Christmas Eve, December 24, 2021

Exodus 34:  The Lord, the Lord, a merciful and gracious God, slow to anger and rich in kindness and fidelity.

2 Corinthians 13:  Mend your ways, encourage one another, agree with one another, live in peace, and the God of love and peace will be with you.

John 3:  God so loved the world that he gave his only Son,, so that everyone who believes in him might not  perish but might have eternal life.

           

 

Frank reading from Exodus

 

 

 

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 2 Corinthians

                                                                                              

                                                                    

 

Readings:  Download 06-04-23 Readings – Trinity Sunday

Homily: 

                                                                                     

                                                                                                        

 

John Cade reading from the Gospel of John

 

Remember these special people:

For Sandra Pratt's family;  For Cindy Cramer's family;  For the family of Ron Senter;   For Meredith  whose cancer has come back;  For Jan;  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 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; 

                                                                                                   

       

 

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.

 

 

The Kiss of Peace

                                          

 

Birthdays:  

Anniversaries:  

                                                              

Community Finances:   

Expenses: $  965.00

Outreach: $   360.00

Thanks again, Folks, for doing what you can.

       

Amos 8:  The Lord has sworn by the pride of Jacob: Never will I forget a thing they have done!

1 Timothy 2:  For there is one God.  There is also one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as ransom for all. 

Luke 16:  The person who is trustworthy in very small matters is also trustworthy in great ones; 

 

 

Very exciting first Sunday at the ArtCentre.  We were welcomed by the Fire Department.  It seems Richard and Hue got stuck in the elevator  and they had to call the Fire Department to get them out

 

 

Music,    Ben & Shonda

Readers,  Pat & Fred 

Gospel,   John Cade

Homily,  John Cade

Eucharistic Prayer A & B,  John Stack & John Cade

The Magic Zoom makers,      Hue & Richard 

Final Blessing, Rosemary

         

 

John starts Mass at our new home

 

Readings:  Download 09-18-22- Readings – 25th Sunday Ord

Homily:    Download 09-18-22- Homily – 25th Sunday Ord

 

 

Remember these special people:

For Jan; 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 Donna and the Dinsmore Family after her brother, Dennis died  from pancreatic cancer;   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; 

 

                           

Buddy reads the prayer for the lighting of the candles

 

 

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.

 

 

The  Kiss of Peace

   

Birthdays:   Sandra Pratt 9/18,  Mary Jane Stevenson 9/20

Anniversaries:   Lynda & Tom Fleming 9/18

      

Community Finances:   

Expenses: $  1,195.00 

Outreach: $  60.00

Thanks again, Folks, for doing what you can.

 

                 

The Kiss of Peace

 

 

Rosemary's Blessing:  

… May God bless you with enough foolishness
to believe that you can make a difference
in this world, in your neighborhood,
so that you will courageously try
what you don't think you can do, but,
in Jesus Christ you'll have all the strength necessary.

"Troubadour: A Missionary Magazine," published by the Franciscan Missionary Society

 

 

Readings: Isaiah 7 10-14; Psalm 24, Let the Lord enter, He is King of Glory; Romans 1, 1-7; Matthew 1, 18-24 

Isaiah, a quick review:

Author: remember there are 3 contributors.  This is Isaiah I, composer of chapters 1-39.

Date: ca. 700 before Christ and before the Persians blotted out the northern kingdom, Israel. 

 
 

Today's material: as a sign to the unfaithful people, Isaiah predicts a virgin will conceive, will bear a son, and he shall be named Emmanuel.  Isaiah I is speaking to the Israelites who are going to get annihilated shortly by the Persians.  Matthew uses this passage to authenticate Jesus, saying it refers to him.  The virgin conceiving a god person goes way back in history, at least to the time of the Pharaohs in Egypt.

 

 

Home 

 The afternoon of the second or third day Rosemary & I spent in Hilton Head with her sister & brother in law I was finally rested out.  I decided I got to get some exercise. 

 So I grabbed my favorite bike in the garage, an old American style bike with no gears and a big white wall tires.  It is a sight, but it is great conditioning and much easier to ride than I expected. 

