Readings:

Wisdom  12, 13, 16-19,   You judge with clemency.

Psalm 86,   Lord, you are good and forgiving.

Romans 8, 26-27,  The spirit comes to the aid of our weakness.

Matthew  13, 24-43,  A farmer sowed good seed in his field.

 

                                                                                                                                          

Our first reading (Wisdom 12) is from the Book of Wisdom, written about 100 years before Jesus. Though the author is unknown, he was a member of the Jewish community at Alexandria in Egypt and wrote in Greek. Solomon did not write this book as we used to think; the author sometimes speaks as Solomon, a common artifice authors used to emphasize the value of their writings.

The second reading (Romans 8) continues Paul’s letter to the Christian community in Rome. This community was predominantly Gentile, though there were Jewish Christians there too. In this letter Paul is making a point that Christians were free of the Jewish law of Moses. Paul’s view was that Jesus and faith in Jesus was the only source of salvation and he was beginning to push Christian communities away from Judaism and toward a faith more compatible with Greco-Roman thinking.

The Gospel reading continues in Matthew (Matt 13). Most scholars date this Gospel as around the year 70, probably after the destruction of Jerusalem.  It points to a growing rift between the followers of Jesus and official Judaism. It is clearly anti-Pharisee and anti-scribe.  It quotes the holy books of Judaism a lot more than the other Gospels to show their promises were fulfilled in Jesus and that he is the Messiah. Matthew also writes about how Jesus was not accepted by most Jews but accepted by many Gentiles. It is clear that Matthew depended on Mark, written several years before. Matthew contains 600 of Mark’s 661 verses.

                                                                                                          

 

Homily 

I want to focus today on Jesus’ teaching that God is now and was always with us, and how we can see God. There’s that Bible verse in today’s Responsorial Psalm 86 vs.5 that says “You, O Lord, are a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in kindness.” Stack has said it’s his favorite line in the Bible.  I decided to google this verse and found the same words in multiple places in the Bible.  Psalm 145: vs. 8-9 has exactly the same lines. And Psalm 103 vs. 8 has the same.  And it’s not just in the Psalms.  The Book of Exodus Ch. 34, verse 6 reads, “The Lord is a merciful and gracious God, slow to anger and rich in kindness.” The Book of Joel Ch. 2, verse 13 has exactly the same line. And the Book of Jonah Ch. 4, verse 2 has the same.

The take-away from those verses that describe God as “gracious and merciful, slow to anger and rich in kindness,” could be that whenever we see those traits and those behaviors, we are seeing God.  Jesus’ said the kingdom of God is here, and is experienced when we share mercy and kindness with one another.

On July 4^th I joined a group of family and friends for the Fair Park fireworks display. At the end of the evening Leo & Freddie, seeing fireworks for the first time, said, “This was the coolest ever.”

Later I remembered some of what I saw and experienced about being gracious and showing kindness.

1. I got to Fair Park early and walked around, then sat on a bench eating a corn dog slathered with mustard. I saw a woman walking with 2 children and an infant in a stroller. The little one dropped a stuffed toy to the ground. Another woman saw it and, noticing the mother hadn’t seen it happen, called out to her and pointed to it.  They made eye contact and I saw them connect with a smile as the mother picked up the toy. This was a brief but gracious human contact.
2. At one point after our group got together at the lagoon, my nephew Merik, offered to take Leo and Freddie on a walk around the lagoon. He entertained them for 30 or 40 minutes, and his act of kindness allowed the other adults time to visit.
3. Gina, a close friend of my daughters Joey and Sam, came with her husband and 2 daughters, who are a little older than my grandsons. Gina thought about the 4 kids who would be there and brought snacks for all of them and also light sticks to make necklaces or bracelets or, like Freddie, just to wave around. The kids loved it and I took note of her thoughtful kindness.
4. Most of the group had gotten snow cones while walking around. So I decided to get in line for a snow cone for myself (I was told that there were sugar free ones) and for Gina’s daughter who had missed out on one. It was a really long line of more than 30 people. After a while I struck up a conversation with a woman in line. Later another woman, also in line, joined in the conversation. At one point the latter woman, who was sort of ahead of me and the first women (line not straight but uneven), offered that we both go ahead of her. Of course by this point we had all been in line a long time and had tired feet. That was another act of kindness and mercy.

