Sunday Homily, May 14, 2017, 5th Easter

Readings:  

Deuteronomy 4, 32-34, 39-40, Ask from one end of the sky to the other, did anything so great ever happen?

Psalm 33, Blessed the people the Lord has chosen to be his own.

Romans 8, 14-17, The Spirit bears witness to our spirit. 

Matthew 28, 16-20, Behold, I am with all days until the end of the ages.

Observations on the Readings:

1^st reading from Book of Deuteronomy (Chapter 4)

Deuteronomy is the 5^th  book of Bible and of Jewish Torah or Pentateuch. Though traditionally attributed entirely to Moses, modern scholars agree that it is a collection of Jewish traditions, later adapted to nationalistic reform and its final form coming after the Babylonian captivity in late 6^th century BC.

It is written as if from the mouth of Moses, who was considered the greatest of the prophets, for the authority his name gave the book. See last verses of final chapter 34. The most famous verses are Ch 6:4-5: “Hear O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord alone! Therefore, you shall love the Lord, our God, with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength.”

3^rd  reading from the Gospel of Matthew (Chapter 28)

This book is the second  gospel chronologically, and was written with the Jewish people in mind, to show  a direct connection between the Jewish Law and the Prophets and the teachings
of Jesus.

Homily

This  year we are celebrating the 50^th anniversary of the opening of the
Second Vatican Council in 1962. I recommend the article in the blog by Giovanni Franzone, a former Italian Benedictine Abbot. As an Abbot, he attended the Second Vatican Council as one of the ‘Fathers’ of the council. He is now 86, and his article gives a fresh “I was there” perspective. I want to talk a little today about Vatican II, which has been called the most significant event in the life of the Catholic Church in modern times.

 Pope  John XXIII became Pope following the death of Pope Pius XII in 1958. Less than a year later, John 23^rd announced that he would call an ecumenical council. You may remember his story of how he had a dream one night in which the church was coming together in a council to renew itself. He awoke thinking what a great idea that was and thinking “I must tell the pope about it.” And then he realized, “Wait a minute, I am the Pope.”

Some of The Jesuit Class of '58, reunion, New Orleans. 2 still active as S.J. priests, one in NY, one in Peru.

So he called the council to  bring together representatives of the church all over the world, including many great minds of the time, and including representatives of other Christian faiths and non-Christian faiths. The two main purposes were “aggiornamento”, a bringing-up-to-date of the Church, and a striving for Christian unity. In answer to someone’s question about the purpose of the council, Pope John once said:
‘to let some fresh air into the Church”. 

I didn’t just honor and give respect to Pope John 23^rd; I loved him—for who he was as a man, and what he did for the church’s world
community. And we also shared the same birth day of November 25^th.

Vatican II continued for a couple more years and eventually

Trinity Sunday Mass at Bob Baxter's house in New Orleans. Cathy Lichliter reading with her husband, Bill, on the left.

documents were approved by the council. Perhaps the five most significant were: The Constitution on the Church, The Decree on Ecumenism, The Decree on the Pastoral Office of Bishops, The Declaration on Religious Liberty, and the Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Contemporary World. I will say just a little about the first three, and I hope we can look at more of them, and in more detail, during this 50^th anniversary year.

In the Constitution on the Church, the significant updating was, as
Mike said last week, a new (yet old) vision of the church primarily as the
‘People of God’, equal through Baptism, rather than primarily as a hierarchical and clerical structure. 

Gab Session after Mass. A uniquely moving class reunion of 20 plus men who spent many of their early years as Jesuit classmates. Now meeting with their wives.

The Decree on Ecumenism reached out to people of all
faiths and erased the old belief that you had to be Catholic to ‘be saved’—to be with God. Remember we read a lot from some Acts of some Apostles during the Easter Season.

