Sunday Homily August 19, 2012, 20th Ordinary Time B

Grace reading from the Great Prophet, Isaiah.

Readings:

Isaiah 9, 1-6,    The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light, upon those who dwelt in the land of gloom a light has shown.  (Wow!  Beautiful)

Psalm, 96,  Today is born our savior, Christ the Lord.

Reading 2: The Road Less Taken

Luke 2, 1-14,   The Nativity story.   (Lovely)

John reading The Road not Taken, one of The Greats.

Frost, Robert: The Road Not Taken  ( Reading #2)

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood

        And sorry I could not travel both   

And be one traveler.       Long I stood

         and looked down one as far as I could,

         to where it bent in the undergrowth,

Then took the other, as just as fair,       

         And having perhaps the better claim,

         Because it was grassy and wanted wear.

         Though as for that the passing there

         Had worn them really about the same.

And both that morning equally lay

         In leaves no step had trodden black.

         Oh, I kept the first for another day!

         But knowing how way leads onto way,

         I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh

         Somewhere ages and ages hence:

         Two roads diverged in a wood, and I–

         I took the one less traveled by,

         And that has made all the difference.

Claire reading the Nativity Narrative from Luke.

Homily, 12/24/18

Since November when this crazy lumbar stenosis smacked  me, I have had more doctor appointments than ever in my life, including  getting my two nice titanium hips.

On one occasion I was going to Presby’s office building 4, on the south east corner of Walnut Hill & Greenville.  This was my second visit to this building.  Parking is all on the ground level, with the 5 or 6 story building over the parking. 

The Nativity story with Leo as Joseph and Zoe as Mary.

This morning Rosemary drove me over, dropped me fairly near the big glass doors, two sets of them.  It is freezing, darkish, and windy like being in a wind tunnel.

As I approach the first set of doors, though still 30 yards away, this tall,  strong looking black lady in a security uniform comes running from the inside, opens one of the doors wide and says cheerily, Good Morning and Welcome In.

Who dat??  That is the Baby Jesus, otherwise known as Betsy!

I laugh despite being in a world of pain from the pinched nerve.  I thank her.  And as I pass in front of her at the door, I tell her, “I am finding it hard to have people opening doors for me.  I ain’t used to this.”

So I go upstairs, check with my doctor, and return to the lobby in maybe an hour.  I sit on a marble ledge, call Rosemary, and wait.

Sez Luke, "Hey, I'm an Angel!

Suddenly coming in through the doors from the outside, my black security lady appears.  I wave at her and she walks toward me.  She says, “You remember what you said to me that it is hard to let others hold the door for you.  Well, I look at you and I know you.  I know that you have opened a lot of doors for other people to walk through.   For me it is an honor to be able to pay it back just a little and hold the door for you.”

Does it get better than this ??!!

I was stunned, I was touched, I was in tears.

Are people not good!

Have a wonderful Christmas.

The Best Team!

Jan, The Head of Traffic Control, on the job.

Readings:

1 Kings 19, 16 19-21, You shall anoint Elisha.

Psalm 16,  You are my inheritance, O Lord.

Galatians 5, 1, 13-18, For freedom Christ set us free.

Luke 9, 51-62, No one who sets his hand to the plow…

I say, Pere, remember that pretty red Studebaker….

Readings:

Zechariah  9, 9-10,   Rejoice heartily, shout for joy.

Psalm 145,   I will praise your name forever, my king and my God. 

Romans 8, 9, 11-13,  You are in the spirit.

Matthew  11, 25-30,  Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest.

Emma says, "Come in, Everybody, Welcome."

Zechariah:  Zechariah is the 11th of the 12 Minor Prophets and lived just when the Hebrews were released from the 70 year long Babylonian Captivity, in other words around 555 B.C. He is in Jerusalem and encourages the people to rebuild the temple.

He is called a minor prophet only because his little work has simply 14 chapters, unlike the Big 3, Isaiah, Jeremiah, & Ezekiel, who have many chapters, in fact 66 for Isaiah.

