1st Sunday of Lent, March 6, 2022

 

Thanks to all who put together our Sunday Celebration: 

Music, Shonda & Ben

Readers, Mary Jane & John & Deacon Mike with the Gospel

Eucharistic Prayer & homily, John Cade

Blessing of the Week, Rosemary

The Magic Zoom Makers, Mike and Becky and Ben

 

 

 

 

Reading 1 with John Schanot

A Reading from the Acts of the Apostles

         At that time Peter stood up and, backed by the other eleven, spoke out with bold urgency: “Fellow Jews, all of you who are visiting Jerusalem, listen carefully and get this story straight.  Jesus of Nazareth, a man thoroughly accredited by God—the wonders that God did through him are common knowledge—this Jesus, following the deliberate and well-thought-out plan of God, was betrayed by men who took the law into their own hands, and was handed over to you.  You pinned him to a cross and killed him.  God untied the death ropes and raised him up.  Death was no match for him.  David said it all: 

         I saw God before me for all time.

                    Nothing can shake me; he’s right by my side.

          I’m glad from the inside out, ecstatic;

                    I’ve pitched my tent in the land of hope.

          I know there will be no trip to Hades;

                    and no stench of death.

          You’ve got my feet on the life-path,

                    with your face shining sun-joy all around.

Let me be completely frank with you.  Our ancestor David is dead and buried—his tomb is in plain sight today.  But being also a prophet and knowing that God had sworn that a descendent of his would rule his kingdom, and seeing far ahead, David talked of the resurrection of the Messiah—‘no trip to Hades, no stench of death.’  This Jesus, God raised up.  And every one of us here is a witness to it.  Then, raised to the heights at the right hand of God and receiving the promise of the Holy Spirit from the Father, he poured out the Spirit he had just received.  That is what, today, you see and hear. 

Our word for today.

 

 

Remember?

 

Reading 2 with Mary Jane

A Reading from the First Letter of Peter

        My sisters and brothers:  You call out to God for help and he helps—he’s a good Father that way.  But don’t forget, he’s also a responsible Father, and won’t let you get by with sloppy living.

        Your life is a journey you must travel with a deep consciousness of God.  It cost God plenty to get you out of that dead-end, empty-headed life you grew up in.  He paid with the blood of Christ, you know.   He died like an unblemished, sacrificial lamb.  And this was no afterthought.  Even though it has only lately become public knowledge—at the end of ages—God always knew he was going to do this for you.  It’s because of this Messiah, whom God raised from the dead and glorified, that you trust in God, that you know you have a future in God.

Our word for today.

 

 

 

A Reading from the Gospel of John with Deacon Mike

          On that same first day of the week, two of them were walking to the village of Emmaus, about seven miles out of Jerusalem.  They were deep in conversation, going over all these things that had happened.  In the middle of their talk and questions, Jesus came up and walked along with them.  But they were not able to recognize who he was.  He asked, “What’s this you’re discussing so intently as you walk along?”  They stood there, long-faced, like they had lost their best friend.  Then one of them, Cleopas, said, “Are you the only one in Jerusalem who hasn’t heard what’s happened during the last few days?”  Jesus said, “What has happened?”

         They said, “The things that happened to Jesus of Nazareth.  He was a man of God, a prophet, dynamic in work and word, blessed by God and the people.  Then our high priests and leaders betrayed him, got him sentenced to death, and crucified him.  We had our hopes up that he was the One about to deliver Israel.  And it’s now the third day since it happened.  Now some of our women have completely confused us.  Early this morning they were at the tomb and couldn’t find his body.  They came back with the story that they had seen a vision of angels who said he was alive.  Some of our friends went off to check, and found the tomb empty, just as the women said, but they didn’t see Jesus.”

         Then Jesus said to them, “So thick-headed!  Why can’t you simply believe what the prophets said?  Don’t you see that the Messiah had to suffer and only then enter into his glory?”  Then he started at the beginning with the Books of Moses, and went through all the Prophets, pointing out everything in the Scriptures that referred to him.

