20th Sunday in Ordinary Time, August 18, 2024

 

 

 

Rosemary's sister, Clare recuperating from knee replacement.

 

Readings:

Wisdom 18, 6-9,  You people awaited the salvation of the just.

Psalm 33,  Blessed the people the Lord has chosen to be his own (Everybody?) 

Hebrews 11, 1-2, 8-19,  Faith is the realization of what is hoped for.

Luke 12, 32-48,  Do not be afraid any longer.

 

 

 

The Team says, "Welcome."

 

 

Observations on the Readings: note how there is one positive line and a whole bunch of fear focus.

 

Do not be afraid any longer, Little Flock

I would like this morning to pick up on that line from Luke, Do not be afraid any longer, Little Flock.

A week ago this past Wednesday I was coming home from working out at the Jewish Community gym.  It was about 7:00 A.M. and sunny.  It had been dark when I set out at around 5:30.  I parked in our driveway, turned off the Prius, and prepared to get out and enter our kitchen door.

 

 

 

So Ben goes off for summer vacation and returns 5 1/2 inches taller.   How did you do that, Ben?  Last time I measured I was 2 inches shorter.

 

Suddenly through the left corner of the windshield I noticed something white just off the cement and in the grass.  “Nuts,” I thought.  “I have forgotten again to leave at the J my hand towel used for sweat."  But, I had not noticed it when I departed.

As I exited the car I more or less kept my eye on the white spot when suddenly I saw a movement.  I walked over and the white towel turned out to be the prettiest little pure white cat.  It was lying on its left side, facing our back door, and its right hind leg twitched once in a while.

 

 

 

 

"Connie, I bet you are in the market for a mint condition red car."

 

It had obviously had a bad night. I thought I could see tooth marks on its neck and on its left shoulder an open wound.  It had somehow walked almost to our back door (to find help), lay down exhausted, and was dying.

 

 

 

The welcome team, Alison and Jan.

 

I ran inside to get Rosemary.  We decided to take her or him straight to the vet just around the corner.  We put a towel on a piece of cardboard.  Rosemary took some gloves and placed the little cat on the towel. 

 

 

 

Thanks, Leo, for a delightful second Homily.

 

I confess that I was scared to pick up the cat because I thought her spinal tendon might be damaged.  There was no obvious pain, but as she was picked up the little cat, it opened the sweetest little light blue left eye and looked at Rosemary.

At the vet’s office we all decided that the little cat needed to be euthanized out of her pain.  It had no ID and the vet said she was in bad shape.

 

 

 

Just in case you lose your way, Buddy's shoes will light your path.

 

I walked out of that office with tears running down my cheeks and for a couple of days the cat was on my mind and in my heart.

Let me now refocus.  I would propose that my heart goes out to that little cat only a tiny fraction of how God’s heart goes out to all of us.  Could we be God’s cats?

Do not be afraid any longer, Little Flock.

 

 

 

Sophia lights the candles while Buddy reads the blessing.

 

Could it be that all this emphasis on fear, on being caught off guard, and being punished (even forever) is partly the tribal leaders of the people trying to control the unruly tribe?

If you are plagued by this fear, what can you do to not be afraid any longer, Little flock?

 

 

The offertory team, Louis, Cheryl, Frank, and Mary.

Isaiah 7:  Therefore the Lord himself will give you this sign: the virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall name him Emmanuel.

Romans 1:  Through him we have received the grace of apostleship, to  bring about the obedience of faith, for the sake of his name, among all the Gentiles

Matthew 1:  She will bear a son and you are to name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.

     

Christmas Eve Mass will be on Saturday, December 24th at 4:30 P.M.  There will not be a Mass on Christmas Day. 

 

 

John lighting the candles

 

 

Thanks…     

Music,    Ben

Readers,  Georgie and Kevin

Gospel,   John Cade

Homily,  John Stack

Eucharistic Prayer A & B,  John Stack & John Cade

The Magic Zoom makers,   Hue & Kevin & Lynda & Tom

Final Blessing, Rosemary

 

       

 

Kevin reading from Paul's letter to the Romans           

 

 

 

                                                                  

Readings:  Download 12-18-22- Readings – 4th Sunday of Advent

Homily:  Download 12-11-22- Homily – 3rd Sunday of Advent

 

 

 

It's Ben's birthday and he got a cookie

 

Remember these special people:

