Readings: 

James 5, 7-10,  Be patient until the coming of the Lord.

Matthew  11, 2-11, What did you go out to the desert to see?

Chuck with us.

Isaiah 35 observations: 

As you may remember, the book of Isaiah has three distinct writers.  Isaiah I covers the first 39 chapters, out of 66 chapters.  Isaiah I has a certain amount of condemnation typical of prophets. However, as you can see from this beautiful reading, Isaiah I can share a vision of a beautiful future.

Date: written before the Syrians destroyed the northern kingdom of Israel, around 700 years before Christ.  

Amelia and Ophelia light our Advent Candles while Chuck, their grandfather, looks on.

Advent Wreaths, a reminder: This little liturgical practice came to the Catholic liturgy, believe it or not, from the German Lutherans in the 1500's, the time of Martin Luther.  It was more than just decoration.  The circle symbolized eternity.  The greens Christian life in a dead time of the year.  The candles represent each of the 4 weeks of Advent, each candle symbolizing the greater light brought by Christ.  Their color purple symbolized penance and purification for the Coming.  The Rose candle says, 'We are almost there!'  

All together the wreath represented and shed light in a dark world, a world with no electricity.

Leighton Elizabeth Warren and her grandmother, Barb.

The Celebration

This past week has been momentous and touching for me and for many.  Twice we celebrated the life and vitality of Chuck Pratt, one of our most special friends in this community.  Wednesday evening was a memorial, and Thursday morning at All Saints, Pam’s husband’s brother, Joe, beautifully celebrated a Mass. 

I would like to talk about Chuck in January.  Today I would like to talk about the celebration.

Offertory, Chuck's family (Pam & family back in Nebraska), Chip and Kathy, Chris and Cecily with the kids, Ophelia and Amelia, and in the center, Sandra.

At the memorial celebration Wednesday, Pam, Chuck & Sandra’s oldest child, told a story that comes from John Ruskin, a British academic and critic who lived until 1900.  The story has gone around, but is beautiful to hear it again. 

Picture this man.  He is sitting in his house one night with a friend, looking out a window.  He is an old man.  There is no electricity.  Many of you have been there.  Remember what it is like, no heat, no light.  He & his friend are looking across a valley. 

Emma making a visit to the altar.

As they watch a light is going up the other side.  As the light goes, it lights other lights along the way.  The lamplighter.  They cannot see anybody, just the light moving and leaving light behind.

Ruskin says to his friend, “That is a good illustration of a Christian. People may never have known him.  They may never have met him.  They may never even have seen him.  But they know he passed through their world by the trail of lights he left behind him.”

At the celebrations there were an abundance of lights.  I want to tell you about two little lights who touched me. 

Want a Cupcake of the Week? This includes the past two weeks.

During the Mass I was seated in the second pew with the family on the right end.  At one point Amelia, Chris & Cecily’s 3 year old daughter crawled into the lap of the lady next to me.  For the rest of the Mass she played with the books and chatted. 

I’m sitting there with tears in my eyes half the time, but enchanted by Amelia’s happy spirit beside me.  She and her sister Olivia had also shared their light with us by bringing up the offertory.  I was most touched.

Can we trust them with T.C.'s Cupcake of the Week, Tom and Lynda?

Which naturally made me reflect on the lights we have in our community, lights who chatter and clatter, walk around in the back, and occasionally walk shyly up here and put a toy on the altar. 

Chuck was a lamplighter.  He left lights behind him and they have become lamplighters in turn, two little ones and a bunch more.

Who are the lamplighters in your life?  For whom are you a lamplighter?

Contributions to Samaritan Inn and Dallas Area Rape Crisis Center.

Thanks for bringing up our gifts this morning, Carrie & Paul & Mike.

Readings:  

 Isaiah 35, 4-7,  Be strong, Fear not.  (Isaiah at his best!)

Psalm 146,   Praise the Lord, My Soul.

 James 2, 1-5, Did not God choose those who are poor?

