Sunday Homily, November 16, 2014, 33rd Ordinary Time & Last of the Year

Readings: Exodus 17, 8-13; Psalm 121; 2 Timothy 3, 14-4, 2; Luke 18, 1-8

Exodus: to understand this book it helps to review what came before in Genesis.  Namely, creation, Cain & Abel, the flood, the tower of Babylon, and then the patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac, & Jacob.  Remember that Jacob had 12 sons, the last of which, Joseph, was sold by his brothers to a camel caravan which got him to Egypt. 

Joseph thrived in Egypt, becoming the favorite of Pharaoh, while drought & famine afflicted the land of Joseph’s brothers & his father, Jacob.  At one point Jacob sends his sons to Pharaoh to get food & help.  That is how eventually the Israelites ended up in Egypt, to live. 

Exodus is the story of their escape from Egypt, Moses, his birth and call, and how he gets the people away from Pharaoh.

In our selection the people are in the desert fighting for their lives.  Three characters make up the story, Moses, Joshua, the leader of the Israelite army, and Amalek, the leader of the army attacking the people. Moses is blessing his people by holding his staff over the army as a blessing, like praying for success.  See what happens.  This sets up the Luke story about the widow petitioning the judge for a victory.

What We Ask For

A few years ago I had three elderly people from the subdivision of Northwood Hills contact me about planting trees in their neighborhood.  Two were a couple and there was a third guy, all probably about my age right now.  I really did not want to do this project because they were north of LBJ and I thought it was too far to drag the water trailer full of water from Jesuit, where I was living then.

So I put them off.  Maybe even for a year.  Eventually, however, because of their persistence I went to see their project, which consisted of Fretz Park, Hillcrest from LBJ to Beltline, Beltline from Preston to Coit, and a neighborhood elementary school, about 350 plus trees.

Despite not being eager to tackle the distance, two things pulled down my resistance.  First, they were willing to kick in a good portion of the cost of the trees.  Secondly, they were so gracious and eager to improve their own neighborhood.  I could not tell them no after all they were willing to put out, and all their pleading. 

You know the rest.  We planted one of our bigger projects and the trees are thriving.  In fact, I did not even water that project once this summer.  You may not know it, but they gave me a recognition of gratitude at one of their large community meetings.

When I hear Luke’s story about the widow & the judge I always think about Northwood Hills.  With gratitude. 

With confusion also, because I have difficulty with the main point of the story.  Namely, that God will answer persistent prayer, without even being slow about it, as Luke says.  Do you believe that God answers our prayers, and even more swiftly if we are persistent as the widow?  My mom thought that a nine day novena with special prayers got her every request, though my memory tells me otherwise.

I need to make a distinction and an observation to make sense of this for me.  I have talked about it before, so I remind you.  The distinction is between a macro-managing God and a micro-managing God.

The macro-managing God I can handle.  This god is behind the big stuff, the sky, creation, the stars, life, the balance of the universe.  I see this god as like a person bowling.  He gets the ball going and it travels on its own.

The micro-managing god, however, is in the small stuff, responsible for my sickness, for instance.  He makes good things happen & bad things.  He can change each.  If I pester this god enough he will find my lost wedding ring or car keys.  He will cure the sick, make me rich, fix the lottery so I win it, and so forth.  This god I don’t see in my experience.

Then why do I pray for people?  Like at our prayers of the faithful.  This is the observation. I pray first because I think, I hope, our God hears and is personal.  Secondly, I pray because I imagine that my spirit sends forth some kind of emotional energy to that God that says, "Please take special care of this person I love."  When we do this as a group, the emotional energy has a little more punch. 

A by product of praying for others is it sensitizes me to the suffering & difficulty other people are experiencing.

So where does this leave us?  Don’t pray for people?  Don’t pray persistently like the little widow or the people from Northwood Hills?  No. It may mean I lower my expectations. Maybe it helps to make the distinction about the macro vs micro-managing god.  I still remember people in prayer. 

Ultimately, what is your belief about praying for special intentions?

AUDIO: http://mysite.verizon.net/reso7rjy/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderfiles/2007-10-21.mp3

"Welcome in" says Georgie.

