Welcome Back, Dear Seth.  It is delightful to see you again.

 

Readings:

Ezekiel  18, 25-28,  The Lord’s way is not fair.

Psalm 25,  Remember your mercies, O Lord

Phlippians 2, 1-11,  Because of this, God greatly exalted him

Matthew 20, 28-32,  A man had two sons 

 

 

 

Seth, as delightful as it is to see you, it is even more fun to see you awake.  Hi to your Mama, Monique.

 

 

Ezekiel observations:

Who:  Ezekiel is one of the 3 great prophets, along with Isaiah and Jeremiah. 

When:  He lived in Babylon before and during the  Captivity, ca. 555 before Christ

Message:  condemnation of behavior and promise of divine punishment.  The promise of a brighter future someday.

 

 

 

Welcome in to you, too, Cory and Ben.

 

Do nothing out of selfishness,  rather, humbly regard others as more important than yourselves, each looking out not for his own interests, but also for those of others.

I would like to proclaim today a Good News Sunday.  I seem to be overwhelmed lately with bad news.  The Good News is still here. Philipppians says it and people are doing it.  They are not acting out of selfishness.  They are not looking out just for their own interests.  They are caring for others.

 

 

 

Welcome in to you, too, Dearest Harper.

 

 

3 examples.

First, last Tuesday morning Rosemary & I teamed up with Carrie to ride around that Dallas jewel, White Rock Lake.  We meet usually on the north bridge by the doggie park.  She & Paul live on the east side of the Lake.  Rosemary & I ride south down the White Rock Creek path, which is a gem in its own right. 

So Tuesday we are riding south down the eastern shore of the lake.  We take a little loop that puts us on the tail end of Lake Highlands Drive.  We go down a dip and up a slope going left.  I am ahead & hear Carrie call my name.  I go on perhaps 50 yards & don’t see them behind me.  I go back.  Carrie had dropped her chain.

 

 

 

Hi to the Seth Clan, Cameron & Frank, Mary, Monique and Nicole with Mr. Seth.

 

By the time I get there, they have the bike upside down and are fixing it.   I know Rosemary knows how to fix the chain and I am sure Carrie does too.  Everything is going okay but one place the chain is wedged between the seat post and the front derailer.  I join in the effort.  The chain is really wedged.

Meanwhile other bikers are rolling by.   I hear, “Need any help?  “No,” we respond, sure we can fix this thing.  Finally, a black guy rides by and asks the same question.   But instead of passing on, he stops, takes a look, fiddles a bit with the chain, then yanks it into place.  All cheer he hops back on his bike and sails away.

 

 

 

Who is that escorting Erin up the aisle to her wedding?  Can it really be??  Yes, it can!  Erin is being escorted by her very son, The Great Cole.

 

 

You know what struck me?  Perhaps a dozen people rode by and every one of them asked if we needed help. 

The Good News: Care for each other exists.

 

 

 

Erin & Greg,  Have you come here freely and without reservation to give yourselves to each other in marriage?   (The wedding is taking place on Erin & Greg's home in Spring Valley, TX, small community north of Dallas about an hour on I35.) 

 

 

Secondly.  There is a Jewish temple in Austin.  A five member family from Afganistan moved in recently.  The community from the temple decided to adopt the family, help them get settled, and provide them with the assistance they would need. 

Time passed and the family got settled in okay.  To celebrate, the community took the 5 members of the family one evening to a  Greek restaurant in Austin.  All went well.  There were 18 members of the community.

When the community went to cover all the expenses, the cashier told them there was no charge.  “How come?”, they asked.   

 

 

 

Exchange of Vows.

 

 

“Some man came up and covered all your expenses,” the cashier responded.  “Do you know who he is?”, they asked.  “No,” came the answer, “He did not leave his name nor even his card.” 

“I know only one thing about him, because he comes here occasionally.”   “Yes?”, they asked.  “He is Palestinian.”

(Story came from Rabbi David Stern's sermon on the link.)

The Good News: Care for each other exists.

 

 

 

Here they are everybody, the young couple in Toronto.

 

Thirdly.  In a retirement home in Toronto there is a couple of people, a man and a woman who got to know and care for each other.  Recently they got married.   They walked in, but they sat through the ceremony in chairs marked Mr. & Mrs.  At the time when they were invited to kiss each other, they bumped foreheads.  He is 101 and she is 86.

The Good News: Care for each other exists.

Whom do you care for?

 

 

 

Is that the famous Head Bump?   Yes, definitely.

