Readings:    

Genesis  2, 18-24,  It is not good for the man to be alone.

 Psalm 128,   May the Lord bless us all the days of our lives.

 Hebrews 2, 9-17,   He is not ashamed to call them brothers.

Mark 10, 2-16,  Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery.

 

Genesis:

Date of Compilation: Most likely during the Babylonian Captivity, i.e., around 600-550 BCE.  But the material for the sources was coming together over 200 years.

Authors:  4 major sources–

The J or Y source (for Yahweh), coming from Judah, the southern half of the divided Jewish state after Solomon's death.

The E source (for Elohim), coming from Israel, the northern half of the Jewish state which was destroyed by the Assyrians ca. 700 BCE.

The D source (from Deuteronomy), coming from the revisions of the prophet Jeremiah & his companions.

The P source (from the priests), which or who during the Babylonian time took the material from the first 3 sources, wove them together, and edited them. 

How do you know: by text analysis, noting different styles of writing, place references (e.g. mention of the Tigris & Euphrates in chapter 2, which says "Babylon."), event references, people references, and agendas behind the stories (e.g. Sabbath & Creation Story #1).

Subject Matter: A panorama stretching from the two stories of creation, through The Fall, Cain & Abel, Noah & the flood, the Tower of Babylon, the Patriarchs Abraham, Isaac, & Jacob, Joseph and his jealous brothers, Joseph as governor of Egypt & his brothers' visit & eventual migration to Egypt. 

Our Selection: we will read the whole of creation story #2, chapter 2.  The story comes from the Y or J source, but note the mention of the Tigris & Euphrates, which a person in Babylon would appreciate  ( A clue that a priestly source has inserted a geographic reference.  Why would a Jewish high priest be familiar with Babylonian rivers?  Babylonian Captivity. ).

Hebrews: We will read from Hebrews for the next 6 weeks (excluding All Saints), right up to the feast of Christ the King, which marks the end of the liturgical year.  Then we begin Advent and a new liturgical year.

Author: unknown, but he wrote excellent Greek.  Not Paul.

When Written: 85-95 CE, i.e., 50 plus years after Jesus' death

Subject: superiority of Christ.  Rather convoluted.

 

Then He Embraced Them

This morning I want to talk about the last paragraph of Mark, the one about accepting the little kids and how He embraced them.

This past week Rosemary & I went to Lindsay, Ontario, a small town north east of Toronto.   When I spent 4 years studying in Toronto I came to know a number of people.  The Reddick family I have especially loved and kept in touch with since I left there in the early 70’s.

The mother of the family lives in Lindsay, and for some years we visit her to celebrate Canadian Thanksgiving, which is tomorrow.   This year we went to celebrate a memorial for one of her children, Robin.  All of the spread out family was coming.

Robin was a special child when she was born in 1958.  She had Down’s Syndrome.  Robin never spoke and spent all of her life in excellent residences provided by the Ontario Provincial government.

Kay, Robin’s mother, spent all the time she could carve out from taking care of her 5 other children with Robin.  Robin lived 53 years and died about a month ago.   The memorial was delayed until Rosemary & I could be there.

3 lessons I take from my relationship with Robin. 

First, gratitude for what I have, for example, my ability to ride 60 miles yesterday in the Make a Wish bike rally.  Plus so many other gifts.

Secondly, I have loved that precious girl and she taught me how to expand my love to include special people.

Thirdly, she invited me to look at and stand in awe of the mystery of life.  What is it?  What gifts get handed out to whom and why?

I learned at least one lesson from Kay.  Namely, how to love a special person even when it is impossible to keep the person at my side.

 There was a touching side story in all this.  Some woman told Kay that she had specialized in care for specialized people because as a teen she had worked with Kay.  At a big Catholic Church in Toronto Kay had run like a religious ed class for a large group of special kids.  Even though Robin could not be in it.

So, we had the memorial Wednesday at the United Church in Lindsay.  The following is Kay’s message to her dearest Robin.

