Sunday Homily, 4-24-11, Easter

Readings:

Zechariah  9, 9-10,   Rejoice heartily, shout for joy.

Psalm 145,   I will praise your name forever, my king and my God. 

Romans 8, 9, 11-13,  You are in the spirit.

Matthew  11, 25-30,  Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest.

Emma says, "Come in, Everybody, Welcome."

Zechariah:  Zechariah is the 11th of the 12 Minor Prophets and lived just when the Hebrews were released from the 70 year long Babylonian Captivity, in other words around 555 B.C. He is in Jerusalem and encourages the people to rebuild the temple.

He is called a minor prophet only because his little work has simply 14 chapters, unlike the Big 3, Isaiah, Jeremiah, & Ezekiel, who have many chapters, in fact 66 for Isaiah.

He was a favorite of the N.T. writers because he is rich in messiah predictions.  Today we have one of those visions.   You might picture how this message is coming across.  The people have been crushed, they have been slaves in Babylon, and the Jerusalem they have returned to is nothing but disaster. 

Sophia, also, says, "Hi, Everybody, Welcome."

Psalm 145, 8-9: here it is again, The Terrific Line: "The Lord is gracious & merciful, slow to anger and abounding in love."  Watch for it.

July 4, Independence Day

July 4, 1776, Declaration of Independence signed.

50^th anniversary, July 4, 1826: two signers of the Declaration died, the only 2 to serve as presidents, mutual friends, Thomas Jefferson & John Adams (excellent source, David McCullough’s John Adams).

Ever wanted to see what two people look like just after they have just finished an Ironman? Take a look and Chad and Kayli. Looking pretty good.

My Yoke is Easy and my Burden Light

This morning I would like to talk about Matthew’s statement about Jesus saying, My yoke is easy and my burden light.  I would also like to include that line which is one of my most favorite lines from the Bible, The Lord is gracious and merciful, never gets angry, and is abounding in love.

I would suggest the first line about my burden being light is influenced, sometimes, by the fact that the Lord is gracious and merciful.  On the other hand, however, sometimes the burden is really blasted heavy.  For example…  The Story of The Week:

Chad finishing.

Thursday afternoon Rosemary & I had just left Plano Cycling, where I had left my bike to have it fitted with a new chain and cassette, the gear assembly on the rear wheel.  I was feeling pretty proud of myself, that I had actually worn out a bike chain and cassette.  I thought only Tour de France people did such things.

So, we are in the van headed south on Central.  The usual traffic, especially for those exiting onto the Bush just past Plano Parkway.  I knew we had to get out into the middle to avoid that blockage. 

Kayli crossing the finish line, Coeur d'Elane, Idaho.

I move over from the right lane.  I want to move over even to the next lane.  I’m watching in the side mirror.  Finally, before the blockage I see a space and move over in front of a big white pickup that seems way back far enough. 

The guy in the pickup, however, seems upset.  Next thing I know his front bumper is in the back of our van.  I can see the hairs in his nostrils.  I can see the color of his eyes, black with flames shooting out.

Offertory, Grace (Ironmanmomma of Kayli), Mary Ellen, and Donna.

Then, yes, you guessed it.  There was space to the left in those lanes.  So my friend swerves to the left, floors it, stomps on the horn, races past us with various hand signals, and swerves back in front of us, where he proceeds another 100 yards before he has to hit the brakes because he was climbing the back side of another car.

What did I do?  Well, I did not follow my impulse to blow our horn.  I also did not want Rosemary cussing me out.  I did nothing but continue along south bound Central.  I am grateful for that.

The Old Man of The Mountains returned, Mike.

As we drive along and talk about this, I admit that if I knew this guy’s story instead of judging the book by the cover, my favorite path, I would probably be more empathic.  Has he just lost his job, his wife, his dignity?  Has he come from a horrible childhood that has him permanently damaged and angry?  This is my profession.   I know this.  His behavior in itself says so much.

Tell this guy your yoke is light and your burden in life is easy.  He would laugh and probably cuss you out.  How many people have burdens that are not light?   No way.

