24th Sunday in Ordinary Time, September17, 2023

 

 

Welcome in Everybody, and welcome to Advent.

 

Readings:  

Jeremiah  33, 14-16, “The days are coming”, says the Lord, “when I will fulfill the promise I made.”

Psalm 25,  To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul.

1 Thesssalonians 3,12-4,2, May the Lord make you increase and abound in love.

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

 

 

 

Welcome from today's Offertory Team, Michelle & Gil, Carol & Rich

 

 

One Day on a Walker   

For a New Appreciation of People, Try a Walker

This morning I would like to talk about how I came to see again how genuinely good ordinary people can be.  Want a quickie answer to that?  Try lumbar stenosis which leads to lower back pain which leads to life on a walker.

 

 

Another Day on the walker.

 

Two examples.

Just after the doctor put me on a walker I had an 8:00 A.M. appointment with my skin doctor.  It was freezing dark, cold, windy, and I had to park in one of those ground level parking areas, like about ½ a mile from the double glass entrance doors. 

As I hobbled up to the doors, a guy and a woman jumped ahead of me and held the doors open for me.  I was most touched.

 

 

Leo the Candle Man in Action.

 

The same thing happened when I departed the buildings.

Other similar events happened all the time we were in Hilton Head.   But a special one took place at an Alabama highway welcome facility just departing Georgia. 

We stopped in the visitor space to visit the facilities.  As I approached the one story building I noticed that the host of the facility this particular morning was a black guy about 60.  He saw me and was immediately heading toward the entrance doors.

 

 

Buddy reading the Blessing of The Advent Candle.

 

We arrived about the same moment and I reached out to pull outward the right hand door.  Trouble was, I was coming at it from the left.  I was awkwardly pulling the door with my right hand when the guy opened the door and stepped out to help me. 

Lucky me, because I was planning on using the door handle with my right hand to balance.  Suddenly the door was open, the handle out of reach, and I am falling over—right into the arms of the welcoming station.  Yes, he caught me and graciously got me righted.

 

 

Yes, Harper, you look really pretty with your new shorter hair.

 

Then, even at the restroom door, truckers were holding it so I could enter and depart.

I have been most touched, folks, and feel privileged.

Any of you seen these people around lately? 

And the question I would ask normally, I don’t ask now because it is irrelevant.  You do this kind of activity every day.

 

 

Could it be that Leo's most favorite time of our Sunday Mass is the Cupcake of the Week time.

 

 

 

 

The Living Nativity.  

 

Readings:

Isaiah 9, 1-6,    The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light, upon those who dwelt in the land of gloom a light has shown.  (Wow!  Beautiful)

Psalm, 96,  Today is born our savior, Christ the Lord.

Titus 2, 10-11,  The grace of God has appeared.

Luke 2, 1-14,   The Nativity story.   (Lovely)

 

 

 

 

What do we have here?  A donkey, a giraffe, an Addie?  

 

 

Isaiah observations:

 

This is Isaiah 1, a beautiful, hope filled piece.

 

 

 

Ever see a prettier Mary?  Hi, CC.

 

 

The Daily Nativities bringing Peace, Joy, & Gratitude

I would like to talk a few minutes this evening about celebrating the Nativity.  We do this once a year.  I propose that we can celebrate the Nativity, not once a year, but everyday.  The Nativity is an event that gives me peace and joy and a sense of gratitude.  These nativities happen daily. 

 

 

 

Hey, who let this character in?  Got a gift for me Santa?

 

Two examples.

There is a little widow lady named Joyce who lives right across the street from Rosemary & me.  She is on the southeast corner of Tulip Lane & Camellia.  We are on the northeast corner.

Joyce is 89 years old and Aviana & I visit her every morning.  In fact, we give her our newspaper after we have read it.

 

 

 

Has Santa run out of presents?  No way!

 

 

A week ago Joyce walked over to The Tom Thumb on the corner of Preston & Royal, a ten minute walk from our corner.  After buying bread and crossing over Preston at the light, Joyce was crossing Royal at Camellia.  As she walks to the median, she steps into a pile of leaves thinking it was flat.  

