Sunday Homily, November 3, 2019 31st Sunday and All Saints

Readings:  Amos 7, 12-15; Psalm 85, Lord, let us see Your Kindness and grant us Your Salvation; Ephesians, 1, 3-14; Mark 6, 7-13 

Amos:   

Author: Amos or his scribe.  He was a shepherd of sheep & tended sycamore trees.  One of the 12 minor prophets of the OT, minor because of smallness of the works.  Amos has only 9 chapters.  Usual pattern of prophets: 1. predictions of dire times for evil behavior; 2. predictions of better times in the future. 

Date: Ca. 777 (a memory help), after the kingships of David & Solomon, time of King Jeroboam of the northern kingdom, called Israel vs the southern kingdom, called Judah (where Jerusalem is).   

Geography: Note the two kingdoms, Judah in the south, Israel in the north.  Amos tended sheep in a little town called Tekoa, 10 miles south of Jerusalem, in Judah, the south.  He is sent by Yahweh to Bethel, a small but important town in the northern kingdom, 10 miles north of Jerusalem, to warn the people of Israel & their king Jeroboam that Yahweh was mad at them.  The wicked high priest of Bethel, Amaziah condemns Amos for his interference.

The Setting: a time of prosperity.  But Yahweh is mad at the greed of the wealthy and their oppression of the poor (which ties into our gospel talking about walking lightly through life).  We know the people of this kingdom of Israel are headed for annihilation by the Assyrian nation.  And they will disappear as a significant body.  

Our Selection, chapter 7: (reading all of chapter 7) Amos describes three visions or dreams he has.  Amaziah gives it to him for spreading these visions around.  Then, Amos responds and socks it to Amaziah with a hammer.

Mark:  a couple of reminders–

    1.  Mark is the first of the 4 gospels written, ca 70 C.E.  Note: Jerusalem & the Temple were smashed by the Romans in 70, after a Jewish rebellion.  In 73 the famous Masada battle took place.  More about this event another day.  Just think, from this date until 1948 a Jewish state did not exist.

    2.  The first written documents were by Paul, his letters.

Sources: Grace Institute of Biblical Leadership; Catholic Encyclopedia; Wikipedia

 

Traveling Light through Life

A couple of weeks ago I called this guy from the city of Dallas.  The city provides a special service for people with lawn sprinkler systems.  They come out, check it, and offer recommendations for how to make it more efficient.  One of our neighbors told me about the service and I thought, "Why not?" 

So I get our system as efficient as I think possible, fix all the heads so they are not watering the street, have the grass all clipped, and invite the man out.  He comes in a fancy painted up little car and turns out to be a great guy, very affirming. 

He checks each of our three zones, notes how everything is working well, compliments me on how everything functions, gives me a print out, and departs.  I am feeling pretty great because I got into this sprinkler business a number of years ago when I found out how expensive even just a visit from a professional is.  I discovered that sprinkler systems are basically like Lego toys. 

So I take the print out and am scanning it.  I see that he has noted the amount of water one zone puts out per minute.  I had seen him out at the curb checking the meter.  I read the amount, then read it again unable to believe that it can be correct. 

The paper says one zone uses 100 gallons per minute.  There must be a mistake.  I add it up.  I usually run a zone for 10 minutes. That is 1000 gallons of water.  I got 3 zones, so I am watering my St. Augustine for 30 minutes.  3000 gallons every time I water!  I want to throw up. 

Making it worse, I had just read an on line info about water shortages coming.  Like El Paso and San Antonio are running out of water.  I am scrupling over using a toilet that consumes 3 gallons.  And here I am watering a our precious St. Augustine with 3000 gallons. 

I was reminded of this when I read this passage from Mark, part of which I have liked for years.  Where he says, "Take nothing for the journey."  Two thoughts.

First, this is obvious exaggeration, hyperbole, the old spiritual principle of infinite demand plus infinite acceptance.  If I had taken nothing for the journey on any one of the trips I took by motorcycle in Tanzania, you would not be stuck listening to me here today.  I've talked in past years about taking a journey or two where I did not travel prepared, like when the train broke down & was out nowhere for about 48 hours.  And I had not even brought water.

