5th Sunday of Easter, 5-2-2021

Readings: 1 Kings 3, 5-12; Psalm 119; Romans 8, 28-30; Matthew 13, 44-52 (beautiful section)

1 Kings:

• Author & date of composition: a compiler who seems to have lived ca. 550, during the Babylonian captivity.
• Subject Matter: King Solomon, David’s son. 1 Kings was once considered part 3 of a 4 part series, 1 & 2 Samuel and 1 & 2 Kings, all of which was called the Book of the Kingdom because the books all talk about the kings of the Hebrews after the rule of the judges.
• Sources of the Compiler: many, but in particular The Court History of David and The Acts of Solomon.
• Time Span of Kings: 450 years, from 9th century to 5th century B.C., King Solomon & the Temple to Nebuchadnezzar & the Babylonian Captivity, one of the great Hebrew catastrophes along with the Holocaust.
• Today’s selection shows Solomon is so wise, as he is given a choice by Yahweh.

A Man Who was a Treasure: Tom Collerain

Last Sunday, you may remember, we had a touching Mass and a fun brunch.  And seated right up there behind Ken & Cindy, Kim & Lance was Tom Collerain for the first time in about a month.  Rosemary & I had missed him, wondered how he was doing, and called him the week before.  He said he and Alice had just returned from a cruise on the Rhine, which was why we had not seen him, and that he was looking forward to Sunday and seeing everyone again.  As usual, Tom was there with his warm, marvelous smile.

That evening he had dinner at 6:00 with Alice, was cleaning up, and went out with the garbage.  Alice wondered what was taking him so long.  She went out and found him lying in the flower bed.  He had gone to the other side. 

Again this Sunday we hear more humble metaphors of what the kingdom is like, like a fishing net, like a pearl, like a treasure.  Folks, Tom Collerain was a treasure.  For at least three reasons.

First, because he was fully alive.  He received the gift or treasure of life and fully experienced it.  On the Myers-Briggs personality indicator, he probably was a judging or type A personality.  He lived with order, working out every day at 9:00, eating at 12:00 & 6:00, nap at 1:00, and probably on time for everything.  That was his gift. 

He also celebrated life, for example traveling with Alice after his retirement.  In fact, they had just returned from the Rhine.  To celebrate even more, he had the joker in him.  For example, he could have given me the one about the couple who were 60 years old and celebrating their 40th anniversary.  They were in a nice restaurant.  Suddenly a little fairy appears on their table and says that because they were such a good & loving couple, they could each have one wish.  Like Solomon.

The wife, with the wisdom of Solomon when she had a choice, asked that she and her darling husband be given a cruise trip around the world.  The fairy said yes, and, poof, two cruise tickets appeared on the table. 

When the fairy asked the husband, he said that he had a wish which was not intended to hurt his wife, but he would like a new wife 30 years younger.  The fairy & the wife look and each other, roll their eyes, the fairy says, “Okay,” and, poof, the husband becomes 90 years old. 

Secondly, Tom was a treasure because he was, as Alice describes him, a gentle man.  He was a gentle man because he was at peace, at peace with his numerous friends, so many of which showed their appreciation of him Wednesday at his funeral service.  He was at peace with his terrific family, with himself, and with his God.  He was likewise at peace with animals, so many of which he welcomed under his roof.  His favorite golden retriever, Rowdy, even reflected his peace.  When a litter of abandoned baby kittens from the neighborhood were brought in, it was Rowdy who would pick the little kittens up in his mouth and carry them around. 

Thirdly, Tom was a treasure because he considered himself a roof keeper.  He took care, he watched over.  In fact, once he retired he developed a talent for cooking he had put on the shelf when he was working.  It is amusing to note that Tom gave Alice one of her first cooking lessons.

Before they got married and were living in Houston, Tom brought Alice a gift of fresh corn on the cob.  She put it away.  A while later Tom returned, saw the corn, and suggested that she cook it up.  “I don’t know how,” she responded.  Tom taught her how to boil corn on the cob. 

It also seemed so symbolic to me that Tom’s last act was taking the garbage out.  How symbolic of how he spent time making his world a better place in which to live. 

I can see Tom this morning walking beside his favorite dog Rowdy, like he did so many times.  Rowdy is introducing him to all the new neighbors, for whom the gentle man Tom will act as a roof keeper. 