Nope, it was the curb and Joyce falls face down on the cement of the median.  She gets right up and is bleeding all over herself from where her sunglasses had cut around her left eye.  Not the eye itself, but her face.

 

 

 

Thanks, Emma, for doing your Candle Magic again.

 

 

At this point Joyce says all these people literally stopped their cars and ran to her.  Some wanted to call an ambulance for her.  Others offered to drive her home.  “No,” she said, “I am okay and only live right there,” and she points to her house.

One guy, however, puts his arm around her waist and offers to walk her home.  She accepts and gets home.

 

 

 

"All I want for Christmas?  Yes," says Vivian, my front tooth."  And Viki, her mom agrees

 

 

Want to know what really touched her?  Yes, all the people who ran to help her, leaving their cars right there on extremely busy Royal Lane. 

Those people were a Nativity event for Joyce.  And guess what.  She has  great peace, joy, and gratitude.

 

 

 

The Team, Georgie & Buddy, Leo & Mike.

 

 

The second example of a nativity happened to me Thursday.  I went to the main Dallas recycle dump on Harry Hines & Webb Chapel.  I get on the ramp and start unloading empty paint cans, old phones, and stuff that had accumulated for a year or more.

Coming up and helping me was a tall, old black guy, probably older even than I am.   I’m thinking this guy should be retired and at home with his grandkids.  I take the stuff out of the van, he takes  it and puts it in the correct container.  I am most touched.

 

 

 

And the Rest of The Team.

 

 

I wish him Happy Christmas and I start to get into the van.  “He deserves a tip,” I think and look into my bill fold.  5 bucks, maybe.  No luck.  No fives, no tens even.  Only a 20.  “Rosemary is going to kill me,”  So I walk over and shake his hand, the 20 in the shake. 

He, of course, tells me how I do not need to do this a bunch of times.  But finally he is all gratitude.  I get into the van quickly so he won’t see my tears.

 

 

 

 

Jack & his sister Sophia, who dances, like to all the music their dad (Ben) is playing.

 

 

A daily nativity event.  I gave him a 20.  I took from him peace, joy, and gratitude.

Where is the Nativity Event in your life this season?

 

 

 

 

Merry Christmas, Carrie.  Merry Christmas, Paul.

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:  Then the other disciple also went in, the one who had arrived at the tomb first, and he saw and believed.

 

 

Mary Jane reading from The Acts of the Apostles

 

 

Thanks…

Music,    Ben 

Readers,  Mary Jane & John

Gospel,    Sandra

Homily,  John Stack

Eucharistic Prayer A & B,  John Stack & John Cade

The Magic Zoom makers,      Mike & Hue & Kevin

Final Blessing, Rosemary

 

John reading from Paul's letter to the Colossians

 

 

 

Readings: Download 04-17-22 – Readings – Easter Sunday

Homily:  Download 04-17-22- Homily-Easter Sunday

 

 

The Kiss of Peace

 

 

Remember these special people:

For John Stack having a hard time right now with a bad back;  For Sandra who has been diagnosed with Large B Cell Lymphoma;   For Lambrini, John Cade's wife who is dealing with cancer;  For a young man, 19 struggling with a brain tumor and cancer;    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, and for Hue & Linda's daughter, Doctor Rosemary Beavers;   For Mary & Dave Hall's g-daughter Allison Keller working at St. Lukes, The Woodlands and for a friend Cadence still suffering from a serious medical condition;   For Sir Charlie & Jan;  All of Shonda's dear family;

                           

Connie and Rob assisting with Communion

Jackie's mom, sister, & friend, Lynn;  For Rick Turner searching for a kidney donor, Type O neg.; For Meredith, cancer free & John Schanot;    For John O'Donnell & Jean;   For Jean & Cliff Wright;  For Dee, and for her daughters, Lisa & Lauren;     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; 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.

 

 

Communion

                   

                  

Birthdays:  Claire Occhipinti 4/17 

Anniversaries:   John & Connie Doherty 4/21, John & Alison DeGenova 4/23

      

Community Finances:   

Expenses: $  765.00

Outreach: $  125.00

Thanks again, Folks, for doing what you can.

