Sunday Homily, April 12, 2015, 2nd Easter, B

Readings:  Isaiah 25, 6-10 (beautiful); Psalm 23 (nice); Philippians 4, 12-20; Matthew 22, 1-14 (The King throws a wedding banquet)

Isaiah: A beautiful selection today.  This is why Isaiah 1 is so popular, his worderful dreams.  The selection today talks about the day when the Lord will provide a feast of rich food and fine wine on a mountain top.  These dreams were dreamed some 600 to 900 years B.C.E. 

Psalm 23:

Number of Psalms: There are 150 psalms, which are religious songs.

Authorship: Jews, Muslims and Christians for centuries considered King David to be the author.  73 psalms use his name.  Today, however, scripture scholars think numerous authors composed the psalms and they passed down ca. 500 years in an oral, sung form before they began to be written down ca. 600 B.C.E.  King David lived ca. 1000 B.C.E.

Pictures 1 & 2:

#1: the choir: Wendy, Shonda & Ray, Celeste

#2: Birthdays: Lacee Ackerman (13); Georgie (7); Lisa Ackerman, & Richard Eshelbrenner

Life as a Banquet

I had a Jesuit friend named Tom Barbarito who was in the class behind me.  Italian.  About 5 feet 5. Quite rotund in his early years.  No way athletic.  In fact would shudder at the prospect of exercise or physical work.  Intelligent and very amusing mostly at his own expense.  He was pastor of St. Rita for many years. 

Our selection from Isaiah 1 about the banquet was his favorite reading of all time.  He loved to eat.  We used to have what were called first class feasts in the early years of my Jesuit life.  These were special meals on Christmas, Easter, and church holidays.  The meals were excellent Cajun cuisine put together by our cajun cooks from southwest LA, Opalousas & Lafayette.  And Tom was from New Orleans, as were many in the classes those days.  We got to talk in the refectory on the occasion of these meals, all 150 of us.

I can still picture Tom squaring off for one of these meals, his white cloth napkin tucked into the collar of his cassock European style, getting elbow room, and proclaiming that he was ready.  He used to declare that he could not wait for the heavenly banquet referred to here in Isaiah.  Today Tom is enjoying that banquet because he died maybe ten years ago with a brain tumor.  And he died skinny, so he now may eat all his favorite foods without guilt. 

I think of Tom whenever this reading comes up.  Our readings today are so Tom Barbarito, eating, feasting, enjoying the cup running over.  Moreover we have a king throwing a wedding banquet and getting mad because the invited did not come.  Then one man gets kicked out for not having a wedding garment on.  What is going on?   Three observations.

First, remember for whom Matthew is writing.  He has an agenda when he puts parables into his work.  Initially he writes to warn the Jewish people about how they are losing it in not recognizing Jesus.  But equally he is addressing the Gentiles, letting them know that Jesus welcomes them also.

As in all parables, check out the symbolism of the gospel.  Obviously the king is Yahweh.  Who are the invited to the wedding feast?  The Jews.  Who are the good & bad street people? 

Second observation, we are the street people & therefore included.   There is a banquet out there, a feast on a mountain top, a feast of rich food and choice wine.  Tex Mex & Blue Bell?  We are the newly invited, despite the fact that we are the street people.  In fact, I would propose that we are all street people, bad and good, Gentile and Jew.  The parable may be creating a false distinction.  Because of this distinction , some believe that only those who believe in Jesus Christ are saved.

The third observation is that the banquet on the mountain top, the marriage feast is taking place today.  I can be tempted to think the feast takes place in the next life.  In fact, I think a lot of poor people and slaves were fed this nonsense so they would not try to fight back against oppression. 

This may be where the poor guy without the wedding garment fits in.  He gets treated pretty harshly, especially so after the king invites all the street people in, both good and bad.  To attempt an understanding, I think we go back to the symbolism which is the currency of parables.  What could he symbolize?  Perhaps the wedding garment symbolizes gratitude.  Maybe he was not grateful, but was critical and cynical, thinking he was entitled to all this, the attitude that seem to be so prevalent in our contemporary culture.  Consequently, the man was thrown out.  In reality the ingratitude never allows him in.  We can be the man without the wedding garment.

