Sunday Homily, October 27, 2013, 30th Ordinary Time C cycle

Jeremiah  33, 14-16, The days are coming.

 Psalm 25,    To you, Oh Lord, I lift up my soul

Pope Francis Letter “Laudato si”  (“Praise to you”)  –  “There is an inseparable bond between concern for nature, justice for the poor, commitment to society, and interior peace.”

Luke  21,  25-28, 34-36,,  There will be signs in the sun, the moon, and the stars.

Luke: Ch 21 –  “Up on your feet.  Help is on the way!”

Author: The gospel of Luke and the Acts of the Apostles make up a two-volume work which scholars call Luke–Acts.  According to an early Church tradition, the author was the Luke named as a companion of Paul in three of Paul’s letters, but Scripture scholars say there is a problem with this. Though the author of Luke-Acts admired Paul, his theology was significantly different from Paul’s; there are countless contradictions between Acts and Paul’s letters. Bottom line: we don’t know who author of Luke-Acts is.

When written: The most probable date is around 80-100 AD, and there is evidence that it was still being revised well into the 2nd century.  The author takes as sources the Gospel of Mark, written around 70 AD, the sayings collection called the Q source, and a collection of material called the L source (L for Luke).

Audience: Luke was written to be read aloud to a group of Jesus’ followers gathered in a house to share the Lord's supper. The author assumes an educated Greek-speaking audience, but attends mainly to specifically Christian concerns rather than to the Greco-Roman world at large.

Today’s passage: A commonly held belief of the early Christian community was the return of Jesus; many thought this would happen within one generation. So it’s not surprising to read prophecies of that event attributed to Jesus in the Gospel writings.

Homily by John

  As a kid I attended school and church regularly.  I really liked the beginning of a new school year and the season of Advent at church.  Both of these were like a chance to start over again.  Another chance to start fresh and without judgment.  During my school years, we had summer fun times for 3 months and, remarkably, I was often ‘summered out’ and looking forward to a new school year with my classmates and most of my teachers.

We started over with new subjects, new books, new teachers – happy time for me.   At church we had finished that long ‘ordinary time’ without much happening, and had the scary sermons just before Advent about the ‘end of times’ and the ‘sheep and goats’ and judgment and punishment. 

Advent for the most part aimed us toward Christmas and the baby Jesus and the lights and happy thoughts and times.  I remember gathering a bunch of green fern moss to be the grass for the village I helped build around the manger scene.  Advent – happy time.

This week I’ve been thinking how happy it is for me to not actually ever hear hell and brimstone and judgment when we gather here; rather, acceptance and encouragement and challenge. 

I have so much to be thankful for.  I have a loving family who care for me in so many ways.  I have loving friends who show care and acceptance, including you guys.  I have a Pope with whom I feel a togetherness in thought and aspiration, and permission to express my thoughts, even my doubts, without judgment.  I have a Pope who encourages and challenges me to love and care for the world, for the environment, for my neighborhood, for my neighbors, for myself.  And I am grateful. 

My question is: What are you grateful for at this start of the new church year?  Or for the entire last year?  

Readings:

Wisdom 11, 22-12, 2,   Before the Lord the whole universe is as a grain from a balance.

 Psalm 145,  I will praise your name forever, my king and my God.

2 Thessalonians 1, 11-2, 2,  We always pray for you.

 Luke 19, 1-10,   Zacchaeus the tax collector in the tree.

Sez You Know Who, "Hi, Everybody, Thanks for coming to my party this morning."  
 

Wisdom (of Solomon) observations:

Author: Not Solomon, but a compilation by numerous people.

Date:  around 200 years before Christ.

Olivia, too, says, "Thanks for coming to my party."  The Old Geezer is really jealous of your beautiful hair, Olivia.  

Subject: Wise statements like

          "Righteous people are protected by God and will never suffer torment." 3, 1

          "Is it good to have riches in this life?  Nothing can make you richer than wisdom."  8, 5

Today:  Nice reading, especially for All Saints.  Note the beautiful line, “You love all things that are.” Line 24

Thanks, Harper, for such a beautiful welcome!
 

