Sunday Homily, January 15, 2017, 2nd Ordinary Time, A

Readings:  Wisdom 1, 13-15, 2, 23-24; Psalm 30, I will Praise You, Lord, for You have rescued Me; 2 Corinthians 8, 7-15; Mark 5, 21-43.  

Wisdom: One of the 14-15 books of the deutero-canonical books of the bible.  Not part of the orginal Jewish bible, not part of the OT nor the NT, but in between and the subject of controvercy over the centuries.  Were they really part of the bible or not?  How do you know?  Catholic church accepts the books.

Author: not Solomon, but a Jew living in Alexandria, Egypt, who spoke and wrote excellent Greek.

Date: ca. 100-200 BCE.  How do we know these facts?  Because of text analysis.  For example, while the author wrote in Greek, he uses phrases and expressions that have a Hebrew flavor.  Also, he mentions rulers and places that reveal date and locale. 

Sources: Catholic Encyclopedia on line

This is Radical

There is a novel going around called Shanghai Girls, by Lisa See.  I recommend it. The novel tracks the lives of two middle class, educated sisters who are born in Shanghai in the 1920's or early '30's.   It follows them through a time in 1937 when the Japanese invaded China to the time when they end up in California as arranged brides. The novel has good character development and provides a view into a time just before & after the Second World War from the perspective of Chinese middle class women. 

What struck me in a unique way was the mother of the two girls.  She was, according to the girls, an old fashioned mother.  That is, she bound her feet so they would not grow.  From the novel I discovered what a barbaric & painful experience this was for women, young & old.  Imagine the pain of wearing shoes too tight or new.  Why?  Beauty?  I discovered in researching for our homily that another reason was to limit the mobility of women.  So they cannot run away or even run.  The reason for the demand was to limit mobility; the side effect was beauty, all because of male bias against women.

I remembered this novel when I read about Jesus healing two females.  Do you realize how radical this was, especially with the woman bleeding?  Leviticus, the third book of the Bible, has a lot to say about women who bleed.  For instance, a woman giving birth to a boy is ritually unclean for 7 days; a girl baby, 14 days (chapter12).

In Lev. 15 it says that during menstration, women were ritually unclean, which meant they were considered socially dead, not allowed in the temple, not allowed in the community, could not touch anyone and no one was allowed to touch them or their clothes or they, too, were ritually unclean.  So what does the lady in Mark do?   What does Jesus do?

Do you realize today how historic and universal this bias was against women?  Plato in The Republic says that Socrates asked, Do you know of any thing done by humans which is not done better by the male.

Hindus teach that a woman must immolate herself after her husband's death.  Buddhists consider it bad karma to be reincarnated as a woman.  Jewish men are taught to pray, Blessed be God who has not created me a heathen, a slave, or a woman.  Our Bible in Genesis blames a woman for the origin of evil in our world.

In 1873 in Illinois a case was decided against a woman.  She had passed the bar exam to be a lawyer, and the court would not grant her appeal to receive a law license.  A judge said that the place of a woman was in the home and that women did not have the fortitude to deal with such issues as the law.

The church fathers, as they are called, had their own bias.  St. Jerome says that when a woman wishes to serve God more that the world, then she will cease to be a woman and will be called a man.  You do not want to know what St. Augustine thinks about women.

So why this historic and universal bias against women by men (& women)?  One reason, from my research, blood.  Another is the male nervousness & weakness around women, beginning in adolescence.

So here comes Jesus along.  The woman touches him.  He could have had her killed by the crowd.  What was she doing in the crowd anyway?    And what does he do?  He calls her "Daughter," and heals her.  This is revolutionary.  He moves from bias to inclusion & acceptance.

In Galatians (Chapter 3) it says there is no male or female.  Just folks.  We are being called to get rid of the bias.  Women do not deserve to have their feet bound.

How is your bias barometer?  Any bias against women, men, a particular race, political party, a part of town, a school? 

Sources: The Sins of Scritpture, Bishop (Anglican) John Shelby Spong; Catholic Encyclopedia on line.

Audio on vacation this week & next, sorry.

