Sunday Homily 2-21-10, Lent 1

Welcome in, Everybody.

 

Readings:

Ezekiel 37, 12-14.   I will open your graves

 Psalm 130,  With the Lord there is mercy and fullness of redemption.

Romans  8-11,   Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.

 John 11, 1-45,    Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead.

 

 

Can it get any better than this, Shonda & Bethany, Ray & David?

 

Ezekiel 37, observations:  (Author, When, Message)

          Author: Ezekiel, for real.  He is unique because he was not only one of the Big 3 Prophets (along with Isaiah & Jeremiah), but he was also a priest working in the temple. 

          When: before & during the Babylonian Captivity, therefore around 555 before Christ.  His audience was the people. 

         

 Candle lighting, a family affair with Tori and Zoe, and big sister, Georgie, helping out. 

 

Message: Like the classic prophet, he condemns, warns, and consoles.  We pick up on the consolation end.  I want to read the first verses which lead up to our selection, because it is the fun dry bones story, about which we have the Spiritual.  It is a shame the richer story is not included.  This is metaphor.  The dry bones can stand for the people in captivity; they can stand for me.  Get out of that tomb!

 Sources: New Interpreter’s Study Bible, Good News Bible, St. Louis U. with Reginald Fuller, Daniel Westberg, Larry Gillick, Jesuits. 

 

 

 

And if you cannot get it the first time, for sure, a little tongue influence will do it.

 

Romans observation:

One line says a lot, those who are in the flesh cannot please God. 

This line was composed by a man who was totally convinced that our body is bad and needs to be beaten into subservience.  Subservience achieves spiritual maturity and superiority.  This writer was influenced by a couple of philosophical theories of the time, Manichaeism and Gnosticism. 

The same thinking is still around.  We certainly practiced it as young Jesuits.  For me it does not work.

 

Hey, Mommy, how about let's fly.

 

Lazarus and the metaphor of life

This morning I would like to use the Lazarus story to show how life can be a gift we receive and also give.  It is probably well known to you that at the time of Jesus the people attributed to leaders, like Julius Caesar, the ability to heal and raise the dead.

I would propose  that  we, too, are called to at least metaphorically receive life and to give life to others.  I would propose, too, that this is all around us, taking place frequently.  4  examples.

 

Offertory team forming up, Allen & Aggie, Tom & Denni.

 

Take Bill Hammond.  Bill gives me new life in at least 2 ways.  First, twice a year he invites me to volunteer at the Love for Kids picnic at Circle R Ranch.  I come away from that picnic humbled and inspired by the kids and by the numerous volunteers.  New life.

After the picnic this Saturday I have a big wedding.  Talk about a life giving event.

 

 Communion cups at the ready.

 

Bill also gave me new life a dozen years ago when he invited me to join him at the Hotter N’ Hell bike ride of a hundred miles.  Here I am now more than a dozen years later still riding.  And while I may be dead tired at the end, I am overflowing with life. 

I mentioned that I get life from helping at weddings.  A week ago Renee Reddick gave me new life when she asked me to fly to Toronto to handle the funeral for her ex-husband.  As usual when  I receive these invitations, I balked, made excuses, and tried to get out of it.  Rosemary told me that I would hate myself if I failed to go.  So I called Renee back and told her I would get there the next day.  I was totally touched with life by coordinating that funeral Mass.

 

 

Blessing, Everybody.

 

Finally, guess who called me to new life about 13 years ago.  Yep, Carol and Bernadette, when they invited me to consider sharing Masses with our community.  Talk about a rich life. 

What gives you new life and to whom do you give life?

 

 

Readings: Amos (again), 6,1-7; Psalm 146; 1 Timothy 6, 11-16; Luke 16, 19-31 (Rich Man & Lazarus).

Amos: Just a reminder from last week.  Amos, a prophet, lives about 800 years before Christ.  A prosperous time for the Jews, but a prosperity built on defrauding the poor.  Amos warns the people that Yahweh will punish them for cheating the poor and amassing fortunes. 

In our selection today Amos is putting it to the rich.  Which leads, of course, to our Gospel on the Rich Man & Lazarus.

The Rich Man’s Sin of Blindness

Some months ago when we were getting ready to work on the Rowlett house, I met with the man from Lake Point Church to estimate what the house needed.  We were going to team up. While we were standing outside looking the place over, I hesitatingly mentioned the huge Sycamore tree leaning over the house.  Dangerous.  "Alex, do you have any people in your community who could take that tree down?"  "I’ll see," he says. Alex was pretty taciturn, so I left it at that. 