Readings:  

 Deuteronomy 6, 2-6,  You shall love your God.

 Psalm 18,  I love you Lord, my strength

 Hebrews 7, 23-28,  The law appoints men subject to weakness to be priests.

 Mark 12, 28-34,   Which is the first of all the commandments?

Jan our special hostess at her welcome to communion table.

Deuteronomy observations:

1.  The work is the last of the 5 books of the Pentateuch, following Genesis,  Exodus, Leviticus, & Numbers.

2.  The work is organized as a series of addresses given by Moses to the people of Israel in the land of Moab, where they had stopped at the end of the long wilderness journey and were about to enter and occupy the land of the Canaanites.

3.  The theme of the book is that God has saved and blessed his chosen people, whom he loves.  They are to remember this, and love and obey him.

4. Joshua is commissioned as the next leader of the people, i.e., God's (Yahweh's) people 

Buddy reads our Blessing of The Candles.

Pittsburgh

Jerry Rabinowitz, 66, worked as a primary care physician, was deeply active with HIV victims especially when it started, infamous for his bow ties.

Cecil Rosenthal, 59, and his brother David, 54.  Cecil was outgoing & gregarious while David was more self contained.

Richard Gottfried, 65 neighborhood dentist, married with a Catholic wife.

While her brother reads The Blessing, Zoe lights our candles.

Irving Youger, 69, when you walked into the synagogue, Irving was the first person who would welcome you and help you find your seat.  He had been a little league coach and a real estate agent.

Daniel Stein, 71, and retired.

Joyce Fienberg, 75, a research specialist at the U. of Pittsburgh, petite with huge personality.

The Offertory Team, Marlene, Bill, & Cindy, all Ekes family.

Bernice Simon, 84, and her husband Sylvan, 86, considered the sweetest couple who, 62 years ago, wedded in this same synagogue.

Melvin Wax, 88, full of jokes, a passionate Pittsburgh Pirates fan, was always in a good mood.

Sez Leo, "Welcome in, Folks."

Rose Mallinger, 97, spry, vibrant, full of life, sharpest wit, with her family being everything in her life.

Judah Samet, 80, Hungarian, was in the parking lot, saw the shooter.  He survived the Nazi holocaust as a child of 6.

 Even with the massacre of Pittsburgh, we will give thanks this month.

Says Our Dear Emma, "Hi, Everybody, Welcome."

Readings:

Isaiah 56, 6-9,  Seek the Lord while he may be found. (Isaiah 2)

Psalm 145,   The Lord is near to all who call upon him

Phlippians 1, 20-24 &27,  Conduct yourself in a way worthy of the gospel.

Matthew 20, 1-16,  The vineyard owner and how he compensated his laborers, The last shall be first; the first last. 

And likewise from our dear Sophia, "Come in, Folks, it is fun here."

Isaiah 55  observations—

Who:  My favorite prophet.  In fact , Isaiah 2 is my favorite of the 3 composers of the Book of Isaiah, and our selection today is the very last chapter of Isaiah 2.

When: remember these 3 writers wrote more or less before, during, and after the Great Babylonian Captivity, ca. 555 before Christ.  So, we can guess that today’s selection from Isaiah 2 comes from the time during the Captivity.

What:  Isaiah 2 has some of the best and most beautifully consoling passages. Check out The Messiah. Unfortunately, our little selection today talks about scoundrels and the wicked, in other words, about us.   Maybe these people are mentioned in connection with the people who grumble in the Gospel today.  See what you think.  

And not to be outdone by her daughter and Sophia, our dear Beth says, "Better hurry up and get a seat before these two girls take over."

That is not Fair!

This morning, Folks, I would like to talk about these workers hired by the vineyard owner.  We hear how the workers who worked all day got the same wages as those who worked one hour and we want to yell, “Hey!  That is not fair!” 

Want to know what this parable is basically saying?  Two things.  First, it is all Gift.  Everything is Gift.  Secondly, negative comparison is poison.  “How come he got this and I did not?”  “How come I got sick and he did not?”  Our lives are all Gift.  Comparing myself with others poisons my spirit.