Second, I take this word journey as symbolic.  It  could mean a trip we take to Houston or Europe.  For me, however  it means the journey of life.  It is a challenge to walk lightly through the journey of life.  It means minimize stuff and toys.  It means travel free, be free.

By nature I am pretty comfortable with traveling light through life.  I did it for years in in East Africa.  Living as a Jesuit with a vow of poverty, which shamed me, also sharpened my sensitivity to simplicity. 

Yet here I am faced with watering St. Augustine with 3000 gallons of water.  This is going to be hard to simplify.  Even normally I only water 2 times per week.  Now I want to water once a week.  I got to look at zero landscaping.  Achieving simplicity & freedom on this is going to be difficult

There is a cynical saying going around that he wins who has at the end the most toys.  Delusion!  He with the most toys is probably the most trapped.  In the Jesuits we had an image we used sometimes, the monkey & the banana.  The banana is in a cage.  The monkey holds it but can't get his hand out while he holds it.  Stuff can be our banana.  Jesus says, "You want to be free?  Travel light."  I'm wondering if my St. Augustine is my banana.

What is your banana?  Your St. Augustine?

AUDIO:  http://mysite.verizon.net/reso7rjy/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderfiles/2009-07-12.mp3

Picture 1:  Beginning Mass with Lorynne & T.J.

Picture 2:  Anthony & Sabrina

Picture 3:  Maggie

Picture 4:  Chloe with her mom, Clair

 

Readings: Hosea, 6, 3-6; Psalm 50; Romans 4, 18-25; Matthew 9,9-13; plus a good Alleluia verse, Luke 4, 18, about which I would like to speak.

Hosea: as with most of the prophets, Hosea is disturbed by the infidelity & behavior of the Hebrews.  He tells them how bad they are and warns them that their bad ways will have consequences.  Yahweh will punish them.  He lives about 700 years B.C. & worked the area of the north, called Israel or Galilee.

Me Bring Glad Tidings to the Poor?

Many of you, I am sure, have your favorite auto mechanic.  And if you don't, you probably wish you did.  Rosemary & I have an Italian Catholic family, the Lucidos, who run One Stop.  Trouble with it is that it is a little distance, near 35 & Royal. 

In Richardson there is another of these reliable mechanics.  I don't know the man, but he has a reputation of being reliable, dependable, reasonable with his prices, and a curmudgeon.  A grump, a no patience, no compliments, non-smiler. 

A family I know who has lived in Richardson forever has believed in this mechanic.  The family has raised three kids who are now grown up and at least into their 20's.  As is the case in so many families, one of the kids, the oldest boy, has had his troubles migrating from adolescence into adulthood.  In and out of school, not able to find what he wanted to do, hanging with friends who likewise could not find their way. 

In the past couple of years, this boy finally married, had some kids, and actually graduated from college.  I think this was his first year to teach in special ed.  It looked like the kid was really putting his life together and going somewhere.

In the spring the boy had car trouble and naturally he took his trouble to the family mechanic.  All went well and the car was fixed for a reasonable price. 

A few days later the father got a call from the curmudgeon mechanic.  What do you think he was calling to say? 

"I am calling," he said, "to compliment you on your son."  The mechanic who never gives compliments and who had known and followed the son through his growing pains, said the boy had turned out marvelously, courteous, friendly, saying "Yes, sir," & "No, sir," and was really a pleasure to be around. 

I think dad just about fainted dead on the phone.

I tell this story because it exemplifies one approach to "The Lord sent me to bring glad tidings to the poor."  A marvelous line.  For three reasons.

     We are all the poor and need to hear glad tidings.  We are less than we want to be, we hurt others, we fail in business and in sports, we fail as spouses, as parents, as priests.   Then along comes glad tidings: "I did not come to call the righteous but sinners.  Pretty good news for us sinners.

   The Lord sends Me to bring glad tidings, good news, compliments.  The Richardson curmudgeon mechanic brought happy tidings to a father who could have felt rather poverty stricken over the years as a parent.  This is one of the main motivations I work as a priest & therapist.

   The result of the glad tidings is greater inner peace–for the person who receives the gift and for the person who brings it.  Certainly the father felt greater peace and probably the mechanic felt a peace.

With whom do you share glad tidings & how?