A couple of weeks later on perhaps our second Saturday to work on the house, we were all gathering at 8:00 when a line of about ten pickups arrives and one pulls a large enclosed trailer.  The Lake Point Emergency Team.  They open the trailer, pull out chain saws, ropes, equipment, hard hats, and head for the tree.  There must have been 15 people, including two young women.  We occasionally stopped work and stood in awe as they brought down some gigantic overhanging limb.  Three hours later they were done, thanked us for inviting them, declined to join us for lunch, and departed, leaving only a huge pile of Sycamore branches ready to be picked up by the township. 

I am humbled by this team and wish I could join them.  They go where they are needed in almost any emergency.  They look for places where their help is needed.

I thought of them when I read about the Rich Man & Lazarus.  As usual, there are symbolic elements to this parable. 

First, there are three clues that inform the people who are tuned in that the guy is very rich: he has not just food, but sumptuous food; he dresses in purple, which also meant he was holy; and he had a funeral, which meant he was in Yahweh’s favor. Being rich, of course, meant good and favored by Yahweh.

Secondly, Lazarus. He is the only person in all the parables to be named.  Meaning?  Predilection for the poor? He also is painted as such a wretch that even dogs licked his sores.

Then, watch the switch.  Both men die. Lazarus is in Abraham’s bosom. He is the rich one now. Only free people recline at table, especially on the chest of the host. The Rich Man, however, is in a place of torment.

So what was the Rich Man’s sin?  Being rich?  Not necessarily. The Rich Man did not care for the Lazarus at his door.  He did not even see him. Granted, the parable indicates that his richness contributed to his blindness.  He had to stop focusing on himself, look around him for the Lazarus nearby, and care for him.

We are rich, too, folks.  No way we can deny it or escape it, despite events in our lives that may cause poverty of spirit.  The people from the Lake Point Emergency team were rich.  They, however, are looking for the Lazarus in their lives, and they were caring for him.

Who is the Lazarus in your life and how are your caring for him?

AUDIO: http://mysite.verizon.net/reso7rjy/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderfiles/2007-09-30.mp3

   

Readings:

Isaiah 61, 1-2, 10-11, The Spirit of the Lord is upon me

Psalm, Luke 1, My soul rejoices in my God

Thessalonians 5, 16-24, Rejoice always; Check out special reading from Pope Francis

John 1, 6-8, 19- 28,  A man named John was sent from God

 

Our Mass this morning is for Christine Dresher, who passed to the Other Side recently, and for her family, Mom & Sisters, and Many Friends.

 

Thanks to the Team

Music,  Ben & Shonda, 

Readers,  Jackie & John Simari, & Buddy, the candle blesser

Gospel,  John Cade 

Homily,   John Cade

Eucharistic Prayer A & B, Stack & John Cade

The Magic Zoom makers,   Hue & Mike & Richard

Final Blessing, Rosemary

For hosting us at Legacy, Becky

 

 

 

 

Download Readings Gaudete Sunday 12-13-20

 

Download Cade homily 12-13-2020

 

Please Remember these special people:

For Cody, For Paul & Carrie recuperating, plus her ex, Larry;  For Alan Stryker;  For Joe Sullivan;    For Rosemary's great niece, Rylie ;  For Richard's grand daughter, Madeleine; For David Dinsmore's bad shoulder from a biking accident;  For Esparza's new great grandson baby, son of Monique;  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 Loretta's aunt Alicia;  For Sir Charlie & Jan;  Shonda's mom & Cody & Ben & Leo & all of Shonda's dear family;  

 

 

 

Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass.  It's about learning how to dance in the rain.  Vivian Green

 

For Jackie's mom, sister, & friend, Lynn;  For both Jean & Cliff Wright;  For Rick Turner searching for a kidney donor, Type O neg; For Meredith, cancer free;    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; for a little 4 month old boy undergoing an operation, from Barbara;  For the students, teachers, and coaches in our public & private schools.

 

Our Beloved John Cade.

 

Birthdays: Jan Keszler, Doug Kite 65, Quads (12), Becky 62.

Anniversaries: Jackie & Rick

 

Community Finances, December 13, 2020

Expenses: $1375.00

Outreach   $900.00  (often for Souls Harbor, Legacy, etc.)

Thanks again, Folks, for doing what you can.

