Sunday Homily, September 23, 2012, 25th Ordinary Time B

Readings:    

Wisdom  2, 12, 17-20,  Let us beset the just one.

 Psalm 54,   The Lord upholds my life

 James 3, 16-4, 3,   Where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there is disorder.

Mark 9, 30-37,  Whoever receives one child such as this in my name, receives me.

 

Connie & Cathy 9-23-12

Connie and Cathy

Wisdom observations:  

What: One of the 14-15 books of the deutero-canonical books of the Bible.  Not OT nor NT, but in between and the subject of controversy over the centuries.  The “in between books.”  Were they really part of the Bible or not?  How do you know?  Catholic church accepts the books.

Subject matter: the book makes use of traditional Jewish material, as well as ideas borrowed from Greek philosophy, in order to teach that God rewards those who are faithful to him.

Nikki 9-23-12

Nikki

Author: not Solomon, but a Jew living in Alexandria, Egypt who wrote and spoke excellent Greek.  The book is sometimes called “The Wisdom of Solomon.”

Date: ca. 100-200 before Christ.  How do we know these facts?  Because of text analysis.  For example, while the author wrote in Greek, he uses phrases and expressions that have a Hebrew flavor.  Also, he mentions rulers and places that reveal date and locale. 

Zoe 9-23-12

Zoe in style

 Our Selection: what a wicked person thinks should be done with a good person–beat & kill.  This links up with the suffering servant poem from 2 Isaiah last week.  Jews think the good person getting beaten is the Jewish race/nation.  Christians think the person is Christ.

James:  presents a pretty negative image of people.  What would be a compassionate image? 

 

Buddy 9-23-12

Buddy, "Where's the cookies?"

Says the child, “Numero uno or last??”

 This morning I would like to talk about receiving the child, in particular the inner child.  I also want to say a word about being first or last.

 The very Thursday night I arrived home from our backpacking trip Rosemary & I went to see Most Happy Fella at the Irving Arts Center.

The play is about a guy named Tony, middle aged Italian American, successful wine maker from Nappa Valley, and a shy bachelor.

Payton 9-23-12

Joanie & Derrick's Payton

 He eats in a restaurant one evening in, say, Chicago.  He likes the waitress and leaves her a note with his tip, despite his shyness.   They begin a long distance correspondence and start to get close.  Both are looking for partners.  She does not remember him from the evening at the restaurant.

 They decide to exchange photos.  Tony, who has been taking a lot of risk because he is so shy, is afraid to show her his picture.  He thinks he is too old & too ugly.  So he sends her the photo of his handsome young farm foreman.  The foreman has already told Tony he is planning on moving on anyway.

Tristen 9-23-12

Joanie & Derrick's Tristen

 So Tony and his girl decide to wed at the farm.  On the day of her arrival and the big wedding, Tony discovers that the foreman decided to hang around for the wedding & party.  Tony loses it.  He goes out, rolls his pickup, and almost kills himself. 

 Meanwhile, girl arrives and thinks the nice foreman is the groom.  In fact, they get rather enamored of each other.  Then Tony is brought in on a stretcher and they actually do the wedding.  Guess what happens then.  I’ll tell you at the end.

Gracie 9-23-12

Joanie & Derrick's Gracie

 Let me make 2 observations about Tony. 

 First, Tony might have had ambitions about being numero uno, but he really thought he was the last, a loser, ugly, and old.  His challenge: get away from thinking best or worst.  Just accept Tony as okay.

 Secondly, when Tony let himself leave the note for the waitress, he was letting his inner child out for a minute.  In his correspondence he was letting that child play.  The child wants to be loved and to play.  Trouble was, the child was not used to getting out and was afraid.   So he tries the picture trick.

 We can resemble Tony.  Thinking I am first, numero uno in anything, or last, both are traps.  I would propose it is irrelevant.  I am okay just as I am.

 Like Tony I have an inner child.  Want to know what the child wants?  Just watch our kids here.  To be loved and to play.

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Rosemary reading her blessing

   So, two questions today:

 First, where do you think of yourself, first, last, or just okay?

 Secondly, how do you let your own inner child out to play? 

 What happened to Tony?  He eventually became a most happy married fella, despite some complications.   

 

 

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  • Sunday Homily, Sept 16, 2007, 24th in Ordinary Time

    Readings: Exodus 32, 7-14; Psalm 51; 1 Timothy 1, 12-17; Luke 15, 1-32 (Great Gospel: Prodigal Son).

