Readings: Wisdom 9, 13-18; Psalm 90; Philemon 9, 10-17; Luke 14, 25-33.

Wisdom: This is another of the books called Apocrypha, because they are not part of the original Old Testament.  The work makes use of traditional Jewish material, as well as ideas borrowed from Greek philosophy, in order to teach that God rewards those who are faithful to him. 

Our section this morning is simply saying, Who knows or who can guess God’s mind or intentions for us. This sets up the Gospel which is rather confounding at first reading.

Hate my Mother, Father, & Wife?

A few summers ago Rosemary & I made a three night back packing trip through Zion National Park in Utah. We entered the north west corner of the park by getting a farmer to drop us off, and we hiked back to the center of the park where the headquarters, lodges, and our car were.

Somewhere in the middle of the hike after climbing some switchbacks, we came to a vista point and took a break. Suddenly from below comes a muscular college kid running up the switchbacks.  When he arrives at the top he stops for a break and some water. 

Being very outgoing, he explains that he is from Notre Dame, is planning on entering the Olympics, and is in training.  He runs in one day the whole trip we used four days to cover. 

Unfortunately, we never did notice whether he showed up at the Olympics or not.   Whether he did or not, he was motivated.

Luke’s gospel today talks about motivation, but in exaggerated terms. This is hyperbole, hype, exaggeration to make a point.  It is coach talk.

So what is the goal? "Being my disciple," Jesus says.  What is that? I would propose that it means being a whole person, a balanced, maturing person, a peaceful person. To achieve the goal takes self discipline and effort. These are the means to the goal. What is mentioned by Luke is the means, even though hyped.

What are the signs of my progress?  The author I’ve been reading says there are three signs: more outgoing, more self confident, and more loving-caring.

Teachers can watch the process with kids they teach.  Initially we are self focused, self absorbed.  As we grow we turn from our self to others. 

This outgoing characteristic is strengthened as I become more self confident, which, in turn, grows because I am accepted and loved by others. With this foundation I can risk more. Success increases my self confidence.

Then I, too, love and care for others. The self focused child becomes the caring parent, teacher, or volunteer.

Our Notre Dame boy would probably think this passage about hating your mother, father, spouse, even your own life is silly.  Yet, he is doing what it recommends if you can see it as saying the ultimate goal is so good it is worth devoting everything to it with passion.  He is focused on an intermediate goal, the Olympics, but in that focus he is maturing and becoming a more whole & peaceful person.

What are you passionate about?  

AUDIO: http://mysite.verizon.net/reso7rjy/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderfiles/2007-09-09.mp3

Readings:  Jonah 3, 1-10, Forty days more and Nineveh will be destroyed; Psalm 25, Teach me your ways, O Lord; 1 Corinthians 7, 29-31, The time is running out; Mark 1, 14-20, I will make you fishers of people.

Jonah: This little book of 4 chapters is a gem and tells a delightful short story.   It is so good I would like to read it all, but will read chapter 1 and all of chapter 3. 

Background: Jonah has been asked by Yahweh to go to Nineveh in Assyria to tell the people & leaders that they are evil and will be punished shortly by Yahweh.  Trouble is, Nineveh is the enemy, like me going to Houston or Philadelphia. 

So he runs away, catches a boat headed for Spain, is blamed by the sailors for causing a big storm on the sea, and is dumped overboard.  The whale swallows him and for three days Jonah is constrained to reflect on what he is doing.  When, after 3 days, the whale dumps him on shore, Jonah is more willing to listen.  We arrive at this point and I will have all of chapter 3 read.

Author: For centuries, while people took this story as factual, Jonah was considered author of his own story.  Once it was seen as a fable or allegory, the story probably has some unknown ancient as the author.

Date of composition: no one really knows, but educated guesses put it ca. 800 BCE.

Note: the story of Jonah and the story of Jesus' interaction with his future apostles are both about The Call. 

A Call Story

    Because the Jonah story and the story about Jesus relating to his future apostles all talk about The Call, I have a short contemporary story.