Look at these kids coming across the border.  The little girls, 10-14 years of age, really carrying a heavy burden.

Namesakes: Two Rosemarys, or YoYo & RoRo.

You hear the story of this Louie Zamperini, who just died in his nineties?  After his B-24 went down in the Pacific during the war with Japan, he and two other guys spent 47 days on a flimsy raft.  After being rescued by a Japanese boat, life got only more brutal in the numerous prison camps he spent time in before being released after the war. 

So how do you carry the load if you are Zamperini or the pickup driver? 

This sounds almost insulting or obscene, but it is psychologically sound, acceptance.  Accept what is happening to keep my mind and spirit sane.  Zamperini said that he also worked to keep his spirit alive and hopeful, disciplining himself like he did when he was an Olympic sprinter.

This is where I suggest contemplating the positive.  Maybe my childhood was horrible and my life is bad.   Can I not find love and graciousness somewhere? 

Perhaps that pickup driver is suffering.  He does not seem to be handling his suffering well.

How do you deal with the heavy burden?

She's back, Folks, the party is over. RoRo doing her blessing.

Readings:

Isaiah 55, 1-5, All you who are thirsty, come to the water.  (Ever wonder why I love Isaiah so much!!)

Psalm 145,  The hand of the Lord feeds us; he answers all our needs.           

Romans  8, 35, 37- 39,  What will separate us from the love of Christ?

Matthew 14, 13-21,   They all ate and were satisfied and they picked up the fragments left over.  (Terrifically positive readings this Sunday!  Wow!)

Thanks to the Team

Music,  Ben & Shonda

Readers,    Mary Jane & John, & Buddy, the candle blesser

Gospel & Homily,  Deacon Mike & Stack

Eucharistic Prayer A & B, Stack & John Cade

The Magic Zoom makers, Mike & Richard, Ben & Hue (welcome Hue!)

Final Blessing, Rosemary

The Best Music, Ben & Shonda.

Please Remember these special people:

For our Bill & his family, Patty, Bobby & Lisa, Melinda, Amy & Bret;  For Becky's dad just discovered with the virus;  For Cindy recuperating from a procedure some weeks ago;    For Carrie Bieda's son;   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 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 Michelle;

John Schanot reads Romans today.

For Jackie's mom;  For a friend, a neighbor, & 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;  for Virginia Mattingly.

Download Readiongs Week 8-2

Birthdays:  Linda Beavers, Eric Wittek, Lynda Fleming 60, Souls Harbor's birth (Brent wants a cupcake), born 1956 (64 years ago!)

Anniversary: Mike & Judy, 56th

Brian Bambaneck & Kendall, 15th (parents of  Harper & Betsy)   

Today Mary Jane reads from Isaiah.

John's Homily, In Memory of Bill

Matthew has presented to us this morning one of my favorite Bible stories.  The point is usually made that Jesus just multiplied the bread.  As I’ve said all the times I have spoken on this little vignette over the years, my read is that Jesus created such a spirit among the people that they shared what they had with each other.  That was the miracle of sharing.  

 I saw this in Tanzania the ten years I lived there.  I would be riding my motorcycle down a hot, dusty road, & come across a half a dozen Tanzanian women waiting for a country bus.  They all wore robes from their heads to their sandals.  Under those robes they had food.  And they did not reveal a crumb. 

The brain trust.

What did Jesus do?  He created a spirit of trust and invited them to share.  Imagine you are there.  You are provident and conceal your rations.  Suddenly, after having a good meeting with these people, Jesus takes a  loaf of bread, breaks it, takes a piece, and passes it to you.  In the spirit of sharing, you take a piece of the bread and you put some of your bread into the basket. 

Can’t you see Bill Hammond doing this!  It is September and Bill is standing up here inviting us all to help with the Love for Kids special picnic day at the Circle K Farm in Flower Mound one Saturday in October.   20-30-40 members of our community would show up every year.

The Brain Trust?

Initially I found it difficult to spend Saturday morning at the picnic because I used Saturday to get my ideas sorted out for our Sunday Masses.  Little did I need those ideas because I came home and devoted all my homily time to how I was touched by the kids, by our community, and by Bill for touching my heart again.

