Sunday Homily, November 27, 2016, 1st Advent, A

Exodus 24, 3-8, Moses came to the people.

Psalm 116, I will take the cup of salvation, and call upon the name of the Lord

Hebrews 9, 11-15, He is mediator of a new covenant.

Mark 14, Where do you want us to go and prepare for you to eat the Passover?

Snoopy

 

Thanks……

Music,  Ben & Shonda

Readers, Denni & Tom, & Buddy, our candle blesser

Gospel, Deacon Mike Carrell

Homily,  Mike Carrell

Eucharistic Prayer A & B,  John Cade

The Magic Zoom makers,    Mike and Hue and David

Final Blessing, Rosemary

For hosting us at Legacy, Becky

 

 

Look at who is out and about!  Good work, Marilyn!

 

Readings for Trinity Sunday

Download 06-06-21 Readings Corpus Christi

 

 

 

Can we trust these ladies out!

 

Remember these special people:

For Alan Stryker;    For Rosemary's great niece, Rylie ;  For Richard's grand daughter, Madeleine;   For Esparza's new great grandson baby, son of Monique & Frank with shingles;  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,   For Loretta's aunt Alicia;  For Sir Charlie & Jan;  Shonda's mom & Cody &  Leo & all of Shonda's dear family; For Ursuline Sr. Mary Troy, 

 

Happy 89th, Dearest Mabel!   And for Billy, too (playing golf!).

 

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 daughter, Lisa;  For Anthony & Sabrina;    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 4 month old baby boy named Ford recuperating from an operation; for David McKeon's brother, Hugh; For Beth's friends & brother;   for the medical staffs, teachers, and coaches in our public & private schools.

 

 

A special welcome Diane!

 

Birthdays:   Brent, Bill Ekes, 65, Allison DeGenova, Mary Esparza

Anniversaries:     Mike Carrell's ordination, 1978

 

Community Finances,   June 6, 2021

Expenses: $650.00

Outreach: $

Thanks again, Folks, for doing what you can.

 

 

Rosemary sharing her Blessing of the Week.

 

Rosemary's Blessing

Glance at the sun. See the moon and the stars.
Gaze at the beauty of earth’s greenings.
Now, think.
What delight God gives to humankind
with all these things. . . .
All nature is at the disposal of humankind.
We are to work with it.

For without we cannot survive.

 

Hildegard of Bingen (September 16, 1098 – September 17, 1179)

 

 

Peace, Everybody!

 

 

 

 

Sez Tori, "Welcome in, Everybody."

 

Readings:

1 Kings 19, 9, 11-13,   After the fire there was a tiny whispering sound.

Psalm 85,   Lord, let us see your kindness and grant us your salvation.

Roman 9, 1-5,  I speak the truth in Christ, I do not lie.

Matthew 14, 22-33,  Storm at sea & Peter walking on the water.  

 

 

 

Harper likewise, sez, "Come in, Folks." 

 

Observations on 1 Kings

 What:  1 Kings is the 3rd book in a 4 book set which includes 1 & 2 Samuel and 1 & 2 Kings.   The first chapters of 1 Kings is all about the great Solomon, the son of  the great king David.  With Solomon's death the kingdom split into north and south.  Elijah the prophet condemns this.  He is our subject this morning.

 

 

 

Leo, today you really begin the job of being an altar helper.  We'll make it fun.

  

Tiny Whispering Sounds

This morning I would like to talk about the tiny whispering sounds and propose that they take place often, even daily, both outside of us, and also inside of us.  

I want to begin with a story about our dearest Jackie Urbanczyk, who is a spirit whisperer for me and whose memorial we celebrated yesterday at Hackberry Creek Country Club Las Colinas.  Over 200 people celebrated this lady.

 

 

 

Emma, our delightful Candle Lighter of the Week, at work.

 

Story #1.  15 or 20 years ago we had a Father’s Day party at Jackie & Rick’s house.  It was an annual party we had for the men’s group that met in my little Jesuit office every other Thursday night or so to give the 20 guys who showed a chance to share the blessings of their weeks or the difficulties.  We all sat on the floor, backs against the wall.  The party took place after the Masses I did at St. Marks. 