    Exodus: this second book of the Old Testament is a fun read and describes the escape or exit of the Jews from Egypt led by Moses. 

    How did they get there in the first place.  It goes back to the 3 big patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac, & Jacob.  Jacob had 12 sons, the youngest and favorite being Joseph.  His brothers, who hated him, sold him to some travelers who took him to Egypt where he became a favorite of the Pharaoh because he interpreted dreams. 

    When he had grown up a famine hit Israel and Jacob sent his 11 sons to Pharaoh to beg help.  Guess who is Pharaoh’s chief of staff: Joseph. 

    As time passes many Jewish people settle in Egypt and prosper. The Egyptians get jealous and enslave the Jews.  At one point Pharaoh kills all the first born male Jewish babies. Except one: Moses. 

    Our selection takes place after the colorful account of Moses’ call and his leading the people out of Egypt and into the desert.  The people have been rebellious and Yahweh not too compassionate.  Yahweh & Moses are having a little dialog.

    The Prodigal Son

    Because this story is a work of art I would like to explain the story before we read it.  Someone very creative put this masterpiece together and has given us a marvelous insight into the nature of God, especially a God whose love is not conditional, a view that is almost totally different than the view we get in the rest of the bible, both Old & New Testament. 

    The story has three main segments and a footnote: the son leaves his home and his father, the son lives in a distant land, the son returns home, and the response of the son who stayed home.  I will make three observations about each phase of the story.  So twelve observations.

    First, when the younger son asks for his share of his father’s estate, the people would right away be stunned, because he was due no share.  The second son receives nothing normally.

    Secondly, for asking for this share, the father could have had him killed for his insolence and absurd presumption of entitlement.

    Thirdly, the people listening would have been doubly astounded when the father divided his property with the son. This was turning the father into a nut, a fool. 

    With the property the son sets off for a distant place, the second part of the story. He squanders all the money, and ends up feeding pigs for a stranger.  First, significant is the fact that he goes to a distant country, that is, a foreign place.  But more importantly, and this is the first comment, he squanders the property. This is the patrimony.  By squandering the money, he is symbolically disrespecting his father.

    Secondly, he shows disrespect to the Jewish religion by going to a stranger to get a job. In those days, a person in need would go to the temple, which was set up to help their own. Instead, he goes to a local, meaning a Gentile or non-Jew. 

    Thirdly, he debases himself by feeding pigs, the animal rejected by Jews. He even longs to eat the pods the pigs were eating. He has become a total outcast.

    At this point the son realizes that on his father’s farm even the hired help lived better.  So he puts together a little speech that includes three parts: confessing that he has sinned, that he deserves nothing, and could he be treated as one of the father’s workers.  Off he goes. And now the story gets even more bizarre.

    Obviously the father is watching for him, because he sees him a long way off, runs (the father runs!) to the son, embraces him, and kisses him.  The boy begins his speech, but note, the father cuts it off after the first two parts.

    Then the father bestows on the horrible son three significant and symbolic gifts, a robe, a ring, and sandals before calling for the fatted calf to be slaughtered.  First, the robe. This is a sign of dignity, totally the opposite of what the boy deserved. Secondly, the ring. A sign of wealth.  Thirdly, the sandals. Only members of the family wore sandals, not the slaves or hired workers.  It signified mobility. The family member could walk away.

    To the listeners of this story the father would look like an idiot, crazy, out of his mind. The son was so, so bad he only deserved death. 

    Then to complicate life for the father, the older son proceeds to pout and complain. First, this boy, too, now deserves to be killed because of his disobedience and anger. But, and this is the second observation, the father pleads. Fathers don’t plead. Thirdly, the father lets him know how much he loves him by saying all he has is equally the son’s.

    The point of all this: God is like the father.

    How do you resemble the father?

    AUDIO http://mysite.verizon.net/reso7rjy/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderfiles/2007-09-16.mp3

  • 26th Sunday in Ordinary Time, September 27, 2020

    Readings:

    Ezekiel, 18, 25-28, The Lord's way is not fair!

    Psalm 25, Remember your mercies, O Lord.

    Philippians  2, 1-11, Humbly regard others as more important than yourselves.

    Matthew 21, 28-32, Which of the two sons did his father's will?