    The girl’s name is Susan.  Blond hair, green eyes, vivacious, a cheer leader at Skyline and at S.M.U.  In fact, she was the head cheerleader at S.M.U.  She was fun to be around and full of zest for life.  

    While Susan presented herself so positively at school, At this point in her life three horrible events had taken place.   

    First, the summer Susan was 10 she and her mother were at the lake on the 4^th of July.  They were on the boat dock when a man came up and whispered in her mother’s ear that their 18 year old son had just committed suicide back at their home.  Susan watched as her mother was carried off the pier.   

    The suicide drove her parents to drink and eventually divorce.  Susan was left to care take the house and her drunk mother while she finished grade school and high school.  This was the second horrible event. 

    When Susan graduated with honors from high school, no one was there to clap for her or support her.  She went home, raged at her mother, and told her she wished she were dead.   The next morning Susan found her mother dead.  Her mother was 49 when she drank herself to death.  This was the third tragedy.  She was just entering S.M.U.

    Some years later one more tragedy struck her.  Her older sister Kathy, upon whom she depended, died of cancer at the same age as their mom, 49, on the same holiday as her mom, Memorial Day. 

    This final event did it.  Despite having kids and a career as a special ed coordinator, Susan entered the world of drug addiction.  Within about a year CPS had taken her kids away and Susan went to prison.  

    In about a year Susan came out of the belly of the prison and two things happened.  First, she heard The Call.  Secondly, and interconnected with The Call she watched two parents react to the tragic death of their child.  The parents inspired her and she answered The Call to come back to life.  Today Susan gives talks about her life to strengthen others.

    If you are like me, you think that The Call is to do something usually significant.  Maybe it is, but it can be simply an invitation to come back to life or to be more fully alive.  

    Today the Mass is all about Call.  What is yours today?

Resource, Dallas Morning News, 1-21-12, Kristie Smith, Viewpoints section, Educator Fell far but found God.

Picture 1:    Offertory, Mary Ellen & Grace

Picture 2:    Brooklyn with Joanie & Erin

Picture 3:    Ray & Claire celebrating 41 years

Picture 4:    Tom, Bill, & Ron

Picture 5:    Someone has come to visit, no fear!

Picture 6:    It's Sienna!

Readings:

Deuteronomy  8, 2-3, 14-16,   He let you be afflicted with hunger, then fed you.

Psalm 147,   Praise the Lord, Jerusalem.

1 Corinthians 10, 16-17,  We all partake of the one loaf.

John  6, 51-58,  Whoever eats this bread will live forever.

The Girls say, "Welcome, Everybody, Hats in honor of Cathy." Patricia, Carol, and Maureen.

Deuteronomy: The fifth & last book of the Torah.  The scene: Moses & the Hebrews are in the desert just outside the promised land, the land of the Canaanites, whom they are going to kick out and kill.  Moses is reviewing their journey from Egypt.

Date:  first put into some form around 750 before Christ, then put into a more final form, guess when, at the end of the Babylonian Captivity, around 555.

Jan with her hat of symbols, tree planting, peace, patriotism, friendship, and cupcakes.

Author: not Moses, even though the book is 3 sermons of Moses on the plains of Moab, just at the end of the period of wandering, and just before entering the land of the Caananites, or the Promised Land.  It is really tradition, stories of old times. 

Our Selection:  Moses is recounting the escape from Egypt and the years in the desert.  

The belief that Yahweh punishes, corrects us, and tests us with affliction is not common today as Moses suggests to the people.  You can still hear it from fundamentalist preachers.  Remember the huricane in New Orleans?  We will read more of the section to get the sense more clearly.

Geri and Marilyn say, "Hi, Folks, Come in."

My Guide through the Desert

We have just read about how Moses guided the Jewish people through the desert.  In honor of two of our most favorite people who are retiring from years in public education, this morning I would like to talk about people who guided us and me through the desert.

Two short stories, some of which you may have heard before.  It just seems to fit in here so well.

