Sunday Homily, May 27, 2018, Trinity
"Welcome in, Everybody," say Emma & her mom, Beth.
Readings:
Deuteronomy 4, 32-34, 39-40, The Lord is God in the heavens above.
Psalm 33, Blessed the people the Lord has chosen to be his own.
Romans 8, 14-17, Those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. (??)
Matthew 28, 16-20, Go and make disciples of all nations.
Who let this critter in? Are there things living in that garden?
Deuteronomy observations:
What: This work is the 5th and last book of the Pentateuch/Torah. The first 4 books are Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, & Numbers. Deuteronomy has basically 3 speeches delivered by Moses before the people enter the promised land. He reviews all they have endured the past 40 years and how Yahweh has shown his care and power to save them.
Author: Moses may have spoken some of the ideas in the speeches, but others have put the work together. In fact, in chapter 34 the death of Moses is described. Someone other than Moses probably covered this episode.
Welcome Home, Sophia, so nice to see you.
Date: 700 years before Christ.
Our Selection: the end of the first speech. Moses is reminding the people of how Yahweh cared for them and why they must honor him for this as their one and only god.
Kevin & Ben, the candle team of the week.
Best line in all the readings? Blessed the people the lord has chosen to be his own.
That's us. Therefore, NO FEAR!
In Memory of Frank Hart
Last Sunday evening I attended a Rosary at Christ the King for my old coach, Boy Scout Master, and friend, Frank Hart. Monday morning we had a Mass. In honor of Frank and the Trinity I want to relate 3 moving aspects of Frank’s celebration.
First, Christ the King, a place that witnessed my growing up. I have not been in the Church in over 15 years, when I did weddings there as a Jesuit. It felt like coming home a bit and two unique memories hit me.
The Offertory team, Bernadette & Gil, Ray & Claire.
Right off the bat, where the podium is is where a good friend of mine, Jimmy Gannon, broke my left leg at football practice. I had never spoken from that podium until that Rosary. Frank did it.
Next, my dad attended 7:00 A.M. Mass daily. I knew his pew. I returned to Dallas to teach at Jesuit after never getting home for 7 years. 3 other Jesuits on their way to Jesuit, El Paso, & myself drove all night. I arrived at 7:00 and rather than going home I had the guys drop me at Christ the King. He was there.
The main aisle, Christ the King, podium on the left.
The second aspect of the event that touched me was the large number of fellow kids like me who showed up, especially classmates of Frank, jr. As Don Zimmerman, another classmate of Frank and pastor of Christ the King said, “It was like a reunion of ex-Jesuit students.” A big one, too. A tribute, also, to Frank.jr.
The third aspect to the whole celebration was remembering how Frank had touched me into new life and new self-confidence. Hang on. You might have heard me talk about this, but it is relevant to all of us.
The main altar, Christ the King.
It was the summer after my 6th year at Christ the King and I signed up to go to a week at Boy Scout camp on Lake Texoma.
Before we even left town some 8th graders let me know that they were going to initiate me. They scared the poo out of me and as soon as I arrived at Texoma I played sick and came home.
I was humiliated. I was so ashamed.
A young Frank Hart.
A year goes by and Frank has been hired by Christ the King to coach and be Scout Master. Texoma again. “No thanks,” I say. My dad is now an unofficial assistant to Frank and he tells me he is going up to spend one night at Texoma as a helper to Frank. “Want to come?”
I knew I was in a bad place. So I said I would go and return with him.
Mickey & Frank.
I’ll never forget the night we arrived. It was dark. Frank was sitting on his cot in the two person, short walled, canvas, Army surplus tent, a Coleman lantern hanging from the ceiling. Frank did not even get up, but he greeted me with such a sincerely warm and non-judgmental simplicity that I turned a corner in my growing up. I stayed for the rest of the week.
Bill Deor's comic charicture of Frank, the disciplinarian at Christ the King.
Who has touched you?
Rest in Peace, Dearest Frank and Dearest Mickey.