As I remember, things were going along normal, lunch, talking with wives and even kids.  It was super.  We would usually end up with everybody circling up and sharing the blessing of the year. 

 

 

 

Leo and Buddy, it is so fun having you up here to help out.

 

Suddenly I get clobbered with a water balloon.  Rick & Jackie had two awful little girls whom I loved.  It had to be them.  Time goes on and I get hit again and I spot the villain, Kristen, no less. 

So what did I expect?  I expected that Jackie would tell Kristin that you cannot throw water balloons at the holy priest.   Dream on, Stack.  She was even enjoying it. 

 

 

Shonda, Ben, and David, can it get any better than this!

 

I’ll always love her for that.  Jackie’s whisper to Kristin was that it was okay to throw water balloons at that priest guy.  A spirit whisper to her daughter.

Maybe 3 years ago Jackie came home from being declared cancer free.  Rick had gathered a small  group for a surprise party and Jackie danced in the driveway.  Then the symptoms returned.

 

 

Rick Urbanczyk opens the Memorial for his dearest wife, Jackie.

 

This past Christmas Eve Mass Jackie looked terrific.  I was so happy for her.   Two months later at our Sunday Mass I saw her and knew.

 

 

Shonda & David provided music for Jackie's Memorial, along with Becka, a niece.

 

 

Let me give you an example of an inner spirit whisper.  Not always one I want to hear 

 The scene is Hy-Vee grocery store in Spencer, Iowa, dinner time and hundreds of bikers are pouring in, buying dinners, looking for seats anywhere in the dining area, which seats maybe 50 to 75 people. 

David & I are seated side by side at a small 4 person table.  Across from us is a big guy from Iowa and a long haired hippy kind of guy from Spokane.  Both really nice guys, especially Grant the hippy.  The room is packed and people are searching for empty seats.

 

 

 

The venue for the Memorial was the Hackberry Country Club in Las Colinas.  Over 200 filled the ball room.

 

I suddenly hear the little whispering sound.  “It is David’s 32^nd wedding anniversary this very night.  What are you going to do, buddy?  How about standing up and telling everybody to cheer for David? ”  I try to shut this whisper up   But, no it keeps up and I suspect I will feel guilty if I do nothing.  Time is slipping away.  I try to focus on our conversations to no avail. 

Finally, knowing that I will hate myself if I let the opportunity to pass, I jump up and yell, “Hey Everybody (I have to yell out about 3 times to get everybody’s attention), my buddy David is celebrating 32 years of marriage right here with us this evening.”  The place goes crazy and everybody yells and claps. 

 

 

 

Two old pros, as of today.  Good work, Buddy & Leo.  I love working with you both.

 

I’ll tell you, I hate those tiny whispering sounds inside my head.  They get me out of bed at 4:00 on cold mornings to go to the J.  They tell me that that second chocolate chip cookie is a no, no.   And you don’t need that second glass of red wine.

Ever hear that tiny whispering sound in your head?  What does it tell you?

 

 

Readings:   Acts 4, 32-35, They had everything in common; Psalm 118, Give thanks to the Lord for He is good, his love is everlasting; 1 John 5, 1-6, Everyone who loves the Father loves the one begotten by him; John 20, 19-31, Jesus came and stood in their midst.

 

 

Homily for the Second Sunday of Easter, Mike Carrell

In the Smithsonian Magazine that I was reading in my doctor’s office recently, there was a photograph entitled Tricycle and Memphis, 1970.  It was a color photograph presented in the first showing of color photography as an art medium at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City in 1972.  It was a colorful picture of an old but sturdy tricycle with a blue seat with red rubber grips on a curved handlebar. It had some white spots of paint that had somehow been splattered on the seat, frame and wheels. 

I could tell that the camera had been held at a very low angle to indeed give the tricycle the look of elegance, like a chariot it encompassed almost the whole picture.  In the diminished background you could see a couple of one story flat roofed houses, one with a carport.  One art critic found it perfect, another perfectly awful. 