We have only so much time, folks.   How are you appreciating the treasure?

AUDIO:   http://mysite.verizon.net/reso7rjy/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderfiles/2008-07-27.mp3

1 Kings 3: Give your servant, therefore, an understanding heart to judge your people and to distinguish right from wrong

Romans 8:  Brothers and sisters: We know that all things work for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.

Matthew 13:  Jesus said to his  disciples: "The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure buried in a field, …

 

 

Frank reading from I Kings

 

Thanks…     

Music,    Shonda & Ben 

Readers,  Mary & Frank

Homily,   John Stack

Eucharistic Prayer A & B,  John Stack & John Cade

The Magic Zoom makers,   Hue & Kevin

Final Blessing, Rosemary

                                 

Mary reading from Paul's Letter to the Romans

 

                      

 

Readings: Download 07-30-23 Readings -17th Ordinary

Homily:  

 

 

 

The Opening Hymn

                                                                                     

 

Remember these special people:

For Jan Keszler's Family; For Sandra Pratt's family;  For Cindy Cramer's family;  For the family of Ron Senter;   For Meredith  whose cancer has come back;  For Tom Good;  For Tom  Quinn who had back surgery on November 21st; For Lambrini, John Cade's wife, who is dealing with cancer ;  For Madeleine, Richard Eshelbrenner's granddaughter;  For Hue; For Jackie;  For John's sister, Kathey recovering from a fall;   For Tom Good;   For Mary Hall's friend Cadence still suffering from a serious medical condition;   For Sir Charlie;  For Ron ;  For Teresa Quinn's niece, Maddie who has a brain tumor;

                                                                                                 

 

Jackie's mom, sister, & friend, Lynn;  For Rick Turner searching for a kidney donor, Type O neg.;   For Jean & Cliff Wright;  For Dee, and for her daughters, Lisa & Lauren;  For a young man who is suffering from depression;  John Cade's daughter, Joey, with cancer; from Barbara, a little baby boy named Ford recuperating from an operation & the families of Annie and Michael ;    for the medical staffs, teachers, and coaches in our public & private schools.

 

John reading from the Gospel of Matthew

                                          

Birthdays: Cindy Ekes 7/31, Linda Beavers 8/4, Birth of Soul's Harbor 1956 8/2

Anniversaries:  

 

                         

The Kiss of Peace

 

         

Community Finances:   

Expenses: $  885.00

Outreach: $  

Thanks again, Folks, for doing what you can.

       

Deuteronomy 26: Therefore, I have now brought you the first fruits of the products of the soil which you, O LORD, have given me.’

Romans 10: For the Scripture says,  No one who believes in him will be put to shame.

Luke 4: Filled with the Holy Spirit, Jesus returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the desert for forty days, to be tempted by the devil.

 

Music,   Ben

Expenses: $   1,835.00

Outreach: $    450.00

Thanks again, Folks, for doing what you can.

 

 

The Kiss of Peace

 

Rosemary's Blessing:

 

 

Wisdom 18:   Your people awaited the salvation of the just and the destruction of their foes.

Hebrews 11:  Faith is the realization of what is hoped for and evidence of things not seen.

Luke 12:  Gird  your loins and light your lamps and be like servants who await their master's return  from a wedding  ready to open immediately when he comes and knocks.

           

The Entrance hymn

 

Thanks…

Music,    Ben 

Readers,  Lynda & Tom

Gospel,   John Cade

Homily,  John Cade

Eucharistic Prayer A & B,  John Stack & John Cade

The Magic Zoom makers,      Hue & Richard & Kevin

Final Blessing, Rosemary

                                             

                 

         Lynda reading from Wisdom         

Readings:  Download 08-07-22- Readings – 19th Sunday Ord

Homily:  

                  

                           

Tom reading from Paul's letter to the Hebrews

 

 

 

Remember these special people:

For Sandra who has been diagnosed with Large B Cell Lymphoma;   For Lambrini, John Cade's wife, who is dealing with cancer and Kaliope, John Cade's Mother-in-law;  For Hue; For Jackie;  For John's sister, Kathey recovering from a fall;    For Tom Good;  For a young man, 19 struggling with a brain tumor and cancer;     For Mary Hall's friend Cadence still suffering from a serious medical condition;   For Sir Charlie & Jan; 

