13th Sunday, Ordinary Time, June 28, 2020

Readings:

 Joshua 24, 1-2, 15-18, Far be it from us to forsake the Lord.

Psalm 34,    Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.

Ephesians 5, 21-32,   Wives should be subordinate to their husbands as to the Lord.

John 6, 60-69, There are some of you who do not believe.

 

 

"Good Morning, Dear Vivian, and welcome to your community that loves you."  Vivian makes her debut.

 

Joshua:

Who is Joshua and what is this booklet about:  Joshua was Moses' assistant, his lieutenant when the the Israelites wandered in the desert.  The booklet is the story of the Israelite invasion of Canaan under Joshua's leadership. 

Author: somewhat amusingly, the fundamentalists say that Joshua wrote most of the booklet.  More scientific scholars say the work is a compilation of a number of sources.

 

Genevieve says, "Welcome, Everybody, Nice to be seeing you all.

 

Date of composition: again fundamentalists state that the booklet was composed 1400-1370, i.e., while Joshua lived.  Scholars of a broader vision suggest that even if a Joshua existed the work was put together 800-700 BCE. 

The work combines a number of traditions about battles & destruction of cities to create a nationalistic narrative that justifies the Israelites' taking another peoples' land for their own.

Ethical Question: genocide.  This is a bloody book.  Yahweh commands that the Israelites exterminate every breathing thing, including women & children & livestock. 

 

Sienna, too, says, "Hi, Folks, it is fun to be back and see you."

 

The battle of Jericho is characteristic.  For 6 days the Israelites marched around the city, blowing horns and menacing the people.  On day 7 they marched around 7 times and the walls came tumbling down, as in the spiritual.  Then every person except one woman & her family were slaughtered.  Lots of debate and rationalization over these events.

Our Selection: The last chapter of the booklet.  Joshua, who is dying, calls the people together at a place called Sechem and puts it to them.  Stick with Yahweh who has done all these things for you (which are mentioned in the text but are long & tedious) or choose another path of your own.

Sources: Good News Bible, Got Questions.org, Wikipedia

 

 

Brooklyn says, "This is super, I'm not the youngest around here anymore.  Where are those two little girls?"

 

Wives should be subordinate to their husbands as to the Lord

Sounds good to me, Folks.   However, when I bring this up to Rosemary, what do I get?  “Want to start sleeping in the back yard dog kennel tonight?  Even my mom was not impressed with this little statement of Paul.  Just ask my poor dad. 

And guess what: I married my mom.  So much for the joy of being a married priest.

 

"Anybody planning a race over here?"  "No thank you.  We would rather sleep while that old geezer goes on talking."

 

Some years ago while I was waiting in a line to ride the roller coaster at 6 Flags I overheard a husband telling his wife to obey him because of this passage, he was the head of the house and the Bible says it.  I almost dropped my teeth. 

The family, mom, dad, and two young girls were trying to decide something.  Finally, even the wife says to the girls that they have to obey the man.  He is the head.

So, how do we handle this, especially when we are repelled by the idea?

 

Teamwork.  Vivian's mommy, Bethany taking care of Genevieve.  Does it get any more beautiful?

 

Perspective!   Traditionally there are three types of family relationships.  This is fairly simple.

    1.  Matriarchal: the woman/wife is the head of the family.  Culturally this has been established occasionally and in some places.

    2.  Patriarchal: the husband is the head. 

    3.  Equality: both are partners, husband and wife. 

 

         Brandon, the Ace Candle Lighter with his mom, Mary.

 

Paul's place:  guess which paradigm Paul comes from?  Paul lives in a culture which considered women & children little more than domestic animals.  In Tanzania I found the same paradigm among the ordinary people.  This paradigm has been followed more probably  because men are physically stronger and don’t hesitate to maintain control with physical violence.

Even though today Paul can sound wako & chauvanistic, what he says about husbands loving their wives as they love their own bodies, this was pretty radical.

 

           Cupcake of The Week Time: Payton and The Girls.

 

Today: all three of the paradigms are valid.  Among most educated people, however, equality between husband & wife, men & women is the more healthy.    Besides, as we know, women just won’t let us guys get away with it. 

