Reminder for the 3rd Sunday in Lent, March 3, 2024

Zephaniah 3:  Jerusalem will be told: "Don't be afraid. Dear Zion, don't despair. Your God is present among you, a strong Warrior there to save you.

Philippians 4:  Before you know it, a sense of God's wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It's wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life.

Luke 3:  But John intervened: "I'm baptizing you here in the river. The main character in this drama, to whom I'm a mere stagehand, will ignite the kingdom life, a fire, the Holy Spirit within you, changing you from the inside out.

 A Note from Lynda Fleming concerning the Advent Tree for Seniors

Senior Citizens Angel Tree:

We are partnering again this year with the Wellness Center for Older Adults in Plano. There are a variety of ways you can help:

~ If you would like to sponsor a senior, please text Lynda Fleming at 972-754-0823 with the number of seniors you would like to sponsor and a budget amount. 

~ If you would like to make a contribution, please Venmo her @LyndaFleming and she’ll be happy to shop for you. 

~ if you would like to donate $20 gift cards, the most requested places are Walmart, Subway, Target and Aldi. 

Thanks so much for your support and generosity!!

 

 

 

 

Another Reminder for the 3rd Sunday of Advent, December 15, 2024

Nehemiah 8:  Then Ezra praised God, the great God, and all the people responded, "Oh Yes! Yes!" with hands raised high. And then they fell to their knees in worship of God, their faces to the ground.

1 Corinthians 12:  You are Christ's body – that's who you are! You must never forget this. Only as you accept your part of that body does your "part" mean anything.

John 2:  God's Spirit is on me; he's chosen me to preach the Message of good news to the poor, Sent me to announce pardon to prisoners and recovery of sight to the blind, To set the burdened and battered free,  to announce, "This is God's year to act!"

 

 

 

Another Reminder for the 3rd Sunday in Ordinary Time, January 26, 2025

Readings: Wisdom 18, 6-9; Psalm 33; Hebrews 11, 1-19; Luke 12, 32-48.

Wisdom: this book is one of the 12 special books only finally approved by the Catholic Church at the Council of Trent in 1546.  Martin Luther, for instance, did not think the 12 books were genuine.  Whatever the case, the 12 books are in a special section of our bible after the Old Testament.

The book we are reading from today contains traditional Jewish and Greek ideas about life, basically saying that God rewards those faithful to him & punishes you know whom.

What are You Afraid of?

When I was about sixteen, I came home from the old Jesuit High School one afternoon probably in the spring.  Nobody was home, not even my sister as far as I can remember. My dad was at work. My mom was at one of her afternoon bridge clubs and had gone with one of her friends because her baby blue Pontiac was in the garage. 

After hanging around a bit and getting bored, I decided I was going to go visit a friend and use my mom’s car. Mom, however, did not like me using her car, so I could not find her keys. Now in those days all of us kids knew how to run a car without keys. It was called hot wiring a car. You used tin foil on the back of the key slot under the dash. 

So I hot wired my mom’s big Pontiac, pulled out of the driveway onto Stanford, and turned toward Preston Road. Arriving at the corner the car stalls. For five minutes I am working on the key slot to start the car, all to no avail, when a car coming north on Preston turns into Stanford. A lady is driving.  I know that lady and sitting next to her, my mom.

The master had returned and the servant was unprepared. In fact, the servant was caught red handed.

I never got that car started and, in fact, had to pay my hard earned paper route money to get it towed and fixed. I had shorted out some wires. I don’t remember my mom ever saying anything, but I was humiliated. 

I remembered this incident when I read about the master & the servant. I have some observations about these readings.

First, I don’t see our God as a thief who is trying to catch us off guard. He is not a strict master who is looking to catch us red handed and beat us. 

Secondly, I don’t see us as servants. In fact, in John’s gospel Jesus says he does not call us servants, but friends. In today’s psalm it says, "Blessed the people the Lord has chosen to be his own.  We are his chosen.  So is everyone.

To see this parable in a positive light, I would go back to last week when we talked about life being a gift.  When it says that the Lord will come at an hour we do not expect, I propose that the gift comes at moments and in packages we do not expect.  Appreciation is the goal and the process. It involves being sensitive and reflective.

One of the best lines in the whole gospel today is the very first line where Jesus says, "Do not be afraid any longer." This means I do not have to be afraid of God, afraid of death, afraid of getting caught red handed, or afraid of missing the gifts of the moment. 

I’ll always remember how stupid I felt when my mom came around that corner and saw me in her car, broken down. She did not tear into me, and neither do we have a god who is a thief or master who will beat us. 

So what are you afraid of?

   

 

"Welcome in, Everybody," say Emma & her mom, Beth.

 

Readings: 

Jeremiah 17,  5-8,   Cursed  is the one who trusts in human beings.

Psalm 1,  Blessed are they who hope in the Lord.  

1 Corinthians 15, 12, 16-20,    Christ has been raised from the dead.

Luke 6,  17, 20-26,  Blessed are you who are poor.  (beatitudes)

 

 

Suiting up is a teamwork.

 

 

Sunday Homily

 Cursed is the one who trusts in human beings.

This morning I would like to talk about this line from Jeremiah, which, you know me, I do not like. 

A little story for perspective.