In Chap.10 of Acts Peter said: ‘I can see now that God is no respecter of persons, but that in every nation anyone who reverences him and
does what is right, is acceptable to him.’ In other words, every human being who reaches moral adulthood chooses between what his conscience judges to be right and what his conscience judges to be wrong. If a person makes the basic choice for right as he knows it, he is in fact choosing God.

The Decree on the Pastoral Office of Bishops included the notion of ‘collegiality’ among bishops with the Pope, that bishops are not just advisors to the Pope, but co-deciders with him and the People of God. The Decree encouraged the formation of regional councils and, all the way down to the parish community level, councils were to be formed to allow participation in decision making by the community from the ground level up. How many of you ever served on a parish community council?

Sunday brunch after Mass

We have good reason to remember the aggiornamento begun by Pope John 23^rd. I remember following the sessions of the council closely with enthusiasm and optimism. My 50^th was last year, so I was ordained the year before the council opened. Stack was just a few years from ordination and no doubt also following it equally closely. Pope John died in 1963 less than a year after he opened the council, and was followed by Pope Paul VI. The article by Abbot Franzone in the blog provides a lot more information about Vatican II and about the role of Paul VI during and after the Council. 

Vatican II is the most significant event in the life of the Catholic Church in modern times. My question today is: how much do we know about it? and how are we living out its updated teachings and its spirit?

Readings:

Exodus 22, 20-26, You shall not molest or oppress an alien, for you were once aliens yourselves  

Psalm 18, I love you, Lord, my strength

Thessalonians  1, 5-10, You know what sort of people we were among you.

Matthew 22, 34-40, Which commandment is the greatest.

Thanks to the Team

Music,  Ben & Shonda's  

Readers, Mary Jane & John  & Buddy, the candle blesser

Gospel,  Deacon Mike 

Homily,  John Cade 

Eucharistic Prayer A & B, Stack & John Cade

The Magic Zoom makers,  Richard & Hue 

Final Blessing, Rosemary

For hosting us at Legacy, Becky

Download Reading Week 30

Homily by John Cade

10/25/20:  Most often the first reading each Sunday is chosen for its connection to the Gospel reading and its teaching.  Today is no exception.  I have 3 points based primarily on the Gospel and first reading: First, on Jesus and the first and greatest Commandment of the Law; Second, on the new Great commandment of Jesus; and Third, the story of the Good Samaritan, and the story of the King who equates being a neighbor with loving God?

First, the Greatest Commandment.  The Jewish people gave credibility to the Book of Deuteronomy by framing it as the addresses of Moses, their most revered leader and prophet.  In his second address of Deuteronomy, right after he lists the Ten Commandments, Moses repeats the Greatest Commandment:  “Hear, O Israel!  God, our God! Is the one and only God!  Therefore, you shall love God with your whole heart, and with your whole being, and with your whole strength.  This passage became known as the ‘Shema,’ or ‘Shema yisra’el,’ the first words of the passage in Hebrew. 

When Jesus was asked by the Pharisee Rabbi what was the most important commandment, Jesus gave the well-known ‘Shema’ straight from the Law in Deuteronomy—to love God with your whole being (heart, soul and mind), calling it the “most important” and the “first on any list.”    

My second point—Jesus upgraded and completed the greatest commandment.  I learned from Wikipedia that the number of commands in the Law of Moses is 613.  (And we thought 10 were plenty!)  Why so many?  Because they covered every aspect of Jewish life—how to worship God, what and how to cook, what and how to eat, what to wear, rules about all the many things considered ‘unclean’, everything  to do with family relations, with business dealings, and so on. 

Morning Tranquility.

In today’s Gospel Jesus picks one of those 613 commands in the Law of Moses (Leviticus, Ch. 19), and says, “If you add this other command, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” then, you have the “whole Law and the Prophets.”  And, by the time the Gospel of Luke was written, 20 or so years later, these two commandments were considered as one—the greatest commandment. 

