Sunday Homily 7-3-11, 14th Ordinary Time

Readings:  Deuteronomy 18, 15-20, A prophet like me will the Lord raise up for you; Psalm 95, If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts; 1 Corinthians 7, 32-35, A married man is anxious about the things of the world (what a reading!); Mark 1,21-28, Quiet, come out of him.

Before the gospel acclamation, Mike Carrell

I have shared with you before that the inspired writers of each gospel begin their gospel with a summary of what they will be presenting, and that each gospel is written as a string of teachings, where each teaching builds on the one before it and therefore prepares for the one after it. 

So, before the words of the gospel are proclaimed today, I want to very briefly frame what you are about to hear, so that you will be able to better understand today’s teaching. 

The first teaching from Mark begins, ‘The beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God as it was written in the prophet Isaiah, perceive’.  In other words, we are to understand that the Mark gospel fulfills the expectation of the coming of the Messiah from the written words of the prophet Isaiah that the writers then begin to present.  The good news, the gospel, means, God’s gift to us of salvation, redemption, through his Son, the Lamb of God, who forgives us of our sins.

This first teaching, after we find out how this will happen, ends with the exhortation, ‘The time is fulfilled, the kingdom of God is at hand, repent, and believe in the good news.’  Make a pathway to your heart and welcome the Messiah there!

The Mark gospel’s third teaching, the one after today’s reading, begins on the evening of the first day of Jesus’ public ministry. Very briefly Christ’s words cleanse a leper, who has come to Jesus saying, ‘If you choose, you can make me clean.’ After cleaning him, Jesus sends him to the priests to give the required offering for having had his sins forgiven, that of an unblemished lamb.

For the words of Christ, the unblemished Lamb of God, fulfill the expectation given in the written Mosaic Law for the forgiveness of sin, that of an unblemished lamb! The word leper, then, is an outward presence, a karma, of the man’s inner spiritual journey, in Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism and in Christianity.

(Recall that the gospels tell us that we are known by our fruit, and that the apostle Paul gives us a long list of the fruits of the Spirit when a man’s inner journey is in and with Christ.) So, the man’s outward sign, presence, showed him to be in serious sin prior to having been made clean.

Reading: Mark 1:16-31

Homily:  Today’s reading must build on the first teaching that our salvation comes to us through the words of Christ, the Lamb of God and prepares us for the third teaching that they fulfill the expectation of his coming within the written Mosaic Law as the unblemished Lamb of God who takes away the sins of humankind.

In my last homily, I presented to you what it means to be baptized in the Holy Spirit. The words of Christ are living waters. When we welcome and live them, the Holy Spirit abides with us—fills our hearts.  By the power, authority, of the Holy Spirit, Christ, the light of the world, is alive to us in our hearts.  Light and darkness cannot coexist!  The Holy Spirit and an unclean spirit cannot coexist! 

When we accept the words of Christ, the unclean spirit, the demon, the leprosy, the fever, is therefore cast out by the power and with the authority of the Spirit that abides in our heart.  This is the meaning of today’s reading.  What does Peter’s mother-in-law immediately do after her fever has been cast out? We are told that she begins to serve those around her.  The meaning of this particular Greek word, serve, is to minister.  It is the word that the Church uses today to describe the office of deacon. 

So much then for those who say that a woman cannot be a minister in the Church!  Since we are taught in the gospels that Jesus has come not to save the righteousness but rather to save the sinner, we know why today’s reading begins with the call of Peter, Andrew, James and John. They must have been well known as sinners before they were chosen by Jesus to lay down their old nets used to catch fish and take up a new net formed by the four strings of teachings of Christ’s words to catch people.

Take a moment to think about the most difficult situation that you found yourself in during the past week.  We are known by our fruit, the outward presence we show to others.  Each of us has been given the power and authority to make Christ present in the world.

Picture 1:  Georgie

Picture 2:  The Offertory – Bobby, Mike and Debbie

Picture 3:  Leo and Ray

Picture 4:  The Pastry Shop – Claire, Kayla, Gilberto and Zoe

Picture 5:  Michelle and Ryan

Picture 6: The Census Takers Group 1 – Tom, Bill, Greg, John and Jean

Picture 7: The Census Takers Group 2 - Mary Ellen, Doug, Grace, Rosemary and John 

 

Readings: Isaiah 7, 10-14; Psalm 24; Romans, 1, 1-7; Matthew 1, 18-24.