Mark 7, 31-37,  His speech impediment was removed.

Thanks, Dearest Zoe, for lighting our candles this Sunday morning.

Isaiah observations

This selection is from Isaiah 1.    It is a time when Judah, the southern kingdom, is threatened by a powerful neighbor, Assyria (ever hear of this place today?)  Isaiah saw that the real threat to the life of Judah was not simply the might of  Assyria, but the Kingdom's own evil ways.  Guess what is coming, the Babylonian Captivity. 

Today's passage is much more on the hopeful side.

Thanks for reading our Blessing of The Candles this morning, My Dearest Georgie.

Be Strong, Fear not.  He comes to save You.

I want to talk this morning about fearing not and being strong, because he comes to save us.

The summer of 1970 was the summer before I got ordained here in Dallas.  I had two more years of theology study in Toronto.  That summer of 1970 I was interning as a chaplain at Boston City Hospital in a Pastoral Counseling program run by Andover-Newton Theologate.

Welcome in, Natalie & Jim. 

I lived in the Jesuit  residence in Dorchester.  There were about 4 of us Jesuits.  Because a great Jesuit of the house worked with the kids of the neighborhood  our house was a total safe zone.  The younger kids would look through the windows of the dining room & living room during meals and when we had guests.  We told them your car will not be touched if you park here and they know you are friends.

Remember the Plow Shares 5 and the draft board burnings that Summer?  One of the guys lived with us.

I got The Best Team.

Every morning I would get up and walk to the hospital through the somewhat famous Roxbury area of Boston.  I never had a problem.  They knew who I was.

My day consisted of visiting patients, typing up interviews verbatim, and taking part in rather confrontational group sessions of 5 or 6 with a supervisor.  I think I came close to getting kicked out for refusing to redo one of my verbatims. 

My most favorite part of the day was visiting the patients.  I loved this dynamic.  There were some powerful sessions.

And we got The Best Music.

I remember especially one old tough white Bostonian, a former Catholic.  I asked him what became my favorite question, How do you feel about dying?

For a day or so he said, No problem.  Another day he tells me I’m going to hell when I die, but so be it.

You know why.   He and his first wife had divorced years ago.  He  married his recently deceased wife and had kids and a 25 year  happy marriage.  

For Hue our Total Community Blessing on your operation this Wednesday.
 

I could not believe it.  This may have been my first with this phenomenon.  I had already concluded that hell was a gimmick of the writers of the time and did not exist.  It was good for keeping in line the people of the tribe.

Would you have sent that guy to hell, for ever? 

What about you?  Where you going?

I think the old guy died peacefully.

Okay, Joe, can we trust you to get that birthday cupcake home to Marsha. 

On The Light Side:   (A little old, but still good)

On their way to the church to get married, a young Catholic couple 
were involved in a fatal car accident.

Being good Catholics the young couple find themselves sitting outside 
the Pearly Gates waiting for St. Peter to process them into Heaven.

While waiting, they begin to wonder: could they possibly get married 
in Heaven?

When St. Peter finally showed up, they asked him.

St Peter said "I don't know. This is the first time anyone has asked. 
Let me go find out" and he leaves them sitting at the Gate.

After three months, St Peter finally returns, looking somewhat 
bedraggled. "Yes" he informs the couple " I can get you married in 
Heaven".

"Great!" said the couple "But we were just wondering, what if things 
don't work out? Could we also get a divorce in Heaven?"

"You must be joking" says St. Peter, red-faced with 
frustration, slamming his clipboard on the ground.

"What's wrong?" asked the frightened couple".

"OH, COME ON!" St. Peter shouted "It took me three months to find a 
priest up here …..Do you have any idea how long it'll take me to find 
a lawyer?"

Blame Ken Cramer for this, not Me!

Readings: Zechariah 9, 9-10; Psalm 145 (second stanza, a favorite); Romans 8, 9-11; Matthew 11, 25-30

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, ca 535-520 B.C.  In Jerusalem he encouraged the people to rebuild the temple.

