15th Sunday in Ordinary Time, July 12, 2020

Readings:  

 Deuteronomy, 4,1-2, 6-8,  What great nation is there that has gods so close?

 Psalm 15, The one who does justice will live in the presence of the Lord.

James, 1, 17-18, 21-22,  Be doers of the word and not hearers only.

Mark, 7, 1-8, 14-15, 21-23, From within people, from their hearts, come evil thoughts.

 

Observations on Deuteronomy

What is it about: Moses is addressing the people just before they are to enter into the Promised Land, the land of the Canaanites.  They have escaped from Egypt and have been wandering around in the desert for about 40 years.  Moses is dying and knows he will not go into Canaan.

The theme of the staged talk is that God has saved and blessed his beloved people.  To help them live better he has given them the 10 commandments and a whole bunch of other laws.  This is a book on the laws.

This is the 5^th book of the whole bible and the fifth of the Big 5, Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, & Deuteronomy

The Dancer, Sienna

Authors:  Inferring from the work, it is obvious that the judges and teachers of the people compiled the material.

Time composed: as with so much else, after the Babylonian Captivity, around 500 before Christ.

Observations on James

1.   We have James for 5 Sundays
2.   James was not an apostle, but head of the community after Jesus.  He gets stoned in 62.

 Sources: The New Interpreter’s Bible Study; The Good News Bible

Emma arriving and with all her charm

 

A Labor Day Story (accompanied by slide show)

I would like to tell you a story this morning about a special event that happened to Rosemary & me a week ago Wednesday morning about 8:00 A.M.   It all happened on the corner of Northwest Hwy. and West Lawther Drive, which is the western border of White Rock Lake, the side opposite to the Arboretum.    

We had just finished riding around The Lake twice and were packing up the Sienna with the bikes.  It is very rare that we park at this corner instead of at Royal Lane near Greenville.  We did it this morning because we knew the White Rock Creek Trail leading to The Lake from our neighborhood would be muddy & wet.  It had rained the day before. 

This corner has special meaning for Rosemary & me.  It was here January 6, where Rosemary missed the turn coming off of a detour that is no longer there.  This is precisely where she fell and broke her left elbow on a beautiful, sunny January afternoon.

On this Wednesday morning we are parked not right on this southwest  corner, but up and behind a store called Dallas Bike Works.  Rosemary had sat on the stairs of this bike store in January, while I raced back to get our car and take her to Presbyterian.

So here we are in the parking lot behind the store.  I am storing the bikes in our Sienna.  I notice that a man is slowly driving up from Lawther Lane in a large yellow tractor with a back hoe and a front end scooper.  I wave at him as he passes me at the rear of the car.

He proceeds along the right side of the car at a little distance.   Rosemary is preparing to get into the car.   He stops his tractor, slides to the left toward Rosemary, gets down off his tractor, and walks toward Rosemary with a smile on his face.  He is a stocky Hispanic in yellow hard hat and work clothes for the heat, long sleeved shirt and long pants. 

 

He says to Rosemary, “How are you?”  Instantly Rosemary knows who he is.  She runs to embrace him.

It is the same workman who was right there when Rosemary broke her arm.  He was the first to her, because she almost landed at his feet.  It was under his pick up that Rosemary slid and his little bumper apron that she cracked with the front of her helmet. 

He bathed her road rash with water and towels.  He even offered to drive her to the hospital and would take nothing for the crack in his bumper apron, even though the truck was pretty new. 

His name is Max and he saw Rosemary from the area where he was working.  So, he drove over to see how she was.   We talked for about 10 minutes and he was so happy that she had recuperated.

We left there astounded and so touched. 

Two lessons:

First, there are some really good hearted people on those street work crews.

Secondly, a little distinction on Mark’s statement that “from within people, from their hearts, comes evil.” 

I would propose that the human heart comes good and gentle and loving.   It is the heart hurt that becomes the heart that hurts. 

Senor Max has touched our hearts with his gentle caring. 

Who has touched your heart lately?

 

 

 

 

 

Readings:

Isaiah 25, 6-8,   On Mt. Zion the Lord will prepare a banquet. (special)

Psalm 63,  My soul is thirsting for you, O Lord my God.

Thessalonians 4, 13-18 ,  The Lord will come down from heaven.

Matthew 25, 1-13,  The kingdom of heaven will be like the 10 virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom.

 

 

Along with Claire, Rose, the whole community and I say, "Welcome home.  It is so nice to have you here."