Isaiah: The great prophetic book.  8 centuries before Christ.  Talking here about the coming of the savior.

The Gift of Life

Last Sunday morning ca. 1:30 A.M., a friend of mine was having insomnia.  She got up without waking her husband.  Got into her car and headed down Belt Line to get a coffee or something at the 7-11 on the corner near Central.  Along the way she lost control of her Expedition, ran into a pole, and then slammed into another.  Parkland Hospital awakened her husband at 3:00 A.M. to inform him that his wife Sally had just died in their emergency room.

I have known Sally Ann Kidwell Swenholt since the 60’s when she was a little girl and I taught her big brother John Michael at Jesuit, where he was a good basketball player.   She was 48 and married 29 years to her high school boy friend. Her father had been my dentist in Preston Center until he retired and John Michael took over.  She became a dental hygienist and cleaned my teeth every year or so.  Her sister Susanne is a special friend.  I have loved this family and been privileged to walk with them through some great times and some troubled times.  This event has knocked me out.  Why?  And why at this time of year.

Some observations.

I can’t answer the why question for myself.  It just happens.  I can live with that mystery.  However, one big lesson stands out for me: life is a gift.  I may blow it off or I may treasure and appreciate it.  Sally Ann did the latter and I hope to follow her example.

One of the qualities that endeared her to me was that she was a delightful airhead who chattered non-stop.  The Kidwell dental office works very efficiently, on time.  You get your teeth cleaned & X-rayed in 30 minutes.  More attention needed, you make another appointment.  I do not know how she & I ever got through a half hour appointment.  Talk & more talk.  Ever try to tell someone how your sister is or how the Masses are at San Vino with someone cleaning your teeth with a drill mounted brush?  We always had so much to catch up on. 

As a tribute to her person centered, caring life, as well as the Kidwell family, St. Rita’s was full with a thousand plus people.  People were standing in the back.  Even though I could not concelebrate with Phil Postell, the Jesuit president, I was delighted that I got the idea and then did it: I applauded after Shauna, Sally’s oldest child who also works at the dental office, gave a beautifully amusing & tear filled eulogy to her mom.  In fact, though I fantasized that I might be clapping all alone, people not only jumped right in, but as Shauna came down & hugged her dad, the whole community stood and redoubled their applause.   I was in tears. 

One other observation.  When Sally drove into that pole on Belt Line she did not have her seat belt on.

We are privileged to celebrate here this morning, we are privileged to celebrate Christmas tomorrow, we are privileged to be alive.

How are you treasuring this gift today?

   

Readings:  Wisdom 18, 6-9; Psalm 33, Blessed the People the Lord has chosen to be his own; Hebrews 11, 1 & 2, 8-19; Luke 12, 32-48. 

Wisdom of Solomon Explanation:

Author or composer: not Solomon, but a Jew living in Alexandria, Egypt who spoke and wrote excellent Greek.

Date: ca. 100-200 BCE.  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 like Alexandria (Egypt). 

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.

 

Special Note: Wisdom is one of the 12-15 books of the deutero-canonical books of the bible.  Not OT nor NT, but in between and the subject of controversy over the centuries.  Were they really part of the bible or not?  How do you know?  Catholic church accepts the books, since the Council of Trent in ca. 1550.

 

Today’s selection, chapter 18, the next to last chapter: rather quirky and opaque.  Why the editors choose these tiny, disconnected paragraphs, who knows.  Basically, the author is gloating over the fact that the Egyptian first born babies were all slaughtered by Yahweh when Pharoah would not let the Jewish people leave, the Passover.  I will read his vision, vv.14-19 of the same chapter.

 

Sources: Good News Bible, Wikipedia.

 

Do not be Afraid Any Longer

 

 

Your man Tony O’Donovan and I have established a delightful practice of having either lunch or coffee every week. This past week we had a coffee scheduled for the Starbucks near me at the corner of Preston & Royal.

 

 

 

When I arrived about 9:30, Tony was already seated at a table on the sidewalk.  So I went inside to get two coffees.  There was a line of 8-10 people.  No problem, it always goes quickly.

