Sunday Homily, June 14, 2015, 11th Ordinary Time, B

Readings:

1 Kings 17, 10-16,  Please bring me a small cup of water to drink.

Psalm 146,    Praise the Lord, my soul.

Hebrews  9, 24-28, Christ did not enter into a sanctuary made by hands.

Mark 12, 38-44,  The poor widow with the 2 small coins, The Widow's Mite.

 

            Genevieve & Mary say, "Good Morning, Everybody,                     Welcome in."                     

       

Kings:

     Author & date of composition: the work is a compilation of numerous sources put together near the end of the Babylonian Captivity, ca. 555.

    Subject Matter: 1 Kings is part of a 4 book work that includes 1 & 2 Samuel and 1 & 2 Kings.  The 3 kings are Saul, David, and his son, Solomon.

 The work begins with Samuel, the last great judge, continues through the lives of the 3 kings, and finally shows how Solomon’s sons’ squabbles led to the division of the Jewish nation into two states, north & south, Israel & Judah.  Both states were defeated and the people of both were taken into captivity as slaves. 

The people of Israel never returned from Syria.  The people of Judah taken into the Babylonian Captivity maintained their tribal identify and came back to Jerusalem, which had been wrecked.   The Babylonian Captivity ended on a high note when Cyrus of Persia defeats Nebuchadnezzar in Babylon, and allows the Jews to return to Jerusalem.

 

                    Cole, a Master Candle Lighter, at work.   

 

    The Theme: you be good, good things happen to you; you be bad, bad things happen to you.

    Our selection: 2 great prophets lived when the kingdom divided, Elijah & Elisha.  They criticized the bad ways of the sons of King Solomon.  In this selection, Elijah tells the king he is going to send a drought to the king's land.  Then Elijah goes away & meets a poor, starving widow with a son.  Watch what happens.  This is setting us up for the Widow's Mite story in the gospel.

 

            

               Another team of Master Helpers, Kevin & Georgina 

 

Today’s Widow’s Mite

This morning I would like to talk about the two ladies in our readings, the lady with her son getting ready to eat their last meal before dying and the famous Widow’s Mite.  Let's make it contemporary.

A story to exemplify. 

Ever hear about Nathan Bradley?

Narthan Bradley is a policeman.  In fact, he is a GA State Trooper.  He is young, 25 years old, and has been working as a trooper for a year and a half. 

 

           Is that an angel that I see?  Why, Yes, it is Victoria.

 

This past Halloween Saturday afternoon Nathan was on duty when he was called to cover a traffic accident.  He discovers when he arrives that a young couple have been killed.  Somehow he checks out where they live, which was not far away.  He decides to go to their house to report the deaths to whomever lives there.

He goes to the house and rings the bell.  The inside door is opened cautiously and Nathan discovers 4 children aged 13 to 6, all dressed in their Halloween costumes.  The kids tell him their parents have gone to buy some face paint at the corner.

 

             Is that another angel that I see?  Yep, it is Zoe

 

On the spot Nathan makes 2 decisions.  He cannot tell them about their parents’ deaths.  In fact, he decides he has got to make this Halloween special for them . 

So he bundles them into his squad car and takes them first to McDonald’s, hamburgers, milk shakes, the whole deal.  Then he takes them on a tour of the state trooper complex.  They play trick or treat.  Finally they have a sleep-over at the station. 

 

 

    Remember that nice little kid we talked about last Sunday…..

 

During this time a call has been made to a grandmother in Jacksonville.  She is driving up to take care of the kids. 

With the kids bedded down, Nathan is not finished.  To help pay for expenses, like the funerals, Nathan goes on line and sets up a fund on Go Fund Me, hoping to collect $7,000.   As of yesterday, Saturday, one week from Halloween and the accident, the fund had reached $400,000. 

Are there not sensitive and generous people everywhere around us? 

 

                Here he is, like a few years ago, Noah before.

 

3 quick observations on The Widow’s Mite.

Three observations.

First, this is a marvelous call to help and to contribute, not just money, but so much else, my time, my positive strokes of others, my efforts to help kids recover from deaths, like Nathan Bradley. 

 

                 
                  Cupcake of The Week to Mike & Dee.

 

Secondly, watch out.  A trap here.  See Mark’s use of infinite demand?  Am I supposed to likewise contribute all I have, my whole livelihood?  Not quite, which leads to my next point.