 

Readings: Acts 5, 27-41; Psalm 30, I will Praise You, Lord, for You have Rescued Me; Revelations , 11-14; John 21, 1-14

 

Third Sunday of Easter – Introduction to the Readings

 

 

All of our readings during the Sundays after Easter until Pentecost Sunday come from the same three books, Acts of the Apostles, The Book of Revelation and John’s Gospel.  In today’s reading from the Acts of the Apostles the apostles are again brought before the elders of the Jewish community and told to stop preaching.  What we skip over in our reading is an interesting section. 

 

 

The Sanhedrin wants to put the apostles to death, but one of their members, a Pharisee called Gamaliel dissuades this action by reminding the group that there had been other ‘apparent prophets’ whose followers had dissipated after the prophet was put to death and he argues that either of two things will happen:  the apostles will disappear soon, since Jesus has been put to death, or Jesus was the real thing and they had better leave the apostles alone!! 

 

 

Then our reading today resumes just after the apostles are flogged instead of being put to death.

 

 

A few words about the Book of Revelations, since we will be reading from it for the next several Sundays.  The book was probably written about the year 95 to 100 CE, by John, though not the same John who wrote the Gospel.  It is addressed to the seven churches in Asia, namely the whole community at that time, and the churches are enduring harsh persecutions under the emperor Domitian.  The style is mainly apocalyptic, which is a highly stylized form of writing  which is not one we are accustomed to these days.

 

 

Third Sunday After Easter

 

My daughter Rosheen loves to read- it always amazed me how quickly she could get through a book.  A few years ago an old family friend was ill and Rosheen was visiting her and offered to read to her.  Later I remember her telling me how beautiful the language was in the book, something she had not appreciated until she had to read aloud.  Some books are so well written that the language is indeed a joy. 

 

 

Our gospel today is one of those books.  We cannot begin to appreciate how much thought has gone into each and every word in the gospel.  I am not sure how many of you said to yourselves as I was proclaiming today’s gospel and said the word “charcoal fire” now haven’t I heard that recently!!  In fact you did hear it on Good Friday when we proclaimed the “Passion”.  Let me remind you of the piece.   

 

“Now the slaves and guards were standing around a charcoal fire that they had made, because it was cold , and were warming themselves.  Peter was also standing there keeping warm.”   In today’s gospel we read that Jesus was preparing breakfast over a charcoal fire.  The two events are linked.  In the earlier event, Peter denies even knowing Jesus, three times.  In today’s gospel, Jesus helps Peter get past that denial.  “Peter, do you love me?” Three times Jesus asks Peter, sort of a parallel to the three times Peter had earlier denied Jesus.

 

 

This is another example of the point we discussed on Easter Sunday.  The fact that God always gives us second chances.  Think about what Peter had done.  Jesus had just been arrested, all of the disciples had scattered, Peter had not run away, but was in the courtyard where Jesus was being held.  Remember that earlier that evening Jesus had even foretold Peter that he was going to deny him three times. 

 

 

This denial was no spur of the moment thing.  He had been forewarned, and still he denies even knowing Jesus.  Pretty serious stuff – and still God gives Peter a chance to repent.  God wants Peter back and God wants each one of us back too.  Never let anything cause us to stay away, there is no sin too great.  Remember Peter.

 

Picture 1:  Mass Begins

 

Picture 2:  Altar Helpers

 

Picture 3:  Offertory

 

Picture 4:  John & Anthony

 

Readings:  Sirach 27, 30-28, 7; Psalm 103, The Lord is Kind and Merciful, Slow to Anger, and Rich in Compassion (terrific line!); Romans 14, 7-9; Matthew 18, 21-35

 

Sirach: 3 observations

          1. Time: about 200-175 B.C. 

          2,  Author:  a Jewish scribe, called “The Philosopher,” wrote in Hebrew.

          3.  Subject: with its injustices and sufferings, life is useless.  He can’t understand the ways of God and says so.  Thus, his work is negative and depressing.  However, he advises people to work, and to enjoy the gifts of God as much and as long as possible.  

Get ready: in connection with our commemoration today the selection is powerful.

  
 

In Memoriam, 9-11 

At 7:30 that morning I was celebrating Mass in the Jesuit community chapel.  Rosemary was there.  Mary Ellen was there.  Sheila Madigan was there.  Plus a dozen others.

It was 8:00 when we finished and Fr. Jack Deeves who had been watching TV in the Jesuit community room across the hall before his first class, said a plane had hit one of the towers.  Being from NY, Rosemary was immediately interested and she and Mary Ellen joined Jack and they saw the second plane.

