Trinity Sunday, May 26, 2024

Joel 2:  For gracious and merciful is he, slow to anger, rich is kindness, and relenting in punishment.

Corinthians 5:  We are ambassadors for Christ…

Matthew 5:  Take care not to perform righteous deeds in order that people may see them; …

 

 

Florida Sunset

 

 

Thanks…     

Music,    Ben and Shonda

Readers,  Mary Jane & John

Gospel,   John Cade

Homily,   John Stack

Eucharistic Prayer A & B,  John Stack & John Cade

The Magic Zoom makers,   Hue & Kevin

Final Blessing, Rosemary

       

 

 

Readings:  Download 02-26-23 Readings – 1st Lent (Ash Wednesday)

Homily:   

 

 

Remember these special people:

For the family of Ron Senter;  For Frank Esparza;  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.

 

 

 

 

Birthdays:  Michelle Brown

Anniversaries:  

Community Finances:   

Expenses: $  100.00

Outreach: $ 

Thanks again, Folks, for doing what you can.

 

       

 

 

Rosemary's Blessing: 

Do you want to fast this Lent?

• Fast from hurting words and say kind words
• Fast from sadness and be filled with gratitude
• Fast from anger and be filled with patience
• Fast from pessimism and be filled with hope
• Fast from worries and trust in God
• Fast from complaints and contemplate simplicity
• Fast from pressures and be prayerful
• Fast from bitterness and fill your heart with joy
• Fast from selfishness and be compassionate to others
• Fast from grudges and be reconciled
• Fast from words and be silent so you can listen

Attributed to Pope Francis

 

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.

Readings:

Acts 5, 12-16,   Many signs and wonders were done among the people.

Psalm 118,  Give thanks to the Lord for he is good, his love is everlasting. 

Revelation  1, 9-19,  I was caught up in the spirit.

John 20, 19-31,  Put your finger here and see my hands.

 Acts observations:  I won’t bore you every Sunday for the next six with these same observations.  I thought I would repeat them because you may have missed them Easter Sunday with all that was going on.  Periodically I will remind you of the basics.

Date:  sometime before the year 70.  Why?  No mention of the destruction of Jerusalem, which took place the year 70, a Big Date in Jewish history.

Who:  The same person who wrote the Gospel of Luke.  How do we know?  Similarities of style, language (Greek), and theological themes.

Subject:  The story of the expansion of the Jesus story in 3 areas, first, Jerusalem, then, Palestine or the Holy Land, and finally, into the Mediterranean and ultimately, Rome.

Today’s Subject: a description of the growth & expansion within the first area, Jerusalem. 

Sources: Good News Bible, The New Interpreter’s Study Bible, Wikipedia

Easter Poster, by Rosemary.

 More on New Life

Ever hear of a guy named Christopher Scott?  How about Michael Morton?

I want to talk again about the new life coming from the resurrection.  To exemplify I want to tell you the story of one of these two men,  Michael.  Both were chosen by The Dallas Morning News as their Toys of 2012, Texans of the Year.  Both were exonerated of crimes in the last two years.   Christopher served 13 years for a robbery & murder he never committed.  Michael, 25 years.  Here is Michael’s story. 

It is early morning, August 13, 1986.  Michael is 33 years old and manager of a grocery store.  He gets up early this morning and slips out of the house quietly so he won’t wake up Christine, his wife, and his son. 

He goes to work, punches in, and begins his regular day.  Meanwhile, back home a sick man breaks in and kills Christine while the 3 year old son watches.  Then he disappears.

Next thing Michael knows he is arrested for killing his wife and taken to jail.  The prosecutor is convinced Michael did it and determined to convict him, even to the point of hiding evidence that proved Michael could not have done it.   The prosecutor succeeds and Michael is sent to prison for life.

Sixteen months later in the same area another woman is killed in a similar fashion and a man is caught and charged.  His DNA and the DNA from Christine’s crime scene match.  Nobody checks it out.