Thirdly, want to know why I did not want to take up a formal collection at our liturgies?  Because the churches I was part of as a young boy always pushed money.  These little stories guilted me.   I bet a lot of parishioners are hearing this morning how they should be donating to their parish.  Tithing is the norm, 10%.  It is a really literal approach to the story.

How are you helping others?

Source: I found this story on line, Outlook Express, Friday, 11/6/15.

   
       

Cupcake of The Week to Rosemary on her birthday, the 14th

 

Two of The Best, Cindy & Dee.

 

Readings:

2 Malachi 3, 19-20, Lo, the day is coming that will set them on fire. 

Psalm 98,  The Lord comes to rule the earth with justice.

2 Thessalonians 3, 7-12,   Anyone unwilling to work should not eat.

Luke 21, 5-19,  The days will come when there will not be left a stone upon another.

 

 

The best of Teams.

 

Thanksgiving, 2019-11-15

Guess what, Everybody.  Two Sundays and we celebrate my most favorite holiday, Thanksgiving.  To get us into the spirit I want to describe my three biggest blessings of the year.

 

 

The Candle Lighting Ritual.

 

Blessing 1 is my health.  My whole life I simply assumed that I would always be healthy. 

Trouble started last Thanksgiving when Rosemary, Aviana, & I made our annual visit to Rosemary’s sister’s in Hilton Head.  I could hardly walk, even with a cane.  My routine doctor sent me to an orthopedist.  I’ll never forget the visit.   He pointed to his computer screen, said, “I can fix this.”  He even said he had one opening before the New Year.  Did I want it? 

Wow, did I want it!  I had lumbar stenosis, a pinched nerve in my lower back. 

 

 

Buddy reading The Blessing of the Candles (not memorized yet).

 

While I was dealing with this my parkinson decided to get more active.  My neurologist said exercise, box, work out on ellipticals, anything to get my arms swinging.  He gave me a pill to take 3 times a day. 

We had a May cruise in the North Atlantic & I was pretty nervous, even just with the trans-Atlantic flight.  I took a cane.  I never used it.  Everything improved.  No dizziness, better coordination of my legs and arms. 

Which brings me to today and Thanksgiving.  I am grateful.

 

 

The Offertory with Tom & Susan & Bill.

 

Second blessing  of the year: you people, our community.   The generous spirit of everyone, the eagerness to support & pray for our people who need special care, and the way everyone pitches in.  Buddy & Georgie, John & Mike, Ben & David & Shonda, Jackie & Connie, all plus many others who make our Sunday celebrations so touching.  I am humbled and blessed by all of you people.

 

 

The Communion Team.

 

The final blessing of 2019: Rosemary, my blessing for 15 years & more.

Your blessings of 2019?

   

 

Twins??  The Best.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hooray, The Team is back from vacation!

 

 

Readings:  

 Genesis 3, 9-15,   The man replied, “The woman whom you put here with me—she gave me fruit from the tree.

 Psalm 130,   With the Lord there is mercy and fullness of redemption

 2 Corinthians 4, 13-5, 1,  We have a building from God

 Mark 3, 20-35,   Who are my mother and my brothers? 

 

 

 

 

Tori says, "Welcome back, Everybody."   And we say to you, Tori, "Welcome home from your vacation.   It is more fun when you are here."

 

 

Homily:  When Jesus Christ ascended to heaven in glory, we were not left as orphans.  The Father, through his Son, bestowed upon us his very Spirit to enable us to be Christ in the world.  Each of us has a different spiritual gift, and a different story.  But each of us has been graced, to grace others, for the glory of God.

 

 

 

 

While CC lights the candles, Georgie reads the Blessing of The Summer Candles.
 

 

 

When John and Ro, and Judy and I ate lunch or dinner with others on our cruise, we came to the table with an expectation to listen to a feast of interesting stories.  And, we were not disappointed.  In reflection, I think that the four of us were gracious and good listeners, treating each story teller with compassion.

Some evenings, and most lunches, one or more of us sat at a table with a couple that we hadn’t met before.  One lunch I sat across from two ladies who shared with me their story on how, why, and they met.  A softer voice came from the African American woman.  Both had become flight attendents for the same airline and had traveled the skys together for a couple of decades through good times and bad, those years when inappropriate language had been directed toward her best friend.  Both married years later; but every year they would find a time, such as this cruise, to be with one another.   Grace at work for the glory of God.

 

 

 

 

Mike sharing his (pleasant) memories of the 12 day trip the four of  us (he & Judy, Rosemary & I) made in and around Bordeaux, France.