 

The critic who found it perfect understood the context within which it had been placed—the diminished background, the fading away of the old Memphis was the result of a blossoming Southern culture that had begun in the Memphis of 1970, with bold new music, art, and literature.  The paint splatter an indication that the blossoming was a work in progress.

Today we are told of the importance of signs within the gospels.  However, if we want to understand the signs, we too must understand them in the context of the gospel teachings in which we find them!

Some of you will remember being taught by question and answer.  First we were given the question, ‘What is a sacrament?’  Then we were given the answer to memorize: ‘A sacrament is an outward sign instituted by Christ to give grace.’    If one were to translate that word sign into Greek, the Greek word chosen would be the word used for sign in our reading today. 

Remember a couple of months ago when the leper came and knelt before Jesus saying, ‘If you choose, you can make me clean,’ There is a sign being given when Jesus says, ‘I do choose. Be made clean.’  We can come to understand the sign because of the context of the teaching in which it was placed.  At the end of that teaching Jesus was proclaiming the good news to those who crowded around him. 

This good news, ‘In the Father’s plan of salvation the Messiah had come to us as the Lamb of God,’ fulfills what came before it in the teaching that stated that the Mosaic Law required the offering of an unblemished lamb for the leper’s sins.  So we know that these words of Christ has brought forgiveness to the man—the meaning of the sign.

I presented you a sign from the Luke gospel during a Christmas season homily. I told you that of the Christ child in a manger dressed in swaddling clothes was a sign of the Church.  The manger was a feeding trough; the child wrapped in the shroud of the linen strips was the Lamb of God from which were come to be fed the Word and the Bread of Life.    We come to understand this from the context of the teaching because the shepherds watching over the flock by night are the twelve watching over their lambs, that’s us, who desire for us to be fed with Christ’s words and the Loaves blessed and broken to become the bread blessed and broken for others. 

The Catholic catechism teaches that, ‘The Church draws its life from the Word and the Body of Christ, and so she becomes Christ’s body.’ 

 

Today’s gospel reading just happens to be an entire teaching from the initial ending of the John gospel.  To paraphrase, we are told the signs of the gospels were written so that we might believe that the Messiah has come to us as the Christ, the Lamb of God, to bring forgiveness to our sins and union with the Father through him. 

This is why, like Thomas, we are to place our hand into the pierced side of the body of Christ, because Christ’s body symbolizes the Church, the body of Christ alive in the world through the power of the Holy Spirit.  This wisdom must give specific meaning to the story within the context of this last teaching: ‘For as the Father has sent me, so I send you, in the peace that comes from being forgiven and with the power and authority of the Spirit breathed upon us to be the bread blessed and broken to the ends of the earth.

Over time, I will help you come to understand that all of the resurrection teachings of the Gospels are about the Church! 

Now, let me give you a brief insight as to why the inspired writers added another ending to the John gospel that consists of two additional teachings.  Both the Mark gospel and the Matthew gospel have a second teaching about the loaves and fishes.  The loaves, fishes and leftovers are signs, when understood correctly, that describe the mission Christ gives to his disciples, and us, to take the good news to the ends of the earth. The 5 loaves and the 7 loaves are the twelve disciples who have been called to become the Bread they eat.  We are the leftovers! From us are to come other leftovers!  

The gospel of Luke was not written with this second teaching because its writers wrote a whole book, called the Acts of the Apostles, to describe the mission to the ends of the earth; one of its teachings is about the 7.  Since the inspired writers of the John gospel placed an obvious ending to their gospel, they must have envisioned another book to complement Luke’s Acts of the Apostles.  Later, after a decision was made not to do this, two inspired teachings were added to the original John gospel—one a teaching about the 7. 

The first would present how all the stories of the four gospels were used in the mission to the ends of the earth.  Since Luke’s Acts continuously describe the persecution of the Apostle Paul, not one of the twelve, the last teaching in the John gospel was written to incorporate the persecution of the Apostle Peter.   Recall that I suggested to you to read the Sermon of the Mount from the Matthew gospel during Lent.  The beatitudes end with, “Blessed are you when you are persecuted for the sake of the Christ, ‘Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven.”

The context of each of our personal stories is not complete.  How will others remember us as leftovers blessed and broken for others? 

