Sunday Homily, August 14, 2016, 20th Sunday Ordinary

Readings: We are celebrating All Saints, but using the readings for Sunday, Sirach 35, 12-18; Psalm 145, I will praise Your Name forever, My King and My God (my favorite line in the psalm; can you spot it?); 2 Thessalonians 1, 11-2, 2; Luke 10, 9-14 (Good Ole Zacheus ).

We actually had two poems read this morning for All Saints.  Watch for them in the Friday blog. 

 

Psalm 145:

 See if you can pick it out.  My favorite line in perhaps all of scripture. 

 

Fr. Jack Deeves, S.J. at 82

 A week ago Thursday I attended a celebration of the life of Fr. Jack Deeves at St. Rita’s.  Jack was a Jesuit companion all my 50 plus years as a Jesuit.  He was 82.  He had received a heart transplant in ‘89, and lived with it for 21 years, close to if not a record.  He was one of the good old Jesuits. 

 I want to tell you about him this morning and use as a template the story of Zacheus and my favorite line from scripture.  Could you spot it?  My version: “The Lord is gracious and merciful, never gets angry and is abounding in love.”  Psalm 145, verse 8.  Could this not be the answer to our big question?

 

Unlike our friend Zacheus, Jack was not short in stature.  Probably 6’2” or more, you could see him above the crowd smiling and greeting all the people gathering around him. 

 Like Zacheus, who was agile enough to climb trees, Jack was a good athlete.  In my early Jesuit days I did not like to face him when he was pitching for the other side. 

 Like Zacheus he was what the psalm calls ‘gracious.’  I would say he was a gracious hospitable extrovert.  For many of the years I spent at Jesuit with him he was the father minister, the priest in charge of the kitchen, supplies, and the well being of the men in the house.  I cannot count the number of years he played the role of Santa Clause at our annual Christmas party. 

 I took Jack out to lunch about a year ago at Kel’s Kitchen down at Forest & the Tollway, a Jesuit staff hangout.  As we go in, half a dozen or ten people all know Jack and stop him to chat.  Jack graciously spent time with all of them, smiling and asking them about their families & lives.  I thought he was never going to make it to our table.

 

 Like Zacheus and certainly like God who the psalm writer says never gets angry, Jack never lost his amiable disposition and enthusiasm for people and life.  Only if one of us Jesuits to be buggers would slightly intimate that Ursuline, the institution he loved last & most, we would intimate that Ursuline was slightly less than Jesuit.  To the rescue Jack would come. 

 I can remember when I was in my 5^th, 6^th and 7^th years of study in Mobile we used to go to a 2 week summer camp on the eastern shore of Mobile Bay, a place I loved, because I loved the outdoors, the water, the sun, water skiing, and outdoor sports like 2 person volley ball.  Jack was the father superior for us maybe 50 guys living in a two storey, screened in pavilion.  Big open dormitory on the second floor.  Jack made life heavenly for us, even though some guys were not into the outdoor life.  We had no a/c.  He even had time to play with the neighbor kids from houses along the shore.  I developed some close friends among those neighbors. 

 Finally, as the psalm writer says about God, Jack was dear.  He was loving.  He loved people and he poured out his spirit loving them, at Kel’s Kitchen, at Jesuit, at Ursuline, as cheer leader moderator for years, and at so many football games and school events. 

 I know Jack was hurting because of my departure, but he was one of the guys I could always call up or go by Ursuline to find him.  I would ask how he was and how the other guys were.  He would even go out to eat with me.

 
 
 

Jack was not short of stature physically or spirit-wise.  He was, moreover,gracious and merciful, never got angry and was dear, abounding in love.

 Who is the Jack Deeves in your life?

 Picture 1:   Beginning of Mass for All Saints

 Picture 2:   Memorial for Our Beloved

 Picture 3:    More of the Memorial

 Picture 4:    Our Father

 Picture & Obituary from the Dallas Morning News, October 17:            

 

Exodus 16, The whole community grumbled against Moses & Aaron.       

Psalm 78, The Lord gave them bread, bread from heaven.

Ephesians 6, You should put away the old self of your former way of life

John 6, My father gives you the true bread from heaven.