 

 

One evening we introduced ourselves to a man and woman traveling together who revealed that they had been good friends since grade school, but were not married. He had never married; her husband had passed a few years before.  Recently they had sought out one another and decided to take this cruise together. You couldn’t help but feel very happy for them.

There was a woman who we invited to join us for dinner three evenings in a row.   Her husband began the trip sick and he would not leave their room until he felt well.  We daily cheered her up and on the fourth day she sat with us with her smiling husband who thanked us for watching over her.

 

 

 

 

Welcome back, John, and congratulations on finally getting your arm operated upon after the bike accident.   Is that a tazer or a weapon sticking out with the two straws?   Rumor has it there is gin & tonic in there, like pain med.

 

 

One evening the four of us sat at a table with a young man and his mother.  She was probably the happiest woman in the cruise.  She had been asked by her son to spend a week with him on this cruise. She was so happy seeing and listening to him tell stories, some about her. Tears were often in her eyes as she smiled and quietly spoke to us.   I was struck with the question, ‘Why hadn’t I taken the opportunity to take my mother, just the two of us, on a trip?’

 

 

 

 

It has been tough doing the elevations without you kids to help me out. 

 

 

Readings:

Jeremiah 31, 7-9,   Shout for joy, the Lord has delivered his people.

Psalm 126,    The Lord has done great things for us; we are filled with joy.

Hebrews  5, 1-6, Every high priest is taken from among people.

Mark 10, 46-52,  Bartimaeus, a blind man, sat by the road begging.   

 

           Grace says, "Welcome in, Everybody, Good to see you."

 

Jeremiah observations:

Who:  one of the Big 3 Prophets, 52 chapters, the “broken hearted prophet,” because he hated being so unpopular and having to condemn so much. 

Baruch, Jeremiah’s scribe seems to be who put down the prophet’s message.   Jeremiah probably died in Egypt.

When: put together before & during the B.C., Babylonian Captivity, say 555 before Christ  (reminder, Babylon is near present day Bagdad, Iraq).

Remember, too, that time before Christ is counting downward or backwards.

 

                And, of course, Genevieve says, "Hi, Everybody."

 

Interesting Side Note: (another reminder) can you guess when the Genesis story of creation in 7 days was composed?  Biblical research reveals that the creation story was put together during the Captivity, this same time, i.e. ca. 555.

Why?  The priests & prophets (e.g., Ezekiel) of the Jews in captivity determined that the people would not be assimilated into the local gene pool as their cousins in the northern kingdom had done when made to live with the Assyrians.  They decided they would establish customs & religious practices that would make the Jews so different they would not intermarry.  Three special laws were established: 1.  male circumcision; 2. dietary laws and laws about not touching menstruating women; and 3. the Sabbath.

 

            There he is, our most proficient camera man, usually just                  inside the entrance, Rick.

 

The priests put together the 7 day creation story to suggest that Yahweh approved of their Sabbath law.  They had Yahweh rest on the 7th day to bolster their demand that all Jews take a day off every 7 days.  Before the Babylonian Captivity there was no legislated Sabbath and no myth of Yahweh creating the world in 7 days with the 7th being a day of rest.  So, now you know when the story was created & by whom, the priests, and why, to keep the Jews united vs the Babylonians.  It worked, even down to today.

Subject of the work: the usual prophet message—condemn, pay, peace.

Today's subject: Beautiful message of peace and consolation.  It is coming.

Sources: Bishop John Shelby Spong, The sins of Scripture; Wikipedia

 

 

     We caught you, Shonda, hugging our pet gorilla.  He loves it.
 

What, Shout for Joy ?

The consoling readings today are summed up in that first line from Jeremiah, ‘Shout for Joy.’  Unless you are blind as Brartamaeus or as I am so often, you can get behind this shouting pretty easily. 

Let me propose 4 reasons why I shout for joy today and see if you can spot some of your own. 

First, the rain.  We just endured 3 months or more of drought.  The ground was dust.  I was sitting on our back porch Thursday night when it started.  At first I thought we were really going to get missed, despite all the weather reports to the contrary.

 

          The Best, Shonda (doing Air Force today), Bethany, & Ray.

 

However, we got 3 ½ inches that night.  Then 3 more on Friday and 3 again on Friday night, total 9 ½.  

The only negative for Rosemary & me was that an old roof leak that comes into our kitchen showed up again, even with the work we put into fixing it in the May rains.  Nevertheless, I shout for joy over the rain.