 

Roberta Mary Reddick, my Special Robin,

You and I have had quite a journey together since May, 1958, and during that time I have felt blessed and proud to be your mother. 

I remember the Sunday morning you were born and as the nurse lay you in my arms, she said “I think these 2 need to get acquainted.”  I have thought often of these words as I suspect she guessed what I did not yet know that ours would not be the usual mother/daughter relationship.

However, my little one,  you showed me a different part of life and changed my world without saying a word. 

Some memories:

You hated shopping and standing around.  So if I was debating too long on a purchase, you uttered those bored noises which I took to mean, “I may just throw up if we don’t leave soon.”

Also, your impatience in a restaurant as you never took you eyes off the waitress until your meal arrived. 

Your love of lego and flipping through magazines endlessly. 

Your nurturing side came out when living at Christian Horizon Group Home and you would bring Tom his slippers and made sure he was okay.

Of course, while living at Christian Horizon you became one of the family and were loved and cared for every day. 

At this time I than k all the people who helped you through your days and nights.  The last 4 years of your life at Case Manor the caregivers were your hands, feet, eyes, ears, and voice without complaint.  I can truly say they must be angels.  Thanks you.

But most of all, Robin, I hope you always know how much you were loved and now as your beautiful spirit is free and you have your wings, remember  that in my heart you will forever live. 

Last Wednesday, the day of Robin's Memorial, Lindsay in fall color, the leaves turning.

 In Mark, Jesus says, "Let the children come to me, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these."  

First of all, I want to thank all of you in this community for being so child friendly.  You are marvelous.

Secondly, in your life, whom do you love like this?

 Readings:  Isaiah 25, 6-10 (fun reading about the next life); Psalm 23, I shall live in the House of the Lord all the days of my life (Psalm of consolation); Philippians 4, 12-20; Matthew 22, 1-14, The king throws a wedding feast.

Isaiah:  This is Isaiah I, a great reading.

Psalm 23:

Number of Psalms: There are 150 psalms, which are religious songs.

Authorship: Jews, Muslims and Christians for centuries considered King David to be the author.  73 psalms use his name.  Today, however, scripture scholars know numerous authors composed the psalms and they were passed down ca. 500 years in an oral, sung form before they began to be written down ca. 600 B.C.E.  King David lived ca. 1000 B.C.E.

 

Life is a Banquet

I had a Jesuit friend named Tom Barbarito who was in the class behind me.  Italian.  About 5 feet 5, like 5 by 5. Quite rotund in his early years.  No way athletic.  In fact would shudder at the prospect of exercise or physical work.  Intelligent and very amusing mostly at his own expense.  He was pastor of St. Rita for many years. 

Our selection from Isaiah 1 about the banquet was his favorite reading of all time.  He loved to eat.  We used to have what were called first class feasts in the early years of my Jesuit life.  These were special meals on Christmas, Easter, and church holidays.  The meals were excellent Cajun cuisine put together by our cajun cooks from southwest LA, Opelousas & Lafayette.  And Tom was from New Orleans, as were many in the classes those days.  We got to talk in the refectory on the occasion of these meals, all 150 of us.

 

I can still picture Tom squaring off for one of these meals, his white cloth napkin tucked into the collar of his cassock European style, getting elbow room, and proclaiming that he was ready.  He used to declare that he could not wait for the heavenly banquet referred to here in Isaiah.  Today Tom is enjoying that banquet because he died maybe ten years ago with a brain tumor.  And he died skinny, so he now may eat all his favorite foods without guilt. 

I think of Tom whenever this reading comes up.  Our readings today are so Tom Barbarito, eating, feasting, enjoying the cup running over.  Besides that,  we got the king throwing a wedding banquet and getting mad because the invited did not come.  Then one guy gets kicked out for not having a wedding garment on.  What is going on?   Three observations.

 

First, remember for whom Matthew is writing.  He has an agenda when he puts parables into his work.  Initially he writes to warn the Jewish people about how they are losing it in not recognizing Jesus.  But equally he is addressing the Gentiles, letting them know that Jesus welcomes them also.