 

Introduction

What we call Chapter 25 of the Matthew gospel is composed of three parables,

the first of which is about a Wedding Banquet, the Father’s gift of salvation.  The Bridegroom of this parable is the Lord, Jesus who is coming for his Bride, the Church, those who have welcomed and are living the Good News. 

 

 

 

 

Good Morning, Dearest Tori, Welcome.  It is so nice to see you.

 

 

The First Reading, [a substitution, Isaiah 25:6-8] is from the Prophet Isaiah. It describes the Wedding Banquet for those who seek to do the will of the Lord; what unites us together is good food, aged wine, and forgiveness.

Our Responsorial Psalm, ‘My soul is thirsting for you, O Lord my God,’ addresses our yearning for a spiritual banquet with the Lord. 

 

 

 

Emma, our Dearest Candle Lighter of The Week, in action.

 

 

Our Second reading from St. Paul’s Letter to the Thessalonians addresses the mystical body of Christ rising together as one Body, for the Wedding Banquet at the end of time.

Our spiritual gift, of course, is that the Lord comes to us here and now in our banquet of the Liturgy of the Word and Eucharist, the fish and the bread.

 

 

 

Mike, conjuring up his neat little homily touch, namely Emma leading the community in singing, This Little Light of Mine.

 

 

The Holy Gospel according to Matthew: the parable of the Ten Bridesmaids.

I say to you that something is terribly wrong in the way we understand this parable:  We sense it in the failure of the wise bridesmaids to share some of their oil with the foolish bridesmaids whose lamps were going out.  Obviously, there must be an answer to this dilemma, and you will be surprised to find where I found it?

 

 

 

 

Want to go to Communion?  Jan & Bern will help you. 

 

Most of you can remember singing along with the children, as they held up their little paper or cardboard lamps, “This little light of mine, I’m going to let it shine….” You probably don’t recall that its meaning is purposely given in Matthew’s ‘Sermon on the mount.

 

 

 

 

Here they are, Folks, better than ever (as they say on Mike & Mike, A.M. sports radio).

 

 

You are the light of the world….let your light shine before men, that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” The oil that was brought by the wise bridesmaids for their lamps in this parable, is a metaphor.  It represents the good works they have done by loving others as Christ has loved them. When the wise bridesmaids, who are the Light of the World, trim their lamps with oil to go out to meet the Bridegroom, they are of course lighting the way for others as Christ escorts them to the Wedding Banquet.

 

 

 

 

This Little Light of Mine, will always be special because of you singing it for us, Emma.

 

 

The foolish, however, have no oil. Without good works it is impossible for them to trim their lamps, so the wise tell them to go to the marketplace for that’s where they can to do good works by becoming the Light of the World for others, the oil that gives glory to God.  It is where they can choose to use their God given talents for the good of all, to be the Light of the World in their encounters with the poor, the lonely, the hungry, the thirsty, the stranger, the sick. 

 

Readings: 2 Kings 4, 42-44; Psalm 145, The Hand of the Lord feeds Us; He answers all Our Needs; Ephesians 4, 1-6; John 6, 1-15 

 

Kings: 4 observations–

Subject Matter: The Kings, naturally.  Especially Solomon after the death of his father, David.  But also treated:

    1.  The temple.  Solomon builds it.

    2.  The death of Solomon who held the nation together.

    3.  Division: Israel in the north breaks away from Judah in the south.

    4.  Israel destroyed completely by the Assyrians, ca. 720.

    5.  Fall of Jerusalem & destruction of the Temple; Nebuchadnezzar & the Babylonian Captivity, ca. 585 BCE.

    6.  Cyrus of Persia releases the Jews to return to Jerusalem after defeating the Babylonians (remember Babylon was near present day Bagdhad).

Date: from 900 – ca. 550 BCE, or from Solomon to Nebuchadnezzar & Cyrus

Authors: a compilation of many sources that was put together at the end of the Babylonian Captivity, ca. 550 BCE.

Our Selection: There are 2 significant prophets, Elijah & Elisha, his son.  In this piece, Elisha it telling a man with 20 loaves of bread to feed a crowd.  This is a lead into the Gospel of John about feeding the multitude. 

Sources: Encyclopedia of Judaism, Wikipedia

The Miracle of Sharing My Food

I hate to do this to you folks, but every time I read this story about 5 loaves and 2 fish feeding a crowd of 5,000 men (to say nothing of the women), I am reminded of my days in Tanzania, East Africa.  You who have heard these stories, please forgive me.  They just clarify so much.  Here we go.

I was on an overnight train.  I was traveling from Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, the capitol, to Moshi, a town near Kilimanjaro, where the Jesuits had a small one to three person house, which I used as a base when I was not traveling around Tanzania, Kenya, & Uganda giving seminars and retreats.