He was a favorite of the N.T. writers because he is rich in messiah predictions.  Today we have one of those visions.   You might picture how this message is coming across.  The people have been crushed, they have been slaves in Babylon, and the Jerusalem they have returned to is nothing but disaster. 

Sophia, also, says, "Hi, Everybody, Welcome."

Psalm 145, 8-9: here it is again, The Terrific Line: "The Lord is gracious & merciful, slow to anger and abounding in love."  Watch for it.

July 4, Independence Day

July 4, 1776, Declaration of Independence signed.

50^th anniversary, July 4, 1826: two signers of the Declaration died, the only 2 to serve as presidents, mutual friends, Thomas Jefferson & John Adams (excellent source, David McCullough’s John Adams).

Ever wanted to see what two people look like just after they have just finished an Ironman? Take a look and Chad and Kayli. Looking pretty good.

My Yoke is Easy and my Burden Light

This morning I would like to talk about Matthew’s statement about Jesus saying, My yoke is easy and my burden light.  I would also like to include that line which is one of my most favorite lines from the Bible, The Lord is gracious and merciful, never gets angry, and is abounding in love.

I would suggest the first line about my burden being light is influenced, sometimes, by the fact that the Lord is gracious and merciful.  On the other hand, however, sometimes the burden is really blasted heavy.  For example…  The Story of The Week:

Chad finishing.

Thursday afternoon Rosemary & I had just left Plano Cycling, where I had left my bike to have it fitted with a new chain and cassette, the gear assembly on the rear wheel.  I was feeling pretty proud of myself, that I had actually worn out a bike chain and cassette.  I thought only Tour de France people did such things.

So, we are in the van headed south on Central.  The usual traffic, especially for those exiting onto the Bush just past Plano Parkway.  I knew we had to get out into the middle to avoid that blockage. 

Kayli crossing the finish line, Coeur d'Elane, Idaho.

I move over from the right lane.  I want to move over even to the next lane.  I’m watching in the side mirror.  Finally, before the blockage I see a space and move over in front of a big white pickup that seems way back far enough. 

The guy in the pickup, however, seems upset.  Next thing I know his front bumper is in the back of our van.  I can see the hairs in his nostrils.  I can see the color of his eyes, black with flames shooting out.

Offertory, Grace (Ironmanmomma of Kayli), Mary Ellen, and Donna.

Then, yes, you guessed it.  There was space to the left in those lanes.  So my friend swerves to the left, floors it, stomps on the horn, races past us with various hand signals, and swerves back in front of us, where he proceeds another 100 yards before he has to hit the brakes because he was climbing the back side of another car.

What did I do?  Well, I did not follow my impulse to blow our horn.  I also did not want Rosemary cussing me out.  I did nothing but continue along south bound Central.  I am grateful for that.

The Old Man of The Mountains returned, Mike.

As we drive along and talk about this, I admit that if I knew this guy’s story instead of judging the book by the cover, my favorite path, I would probably be more empathic.  Has he just lost his job, his wife, his dignity?  Has he come from a horrible childhood that has him permanently damaged and angry?  This is my profession.   I know this.  His behavior in itself says so much.

Tell this guy your yoke is light and your burden in life is easy.  He would laugh and probably cuss you out.  How many people have burdens that are not light?   No way.

Look at these kids coming across the border.  The little girls, 10-14 years of age, really carrying a heavy burden.

Namesakes: Two Rosemarys, or YoYo & RoRo.

You hear the story of this Louie Zamperini, who just died in his nineties?  After his B-24 went down in the Pacific during the war with Japan, he and two other guys spent 47 days on a flimsy raft.  After being rescued by a Japanese boat, life got only more brutal in the numerous prison camps he spent time in before being released after the war. 

So how do you carry the load if you are Zamperini or the pickup driver? 

This sounds almost insulting or obscene, but it is psychologically sound, acceptance.  Accept what is happening to keep my mind and spirit sane.  Zamperini said that he also worked to keep his spirit alive and hopeful, disciplining himself like he did when he was an Olympic sprinter.

This is where I suggest contemplating the positive.  Maybe my childhood was horrible and my life is bad.   Can I not find love and graciousness somewhere? 

Perhaps that pickup driver is suffering.  He does not seem to be handling his suffering well.

