The Transfiguration of the Lord, August 6, 2023

Numbers 6:  The Lord bless you and keep you! The Lord let his face shine upon you, and be gracious to you! The Lord look upon you kindly and give you peace!  

Galatians 4:  Abba,  Father!

Luke 2:  And Mary kept all these things, reflecting on them in her heart.

 

 

John starts our celebration

 

 

 

Thanks…     

Music,    Ben & Shonda

Readers,  Patricia & Fred

Gospel,   John Cade

Homily,  John Stack

Eucharistic Prayer A & B,  John Stack & John Cade

The Magic Zoom makers,   Hue & Kevin

Final Blessing, Rosemary

       

                           

Connie gets a cookie for her birthday

                                                                 

Readings:  Download 01-01-23 Readings – Solemnity of Mary

Homily:  

 

 

Brent accepts a cookie for Meredith for her birthday

 

 

 

 

Remember these special people:

For Kaliope, John Cade's Mother-in-law who passed this week  and for the family;  For Jan;  For John Simari's mother who is not feeling well;  For Tom  Quinn who had back surgery on November 21st;  For Sandra who has been diagnosed with Large B Cell Lymphoma;   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 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; 

       

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.

 

 

Paul and Carrie get a cookie

 

 

 

Birthdays:  Meredith Burmaster 12/26, Connie Bresson 12/27, Tom Fleming 1/5

Anniversaries:   Tom & Teresa Quinn 12/30

Community Finances:   

Expenses: $  350.00

Outreach: $  185.00

Thanks again, Folks, for doing what you can.

         

                                   

Linda and Mary in serious conversation before Mass

 

 

Rosemary's Blessing:  

A Family Blessing

 

Lord of all,

Bless our families,

Be they formed by blood or by circumstance,

Make them holy.

May we find you in our relationships.

In our marriages, in our families,

In our households, in our communities,

In our  global  humanity.

May we look across all that divides us

And see family,

And embrace as a family does.

And love as a family ought to.

For where two or three gather in your name,

There you are in the midst.

There indeed are you,

The one for whom we long so deeply.

Amen.

 

https://www.crs.org/sites/default/files/usops-resources/a-family-blessing.pdf

 

 

Ezekiel 2, As the Lord spoke to me, the spirit entered into me and set me on my feet.

Psalm 123, Our eyes are fixed on the Lord, pleading for his mercy. 

2 Corinthians 12, a thorn in the flesh was given me.

Mark 6, a prophet is not without honor except in his native place.

 

 

Let this show begin…

 

Thanks……

Music,    Shonda broadcasting from Houston.

Readers,  Mary & Frank, & Buddy, our candle blesser (no candle blessing today)

Gospel,     John Cade

Homily,  John Cade

Eucharistic Prayer A & B,  John Stack & John Cade

The Magic Zoom makers,    Mike and Hue and Richard

Final Blessing, Rosemary

For hosting us at Legacy, Becky

 

Mary reading from Ezekiel.  

 

Readings:

Download Readings 14th Ordinary Time 7-4-21

 

Homily by John Cade

Download Homily John Cade 7-04-21

 

 

Frank reading from 2 Corinthians.

 

Remember these special people:

For John & Karen Anderlick's unborn grandson;  For Alan Stryker;   For Candice Taht, friend of Mary Hall;   For Rosemary's great niece, Rylie ;  For Richard's grand daughter, Madeleine;   For Esparza's new great grandson baby, son of Monique, & Frank with shingles;  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 &  Leo & all of Shonda's dear family; For Ursuline Sr. Mary Troy, 

 

John sharing his excellent slants on today's readings.

 

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 4 month old baby boy named Ford recuperating from an operation; for David McKeon's brother, Hugh; For Beth's friends & brother;   for the medical staffs, teachers, and coaches in our public & private schools.

 

 

Happy Birthday, Paul!

 

Birthdays:   Brent, 65; Kim Crossk; Paul Bieda, 60; Cindy Cramer. 83.

Anniversaries:   Jan & Sir Charlie, 60 

 

 

And Happy Birthday to you, Brent, and also a check for your Soul's Harbor.   Moreover, congratulations on Soul's Harbor being especially written up in today's Dallas Morning News.

 

Community Finances,   July 4, 2021

Expenses: $750.00  

Outreach: $235.00  

Thanks again, Folks, for doing what you can.

 

 
                                                                                                                                Rosemary sharing her July 4 Blessing.                                                                                                                                       

Rosemary's Blessing:

Lord

May we never take our freedom for granted

and help us to strive so that this same freedom

may be experienced by everyone in our country,

especially the poor and the oppressed,

and eventually by all humankind.

 

Andrew Greeley A Book of Irish American Blessings and Prayers  

 

 

 

Readings: Nehemiah 8, 2-10; Psalm 19; 1 Corinthians 12, 12-30; Luke 1, 1-21

Nehemiah – The book of Nehemiah takes place during the Babylonian captivity. Three main characters play roles, though the first two are not mentioned in today’s reading. Cyrus is the benevolent ruler of Babylon. Nehemiah is the Jew Cyrus puts in charge of restoring the city of Jerusalem and the temple. Ezra, the central character of today’s reading, is a priest & law scholar.

We arrive on the scene after Nehemiah has established Jerusalem. The people have assembled in the town center and asked Ezra to read to them the law that orders their new lives. We hear part of the reading, a part that emphasizes rejoicing.

1 Corinthinians – During the time of Paul the Greek city of Corinth was almost as significant as Athens. Paul had established a community there and in his letter he is offering his advice to the people.

Chapter 13 is Paul’s famous letter about love being kind & patient. Chapter 12, our reading today, offers an almost amusing analogy of the community to a body. We are parts of the body and consequently we are important, making our unique contributions.

Liberty to Captives and Sight to the Blind – It was 21 years ago that the Jesuit superior in Nairobi told me in a letter that I should go back to the States for good. I was shocked and downcast by the news. It took me some years to get over it.

This spring Rosemary, Mary Ellen, & I will return for my first visit. Something I had hoped I would do, but never knew for sure.

In my 10 years there, I did two basic things. First, I helped establish a spiritual center-retreat house on the edge of Nairobi, Kenya. We bought 39 acres with two houses on the edge of a stream across from the Nairobi game park. In fact one night coming in late, another Jesuit & I (Louie Lambert) saw a giraffe crossing our front lawn.

The second thing I did was to help create spiritual growth & human maturity seminars, which we gave to priests, nuns, and bishops in Tanzania, the country just south of Kenya. I coordinated a mobile team of 2-3 priests and a Dutch nun.

These seminars were residential and lasted 1, 2, or 4 weeks. They were marvelous events with all races and men & women. We even gave a number of the seminars in Uganda during the days of Idi Amin.

All during my time in Kenya & Tanzania, I used to reflect upon what I was doing over there. I did not want to be considered a missionary, because I saw the negative effects of the cultural imperialism that came with the missionaries. For instance, drums were forbidden at Masses some places because they were considered pagan.

What did motivate me was the line in today’s gospel, "I come to give sight to the blind and liberty to captives." This still motivates me. I take the line metaphorically, not literally. For instance, this is why I talk often about the fundamental option instead of mortal-venial sin. I know my spirituality has moved from blindness to better sight, from prison to greater liberty. Otherwise, I would not have had the courage to get married.

I suggest that we, too, are challenged to help others see better. We do it with little kids. We do it with senior citizens. What a gift to help a person see that they are good and not bad.

This is what Jesus says in the gospel that he is doing. It is what I hoped I was doing in Kenya & Tanzania. It is what we are all challenged to do today.

Name one person you can touch into better sight, greater liberty.

Download the homily as an mp3 file (8751.1K).

Special Thanks:
For reading, Alexandra & Mary Ellen
For the Altar Bread, Linda Fleming
For Serving, Carmen & Ashley
For the Altar & cake, Margie Dugan & David & Alexandra
For the Books & Communion Cups, Roy & Carol Strom, Beth  & Rob Robinson
For ushering & all sorts of jobs, Cliff Wright
For the music, Ray & Wendy & Hue

Wisdom 1: For God formed man to be imperishable; the image of his own nature he made him.

2 Corinthians 8:  You are familiar with the generosity of our Master, Jesus Christ. Rich as he was, he gave it all away for us – in one stroke he became poor and we became rich.

Mark 5:   He clasped the girl's hand and said, "Talitha koum," which means, "Little girl, get up."   At that, she was up and walking around! This girl was twelve years of age. They, of course, were all beside themselves with joy.

 

 

 

 

 

Readings:

Acts of the Apostles 2, 42-47.   All who believed had all things in common.

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

1 Peter 1, 3-9,   You rejoice with glorious joy.  (Wow, 3 long sentences)

 John 20,  19-31,    Unless I see the marks.

 

Homily unavailable this week, sorry.  Next week.

 

Have a good one, John & Rosemary in Dresden

Zechariah 9:  His dominion shall be from sea to sea, and from the River to the ends of the earth.

Romans 8:  For if you live according to the flesh, you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.

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

    

 

Beautiful crepe myrtle

 

 

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

 

and another one