Sunday Homily, September 28, 2014, 26th Ordinary Time

Readings:  

Deuteronomy 4, 32-34, 39-40, Ask from one end of the sky to the other, did anything so great ever happen?

Psalm 33, Blessed the people the Lord has chosen to be his own.

Romans 8, 14-17, The Spirit bears witness to our spirit. 

Matthew 28, 16-20, Behold, I am with all days until the end of the ages.

Observations on the Readings:

1^st reading from Book of Deuteronomy (Chapter 4)

Deuteronomy is the 5^th  book of Bible and of Jewish Torah or Pentateuch. Though traditionally attributed entirely to Moses, modern scholars agree that it is a collection of Jewish traditions, later adapted to nationalistic reform and its final form coming after the Babylonian captivity in late 6^th century BC.

It is written as if from the mouth of Moses, who was considered the greatest of the prophets, for the authority his name gave the book. See last verses of final chapter 34. The most famous verses are Ch 6:4-5: “Hear O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord alone! Therefore, you shall love the Lord, our God, with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength.”

3^rd  reading from the Gospel of Matthew (Chapter 28)

This book is the second  gospel chronologically, and was written with the Jewish people in mind, to show  a direct connection between the Jewish Law and the Prophets and the teachings
of Jesus.

Homily

This  year we are celebrating the 50^th anniversary of the opening of the
Second Vatican Council in 1962. I recommend the article in the blog by Giovanni Franzone, a former Italian Benedictine Abbot. As an Abbot, he attended the Second Vatican Council as one of the ‘Fathers’ of the council. He is now 86, and his article gives a fresh “I was there” perspective. I want to talk a little today about Vatican II, which has been called the most significant event in the life of the Catholic Church in modern times.

 Pope  John XXIII became Pope following the death of Pope Pius XII in 1958. Less than a year later, John 23^rd announced that he would call an ecumenical council. You may remember his story of how he had a dream one night in which the church was coming together in a council to renew itself. He awoke thinking what a great idea that was and thinking “I must tell the pope about it.” And then he realized, “Wait a minute, I am the Pope.”

Some of The Jesuit Class of '58, reunion, New Orleans. 2 still active as S.J. priests, one in NY, one in Peru.

So he called the council to  bring together representatives of the church all over the world, including many great minds of the time, and including representatives of other Christian faiths and non-Christian faiths. The two main purposes were “aggiornamento”, a bringing-up-to-date of the Church, and a striving for Christian unity. In answer to someone’s question about the purpose of the council, Pope John once said:
‘to let some fresh air into the Church”. 

I didn’t just honor and give respect to Pope John 23^rd; I loved him—for who he was as a man, and what he did for the church’s world
community. And we also shared the same birth day of November 25^th.

Vatican II continued for a couple more years and eventually

Trinity Sunday Mass at Bob Baxter's house in New Orleans. Cathy Lichliter reading with her husband, Bill, on the left.

documents were approved by the council. Perhaps the five most significant were: The Constitution on the Church, The Decree on Ecumenism, The Decree on the Pastoral Office of Bishops, The Declaration on Religious Liberty, and the Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Contemporary World. I will say just a little about the first three, and I hope we can look at more of them, and in more detail, during this 50^th anniversary year.

In the Constitution on the Church, the significant updating was, as
Mike said last week, a new (yet old) vision of the church primarily as the
‘People of God’, equal through Baptism, rather than primarily as a hierarchical and clerical structure. 

Gab Session after Mass. A uniquely moving class reunion of 20 plus men who spent many of their early years as Jesuit classmates. Now meeting with their wives.

The Decree on Ecumenism reached out to people of all
faiths and erased the old belief that you had to be Catholic to ‘be saved’—to be with God. Remember we read a lot from some Acts of some Apostles during the Easter Season.

In Chap.10 of Acts Peter said: ‘I can see now that God is no respecter of persons, but that in every nation anyone who reverences him and
does what is right, is acceptable to him.’ In other words, every human being who reaches moral adulthood chooses between what his conscience judges to be right and what his conscience judges to be wrong. If a person makes the basic choice for right as he knows it, he is in fact choosing God.