Luke, in Ch. 10, has a scholar of the Law, test Jesus by asking, “‘Teacher, what do I need to do to have eternal life?’  He answered: ‘What’s written in God’s Law?’   The scholar said, ‘You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your being, with all your strength, and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.” So, by then the most important commandment has two inseparable parts, the love of God and the love of neighbor.

My Third Point:  Guess what Luke follows-up with and writes immediately after that passage?—the Good Samaritan story about who is a neighbor.  The ‘Good Samaritan’ is the one who treats the robbed and beat up person with first aid, and the one who makes sure the person will be taken care of.  In the story, being a neighbor is not defined by who the other person is; it is defined by how one responds to the other.  When you respond to another with mercy and kindness, you are being the neighbor. 

John Cade sharing the Good News.

        Matthew’s gospel also gives us the sure way to know if we are keeping the great command.  In Matt. (Ch. 25), this teaching tells how the twofold great command is totally interrelated.  When you are a neighbor to another, you are loving God.  This is the story of the King who said, ‘Enter the kingdom. I was hungry and you fed me, I was homeless and you gave me a room, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me, and so on.’ 

And then how the saints entering the kingdom asked, ‘When did we ever see you hungry and feed you, or see you sick or in prison and visit you?, and so on.’  And the King said, ‘Whenever you did one of these things to another, especially to someone overlooked or ignored, that was me—you did it to me.’  

When I look at this community, I see good neighbors.  You remember others in prayer, privately and in our prayer of the faithful; you visit the sick—in the pandemic you email, telephone or text them—giving the encouragement and hope of someone to lean on; you reach out and care for others in countless other ways, e.g., many of you have given of yourselves to kids who are poor or disadvantaged or disabled at the ‘Love for Kids’ events (of course, with Bill Hammond’s leadership), some of you traveled with Bill and Bona Responds to help people in other areas of Texas and Oklahoma suffering from devastating storms, and right here helping John and Rosemary restore some order to their tornado-damaged home and destroyed trees. 

A few years ago, a number of you helped with the counting of homeless people in Plano to provide data on their actual existence; I have seen you and heard about you, keeping up with and giving care for others in our community who suffer any kind of adversity.  You generously contribute, as you can, to keep this community in existence, over fifteen years now, and to help with our ability to do outreach.  These don’t even take into account how you welcome community members and visitors, (even virtually) with total acceptance.  For me, you are for our time Good Samaritans, living out the great commandment to love God and showing your love of God by being a true neighbor.   Amen.

Please Remember these special people:

For Alan Stryker;  For John Doherty with an operation this week for his back pain;   For David Dismore's bad shoulder from a biking accident;  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;   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;  

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 the students, teachers, and coaches in our public & private schools.

White Rock Lake at sunrise.

Birthdays:  Zoe (& Samantha), Patricia AA 22nd, Rob 68,

Anniversary:  Bill & Zaile, 11th

A rose is  a rose is a rose . . . .

Community Finances, October 18, 2020

Expenses: $775.00

Outreach   $    (often for Souls Harbor, Legacy, etc.)

Thanks, Folks, for doing what you can.

Rosemary's Blessing:

Readings: Zephaniah 3, 14-18; Psalm, Isaiah 12, Cry out with Joy and Gladness for among You is the Great and Holy One of Israel; Philippians 4, 4-7; Luke 3, 10-18

Zephaniah: date, author, subject, & our selection

    Date: two possibilities–ca. 650 BCE, before Babylon & contemporary with Jeremiah.  Or ca. 200 BCE.

Author: probably not Zephaniah himself, but someone recording what he said.  He is one of the 12 minor prophets, simply because his work is small, only 3 chapters.

   Subject: like all prophets, Zephaniah predicts doom and destruction to Jerusalem because the people are not good.  His purpose: alter behavior, especially the religious behavior, of his fellow citizens of Jerusalem.  A rather jealous and punishing god is presented.

   Our selection: last lines of the last chapter, a song of joy and rejoicing.  This is the only positive note in the 3 chapters.  Consequently, scholars think it may have been added to the original work.  This is the only time in the 3 year cycle that we have a reading from Zephaniah.  Take a good look.

