5th Sunday in Lent, April 6, 2025

 

                              Says Emma, "Hi, Everybody."

 

 

Welcome: Catholic Mass with coffee and juice and pastries, both bought and home-made, after Mass.

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

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

 

 

 

                      Says Harper, "You got any extra cupcakes?"

 

Readings:

 Exodus 16, 2-4, 12-15 You had to lead us into this desert to make the whole community die of famine.

Psalm 78,    The Lord gave them bread from heaven.

Ephesians 4, 17-24,   You must no longer live as the Gentiles do.

John 6, 24-35 I am the bread of life. 

 

 
Says Leo, "Be nice to me and I bet I can get you a cupcake, Harper."

 

Community Activities:  

1.        ROMEO MEET: Friday, July 31, Jason's Deli, Collin Creek Mall, west side of Central, 1:00.   Ragbrai stories for cookies.

 2.      LADIES' LUNCHEON,  August 6, Thursday, 1:00 P.M.,  Big Shucks, 103 S. Coit, Richardson, between Beltline and Spring Valley.

Everyone, please forward to anyone you think would be interested.  If you let me know I will add their email to the list. 

Carol 

 

                          Zoe looks at The Gang with awe.

 

 3.  Ray and Shonda have some new Mass responses (Mass of Glory) that they would like for us to practice for a few weeks before Mass before we sing it during the Mass proper.  You can check out these utube sites to hear them: 

http://youtu.be/mGlpu6_c3gQ

http://youtu.be/wYAikjow24E

http://youtu.be/k6Qjsxq8dU4

 

 

                                Brandon and his momma.

 

What is going on in our Catholic World:

1.       Francis fires two more bishops, National Catholic Reporter, July 15, 567 words,   Download Francis dumps two bishops 7-30-15    

 2.      Phillippine Church embraces Francis' environment vision, National Catholic Reporter, July 25, 765 words,       Download Philippine Church 7-31-15

 

Genevieve says, "Wanna bet I don't weigh 5 pounds any more." 

 

True?  

This is my simple religion.  There is no need for temples.  No need for complicated philosophy.  Our brain, our own heart is our temple.  The philosophy is kindness.

Dalai Lama

 

                     I think I see a philosophy of kindness.

 

 See you this Sunday.

J.S., 214-783-0443

 

 "Okay, let's get serious.  Enough of this having a good time."

 

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.

 

 

 

              Our temple is filled with music, beautiful music.

 

 

 

 

 

Acts of the Apostles 8:  Then they laid hands on them and they received the Holy Spirit. 

1 Peter 3:  For Christ also suffered for sins once, the righteous for the sake of the unrighteous, that he might lead you to God.

John 14:  I will not leave you orphans;  I will come to you.

                  

 

John Stack Ministries now meets at:  The ArtCentre of Plano, 902 E. 16th St, Plano

 

Invitation to pray with Sandra Pratt:

The members of the Sophia Inclusive Community, a virtual community based in New Jersey, invite you to a special virtual prayer service for Sandra Pratt on Saturday 5/13 at 2:30 pm Eastern and 1:30 pm Central time.  We hope that you will join Sandra and us as we celebrate her amazing life with her.  The service guide is attached.  Please have one candle and something to light it with by your computer.  Try to join us about 10 minutes before the starting time.

 You are invited to send a personal message to Sandra via text or email soon. You can text Sandra at 214-444-4235.  Sandra’s email address is: Prattquest@yahoo.com.  For those of you who are accustomed to a shared homily during Sunday liturgy, consider your message to Sandra to be your personal sharing response to the blessing service we will be having for and with her.  Questions about this service, can be directed to Marie Hogarty at 973-452-4504 / marie923119@gmail.com

Topic: Blessing for Sandra

Time: May 13, 2023 01:30 PM Central Time (US and Canada)

Join Zoom Meeting

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83785401749?pwd=QzlKK3BnRmdiTEpGUVV4cTB4YVEwQT09

Meeting ID: 837 8540 1749

Passcode: 856879

 

Download Blessing Sandra (1)

Download Highlights of Sandra Pratt (1)                  

                          

 

 

 

Special thanks, Hue and Ken, for the heads up on a mistake in the last edition of the blog.

 

The Correction: Mass this Sunday will be at 9:30, the usual Sunday schedule (not 4:00 P.M.)