                           

CC and Kayla, Claire and Ray's granddaughters

 

Jackie's mom, sister, & friend, Lynn;  For Rick Turner searching for a kidney donor, Type O neg.;   For Jean & Cliff Wright;  For Dee, and for her daughters, Lisa & Lauren;     For a young man who is suffering from depression;  John Cade's daughter, Joey, with cancer; from Barbara, a little baby boy named Ford recuperating from an operation & friends, Annie, a mom of 3 kids and Michael ;    for the medical staffs, teachers, and coaches in our public & private schools.

 

 

Communion

   

Birthdays:   Lynda Fleming 8/8, Carrie Bieda 8/9

Anniversaries:   Hue & Linda Beavers 8/8, Mary & Dave Hall 8/13 (62 years)

      

Community Finances:   

Expenses: $   705.00

Outreach: $   150.00

Thanks again, Folks, for doing what you can.

                 

John

 

Rosemary's Blessing:  

Come, O Dancing God,

Spirit of Life and Love,

of  Beauty and Diversity,

stir up my soul,

bathe me in your light,

and unleash my own spirit

that I may dance with you

and be light for those around me

and reflect your love to all that I meet this week.

 

Edited and adapted from a blessing by Fr. Andrew M. Greeley

 

 

 

Says Cindy, "Welcome in, Everybody."

 

Readings:

Isaiah , 49, 3, 5-6,  I will make you a light to the nations.

       (This little light of mine, I'm going to let it shine.)

Psalm 40,  Here I am, Lord, I come to do your will.

1 Corinthians 1, 1-3,  Paul, called to be an apostle

John 1, 29-34, I saw the spirit come down

 

 

And never to be left behind, Ben, too, says, "Come in, Everybody.  It is delightful here."

 

 

I will make you a light to the nations

Have you people ever heard of a woman named Samantha Elandary?  No?  Never heard of her?  You must be living under a rock. 

No.  Actually I had never heard of her until I saw her at choral presentation last fall at Richardson High School.  All singers were Parkinson persons.  She  is my choice for being a light to the nations.  Certainly she is a light for me.  Why?

 

 

The Candle Girls in action.

 

 

Samantha, a graduate of UNT with a degree in speech pathology, established in 2005 a non- profit program called Parkinson Voice Project. 

One of the delightful little surprises of Parkinson is that the person slowly loses voice strength, eventually becoming almost mute and faced with whispering to communicate.  I personally have noticed that I am developing a little bit of this.  Ask my buddies at our Friday Romeo’s luncheons.  Maybe even Rosemary would love me more if I would reach this stage.

 

 

 

Buddy reading the Candle Blessing.

 

Samantha’s program at Parkinson Voice Project has two levels.

1. Individual speech therapy one on one with a professional therapist.  I am on this level.  I started in January a 4 week program of 3 sessions a week, 2 sessions with my therapist,  & a third session with a group of people on this beginner ‘s level.

 

 

The communion team.

 

I have a workbook with phrases I am instructed to read and speak with intent.  Speaking with intent is the key.

2. The second level takes place at the end of my month and involves group sessions where I am challenged to speak with intent loudly.  I’ll tell you more about this in February, when I graduate into the group therapy sessions.

 

 

I'm jealous, Ben!

 

I cannot tell you how consoled I felt the one time I was in the group session.  All of us had the same problem and I felt a sense of strength & of being among kindred spirits.

There are today over 400 participants in the Parkinson Voice Project .   It is also training therapists from other corners of the U.S.  The program started by Samantha, meeting such a great need, is the only one in the world. 

 

 

Welcome in.

 

The program operates on a pay it forward arrangement.  I have not been asked for a nickel.  Participants are obviously chipping in. 

In fact, at the fall choral presentation we were told about a financial challenge Samantha was given.  Collect 1 million dollars and a benefactor would donate $500 thousand.  Samantha & her team succeeded. 

 

 

 

The Best Team.

 

Samantha Elandary is my Light to the Nations, a person who makes God’s touch reach to all the corners of the earth.

Who is your Samantha?  How are you a Light?

 

 

You are The Best Salesgirl for Girl Scout cookies, Dearest Harper.