Sunday Homily 9-11-11, 24th Ordinary Time & Special Commemoration

Genesis 14:    "Blessed be Abram by God Most High, the creator of heaven and earth; and blessed be God Most High, who delivered your foes into your hand."

Corinthians   11:  For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the death of the Lord until he comes.

Luke 9:  They all ate and were satisfied.  And when the leftover fragments were picked up, they filled twelve wicker baskets.

Mary reads from St. Paul's Letter to the Corinthians

Thanks…     

Music,   Ben & Shonda

Janice & Mike get a cookie for their anniversary

Outreach: $   50.00

Thanks again, Folks, for doing what you can.

Rosemary's Blessing:

 

 

 

 

John Stack Ministries meets on Sunday for Mass at 9:30 at The ArtCentre of Plano, 902 E. 16th St, Plano,

Texas.

 

 

JSM Mission-Faith Statement  

 Help create a Catholic Community that welcomes all God’s People, provides for & challenges spiritual & total growth.   Reaches out to help people who are disadvantaged & make the world we live in a better place to live.

Readings:

Ezekiel 37, 12-14,   I will open your graves and have you rise.

Psalm 130,  With the Lord there is mercy and fullness of redemption.

Romans  8, 8-11,  Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.

John  11, 1-45,  The raising of Lazarus.

Harper says, "Hi, Everybody, fun to be back."

Make Lazarus live.  Make life happen.

Guess what, I have a story about France this morning.  I want to use it to exemplify the metaphor of giving life that is contained in the Lazarus story.  I would propose that Jesus metaphorically gave life to Lazarus, something all of us can do, give life.

There is a tour company known as Fat Tire Bike Tours.  Founded a few years ago by, of all things, an Aggie who made good in life, the company has tours in a number of European cities, Paris included, naturally. 

Zoe lights the Lent candle, the 5th Sunday.

Rosemary & I have used them a few times in Paris and we find them terrific.  A week ago we joined a group that was going to visit the home of Claude Monet, an hour train trip northwest out of Paris into the province of Normandy.  On these distant trips you take the train out to the location, like the palace of Versailles, for instance.   Then you pick up bikes and ride.

Our tour was meeting at the St. Lazare train station in Paris and going to Giverny, the simple, but beautiful garden home of the impressionist artist, Claude Monet.  Twenty eight people met at 10 A.M. at gate 22, and we split into two with a guide for each.

Emma says, "What's going on here?"

Our international group of Chinese, Australians, Irish, Americans, and a 28 year old New Zealander guide rode the train to Vernon, a neighboring town to Giverny.   We picked up bikes, went to buy picnic lunches at a farmers’ market, rode to the edge of the Seine River that ran through the town, and had a picnic.

On the picnic the group came alive.  The guide had his French girl friend with her two French girl friends.  Another sparkling young couple from Australia revealed that they were just engaged the evening before.   Life came to the group as pairs or individuals revealed glimpses into themselves.

Village market near Giverny.  Where we bought our picnic lunches.

As the day went on, (we traveled together from 10 to about 7 in the evening), Rosemary & I began to reveal ourselves and we also focused on hearing the stories of others.   We targeted particularly 3 groups.

One, of course, was the Australian couple.  We invited them to tell the amusing story about how the engagement planned never took place, but still was dear.  I said I knew an old priest who would do their wedding cheap.

Same delightful, inexpensive market.

Then we spent a lot of attention on the guide and his girl friend.  They were not engaged, but we, of course, almost had them married.  I suggested that same old geezer priest would  do their wedding. 

Thirdly, we focused on a Chinese family from California, a mother, an 18 year old high school senior, and an 11 year old, shy daughter.   The 18 year old especially talked about his hopes and dreams, to go to Georgetown, to become a doctor, to work for Doctors without Borders. 

Our picnic sight on the Seine R. near Giverny.

He said he wanted to work internationally like I had done.  I affirmed his dream while pointing out I did this in 74 years and he still had time at 18.

The mother was extraordinary.  Leaving China, speaking Cantonese and another Chinese language, Erica, did not seem daunted by the prospect of financing Jacob’s educational dreams.

Guess who, Guess where. The same river with sight seeing boat sailing by.

By the time we arrived again at gate 22 in the St. Lazare station about 7:00, an amazing closeness and life pervaded the group and everyone was hugging.  Jacob even asked to use us as the subject of a project he had to compose for his classes.  He took our picture.  I was flattered.