Zechariah 9:  His dominion shall be from sea to sea, and from the River to the ends of the earth.

Romans 8:  For if you live according to the flesh, you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.

Matthew 11:  Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest.

    

 

Beautiful crepe myrtle

 

 

John Stack Ministries now meets at:  The ArtCentre of Plano, 902 E. 16th St, Plano

 

and another one

Readings:

Acts of the Apostles  8, 5-8, 14-17, There was gret joy in that city.

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

1 Peter 3, 15-18, It is better to suffer for doing good, thank doing evil.

 John 14, 15-21,  If you love me you will keep my commandments.. 

 

 

 

Good Morning, Harper, and thanks for welcoming us all back.

 

Unconditional Love ?  Certainly !

Did you catch that Psalm 66 ?  Can you believe?!

Let all the earth cry out to God with joy!

Shout joyfully to God…, sing praise to the glory of his name,… proclaim his glorious praise.  Say to God, “How tremendous are your deeds!

I dream of Matterhorn Canyon, Yosemite, whenever I read or hear that last line.

 

 

She's back, Everybody, Sabrina, one of our most special people since she was a little girl.  Congratulations on graduation and double congratulations on the double magna cum laude.  Congratulations, also, to you two, John and Alison.

 

And while we are congratulating graduates, congratulations to Karen Anderlick on her graduation and especially with the summa cum laude.

 

This is a counter weight to the first line of John’s reading, If you love me, you will keep my commandments.

I want to talk about how I went from being a fear based Catholic, Christian, human being, to living without fear. 

It all started in my first two years as a Jesuit novice in Grand Coteau, 1958-1960, 60 years ago next year.   It is the novice master’s fault. 

 

 

 

Congratulations to you, too, Shonda, on the Air Force uniform.  All these years we have known  each other and this is the first time I see your uniform.  You look Quite Striking!

 

Tony Mangiaracina was the novice master, about 5’1”, ramrod straight, did not walk, but marched in his cassock.  He could look very rigid and uninviting.  But underneath the rigid exterior, which was mostly what we saw for months, was a softy, all heart.  How many times we saw him in tears at special events.  Christmas carols always got him.

In those days we, too, lived a really Spartan life, silence except for three nights a week when we could talk at dinner, Sundays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays.  These three days were also recreation days, like for touch football or handball games.  Other days we worked inside the building or on the farm, we studied, and we had periods of prayer.  A very monastic life.

 

 

The Best Music, Shonda, Bethany, and David.
 

 

My awakening took place one afternoon when I went to get permission from the master to drink water.  Yes, we had to get permission to drink water at the beginning of each month.   We were told this was to teach us obedience even in the smallest things. 

Now it so happened that around this time an edict came out from Jesuit headquarters in Rome that smoking was prohibited for all Jesuits.  This was no burden for us 50 or so novices because we could not smoke anyway. 

But, guess who did smoke.  Yes, Tony Mangiaracina.

 

The Best Teammates, Georgie and Buddy.

 

On this particular day I went in to Tony’s office, I must have gotten my permission to drink and then chatted a few extra moments.   He had two large windows behind his desk, which faced me and the door I entered.  Suddenly I see against the light and even smell, guess what, smoke coming out of his right hand desk drawer. 

I never said a thing, but I was amused and touched.  Tony had put his cigarette into the drawer when I knocked to come in. 

At that moment I began to let loose of the fear that I was a sure bet for hell.   Like, here was my saintly novice master breaking a commandment that came all the way from Jesuit headquarters in Rome. 

 

 

Buddies, Cody & Ben, Paul & Carrie.

 

15 or so years later when I returned to Grand Coteau to establish a spiritual center, Tony was one of my team members.  And guess what. He still smoked.  The ban had been lifted a year or so after Vat. II.

I am grateful today to Tony and his human nature.  I figured bit by bit that if Tony was still going to heaven after being disobedient, I had a  chance, too.  I began to see that God’s love was not conditional, but unconditional. 

So, where are you going, Heaven?

 

More Buddies, Zoe & Harper

Jonah 3: The word of the Lord came to Jonah, saying "Set out for the great city of Nineveh, and announce to it the message that I will tell you."

1 Corinthians 29:  For the world in its present form is passing away.

Mark 1:  "Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men."