Certainly with education for both men and women, there is equality.  And just this week, two women passed the Army Ranger training program. 

 

"Zoe, You look even prettier without those teeth."

 

So, again, beware of taking the Bible literally.  Check our blog from last Thursday to find some other interesting biblical statements.   Like beating your kids.

What paradigm do you prefer???

 

 

 

          And keeping us all together, Mary, Bethany, and Ray.

Readings: Job 7, 1-7; Psalm 147; 1 Corinthians 9, 16-23; Mark 1, 29-39

Job:

Author: Unknown.  No book in the OT or NT has less known about it.  Called the most profound book of the OT.  It deals with the problem of evil,  personal justification, and why bad things happen to good people.   Job himself could be historical, a literary creation, or a combination of the first two.

Date: It is guessed to be before the time of Moses and Egypt, i.e., earlier than 1300 BCE.

Structure: 3 poetic dialogs preceded by a prose introduction and ending with a prose conclusion.

Why do Bad Things Happen to Good People

The Book of Job is considered so profound because it gives one person's idea about why bad things happen to good people.  This also is told in the form of a fable and challenges us to figure out what we believe.  Let me tell the fable.

Once upon a time there was a good man named Job who lived in the land of Uz.  He had 7 sons and 3 daughters, a sign that he was especially blessed. 

One day Yahweh was walking around heaven talking with his buddies when he ran into the devil.  "What have you been doing?" he asked.  "I have been walking around here and there," the devil responded. 

"Have you noticed how good my man Job is?"  "Yes,' says the devil, "but I bet he will curse you to your face if you stop protecting him and take away all his goodies."  "It's a bet," says Yahweh, "Just don't hurt him."

So a few days later while all of Job's 7 sons and 3 daughters where having a feast with their families, a storm blew up killed them all.  A messenger runs to tell Job of the horrible news. 

Shorty after that, another messenger runs in and says lightening has just killed all his sheep and the shepherds.   Other messengers then run in saying Job's livestock have been rustled by robbers who killed all the farm hands.

Job is devastated, of course, but responds with the famous statement: "I was born with nothing, and I will die with nothing.  The Lord gave, and now He has taken away.  May his name be praised." 

So Yahweh wins his bet.  But when Yahweh and the devil meet up to settle their bet, the devil pushes him saying that he bets Job will curse Yahweh if the devil is allowed to hurt his body.  No death, just hurt.  "Bet," says Yahweh.

The next day Job comes down with sores all over his body, like leprosy, and he has to go outside of town where the lepers go.  He sits in the town dump.  His wife now comes and his friends.  They all grieve. They also encourage Job to see what he has done bad, to curse Yahweh, and to confess.  Job proclaims his innocence.  But he is depressed and discouraged. 

Finally, while not cursing Yahweh, he cries out his anguish saying (chapter 3): 

"Oh, God, put a curse on the day I was born; put a curse on the night when I was conceived!  Turn that day into darkness, God." (verses  2-4) 

"I wish I had died in my mother's womb or died the moment I was born.  Why did my mother hold me on her knees?" (verses 11-12) 

"Why let men go on living in misery?  Why give light to men in grief?" (verse 20) 

"Everything I fear and dread comes true.  I have no peace, no rest, and my troubles never end." (verses 25-26)

After some time in this situation, Yahweh comes along and speaks with him:

"Who are you to question my wisdom with your ignorant, empty words?  Stand up now like a man and answer the questions I ask you.  Were you there when I made the world?" (verses 2-3)

"Job, have you ever in all you life commanded a day to dawn?" (verse 12)

"Have you been to the springs in the depths of the sea?  Have you walked on the floor of the ocean? "(verse 16)

"Have you been to the place where the sun comes up or the place where the east wind blows?" (verse 24)

After hearing all the numerous ways that Yahweh reminds him of how insignificant he is, Job apologizes to Yahweh and promises to be a good man from now on.  Yahweh restores his wealth and gives him 7 more sons and 3 more beautiful daughters.  He lives another 140 years as a prosperous and happy man.

