Sunday Homily for November 11, 2018, 32nd, Ordinary Time

 

 

 

"Welcome in, Everybody," says our dear Michelle, The Great Mom.

 

 

Readings:

Isaiah 40, 1-5, 9-11,   Make straight in the wasteland a highway for our God

Psalm 85,  Lord, let us see you kindness and grant us your salvation.

2 Peter 3, 8-14,  One day with the Lord is like a thousand years.

Mark, 1, 1-,  He will prepare your way.

 

Christmas Eve Mass, 12/24/17 at 4:00.

 

 

Our Dearest Candle Lighter, Emma, at work bringing us light.

 

Observations on Isaiah

Who: number 2 Isaiah, my favorite and a bringer of peace and consolation.  This is despite the fact that Isaiah 2 is composing during the time of the Babylonian Captivity.

If you are familiar with Handel’s Messiah, you will recognize lines he took directly from this passage.  

 

Watch out for a line in the letter of Peter, where God is compared to a thief who will come unexpectedly and send you to a bad place.

 

 

 

Thanks for the help with the Offertory, Teresa & Tom, and Leo in the back.

 

 

The Day of the Lord will come like a thief

In the spirit of Advent I want to tell you three stories about how the thief came to me in the past week.  This is my kind of thief, one who brings peace and consolation.

 

 

 

The Best Music with Shonda, Ben, & David.
 

 

 

There is a person who lives in a suburb not far from our community gathering place here at Sigler Elementary.  In this neighborhood the Dallas Morning News is delivered every morning at 6:10.  The paper is thrown into the lawn from a passing car or pick-up (not like in my days as a paper boy when I walked and took pride in placing the paper right at the front door).  In the neighborhood the first person to fetch the paper walks around and delivers everyone’s paper to their doorstep.  Pretty cool.

This past Friday morning this person was ready to do the paper delivery, stepped out, and behold, his paper had already been delivered by a neighbor.  This is getting merit by intention, an old Catholic grade school teaching of the Ursuline nuns.  The person?  Our Mike Carroll, a thief who regularly brings peace and consolation to all.

 

 

 

Communion ready, Claire & Sandra, Geri & Mike & Patricia.

 

 

 

The name of second thief is unknown.  Andy Sokolowski, one of our stalwart backpackers, told me this.  He & his wife were in their RV looking for a special park in Arizona.  They cannot find it, are sitting at the edge of the road looking at their map, and up comes a black guy who asks if they are lost. 

Yes!  The guy explains how to get to the park, which involves about half a dozen turns on little roads.  A couple of miles down their road, they are lost again. 

 

 

 

The real thieves at the Love for Kids picnic bringing peace and consolation.

 

 

But, behind them comes the thief bringing peace and consolation.  He offers to personally lead them to the park.  The thief of peace and consolation has struck again.

The third even took place yesterday, yes, the Great Love for Kids picnic at the large ranch west of Flower Mound.  The picnic invites kids from DISD and other school districts.  The schools are mostly from low income neighborhoods.

 

 

 

Those thieves were everywhere.   This young teacher is lacing up the shoe of one of her little charges.

 

Saturday 30 plus buses delivered a thousand pumped kids to a whole swarm of activities.  I watched those kids come into the big rectangular pavilion.  They were so excited.   Immediately they were welcomed with music and special middle school kids who sang and invited the kids to dance.  One the stage was even a Downs Syndrome girl who could really dance.

Waiting for them were bags of pop corn, kool-ade, face painting and tatoos, horse back rides, and  lunch.  Plus more music and dancing.  Every kid got a new winter coat and they were not all alike.  When the kids got back on their buses, guess what they found. A package of goodies had been put on every seat in every bus.

 

 

 

 

Welcome, All You Kids.

 

Who made this all possible and did all the work?  A whole big gang of volunteers , among them a big bunch from our community.  They struck again, those thieves of peace and consolation.

To whom are you a thief bringing peace and consolation?

 

 

These kids looked like middle school level, but could they all sing and dance, and get everyone else dancing.

 

 

Readings:  Proverbs 31, 10-31; Psalm 128; 1 Thessalonians 5, 1-6; Matthew 25, 14-30

Proverbs:

Date of Composition: ca. 300 B.C.

Content: a collection of moral & religious teachings which were mostly dealing with practical matters.

 

The Talented Person

Nineteen years ago today an event happened in the Jesuit order that still boggles my mind.  The year was 1989.  I had been back in the States about 3 years.  Reagan was coming to the end of his 8 years as president. 

