Sunday Homily, February 7, 2016, 5th Ordinary Time, C

Welcome in, Sydney & Hugh, you are early enough to find seats.

Readings: 

Isaiah 6, 1- 2,  3-8,   Whom shall I send? Here I am, send me..

Psalm 138,  In the sight of the angels I will sing your praises, Lord.  (Good one)

1 Corinthians 15, 1-11,    I am the least of all the apostles

Luke 5,  1-11,  Today this passage is fulfilled in your hearing.

"Welcome in," says Ben, "we are ready to warm You up."

Observations:   Isaiah (I) 

This is The Great One.  The Prophet.  My favorite.  In general, this work has three parts put together by three different people.  It is time dependent: before, during, and after the, you guessed it, the Babylonian Captivity.  Keep 555 before Christ in mind as an easy date.  You can guess that this is Isaiah I, being chapter 6 (of 66 chapters)

Last week we heard the story of the prophet Jeremiah’s call by Yahweh.  This week we have Isaiah’s call. 

Cindy, too, says, "Welcome in, Everybody.  It is warmer in here than out there in that cold rain."

Psalm 138

Want to hear something beautiful?  Listen to today’s psalm.  Another of my favorites. Thanks, thanks, and more thanks.

1 Corinthians 15

In last week’s Corinthians’ reading Paul described his vision of love.  Today he continues talking to the people of his church in Corinth, focusing on how he was called by God.

So, today we have a theme of call & gratitude.  Even the gospel has a sub-theme of call.  Pretty neat.

Jim & John solving all our problems in life.

Sunday Homily

I will give thanks to you, O Lord, with all my heart

We have been blessed the past few weeks because of so many good readings, Isaiah, Jeremiah, and now Psalm 138, one of my favorites.   I can still remember when and where it was that I became aware of its beauty.   I was in Nairobi making a private retreat near an arboretum.  My subject today, therefore, is another of my favorite activities,  giving thanks.

Jan, our official greeter as everyone comes in, readies the home made communion bread and the grape juice.

About two weeks ago I got an Email from a young woman who wanted me to perform her wedding in October here in Dallas.  I have backed off of doing weddings almost every weekend.  Just too exhausting & I don’t have the old energy.

I do not remember this girl, but she wrote something that really hooked me.  She said that she used to attend St. Marks Cafetorium Masses and loved my homilies.  Naturally,  of course, I accepted her invitation, and was grateful that here is one person who has with me fond memories of some good times.

"Where is that crazy mike button?"

The second reason I gave thanks this week tied in with this girl who is called Kathleen.   Remember the monster kid who came to our Mass last Sunday?  Noah and his mom.  The kid whom I knew when he was just a little guy who helped me  as an Altar server in the cafetorium.  Within a couple of weeks I have remembered with gratitude the good times I had at St. Marks.

The thirst reason why I am giving thanks to the Lord with all my heart today is because  of the spinal surgeon who took away all my pain with his operation.   Thursday, exactly six weeks since the operation, he gave me a complete and total discharge.

Emma, you are so good, I think you could light those candles in your sleep.

I may ride my bike & return to the 6 A.M. spin classes at the Jewish Community Center.  I don’t even have to have a physical therapist.  According to him I am old enough and experienced enough to manage my continuing rehab.

Buddy, you have a gift for reading and you are developing a terrific stage presence.

I will give thanks to you, O Lord, with all my heart.  

For what are you giving thanks this morning?

I give thanks, Sir Charlie, that you have not pulled a fast one on me in the last 5 minutes, or so I think, maybe, I hope.

Asleep again!  Seth, you will make a good Catholic.  Fall asleep as soon the priest begins.   And you are supposed to welcome everybody in today!

Readings:

Jeremiah   20, 10-13,  He has rescued the life of the poor from the power of the wicked

 Psalm 69,   Lord, in your great love answer me. 

Romans 5, 12-15, Through one man sin entered the world.

Matthew 10, 26-33, Fear no one. 

"Hi, Everybody," says Tori, "Welcome in."  Nice, Tori.