As in all parables, check out the symbolism of the gospel.  Obviously the king is Yahweh.  Who else?  Who are the invited to the wedding feast?  The Jews?  Who are the good & bad street people? 

 

Second observation, we are invited.   There is a banquet out there, a feast on a mountain top, a feast of rich food and choice wine.  Tex Mex & Blue Bell?  We are invited, despite the fact that we are the street people.  In fact, I would propose that we are all street people, bad and good, Gentile and Jew. 

The third observation is that the banquet on the mountain top, the marriage feast is taking place today.  I can be tempted to think the feast takes place in the next life.  In fact, I think a lot of poor people and slaves were fed this nonsense so they would not try to fight back against oppression.  Everyday is a banquet.

 

A final post script: what about the poor guy without the wedding garment?  He gets treated pretty harshly, especially so after the king invites all the street people in, both good and bad. 

To attempt an understanding, I think we go back to the symbolism which is the currency of parables.  What could he symbolize?  What is the wedding garment symbolizing?  Gratitude?  Or cynicism?   Maybe he was not grateful, but was critical and cynical, thinking he was entitled to all this, the attitude that seems to be so prevalent in our contemporary culture.  Consequently, the man was not thrown out.  His ingratitude never allows him in.  We can be the man without the wedding garment.

 

My friend Tom Barberito I am sure is enjoying his wedding banquet in the next life.  We are invited to enjoy the banquet today with gratitude.

 On the 1 to 10 scale, where is your gratitude, where is your cynicism?

Picture 1:    Mass begins

Picture 2:    Lorynne & Lacee with their grandmother, Marilyn

Picture 3:    Sienna

Picture 4:    Robyn & Erin

Picture 5:    Wendy

Picture 6:    Jean & Jack, Wendy's parents  

  

 

Jan, The Head of Traffic Control, on the job.

 

 

Readings:

1 Kings 19, 16 19-21, You shall anoint Elisha.

Psalm 16,  You are my inheritance, O Lord.

Galatians 5, 1, 13-18, For freedom Christ set us free.

Luke 9, 51-62, No one who sets his hand to the plow…

 

 

I say, Pere, remember that pretty red Studebaker….

 

 

 

 

 

"Welcome in, Everybody," sez Our Dearest Tori, official hospitality team leader.

 

 

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

 

 

 

Yes, here we have our official disrupting team planning their activities for this morning.

 

Readings:

Isaiah 63, 16-17, 64, 2-7,    Why do you let us wander, O Lord

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

1 Corinthians 1, 3-9,    I will give thanks to my God always

Mark 13, 31-46,,  Be watchful!  Be alert!  You do not know when the time comes!

 

 

 

Thanks, Zoe, for being Our Official Candle Lighter of The Week.

 

Isaiah observations and reminders–

Who: Guess which of the 3 composers put this section together.  A clue: chapter number.  Like, chapter 63.  A pretty high number, yes, Isaiah number 3. 

Where is he: if the author is number 3, he is back with the people in Jerusalem, a Jerusalem totally destroyed by the Babylonians. 

Today’s message: because he is back in Jerusalem, you would expect happiness.  On the contrary, he is bemoaning the state of affairs and is blaming himself and everybody’s sinfulness for the destruction.  But in the end he reminds Yahweh that they are his special people.  So…?

 

 

 

Georgie reads The Blessing Prayer of the Advent Candle while her sister Zoe does the lighting.

 

Be watchful!  Be alert!  You do not know when the time will come

 

I confess that every time I hear this line or ones like it, I have to speak about it.   I think I have spent the majority of my years as a Jesuit priest & psychotherapist trying to encourage no fear relationships with our God.   There were historical reasons why so much emphasis in the Bible is on fear and punishment.  