So does this answer the question why bad things happen to good people?  What is the lesson for me?  Contemporary scripture scholars find evidence that the happy ending of Job's story was a late addition, that the story ended simply with Job apologizing.  Not always is the Job story a happy ending.

For example, I do not know if you heard or read this week the story of Timothy Cole.  He was a freshman at Tech in '85.  He was studying in his room in the apartment of his brother one evening.  There were other kids in the house.  Timothy was accused of attacking a coed that same night and he was convicted.  The girl mistakenly identified him from a picture.  He was given a 25 year sentence. 

This past Thursday Timothy was finally acquitted of the attack by a DNA match and the confession of another prisoner who did the attack.  The trouble was, Timothy died in 1999 in his cell of an asthma attack.  Found dead in his cell.

Ironically the girl attacked repeatedly noted that the attacker smoked non stop.  Timothy, because of his asthma, never smoked.  Moreover, when the guy who really did it tried to tell the local authorities in Lubbock, they did not even respond.  The guy had to write to the family of Timothy, who died before he could be exonerated.  The guy who attacked the girl said he heard Timothy crying in his cell and saying he never did it.

Timothy is a a Job without a happy ending, a good kid who had a really bad thing happen to him.  This happens every day, folks.

So, why do bad things happen to good people?

AUDIO:  http://mysite.verizon.net/reso7rjy/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderfiles/2009-02-08.mp3

Picture 1:  Mass with Sierra & Noah

Picture 2:  The result of 69 years

Picture 3:  Paul, Rich & Carol, Bernadette, Mary Ellen, and Maureen

Picture 4:  Grandma Denni, Chloe, & Maggie

Best reference on Job: The Voice: Biblical & Theological Resources, Dennis Bratches (on line)

Readings:

Mark 11, 1-10,  Jesus’ entrance into Jerusalem, read as we process in

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

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

Philippians 2, 6-11,   God greatly exalted him.

 Mark  14,  The Passion in 4 parts.

 

 

 

Sorry, Everybody.  Because of the length of the readings, especially the Passion, no homily this Sunday.  Next Sunday, Easter.

 

 

 

Readings:

Wisdom 11, 22-12, 2,   Before the Lord the whole universe is as a grain from a balance.

 Psalm 145,  I will praise your name forever, my king and my God.

2 Thessalonians 1, 11-2, 2,  We always pray for you.

 Luke 19, 1-10,   Zacchaeus the tax collector in the tree.

 

Sez You Know Who, "Hi, Everybody, Thanks for coming to my party this morning."  
 

 

Wisdom (of Solomon) observations:

Author: Not Solomon, but a compilation by numerous people.

Date:  around 200 years before Christ.

 

 

Olivia, too, says, "Thanks for coming to my party."  The Old Geezer is really jealous of your beautiful hair, Olivia.  

 

Subject: Wise statements like

          "Righteous people are protected by God and will never suffer torment." 3, 1

          "Is it good to have riches in this life?  Nothing can make you richer than wisdom."  8, 5

Today:  Nice reading, especially for All Saints.  Note the beautiful line, “You love all things that are.” Line 24

 

 

Thanks, Harper, for such a beautiful welcome!
 

 

Zacchaeus, the tax collector

Couple of questions.  

For us today, listening to this delightful story, what does Jesus represent?

What does Zacchaeus represent?

I would propose that Jesus represents the person fully alive. 

 

 

Who is this Candle Lighter of The Week??

 

Zachaeus represents the person who wants to be fully alive and who is willing to do anything to get there, even to looking like a clown in the eyes of his neighbors. 

Zachaeus represents Everyman, or every person, all of us. 

This room, our community is full of Zachaeus persons.   John is a Zachaeus person.  Carol, Tom, Frank, Dee, all Zachaeus persons, all trying to live fully.

 

 

Welcome, Mary, to your lovely Granddaughter, Monique, and her boyfriend, Zach.

 

Last night Rosemary & I had the privilege and honor to celebrate a Zachaeus event.  John and Michelle Simari’s son, Scott  and Scott’s beautiful fiance’ publicly pronounced their vows to live and love together all the days of their lives.  They are fully alive as they are and they are reaching out to be even more fully alive. 