When I was in maybe 6^th grade, I joined the Boy Scouts at Christ the King around January, when I have my birthday.  Some of my classmate joined up in the spring.

Cathy and especially Harper accepting a special pastry for Cathy's retirement from public education.

First thing I know, along comes summer and we are heading to Texoma for a week of summer camp.  We get there, get our tents, and I overhear some of the 8^th grade guys planning to initiate me.  Why me?  Probably because I was bigger than some of my classmates. 

So suddenly I get sick.  I’m afraid.  I'm home sick.  I want out of there.  These guys were bigger than me and I did not feel safe, no way.  The scout master was a pretty passive guy I did not know well. 

Rick and Jackie accepting a special pastry for Rick's retirement from public education, Rick's 62nd birthday, Rick and Jackie's 39th anniversary, and for Jackie's marvelous recovery.

We had come in on Sunday.  By Monday night I am back home, and back home really feeling horrible about what I did.  I feel like a chicken, for sure.  I was embarrassed even in front of my parents.

The next summer comes along.  My dad, who had remained active along with me in the Scout troop, invited me to go with him back to Texoma.  He was going to spend the night as one of the adult overnight supports for the troop.  

With some trepidation, I decided to go.  We arrived at night and I still remember walking into the tent of my coach and teacher, Frank Hart.  He was sitting on his cot and there was a Coleman lantern buzzing.  He had always supported me.  Always encouraged me. 

Brian and especially two little mice accepting a Cupcake of the Week for Brian's 63rd.

His welcome that night was a turning point in my young life.  It probably prepared me for the day after high school, when I would walk away from the security of my family, join the Jesuits, and never return, even to Dallas for 7 years.

My second guide through the desert was one of the Jesuits at the old Jesuit High.  From as early as I can remember I detested clericalism and the piety stuff.  That was all I had seen until Jesuit.  Fr. Jules May was not clerical and not pious. 

He was our freshman football coach.  As coach he was out there in clothes as crummy as what we wore.  And as coach he got after us like a drill sergeant.  He cussed us.  He yelled at us.  He accepted us ultimately.  I remember my dad was somewhat shocked. I loved him. 

Buddy, the candle man, lighting up with the help of his mom, MIchelle.

I remember one day we were playing Highland Park on our upper field right next to Oak Lawn across from Holy Trinity.  My best buddy played center for Highland Park and I played center for Jesuit.   At one point in the game we were punting out of our own end zone, a chain link fence between our field and Oak Lawn.  I centered that ball over the kicker’s head, over the fence, and onto Oak Lawn. 

I was so humiliated and was waiting for Jules May to descend upon me with both feet.  He did not. 

Marsha, one of those from the "crazy corner."

Jules May was one of the reasons I decided to join the Jesuits.

These two coaches and teachers were guides to me through the desert. Cathy & Rick have guided tons of young people through the desert. 

Who was your guide?

Whom are you guiding today?

Zoe, as always, the style setter.

Asleep again!  Seth, you will make a good Catholic.  Fall asleep as soon the priest begins.   And you are supposed to welcome everybody in today!

Readings:

Jeremiah   20, 10-13,  He has rescued the life of the poor from the power of the wicked

 Psalm 69,   Lord, in your great love answer me. 

Romans 5, 12-15, Through one man sin entered the world.

Matthew 10, 26-33, Fear no one. 

"Hi, Everybody," says Tori, "Welcome in."  Nice, Tori.

Jeremiah observations–

What:  I think Jeremiah is my second favorite O.T. prophet, behind Isaiah, mostly because he makes whining and complaining into an art form.  I need to take lessons from him.  Not that he did not have enough to complain about.   Jeremiah is one of the Big 3 with Isaiah and Ezekiel.  He is called the ‘broken hearted prophet.’  Here is why.

Time:  Jeremiah lived and prophesied in Jerusalem around 600 before Christ.  Why is this important?  It is some 50 years before the Babylonian Captivity.  Jeremiah had a heart rending life predicting punishment of death and destruction for the Hebrews for their sinful, selfish ways.  Jeremiah predicted disaster, and disaster came in the person of Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon-Bagdad.