AUDIO: http://mysite.verizon.net/reso7rjy/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderfiles/2008-06-08.mp3

Readings: Isaiah 58, 7-10; Psalm 112, The Just Man is a Light in Darkness to the Upright; 1 Corinthians 2, 1-5; Matthew 5, 13-16.

Intro to Readings

 Our gospel readings, beginning last Sunday and continuing for the next several Sundays are part of the great Sermon on the Mount in Matthew’s Gospel.  This section of Matthew’s Gospel is the first and most well known of five major discourses, which are in this gospel.  Matthew had situated Jesus on a mountain; recall one of the themes of this gospel is to show how Jesus fulfills the Old Testament. 

 

 
Moses was on a mountain when he received the Ten Commandments from God, Moses was acting as intermediary.  Jesus is portrayed very differently – phrases from next Sunday’s gospel – “you have heard it said…. but I say to you” Jesus is no intermediary! 

 Just before this Sermon, we are told that Jesus went about the whole of Galilee preaching the Good News of the Kingdom.  Now this sermon spells out what that means.  For instance Jesus tells the disciples about their new relationship with God in that he refers to God some 17 times as “your Father”. 

The whole sermon, which covers three chapters in Matthew, can be divided into three sections, the first dealing with the Law, then a section on religious practice and the final section on material possessions and human relationships, ending with the famous golden rule.  In the middle section we find the instructions on prayer, with the teaching of the Our Father. 

 There is much to ponder on in these readings, and interestingly the contents give us a rare insight into what was probably very early Christian preaching as the Letter from James has much the same content and this is considered one of the earliest writings we have from the new community, written somewhere around the year 50!

 

The Homily

 I want to continue our discussion of the sacraments.  Today we will discuss very briefly the third of the three sacraments commonly referred to as the ‘Sacraments of Initiation’, the Eucharist.  This sacrament has many names, First Communion, Communion, the Eucharist and the Mass.  I think that the revised Rite of Christian Initiation has gone a long way towards helping clarify the confusion. 

 If you are familiar with the RCIA program, you will recall that in the period leading up to the Easter Vigil, when the candidates are admitted into the community fully, they are invited to attend just the first half of the Mass, the Liturgy of the Word, and then they process out of the church.  I think the reason the words “First Communion” came about was because just as with our discussion of Confirmation, when originally a new candidate joined, they received all three sacraments at the same time.  It was again due to circumstances and time that each event became separated and became individual sacraments.

 

So much could be said about the mass that it could be a topic each Sunday at least for a year.  Today I want to cover just a few highpoints.  My intent is to help us remember why we are here each Sunday.

 The Mass as we know it began its life at the Last Supper.  But even before that Passover Meal, there was a whole history connected with the Jewish history and THE most important event, their salvation from slavery in Egypt.  So that last meal the Jews ate before their escape to freedom and the Promised Land is the backdrop for our Mass.  The earliest mention we have of that last meal Jesus took with his apostles comes to us from Paul in his letter to the Corinthian community. 1Cor 11, 23ff.  And this letter dates to around the year 56 or 57 CE.  Meals were important in the gospel stories about Jesus.  And one of his first appearances was to the disciples on the road to Emmaus, when they recognized Jesus in the breaking of the bread.  As the years passed and the early community gathered to remember Jesus, that Last Supper began to be called the Lord’s Supper.  And it was quickly seen in conjunction with His death and resurrection.  Pretty soon its parallel to the Exodus Event with its resultant freedom for those who were baptized and received into this community was vivid.  The sacrificial aspect became uppermost. 

 

That Jesus’ death and resurrection won for us a whole new freedom in our relationship with the Father.  In typical human fashion, attempts have been made to explain the words, “this is my body, this is my blood” and like everything else connected with God, it is a mystery, so I prefer to leave it to the realm of faith and accept it rather than try to understand it.  Suffice it to say that the Jesus we receive in communion is there, not as a result just of those words by the priest, but as a result of the whole community, with the priest at its head, because of the entire action of the mass. 

 There has been much debate about whether the mass is a sacrifice or a meal, with one side or the other coming to the fore at different times.  The reality is: sacrifice includes meal, the two are not separate. 

 Our coming here each Sunday is to participate as a community in that sacrifice.  We listen to God’s Word, we offer our gifts of bread and wine and then we pray the Eucharistic Prayer, the word Eucharist means thanksgiving.  We then believe that by eating the bread and drinking the wine we are receiving the risen Jesus into our lives.  This communion, this meeting brings us closer in our relationship with God and hopefully the effect spills over into our lives where we live and work and pray.

