentile Christians, and the same Luke who wrote the Gospel of Luke.
Date: Around 65 years after Christ. Probably just before the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple (70 C.E., a big date in Jewish history), or Luke would have probably mentioned it.
Place: probably Ephesus, today a ruin on the west coast of Turkey south of Constantinople. Once this town was a major Christian center.
Subject: the material works like in concentric, expanding circles, beginning in Jerusalem and ending in Rome after touching Judea, Syria, Ephesus, & Europe. It treats activities in the early Christian community, some of which may describe they way they wished things were.
Today's selection in chapter 1 takes place just after the Ascension of Jesus, which was officially celebrated this past Thursday.
Sources: Good News Bible, New Interpreter’s Study Bible, St. Louis U. Jesuits’ Liturgical web
That I may gaze on the loveliness of the Lord
It may have been a year ago when I talked about Rosemary having a breakdown on her bike riding around White Rock Lake. To refresh your memory, she had ridden around about half of the lake. She is down at the south end near the dam. Her chain fell off and she did not know how to fix it.
So she starts walking it in. She may have phoned me, but I did not answer because I was riding. People go by. She walks. Finally a guy asks if she needs help. She says yes, he stops, and he puts her chain back on. Simple. But significant.
I was so touched by this guy’s action, that I had decided that I would always ask people if they need help when I see them stuck beside the road. I talked about it here and somebody special in our community actually assisted a woman whose car had broken down.
This stopping can be hard, folks, especially for us obsessive compulsive bike riders. I got to maintain my 16 or 17 or 18 miles per hour average. Or I have to finish up and run home. Whatever, for the past year I have pretty faithfully checked with people as I pass, often hoping they don’t need help. And they did not.
Until this past Wednesday morning about 7:00. We had already gone around the lake and were heading north on the White Rock Trail, which runs from the Lake all the way up to Valley View and Hillcrest. I was passing just north of the Greenville Avenue bridge, going behind a building on Royal Lane, when I come around a bend and see a guy working on his bike in the grass.
I yell out, “Need any help?” And he responds, “You got any air?”
Yes, I did have my emergency air pump and I knew how to work it. So I stopped.
He had repaired a front flat tire with a new tube, but had no air pump. So we pumped it up. I took off the pump. The tire went back down. Whoa, bad news. I think he pinched his tube when he put it and the tire back on the rim of the wheel. The tubes are so skinny & fragile.
So I had to leave him. He said he could call his wife and she would pick him up. His car was at Valley View & Hillcrest.
Folks, even though my efforts did not get the guy going again, I was so happy I had had enough resolution to stop.
I talk about this because of the line in Psalm 27, which says, “One thing I ask of the Lord, to dwell in his house all the days of my life, to gaze on the loveliness of the Lord, and to contemplate his temple.
Two comments:
1. To be aware that we are dwelling in the house of the Lord, we are challenged to do what is mentioned in the last line, contemplate. We are invited to be contemplative people, that is, to reflect, to stop and look, to appreciate. I think this is what I was doing when I appreciated what the guy did for Rosemary.
Contemplation focuses on the loveliness of people as well as the loveliness of the lake, the mountain, the flower.
2. Secondly, when I was a Jesuit we were educated to be contemplatives in action, that is, appreciating the loveliness of the Lord and helping others to do likewise. Comptemplation of my blessings leads to gratitude. Gratitude leads to sharing.
We are invited to appreciate the beauty of the lake and the bike ride, and to help others do the same. It may mean simply stopping to fix a chain or pump up an inner tube.
When was the last time you contemplated the beauty of the Lord? And helped someone do likewise?
Picture 1: Beginning, with Leo in Jackie McGrath's arms, Shonda & Ray
Picture 2: Offertory, Tom & Lynda
Picture 3: Leo joining the music team
Picture 4: Tom & Theresa Quinn with their daughter, Colleen & her kids, Quinn and Shannon
Picture 5: Alison is back! With her husband John and Cliff