Readings:
Acts 7, 55-60, They threw Stephen out of the city, and began to stone him.
Psalm 97, The Lord is king, the most high over all the earth
Revelation 22, 12-14, 16-17, 20, I, John, heard a voice.
John 17, 20-26, I pray that they all may be one.
Sorry no homily today.
Sunday, 12-26-10, Holy Family: Sirach 3, 2-14; Psalm 128, Blessed are Those who fear the Lord and walk in his ways; Colossians 3, 12-21; Matthew 2, 13-23.
Intro to readings
We could easily believe that political correctness is a recent development, but I want to show you how it existed in the first century of the Church.
Our second reading today from the letter to the Colossians is a great example of “spin”. Lets take a moment to consider the setting.
There are 13 letters which have Paul’s name associated with them. Modern scripture scholarship has determined that seven are indeed written by Paul, there are three, which he definitely did not write, and there are three where there is doubt about his authorship.
Understand that when Paul wrote for instance to the Romans, he was writing to a small Christian community within Rome, something not unlike our little community here. Society in the Roman Empire at that time was strongly patriarchal, namely it all centered on the man! Women, children and slaves were considered similar to possessions, namely they had no rights!
Now the extraordinary thing about Paul’s preaching was that he saw all people, by virtue of their baptism being equal, all belonging to the body of Christ. Recall one of his familiar lines: “in Christ all are equal, there is no male or female, no slave or free”.
In the first letter to the Corinthians, chapter 7 we meet the “radicalism of Christianity”, – just as Jesus shocked the authorities by dining with sinners, Paul sees all as God’s children and equal. So in his letter to the Corinthians he says husbands and wives are equal. He is very careful to make sure that both have the same rights – they are equal!
Now take a look at the extended section of today’s second reading and we will see the spin put there by someone after Paul’s death. In an attempt to make Christianity “fit” better into Roman society we have the phrase ‘wives be submissive to your husbands’. Paul would have never said such a thing! Yet he gets the blame for it today!!
Today we celebrate the Feast of the Holy Family, that of Joseph and Mary and the child Jesus, whose birth we celebrated yesterday. I would like to reflect a little on the images we have of the Holy Family and how we are part of that family by our Baptism.
In the gospel we read today, this family experienced what many families today have to go through, namely living in a strange land. Matthew doesn’t tell us how things were for them in Egypt, but at least they stayed there a few years, they were not killed. When they returned, it was to settle in a different region, to Nazareth.
Thanks to a global economy, unlawful governments, wars, or the plague of drugs, many people today are forced to move, either within their own country or to foreign lands. They come as strangers into our midst. But we don’t have to be from somewhere else to feel like a stranger. Sometimes due to misunderstandings, or fear or hurts we can just as easily feel like a stranger in our own family.
The Feast of the Holy Family gives us time to reflect on our actions. By our baptism we are part of that Holy Family. Jesus is our brother.
The challenge, which the gospel puts before us today as Christians, is how well do we welcome our brothers and sisters. Remember the words of Jesus, when I was hungry, or lonely or sick, you did it to me. Out of fear we too quickly can build walls to keep others out, either out of our country, or out of our lives.
At St Vines, we do reach out. Over the past year we certainly have helped the sick, through our participation both by volunteering and financial aid to the CCAC. We have served meals at Thanksgiving; we have helped build the houses with Habitat for Humanity, given toys to kids who might otherwise not have them, and food to the Food Pantry. These are great things and we need to continue to do them. But we can too easily miss opportunities to tear down walls within our own family.
As we begin a New Year, a time when we make all kinds of resolutions to do better, lets not forget to see how we may become more conscious of the Family of God and those who are lonely, from another place, struggling.
Picture 1: Jack
Picture 2: Ryan with cookie
Picture 3: The Reads, Teresa, Taylor, Doug, & Zack
Picture 4: Emma, one of the 5 Bambini
Picture 5: Santa arrives
Picture 6: All the Good Kids awaiting Santa
Readings:
Isaiah 61, 1-2, 10-11, The Spirit of the Lord is upon me
Psalm, Luke 1, My soul rejoices in my God
Thessalonians 5, 16-24, Rejoice always; Check out special reading from Pope Francis
John 1, 6-8, 19- 28, A man named John was sent from God
Our Mass this morning is for Christine Dresher, who passed to the Other Side recently, and for her family, Mom & Sisters, and Many Friends.