Candle liturgy

Tony: We have lit the first two candles, one for hope and one for peace. Today we light the third candle, the candle of joy. This should be the easy one, because joy is all around us—in the children, the lights, the music, the gathering together. But how often do we let our preparations—or our memories—push joy to the side? Joy is like an underground spring that wells up within us, but joy is also a choice, an attitude. Like a muscle, it needs to be exercised. So today we open ourselves to joy, trusting that God has already planted it in us. All we need to do is give it care and offer it to share.

Three candles are lit

 All Sing

O come, O come, Emmanuel,
and ransom captive Israel,
that mourns in lonely exile here
until the Son of God appear.
Refrain:
Rejoice! Rejoice!
Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.

All: Loving God, we open ourselves to you,
trusting that this is how you made us:
you created us for joy-filled hearts and lives.
Show us the creative power of hope.
Teach us the peace that comes from justice.
Fill us with the kind of joy that cannot be contained, but must be shared.
Prepare our hearts to be transformed by you,
That we may walk in the light of Christ. Amen.

Tony: Rejoice in God always, and again I say, rejoice
For God has created you with the capacity for joy.

All: We will find what makes us joyful,
And make that our gift to the world.

Tony:  Trust in God’s good will for all of creation
and open yourself to God’s gentle, transforming love. 

All:  We will welcome new possibilities in our lives.
We will offer ourselves to God’s goodness.
We will go forth in hope, and peace, and joy.

A Christmas Story 

I have a Christmas story for you this morning.  It took place the first Christmas I was in Africa, 1977. 

The African continent is shaped vaguely like a heart.  I spent most of my time on the east side, Tanzania, Kenya, & Uganda.  But my first Christmas I spent on the left side of the continent, the west.  The country I spent Christmas in was called Zaire in those days for ca. 30 years, now called the Republic of Congo, since ca. 2000.

The ruler at the time was a guy named Mobuto Seseseko and he was corrupt.  He took for himself all the money gained by selling off the country's considerable natural wealth. 

The capitol of the country is called Kinshasa and I was in a town near there called Kimwenza.  I had been giving seminars & retreats in Nigeria and ended up in Zaire at Christmas, how, I do not remember.

Three special memories remain with me from that Christmas.

First, I remember a midnight Mass.  It took place in a big but simple church on the edge of town.  There was probably a thousand black Zaire folks there and one white guy sitting up front on the left side with his eyes bugging out.

My eyes were bugging out because of at least two things.  First, the priest, a local young black Zaire man, he spent a lot of time dancing with a tall, cone shaped hat.  He danced marching in with the drums and the shakers going at it, he danced during the ceremony, and he danced on the way out.  In fact, he did not walk during the ceremony, he danced. 

The other thing memorable was when he finally danced out.  It was probably more than 3 hours since he had danced in.  And nobody was leaving early.  In fact, I discovered that Africans want to celebrate for at least a couple of hours when they come to Mass.  Consequently, a lot of music. 

The second memory I have is the incongruity I felt celebrating Christmas in a tropical environment, like celebrating Christmas in the summer.  Kinshasa has tons of flowers and they bloom all year because it is summer all year.  The bougainvillea, the frangipanni, and the jacaranda with their purple flowers making like snow on the ground, all were flowering along with their cousins.

Thirdly, I remember that Mobutu was mad at the Catholic church for some reason and he decreed that Christmas could not be celebrated on Christmas day.  It was a week day and businesses and schools were all open.  He did not ban the Masses, but people had to pretend to be working and going to school.  I remember walking around the town Christmas day thinking how odd the whole experience was, summer time and the government banning the celebration of Christmas day. 

Fortunately, the government did not get nasty about the celebrating that took place, many of the city folks were Catholic.  In a goofy twist, Seseseko's own sons even went to the Jesuit college in Kimwenza.   Oddly I appreciated more the freedom I had to celebrate that Christmas Mass, and the people seemed to celebrate with even more zest. 