 

 

Today's Team,  John & John

 

 

Thanks……

Music,    Ben & Shonda

Readers,  Carrie & Paul, & Buddy, our candle blesser 

Gospel,     John Cade

Homily,   John Cade

Eucharistic Prayer A & B,  John Stack & John Cade

The Magic Zoom makers,     Richard, Hue, & Mike

Final Blessing, Rosemary

For hosting us at Legacy for all these years & will miss you enormously, Becky

 

 

 

Paul reading from Exodus.

 

Readings:

Download Readings 18th Ordinary Time 8-1-21

 

 

Homily by John Cade

Download Homily John Cade 08-01-21

 

 

Carrie reading from Ephesians

 

 

Remember these special people:

For John & Karen Anderlick's unborn grandson;  For Alan Stryker;   For Candice Taht, friend of Mary Hall;   For Rosemary's great niece, Rylie ;  For Richard's grand daughter, Madeleine;   For Esparza's new great grandson baby, son of Monique, & Frank with shingles;  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 &  Leo & all of Shonda's dear family; For Ursuline Sr. Mary Troy, 

 

Richard with communion for Barb.

 

Jackie's mom, sister, & friend, Lynn;  For Rick Turner searching for a kidney donor, Type O neg.; For Meredith, cancer free & John Schanot;    For John O'Donnell & Jean;   For Jean & Cliff Wright;  For Dee, and for her daughters, Lisa & Lauren  ;  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; from Barbara, a little 4 month old baby boy named Ford recuperating from an operation; for David McKeon's brother, Hugh; For Beth's friends & brother;   for the medical staffs, teachers, and coaches in our public & private schools.

 

 

A special sister celebration, Marlene with retirement & Cindy with her birthday.

 

Birthdays:    Cindy Ekes & Linda Beavers

Anniversaries:  Souls Harbor (1956)

 

 

 

Joe & Marsha, Peace & Happiness on your move to North Carolina.

 

 

Community Finances,   August 1, 2021

Expenses: $1010.00

Outreach: $455.00

Thanks again, Folks, for doing what you can.

 

 

Rosemary sharing her special Blessing of The Week.

 

 

Rosemary's Blessing:

People are often unreasonable and self-centered. Forgive them anyway.
If you are kind, people may accuse you of ulterior motives. Be kind anyway.
If you are honest, people may cheat you. Be honest anyway.
If you find happiness, people may be jealous. Be happy anyway.
The good you do today may be forgotten tomorrow. Do good anyway.
Give the world the best you have and it may never be enough. Give your best anyway.
For you see, in the end, it is between you and God. It was never between you and them anyway.

Mother Teresa

 

 

 

Happy Birthday, Dearest Beth.

Readings:                          

Deuteronomy  30,  10-14,  Heed the voice of the Lord.

Psalm 69,  Turn to the Lord in your need and you will live.

Colossians 1, 15-20,     Jesus is the image of the invisible God.

Luke 10, 25-37,  The man robbed on the road to Jericho.

 

 

Genevieve says, "Welcome in, Everybody.  It is nice to be back.  Here, let me open the door for you."

 

Deuteronomy observations:

The Scene: the desert outside the promised land.  Moses is talking to the people about all that has happened to them since he led them out of Israel and through the desert for many years.  Now, as they prepare to enter, Moses is dying.  He is simply exhorting them to love Yahweh and obey his laws. 

The Author:  not Moses.  A compilation put into three discourses.

Date:  guess when?  Yes, after the Babylonian Captivity, ca. 555 before Christ.

Subject today:  Moses talks about a command, but never mentions exactly what it is.  Watch for the answer in today's gospel.  The Great Command, to be a Good Samaritan.

 

Says Zoe, "Hi, Folks, Yes, it is nice to be back.  California is also pretty nice."

 

 

 

The Victims in Our Lives

This past Friday evening I did something I have been doing a lot of.  I rode my bike down the White Rock Creek Path to The Lake, went around it, and came back up the path to Royal Lane, a distance of about 20 miles.   Sorry to tell another biking story, but it was so relevant for me at the time.

As I was coming home and making the transition from the Lake to the Path, I went under the new Northwest Hwy Bridge.  Being dusk it was sort of dark under the bridge.  However, to my left about twenty yards over to the wall, I noticed 3 bikers stopped maybe two guys and a girl. 

So, I took a deep breath and yelled, “You guys okay, need any help?”

 

 

Welcome back to you, Leo.  I've missed the Leo spirit around here.