 For me it is not a relationship where God is eagerly looking for bad behavior so you can be thrown into the fires of hell, forever.  It is, rather an invitation to all the ways God is bending over backward to delight, to surprise, bring joy to all God's people.  I call them consolations moments.

 

 

 

Rosemary's shirt to me, similar to the shirt she designed and painted for her sister, Clare.

 

Here are 5  examples that happened to me while Rosemary & I spent Thanksgiving with her two sisters, the husbands, and the daughter of Joe & Clare, Beth, and Beth's partner, Sarah.  All in Joe & Clare's house in Hilton Head.  

First, the Thanksgiving meal, always a consolation moment.  A lot of my favorite items.  There were two special moments.  One was that Rosemary gave her sister, Clare a T- shirt with all 7 of her grand kids painted on the front and the word MomMom on the back.  It is similar to the T shirt Rosemary painted for me.

 

 

 

 

Talbird Live Oak tree, Hilton Head Island.  Check Thursday's blog for more pix.

 

Also, towards the end of the meal Joe asked everybody what was their blessing of the year.  Sound familiar.  It was a most touching consolation moment.  Mine?  You know well!  Rosemary.  As usual, I got too choked up to say her name.

Secondly, there is a rustic seafood restaurant on the edge of the marshes that every Thanksgiving Day serves all customers gratis.  A token of thanks.  When the hurricane messed up the restaurant pretty badly, the residents of Hilton Head pitched in and helped to rebuild the restaurant.    A consolation moment.

 

 

 

Want to stop for a little sunbathing?   Plenty of room.   This was my biking friend.    Rosemary even wants to take his picture.  "Smile now."

 

Thirdly, biking the marvelous wooded paths on the island.  The natural beauty is gorgeous.   Again, two consolation moments.  The first is the Talbird Oak.  Every day I rode, I would stop under the enormous drooping branches  of this centuries old Live Oak.  A consolation moment.

 

The other biking event had to do with an alligator.   There are lots of man made ponds on the island in the plantations.  And in those ponds are alligators who like to sun bathe on the shores.   I have a personal relationship with one of those alligators.  I see him or his parents every year.

 

 

 

No fun on this island at all!

 

 

There  is a tarmack path that  runs along the south west side of a pond with a fountain in the middle.  The path is not real close,  maybe 40 yards away.  The trouble is, the path winds back & forth along the pond's side.  It is my last day riding before departing.  A warm afternoon ideal for sun bathing.   So I decide I will stay on the road until I pass the popular place for my friend, then take a little spur path back to the main path that will put me about at the head of the pond.  

 

I get to the path and think I'll stop to see if the alligator is sunning in one of his usual spots.   No sign of my friend.   I put my foot on the pedal to begin riding, but take one last look around.  There, even closer, in front me, the alligator lying parallel to the path. 

 

 

 

Talking of food, our Advent Food Drive.

 

A consolation moment?  Absolutely!  For being watchful and alert enough to get moving and get out of there.

 

Finally, consolation moments knock me over here, with help coming from Emma and Leo, Buddy and Georgie, Zoe, Tori and Harper.

 

How are you watchful and alert enough to spot those consolation moments?

 

 

 

The Best Music Team!   A three-some or a four-some?

Readings:  Exodus 32, 7-14; Psalm 51, I will rise and go to My Father; 1 Timothy 1, 12-17; Luke 15, 1-32

 

Twenty-fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time – Intro to Readings

Our first reading from the Book ofExodus is a wonderful piece of writing!  There are two sections to the reading; the first is God expressing his anger to Moses because the people have made an idol. 

 

One very interesting human touch in the reading should be familiar to anyone who has had kids, when the kids have not been at their best.  The kids suddenly do not belong to one of the parents!  In our reading, the people are no longer “God’s people” but suddenly are Moses’ people!  The second section of the reading Moses turns the situation around convincing God not to destroy the people.

The second reading comes from Paul’s First Letter to Timothy. 