There was a group of 6 Jesuits who lived in a Jesuit community connected to a university.  Some of the men worked in the university, others worked in other activities in the area.  The school went by the initials UCA, University of Central America.  It was located in the city of San Salvador, the capital of El Salvador. 

Times had been tough in El Salvador over the past 6-8 years.  Some Maryknoll nuns & an Ursuline nun had been stopped one night on the road to the airport and killed. 

On this night nineteen years ago the Jesuits had all gone to bed.  Behind their community house was a house where the housekeeper & cook lived with her daughter.  At some time in the middle of the night a special brigade of the military arrived at the door.  They awoke everyone and herded them into an inner patio.  They made them all, the six Jesuits and the housekeeper & her daughter, lie face down on the ground.  Then they shot each one. 

We celebrate today the nineteenth anniversary of their martyrdom.

My thoughts go to these people when I read the parable about the man going on a journey and giving various talents to his servants.  I do not know how many times over the years I have read this and thought that I do not like this man.  Why is he so hard on the poor man with only one talent?  Why do the rich get richer?  Being a parable, what is the symbolism?  Is the man a metaphor or symbol of Yahweh?  Three observation that help me.

1.  First, we all have our talent.  A talent in the days of Matthew was 34 kilos of gold, i.e., 70 pounds of gold.  To grow into a complete person, physically, spiritually, and psychologically I got to use my talent.  What keeps me from using it, like the man in the parable, is often fear.  Despite the psalm's statement that "Blessed are those who fear the Lord," I would propose that more blessed and more spiritually healthy are those that love the Lord.  No fear. 

Even though on the surface of the parable this does not seem to be the message, I think it may.  The insight comes to me from the Carmelite website.

2.  This is the second point: the clue to the parable is that Jesus and especially Matthew is talking to and admonishing the Pharisees, not so much us.   Remember the pharisees obsessively observed every law & dictate so that they could attain justification and superiority.  Could it be that they had a fear based spirituality?  They get chastised for hiding their talent.  Yahweh from Matthew's perspective is irritated with them.

3.  Thirdly, another clue to understanding the parable: image and attitude.  The pharisees have the same image of Yahweh that the one talent man has.  Demanding.  Therefore, his attitude and the attitude of the pharisees is, 'don't risk, don't love, hide behind strict observance of the law.'  This results in a sterile spirituality, it kills joy and spontaneity, and impoverishes life.  This pathetic life is chastised in the parable.

 Yes, the man symbolizes Yahweh.  The three servants are the people, we the people.  I grant, the master really does come across pretty harshly.  Maybe this is more Matthew speaking his feelings. Who knows what contributed to the fear of the one talent man.  I see this fear in people who have received a lot of negativity in their life, especially as children, being maybe abused or mistreated.  My read is that a compassionate master & God would take this into consideration and be more accepting than Matthew's parable suggests. 

When I read this parable about talents, I am reminded of my former Jesuit confreres.  They used their talents, for others. They faced their fears.  In fact, they had frequently been harassed by the government which did not like the Jesuits' criticism.  They gave it all. 

What is your talent & how are you using It?

Picture 1:  Choir Wendy, Ray, & Celeste

Picture 2:  Birthdays–Mary Ellen Munzell, Penny Morrow, Blake & Blair Reyes (19)

Picture 3:  Beth Robinson presenting Christmas family project

AUDIO:  http://mysite.verizon.net/reso7rjy/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderfiles/2008-11-16.mp3

 

 

 

Readings:  Isaiah 55, 6-9; Psalm 145; Philippians 1, 20-27; Matthew 20, 1-16

Isaiah:

• Time: Isaiah himself may have lived ca. 750 B.C.  The book was written and put together from what seems to be 3 sources (chapters 1-39; 40-56; 57-66) after the Babylonian Exile ca. 550 B.C.

• Message: Isaiah criticizes strongly the corruption of the ruling class & wealthy and condemns them for their lack of concern for the poor.

• Today's reading: a somewhat mild criticism of the scoundrel & the wicked.

 

Celebrating the Gift of the Moment

Two stories exemplify the meaning of today's gospel. 

Just a while back I was on the DART train again, headed downtown in the middle of the day.  As usual, I was in car #1 because I love to watch where we are going.  I was on the right side about row 4, on the aisle.

Across from me in the first seat on the aisle was a mother with two little kids, one in a stroller, the other by the window.  Behind her was another mother on the aisle likewise with a little kid sitting next to the window.  Both mothers were young, both kids next to the windows were girls about 5.  The mother & kids in the first seat were white, the mother & daughter in the second seat were black.