The Decree on the Pastoral Office of Bishops included the notion of ‘collegiality’ among bishops with the Pope, that bishops are not just advisors to the Pope, but co-deciders with him and the People of God. The Decree encouraged the formation of regional councils and, all the way down to the parish community level, councils were to be formed to allow participation in decision making by the community from the ground level up. How many of you ever served on a parish community council?

Sunday brunch after Mass

We have good reason to remember the aggiornamento begun by Pope John 23^rd. I remember following the sessions of the council closely with enthusiasm and optimism. My 50^th was last year, so I was ordained the year before the council opened. Stack was just a few years from ordination and no doubt also following it equally closely. Pope John died in 1963 less than a year after he opened the council, and was followed by Pope Paul VI. The article by Abbot Franzone in the blog provides a lot more information about Vatican II and about the role of Paul VI during and after the Council. 

Vatican II is the most significant event in the life of the Catholic Church in modern times. My question today is: how much do we know about it? and how are we living out its updated teachings and its spirit?

Special Mass today celebrating Our Joan Gleason

Readings:  

 Exodus, 16, 2-4 & 12-15, I will rain down bread from heaven for you.

 Psalm 78, The Lord gave them bread from heaven

Ephesians 4, 17, 20-24, You should put away the old self of your former way of life.

John 6, 24-35, Sir, give us this bread always. 

Joan with her pastry

Exodus observations:

What:

 Exodus is a fun book and a good read.  It comes after Genesis & it has three main sections.

 One – the struggle between stubborn old Pharoah vs Moses & Yahweh.  Pharoah loses.  You can imagine the Passover had a significant impact. 

Two – the time of wandering in the Sinai desert and the covenant, that is, the 10 Commandments

Three – the coming into the Promised Land. 

This all took around 40 years, and so we have stories in-between.  Today’s is one of these, showing Yahweh feeding his grumbling people.

Joan with us

When written:

Toward the end of the Babylonian Captivity, around 550 before Christ

Who wrote it:

Not Moses, but people who lived centuries after this mythical character.  How much of this is historical is a question.  The story greatly encouraged the Jewish people enslaved in Babylon.

The Gleasons

Our selection:

An amusing account of the Jewish people grumbling against Moses.  They say they would prefer to be back in Egypt than in this infernal desert where they are wandering in the heat & sand.  We can sympathize with them in these days of 100’s.  They did not have a/c.   So Yahweh feeds them.  See how.

One of Joan's favorites, The Brunch

Joan

I would like to say a few words this morning about Joan.

When we started our little community almost 8 years ago, I had 3 dreams. 

First, I wanted the community to be totally inclusive.

Secondly, I did not want to take up collections during our celebrations.

Thirdly, I wanted to provide coffee & donuts & juice free to the community.  I figured coffee & donuts invited people to hang around and chat.  We had no other Mass starting.   Why not hang out?

Curtis is 83 Today!

For a year, maybe two, we provided coffee & donuts & juice every Sunday.  It was delightful.   At some point I noticed that a cake was showing up every week.  I asked Rosemary had she noticed.  She had noticed, but did not know who was doing it. 

With a sung happy birthday from the community, Curtis receives a birthday cup cake.

Guess who it was.  Yes, Joan.  Without anyone asking her, she just started feeding the community.   How appropriate are the two readings today that talk about God feeding his people.   This is so Joan, feeding us, feeding God’s people. 

This was just one way Joan touched my heart and our hearts.  Another way came through her marvelous spirit.  One Sunday a couple of weeks before she died, Rosemary & I came to visit.  Joan was sitting up in a recliner chair, looked great, and was pert as ever.  As we departed I blessed her and touched her head, or more accurately, her hair.   “Don’t mess my hair,” she cracks.  I had to laugh.  “Joan,” I said, “I can see, there is nothing wrong with you.”    Well, there was.  She just did not show it, even though she was approaching the bridge. 