 

 

In front of me was a guy about my height, but, let’s say a little portly without much apparent muscle tone.  The line is moving forward and the kids behind the coffee machines are calling to the people waiting in line.

 

 

At one point a kid calls out to the guy in front of me, but the guy  is looking to my right away from the kid calling him.  So I touch him on his left shoulder and say, “The kid is calling you.”

 

 

He turns around to me and he says in this intense voice, “Don’t you touch me.  Don’t you ever touch me!” 

 

 

 

Thump.  I am stunned.  I have nothing to say.  I just stand there and I guess I shake my head.  He pays for whatever he wanted and then goes to the end of the counter to pick it up. 

 

 

Then, he returns to me still in line and says the same thing again, this time adding something like, “You don’t ever touch a person in public!” 

 

 

Well, folks, I almost unloaded on him.  I was ready to knock him down and stomp on him.  I could handle the first time he spoke.  But when he returned to lecture me,  I nearly lost it.  I do not know what held me back.  Even now as I retell the event I feel my stomach muscles clenching up. 

 

 

I go outside and narrate my adventure to Tony.  He says that I’m lucky I did not start a commotion that would bring the police.  He would have disowned me.  I was double lucky, too, because my next door neighbor lady was there, a girl I really love for all she did for me when I was home bound. 

 

 

So what are the lessons from this event in connection with our readings? 

 

First, I would suggest that you do not have coffee with Irish married priests.  Very bad karma. 

 

 

However, I see two other lessons, one negative, the other positive. 

 

 

First lesson, as it said in the very beginning of the Gospel, ‘Don’t be afraid any longer.’  I would suggest this means, don’t be afraid of people, future events, or God .

 

 

As you continue in the Gospel, it seems to me Luke denies the very statement he makes in the beginning.  God is presented as a demanding master & we are servants who better be vigilant or we will get caught and sent straight to hell.

 

 

Everyone has their personal view of what our God is like.  I can only say that for me God is at least benevolent, not a master who beats people if they behave in some negative way, like Mark is saying.  Moreover, I do not see us as servants, but rather friends and caretakers.

 

 

Second lesson.  The Gospel talks a lot about vigilance.  Watch out or you are going to get whacked.  No way.  I suggest, as I have done before, the vigilance is for the beauty, the beauty of life, the beauty of nature, the beauty of people.

 

 

So how handle the Starbuck wakos? 

 

 

First, I am not afraid any longer. 

Second, I am vigilant, I focus on the beauty. 

 

 

What is your number 1 beautiful gift?

 

 

Picture 1:     Ray & Shonda at their baby shower for Leo

 

Picture 2: Some of the McGraths, Lauren & her grandmother, Jackie, Tom, Jackie's son, Maggie, Tom's daughter, and Alex, Lauren's brother

 

Picture 3:    Patricia & Dee 

 

Picture 4:    Nancy's home from Avalon

 

Picture 5:   Nikki & her granddad, Frank  

 

 

 

Readings: Acts 15, 1-2, 22-29; Psalm 67, O God, let all the Nations praise You; Revelation 21, 10-23; John 14, 23-29.

Acts:  a quick summary of the facts–

Author: Luke, a "doctor," a Gentile who converted to Judaism and then became a follower of Jesus.

Date: Maybe before, but more likely after the two big dates–

70 C.E.  failure of the Jewish revolt against Rome & destruction of the temple.

88 C.E.  the Jews who were followers of Jesus leave the synagogue and go on alone.

Material: story of the early Christian communities, not totally historical.

Mother's Day: a brief history–

1.  Greece & Rome: Cybele was the mother of all gods

2.  in the U.S.

a.  Julia Ward Howe: during Civil War, ca. 1870,  as a counter to the tragedy

b.  Anna Jarvis: 1912, pushed for 2nd Sunday of May, Mother's Day, with emphasis on the apostrophe, i.e., a single mother of a family, not all mothers.  Ended up regretting the day because of commercializaiton in the 40's before she died.  Hated Hallmark Cards' canned messages instead of personal notes.

c.  President Woodrow Wilson: 1912, made it a national holiday.

Sources: Legacy Project & Wikipedia

A Mother's Day Story

A year or so after I returned from East Africa, so around '88 or '89, my mom had to go into the hospital for some minor treatment.  She was living at home and I was living at Jesuit, though I went to visit her every day. 

On this particular day I was driving her west on LBJ from Preston to go to what was called at that time, Deadman Medical Center.  It is on LBJ between Marsh Lane & Webb Chapel.

As we ride along she reaches over with her left hand, pats me on the right leg, and says, "I'm proud of you."

Wow!  That blew me away.  I was really touched inside.  Here I am just back from about 10 years in East Africa.  I've been a Jesuit by then 30 years, more or less.  And my mom's affirmation still meant so much. 

Two events happened in that car.  One, my mother used words to affirm me.  Secondly, she touched me in a tender, affirming way.  The result: inner peace, just what is mentioned in today's gospel, the gift, ultmate gift.

If you are like I was when I grew up, I did not have enough positive stroking and certainly I lacked touch. 

You mothers, daughters, married, singles, all of you.  You got the gift.  You can bring peace with two simple acts, a word and a touch.

With whom and how many times a day do you share your gift?   

Picture 1:  3 of the 8 men who all gathered to bless the foreheads of all the female members of the community as our entrance rite, Tony Bob, & Richard 

Picture 2:  Fred blessing Rosemary's forehead with blessed ointment

Picture 3:  Jeff Morrow & Bob McGrath blessing the foreheads of the female members of the community in their section

Picture 4:  Cole receiving his first communion with his mom, Gail

Picture 5:  Shelby receiving her first communion from her mom, Debbie

 

Readings: Acts 6, 1-7; Psalm 33; 1 Peter 2, 4-9; John 14, 1-12.

Acts:  This is another example of stories from the early Christian Community.  On this occasion, the community is selecting from the community seven people, men, who will help free up the priests to do preaching.  The seven chosen are like deacons.

A Chosen Race, a Royal Priesthood

Two things happened to me in Italy that came to mind when I saw this line in Peter’s letter about being a chosen race and a royal priesthood.

First, in Rome on our last evening before departing this past Friday.  It was about 6:30.  All four of us were planning to celebrate sunset at 7:45 and the end of our trip with a glass of wine on the rooftop of our 4-5 story, 500 year old palace & convent.  A great vista point for the city.

Rosemary & I had taken a stroll and were coming home crossing the little plaza next to our convent, when a young Italian boy about 17 came up to me and in Italian asked me where the Pantheon was.  This delighted me for two reasons.

First, he must have thought I was more of a local, not an American tourist.  Ever since my time in East Africa I have always tried to blend in, not stand out as from elsewhere.  That was hard in Tanzania. Secondly, because of the first, he spoke to me in Italian. I both knew what he asked, and I knew how to respond and guide him to the Pantheon, which I half walked him to because it was fairly near.  For a last nighter, this was a gift.

The other event took place on a high point in Florence a week earlier.  Again Rosemary & I had taken a stroll in the early evening while others rested & before going out together.  I was exploring and had climbed a hill to see if I could spot a good place to see the sunset over Florence.  I had heard about this place from one of the sisters at the Florence convent we were staying in.  There were a series of steps in a switch back pattern leading up to a secondary basilica, called St. Miniato.  The steps were quite a climb, with the basilica steps going straight up.

At one point Rosemary is wandering around & I am sitting at the very top, my legs hanging over the marble balustrade.  I am looking over Florence & watching a rain storm approach from the west when I see a little man stooped with osteoporosis start to climb the steps way below me.  He has a dark overcoat on and he uses an umbrella as a cane.  He leans on the balustrade on his left.  Slowly & steadily he climbs until he reaches the top, turns right, and starts to pass near me. 

As he approaches I say in Italian, "Congratulations on climbing the steps."  I reach over and shake his sweaty little hand.  Bent over, he looks up and says, "What?"  I repeat and he asks me who I am.  After I tell him he says, "Are you Italian?"  I am complimented, but say, "No, I’m not Italian.  I am American."  "Oh, bahh," he exclaims and goes on his way.  I am slightly deflated. 

As Peter says in his letter, we are all chosen, we are all a royal priesthood.  Royal does not grab me, but priesthood does.  Sometimes we feel more chosen, more priestly, sometimes we feel more rejected and certainly not royal. 

The 17 year old boy chose me out of all the people in that plaza and asked for help.  In the priest context, I was able to help & guide him.  This experience is common to all of us.  I chose to compliment the little man in a priest context, but he rejected me.  Another common experience to all of us.  Because we are all chosen by God, we are all called to priesthood.  The challenge is to continue to congratulate, help, & guide the next person.

How are you doing this?

AUDIO: http://mysite.verizon.net/reso7rjy/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderfiles/2008-04-20.mp3 

Readings:

Genesis 11, 1-9,   The Tower of Babel story.  This comes from the vigil Mass of Pentecost, rather than the Sunday Mass.  A great story, which is why I chose to have it read.

Psalm  104,  Lord, send out your spirit, and renew the face of the earth

1 Corinthians 12, 3-13,  There are different kinds of spiritual gifts but the same spirit.

John  17, 1-11,  Jesus came and stood in their midst and said to them, “Peace be with you.”

 

 Genesis

What :  The first book of the bible, very entertaining because it is imaginative story telling.  It starts with the two stories of creation and takes off.   It responds to the little kid’s question, “How did we get here, daddy?”

Who: there are at least 4 author streams, two primary ones, the Yahwist and the Elohist, and two secondary ones.  The Greeks have the Iliad and the Odyssey.  The Israelites have the Yahwist and the Elohist.  Why these two words?  Simple.  It is the word the stream uses in talking about God. 

Time:  The Yahwist stream was put into a written form about 900 years before Christ.  The others were put into writing in later centuries.

Our Passage:  The little kid asks, “Daddy, why do people talk differently?”  This is the answer proposed, the Tower of Babel.  

 

 

Pass The Spirit, Please

I want to start this morning with a question.  How do I get the spirit?  Let me tell you.  Today’s story of the week.

As you all probably know, on Monday evenings Rosemary & I go dancing at the Farmers’ Branch Senior Center.  There are probably 50 people who show up every Monday and many of them can really dance. 

 

 

At 6:00 there is a couple who provide simple dance lessons, ball room, swing, country western.  They spend 6-8 weeks on each type of dancing.

At 7:00 a live band comes on and plays until 9:30 or 10:00, one week ballroom, the other week country western.   You got to be 50 to get in, so a lot of you folks probably can’t get in.  They will card you.  There are lots of people who come alone and I admire their courage at getting out.  There is even a blind woman, Janice, about whom I talked once.

 

This past Monday night during the live music dance session, at one point Rosemary and I were sitting out.  We are watching everybody dance what was something like a swing. 

One couple whom I had never noticed before, I noticed.  They were not dramatic dancers, but they really had beautiful flow and creativity.  They might have been using a cha-cha step.  When they finished up, I got up, went straight to them, and complimented them on being terrific dancers.

 

 

Well, they were touched by the compliment and gracious in their thanks.   They thanked me a bunch of times and we shook hands.  Guess who else was touched.  Yes, I was.

How do I get the spirit?  First, you already have it.  Secondly, it is augmented by giving it.  By giving a compliment.  What is the spirit?  New life, new peace.

 

 

I remember when Rosemary & I did a lot of dancing, 4-5 nights a week.  We were good in those days.  People would compliment us and I would just be pumped.   New life.   We would thank them profusely.  Compliments are spirit gifts.  New Life, new peace.

I have a compliment I am holding for a special person.  This is a black lady about 55-60 who works at the Tom Thumb on our corner of Preston & Royal.  I see this lady often at about 7:00 in the morning when I am buying bananas after my morning spin class at the “J,” the Jewish Community Center.

 

 

This lady I so admire because she gets up about 3:00 A.M. to catch two buses to come open this grocery store by 6:00.  We know each other by name.

Last Monday I was waiting in her checkout line while she finished with another lady.  My friend’s name is Sondra.  She was being her usual friendly self with this white, elderly lady.  “Good Morning” and everything.  As she finished, she thanks the lady, who had said nothing, and welcomed her back again.  The lady left saying nothing.  

 

 

I want to compliment Sondra on her non-stop friendliness to a lady who seemed to be an early morning  curmudgeon.  I was really hurt for Sondra and we chatted about other things.  I want to return and compliment her this week.

How do I get the spirit?   By giving it.  A compliment is an amazing spirit gift.   The Prayer of St. Francis says that in giving we receive.  

I compliment that couple on their dancing.  They get new life and new peace.  And their response gives it back to me.  

From whom have you received a compliment lately?

To whom did you give a compliment lately?  Next time?