Sunday Homily, January 19, 2014, 2nd Ordinary Time A

Readings: 2 Chronicles 36; Psalm 137; Ephesians 2, 4-10; John 3, 14-21

Chronicles:

Author (s): Unknown

Date:  ca. 450-350 BCE, at least after The Babylonian Captivity.  You will see why. 

Subject:  a summary of the entire span of history to the time the people returned to Jerusalem, i.e., from Adam to the end of the Babylonian Captivity, 450 BCE.  Therefore, it begins with Adam & a genealogy up to King Saul and King David, through David's son Solomon & the building of the temple to the Babylonian Captivity with Nebuchadnezzar to Cyrus the leader of the Persians who defeated Nebuchadnezzar & the Chaldeans and allowed the Hebrews to return to Jerusalem.  Note that Babylon was near Baghdad in Iraq, while Persia was Iran.

Our selection: this is the very last chapter of ca. 60 chapters, including Chronicles 1 & 2.  A bit of a summary chapter, it says that Yahweh was so mad he got Nebuchadnezzar to defeat the Hebrews and cart them off to captivity in Babylon.  Then some 50 years later he gets Cyrus to defeat Nebuchadnezzar and free the Hebrews to return to Jerusalem, which they do. 

Sources: Wikipedia, Catholic Encyclopedia.

Two Questions

Last week I saw a story that struck me.  A couple in their mid forties were at home watching TV Tuesday about 9:00 in the evening.  The husband's brother was with them and the couple's 3 youngest kids were playing.  The family lives in Pleasant Grove, which is about 5:00 o'clock on the circular map of Dallas. 

Suddenly the door was forced open and a kid around 24 came banging in demanding money.  The brothers work construction, but they had no cash on them.  The wife, Carmen, emptied out all she had in her purse, $2. 

The kid was angry and demanded that they get the money they had hidden.  He had a pistol and slapped around Alfredo, the father.  He tied up the brothers and shoved them into the bathroom.  He then said he would kidnap Carmen or one of Alfredo's daughters if he did not hand over more money.

So Alfredo and Carlos, the younger brother, in order to defend Carmen and the kids, tried to break loose attack the kid.  They were both shot dead on the spot.

Meanwhile, one of the older children, a boy, snuck out a window and ran for help to a neighbor.  They called 911 and the police arrived while the shooting was still going on.  The kid ran out the door, saw a cop, fired at him, and ran around toward the back of the house where he encountered a second cop.  This cop shot the kid and now he is in the hospital in critical condition. 

Apparently the kid did not know the family and just chose them at random.  All for $2.

Which, taking into account our readings today, leads to two questions.

First, does God get angry and punish bad people?  The Bible certainly seems to think so. 

• For example, Chronicles says today that the "anger of the Lord was so inflamed that there was no remedy."  As a result he had the Hebrews killed, burned out, and carried away as slaves in Babylon.  For a symbolic 70 years, which seems to suggest that the Hebrews had neglected to rest on the sabbath.

• For example, Yahweh got so mad at his earlier creation that he sent the great flood, killing everybody except Noah, his wife, and the animals.  

• For example, in John this morning you find out that you will be condemned if you do not believe in the name of Jesus.  So you better be Christian or even better Catholic according to the messages I heard growing up, or you are condemned.  To what?

• For example, it is held that Jesus had to come and die on a cross as he did so as to take away the Father's anger at us for our ancestors' sins.  Thus, the gates of heaven, closed up to that time, would be reopened.  True? 

Was the family in Pleasant Grove watching TV Tuesday night bad?  Had they sinned so horribly that they must be punished like happened to the Hebrews in Jerusalem?

So, what do you think, what do you believe?  Does God get angry and punish bad people as we see repeatedly mentioned in the Bible?  Which leads me to my next question:

Second question, who are the bad people?  Or who are the good? 

Obviously the 24 year old kid who barged in on the family is bad.  He deserves what?  Be condemned?  Forever? 

From my experience as a priest and as as psychotherapist, I have discovered two things. 

First, that nobody is totally bad, and nobody is totally good.  But what about that kid?  He is bad!  John says, "He who does wicked things hates the light."  That boy must really hate the light.

Secondly, if I had grown up in the environment of many of these kids and been forced to live in the horrible surroundings they saw daily, I probably would have done the same things.  I do not know how many times I have talked with people who have done similar things and discovered that they were horribly wounded people.  Inside they were deeply hurt.  Outside they vented their hurt through anger and, watch out, through violence.   

