Sunday Homily, July 21, 2019, 16th Ordinary Time
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.