 My question: when have you seen God lately?  And when do others see God in you?

 

 

 

   

Sez our dear Harper "Welcome in, Everybody."

 

Isaiah, a review

Here is another of those passages which make me love Isaiah so much.  I have mentioned this before.  He is my favorite.  

Today we have Isaiah III talking to the Jews who have returned to Jerusalem from the Babylonian Captivity, about 555 years before Christ.  It helps to picture the mood of these people. 

 

 

Away we go!

 

Are you a Cowboy Fan?  How do you feel about this year?  Multiply this by 10 and you have how the Jewish people felt after 50 years of slavery and  their town destroyed like New Orleans or parts of Preston Hollow. 

When he says Jerusalem or Zion, he is talking to these beaten down people.  Later centuries church leaders began to make these words have two meanings, the city and we Christians.  Jerusalem, then, applies to us.

Sources: Good News Bible, The New Interpreter’s Bible

 

 

Takes Zoe to really light a candle.

 

 

Readings:

Isaiah 60, 1-6,  The glory of the Lord shines upon you. (nice)

Psalm 72,  Lord, every nation on earth will adore you.

Ephesians 3, 2-3, 5-6, God's grace was given to me.

Matthew 2, 1-12,  Where is the newborn king of the Jew?.

 

 

And to really get  it lit, it takes Victoria.

 

The Epiphany, a Cornucopia of Symbols:

2 observations–

Where to begin, folks.  There is so much symbolism in this liturgy, in Matthew, for sure, and in the combination of Matthew with Isaiah and Psalm 72.  Matthew carefully crafted this story to appeal to both his fellow Jews and the Gentile population.   I'll touch 2 points, each with 3 subdivisions..         

 

 

And to really get it all right, it takes Buddy to read the Blessing of the Candles.

 

 

The Wise Men have a double & triple significance because they are

1. Gentiles
2. They come from the east, considered the source of wisdom in the world of that time.  Where does the sun rise?  Where do stars rise?  A new son has been born and like the sun in the east or a star he will bring new light. 
3. They are searchers & symbolize every man’s search for meaning in life.    Remember Matthew speaks to two audiences, his fellow Israelites, whom he is chastising for not searching, and the Gentiles. 

 

 

And then backing it all up is Leo singing.

 

2. The 3 gifts. 
3. Gold is given because it signifies royalty. 
4. Frankincense, or incense, signifies divinity. 
5. Myrra signifies medicine.  Myrra is for the human.  It comes from a bush like tree that has a yellow, sticky sap on its bark.  The sap was good for skin infections and acne, asthma, colds, and flu, and even herpes.  It is found in Saudi Arabia & Somalia.

 

 

Bringing the gifts Bernadette, her daughter Michelle, and Grace.

 

 A post script.  People in Europe used to write an inscription over their doors, e.g. 20+C+M+B+17.  The numbers are our year.  The letters are Caspar, Melchior, and Balthazar, supposedly the kings' names.   Christians made it say, “Christ & you 3 kings bless our house or Maison the year listed."

 

 

And trouble with Richard, Cody, & Ben.

 

 

 Another post script.  In New Orleans Epiphany starts Carnival season, which leads up to Mardi Gras, Fat Tuesday before Ash Wednesday.  The parades start, folks.  Laissez Les Bons Temps Rouler.

 Sources: Reginal Fuller, St. Louis U. Liturgy; Biblical & Theological Resources, the Voice Institute, on line; Wikipedia; and other sources.

 

 

The communion team with Patricia, Claire, Geri, Grace, & Denni.   Thanks, You All.