I had arrived in Dar es Salaam late for some reason and could not make an advance reservation for a first class cabin, which was the only way to go.  You shared a little compartment with another guy.  Because I was without reservation, I had to buy a coach ticket.  These trains are marvelous old antiques from the colonial age, but travel by coach is mayhem.  They are packed.  Don't dream of getting a seat.  Just be grateful that you can get inside.  Which I did, sitting on my one small suitcase, expecting to be awake all night listening to the kids, chickens, ducks, and snores of the few who had a seat and the ability to sleep through it all. 

You board this train for a 7:00 P.M. departure.  You expect to arrive Moshi around 5:00 A.M.   This particular night the train came to a halt at about 1:00 in the middle of nowhere.  Naturally, nobody knew why we stopped and for how long.  We stayed in that spot all the rest of the night and all the following day until about 6:00 P.M. 

Everyone on that train had food & water hidden away, except one gringo, who tried to sleep on the rocks on the edge of the roadbed, knowing he would hear the train move and could get up and get back in.

I was actually rescued from dying of thirst in the heat of the day by a young German couple in the first class compartments, the only other white folks on the whole train.  I was afraid to drink the water of the Tanzanians because they often did not purify it. 

I tell this story because the Tanzanian people on the train I suspect would be similar to the Jews listening to Jesus in that crowd of 5,000 men.  People like these do not go away from their base unprepared.  Not only do they carry food & water, they hide it so as to not have to share with someone too stupid to bring his own.  The women, especially, can hide in their robes lots of things.  Hoarding in the cultures we are talking about is no sign of inferiority.  It is survival. 

What Jesus did that was confounding is that he got these country folks to share their cache.  He takes some of the bread & fish and passes it on.  The person who receives it takes some, but feels uncomfortable only taking.  So the person puts a portion of his or her own in the basket.  What do they end up with?  Twelve wicker baskets of leftover food.

This interpretation of the 5 loaves & 2 fishes is as old as when I got ordained back in 1971, and before that.  I find it fascinating because we can go and do likewise.  You & I cannot multiply bread & fish, but we can share treasures.  We can share and we can invite others to feel secure enough to share. 

I finally arrived home to Moshi in the middle of the next night.  I even caught a thief with his hand in my right pocket at a little kiosk lit with a kerosene lamp.  The train had stopped at some tiny station and a lady was selling little pieces of rice bread or something.  I pulled that man's hand out of my pocket, grabbed him by the shirt, and threw him back.  If I had yelled "thief!", he might have been killed on the spot.  I knew the custom and the language, and he knew I knew.  He ran. 

I also got to know the German couple, even climbing Kilimanjaro with them one of my 5 times.  So, folks, sorry for repeating a favorite story of mine.  The question, too, is the same.

How am I overcoming my temptation to hoard & sharing my food?

Picture 1:  Mass with T.J.

Picture 2:  Bill Carey & Ron Kovatis

Picture 3:  Ron donating $2000 to CCAC with Claire & Ray, Jackie & Cathy

Picture 4:  Barb & her sister Evie from Germany

 

Readings: 1 Kings 17, 10-16; Psalm 146, Praise the Lord, My Soul; Hebrews 9, 24-28; Mark 12 38-44

 

Kings:

  

Author & date of composition: the work is a compilation of numerous sources put together near the end of the Babylonian Captivity, ca. 550.

 

Subject Matter: 1 Kings is part of a 4 book work that includes 1 & 2 Samuel and 1 & 2 Kings.  The 3 kings are Saul, David, and his son, Solomon.

   

The work begins with Samuel, the last great judge, continues through the lives of the 3 kings, and finally shows how Solomon’s sons’ squabbles led to the division of the Jewish nation into two states, north & south, Israel & Judah.  Both states were defeated and the people of Judah taken into the Babylonian Captivity.  It ends on a high note when Cyrus of Persia defeats Nebuchadnezzar in Babylon, and allows the Jews to return to Jerusalem.

  

 

The Theme: you be good, good things happen to you; you be bad, bad things happen to you.

   

Our selection: 2 great prophets lived when the kingdom divided, Elijah & Elisha.  They criticized the bad ways of the sons.  In this selection, Elijah tells the king he is going to send a drought to the king's land.  Then Elijah goes away & meets a poor, starving widow with a son.  Watch what happens.  This is setting us up for a little widow in the gospel.

   

Sources: Good News Bible, Wikipedia, Catholic Encyclopedia

 

The Widow's Mite

  

Occasionally these days, despite my persistent denial, I get the message that I may be getting older.  The latest happened on a DART train headed downtown.  A guy actually got up and offered me his seat.  I did not know whether to thank him or consider myself insulted. 