How do you deal with the heavy burden?

She's back, Folks, the party is over. RoRo doing her blessing.

Readings: Genesis 22; Psalm 116; Romans 8, 31-34; Mark 9, 2-10. 

Genesis:

Reminders: First book of the Bible, going from Creation, Adam & Eve, Cain & Abel, Noah & the Ark, Tower of Babel, up to our selection today, the first of the 3 Patriarchs of Israel, Abraham (plus Isaac & Jacob, also called Israel).  Multiple authors, put together from, say, 1000 to 500 BCE.

Today's Selection: We jump from last week's story of Noah and the promise Yahweh made to him of no more floods, signed with a rainbow, to Abraham, the first of the 3 Patriarchs.  In some ways this is an astounding story.  Remember it is fable, a vision of God had by one person or a few people, then written down after it passed around orally for many decades. 

Transfigurations

Last Monday Bob McGrath, Bill Hammond, & I had lunch with 50 college kids in the yard of a Christian church in San Leon, Texas.  Folks, I bring you good news this morning.  These kids, from St. Bonaventure U., Buffalo, were dedicating their spring break week to hurricane recovery work in the the Galveston area. 

San Leon, which I had never heard of, is a tiny coastal village not on the Gulf like Galveston, but on the southwest corner of Galveston Bay.  The bay is shaped like a vertical football.  At the toe, right side or southeast, is Galveston slanting up the right side.  San Leon is just above the toe on the other side, the left side or south west.  It faces directly east into the bay.  Houston is a mass on the northwest corner or the upper left.  In September last year San Leon got hammered by Hurricane Ike and had water 6 to 8 feet high over the village.  It is a mostly poor community without even a police force.  So it had a lot of crack shacks, which were wiped out, to the local population's delight.

We were having lunch in the church yard after spending the morning picking up trash in the drainage ditches on either side of a 3 mile, straight road that headed directly into the bay.  At one point after the food had arrived, bread, peanut butter, jelly, and some granola bars, someone said, "Food is ready, come and get it."  And everyone got up and began helping themselves around the food table.

I was standing back a bit and noticed another boy was standing back with me.  I said to him, "You better get over there before all the food is gone."   His reply stunned me.  He said, "I'll let the others get their food and then I can get mine."  I was really moved by this tall kid's sensitivity and I told him so.  In fact, we had evening sharing sessions, some of which I got roped into coordinating.  I shared with the whole 50 what had touched me, one of my blessings of the day. 

I was touched again later that afternoon.  It was 3:30 and the 25 or so kids I was working with picking up the trash were pooping out.  I'm thinking we either call it a day or take a break and then put in another hour.  I pass out water bottles trying to get a feel.  Suddenly ahead of us a guy pulls out on the road with his little tractor & big trailer and asks help to clean the trash out of a forest off his property.  Like an 8 foot wave passed through & back leaving all sorts of garbage everywhere.  We talk about it and decide the group will split in two, half continuing with the drainage ditches, the other half cleaning the forest. 

Everyone jumps in with renewed energy despite the fatigue.  At the end of the hour during which we loaded the guy's trailer perhaps five times with mountains of trash, I am ready to call it, when the guys find a big pile of trash crowned by a fiberglass boat.  I am suggesting we leave it because the trash is endless, but those kids wanted to load the trailer one more time and get that boat out of there.  They did, and they even unloaded the trailer on the road edge.  (check Friday's blog for pictures of the boat and the lunch)

This spirit of generosity and sharing characterized the whole week and repeatedly humbled me.   The evening sessions carried us to a new level.  I felt I was walking sacred ground with sacred people.  In fact, I was. 

Two other phenomena touched me unexpectedly.  First was where we stayed.  University Baptist Church.  Apparently the month after Ike hit Galveston and volunteers started showing up to help clean up and repair, University Baptist, a small, probably 100 seat modern brick church, began to house volunteers.  When our 50 plus arrived there were already 17 members of another team on the premises.  What the church did for us was they handed over their church as a dormitory for the kids, a row of chairs down the middle, boys on one side, girls on the other, cots everywhere.  They had a trailer with shower rooms for males & females, 4 showers per set.  They had installed a portable building in which were housed another 30 people, including some of us.