Picture 1:   Mass Begins

Picture 2:   Mass Beginning

Picture 3:   The Music Machine, Wendy & Shonda, Ray & Jon

Picture 4:   The Keszler Klan, Jan & Sir Charlie, their son, Chuck, & Chuck's wife, Ellen, & their older son, Andrew. 

 

 

 

Readings: 2 Samuel 12; Psalm 32; Galatians 2, 16-21; Luke 7, 36-8, 3

Happy Father’s Day & Confirmation Day

2 Samuel.  What has taken place before the reading today is that King David, the Great, has taken another man’s wife and then had the man killed in battle to eliminate him. The wife is the famous Bathsheba and her son is to be the great Solomon. Nathan is the prophet who will condemn David.

We Confirm Excellence

This morning I would like to direct my remarks to Erica & Susie because it is their special day. 

Every year to maintain my pschological therapist license in TX I have to attend 20 hours of continuing education. Last week I attended an all day seminar for six hours.

In the afternoon the presenter was talking about achieving internal peace and wholeness.  He said he could probably come up with 20 qualities of a person who is peaceful and whole. However, he wanted to share his top five. Think you can figure out what the 5 are, maybe one or two? 

I’ll tell you what they are and I want to add one of my own. I’ll give them alphabetically.  His 5 are curiosity & hope, gratitude & love, & zest.  I add humor. 

Confirmation:

Curiosity for you girls might come pretty easy right now in your lives. In fact, maybe your curiosity can get overwhelmed at times. You are in school. The day will come, however, when you will graduate. Then you can choose to read, to know different places by traveling there, to study different languages, to befriend people different from you. 

If you were not girls of hope you would not be here this morning. Your hope is that tomorrow will be an even better day than today, with more peace, fascinating people (which all are), and fun times.

You hear me talk always about focusing on my blessings. I do this to stimulte my gratitude to God, to People, to Rosemary.

When I focus on gratitude I find I can love more. Knowing you girls, you will love a lot of people and a lot of people will love you because of what neat people you are. Occasionally you will be challenged to love a person who makes your love a decision. I love the person despite the behavior.  Unconditional love: maybe does not exist except on rare occasions. It is, however, always a goal.

When you are grateful and loving, full of hope and curious, you will live your lives with zest.  You will love your lives and live to the fullest.  Life itself will be a gift.

Finally, I add humor.  Not only is it healthy to laugh.  It is esecially healthy to laugh at myself. How often do you girls laugh at events, people, yourselves?  Humor helps on those occasions when I fall flat on my face and make a fool of myself. 

You girls look around and you will see these qualities in your mom & dad, your friends, and lots of people here this morning. You girls have these qualities.  I know you & have seen them.  I confirm these qualities in you. The Community, the Catholic Church, and I, we are all proud of you.  Continue to be The Best.

Folks, back to you.  How are you going to confirm these girls in their excellence?

Audio: Click to download to an mp3 file

Welcome, Everybody, to our Easter Sunday liturgy being streamed through Zoom.   

 

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A really special thanks to Mike and Becky for making this presentation possible.  We are broadcasting from our normal Sunday meeting room at Legacy Charter school.

 

 

Please begin this celebration by asking, What has been my biggest blessing recently?

 

Prayer for Today:

Please, Lord, Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,

The courage to change the things I can,

And the wisdom to know the difference.

 

 

Reading 1, read by Denni

A Reading from the Acts of the Apostles

Peter fairly exploded with his good news, saying:  “You know the story of what happened in Judea.  It began in Galilee after John preached a total life-change.  Then Jesus arrived from Nazareth, anointed by God with the Holy Spirit.  He went through the country helping people and healing everyone who was beaten down by the Devil.  He was able to do all this because God was with him. 

“And we saw it all, everything he did in the land of the Jews and in Jerusalem where they killed him, hung him from a cross.  But in three days God had him up, alive, and out where he could be seen.  Not everyone saw him; witnesses had been carefully handpicked by God beforehand—us!  We were the ones, there to eat and drink with him after he came back from the dead. 