See how far we have come on our Habitat House

Another side to her spirit was the manner in which she dealt with her condition and the approach of that bridge.  There were only 36 days between the day the doctors discovered her cancer and the day she died.  What did she decide to do with the three treatment plans?  She said she did not want any treatment.  Everybody has their day, she told me, and she was ready for hers. 

Tom, our Habitat Man, with day laborer

I asked her how she felt about dying.  “Fine,” she said.  No hesitation, “Fine.”  She had moved through the psychological stages of dying in a lightening flash, denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and arrived at acceptance.  I am privileged to walk the last mile with a lot of people.  Seldom am I so touched by such marvelous acceptance.

Would you trust your house to this laborer?

After Joan had told me she felt fine about her approaching death, she told me she had one wish.  That her family remain family.  She repeated this the night we all got together so everyone who wanted to could talk about what was going on.

Joan gifted us all with this family, Jerry, Maureen & Bill, Debbie & Tom, T.J. & Sean, and all the other grand kids.  Thanks for being a gift to me and to our community, All of You.

Hospitality and Lunch area with Carol and Rosemary. Special thanks to Tom and Lynda for coordinating lunch for everyone.

I would like now to read the neat little prayer Joan has on her card.  It is so Joan.

          To Those I Love & Those Who Love Me

When I am gone, release me, let me go.  I have so many things to see and do.  You mustn’t tie yourself to me with tears, be happy that we had so many years.  I gave you my love and you can only guess how much you gave me in happiness.  I thank you for the love you have each shown, but now it is time I traveled on alone.  So grieve awhile for me, if grieve you must, then let your grief be comforted by trust.  It’s only for awhile that we must part, so bless the memories within your heart.  I won’t be far away, for life goes on. So, if you need me, call and I will come.  Though you can’t see or touch me, I’ll be near, and if you listen with your heart, you’ll hear all my love around you soft and clear. And then, when you must come this way alone, I’ll greet you with a smile and say, “Welcome Home.”

What is the greatest gift Joan has given you?

Readings:

Ezekiel 37, 12-14,   I will open your graves and have you rise.

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

Romans  8, 8-11,  Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.

John  11, 1-45,  The raising of Lazarus.

Harper says, "Hi, Everybody, fun to be back."

Make Lazarus live.  Make life happen.

Guess what, I have a story about France this morning.  I want to use it to exemplify the metaphor of giving life that is contained in the Lazarus story.  I would propose that Jesus metaphorically gave life to Lazarus, something all of us can do, give life.

There is a tour company known as Fat Tire Bike Tours.  Founded a few years ago by, of all things, an Aggie who made good in life, the company has tours in a number of European cities, Paris included, naturally. 

Zoe lights the Lent candle, the 5th Sunday.

Rosemary & I have used them a few times in Paris and we find them terrific.  A week ago we joined a group that was going to visit the home of Claude Monet, an hour train trip northwest out of Paris into the province of Normandy.  On these distant trips you take the train out to the location, like the palace of Versailles, for instance.   Then you pick up bikes and ride.

Our tour was meeting at the St. Lazare train station in Paris and going to Giverny, the simple, but beautiful garden home of the impressionist artist, Claude Monet.  Twenty eight people met at 10 A.M. at gate 22, and we split into two with a guide for each.

Emma says, "What's going on here?"

Our international group of Chinese, Australians, Irish, Americans, and a 28 year old New Zealander guide rode the train to Vernon, a neighboring town to Giverny.   We picked up bikes, went to buy picnic lunches at a farmers’ market, rode to the edge of the Seine River that ran through the town, and had a picnic.

On the picnic the group came alive.  The guide had his French girl friend with her two French girl friends.  Another sparkling young couple from Australia revealed that they were just engaged the evening before.   Life came to the group as pairs or individuals revealed glimpses into themselves.

Village market near Giverny.  Where we bought our picnic lunches.