He was a favorite of the N.T. writers because he is rich in messiah predictions.  Today we have one of those visions. 

Psalm 145, 8-9: Terrific line: “The Lord is gracious & merciful, slow to anger and of great kindness.”

Independence

Last Sunday, June 29th, there was a column in the Points section of the Dallas Morning News.  The writer, Peter Lovenheim of Brighton, NY, described how he became aware that he did not know any of his neighbors.  With all the tools at his disposal to keep in touch instantly with people, even around the world, he was detached & out of touch with his own little neighborhood.

Peter decided to do something about it.  He actually began to invite himself to spend the night at his neighbors and write about their lives and his experiences with them.  Naturally, he was turned down often, but he did find some people willing to take him in and even discovered one woman with cancer needing help she could not get other than through her neighbors. 

It was his first experience of spending the night with an elderly guy, Lou, that turned out to be the article in the paper.  He called it, Why I Woke up in my Neighbor’s Spare Bedroom.  He even describes how he & his neighbors discovered, then helped the elderly lady dealing with cancer. 

I remember when my mom lived in the house in which Rosemary & I now live, how once a year or so there would be a block party and everyone came to have a picnic under the oak trees in someone’s yard or drive.  I also remember that in the neighborhood in which I grew up in University Park we did not have block parties.  However, we did know all the neighbors, or let’s say they all knew Johnny Stack & were wary of him.

I talk about this today for two reasons. 

• First, we have just celebrated Independence Day. We revisited our national roots Friday and have come away proud of what our ancestors did to establish an independent country. As a child I wanted to grow up to be equally independent. Independence equals maturity. Dependence equals immaturity and is something I dread and hate.
• Secondly, as good and noble as independence is, taken to an extreme, independence involves not necessarily maturity, but rather isolation and loneliness. Lovenheim called his original neighborhood situation detachment. I would also call it independence, the opposite of that old dreaded dependence.

I suggest there is a healthy middle ground: interdependence.  The old cliche’ No Man is an Island is only partly true these days.  There are numerous often elderly people living on islands of abandonment in our neighborhoods.  To avoid the either/or trap and focus on interdependence, I suggest two things:

• Pro-activity. I  take the initiative. I  look around. I  pick out my neighbor or neighbors whom I don’t know at all or don’t know well.  I make a move. I  take steps to build a small community.
• Spend time. It takes time to build. It takes time to visit someone or call them or talk with them when I see them. Granted, time is often one of our most precious commodities.  The relationships are worth it.

This is what I see us doing here at San Vino, building community, taking time.  I think one reason why a number of mega-churches have so many people is that the administration sets up multiple small communities, teen-agers, young adults, golden agers, unmarrieds, divorced, etc.  People feel like they belong.  This is why I love to have our seasonal brunches. 

My hope is that no one in our community feels alone on an island.  We know one another and care for each other.

Who is the unknown neighbor in your life?

AUDIO:   http://mysite.verizon.net/reso7rjy/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderfiles/2008-07-06.mp3

Readings: Acts 5, 27-41; Psalm 30, I will Praise You, Lord, for You have Rescued Me; Revelations , 11-14; John 21, 1-14

Third Sunday of Easter – Introduction to the Readings

All of our readings during the Sundays after Easter until Pentecost Sunday come from the same three books, Acts of the Apostles, The Book of Revelation and John’s Gospel.  In today’s reading from the Acts of the Apostles the apostles are again brought before the elders of the Jewish community and told to stop preaching.  What we skip over in our reading is an interesting section. 

The Sanhedrin wants to put the apostles to death, but one of their members, a Pharisee called Gamaliel dissuades this action by reminding the group that there had been other ‘apparent prophets’ whose followers had dissipated after the prophet was put to death and he argues that either of two things will happen:  the apostles will disappear soon, since Jesus has been put to death, or Jesus was the real thing and they had better leave the apostles alone!! 