For Jan;  For Tom  Quinn who had back surgery on November 21st;  For Sandra who has been diagnosed with Large B Cell Lymphoma;   For Lambrini, John Cade's wife, who is dealing with cancer and Kaliope, John Cade's Mother-in-law;  For Madeleine, Richard Eshelbrenner's granddaughter;  For Hue; For Jackie;  For John's sister, Kathey recovering from a fall;    For Tom Good;  For a young man, 19 struggling with a brain tumor and cancer;     For Mary Hall's friend Cadence still suffering from a serious medical condition;   For Sir Charlie & Jan; 

       

Jackie's mom, sister, & friend, Lynn;  For Rick Turner searching for a kidney donor, Type O neg.;   For Jean & Cliff Wright;  For Dee, and for her daughters, Lisa & Lauren;     For a young man who is suffering from depression;  John Cade's daughter, Joey, with cancer; from Barbara, a little baby boy named Ford recuperating from an operation & friends, Annie, a mom of 3 kids and Michael ;    for the medical staffs, teachers, and coaches in our public & private schools.

 

 

The Kiss of Peace

 

 

Birthdays:  Ben  12/18

Anniversaries:   

Community Finances:   

Expenses: $  1,350.00

Outreach: $  80.00 

Thanks again, Folks, for doing what you can.

                 

 

 

Rosemary's Blessing:  

The Christmas Story will always be the story of Emmanuel, of God-with-us, always and everywhere, in the everyday, in the chaos, in the flight into exile, in the love between a man and a woman and in the birth of a child. It is the story of God who heals, empowers and loves us just as we are – in our greatness and our foolishness. As we anticipate the joy, the love and the peace that are God's Christmas gifts to us, let us receive them with gratitude and be sure to unfold them and share them especially where they need to be more visible.

Sister Jean Amore, CSJ, Principal, Sacred Heart Academy, Hempstead, N.Y.

 

Thanks…     

Music,   Ben & Shonda

Donna updates us on the sweatshirt and hoodie drive

 

Expenses: $   1,000.00

Outreach: $   450.00

Thanks again, Folks, for doing what you can.

 

 

Lynda reads her blessing

 

 

Lynda's Blessing:

Today I am thankful for eyes that have come to see that life will not always be easy.
That road will bend.
Those lines will blur.
That tides will rise.
And that storms will come.
I am thankful for those lights that took the form of humans.
Who shone into me when I was at my lowest.
Who were not afraid of sadness. Or darkness.
Or the many layers that wove themselves around me and made me hard to understand.
Or reach. Or even hard to love sometimes.
I'm thankful for skies that change color.
For paths that change direction.
And for seasons that remind me that we are all just one breath away from a new beginning.
I am thankful, knowing that kindness still exists.
That the truth is out there.
That faith can move mountains.
And that I was made for every last bit of it.

~ 'Thankful' by Ullie Kaye

 

 

 

 

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

 

 

 

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. 

 

 

 

Community Activities:  

ROMEO MEET: Friday, June 30, Jason's Deli, Collin Creek Mall, west side of Central, 1:00.  Welcome all wakos,  you will fit right in.  

JULIET LUNCHEON, (aka.,just us ladies into eating together), For July,  TBA

 

 

 

What is going on in Our Catholic World

1. The vanishing parish priest,   The Tablet, June 7,   800 words,  

 

 

 

True?

The 'Middle Wife' by an Anonymous 2nd grade teacher:

I've been teaching now for about fifteen years. I have two kids
myself, but the best birth story I know is the one I saw in my own
second grade classroom a few years back.

When I was a kid, I loved show-and-tell. So I always have a few
sessions with my students. It helps them get over shyness and usually,
show-and-tell is pretty tame. Kids bring in pet turtles, model
airplanes, pictures of fish they catch, stuff like that. And I never,
ever place any boundaries or limitations on them. If they want to lug
it in to school and talk about it, they're welcome.

Well, one day this little girl, Erica, a very bright, very outgoing
kid,takes her turn and waddles up to the front of the class with a
pillow stuffed under her sweater.

She holds up a snapshot of an infant. 'This is Luke, my baby brother,
and I'm going to tell you about his birthday.'

'First, Mom and Dad made him as a symbol of their love, and then Dad
put a seed in my Mom's stomach, and Luke grew in there. He ate for
nine months through an umbrella cord.'

She's standing there with her hands on the pillow, and I'm trying not
to laugh and wishing I had my camcorder with me. The kids are watching
her in amazement.