Jeremiah observations–

What:  I think Jeremiah is my second favorite O.T. prophet, behind Isaiah, mostly because he makes whining and complaining into an art form.  I need to take lessons from him.  Not that he did not have enough to complain about.   Jeremiah is one of the Big 3 with Isaiah and Ezekiel.  He is called the ‘broken hearted prophet.’  Here is why.

Time:  Jeremiah lived and prophesied in Jerusalem around 600 before Christ.  Why is this important?  It is some 50 years before the Babylonian Captivity.  Jeremiah had a heart rending life predicting punishment of death and destruction for the Hebrews for their sinful, selfish ways.  Jeremiah predicted disaster, and disaster came in the person of Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon-Bagdad.

He may have been ultimately killed by the Hebrews.

Today:  Jeremiah is in top form.

Zoe, too, says, "Come in Folks."  Zoe, you make a delightful hostess.

Fear No One

I would like to talk this morning about one line that struck me in the readings, fear no one.  A pretty powerful idea. 

Last Monday there was an editorial in The Dallas Morning News that talked about the Smith family of Trenton, NJ.  This family, all 8 of them, all black, about a year ago won the Powerball Jackpot of $429 million. 

The best music, Katie & Ben.  Katie, it is so nice to have you back.

Woopee, new house, a mansion, new  cars, an exotic vacation, all the best?  Right?  Wrong.  The Smiths decided to invest a large portion of their winning in the fight to help others overcome poverty in Trenton.  They  set up a foundation, smithfamilyfoundation.com.

They particularly focused on improving the lives of children and families through education, job training, and neighborhood development.  Their slogan is the well known, don’t give the person a fish, teach the person to fish.

Our Candle Lighter of The Week, Buddy
 

The Smiths say they have lived as children in the ghetto with poverty.  Their parents, however, impressed upon them the value of getting educated to find success.  This they have done.  The Powerball winning is an extra bonus they want to use to help others up. 

The Smith family exemplifies for me the unconditional nature of God’s love for us.  The gospel says fear no one.  Who is the one many of us grew up fearing?  For me, God.  To get to where I am now I had to tune out the messages about a conditionally loving God and focus on the people in my life who were like the Smiths.  We all have had these people or we would not be here today. 

Communion for those who will serve the Community.

Whom, if anybody, do you fear?

Readings:

Exodus  3, 1-8, 13-15     Yahweh calls Moses from the burning bush.

Psalm 103,  The Lord is kind and merciful. (Excellent last stanza, The Lord is gracious and merciful, never gets angry and is abounding in love.)

1 Corinthians 10, 1-6, 10-12,   Do not grumble as some of them did. 

Luke 13, 1-9,   The parable of the fig tree with no figs.

Says Harper, Welcome in, Everybody. 

Exodus observations:

What: this is the second book of the Bible and Torah, following Genesis, which we had last week with Abraham receiving the special land.    Exodus is a story about how the Jewish tribe of people escaped from slavery in Egypt.  A good read.

Who:  the story is about the Jewish people and their reluctant leader, Moses.  It was put together, not by Moses, as was thought for centuries, but by a group of the priests even centuries later.

Hey, who is that new helper?  Why, that is Buddy, next to his big sister.

When:  it is put together at The Time in Jewish history, yes, during the Babylonian Captivity, say 555 years before Christ.  It is a mostly mythological story about how God helped his special people out of slavery eons before Babylon.  Do you see a parallel between the slavery of Egypt and Babylon?  Could this be a reason for developing the Egypt story, that is, to encourage the people enslaved in Babylon?

Our selection:  like the call stories of Isaiah and Jeremiah, here is another call story, this time Moses.    

Ugh, oh, Folks, watch out.  Guess who is walking!

The Lord is gracious and merciful, never gets angry and is abounding in love.

This morning I would like to pick up two themes from the readings and tie them up with our lives.  The themes are from Exodus and Psalm 103, the Moses story of call and the description of God as being gracious and merciful, never getting angry and abounding in love, using a translation I love.