My friend Tom Barberito I am sure is enjoying his wedding banquet in the next life.  We are invited to enjoy this life's banquet with gratitude.

What is your banquet today?

AUDIO:  http://mysite.verizon.net/reso7rjy/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderfiles/2008-10-12.mp3

Readings:

Acts 2, 14, 36-41,  About 3 thousand people were added that day.

Psalm 23,  The Lord is my shepherd (a good one)

1 Peter  2, 20-25,  When he was insulted, he returned no insult.

John  10, 1-10,  The shepherd calls his own sheep by name.

Georgie says, "Welcome Everybody, come in."

A reminder on Acts:

What : The second half of Luke’s work, the first part being his gospel.  Acts starts after the Resurrection.  We will read Acts all through May and read the last selection June 1, then June 7, Pentecost.  The work focuses on the spread of the early church with special attention given to Peter and Paul and their conflicts over who was to be a Christian, and Jewish laws, like circumcision.  The conversion of Paul is described.

Emma cannot wait to see everybody.

Who: Luke, an educated and civilized Jew who wrote in Greek.

Date:  around the year 65, or about 30 years after Jesus’ death.

Our Selection:  Peter is just trying to convince his listeners to sign up.

Psalm 23:  The Lord is my shepherd.  One of the good ones.

Zoe lights the Easter candle with her mom, Michielle, helping.

Me, a Shepherd ?  No Way !

In honor of Mothers' Day today I would like to talk about the Good Shepherd.  Instead of focusing on the way the scripture paints a portrait of the in group and the out group, I would like to focus on the fact that there is only the in group.  We are all in it.  Plus, we are called to be shepherds.  The story of the day comes again from our visit in France a month ago.

In Paris Rosemary & I have a favorite little pedestrian only street called Rue Cler.  It is in the same neighborhood as the Eiffel Tower and on the left bank of the Seine River.  There is a small cross street called Champs de Mars.  The street eventually goes to the park by the same name where the Eiffel Tower is situated.  Our little hotel, Champs de Mars, is on the street.

Remember the Holy Saturday wedding in Grandbury, published in the Easter Sunday blog? Here they are, Robb and Rebecca celebrating their 3rd week anniversary. See below the gift they gave the community.

Two of the corners formed by Rue Cler and Rue Champs de Mars have cafes where the tables and chairs spill delightedly out onto the two streets.   One of the corners has a little grocery and the fourth corner has a deli, bakery combination.  The deli is open on the two street sides.

Rosemary & I went there one afternoon to buy something for our two o’clock lunch-dinner. 

Cupcake of the Week to Dick and Judy for 11.

There are two counters facing Rue Cler, both containing all sorts of bakery goods and deli specialties. 

We go up to the first counter, look around a bit, and then ask the woman for some quiche and maybe a ham & cheese sandwich.   The young woman who is about 35 and attractive with olive skin and brown hair acts somewhat impatient and brusque. 

She gives us what we want and we go to the second counter where the cash register is to pay another woman who could be the first woman’s twin sister.

Cupcake of the Week to Sam on his birthday with his mom, Pam.

This young woman is even more impatient and even rude.  We depart and Rosemary says, “I wish I had told her, ‘Don’t talk to me like that!’”  Don’t get New York Rosemary mad.

So I lied that second Sunday of Easter when I told you we had never met rudeness in France.  This was the first time.

We were talking about it later that evening when I decided I would return and let them know how we felt.  I memorized a little two sentence statement in French, so I would not get tongue tied, and we returned at 7:00.

I walk up to the second woman still at the cash register and when she sees me she immediately says, “We are closed.”  Twice.  And immediately sells a baguette to a guy who had walked up just behind me.  I decide I will wait, when suddenly I saw the other woman. 