Remember where you were at this same moment?

 
 

So how has your spirit handled this event over the past 10 years?   What is a healthy response? 

Sorry to tell you this, but it is in the readings today, forgive, forgive, & forgive 77 times.   

3 Considerations: forgive big things, forgive little things, and the process.

    First, I have not had a lot of big bad things happen in my life.  Certainly, 9-11 is the biggest, and that did not touch me personally.  Are these readings serious about forgiving these guys?  Forgiving Osama bin Laden?  Yes and yes. 

The forgiveness is not for these guys.  It is for myself, for my own health, for my own inner peace.  Otherwise, I remain an angry person and I act out this anger like Mark Stroman who walked into the gas station on Buckner Blvd. Sept. 21. 

 He asked Rais Bhuiyan of Bangladesh where he came from.  Then he pulled up his double barrel shot gun and shot him in the face.  He also killed 2 other people. 

Is this not a metaphor?

 

    Secondly, little things.  They happen every day to us.  Road ragers, like the guy that Sunday morning in his Mercedes who got so impatient with my driving onto north bound Central that he floored it by us and waved sweet hand signals at us.  Sunday morning on our way to Vines.

If I am carrying a load of anger, it will leak out.  It will especially touch people closest to me.  I will overreact.  It has to be dealt with or I remain its victim.

    Thirdly, the process.  What do I do?  You’ve heard me describe this before.  Two things. 

          First, I talk about it with people whom I trust or with a therapist.  I got to talk about it.  Look for the feeling under the anger.  Often it is hurt.  Maybe hatred as in this event.  I could also be hurt by my friend or my parents or coach.   Forgiveness probably won't come here.

 

        Secondly, I got to stop talking about the hurt and put it out of my mind.  When I got kicked out of East Africa, I came home hurt.  I talked about it for a good while until I realized that talking about it was getting me worked up & I was far from forgiving.  I had to stop talking and put it out of my mind.  A few years later I realized I could talk about it without the toxicity and the anger.   I have forgiven and am at peace.

Today we remember and honor the people lost & hurt in 9-11.  Rais Bhuiyan obviously came to a peaceful place with the man who shot him in the face and took his right eye. 

We have his and many others' examples.  Moreover, we are told that we have a God who is gracious & merciful, never gets angry and is abounding in love.

 

On a scale of 1 to 5 where is your anger and where is your peace of spirit with the events of 9-11?

Reference on Rais Bhuiyan: neighborsgo.com, 9-9-11, Dallas Morning News, special weekly on Richardson, North Dallas, & Lake Highlands, p. 16.

Picture 1:    Mass Begins

Picture 2:    Offertory with Christine & her daughter, Megan, Grandmom Diane, & Betty

Picture 3:    Sienna & her sister,

Picture 4:    Sienna & her sister, 

Picture 5:    Brooklyn with Brian & Payton & Erin   

Picture 6:    The Gang, Mike & John & Geri

Readings:   Acts 10, 34, 37-43, This man God raised; Psalm 118, This day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad; 1 Corinthians 5, 6-8, A little yeast leavens all the dough; John 20, 1-9, Mary of Magdal came to the tomb early.

Leo lighting the Easter Candle with his mom, Shonda

Acts: 

Author: Most likely Luke, who wrote the Gospel with his name and who followed and copied some of Mark's material. 

Date: ca. 70-100 A.D., therefore ca. 40 years after the death of Jesus. 

Subject: the ministry of Paul & the 12 Apostles after the death of Jesus.

        Chapters 1-8 deal with the Resurrection, Ascension, & Pentecost (Holy Spirit)

        Chapters 8- 28 deal with Paul's conversion & ministry.

 

 

Today's selection: Two visions/dreams have just occurred:

        1. Cornelius, a captain in the Roman army and a Gentile, has a vision in which he is instructed to go to a town called Joppa and talk with a man named Peter.

        2.  Peter has a vision in which a sheet held by its 4 corners comes down and is full of all kinds of animals.  A voice says, "Eat."  Peter refuses because of the law of ritual impurity, i.e., some animals are ritually impure and it is prohibited to eat them.  But the voice insists.  At this point three of Cornelius' people arrive and invite him to come to Cornelius' house.  This vision symbolizes that even Gentiles who are ritually impure are invited to the new Christian community.