Picture 1:  Mass with Kevin & Noah helping

Picture 2:  Kevin & Noah

Picture 3:  Birthdays & Anniversaries, Sue Tomas, Rick & Jackie, Sandra & Chuck Pratt

Picture 4:  Birthdays & Anniversaries, Nina Waldron, Barb & Warren Wittek

Wisdom 1: For God formed man to be imperishable; the image of his own nature he made him.

2 Corinthians 8:  You are familiar with the generosity of our Master, Jesus Christ. Rich as he was, he gave it all away for us – in one stroke he became poor and we became rich.

Mark 5:   He clasped the girl's hand and said, "Talitha koum," which means, "Little girl, get up."   At that, she was up and walking around! This girl was twelve years of age. They, of course, were all beside themselves with joy.

Isaiah 43: I am doing something new!  Now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?  In the desert I make a way,  in the wasteland, rivers.

Philippians 3:  Just one thing: forgetting what lies behind but straining forward to what lies ahead, I continue my pursuit toward the goal, the prize of God’s upward calling, in Christ Jesus.

John 8: “Let the one among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.”

Another Reminder for the 5th Sunday in Lent, April 6, 2025

Malachi 3: Look! I'm sending my messenger on ahead to clear the way for me. Suddenly, out of the blue, the Leader you've been looking for will enter his Temple – yes, the Messenger of the Covenant, the one you've been waiting for.

Hebrews 2:  That's why he had to enter into every detail of human life. Then, when he came before God as high priest to get rid of the people's sins,  he would have already experienced it all himself – all the pain, all the testing – and would be able to help where help was needed.

Luke 2:  Then when the days stipulated by Moses for purification were complete, they took him up to Jerusalem to offer him to God  as commanded in God's Law: "Every male who opens the womb shall be a holy offering to God,"

John Cade's Homily from the 2nd Sunday in Ordinary Time: Download 01-19-25 Homily 2nd Sunday Ordinary Time

Another Reminder for the Presentation of the Lord, February 2, 2025

Isaiah 45:  I am the Lord and there is no other, there is no God besides me.

1 Thessalonians 1: For our gospel did not come to you in word alone, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with much conviction.

Matthew 22:  Then repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God.

John getting ready to start Mass

Thanks…     

Music,    Shonda & Ben 

Readers,  Mary & Frank

Homily,   John Stack

Eucharistic Prayer A & B,  John Stack & John Cade

The Magic Zoom makers,   Hue & Kevin

Final Blessing, Rosemary

Hue aand Kevin, the magic Zoom makers

Remember these special people:

For the family of Ron Senter;   For Meredith  whose cancer has come back;  For Tom Good;  For Tom  Quinn who had back surgery on November 21st; For Lambrini, John Cade's wife, who is dealing with cancer ;  For Madeleine, Richard Eshelbrenner's granddaughter;  For Hue; For Jackie;  For John's sister, Kathey recovering from a fall;   For Tom Good;   For Mary Hall's friend Cadence still suffering from a serious medical condition;   For Sir Charlie;  For Ron ;  For Teresa Quinn's niece, Maddie who has a brain tumor;

Jackie's sister, & friend, Lynn;  For Rick Turner searching for a kidney donor, Type O neg.;   For Jean & Cliff Wright;  For Dee, and for her daughters, Lisa & Lauren;  For a young man who is suffering from depression;  John Cade's daughter, Joey, with cancer; from Barbara, a little baby boy named Ford recuperating from an operation & the families of Annie and Michael ;    for the medical staffs, teachers, and coaches in our public & private schools.

Bernadette gets a cookie for grand daughter, Zoe's birthday

Birthdays:   Zoe 10/25

Anniversaries:  Ed & Christine Kless 10/22, Mary Jane Stevenson  & John Schanot 10/26

Richard gets a cookie for his birthday last week

Community Finances:   

Expenses:  10/1 – 10/21  $ 2,145.00

                  10/22             $  765.00

Outreach: 10/1 – 10/21  $  60.00

Thanks again, Folks, for doing what you can.

Ben gets a cookie for his anniversary last week
          

Readings:

Sirach 3, 17-18, 28-29,   Conduct your affairs with humility.

Psalm 68,  God, in your goodness, you have made a home for the poor.

Hebrews 12, 18-19, 22-24,  You have approached Mount Zion.