Cupcake of the Week for Barb on her birthday.  Barb is the mother of Rebecca and Pam.

I walk over to her, say I would like to have a word, and make my little speech.  I say, “We just bought your food here this afternoon.  It was excellent.  However, I am sad, because for the first time in all my years coming to Parish, this is the first time I met two people who were impolite.” 

She is all apologetic and asks, “Who?”  “You,” I say.  And still she was apologetic.  I told her I accepted her apology, thanked her, and left feeling pretty happy.

I know not what bad experiences with Americans or men or poor French speakers they had had in their lives.   I do know the girls had moms and maybe they are moms.  

Cupcake of the Week for a Great Grandmother, Mabel.

Even though the girls were impatient with Rosemary and me, I propose that these two women are part of the shepherd’s group and that, in fact, all of us, everyone is part of the shepherd’s group.  Some people in the group are more wounded and brainwashed.   Their hurt leaks out in their behavior.  Are the Boko Haram people, the Nigerians who kidnapped the girls, are they part of the group?  Yes.   I have lived in Nigeria and I know how brutal it can be.

Despite the in and out quality of the good shepherd scriptures, I propose that all of us here are part of the group.  We are blessed because we have had good secondary shepherds in our lives, good moms, teachers, coaches, friends, and fellow community members.

We are, also, definitely called to shepherd others. 

Who and How?

Celebration Cross, made by Robb for their wedding and donated to our community by Robb and Rebecca.

Readings:

Isaiah  55, 6-9,  Our God who is generous in forgiving.

Psalm 145,   The Lord is near to all who call upon him

Philippians 1, 20-27,  Christ will be magnified in my body.

Matthew 20, 1-16,  The kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out at dawn to hire laborers for his vineyard.

Leo says, "Hi, Everybody, Welcome in. It is so fun."

Isaiah 55  observations—

Who:  My favorite prophet.  In fact , Isaiah 2 is my favorite of the 3 composers of the Book of Isaiah, and our selection today is the very last chapter of Isaiah 2.

When: remember these 3 writers wrote more or less before, during, and after the Great Babylonian Captivity, ca. 555 before Christ.  So, we can guess that today’s selection from Isaiah 2 comes from the time during the Captivity.

What:  Isaiah 2 has some of the best and most beautifully consoling passages. Check out The Messiah. Unfortunately, our little selection today talks about scoundrels and the wicked, in other words, about us.   Maybe these people are mentioned in connection with the people who grumble in the Gospel today.  See what you think.  I am cheating a bit with the reading.  I've added about 4 more lines that are more typical of Isaiah 2.

Y Alesia dice, "Bienvenidos, Todos. Descansense aqui.

This is not Fair!

This morning, Folks, I would like to talk about these workers hired by the vineyard owner.  We hear how the workers who worked all day got the same wages as those who worked one hour and we want to yell, “This is not fair!” 

Want to know what this parable is basically saying?  First, it is all gift.  Everything is gift.  Secondly, comparison is poison.  “How come he got this and I did not?”  “How come I got sick and he did not?”  Our lives are all gift.  Comparing myself with others poisons my spirit.

A story of the week to illustrate.  Guess from where I got it.  From our Yosemite trip.

The Bridge.

There was a man I met on the trail.  It is the second half of our 8 night adventure and the second day of rest, nights 6 & 7.  It is a gorgeous day after a rainy day.   I am standing on a suspension bridge over Woods Creek, just contemplating the beauty all around me.  A great sense of gratitude at being there at that moment.

We are in a valley.  The bridge is about 40 yards long and about 40 feet above a rushing stream.  The bridge sways and rocks when you walk on it.  There are two long cables going over two wooden towers.  There are vertical cables holding up the walkway.  We have a beautiful campsite just off the upper end of the bridge and just above the stream.

The Bridge looking toward our campsite on the left in the trees. Somebody is coming.

