Sunday Homily, September 8, 2019, 23rd Ordinary Time
Welcome into our community, Tom & Susan. Poor Tom was a student at Jesuit when that Stack was supposed to be one of the teaching staff.
Readings:
Wisdom 9, 13-18, Thus were the paths of those on earth made straight
Psalm 90, In every age, O Lord, you have been our refuge
Philemon 9, 10. 12-17, Welcome him as you would me.
Luke 14, 25-33, …hating his father & mother, wife & children
Pagosa Bill just returned from the wild lands of Colorado.
Homily by Stack
I would like to talk about the line from Wisdom that struck me, It’s’ hard to make sense of what is going on in the world & harder still to understand what happening right under our noses.
My problem is that I do understand. Consequently, I can get down and I tell Rosemary, ”Let’s don’t talk about that stuff.” Now, seeing that Rosemary & I will be out of the country the next two weeks of September, I want to focus on activities and events that console me, challenge me, and make me proud to be an American. I got five quickies.
Our candle lighting team of the week, Zoe, Tori, and their friend Zoe.
First, anybody know where the Dallas Baptist Men are this morning? Try Florida and N. Carolina, according to the announcement I heard while Dorian was still in the Bahamas. So, before hitting the U.S. they already had packed up their pick ups, their shower 18 wheeler, their mobile kitchen, and tons of food.
I worked along side these guys in Galveston and, in fact, shared a large rectangular dormitory with about 25 guys, one of which snored like a chain saw.
Rosemary sez to Cindy, "Now while I am gone you have this short list of 16 things to do for the community."
The group I was with in Galveston was, as you can guess, Bona Responds, the group of St. Bonaventure students with their incredible professor, Jim Mahar, plus his henchman, our own Pagosa Bill Hammond. Guess from whom I got a message about taking a group to the Bahamas.
Closer at hand, how about Meals on Wheels? I am so proud of Rosemary and Barbara, her buddy, when they head out together to bring food to about 12-18 people. You might think this is a local endeavor only. Come with us on Thanksgiving Day or Christmas Day when a mob of regular volunteers pick up their food at the central headquarters near Love Field.
The BEST, John & Connie who can now see the world, thanks to the cataract removals.
On 60 Minutes a week or so I heard about a wealthy alumnus of NYU (Rosemary's Alma Mater) who gathered & donated enough money to set up a trust to enable all students in the medical school study loan free. I was in tears when it showed the assembled students getting the notice.
Finally, a favorite of our community, the Love for Kids picnic in the Fall and the one in the Spring. We ride in under the flag of Bona Responds and Pagosa Bill suits us all up in special T shirts. Who ever came up with this plan? It is fabulous and most touching.
Come on, Ben, I'm jealous & want a Zeke Elliott do like you got.
These are five reasons I am honored and proud to be here in Plano with you people, to be in Texas, and to be in the U.S.
Your five reasons?
Want to see the man who has no stage fright? You are looking at him, Leo.