Luke 14, 1, 7-14, Invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind.

Chloe lighting up our lives this Sunday.

Sirach observations

Author :  The author is
Sirach or Joshua, a Jewish scribe.  The
book of 51 chapters is one of the “in between books,”  more or less 12 of them.  In other words, their genuiness is
questioned.  The Catholic Church accepts
them; the Protestants don’t. 

Date: 
about 200 years before Christ. 

Subject:   Ethics, norms for good Jewish living.  For example, “Do not compliment a person on
his good looks,” (11, 2), or “Never abandon an old friend; you will never find
a new one who can take his place,” (9, 10), or “Friendship is like wine, it
gets better as it gets older,” (9, 10), or Don’t prevent the poor from making a
living, or keep them waiting in their need,” (4,1).

Today’s subject:  Humility.

Sources: Good News Bible

Georgie bringing more sparkle.

Invite the
poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind.

I would like to speak on the line about inviting the poor and crippled rather
than my friends and wealthy neighbors. 
To give meaning to the idea, and in remembrance of 9/11, I would like to tell a true story about a
Delta flight. 

Some of you may have seen the story Friday in the blog.  It is quite touching.  For those who did not read the story, let me
fill you in.  It has a lot to say about inviting people and 9/11.

The day is 9/11.  Delta 15 is
about 5 hours out of Frankfurt, Germany on its homebound run to Atlanta.  A flight attendant is telling the story. 

Buddy, the debonair.

 The plane is over the north Atlantic when the pilots tell her to come
straight to the flight deck.  She enters
and notices the team is all business. 
They tell her that they have been informed that all U.S. airports are
closed to commercial traffic.  Land as
quickly as possible wherever possible.

Cole swinging his way through life.

They turn back 400 miles and land at Gander, New Foundland.  About 20 other planes are already on the
ground.  Time is around 11:00 A.M.

They did not inform the passengers about the real reason for the odd landing
while in the air.  On the ground they
give them the real reason, though they only knew that some planes had been
hijacked. In an hour 53 planes are packed on the runway, 10 thousand people in
a town of 10 thousand.

Celeste and her warmth coming in.

They are treated well, but have to spend the night on the plane and are finally informed they may deplane at
11:00.  Promptly at
11:00 a convoy of school buses arrives and everyone exits and is passed through
immigration. 

At this point the crew gets taken to a hotel in Gander and the
passengers disappear.  That evening they
discover the reality.  They remain in
Gander two days.

Bernadette and her daughter, MIchelle at Delgado Corner.

At the end of the two days, everyone is reunited and they board Delta
15.  It turns out the passengers are actually
in a really congenial mood, calling each other by first names, sharing their
experiences, exchanging phone numbers, and even crying over the hospitality.

Cupcakes of The Week to Maureen on her birthday and Beth and Rob for 39 years.

What happen?  All of Gander and
the neighboring villages welcomed them with open arms.  They cleared space, housing, school buildings, auditoriums,
everything.  Schools were closed and the
students were told to play host.  Food
was provided, hiking trips took place, boat trips, visits to cafes and
bakeries. 

The Biker Family, the LeBlancs, Doug and Grace with their daughter Kayli.

The passengers had been put up by the inhabitants of a little village
called Lewisporte. 

Once airborne again, a passenger approached this flight attendant and
asked if he might use the mike.  Normally
prohibited, but because of the spirit and the uniqueness of the experience she
said, “Of course.” 

Harper hiding from….

The man, a doctor from Virginia, says to everybody that because of the
extraordinary hospitality of the people he would like to propose that a college
fund for the students be set up.  He
would be willing to establish it and he said he would match the amount.  After passing the hat, $14,000 was collected,
which he matched.

As of today a million and a half has been raised and over 100 kids have
received help with college.

Her grandmother, Cathy.

What do you think?  Hospitality?   Yes, over the
top. 

Gratitude?  Yes, over the top.

Rare?   No.  I
saw it this summer in Des Moines, Iowa. 
I saw it a week ago in Wichita Falls. 

You, where do you see hospitality and gratitude?  When do you show it?

Source: 
Download Delta 15 & 9-11, 8-30-13