He may have been ultimately killed by the Hebrews.

Today:  Jeremiah is in top form.

Zoe, too, says, "Come in Folks."  Zoe, you make a delightful hostess.

Fear No One

I would like to talk this morning about one line that struck me in the readings, fear no one.  A pretty powerful idea. 

Last Monday there was an editorial in The Dallas Morning News that talked about the Smith family of Trenton, NJ.  This family, all 8 of them, all black, about a year ago won the Powerball Jackpot of $429 million. 

The best music, Katie & Ben.  Katie, it is so nice to have you back.

Woopee, new house, a mansion, new  cars, an exotic vacation, all the best?  Right?  Wrong.  The Smiths decided to invest a large portion of their winning in the fight to help others overcome poverty in Trenton.  They  set up a foundation, smithfamilyfoundation.com.

They particularly focused on improving the lives of children and families through education, job training, and neighborhood development.  Their slogan is the well known, don’t give the person a fish, teach the person to fish.

Our Candle Lighter of The Week, Buddy
 

The Smiths say they have lived as children in the ghetto with poverty.  Their parents, however, impressed upon them the value of getting educated to find success.  This they have done.  The Powerball winning is an extra bonus they want to use to help others up. 

The Smith family exemplifies for me the unconditional nature of God’s love for us.  The gospel says fear no one.  Who is the one many of us grew up fearing?  For me, God.  To get to where I am now I had to tune out the messages about a conditionally loving God and focus on the people in my life who were like the Smiths.  We all have had these people or we would not be here today. 

Communion for those who will serve the Community.

Whom, if anybody, do you fear?

Readings: Isaiah 50, 4-9; Psalm 116, I will walk before the Lord, in the Land of the Living; James 2, 14-18; Mark 8, 27-35

Isaiah: 

Date of Composition:

A picture of the time span:

        1. Solomon (he of Wisdom, the temple builder, 700 wives, & 300 mistresses–if he really existed) dies ca. 900-1000 BCE

        2. the Hebrew kingdom divides into 2 parts, the north, Israel (Galilee), the south, Judah.

        3.  Assyria destroys Israel and obliterates the 10 Hebrew tribes located there, ca. 725.

        4.  Babylon carries into captivity the Hebrews of Judah, ca. 590.

Contemporary scholars conjecture that this work could have been composed over a period of 400 years, i.e., 700-300.  It obviously begins by predicting disasters.  They happen,  the 2 big tragedies in Jewish history up to the Holocaust, the Assyrian destruction & the Babylonian Captivity.

Author (s): obviously it was composed by numerous people.  Isaiah himself is considered behind chapters 1-39.  In fact, line 1 identifies Isaiah as the author of the ideas.

What is it about:

Chapters 1-39: predict doom for the Hebrews because they have not been faithful to their one god, YHWH.

Chapters 40-55: called Isaiah 2, this & the remaining chapters (56-66) are called The Book of Consolation.  They try to assure the people who are now in exile that YHWH will restore them to their former glory & peace.  In fact, in chapter 45 the composer even mentions the name of Cyrus, the king of the Persians who defeats Babylon & sends the Hebrews back to Jerusalem.  So the composer knew of Cyrus and a date can be narrowed down.

This Isaiah 2 section presents 4 suffering servant songs, #3 being our selection today.  Jews see the servant to be the Hebrew people/nation.  Christians see the servant to be Christ.  Isaiah 2 is considered maybe the most influential O.T. book, especially on the New Testament.  On Isaiah 2 Mark built much of his gospel, especially the story of the crucifixion.

Handel's Messiah uses Isaiah 2 for its lyrics.

Chapter 56-66: more assurances of a return to peace & glory.

Our selection: Isaiah 2.  The suffering servant is talking about the abuse he is experiencing.  Then he proclaims, 'YHWH will help me & I won't be put to shame.' 