 

 

 

Deuteronomy 4, Moses said to the people.

Psalm 33, Blessed the people the Lord has chosen to be his own. 

Romans 8, Those who are lead by the Spirit of God are sons of God.

Matthew 28, The disciples went to Galilee to the mountain.

 

 

 

Thanks……

Music,  Ben & Shonda

Readers, Jackie & John Simari & Buddy, our candle blesser

Gospel, Deacon Mike Carrell

Homily,  John Cade

Eucharistic Prayer A & B,  John Cade

The Magic Zoom makers,    Richard and Mike and Hue and David

Final Blessing, Rosemary

For hosting us at Legacy, Becky

 

 

 

Jackie reading from Deuteronomy.

 

Readings for Trinity Sunday

Download Readings Trinity Sunday 5-30-2021

 

Homily for Trinity Sunday

Download Homily by Cade 5-30-2021

 

 

 

John Simari reading from Romans.

 

Remember these special people:

For Alan Stryker;  For Joe Hogan;    For Rosemary's great niece, Rylie ;  For Richard's grand daughter, Madeleine;   For Esparza's new great grandson baby, son of Monique & Frank with shingles;  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,   For Loretta's aunt Alicia;  For Sir Charlie & Jan;  Shonda's mom & Cody &  Leo & all of Shonda's dear family; For Ursuline Sr. Mary Troy, Mike Carol's wife. Judy 

 

Mike Carol reading The Gospel from Matthew

 

Jackie's mom, sister, & friend, Lynn;  For Rick Turner searching for a kidney donor, Type O neg & gall bladder op.; For Meredith, cancer free & John Schanot;    For John O'Donnell & Jean;   For Jean & Cliff Wright;  For Dee, and for her daughter, Lisa;  For Anthony & Sabrina;    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 4 month old baby boy named Ford recuperating from an operation; for David McKeon's brother, Hugh; For Beth's friends & brother;   for the medical staffs, teachers, and coaches in our public & private schools.

 

Today's celebrants, John & Mike.

 

Birthdays:   Shonda and Mabel Ekes

Anniversaries:

Community Finances,   May 30, 2021

Expenses: $1,295.00

Outreach: $700.00

Thanks again, Folks, for doing what you can.

 

 

Rosemary's Blessing

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place: and in the sky
The larks still bravely singing fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the dead: Short days ago,
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved: and now we lie
In Flanders fields!

Taken from IN FLANDERS FIELDS
By Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae

 

Composed at the battlefront on May 3, 1915 
during the second battle of Ypres, Belgium

 

 

Rosemary sharing her blessing.

 

 

 

Readings:

Acts of the Apostles  2, 1-11,  Arrival of the Holy Spirit

Psalm 104,   Lord, send out your Spirit, and renew the face of the earth

1 Corinthians 12, 3-7, 12-13, different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit.

 John 20, 19-23,   Peace be with you; receive the Holy Spirit. 

 

 

 

Welcome back home from Arkansas, CC  I really miss you when you are not here.

 

Pentecost

This morning I want to talk about the feast of Pentecost.   I propose that a Pentecost event takes place often in our lives.  It is a light bulb happening.  I see more clearly.  I have more energy.   There are light bulb events and light bulb people.  For example.

I know a lady who graduated from high school some years ago.  She was 18 and decided she would go to college.  She signed up, went to her accounting class, and got a D.  “That decided me,” she told me, “college was not for me.”

So she met her husband, got married, and had three kids.  Much more fun.

 

 

Says Olivia, "Welcome, Everybody."  Olivia, do you realize what a megawatt smile you have?  It brightens my day.

 

Fast forward about 30 years.  Her kids have grown up and they have graduated from college.  One is continuing studies to become a doctor.

It is Christmas.  They are all sitting around the table.  Somebody asks, “Is there anything in your life that you regret not doing?”  Various answers come in. 

My friend says, “I regret not getting my college degree many years ago.”  “Well, why don’t you go and get it?,” everybody says. 

 

 

Emma, you make my day.  Welcome back after a bunch of weeks missing you.

 

So she decides to take the entrance exams at CCCC (Collin County Community College).  See how it goes.  She takes two exams, math and reading.  She barely flunks the math, which is her long term weakness.  Remember the D in accounting. 