         They came to the edge of the village, and Jesus acted as if he were going on.  But they said:  “Stay and have supper with us.  It’s nearly evening; the day is done.”  So he went with them, and here is what happened.  He sat down at the table with them.  Taking the bread, he blessed and broke it, and gave it to them.  At that moment, wide-eyed, they recognized him.  And then he disappeared.  They said to each other, “Didn’t we feel on fire as he conversed with us on the road, as he opened up the Scriptures for us?”                      

The Good News of John

Rosemary's Blessing:

                                                                               

Let us walk softly on the earth

With all living beings, great and small,

Remembering as we go,

That one God, kind and wise, created all.

 

Author Unknown

 

Your Finances: April 26, 2020

Sorry for the delay in reporting.  Once the community got messed up, everything got confusing.  Nothing was coming in.  This is our best week of income in a couple of weeks.

 

JSM expenses:  $775.00

Outreach (often Souls Harbor, Legacy, etc.) $300.00

Thanks, everybody, for your generosity.

 

 

 

Remembering…..

Proverbs 8:   … then was I beside him as his craftsman, and I was his delight day by day;

Romans 5:  … because the love of God has been poured out into our hearts through  the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.

John 16:  But when he comes, the Spirit of truth, he will guide you to all truth.

Ben and David, our musicians today

Thanks…

Music,    Ben & David

Readers, Lynda & Tom

Gospel,   John Cade

Homily,  John Stack

Eucharistic Prayer A & B,  John Stack & John Cade

The Magic Zoom makers,      Hue & Richard & Kevin

Final Blessing, Rosemary

 

Loretta, Connie and John join in the singing

 

 

 

Readings:  Download 6-12-22 – Readings – Trinity

Homily: 

                                       

 

 

Tom reading from Proverbs

 

 

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, with 2 broken vertebrae;  For Jackie;  For John's sister, Kathey in the hospital after 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; 

                           

 

The Kiss of Peace

 

 

Jackie's mom, sister, & friend, Lynn;  For Rick Turner searching for a kidney donor, Type O neg.; For Meredith, cancer free & John Schanot;    For John O'Donnell & Jean;   For Jean & Cliff Wright;  For Dee, and for her daughters, Lisa & Lauren;     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; 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:   Alison DeGenova 6/12,  Mary Esparza 6/12,  Bernadette Delgado 6/17

Anniversaries:   

      

Community Finances:   

Expenses: $   750.00

Outreach: $     235.00

Thanks again, Folks, for doing what you can.

                    

                               

Communion line

 

Rosemary's Blessing:  

Glance at the sun. See the moon and the stars.
Gaze at the beauty of earth’s greenings.
Now, think.
What delight God gives to humankind
with all these things. . . .
All nature is at the disposal of humankind.
We are to work with it.
For without we cannot survive.

Hildegard of Bingen  (September 16, 1098 – September 17, 1179)

 

Some of the hikers.  Rose, John, Paul, Carrie and Andy on the first high pass.

 

Readings:

Ezekiel  33, 7-9,    You have been appointed watchman for the house of Israel

Psalm 95,   If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts

Romans 13, 8-10,  Owe nothing to anyone, except to love one another

Matthew 18, 15-20,  Where two or three are gathered together in my name, there I am.  

 

Ready to start.  Georgie, Buddy, John and Leo.

 

Homily:

Last week Stack spoke about Matthew’s saying, “take up your cross, and follow me.” Stack gave his take on this demand. He gave as an example a younger friend who had struggles with school, with getting into Jesuit, with getting into the Air Force, and how he did not let his personal struggles defeat him. This friend faced his struggles straight on (he took up his cross) loving himself enough to not let his struggles defeat him.

 

The musicians, Shonda and Ben.

 

 In the reading from Romans today, Paul summarizes God’s commandments in one saying, “Love one another as you love yourself.” This is where I focus my thoughts today.  

I have been moved by the many stories of people’s loving actions for those caught up in Hurricane Harvey, dramatic rescues in boats, grabbing a hand to keep someone afloat, donating supplies or giving financial assistance out of love. Our lead choir singer, Shonda, of Texas National Guard fame, spent a couple of weeks in southeast Texas helping with Hurricane Harvey rescue operations. She agreed to tell some of her story. [Shonda spoke of what she and others in her ‘pod’ did for victims of Harvey and what immense gratitude the survivors had.]