By asking these people to tell their stories, I saw them come alive. Reciprocally, their stories enlivened me and Rosemary.  We were mutually giving new life.

I repeat my idea, Jesus metaphorically gave life to Lazarus.  And we give life to each other.   That is what our community attempts to do.  That is what Mike’s ideas about a beans & rice brunch and a penitential rite do for us.

To whom are you giving life?

Harper caught an extra cupcake and is gone.

Readings:  Isaiah 5, 1-7; Psalm 80; Philippians 4, 6-9; Matthew 21, 33-43. 

Isaiah:

• The biggest of the big 3 prophets not only because of the book's volume, 66 chapters, but because of the beauty of some passages. 

• Time written: before the Babylonian Captivity (ca. 590) chapters 1-39 seem to have been composed by the prophet.  After the Captivity (ca. 540) at least two followers seem to have composed chapters 40-66.

• Today's selection: talks about a vineyard worker who labors carefully to bring forth good grapes, but gets only weeds.  What does he do with the vines?  This story matches up with Matthew's parable.

The Parable of the Landowner with a Vineyard

Sometimes I encounter a parable that I find really difficult to understand.  This is one of them.  I wonder why the landowner would send his son to the tenants after twice they had killed his servants when they went to collect the produce. 

Obviously, as in the case of all parables, we are faced with multiple layers of symbolism.  Of course, the landowner represents Yahweh.  The tenants are the Jewish people.  Remember Matthew is writing both to Jews and Gentiles. He is warning the Jews that they are going to lose their preferential place in Yahweh's plan if they do not accept Jesus as The Savior. 

The son is Jesus, the savior, the man the Jews criticized and condemned to death.  But why would He send his son? 

I have one story about this that gave me an insight into the mind set of Yahweh and Matthew's intention with the parable.  You may have heard me tell the story three years ago, but it is all I got even to this day.

It concerns a red oak I planted years ago on the corner of Willow Lane and Inwood.  This is the south eastern corner of the Jesuit property.  I had just started planting trees in Dallas.  It may have been fall of '87 or fall of '88.  I planted a whole row of trees on both Inwood and Willow, edging the campus. 

On the Inwood side of the corner is a bus stop and students from various schools used to catch the bus there.  The winter after I planted the five gallon red oak, it was pulled out and thrown away.  I replanted.  Later in the year it was pulled out and thrown in the creek again.  I was hurt, mad, and especially frustrated because it was the tree on the very corner, Willow side.  It one day would shade the bus stop, in fact.

I waited.  I reflected.  Eventually I decided to plant again in the fall, but this time I was going to plant a tree two times the size and two times the cost.  I thought, 'maybe the kids will respect the bigger tree.  I really hoped to have a nice tree some day shading the people waiting for the bus. 

So I planted.  And waited some more.  Today a beautiful red oak shades the people waiting for the bus.  It is almost twenty years old.  

The parable of the landowner presents the man as somewhat idiotic but also ready to take revenge on the tenants who killed his servants and son.  I think I see two levels of symbolism.

On one level the landowner represents Yahweh who has, first, tried to deal reasonably with the tenants.  Then, secondly, Matthew indicates that Yahweh will put the wretched laborers to a wretched end, meaning the Jews are going to get it.

I see a second level of symbolism, which maybe Matthew did not intend.  The landowner who seems so idiotic represents a Yahweh who is truly idiotic.  But he is idiotic over his people because He loves them.  We are his people.  We are the tenants.   

My experience with the tree showed me that I can do idiotic things to make our place a better place to live in.  I was fortunate. 

What is your image of our God?

AUDIO: sorry, none today.

Thanks a ton, John, for officiating at our liturgies the 3 Sundays Rosemary & I have been absent.  You are a joy.

Readings:  

 Isaiah 53, 10-11,  The Lord was pleased to crush him in infirmity.

Psalm 33,  Lord, let your mercy be on us as we place our trust in you..

 Hebrews 4, 14-16, We do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses.

 Mark 10, 35-45, What do you wish me to do for you?

Let the celebration begin: Emma prepares the Candles.

 Mark:  Greatness is being a servant to all

Homily:  The language used in this Gospel story could just as well be a story about the ‘kingdom of heaven’, ‘kingdom of God’, catch phrases Jesus used to describe his dream for the ideal world. The beatitudes (blessed are the poor in spirit, blessed are the peacemakers…) are another description of Jesus’ dream of what could be. Today another phrase, “be a servant of all”.