As a balance to this negativity and tragedy, let me remind you that we likewise see beauty in people.  Remember the 50 St. Bonaventure students who dedicated their spring break to hurricane relief work in Galveston.  Remember the heroic work of the Collin Co. Adult Clinic.  I even saw it on the DART train Thursday when I went downtown to have lunch with Rosemary.  Three times I saw a guy get up and offer his seat to a woman nearby.  I was moved.

So, reconsidering our Pleasant Grove family and all the Bible stories about God being angry and punishing people, what do you think?

Sources: The Center for Liturgy, St. Louis U.  Online Ministries, Creighton, U.  All on line.

AUDIO:  http://mysite.verizon.net/reso7rjy/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderfiles/2009-03-22.mp3

Picture 1:   Mass with Hue on the sound, Wendy, Ray, & Celeste

Picture 2:   Birthdays–Angelo (Blair's boy friend), Bob McGrath (80!), Christine, & T.J.

Picture 3:   Ryan, Jackie & Bob McGrath, Tom, Morgan, & Tyler McGrath

Picture 4:  Tom & Daniel Fleming & Louie Federico

Readings: Isaiah 49, 1-6; Psalm 139 (good); Acts of the Apostles 13 22-26; Luke 1, 57-66.

Isaiah: One of the 3 great Old Testament prophets, he lived about 700 years before Christ.  Actually the book itself has about 3 authors. The section we read this morning emphasizes the call Isaiah received from Yahweh to be a prophet. It ties in with John the Baptist, today’s feast. 

How to Get There

Last week when we confirmed Erica & Susie we talked about six qualities of the person who is becoming more mature and more whole. The qualities were curiosity, hope, gratitude, love, zest, and humor. 

This morning I would like to focus on the road to these qualities. How do I get there? I have five suggestions plus one. The first five I picked up somewhere, liked them, and wrote them down. 

The five plus one suggestions are: no hatred, no worry, give more, expect less, live simply, and accept.

With hatred I would distinguish between the feeling of hating a person and the state of being a person of hatred.  It is normal to hate. It is a feeling. To deny it if I feel it is more dangerous.  Because of guilt I may try to stuff the feeling. Then watch it become a state. If I hate, process it and then for me it has helped to forget.  Note that underneath hatred is probably anger & hurt.  That was where I was when I got kicked out of East Africa. After talking about it with trustworthy people, I had to just forget. And it worked.

Worry often involves the game of "What if?"  What if my child gets hurt?  What if I fall down? The opposite can be used as the antidote: "What if not?" Worry does not mean that I do not care or take care. Worry involves fret over a future I have at most limited control over. 

What is the hardest thing for me to give more of? Money, things, time, my attention?  That is where the path to greater peace lies. It may even involve giving care to myself, what I call self nurturing. I occasionally see people fearful of nurturing themselves because they consider it selfishness. 

Expecting less can really get tough when I focus on people. When my expectation of a person’s behavior is up here and they behave down there, I get mad & hurt. My dad always used to get upset on Saturday nights when he & my mom were going out. Mom was always late & dad’s expectation of being on time was up there where mom did not go.

Living simply takes work these days. When I lived in Tanzania, it was pretty easy to live a simple life style. In Dallas there is so much stuff. Wardrobes can go out of sight.  Cars, houses, things.  They weigh us down.

Finally, I add acceptance. Acceptance involves not only things & events, it involves me, accepting myself. It comes up constantly in daily life. 

Using these six little rules for happiness, we can become more peaceful and more whole people. One may be more challenging than the others. 

Which challenges you more?

Click here to download to an mp3 file:

Readings:

Ezekiel  34, 11-12, 15-17, I will look after and tend my sheep.

Psalm 23, The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.  (a beautiful Psalm)

1 Corinthians  15,  20-26. 28, Christ has been raised from the dead

Matthew 25, 31-46, He will place the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.

Have a Blessed & Happy Thanksgiving.

Thanks to the Team

Music,  Ben & Shonda, Welcome Home!

Readers,   Denni & Tom & Buddy, the candle blesser

Gospel,  John Cade 

Homily,   John Cade

Eucharistic Prayer A & B, Stack & John Cade

The Magic Zoom makers,   Hue & Mike

Final Blessing, Rosemary

For hosting us at Legacy, Becky

Download Readings Week 34

John Cade Homilizing on Thanksgiving

Download Cade 2 Homily – 11-22-20 Thanksgiving – Blessings

Please Remember these special people:

For Paul & Carrie recuperating;  For Alan Stryker;  For Joe Sullivan;  For John Doherty recuperating;   For Rosemary's great niece, Rylie ;  For Richard's grand daughter, Madeleine; For David Dinsmore's bad shoulder from a biking accident;  For Esparza's new great grandson baby, son of Monique;  For all the medical personnel struggling to treat the tsunami of sick people, in particular, locally, Cindy's staff at Presby, Dallas, and at Frisco Presby, the mother of Harper and Betsy, Kendle, working in labor & delivery;   For Mary & Dave Hall's g-daughter Allison Keller working at St. Lukes, The Woodlands,   For Loretta's aunt Alicia;  For Sir Charlie & Jan;  Shonda's mom & Cody & Ben & Leo & all of Shonda's dear family;  

Tranquility.