Zacchaeus, the tax collector

Couple of questions.  

For us today, listening to this delightful story, what does Jesus represent?

What does Zacchaeus represent?

I would propose that Jesus represents the person fully alive. 

Who is this Candle Lighter of The Week??

Zachaeus represents the person who wants to be fully alive and who is willing to do anything to get there, even to looking like a clown in the eyes of his neighbors. 

Zachaeus represents Everyman, or every person, all of us. 

This room, our community is full of Zachaeus persons.   John is a Zachaeus person.  Carol, Tom, Frank, Dee, all Zachaeus persons, all trying to live fully.

Welcome, Mary, to your lovely Granddaughter, Monique, and her boyfriend, Zach.

Last night Rosemary & I had the privilege and honor to celebrate a Zachaeus event.  John and Michelle Simari’s son, Scott  and Scott’s beautiful fiance’ publicly pronounced their vows to live and love together all the days of their lives.  They are fully alive as they are and they are reaching out to be even more fully alive. 

In a note that Scott and Deanna sent to us to thank us, Scott said something that really touched me. 

The Beginning, Ron escorting his daughter, Deana, down the aisle to a New Life.

When Scott was attending St. Marks with his family while I was there, he used to dream that someday he would have a fiance’ and get married.  He dreamed, moreover, that the old geezer would do the wedding. 

Last night on the fairway just below the 18th green at the Las Colinas Country Club, Scott’s dream came true.

Perfect Couple, Perfect Evening, Perfect Setting, Las Colinas Country Club, 18th Fairway leading 18th Green.

I have to  share one more Zachaeus story that came in late, like at the wedding last night.

After many years of not seeing her, last evening I met Dana, a person I had known for years during my time at St. Marks.   Dana introduced Rosemary & me to Norm, her husband of a few years.

Dana had been for years a flight attendant for Delta.  She worked for years the N.Y. to Rome flight.

Deana Howard vows to live forever with her love, Scott Simari. 

One night she met this guy while she was working first class.  At the end of the flight, he says, "Will you marry me?"  "No," she says of course.  

This guy was Norm and he was taking his mother back to the old country.  He says to Dana, "Meet us at the Piazza Navona tomorrow night."

The Sand Symbol of Unity.
 

Norm says he had been married 40 years before being widowed, and he never intended to marry again.  He is pretty pessimistic, but his mother says, "She will be there."  She was there, her first date since her divorce, as Dana says.  

Zachaeus was a guy doing everything he could to be fully alive. 

How are you like Zachaeus?

Welcome into your New Life, Deana and Scott.  You two are tremendous people.  

Readings:

Jeremiah 31, 31-34 ,  I will make a new covenant.

Psalm 51,    Create a clean heart in me, O God.

Hebrews 5, 7-9,   He became the source of Salvation.

 John  12,  20-33,   Unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies.

Emma says, "Hi, Everybody, Welcome in."

Jeremiah observations: 

What:  We have not seen Jeremiah for a long time, since before Thanksgiving.  Remember that he is one of the Big 3 Prophets (because of the size of the work, e.g. 52 chapters in Jeremiah), who are Isaiah, Jeremiah, & Ezekiel.   I love Jeremiah, he is such an attractive and transparent character.  

Author:  most of the work is put together by Jeremiah’s scribe Baruch.  Jeremiah is described as the broken hearted prophet because of his heart rending life spent warning the people & kings that their behavior was going to be punished.  The people hated him for this.   

Time:  ca. 555 before Christ, as an easy date to remember.   Jeremiah speaks before and during the Babylonian Captivity.  Like all prophets, he condemns before, and he consoles during the Captivity.  This event is monumental in the life of the tribe and in the life of Jeremiah.

Harper, too, says, "Hi, Everybody."

The Scene:  Remember that the Holy Land had a north & a south, Israel & Judah.  First, the northern kingdom, Israel, was defeated by the Assyrians, 622 BCE.  These Hebrew tribes vanish into the DNA of the region, “The Lost Tribes of Israel.”  Next, the Babylonians & Nebuchadnezzar defeat the Assyrians and threaten the southern kingdom, Judah, with the capital Jerusalem.  Jeremiah is watching this and seeing it as Yahweh's punishment.  In 600, more or less, the Babylonians do destroy Jerusalem and cart the Hebrews into slavery.

Today's selection, chapter 31.  Jeremiah is consoling the people who are now in captivity.  He suggests that God wants to make a new deal or, as it is called, a covenant.  Yahweh is promising to forgive the people and treasure them.  Jeremiah addresses the people right off using first person singular, I, meaning God.

Sources: Fr. Reginald Fuller, St. Louis U., Wikipedia; Answers.com; Encyclopedia of Judaism

Cole says, "Who is trying to put me on?"

Hate My Life?

I have a story this morning which I have told twice, once at St. Mark's, over 8 years ago and here about 4 years ago.  Pardon me if you've heard it. Some of the best stories I tell over & over, they are so poignant.  The story speaks to my point today, hate my life?  I had permission for the story.

It happened many years ago when I was working full time as a psychotherapist out of an office at Jesuit.  I think it was the first Monday morning of May.   I know it was a beautiful morning.  A boy came to see me who had been in my office on and off for about six years.  He had just graduated from high school and enlisted in the Air Force.  He had struggled since grade school with bouts of depression, and that morning seemed to be in great shape.  We did not even spend more than 30 minutes together, his mood was so up beat and care free.

The Best Helpers, Georgie and Kevin.

He left.  Maybe two or three hours later a call came in.  The boy had left Jesuit, crossed Inwood to the Lincoln Center complex at LBJ, drove up to the top of the four floor garage, parked his car, headed to the edge of the garage, and walked over the side.  He landed on the cement street four floors below, face down flat.

Passerby saw it, called 911, and in a second the paramedics from just around the corner were on the scene.  He was in Parkland in a flash.  He lived.

A break for the Music Girls.

It was not for about 3 weeks until I got to visit him.  He apologized.  I admit I was mad.  I loved this kid.  He fooled me.  He said that he had been in a zone, happy because he knew he was out of there, meaning he was ready to go to the other side.  He wanted to escape the pain of life and go to heaven.  He said he had no fear in walking off that fourth floor, none of the hesitation you feel before you jump off the high diving board the first time. 

You may guess why I tell this story.  It exemplifies what happens when you take literally "whoever hates his life in this world will preserve it for eternal life."  This little piece of advice, taken the wrong way, can be so dangerous. This boy hated his life.

The offertory team, Hugh and Sydney, Lily and Scott.

I would suggest there is a negative and a positive way to hate my life. 

The negative is exemplified by this kid's story.  This is often what is happening when you hear of someone cutting on themselves.  If I hate my life and hate myself, I will want to punish myself.  I am bad.  So I cut myself.  Or I may think that I am such a loser that no one will pay me any attention if I do not do something dramatic like spill my blood. 

Like father, like son, Ray & Leo.

Even without such dramatic examples, I do not want to encourage someone who hates their body, hates their job, hates their family, hates their school, hates.  Just thinking about this I recoil.   There may be reason for the hatred.  However, "There is a better way," I want to say and I would say it.   I believe in talk therapy.   Feelings are all okay.  I just don’t want some to stay around. 

You know someone depressed like this?  Ask them if they are suicidal.

On the positive side, I would suggest two things.

First, the word hate can be considered as hyperbolic, a big word meaning exaggeration.  It is like Rosemary telling me, "You get me up at 4:00 tomorrow morning for spin class & it is divorce!”   Think she is exaggerating?  I hope.   

Victoria at work with the next tech invention.

Secondly, I would suggest that this all has to do with being more alive now, in this life. The grain of wheat falling to the ground and dying fits in with this.  For example: look at March Madness.  Many of these players have died to themselves to achieve & to be better players.  How many hours in the gym have they spent practicing free throws?  When they could be hanging out, sleeping in, text messaging?  And they love their lives.  I’ve seen boys do this at Jesuit. 

Goofy, but I hate my life to love my life.  I don't want to get up early.  I could sleep in to 11:00.  However, I, get up and head over to the Jewish Community Center, 6:00 A.M. spin class.  The result, I love life.  

Zoe & dad, Randolph.

The boy who jumped is now okay, amazingly.  It took him years of physical recovery.  Two things did not happen that blessed him.  He did not damage his brain and did not damage his spine.  Every other bone, plus his teeth, were broken.  Once he got strong enough he went to medical technical school, got his certificates, and now has good jobs in various hospitals in the city.  I don't think he hates his life anymore.  In fact, he loves it. 

How do you love your life?

Sources:  The Center for Liturgy, St. Louis U.; St. Raymond Catholic Church, Dublin, CA; Carmelite Order Web; Homilias Domincales.

Readings:

Numbers  21, 4-9,  Why have you brought us up from Egypt to die in this desert.

 Psalm 78,   Do not forget the works of the Lord.

Philippians 2, 6-11,  God greatly exalted him.

John 3, 13-17,  Nicodemus.

Kevin says, "Welcome in, Everybody.."

The Introduction is a brief summary of today’s readings

Before you hear the first reading from the Book of Numbers, I want you to realize that this is part of a parable.  The people were complaining against God and Moses in the desert because of lack of water and food; and because of this complaining we are told that God has punished them with poisonous serpents. ‘Moses, ask God to take away the serpents!’ 

Moses replies that the Lord wants them to make a bronze replica of the serpent and put it on the top of a pole.  If someone has been bitten and looks upon it [has faith in my words and quits complaining] they will live. 

When we look upon the cross that has been lifted up [which means exalted] we no longer think of it in terms of punishment; but rather one of triumph. It has become a sign of our Faith.

Mike sharing his thoughts on our readings.

Homily

To continue the theme of the past few weeks, I suggest to you that the Scripture verse, ‘My yoke is easy and my burden is light,’ encompasses, ‘Take up your cross and follow me.’  

John spoke to us two weeks ago about a mother who asked for his advice about one of her children, an overly active boy. Learning didn’t come easily for the boy.  The boy had his own, unique, cross to carry.  John didn’t carry the boy’s cross for him. Instead, he encouraged the boy to welcome his cross, to derive strength from it.

Who is that crawling around on the floor? Why, that's Cathy. What next?

Sometimes we encounter someone with a cross that would seem to be too heavy and too burdensome to be carried…and yet that person’s faith is so strong that they can say ‘thank you’ to it.  When that happens it should also bring us to our knees to say, Alleluia.

No matter what our cross, we are to give thanksgiving, and it will be given back pressed down and over flowing.

My dad never talked to my older brother or to me about college.  We had always worked in the summer, and each of us had saved some money.  We knew that when we left home we could be self sufficient.  After getting our class schedules my older brother got a job at a bar in Iowa City working a few hours every night to pay for his food during college. 

What next? Harper.

The yoke was easy, the burden light.  I followed the example he had given me a couple of years later, however the food that I ate was better and more plentiful. All through college I worked lunch and dinner at a sorority house a few blocks from the campus with three other guys. One of them was Tony Lazos—I realized after college that he had become my best friend. 

I lost touch with Tony after college. He did a couple of tours in Vietnam and afterwards he started a couple of small companies. When he found out that I was working in Dallas he called to visit on his way through.  Time passed and we lost touch with him again.  About a year ago Judy found a story about him on the internet that was three years old. 

Cupcakes of The week to Mike & Geri, Mary Jane, Rob & Beth, and Tom & Lynda, plus others.

He had eaten some tainted chicken and had caught a disease that left him a quadriplegic and on a respirator.   I tried to reach from the email location Judy had found; but three year had past and I received no reply from my emails. Four weeks ago I received an email the subject of which was Chi Omega Waiter.  It was from Tony.  He is still a quadriplegic; but he’s off the respirator.

 This is his testimony, ‘Faith in our Lord, Jesus Christ is my foundation, my strength.’ He had built his foundation on rock.  Some friends of his in California had gotten him a voice activated computer, and he had found me in Dallas a second time.  We have been conversing with one another by email 3 or 4 times a week this past month.  

Others, like Holly.

Sometimes I send him a photo; other times we share a remembrance. Tony remembers washing dishes this way, ‘Since we had to run across campus to make it to the Chi O house for the noon mean, we made darn sure that washing dishes was fun.’ 

I’d like to send him another picture this week, and I need your help. I’ve brought with me some cards to spell out, ‘We love you, Tony Lazos!’  And I was hoping that before we sing our final song this morning that you will join with me to hold up the letters that spell out this message to him.  Please, someone remember to take a picture and send it to my email address.

And others, like Dana.

Readings:

Acts 3,  13-15, 17-19,  God raised him from the dead.

Psalm 4,    Lord, let you face shine on us.

1 John 2, 1-5,   He is expiation for our sins.

 Luke  24, 35-48,  Peace be with you.

Some of the members of the class reunion who graduated from Spring Hill College, Mobile 1965 at the end of their 7th year of training.

The Readings:  Stack has introduced you to the author of Luke and Acts being the same person or compiler. They were probably written between 70 and 85 AD so a couple of generations after Jesus.  We don’t know the author of John’s Gospel and letters, but they were written at least another generation later. 

Homily 3^rd Sunday of Easter 04/19/15, John Cade

I’ve been looking for a chance to share with you an editorial in the Dallas Morning News from New Year’s Eve.  The topic is gratitude. So that’s where I’m at, and that’s what I want to share with you.

In Stack’s blog this Thursday he quotes from Winnie the Pooh. Pooh asks, “What day is it?”  “It’s today,” answers Piglet.  And Pooh responds, “My favorite day.”

Avenue of the Oaks, Spring Hill College.

The New Year’s Eve editorial refers to a multi-year research project at the University of California, titled “Expanding the Science and Practice of Gratitude.” This research turned up many benefits that grow out of gratitude, such as: a stronger immune system; fewer illnesses and aches and pains; better sleep; greater resilience; reduced anxiety and depression; and more joy, optimism and happiness.  The editorial also speaks to how we develop gratitude.  I made copies; there should be enough for each family unit to take one and there may be extras.

The last two weeks Stack talked about Easter events in our lives, events that give new life, fuller life, and joy of spirit.  Gratitude naturally flows from Easter events and from all the blessings we can count every day.  I do not believe there is anyone on this planet who has not experienced an Easter event.   We know that noticing an Easter event, and accepting its offer of new life and joy, can be difficult. I’ve caught myself not noticing such events or not being fully grateful for these blessings and gifts.  

Recently my daughter Joey came by with my grandson, Leo (age 6).  A couple of years ago Joey took a part time job and had been experiencing a desire to go beyond what it offered her in income, and especially in satisfaction.  Without making a formal job search, she was contacted by a company in Austin wanting her to head up a planned expansion to Dallas.

  They eventually offered her a percentage of the company if she took the job.  Another company in Richardson also found her and offered her a position.  When she approached her current employer and told him she had offers and was planning to take one of them, he begged her to stay and go full time. 

Avenue of the Oaks facing Stewart Field.

Joey’s Easter event, her experience of new life, was the realization that her fears about job security were unfounded and she could choose from among the three positions.  This meant more security as a mom and more confidence and satisfaction as an employee. 

Leo, while still in the developmental stage that includes magical thinking, is developing his sense of competence.  He loves playing all kinds of games and he makes them competitive.  In the short time they were at our house, Leo initiated several games with me: first, racing cars on the floor, then Black Jack which helps him learn to count, then Shoots and Ladders, then Parcheesi. 

It was a delight to see his face light up over his competence at these games.  He clearly was experiencing new life and joy in experiencing his competence, and his gratitude and joy showed all over his face. 

One of my Easter events was in 2008 when I was in hospital for heart surgery.  Lambrini and I had hired a construction team to convert an area of our home into an office for my therapy practice.  At one point the guys were not doing the work properly.

An architect friend, hearing about this problem and knowing I was in hospital, simply went over to our home and took charge of the project, telling them what to do over.  When Lambrini told me what he had done, I was so moved by this I was crying with her. 

A nurse must have seen me crying, since they started an anti-depressant and I had the most horrible nightmares I had ever had.  I asked them to please stop this treatment, that I was not depressed, I was emotional and crying because of my immense gratitude. 

Something we now know is that we can train our brains in the habit of noticing and accepting Easter events and in having gratitude.

Pooh said “today …is… my favorite day.” 

My question is how are you practicing the habit of noticing Easter events and the joy of gratitude?

Readings: Sirach 35,12-18; Psalm 34; 2 Timothy 4, 6-18; Luke 18, 9-14.

Sirach: Again we take up one of the books of the Apocrypha, the 12 books written in Greek and not originally considered part of the Bible.  This book is basically a collection of Jewish wisdom statements and teachings.

Our selection in chapter 35 talks about the nature of god and what happens to the person who serves god.  It sets up Luke’s parable about the pharisee & the tax collector in the temple.

I am Better than Whom?

In our neighborhood there is an elderly couple.  Their yard is full of weeds and they tend to mow only a few times a summer. They have a couple of dead cars in the driveway, and drive an old, partially rusted pickup.

Once while I was sitting at my desk in the living room I saw the lady come by our house in her truck, take a left away from me on the corner, stop the truck, and get out.  Next I saw our neighbor lady running across our yard going in the direction of the truck.  Her black lab had gotten out.  Guess who finally caught the dog.  Yes, the lady from the pickup.  I was impressed and a bit embarrassed at my judgmental attitude. 

I was doubly embarrassed a few weeks later in the spring when I was working in the yard.  The pickup pulled up to the curb and from the driver’s side window the lady says to me, "You really have a nice yard."  We chatted, I found out her name, and now we wave at each other whenever she drives by.

I am the pharisee in the parable about these two guys going into the temple to pray.  Let me make a few comments about the tax collector, the pharisee, and the setting.

The setting first.

• Prayer time was 9:00 or 3:00
• Others were probably present
• Prayer of soliloquy was normal
• The parable is directly addressed to the rule keepers and especially the judgmental rule keepers.  Are these people fear based, following whatever they were programmed to believe as children? 

The pharisee.

• Goes to the temple to pray.  Normal.  Considered a model citizen & temple member.
• Utters a prayer of gratitude.  Normal.  A great prayer form.
• Fasts twice a week and pays tithes on his whole income.  Above normal.  An outstanding temple member.  A paragon of virtue and worthy of all Yahweh’s blessings.
• But.  The prayer of gratitude is based upon a judgmental attitude.  He thinks he is better than.  Superior to.

The tax collector.

• Shock!  A tax man going into the temple.  Going to pray.
• Tax collectors were considered ritually impure, because of their job. They collected money from their neighbors to hand over to the hated Roman government.
• The tax collector could have been stoned for entering the temple.
• He does not confess his weakness, does not promise to repent, says nothing about restitution.  In fact, he could not give up his job.  Or would not? 
• Begs for mercy.  Nothing more.  His only hope is to be accepted by Yahweh.

The result: Escatalogical Reversal.  Big description for what takes place.  A flip.  Just the contrary to what the Jewish people listening would expect.  The Tax collector "went home justified."  God’s inconceivable love accepts someone who does not follow the rules?  See why they crucified him?

Who are three people you dislike?  And why?

AUDIO: http://mysite.verizon.net/reso7rjy/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderfiles/2007-10-28.mp3