Thanks to the Team
Music, Ben & Shonda,
Readers, Jackie & John Simari, & Buddy, the candle blesser
Gospel, John Cade
Homily, John Cade
Eucharistic Prayer A & B, Stack & John Cade
The Magic Zoom makers, Hue & Mike & Richard
Final Blessing, Rosemary
For hosting us at Legacy, Becky
Download Readings Gaudete Sunday 12-13-20
Download Cade homily 12-13-2020
Please Remember these special people:
For Cody, For Paul & Carrie recuperating, plus her ex, Larry; For Alan Stryker; For Joe Sullivan; For Rosemary's great niece, Rylie ; For Richard's grand daughter, Madeleine; For David Dinsmore's bad shoulder from a biking accident; For Esparza's new great grandson baby, son of Monique; 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, and for Hue & Linda's daughter, Doctor Rosemary Beavers; For Mary & Dave Hall's g-daughter Allison Keller working at St. Lukes, The Woodlands, For Loretta's aunt Alicia; For Sir Charlie & Jan; Shonda's mom & Cody & Ben & Leo & all of Shonda's dear family;
Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass. It's about learning how to dance in the rain. Vivian Green
For Jackie's mom, sister, & friend, Lynn; For both Jean & Cliff Wright; For Rick Turner searching for a kidney donor, Type O neg; For Meredith, cancer free; 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 a little 4 month old boy undergoing an operation, from Barbara; For the students, teachers, and coaches in our public & private schools.
Our Beloved John Cade.
Birthdays: Jan Keszler, Doug Kite 65, Quads (12), Becky 62.
Anniversaries: Jackie & Rick
Community Finances, December 13, 2020
Expenses: $1375.00
Outreach $900.00 (often for Souls Harbor, Legacy, etc.)
Thanks again, Folks, for doing what you can.
Rosemary's Blessing:
May an abundance of gratitude burst forth in our minds and hearts as we remember all the blessings in our life
May we slow our hurried pace these days so we can be aware of, and enjoy, what we can too easily take for granted.
May we always be open, willing and ready to share our blessings with others and never forget the God who loves us lavishly and unconditionally.
And may we remember that our thanksgiving is incomplete until we pay it forward by doing for others what they cannot do for themselves.
Amen.
From a prayer by Sr. Jean Amore CSJ, Sacred Heart Academy, Hempstead, N.Y.
A Note from Ye old Editor of our beloved Community Newsletter and Blog:
Sorry for the delay this week. I was all ready to join the community for Pentecost, then came down with a beauty of a cold after arriving Thursday night from our cruise through Alaska, which is even more beautiful than I expected. Hope to see everybody this Sunday, Trinity.
Readings:
Genesis 11, 1-9, The whole world spoke the same language. (from the vigil Mass)
Psalm 104, Lord, Send out your spirit, and renew the face of the earth. (Vigil)
Exodus 19, 3-8, Moses went up the mountain to God. (Vigil)
John 14, 15-16, 23-26, If you love me, you will keep my commandments.
Homily:
Alaska Dreaming
Despite the fact that Rosemary & I would love to invite all of you to join us on the Alaska cruise, we know it is impossible. In place of that, however, I would like to high light 4 specials that touched us.
Of all the many specials that we experienced, l would say that the profound natural beauty that surrounded us was overwhelming, whether in the south of Ketchikan and Sitka to the north of Valdez and Seward. It struck me as Yosemite on steroids. Necklaces of glaciers and snow capped mountains. We saw a lot because the sun rose about 3:00 A.M. and set about 11:00.
A small phenomenon that hit me was Juneau, the State capitol, chosen by the people in 1906. You cannot get there by car. No roads in or out. A few cars wander the town roads because they are shipped in by boat. Instead, snowy peaks and glaciers.
Another place that struck me was a little island called IcyStraight Point, an island occupied by the Tlingit tribe.
This tribe has gone all in on tourism, providing 6-8 daily excursions around the island to see bears, go fishing, and wander the trails. They also built the longest zip line in the world, so they told me, one mile long with six cables running simultaneously. It takes about an hour bus ride to get to the top of this peak. We all get buckled in, they double check everybody, then, “Away we Went.” And it was beautiful. If only I could have gone again I would appreciate it even more.
Another thing that struck me and really touched me was the number of people using wheel chairs, walkers, and canes. I remember seeing four women in wheel chairs. I told the lady with a walker that I would give her $25 to use her walker on the shore excursion we were taking. She said, “Make it $50 and I’ll think about it.
At the gym where I worked out in the mornings two guys came in most mornings, put down their canes by their machines or bikes, and off they went. This meant a lot to me because in future years I can see myself boarding with a cane.
I feel doubly blessed that Rosemary & I could witness such natural beauty and such beauty in our fellow travelers. Your blessing this week?
You ready to read, Buddy?
Readings:
Jeremiah 31, 7-9, The Lord has delivered his people.
Psalm 126, The Lord has done great things for us, we are filled with joy
Hebrews 5, 1-6, Every high priest is taken from among the people.
Mark 10, 46-52, Bartimaeus, the blind man.
While Emma lights the candles, Buddy reads the Blessing of The Candles, a first time ever for Buddy.
Jeremiah observations:
Who: one of the Big 3 Prophets, 52 chapters, the “broken hearted prophet,” because he hated being so unpopular and having to condemn so much.
