Announcements

Readings:  Wisdom 1, 13-15, 2, 23-24; Psalm 30, I will Praise You, Lord, for You have rescued Me; 2 Corinthians 8, 7-15; Mark 5, 21-43.  

Wisdom: One of the 14-15 books of the deutero-canonical books of the bible.  Not part of the orginal Jewish bible, not part of the OT nor the NT, but in between and the subject of controvercy over the centuries.  Were they really part of the bible or not?  How do you know?  Catholic church accepts the books.

Author: 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. 

Sources: Catholic Encyclopedia on line

This is Radical

There is a novel going around called Shanghai Girls, by Lisa See.  I recommend it. The novel tracks the lives of two middle class, educated sisters who are born in Shanghai in the 1920's or early '30's.   It follows them through a time in 1937 when the Japanese invaded China to the time when they end up in California as arranged brides. The novel has good character development and provides a view into a time just before & after the Second World War from the perspective of Chinese middle class women. 

What struck me in a unique way was the mother of the two girls.  She was, according to the girls, an old fashioned mother.  That is, she bound her feet so they would not grow.  From the novel I discovered what a barbaric & painful experience this was for women, young & old.  Imagine the pain of wearing shoes too tight or new.  Why?  Beauty?  I discovered in researching for our homily that another reason was to limit the mobility of women.  So they cannot run away or even run.  The reason for the demand was to limit mobility; the side effect was beauty, all because of male bias against women.

I remembered this novel when I read about Jesus healing two females.  Do you realize how radical this was, especially with the woman bleeding?  Leviticus, the third book of the Bible, has a lot to say about women who bleed.  For instance, a woman giving birth to a boy is ritually unclean for 7 days; a girl baby, 14 days (chapter12).

In Lev. 15 it says that during menstration, women were ritually unclean, which meant they were considered socially dead, not allowed in the temple, not allowed in the community, could not touch anyone and no one was allowed to touch them or their clothes or they, too, were ritually unclean.  So what does the lady in Mark do?   What does Jesus do?

Do you realize today how historic and universal this bias was against women?  Plato in The Republic says that Socrates asked, Do you know of any thing done by humans which is not done better by the male.

Hindus teach that a woman must immolate herself after her husband's death.  Buddhists consider it bad karma to be reincarnated as a woman.  Jewish men are taught to pray, Blessed be God who has not created me a heathen, a slave, or a woman.  Our Bible in Genesis blames a woman for the origin of evil in our world.

In 1873 in Illinois a case was decided against a woman.  She had passed the bar exam to be a lawyer, and the court would not grant her appeal to receive a law license.  A judge said that the place of a woman was in the home and that women did not have the fortitude to deal with such issues as the law.

The church fathers, as they are called, had their own bias.  St. Jerome says that when a woman wishes to serve God more that the world, then she will cease to be a woman and will be called a man.  You do not want to know what St. Augustine thinks about women.

So why this historic and universal bias against women by men (& women)?  One reason, from my research, blood.  Another is the male nervousness & weakness around women, beginning in adolescence.

So here comes Jesus along.  The woman touches him.  He could have had her killed by the crowd.  What was she doing in the crowd anyway?    And what does he do?  He calls her "Daughter," and heals her.  This is revolutionary.  He moves from bias to inclusion & acceptance.

In Galatians (Chapter 3) it says there is no male or female.  Just folks.  We are being called to get rid of the bias.  Women do not deserve to have their feet bound.

How is your bias barometer?  Any bias against women, men, a particular race, political party, a part of town, a school? 

Sources: The Sins of Scritpture, Bishop (Anglican) John Shelby Spong; Catholic Encyclopedia on line.

Audio on vacation this week & next, sorry.

Picture 1:  Mass with Kevin & Noah helping

Picture 2:  Kevin & Noah

Picture 3:  Birthdays & Anniversaries, Sue Tomas, Rick & Jackie, Sandra & Chuck Pratt

Picture 4:  Birthdays & Anniversaries, Nina Waldron, Barb & Warren Wittek

Team 1.