 

It may seem pretty trivial, but this is so hard for me to do.  These people are calling me to be a Good Samaritan.  I, however, am obsessed about keeping my schedule.  As I yelled I was hoping they would say, “We are okay.”  Which they did.  So I got off easy. 

I asked these people because I knew I was going to have to make a resolution in view of this homily.  I even used to ask people, but got too busy, at least in my mind. 

 

 

Victoria and Zoe, our Candle Lighters of The Week.

 

In the past two months I have passed two groups.  One group of two guys, they were walking a bike with a flat front tire.  I can fix flats in ten minutes.   I have everything I need.  The other group was under another bridge and had a bike upside down and they were working on an inner tube.  Both times I passed by, said nothing, and then felt guilty.

So, I resolve to always ask people if they need help when I see them standing by their bike. 

Now, you say, ‘Well, I don’t even ride a bike.  How does this pertain to me?’   My bet?  Somewhere you have a similar challenge.

 

 

Three of the Wyndham Clan, Ron, Barbara, and Ray.

 

 

As a community, I would highlight a joy I have, the fact that we attempt to be a good Samaritan to a number of small charities, and in particular to Souls Harbor.  This is a privilege. 

Recalling my psych stuff, How am I called to be a good Samaritan to myself?   We are all wounded people in some way.  How am I nurturing my spirit?  Where have I been hurt and how am I a Good Samaritan with that hurt? 

Where are you challenged to be a Better Good Samaritan?

 

 

"Nothing beats Grandma's hugs,"  says Zoe?

 

Readings:   Acts 10, 34, 37-43, This man God raised; Psalm 118, This day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad; 1 Corinthians 5, 6-8, A little yeast leavens all the dough; John 20, 1-9, Mary of Magdal came to the tomb early.

Leo lighting the Easter Candle with his mom, Shonda

Acts: 

Author: Most likely Luke, who wrote the Gospel with his name and who followed and copied some of Mark's material. 

Date: ca. 70-100 A.D., therefore ca. 40 years after the death of Jesus. 

Subject: the ministry of Paul & the 12 Apostles after the death of Jesus.

        Chapters 1-8 deal with the Resurrection, Ascension, & Pentecost (Holy Spirit)

        Chapters 8- 28 deal with Paul's conversion & ministry.

 

 

Today's selection: Two visions/dreams have just occurred:

        1. Cornelius, a captain in the Roman army and a Gentile, has a vision in which he is instructed to go to a town called Joppa and talk with a man named Peter.

        2.  Peter has a vision in which a sheet held by its 4 corners comes down and is full of all kinds of animals.  A voice says, "Eat."  Peter refuses because of the law of ritual impurity, i.e., some animals are ritually impure and it is prohibited to eat them.  But the voice insists.  At this point three of Cornelius' people arrive and invite him to come to Cornelius' house.  This vision symbolizes that even Gentiles who are ritually impure are invited to the new Christian community.

Our selection takes up just after Peter arrives at Cornelius' house, finds a group of Cornelius' friends, is invited to speak to them, and he begins.  The following is what he says to the group of Gentiles gathered in Cornelius' house.

Meaning of the Word Easter: the origin of the use of Easter seems lost in history.  Probably not from Latin, which uses pasqua.  Probably not coming from a German goddess of spring, which some have suggested.  May have emerged from early Celtic converts (British Isles), who wanted to use their own words for Christian feasts, rather than Latin words.

 

The Resurection Today

Last Satuday there was a picnic.  This was not your ordinary picnic.  It took place in Flower Mound on the west side of town, the Circle R Ranch.  It went from about 10:30 to 2:30 on one of our recent beautiful days.

The picnic was for kids handicapped in some way. 

 

There was another picnic before Christmas, this one for underprivileged kids.  3,000 younger kids poured in and ran all over the place for about 5 hours. 

This past picnic the kids were not running around.  Many of them came in wheel chairs or prams.  They were often physically misshapen.  They frequently could not speak.  But they could smile and they did.

I volunteered to work at the photo area.  This was really well run by two black guys with their camera, lap top, and printer, as well as another guy who arranged the families, and two girls who provided decoration.  The families could choose their decorations or get ups from 4 themes represented in pictures, like Easter, cowboy, fireman, and so forth.   They hardly needed me for crowd control like the December picnic I worked. 