Then our reading today resumes just after the apostles are flogged instead of being put to death.

A few words about the Book of Revelations, since we will be reading from it for the next several Sundays.  The book was probably written about the year 95 to 100 CE, by John, though not the same John who wrote the Gospel.  It is addressed to the seven churches in Asia, namely the whole community at that time, and the churches are enduring harsh persecutions under the emperor Domitian.  The style is mainly apocalyptic, which is a highly stylized form of writing  which is not one we are accustomed to these days.

Third Sunday After Easter

My daughter Rosheen loves to read- it always amazed me how quickly she could get through a book.  A few years ago an old family friend was ill and Rosheen was visiting her and offered to read to her.  Later I remember her telling me how beautiful the language was in the book, something she had not appreciated until she had to read aloud.  Some books are so well written that the language is indeed a joy. 

Our gospel today is one of those books.  We cannot begin to appreciate how much thought has gone into each and every word in the gospel.  I am not sure how many of you said to yourselves as I was proclaiming today’s gospel and said the word “charcoal fire” now haven’t I heard that recently!!  In fact you did hear it on Good Friday when we proclaimed the “Passion”.  Let me remind you of the piece.   

“Now the slaves and guards were standing around a charcoal fire that they had made, because it was cold , and were warming themselves.  Peter was also standing there keeping warm.”   In today’s gospel we read that Jesus was preparing breakfast over a charcoal fire.  The two events are linked.  In the earlier event, Peter denies even knowing Jesus, three times.  In today’s gospel, Jesus helps Peter get past that denial.  “Peter, do you love me?” Three times Jesus asks Peter, sort of a parallel to the three times Peter had earlier denied Jesus.

This is another example of the point we discussed on Easter Sunday.  The fact that God always gives us second chances.  Think about what Peter had done.  Jesus had just been arrested, all of the disciples had scattered, Peter had not run away, but was in the courtyard where Jesus was being held.  Remember that earlier that evening Jesus had even foretold Peter that he was going to deny him three times. 

This denial was no spur of the moment thing.  He had been forewarned, and still he denies even knowing Jesus.  Pretty serious stuff – and still God gives Peter a chance to repent.  God wants Peter back and God wants each one of us back too.  Never let anything cause us to stay away, there is no sin too great.  Remember Peter.

Picture 1:  Mass Begins

Picture 2:  Altar Helpers

Picture 3:  Offertory

Picture 4:  John & Anthony

Readings:

Genesis  22, 1-18,  God put Abraham to the test.

Psalm 116,    I will walk before the Lord in the land of the living.

Romans, 8, 31-34,   If God is with us who can be against us?

 Mark 9, 2-10,   The Transfiguration.

Brandon, our official Cub Scout Greeter, says, "Hi, Everybody, Welcome in out of the cold & rain."

Genesis observations:

Today’s Selection: To figure out what is going on in Genesis this morning, I want to tell you a story, the story of Abraham and his wife, Sarah.

But first, a few brief reminders.  Genesis is the first book of the Bible, a fascinating look at our ancestors trying to answer the universal questions, like where did we come from and how did we get to be the way we are.  Last week we heard God tell Noah that floods would no longer kill everybody, and the signature of this agreement, the rainbow.

Cathy, too, says, "Welcome in, Everybody."

This morning we are watching Abraham, the great father of the Jewish nation.  Abraham is being asked by God to sacrifice his son.  To appreciate even more the power of this, a little story.  We are reading chapter 22.  Chapter 18 sets the stage for the story in chapter 22.

One day, Abraham was sitting in front of his tent at the hottest part of the day.  Suddenly he looked up and saw 3 men.  Without thinking, Abraham rushed to welcome them and offer them refreshment.  They accept and Abraham personally serves them his best food under a shade tree. 

They asked him where was his wife, Sarah.  Both Sarah and Abraham were old, like in their 100’s.  Abraham says Sarah was in the tent.  One of the men said that in 9 months they would return and Sarah would have a son. 