     

     

    Worry and anxiety 1

     

    Thanks to the Team

    Music,  Ben & Shonda (on Air Force duty)

    Readers,   Connie & John Bresson & Buddy, the candle blesser

    Gospel,  Deacon Mike 

    Homily,  John Cade 

    Eucharistic Prayer A & B, Stack & John Cade

    The Magic Zoom makers, Mike, Ben & Hue, Richard 

    Final Blessing, Rosemary

    For hosting us at Legacy, Becky

     

     

    Download Readings Week 26

     

     

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    John Cade's Homily  (above, Remembering…)

     

    Homily on Priesthood  First, a little bit of history of the Christian priesthood; and second, a little bit on blessings in my life.

    The Apostle Peter, In Chapter 2 of his first letter, vs 4, wrote, “Present yourselves as building stones for the construction of a sanctuary vibrant with life, in which you serve as priests offering Christ-approved lives up to God”.  And he continued in vs 9, “You are the ones chosen by God, chosen for the high calling of priestly work, God’s instruments to do his work and speak out for him.”  (As far as I know, among Christian churches today, it is the Morman church that asks all its members to exercise their priestly role.)

            Saint Jerome, around 380 CE, gave his view of the Christian priesthood, derived no doubt from the traditions and practices of the early church. He wrote, “The priestly dignity is the personal possession of the Christian; it does not belong to the Christian because of membership in a church which has a hierarchical priesthood.  Rather, the layman’s priesthood, as all priesthood, is a sharing in the priesthood of Christ.” 

    He continued, “It’s the reality of the Christian’s priesthood which distinguishes members of the ‘royal priesthood’ from the rest of humankind.  No distinction between one member of Christ’s priestly body and another, can be compared to the distinction between those baptized and confirmed and those not—there is a basic unity that underlies the threefold character of baptism, confirmation and priestly orders.”  It is clear that Saint Jerome placed the origin of priesthood in Christian baptism.  

    But jump about 800 years ahead and you are into Medieval Scholasticism, in universities all over Europe.  Scholasticism was a ‘philosophy of learning’ with emphasis on reasoning to extend knowledge.  You take a topic and dispute it in the form of a question, with counter proposals and opposing arguments.  It began as an attempt to harmonize Christian theology with philosophical antiquity such as with the Greek philosopher, Aristotle.  One thing scholasticism was not based on was early Christian tradition and practice. 

    Saint Thomas Aquinas became scholasticism’s most famous member.  One of the founders of scholasticism, Alexander of Hales (in England), obscured participation in the priesthood of Christ by the baptized/confirmed Christian.  For him priesthood no longer has its origin in Baptism, but in the separate sacrament of Orders.  His thinking and conclusion was approved in the Council of Trent, in 1550, and stands today.  

    In our time, most of us who lived as adults during the papacy of John XXIII and the Second Vatican Council, had high hopes for a more collegial understanding of how leadership could be structured and lived out in the church.  Many of us today support a return to greater opportunity for service by all baptized & confirmed Catholics.  Opportunities clearly were there in the early church.  Don’t tell me we can’t figure out how to make it happen now.  Isn’t it time already, for greater inclusion and equality of opportunity in the church?  I can hear RBG, that extraordinary Jewish woman and Supreme Court justice, giving us, her own – Amen.

    Secondly, a little bit on my personal history of blessings.  I experienced the call, in my mid-teens, to greater closeness with God—of course, to ‘save my soul from hell’. After two semesters in college, I entered the seminary, and eight years later was ordained a priest on Sept 30, 1961.  I felt then and feel now the blessing of that day.  I loved living and working as a priest, ‘saying’ Mass, doing homilies, being invited into others’ lives through counseling, visiting the sick, teaching in high school, and leading retreats.  

    Six or seven years later, when I was in the psychology program at Loyola Chicago, I began to experience a deep loneliness…and also disillusionment with the American hierarchy’s negative reaction to calls for reform by Pope John XXIII and the Vatican Council.  Some of you will remember the great number of priests who left in the late 60’s and early 70’s.  I was one of them.  Having a psychology degree was a blessing, as I could continue one of the things I loved as a priest—counseling with people having a difficult emotional time.  I married and helped raise four kids, including two as stepfather.  Some of the big blessings:  my relationship with a marriage partner (twice), being part of a family with kids (and now grandkids), relationships with friends, mentors and colleagues.  My marriage relationship with Lambrini is amazing; we are a couple now for 28 years and counting.  Also, even with diabetes and cardio-vascular disease, I am blessed with overall health. It’s a huge blessing to be able to enjoy the Autuum time of life. 