The Best Music, plus with good news.

A story about one of my best long time friends to illustrate. 

I think I asked this last week.  Anybody remember Myron & Chris Hubble from St. Mark’s? 

I first met Myron around 1995.  In those days I had a men’s group.  We met probably every other Wednesday or Thursday evening for an hour or two.  The question: what has been your blessing or gift since our last meeting?  Or whatever a person wanted to talk about. 

Sez Buddy, "Okay, let's get to the fun part (cupcakes)."

We had maybe 20 guys plus or minus.  Everybody sat on the carpeted floor of my little office in the Jesuit residence at Jesuit.   Myron was one of the first members.

I remember Myron as a really nice looking guy, soft spoken, very emphatic and  tuned into everyone who spoke.  He had a beautiful wife in Chris and two beautiful kids, Jon and Emily.  I did Emily’s wedding some years back, to a marvelous boy, who is Jewish. 

The family had a nice home in Plano and Myron had worked at TI.  He was probably in his 40’s.  He was retired. 

Our Candle Lighter of The Week in action.

Want to know why he was retired?  He had hepatitis C.

Want to know where he got it?  Maybe connected with Viet Nam.  Myron had been a medic during Viet Nam.  He worked with the wounded coming back when they arrived in Tacoma.  Want to know what it was like in Viet Nam?  Check out Ken Burns’ epic now half way through the two week event.  Tonight features the Tet Offensive of 1969 more or less.  Burns’ project is mind numbing & shocking. 

Let me tell you, Myron’s hepatitis ruined his beautiful life.  Not only could he not work.  But every morning he would painfully roll out of bed and throw up.  This went on for years.

Welcome in, Jim Shropshire.  You got a lot of courage to come visit your old teacher from Jesuit.  And this guy used to be a great athlete, a football player.

Recently Myron fell down on the front stairs of his house and broke numerous bones.  He went to the hospital where the bones cannot be dealt with because of the hepatitis.  He asked for me.  Chris called me and I went right away.  Myron tells me his liver is gone and his kidneys are going fast.  He will follow. 

Why not me instead of Myron?  I could have ended up in Viet Nam, if not for being in the Jesuits.  I’ll say it again.  It is all gift.  Gratitude is the response.

What are you grateful for?

Hey, Mike, this cupcake is guaranteed to help you heal your knee, your foot, your elbow, and all the other places you are falling apart.  Enjoy!

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

Readings:

Isaiah 40, 1-5, 9-11,  Comfort, give comfort to my people (excellent, see Handel’s Messiah)

 Psalm 85,    Lord, Let us see your kindness, and grant us your salvation.

2 Peter 3, 8-14,  With the Lord one day is like a thousand years and a thousand years like one day.

Mark 1, 1-8,   The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Check the Video for a recording of the first part of Isaiah 40, The Messiah.

Zoe, the Beautiful Candle Lighter.

 The homily this morning was presented by Meg Hinkley, who shared her story about a time when she was 18 and preparing for college.  She works for the Dallas Rape Crisis Center and shares a beautiful story of spiritual recovery. 

Meg Hinkley of Dallas Rape Crisis Center shares her moving history.

Buddies, Georgie with her friend, Megan.

Readings: Deuteronomy 8, 2-16; Psalm 147; 1 Corinthians 10, 16-17; John 6, 51-58.

Deuteronomy: The fifth & last book of the Torah.  The scene: Moses & the Hebrews are in the desert just outside the promised land, the land of the Canaanites, whom they are going to kick out and kill.  Moses is reviewing their journey from Egypt.

The belief that Yahweh punishes and corrects us is not so common today as Moses suggests to the people.  We will read the whole section to get the sense more clearly.

The Banquet

A while back somebody asked me what was the best meal we had in Italy.  It took me a nano second to remember.  It took place the afternoon we arrived in Venice. 

We had just gotten off the train from spending two days with Chebino & Lydia in Pordenone & Aviano.  In fact, if I had eaten the two evenings with Michael I might have considered these meals some of the best, because when Michael walks into these 2 favorite places, the owner comes out and everyone greets him.  He gets all this affection because he is so friendly & outgoing. 