Baruch, Jeremiah’s scribe seems to be who put down the prophet’s message. Jeremiah probably died in Egypt.
When: put together before & during the B.C., Babylonian Captivity, say 555 before Christ (reminder, Babylon is near present day Bagdad, Iraq).
Remember, too, that time before Christ is counting downward or backwards.
Our Belief.
Interesting Side Note: (another reminder) can you guess when the Genesis story of creation in 7 days was composed? Biblical research reveals that the creation story was put together during the Captivity, this same time, i.e. ca. 555.
Why? The priests & prophets (e.g., Ezekiel) of the Jews in captivity determined that the people would not be assimilated into the local gene pool as their cousins in the northern kingdom had done when made to live with the Assyrians. They decided they would establish customs & religious practices that would make the Jews so different they would not intermarry. Three special laws were established: 1. male circumcision; 2. dietary laws and laws about not touching menstruating women; and 3. the Sabbath.
The Healing Touch
The priests put together the 7 day creation story to suggest that Yahweh approved of their Sabbath law. They had Yahweh rest on the 7th day to bolster their demand that all Jews take a day off every 7 days. Before the Babylonian Captivity there was no legislated Sabbath and no myth of Yahweh creating the world in 7 days with the 7th being a day of rest. So, now you know when the story was created & by whom, the priests, and why, to keep the Jews united vs the Babylonians. It worked, even down to today.
Subject of the work: the usual prophet message—condemn, pay, peace.
Today's subject: Beautiful message of peace and consolation. It is coming.
Sources: Bishop John Shelby Spong, The sins of Scripture; Wikipedia
The Healing Touch for Emma.
Homily:
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.
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.
Readings:
Acts 2, 1-11, They were all in one place together;
Psalm 104, Lord, Send out your spirit and renew the face of the earth;
1 Corinthians 12, 3-7, 12-13, There are different kinds of spiritual gifts, but the same spirit.
John 15, 26-27; 16, 12-15, I Have much more to tell you.
Notes on the readings, Mike Carrell
At the end of Luke’s gospel, the apostles receive instructions from the Lord. First of all they were told that he fulfilled the expectation of the Law, Prophets and Psalms for the coming of the Messiah.
Then they were told that as the Father had sent him to bring forgiveness to humankind, he was sending them.
Finally they were told to wait in Jerusalem for the Father’s gift of the Spirit. In our reading from the Acts of the Apostles, the disciples receive this gift, that Christ is alive to them through the power of the Spirit.
In the letter to the Corinthians we are reminded that God has no favorites. The Spirit is alive within the hearts of all who welcome the good news and put it into practice by their words and actions.
Pentecost Homily, Mike Carrell
If you haven’t heard the story of the Master violin-maker, I share it with you now. His violins when used by a skilled violinist produced tones so true that they resonated within the hearts of those who listened to them. Violinists traveled from all over the country to his workshop in the mountains to seek the opportunity to purchase or play one of his violins.
This master violin-maker had been taught by this father that the most important step in making a great violin was the choice, curing and aging of the very best wood available. This meant that the wood used to construct a violin was in a preparation process for years before the violin’s construction could begin.
This master violin-maker wanted the process begun by his father to be followed after he had died, so he wrote it down and began instructing one of his skilled wood crafters everything his father had taught him. One day in the dead of winter, he asked the one he was grooming to follow him to enter the forest with him for it was time to choose another tree for his wood cutter so that its wood could be to put into the process of curing and aging.
It was a cold day, with some snow swirling in from the north. The master handed a compass to the younger man, and took a colored piece of rope from the wall of his office along with a ribbon to identify the tree. The younger man walked with him until they reached a downward slope on the parcel of land that had been given to the master by his father.
It felt much colder now, and after placing the rope, that required a certain diameter tree to be chosen, around several trees, he choose one. Now the trees along this slope were bent and rugged looking, not like the ones where the workshop was located.
‘Why this tree,’ asked the younger man? The master replied, ‘Look at the compass. You will see that these trees face due north. This tree has received for the last 100 years the brunt of the incoming north wind, snow and ice, and it has endured. This wood is your friend: it is about to give its life to you. Its cross section will give witness to a life well lived for it has been pruned many times so the sound of your violins will be vibrant and true….
Now, what is the meaning of the story? The wood that was chosen to make great violins is another metaphor of God’s plan of salvation for us. Each of us is the young apprentice to whom the metaphor was explained, and the music played by the violinists, that resonates within our hearts, is the Spirit.
The teaching in which we find today’s gospel reading begins, ‘No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends,’ and that we are Christ’s friends because he has made known to us everything that he has heard from the Father.
We have been empowered by the Spirit to live what Christ has taught us. So, we are reminded at this feast of Pentecost and the 50th anniversary of Vatican II to be servants of the least among us who yearn to do God’s will. Continue to extend to them peace and justice, for we have all been made in the same image, to share the same bread, to have the same Father and to be bound together by the same Spirit.