An elderly man comes onto the far end of the bridge.  As he approaches my back, I say over my shoulder, “Good afternoon, how are you doing?”, like I do all the time with people I meet on the trail and even at White Rock Lake.   No response.  Thinking he may not have heard me because of the roar of the stream, as he passes my right shoulder, I say, “You okay?” 

He grumbles, “Surviving.” 

His wife is following, so I enquire a bit more.  Turns out they are hiking the John Muir Trail for about a month and they are maybe in a little bit over their depth.  Both are elderly, though not probably as much as my 74 years, but not in good shape.

Contemplating the beauty looking south & east.

The John Muir trail is one of two famous trails going north-south through Yosemite.  The other is the Pacific Crest Trail.  The John Muir runs south from Yosemite Valley to Mount Whitney, the tallest mountain in the continental U.S.  People hike the whole thing in 3-4 weeks, depending upon food supplies stationed along the way. This year we saw an unusually high number of these John Muir hikers.   For part of our trip we were on the trail for a few miles.  

This couple touched me and I talked later that evening around the campfire with our group.  I mentioned how sad.  I have been overwhelmed all day with the gift of being where we are.  I am so grateful that I can still hike to these beautiful places.  And this hiker is grumpy.  Does he not see the gift?  

It is all gift.  Health or no health, rich or poor, life.   

What is your gift today?

Contemplating, looking west & north. Going right on this bridge we headed down the trail to Lower Paradise Campsite, our last campsite of the 8 nights.

Readings: Zephaniah 2, 3-3, 12-13; Psalm 146, Blessed are the Poor in Spirit; the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs; 1 Corinthians 1, 26-31; Matthew 5, 1-12 

Zephaniah observations:

 The 3 chapters of the little book of Zephaniah were compose about 600 years before Christ.  Therefore, he is writing shortly before the Babylonian defeat of Jerusalem and the Captivity.  Because of the book’s shortness Zephaniah is considered one of the 12 minor prophets. 

His theme is the prophetic line:

            1. You people are bad.

            2.  You people will be punished by Yahweh.

            3.  You people, after being punished, will return to a happy place.

Today’s selection focuses more on how the humble of spirit will pasture their flocks with no one to disturb them. 

 The psalm & Matthew today both focus on how the poor in spirit will be happy, receiving the kingdom of heaven.

 I am struck that in the readings there is a quality of wishful thinking.  For example, in the psalm,  the lord sets captives free, secures justice for the oppressed, gives food to the hungry, and raises up the bowed down. 

 I can see someone skeptically asking me, “Stack, are you crazy.  You believe this really happens?  Look at history.”  I would like to talk about this in the homily.

Poor in Spirit?  Get Real!

 You remember last Thanksgiving when about 35 of us went to help feed the homeless for LifeNet?  Well, while I was helping out, I liked to go around and chat up the people at different tables.

 At one table during the second or third seating over by the windows opposite the side door I ran into 3 elderly white, nicely dressed little ladies.  Folks, they absolutely reminded me of my mother, who would have been mortified to have been eating there. 

The ladies were quite friendly, obviously educated, and lived in Richardson.  Were they homeless?  Were they without money, social security, family?  I only knew that they would not have been there had not LifeNet vetted them as being authentically in need. 

 My heart went out to these ladies and I mention them this morning as a lead into the notion that blessed are the poor in spirit, the kingdom of heaven is theirs.  This statement strikes me as really precarious.

 I would propose that there is a healthy and an unhealthy poverty of spirit.  The poverty of these 3 ladies is unhealthy, spirit killing, depressing.  Unemployment, homelessness, all kill the spirit.

 The same is true of Larry Sims, the 60 year old black man exonerated Friday of a crime for which he has spent 25 years in jail.  DNA proof.  Can you imagine being put in jail for 25 years of your life for something you did not do?  I think I would be mad, bitter.  The amazing reality is that these men are all accepting, forgiving, and grateful.  They humble & amaze me. 