The Best Team.

     The catch in all these phrases that capture Jesus’ vision for us, is that it’s not God bringing it about. Jesus places the responsibility for creating a better life on earth squarely on our shoulders. We are blessed with all the abilities and resources needed to accomplish Jesus’ vision for our life. We have the wherewithal to create the peace and blessings of ‘the kingdom of God’. The decision to do so rests with us.

     Being a ‘servant of all’ is the phrase today’s Gospel uses to describe who the followers of Jesus are.  The big ways we make ourselves servants are more easily seen: like the four women in Dallas who, about 10 years ago, founded an organization to help end sexual violence and to provide comprehensive services for all affected by sexual violence. I thought of a few smaller ways we can be a servant:

Welcome back Kathleen.  Good to see you & your buddy, Sandra.

First thought, my nephew Merik: last Sunday he and his wife Kathryn, hosted Lambrini and me and Kalliopi, and his mother and her father—our turn to meet baby Henri. Merik was so gracious and open in greeting us, and in allowing us access to Henri, to hold him, carry him, rock him, burp him after he was fed, and setting him in his remote controlled ‘rocking chair’. Knowing we were interested, he showed us around their home and yard, his landscaping and vegetable garden where he gave Kalliopi some mature okra for the seeds.

My Dear Luke, Welcome into The Community & congratulations on your Baptism

Second thought, you here: often you return Mass & song books to their boxes, for your people or people on your row; Eucharistic servers try to make sure everyone gets to share in our Eucharistic meal on both sides, before consuming what’s left over;

It must be Halloween and these kids know how to decorate.

Third thought, Freddie, my 7 year old grandson: last week my daughter Joey treated Freddie to his favorite dinner out, sushi, because his older brother, Leo, was at a sleepover.  On leaving the restaurant Freddie took a lollipop, and on the way home he told Joey he was saving it for Leo because Leo missed the sushi treat.  

How do you see others and yourself accepting Jesus’ challenge to make his dream come true by being a servant to all?

Download IMG_0592

 Watch Luke go.  This is what Baptism will do for you.  For the first time ever Luke started crawling.

Readings: 2 Samuel 7, 1-5, 8-16, The Lord said to King David, 'Your house and your kingdom shall endure forever;' Psalm 89, Forever I will sing the goodness of the Lord; Romans 16, 25-27, To him who can strengthen you be glory; Luke 1, 26-38, The angel Gabriel was sent from God to a virgin.   

 4th Sunday of Advent

Mary is told in our gospel reading that she is to give birth to the Messiah, the Christ. She asks the messenger from God how this could possibly happen. ‘The Holy Spirit will come upon you and the power of the Most High will overshadow you.’ With astonishing faith she replies, ‘May it be done to me according to your word.’

As John the Baptist (the messenger of the past two Sunday liturgies) baptized the people in water, they acknowledged their sins. Then he tells them, ‘Christ will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.’ So that the Holy Spirit will come upon us.

How will this happen?  When we welcome and put into practice Christ’s words we are bathing in the Holy Spirit.  The inspired writers of the John gospel tell us that Christ’s words are living waters that satisfy our spiritual thirst by filling our hearts with the Holy Spirit. 

It is through the power of the Spirit, Christ is alive in the hearts of those who live his words!  Then, all Christians together, Jew or gentile, man or woman, free man or slave, in union with Christ become what the Apostle Paul calls the body of Christ.  As one body we all share in the mission of Christ in the world.

In the Mark gospel we are told that together with Christ we are the one loaf that is blessed and broken, for we have become the word and bread we have consumed.  The acceptance of being broken is the tough part; but there is no other way to feed the other unless we give of ourselves in and with Christ.

A few weeks ago Judy and I watched a DVD she had ordered from Netflix. It was a French film in black and white with captions in English.  The film came out in 1987 and was directed by Louis Malle [Louie Mall].  The title of the movie in English was ‘Goodbye Children,’ however after watching the film I realized the title really was to be understood as ‘Goodbye Childhood.’  

The basis of the film was what Louis Malle experienced when he was eleven years old while he was attending a Provincial Catholic Boarding school on the grounds of a Carmelite monastery during the German occupation of France. It was 1944.  When France was liberated in December of that year the children had been pushed out of their childhood into adulthood.