Thanks for your service Shonda.

 

The Offertory Procession. Mike, Geri, Carol and Richard.

 

Now I ask you to remember times you reached out in love to help—times you helped build a house with Habitat, or volunteered to help with the Love for Kids, or helped with the counting of the homeless, or helped tornado victims in Oklahoma, or supported organizations such as Soul’s Harbor or the food drive today, or DARCC, or loved Mother Earth by planting trees, or helped nurture this community’s children during Mass, or helped in so many ways to make our Mass a special time each Sunday. Add to this the many loving actions you perform for others in your family, in your neighborhood or in the community at large. You, in so many ways, are living out the greatest command: “Love one another.”

 

Just beginning the Mass.  Hue checking the sound and Leo, John, Georgie and Buddy at the altar.

 

One question is: Where does our impulse and ability to love come from? Richard Rohr, a great Catholic spiritual guide, gives one answer to that question in his book The Divine Dance:

    “Love is not just something you do; love is someone you are. Love is where you came from and love is where you’re going. It’s     not something you can buy or attain. It is the presence of God within you, called the Holy Spirit.

    You can’t make God love you one ounce more than God already loves you right now. You can’t. You can go to church every     day for the rest of your life. God isn’t going to love you any more than God loves you right now.

    You cannot make God love you any less, either—not an ounce less. Do the most terrible thing and God wouldn’t love you less.     The flow of God’s love is constant and total.

    You have nothing to be afraid of. God is on your side, honestly more than you are on your own. We cannot diminish God’s     love. What we can do, is learn how to believe it, receive it, trust it, allow it, and celebrate it.”

 

Ben and his Dad, Cody.

 

This love is what we gather here to remember and to celebrate. Think about it. This is the Good News. God’s all-accepting love is in us and flows outward, accepting and loving others.

 

Zoe, Michelle, Tori and Harper in an important discussion.

Isaiah 42:  Here is my servant whom I uphold, my chosen one with whom I am pleased, upon whom I have put my spirit;
Acts of the Apostles 10: Peter proceeded to speak to those gathered
in the house of Cornelius, saying:  “In truth, I see that God shows no partiality. Rather, in every nation whoever fears him and acts uprightly is acceptable to him.
Matthew 3: After Jesus was baptized, he came up from the water and behold, the heavens were opened for him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming upon him. And a voice came from the heavens, saying, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”

When we learn to see beyond what we have been told to see, we take our place among the world of adults. Then we are obliged to take responsibility for the consequences of our own actions.
The Monastic Way, Sister Joan Chittister

Another Reminder for The Baptism of the Lord, January 11, 2026
Here are the links for Sunday:

For Zoom   ( the video conference)
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88528744737?pwd=Te3cub31Q6XpNvUfzutHMgQ8JGqd42.1
Meeting ID: 885 2874 4737
Passcode: 412993

 

John Stack Ministries meets on Sunday for Mass at 9:30 at
The ArtCentre of Plano,
902 E. 16th St, Plano, Texas.

JSM Mission-Faith Statement
Help create a Catholic Community that welcomes all God’s
People, provides for & challenges spiritual & total
growth.  Reaches out to help people who are disadvantaged &
make the world we live in a better place to live.

 

Readings:                          

1 Kings   19,  16, 19-21,  Please, let me kiss my father & mother goodbye.

Psalm 16,  You are my inheritance, O Lord.

Galatians 5, 1, 13-18,     You shall love your neighbor as yourself.

Luke 9, 51-62,  I will follow you, Lord, but first let me say farewell to my family.

 

 

 

Says Donna, "Welcome in, Everybody."

 

Introduction

[first reading] In our reading from 1 Kings, Elisha realizes that he has received a call from God to first be Elijah’s servant, then his successor.

[second reading] The gospel sets us free from the Law! For the whole Law is fulfilled by these words of Christ, ‘Love one another as I have loved you.’  We are led by the Spirit to be love, and this love is active in works.