 The same was true of the 3 little ladies.

 Mr. Sims is number 35 exonerated in Dallas according to my buddy & old classmate Tony Levatino who helps these men adjust to their new life through Holy Trinity Parish down on Oak Lawn.

 This unhealthy poverty of spirit has been so common down through our history as humans.  Suffering has characterized so many lives.  Slavery, holocausts, genocides, wars.

 I have spent my life attempting to raise up people in this poverty.  We are doing it in this community. 

 What then is healthy poverty of spirit?  From my perspective it is two things: acceptance and gratitude.  This brings about peace of spirit.

 I am astounded, but Mr. Sims and the 3 ladies seemed to have acceptance and gratitude.  I do know others who were dying of depression or discouragement.

 Can a person work through the unhealthy poverty of spirit to the peace of acceptance & gratitude?  Apparently so. 

 On a scale of 1-10, where is your poverty of spirit, your acceptance and gratitude?

Picture 1:   Mass with Kevin helping

Picture 2:   Emma walking

Picture 3:   Georgie & her sister Zoe

Picture 4:   Zoe with her dad, Randolph & grandmom, Bernadette

Picture 5:   Michelle, the mother of Georgie & Zoe, with Torri & Buddy, the twins, and Gilberto, Michelle's dad

Readings: Joshua 5, 9-12; Psalm 34; 2 Corinthians 5, 17-21; Luke 15, 1-32 (The Great Prodigal Son Story) A pre-homily Sunday.

Joshua

The scene: Moses has died just as the Jewish people are getting ready to enter their new land. Joshua takes the leadership. This book describes the defeat of the Canaanite people, and the division of the land.

In our chapter the Israelite people are camped outside Jericho before attacking the town. Yahweh is saying that he has removed the shame of the people for being slaves in Egypt. They are feasting.

2 Corinthians

This section of Corinthians informs the people that in Christ they are new people, a new creation.

The Prodigal Son: A Work of Art

This story is my favorite of the whole Bible. Note one thing: this is story, not history. The author carefully crafts his work of art to show how much God loves us. Let me give you three observations about the son, three about the father, and an extra three to show you how astounding this story is.

First, the younger son:

1. He has no right to ask for inheritance. None. By asking he is saying he wishes the father and the older son dead. A symbolic murder. Father can kill him for this.
2. He works feeding pigs instead of asking for help from the temple. This means he rejects the religious tradition and is considered a traitor not only to the family, but to the religion.
3. So as a horrible failure as a son of the family and a son of the religious tradition, he decides to return. He makes up his little speech and heads home. He is hungry to the point of dying. Do this or die. Many listening Jews would say, Die.

The Father: he actually commits as many crimes and sins as the son:

1. He runs down the road to the son when he sees him coming. A very undignified action. Outrageous.
2. He embraced and kissed the son. Huge violation of Jewish religious custom and law. By doing this the father positions himself outside of the religious & cultural community. He is a reject like the son.
3. He cuts the son’s speech off before he can say finish, eliminating the last sentence, "treat me as you would one of your hired workers." And to make it worse, he orders the servants to bring the finest robe, ring, and sandals.

The robe, the ring, and the sandals:

1. The robe: restores the son’s dignity.
2. The ring: gives authority to the son, even equal to the father and certainly more than before he left.
3. The sandals: gives the son freedom. Slaves were not given sandals so they would not run away. The father is doubling the message he gave when he cut the son’s speech off before he could say the third part about being treated as a servant.

A word about the older son, because we so often identify with him.

1. That he tells his father how he feels. Great. In those days, it meant the father can kill him. Today: communication.
2. What is his challenge: acceptance of his brother, his father, and himself; focus on gratitude for all he has; move from trying to be a good boy to loving? Any one of these? Or all? All.

I apologize for so much data. There is even more. The point is that the story is a carefully crafted work of art attempting to describe how totally loving our God is, toward us.

How does this image of God reflect your image of God?

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