As the day went on, (we traveled together from 10 to about 7 in the evening), Rosemary & I began to reveal ourselves and we also focused on hearing the stories of others.   We targeted particularly 3 groups.

One, of course, was the Australian couple.  We invited them to tell the amusing story about how the engagement planned never took place, but still was dear.  I said I knew an old priest who would do their wedding cheap.

Same delightful, inexpensive market.

Then we spent a lot of attention on the guide and his girl friend.  They were not engaged, but we, of course, almost had them married.  I suggested that same old geezer priest would  do their wedding. 

Thirdly, we focused on a Chinese family from California, a mother, an 18 year old high school senior, and an 11 year old, shy daughter.   The 18 year old especially talked about his hopes and dreams, to go to Georgetown, to become a doctor, to work for Doctors without Borders. 

Our picnic sight on the Seine R. near Giverny.

He said he wanted to work internationally like I had done.  I affirmed his dream while pointing out I did this in 74 years and he still had time at 18.

The mother was extraordinary.  Leaving China, speaking Cantonese and another Chinese language, Erica, did not seem daunted by the prospect of financing Jacob’s educational dreams.

Guess who, Guess where. The same river with sight seeing boat sailing by.

By the time we arrived again at gate 22 in the St. Lazare station about 7:00, an amazing closeness and life pervaded the group and everyone was hugging.  Jacob even asked to use us as the subject of a project he had to compose for his classes.  He took our picture.  I was flattered.

By asking these people to tell their stories, I saw them come alive. Reciprocally, their stories enlivened me and Rosemary.  We were mutually giving new life.

I repeat my idea, Jesus metaphorically gave life to Lazarus.  And we give life to each other.   That is what our community attempts to do.  That is what Mike’s ideas about a beans & rice brunch and a penitential rite do for us.

To whom are you giving life?

Harper caught an extra cupcake and is gone.

Readings: Isaiah 6, 1-8; Psalm 138, In the Sight of the Angels I will Sing Your Praises, Lord; 1 Corinthians 15,1-11; Luke 5, 1-11. 

Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time – Reflections on the Readings

A brief few words about our first reading from Chapter 6 of Isaiah.  This reading could in fact easily begin the book of Isaiah.  It gives us the call of Isaiah.  King Uzziah has died after reigning for over 40 years, 40 years of great security and prosperity. 

We are told of a vision, which the prophet sees of God, and notice the threefold repeating of the word Holy.  Only God is holy, all holiness.  The prophet proclaims that he is doomed because mere humans cannot look at God. 

In our second reading, from Paul, he reminds us that he too saw the Risen Lord, and his response, like Peter’s in our gospel reading, it is the same, unworthiness.

 The readings all show up the same response from humans when faced with God.  And in each case God is able to reach thru the response and draw the person into a relationship of discipleship. 

Welcome in, Everybody, from Jean & John.

Readings:

Isaiah 66, 18-21,  I come to gather nations of every language..

Psalm :  Go out to all the world and tell the Good News

Hebrews 12, 5-7, 11-13, Endure your trials as discipline

Luke 13, 22-30,  Many will attempt to enter but will not be strong enough.

Welcome in, Everybody, from The Team.

Isaiah 66 observations:

Author: Isaiah III.  The book of Isaiah is one of my favorites, as you have heard me say often enough.   Some beautiful passages.  Remember, 3 primary authors are responsible for the 66 chapters, and we are reading the very last. 

This book is one of the Big 3 O.T. prophets, along with Jeremiah and Ezekiel. Why? because the works are the longest.  There are 12 minor prophets.

Trouble in the bleachers with Richard & Mike.

Time of composition: ca. 555 to 777,   The Assyrians annihilated the northern Jewish provence or kingdom, called Israel, vs the southern kingdom called Judah, where Jerusalem is.  10 tribes were lost in this destruction, the 10 Lost Tribes of Israel. 