This week the church plans to house 100 more university students spending spring break.  In fact, to help accommodate the number, I had a team of about 6 regulars and lots of passer bys sanding & painting 17 Army surplus bunk beds that would augment the cots.  I don't even know where the 100 will all go.  What I do know is that I was again humbled by the amazing spirit of this little community.

Then, finally, the group of 17 men.  They were Baptists from Springtown in Fort Worth, all old geezers who are retired or semi-retired.  They know plumbing, electricity, carpentry, all the needed talents.  They can do a make over in days.  In fact, the church where we ate in San Leon had been helped by a similar group.  In 5 days that group had demolished the remains of the former church building and built up a delightful, simple, brick facade church  with bathrooms and auxiliary rooms.

I bring good news this morning, folks.  I was hit over the head by these people.  I witnessed transfiguration.  Despite all the gloom these days, people, kids are transforming their environment and themselves.  At the beginning of Lent, I mentioned trying sensitivity and service.  I am privileged & have been made richer by this week.

Your Transfiguration?

AUDIO:  http://mysite.verizon.net/reso7rjy/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderfiles/2009-03-01.mp3

Picture 1:  Lunch in church yard, San Leon, TX, "Come & get it."

Picture 2:  Jim Mahar(Faculty sponsor), Rob (guy at lunch), J.S., Pastor Billy, Bob, & Bill

Picture 3:  Mike painting army surplus cots for 100 incoming spring break volunteers this week

Click on this link to see a Houston TV special on the work in Galveston:

 http://abclocal.go.com/ktrk/story?section=news/local&id=6686990&rss=rss-ktrk-article-6686990

Readings:

Isaiah, 55, 6-9, As high as the heavens are above the earth, so high are my ways.

Psalm 1,  The Lord is near to all who call upon him.

Philippians  1, 24, 27,  Conduct yourselves in a way worthy

Matthew 20, 1-16,   The kingdom of heaven is like a landowner…

Thanks to the Team

Music,  Ben & Shonda

Readers,   Mary Jane (Happy Birthday!) & John & Buddy, the candle blesser

Gospel,  Deacon Mike 

Homily,  Stack 

Eucharistic Prayer A & B, Stack & John Cade

The Magic Zoom makers, Mike, Ben & Hue, Richard & Tom & David

Final Blessing, Rosemary

For hosting us at Legacy, Becky

Download Readings Week 25

When did you last see God?

Next Sunday after our Sunday morning celebration of life I have a baptism.  Remember the Braun family from St. Marks?  It was easy to see them because both Debbie & Don were tall.  In fact, Don must be about 6'10" and they were visible.   They have three grown kids, a boy & two girls.  I've done backyard baptisms for them.  Heather, one of the daughters has a baby daughter.

Mary Jane reading Isaiah.

For a long time I have always asked the people gathered together for the baptism, when was the last time you saw God.  This can be very touching.  Of course, probably everybody there says they saw God and see God now when they behold the little baby being baptized.

Reflecting upon this in my own life, I am stunned.  Two events have left me speechless and humbled.  Almost exactly a year ago, October 20 to be exact, Rosemary & I were visited by that tornado.  I cannot say I saw God's presence in the tornado.  No, it was the aftermath and especially the next morning.  Neighbors whose houses were not damaged came in waves to clear downed tree limbs, clean up all the junk dumped in our yard, and to offer us food.  Boys from St. Marks Boys' School brought bottled water & food.  

John Schanot reading Philippians.

Doug LeBlanc & Grace came with some of their friends, coming with plywood & tools which they used to board up the smashed bay window on our house.  Connie and John Bresson, Mike Moran, Andy, Tom Good, Tom Froelich and others moved tree limbs, cut branches down and generally cleaned up. Just that day was overwhelming itself.  But people continued to come every day, some of which were community members.  One day Loretta Garcia Williams fed a whole group of our community.  I still am humbled and grateful.  I saw God those days.

Deacon reading the Gospel.