This year here in Dallas we have the freedom to make Christmas a spiritual festival.  

How are you doing it? 

Picture 1:  Mass begins

Picture 2:  Andy Vrabel, one of our own comes home

Picture 3:  Tony with Margie

Picture 4:  Tony with David Hoover 

Readings:

Joshua  5, 9-12, Today I have removed the reproach of Egypt from you.

Psalm 34,  Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.

2 Corinthians 5, 17-21, Whoever is in Christ is a new creation.

Luke 15, 1-3, 11-32,   The Prodigal Son.

Welcome, Emma, it is so nice to have you back.

Mike’s Homily for March 6, 2016

Introduction   

The Jewish event of Passover set the stage for the Israelites to pass through the Red Sea.  In our First reading today they are celebrating the event of Passover to prepare themselves for the their journey through the River Jordan and into the Promised Land.  

The apostle Paul tells us in Second Corinthians that God has reconciled us to him through his Son, the Lamb of God, our Passover Mystery, to be a new creation in Christ.

Genevieve and her mom, Mary, say, "Welcome in, Everybody."

Homily   

To get a fuller understanding of today’s gospel, we should seek to understand it within the context of where it was placed in the Luke gospel.  When we do, we find that the tax collectors and sinners had been seeking Jesus’ wisdom and fellowship for he welcomed them with dignity and invited them to return home with sincere love.  

The self-righteous Pharisees and scribes saying, ‘He welcomes sinners and eats with them,’ were building walls to keep the sinners out while Jesus was inviting them in.

Really nice to see you, Leo.

The father in today’s reading followed Jesus example; the older brother was very much like the Pharisees and Scribes. The father’s heart was filled with compassion and tenderness, goodness and kindness for his younger son who had returned home. 

The older son had no intention of inviting his younger brother home; he had already judged and disowned him. So, the father teaches his older son about the fruit of compassion in today’s reading, ‘We had to celebrate with the meal of the fatted calf and rejoice, for your brother was lost and is found. He was spiritually dead; but now forgiven, alive again.’ 

He is back.  Buddy, our special helper. 

These words are how the father put into practice addressing the bitterness and anger that his older son had just expressed to him, ‘All these years I have slaved for you and yet you have never once given me so much as a kid to celebrate with my friends.’  

Instead of judging the self-righteous, Jesus addresses the Scribes and Pharisees with the wisdom of God, ‘There will be more rejoicing among the angels in heaven over one repentant sinner, than over ninety-nine virtuous men who have no need of repentance.’

Our Special Girls, Zoe, Victoria, and Emma.

Readings:  Isaiah 66, 10-14; Psalm 66, Let All the Earth Cry Out to God with Joy; Galatians 6, 14-18, Luke 10, 1-12, 17-20

4th of July: some notes–

1.  Celebrates the composition & signing of the Declaration of Independence from the British on July 4, 1776.  2 days ealier a declaration was made. 

2.  Composed by a committee of 5, including the greats, Jefferson, John Adams, and Ben Franklin.

3.  Jefferson & Adams, long time friends and collaborators, both died the same day.  Guess the day: July 4.  Exactly on the 50th anniversary of the first July 4. 

4.  Just so you know: Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest, Coney Island, NY, began July 4, 1916.

Isaiah 66: 2 notes–

1.  This is the last chapter of the whole great book.  Therefore, the author is author #3, written just at the end of or after the Babylonian Captivity, ca. 550 BCE.  It is also part of the Book of Consolation and the reading today is total consolation.

2.  Jerusalem is mentioned a lot.  What about making Jerusalem symbolic, not just the place?  What kind of symbol?  Don't know.  But, all of us have our Jerusalem place.

Sources: Wikipedia; David McCullough, John Adams (excellent work)

The Harvest is Abundant, but the Laborers are Few?