Consequently, everything was cordial & delightful & we received the best of everything.  My only problem was that I don't eat after about 4:00, to eliminate acid reflux without having to take pills.  So I just enjoyed the event and a glass of red wine.

In Venice, however, it was early afternoon when we walked out of the train station and onto the famous Grand Canal, leaving one world and entering one of my most favorite dream worlds.  We descended the broad stairs, turned left at the canal, and walked up one of the main pedestrian walkways of the Cannaregio suburb.  At a small fork in the walkway we went left, crossed a couple of small canals on up & down bridges, took a right across the last canal, and arrived at our convent. 

After we had been received with all sorts of hospitality and settled, I asked the portress Magda to recommend a good, reasonable cafe.  "Turn right out the door," she says, "cross the bridge to the left, and at the next canal go right and look for the tables on the edge of the canal.  The place is called Ristorante Diana on Fontamenta della Misericordia.  Ask for Omer."

When we get there, the guy is all friendly and we take a window seat inside because the sun is on the fondamenta tables.  I tell him we come with Magda's recommendation.  "What is good today?"  He recommends this and that, and we begin with a seafood salad, pasta, have two varieties of fish he said were caught that day, some dessert, and finish off with Samabuca, my first ever, and some small glasses of lemon liquor. 

Folks, we must have been there three hours, a bit beyond my usual finishing hour even though we had begun about 3:00.  It was the best.  Until I asked for the check.  I had never asked Omer just how much each course was costing, trusting in Magda and in Omer.  We paid over $75 per person for that meal, probably the most expensive I've ever had in my whole life.

I talk about this today for three reasons:

• It is Memorial Day & time for picnics, special meals, & banquets.
• We are celebrating the Eucharist today.
• The Eucharist is basically a banquet and cannot be appreciated for what it really is unless we throw a banquet occasionally.

I think a banquet involves three elements for it to come off, place, intention, & time.

• The place can be almost anywhere as long as it has some special quality, grandmother's dining room, a campfire in Yosemite, a Fondamenta della Misericordia in Venice, a Saturday afternoon on a patio, or a Sunday evening around a swimming pool. Even an El Fenix or a Chili's
• When I say intention, I mean somebody has to set it up, say, "Welcome, let's do it." Set a date, a place, and a time. Chebino sees his fly buddy and family in a restaurant and invites them all for dinner the next night.
• Time is probably the most important. It cannot take place in less than an hour, I would suggest. Two or three would be better & best. Trouble with some restaurants like Chili's is you get a bill dumped on your table just as you take the last few bites of the main course. In Italy you may sit there the whole afternoon and they still won't bring a bill until you ask for it. Taking time at the banquet is the exact opposite of fast food or eating while driving.

Never enjoy a long meal and you are missing one of the joys of life, and the Eucharist certainly can't be appreciated.

If we did not have a Eucharist ritual, I think I would invent one.  The Eucharist attempts to take a banquet or special meal and put it into a context where we place ourselves into contact with the God of the Universe.  It is based on knowing how to banquet.

When was your last special meal?  Your next?

AUDIO: http://mysite.verizon.net/reso7rjy/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderfiles/2008-05-25.mp3

Greetings from Yosemite, Hoover Wilderness, and Matterhorn Canyon.   Departure Moment.   All say "Hi" and "Welcome," Beth, Andy, Rose, Tom, an Old Geezer, Paul & Carrie, Matt & Ray, son & dad.

Readings:

Sirach,   27, 30-28, 7    Wrath & anger are hateful things

Psalm 103,   The Lord is gracious and merciful, never gets angry, and is abounding in love. (that marvelous line again!)

Romans 14, 7-9,  None of us lives for oneself.

Matthew 18, 21-35,  The gracious king and the abusive servant.

Tori says, "Welcome Home, all you Campers."

Observations on Sirach

What: a collection of wisdom statements or ethics, like 'do unto others as you would have them do unto you.'   Lengthy, 51 chapters.