 I took off at about 4:30 knowing that I needed to be home by 5:30 when it would be dark.  And on Hilton Head Island, folks, it is dark at night.  No street lights.  Know why.  Turtle habitat.  Turtles use the beaches to hatch their young and the lights get them disoriented.  Therefore, you can easily see the stars at night, but perhaps not your hand in front of your face when there is no moon. 

 

 The circle ride I make takes about 40 minutes, probably 8-10 miles.  I had gone 15 minutes when I had that sensation.  Something was squishy.  Yes, I had a flat on my rear tire. 

 So I decided to walk it in, instead of calling home for a lift.  I had passed already the more open part of the trail, and had ahead of me the more forested part.  No problem, I know the trail well and light from the houses would guide me.

 Consequently, I’m walking along this long path through the woods and on both sides of me are the forested back yards of houses.  It was chilly, but comfortable.  As I walk along I can see into the kitchens and dens of all these houses, warm, inviting, and homey.

 

 Suddenly I am reminded of other nights walking along behind other houses that were warm, inviting, and homey.  Certainly in Tanzania & Kenya when I lived there.  But also, when I studied the four years in Toronto. 

 At the college in Toronto we had a half mile meandering drive to the main road.  On the right or north of the drive a line of nice middle class homes backed up.  I would walk there in the snow often and long to have a similar house, warm, inviting, and homey.  However, I thought it was not for me as a priest.

 Walking along that path in Hilton Head, I realized I am not lonely or homesick any more.  I am grateful that I do have what I was longing for, thanks to Rosemary and our marriage.  I went home and told her, again.

 

 As we approach one of the more home focused celebrations of our year, we might find that we are more homesick or we might be grateful that we have a place that is warm, inviting, and homey. 

 Where is home for you this Christmas season?

 What do you do to create a home that is warm, inviting, and homey?

 Picture 1:   Ryan lighting the Advent Candle

 Picture 2:   Done!

 Picture 3:   Communion preparation

 Picture 4:    Communion helpers

 Picture 5:    Margarita & Ashley

 

 

Welcome, Everyone.  This is part of the group of volunteers who took part in the Single Parents' Advocacy Christmas Party, Saturday at Lewisville H.S. 

 

 

 

Preparing lunch with Bill, Connie, & Cheryl, Single Parent Advocacy, Christmas picnic, Lewisville H.S.  12 of our community volunteered.

 

 

Readings:  (happy ones…)

Zephaniah 3, 14-18, Be glad and rejoice with all your heart

(Psalm) Isaiah,  Cry out with joy and gladness, for among you is the great and holy one of Israel. 

Philippians 4, 4-7,  Rejoice in the Lord always. 

Luke 3,  10-18,  I am baptizing you with water… 

 

 

 

An old pro lighting our candles today.  Welcome home, Cole, so good to see you

 

Homily by Mike

During this past week, I spent some time remembering a story about the Fulghum family: Dad, Mom, and their three children, two of which were in Middle School.  Each morning, Dad and the three children left home carrying their lunches in brown paper bags. Molly who was now in first grade enjoyed helping her mom make the sandwiches.  Daddy always got the biggest one.  

 

 

 

As always, Buddy, good reading of our Blessing of the Candles.  Thanks.

 

On this particular day, Dad had two brown paper bags waiting for him.  One wasn’t at all that big or brown, and there was a lot of tape holding it together, but he took it with him all the same, when  Molly told her Daddy that she had added it for his enjoyment. Daddy smiled, but was in a hurry that day, as he placed both in his brief case. 

 

 

The Best Music with Shonda & David.  Sorry you could not make it, Ben, & that you get better soon.

 

When he had finally made time for lunch, he hurriedly opened-up his usual brown bag.  As he was eating, however, he took time to open the other bag that Molly had given him.  He smiled at the stuff that slid out of it when he had taken off its close-pin.   Three small shells, nineteen pennies, one green and blue marble, two animal crackers, two chocolate kisses, a small red, rubber ball and a few jacks, an empty lip stick, a really small plastic dinosaur, and a couple of colored rubber bands, probably for her hair. 

 

 

 

Thanks for a nice Christmas Story, Mike.