Two observations about the call.  First, it usually involves discomfort for me because I am getting called out of my comfort zone.  Secondly, in accepting the call I feel peace and joy, like I talked about last week.  In fact, I meet that God who is gracious and merciful, never gets angry and is abounding in love.

Daddy, May I play with that guitar.    

I have told you over the years that I can identify 3 big calls in my life, entering the Jesuits, going to work in East Africa, and getting married to Rosemary.  I’m now adding a fourth, the invitation to be part of our marvelous community.

Besides these mega calls I would propose that we get medium level calls frequently in our lives.  These come to me because of events or circumstances.  Often they come to me because of a person, maybe in combination with events. 

Some of the Bona Responds volunteers in Dallas to donate a week of their spring break to clean up work in Garland.  They are students at St. Bonaventure U., near Buffalo, a Franciscan university.  

For example, there is a person like that here with us this morning, Jim Mahar, from the staff at St. Bonaventure U. near Buffalo, NY.   I would include with Jim one of our own, Bill Hammond. 

I first got one of these Mahar-Hammond calls after the hurricane in Galveston.  Guess where I went for a week.  Yes, Galveston, where we all worked like crazy cleaning trash out of roads, tearing destroyed houses apart, and spending nights in a church dormitory for about 20 Baptist Men (a great group), one of whom snored quite loudly.  We had a group of students, boys and girls, probably 10 to 15.  I spent a beautiful and moving week.

 Artist at work, Zoe.

Next I get the call to go to OK City after the last big tornado.  Our group of about 10 spent a week cleaning up a forgotten small town called Little Ax.   The majority of dwellings had been mobile homes.  They were gone, or, at least, torn and twisted apart.  It was beautiful spring weather while we were there and dreadful destruction.  The people were all gone. 

One special event for me took place in Little Ax.  We worked with and spent the nights with two unique groups of kids.  One was an international Jewish disaster group and the other was a Muslim international disaster group.  I talked with the kids in these groups and was quite touched.  The Jewish kids had literally flown in from Israel to help in Oklahoma.

Our newest altar server understudy, Buddy,  helping his big sister.

Talk about God being gracious and merciful, never getting angry and abounding in love.   Despite the destruction.

Guess what is the call this week from Mahar & Hammond. 

Guess who has their eyes intently focused on their brother, Buddy.  Victoria and Zoe.  

Readings:    

Deuteronomy  6, 2-6,   You shall love the Lord

Psalm 18,   I love you, Lord, my strength.

1 John 3, 1-3,   See what love the Father has bestowed on us. (this is from the All Saints readings, p. 75)

Mark 12, 28-34,  Which is the first of all the commandments.

All Saints presentation with pictures

All Saints: intro & a brief history

   Intro: 3 feasts—

                      All Saints: (or All Hallowes) those who have achieved the beatific vision according to Catholic Church, based on miracles.

                    All Souls: those who have not achieved the beatific vision and are considered paying for their sins in purgatory.

                    Hallowe’en: the vigil of All Hallowes, a Celtic-Irish harvest, end of summer celebration. 

   History in 2 parts: the Western Catholic Church & the Eastern Catholic Church

Offertory, Hugh and Sydney, Lily and Scott

                     The West: 4 significant dates, 300, 600, 700, & 800

    Year 300: during this century the early Christians, reeling from persecution, celebrated the feast of All Martyrs.  This is really the foundation of the feast. Year 600: a Pope Boniface dedicated the Pantheon in Rome to Mary & All Martyrs.  May 13 was the celebration because it was also an ancient pagan day of celebration.

  Year 700:  a Pope Gregory set up in St. Peter’s Basilica a side chapel dedicated to All Saints.

   Year 800: Dec. 25, Charlemagne is crowned Emperor by Pope on the red stone in St. Peter’s.  Charlemagne, an advocate of All Saints, established it on Nov. 1, coupling it with a Harvest Feast. 