 

 

Victoria doing her magic lighting of the candles.

 

It was only a week ago this past Thursday that I went to visit my spine surgeon for my 6 week post op check up.  I expected to get a looser leash, like maybe a physical therapist.  Rosemary came with me, mostly because she did not want me to come home saying I could do things she doubted came from the surgeon.  

So, what happens?  I got more freedom than I could imagine.  I was even asked if I wanted a physical therapist.  I said I did not care.  He asked if I learned anything new from the physical therapist I had pre-op.  I said I really learned nothing.  So, he said just go do what you know.

I was so stunned, so surprised, I was in tears.  Lucky I had Rosemary there.  She would have never believed me.

 

 

Buddy reading the Blessing of The Winter Candles.  You just gets better each week, Buddy.

 

 

So, from the office in the Presby  complex we headed home all elated in our Prius.  We took Royal Lane west from Central and caught the light at Hillcrest.  We were behind a lady.  The red light changed to green and the lady sat there.  I flashed my lights one time.

Then, Bamm!  We were tail gated. 

What now?  All the horror stories I have heard of hit & run people, people who get angry and blame the victims.

 

 

 

I am proud to say, Carol, that I am jealous of your hair.

 

So we went to the first left bound lane, pulled over to the right hand curb, and got out.  My elation had turned to a downer.  At least the person had not tried to run away and pulled right up behind us.  Moreover she jumped out of her Infinity SUV, asking, "Are you okay?  Anybody get hurt?   I am so sorry, my foot just slipped off the brake pedal."  I know you are warned never to do this if you caused the accident.

 

 

The Music Musicians Ben & David.

 

Corey was the lady's name, middle aged, slender, and probably from the neighborhood.  She had a lot of integrity, claimed she was responsible, gave us photos of her papers, especially the insurance paper.  

By the next day, Friday, her insurance company was in touch, they offered us a rental, which we did not think we needed for a few days, and we booked the Prius into the local service King this past Thursday.  

 

 

Elevation time.

 

So, cursed is the one who trusts in human beings?  Jeremiah, you must have been having a bad day, a bunch of which I know you had in your life.

I think the real challenge for us is to trust. 

Who are the people in your life whom you trust?  

 

 

The Beautiful Sisters Geri & Francine.

 

Acts of the Apostles 4, He is the stone rejected by you

Psalm 118,   The stone rejected by the builders has become the corner stone

1 John 3, Beloved, We are God's children.

John 10, I am the good shepherd and I know mine.

 

 

 

Thanks……

Music,  Ben & Shonda

Readers,  John, Connie, & Buddy, our candle blesser

Gospel, Deacon Mike Carrell

Homily,  John Stack

Eucharistic Prayer A & B, Stack & John Cade

The Magic Zoom makers,   Hue & Richard & Mike–welcome home!

Final Blessing, Rosemary

For hosting us at Legacy, Becky

 

 

 

Welcome in, Everybody.

 

Readings for Sunday, April 25, 2021

Download Reading 4th Easter 4-25-2021

 

John Stack Homily

Download Homily Cornerstone 4-25-21

 

 

The Team.

 

Remember these special people:

For Alan Stryker;  For Joe Sullivan;    For Rosemary's great niece, Rylie ;  For Richard's grand daughter, Madeleine;   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, and for Hue & Linda's daughter, Doctor Rosemary Beavers;   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 &  Leo & all of Shonda's dear family; For Ursuline Sr. Mary Troy 

Here they are: Cathy & Cheryl.  How we have missed this.

 

Jackie's mom, sister, & friend, Lynn;  For Rick Turner searching for a kidney donor, Type O neg; For Meredith, cancer free & John Schanot;    For John O'Donnell & Jean;   For Jean & Cliff Wright;  For Dee, and for her daughter, Lisa;  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; from Barbara, a little 4 month old baby girl named Ford undergoing an operation; for David McKeon's brother, Hugh; For Beth's friends;   for the medical staffs, teachers, and coaches in our public & private schools.

 

Connie reading from Acts.

 

Birthdays:    David Dinsmore, John Simari, Cliff Wright, & Denni

Anniversaries:    Randolf & Michelle

 

Community Finances,   April 25, 2021

Expenses: $ 250.00

Outreach: $ 350.00

Thanks again, Folks, for doing what you can.

 

 

Rosemary sharing her Blessing of The Week.

 

Rosemary's final blessing

May we be blessed with the gift of contemplation of the blessings we have received and then put this appreciation into action to help others.

And may there always be someone on our life’s journey to help us on your way.     

 

Isaiah 35:  Springs of water will burst out in the wilderness, streams flow in the desert.   Hot sands will become a cool oasis, thirsty ground a splashing fountain. 

James 2: Listen, dear friends. Isn't it clear by now that God operates quite differently? He chose the world's down-and-out as the kingdom's first citizens, with full rights and privileges. This kingdom is promised to anyone who loves God.

Mark 7:  He took the man off by himself, put his fingers in the man's ears and some spit on the man's tongue.  Then Jesus looked up in prayer, groaned mightily, and commanded, "Ephphatha! – Open up!" And it happened. The man's hearing was clear and his speech plain – just like that.

 

 

Another Reminder for 23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time, September 8, 2024