Who:  composed by a Jewish scribe in Hebrew and translated into Greek by his grandson, probably in Alexandria, Egypt.

When:  ca. 200 yours before Christ.

Subject today: Beware of hatred & Anger.

Harper says, "May I go the next time you go camping?"

Cura Personalis or caring for another

I would like to talk this morning about an old ethical concept we were trained up on as Jesuits, cura personalis, in Latin, which means taking care of the other in my life. 

For years I have been trying to take care of my fellow campers on our voyages to Yosemite and elsewhere.  This past trip my fellow campers took care of me.

Trey & Brady, our Candle Lighters of The Week.

For example, we had a new guy this year, Matt Occhipinti.  Yes, Ray & Claire’s son.  For me he was a wild card, an unknown, consequently, scary.  Like can he do the hike or will he melt down.  And then what?

Well, not only did Matt not melt down he was a great camper, hiker, and especially a helper around the camp sites.  Like I saw him frequently hauling water up from the river or lake to fill our water purification bladder.  I thank him.

So what do you do when you finally arrive at the 11k plus Burrow Pass to find that the trail going steeply down the other side is covered by a huge mass of left over snow?   Yes, Harper, you slide.

I also thank Ray, not only for bringing Matt, but also for being our evening dinner cook and our morning hot water maker.   It is so nice to crawl out of my sleeping bag in 38 degree temp to find hot water prepared for coffee or oat meal.  Thanks again, Ray.

Cura personalis also came from Paul & Carrie, not only for each other, but even for me!  They watched my back and helped me up some big boulder steps. They saved me a tent site and helped me set up my tent one evening when I arrived pretty exhausted. I watched them, too, folks, and can let you know, as I told them, their relationship is made in heaven and they have many happy days ahead of them because they care for each other so well, especially by listening to each other.  Thanks, Paul & Carrie.

Buddy & Georgie, would you like to go for a slide on the snow?

Then I was so touched by two monster helpers, our Tom Fleming and Andy Sokoloski.  One day, believe it or not, Beth, Rose, and myself took a spur trail and got lost for about an hour.  We have walkie talkies and radioed ahead.  Next thing, Tom and Andy come striding to our rescue.  Tom even takes my back pack until we catch the others who were waiting for us.  Thanks, Tom.

Andy also saved me numerous times with his stream crossing sandals.   The past years the streams have always been low.  So I don’t bring my sandals.  Stupid!   I borrowed Andy’s sandals 8-10 times.  Thanks, Andy.

Want to take a snow slide with me, Cory & Shonda?  

And then there is Beth.  First of all, as always she comes out of her tent in the cold morning before sun is up all smiles and cheer.  What a joy.  But she also did something for me that I reflected had never happened in all the many years I have camped in Tanzania & Kenya, with the Jesuits, and now with our people. 

As I walked into camp late one afternoon, Beth, asks me if I would like help putting up my tent.  I was so touched.  Sure thing, I accepted.  She even did it twice and probably set an example such that Paul & Carrie made the same offer our last night in the wilderness.  I also know you carried some of my food stuff.  Thanks, Beth.

Hey, Buddy, how do you do that with your legs?  Wow, if I tried that, it would take surgery to get me out, or a mortician.

And Rose.  Every year I have always carried two bear canisters so that folks who have a hard time with the weight of the dinner or cheese or Jack Daniels, they would not have to worry.  This year I started out as usual.  Guess what.  I just did not have this year my usual energy and push.

Rose saw this the first day and what does she do behind my back.  She asks everybody in the camp the first night to help me out.   So one minute I have two full canisters.  The next the canisters are almost empty.  If she & everybody had not done that, I would have had a tough time.  As it was, I was always the last person into the evening camp and into the trail head on the last day.  And guess who was always there giving me cura personalis, personal care!  Thanks so much, Rose Banzhaf. 

Is poor Beth trying to hide?  While I tell stories about her?

Who gives you personal care?

To whom do you give personal care?

 Anybody claim these derelicts?  Like Paul & Carrie, Rose & Beth & Andy,  Ray & Matt & Tom & an Old Geezer?  Looking north up Matterhorn Canyon.