14th Sunday in Ordinary Time, July 6, 2025

Readings:  Numbers 21, 4-9; Psalm 78; Philippians 2, 6-11; John 3, 13-17.

The Feast of the Cross, Significant dates:

• 310: Emperor Constantine takes over in Rome

• 313: His Edict of Milan, religious freedom & Christianity almost the state religion.

• 326: His mother, St. Helena, who had prayed for her son's conversion, found the remains of the cross in Jerusalem & the sight is preserved and a church is built, the present day Church of the Holy Sepulcher.

• Sept. 14, 335: the day the church was dedicated 9 years after the discovery.  Rumor had it that Helena found the cross on the same date.

• 330: Constantine converts an old city, Byzantium, into his Rome of the east.  Eventually it is called Constantinople and, finally, after it is conquered by the Islamic armies, Istanbul.

Numbers: 

• The Story: the 40 years of the Hebrews wandering in the Sinai Desert before they enter the land of the Canaanites and expell them.

• Position in the Bible: 4th book of the Torah, following Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, and before Deuteronomy.

• Significance of the Name: because of the census Moses took of the people twice in the desert.

• Today's Selection: The people are tired, frustrated with wandering in the desert, and they are complaining.  See what it gets them.

• For Today's Purposes: Consider the story a symbol of the journey of our life.  Stage one is life with less freedom, like when the Hebrews were enslaved in Egypt.  Stage two is the change or transition, like this story of the wandering in the desert.  Stage three is the time of new life, new freedom, symbolized by the people entering the promised land.

Today's Homily will be presented by Ed Lamberty and will exemplify the journey of life from less to greater freedom & maturity.  Please listen via the audio.

AUDIO:  http://mysite.verizon.net/reso7rjy/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderfiles/2008-09-14.mp3

Readings: 1 Kings 19, 9-13; Psalm 85, Lord, let us see your Kindness, and grant us you Salavation; Romans 9, 1-5; Matthew 14, 22-33

 

 Intro to Readings, Fr. Tony

 Our first reading today is from the First Book of Kings. These two books were mainly written to describe the period right after the reign of King David. They cover Solomon, the division of the kingdom at his death into Northern and Southern kingdoms and subsequent kings until both kingdoms are overrun and the people are taken into captivity.  But in the middle we have a whole section on prophets, primarily Elijah and Elisha.

 

 Today’s reading is rather fascinating. The prophet Elijah is in a cave, he has been told that Yahweh is coming.  Given the experiences when the king arrived, the expectation is for a big fanfare, at least a motorcade!  But that is not what happens.  Keep this in mind when we get to the homily.  Let’s listen to the reading!

 

Homily

 As you well know by now, each of the gospels were written for a particular audience and at a particular time in history.  But as Christians we believe that God’s Word is just as pertinent for us today as it was for those early Christians they were originally written for.  Today’s gospel is a perfect example of this.  Remember the discussion we have had before about the synoptic gospels, namely that Mark wrote the first gospel, then Matthew and Luke both copied from Mark and added some other material.  Each writer had a specific audience they were writing for and a specific purpose for their writing.  The story of Jesus walking on the water and calming the sea, which we have just read, is also in Mark’s Gospel (Mk 6; 45-52) and in both gospels it comes right after the feeding of the multitude.  Matthew adds a little bit to the story, namely Peter’s walking on the water.  But there are other more significant differences.  Throughout Mark’s gospel, the disciples are presented as being blind to who Jesus is.  In fact this story in Mark’s gospel ends with the comment “they were utterly and completely dumbfounded, their minds were closed” (Mk 6: 52). In Matthew’s gospel the reaction is completely different.  Matthew tells us “they bowed down before him and said, ‘truly you are the Son of God’”

 