 

An Epiphany Story

Rosemary & I once went to the exposition of some paintings of about six or eight artists. Among the artists and the reason we were there was my childhood buddy, Ed Lamberty, who gave the homily here on alcoholism & AA some years ago.  He was presenting some of his works.

 As we were wandering around we ran into another couple who are old friends.  We ask what brought them to this exposition.  They pointed across the room to a middle aged, middle class, blondish woman who was standing by some of her works.

 

 

Hi, Marlene, Mabel, & Cindy.  So good to see you.

 

 Here is the story the wife told me.

The couple we know are both academics on the university level.  Some years ago the wife had been teaching and came to know one of her students.  The student was a mother with a son about 8 years old.  At some point in time the father had abandoned them and left them with nothing.  They were living in the mother’s car.

 

 

Thanks, Rick, for all the good pictures.

 

My friend says to me that this so shocked her and she thought this cannot continue.  An Epiphany moment.  She described the situation to her husband and two sons who were about 10 & 12.  Guess what they did.

They invited the mother & son to live with them until they got on their feet.  The two sons moved into one bedroom and the mother & her son took the other.  Here they lived for almost a year until the husband found the woman a job. 

 

 

Peace, Everybody.

 

The woman now is successful and is developing as an artist, selling her works for big sums.  The son graduated from Jesuit, graduated from college, and now is married with a couple of his own kids. 

 Obvious from the fact that they were at the art exposition, my friends are still quite close with the mother & her son. 

 

Peace for 2020.

 

I would propose that this is what epiphany is, a light shines on a presence.  The presence is a challenge and, perhaps, involves care for others.   The presence may be the example of another person.

 Who is an epiphany for you?

 For whom are you an epiphany?

 

 

Christmas Eve Readings: Isaiah 9, 1-6; Psalm 96, Today is born our Savior, Christ the Lord; Titus 2, 11-14; Luke 2, 1-14

A Review of Isaiah:

 Author: there are 3 writers of this work of 66 chapters.  Our writer today is Isaiah I.

 

Date of Writing & of Composing: the work was put together probably after the Babylonian Captivity around 550, a time when the Babylonians with King Nebuchadnezzar defeated the two tribes of the southern kingdom of Judah, where Jerusalem is.

Isaiah I wrote much earlier, like around 700, before the Syrians annihilated the northern kingdom and led the 10 lost tribes off into captivity where they vanished in the DNA of the middle east with intermarriage.  He was warning them their evil ways were going to bring Yahweh's wrath down upon them.

Our Selection: a prediction of an optimistic & hopeful future when the people will be freed from walking in darkness and gloom because a child will be born who is a God-Hero and The Prince of Peace.

 

Where is He?  Who is He?

Rosemary & I have a love of riding our bikes.  In particular, we love to ride around White Rock Lake, which is about 10 miles around.  We can access it close to our house where the White Rock Trail runs north crossing Royal Lane near Central and heading up past Medical City to Valley View.

One sunny day we were riding as usual.  Most likely Bernadette & Gilberto and maybe Chris Phipps were with us.  We all go at different speeds and we meet half way at a boat house on the south end of the lake near Garland Road. 

 

On this particular day, I had arrived at the boat house and was waiting as people came in.  No sign of Rosemary.  I was beginning to get concerned when I see her approaching.

She is fine, but says she was delayed because her chain fell off and she did not know how to replace it.  So she started walking.  As she walked numerous people passed her both riding bikes and walking or running. 

Suddenly out of the stream of people a guy asks her if she needs help.  When she tells him her problem, he says, "No problem."  He can fix it, which he did. 

She got back on her bike and continued on to the boat house.

 

We are in the process this Christmas season of looking around and searching, searching for this God- Hero, this Prince of Peace.  Where is he?  What does he look like? 

I would propose that the man who helped Rosemary is that person.  That is what he looks like.  That is what he does. 

There is another example of this person's presence in the story by our friend Steve Blow in this morning's Dallas Morning News.  A repo man was so touched by the plight of a woman whose car he was repossessing that he got his buddies together & they bought her another car.. A good story.  Read it.

