27th Sunday in Ordinary Time, October 6, 2024

 

 

The Living Nativity.  

 

Readings:

Isaiah 9, 1-6,    The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light, upon those who dwelt in the land of gloom a light has shown.  (Wow!  Beautiful)

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

Titus 2, 10-11,  The grace of God has appeared.

Luke 2, 1-14,   The Nativity story.   (Lovely)

 

 

 

 

What do we have here?  A donkey, a giraffe, an Addie?  

 

 

Isaiah observations:

 

This is Isaiah 1, a beautiful, hope filled piece.

 

 

 

Ever see a prettier Mary?  Hi, CC.

 

 

The Daily Nativities bringing Peace, Joy, & Gratitude

I would like to talk a few minutes this evening about celebrating the Nativity.  We do this once a year.  I propose that we can celebrate the Nativity, not once a year, but everyday.  The Nativity is an event that gives me peace and joy and a sense of gratitude.  These nativities happen daily. 

 

 

 

Hey, who let this character in?  Got a gift for me Santa?

 

Two examples.

There is a little widow lady named Joyce who lives right across the street from Rosemary & me.  She is on the southeast corner of Tulip Lane & Camellia.  We are on the northeast corner.

Joyce is 89 years old and Aviana & I visit her every morning.  In fact, we give her our newspaper after we have read it.

 

 

 

Has Santa run out of presents?  No way!

 

 

A week ago Joyce walked over to The Tom Thumb on the corner of Preston & Royal, a ten minute walk from our corner.  After buying bread and crossing over Preston at the light, Joyce was crossing Royal at Camellia.  As she walks to the median, she steps into a pile of leaves thinking it was flat.  

Nope, it was the curb and Joyce falls face down on the cement of the median.  She gets right up and is bleeding all over herself from where her sunglasses had cut around her left eye.  Not the eye itself, but her face.

 

 

 

Thanks, Emma, for doing your Candle Magic again.

 

 

At this point Joyce says all these people literally stopped their cars and ran to her.  Some wanted to call an ambulance for her.  Others offered to drive her home.  “No,” she said, “I am okay and only live right there,” and she points to her house.

One guy, however, puts his arm around her waist and offers to walk her home.  She accepts and gets home.

 

 

 

"All I want for Christmas?  Yes," says Vivian, my front tooth."  And Viki, her mom agrees

 

 

Want to know what really touched her?  Yes, all the people who ran to help her, leaving their cars right there on extremely busy Royal Lane. 

Those people were a Nativity event for Joyce.  And guess what.  She has  great peace, joy, and gratitude.

 

 

 

The Team, Georgie & Buddy, Leo & Mike.

 

 

The second example of a nativity happened to me Thursday.  I went to the main Dallas recycle dump on Harry Hines & Webb Chapel.  I get on the ramp and start unloading empty paint cans, old phones, and stuff that had accumulated for a year or more.

Coming up and helping me was a tall, old black guy, probably older even than I am.   I’m thinking this guy should be retired and at home with his grandkids.  I take the stuff out of the van, he takes  it and puts it in the correct container.  I am most touched.

 

 

 

And the Rest of The Team.

 

 

I wish him Happy Christmas and I start to get into the van.  “He deserves a tip,” I think and look into my bill fold.  5 bucks, maybe.  No luck.  No fives, no tens even.  Only a 20.  “Rosemary is going to kill me,”  So I walk over and shake his hand, the 20 in the shake. 

He, of course, tells me how I do not need to do this a bunch of times.  But finally he is all gratitude.  I get into the van quickly so he won’t see my tears.

 

 

 

 

Jack & his sister Sophia, who dances, like to all the music their dad (Ben) is playing.

 

 

A daily nativity event.  I gave him a 20.  I took from him peace, joy, and gratitude.

Where is the Nativity Event in your life this season?

 

 

 

 

Merry Christmas, Carrie.  Merry Christmas, Paul.

Joshua 24:  The people answered, "We'd never forsake God! Never! We'd never leave God to worship other gods.

Ephesians 5:  And this is why a man leaves father and mother and cherishes his wife. No longer two, they become "one flesh."

John 6: Peter replied, "Master, to whom would we go? You have the words of real life, eternal life.

 

 

Another Reminder for 21st Sunday in Ordinary Time, August 25, 2024

Mark 11:  Hosanna!   Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!

Isaiah 50: I gave my back to those who beat me,  my cheeks to those who plucked my beard;  my face I did not shield  from buffets and spitting.

Philippians 2:  Rather, he emptied himself,  taking the form of a slave,   coming in human likeness;  and found human in appearance,  he humbled himself,  becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

Mark 14: The Passion of the Lord

 

 

Deuteronomy 18: I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their kin, and will put my words into his mouth; he shall tell them all that I  command him.

Mark 1:  The people were astonished at his teaching,  for he taught them as one having authority and not as the scribes.

 

 

YIPPEE, WE GOT THE INTERNET!

 

Welcome this Sunday: Catholic Mass with coffee & juice, and pastries, some bought, some home-made. 