The reading exam?  She flat out fails the reading exam, also.  The college admissions office tells her they cannot admit her. 

 

 

Yeah, Ben is back everybody.  What a treat to have you and Sophia back, Ben.
 

 

What a blow!  Is that the end of it?  In fact, no!  She decides to appeal to take the reading test again. 

End of story, end of college career?  Nope, she aces the reading exam and is allowed to enter the college. 

 

 

What a scene.  The Girls' play station with Harper, Tori, and Zoe, with Olivia watching over the whole scene.

 

She proceeds to pass two years at CCCC during which time she takes a, you guessed it, an accounting course.  Fortunately, she has a husband who understands these arcane concepts.  Like, he says, “ You see this dollar?  That is an asset.”  And so on.  With his help she gets even a good grade in the class. 

After the two years at CCCC, it is time for another big step.  By the way, all during this time she is working full time.

 

 

Offertory with Carol Ann & Doug, Caroline & David.
 

 

The next big step is Texas A & M at Commerce.  Do you realize how far it is to Commerce.  Also during this time she is not taking a light load, like 9 hours.  Oh, no, once she even takes 18 hours.  This is a monster load for a full time student. 

After two years of A & M she is finally ready to graduate.  She even wins an award, not a cum laude, not even a magna cum laude, but a summa cum laude.  With the Highest Honor.  Latin.

 

 

My little buddy Seth is helping me to celebrate the wedding of his mom & dad, Monique and Zack, last Friday evening at The Rectory.
 

 

Karen Anderlick, thanks for being my inspiration and our Pentecost Person.

Who is your Pentecost Person?

 

 

 

Karen Anderlick, Summa cum Laude.

Mark 11, 1-10, Jesus enters Jerusalem

Isaiah 50, 4-7, I gave my back to those who beat me.

Psalm 22, My God, Why have you forsaken me.

Philippians 2, Christ did not not regard equality with God.  (Omit)

Mark 11, Passion

 

 

Happy Palm Sunday and Here's to New Life!

 

Thanks……

Music,  Ben & Shonda

Readers, John & Connie Doherty, John Schanot & Mary Jane, & Buddy, the candle blesser

Gospel,  see Readers in last line

Homily,  none today

Eucharistic Prayer A & B, Stack & John Cade

The Magic Zoom makers,   Hue & Mike  

Final Blessing, Rosemary

For hosting us at Legacy, Becky

 

 

 

Readings for Sunday, March 28, 2021

Download Readings for 3-28-2021 Palm Sunday

 

Regarding today's readings:  We will read

1.  Mark's description of Jesus' entry into Jerusalem;

2. Isaiah's description of one of the Suffering Servant pieces;

3.  Skip the Philippians reading;

4.  Mark's long description of The Passion. 

 

 

The Best Music, Shonda & Ben.

 

Please Remember these special people:

For Carrie's ex, Larry with Corona;  For Alan Stryker;  For Joe Sullivan;    For Rosemary's great niece, Rylie ;  For Richard's grand daughter, Madeleine;   For Esparza's new great grandson baby, son of Monique;  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,   For Loretta's aunt Alicia;  For Sir Charlie & Jan;  Shonda's mom & Cody &  Leo & all of Shonda's dear family; For Ursuline Sr. Mary Troy 

 

 

Our Brain Center!

 

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 daughter, Lisa;  For Anthony & Sabrina;    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 4 month old boy undergoing an operation; for David McKeon's brother, Hugh; For Beth's friends;   for the medical staffs, teachers, and coaches in our public & private schools.

 

Birthdays:   Barb Wittek

Anniversaries: 

 

Community Finances,   March 28, 2021

Expenses: $ 1,000.00

Outreach: $ 375.00

Thanks again, Folks, for doing what you can.

 

 

Rosemary's Blessing:

Lord God who is endlessly patient

with our foolish and annoying frailties,

instill in us patience for our fellow humans. 

Help us to keep our temper cool,

our nerves calm,

and our disposition amiable.

Andrew N Greeley   A Book of Irish American Blessings and Prayers