 I mention the two gospel accounts for a reason.  In Mark’s gospel the disciples are blind to who Jesus is – their minds are closed.  In Matthew, while they “have little faith”, remember Jesus said that to them in today’s reading, that little faith is enough for them to bow down and adore.  I know that in my own life I sometimes feel like I have very little faith, I am grateful to be able to be here each week and have that little bit strengthened and confirmed, by your presence and by our celebration of the Eucharist.  What I find most interesting is if we go to the end of Mark’s gospel. By the way, there are two endings, the first ending (Mk 16: 8) which was probably the original ending, it is Easter Sunday morning, we find the story of the women being told by the young man in a white robe that Jesus is not there, that he has gone before them to Galilee.  They ran away, frightened “for they were afraid”.  What a way for it to end.  Their minds were closed, they could never see Jesus for who he really was, they don’t appear at this time to even have a “little faith” and they end up afraid.  Matthew ends his gospel with the disciples on the mountain with Jesus at his ascension. (Matt 28: 16ff). Again they bow down and adore him, and Matthew uses the exact same word as he used for “adore” as when they were in the boat, and Jesus ends the gospel commenting on their “little faith” but that they should “know that I am with you always, even to the ends of time”.  In other words the little bit of faith was enough.

 

 I take great encouragement from this.  My sense is that most of the time I have a little faith.  I do my best to believe, and it seems that it is enough to know that Jesus has promised to be with me always. The alternative, the blindness of Marks disciples is stark, one is left in fear!

 

 Our presence here today has to be due to a little faith.  Then know that you are not alone.  Remember the promise, I am with you always, even to the ends of time!

Picture 1:   Mass begins with Tony

Picture 2:   Our Father

Picture 3:   Communion

Picture 4:   Leo

Picture 5:    Ryan collecting the books after Mass with mom & dad behind, Jim & Michelle 

 Readings:

Joshua 5, 9-12, Today I have removed the reproach of Egypt from you.

Psalm 34,  Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.

2 Corinthians 5, 17-21,  We are ambassadors for Christ.

Luke 15, 1-32,  A man had two sons, The Prodigal Son.

 

Introduction and homily by John  Cade 

Some words about today’s readings, especially Joshua: 

WHAT: The book of Joshua is the 6^th book of the Hebrew Scripture and of the Christian Old Testament. 

WHO: The name Joshua has the same root in Hebrew as the name Jesus has in Greek. Joshua was the young man Moses chose to be his military captain in their conflicts with other tribes in their wanderings for 40 years prior to entering the land God had promised them. In the Book of Deuteronomy (5^th book of Pentateuch), Moses had a lapse of confidence in the Lord’s plan, following his sending the 12 spies into Caanan and getting a negative intelligence report (all except Joshua and Caleb said ‘don’t go’—giants and outnumbered, etc.).

That’s when the Lord told Moses he would not enter the Promised Land and that Joshua would be the only adult not born in Egypt to enter the promised land. After Moses died, Joshua was called by God to lead the people into the promised land.

 

WHEN: Scripture scholars generally agree that the Book of Joshua has little historical value for early Israel, that it actually reflects a much later period, and that it was written by multiple authors and editors.  Guess when scholars think the book of Joshua was compiled in its present form? Yes, after the fall of Jerusalem (around 555) during or after the Babylonian captivity.

WHY: Bible scholars say the intent of Joshua was theological, a teaching about Israel’s call to keep the covenant given through Moses, and to show what happens when you keep the covenant and what happens when you don’t. There are horror stories in this book, like when the Israelites are instructed to destroy every breathing being of the tribes they replaced. Today we debate about the U.S. military’s drone program, about whether it is legal or ethical to kill an enemy if innocent non-combatants might also be hurt, or to kill a U.S. citizen who has now become an enemy. They seemed to have had no qualms in Joshua’s time about such fine points. 

Today’s Reading from Joshua: It’s a passage that celebrates the Israelites’ crossing over the River Jordan and their entrance into the promised land. For the first time they have food from the land to eat and are no longer in need of the manna that God provided during the 40 years they wandered in the desert.

Then in the reading from Luke we hear how Jesus describes in a parable that God is like a merciful parent, accepting with love rather than vengeful or punishing. The Good News proclaimed by Jesus—the new Joshua—turned the old covenant on its head—now the covenant is about the preeminence of love and the fullness of life for all people everywhere, including strangers and enemies and sinners.

 

Homily:   

This reading speaks for itself and doesn’t need much else. My words today will be brief. 

There is a strong link between the covenant between God and the Israelites of Joshua’s time and the covenant announced by Jesus for all people and exemplified in the story of the ‘prodigal son’ or ‘the merciful father’

The original covenant was made between God and Abraham, and followed with Isaac and Jacob, Joseph and Moses and Joshua. Three times there is mention of a Passover meal to mark this covenant between God and the Jewish people.