Last weekend John Cade, Tony, and I went to a convention-seminar at the AA Training Center south of DFW airport.  The meeting was sponsored by and for Corpus, a national organization of over 600 married priests.

About 80 plus people were there, and, folks, I was impressed.   Humbled, even.   About half the guys came with their wives.  These people are the best. 

I would look at these men and think to myself, ‘These are the kind of men this church needs.’  They are healthy spiritually and psychologically, they love to serve, and they are rejected because they married.  The Catholic Church reminds me of the mad wolf who eats her young.  Every one of these men should be active and would be active if they could.

Let me tell you briefly about just two men who moved me.

First is a man named Anthony Padovano.   You may have heard about him or read him.  Incredibly talented and accomplished, he’s written over 25 books, has lectured at 25 colleges & universities.  He has doctorates in theology and literature.  He presents at the U.N. and at The Hague.  He’s a playwright and, in fact, for the second year in a row we got to see one of his plays, one on Thomas Merton.  Last year was Martin Luther.

Equally outstanding about Tony Padovano, however, is his optimism in the face of lots of criticism and his personal warmth.  He presented a talk on the profoundly positive impact the Second Vatican Council has had on Catholicism, an impact that cannot be reversed despite the reversal efforts going on.  When the article is printed, I will attach it to the blog.

The second person who humbled me was a married priest from Louisville, Kentucky.  A simple, easy going guy, I only know his first name, Tony.  I called him Louisville Tony.

I got to know Louisville Tony Friday afternoon before the seminar began and after we both had checked in.  We ended up sitting on a porch overlooking the beautiful campus. 

He told me that when he married about 25 years ago, he had no idea what he was going to do to support himself & wife.  He had decided to go into teaching, when he saw an ad by Hospice asking for chaplains.  He applied, was accepted, and has worked as a Hospice chaplain in Louisville now for decades.

He told me he loves what he does.  He is prevented from being a priest officially, but he said that with the exception of doing Masses he is working full time as a priest anyway.  He wanted to know all about you folks and how and when our community got started.  A number of guys, in fact, wanted to know this.  He said he might explore starting a small group in Louisville.

In the gospel this morning we hear about the harvest being abundant, but the laborers are few.  I would say, “Whoa!”  I know of an organization that has 600 laborers, Corpus, who signed up to be workers, but did not just want to live alone.  I find that the ones I’ve come to know through Corpus are still laborers, just not officially. 

In fact, they are like all of us, because we are all called to be like Louisville Tony, even like Anthony Padovano, in our own way.  In this community you help with CCAC, with Habitat, with Heritage Farm, with the Life Net food serving at Thanksgiving, with food drives, and on and on.

What are you doing today? 

Picture 1:   Mass Begins, Wendy & Ben

Picture 2:   Sienna with grandmother, Robyn, and mom, Erin

Picture 3:   Sacrament of the Sick, John Cade

Picture 4:   Sisters, Cindy & Marlene

note: this is the last time we publish the blog from our Tulip Lane home.

Readings:

Jeremiah, 20, 7-9, You duped me, Oh Lord

Psalm 63,  My soul is thirsting for you, O Lord, my God

Romans  12, 1-2,  Do not confirm yourselves to this age.

Matthew 16, 21-27,   Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me.

Thanks to the Team

Music,  Ben & Shonda

Readers, Beth & Rob (from Pagosa Springs), & Buddy, the candle blesser

Gospel:  Deacon Mike

Homily,  Stack 

Eucharistic Prayer A & B, Stack & John Cade

The Magic Zoom makers, Mike (home from the mountains) & Richard (back from vacation), Tom, Ben & Hue 

Final Blessing, Rosemary

Download Readings Week 22

The Homily

A Contemporary addition to the Liturgical Calendar

I would  like to propose this morning that we add a special feast day to our liturgical calendar.  Don’t know what is the liturgical calendar?  Are you people Catholics?