I suppose the first question that comes to mind is “who is Timothy”?  He has two letters from Paul!  Acts of the Apostles Chapter 16 tells us that Paul was in Lystra when he met with Timothy.  We are told who Timothy’s parents are and Paul took him with him on his missionary work, finally sending him to the community in Ephesus, and that is where Timothy was when our letter today was written to him, probably around the year 65 CE.  By this time Paul is in prison in Rome.  The reading ends with what we call a doxology, which is a short type of hymn, we have one when we pray the Eucharistic Prayer and the ending “Through him, with him etc.”  That is a doxology.  Paul simply tried to get the message that if he could be forgiven his sins, then anyone could!

 

Homily

The theme in each one of our readings today is the same “being lost and in need of God’s forgiveness, or being found”.  In our first reading from the Book of Exodus, recall that the people have been lead by Moses from slavery in Egypt and have wandered through the desert for many years.  Moses has gone up the mountain, Mount Sinai, to receive the 10 Commandments from God.  Meanwhile the people are tired of God and have built a golden calf to worship.  Needless to say, God is pretty upset.  They are about to get really lost, but Moses manages to talk God out of it!

Psalm 51 is our responsorial psalm and is a great favorite of mine.  Like St Paul, you have to be a great sinner to really appreciate this psalm.  There is a great awareness on the part of the writer, sometimes ascribed to King David, of how sinful he is.  “Against you only have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight”

 

In Paul’s letter to Timothy, Paul is telling him his own story as a way of encouraging Timothy and to all who feel lost.

Our gospel reading from Luke gives us three stories about losses.  If you look closely at all three stories, there is another theme running through them, that of “rejoicing”  When a sheep gets lost, he simply lies down and will not get up even when the shepherd finds him, which is why the shepherd picks him up and carries him. 

I think at times we too can fall into a similar pattern.  When we get lost we have a tendency to lie down and do nothing.  The readings today are a very loud reminder to us of God’s forgiveness.  Two thoughts to take away.  First, are we willing to accept God’s forgiveness and secondly are we able to bring that forgiveness to those around us who need to be picked up?

Picture 1:   Mass begins

 

Picture 2:   Anthony

 

Picture 3:   Michelle is ready

 

Picture 4:   Zoe, Michelle's second daughter, & Rich 

 

 

 Readings:   Jeremiah 31, 31-34, I will place my law within them and write it upon their hearts; Psalm 51, Create a clean heart in me, O God; Hebrews 5, 7-9, He learned obedience from what he suffered; John 12, 20-33, Unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground.  Whoever hates his life in this world will preserve it for eternal life.

Jeremiah:  We have not seen Jeremiah for a long time, since before Thanksgiving.  Remember that he is one of the Big 3 Prophets (because of the size of the work, e.g. 62 chapters in Jeremiah), who are Isaiah, Jeremiah, & Ezekiel.   A review:

 

Author: most of the work is done by Jeremiah’s scribe Baruch.  Jeremiah is described as the broken hearted prophet because of his heart rending life spent warning the people & kings that their behavior was going to be punished.  And so it happened with The Babylonian Captivity.

Time:  ca. 600 BCE, as an easy date to remember.   The Captivity went from around 585-550 BCE.  Jeremiah may have died in Egypt during The Captivity in Babylon.

The Scene:  Remember that the Holy Land had a north & a south, Israel & Judah.  First, the northern kingdom, Israel, was defeated by the Assyrians, 622 BCE.  These Hebrew tribes vanish into the DNA of the region, “The Lost Tribes of Israel.”  Next, the Babylonians & Nebuchadnezzar defeat the Assyrians and threaten the southern kingdom, Judah with the capital Jerusalem.  Jeremiah is watching this and seeing it as Yahweh's punishment.  In 596, more or less, the Babylonians do destroy Jerusalem and cart the Hebrews into slavery.

Today's selection, chapter 31.  Yahweh is promising to make a new covenant or agreement with all the people, and to forgive them, after having shown the people who is master.  Here is the covenant idea mentioned again.  It is a pact or a deal.