Take up Your Cross and Follow

As most of you know, the last Saturday in August I joined Bill Hammond & 14 thousand plus other nuts to ride in the Hotter 'N Hell Hundred (as in miles).  Folks, it was ecstatic. For me participatory athletic events like this have an elixir, a kinetic energy that touches me all the way down to my toes.  In fact, for the second year in a row, as I rode down the ramp of a bridge and headed toward the dramatic finish arch, I had tears of consolation in my eyes.  I am humbled that I can actually be part of the event.

As much as I was intoxicated by the over all event, two smaller happenings moved me.  Both occurred in the latter 50 mile section, the section where I know I am more wako than I thought.  I had pulled into one of the marvelous rest stops around mile 70.  There were tons of riders & volunteers all around.  I went over to a chair to rest a few moments.  Near me was a group of about 6 guys in their late 20's, very athletic and full of personality and energy.  One of their guys was sitting about one seat over from me and he was teasing back & forth with the other guys.  I look over at him and he's got no left foot.  I am stunned.  Lying on the ground was his artificial foot and he was massaging his stump.  So, what am I complaining about!

Later I am pedaling along and clumps of riders are passing me.  I see ahead of me a young guy whom I just might pass, hooray.  I get up behind him, say, "On your left," and begin to pass him.  I look over at him as I am coming along side and he has no arms.  He has metal prosthetics.  I gulp.  Suddenly I am embarrassed to pass him. 

I talk about this because it feeds right into something that is mentioned in Mark, a paragraph that has great potential for healthy living, and for unhealthy living.  Mark mentions that to follow Jesus I have to deny myself and take up my cross.  I got to lose my life to save it.  Hey, I don't like denying myself and I am not attracted to the idea of taking up a cross.  Look what happened to him.

Folks, we have infinite demand here again.  The other side being infinite acceptance.  Let me touch three points, a little history and an explanation of the unhealthy and healthy approach to these ideas.

First, the history.  When Mark wrote you can bet he was under the influence of the philosophy of dualism.  That is, all the world is divided into two, bad-good, flesh-spirit, body-soul.  To enhance the growth of the spirit & soul, the flesh & body has to be disciplined.  In fact, basic appetites & attractions must not only be disciplined but hammered into quiescence. 

Which leads to the second point, the unhealthy & healthy living.  It is easy to see how a person, influenced by this philosophy could be hard on himself, in fact, could do damage to himself.  It is called masochism.  Spiritual practices that mirrored this philosophy were part of my early Jesuit training.

In order to detach ourselves from our attachment to our families, our love of our families, we young Jesuits were never allowed to return home for a visit, not for Christmas, Easter, anything.  I remember one summer vacation floating down the Calcacieu River in a pirogue in s.w. Louisiana with a classmate of mine, and he told me that a few miles away in New Orleans his brother was getting married at that very time. We thought that was normal.  We had to extinguish our desires.  This is how the idea of denying myself can be unhealthy or at least just unnecessary.  I have told you about the little rope scourges we were expected to use on ourselves especially on Fridays. 

Thirdly, on the healthy side, I have my two handicapped guys in the HHH.  I would propose that to live a healthy life, to develop a wholeness in myself, to aim to be a Renaissance person, I need to focus on four targets, the intellectual, the physical, and the spiritual/psychological.  This involves denying myself and self discipline, it involves moderation.  I am my cross.  The reward is contentment & peace.

The fourth element in wholeness is you got to live for others, like James' reading brings up.  Jesuit talks about being men for others.  I specialize in aiding the underprivileged.  I do it not for me but for them.  In giving, however, I am richer. 

Those two guys I encountered in the HHH have taken up their crosses, they have denied themselves and I would suggest that they are more content and peaceful than if they had stayed home watching TV.

Your cross?  What is it?

Picture 1:  Mass with Kevin & T.J.

Picture 2:  The Choir with Celeste, Marianne, & Ray

Picture 3:  Birthdays & Anniversaries, Theresa McClure, Doug, Teresa, & Taylor Read, and Chloe's mom Claire (24)

Picture 4:  The Donut Shoppe with Chloe surrounded by Frank, Jackie, her mom, Claire, and grand dad Tom

Readings: 2 Maccabees 7, 1-14; Psalm 17, Lord, when Your Glory appears, My Joy will be full; 2 Thessalonians 2, 16-3, 5; Luke 20, 27-38.

Intro to Readings

 Our first reading somehow got past the censors.  It is from the Second Book of Maccabees.  This is the only Sunday in the entire three-year cycle of readings that we have anything from this book.  It is about the martyrdom of a family of seven brothers and their mother.  I suggest the only reason this reading was selected is because the number seven also appears in the gospel story.  If you want to learn more about this period in Jewish history, Wikipedia has more than enough information to satisfy most. 

Paul is writing to the Thessalonians in our second reading. 

 The Gospel reading from Luke has Jesus finally in Jerusalem.  Remember that a major part of Luke’s gospel has Jesus on the great “Journey to Jerusalem”.  Today Jesus is in the temple trying to answer one of those imponderable questions.  “Who gets the bride in heaven?”  The folk who ask the question, the Sadducees are only heard from in Luke in this passage.  They were a group of ultra conservative Jews who only accepted what was written in the Torah and refused all of the oral tradition.  They actually disappear following the destruction of the temple. 

I am keeping these comments brief because I want instead to talk about the sacraments in the homily.

Homily

 I would like to begin by reading from Chapter 3 of the Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy from the Second Vatican council.

“The purpose of the sacraments is to sanctify men, to build up the body of Christ, and, finally, to give worship to God; because they are signs they also instruct. They not only presuppose faith, but by words and objects they also nourish, strengthen, and express it; that is why they are called 'sacraments of faith.'

They do indeed impart grace, but, in addition, the very act of celebrating them most effectively disposes the faithful to receive this grace in a fruitful manner, to worship God duly, and to practice charity.

It is, therefore, of the highest importance that the faithful should easily understand the sacramental signs, and should frequent with great eagerness those sacraments which were instituted to nourish the Christian life.”

Many of us last studied the sacraments in CCD class and perhaps a review will be helpful.  There are seven sacraments.  As the council reminds us, the sacraments are a source of grace.  The easiest way for me to understand what that really means is to say that the sacraments help deepen my relationship with God thru a community action. 

If we go back to the very beginning of the Old Testament and the Book of Genesis, in the story of the creation of the world we have this concept of God speaking and then something happening.  God said, Let there be light, and there was light.   I find a similar pattern in each of the sacraments.  We have a liturgy of the Word, followed by an action of some sort, whether it is pouring of water, or anointing with oil or an exchange of promises.  The sacrament of Penance when celebrated as a communal service also fits into this. 

So we can say that each of the sacraments has Word and action.  I also like to divide the sacraments into two main groups.  One group is about joining, namely Baptism, Confirmation and Eucharist, and the other group is about special circumstances or situations, namely, Marriage, Ordination, Penance and Holy Orders. 

One of the challenges we have today is to be able to understand the symbols used.  Symbols are a funny thing, because in themselves they can have one meaning, but when an object is used as a symbol it points to something else, and unless you are part of the group using that object symbolically you can too easily fail to understand what is intended in the symbol. 

But the most important aspect of sacrament is that it is a community action.  We seem to have drifted from the original concept of God’s People, to that of individual relationship with God.  But the whole history of the Old Testament was that of a people, a community in relationship with God.  And the New Testament continued that notion.  The early church was a community of believers.  I think we need to begin with that reality when discussing the sacraments too.  They are community actions, not individual actions.  In fact none of the sacraments can be celebrated, and notice I use the word “celebrated” in isolation or on ones own. 

In future homilies I would like to delve into each one of the sacraments in detail, but let's not forget, while we talk of the seven sacraments, we acknowledge that almost any action/activity which brings us closer to God deserves the title sacrament.

Picture 1:     Mass beginning

Picture 2:    Offertory with Grace & Marsha

Picture 3:    Carol & Marilyn

Picture 4:    Jan (The photo taker) & Curtis & Charlie