Sarah, who was listening behind the tent flap heard the man and laughed.  ‘What a preposterous idea,’ she thought.

Harper, like her grandmother, says, "Hi, Everybody."

God hears her and God asks Abraham why Sarah laughed.  “Do you think I cannot do this,” he asks Sarah.  Because she was scared she said to God, “I did not laugh.”  And God said, “Yes, you did.” 

Guess what happens 9 months later.

The reading today in chapter 22 assumes you know all this and that you know Sarah had her baby, which she named Isaac.  In the story today Isaac, the beloved son, is a boy of about 10-12.  See what God wants.  Remember that this is tribal oral tradition passed down for centuries, not history. 

Mark 0bservation:

The story in Mark today is the transfiguration.  I want to talk about transfiguration events in our lives.  For example, how about Fred's Memorial a couple of weeks ago?

Cole, a Transfiguration Event just as he is.

Transfiguration Events

Like I mentioned I would like to say a few words about our transfiguration events.  What makes an event a transfiguration event?  When something takes place and I come away with greater faith, greater hope, and greater love, greater faith in people, hope in people, and love for people, and, perhaps, all the above about myself. 

Three examples.

First, our dear friend Beth one day is heading to the Tom Landry Center to work out so she can beat me on a real bicycle.  She is late.  She gets out her iPhone to check the parking garage connected to the Landry Center.  It is full.  Curses.  She then checks the pay parking spots on the street.  She pulls in.  It takes quarters & she does not have enough.  More curses.

Cupcakes of The Week to Sandra and Randolph (for his wife, Michelle)

As she stands there looking in her pockets for quarters, a black guy, somewhat shabby looking, maybe homeless, comes up and all friendly says, “Hi, Looking for change?”  “He is looking for a handout,” thinks Beth immediately.  Remember Beth and Rob now live in the marvelous new melting pot of downtown Dallas. 

So, what does the guy say next?  “Would you like some quarters?  I have some extras.”  “Yes, I really would, thanks so much.”  And the guy pays for her parking. 

Transfiguration event?  I think so.  Even for me when she told me the story.   Greater faith in people, hope for people, and love for people.

Emma caring for her little friends.

The second story comes from the Thursday Dallas Morning News, Metro section.  Seems there is a guy named Ted Washington.  He came from Arkansas and spent 20 years in the Navy.   Since 2005, a good year for Rosemary and me, Ted became a mail man.  He loves it.  He says it is a job that is peaceful and gives him time to reflect on life.

This past week he has faced rain, sleet, and snow, and faced them with good humor.  He delivers the mail in the Lakewood section of Dallas, on the east side of White Rock Lake.  Is this Mary’s mailman?

Leo & Brandon solving world problems.

Ted says he will continue to deliver mail as long as he can, hoping to make the world a better place.  He also is a black man.  The article closes with him saying, “I am a simple man. I don’t have extravagant needs and wants.  When I am carrying mail, my goal is to just help people have a good day.”

Ted Washington, you are a transfiguration person for me.  Thanks.

Toy World with Buddy and Zoe, Emma and Victoria, and Cole with Beth looking on.

The third event was, hang on, the all day snowfall we had Friday.  It was beautiful.  I forgot how beautiful first snow can be.  Everything is clean and quiet.  Nobody was moving around our neighborhood.  Aviana loves it and goes hopping around like a white rabbit, sticking her nose and face into it and tossing her head. 

I hope none of you were caught in that 15 car pileup on 75 & Melissa or in the back up.  I was blessed because I could not go out and do any yard work or housework.  Instead I sat in front of our bay window with Rosemary and Aviana and watched our neighborhood turn magic. 

Leo in action.

Schools all let out at 1:00.  In Saturday’s paper there was a picture of kids and folks sliding down Flag Pole Hill.  For those of you who don’t know that hill it is on NWST Highway just where Buckner Blvd. begins and heads south toward the Casa Linda area.