The first Passover meal was when the people prepared to flee Egypt with Moses; the second mention is when Moses received the 10 Command-ments at Mt. Sinai; and the third is when the Israelites entered with Joshua into the promised land. In Joshua and in Luke there is the story of gathering for a meal or feast (like our pot luck feasts), to celebrate acceptance by the merciful father. Jesus himself, before he died, shared a Passover Meal with his friends. We celebrate that way today and every Sunday by gathering for a ritual meal we call the Mass. This gathering and sharing is the sign of our connection with God and God’s acceptance, mercy and love, extended to all.

Friday I heard that the Cardinals in Rome will open their conclave on Tuesday and they too will gather for a meal, a special Mass, as they select a successor to Benedict XVI to lead our world-wide community as an accepting, merciful and loving parent. 

My question for you is: When is the last time you received acceptance and mercy from someone? & How do you show acceptance and mercy with your family, your community and all people? 

“You must rejoice, for your brother was dead and has come to life; he was lost and is found.” 

 

 

 

 

Readings:

Isaiah 9, 1-6,  The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light.

Psalm 96,  Today is born our Savior, Christ the Lord.

Titus,  2, 11-14,  The Grace of God has appeared.

Luke 2, 1-14,   In those days a decree went out from Caesar  Augustus that the whole world should be enrolled.

 

A Christmas Gift

I want to tell you about a Christmas gift this afternoon.  It is one of my biggest gifts of this season and it came to me yesterday afternoon by surprise.

In our neighborhood we have alleys behind the lots.  Garbage trucks and service vehicles us the alleys.

 

 

Once a week on Mondays we are visited by the trash trucks and the recycle trucks.  The trash trucks are all mechanized, so only a driver runs the show.  A mechanical arm grabs the trash can, empties it, and replaces it.

 

The recycle truck, however, has three people, one driver and two men who empty the recycles into their truck.  I often see the recycle guys because they start the day’s run at our alley and at our house.  We are on the corner.  We wave.

I got this idea from a guy I helped to do his memorial a few years ago.  He would give a small gift to his mail man and trash collectors.

 

So Monday morning I am watching at 7:00, hoping to give the recycle guys a gift of a few bucks.  They don’t come.  I am afraid I will miss them like I did at Thanksgiving.  So I place a note on the recycle bin.  And I continue to watch.  I can hear them usually, because their big truck makes noise.

 

 

Suddenly about 3:00 I hear the truck.  By the time I grab my coat and head out, one of the guys is coming in the back yard, because my note told them to come to the door.   They are friendly as ever.

I give them each $20.

This was when my present arrived. 

 

 

Their gratitude.  It was over the top.  They thanked me over and over.  One guy says, “I’m rich, I’m rich.”  They head off down the alley with more thanks and well wishes for a Happy Christmas and a Happy New Year. 

I was so touched I got choked up when Rosemary asked me how it went.  So small a gift on my part, so great a gift to me on their part.

Want to receive a gift like this?  When are you going to do it?

 

 

Readings:

 1 Kings  19, 16-21,  You shall anoint Elisha as prophet to succeed you.

Psalm 16,  You are my inheritance, O Lord

Galatians 5, 1, 13-18,  You are all called for freedom.

Luke 9, 51-62,  I will follow you, Lord, but first…

1 Kings observations

What

A continuation of a larger work, 1 & 2 Samuel, plus 2 Kings. 
This is presented as history, but it is a joining together of legends, fables, folktales, and miracle stories.  I see this called theological history.

Date

After the Babylonian captivity, therefore around 555 before Christ.

Subject

The book covers 3 events:

        – The end of the life of the Great King David,

        – The story of his glorious son, Solomon, and his building of
the temple in Jerusalem,

        – The famous division of the state into north and south,
Israel and Judah, after Solomon’s death and his weak successors.

Our passage

Coming in chapter 17 you can guess it talks about the third event, the division of the state. 
One prophet Elijah is anointing his successor.  The presence of prophets signals what?  Times are bad and Yahweh is not pleased with the people and leadership for allowing the division.

Sources: Good News Bible, Wikipedia.