 

I was so impressed with what the man did for Rosemary that it has made a small but significant difference in my own life.  I have resolved to ask people if they need help when they are broken down, especially on my bike, when I can get hooked often into an obsession with maintaining my average speed or whatever. 

This evening as we look around, this room is full of people who are like our God.  This is what he looks like, like the man who helped Rosemary.

 

Who is the Prince of Peace in your life?

How are you a Prince of Peace to others? 

Picture 1:   Charlie lighting the Advent & Christmas candles   

Picture 2:    4 of the 5 Bambini, Sienna with her dad, Payton; Leo with his mom, Shonda; Buddy & Torri with their mom, Michelle; Beth 

Picture 3:     All but Emma on the right

Picture 4:     Angels

Picture 5:     Joseph, Dillon, & Shepherd, Hunter

Picture 6:     Angels, Chloe, & Shepherd with Mary, Georgie, & Joseph, Dillon

Readings: Isaiah 49, 3-6; Psalm 40, Here am I, Lord, I come to do your will; 1 Corinthians 1, 1- 3; John 1, 29-34

 

The Baptism of the Lord – Introduction to the Readings

 Our second reading from Acts of the Apostles deals with what I will call a tipping point of major proportions, namely the account of how St. Peter understood that the Good News was not just for the Jews but also for all peoples.  We have just a short section of the whole story; it is about the baptism of Cornelius and his family.   It is also the last sermon which we have from St. Peter. 

 Prior to the section we read today there were two visions, Peter had a vision of all kinds of animals being lowered from the heavens and heard a voice telling him to eat, but he protested that the animals were unclean, only to hear God say that what He has made clean you have no right to call unclean. 

 
 

 Cornelius also had a vision, which told him to send some men to get Peter in a neighboring town.  This double vision is what it took to convince Peter that it was okay to baptize gentiles without having them circumcised first!!  This was a major change for the early community.

 The other great tipping point is in the gospel, which gives us the account of the start of Jesus’ public ministry.  This is one of those rare accounts, which all four of the gospel writers agree on, and marks the transition from Jesus’ private life to his public life.

 

By the way, our first reading is from a book we have been reading from for several weeks now, namely Isaiah.  As John has pointed out, there are different writers of this work.  Last week we heard from Isaiah 3 and earlier we had Isaiah 1.  Today our reading is from Isaiah 2, who introduces us to the Suffering Servant. 

Why didn’t the later two writers use their own names?  For the same reason that you will see books with James Patterson’s name boldly on the cover, but if you look closely you will see that there is also another name below his.  The well-known name adds authority to the unknown author; true today and true over 2,500 years ago!

 

 

The Baptism of the Lord – Homily

 If we look for signs of confirmation in the New Testament they are all over the place, in fact they are clearly mentioned in two of today’s readings.  We are told that we receive the Holy Spirit in Confirmation and that is what happens in Acts to Cornelius and his family as they are baptized and in Matthew’s Gospel to Jesus as He is baptized.  The Holy Spirit is very much part of baptism; while pouring the water the words said are “I baptize you in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit”.

 So how is it that we now have two separate sacraments?  I was baptized when I was four days old and confirmed when I was ten years old.  In the early church there was only the sacrament of baptism. 

 
 

But as the community grew and as the numbers who were joining grew – particularly after Constantine declared Christianity the official religion of the Empire, the bishops could not attend to all baptisms, both because of the large numbers joining and because their diocese were quite large. 

 In the Eastern Church, centered in Constantinople, the problem was solved by having the priest both baptize the candidate and confirm that action with the laying on of hands. 

In the Western Church, centered in Rome, the bishops decided to keep the conferring to themselves, and so the practice grew that way of separating the sacrament of joining or initiation into two events.  What also helped speed up this process was St. Augustine’s position that baptism was needed to overcome the effects of Original Sin, if one wanted to enter into heaven.  Let’s not wait for the bishop to make his rounds for baptism!