He commissioned us to bear solemn witness that he is in fact the One whom God destined as judge of the living and the dead.  And our witness that he is the means to forgiveness of sin is backed up by the witness of all the prophets.”

The Word of the Lord.

 

 

Psalm 118, This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad

 

 

Reading 2, read by Tom

A Reading from the First Letter of Paul to the Corinthians

        Yeast is a small thing, but it works its way through a whole batch of bread dough pretty fast.  So get rid of this “yeast.”  Our true identity is flat and plain, not puffed up with the wrong kind of ingredient.  The Messiah, our Passover Lamb, has already been sacrificed for the Passover meal, and we are the Unraised Bread part of the Feast.  So let’s live out our part in the Feast, not as raised bread swollen with the yeast of evil, but as flat bread—simple, genuine, un-pretentious.

Our word for today.

 

 

 

The Lord be with you.    A Reading from the Good News of John, read by Robinsons, Beth & Rob

        Early in the morning on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and saw that the stone was moved away from the entrance.  She ran at once to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, breathlessly panting.  “They took the Master from the tomb.  We don’t know where they’ve put him.” 

        Peter and the other disciple left immediately for the tomb.  They ran, neck and neck.  The other disciple got to the tomb first, outrunning Peter.  Stooping to look in, he saw the pieces of linen cloth lying there, but he didn’t go in.  Simon Peter arrived after him, entered the tomb, observed the linen cloths lying there, and the kerchief used to cover his head lying separate, neatly folded.  Then the other disciple, the one who had gotten there first, went into the tomb, took one look at the evidence, and believed.  No one yet knew from the Scripture that he had to rise from the dead. 

The Good News of John.

 

 

Thoughts for Today

About 10-12 days ago I had just finished Aviana's first morning potty trip.  I was going in the front door when I saw a note taped to the door.  A young couple who lived behind us,  Joe & Julie, wrote that if we needed anything from the stores to let them know.  They would love to help us out.  I was stunned.  I was humbled.  

Two days ago I look out our front bay window and see a little girl walking up the sidewalk from her little bike to the open front door.  Her mom was at the curb on her bike.  Lucy, who is about 6, but who has grown so much I did not even recognize her, was given a school assignment to write a note to one of her neighbors.  She chose Rosemary & me.

Again I was humbled and touched.

Amid these difficult and troubled times what small gems of joy do you find every day?

For instance on a bigger screen, when the NBA shut down do you know who stepped forward with a promise to take care of his network of helpers?  Mark Cuban.

I cannot say enough about the heroic medical personnel all over the country, with the NY doctors and nurses giving heroic care, even at the cost of their own health.  That's Rosemary's city.

On the home front, turns out bike shops are running out of bikes for people to buy & ride.  Rosemary  & I see them around White Rock or along the W. R. Creek trail.  I see people Rosemary & I have never seen out walking their dogs or riding their bikes.

Also there is word that there are various local groups of ladies gathering via Zoom for "tea" about 5:00.  I hear that liquor stores are frequently sold out.

Two final people have really touched me.  Mike.  He has worked tirelessly to put our ceremonies on line.  Thanks, Mike.

And finally, one special lady who does so much I can't even imagine.  Not  only has she been sending every week 1100 to 1800 meals out the door to her Legacy students and staff as well as others.  She has also opened up her school so we could use our Sunday space and she has worked side by side with Mike to present these programs.

Thanks, Becky.

What small & large gems of joy are you finding every day?

 

 

The Preface & Eucharistic Prayer will be done by John Cade.

Says Our Dear Harper, "Welcome in, Everybody."

 

Readings:

Matthew 21, 1-11, Jesus enters Jerusalem, (the entrance)

Isaiah 50, 4-7.   I gave my back to those who beat me.

 Psalm 22,  My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?

Philippians 2, 6-11,   He emptied himself

 Matthew 26 & 27,    The Passion.

 

 

Palm Sunday procession beginning.

 

Sorry, we have no homily today.  Long readings. 

 

The Wedding of Scott and Giana at The Windsor at Hebron Park.

 

Frank Costanza ring bearer.  Of all the weddings I have had the privilege of performing, Frank at 93 is the prettiest ring bearer I have ever seen.

 

Mr. & Mrs. Giana and Scott Booth.

 

The beginning of a new life.