The Samaritans

This morning I would like to talk about 2 subjects.  

First, the Samaritans.  Who were they and why hostility between Jews and them?

Secondly, I have to tell you about an amazing event that happened to me this week.

The Samaritans.  These people were and are Jews.  They claim to be descendents of some of those 10 lost tribes.  Remember the lost tribes?

Take the date 700 years before Christ.  There are the two states, Israel in the north and Judah in the south, going back to the time after Solomon when weak kings lost the unity.

700 is the date that the Assyrians (the famous Syria, still in the news because of continued fighting) defeated the state of Israel and scattered the Jewish people, intermarrying with many of them.   Some of these Jews survived mostly in Judah. 

During the Babylonian Captivity, 555 before Christ, descendents of some of these people did not go to Babylon.  They were there when the descendents of those Jews taken from Jerusalem returned. 

Hostility developed between the two groups.   Each group had developed unique religious customs and each group considered the other to be heretical or bad.   

The group supposedly descended from one or more of the 10 lost tribes was called Samaritan.  It is also suspected that some of these Jews intermarried with the conquering Assyrians.  See why Jesus’ followers often act as if the Samaritans are bad.  Remember the story of Jesus talking with the Samaritan woman at the well?  

We have a similar situation today.  Look at all the Christian sects, Catholic, Baptist, Episcopalian, and others.  Each of these probably considers the others bad.   As Catholic kids we were certainly not allowed into a non-Catholic church. 

Now for the story.  I am a member of Dallas North Rotary, as many of you know.  I don’t eat and I miss a lot of meetings, but I love the other members and have known some of them for 20 years.

Tuesday I walked into our meeting and was going around greeting everyone already there.  I greeted a lady named Cheryl, who is one of our most active members.  After moving around the room, I was passing her again.   She says to me, “John, wait.” I stop and she sticks a piece of paper in my hand. 

I look and it is a check.  I open it and made out to John Stack Ministries is $1000.  I am stunned and say something like, “What is this?”  She says, “It is for whatever you & your community want.”  She says she has had a good month.  She is a vivacious real estate agent. 

She is not a Catholic and in the old days she probably would have considered us to be Samaritans, bad. 

I am humbled by this gift and I will say it again, I am proud to be a member of you people, this community.  It is you who are catching the attention of good people. 

We will have to put this thousand to work in a special way.  I’ve been thinking about Habitat in Granbury, where they are rebuilding 61 Habitat homes destroyed by the May tornado.  I would even like to spend a few days working there.  Anyone want to go? 

So this is the background on Samaritans, the bad folks.  Who are the Samaritans in your life?

 

 Welcome Home, Sabrina!

 

Readings:

Micah  5, 1-4,  He shall stand firm and shepherd his flock

Psalm 80,    Lord, make us turn to you, let us see you face and we shall be saved

Pope Francis' Laudato Si, 

A Reading from Pope Francis’ Letter on the Environment:

Whether believers or not, we are agreed today that the earth is essentially a shared inheritance, meant to benefit everyone. Hence every ecological approach needs to incorporate a social perspective which takes into account the fundamental rights of the poor and the underprivileged.

The principle of the subordination of private property to the universal distribution of goods, and thus the right of everyone to their use, is the first principle of the whole ethical and social order.  

 

 

Welcome, Everybody, the music is wonderful.

 

The Christian tradition has never recognized the right to private property as an absolute, and has stressed the social purpose of all forms of private property. 

The natural environment is a collective good, the patrimony of all humanity, and the responsibility of everyone.

The words of Pope Francis.

 

Luke  1,  39-45, Mary set out and traveled to the hill country. 

 

Welcome home all you Dinsmores, David, Dana, Betty, Donna, and Dawson.

 

Micah: author, date, subject, our selection–

Author: one of the minor prophets (because of length, 7 chapters), Micah is considered to be the author of these words.

Date: probably around 700-690 BCE, a contemporary of Isaiah, living in Judah.  He had witnessed the destruction of the northern half of the kingdom, Israel, by the Assyrians, ca. 720 BCE.  He watched Judah pay tribute to Assyria.  He forsaw the Babylonian disaster in 590.

 

Candle Lighter of The Week, Cole.