 

 It is clear just from our readings today that the Holy Spirit is received at baptism.  What I would like us to focus on is this.  We are told that we receive the Holy Spirit at Confirmation- we become soldiers for Christ.  What does this mean to you and me here today?  I find some clues in today’s readings.  It was only after he was baptized and received the Holy Spirit that Jesus comes out from obscurity and begins his Father’s work. 

 It was only when the Spirit came upon both Peter and Cornelius, in our second reading, that there was a major change in the requirement for the membership of the early community.  One no longer needed to be circumcised, or no longer needed to be Jewish.  Membership was now open to the gentile world.  The Spirit was responsible; it gave these people the courage to step beyond themselves.

 At the beginning of mass today I quoted from Pope Benedict about the importance of quietness and reflection in our lives.  It is only if we have this quietness that we can begin to hear the promptings of the Holy Spirit which can call us to new actions.  I really believe that it was the Spirit that led me to this community and the courage to reactivate my priesthood after 33 years of silence.  What is the Holy Spirit saying to you?

  

Picture 1:    Tony celebrating

Picture 2:    The Music Machine, Wendy & Shonda & Ray

Picture 3:    Sacrament of the sick

Picture 4:    Offertory with Mary Ellen & Loretta & Ray

Picture 5:    The Kites, Bernadette, Rich, & Fred

 

 

Welcome into our community, Tom & Susan.  Poor Tom was a student at Jesuit when that Stack was supposed to be one of the teaching staff.

 

 

Readings:

Wisdom 9, 13-18,  Thus were the paths of those on earth made straight

Psalm 90,  In every age, O Lord, you have been our refuge

Philemon  9, 10. 12-17,   Welcome him as you would me.

Luke 14, 25-33,    …hating his father & mother, wife & children

 

 

Pagosa Bill just returned from the wild lands of Colorado. 

 

 

Homily by Stack     

I would like to talk about the line from Wisdom that struck me, It’s’ hard to make sense of what is going on in the world & harder still to understand what happening right under our noses. 

My problem is that I do understand.  Consequently, I can get down and I tell Rosemary, ”Let’s don’t talk about that stuff.”  Now, seeing that Rosemary & I will be out of the country the next  two weeks of September, I want to focus on activities and events that console me, challenge me, and make me proud to be an American.  I got five quickies.

 

 

 

Our candle lighting team of the week, Zoe, Tori, and their friend Zoe.

 

 

First, anybody know where the Dallas Baptist Men are this morning?  Try Florida and N. Carolina, according to the announcement I heard while Dorian was still in the Bahamas.  So, before hitting the U.S. they already had packed up their pick ups, their shower 18 wheeler, their mobile kitchen, and tons of food.

I worked along side these guys in Galveston and, in fact, shared a  large rectangular dormitory with about 25 guys, one of which snored like a chain saw.

 

 

 

Rosemary sez to Cindy, "Now while I am gone you have this short list of 16 things to do for the community."

 

 

The group I was with in Galveston was, as you can guess, Bona Responds, the group of St. Bonaventure students with their incredible professor, Jim Mahar, plus his henchman, our own Pagosa Bill Hammond.  Guess from whom I got a message about taking a group to the Bahamas.

Closer at hand, how about Meals on Wheels?  I am so proud of Rosemary and Barbara, her buddy, when they head out together to bring food to about 12-18 people.  You might think this is a local endeavor only.  Come with us on Thanksgiving Day or Christmas Day when a mob of regular volunteers pick up their food at the central headquarters near Love Field.

 

 

 

The BEST, John & Connie who can now see the world, thanks to the cataract removals.

 

 

On 60 Minutes a week or so I heard about a wealthy alumnus of NYU (Rosemary's Alma Mater) who gathered & donated enough money to set up a trust to enable all students in the medical school study loan free.  I was in tears when it showed the assembled students getting the notice.

Finally, a favorite of our community, the Love for Kids picnic in the Fall and the one in the Spring.  We ride in under the flag of Bona Responds and Pagosa Bill suits us all up in special T shirts.  Who ever came up with this plan?  It is fabulous and most touching.