All during this time, Michael is in prison for life, knowing he was innocent.  His wife murdered and he is convicted of it.  He cannot raise his young son.  The long years pass for Michael.

Until 2011.  A group of lawyers and student lawyers take up his case and expose how he was framed.  November 9, 2011, Michael, now 58,  walks free exonerated more than half his life behind him.

And now the amazing part.  I would imagine that if I were in the same place, I would be bitter and eager for revenge.  Michael, however, is totally at peace and instead of seeking revenge is seeking to convince the Texas legislature that some new laws need to be enacted to protect innocent people from prosecutors framing people and hiding evidence. 

Both Michael with his 25 years and Christopher with 13, the other guy I mentioned, are working to help other prisoners who are innocent.   Already about 90 have been exonerated.  How many more?

Can you imagine how you would feel walking free after 25 years in prison for a crime you did not commit?   And not be bitter?  And not want justice, but want to help others in similar circumstances?   Talk about resurrection and new life.  This is it.

When was the last time you were grateful for and just savored your life and your freedom? 

Source: The Dallas Morning News, Sunday, December 30, 2012, Texan of the Year

Emma eager to get there.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Acts of the Apostles 2:  Repent  and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

1 Peter 2:  When he was insulted, he returned no insult; when he suffered, he did not threaten; instead, he handed himself over to the one who judges justly.

John 10:  "I came so that they might  have life, and have it more abundantly."

                          

 

The Kiss of Peace

                                        

                                                                 

Thanks…     

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 & Kevin

Final Blessing, Rosemary

                                                                              

     

John gets a cookie for his birthday

 

 

Readings:  Download 04-30-23 Readings – 4th Easter

Homily:    Download 04-30-23 Homily – 4th Easter

 

 

 

and Denni gets a birthday cookie too

 

Remember these special people:

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 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.

 

 

Our musicians, Shonda and Ben

 

 

                                          

Birthdays:  John Simari, Denni Zurchin

Anniversaries:  

Community Finances:   

Expenses: $  230.00

Outreach: $  

Thanks again, Folks, for doing what you can.

       

Community Finances:   

  Expenses: $   805.00

  Outreach: $  

 

Thanks again, Folks, for doing what you can.

 

 

Rosemary's Blessing:

Let no one ever come to you without leaving better and happier. Be the living expression of God's kindness: kindness in your face, kindness in your eyes, kindness in your smile.

Mother Teresa

 

 

 

 

Hi, Tori and Michelle.  You two look terrific.

 

 

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

Time: 9:30; Celebrate with the Community & Stack

Place: Sigler Elementary, 1400 Janwood Drive, Plano, TX 75075

 

 

 

 

And you, too, Zoe, you look beautiful.

 

 

Readings:  

 Acts of the Apostles 3, 13-5, 17-19,  Peter speaks again.

Psalm 4,  Lord, Let you face shine on us.

 1 John 2, 1-5,  Whoever keeps his word, the word of God is perfected in him.

John  24, 35-48, Jesus appears in the upper room. 

 

 

Suit-up time.

 

 

Community Activities:  

ROMEO MEET: Friday, April 13, Jason's Deli, Collin Creek Mall, west side of Central, 1:00.  Welcome all wakos, you will fit right in.  

JULIET LUNCHEON, (aka.,just us ladies into eating together),  May Luncheon, TBA

 

 

 

 

Healing for Emma & Beth.

 

 

What is going on in Our Catholic World:

• Evangelicals,  Corpus & The Boston Globe,  April 2, 2018,  666 words ,      Download EVANGELICALS 4-12-18 

 

 

 

Healing for Hugh & Sydney. 

 

 

True?

Just when I discovered the meaning of life, they changed it.

George Carlin

 

 

 

Our Father.

 

 

See you Sunday.

J.S., 214-783-0443

 

 

 

Louis, Neil, and Jean solving The Big Problems.

 

 

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.

 

 

 

 

 

Peace, Everybody.