Secondly, Romeos on Friday.  Actually, a week ago I had a most interesting lunch.  None of the bums showed up.  I was alone.  ‘Out of town,’ they all said.  However this past Friday, wow, Mike and Bill and Ray all showed up.  Don’t tell them, but I was shouting for joy.

 

         The Team says, "We miss you, Georgie (at a swim meet).

 

Thirdly, I see every Sunday a bunch of no fear kids.  I love it when Leo or Emma or Harper walk around up here.  Let these kids know they have a cupcake waiting up here for them, and they come running, or dancing, as in the case of Leo. 

Yes, I’ve been told that when I put on the white alb, the kids think I am God.  My hope is that because I will not get mad at them and will welcome them, they will know that God does not get mad at them and welcomes them.  This was not the message that I and many of you got when we were little kids going to church. 

I shout for joy that these kids are here with us.

 

                                 "Hi, Tori, Keeping busy?"

 

Finally, picking up on the message in Hebrews about the priest, I shout for joy that I have lived the majority of my life as a priest.  I have always felt called to this vocation and I love it.   For me it has not been prestige but opportunity, like to do what we do here with the kids. 

I shout doubly because just when I might have had to put the opportunity on the shelf, you people invited me to carry on, what we have done together now for 11 years this Thanksgiving.

 

                                 Ace candle lighter, Cole.

 

There is so much I love, like doing weddings.  For example, the big, fun Lebanese wedding last Saturday.  It is a privilege to visit people who are sick and to give some peace to people getting ready to move to the other side, like Joan & Rita, Chuck & Curtis, and Fred. 

For this I shout for joy.

 

                                Fall has arrived in Dallas.

 

And You?  If you are not shouting for joy, are you deaf, or blind like Bartamaeus or me? 

For what do you shout for joy?

                  

Readings:

 Isaiah 35, 4-7, The eyes of the blind will be opened.

Psalm 146,    Praise the Lord, my soul.

James 2, 1-5, 21-22, 27,  Show no partiality

Mark 7, 31-37, Jesus heals the deaf & mute man.

 

 

  

Homily:

 

Last Sunday Stack reminded us about how Moses told the people of Israel that they would have their own land promised by Yahweh.  And how after Moses’ death Joshua and others wiped out the Cannanite tribes who resided there, and just moved in. 

 

 

The theme today is that of healing.  During the week I was touched by two visuals of a lack of healing for people.  The first was the visual of a dead child lying on a beach in Turkey, whose family were trying to get from Syria to safety in Europe.  His family was one of thousands escaping from war torn Syria, escaping death by the King’s military, or by the rebel fighters, or by ISIS jihadists.  Newspeople often refer to them as ‘immigrants’–-yet their country is in civil war and there is hardly a safe place for anyone on any side.  They are refugees.  They leave everything behind.  They cross the Mediterranean in rubberized boats or rafts.  Many don’t even make it to the first stop in Turkey.  These thousands of refugees are leaving their homes, leaving their land, in search of a safe place for their families, for their children. 

 

 

The second visual that struck me this week was from a series of articles in the National Catholic Reporter on the ‘Doctrine of Discovery’ and its impact on people over centuries.  The ‘Doctrine of Discovery’ is found in papal bulls beginning in 1436; that’s almost 600 years ago.  One example is a papal bull from 1493, after Columbus’ ‘discovery’ of the Americas.  This papal bull gave Ferdinand and Isabella “full and free power, authority and jurisdiction of every kind” over almost all of the Americas, except for part of modern-day Brazil and a few islands.  Some say this was the beginning of international law as each succeeding papal bull would quote or reference those that came before.  When, in the late 1400’s discoverers were finding lands far away from Christian Europe, they found these lands occupied with non-Christian peoples, tribes and civilizations.  The papal bulls gave Christian discoverers full power and authority over all non-Christian peoples in these lands.  This meant the land could be claimed by the Christian discoverer (like for Spain or for France, etc.) and the non-Christian people could be enslaved, made to become Christian, even killed if they resisted.

 

 

Fast forward to 1823.  This Doctrine of Discovery was legitimized in a ruling by Supreme Court Chief Justice John Marshall.  His ruling maintained that Native Americans had the right to ‘occupy’ land, but not have full ownership, and that tribes were dependent on the federal government.

 

 

So the two visuals that touched me this week were the thousands of refugees fleeing Syria, especially the little boy lying dead on the beach; and the millions of peoples in the Americas, Africa, the Pacific islands, etc., dispossessed of their lands, culture and religion, to a large extent due to a series of papal bulls and the Doctrine of Discovery. 