Sources: Fr. Reginald Fuller, St. Louis U., Wikipedia; Answers.com; Encyclopedia of Judaism

 

Hate My Life?

I have a story this morning which I have told twice, once at St. Mark's, over 8 years ago and here about 4 years ago.  Pardon me if you've heard it. Some of our best stories we tell over & over, they are so poignant.  The story speaks to my point today.  I had permission for the story.

It happened many years ago when I was working full time as a psychotherapist out of an office at Jesuit.  I think it was the first Monday morning of May.   I know it was a beautiful morning like today.  A boy came to see me who had been in my office on and off for about six years.  He had just graduated from high school and enlisted in the Air Force.  He had struggled since grade school with bouts of depression, and that morning seemed to be in great shape.  We did not even spend more than 30 minutes together, his mood was so up beat and care free.

 

He left.  Maybe two or three hours later a call came in.  The boy had left Jesuit, crossed Inwood to the Lincoln Center complex at LBJ, drove up to the top of the four floor garage, parked his car, headed to the edge of the garage, and walked over the side.  He landed on the cement street four floors below, face down flat.

A passerby saw it, called 911, and in a second the paramedics from just around the corner were on the scene.  He was in Parkland in a flash.  He lived.

It was not for about 3 weeks until I got to visit him.  He apologized.  I admit I was mad.  I loved this kid.  He fooled me.  He said that he had been in a zone, happy because he knew he was out of there, meaning he was ready to go to the other side.  He wanted to escape the pain of life and go to heaven.  He said he had  no fear in walking off that fourth floor, none of the hesitation you feel before you jump off the high diving board the first time. 

 

You may guess why I tell this story.  It exemplifies what happens when you take literally "whoever hates his life in this world will preserve it for eternal life."  This little piece of advice, taken the wrong way, can be so dangerous. This boy hated his life.

 I would suggest there is a negative and a positive way to hate my life. 

The negative is exemplified by this kid's story.  This is often what is happening when you hear of someone cutting on themselves.  If I hate my life and hate myself, I will want to punish myself.  So I cut myself.  Or I may think that I am such a loser that no one will pay me any attention if I do not do something dramatic like spill my blood. 

 

Even without such dramatic examples, I do not want to encourage someone who hates their body, hates their job, hates their family, hates their school, hates.  Just thinking about this I recoil.   There may be reason for the hatred.  However, "There is a better way," I want to say and I would say it.   I believe in talk therapy.   Feelings are all okay.  I just don’t want some feelings to stay around. 

On the positive side, I would suggest two things.

First, the word hate can be considered as hyperbolic, a big word meaning exaggeration.  It is like Rosemary telling me, "You get me up at 5:00 tomorrow morning for spin class & it is divorce!”   Think she is exaggerating?  I hope. 

 

  

Secondly, I would suggest that this all has to do with being more alive now, in this life. The grain of wheat falling to the ground and dying fits in with this.  For example: look at March Madness.  Many of these player have died to themselves to achieve & to be better players.  How many hours in the gym have they spent practicing free throws?  When they could be hanging out, sleeping in, text messaging?  And they love their lives.  I’ve seen boys do this at Jesuit. 

Goofy, but I hate my life to love my life.  I don't want to get up early.  I could sleep in to 11:00.  However, I, we, Rosemary & I get up and head over to the Jewish Community Center, 6:00 A.M. spin class.  The result even Rosemary loves  life.  And so do I.

The boy who jumped is now okay, amazingly.  It took him years of physical recovery.  Two things did not happen that blessed him.  He did not damage his brain and did not damage his spine.  Every other bone, plus his teeth, were broken.  Once he got strong enough he went to medical technical school, got his certificates, and now has good jobs in various hospitals in the city.  I don't think he hates his life anymore.  In fact, he loves it. 

 

How do you love your life?

Sources:  The Center for Liturgy, St. Louis U.; St. Raymond Catholic Church, Dublin, CA; Carmelite Order Web; Homilias Domincales.