 

 

Mabel and Marlene also say, "Hi, Folks, Come on in."

 

Homily by Mike:

How do we become the Lord’s disciples? Discipleship is a choice, through grace, to be led by the Holy Spirit to live the gospel by treating others with goodness and justice, with tenderness and compassion.  ‘For it is in giving that we receive; it is in pardoning that we are pardoned; it is in dying to self that we are born to eternal live!’ 

 

 

 

Cole, our Candle Lighter, at work.

 

As Jesus walked along the road to Jerusalem with his aspiring disciples in today’s gospel, others joined to walk along with him.  And a man said to Jesus, ‘I will follow you wherever you go.’ Jesus turned to him, ‘Foxes have holes, birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no where to lay his head.’  The journey to Jerusalem is the structural backbone of the Gospel for it is there that Jesus literally dies to himself for humankind.   He is telling this man that if he wants to follow him he must die to self.   Everyone’s Jerusalem is different; but the journey is the same. The inspired writers tell Jesus’ aspiring disciples to return to Galilee, in the written gospel. It is there that the Holy Spirit will lead them, and us, to their Jerusalem.

 

 

Happy Birthday, Alison.

 

Jesus said to another man who had begun to walk along beside him, ‘Follow me!’  The man replied, ‘Lord, first let me go and bury my father.’ Obviously he wouldn’t have been walking along with Jesus that day if his father had just died.  The man’s answer to Jesus was that he wasn’t going to make a decision until he received his  inheritance when his father died. So Jesus said to him. ‘Let the spiritually dead bury their own dead, but you I have asked to be spiritually alive, to proclaim by word and deed the kingdom of heaven.

 

 

Offertory, John & Alison, Carrie & Paul.  Thanks.

 

Still another said to Jesus, ‘I will follow you Lord, but first let me go back and say good-by to my family.  Jesus replied, ‘No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit to serve in the kingdom of God.’   Those who are looking back over their shoulder literally do not know where they are going; they are likely to fall.  Jesus is saying to him, ‘put the past behind; look forward, follow me.’ 

 

 

Special Good Wishes to you, John, on the big Wednesday Operation.

 

 

This past Sunday my younger brother and I were visiting our older brother in Florida.  I took a short walk that afternoon to a park not far from his house.  There, on Father’s Day, I began to enjoy watching a woman and her twenty-something son celebrating a picnic lunch together.  Later, after joining them, I learned that her husband, the young man’s father, had recently passed unexpectedly.  It had been difficult for them, but members of their church community had supported them with help and encouragement.  She had gone back to work, was making good friends, and he had returned to college.  Each of us has a cross to bear on our journey in the kingdom of heaven; but, we are called to assist one another, to press forward, our burden light.

 

 

Mike sharing his thoughts on today's readings.

Sirach 50:  May he grant you joy of heart and may peace abide among you.

1 Corinthians 1: God is faithful, and by him you were called to fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

Luke 17:  And one of them,  realizing he had been healed, returned glorifying God in a loud voice; and he fell at the feet of Jesus and thanked him.  He was a Samaritan.

 

John Cade and John Stack starting Mass

 

Thanks…     

Music,   Ben 

Readers,  Carrie & Paul

Homily,   John Stack

Eucharistic Prayer A & B,  John Stack & John Cade

The Magic Zoom makers,   Hue & Richard

Final Blessing, Rosemary

                                      

Carrie reading from Sirach

         

 

Christmas Collections:

We will be collecting sweatshirts and hoodies for Soul's Harbor  on Sunday, December 10, 2023.

We will also have an Angel Tree.  More details to follow.

 

 

Remember these special people:

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 Allen Stryker;   For Mike and Judy Carrell ; 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 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.

 

 

 

Paul reading from Paul's Letter to the Corinthians

                                          

Birthdays:   Cody Mashburn 11/19, Ron Ackerman 11/22, John Cade 11/25

Anniversaries:  John Cade – stop smoking

                 

Community Finances:   

Expenses: $  3,455.64

Outreach: $  

Thanks again, Folks, for doing what you can.

 

                                        John Cade gets a cupcake for his birthday