 

 

What would healing look like for the people of Syria fleeing war and devastation?  What would healing look like for the offspring of the indigenous peoples of North and South America? of Africa? of  the pacific islands?   

 

 

And how do I individually, or as a member of this Christian community, promote healing in my own world?

 

Readings: Amos 8, 4-7; Psalm 113, Praise the Lord who lifts up the Poor; 1 Timothy 2, 1-8; Luke 16, 1-13

 

Luke’s Gospel, 3 observations:

 

1.  The Story.  The rich man and his steward.  The steward is  squandering the rich man’s property.  The rich man tells the steward that he is going to be fired after he prepares the accounts. 

 

 

The steward figures he will make friends with the debtors by cutting their debts to the rich man.  He cuts bills as much as 50%. 

 

 

The rich man, instead of berating the steward, praises him for his strategy.  

2.  What is going on here?  Looks like the steward is stealing from the rich man.   In fact, he is cutting out his commission, not stealing anything.  The Jews reading this parable would know this immediately.  The steward made his living by charging a service fee. 

 

3.  Any lessons here for us?

  a.  One of Luke’s favorite messages: Our God is merciful.  See the Prodigal Son & Good Samaritan.  The rich man praises the steward for being ingenious.

  b.  We are challenged to be equally ingenious.  Use our talents.

 

Extra point: watch out for taking a hit from the sayings at the end, trustworthiness, dishonesty in little things, 2 masters.  There might be a trap here: either/or spirituality. 

 

 

Sources:

Francis Vanderwall, The Liberating Stories of Jesus, chapter 4;

New Interpreter's Study Bible;

New American Bible, on line;

St. Louis U., The Center for Liturgy, on line

 

 

We Need a Mediator to Ransom Us?

 

 

Many of you know that this old geezer loves to dance.  In fact, it was through dancing that Rosemary & I met.  I was looking for the best dancer.

 

 

For the past year or more I have not been able to dance because I could not swing my hips or swivel.  For the past month or at least since I finished the Hotter ‘N Hell Hundred, I have had it in mind that I would like to return to dancing, probably at some special event. 

 

 

The event took place last weekend at the wedding we did in Ashville, NC, for a girl very dear to me.  It was Friday night.  We had finished the rehearsal and gone to a bar-b-que place for the dinner. 

 

 

We returned to the hotel and what they call The Great Hall, the big stone lobby.  Playing dance music was a 3 piece group and a lady singer.  I had thought the wedding reception would be the fitting place to make our dancing debut.  But suddenly that Great Hall, the presence of others from the wedding, and the mood of the place made it the moment. 

 

 

We danced.  I could do it.  It was exhilarating.  Like getting back on a bicycle after a long lay off.  To top it off, the lady singing even complimented us by saying, “Good dancing.”  I was quite touched.

 

 

I talk about this event because I want to tie it into a line in Timothy that says more or less, “There is one mediator who gave himself as ransom for all.”

 

 

My Question: Do we need someone to ransom us?  Ransom us from what?  Did Emma need to be ransomed when we baptized her?  What about Chloe or Zoe or Georgie or Sam or Sean?

 

 

Many of us have been trained to think that we come into this life stained, imperfect, in fact, sinful, not because of anything we did.  But because some distant ancestors, Adam & Eve, sinned and we all inherit it.  If the baby was not baptized and the sin removed, it would go to where?  Not

hell, not heaven.  Limbo.

 

 

 

Folks, what if there is no limbo?  The Catholic Church now says it was just a concept, not a reality.  Go further.  What if we don’t need to be ransomed from anything?  What if there really is no original sin?  That when we see a little baby and think how good it is, our perception is 100% accurate. 

 

 

Biblical scholars and students of the history of religion are now suggesting that, just like Limbo, original sin is a concept thought up to explain imperfect behavior.  If this is so, could it be that none of us is in need of some kind of ransom?

 

 

That lady singer complimenting us on our dancing in The Great Hall was another glimpse into the goodness of people.  The wedding was overflowing with the goodness.  Parents, the marvelous couple, little kids, and even some old geezers.  No need for ransom there.

 

 

And if we don’t need to be ransomed, where does that leave us?

 

 

Picture 1:   Beginning of Mass

 

 

Picture 2:   Emily with her mom, Julie

 

 

Picture 3:   Communion preparation