 

Rosemary's Blessing:

 

May an abundance of gratitude burst forth in our minds and hearts as we remember all the blessings in our life

May we slow our hurried pace these days so we can be aware of, and enjoy, what we can too easily take for granted. 

May we always be open, willing and ready to share our blessings with others and never forget the God who loves us lavishly and unconditionally. 

And  may we remember that our thanksgiving is incomplete until we pay it forward by doing for others what they cannot do for themselves. 

Amen.

 

From a prayer by Sr. Jean Amore CSJ,  Sacred Heart Academy,  Hempstead, N.Y.

 

 

Readings: Exodus 19, 2-6; Psalm 100; Romans 5, 6-11; Matthew 9, 36-10, 8.

Exodus: The second book of the Torah or Pentateuch, following the book of Genesis.  The book describes probably the greatest event in Israel's history, the departure of the people from Egypt under the leadership of Moses.  Today's selection is simply Yahweh's reminder to the people that if they are faithful and good to him, they will prosper.

A Fathers' Day Story

When I was a Jesuit and lived in Tanzania about 10 miles west of the mountain, Kilimanjaro there was a small Jesuit house.  I used it as a base, coming back to it after months traveling around the country giving seminars to nuns & priests. 

One Sunday afternoon I wanted to go up the mountain about 7000 feet to a Capuchin monastery & convent where my team & I gave a lot of the seminars.  I took my travel bag, walked to the town bus park, and boarded a rattle trap old bus just departing for a little village just below the monastery, a trip that would take me 90 minutes.

Half way down the road to the cut off to go up the mountain the old bus pooped out.  Everybody gets off and stands around.  Shortly, miracle of miracles, another old rust bucket of a bus headed up the mountain comes along.  Most did not want to pay two fares, so they stayed.  I, however, hopped on an already overloaded antique. We take the cut off and headed up the mountain.  The bus huffs & puffs, the gears scream & groan, steam starts seeping from under the hood.  You guessed it: the bus dies just as the road begins to seriously ascend.  

It is now about 6:00 or 6:15.  Because we are right on the equator and twilight always lasts just 20-30 minutes, I know I have only about half an hour to get to the monastery.  I have a decision: stay on the switch back road and take an hour or take shortcuts which may get me there in 30 minutes.  I chose the shortcuts. 

30 minutes did not get me to the monastery.  In fact, it got me into total blackness.  I could see almost nothing.  I know generally where I am but I cannot see even the trail.  Somewhere amid the darkness through the forest of banana trees that are cultivated at this level, I see a dim light from a kerosene lantern and head toward it. It is a family's hut.

I walk up speaking the Swahili word for 'hello,' 'hodi.'  A lady comes to the door and is very hospitable even though I must have scared her.  However, she is Catholic like almost all the members of her Chaga tribe which lives on the mountain.  She is used to white priests. 

I tell her, of course, that I am headed for the monastery & cannot find the way because of the dark. She calls to one of her children, a little boy of probably 6 years.  She tells him to take me to monastery and off we go up the trail.

I can hardly see this little kid and he just zooms silently along climbing all the time.  We pass other little family huts with faint lights, we walk in total darkness, and eventually he brings me to a point from which I can see the lights of the monastery above.

I thank this shy little boy, hug him probably, and he disappears back down the trail while I walk up to the monastery.  I  never saw him or his mother again, and I could hardly find their house in the daytime.  

For me this story has a metaphor quality.  It is like a parable.  College educated priest lost in the dark and guided to the light by a little boy.

Sometimes we are the guide, the nurturer.  Other times we are the priest in the dark who needs guidance and the guide may be a small creature, a child.

I see the child guiding us to three things: to simplicity, to interdependence, and to play.

• A child may like a lot of Stuff, but can self entertain with the simplest toy. I saw so many kids in Tanzania play soccer with a home made ball.
• A child cannot exist along, independent of others. As we get older we love our independence. We shun co-dependence. The child teaches us to interdepend.
• A child especially helps me to value & engage in play. The Type A does not play.

We celebrate Fathers' Day today, which is mostly a celebration of the nurturing side of dad.  For this moment, you dads, how do you come to greater light through kids?

AUDIO: http://mysite.verizon.net/reso7rjy/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderfiles/2008-06-15.mp3

In honor of Fathers' Day we have some helpful communication hints.  Nobody ever gave me such valuable information before my marriage. 

Download 9_words_women_use.doc

 

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

Isaiah: We finished the year with the hopeful passages from the great book of Isaiah and we begin 2008 with another of the passages.  Remember these images were the dreams of people, probably men, who lived ca. 800 years B.C.

