4th Sunday of Easter, April 30, 2023

Isaiah 58:  Thus says the Lord: Share your bread with the hungry, . . . 

Corinthians 2:  . . . so that your faith might rest not on human wisdom but on the power of God.

Matthew 5:  Jesus said to his disciples: "You are the salt of the earth. . ."

 

 

 

Carrie reading from Isaiah

 

 

Thanks…     

Music,    Ben and Shonda

Readers,  Paul and Carrie

Gospel,   John Cade

Homily, Jackie Turner

Eucharistic Prayer A & B,  John Stack & John Cade

The Magic Zoom makers,   Hue & Kevin

Final Blessing, Rosemary

       

Paul reading from Paul's letter to the Corinthians

                                                               

 

Readings:  Download 02-05-23 Readings – 5th Ordinary

 

 

 

 

Remember these special people:

For the family of Ron Senter who passed last week;  For Frank Esparza who has been diagnosed with cancer;  For Jan;  For John Simari's mother who is not feeling well;  For Tom  Quinn who had back surgery on November 21st;  For Sandra who has been diagnosed with Large B Cell Lymphoma;   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.

 

 

he Kiss of Peace

 

 

 

Birthdays:  Geri Moran 2/7,  Tom Quinn 2/8, Hue Beavers 2/11, John Bresson 2/11

Anniversaries:  

Community Finances:   

Expenses: $  1,295.00

Outreach: $  360.00

Thanks again, Folks, for doing what you can.

 

         

Hue receiving a remembrance for his birthday

 

 

Rosemary's Blessing: 

What Is Success

by Ralph Waldo Emerson

 

To laugh often and much;
To win the respect of intelligent people and
the affection of children;
To earn the approbation of honest critics and endure
the betrayal of false friends;
To appreciate beauty;
To find the best in others;
To give of one's self;
To leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch, or a redeemed social condition;
To have played and laughed with enthusiasm and
sung with exultation;
To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived –
This is to have succeeded.

 

John receiving a cookie for his birthday

 

 

and Gilberto and Randolph get a cookie for their birthdays

 Samuel 26: But David said to Abishai, “Do not harm him, for who can lay hands on the LORD’s anointed and remain unpunished?”  So David took the spear and the water jug from their place at Saul’s head, and they got away without anyone’s seeing or knowing or awakening. 

1 Corinthians 15:  Just as we have borne the image of the earthly one, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly one.

Luke 6: To you who hear I say, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.

 

 

Another Reminder for the 7th Sunday in Ordinary Time, February 23, 2025

Readings: Isaiah 40, 1-11; Psalm 104, O Bless the Lord, My Soul; Titus 2, 11-14, 3, 4-7; Luke 3, 1-22.

 

Baptism & Original Sin: traditional & contemporary theology

 

Traditional theology on baptism & original sin:

 

a.  Original sin: the 1 sin of Eve & Adam, the eating of an apple, ruptured the relationship between God & Humans.

 

b.  Why we baptized: purification & removal of that original sin inherited by all babies.  A new born baby was a sinner & would go to Limbo forever if not baptized before dying. 

   

 

Contemporary theology on baptism & original sin:

  

a.  Original sin:

 

1.  no original sin

  

2.  Genesis story of the fall is allegory, not fact.  No Garden of Eden and no Adam & Eve.

  

3.  from Darwin's Origin of the Species the idea has developed that in our human infancy, we needed certain behaviors to survive.  For instance, killing another person & stealing (like food).  As our ancestors formed communities, norms of social behavior emerged, for example, the 10 commandments. 

  

4.  St. Augustine, ca. 400: 

 

–A major, if not the major influence on Christian/Catholic theology of original sin and human nature from his time to today 

–After conversion from a rather lusty life at 32, he had a pessimistic view of human nature, different from early Christianity

–St. John Chrysostom, bishop of Constantinople (Istanbul), Pelagius, a British monk, & Julian of Eclanum, Italy, a bishop, all found nature good and fought against Augustine

–Augustine used all means to vanquish his opponents with their positive view that nature was good, even to sending a gift of horses to the pope to influence his decision.  Augustine won.

   

 

b.  Why we baptize today: (using the contemporary theology)

  

1.  To celebrate a new life

   

2.  To ritually & formally welcome the new person into a family, a community, and to a God famous for love and acceptance.

  

3.  To cleanse after the journey

 

Sources: Elaine Pagels, Adam, Eve, and the Serpent; John Shelby Spong; Wikipedia

 

 

We are Getting Better

 

I have one more Christmas story to celebrate this baptism today. 

 

There are three people in the story.  My good friend, her little daughter, and her niece, who is about 16 or 17.  The story took place at Collin Creek Mall one or two days just after Christmas.  Guess what they were doing.  Bringing things back. 

 

It happened that the niece had offered to take the daughter to the mall to have girl fun while her mother went to the mall to return various items.  After they had been there a while, the niece phoned to say that it was getting to be time for her to leave.  So could she return the daughter? 

 

They agreed that the easiest way to arrange the swap was for the niece to take the girl in her car, drive over to where my friend's car was, and then transfer the daughter & her car seat.  So they met in the parking lot, my friend's car in a parking place, the other car in the aisle behind the first car. 

 

Mother goes into the niece's car, unbuckles her daughter, and places the girl in her car.  Then she disconnects the car seat and reconnects it in her own car, securing her daughter in place.  Somewhere in this process she set her purse down.  Yep, you guessed it.

 

Who knows where she set it down.  Maybe by her niece's car, maybe by her own.  But apparently outside. 

 

She gets into her car and drives off.  Almost immediately she notices her purse is missing.  She calls her niece and asks her to look in her car.  No purse. 

 

So they both return to where the car was parked.  They drive around, ask people.  No sign of the purse.  The niece finally departs and mom  goes home.  She calls her mom, then she calls the mall security.  Nothing had been reported or brought in.  Security says to call the police.  The police do not know what to do.  Was it stolen?  Or was it forgotten? 

 

She thinks of her credit card, of getting a new license, she thinks of her phone.  So, using her mom's phone, she starts calling her phone hoping someone will answer   No one answers. 

 

 

Time passes.  A few hours later in the evening, her mom gets a phone call.  It is young boy, a high school aged kid.  He has the purse.  He says he and his dad found it in the parking lot and simply used the phone's incoming calls to call the number identified as "Mom."

 

The mom who got the purse back was Bobbi Jo Whitley, mother of Dillon, Hunter, and Audry.  Bobbi's mom is Jo Whitley, who read this morning.  The purse came back.  Nothing missing.

 

Are there not lots of good stories like this?  Are we not evolving into a better people?  Scott Burns said so in his column in the Dallas Morning News a couple of weeks ago.  A great Jesuit geologist and paleontologist, Teilhard de Chardin, thought so, saying that the human race is slowly becoming more mature, more sensitive, more peaceful.  I think so, too.  For lots of reasons.

 

What do you think?

 

Picture 1:  Mass begins with Kevin helping

 

Picture 2:  Daniel (Mr. A&M) & Beth

 

Picture 3:  Bob & Jerry with 2 new knees

 

Picture 4:  Georgie

 

 

Rosemary's Blessing Video:

 

 

 

 

 

Acts of the Apostles 10:  To  him all the prophets bear witness, that everyone who believes in him will receive forgiveness of sins through his name.

Colossians 3:  When Christ your life appears, then you too will appear with him in glory

John 20:  Then the other disciple also went in, the one who had arrived at the tomb first, and he saw and believed.

 

 

Mary Jane reading from The Acts of the Apostles

 

 

Thanks…

Music,    Ben 

Readers,  Mary Jane & John

Gospel,    Sandra

Homily,  John Stack

Eucharistic Prayer A & B,  John Stack & John Cade

The Magic Zoom makers,      Mike & Hue & Kevin

Final Blessing, Rosemary

 

John reading from Paul's letter to the Colossians

 

 

 

Readings: Download 04-17-22 – Readings – Easter Sunday

Homily:  Download 04-17-22- Homily-Easter Sunday

 

 

The Kiss of Peace

 

 

Remember these special people:

For John Stack having a hard time right now with a bad back;  For Sandra who has been diagnosed with Large B Cell Lymphoma;   For Lambrini, John Cade's wife who is dealing with cancer;  For a young man, 19 struggling with a brain tumor and cancer;    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, and for Hue & Linda's daughter, Doctor Rosemary Beavers;   For Mary & Dave Hall's g-daughter Allison Keller working at St. Lukes, The Woodlands and for a friend Cadence still suffering from a serious medical condition;   For Sir Charlie & Jan;  All of Shonda's dear family;

                           

Connie and Rob assisting with Communion

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.