Time: 9:30; Celebrate with the Community  & John Cade  &  Stack  

Place: Legacy Charter School,  601 Accent Drive, Plano, TX 75075

 

 

6107 Tulip Lane & helpers.  Early morning.

 

 

Readings:

2 Maccabees 7, 1-2, 9-14,   It happened that 7 brothers with their mother were arrested

Psalm 17,  Lord, when your glory appears, my joy will be full.

2 Thessalonians 2, 16-3, 5  May the Lord direct your hearts to the love of God

Luke 20, 27-38,  If someone's brother dies leaving a wife but no child…

 

 

Activities:  

ROMEO MEET: Friday, November 8, Jason's Deli, Collin Creek Mall, west side of Central, 1:00.  Welcome all wakos, you will fit right in.   

 

JULIETS,  November 8, 12;30,  Amoretto's Italian, Suite 734, 101 W. Spring Creek Pkwy, (& Central). 

Reserve with Marilyn, 972-809-6049

 

 

Meyerson Christmas show, December 6, Friday, 7:30.  Let Rosemary know if you want to join the gang.  $35 per ticket.

 

 

 

True?

 

An appeaser  is one who feeds the crocodile, hoping it will eat him last.

Winston Churchill

 

 

What's up in Ye Old Catholic Church?  Like…

Catholic Money https://www.ncronline.org/news/accountability/editorial-money-shapes-us-catholic-narrative!, NCR, 

 

 

Like a war zone.

 

See you Sunday, J.S.

214-783-0443

 

 

 

 

Tom, Mike, & John, our community to the rescue

 

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.

 

 

 

 

Mike, the tree surgeon.

 

Mike Carrell's Homily.

 

Readings: Our first reading from Sirach includes the social doctrine of the Church; however, it is yet to be put into practice: ‘The Lord is a God of justice who has no favorites!’   In our reading from Second Timothy Paul gives glory to God for allowing him to bring Christ to the Gentiles.

 

Homily: Our Mass began today with the lighting of the candles by Tori and Zoe [maybe Leo, too]. It was accompanied with a reading given by Buddy from Matthew, who reminds each of us to become a Light of the World; like a city built on a hill top.

 

We then joined together, in a penitential rite, following the example of the humble man in the gospel who asks the Lord to shown him mercy.

 

Recall that the Liturgy of the Word today placed us in a synagogue with two men; the one who was arrogant spent his time bragging to God about how holy he was. This Pharisee journeyed home empty.

 

The humble tax collector chose to open his heart to receive the power of the Holy Spirit; he left the synagogue filled with grace.

 

As we begin our Liturgy of the Eucharist, we celebrate another tradition.  It is an anointing with blessed oil for the sick and the elderly and for those, filled with grace, who prayerfully, journey with them.

 

 

John's brief description of The Sunday Night.

 

It started at 15 minutes before 10:00 P.M. Sunday night.  Aviana & I were already asleep.  Ro woke us up, saying a big storm was coming , and,  in fact, that the wind had already smashed in the bay window in the living room.

We put on our bike helmets, Ro & Aviana scooted into the hall closet.  I was standing with my right hand on the closet door handle, planning to squeeze in, when suddenly CRASH!  Then, quiet.

 

 

Neighboring House.

 

People began coming out of their houses & checking on their neighbors.  Rosemary especially went yelling for Joyce Scott, our 91 year old neighbor just across the street.  Her daughter from San Antonio was in the house with her, along with the daughter’s husband, just out of the hospital.

Joyce’s house was almost demolished and no response was coming out.  The cops were all over, so she told one.  He found them alive and shaken in their hall closet.   They could not get out, so the cop got them out.

 

 

It began to pour, a neighbor couple begged a place to spend the night, and we all went to sleep after putting out about 20 containers to catch ceiling drips.

Then began one of the most touching & humbling days I’ve had in a while.

 

Our friend Chris Phipps was walking Tulip Lane toward our house when two young dads about 35, plus their 3 sons each yelled to Chris, “Know anybody who really needs help?”  “Yes, that house on the corner,” said Chris.

Those dads & their sons, along with others who just walked up, pitched in and worked like beavers. Into the afternoon.  All our trophy trees were stripped of their branches.   They ended up  piled all around the house.

About 9:00 John Bresson & Doug LeBlanc with two of his buddies all showed up with a chain saw.  And did they go to work!  Slowly the branches got pulled away from the house, cut up, and piled on the edge of the property. 

 

Gym, St. Mark's Boys School

 

All of our trophies have been stripped of their branches and look naked.  They will all have to come down.  The house now is covered with a few enormous blue tarps held down with 1 by 4’s nailed down.

People continue to come looking to help.  Kids walk the streets handing out water, sandwiches, and cookies.  Central Market, which got hammered, has supplied free breakfasts, lunches, and dinners for all workers and home owners from food wagons. 

The goodness & generosity of people has again touched my spirit. 

 

 

 

Tons of branches, trees, & refuse created tunnels.