The film begins with the children returning from their wealthy French families after Christmas vacation to the boarding school.  Soon after, Fr. Jacob the Carmelite priest at the school introduces three new pupils to the boys.  The boys are unaware that the three new students are Jews, that Fr. Jacob is the leader within the faculty who are joined to an underground network of Christians across France to save the Jews.

Fr. Jacob has given the three boys gentile names hoping that he can keep them hidden and alive until the Germans are pushed out of France.  A few months now pass with the three new boys fitting in rather well.  A classmate from the school, Julien, befriends one of the Jewish boys.  A few things unexpectedly happen, including Julien hearing his friend praying in Hebrew one evening.  (The Jewish boys do everything the Catholic boys are doing, including going to Mass.)  

The school has a parent day in the fall at which Fr. Jacob gives a homily on social justice directed toward the rich parents attending Mass with their boys.  The three Jewish boys are in attendance by themselves.  The friend of Julien is moved by the Priest’s words (from the spoken Word) and enters the line with the Catholics to receive communion.  Julien is next to him as the Jewish boy sticks out his tongue waiting for the priest to place a host on it.

I am as intent on seeing what happens as is Fr. Jacob, Julien and the young Jewish boy.  (The Jewish boy has a different understanding now of why Fr. Jacob and other Christians are risking their lives for the Jews…at any time Fr. Jacob could literally become ‘bread broken’ for him…taken and killed by the Germans by hiding him.  

Fr. Jacob does not place the host on his tongue, but his mere presence to the Jewish boy is bread blessed and broken. The boy seems a bit surprised not have received the host but peaceful in his presence among these Christians. There is a moment of quiet as the priest moves on to Julien who will only later become aware of what has really happened.  Julian, however, is now aware that not only is the boy is a Jew, but that Fr. Jacob is well aware of it.

Another icon of the Church in the world that you are probably not aware of might now become apparent to you as the season of Advent is about to end: the Christ child in swaddling clothes lying in a manger.  For the strips of linen are burial attire—As Church we are the Suffering Servant and Lamb of God to which we show our gratitude believing through the sacraments of Christ’s words and actions that our sins have been forgiven…and our responsibility to also forgive the contrite of heart. The manger is a feeding trough.  Blessed, we gather together in thanksgiving each week to consume the essence in the Liturgy of the word and Eucharist with conviction to become the bread we eat.

A kitchen worker is fired by Fr. Jacob, after the priest becomes aware that the worker was selling some of their food in the black-market. (Those watching the film can sense a coming betrayal.) The Germans have somehow become aware of the three additional students in the school.  Julien had seen his friend’s name partially erased from the inside cover of one of the books that he had brought with him. When one of the German’s asked for that person to stand, Julien glanced at his friend.  The German had noticed what he had done.

Later, the courtyard was filled with the boys standing in lines facing the Germans, who take with them their Science teacher and his family, Fr. Jacob and the three boys who are Jews.  The boarding school boys tearfully called after Fr. Jacob, ‘Goodbye Fr. Jacob.’  Fr. Jacob calls back to them, ‘Goodbye Children.’ 

The children had been pulled from childhood into adulthood in the tragic awakening of man’s inhumanity toward one of their teachers and his family, their priest and three of their classmates.  Later they would come to know what it means to become the Bread we eat…It is in dying to self by showing goodness and justice to others that one is born to eternal life.

The Science teacher and his family and the three boys were gassed to death upon arriving at Auschwitz.   Fr. Jacob was sent to a concentration camp in Austria where a few months later he died after the Americans forces had taken control of the camp.

When we see some of the children of this community wrapped in swaddling clothes lying in a manger on Christmas Eve, recall the significance of what that represents: We have been baptized in the Holy Spirit to be Word and Bread, blessed and broken.

Picture 1:    The Team, John, Mike, & Kevin

Picture 2:    Ryan lights the candles with Jim & Michelle, his dad & mom 

Picture 3:    Penitential Rite, people, "Please forgive me."  Jan & Charlie

Picture 4:    Penitential Rite, minister, "I forgive you.  I accept you. Peace." Mabel & Mike

Picture 5:    Cole with his mom & dad, Erin & Chuck

Picture 6:    Sean 

Picture 7:    Emma

Picture 8:    The Gang, Judy, Marilyn, Chuck, Sandra, & Geri

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.”

Bethany, Shonda, Wendy and Ray. Our Choir.

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.