 

Subject: like all prophets, he predicts doom and destruction for Judah because of the injustice of the people, especially the rich over the poor.  Micah learned from Israel's destruction by Assyria, which he attributed to God's anger with those people. 

Then, of course, in the prophet tradition, he predicts a return to peace and prosperity after the people are purified.  He speaks to Bethlehem as if to a person and says that a new ruler will come from the town and the good ruler will shepherd the people.  Why Bethlehem?  Because David was born there and the new David was supposed to come from the same royal village. 

 

Does it get any better?  Leo & Brandon.

 

Asked what God wants of us (like penance, sacrifices of animals, goods, even children), Micah states one of the great lines in scripture: "What God requires of us is: 1. act justly, 2. love tenderly, and 3. walk humbly with our God." (6, 8)  You people do that. 

Our Selection: God promises a good ruler will be born in Bethlehem, the place where King David was born, a royal village.

Sources: Good News Bible, John Shelby Spong, Wikipedia

 

And from Marlene, "Hi, Everybody, Welcome in."

 

A Christmas Story

This morning I want to tell you a Christmas story. I am reminded of the event partly because Tom & Teresa just visited Mombasa, Kenya, where I passed some time while I was living in East Africa.  Also I thought about it at the Christmas concert Thursday evening.

 I have talked about this event before, but it seems to fit here again.  It took place in Tanzania the Christmas of my sixth, seventh, or eighth year living in the country.

 

 

 The Brain Trust, Zoe, Emma, & Victoria.

 

To begin, it is good to mention that Tanzania does not celebrate Christmas like we do here.  First of all, it is summer, being just south of the equator.  So, warm.   Moreover, people do not decorate with lights like we do here.  It is not the custom, nor do folks have the money.

I was usually pretty homesick at Christmas, both in the Jesuits and more so in Tanzania.  So this year I decided I would throw a Christmas day party American style, especially with a turkey. 

 

Beautiful Advent Colors.

 

To get the turkey I had to not only go beyond the little town of Moshi, where the Jesuits had a house and where I was based.  I, in fact, had to travel to Nairobi, Kenya, the country immediately to the north. 

Despite the fact that most of the time I was away from Moshi on the road giving seminars and retreats, I still knew some people from the times I was in town.  So I invited a number of families.

 

The Community.

 

In particular, I invited the family who lived next door to us, a husband and wife with their two little girls, for whom I had a great affection.  The family was all Muslim and the father was a police chief.  It is always helpful to have a police chief as a friend in certain countries.  I assure you.

To invite the family I followed the more formal African protocol.  I invited the husband to come over to our house.  I had two rocking chairs ready in my office/bedroom.  We sat down and I offered him coffee or tea.

 

Everybody partakes at this communion, kids, too. 

 

Then I said, “Mohammed, I would like to invite you and your family to a special celebration of the Christian Christmas.  It will be the evening of December 25, beginning around 5:00.”  Then, I explained what was Christian Christmas.

Finally, I added, “We both know, Mohammed, that you have a problem with alcohol.  I request that you show up sober.  If you show up drunk, I will have to ask you to leave.”  Mohammed said he was grateful for the invitation for him and his family.  He would not arrive drunk and if he did I should invite him out.

 

Communion Helpers, Beth & Rob & Mike

 

Want to guess what happened?   You guessed it.

About 1:00 Christmas day Mohammed and his buddy arrived a bit early.  Yes, they were both drunk out of their minds.  We talked, I told him I was sorry, but he could not come to the party.  He, too, said he was sorry, he left, and I did not see him again that day.

 

Kevin & Georgina

 

Later, however, about 5:00, his wife and girls arrived with a surprise.  In the African tradition of hospitality, she had invited all her extended family and they all showed up together, about 15 of them. 

Despite all this, we had a fun American style Christmas, most of it, in fact, on the roof.  We had an Arabian style house with a flat roof.  A great place for parties and watching the sun set glow on Kilimanjaro nearby.

 

 The Team.

 

Why talk about this today?

First, to show you how Christmas is celebrated in other countries.

Secondly, to show just how we are so fortunate to celebrate with such fan fare and warmth.   I am grateful to be here.

What has been your best Christmas ever? 

How are you celebrating this year?

 

Don't forget to hug the gorilla on your way out.  He loves hugs.