As I watched, the girl in the first seat, who was blue eyed, blond pony tailed, and blessed with a terrific little smile, she looked around the left edge of her seat, saw the little black girl, and turned around so she could kneel on her seat and look over the seat top. 

The little girls started talking a little bit at a time.  They continued to talk, the white girl leaning over the back of her seat, the black girl with little pig tails sitting.  The black girl seemed to be doing the majority of the chatting while the white girl would ask a question and smile.

This continued all the way from Forest Lane to the Thanksgiving Square stop where I got off.  As I left, they were still into their conversation. 

I was so touched.  The kids are color blind, I thought.  They just enjoyed talking with each other and their mothers let them go at it.  For me it was a special gift of the moment.

The second story.  Yesterday morning, Saturday, I was walking back home from the Tom Thumb store at Royal & Preston.  I crossed Preston and was passing in front of the corner Starbucks.  It was early, about 6:30, and hardly anybody was moving around, not even at Starbucks. 

In front of Starbucks, however, was one guy in his late fifties or middle sixties, perhaps a little younger than I.  He had a baseball hat on & shorts.  He was facing me as I approached and I caught his eye for a second.  I said, "Morning!"

……  Nothing.  When I spoke he looked away with a face of no affect. 

Well, this type of thing can get me going.  I wanted to go back and turn his table over.  At least, say, "Hey, man, I said 'Morning.'"  Get in the guy's face type of response. 

What I did actually was nothing.  Nothing but think about the event and my response.  Who am I to judge?  Maybe he was just laid off this week, or last year, and last night could not sleep for worrying?  Maybe his wife & he had a falling out?   Whatever the case, this may be as big a gift of the moment as  the two little girls on the DART were.  I could easily see how the girls were a gift.  Maybe the guy gave me a challenge gift of the moment. 

Matthew tells us that all the laborers who worked in the vineyard got paid the same wage by the landowner, whether they had worked 8 hours or 1.  I read that I want to say "injustice!"  How can this parable make any sense.  Three comments.

1. First, we may be comparing the dynamic of the kingdom with that of contemporary labor relations.  In the kingdom we meet a landowner, God, who is universally generous and treasures each of us with magnanimous acceptance.  He does not portion out wages.  Justice is not his criterion.  He invites everyone into the banquet

2. Secondly, we are all the workers of the last hour.  In fact, we are really the non-workers.  We say to ourselves today, well what about that person who was good all his life, that priest who gave it all up, that nun who spent her whole life working with the destitute in Calcutta?  Don't they deserve more?   Question: is virtue its own reward?

3. Thirdly, we are invited into this banquet today, not just at the end of it all.  The Challenge: to accept the the gift of the moment.  The gifts are abundant and the feast is daily. 

I look at the two encounters I had as gifts of the moment.  Granted, the second gift I call a challenge gift, but still special. 

What was your gift of the moment this week, yesterday?

AUDIO:  http://mysite.verizon.net/reso7rjy/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderfiles/2008-09-21.mp3

 

 

 

 

Says Bernadette, "Welcome in, Everybody."

 

Readings: 

Isaiah 40, 1-5, 9-11   Comfort, give comfort to my people.  (a good one)

Psalm 104,  Bless the Lord my soul.

Titus 2, 11-14, 3, 4-7,  The grace of God has appeared.  

Like 3, 15-16, 21-22,  He will baptize you with Holy Spirit.

 

 

The Team with Tori doing the candles and Buddy the blessing of the candles and Georgie watching out for all of us.

 

No homily today, guest speaker from Single Parent Advocacy, Robyn LaCasse.

 

 

Bill introduces Robyn LaCasse, the Director of Operations for Single Parent Advocacy.   Members of our community helped the Advocacy present a big Christmas party for single parent families.  Remember the photos of the huge number of donated bicycles.

 

 

Our Offertory presented by David, Caroline, & Jim.

Tom escorting his daughter Katy.  Richardson Women's Club.

 

 

Readings:

2 kings 5,  14-17, Naaman went down and plunged into the Jordan 7 times.

Psalm 98,  The Lord has revealed to the nations his saving power

2 Timothy 2, 8-13,  If we have died with him, we shall also live with him

Luke 17, 11-19,  10 were cleansed, were they not?

 

 

 

Welcome, Katy and Enza.

 

 

Homily

Because of a mix up on who was handling the homily today, we ended up with no one prepared.