Our selection takes up just after Peter arrives at Cornelius' house, finds a group of Cornelius' friends, is invited to speak to them, and he begins.  The following is what he says to the group of Gentiles gathered in Cornelius' house.

Meaning of the Word Easter: the origin of the use of Easter seems lost in history.  Probably not from Latin, which uses pasqua.  Probably not coming from a German goddess of spring, which some have suggested.  May have emerged from early Celtic converts (British Isles), who wanted to use their own words for Christian feasts, rather than Latin words.

 

The Resurection Today

Last Satuday there was a picnic.  This was not your ordinary picnic.  It took place in Flower Mound on the west side of town, the Circle R Ranch.  It went from about 10:30 to 2:30 on one of our recent beautiful days.

The picnic was for kids handicapped in some way. 

 

There was another picnic before Christmas, this one for underprivileged kids.  3,000 younger kids poured in and ran all over the place for about 5 hours. 

This past picnic the kids were not running around.  Many of them came in wheel chairs or prams.  They were often physically misshapen.  They frequently could not speak.  But they could smile and they did.

I volunteered to work at the photo area.  This was really well run by two black guys with their camera, lap top, and printer, as well as another guy who arranged the families, and two girls who provided decoration.  The families could choose their decorations or get ups from 4 themes represented in pictures, like Easter, cowboy, fireman, and so forth.   They hardly needed me for crowd control like the December picnic I worked. 

What I did mostly was watch and touch, and be touched.  I was close to tears with so many of these kids and with their families.  I shared this with some of the team and they, too, said they were likewise moved.  I wanted to hug the kids and hug the parents.

Because I was not greatly needed I moved to the welcome post.  Here I was touched again.  People were trickling in, so I began talking with a lady who was also welcoming kids and families.  It was her first time to volunteer.  Eventually she talked about her son, about 40 years old and slightly handicapped.   He had been shot a month or so ago at the downtown Dart train stop. 

I did not know what to say.  She was in tears and I too, especially because of her attitude.  She was grateful.  She was thankful for the long life her impaired son had had. 

I talk about these simple events because for me they are Easter events, Resurrection events.  The characteristics of this type of an event: more life, more peace, and gratitude. 

The kids were not so unusual.  The talk with the lady, Terry, was pretty routine in the beginning.  Similar things happen all the time.  I went to touch these people.  But I was touched.   I came away with more life, more peace, and so much more gratitude for so much. 

What is the Easter event in your life today?

 

Sorry, no pictures, can't be loaded.

Readings:  

Acts 9, 26-31, The Church was at peace;

Psalm 22, I will praise you, Lord, in the assembly of your people;

1 John 3, 18-24, Let us love not in word or speech, but in deed and truth;

John 15,1-8, I am the true vine and my Father is the vine grower.

 

Introductions by Mike Carrell:

Recall from last Sunday’s reading from Chapter 4 in the Acts, that Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit defended his actions before the Jewish leaders: priests, scribes and elders among them. What had Peter done? Recall how the John gospel ended? Christ’s words to the twelve, “As the Father has sent me, so now I send you.  Whose sins you shall forgive, they are forgiven.”  In the name of Jesus Christ, Peter has forgiven a man of his sins.  The mission entrusted to the apostles has begun! 

Today’s reading is five chapters later in Acts.  One of the Jewish leaders, Saul, who we later know as the Apostle Paul, has experienced a conversion of heart.  Here’s what he encounters in Jerusalem:

               First reading: Acts 9:26-31

Our second reading continues the teaching that we received in 1 John: When we follow Christ’s commands He is alive within us through the power of the Spirit.

               Second reading: 1 John 3: 18-24

 

Homily

The relational skills that we learn within our families as we grew or are growing up are very important to who we are, and who we will be toward others.

Stephen Glenn, author of Developing Capable People and Developing Capable Young People, wrote about principles that are universal in building human relationships. He shared actual stories that contained these principles. One such story was about a famous, creative, research scientist who answered a reporter during an interview on why he thought that he was more creative than the average person.

The scientist answered that it began from an experience that he had as a very young child.  He was trying to remove a bottle of milk from a refrigerator when he lost his grip on the slippery container and it fell dumping most of its contents onto the kitchen floor. 

When his mother came into the kitchen, instead of yelling at him, giving him a lecture or punishing him, she said to me, ‘Robert, what a great and wonderful mess you have made.  I have rarely, if ever, seen such a puddle of milk. Since the damage has already been done, would you like to get down and play in it before we clean it up?’  And, he did just that.

After a few minutes his mother said, ‘Robert, whenever you make a mess like this eventually you have to clean it up and restore everything to its original order.  We could use a sponge, a towel or a mop. Which would you prefer to use?’ He chose the sponge, and together they cleaned it up. 

Then his mother said, ‘You know, what we have here is a failed experiment on how to carry a big container of milk with two amall hands. Let’s take the empty container out in the back yard and fill it with water and see if you can discover a way to carry it without dropping it.’  The scientist said that at that moment he began not to be afraid to make mistakes.  Mistakes from then on were just opportunities for learning something new.

You might recall Trever in the Movie, Pay it Forward. His Social Studies teacher in middle school has given them an assignment to show how they might address the problems in society and then write a paper on it.  Trever decides that change must begin in him first. He does goods deeds to those in need around him, and when they want to do something for him, he replies, ‘Pay it Forward.’ The change proposed by Trever that must begin within the one who desires change in others has of course been proposed by many of the great philosophers.

In the context of our theological teaching in today’s gospel, Christ’s words, ‘Love one another as I have loved you,’ is how we put into practice being God-like:  ‘for as the Father has loved his Son, so his Son has loved us.’

This gives specific meaning to the sign within the context of today’s teaching where the Father is the vinegrower, Christ in the vine, and we are the branches, for we are joined together by the same Spirit!  Christ is alive to us as we plant the seed of his words.  This means that each of us becomes part of the Father’s plan of salvation…and that the fruit that comes forth from every seed around has become a sign that all of creation reflects God’s plan of salvation in Christ, Jesus.

 

 

Readings:

Habakkuk, 1, 2-3, 2, 2-4 , I cry for help, but you do not listen. 

Psalm 95,  If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.

21 Timothy 1, 6-8, 13-14, I remind you to stir into flame the gift of God.

Luke 16, 19-31,   Faith the size of a mustard seed. 

 

Says Charlotte with her big sister, Chloe, "Welcome in, Everybody."

 

 

Observations on Habakkuk

Who:  one of the Minor Prophets.  His book, 3 chapters.

When:  555 before Christ.  Clear from the text, because he mention the evil Babylon.

 

 

Peighton, too, says, "Hi, Folks, Come in."   Notice Peighton already has his running shoes on.  

 

Message:

    I am watching the wicked triumph, ruin & violence evereywhere.

    Curses on the oppressor, Babylon.

    God will win in the end

Our Message:

1/2 I see ruin and violence everywhere.

1/2 God says the just will live.

 

 

 

And Genevieve, who has never met a stranger, says, "Wow, it is so nice to see everybody at my party."

 

 

Unprofitable Servants?  Faith the size of a Mustard Seed?  

Wow!  What do you think when you hear this reading?  How do you feel?   Got faith enough to remove a mulberry tree?  I need the faith to remove an overgrown Live Oak tree out of our back yard.  I, for one, don’t get good vibes off of this reading.  And many of the other readings we have had this year from Luke.

Therefore, I would like to dispute with Luke.  From my psychology experience, am I seeing a man with a slightly split personality? 

 

 

 

Hi, Nora, You look very pretty this morning.

 

While Luke has the touching Nativity narrative and the magnificent story of the Prodigal Son, and, even, the lost coin and lost sheep, look what else.  

We have had the master and his debtors, leave your parents and take up your cross, the narrow gate that only a few get in.  Likewise, be ready because he comes like a thief when you are not ready and guess what happens—you go straight to hell!

You know my bias.  I believe in a God who is unconditional, unconditional in his love for us.  Forget about hell. 

 

 

Hi, Harper, you may tell your grandmother that we can repeat the homily for her any time, since she missed part of it.  And we know she hates to do that.

 

As another alternative to this discouraging passage I would propose a simple, favorite line of mine from the Old Testament and from one of the Minor Prophets, Micah, only 7 little chapters.   

Says Micah in chapter 6 verse 8, “The Lord has told us what is good.  What he requires is this: to do what is right, to love unconditionally, and to live in humble fellowship with God.” 

Initially this may sound pretty easy.  However, is it always easy to do what is right?  Like to stand up for peace when everyone wants war?

 

 

The Magic, Leo and John

 

Easy to show constant love?  To troublemakers, to other races, to other religions, to the political candides in this fall’s elections?

To walk in humble fellowship with our God?  Can this fellowship eliminate fear, fear that I am headed for hell? 

How do you do what is right, love unconditionally, and live in humble fellowship with our unconditionally loving God?

 

 

 

Happy 16th Birthday, Kara.