In a note that Scott and Deanna sent to us to thank us, Scott said something that really touched me. 

 

The Beginning, Ron escorting his daughter, Deana, down the aisle to a New Life.

 

When Scott was attending St. Marks with his family while I was there, he used to dream that someday he would have a fiance’ and get married.  He dreamed, moreover, that the old geezer would do the wedding. 

Last night on the fairway just below the 18th green at the Las Colinas Country Club, Scott’s dream came true.

 

Perfect Couple, Perfect Evening, Perfect Setting, Las Colinas Country Club, 18th Fairway leading 18th Green.

 

 

I have to  share one more Zachaeus story that came in late, like at the wedding last night.

After many years of not seeing her, last evening I met Dana, a person I had known for years during my time at St. Marks.   Dana introduced Rosemary & me to Norm, her husband of a few years.

Dana had been for years a flight attendant for Delta.  She worked for years the N.Y. to Rome flight.

 

Deana Howard vows to live forever with her love, Scott Simari. 

 

One night she met this guy while she was working first class.  At the end of the flight, he says, "Will you marry me?"  "No," she says of course.  

This guy was Norm and he was taking his mother back to the old country.  He says to Dana, "Meet us at the Piazza Navona tomorrow night."

 

 

The Sand Symbol of Unity.
 

 

Norm says he had been married 40 years before being widowed, and he never intended to marry again.  He is pretty pessimistic, but his mother says, "She will be there."  She was there, her first date since her divorce, as Dana says.  

Zachaeus was a guy doing everything he could to be fully alive. 

How are you like Zachaeus?

 

 

 

Welcome into your New Life, Deana and Scott.  You two are tremendous people.  

Readings: Isaiah 60, 1-6; Psalm 72; Ephesians 3, 2-6; Matthew 2, 1-12

Isaiah: We finished the year with the hopeful passages from the great book of Isaiah and we begin 2008 with another of the passages.  Remember these images were the dreams of people, probably men, who lived ca. 800 years B.C.

The Magi

I did it again, folks. 

Rosemary & I have a custom when we are in our little bed & breakfast at Oaxaca, Mexico or in other places.  In the evening we put a bottle of wine, some peanuts, and maybe some cheese on a table in the tropical little paradise of a patio the Valencia family have in their house.  A bottle of wine on a table with a couple of glasses seems to draw people and we have some great conversations.

When we arrived in Oaxaca this past Dec. 29, we followed our usual custom, set it all out and prepared to wait for people to come in from their day’s adventures.  I noticed that in a little alcove at the edge of the patio a lady in her mid 50’s was quietly sitting.  I walked over to her and invited her to have a glass of wine with us.  She declined. 

When I returned to the table I mentioned it to Rosemary and she said she had already invited her, but that she had declined to her also. 

Meanwhile, people drifted in and soon we had about half a dozen guests talking about their wanderings around Oaxaca, a beautiful little colonial town.  All the while we were at our  table the lady sat by herself in the alcove.  At one point her husband came up and sat with her, but never came over.  In fact, they did not even look at us. 

So I did it.  I said to Rosemary something like, "Those people seem rather unsociable and stand-offish."

And you know what happened.  The next day at breakfast we got to know them a little more.  They were from Vancouver, he French Canadian and she British.  They were shy, but proved to be quite warm and friendly once we got to know them.  In fact, they eventually became one of our favorite couples among a bunch of really interesting people.

On one occasion they even surprised and impressed all of us because on their own, even without Spanish, they took a country bus out to one of the mountain ranges that surround the valley in which Oaxaca is, so they could go hiking.  We were impressed because not only was it a pretty adventurous trip, and they did not strike me as athletic.  But also they persevered with their hike even though the day they chose happened to be one of the coldest days I have ever seen in Oaxaca.  When they got off the bus in the middle of nowhere, they said the wind was blowing fiercely and eventually they ran into rain and snow.  Fortunately, they had rain coats, but not a lot of warm clothing, because no one expects cold in Oaxaca.  When they actually joined us around the table that evening they were celebrated.  Ultimately, I think they did not drink.