 

Consequently, in the spirit of giving thanks, which is one of my favorite topics to share experiences, and which was the theme of some pretty good Scripture choices, I talked about my mom's advice when I got ordained in 1971, St. Rita's on Inwood Road, across the drive from Jesuit, in the old church.

 

 

Dani doing a reading.

 

I had received numerous gifts from people I actually did not know well, if at all.   They were my mom's friends.  And she had a  lot!  What to respond to the people who sent the gifts?  I was all for simply accepting the gifts and moving on

 

Not my mom.  She told me I needed to do the better thing, which was to send a note to every single person who gave me a gift.  Ugh!   This was pre-computers.  I had to write a note, address an envelope, put a stamp on the envelope, and send it off.  It took me forever!

 

 

Have you freely  and without reservation come here to give yourselves in marriage?

 

Because of my mom's advice (not really, her demand), I have continued to try to thank every person who touches me or the community with a gift, and that includes God on a daily basis.

 

 

Katy reading her personal vows.

 

 

If the only prayer you say in your entire life is Thank You, that would suffice.

 Meister Eckhart

 

 

 

A perfect setting & evening for a large & gracious wedding.

 

 

 

Welcome into a new and delightful life, Katy & Enza.

 

 

 

Readings:  Isaiah 9, 1-6; Psalm 96; Titus 2, 11-14; Luke 2, 1-14 (Nativity Drama by the kids)

A Small Nativity, Missed

On the corner of Preston & Forest down in Dallas there is a restaurant that I go to occasionally, PeiWei.  It is on the same corner as Whole Foods.  One day last week I was standing outside the restaurant about 1:30 waiting for my sister to show up. 

While I was waiting I saw coming up Forest from the Central Expressway side a man probably about my age.  Coming very slowly.  His legs were crippled and he was dragging them along with the aid of aluminum crutches.  He was a white guy with gray hair, docker pants, a dark polo type shirt, and a navy blue sport coat.  Black shoes that had been shined.

I watched him for about five minutes as he labored up the slight incline of the street and then as he came up the ramp into the shopping center.  He was heading straight toward the corner sidewalk where I awaited my sister.

I was going to greet him, but before I could say anything he says to me, "So you like Chinese, eh."  I agreed, and then he asked if he could ask me some directions.  "Sure," I said.  He drops his crutches literally on the sidewalk and leaning over he pulls out of his pocket a card which he shows me and asks if I know where Dougherty's Pharmacy is. 

Sure I know where Doughtery's Pharmacy is.  Everyone who lives in that general area of Preston Hollow and beyond knows where Dougherty's is.  It is an independent pharmacy and a years old landmark in the neighborhood.  The man's business card has a hand drawn map on the back showing accurately where the pharmacy is.  I think, "This guy must be from out of town."

Because the trouble is, Dougherty's is not at the busy intersection of Preston & Forest, but at the equally busy intersection of Preston & Royal, one mile south down Preston Road.  Moreover, there are no sidewalks and the bumpy path is rather close to the speeding traffic.  I know about the lack of sidewalks because on Sabbath days I see Jewish families struggling along the paths on foot on their way to or from the temple.

So I tell the man where the pharmacy is and how to get there.  I also tell him that it is a rather daunting walk even for a person able to walk with ease.  He says it is no problem, leans over, picks up his aluminum crutches, hitches them to his his upper arms, and struggles down the sidewalk.  I say, "I would be happy to take you over to the pharmacy, but I am waiting for my sister."  He responds with, "No problem, the walk will be good for me."  "Walk,", I think, "He can maneuver only with great effort."  And off he goes down the sidewalk and eventually around the corner & out of sight while I continue to wait for a few more minutes.

Later I am kicking myself.  "I could have helped him," I think, "driving him the distance and coming back in 5 minutes."  I could have phoned my sister I would be 5 minutes late.  Instead, I just stood there like a dummy. 

I look back on this now as a small nativity moment.  And I missed it.  I want to be more alert and ready for the next one. 

This evening we celebrate the Big Nativity.  We are privileged to have this knowledge.  However, it is the little ones that slip by me.  These little ones sensitize me to the bigger one.

What little nativity has slipped by you recently or slips by you all the time?

AUDIO:  http://mysite.verizon.net/reso7rjy/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderfiles/2008-12-24.mp3

Picture 1:  Wendy, Shonda, Ray, & Celeste

Picture 2:  Nativity Drama with the Kids

Picture 3:  Angels and Shepherds