 

And, he was thinking, “What am I going to do with all of this stuff, as he was already late for a meeting. So, all got discarded in haste, with the paper napkin that he brushed across his desk top.

 

Thanks, Connie, for telling us about the party sponsored by the Single Parents Advocacy.

 

 

That night after supper, Molly, smiling, asked her dad, who was reading the paper, “Where is my bag, Daddy.  Behind the paper he sat stunned, his eyes got big, and he didn’t know what to say.  Molly said, “You didn’t bring it home? You didn’t loose it did you? Those are my favorite things, Daddy.” 

 

 

But Daddy is already thinking about calling the janitor at work. Finally he said, “I’ll bring it home tomorrow, I promise.  And he could see the sadness in his little girl’s eyes. After her bed time he heads back to the office.  The Janitor says, “you loose something?”  After a short explanation, together, they located the desired trash bag, and thankfully it contained Molly’s items. 

 

 

And more lunch with three of our Bona Responds brown T shirts at work.

 

After gathering them and returning them to her beat-up sack, he sat there for a while looking again at what had now become treasures to him. He remembered the shells that she had gathered at the beach last summer.  He remembered the chocolate kisses that he had left under her pillow one night. He remembered teaching her how to play “Jacks.” He remembered when she had found the green and blue marble in a parking lot.  In the morning during breakfast he gave her a long sweet hug and kissed her on her forehead, informing her, this time with gusto, that he would bring her sack home with him that evening, for he had purposely left it on his desk at work.  

 

 

Shonda doing what she does best, getting the kids and everybody to sing and even dance.

 

 

Think about it.  Everyone else in the family could have given him

a gift from their abundance; but she had given him everything that was dear to her; they all were given from her heart.  My suggestion to us is this.

 

 

Shonda in her element.

 

We should take time this coming week to enjoy our grand children’s gifts of Christmas pictures, and ornaments, and clay sheep and shepherds, and especially the one of the little child in the manger.  Let them bring to us the realization that Christmas, God’s gift to us, should be and can be celebrated every day in the little gifts of love, precious jewels, that often, and sadly, sometimes overlooked.

 

 

Joshua 5:  On the day after the Passover, they ate of the produce of the land in the form of unleavened cakes and parched grain.

2 Corinthians 5:  So we are ambassadors for Christ, as if God were appealing through us.

Luke 15: While he was still a long way off, his father caught sight of him, and was filled with compassion.  He ran to his son, embraced him and kissed him.

Another Reminder for the 4th Sunday in Lent, March 30, 2025

 

Are you guys laughing at me–again?  This is serious business, no?

 

Welcome: Catholic Mass with coffee & juice, and pastries, some bought, some home-made. 

Time: 9:30; Celebrate with the Community  & John Cade  

Place: Legacy Charter School,  601 Accent Drive, Plano, TX 75075

The next two weeks The Blog will take a bit of a vacation.

 

 

Sez Mike, "John, Want to buy a used bike?"

 

Readings: 

Acts of the Apostles, 15, 22-29,  Unless you are circumcised, you cannot be saved.

Psalm 67,  O God, Let all the nations praise you. 

Revelation 21, 10-14, 22-23, The Angel took me in spirit to a great, high mountain. 

John 13, 31-35, Whoever loves me will keep my word..

 

 

 

Healing Touch.

 

Community Activities:  

ROMEO MEET: Friday, May 24, Jason's Deli, Collin Creek Mall, west side of Central, 1:00.  Welcome all wakos, you will fit right in.   

 

Juliettes, June, TBA

 

 

Healing touch for Bill.

 

TRUE?

Only a biker knows why a dog sticks his head out a car window.

 

 

 

Our Father.

 

 

What's up in Ye Old Catholic Church?  Like…

2 steps forward & 1 step back won't cleanse the Catholic Church

http://corpus-blog.blogspot.com/2019/05/two-steps-forward-and-one-step-back.html

 

   

Our Father.

 

 

See you Sunday,

J.S., 214-783-0443

 

 

Peace, Everybody.

 

 

JSM Mission-Faith Statement: 

 Help create a Catholic Community that welcomes all God’s People, provides for and challenges spiritual and total growth.

Reaches out to help people who are disadvantaged and make the world we live in a better place to live.