What I did mostly was watch and touch, and be touched.  I was close to tears with so many of these kids and with their families.  I shared this with some of the team and they, too, said they were likewise moved.  I wanted to hug the kids and hug the parents.

Because I was not greatly needed I moved to the welcome post.  Here I was touched again.  People were trickling in, so I began talking with a lady who was also welcoming kids and families.  It was her first time to volunteer.  Eventually she talked about her son, about 40 years old and slightly handicapped.   He had been shot a month or so ago at the downtown Dart train stop. 

I did not know what to say.  She was in tears and I too, especially because of her attitude.  She was grateful.  She was thankful for the long life her impaired son had had. 

I talk about these simple events because for me they are Easter events, Resurrection events.  The characteristics of this type of an event: more life, more peace, and gratitude. 

The kids were not so unusual.  The talk with the lady, Terry, was pretty routine in the beginning.  Similar things happen all the time.  I went to touch these people.  But I was touched.   I came away with more life, more peace, and so much more gratitude for so much. 

What is the Easter event in your life today?

 

 

 

With the exception of John, in Jennings, LA to visit his sister, the whole gang is back, yeah.

 

Readings:

Genesis  18, 1-10,  Sarah will have a son (at 90!)

Psalm 15,  He who does justice will live in the presence of the Lord

Colossians 1, 24-28,  I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake.

Luke 10, 38-42, "Lord, do you not care that my sister…

 

 

 

A great sister act.

 

Observation on Genesis:

I would laugh at the editor who selected this passage about Abraham and Sarah, his wife.  He leaves out the punch line, a most relevant fact coloring this passage.  Namely, Sarah is 90 and Abraham 100.  Why was this not mentioned?

Genesis, by the way is the first book of the bible and a fun read, especially if you can appreciate it as fable & not factual history.  Don't go looking for the Ark, like you read about periodically.

 

 

 

Buddy  reading the Summer Blessing of the Candles.

 

Observation on Paul writing to the Colossians:

This version of Paul makes me want to pull out the violins and weep for the poor man.  Which, I guess, is the intention Paul is working with.  A poor me presentation.  The goal: get the readers to get up off their behind and get to work, like Paul is doing.

 

 

 

Shonda & Ben, The Best, minus David riding RAGBRAI with Dana, his daughter.

 

Ragbrai Spirit : People are Good

It’s Ragbrai (Register’s Annual Great Bike Ride Across Iowa)  week, Folks.  At this moment bikers (including David & Dana) are arriving at Council Bluffs on the MO River prepared to set out this morning, heading ultimately next Saturday to Keokuk, where Mike &  Judy grew up on the MS River.  I should be there.

 

 

What kind of trouble are these 4 up to??

 

Along the way the bikers will walk (too crowded to ride) through achingly beautiful little towns with glorious Victorian houses, tree lined streets, delightful town parks, and welcoming people.  Plus a gazillion vendors. 

Let me give you two vignettes that reflect the spirit of Ragbrai. 

One early afternoon I am riding over some medium level hills.  They were a work out.  At one point starting to climb I run up behind a tricycle, one wheel in front of two & a bench.  Seated on the bench was an elderly guy and a young woman.  The woman is pumping them up the hill. 

I think to myself, This hill is going to really discourage that woman.  So I ride to the top, drop my bike, and run back down to find two other young guys with the same idea .  We all three joined in and pushed that woman and her father right up to the top.

 

Cody, I have not seen Ben in a couple of summer months and when he came in this morning I did not recognize him.  He's grown a foot.

 

 

I hopped on my bike and as I went down the hill I realized another hill was coming up.  To this day I can only hope other people stopped to push that lady & her dad up what turned out to be a series of serious hills.  I would expect they did help.

I have already mentioned here that my most favorite vendor was the home made pie & ice cream stop, always on the right hand shoulder, always in the afternoon (at least for me).  I mentioned how once when I forgot my money, Hanc, a good kid I would see every year, he served me anyway.

On another occasion I was in line at the pie selections tables when a lady behind me realized she did not have enough.  Naturally I staked her and told her to forget it. 

 

 

 

And the same with your pretty daughter Olivia.  She has so grown up this Summer.

 

A day or two later I am sitting on a park bench in a beautiful park.  I am looking at a band stand, the bikers’ road, and a gorgeous river.   Behind me is the whole rest of the park with bikers everywhere.   Everybody is just enjoying the beauty.