The Catholic liturgical calendar is a daily directive on special Catholic events and special deceased Catholics who are now considered officially saints.  For example, the feast of Christmas, Saints Francis and Ignatius, the founder of the Jesuits.  In the sacristy of most Catholic churches there would be a little booklet with the name of the saint for the day and as a priest, I would offer the Mass in honor of and for the intercession of the saint. 

White Rock Creek Path, 7:00 Friday morning, looking north at the DART bridge branch to Plano.  Can this be Dallas?!!

Therefore, in honor of this special day I would propose that this day be officially established as a holy day of obligation, as they once were called.  The day?  Yesterday. 

You all must know that the last Saturday of August, usually the hottest day of the Summer, is especially celebrated each year on the campus of Midwestern University where Kevin goes to college in the town of Wichita Falls, northwest of Dallas a couple hours.

Celebration?  What kind of celebration?  To show that we are not intimidated by 100 degree temps, some thousands of bike riders aim to ride for 100 miles out of Wichita Falls on a clockwise ride around the region. 

South bound WRCT heading toward White Rock Lake at the bridge just before the Skillman bridge-tunnel.   At 7:00 it is gorgeous on the path!   Yes, I'm riding again, Monday-Friday this week.

There are rest stops every 10 miles and at ca. mile 75, every five miles or so.  I have my favorite stops and in particular the stop at the 30 mile marker, the edge of the little town of Electra.  The women of Electra bake dozens of homemade cookies and hand them out.  Everything is free at the rest stops, water, of course, but also fruit, bananas, energy bars, and even pickles.

Shonda and Ben bringing Life.

One year it was especially hot and hot from the beginning.  I rode up to the Electra rest stop about 9:30, eager to taste a few of my favorites, like chocolate chip.   Turns out the extreme heat had melted some of their cookies, especially the chocolate chips.   No problem.   Usually the cookies are just lying there on the tables under a huge tent.  Take all you want.  Not this time. 

I look up and see a lady standing on a step with clear plastic bags on her hands and in each hand she has a cookie ball.  “Come and have all the cookie balls you want,” she is saying.  “They are as good as ever.”  And they were. 

Hue & Richard cooking.

This is why The Hotter ‘N Hell bike ride should be introduced into the Catholic Liturgical Calendar for the last Saturday of the month of August.  It is feast day.  And I nominate Saint Bill Hammond as the Patron Saint. 

So what did you do when you did not bike a hundred miles yesterday?

Welcome home, Mike.  It is really good to have you back.

Please Remember these special people:

For Alan Stryker;  For Becky's dad discovered with cancer;  For Cindy recuperating at home;    For Esparzas, Frank & Mary,  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;   For Mary & Dave Hall's g-daughter Allison Keller working at St. Lukes, Woodlands,  For Joe Hogan with cancer;  For Loretta's aunt Alicia;    For Sydney;  & For Sir Charlie & Jan;  Shonda's mom & Cody & Ben & all of Shonda's dear family;   for Michelle

On air!

For Jackie's mom;  For a friend, a neighbor, & a doctor, Karen, with brain cancer; For Rick Turner searching for a kidney donor, Type O neg; For Meredith, cancer free;    For Hue;  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.

Birthdays:     Maureen Macchio, Teresa Quinn

Anniversaries: 

Ken & Cindy, 58th

Richard & Monica Froebe, 33rd

John Cade doing the Eucharistic Prayer from his living room.

Community Finances, August 30, 2020

Expenses: $1625.00

Outreach   $360.00   (often for Souls Harbor, Legacy, etc.)

Thanks, Folks, for doing what you can.

Rosemary's Blessing:

Always pray to have eyes that see the best in people,

A heart that forgives the worst,

A mind that forgets the bad,

And a soul that never loses faith in God.

Unknown

As of September 1, Rosemary & I will have a new address,   7017 Helsem Way, Dallas 75230.   This enclave has TREES, unlike our poor, dear, tornado battered Preston Hollow neighborhood.