    An unexpected blessing came 15 years ago when you, this community, welcomed me back as a Catholic priest. Simply being part of this loving community, seeing the way you live your lives, is a blessing that keeps on giving.  Why?  Because every Sunday, and often between Sundays, you help me ‘see’ the blessings in my life, and you help me live with gratitude. 

    My question:  How do you see yourselves as a ‘royal priesthood’, sharing in the priesthood of Christ?  How do you live with acceptance and love for others, and also see your daily blessings?   

                                  

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    The Zoom Wizards at work.

     

    Please Remember these special people:

    For Alan Stryker;  For John Doherty with back pain; For Becky's dad who has moved to the other side;  For Cindy recuperating at home;    For David Dismore's bad shoulder from a biking accident; For Esparzas, Frank & Mary,  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, Woodlands,  For Joe Hogan with cancer;  For Loretta's aunt Alicia;    For Sydney;  & For Sir Charlie & Jan;  Shonda's mom & Cody & Ben & all of Shonda's dear family;   for all the students and teachers and coaches returning to school, for Geri's sister with heart & circulation problems, David Dinsmore in a bike crash.


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    Ben bringing his Vitality to our music, alone today because Shonda has Air Force duty.

     

    For Jackie's mom, sister, & friend, Lynn;  For a friend & a doctor, Karen, with brain cancer; For Rick Turner searching for a kidney donor, Type O neg; For Meredith, cancer free;    For Hue;  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.

     

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    Mike working on elevating our Zoom quality.

     

    Birthdays:  Judy Carrell (today), Leo (10), Tori & Buddy, (10) 

    Anniversaries: John Cade, 49 years ordained, Fred & Patricia,10th; Erin McClurg & Greg, 3rd; Claire Z & Andrew,9th, Ron & Nancy Kovatis, 48th.

     

     

                                                    

                     

    Community Finances, September 27, 2020

    Expenses: $450.00  

    Outreach   $100.00    (often for Souls Harbor, Legacy, etc.)

    Thanks, Folks, for doing what you can.

     

     

    Rosemary's Blessing:

    Rivers do not drink their own water;

    trees do not eat their own fruit;

    the sun does not shine on itself

    and flowers do not spread their fragrance for themselves.

    Living for others is a rule of nature.

    We are born to help each other.

    No matter how difficult it is.

    Life is good when you are happy

    but much better when others are happy because of you.

    Let us remember that pain is a sign that we are alive,

    problems are a sign that we are strong and

    prayer is a sign that we are not alone.

    If we can acknowledge these truths and

    condition our hearts and minds, our lives will be more meaningful,

    different and

    worthwhile.

     

    Pope Francis

     

     

    New House Address

    Just in case you missed our new address, 7017 Helsem Way  75230.   (notice the same Zip Code as Tulip Lane?)

     

  • Sunday Homily, November 1, 2015, All Saints

    Readings:

    Revelation 7, 2-4, 9-14,  I, John, saw another angel.

    Psalm 24,    Lord, this is the people that longs to see your face.  

    1 John  3, 1-3, See what love the Father has bestowed on us.   Instead of this reading, we will have a special poem for All Saints.

    Matthew 5, 1-12,  Blessed are the poor in spirit. 

     

    Michelle-Cathy-Tori

    'Welcome in, Everybody,' say Victoria, Michelle, and Cathy.

     

    Intro: 3 feasts—

                        All Saints: (or All Hallowes) those who have achieved the beatific vision according to the Catholic Church.  Plus, saints are canonized  based on miracles.

                        All Souls: those who have not achieved the beatific vision and are considered paying for their sins in purgatory.  Limbo has been abandoned by the Catholic Church and purgatory is in question.

                        Hallowe’en: the vigil of All Hallowes, a Celtic-Irish harvest, end of summer celebration. 

     

    Karen

                   A Happy Birthday Cupcake of The Week to Karen.

     

    The Western Catholic Church:

     4 significant dates, 300, 600, 700, & 800

    Year 300: during this century the early Christians, reeling from persecution, celebrated feast of All Martyrs.  This is really the foundation of the feast.

    Year 600: a Pope Boniface dedicated the Pantheon in Rome to Mary & All Martyrs.  May 13 was the celebration because it was also an ancient pagan day of celebration.