For Jackie's mom, sister, & friend, Lynn;  For both Jean & Cliff Wright;  For Rick Turner searching for a kidney donor, Type O neg; For Meredith, cancer free;    For John O'Donnell;   For Dee, and for her daughter, Lisa; For John Schanot's continued health;  For Anthony & Sabrina;    For a young man who is suffering from depression;  John Cade's mother in law, Kalliopi Piskiouli and Lambrini, plus John's daughter, Joey, with cancer,  For the students, teachers, and coaches in our public & private schools.

Thanksgiving  for Today's Brain Team, Mike & Hue

Birthdays:  Ron Ackerman, David Grattifiori, 61, Joanie Beavers, 40, John Cade, 86, Rose's son, Fred

Anniversaries:

Cliff & Jean Wright, 25th

Barb & Ron Senter, 49th

John & Michelle Simari, 41st

Frank & Mary Esparza, 57th

Community Finances, November 22, 2020

Expenses: $2980.00

Outreach   $225.00  (often for Souls Harbor, Legacy, etc.)

Thanks, Folks, for doing what you can.

And double thanks to all who jumped right in within 1 week to help the 50 families Becky adopted for special Thanksgiving help.  Our marvelous little community has been so generous that the same families already are covered for Christmas.  I feel humbled and privileged to be part of our most generous community.

Hooray, they are back, Shonda from Air Force duty, Ben from food poisoning, yuk.

Rosemary's Blessing:

Thanksgiving is here.

As we celebrate this special day,

May we be grateful for the roads we have taken in life,

The marvels, the beauty, and the people we have met along the way,

And the gift to be able to help others today and always.

Thanks so much John & Mike & Buddy for helping me out when I could not come in this morning.  It's been a long time since I came down with a chest cold like this one I picked up.

Readings:

Genesis 22, 1-2, 9, 10-18,  Yahweh tells Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac.

Psalm 116,  I will walk before the Lord in the land of the living.

Romans 8, 31-34-22,  If God is for us, who can be against us?

Mark 9, 2-10, The Transfiguration.

Good Morning, My Dearest Tori.

Our First Reading is about Abraham from the Book of Genesis. I will share something about it later.

Our Second Reading contains my favorite verse from Romans

Thanks, Emma, for always being ready to light our candles.

Homily:

In our Liturgical Calendar, the gospel on the second Sunday of Lent is always that of the Transfiguration.  In our three year calendar today’s gospel is according to Mark.  Last year it was from Matthew, and next year it will be from Luke.  The Church also chose, at some time in the past, to have similiar texts about Abraham as the First Reading on the Second Sunday of Lent

Today we listened to the messenger from heaven telling Abraham,  ‘Since you did not withhold from God your beloved son, He will bless you with descendants as countless as the stars of the sky.’

Mike homilizing.

With regard to this myth about Abraham’s relationship with God in the Book of Genesis, it touches not only upon Jews, but today’s Muslims and Christians as well.  One of our favorite VBS hymns is ‘Father Abraham.’

In today’s gospel reading, Elijah and Moses represent the expectation of the Prophets and the Law for the coming of the Messiah; His words fulfill theirs.

Thanks, Mike.

Today’s visually brilliant presentation of the Father’s beloved Son, reminds us of the many times in the Gospel where not only Jesus is called the Light of the World, we too have been given that name when the Spirit transforms us to be the Body of Christ in the world.  We are God’s sons and daughters.

Think about the story of Elijah where the bowl of flour and the jar of oil never run dry, it is fulfilled by the Bread blessed and broken who has come down from heaven, celebrated in our liturgy of the Eucharist for all time.

No wonder you are such a neat kid, Buddy.  You are a Longhorn.

The prophecy of Moses, is that God will send to us the New Prophet, who will speak the words of God.  It is fulfilled by his beloved Son, with this command to us, ‘Listen to him.’

This week when and where will we find a secret place to listen to him to transform us?

Sorry, Ben, I could not help you this morning.  I was totally in bed, a strange place for me in the daytime.

Readings:  Ezekiel 18, 25-28; Psalm 25; Philippians 2, 1-11; Matthew 21, 28-32

Ezekiel: One of the Big 3, along with Isaiah & Jeremiah.   This is mostly due to the fact that these three books are bigger than the other, smaller books.

• Time: ca. 585, the time of the Babylonian captivity.

• Place: probably composed in Babylon

• Most famous story: the valley of the dry bones that take on life because of Ezekiel, chapter 37.

• Today's message: the wicked will perish, the good will have life.  Is the life metaphorical?

Working the Vineyard

Last Friday I was back in the grocery story again.  This time it was the Kroger's on the corner of Maple Ave. & Douglas in the Oaklawn area near downtown Dallas.  Fridays I visit a lady in her 90's who is finding it more difficult to get around.  Many of you know her, Elizabeth.  Because of her limited mobility, I buy groceries for the week for her.

On this particular trip in the late morning, I was pushing a cart from the parking lot and entered the store through an initial area where the carts are stored.  A small, middle aged Hispanic lady was sweeping up in the middle of the space.  I stopped while she finished where I wanted to pass.  When she realized that she had been responsible for my waiting, she humbly apologized.  I responded, "No problem, thanks for what you are doing."   Her smile in return was touching.

The day before Rosemary was walking in the neighborhood in the evening.  She has a favorite house because it has a beautiful flower display.  This particular evening she sees the lady from the house and compliments her on her work.  The lady is delighted and thanks her for her compliment.

I think of these simple small events when I hear the story of the two brothers.  Of course, you have heard me talk for years about either or spirituality, namely one brother or the other.  But in fact, there is no either or spirituality.  We are both.

What I would like to explore today, however, is the vineyard.  Obviously, this parable is metaphorical, that is, symbolic of something bigger than two boys, a father, and a vineyard.  The boys symbolize you and me and all people, the father is God, and the vineyard–what is it?  I would suggest that the vineyard is a labor with at least at least three parts. 

The first part is the world, beginning with our local world.  The job is to make it better because of my presence.  When I was a kid and we used to go camping as Boy Scouts, my dad and others used to teach us, 'Always leave your campsite better than you found it.'  An equally popular teaching is, 'Bloom where you are planted. 

This may involve nothing more complicated than picking up trash in the street or park.  Inspiration from these teachings was what got me started planting trees in Dallas back in '88, and even before that in Tanzania & Kenya.  About a year ago when Ron Kovatis was in charge of the Great Trinity Forest, we had a big crowd of the community tackle the litter & trash in the forest.  One of our community, my bicycle partner, Bill Hammond, even works on the Richardson Beautification Committee.

There is a second labor in the vineyard: people.  Helping others to get through this life.  Teachers do it professionally, coaches & scout leaders do it often freely and with great influence.  Parents obviously.   I am grateful to Tom & Lynda Fleming for inviting us and challenging us to help with local Habitat houses.  Julia and Al Grenier's astounding work in setting up the Collin Co. Adult Clinic.  How many totally poor people get medical help on Thursday evenings!  It is a privilege to help the clinic with our outreach contributions.   

The third labor in the vineyard: myself.  To treasure the gift of myself.  This may take work.  I both treasure the gift and improve it.  Planting trees at middle schools and high schools is often pretty daunting because of vandalism.  How many times watering the trees at Plano Senior do we see a tree whacked off or pulled out.  I know so well that the kids doing this are certainly not seeing themselves as a treasure.  They are usually angry and underneath are hurting.  Consequently, I don't get wigged out about the vandalism.  If the tree is gone, I give it a year, hoping the kid grows beyond the anger and hurt.  Or graduates!  Then I replant.

The vineyard is there, folks, all three parts, all needing attention.

How is the work going in your vineyard?

AUDIO: http://mysite.verizon.net/reso7rjy/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderfiles/2008-09-28.mp3

Genesis 18:  One of them said, "I will surely return to you about this time next year, and Sarah will then have a son."

Colossians 1:  It is he whom we proclaim, admonishing everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone perfect in Christ.

Luke 10:  "Martha, Martha, you are anxious and worried about many things.  There is need of only one thing.  Mary has chosen the better part and it will not be taken from her."

John Cade's Homily:    Download 07-20-25 Homily -16th Sunday in Ordinary Time                     

Paul reading from Genesis
 

Thanks…     

Music,   Ben 

Carrie reading from St. Paul's Letter to the Colossians

John sharing his homily

Outreach: $   320.00

Thanks again, Folks, for doing what you can.

David and Donna get a cookie for their anniversary

Rosemary's Blessing: