Reminder for the 34th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Christ the King Sunday, November 26, 2023

Readings:

Sirach  3, 17-18, 20 28-29,  My child, conduct your affairs with humility.

Psalm 68,  God, in your goodness, you have made a home for the poor.

Hebrews 12, 5-7, 18-19,    You have approached Mount Zion

Luke 14, 13-18,  When you hold a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, & the blind.

Buddy says, "Hi, Folks, Welcome in."

Sirach observations

Author :  The author is Sirach or Joshua, a Jewish scribe.  The book of 51 chapters is one of the “in between books,”  more or less 12 of them.  In other words, their genuiness is questioned.  The Catholic Church accepts them; the Protestants don’t. 

Date:  about 200 years before Christ. 

Tori, too, says, "Good Morning, Everybody, Come in."

Subject:   Ethics, norms for good Jewish living.  For example, “Do not compliment a person on his good looks,” (11, 2), or “Never abandon an old friend; you will never find a new one who can take his place,” (9, 10), or “Friendship is like wine, it gets better as it gets older,” (9, 10), or Don’t prevent the poor from making a living, or keep them waiting in their need,” (4,1).

Today’s subject:  Humility.

Sources: Good News Bible

Hebrews:  The last week for this work, hooray!

Anybody want to go for a nice 100 mile bike ride?

Invite the poor, the crippled, and the lame.

Rosemary asked me Friday afternoon how come I so look forward to riding 100 miles in the Hotter ‘N Hell Hundred.  At the time we were driving to Wichita Falls to grab a place on the floor on one of 5 racquet ball courts of the YMCA.  For $30 you can put your air mattress anywhere in the building and in the morning a simple breakfast is provided. 

I thought about why I so look forward to this even and came up with 3  big reasons.  Here they are.

Want a bike?  Over  500 to choose from.  These bike are being stored for the night on the 4th floor gym of the Wichita Falls YMCA.  The owners are skattered all around the building on the floor on their air mattresses.   A deal for $30.

First, motivation to get into good shape.  I eat healthily, we ride around White Rock together, I do spin classes, and I get my weight where I would like it to stay all year.  Events like this energize me.

In fact, now that the event has passed, I feel like a good friend has departed.  I wonder what next will energize me.  Actually, I do look forward to Thanksgiving and Christmas, but these events do not energize me to eat healthy and work out extra.

Mile 30 rest stop.  My favorite.  The women volunteers bake dozens of about 5 varieties of cookies and hand them out.   Their hospitality is over the edge.

Secondly, there is an esprit about the 100 miles.  I spent more time this year at the rest stops.  There are about 10 of them on the 100 miles.  Everything is free, water, gatoraide, varieties of cut up fruit, and cookies.  And over the top hospitality. 

I was talking with one of the lady volunteers at mile 40.  She was walking around among a couple hundred riders holding a tray of cookies and handing them out.  She told me that all the workers are volunteers and that she, as one of the volunteer coordinators, has to turn volunteers away, so many want to help out.  These are people from Wichita Falls, older folks, middle agers, lots of high school kids, and even some small kids.  She said, too, that people look forward to the August event all year long.

Mile 40 rest stop.  Not to be outdone by their neighbor volunteers, these ladies for the first year also provided home made cookies.  It is really hard on us riders.  The women walk around with trays of cookies.  Also, at this rest stop volunteers stand on the edge of the road and offer to hold your bike while you visit the port-o-potty and eat cookies.  More over the edge hospitality.

Finally, in line with the gospel about inviting everybody to your party, this party has them all.  Young and old.  I saw some very young kids riding.  And I may have been one of the oldest at 76.  There are men, there are women.  There are whites, blacks, and in betweens.  For me it is beautiful example of the American experience of unity among many.

What experiences do you have that energize you? 

Mile 78 rest stop.  My second favorite, not because of a lack of hospitality, but because of the shade from a large grove of pecan trees.  You see a lot of gassed riders at this rest stop.  For them cots and cold, wet towels are provided, along with all the other fruits, Clif bars, shot blocks, and foods.  At mile 50 this year even hot dogs were provided with all the fixings.  You pay $35, and all this is for the rider.  Everybody is welcome to this party.

Says John, "Welcome in, Everybody."

Readings:

Isaiah 66, 10-14, As a mother comforts her child, so I will comfort you.  (Isaiah at his best)

Psalm 66,  Let all the earth cry out to God with joy

Galatians  6, 14-18,  Peace and mercy be to all.

Luke 10, 1-12, 17020,  Peace to this household.

Marilyn lights our Summer Candles.

Isaiah  observations:  

The scene:  the people are now back in Jerusalem, a destroyed Jerusalem.  Isaiah is attempting to put a positive spin on everything.  After all that took place in the Babylonian captivity, Cyrus has defeated the Babylonians and released the Jewish people to return to Jerusalem.

This chapter 66 is the last of the whole book and the work of the third Isaiah.

The Psalm.  Can this be true?  The Psalm is also 66.  It is beautiful and positive.  Can religion be better?

Ron reads our Blessing of the Summer Candles.

Why I am still proud to be an American

This morning in honor of July 4, I want to share why I am still proud to be an American.  I have 4 little vignettes.  

The first took place when I was in Tanzania giving a retreat or seminar to a small group of delightful Dutch religious sisters.  We were at a mission on the outskirts of a little town called Morogoro.  A thief got into my room, which was a fixed up shipping container on the edge of the compound, while I was having breakfast.  I lost my passport & a few small things. 

Who let in that funny man with the hat?

So, I had to go to the American Embassy in Dar es Salaam, the capitol.  The staff did not hassle me, but treated me like a fellow traveler.  I remember feeling, first, a sense of security and, secondly, a sense of being proud to be connected with a country which was a dream country to so many Tanzanians.

Happy 57th Anniversary, Marilyn & Ron.

Secondly, Iowa and the marvelous week long 500 mile bike ride the end of this month.  30k people riding from the MO River to the MS River.  The atmosphere is so friendly and fun. 

Amid all the camaraderie, the event that always touches me the most is the Amish concession.  Not just because I can buy a piece of pie (about 5 varieties) for 3-4 $$’s and a huge spoonful of vanilla ice cream being made right there under the tent for another 2-4 $$’s,  It is the fact that in America a group like the Amish can live and thrive. 

My Dearest Carrie, I remember you as a sweet, pretty little girl from our days at St. Marks.  Now look at you, a pretty girl and a doctor.  I'm impressed and delighted for you.

I will miss seeing my buddy Henry, the pie vendor, a guy about 24 years old and very friendly.  I will miss renewing our friendship.  He even loaned me the money once when I forgot my money.

I ride Iowa’s Ragbrai, I am proud to be a crazy American like all the crazies around me.

Aggie, this is fortification for the rework of your knee.  May it be successful and bring you peace. 

Thirdly, our neighborhood picnic and parade.  So many kids, so many families, so many dogs, so many families of color. Rosemary  is the refreshment czar and hosts the most popular concession on the campus of the Preston Hollow Elementary, where the disk jockey rides, where the fire truck begins the parade, and where face painting and animal petting all can be found.

Want to know how popular Rosemary is?   I was instructed to pick up 24 dozen donut holes to go with chocolate chip cookies from Costco and grapes in plastic cups.   How many donut holes left over?  Zip, zero, nada.

A dozen times during the morning I am touched to be there.  I am proud to be part of America and I am proud of Rosemary.

Listen everyone.  Connie & John are going to visit Bill in Pagosa Springs.   Therefore, what a better way to show Bill our appreciation for his hospitality for Rosemary & me.  Enjoy it, Bill.

Finally, remember the Mays when Rosemary & I would join her delightful family to do the Ride New York?  While there we would take the marvelous Staten Island Ferry (still FREE!), and pass by the Statue of Liberty, a gift from the French.

On that statue is the following sonnet:

Give me your tired, your poor,

Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,

The wretched refuse of your teaming shore.

Send these, the homeless, tempest tossed to me.

I lift my lamp beside the Golden Door.

It takes a team.  Especially because we are color coordinated.