Caliope receiving the sacrament of the sick blessing

                    The East:

   Year 900, the Byzantine Emperor Leo the Wise had a beloved, devout wife, Theophano.  She died & Leo built a church which he intended to dedicate to her.  The religious authorities said no, so he dedicated it to All Saints, assuming his wife to be among the saints.

  Note:  later, three big events happen:

          a.  Crusade #4, on its way to fight the Muslims in the Holy Land, captures and wrecks Constantinople, ca. 1200.  J.P. II apologizes for this in 2004. 

          b.  Ottoman Turks or Muslims capture Constantinople, 1450 and rename it Istanbul.  It is Muslim to today.

          c.  Post 1540, Rome condemns Eastern Catholic church as schismatic over theological disputes, i.e., the nature of Jesus.

 Sources: Practicing Catholic by James Carroll, Catholic Encyclopedia on line, Wikipedia.

Emma

 The Most Difficult Commandment

Today we have the greatest commandment or the first commandment.  I want to talk about the hardest commandment.

Rosemary has a passion for these British dramas on PBS.  One of her favorites comes on tonight at 7:00, Call the Midwife.  The story takes place ca. 1950 in London on the East Side, a rough ghetto of good people trying to make a penny.  In particular it is about midwives who serve the women.  The group has been set up by some nuns, Anglican, in fact, and they invite help from other trained women.

Leo

There is the kind nun, the tough on the outside nun, the young pretty girl shocked by so much drama she is seeing for the first time, and there is Chummy. 

Chummy is a warm and tender midwife with no self confidence.  She acts clumsy and insecure.  She is not from anything like the East Side, rather from a wealthy, cold family where she received little love.  In fact, she spent most of her life in boarding schools.  How she came to work as a midwife in the East Side nobody has said.

Sandra receiving The Cupcake of The Week for her special birthday

Turns out Chummy has attracted the interest of the nice local police man and they have developed a special relationship.  She meets his parents and all goes well.  He wants to meet her mother.  Ugh, oh.

And that’s where we are tonight.  Rosemary tells me that she read or saw in one of her sneak previews on line that Chummy was turning herself in for some infraction and that she was talking about being a nun.  Which leads me to think her relationship with the police man ran aground.  Because her cold, class conscious mother did not approve?

Sorry, I don’t know what happens.  I can tell you in the blog or you can tune in tonight.   Channel 13, 7:00.

Rosemary says, “So why the story??”  Because this exemplifies the way I have approached the Great Commandment forever. 

Cole

 There are really 3 commands here, love God, love my neighbor, and love my neighbor as I love myself.  What is the hardest?  For me the third, loving myself.

We get messed up & even ruined as kids in two ways: abuse & neglect.  A kid messed up this way can be messed up for life. We see it all the time, like in the news.  Angry, violent adults and angry, violent kids.

Lorynn and Laycee

And Chummys.   People without self confidence and courage to risk.  People afraid.  People neglected as children, Chummy. 

I don’t know the outcome, but I can conjecture that Chummy will be afraid to confront her mother and marry the policeman.  Yes, I’ve been sucked into watching this program.  The moral, ethical, and psychological dilemmas are riveting. 

Rosemary reading her blessing

We are called to love ourselves. 

How?

Readings:  Isaiah 40, 1-11, Comfort, give comfort to my people, says your God; Psalm 85, Lord, let us see your kindness, and grant us your salvation;  2 Peter 3, 8-14, The Lord does not delay his promise;  Mark 1, 1-8, I am sending my messenger ahead of you; he will prepare your way.

Mass for Second Sunday of Advent, 12-4-11, John Cade Celebrating

 Opening Prayer   Let us pray: O God, we gather together in this season when we celebrate and experience anew your coming in the Christmas mystery. We acknowledge that you are not far away, but with us wherever we are, calling us to live in unity and love. We ask for increased sensitivity to your presence with us and we give you thanks both now and forever and ever…   Amen.   

A few words about the readings today, from the prophet Isaiah, the second letter of Peter, and the Gospel of Mark.

     The first reading is from the Book of the Prophet Isaiah, Ch 40:1-5, 9-11. The fact that this reading is from Chapter 40 tells us that the prophet is now turning from chiding the people for their failings to prophesying better times to come and giving words of comfort.

    The words we hear from Isaiah today probably relate to the journey home from captivity in Babylon. Isaiah appears to use this passage symbolically to describe a moral cleansing and renewal by the Jewish people prior to their returning to Jerusalem.

     Georg Freideric Handel is one of the most famous composers in the Baroque period. He was born in Germany, but spent most of his adult life in England and is best known as the composer of the Messiah in 1741. In place of reading the passage from Isaiah, we will listen to the words put to music in Part I of the Messiah. You may wish to sing or hum along. Or you may just want to soak in the power of Isaiah’s words.

     The second reading is from the Second Letter of Peter, Ch 3 (8-14).  This reading also refers to a coming of Jesus, not at Christmas, but at the end of time. It repeats the theme of last week’s reading from Mark to “Be watchful.”  And in the Gospel reading, the author of Mark has John the Baptist introduce Jesus as the Messiah to the people of Mark’s time.

 Gospel of Mark, Chapter 1 (1-8).            

     The beginning   of the gospel of Jesus Christ the Son of God. As it is written in Isaiah the prophet: Behold I am sending my messenger ahead of you; he will prepare your way. A voice of one crying out in the desert: Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths. John the Baptist appeared in the desert proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.

     People of the whole Judean countryside and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem were going out to him and were being baptized by him in the Jordan River as they acknowledged their sins.

     John was clothed in camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist. He fed on locusts and wild honey. And this is what he proclaimed: One mightier than I is coming after me. I am not worthy to stoop and loosen the thongs on his sandals. I have baptized you with water; he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.       

  HOMILY:

     All three readings today refer to the coming of Jesus. First, the prophecy of Isaiah is interpreted by the author of Mark as referring to the Messiah to come. Second, Peter’s reference to the final coming of Jesus at the end of time. And third, Mark’s use of John the Baptist to introduce Jesus as the real thing coming after John.

     In Isaiah Ch 40, and in the first words of Mark’s Gospel, there are pronouncements that something big is happening. Like: “Get ready!”, “Come see!”, “He is coming!”, “Here He is!”

     Well, if you don’t yet know, Lambrini and I are totally enthralled with our grandsons, Leo and Freddie. Recently we have noticed how Leo (almost 3) greets us when we go to his home or he comes to ours. His greeting is some sort of pronouncement, like: “Come see what I did! I did it!!” (pointing to Xmas tree,hands out gesture), -or- “Come see!! I have stuff to show you!!” –or- “YiaYia! Look!! YiaYia’s here!!” – or, last time he came to our home for a visit, “I’m back!”  

     What enthusiasm he expresses for life as it comes to him day by day. What sensitivity to people and events of every day, that we grownups take for granted, or have little wonder or excitement about.

     It seems to me that the use of the pronouncements by Isaiah, and Peter, and Mark, and John the Baptist are intended to evoke in us wonder and awe in the here and now, for what is always coming into our lives, the wonder and excitement children express naturally. ‘Out of the mouths of babes’ we are instructed in how to welcome the Good News that Christmas is coming, Jesus is coming, and that Christmas and Jesus are always coming.

     If you don’t have a 3 or 4 year old in your life, to experience their dramatic pronouncements about daily events and about people, think back to when you did, or a family member did, or a friend or a neighbor did. Listen with your ears and with your heart for the wonder and the enthusiasm they express about all that is new for them every day.

     The question I leave you with is: how do you respond to your everyday Christmas events? How are you preparing for the coming of God who is always here with us?

Picture 1:    Mass Begins

Picture 2:    Candle Ritual, Diane & Jenny

Picture 3:    Jenny lighting the candles

Picture 4:    Bethany & Shonda

Picture 5:    Leo & Rosemary

Picture 6:    John's daughter Joey with Freddie

Picture 7:    Freddie with his granddad