I talk about this couple because they were for me something like the Magi.  We imagine them as kings, but in reality they would have more resembled anything but.  They are intended as symbols by Matthew, symbols of the non Jews, the ugly Gentiles, which is what we are.  In other words, surprise, surprise, Matthew wants to show that Jesus appeared even to these unsavory characters.

This Vancouver couple was not unsavory in any way.  Just because they did not eagerly accept my invitation to a glass of wine, I did it.  I judged them negatively.  Judging the book by the cover again. 

Who are the Magi in your life?  The people you judge?

AUDIO: http://mysite.verizon.net/reso7rjy/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderfiles/2008-01-06.mp3

Amos 7,  The lord took me.

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

Ephesians 1, Blessed be God who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing.

Mark 6, He began to send them out two by two and gave them authority over unclean spirits.

 

 

Who let these Juliettes out in public!

 

Thanks……

Music,    Shonda 

Readers,  Mary Hall & Sandra Pratt, & Buddy, our candle blesser 

Gospel,     John Cade

Homily,   John Stack

Eucharistic Prayer A & B,  John Stack & John Cade

The Magic Zoom makers,     Richard

Final Blessing, Rosemary

For hosting us at Legacy for all these years & will miss you enormously, Becky

Mary arrives ready to read from Amos.

 

Readings:

Download Readings 15th Ordinary 07-11-21

 

Homily by John Stack

Download Homily by Stack 7-11-2021 15th Sunday of Ordinary time

 

 

Sandra reading from Ephesians.

 

Remember these special people:

For John & Karen Anderlick's unborn grandson;  For Alan Stryker;   For Candice Taht, friend of Mary Hall;   For Rosemary's great niece, Rylie ;  For Richard's grand daughter, Madeleine;   For Esparza's new great grandson baby, son of Monique, & Frank with shingles;  For all the medical personnel struggling to treat the tsunami of sick people, in particular, locally, Cindy's staff at Presby, Dallas, and at Frisco Presby, the mother of Harper and Betsy, Kendle, working in labor & delivery, and for Hue & Linda's daughter, Doctor Rosemary Beavers;   For Mary & Dave Hall's g-daughter Allison Keller working at St. Lukes, The Woodlands,   For Loretta's aunt Alicia;  For Sir Charlie & Jan;  Shonda's mom & Cody &  Leo & all of Shonda's dear family; For Ursuline Sr. Mary Troy, 

 

The Team, John & John.

 

Jackie's mom, sister, & friend, Lynn;  For Rick Turner searching for a kidney donor, Type O neg.; For Meredith, cancer free & John Schanot;    For John O'Donnell & Jean;   For Jean & Cliff Wright;  For Dee, and for her daughters, Lisa & Lauren  ;  For Anthony & Sabrina;    For a young man who is suffering from depression;  John Cade's mother in law, Kalliopi Piskiouli and Lambrini, plus John's daughter, Joey, with cancer; from Barbara, a little 4 month old baby boy named Ford recuperating from an operation; for David McKeon's brother, Hugh; For Beth's friends & brother;   for the medical staffs, teachers, and coaches in our public & private schools.

 

 

Peace, Everyone.

 

Birthdays:  John Schanot & Caroline Grattifiori 

Anniversaries:  Ron & Marilyn, 68th

 

Happy 58th Anniversary, Ron & Marilyn.

 

Community Finances,   July 11, 2021

Expenses: $560.00  

Outreach: $210.00  

Thanks again, Folks, for doing what you can.

 
   
                                                                                                                           

Welcome home, Monique.                                                                                                                                      

Rosemary's Blessing:

I just finished a marvelous book, The Last Green Valley by Mark Sullivan.  It is the story of a young couple and 2 young sons making their way from the Ukraine westward at the end of WWII.

At the end of the mother’s life many years later when she was 80+ years old a friend asked the woman, Adeline to describe the most important things she learned over the course of her long and remarkable life.

Adeline thought about that for a little while before saying, “Don’t chew on the bad things that happen to you, dear.  Try to see the beauty in every cruelty. It sets you free.  Forgive hurt if you want to heal a broken heart.  Try to be grateful for every setback or tragedy, because by living through them, you become stronger.  I see the hand of God in that.”