    

Rosemary & I were on the train going to the arts district and the opening of the Winspear, a glorious Sunday a couple of weeks ago.  The train was full with some people standing.  Rosemary got a seat next to a black guy in probably his twenties.  After about two stops he gets up, passes in front of Rosemary, and offers me his seat. 

   

I certainly was touched.  He, in fact, was embarrassed a bit.  I teased him about thinking that I was such an old geezer that he offered me his seat.  And I thanked him for his sensitivity.

  

I mention this black guy because to me he resembles the little widow who gave her last coins.  Not that he gave his last coin, but it cost him to get up and give me his seat.  The story of the widow & her two coins is one of my favorite little stories, as is the story of Elijah with the widow and her son.  Two comments.

 

 

First, Elijah & the starving widow.  The widow is treated pretty harshly by Elijah.  She & her son have enough flour to make a little cake before they die of starvation in the drought.  Elijah demands some of it for himself.  This is staged by the composer of the story. 

 

Elijah is the prophet. But also for the purpose of the point he is symbolic of life or even God, demanding.  Responding positively to the demand wins reward.  Obedience, charity, hospitality toward others, all win rewards. 

   

This can set up false expectations of physical cures and raising from the dead.  A healthy understanding of the story could be that we receive by giving. 

  

Second, the little widow with two coins in the temple.  Look out for hyperbole here, infinite demand.  Is Jesus suggesting that we give away our last sheckle, our last quarter?  I doubt it.  Lots of pastors have abused this story to wring money out of church goers.  You are told you got to tithe, 10 per cent.  This is why five years ago when we started celebrating here, I did not want to have a formal collection.

     

The same lesson can come from this story as from the Elijah story.  We receive by giving.  What we receive is a by-product of our giving, not the goal.  The goal is helping the other person who has less.

     

The black guy on DART did not give me money or bread.  He gave me a seat which can be just as valuable.  He even had to overcome his embarrassment to offer the gift.  I hope my gratitude gave him something.

  

We, too, are faced with the challenge.  Perhaps even more at this time of year, Thanksgiving & Christmas.  As a community you people are already doing it.  I congratulate and thank you. 

   

How do you, how do we continue to share our seats with other old geezers?

 

 

Picture 1:  The Our Father with birthday & anniversary folks and Kevin

 

Picture 2:  Choir, Wendy, Ben, & Celeste

  

Picture 3:  The Donut Shoppe with Gavin, CC, CC's mom, Christy, & John Doherty in the back

  

Picture 4:  Jim & Diane Drescher

 

 

 

Joshua 24, 1-18; Psalm 34, Taste and See the Goodness of the Lord; Ephesians 5, 21-32 ; John 6, 60-69.

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.

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.  Like kids say, 'He made me do it.'  Here the Israelites are saying, 'Yahweh made me do it.'

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

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

Ephesians:  Got to say a word about this selection because it involves some pretty amusing observations from Paul.  For instance, the famous statements, "Wives should be subordinate to their husbands as to the Lord."  "The husband is head of his wife just as Christ is head of the church."

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.  I almost dropped my teeth.

Some perspective: Traditionally there are three types of relationships.

    1.  Matriarchal: the woman/wife is the head of the family.  Culturally this has been established.

    2.  Patriarchal: the husband is the head. 

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

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.  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.

Today: all three of the paradigms are valid.  Among most educated people, however, equality between husband & wife, men & women is the most healthy for all involved.

Peter McGinn, 1948-2009

It was mid February when Rosemary first got word that Peter her brother was infected with amiloidosis, a rare and virulent infection that strikes mostly men 60-65.  Peter was 60. 

It was mid March, after enduring a menu of chemo for a month, that Peter & his wife Marilyn decided to go recuperate at their house in Hilton Head, in a plantation near to Joe & Clare, Rosemary's sister & brother in law.  We decided at the last minute to fly over there to see Peter, it being easier than to visit him in Binghamton, NY.  This was the last time we would see him. 

He died this past Monday morning after finding out that the amiloidosis had begun to attack his lungs, that he could not endure a heart transplant, and that he was simply being kept alive by meds & machines.  After visiting with his two adult daughters & Marilyn Saturday evening and Sunday morning, Peter chose to cease all meds and machine aids that Sunday afternoon.  About 15 hours later he died peacefully. 

I wanted to speak about him because of at least three reasons I admired him and felt quite a kinship, not just of family, but of spirit. 