The Magi

I did it again, folks. 

Rosemary & I have a custom when we are in our little bed & breakfast at Oaxaca, Mexico or in other places.  In the evening we put a bottle of wine, some peanuts, and maybe some cheese on a table in the tropical little paradise of a patio the Valencia family have in their house.  A bottle of wine on a table with a couple of glasses seems to draw people and we have some great conversations.

When we arrived in Oaxaca this past Dec. 29, we followed our usual custom, set it all out and prepared to wait for people to come in from their day’s adventures.  I noticed that in a little alcove at the edge of the patio a lady in her mid 50’s was quietly sitting.  I walked over to her and invited her to have a glass of wine with us.  She declined. 

When I returned to the table I mentioned it to Rosemary and she said she had already invited her, but that she had declined to her also. 

Meanwhile, people drifted in and soon we had about half a dozen guests talking about their wanderings around Oaxaca, a beautiful little colonial town.  All the while we were at our  table the lady sat by herself in the alcove.  At one point her husband came up and sat with her, but never came over.  In fact, they did not even look at us. 

So I did it.  I said to Rosemary something like, "Those people seem rather unsociable and stand-offish."

And you know what happened.  The next day at breakfast we got to know them a little more.  They were from Vancouver, he French Canadian and she British.  They were shy, but proved to be quite warm and friendly once we got to know them.  In fact, they eventually became one of our favorite couples among a bunch of really interesting people.

On one occasion they even surprised and impressed all of us because on their own, even without Spanish, they took a country bus out to one of the mountain ranges that surround the valley in which Oaxaca is, so they could go hiking.  We were impressed because not only was it a pretty adventurous trip, and they did not strike me as athletic.  But also they persevered with their hike even though the day they chose happened to be one of the coldest days I have ever seen in Oaxaca.  When they got off the bus in the middle of nowhere, they said the wind was blowing fiercely and eventually they ran into rain and snow.  Fortunately, they had rain coats, but not a lot of warm clothing, because no one expects cold in Oaxaca.  When they actually joined us around the table that evening they were celebrated.  Ultimately, I think they did not drink.

I talk about this couple because they were for me something like the Magi.  We imagine them as kings, but in reality they would have more resembled anything but.  They are intended as symbols by Matthew, symbols of the non Jews, the ugly Gentiles, which is what we are.  In other words, surprise, surprise, Matthew wants to show that Jesus appeared even to these unsavory characters.

This Vancouver couple was not unsavory in any way.  Just because they did not eagerly accept my invitation to a glass of wine, I did it.  I judged them negatively.  Judging the book by the cover again. 

Who are the Magi in your life?  The people you judge?

AUDIO: http://mysite.verizon.net/reso7rjy/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderfiles/2008-01-06.mp3

Readings:  Numbers 21, 4-9; Psalm 78; Philippians 2, 6-11; John 3, 13-17.

The Feast of the Cross, Significant dates:

• 310: Emperor Constantine takes over in Rome

• 313: His Edict of Milan, religious freedom & Christianity almost the state religion.

• 326: His mother, St. Helena, who had prayed for her son's conversion, found the remains of the cross in Jerusalem & the sight is preserved and a church is built, the present day Church of the Holy Sepulcher.

• Sept. 14, 335: the day the church was dedicated 9 years after the discovery.  Rumor had it that Helena found the cross on the same date.

• 330: Constantine converts an old city, Byzantium, into his Rome of the east.  Eventually it is called Constantinople and, finally, after it is conquered by the Islamic armies, Istanbul.

Numbers: 

• The Story: the 40 years of the Hebrews wandering in the Sinai Desert before they enter the land of the Canaanites and expell them.

• Position in the Bible: 4th book of the Torah, following Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, and before Deuteronomy.

• Significance of the Name: because of the census Moses took of the people twice in the desert.

• Today's Selection: The people are tired, frustrated with wandering in the desert, and they are complaining.  See what it gets them.

• For Today's Purposes: Consider the story a symbol of the journey of our life.  Stage one is life with less freedom, like when the Hebrews were enslaved in Egypt.  Stage two is the change or transition, like this story of the wandering in the desert.  Stage three is the time of new life, new freedom, symbolized by the people entering the promised land.

Today's Homily will be presented by Ed Lamberty and will exemplify the journey of life from less to greater freedom & maturity.  Please listen via the audio.

AUDIO:  http://mysite.verizon.net/reso7rjy/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderfiles/2008-09-14.mp3