Suddenly a tap on my shoulder.  The lady from the Amish pie & ice cream stand hands me the money I loaned or really gave her.  She said thanks and disappeared in the throng of people lying around.   To say the least I was stunned and touched, and reminded again of how good people are. 

This year I will not join the 20 to 30 thousand riders doing the 500 more or less miles.  The people spirit stays with me.

 

 

Today' Communion team, Cheryl, Patricia, Mike, & Claire.

 Readings:

Isaiah 6, 1-8,  Whom shall I send?  Send me.

Psalm 138,  In the sight of the angels, I will sing your praises, Lord.

1 Corinthians 15, 1-11, I am the least of the apostles.

Luke 5, 1-11, They caught a great number of fish and their nets were tearing.

 

Leo and his best pacifier, John

For those who don’t have a decent Bible or a book of the readings, here are two links that I use,

The Bible at Your Fingertips (http://st-luke-church.org/bible-at-finger-tips.php) and USCCB, The New American Bible (http://www.usccb.org/).  

The difference?  The first is Protestant more or less, and the second is officially Catholic and has the 12 little books in between the O.T. & N.T., called Deuterocanonical or Apocrypha. 

Both are good translations. 

Buying a bible?  The Jerusalem Bible. 

 Isaiah 1

This is The Great One.  The Prophet.  My favorite.  In general, this work has three parts put together by three different people.  It is time dependent: before, during, and after the, you guessed it, the Babylonian Captivity.  Keep 500 before Christ in mind as an easy date. 

Last week we heard the story of the prophet Jeremiah’s call by Yahweh.  This week we have Isaiah’s call. 

Psalm 138

Want to hear something beautiful?  Listen to today’s psalm.  Another of my favorites. Thanks, thanks, and more thanks.

1 Corinthians 15

In last week’s Corinthians’ reading Paul described his vision of love.  Today he continues talking to the people of his church in Corinth, focusing on how he was called by God.

 

 

The Small Call

I would like to talk this morning about small calls.  Our readings are all about great calls, like Isaiah, to be God’s spokesperson.  These calls come once in life, or a few times in life.  I would like to suggest small calls come every day.   Let me illustrate.

In Mexico City there is this magnificent avenue, Reforma, modeled by the Empress Carlotta on the famous Champs Elysee in Paris, built during our Civil War, say 1860.  A week ago I was on Reforma one afternoon before returning to the U.S.

I was intrigued.  The government provides rental bikes.  Along the pedestrian islands that border Reforma are numerous racks of some 40 bikes which people can rent.  People are riding these bikes all over the center of Mexico City.  I wanted to know if I could rent a bike for a day. 

I had asked a few people, but no one was sure.  I was simply told that for $30 I could obtain a card which I could use to rent the bike for one year.

 

 At one point I am standing beside the check-in post reading the instructions.  You buy the card at a drug store, show proof of identity, and then swipe the card through the reader.  It tells you what number bike is yours.  You may return the bike to any of the numerous bike racks around the city center.

I finish unsatisfied, turn around, and watch a man ride up on one of the recognizable bikes.  He puts it in the rack down the way, then begins to walk in my direction.  He is middle aged, in his mid 50’s, trim, dressed neatly in business pants, white shirt and tie, and a small back pack. 

I ask him if he could help me.  I tell him what I want and he is sure I cannot rent a bike for a day.  In fact, he thinks only citizens can rent the bikes. 

We continue to talk.  I tell him how I admire Mexico City for installing the bikes, that my wife & I, who ride a lot, saw the bikes two years ago when we were in town.  He says he has seen them not only in Mexico City, but in cities in the States and in Europe.  This tells me something, he has traveled internationally.

 

We have a charming conversation for about 10 minutes.  As we part he tells me how he enjoyed conversing, welcome to Mexico, and, get this, he congratulates me on excellent Spanish!

Folks, I could have done a backward somersault in the air.  I felt I could jump from tree top to tree top.  I was so full, ecstatic, grateful.    All the work I had put into Spanish over the years was worth it. 

This is the small call, what that Mexican did.  A compliment. 

 

I would propose that we get small calls every day.  A compliment, an offer to help, a thanks, an apology for a small mishap.  The girl at the checkout has fancy fingernails; I tell her I like them. 

These small calls fill others.  With life. 

What was your small call yesterday?  Your next one?