When I was a kid our family used to have picnics on Flag Pole Hill, sometimes with just our family, often with other families.  I love the place and still see it when Rosemary & I ride our bikes around White Rock in milder weather. 

The snowfall was a transfiguration event for me.  The world was transformed and I had more faith in people, hope for people, and greater love. 

What is your latest Transfiguration event?

Helpers come enthusiastically to help dad with his job of accepting a Cupcake, Buddy and Zoe.

Readings: Acts 3, 13-19; Psalm 42, Lord, let your face shine on us; 1 John 2, 1-5; Luke 24, 35-48.

Acts: A review–

Author:  Luke, the author of both The Gospel and Acts.  Today we get Luke twice, in the first reading with Acts and in the last reading, today's Gospel. 

While we are on the subject, Luke's gospel story today is a compliment to last week's gospel story by John.  Both John & Luke find the apostles in a locked room, Jesus appears, and he says, "Peace."  Both focus on the physical, last week on Thomas demanding to see the wounds, this week Jesus eating.  What does he eat?   Why so much focus on the physical? 

Date:  written about 40-60 years after Jesus death, i.e., ca. 70-100 A.D.

Subject: Two points of organization.  One is that chapters 1-8 focus on the resurrection, ascension, and Pentecost, plus their effect on the community.  The rest of the book, i.e., chapters 9-28, Paul.  The other point of organization goes from Jerusalem, to Palestine, to the whole world with the news about Jesus.

Today's Selection:  The selection today is somewhat backwards compared with last week.  Last week, chapter 4; this week, chapter 3. 

The scene is this, just like last week when we read from chapter 4.   Peter & John have just healed a lame man at the door of the temple.  The people come rushing to see.  Peter & John say, "Hey, we did not do it."  In fact, Jesus did it and he has been raised from the dead.  This caught the attention of the priests and authorities who had the two arrested and put before the council.  They are released the next day after a warning not to talk about this Jesus.  Then they return to the local community of believers. 

Last week we tuned in at this point and the reading focused on how the community attempted to live a communal life, everyone sharing.  Today we go back to the time just after the healing of the lame man.  The people have rushed to see the phenomenon and ask Peter & John to explain.  Today's reading is their explanation.

Who Needs to be Richest or Prettiest?

After all the academic background & history on the readings today, I would like to propose we have a homily lite.

Consequently, I have five questions.  See if you can answer them.

Name 5 wealthiest families in Dallas.

Name 4 Miss Americas.

Name 3 Heisman Trophy winners.

Name 2 winners of, take your pick, best actor/actress, Dancing with the Stars, American Idol.

Name 1 recent MVP in either the NFL or NBA.

Anybody got 15 names?  I would suspect that most of you, like me, cannot name more than one or two people on this list, maybe none in some categories.  Folks, these people are not slugs.  They are probably the best in their fields.  But who knows, and who cares?  50 years from now who will remember these people?  Point: all this wealth, all this beauty, all this talent makes what kind of difference in your world? 

Now let me put five more question to you.  See if you can answer them.

Name your 5 best friends. 

Name 4 teachers who positively affected your life.

Name 3 who compliment you.

Name 2 models or mentors in your life.

Name 1 person whose courage you admire.

Got 15 people?  Difference?  What makes the difference?  The latter people make or have made your life, you richer?  So, what if you forget about being the richest, the prettiest, the best, and focus on making life richer for those around you and those following you?

How?  We planted trees for a couple of decades here.  Remember the Trinity River trash pick up organized by Kovatis?  Habitat.  Coaching, teaching.  Collin County Adult Clinic.

So, what are you doing?

AUDIO: http://mysite.verizon.net/reso7rjy/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderfiles/2009-04-26.mp3

Picture 1:  Mass with Kevin helping

Picture 2:  Birthday: John Simari, Denni Zurchin with Chloe, & Kevin

Picture 3:  Audry & Grandma Jo

Picture 4:  Alexandra with dad David