First, his love of psychology & intelligent spirituality.  He got his doctorate in psych at Johns Hopkins and used it in creative ways.  He was the CEO of United Health Services.  He was the kind of CEO who would eat in the hospital cafeteria, asking random groups, like the nursing staff or the maintenance staff if he might join them for lunch.

As a psychologist he was a teacher & a systems man.  In fact, I used to laugh.  He would send me articles each month.  And he asked me to review his latest book.  I would read a title like 'Ways to facilitate communication with your board.'  I open the article and he had 23 points.  I would send him a note saying, "Too much."  As you know, I lean toward systems myself, but after 3 or 4 I am exhausted. 

Secondly, I loved Peter because he was a biker.  A bicycle rider.  In fact, we had planned a bike ride in Hilton Head which he could not manage because he was too weak.  This was only symptomatic of his dedication to being a well rounded man, a renaissance man like we used to try to model ourselves in the Jesuits.  He was intellectually & physically, psychologically & spiritual balanced.  I see it as the basis for his peace and acceptance of his ultimate path.

Thirdly, he taught a platinum rule.  Not just the golden rule, which says, 'treat others as you would have them treat you.'  The platinum rule is, 'Treat others as they would like to be treated."  He had 23 reason why this was more effective. 

Significantly, according to what I'm told, he practiced the platinum rule even in the hours after he had ceased life support.  As doctors & staff stopped by his room, he thanked each one, mentioning how they had touched him. 

Tomorrow morning, Monday, Rosemary & I will attend a family only memorial in Binghamton.  A month from now a large open to all his friends memorial will be scheduled and we will attend. 

Who is the Peter McGinn in your life?

Picture 1:  Mass with Kevin & T.J.

Picture 2:  Choir, Wendy, Ray, & Celeste

Picture 3:  Peter McGinn

Picture 4:  Peter McGinn–

The two charities that Dad favored in lieu of flowers are Seva and the Food Bank of the Southern Tier.  They are both online, Seva.org, and foodbankst.org.  Rosemary T. McGinn

Check out a review of Peter:

 

 

Readings: Acts 13, 43-52; Psalm 100; Revelations 7, 9-17; John 10, 27-30

Acts – More on the travels of Paul and Barnabas.

How do I know I’m hearing the "Voice?"

Nine days ago there was a small article in The Dallas Morning News, Friday, April 20, that noted that "Pope Benedict XV has reversed centuries of Roman Catholic teaching on limbo."

What I was taught as a child was that unbaptized babies went to limbo if they died. So now what?

Infant baptism was all important. I should even baptize a baby without the parents’ knowledge if I was in a hospital and a baby was dying. Limbo was not heaven, but it sure was not hell, sort of an in between.

I was reminded by the first reading and the gospel of another belief I was trained in as a child: if you are not Catholic you are going to hell. I remember thinking how sad it was that so many of my parents’ friends, all protestant, were not going to heaven. It seemed weird.

Paul & Barnabas say that because the Jews rejected Jesus’ word, they condemn themselves as unworthy of eternal life. Likewise, they say that those destined for eternal life came to believe.

In the gospel Jesus says his sheep hear his voice and he gives them eternal life. Not that I want to be a sheep. Sheep are scared of everything.

These are two items of belief that I was trained on and they are no longer credible. 50 years from now what other beliefs will end up in the dust bin of history? No meat on Friday ruled my parents’ lives. Where is it? Yes, coming back, I know.

If there is no limbo, how does this affect the idea of original sin? Is there an original sin? What about the statement that God the Father sent his Son to die for our sins? Is this true?

Which leads me to ask, how do I know? In the gospel Jesus says, "My sheep hear my voice." How do I know among so many messages and voices that I am hearing the voice? I thought I was hearing the voice as a kid when I believed in limbo and the fact that only Catholics were going to heaven. Was the voice I heard divine or just some person who thought he or she knew? But didn’t. I do not want to be a sheep like I was in my youth, and follow anyone who thinks they know.

A couple of thoughts about discerning the voice.

First, I think the real voice gives my spirit peace. The other voices bring violence and turmoil.

I may not like what the voice whispers in my spirit, but ultimately I am peaceful. I may be dying. The voice says accept.      

Secondly, the voice gives me self-confidence. The false voices create doubts and lack of a sense of harmony. Like for years I doubted the limbo idea. Some well intentioned soul thought they knew. St. Augustine thought only Catholics go to heaven.

Like a sheep I could run from the questions. As a person listening to the voice I’ll face my questions.

Which brings us to The Question: What do you believe in; what are 5 things you believe in?

Download the homily as an mp3 file.