Remember, there were 12 tribes.  Why?  Because of the 12 sons of Jacob, who was one of the 3 great patriarchs or founders of the tribe, Abraham, Isaac, & Jacob, who was also called Israel. 

 Message of Isaiah III: Mostly consolation after the catastrophic mess of Jerusalem that greeted the Jews on their return from Babylon. 

Do I have a deal for you on a almost mint condition red Studebaker.

What is the activity of a prophet?  1.  criticism, 2. prediction of dire consequences, 3. consolation.

Today’s specific message: this being the last chapter of the whole work, you might guess.  Yes, consolation.

To check out the state of the world, check in with Dona, Bernadette, and Tera (from Iran).

Psalm  117:  The best line in the whole bunch of readings.  Go out to all the world and tell the Good News.

Hebrews observation:

 The best thing about today's selection: we have to read Hebrews only one more week.  Awful reading today.

Welcome in, Jim & John.

Go Out to All the World and tell the Good News

You all know well  that I love to celebrate birthdays, like we do here at our Sunday celebrations.  I have carried this over to the 6:00 A.M. spin classes at the J.

Consequently, I am often asking people when is their birthday.  Then at the end of our session I get up front and tell everybody that this person is celebrating a birthday, and give them a BelVita cookie package.  I used to try to sing, but gave it up because singing is not my gift.

With only her first cataract removed, Connie can see!

There is a lady named Haya.  I don’t know her last name..  I only know that I am touched and humbled by her.  She is probably 5’1”, and has a scar on the back of her right shoulder.  She and I are the same age part of every year.

Because I am intrigued and humbled by the background & history of these Jewish people, I often ask a person how their family was effected by the Holocaust.   With Haya having the same age as I have, I was especially curious to know what she was doing while I was growing up in University Park.  So I asked.

Who are those two characters messing with Ben?

Turns out that Haya and her family lived in a small town in Poland.  Her father and his two brothers had a small business.  When the Germans took over Poland in late ’39,  Haya’s dad took the family and ran to Marseilles.  The brothers decided to ride it out.

As things got worse Haya’s dad took the family to the Holy Land even before the Jewish State’s establishment.  Finally the family migrated to New York City and somehow got settled there despite some anti-imigration sentiment in the government.  Haya,  therefore, grew up in NY City.  She never heard what exactly happened to her two uncles and their families.

Candle Lighting team in operation.

Now days Haya seems to be in a good place.  I think she has a son and a daughter and maybe her husband is deceased.  Whatever, Haya has a  house in the Glen Lakes gated community on Walnut Hill and Central, a condo in Manhattan, and a condo in Tel Aviv.  She seems to bounce around all three locations.  So on her birthday, which is August 25, I announced to the class and gave her a BelVita.

 On her way  out she whispered to me, “You made this the happiest day of my life.”   I was stunned and touched.

Thanks, Tom & Denni, Karen & John for bringing up our gifts

 I cannot believe what I just heard.   On the one hand, I am touched that such a small gesture can mean so much to her.  On the other, does this say something about her life?   What has she seen in life that I have never seen? 

Why talk about her this morning?  Two reasons.   Because she is Good News.  The Psalm says, “Go out and tell the Good News.”  People are The Good News.   I want to know her story.

Secondly, I want also to contextualize the negativity of Hebrews and Luke. 

Elevation time.

There was a strong belief in these times that God was definitely a conditional love God.  Why did the Babylonian Captivity take place?  The Israelites were bad.  Jeremiah says it, the Isaiahs say it.   And so it was written.  In fact,  according to a minister here in Dallas,  God punished the people in N.O. for their badness.  Remember Katrina?

Pretty much this opinion of God has been discarded.   Is sickness a penance for a sinful, bad life?   Is this why I got Parkinson?

Today's Communion team.

Me?  I believe and I propose that people are The Good News, that you are The Good News.  God takes Delight in you

And you?   A God who scourges and demands penance or a God who proclaims that people are The Good News?

Haya?  Her birthday will be celebrated tomorrow morning.

Who is this scary person, Harper?