Because of Bill & Bona Responds, Bill and I spent a week in Galveston helping to clean up after the hurricane.   Bill frequently relayed opportunities to community members to join him and other Bona Responds kids in tornado clean up.  Bill got us into these sharing events and we were incredibly richer.

Hey, Mike, we got audio this morning.  Hooray!  In fact, if you missed it the first time, it even repeats.

The second event that showed me how special Bill was came with our early September 8-9 day back packing trips to Yosemite.  8-9 campers loaded up and came along.  Bill was one camper & hiker that I knew I could rely on to help me out if someone was having trouble with the altitude or weight of a back pack.  We had 8 dinners & deserts, like freeze dried peach cobbler,  which Rose Banzhaf prepared & freeze dried.  This meant 1 bear canister for each camper. We ate well and we had to tote all that up the trail.  Bill always generously offered to help out with the load, especially the pint of Jack Daniel we all carried for the evening feast. 

Sacra Couer, Paris

The third way that Bill touched me was the famous Hotter ‘N Hell Bike Ride out of Wichita Falls, the last week end of August, yes, usually the hottest week end  of the calendar.  The year was probably 2011.  

So along comes Bill inviting me to ride.  Trouble was, I was a runner, not a biker.   No problem.  He had everything I needed, Helmet, shorts, shirt, and even a bike (which I discovered later was Bobby’s bike).   I must have hesitated, to say the least.  But you know how hard it was to turn Bill down. 

Chain Bridge, Budapest

So I agree and ride up with Bill to Wichita Falls.  We camp out on the college campus.  There are thousands of these crazy people. We get up in the dark about 5:00.  Bill wants to leave before the huge crowd takes off all together.  I get into these clothes in the dim light of the parking lot.  We take off.  It does not take long for Bill & his buddies to speed off down the road.  I trail along. Yes, I did finish but Bill never let me forget that I spent the first 20 miles with my bike pants on backward. 

Sunset, At Sea

Thank you, Bill, for blessing my life and the lives of so many.  You have been and still are a very special gift.

Using John Lewis' Blessing,  So I say to you, walk with the wind, brothers & sisters, and let the spirit of peace & the power of everlasting love be your guide.  

Is City of Dallas giving us a little hint?  

Cindy Cramer:

John has been in touch with Cindy Cramer’s son and daughter.  Cindy has healed from the heart surgery. 

She is presently in Encompass Health Rehab Hospital, 3351 Waterview Parkway, Richardson, TX 75080, Room 110.  Cindy needs physical therapy to learn to walk again due to Guillain-Barre.

She is not allowed any visitors but would LOVE to receive some cards and notes.  Also, since she is on the  first floor you can window visit.  The windows are numbered with the room numbers, so you should be able to find #110.  Also you can make her a home-made dinner and deliver it to the front desk! She is currently on a special diet due to her blood thinner which requires that she not go crazy on Vitamin K. It's not that she can't have any at all; she just shouldn't have large amounts. Check out the Mayo Clinic's list of foods to avoid. If you include any of those items mixed into a casserole or something, be sure to include a note with how much is in there.

She’s very busy between three meals a day, and physical therapy twice a day at times that change daily, scheduling your visit may be a challenge. Rather than set a particular time for all window visits, it will probably be easiest if you just sign up for a day, and then contact her about when would be a good time to come by. Here is the signup sheet if you want to do that.

Sez our dear Harper "Welcome in, Everybody."

Isaiah, a review

Here is another of those passages which make me love Isaiah so much.  I have mentioned this before.  He is my favorite.  

Today we have Isaiah III talking to the Jews who have returned to Jerusalem from the Babylonian Captivity, about 555 years before Christ.  It helps to picture the mood of these people. 

Away we go!

Are you a Cowboy Fan?  How do you feel about this year?  Multiply this by 10 and you have how the Jewish people felt after 50 years of slavery and  their town destroyed like New Orleans or parts of Preston Hollow. 

When he says Jerusalem or Zion, he is talking to these beaten down people.  Later centuries church leaders began to make these words have two meanings, the city and we Christians.  Jerusalem, then, applies to us.

Sources: Good News Bible, The New Interpreter’s Bible

Takes Zoe to really light a candle.

Readings:

Isaiah 60, 1-6,  The glory of the Lord shines upon you. (nice)

Psalm 72,  Lord, every nation on earth will adore you.

Ephesians 3, 2-3, 5-6, God's grace was given to me.

Matthew 2, 1-12,  Where is the newborn king of the Jew?.

And to really get  it lit, it takes Victoria.

The Epiphany, a Cornucopia of Symbols:

2 observations–

Where to begin, folks.  There is so much symbolism in this liturgy, in Matthew, for sure, and in the combination of Matthew with Isaiah and Psalm 72.  Matthew carefully crafted this story to appeal to both his fellow Jews and the Gentile population.   I'll touch 2 points, each with 3 subdivisions..         

And to really get it all right, it takes Buddy to read the Blessing of the Candles.

The Wise Men have a double & triple significance because they are

1. Gentiles
2. They come from the east, considered the source of wisdom in the world of that time.  Where does the sun rise?  Where do stars rise?  A new son has been born and like the sun in the east or a star he will bring new light. 
3. They are searchers & symbolize every man’s search for meaning in life.    Remember Matthew speaks to two audiences, his fellow Israelites, whom he is chastising for not searching, and the Gentiles. 

And then backing it all up is Leo singing.

2. The 3 gifts. 
3. Gold is given because it signifies royalty. 
4. Frankincense, or incense, signifies divinity. 
5. Myrra signifies medicine.  Myrra is for the human.  It comes from a bush like tree that has a yellow, sticky sap on its bark.  The sap was good for skin infections and acne, asthma, colds, and flu, and even herpes.  It is found in Saudi Arabia & Somalia.

Bringing the gifts Bernadette, her daughter Michelle, and Grace.

 A post script.  People in Europe used to write an inscription over their doors, e.g. 20+C+M+B+17.  The numbers are our year.  The letters are Caspar, Melchior, and Balthazar, supposedly the kings' names.   Christians made it say, “Christ & you 3 kings bless our house or Maison the year listed."

And trouble with Richard, Cody, & Ben.

 Another post script.  In New Orleans Epiphany starts Carnival season, which leads up to Mardi Gras, Fat Tuesday before Ash Wednesday.  The parades start, folks.  Laissez Les Bons Temps Rouler.

 Sources: Reginal Fuller, St. Louis U. Liturgy; Biblical & Theological Resources, the Voice Institute, on line; Wikipedia; and other sources.

The communion team with Patricia, Claire, Geri, Grace, & Denni.   Thanks, You All.

An Epiphany Story

Rosemary & I once went to the exposition of some paintings of about six or eight artists. Among the artists and the reason we were there was my childhood buddy, Ed Lamberty, who gave the homily here on alcoholism & AA some years ago.  He was presenting some of his works.

 As we were wandering around we ran into another couple who are old friends.  We ask what brought them to this exposition.  They pointed across the room to a middle aged, middle class, blondish woman who was standing by some of her works.

Hi, Marlene, Mabel, & Cindy.  So good to see you.

 Here is the story the wife told me.

The couple we know are both academics on the university level.  Some years ago the wife had been teaching and came to know one of her students.  The student was a mother with a son about 8 years old.  At some point in time the father had abandoned them and left them with nothing.  They were living in the mother’s car.

Thanks, Rick, for all the good pictures.

My friend says to me that this so shocked her and she thought this cannot continue.  An Epiphany moment.  She described the situation to her husband and two sons who were about 10 & 12.  Guess what they did.

They invited the mother & son to live with them until they got on their feet.  The two sons moved into one bedroom and the mother & her son took the other.  Here they lived for almost a year until the husband found the woman a job. 

Peace, Everybody.

The woman now is successful and is developing as an artist, selling her works for big sums.  The son graduated from Jesuit, graduated from college, and now is married with a couple of his own kids. 

 Obvious from the fact that they were at the art exposition, my friends are still quite close with the mother & her son. 

Peace for 2020.

I would propose that this is what epiphany is, a light shines on a presence.  The presence is a challenge and, perhaps, involves care for others.   The presence may be the example of another person.

 Who is an epiphany for you?

 For whom are you an epiphany?

Readings:

Sirach, 27, 30-28, 7, Hate not your neighbor.  

Psalm 103,  The Lord is Gracious and Merciful, never gets angry and is abounding in Love.  (Wow!)

Romans  13, 7-9,  Whether we live or die, we are the Lord's.

Matthew 18, 21-35   If my brother sins against me, how often must I forgive him?  .. not seven times, but seventy-seven times…

Tuning in.

Thanks to the Team

Music,  Ben & Shonda

Readers,  Patrica & Jackie & Buddy, the candle blesser

Gospel,  John Cade

Homily,  Stack 

Eucharistic Prayer A & B, Stack & John Cade

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

Final Blessing, Rosemary

For hosting us at Legacy, Becky

Download Readings Week 24

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 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.

The new house amid the trees.

For Jackie's mom, sister, & friend, Lynn;  For a friend, a neighbor, & 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.

The Brain center

Birthdays:    Sandra Pratt, 80;  Claire Zurchin, 35; 

Anniversaries:  Tom & Lynda, 38th

Mark & Julie Anderlick, 8th

A cool neighborhood on a hot day.

Community Finances, September 13, 2020

Expenses: $ 2,830.00

Outreach   $  380.00  (often for Souls Harbor, Legacy, etc.)

Thanks, Folks, for doing what you can.

Has this broadcast team not arrived at new heights!

Rosemary's Blessing:

May the Lord grant you

       A tolerance for those who don’t agree with you,

       A refusal to judge others,

       A willingness to forgive,

       A calm and hopeful spirit in the midst of anxieties,

       And a holy anger for injustice in the world.

From Seven Sacred Pauses by Macrina Wiedwrkehr

Our new address,  7017 Helsem Way, Dallas 75230.   This enclave has TREES, unlike our poor, dear, tornado battered Preston Hollow neighborhood.  It is so special.

Readings:  Isaiah 60, 1-6; Psalm 72; Ephesians 3, 2-6; Matthew 2, 1-12 

Isaiah 60: 3 observations–

1.  This is Isaiah III who seems to have lived around the time of the Babylonian Captivity, i.e., 575 BCE., not at the time of Isaiah I (chapters 1-39) who lived ca. 800.   (& Is. II, chapters 40-50)

2.  Therefore, our passage from chapter 60 is addressed to Jerusalem which is in total destruction.          

3.  Isaiah is saying that your day is coming, Jerusalem, when you will return to being the most splendid city of all.  See the double meaning?  Jerusalem is a city & also a symbol of the Jewish people.

Psalm 72: 3 observations–

1.  King David is considered the author or at least the editor of the psalms.

2.  When written and sung the Jewish people were asking Yahweh to endow and bless their current king, i.e., Saul or David or later kings.

3.  The image of king over the years becomes a symbol, a symbol of the savior.  The expectation of the Jews was that a mighty King David type was coming.  Post Jesus the attributes of the king in this psalm are applied to Jesus.

Epiphany, The Coming of the Wise Men on January 6:

   3 observations–

1.  The word means an enlightenment, a WOW moment.

2.  Celebrated since ca. 300 & Constantine on January 6, 12 days from the birth, the 12 Days of Christmas.

3.  Considered a second Christmas, to the Gentiles, personified by the Wise Men, who were not Jews, but Gentiles.

The Epiphany, a Cornucopia of Symbols

Where to begin, folks.  There is so much symbolism in this liturgy, in Matthew, for sure, and in the combination of Matthew with Isaiah and Psalm 72.  I'll touch five points & end with a story.         

1.  The Wise Men.  Matthew uses them to  symbolize every man's search for truth & meaning in life.  They were like astrologers, searching the skies for meaning.  The search theme permeates this whole presentation and is Matthew saying, "Go, and do the same search."  You can sense in this story Matthew's esteem for how the Gentiles search and discover the savior, unlike his fellow Jews.

The Wise Men have a double & triple significance because they are Gentiles and they come from the east.  Where does the sun rise?  Where do stars rise?  A new son has been born and like the sun in the east he will bring new light.  Remember Matthew speaks to two audiences, his fellow Israelites, whom he is chastising in this presentation, and the Gentiles. 

2.  The Jews are getting put down for their blindness.  Here in the city of David, Bethlehem, another symbol because this ties Jesus up with the lineage of King David, here in this special city the chosen people do not have a clue about what a monumental event is taking place.  Even in the great city, the city of pilgrimage, Jerusalem, the people are blind.

3.  The star.  It is mentioned as rising.  Where do stars rise?   Another symbol for the rising in the east. 

4.  The O.T. quote.  Even though the chief priests and scribes in Jerusalem knew their scripture, they don't go to Bethlehem.  They quote chapter 5 of the prophet Micah, a contemporary of Isaiah III, who says, "Bethlehem, a ruler is going to come from you."  Micah thought of a ruler who would lift the Jewish people out of bondage, but Matthew turns it around, the ruler coming from Bethlehem being Jesus, not a powerful king, but a servant.  This is one of Matthew's most common tools of convincing his listeners.  He quotes O.T. passages to say that the passage is being fulfilled by this man Jesus, or baby in this case.  He is like a debater or attorney carefully crafting arguments for his case. 

5.  The 3 gifts.  Gold is given because it signifies royalty.  Frankincense, or incense, signifies divinity.  And myrra signifies being human.  Myrra is medicinal.  It comes from a bush like tree that has a yellow, sticky sap on its bark.  The sap was good for skin infections and acne, asthma, colds, and flu, and even herpes.  It is found in Saudi Arabia & Somalia.

The story.  A week ago today Rosemary and I had the privilege to bring gifts to the mother & daughter we have been supporting since I first met them in '86, when I studied Spanish in Cuernavaca.  We did not bring gold, but about $450 to help them with their little shop. 

Carina, the daughter, proudly informed us that this March they have been open for business two years.  Their merchandise is candles of all types, colors, aromas, and decorations, most of which they provide themselves.  They sell incense and herbs for coughs and colds.  They are both so grateful to everyone who has helped them out. 

We took them out to a simple restaurant twice and it was probably last year with us the last time they went out to eat.  Carina rides the local buses an hour to work and is open from 8:00-6:00.  It is a strenuous trip for her because of her being crippled.  In fact, she fell in the street earlier this year and is saving up enough money to either fix or get a new apparatus for her leg.  The old one, which we gave her some years ago, broke in the fall.

I am so humbled by this young woman's responsibility, her cleanliness in the little shop, her do diligence with the humble products she is selling.  While we were with her & Maria Luisa in the shop one afternoon, I saw how Carina graciously welcomed and chatted with a half dozen customers she had. Among other things, I watched her sell 4 three foot long white bees wax candles that she had decorated with a brown ribbon & bow & some decorations embedded in the wax.  She sold each for ca. $5.00. 

She had to take out two loans of about $500 each to buy up her merchandise and she is diligently paying it back step by step.  The $450 we brought will help with either the loans or her leg apparatus.  Her mother is her buyer and they bring in the candles from the region around Acapulco. 

In a quiet moment I asked Carina how has she planned for when Maria Luisa dies.  She has already had three cases of cancer & is 66.  Carina told me she is more vulnerable than she looks and is sick often.  She also told me she has no special plans for when her mother dies.  She can continue to live in the garage they live in now.  And she can maintain herself with the candle shop.  Thanks to you all.  It may be impossible to save the world, but you have helped two people to survive.

What will we do next?

AUDIO:   http://mysite.verizon.net/reso7rjy/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderfiles/2009-01-04.mp3

Picture 1:  Birthdays & Anniversaries–Tom Fleming, Rich & Carol Eshelbrenner, and Roy Strom

Picture 2:  Carina & Rosemary & Maria Luisa in Cuernavaca, Mexico

Picture 3:  Carina's Candle & Herb Shop

Picture 4:  Carina & John & Maria Luisa

Readings:

Acts 4,  34, 32-35  The community of believers was of one heart and mind.