 

 

Communion

                   

                  

Birthdays:  Claire Occhipinti 4/17 

Anniversaries:   John & Connie Doherty 4/21, John & Alison DeGenova 4/23

      

Community Finances:   

Expenses: $  765.00

Outreach: $  125.00

Thanks again, Folks, for doing what you can.

                                    

Carrie & Paul and Beth & Rob

 

Rosemary's Blessing:  

Risen Jesus, help us to be human expressions of the God you proclaimed: a God who is gracious and merciful, never gets angry and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness.

May we know deeply God's great love for us, and like God, lean toward those suffering, oppressed and poor.

Adapted from A Reflection and Prayer for Easter by S. Jean Amore, CSJ

 

Mass: Coffee, pastries, & specials on the House.

Time: 9:30; Stack Celebrating

Place: Vines High School, 15th between Custer & Independence, south side, Plano

  
 
 Readings:  Sirach 27, 30-28, 7; Psalm 103, The Lord is Kind and Merciful, Slow to Anger, and Rich in Compassion (terrific line!); Romans 14, 7-9; Matthew 18, 21-35

   
                                                                                                                                                                                                Picture Picture  1:    C.C.              

Picture 2:    John                      

Picture 3:    Leo & his dad,   

Picture 4:    Ray    

  
           

Community Bulletin Board:

1.   Any families still looking for religious ed for your kids?  Just let us know.

2.  This Sunday we will start having grape juice available for those who prefer not to take wine.  We may not do this every Sunday, but at least half the time.  Thanks to John Cade for the suggestion and apologies for being so insensitive to the issue for so long.  Vat.  II, of course, allowed this, but it was forbidden again duing J.P. II's time.

3.  Michael Morwood's presentation, Sept. 24.  A married priest, excellent speaker, terrific ideas on our faith, Download Morwood Flyer 9-9-11

4.  Yes, it is time for those of you who have asked: reservations for Christmas at the Dallas Smphony. 

     The plan: Dec. 15, Thursday, 8:00 P.M., $68.00 per ticket, group rate ($80.00 otherwise), Orchestra Terrace (the lowest terrace), because the main floor was too expensive.  Wine & cheese before the performance at The Parsonage.  Let me or Rosemary know.  Sunday, Sept. 25, last day to join us.  Sept. 26 we buy tickets. 

5.  Next brunch Sunday, Sept. 25.  John Cade will celebrate the Mass in honor of his 50th anniversary of ordination.   

 

What's going on in our Catholic World:

1.   Pope visits Germany,  National Catholic Reporter, September 2:  Download A German pope to Germany 9-9-11

 2.   McBrien on Detroit Diocese crushing debt, National Catholic Reporter, September 6: Download 54 million Detroit debt 9-9-11

3.   An old Jesuit friend, John Dear, on 9-11 & the Christian message, National Catholic Reporter, September 7: Download Jesus and the falling towers 9-9-11

  
 

Picture 5:     Communion helpers, Jackie, Tom, Lynda, Mike, Nancy, Jan, Patricia, & Sandra

Picture 6:    Shonda & Ray & Jon      

 

True?

Make your work your play and your play your work.

 PHIL JACKSON

 

   Video: Closing Song 

       

 

 

 

Acts of the Apostles 15: It is the decision of the Holy Spirit and of us not to place on you any burden beyond these necessities,  namely, to abstain from meat sacrificed to idols, from blood, from meats  of strangled animals, and from unlawful marriage.

Revelation 21:  The city had no need of sun or moon to shine on it, tor the glory of God gave it light, and its lamp was the Lamb.

John 13:  Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. 

 

Georgie is home from college
 

 

Thanks…

Music,    Ben 

Readers, Tom & Denni

Gospel,   John Cade

Homily,  John Cade

Eucharistic Prayer A & B,  John Stack & John Cade

The Magic Zoom makers,      Hue & Richard

Final Blessing, Rosemary

 

Loretta and Dawn (Welcome back Dawn)

 

 

 

Readings:  Download 5-22-22 – Readings – 6th Easter

Homily:  

 

 

Ben

 

 

 

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;  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 all the medical personnel struggling to treat the tsunami of sick people;   For Mary Hall's friend Cadence still suffering from a serious medical condition;   For Sir Charlie & Jan;  All of Shonda's dear family;

                           

 

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:   Ray Occhipinti 5/24

Anniversaries:   

      

Community Finances:   

Expenses: $ 853.00

Outreach: $  100.00

Thanks again, Folks, for doing what you can.

                               

Rosemary's Blessing: