Readings:
Wisdom 9, 13-18, 28-29, Who can know God’s counsel?
Psalm 90, In every age, O Lord, you have been our refuge.
Philemon 1, 9-10, 12-17, I, Paul, an old man…
Luke 14, 25-33, If anyone comes to me without hating his father and mother.
Sorry no Homily today.
We had a Communion Service and discussion of the readings today. Thanks to all who attended and contributed to our discussion.
Readings:
Wisdom 3, 1-9, The souls of the just are in the hand of God.
Psalm 23, The Lord is my shepherd, there is nothing I shall want.
1 John 3, 1-3, See what love the Father has bestowed on us.
John 6, 37-40, I will not reject anyone.
All Souls Day observations–
Let me give you a bit of history and the thinking behind this All Souls' Day. Five observations: the theology, purgatory-limbo, a legend, pre-Christian practices, and today.
1. The Theology. All Souls' Day is part of a package with All Saints. The idea is: on All Saints' Day we honor all those who are enjoying the beatific vision, that is, heaven, the saints. On All Souls' Day we honor those who have died but have not reached heaven because they had penance to do.
We are talking mortal & venial sin here. If the person died with mortal sin, they are you know where. Those with venial sins have to go through purification and purging, which brings us to All Souls' Day and purgatory.
2. Purgatory & limbo. People ended up in purgatory to purify themselves with suffering, before being allowed into heaven. Limbo was for whom? It was for people, especially children who died without being baptized. They remained there how long? Forever. Can you imagine a baby there or even in the old purgatory?
At least the Catholic Church recently acknowledged that the limbo idea was bogus. The pope said it does not exist and never did. Though many consider purgatory to be in the same class, it still exists. Want to know how we know? A previous pope was offering indulgences. The indulgence is for the soul in purgatory. It speeds up the process. There are partial & total indulgences. We can win them for these souls and get them out or we can win them for ourselves.
For instance, on the last feast of Peter & Paul Rome offered an indulgence if you visited a church named after one or both of these two, and you recited a prescribed menu of prayers.
3. The legend. It happened around 1000 A.D. that a monk, St. Idolo, from the French monastery of Cluny was shipwrecked on a desolate island as he returned from a pilgrimage to the Holy Land, i.e., Israel. On the island he met a poor hermit. The hermit told him that among the rocks was a crevice from which came the anguished voices of the many suffering in purgatory. Likewise, listening carefully you could hear the devils cursing that living people were speeding up the sufferings of these souls by praying and doing penance for them.
Some time after this, i.e., 1000 A.D., the Cluny Monastery established an All Souls' Day. Ca. 1300 Rome followed suit.
4. Pre-Christian times. There is evidence that at least in Mexico numerous tribes had a day or period when the departed ancestors were honored. The purpose was to honor them, remember their example, and to communicate with them. Today in Mexico & in Hispanic families the Day of the Dead is still celebrated. This custom has been celebrated for 3,000 years.
5. Today. Limbo has been discarded by Rome and many scholars consider purgatory a dinosaur idea from antiquity. Consequently, All Souls' Day celebrates Samantha, my mom & dad, Rosemary's mom & dad, and all our loved ones pictured on the stage. All Saints' Day handles the canonized. Hell is also considered today a mental concept, not real.
So we say, What special blessing did you receive from one of these people pictured or whom you remember in your heart?
Today's Saint
I would like to talk today about a saint for the day. Every day has its saint. I want to talk about one.
Ever hear of a 67 year old black guy named Johnny Lindsay? I read about him in the Dallas Morning News this summer. Another of the army of exonerees.
Johnny spent 26 years in prison for a rape he did not commit. He got out in 2008. Can you believe that, 26 years! Oh, but how he had grown.
He came out of prison without anger, bitterness, or desire for revenge. In fact, he came out with a desire to do one thing positive for someone. He had reached that acceptance state where peace lives.
Ever since Johnny was 12 years old music had touched his spirit. What kept his spirit alive those 26 years was music. He sang in a choir the prisoners formed. He said music was his saving grace and he dreamed all those years of finally being exonerated one day and doing one thing good for others.
At his release he was given $2 million. So his wife, Sherita, and he decided to actually take piano lessons. He met Debbie Beach and she became an inspiration for him. She taught them and shared her dream to have her own music school. Johnny & Sherita bought her all the keyboards she needed to open her school.
Has Johnny come out of prison eager for revenge? Does he hate? Is he angry? I think I would be. However, he, like so many, many of these exonerated men is at peace.
Even this past Wedneswday, two men were exonerated and released after 14 years in prison. They are not angry and not looking for revenge. Johnny loves and accepts others. He is at peace, with others and with himself.
With whom are you not at peace? What do you need to do to attain the peace Johnny has?
Reference: Dallas Morning News, June 23, 2014.
Readings: Habakkuk,1, 2-3 & 2, 2-4;Psalm 95; 2 Timothy 1, 6-14; Luke 17 5-10.
Habakkuk: the words of this prophet come from the end of the 7th century, B.C. at a time when the Babylonians were in power. He was deeply disturbed by their violence and asked Yahweh why he was silent. Yahweh’s response was that he will rescue the people in his own time. But meanwhile, the good will live on because they are faithful to Yahweh.
In our selection we have a bit of both: Habakkuk’s complaint & Yahweh’s response. This connects with Luke’s gospel which touches on faith and the servant who simply is doing what he is supposed to do.
Faith? In What?
A short while ago Donna sent me a quiz on religion. A handful of questions asks about what a person believes. Like, do you believe, or not believe in God? What do you think happens after you die? And so on.
After you finish the quiz you are matched up with the religious group with which you have the closest fit. My closest fit turned out to be Liberal Quaker. Roman Catholic for me was in the twenties. So why don’t I become a Quaker? Because it does not feel like home, which Catholicism does. I hope to work with the essentials of Catholicism. Some say this is being a cafeteria Catholic. I would prefer to call myself an a la carte Catholic. The only intellectually healthy way.
I thought of all this because of Luke’s comments about faith. If I had faith I could uproot trees. I would be happy to just get rid of the weeds in the lawn. Is this not exaggeration? Sadly some sects take it literally, as you know. Faith is the product of a process, often called faith formation. And this is where it really gets tricky. Who determines what is taught to young people and members of a religious group? What I was taught as a child, wow. So much of it I don’t accept any more.
My Catholic education was anomalous. I learned to critique literature, poetry, politics, government, psychology, but not religious instruction. I memorized that. That religious instruction was supposed to be my faith. Doubts & questions were not encouraged.
This leads me to make a distinction between religion and spirituality. I think both religion & spirituality produce my faith. My spirituality, likewise, is influenced by religious instruction. Some of these observations come from Vaillant’s Aging Well.
First, religion is usually exclusive, while spirituality is inclusive. For example, If you don’t believe the pope is infallible, you are excluded from the membership. If you don’t wear certain dress, you are expelled or criticized.
Secondly, religion comes from outside, while spirituality comes from inside. True, my spirituality is not formed in a vacuum. It receives input from outside sources. Spirituality, however, sifts and sorts before accepting it.
Thirdly, religion is certain and proclaims creeds & dogma that have to be believed. Spirituality searches. It involves feelings, experiences, and uncertainty.
My brother in law gave me a good book on how religions become corrupt and evil, eventually losing their original charism. (When Religion Becomes Evil, Charles Kimball) Five characteristics:
I would suggest that each person’s faith is unique and we are not homogeneous. If we are spiritually healthy.
What are the three things you have the strongest faith in?
RELIGION QUIZ: http://www.beliefnet.com/story/76/story_7665_1.html
AUDIO: http://mysite.verizon.net/reso7rjy/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderfiles/2007-10-07.mp3
Readings:
Acts 5, 12-16, Many signs and wonders were done among the people.
Psalm 118, Give thanks to the Lord for he is good, his love is everlasting
Revelation 1, 9-19, I was caught up in spirit on the Lord’s day.
John 20, 19-31, Thomas, “Unless I see the mark of the nails.
Harper says, "Hi, Everybody, Welcome in."
Acts observations: I won’t bore you every Sunday for the next six with these same observations. I thought I would mention them because you may have missed them Easter Sunday with all that was going on. Periodically I will remind you of the basics.
Date: sometime before the year 70. Why? No mention of the destruction of Jerusalem, which took place the year 70, a Big Date in Jewish history.
Genevieve, too, says, "Hi, Folks, come in."
Who: The same person who wrote the Gospel of Luke. How do we know? Similarities of style, language (Greek), and theological themes.
Subject: The story of the expansion of the Jesus story in 3 areas, first, Jerusalem, then, Palestine or the Holy Land, and finally, into the Mediterranean and ultimately, Rome.
Today’s Subject: a description of the growth & expansion within the first area, Jerusalem.
Sources: Good News Bible, The New Interpreter’s Study Bible, Wikipedia
Hi, Cathy, and welcome to you, too. Thanks for bringing Harper.
New Life Next Weekend
Next Sunday when you all come together here I will be getting together with my former Jesuit classmates in the beautiful college chapel at Spring Hill College in Mobile, Alabama. We guys spent the 5th, 6th, and 7th years of our training at Spring Hill.
It is class reunion time this weekend and about 8 of us gathered last year for the same event. This year the alumni board is making a big deal out of us and is inviting all the ex and present Jesuits who got degrees at Spring Hill to special recognition. There could be hundreds.
Leo, the Candle Lighter, at work on the Easter Candle.
When I was there we had about 150 guys residing in Assumption Hall, which has been since demolished and replace with smaller units of student housing.
I would like to make 4 observations on the uniqueness of this group of guys.
You never know what you will find out on April 1. The Juliets.
First, all joined up to be Jesuit priests despite the 10-14 years of training involved. Some entered out of college, others, like myself, entered out of high school. I got the full 14 years of training, which at the time was not too bad. It was broken up into 3 & 4 year goals.
Secondly, all these guys became well educated, whether in the Jesuits or after leaving. Lots of the guys taught in schools and universities. They were a pretty progressive group, interested in service, usually to the poor. All would have made good priests and good contributors to the numerous Jesuit high schools, universities, parishes, and retreat houses. In my early years there were 35,000 Jesuits just in the U.S.
Welcome, Nora, into our special Catholic Family.
Thirdly, in my class there is and has been a love of reuniting to see how everyone is doing. There is a comfort zone and guys are willing to share pretty important parts of their lives.
I remember a reunion maybe 3-4 years ago in New Orleans. One of my buddies, Bill, who had cared for his wife for some years before she died of cancer was there. I had not seen him or talked with him since she had died. I was sitting in the group where we were talking about where each of us was at.
Tom and Denni with their just baptized grandbaby.
Bill had not said anything. I remember debating within myself. But I am used to asking these questions. Finally I simply asked him would he be willing to share how it was to care for and lose his wife. We were all in tears.
In Wernersville, PA there is a large Jesuit retreat house & novitiate. Every summer a reunion of some 50 or more Jesuit & ex-Jesuit classmates gather for a weekend. I just found out about this from one of my classmates from the east. I plan to go some summer in the future.
These reunions are just among Jesuits. There is a large, more formal group called Corpus. These guys seem to be mostly ex-diocesan priests.
John Cade, any Carmelite groups?
Who are all these people, Nora? Why, that is you granddad, Tom, your sister, Charlotte, your grandmommy, Denni, your big sister, Chloe, your mommy, Claire, and your daddy, Andrew.
Final observation. Do you realize that within the next 30 years these groups will all disappear? We have here a unique sample of the population, ex-priests and ex-seminarians. They all wanted to be priests. They all wanted to be married. Because of Vatican II in the ‘60s, they decided remaining celibate was not healthy for them. Shortly the whole group will pass on.
A little slice of history for you today, folks.
Nora, you are beautiful and perfect. Welcome into our world.
Bonjour et Bienvenu, Mes Amis.
Readings:
Baruch 5, 1-9, Jerusalem, put on the splendor of glory.
Psalm 126, The Lord has done great things for us, we are filled with joy.
Advent special: Pope Francis,' Laudato Si (Praise to you).
Leighton, too, says, "Welcome, Everybody."
A Reading from Pope Francis’ Letter on the Environment:
In some countries there are positive examples of environmental improvement: rivers, polluted for decades, have been cleaned up; native woodlands have been restored; advances have been made in the production of non-polluting energy and in the improvement of public transportation. These achievements show that men and women are capable of intervening positively.
At the same time we can note the rise of a false or superficial ecology which bolsters complacency and a cheerful recklessness. In periods of deep crisis requiring bold decisions, we are tempted to think that what is happening is not entirely clear. Superficially, apart from a few obvious signs of pollution and deterioration, things do not look that serious, and the planet could continue as it is for some time.
Such evasiveness serves as a license to carry on with our present lifestyles and models of production and consumption. This is the way humans contrive to feed self-destructive habits: trying not to see reality, trying not to acknowledge reality, delaying important decisions and pretending that nothing will happen.
The word of Pope Francis.
Luke, 3, 1-6, Prepare the way of the Lord.
Warren says, "What's going on around here?"
Baruch:
What: One of the little books (only 5 chapters) of what I'll call The Odd Books. That is, it is not one of the big 3, nor one of the 12 little prophetic books, nor part of the N.T. It is part of a dozen small books in between. Most Protestant churches don't recognize the legitimacy The Odd Books.
Author: Baruch was Jeremiah's secretary. Maybe he wrote some of the material, but it was not put together. Remember, he & Jeremiah lived before & during the Babylonian Captivity. There are 4 small discourses. Compilation of the total work seems to have taken place later, Most likely some anonymous person or persons a few centuries after Jeremiah.
Who let these two characters in?
Date of composition: maybe during the Maccabees' revolt ca. 100 before Christ. If so, the little book intends to strengthen resistance of the Jews during the Macabeean Revolt, using the Babylonian model to encourage the people.
Our passage: a message of optimism, hope, peace, and a victorious new day. The passage reflects 2nd Isaiah's message (chapter 40), which is likewise quoted in Luke's gospel for today. The famous 2nd Isaiah: Luke uses this source to build his nativity narrative. See also the lyrics of Handel's Messiah.
Sources: Good New Bible.
2nd Sunday of Advent, two candles.
It’s Coming, It’s Coming, It’s Here!
I would like to talk this morning about the fact that it is coming, it is coming, it is here. That is, Christmas. I would propose that there is a richness, a joy, and a peace in the time leading up to Christmas, as well as Christmas itself.
A little story.
When Rosemary & I were with her sister and brother in law in Hilton Head, we spent an evening watching a comedy film called Christmas with the Kranks. At first I thought this was just going to be a goofy movie, which it was. But it had a message inside the comedy. It goes like this.
Guess who lit those candles, Buddy, Victoria, and Zoe.
A couple in probably their 40’s had a daughter who was going to Peru to work as a Peace Corp volunteer. They were both depressed. At that point, Luther, the husband decided to buy tickets on a Christmas Caribbean cruise. That got them both excited.
Luther also decided that they would simply skip Christmas at their home, no decorations and no holiday socializing when they normally had a big Christmas Eve party.
The Team, Georgie & Kevin
First thing that happens, the Scouts come with Luther’s annual Christmas tree, the kids’ annual fundraiser. Luther says, “No Christmas tree this year.” This causes quite a commotion & pushback. Scrooge gets mentioned.
Then the police come selling their annual calendar. They get turned away and are not happy. Then the neighborhood wants Luther to put up his plastic snowman on the roof. “Not this year,” says Luther.
Hi, Harper.
By now Luther and Nora have everyone mad at them, the Scouts, the Police, and all the neighbors. One old neighbor across the street gives it to Luther. His wife has cancer.
The couple are counting days to departure when on Christmas Eve morning their daughter, Blair, calls to say that she has decided to do Christmas with them, is in like Miami and will arrive home in the afternoon, and is bringing with her a Peruvian guy she wants them to meet. She plans to wed him. Plus she is so looking forward to all their annual decorations, the big Christmas Eve party, and snow.
Victoria and her favorite Mommy.
Luther and Nora are delighted, speechless, and aghast. What to do? They reverse field and start racing around to decorate and set up the Christmas Eve party. Luther even borrows a decorated Christmas tree from a neighbor who will be away for Christmas. Some of the Scouts help him take it to his house.
It all gets done, the over the top decorations, the party to which the neighbors come, and the daughter with her new fiance’ gets her snow.
Some of today's food drive.
The coup de grace comes when Luther slips away from the party and crosses the street to the grumpy neighbor and his wife with the cancer. Luther gives the couple their cruise tickets.
The lesson from the movie? The value of community, of friends, and of family.
Genevieve says, "I think it is time for me to start moving around."
This is what we try to build here on Sundays, what Rosemary & I try to build at Hilton Head, our Romeos & ladies’ luncheons, and next Saturday, the marvelous Love for Kids picnic.
How are you sharing The Spirit?
Our friendly gorilla says he appreciates all hugs.
Readings: Entry Reading, Matthew 21, 1-11; Isaiah 50, 4-7; Psalm 22, My God, My God, why have You abandoned me?; Philippians 2, 6-11; Passion, Matthew 26.
Palm Sunday/Passion Sunday 2011
Intro to the Readings
Today we will be celebrating both Palm Sunday and Passion Sunday – two extremes – the one an occasion of great joy and celebration with the palms, when Jesus comes riding into Jerusalem being hailed as King, the other is our reading of the Passion of Jesus from Matthew’s Gospel. Each of the evangelists gives us an account of Jesus’ last days. It might help to put it into perspective by considering, particularly for those of you who were alive and can remember the assassination of President John Kennedy, the time lapse between the event and the writing of the gospel narratives. Our views of president Kennedy have been affected by time. So too the account of Jesus’ death is influenced by the events taking place when these accounts were written.
In brief, Matthew and Mark are very similar and present a Jesus who has been abandoned by all! The disciples do not come off too well, they fall asleep on him three times, Peter denies him three times, and Jesus’ last words from the cross are “My God, why have you abandoned me.
For Luke, Jesus is not abandoned, the disciples appear in a much more sympathetic light. The people are not against Jesus, three times Pilate declares Jesus innocent, and in Luke, Jesus heals the soldier whose ear is cut off. He prays for the women of Jerusalem, he forgives those who persecute him, promising the good thief heaven and finally prays, ”Into your hands I commend my spirit”.
John has a Jesus who is able to declare “I lay down my life and I take it up again, no one takes it from me”. On the cross his royalty is proclaimed in three languages, Pilate declares him King of the Jews, his Mother and beloved disciple are with him at the foot of the cross, and his final words are “it is finished”.
How are we to understand these different presentations? Not as contradictions but as different sides of a diamond, because we will need Jesus differently in our different circumstances, at different times in our lives. Sometimes we will feel abandoned, sometimes in need of comfort and other times assured of God’s infinite power.
I want to use this time for the homily, very briefly. A question I would have you consider as we listen to the gospel reading today – who are you in those readings?
Are you one of the crowd on Palm Sunday cheering wildly as Jesus rides into Jerusalem? Are you one of the disciples who abandoned Jesus when things got tough, or Peter who denied him three times, or Judas who betrayed him? Are you Pilate, who declares his own innocence by washing his hands of the whole thing?
This may seem a bit of an extreme question, but remember, the way the gospel story is presented by each of the evangelists is colored by the circumstances in which their account has been written.
Picture 1: The Passion with Claire Occhipinti helping
Picture 2: The Kiddos, Georgie, Natalie, J.E., and Kendall
Picture 3: Offertory, Tom & Teresa Quinn
Picture 4: Communion helpers, Rob & Beth Robinson and Mike Carrell
Picture 5: Communion helpers, Joanne, Tom & Lynda Fleming
Readings:
Acts 2, 42-47, Awe came upon everyone.
Psalm 118, Give thanks to the Lord for he is good, his love is everylasting.
1 Peter 1, 3-9, Although you have not seen him, you love him.
John 20, 19-31, Unless I see the marks of the nails.
Observations 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.
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: Luke describes and idyllic community, not a real community. This was utopia, a vision Plato had of the perfect community. It reminds me of advertisements Rosemary & I get for idyllic retirement communities, beautiful elderly people, smiling, hiking, enjoying excellent meals in charming dining rooms, all in perfect harmony. Look at the struggles Peter & Paul had with each other’s view of Christianity and you get a view of today’s Christianity.
1 Peter observations:
Peter is writing to the first Christians in what is today Turkey and, get this, Syria. He is encouraging them in their struggles.
Sources: Jerusalem Bible, Wikipedia
The Doubting Thomas Syndrome
This morning I would like to talk about the Doubting Thomas Syndrome. The syndrome is usually dealt with like a sickness. The medication and remedy, ‘Don’t doubt, just believe.’ I have heard this since I was a kid in Christ the King school.
The problem with this, of course, is that the remedy is really an invitation to hat check my God given, marvelous intelligence at the door. A don’t think dictum. Let me offer an example of how this can put you in an unpleasant mind set.
You all know that I have been studying French since I was recuperating from my two new hips in 2010. You also know that Rosemary & I just returned a week ago from 11 days in France. I am sure you have also heard and believe probably the common opinion that French are all snobby and rude. Here is what I saw on one occasion.
Rosemary and I are in a small market, like a small supermarket about the size of one of our convenience stores, but bigger and more like our supermarkets. I get about 6 bananas and Rosemary gets some things for her evening snack. It is about 5 P.M., so a number shoppers are wandering around.
Once we have everything we want and have wandered the store enough, we get into the checkout line. A young girl is there checking out, very polite and cordial. I chat her up in French. The items are scanned just like here until she gets to my six bananas.
She holds them up, looks them over, and indicates something on the bananas. Turns out it is not something on the bananas, but something missing, the cost, which should have been calculated back in the little produce department.
This is all going on in French, of which I suddenly can’t remember squat. There is a line now of about 3-4 others behind us. I get the idea finally, but I don’t know where the scale is to calculate the price. I can see us holding up the line for ten minutes while I wander the produce department.
Suddenly, the professional looking French man behind us says in English he knows what to do and would be happy to solve the problem in a minute. Which he does and we check out. We depart with wishes to have a nice visit from people around us. Nobody was impatient.
I was most touched and thought, ‘So much for the word around that all French are snobby and rude.’ Certainly these folks were just the contrary.
This exemplifies in a small way how beliefs can be one hundred and eighty degrees off. We will never know the truth if we simply have faith.
My Jesuit training pushed us to question, investigate, and to doubt. The alternative is to hat check my God given, marvelous intelligence at the door.
Got no doubts? Robots & drones have no doubts. They just do what they are told by someone else.
Got some good, healthy doubts? How do you handle them?