'Then, about two Saturdays ago, my Mom starts going, 'Oh, Oh, Oh, Oh!'
Erica puts a hand behind her back and groans. 'She walked around the
house for, like an hour, 'Oh, oh, oh!' (Now this kid is doing a
hysterical duck walk and groaning.)

'My Dad called the middle wife. She delivers babies, but she doesn't
have a sign on the car like the Domino's man. They got my Mom to lie
down in bed like this.' (Then Erica lies down with her back against
the wall.)

'And then, pop! My Mom had this bag of water she kept in there in case
he got thirsty, and it just blew up and spilled all over the bed, like
psshhheew!' (This kid has her legs spread with her little hands miming
water flowing away. It was too much!)

'Then the middle wife starts saying 'push, push,' and 'breathe, breathe.
They started counting, but never even got past ten. Then, all of a
sudden, out comes my brother. He was covered in yucky stuff that they
all said it was from Mom's play-center, so there must be a lot of toys
inside there. When he got out, the middle wife spanked him for
crawling up in there in the first place.'

Then Erica stood up, took a big theatrical bow and returned to her seat.

I'm sure I applauded the loudest. Ever since then, when it's
Show-and-tell day, I bring my camcorder, just in case another 'Middle
Wife' comes along.

 

 

 

See you Sunday.

J.S., 214-783-0443

 

 

 

 

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.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks…     

Music,   Ben 

 

  Expenses: $   680.00

  Outreach: $   285.00

Thanks again, Folks, for doing what you can.

 

 

The Kiss of Peace

 

 

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!

Take up our quarrel with the foe!
To you from falling hands we throw
The torch, Be yours to bear it high!
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep tho’ poppies blow
In Flanders Field.

IN FLANDERS FIELDS
By Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae

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

 

Genesis 12:  The  Lord said to Abram; … I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you; …

2 Timothy:  Beloved: Bear your share of hardship for the gospel with the strength that comes from God.

Matthew 17:  And he was transfigured before them; his face shone like the sun and his clothes became white as light.

 

 

Kevin getting the Zoom ready

 

Thanks…     

Music,    Shonda

Readers,  Mary and Warren

Gospel,   John Cade

Homily,   John Stack

Eucharistic Prayer A & B,  John Stack & John Cade

The Magic Zoom makers,   Hue & Kevin

Final Blessing, Rosemary

 

       

Mary reading from Genesis

 

Readings:  Download 03-05-23 Readings – 2nd Lent

Homily:   

 

 

Warren reading from Paul's letter to Timothy

 

 

There will be a Celebration of Life for Ron Senter on April 1, 2023 at Restland  at 2:00 in the afternoon. 

 

 

Remember these special people:

For the family of Ron Senter;  For Frank Esparza;  For Jan;  For John Simari's mother who is not feeling well;  For Tom  Quinn who had back surgery on November 21st;  For Sandra who has been diagnosed with Large B Cell Lymphoma;   For Lambrini, John Cade's wife, who is dealing with cancer ;  For Madeleine, Richard Eshelbrenner's granddaughter;  For Hue; For Jackie;  For John's sister, Kathey recovering from a fall;   For Tom Good;  For a young man, 19 struggling with a brain tumor and cancer;     For Mary Hall's friend Cadence still suffering from a serious medical condition;   For Sir Charlie & Jan; 

       

Jackie's mom, sister, & friend, Lynn;  For Rick Turner searching for a kidney donor, Type O neg.;   For Jean & Cliff Wright;  For Dee, and for her daughters, Lisa & Lauren;  For a young man who is suffering from depression;  John Cade's daughter, Joey, with cancer; from Barbara, a little baby boy named Ford recuperating from an operation & friends, Annie, a mom of 3 kids and Michael ;    for the medical staffs, teachers, and coaches in our public & private schools.

 

 

Linda, Ray, Gilberto, Mary and Bernadette

 

 

Birthdays:  Dee Miller 3/10

Anniversaries:  

Community Finances:   

Expenses: $  1,250.00

Outreach: $  360.00

Thanks again, Folks, for doing what you can.

 

       

Richard

 

Rosemary's Blessing: 

May today there be peace within. May you trust that you are exactly where you are meant to be.

May you not forget the infinite possibilities that are born of faith in yourself and others.

May you use the gifts that you have received, and pass on the love that has been given to you.

May you be content with yourself just the way you are.

Let this knowledge settle into your bones, and allow your soul the freedom to sing, dance, praise and love.

It is there for each and every one of us.

Saint Terese of Lisieux