    Year 700:  a Pope Gregory set up in St. Peter’s Basilica a side chapel dedicated to All Saints.

    Year 800: Dec. 25, Charlemagne is crowned Emperor by the Pope on the red stone in St. Peter’s.  Charlemagne, an advocate of All Saints, established it on Nov. 1, coupling it with a Harvest Feast.

    Sources: Practicing Catholic by James Carroll, Catholic Encyclopedia on line, Wikipedia.

     

    Rob
                                  Happy Birthday to you, Rob.     

     

     The Second Reading:

    SMILE BECAUSE THEY LIVED 

    You can shed tears because your love is gone

    Or you can smile because your love  lived.

    You can close your eyes and pray that your love will come back,

    Or you can open your eyes and see all that your love has left.

    Your heart can be empty, because you can’t see your love

    Or you can be full of the love that you have shared.

    You can turn your back on tomorrow

    And live in yesterday,

    Or you can be happy for tomorrow

    Because of yesterday.

    You can remember only that your love has gone

    Or you can cherish the memory and let it live on.

    You can weep, and close your mind,

    Be empty and turn back,

    Or you can do what your love would want –

    Open your eyes, smile, love and go on.

     

    Cole 2

    For lighting the candles, Cole, A Cupcake of The Week.  Enjoy.

     

    All of You, Saints

    This morning I would like to talk about All Saints, and, in particular, some of our saints.  I have a group, an individual, and another group.  I would like to talk about all three.  These are the old geezer priest's observations.

    First of all, the group.  This is the group Rosemary and I see every Monday evening at the Farmers Branch Senior Center.  Dance night.

     

    Gorilla

                Our pet gorilla, dressed in holiday attire, also says,                             "Welcome, Folks."

     

    Last Monday Rosemary & I discovered when we arrived that Halloween was being celebrated.  And talk about celebrating.  You would have been knocked out at the costumes some of these people put together.  I had not a clue who some of them were. 

    One lady struck me.  Rosemary & I were dancing when I notice her coming in at the other end of the ballroom.  She was all dressed up and was pushing what I thought was a baby pram.  So maybe she has a doll or even a puppy in there.  But no, as we got closer I discovered that it was, in fact, a walker for her. 

     

    All Sts. 1

                                                     Our Saints.

     

    This really touched me.  She cannot dance, but she can dress up and join the party.  I last saw her talking to all sorts of people.

    There are two other people who really touch me on dance night.  One lady, Janice, is blind, and has been blind for a dozen years, but can she dance!  I have danced with her a couple of times.  I always come in and tell her I want a Janice hug.  She knows me by my voice.

     

    All Sts. 2

                                                         Our Saints.

     

    The other person is a guy 96 years old.  He cannot dance, but he tries.  He flew heavy bombers during the Second W.W.  A line dance is scheduled every Monday evening at about the same time, 7:30, and I can see him lined up, getting behind the beat and even getting turned around.  But he always gets out there.

    These folks, living life to the fullest, are saints for me.

     

    All Sts. 3

                                                                         Our Saints.

     

    Secondly, a good friend of mine, Jim Miller, whom many of you would recognize because he always joined us for Christmas Eve and Easter.   He loved the community.  Just could not get up for 9:30.

    His wife, Jan, sent me a note Thursday night saying Jim wanted to see me and that he was not doing well.  We have a custom of sharing lunch every other month or so.  Because of that, I knew he was getting treatment for cancer.  He seemed pretty confident.

     

    John & Leo 2

    John, who is that masked person?  Are you not scared?

     

    I did not get his wife’s message until late Thursday evening and waited to call her Friday after 8:00, thinking she would be up & active by then.  When I got her, she was in tears and said that Jim had just died.  He even told her he was disappointed I had not been contacted sooner so I could have visited him.

    Jim, who was a proud graduate of the Naval Academy and a questioner, was a saint for me.   


    John & Leo
                     Why, that's Leo.  Just in time to share your birthday                             cupcake, yes!  Happy Birthday.

     

    Thirdly, I would say this group of people.  You people are saints to me.  After all, you put up with me every week, and even Rosemary.  The old geezer priest knows this stuff. 

    So, how does it feel to be told you are a saint?

    And who is your favorite saint?

     

    Music 1

                          The Best, Shonda, Bethany, & Ray.

  • Sunday Homily, October 13, 2019, 28th Ordinary Time

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    Tom escorting his daughter Katy.  Richardson Women's Club.

     

     

    Readings:

    2 kings 5,  14-17, Naaman went down and plunged into the Jordan 7 times.

    Psalm 98,  The Lord has revealed to the nations his saving power

    2 Timothy 2, 8-13,  If we have died with him, we shall also live with him

    Luke 17, 11-19,  10 were cleansed, were they not?

     

     

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    Welcome, Katy and Enza.

     

     

    Homily

    Because of a mix up on who was handling the homily today, we ended up with no one prepared.

     

    Consequently, in the spirit of giving thanks, which is one of my favorite topics to share experiences, and which was the theme of some pretty good Scripture choices, I talked about my mom's advice when I got ordained in 1971, St. Rita's on Inwood Road, across the drive from Jesuit, in the old church.

     

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    Dani doing a reading.

     

    I had received numerous gifts from people I actually did not know well, if at all.   They were my mom's friends.  And she had a  lot!  What to respond to the people who sent the gifts?  I was all for simply accepting the gifts and moving on

     

    Not my mom.  She told me I needed to do the better thing, which was to send a note to every single person who gave me a gift.  Ugh!   This was pre-computers.  I had to write a note, address an envelope, put a stamp on the envelope, and send it off.  It took me forever!

     

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    Have you freely  and without reservation come here to give yourselves in marriage?

     

    Because of my mom's advice (not really, her demand), I have continued to try to thank every person who touches me or the community with a gift, and that includes God on a daily basis.

     

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    Katy reading her personal vows.

     

     

    If the only prayer you say in your entire life is Thank You, that would suffice.

     Meister Eckhart

     

     

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    A perfect setting & evening for a large & gracious wedding.

     

     

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    Welcome into a new and delightful life, Katy & Enza.

     

     

     

  • Sunday Homily, December 8, 2019, 2nd Advent

     

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    Having a vision, Aggie?

     

    Readings:

    Isaiah 11, 1-10, The wolf shall be a guest of the lamb…(beautiful, poetic?)

    Psalm 72,  Justice shall flourish in his time, and fullness of peace forever.

    Romans 15, 4-9  Let us throw off the works of darkness

    Matthew 3, 1-12,  John the Baptist appeared, preaching in the desert  (Fear based spirituality?)

     

    We have noticed that people discover that the Blog has not been coming.  Typepad tends to drop people for no reason.  So if this happens to you, just sign up again by going to www.johnstackministries.com

     

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    Welcome in, Chip & Cathy.

     

    Curtis Jenkins, December 15

    This morning I have my first Christmas homily of the season.  I want to introduce you to Curtis Jenkins, a  school bus driver for about 70 kids from Lake Highlands Elementary, Richardson West Junior High, and J.J. Peace Senior High.  Jenkins is a 46 year old black guy who married his 8th grade girl friend.  They have 3 daughters all in their 20’s. 

     

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    Teamwork.

     

    Jenkins has been driving the school bus for 7 years.  Initially he gave up his career as an electrician/ plumber so he could be more present to his mother, who is not well.

    What is special about Curtis is taking place right now, this very week  All the 70 kids who ride his school bus may make a request for a Christmas present.  Last year apparently when Curtis had bought, wrapped, and loaded all the gifts into his bus, there was hardly room for the kids.  He does this every year.

     

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    Candle lighting with Tori.

     

    Plus, during the year he gives birthday gifts (Sound familiar?  Maybe cupcakes?).   As the kids prepare to disembark, Curtis gives them a little pep talk, like a hope talk.  Maybe a quickie homily or final blessing?  He even develops community responsibility by creating clean up teams, safety teams (like bigger kids helping smaller kids, and helper kids (like for gift distribution).  Parents say their kids wake up eager and excited that they get to ride Curtis school bus.

     

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    He's got it memorized, Folks.

     

    Curtis was featured in the April 20, 2019 edition of the Dallas Morning News. 

    You know what this makes me want to do?  Pick up on Cathy’s idea last Sunday where we would give a Christmas gift to every kid in this school.  Are these not our kids?  A possibility?  How many kids are here?

     

    Ladies 1

    Juliets' Christmas luncheon.   Table 1 of many.

     

    Ladies 2

    All these ladies do is have parties!

     

     

     

     

     

  • Sunday Homily, May 1, 2016, 6th Easter

    Readings:

    Acts  15, 1-2, 22-29,   Unless you are circumcised you cannot be saved.

    Psalm 67,  Oh, God let all the nations praise you.

    Revelation  21, 10-14, 22-23,  The angel took me to a great, high mountain.

    John 14, 23-29,  Whoever loves me will keep my word.

     

      Chloe 1

     

    Welcome home, Chloe, you are beautiful and special here.

     

     Acts observations again:

    WHO: same as author of Gospel of Luke, Chapter 15 of 28

    WHEN: late 60’s, before 70

    WHY: To further Paul’s desire to make “The Way” of Jesus’ followers acceptable to people in the Greco-Roman world of his time.

    Today’s reading from Chapter 15 of Acts gives us another example of how the followers of Jesus at that time were originally Jewish. We have no documents from the 20 years following Jesus’ death. Scholars conjecture that there were writings from that time that became sources for the authors of the gospels of Matthew and Luke.

     

     

    Tori- Zoe 2

     

    Victoria, along with Zoe, they say, Welcome, Everybody."

     

     

    My Peace I give to you

    My Peace I give to you.  What a beautiful gift.  The Best.  How do you find it?   

    I would like to talk about finding the peace this morning.  I would propose that the gift is all around us.  It is here in our community, it is in our homes, it is in Tom Thumb, it is in our city.  I would suggest that there are big and little packages of peace.  For example, some little packages that give me peace.

    First, taking Aviana, our dog, for a walk.  Rosemary takes Aviana for two or three afternoon walks.  Along the way she gets to know so many of our neighbors. 

     

    Brandon 1

     

     

    Brandon, the guy with all the personality, also says, "Hi, Folks."

     

     

    I take Aviana for 3 walks in the morning, including her first walk at ca. 4:15.   Want to know what peace is?   Watching her do her business quickly, especially both of them on this 5 minute walk.  It is short because she knows that she will get her breakfast right away afterward. 

    Secondly, try biking.  Sometimes riding my bike with Rosemary around White Rock and going down the White Rock Creek Trail, I cannot believe how delightful this is.   On The Trail I often think, 'I cannot really be in Dallas,' the scenery is so beautiful and natural.

     

    Chloe & candles 1

     

    Chloe put to work lighting the candles.
     

     

     

    Thirdly, I find great peace in doing weddings and, in particular, getting together with each couple to plan their wedding.  Just this past Friday and Saturday I spent an hour with two delightful couples. Saturday’s couple was Lisa Anderlick, John and Karen’s daughter.  

    These daily and weekly events, while being really profound to me, are what I could call smaller packages of peace.    Want to know about a Big Packages?

      

    The Girls 1

    Sisters, Jessica and Renee.

     

    First, how can I not be touched with peace every time we all come together?   Remember that morning that it was pouring rain at 9:30?  Rosemary and I both said that few people would find their way here in that storm. 

    What happened?  We had 65 plus people.  The kids are a special event of peace.  Our music.   And just everybody.   The peace of our community stays with me all week long. 

     

    Quinns 2

    The Quinn Girls,  Vivienne, Kiera, & Mikayla.

     

    Secondly, Cinco de Mayo!   What?, you say.  Cinco de Mayo? 

    This big Mexican feast is also a special day for Rosemary & me.  We are celebrating our 11th anniversary.  I know you figured Rosemary could not stand to live so long with this old obsessive bachelor.  However, we have made it and each day brings more peace and more fun. 

     

    Music 3

     

    Another beautiful Sunday thanks to Shonda & Bethany, Ray & David.

     

     

    One of the fun things  takes place most weekday mornings, when I return from the J at around 7:15.   I wake up Rosemary with coffee and newspaper in hand.  Then I return to the kitchen, get my cup of coffee, and proceed to hop on the bed where we talk and discuss the day.  Aviana is also part of the event.

    Unfortunately, even though coffee is supposed to be a stimulant, when I drink it after working out, it has the opposite effect.  Ten minutes and I tell Rosemary I am falling asleep and think I will take a 15 minute nap.  Of course, I get a comment like, “What a fascinating conversationalist you are.”

     

     

    Brent

     

    Remember, Brent, the cupcake is for Reggie, your Souls Harbor manager and recovery story–his birthday.

     

    What is the response to these little and big packages of peace?  Two things.   Awareness and Gratitude.

    Where do you find The Peace?