21st Sunday in Ordinary Time, August 23, 2020
Readings:
Isaiah, 22, 19-23, On that day I will summon my servant, Eliakim
Psalm 138, Lord, your love is eternal. I will give thanks to you, O Lord, with all my heart X 3 times.
Romans 11, 33-36, Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God.
Matthew 16, 13-20, You are Peter and upon this rock I will build my church.
Thanks to the Team
Music, Ben & Shonda
Readers, Connie & John Doherty , & Buddy, the candle blesser
Gospel: Deacon Mike
Homily, Stack
Eucharistic Prayer A & B, Stack & John Cade
The Magic Zoom makers, Mike (on vacation) & Richard (on vacation), Tom, Ben & Hue
Final Blessing, Rosemary
Coming up in the readings is the psalm of the day, i.e., Psalm 138, one of my long time favorites. There are two translations, the more modern and the more traditional. Because I have spent so many hours meditating on the more traditional form, I offer both translations. For me thanks is the key to my relationship with God, as well with others. See what you think about the italicized parts.
1. I will give thanks to you, Oh, Lord, with all my heart for you have heard the words of my mouth; in the presence of the angels I will sing your praise.
2. I will give thanks to your name, because of your kindness and your truth.
3 Your kindness, O Lord, endures forever.
Aviana watching over the stove and over us.
Reflections of a Tornado Refugee Family
Somewhere in the distant past when I was a Boy Scout at Christ the King I was trained to always leave my campsite better than I found it. I probably drove my fellow campers crazy when I went camping with my Jesuit buddies and especially when I went with Bill & Mike, Ray & Rose, and a dozen or so others. I would aim to be the last camper to leave the site, with the exception of Mike.
Exactly a week from tomorrow I will be cleaning a campsite. Rosemary & I will be departing the house we have lived in for 15 years and the house that my parents bought in ’75. I will take one last look around, probably with Rosemary, to make sure this campsite is better than I found it. Even though a bulldozer will demolish it.
Looking out our front window, 4 houses used to be there.
This is already proving to be emotionally quite difficult for me. The problem is that there are numerous tender memories in that house, like the portrait of Aviana that Rosemary painted on the ceramic tiles behind the stove in the kitchen, painted one summer while I was out camping with the gang. For her I had put in the tiles and the parquet flooring in that kitchen. Every room in the house I have painted and decorated with decals. I painted the outside more than once and even the sturdy tool shed. This campsite has been a home.
The neighborhood, too, has touched my heart. This is where the 16 year old St. Marks boy who lives three doors down rang our bell one spring afternoon and told me ‘Thanks for being delightful neighbors.” I am still touched. We also have handled all the free refreshments for our neighborhood July 4 party. Rosemary, the lady who walks the little white dog, is known everywhere. She is also the Tulip Lane block captain. She expects me to salute her.
There used to be a 50 year old beautiful Live Oak on this corner. Gone, along with whole bunches of other trees.
The one reason I am happy to move on: the destruction of the trees, many of which I planted. It used to be delightfully shady at our corner, Tulip Lane & Camellia. Now, it is a desert, with all 8 of the houses around us destroyed. It must also have been 20 degrees hotter those 100 degree days recently.
The house itself has a number of cracks in the ceilings and walls, which is why we easily decided we had to move. It has been a comfortable campsite. Despite the presence of the bulldozer just across the street, I will leave this campsite as neat as I found it.
As Psalm 138 says, I will give thanks to you Oh Lord, with all my heart, eventually.
There are three lots on this corner.
Please Remember these special people:
For Becky's dad discovered with the virus; For Cindy recuperating at home; For Esparzas, Frank & Mary, 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; For Mary & Dave Hall's g-daughter Allison Keller working at St. Lukes, Woodlands, For Joe Hogan with cancer; For Loretta's aunt Alicia; For Sydney; & For Sir Charlie & Jan; Shonda's mom & Cody & Ben & all of Shonda's dear family; for Michelle; for Bill Ekes' longtime buddy, Bobby Duncan, who just passed to the other side.
To stay in our house we had to replace the roofing. A good move. It has taken us 5 months to find and get into our new place, September 1.
For Jackie's mom; For a friend, a neighbor, & a doctor, Karen, with brain cancer; For Rick Turner searching for a kidney donor, Type O neg; For Meredith, cancer free; For Hue; For John O'Donnell; For Dee, and for her daughter, Lisa; For John Schanot's continued health; 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.
The house of the professional hockey player, Tyler Sagan. It is now gone.
Birthdays: Marsha Farmer & Marilyn Ackerman
Anniversaries:
Rose & Wally Banzhaf, 49th
Brain Trust??
Community Finances, August 23, 2020
Expenses: $600.00
Outreach $500.00 (often for Souls Harbor, Legacy, etc.)
Thanks, Folks, for doing what you can.
The Best Music, Ben & Shonda.
Rosemary's Blessing:
May you learn to see your self
With the same delight,
Pride and expectation
With which God sees you in every moment.
To Bless the Space Between Us by John O’Donohue
As of September 1, Rosemary & I will have a new address, 7017 Helsem Way, Dallas 75230. This enclave has TREES, unlike our poor, dear, tornado battered Preston Hollow neighborhood.