Sunday Homily 7-31-11, 18th Ordinary Time

Readings:

Isaiah  40, 1-5, 9-11,  Go up to a high mountain, Zion, cry out at the top of your voice.   (another excellent  reading, this time from Isaiah II)

Psalm 104,  Bless the Lord My Soul.

Pope Francis, Laudato Si:

A Reading from Pope Francis’ Letter on the Environment:

When we speak of the “environment”, what we really mean is a relationship existing between nature and the society which lives in it.

Nature, the environment, cannot be regarded as something separate from ourselves, a mere setting in which we live. We are part of nature, included in it and in constant interaction with it. 

Zoe say, "Welcome, Everybody, it is sunny and warm here."

It is critical to seek comprehensive solutions which consider the interactions within natural systems themselves and with social systems.

We are faced not with two separate crises, one environmental and the other social, but rather with one complex crisis which is both social and environmental.

 Strategies for a solution demand an integrated approach: combating poverty, restoring dignity to the excluded, and protecting nature and our entire environment.

The words of Pope Francis.

Luke 3, 15-16, 21-22, The baptism of Jesus.

Angela, too, says, "Hi, "Everybody, welcome in." 

Baptism & Original Sin: traditional & contemporary theology 

Traditional theology on baptism & original sin: 

1. Why we baptized: purification & removal of original sin inherited by babies.  Baby was a sinner & would go to Limbo forever if not baptized before dying.     
2. Original sin: the 1 sin of Eve & Adam, the eating of an apple, ruptured the relationship between God & Humans. 

Two of our more studious community members, Brandon & Leo.

Contemporary theology on baptism & original sin: 

1. Original sin: (first) 
2. no original sin  
3. Genesis story of the fall is allegory, not fact  
4. from Darwin's Origin of the Species the idea has developed that in our human infancy, we needed certain behaviors to survive.  For instance, killing another person & stealing (like food), to survive.  As our ancestors formed communities, norms of social behavior emerged, for example, the 10 commandments.   
5. St. Augustine, ca. 400: 

–A major, if not the major influence on Christian/Catholic theology of original sin and human nature from his time to today 

–After conversion from a rather lusty life at 32, he had a pessimistic view of human nature, different from early Christianity.  This is part of the background to why priests were supposed to be celibate.

Leo & Brandon, the Candle Lighters of The Week.

–John Chrysostom, bishop of Constantinople (Istanbul), Pelagius, a British monk, & Julian of Eclanum, Italy, a bishop, all found nature good and fought against Augustine

–Augustine used all means to vanquish his opponents with their positive view that nature was good, even to sending a gift of horses to the pope to influence his decision.  Augustine won.  

 Why we baptize today: (using the contemporary theology)

1. To celebrate a new life
2. To ritually & formally welcome the new person into a family, a community, and to a God famous for love and acceptance
3. To cleanse after the journey

Anybody know who these characters are?  At Juliet's Restaurant?

The Beauty of Little Kids is for Real

I would like to continue to talk about why we baptize little kids, at least here in our community.    I mentioned that what we are celebrating is new life. Moreover, we are welcoming the child into a family, a community, and a God who loves that child and thinks the child is the best, as good as it gets. 

Sometimes we get distracted and don’t see this.  The child may be crying a lot or we may still think of the child as a sinner.  Appearances distract us and we judge negatively. 

The Best, Shonda, Bethany, Ray,  David.

This is pretty common and I have two examples, one of which you ladies who went to the luncheon will recognize.  Rosemary shared it.

It happened this way.  Rosemary was going to get something at Kohls this past week.  She gets out of the car in the parking lot and starts walking in.  Ahead of her a young guy with pants hanging low in the current fashion steps ahead of her. 

As they walk toward the store, he is working at putting on a belt. 

I admit that I don’t find this custom attractive when I see it in guys, which is exactly why young guys do it. 

The Team cleaning up after communion.

Anyway, he finally gets his belt on and they arrive at the entrance door about the same time, he in front, Rosemary behind. 

Guess what happened.  The guy opened the door.  Then he stepped back and invited Rosemary to go in.  As Rosemary told me and probably told you ladies at Urban Rio, she was humbled and grateful.  She had misjudged the guy.

A second event happened to us both this week.  We have a nice mail man, Doug, easy going, faithful, and friendly.  We are all on first name basis.

Elevation.

At Christmas we stuck a thanks note and a $20 in an envelope for him.  Guess what happened.  We get a hand written thank you note and card. 

I was so touched.  In fact, I felt pretty miserly giving him only $20.  I was touched because I did not expect him to show gratitude in such a formal way.  Rosemary said it is a sign that his mother trained him well.  I remember my mother repeatedly saying to me, “Always thank every person who gives you something.”

In one week here are two people who have caused Rosemary & me to misjudge them. 

Babies and little kids can be misjudged.  That kid cries too much.  That kid screams too much.  Maybe the child is hurting.

Offertory, Bill & Zaile, Lynda & Tom.

This is why here I try to make our community especially welcoming and loving.  I want all these kids, Genevieve & Leo, Brandon, Cole, Harper, Emma & Zoe, Buddy & Tori, all of these and the others who come occasionally to know & feel that they are loved, welcomed, and treasured.  They are good, beautiful, and a gift to me and all of us.

Misjudge anybody this week? 

Our Dear Chloe says, "Happy Easter, Everybody."

Readings:

Acts 10,  34, 37-43  You know what has happened all over Judea.

Psalm 18,    This is the 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, 11-18,  Mary Magdalene

Charlotte, too, Chloe's sister, says, "Welcome, Everybody, and Happy Easter."

Acts observations:

This book with 28 chapters basically tells the story of what happened to and in the Christian community after Jesus died.  

Keven, also, says, "Welcome in Folks."

Resurrection

Want to know what Resurrection looks like?  Let me give you a couple of pictures. 

As you heard me mention at the beginning of our celebration this morning, I went to the Circle R Ranch in Flower Mound Saturday morning for a picnic titled, For the Love of the Kids.  There are two of these picnics a year.  One takes place around Thanksgiving when busloads of kids come for a picnic with horse rides, hay rides, bounce houses, face painting, dancing on a stage, and visits from Superman, Batman, Santa, and others.  It is enormous, a couple of thousand kids.

Zoe lighting the Easter Candle with the help of her sister, Georgie.

In April the picnic is for handicapped kids.  They come with their families, maybe a hundred or more yesterday.  It is wheelchair friendly.  I have my favorite job.  I stand at the entrance, usually with Beth, and welcome everybody.  I am always touched by something special, some resurrection moment.

So here I am yesterday registering an hour before the kids arrive.  I walk into the big pavilion and unexpectedly the first resurrection moment hits me.  You will never guess what it is.  It is The Community.  I’ve already seen Kevin, Kerry, and Joe at the registration desk.  But when I enter the pavilion I see brown shirts of Bona Responds everywhere.  The first Resurrection moment.  I was so proud to be part of this community.

Just take a guess. Yep, our beloved Gerwer gang at 7, believe it or not.

Later, Beth, I, and another lady named Lindi are at the welcome lane into the pavilion.  Families are starting to come in, many pushing wheel chairs, but all with kids handicapped in some way.  Along comes a family with a little blond girl about 5 or 6.  I am saying hello and welcome to everyone.  The little girl comes right over to me and holds up her arms.  I gulp, pick her up, and hold her.  I did not want to ever let her go.  Another Resurrection moment.

A little later a Hispanic mother comes up pushing her son in a wheel chair.  We chat and I look closely at the boy, who is about 12 years old and very nice. What I see is that he has a white sweat shirt that says “Jesuit.” 

Some of The Community Team at the Circle R Ranch Love for the Kids picnic, Saturday.

 Well, of course, that starts a conversation, while I hold the boy’s left hand in my left hand.  I’m on his left.  He is tuned in but not speaking, just watching me sort of fondly.  Finally, I reach over with my right hand and caress his soft cheek.  He gives me the most beatific, gentle smile that I was almost in tears as we parted.  A third Resurrection moment. 

I left Circle R in a zone of greater peace, gratitude, humility, and awe. 

Your most recent Resurrection moment?

Who let that Wild Rabbit in here?

Genesis 18:  "Please, let not my Lord grow angry if I speak up this last time.  What if there are at least ten there?"  He replied, "For the sake of those ten, I will not destroy  it."

Colossians 2:  You were buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead.

Luke 11:  "And I tell you, ask and you will receive; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.

Denni reading from Genesis
 

Thanks…     

Music,   Ben  & Shonda

Tom reading from St. Paul's Letter to the Colossians

The Kiss of Peace

Outreach: $   220.00

Thanks again, Folks, for doing what you can.

Candice, Buddy, Claire and Ray

Rosemary's Blessing:

 Readings:  

 Joshua, 24,1-2, 15-17,  We will serve the Lord, for he is our God.

 Psalm 34, Taste & See the Goodnesss of the Lord (3rd week)

Ephesians, 5, 21-32, Wives should be subordinate to their husbands as to the Lord.  For the husband is head of his wife.

John, 6, 60-69, Master, to whom shall we go?

Ken and Cindy celebrating 50 years

Joshua:

Who is Joshua and what is this booklet about:  Joshua was Moses' assistant, his lieutenant when the the Israelites wandered in the desert.  The booklet is the story of the Israelite invasion of Canaan under Joshua's leadership. 

Author: somewhat amusingly, the fundamentalists say that Joshua wrote most of the booklet.  More scientific scholars say the work is a compilation of a number of sources.

The Beautiful Georgie

Date of composition: again fundamentalists state that the booklet was composed 1400-1370, i.e., while Joshua lived.  Scholars of a broader vision suggest that even if a Joshua existed the work was put together 800-700 BCE. 

The work combines a number of traditions about battles & destruction of cities to create a nationalistic narrative that justifies the Israelites' taking another peoples' land for their own.

Ethical Question: genocide.  This is a bloody book.  Yahweh commands that the Israelites exterminate every breathing thing, including women & children & livestock. 

Cara at 12 years

 The battle of Jericho is characteristic.  For 6 days the Israelites marched around the city, blowing horns and menacing the people.  On day 7 they marched around 7 times and the walls came tumbling down, as in the spiritual.  Then every person except one woman & her family were slaughtered.  Lots of debate and rationalization over these events.

Our Selection: The last chapter of the booklet.  Joshua, who is dying, calls the people together at a place called Sechem and puts it to them.  Stick with Yahweh who has done all these things for you (which are mentioned in the text but are long & tedious) or choose another path of your own.

Sources: Good News Bible, Got Questions.org, Wikipedia

Special pastries ready for Jim's birthday party

 Rosemary be Subservient to Me as to the Lord?

A crazy thing happened to me some time ago that I will never forget.  I was standing in a line.  Around me were families with kids.  At one point a nice looking family with two or three young kids got into a small disagreement over something involving the kids.  The wife wanted to do one thing, the husband another.

At a point the husband says to the wife, “you are to be subservient to me because the Bible says so.”

Harper

I almost dropped my teeth.  I could not believe what I was hearing.  I even think the wife let him get away with this justification.  Can you imagine me getting away with this with Rosemary?

I love this passage because it exemplifies the danger of taking the Bible literally.  The passage is so easy to explain in terms of contemporary psychology and the value of a human person, male or female. Here is how we see it today.

Blakely

Three models of family interaction.

1.   The patriarchal.  This model considers the male the superior, like in Paul’s instruction.  It is based on an old belief that females were  inferior.  This model certainly exists today. 

When I was in East Africa the men considered themselves the master of the household.  Muslim examples abound these days, even to horrible stories of disobedient women being beaten, starved, and locked in underground rooms.

The HHH team of crazies at dawn along with 15,000 other crazies, An old geezer, Rosemary, George, Dwayne, Tom, Greg, John

2.  The matriarchal.  In this example the wife or mother is considered the head of the household.  There are many amusing examples of families where the male thought he was the head, while everyone knew the household was ruled and organized by the wife.

3.   The equality model.  Both husband and wife are seen as equal and complimentary.  Today this model is more common in many societies, though not all.  Today both the husband and the wife have graduate degrees and professional careers.  The model is teamwork rather than dictatorship.

Sag Wagon, what you don't want to need, but are happy to see if you have a bike problem or are sick. Usually pretty busy the last 25 miles of the 100 mile distance.

Paul sounds pretty archaic and chauvenistic today, but actually at that time he was trying to elevate men’s treatment of women.  Treating a wife with respect was pretty radical for Paul’s time. 

Whatever the model chosen, it comes down to a choice by the couple.  Even this involves equality and mutual input.  Today equality is so taken for granted that a husband saying to his wife that she must obey him because the Bible says so sounds ridiculous. 

HHH riders passing through Shepherd A.F. Base. Touching, a lot of cheering.

Obviously the one couple I was watching took it literally.  I wonder where they are today.

Which of the three models do you choose?

Readings:

Zechariah  12, 10-11,  I will pour out a spirit of grace and petition.

Psalm 63,  My soul is thirsting for you, O Lord my God.

Galatians 3, 26-29,  You are all one in Christ.

Luke 9, 18-24, If anyone wishes to come after me, he must deny himself.

Georgie arriving ready.

 Zecheria observations : 

Who:  
one of the 12 minor prophets.  Why?  Small work.  Only 14 little chapters.  Vs the Big 3, who have chapters numbering into the 60’s.  Zecharia is really the author of this work.

Time:  
post Babylonian Captivity, therefore, after 555 before Christ.  How do we know?  Reference is made to Darius, the king of the Persians.

Content:  
part 1 involves visions about the restoration of Jerusalem.  Part 2, our part, talks about future prosperity.  Maybe a slightly forgetable book.  I have not one line highlighted in my bible.

Sources: Good News Bible, Wikipedia

Buddy is also ready, with his mom, Michelle.

Deny Myself and Take up a Cross Daily

Ever since I can remember hearing this item I have felt discomfort and
rejection.   I think there was some of this in my original decision to enter the Jesuits to be a priest in 1958.

Our Celeste.

Certainly in those early years of Jesuit training, we practiced this.  We lived in silence most of the time, worked hard on the beautiful Jesuit farm at Grand Coteau, and we never went back to our original homes.   A really regimented monastic life, up at 5:00, lights out at 10:00, every day, month after month, year after year.

Miguel, who helps us tremendously every Sunday.

 Times have certainly changed and I have obviously changed.  Three comments about the idea of taking up a cross daily.

First, it is a metaphor, a metaphor for self discipline.

Dick Taylor, our local Habitat director, giving us a status report. Imagine, 78 houses built.

Secondly, the self discipline involves obvious things, let's say, three:

          Healthy eating, that is, watch out for salt, sugar, and fat or butter, the major seducer ingredients of fast food places, like McDonald’s.

This was stage 3 our our house, after the foundation and the studs.

          Exercise, that is, keep moving.  2 a days are coming for high
school football players.  You want to see self discipline?  27 days from now I will join 15 thousand other wakos to ride across Iowa in a week, about 500 miles.  I’m exercising, getting in shape. 

          Next, take breaks, days off, vacation periods.  A day off a week
or 3 once a month, as I do.   Contemplate and reflect during the
breaks.  What?  My blessings & gifts & joys.  Number one, number two, and on.

During stage 3 we wrapped the house.

Thirdly, the goal?  Follow God’s invitation to be fully alive.

Where are you being invited by God to become more fully alive?

Friday morning the house is ready for siding, windows and doors already installed.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Homily by John

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

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

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

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

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

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