 

 

Come on, Ben, I'm jealous & want a Zeke Elliott do like you got.

 

 

These are five reasons I am honored and proud to be here in Plano with you people, to be in Texas, and to be in the U.S.

Your five reasons?

 

 

Want to see the man who has no stage fright?  You are looking at him, Leo.

Guess who is saying, "Welcome in, Everybody."  Would you believe, Zoe & Tori & Harper.

 

Readings:

Deuteronomy   8, 2-3, 14-16,  Do not forget the Lord, who brought you out of the land of Egypt.

 Psalm 147,   Praise the Lord, Jerusalem.  

1 Corinthians 10, 16-17, We, though many, are one body.

John 6, 51-58,   Eucharist 

 

Likewise, Kevin is ready and says, "Come in, Folks."

 

Father’s Day History:

 Four steps:

1. The Civil War started thinking about a Mother’s Day.  Anna Jarvis pushed it ca. 1907 and it was made official in 1914 by President Woodrow Wilson.
2. Monongah, WV mining disaster, 210 fathers killed, Dec. 6, 1907 (just before Christmas & after the Mother’s Day activity).  Fairmont, WV.   Grace Golden Clayton pushed the idea. 
3. Spokane, WA, Sonora Dodd & influence of Mother’s Day.  Dodd’s dad had fought in the Civil War and all by himself raised Sonora & her 5 siblings.   
4. Pres. LBJ made it special, 1966.  Pres. Nixon made it a national holiday, 1972.

 

 

Even Buddy, roped up and ready to go says, "Hi, Everybody."
 

 

Father’s Day

This morning I would like to talk about Father’s Day, especially from the perspective of one of those special events that happens every now and then.  One of those events took place last night.

What happened was that a class I had been a part of at Jesuit as a teacher had a 50^th class reunion at one of the guy’s houses.  About 4 other teachers were invited, one of which was a Jesuit friend who likewise had departed and married 37 years ago, as he told Rosemary &  me.

 

 

Hi, Cody, Hi, Ben.  Great to see you, as always.

 

I loved these guys and I was doubly touched because one of the guys that organized the reunion and who personally invited me was a guy named Frank Hart.  I have been like part of his family since I was in 7^th & 8^th grade at Christ the King. 

I have mentioned often enough how Frank Sr. was such a positive influence in my last two years at Christ the King, like ’52, ’53, & ’54.  He was not just a coach, teacher, and Scout Master.  He was  a second father. 

 

 

 

Here they are, Everybody, Ben's beautiful family, Jack, Sophia, and Camille.

 

Frank is still alive and Friday afternoons I visit him at a convalescent home where he is just waiting to move to the other side.  He sleeps mostly and does not even know me. 

Some of you may remember when we planted trees on Marsh Lane from Northwest Hwy. to LBJ, Frank Sr. had a restaurant and invited the whole team to eat at his place after the planting, free. 

 

 

 

Would you buy a used car from either of these two characters, Sir Charlie & Gilberto?   Like, how about an Edsel?  Mint condition?

 

Some of you also may remember when we finished tree planting on numerous other streets the next few years, the picnic was always catered by a restaurant called Back Country Bar-B-Que.  That was Frank, Jr. the son and the former student who invited me & Rosemary to the reunion.  20 years ago or more I performed the marriage between Frank and his wife, Martha. 

Just to show those kids I am still an idiot, I had to borrow 5 bucks from Frank to pay the valet parking.  We were at the home of Mike McKool, 5 minutes from our house, and neither Rosemary nor I took any money. 

 

 

Shonda & Ben bringing The Magic.

 

Rosemary & I heard lots of personal stories.  One kid’s experiences in Viet Nam really touched me. 

I am not a real father.  But I have had the privilege of being nurtured by some good fathers and have tried to nurture some other young guys.  Last night some of those once young boys really touched me.

How have you been nurtured by the father figures in your life?

And how have you passed on the nurturing?

 

 

 

Says Sandra, "Happy Father's Day all you guys."