A few days later a tall junior from St. Marks School and a neighbor kid from a big delightful family 4 doors down came to our front door and knocked.  It was a mild & sunny afternoon.   He said he wanted to simply tell us that he admired us and was happy we're his neighbors.  You know me, I was in tears.  

It was hard to leave the neighborhood, as you can imagine.  So I was not expecting anything special when we moved into our new neighborhood.  Dream on.  We took possession of the keys about 1:00 on Monday, the 31st of August from the delightful couple who had fixed the place all up.  Before long while we were bringing stuff in with Grace LeBlanc's help, neighbors began coming over to welcome us.  With welcome gifts.  We got food & wine.  We got a home made chocolate cake with chocolate chips!  It was so rich!  I saw God in those people, especially in the lady who brought the chocolate chip chocolate cake.

And you?  When was the last time you saw God?

The brains of our team, Hue, Richard, and Mike.

Please Remember these special people:

For Alan Stryker;  For John Doherty with back pain; For Becky's dad who has moved to the other side;  For Cindy recuperating at home;    For Esparzas, Frank & Mary,  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;   For Mary & Dave Hall's g-daughter Allison Keller working at St. Lukes, Woodlands,  For Joe Hogan with cancer;  For Loretta's aunt Alicia;    For Sydney;  & For Sir Charlie & Jan;  Shonda's mom & Cody & Ben & all of Shonda's dear family;   for all the students and teachers and coaches returning to school.

Shonda & Ben making the best music.

For Betty from Helsem; For Jackie's mom, sister, & friend, Lynn;  For a friend & a doctor, Karen, with brain cancer; For Rick Turner searching for a kidney donor, Type O neg; For Meredith, cancer free;    For Hue;  For John O'Donnell;   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 the students, teachers, and coaches in our public & private schools.

Our Anniversary kids, Tom & Becky, 41 years!

Birthdays:  Mary Jane Stevenson, Sophia  (12), Ben's daughter 

Anniversaries:  Tom & Becky, 41

David double checking the out put.                                                     

Community Finances, September 13, 2020

Expenses: $  580.00

Outreach   $  200.00  (often for Souls Harbor, Legacy, etc.)

Thanks, Folks, for doing what you can.

A new member of our community?

Rosemary's Blessing:

… May God bless you with enough foolishness
to believe that you can make a difference
in this world, in your neighborhood,
so that you will courageously try
what you don't think you can do, but,
in Jesus Christ you'll have all the strength necessary.

"Troubadour: A Missionary Magazine," published by the Franciscan Missionary Society

Joshua 24, 1-18; Psalm 34, Taste and See the Goodness of the Lord; Ephesians 5, 21-32 ; John 6, 60-69.

Joshua:

Who is Joshua and what is this booklet about:  Joshua was Moses' assistant, his lieutenant when the the Israelites wandered in the desert.  The booklet is the story of the Israelite invasion of Canaan under Joshua's leadership. 

Author: somewhat amusingly, the fundamentalists say that Joshua wrote most of the booklet.  More scientific scholars say the work is a compilation of a number of sources.

Date of composition: again fundamentalists state that the booklet was composed 1400-1370, i.e., while Joshua lived.  Scholars of a broader vision suggest that even if a Joshua existed the work was put together 800-700 BCE. 

The work combines a number of traditions about battles & destruction of cities to create a nationalistic narrative that justifies the Israelites' taking another peoples' land for their own.  Like kids say, 'He made me do it.'  Here the Israelites are saying, 'Yahweh made me do it.'

Ethical Question: genocide.  This is a bloody book.  Yahweh commands that the Israelites exterminate every breathing thing, including women & children & livestock. 

The battle of Jericho is characteristic.  For 6 days the Israelites marched around the city, blowing horns and menacing the people.  On day 7 they marched around 7 times and the walls came tumbling down, as in the spiritual.  Then every person except one woman & her family were slaughtered.  Lots of debate and rationalization over these events.

Our Selection: The last chapter of the booklet.  Joshua, who is dying, calls the people together at a place called Sechem and puts it to them.  Stick with Yahweh who has done all these things for you (which are mentioned in the text but are long & tedious) or choose another path of your own.

