1st Sunday in Lent, March 9, 2925

Isaiah 66:   …as a mother comforts her child, so will I comfort you;

Galatians 6:  Peace and mercy be to all who follow this rule and to the Israel of God.

Luke 9:  The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few;

 

           

Connie reading from Isaiah

Thanks…

Music,    Ben & Shonda & David

Readers, John & Connie

Gospel,   John Cade

Homily,  John Cade

Eucharistic Prayer A & B,  John Stack & John Cade

The Magic Zoom makers,      Hue & Richard & Kevin

Final Blessing, Rosemary

 

John reading from Galatians

 

Readings:  Download 07-03-22 – Readings – 14th Sunday Ord

Homily:  Download 07-03-22 – Homily – 14th Sunday Ord

                  

                                     

         Shonda, Ben and David, the Musicians

                                          

 

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; 

                           

Happy Birthday, Cindy

 

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.

 

Happy 2nd Birthday, Madeleine

     

Birthdays:  Brent 7/6, Paul Bieda 7/8, Cindy Cramer 7/9

Anniversaries:   Jan & Charlie 7/5

      

Community Finances:   

Expenses: $  635.00 

Outreach: $  61.00

Thanks again, Folks, for doing what you can.

                    

                          
Hue, the Sound Man

 

Rosemary's Blessing:  

Lord

May we never take our freedom for granted

and help us to strive so that this same freedom

may be experienced by everyone in our country,

especially the poor and the oppressed,

and eventually by all humankind.

 

Andrew Greeley A Book of Irish American Blessings and Prayers  

Lev 13:  “The one who bears the sore of leprosy shall keep his garments rent and his head bare, and shall muffle his beard; he shall cry out, ‘Unclean, unclean!’

1 Corinthians 10:  Brothers and sisters, Whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do everything for the glory of God.

Mark 1: Moved with pity, he stretched out his hand, touched him, and said to him, “I do will it. Be made clean.”

 

 

Will somebody please go and sit with Jim & John.

 

Readings: 

Joshua 5, 9-12,  The Lord said to Joshua, "Today I have removed the reproach of Egypt from you."

Psalm 34,  Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.  (Excellent!)

2 Corinthians 5, 17-21, Whoever is in Christ is a new creation.

Luke 15, 1-32, The Great story of the Prodigal Son.

 

 

 

Zoe doing her candle magic.

 

Joshua

The scene: Moses has died just as the Jewish people are getting ready to enter their new land.  Joshua takes the leadership.  This book describes the defeat of the Canaanite people, and the division of the land. 

In our chapter the Israelite people are camped outside Jericho before attacking the town.  Yahweh is saying that he has removed the shame of the people for being slaves in Egypt.  They are feasting.

2 Corinthians

This section of Corinthians informs the people that in Christ they are new people, a new creation.

 

 

"Welcome in," say Ken & Cindy.

 

The Prodigal Son: A Work of Art

 This story is my favorite of the whole Bible.  Note one thing: this is story, not history.   The author carefully crafts his work of art to show how much God loves us.  Let me give you three observations about the son, three about the father, and an extra three to show you how astounding this story is. 

 

You are having too much fun, Patricia.

 

First, the younger son:

 

1. He has no right to ask for inheritance.  None.  By asking he is saying he wishes the father and the older son dead.  A symbolic murder.  Father can kill him for this.

 

2. He works feeding pigs instead of asking for help from the temple.  This means he rejects the religious tradition and is considered a traitor not only to the family, but to the religion. 

 

3. So as a horrible failure as a son of the family and a son of the religious tradition, he decides to return. He makes up his little speech and heads home.  He is hungry to the point of dying.  Do this or die.  Many listening Jews would say, Die. 

 

Suit up time, John.

 

The Father: he actually commits as many crimes and sins as the son.

 

1. He runs down the road to the son when he sees him coming.  A very undignified action.  Outrageous.

 

2. He embraced and kissed the son.  Huge violation of Jewish religious custom and law.  By doing this the father positions himself outside of the religious & cultural community.  He is a reject like the son. 

 

3. He cuts the son’s speech off before he can say finish, eliminating the last sentence, “treat me as you would one of your hired workers.”  And to make it worse, he orders the servants to bring the finest robe, ring, and sandals. 

 

"Help, Hue, I can't get this on by myself."

 

The robe, the ring, and the sandals:

 

1. The robe: restores the son’s dignity.

 

2. The ring: gives authority to the son, even equal to the father and certainly more than before he left.

 

3. The sandals: gives the son freedom.  Slaves were not given sandals so they would not run away.  The father is doubling the message he gave when he cut the son’s speech off before he could say the third part about being treated as a servant. 

 

A board Meet? 

 

A word about the older son, because we so often identify with him. 

 

1. That he tells his father how he feels.  Great.  In those days, it meant the father can kill him.  Today: communication.

 

2. What is his challenge: acceptance of his brother, his father, and himself; focus on gratitude for all he has; move from trying to be a good boy to loving?  Any one of these?  Or all?  All. 

 

I apologize for so much data.  There is even more.  The point is that the story is a carefully crafted work of art attempting to describe how totally loving our God is, toward us.

 

Communion ready?

 

Is your vision of God's love for you conditional or unconditional?  How does this image of an unconditionally loving God reflect your image of God?   

 

 

 

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

 

Isaiah 50:  And the Master, God, stays right there and helps me, so I'm not disgraced. Therefore I set my face like flint, confident that I'll never regret this.

James 2:  For instance, you come upon an old friend dressed in rags and half-starved  and say, "Good morning, friend! Be clothed in Christ! Be filled with the Holy Spirit!" and walk off without providing so much as a coat or a cup of soup – where does that get you?

Mark 9:  Calling the crowd to join his disciples, he said, "Anyone who intends to come with me has to let me lead. You're not in the driver's seat; I am. Don't run from suffering; embrace it. Follow me and I'll show you how.

The Blog will be on vacation until September28,2024

 

There will be no Mass at the ArtCentre this Sunday.  Mass will be on Zoom.  Please note new address below.

 

Another Reminder for 24th Sunday in Ordinary Time, September 15, 2024

Due to CDC recommendations, we request that everyone wear a mask on Sunday.  Thanks for your understanding.