Welcome: Catholic Mass with coffee & juice, and pastries, some bought, some home-made.  

Time: 9:30; Celebrate with the Community & Stack  

Place: Sigler Elementary, 1400 Janwood Drive, Plano, TX 75075

Team 2; it is pouring rain out those windows.

Readings:  

 Deuteronomy 4, 32-34, 39-40,   The Lord is God in the heavens above.

Psalm 33,   Blessed the people the Lord has chosen to be his own.

 Romans 8, 14-17,   Those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.  (??)

 Matthew 28, 16-20,   Go and make disciples of all nations.   

Poor Beth, just had her cover blown.
 

Community Activities:  

ROMEO MEET: Friday, May 25, Jason's Deli, Collin Creek Mall, west side of Central, 1:00.  Welcome all wakos, you will fit right in.

JULIET LUNCHEON, (aka.,just us ladies into eating together), 

from Cathy Bambeneck & Geri Moran:  next luncheon, June 1, 12:30, Urban Rio Cantina, 1000 E 14th, ste. 100, Plano.  Please reply to Cathy if you can make it, not if you won't be there.                  Cathy Bambenek [cbamben@hotmail.com]

Dickinson, chapter 2,Richard and Bill.

What is going on in Our Catholic World:

1.   Another, more contemporary view on Pentecost,  Michael Morewood, 2018,  Prayer for Progressive Christians,  Download PENTECOST 5-24-18  

The Gang, Teresa & Judy, Tom & Mike.

True?

The most basic and powerful way to connect to another person is to listen. Just listen. Perhaps the most important thing we ever give each other is our attention….A loving silence often has far more power to heal and to connect than the most well-intentioned words.

Rachel Naomi Remen

Would you trust these two guys!!

See you Sunday.

J.S., 214-783-0443

Our Father.

JSM Mission-Faith Statement: 

 Help create a Catholic Community that welcomes all God’s People, provides for and challenges spiritual and total growth.

Reaches out to help people who are disadvantaged and make the world we live in a better place to live.

PEACE, EVERYBODY.

Jeremiah 17:  But blessed is the man who trusts me, God, the woman who sticks with God.

1 Corinthians 15: But the truth is that Christ has been raised up, the first in a long legacy of those who are going to leave the cemeteries.

Luke 6:  Blessed are you who are poor, for the kingdom of God is yours.

Another Reminder for the 6th Sunday in Ordinary Time, February 16, 2025

A note from Becky concerning the Thanksgiving Food Drive at Legacy.

We are short about 49 turkeys.  The give away is this Sunday.  She (Becky) will be in town until mid afternoon on Thursday.  If anyone would like to donate a turkey,  she can meet people at the school from Tuesday through Thursday and store any turkeys in the school's freezers.   She can also take money donations.

Acts of the Apostles 15: It is the decision of the Holy Spirit and of us not to place on you any burden beyond these necessities,  namely, to abstain from meat sacrificed to idols, from blood, from meats  of strangled animals, and from unlawful marriage.

Revelation 21:  The city had no need of sun or moon to shine on it, tor the glory of God gave it light, and its lamp was the Lamb.

John 13:  Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. 

Georgie is home from college
 

Thanks…

Music,    Ben 

Readers, Tom & Denni

Gospel,   John Cade

Homily,  John Cade

Eucharistic Prayer A & B,  John Stack & John Cade

The Magic Zoom makers,      Hue & Richard

Final Blessing, Rosemary

Loretta and Dawn (Welcome back Dawn)

Readings:  Download 5-22-22 – Readings – 6th Easter

Homily:  

Ben

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;  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 all the medical personnel struggling to treat the tsunami of sick people;   For Mary Hall's friend Cadence still suffering from a serious medical condition;   For Sir Charlie & Jan;  All of Shonda's dear family;

The Kiss of Peace

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.

The Kiss of Peace

Birthdays:   Ray Occhipinti 5/24

Anniversaries:   

Community Finances:   

Expenses: $ 853.00

Outreach: $  100.00

Thanks again, Folks, for doing what you can.

Rosemary's Blessing: