32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time, November 8, 2020
Readings:
Wisdom, 6, 12-16, Resplendent and unfading is wisdom.
Psalm 6, my soul is thirsting for you, O Lord my God.
1 Thessalonians 4, 13-18, We shall always be with the Lord
Matthew 25, 1-13, The kingdom of heaven will be like 10 virgins, 5 wise, 5 foolish. Stay awake (not for fear of being kicked out, but to catch the blessing. No one is kicked out!)
Thanks to the Team
Music, Ben & Shonda's
Readers, Beth & Rob & Buddy, the candle blesser
Gospel, Deacon Mike
Homily, John Cade
Eucharistic Prayer A & B, Stack & John Cade
The Magic Zoom makers, Richard & Hue & Mike
Final Blessing, Rosemary
For hosting us at Legacy, Becky
(A personal comment on the acclamation and the Matthew reading on the 10 virgins, 5 wise, 5 foolish.
I really hate fear based spirituality. This is a fear focused story about girls being girls. Are we all not foolish in our lives, maybe even daily? Is God waiting to catch us so that we all end up in hell? On the contrary, Our God loves and treasures each of us. Could the Jewish leaders & rabbis been attempting to scare the people into conforming & behaving.)
Homily by John Stack
Well, Folks, I think that because of the stress this week it is time for a Stack homily light. I know. I can hear Hammond saying, “What do you mean, John, all your homilies are light homilies.” See, Folks, I can get away with this because Bill is not here to defend himself. Yes, I know. You just watch. I’ll get an ear ache before I finish. Hang on, here we go.
Last Sunday we celebrated the Feast of All Saints, one of my favorite feasts. Remember how we used to put together a picture gallery of family saints, mothers, fathers, grand mothers, grand fathers, and special friends? May we do it again next year.
The Brain Trust
Mike, in his homily had one line that struck me. “The feast of All Saints teaches that holiness comes in all sizes and shapes.” Almost immediately I began to think of numerous people who teach me or have taught me to be more whole, more appreciative, and more accepting of peoples’ uniqueness. That does not apply to you, Ben (our dear guitar player). Want to guess my top five 2020 winners? Here they are.
Yep, Hammond is numero uno, the guy who introduced me to biking after I had to get new hips because of all the running I did, like especially the years in East Africa. I think Bill tried to kill me because I first got on a bike (his son’s bike) to ride the Hotter ‘N Hell 100, like in 100 miles and 100 degree temp. I think Bill almost fainted when I crossed that finish line. We went on to do so much more together, biking, camping, charity & relief work. So it is Saint Bill for me.
Shonda & Ben, The Best!
During the last 30 days, more or less, there has been call for an enormous number of volunteers to man a gazillion voting stations. These places were open 7 to 7. Rosemary & I ran into a bunch of these volunteers at our Fretz Park voting station. They were so charming and so efficient. For me our volunteer is now called Saint Richard. Carol, your man did great work.
Folks, we also have in our midst almost every Sunday another saint in my estimation, Saint Becky. Becky not only guides this marvelous charter school with all of its creativity. But she also guides another even larger school east of Dallas. She has been broadcasting on Sunday mornings a program on education in this time of corona. On top of all that, St. Becky hosts every Sunday morning our delightful community.
Yesterday Rosemary & I got invited to a birthday by Jackie Turner. It was my first since the beginning of the covid. I wanted to go just to see some of our good friends from the community. But, I was also scared. I asked Jackie how she was going to keep us all safe and germ free, and knowing Jackie she had everything well arranged. For example, only about 7 of us would come together and we would all be spread out in the front yard, 6 feet apart, the whole business. St. Jackie did a great job and it was delightful to see friends we have not seen in months.
The Birthday Party.
Finally, there was a quote in the newspaper that said, “Hey, kids have only so many years when they can appreciate the magic of Halloween. It is too sad to make them miss one of these special years.” I agree and am touched at how this resonated with me and how the person managed to have Halloween at her house. It involved a length of pvc tubing. I guess the candy was slipped into the tube at the top of the steps into the house. It then came out below to the waiting little hands of the kids. I also miss St. Cathy’s dramatic Sunday arrivals in costume bringing along her grandkids, Harper & Betsy.
The Great Halloween Tube
Those are my 5 special people who give me life. Who are the special people in your life?
Please Remember these special people:
For Alan Stryker; For John Doherty recuperating from an operation for his back pain; For David Dinsmore's bad shoulder from a biking accident; 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, The Woodlands, For Loretta's aunt Alicia; For Sir Charlie & Jan; Shonda's mom & Cody & Ben & Leo & all of Shonda's dear family;
For Jackie's mom, sister, & friend, Lynn; For both Jean & Cliff Wright; For Rick Turner searching for a kidney donor, Type O neg; For Meredith, cancer free; 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, For the students, teachers, and coaches in our public & private schools.
Birthdays: David McKeon & Rosemary
Anniversary: John & Connie Bresson
Community Finances, November 8, 2020
Expenses: $2360.00
Outreach $180.00 (often for Souls Harbor, Legacy, etc.)
Thanks, Folks, for doing what you can.
One more marvelous baby of the Braun family to baptize.
Rosemary's Blessing:
In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place: and in the sky
The larks still bravely singing fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the dead: Short days ago,
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved: and now we lie
In Flanders fields!
Taken from IN FLANDERS FIELDS
By Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae
Composed at the battlefront on May 3, 1915
during the second battle of Ypres, Belgium