                                    

Carrie & Paul and Beth & Rob

 

Rosemary's Blessing:  

Risen Jesus, help us to be human expressions of the God you proclaimed: a God who is gracious and merciful, never gets angry and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness.

May we know deeply God's great love for us, and like God, lean toward those suffering, oppressed and poor.

Adapted from A Reflection and Prayer for Easter by S. Jean Amore, CSJ

 

 

Jeremiah,  … he shall do what is right and just in the land.

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

1 Thessalonians 3, May the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all,

Luke 21, There will be signs in the sun, the moon, and the stars, …

Port of Marseille

Thanks……

Music,    Ben & Shonda

Readers,    John & Connie, & Buddy, our candle blesser 

Gospel,     John Cade

Homily,  John Cade

Eucharistic Prayer A & B,  John Cade

The Magic Zoom makers,      Mike 

Final Blessing, Rosemary

Cote d'Azur

 

 

Readings:  Download 11-28-21 – 1st Advent Readings

Homily:  Download 11-28-21 1st Advent Homily

 

The Readers, John and Connie 

 

Remember these special people:

For John Stack having a hard time right now with a bad back;  For Laura Chollick;  For John & Karen Anderlick's grandson, Cooper John who lived only a few hours with his parents;   For Rosemary's great niece, Rylie;  For Richard's grand daughter, Madeleine;   For Esparza's new great grandson  & Frank;  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, and for Hue & Linda's daughter, Doctor Rosemary Beavers;   For Mary & Dave Hall's g-daughter Allison Keller working at St. Lukes, The Woodlands,   For Sir Charlie & Jan;  Shonda's mom & Cody &  Leo & all of Shonda's dear family; For Ursuline Sr. Mary Troy,

Mike's Birthday

Jackie's mom, sister, & friend, Lynn;  For Rick Turner searching for a kidney donor, Type O neg.; For Meredith, cancer free & John Schanot;    For John O'Donnell & Jean;   For Jean & Cliff Wright;  For Dee, and for her daughters, Lisa & Lauren  ;  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; from Barbara, a little baby boy named Ford recuperating from an operation & a nephew; for David McKeon's brother, Hugh; For Beth's friends & brother;   for the medical staffs, teachers, and coaches in our public & private schools.

 

Cathy's Birthday

 

Birthdays:  Mike Moran 12/2,  Grace LeBlanc 12/4,  Cathy Bambanek 12/4

Anniversaries: Frank & Mary Esparza 11/28,  John and Michelle Simari 11/29,  Brent & Meredith 12/1,  Shonda & Cody 12/3

                                                        

Cody and Shonda's Anniversary

 

Community Finances,   

Expenses: $  830.00

Outreach: $  

Thanks again, Folks, for doing what you can.

Eze

 

Rosemary's Blessing:  

 

Prayer for Good Humor
by St. Thomas More

Grant me, O Lord, good digestion, and also something to digest.
Grant me a healthy body, and the necessary good humor to maintain it.
Grant me a simple soul that knows to treasure all that is good
and that doesn’t frighten easily at the sight of evil,
but rather finds the means to put things back in their place.
Give me a soul that knows not boredom, grumblings, sighs and laments,
nor excess of stress, because of that obstructing thing called “I.”
Grant me, O Lord, a sense of good humor.
Allow me the grace to be able to take a joke to discover in life a bit of joy,
and to be able to share it with others.

 

1 Kings 19:  Exhausted, he fell asleep under the lone broom bush. Suddenly an angel shook him awake and said, "Get up and eat!"

Ephesians 4:  Be gentle with one another, sensitive. Forgive one another as quickly and thoroughly as God in Christ forgave you.

John 6:  I am the Bread of Life.  Your ancestors ate the manna bread in the desert and died.   But now here is Bread that truly comes down out of heaven. Anyone eating this Bread will not die, ever.

 

 

1 Samuel 3: When Samuel went to sleep in his place, the Lord came and revealed his presence, calling out as before. "Samuel, Samuel!" Samuel answered, "Speak, for your servant is listening."

1 Corinthians 6:  Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ?  But whoever is joined to the Lord becomes one Spirit with him.

John 1:  Then he brought him to Jesus.  Jesus looked at him and said, "You are Simon the son of John; you will be called Cephas" –which is translated Peter.