Sources: Good News Bible, Got Questions.org, Wikipedia

Ephesians:  Got to say a word about this selection because it involves some pretty amusing observations from Paul.  For instance, the famous statements, "Wives should be subordinate to their husbands as to the Lord."  "The husband is head of his wife just as Christ is head of the church."

Some years ago while I was waiting in a line to ride the roller coaster at 6 Flags I overheard a husband telling his wife to obey him because of this passage.  I almost dropped my teeth.

Some perspective: Traditionally there are three types of relationships.

    1.  Matriarchal: the woman/wife is the head of the family.  Culturally this has been established.

    2.  Patriarchal: the husband is the head. 

    3.  Equality: both are partners, husband and wife. 

Paul's place: guess which paradigm Paul comes from?  Paul lives in a culture which considered women & children little more than domestic animals.  In Tanzania I found the same paradigm among the ordinary people.  Even though today Paul can sound wako & chauvanistic, what he says about husbands loving their wives as they love their own bodies, this was pretty radical.

Today: all three of the paradigms are valid.  Among most educated people, however, equality between husband & wife, men & women is the most healthy for all involved.

Peter McGinn, 1948-2009

It was mid February when Rosemary first got word that Peter her brother was infected with amiloidosis, a rare and virulent infection that strikes mostly men 60-65.  Peter was 60. 

It was mid March, after enduring a menu of chemo for a month, that Peter & his wife Marilyn decided to go recuperate at their house in Hilton Head, in a plantation near to Joe & Clare, Rosemary's sister & brother in law.  We decided at the last minute to fly over there to see Peter, it being easier than to visit him in Binghamton, NY.  This was the last time we would see him. 

He died this past Monday morning after finding out that the amiloidosis had begun to attack his lungs, that he could not endure a heart transplant, and that he was simply being kept alive by meds & machines.  After visiting with his two adult daughters & Marilyn Saturday evening and Sunday morning, Peter chose to cease all meds and machine aids that Sunday afternoon.  About 15 hours later he died peacefully. 

I wanted to speak about him because of at least three reasons I admired him and felt quite a kinship, not just of family, but of spirit. 

First, his love of psychology & intelligent spirituality.  He got his doctorate in psych at Johns Hopkins and used it in creative ways.  He was the CEO of United Health Services.  He was the kind of CEO who would eat in the hospital cafeteria, asking random groups, like the nursing staff or the maintenance staff if he might join them for lunch.

As a psychologist he was a teacher & a systems man.  In fact, I used to laugh.  He would send me articles each month.  And he asked me to review his latest book.  I would read a title like 'Ways to facilitate communication with your board.'  I open the article and he had 23 points.  I would send him a note saying, "Too much."  As you know, I lean toward systems myself, but after 3 or 4 I am exhausted. 

Secondly, I loved Peter because he was a biker.  A bicycle rider.  In fact, we had planned a bike ride in Hilton Head which he could not manage because he was too weak.  This was only symptomatic of his dedication to being a well rounded man, a renaissance man like we used to try to model ourselves in the Jesuits.  He was intellectually & physically, psychologically & spiritual balanced.  I see it as the basis for his peace and acceptance of his ultimate path.

Thirdly, he taught a platinum rule.  Not just the golden rule, which says, 'treat others as you would have them treat you.'  The platinum rule is, 'Treat others as they would like to be treated."  He had 23 reason why this was more effective. 

Significantly, according to what I'm told, he practiced the platinum rule even in the hours after he had ceased life support.  As doctors & staff stopped by his room, he thanked each one, mentioning how they had touched him. 

Tomorrow morning, Monday, Rosemary & I will attend a family only memorial in Binghamton.  A month from now a large open to all his friends memorial will be scheduled and we will attend. 

Who is the Peter McGinn in your life?

Picture 1:  Mass with Kevin & T.J.

Picture 2:  Choir, Wendy, Ray, & Celeste

Picture 3:  Peter McGinn

Picture 4:  Peter McGinn–

The two charities that Dad favored in lieu of flowers are Seva and the Food Bank of the Southern Tier.  They are both online, Seva.org, and foodbankst.org.  Rosemary T. McGinn

Check out a review of Peter: