24th Sunday in Ordinary Time, September17, 2023

Readings:

Malachi  3, 19-20,  There will arise the sun of justice with its healing rays.

 Psalm 98,  The Lord comes to rule the earth with justice.

 2 Thessalonians 3, 7-12,  See what love the father has bestowed on us.

 Luke, 21, 5-19,   When you hear of wars and insurrections, do not be terrified.

Some Sundays the selection of readings are beautiful and touching. Some Sundays they are not.  Such are our readings today as we come to the end of the church readings for this year.

 

Who is this little girl in John's arms welcoming everybody?

 

Observations on Malachi:

What:  The very last book of the O.T.  A little book, only 4 short chapters.  

When:  After the return of the Israelites from the Babylonian Captivity, therefore, the 5th century before Christ, i.e., ca 499 and before.

Message: because of laxity and corruption Malachi is warning the people that they will get punished again.  Such is our reading today. 

 

 

Getting ready: you put your left arm in, Buddy, you put your right arm down, and you shake it all around.

 

 

Thanksgiving I

With the approach of Thanksgiving, my favorite feast of all, I would like to talk about what I am grateful for on two occasions, this Sunday and next Sunday. 

I want to talk today about what I am grateful for because it has been a rough, almost depressing week for me.  Tuesday night, of course, was where it began.  As the evening progressed I began to tell which way the wind was blowing. 

 

 

Got it, show time.

 

As you know, by 9:00 I was ready to go to bed, but I was also tempted to stay up.  Temptation.  So as not to get wound up, I told Rosemary I was going to be as normal and would check in the morning.  I went to bed consciously focusing on my blessings, and in the morning, despite the news, I continued.  This focus really helped me to maintain perspective and hope for the future. 

Want to know what the blessings were?  Here are the big four.

 

 

Our Candle Man of The week, Buddy.

 

First, I was grateful for the relationship Rosemary & I have.  Rosemary does not come to bed with me at 9:00, but she and Aviana are all snuggled in when I get up at 4:00.  The gift of their presence on a cold morning is almost enough to make me change my mind about getting up. 

The second blessing takes place when I get up.  After doing some pushups and crunches at home, I head to the Jewish Community Center where I join 10 – 20 others doing spin class and then I work out in the gym for 15 minutes.  In the winter I take a  shower.   I love the exercise and I love the congeniality.  I know a bunch of  people by name and even know a bunch of birthdays in my spin class.  Guess what I do on their birthdays. 

 

 

Congratulations to Cody and our dear Shonda (marriage).

 

Connected with the exercise at the J, I love the gift of White Rock Lake and my ability to be able to ride around it.  Thursday or Friday The Lake was flat as glass, just beautiful.   

Third blessing, you people, our community.  Every Sunday I head home with Rosemary and sometimes Aviana on a high.  The high continues through the afternoon when I am sorting through all the pictures for about 30 that I plug into the blog.

 

 

Hey, Leo, I am jealous of your glasses.

 

 Fourth blessing.  Thursday morning I was privileged to visit a guy’s mother who was just on the edge of moving to the other side.   She was in one of the retirement homes on Plano Parkway.  I went in.  She was lying on her back in bed.  Her eyes were open but she was oblivious.  Occasionally she had like muscle spasms where she would kind of ball up. 

I blessed her and then leaned down and caressed her cheek.  I put my left hand under her hair and talked quietly to her.  I heard the word mama once, so I started telling her her mama was coming for her.

 

 

The Best, Shonda & Ray

 

This went on for, say, 10-15 minutes.  I had worn my white alb to give her peace.  Then it happened.  She focused and looked right into my eye.  We looked consciously at each other maybe a foot apart.  I continued to reassure her.  Then she was gone again.

These are the daily blessings I focused on to maintain my normal inner peace.

 

 

Welcome Home, Norm, good to see you.

 

If you needed to, what did you do?

 

Welcome home, Kim and Dave, good having you in.

 

 

 

 

It is with great sadness that we share the news that Cheryl O'Hagan's husband Dennis died in the hospital this week.

There will be a reception tomorrow Saturday, Jan. 25, at the Colin County Assoc. of Realtors, 3:00-6:00 in the banquet room (6821 Coit Road, Plano).  A pot luck dinner.  Please come & go as you are able.

 

Cheryl's address:

7951 Collin McKinney Pkwy #3089

McKinney, TX 75070

Community Finances:   

  Expenses: $  710.00

  Outreach: $   50.00

 

Thanks again, Folks, for doing what you can.

 

 

Brent gets a check for Soul's Harbor

 

Rosemary's Blessing:

Genesis 14:   Blessed be Abram by God Most High,  the creator of heaven and earth; 

Corinthians 11:  For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the death of  death of the Lord until he comes.

Luke 9:  They all ate and were satisfied.  And when  the leftover fragments were picked up, they filled twelve wicker baskets.

           

Mary reading from Genesis

Thanks…

Music,    Shonda & Ben

Readers, Mary & Frank

Gospel,   John Cade

Homily,  John Cade

Eucharistic Prayer A & B,  John Stack & John Cade

The Magic Zoom makers,      Hue & Kevin

Final Blessing, Rosemary

Frank reading from Corinthians

 

Readings:  Download 06-19-22 – Readings – Corpus Christi

Homily: Download 06-19-22 – Homily – Corpus Christi

                                       

 

Shonda and Ben always great

                                                     

 

Remember these special people:

For Sandra who has been diagnosed with Large B Cell Lymphoma;   For Lambrini, John Cade's wife, who is dealing with cancer and Kaliope, John Cade's Mother-in-law, with 2 broken vertebrae;  For Jackie;  For John's sister, Kathey in the hospital after a fall;    For Tom Good;  For a young man, 19 struggling with a brain tumor and cancer;     For Mary Hall's friend Cadence still suffering from a serious medical condition;   For Sir Charlie & Jan; 

                           

 

The Kiss of Peace

 

Jackie's mom, sister, & friend, Lynn;  For Rick Turner searching for a kidney donor, Type O neg.;   For Jean & Cliff Wright;  For Dee, and for her daughters, Lisa & Lauren;     For a young man who is suffering from depression;  John Cade's daughter, Joey, with cancer; from Barbara, a little baby boy named Ford recuperating from an operation & friends, Annie, a mom of 3 kids and Michael ;    for the medical staffs, teachers, and coaches in our public & private schools.

 

 

Frank, Mary, Dee and Cindy

     

Birthdays:  Bernadette Delgado 6/19 

Anniversaries:   Barb & Warren Wittek 6/21

      

Community Finances:   

Expenses: $   605.00

Outreach: $    200.00

Thanks again, Folks, for doing what you can.

 

                    

            Father's Day blessing for all the men               

 

Rosemary's Blessing:  

Loving God, through the gift of our fathers,

you reveal your wisdom, love and care.

 

Continue to bless and guide these holy men

you have given to us in our lives.

 

Support them in their call

to lead holy lives of faithfulness, respect and integrity.

 

May their witness of faith and love

shine from them and on their children and families

giving hope and encouragement to all.

 

Bless them for all the ways they lift their children to achieve their dreams.

Bless them for their sacrifice, their forgiveness and their guidance.

 

Bless grandfathers, uncles, brothers, cousins, teachers and coaches

who have shown us love and support.

 

For those fathers who have lost a child or spouse,

give them your loving touch of healing

consoling them with your gentle care.

 

For those fathers who have gone before us,

bring them to your eternal banquet of joy and peace;

bring them the fullness of union with you

and communion with us as we remember their love for us. Amen.

 

(Adapted from Fr. John Thomas Lane, SSS)

Happy Father’s Day

Acts of the Apostles 10:  To him all the prophets bear witness, that everyone who believes in him will receive forgiveness of sins through his name.;

Colossians 3:  When Christ your life appears, then you too will appear with him in glory.

John 20:  They have taken the Lord from the tomb, and we don't know where they put him.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There will be a memorial service for Cindy Cramer on April 15th at 10:00 at Restland.

 

 

John Stack Ministries now meets at:  The ArtCentre of Plano, 902 E. 16th St, Plano

 

 

Daniel 7: …The  one like a Son of man received dominion, glory, and kingship; all peoples, nations, and languages serve him.

2 Peter:  …"This is my Son, my beloved, with whom I am well pleased."

Matthew 17:  And he was transfigured before them; his face shone like the sun and his clothes became white as light.

    

Claire reading from the Book of Daniel

 

 

Thanks…     

Music,    Shonda & Ben 

Readers,  Claire & Warren

Homily,   John Cade

Eucharistic Prayer A & B,  John Stack & John Cade

The Magic Zoom makers,   Hue & Kevin

Final Blessing, Rosemary

                                 

 

           Warren reading from the Second  Letter of Peter         

 

 

Readings: Download 08-06-23 Readings -Transfiguration

Homily:  Download 08-06-23 Homily -Transfiguration

 

 

 

John Cade sharing his homily

 

Remember these special people:

For Jan Keszler's Family; For Sandra Pratt's family;  For Cindy Cramer's family;  For the family of Ron Senter;   For Meredith  whose cancer has come back;  For Tom Good;  For Tom  Quinn who had back surgery on November 21st; For Lambrini, John Cade's wife, who is dealing with cancer ;  For Madeleine, Richard Eshelbrenner's granddaughter;  For Hue; For Jackie;  For John's sister, Kathey recovering from a fall;   For Tom Good;   For Mary Hall's friend Cadence still suffering from a serious medical condition;   For Sir Charlie;  For Ron ;  For Teresa Quinn's niece, Maddie who has a brain tumor;

                                                                                                 

 

Jackie's mom, sister, & friend, Lynn;  For Rick Turner searching for a kidney donor, Type O neg.;   For Jean & Cliff Wright;  For Dee, and for her daughters, Lisa & Lauren;  For a young man who is suffering from depression;  John Cade's daughter, Joey, with cancer; from Barbara, a little baby boy named Ford recuperating from an operation & the families of Annie and Michael ;    for the medical staffs, teachers, and coaches in our public & private schools.

 

 

The musicians, Shonda and Ben

                                          

Birthdays: Lynda Fleming 8/8, Carrie Bieda 8/10

Anniversaries:  Hue & Linda Beavers 8/8

                         

Carrie gets a cookie for her birthday         

 

Community Finances:   

Expenses: $  880.00

Outreach: $  260.00

Thanks again, Folks, for doing what you can.

       

The Beavers get a treat for their anniversary