Psalm 118,    Give thanks to the Lord for he is good, his love is everlasting.

1 John 5, 1-6,   Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is begotten by God.

 John  20, 19-31,  Thomas.

Brandon, our greeter, opens the door and says, "Welcome, Everybody."

Acts reminders:

Author: Luke, the same who wrote the gospel.  He was an educated, urbane Jew.

Date: the years 75-80 

Subject: This is a travel log, detailing the spread of Christianity from Jerusalem to Rome and the Mediterranean in between.

Today: we have a passage pretty universally admittedly idealistic.  All is perfect and harmonious.   We view a community which is a commune, a utopian vision of life and the foundation of communism.

Sienna, too, says, "Hi, Folks, Welcome."

Do Not be Unbelieving, But Believe 

This week Rosemary and I will head south to Mobile, Alabama, where two events are taking place.  First, we plan another reunion of my old ’58 class Jesuits will get together.  Secondly, 50 years ago we graduated from Spring Hill College and there is a homecoming event staged by the college.

Of course, all this has me reflecting fondly on our years together.  Three memories.

And, of course, Brooklyn and her rabbit say, "Hi, Folks."

First, there was a neat spirit among the 25 or so guys I entered with.  Most of these guys were amazingly normal, intellectually gifted, and some were amazing athletes. 

Secondly, as a group we lived a rigorous monastic life.  Silence, formal prayer times, work, study, and three recreation afternoons, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays.  We wore a black cassock & cincture or we wore long sleeved shirts and long pants, even to play touch football & baseball in 100 degree heat & Gulf Coast humidity.  We took only three showers a week, a left over reflection of the old Catholic phobia about nakedness. 

Welcome, Cathy, back from Egypt.

There is a story funny today about the odor or sanctity.  This was how you could tell a fake Jew from a true Catholic during the time of Ferdinand and Isabella in Spain, say 1492.  Catholics did not bathe, Jews did bathe once a week.  Guess what the odor of sanctity was.

The third thing I remember is our life at Spring Hill College.  For me it was a marvelous release from a cloistered life to life on a campus with guys and girls, not that we were allowed to, as it was termed, fraternize with the college kids.

Harper, too, is delighted to have her grandmother back home.

I graduated 50 years ago with a degree in secondary ed, maybe grooming myself for administration in one of our 6 regional high schools.  I also spent the three years studying Catholic philosophy in Latin.  It was totally boring to me.  We had the adversaries and we had to learn how to out argue them.  We took our finals in Latin.

Just in case you were wondering who is handling our security, Leo, oops, no that's Batman.

It was during these three years that a lot of my classmates began to question the whole process.  It was Vatican II time, the murder of John Kennedy and Martin Luther King.  At this time I never questioned.  I just went along.  I admired the guys, but was content.  I survived because I played a lot of touch football and I took care of a fleet of boats & motors we used at a villa across Mobile Bay.  I could go there every weekend and for two marvelous weeks in the summer.  We also had three hot, excellent meals a day.

Robyn, the dear grandmother of Sienna and Brooklyn.

The overall training made me grow up quickly.  I look back now, however, am somewhat embarrassed, and ask myself how could I believe in some of those practices.  And I know.  It was believe, believe in the process, in the company, in those who have gone through this before me, and look at them, how successful they are.

Doubting Thomas, the subject of our Gospel today, is a hero of mine.  I think I would like to have been more like him in those early years.  Which would have been impossible at the time, I know. I believed.   Paradoxically, I think the training itself ultimately gave me the self-confidence and intellectual curiosity to enable me to have doubts & questions.  Want to know when I started questioning?  East Africa.

Our generous communion helpers.

The danger with the "do not be unbelieving, but believe" statement is that it is a "do not think" statement.  I become a sheep following the footsteps of whoever is in front of me with a feeling of security.  Doubts can be scary, questions confusing.  Without them I am less than fully human. 

Like with Thomas, what are your doubts & questions.  What do you do about them and how do you feel about them?

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