Sunday Homily 5-31-09, Pentecost

Readings:

Acts 14, 21-27,   From there they sailed to Antioch.

Psalm 145,  I will praise your name for ever, my king and my God.

Revelation  21, 1-5,  He will dwell with them and they will be his people and God himself will always be with them.  I, John, had a vision of a great multitude.

John 13, 31-35,  A new commandment, love one another.

Vicki with her mom, Vivian.

Acts, a couple of observations:

1.  Remember the three rings of Acts, Jerusalem, Palestine, the World (Mediterranean & Rome)?   Since we are at Chapter 28 of 28, you can guess in what ring we are today, yes, the World.  Paul and Barnabas are in the region of Greece.
2. The author, the same as the Gospel of Luke.
3. The date again, before 70

Emma and Zoe.

A New Commandment, Love One Another

I want to talk this morning about the new commandment, love one another. 

It has been a couple of rough weeks, folks. 

Leo.

First there was the Boston Marathon.  I have been at those finish lines, like running the Mexico City Marathon.   I know both the exhilaration and the fatigue, like after the Hotter N’ Hell 100 mile bike ride in Wichita Falls the end of August.

Cara.

Then, West.  I just happened to be in West the afternoon of the evening of the explosion.  I wonder about the delightful ladies at the famous Czech bakery, where we had stopped for kolaches

Then a story that has been gnawing at me, the 10 year old boy starved to death by his father and step mother.  At times I cannot get this nightmare out of my mind.

Torri.

See enough of this and I could get pessimistic and lose perspective on people.  Which is why I don’t normally listen to local news.  Which is why I want to tell you 3 antidote stories of loving one another.

Maureen and Fred renewing their wedding vows at their 50th.

The first is about a Plano boy Rex Burkhead, who has just graduated from Nebraska.  I found this article Friday in the Dallas Morning News.  Anyone know him?  The article does not say which high school he attended.

Mike & Dee renewing their vows at their 55th.

In 2011, Rex had lunch with the Hoffman family of Plano as part of his Nebraska football team’s outreach program.  Why the Hoffmans?  They have a 7 year old son, Jack, who has had brain cancer for 2 years.

Jean and John renewing their vows at their 55th.

As a result of the lunch, Rex and Jack have become buddies.  Even the parents of both families have become good friends. 3 weeks ago the Nebraska football team staged its spring intersquad game.  Little Jack, wearing Rex’s 22 on a small jersey, lined up in Rex’s position in the backfield, was handed the ball on a play, and he ran 70 yards for a touchdown.  Everyone cheered Jack and Rex’s video of Jack’s run became an Internet sensation

Curtis and Mabel renewing their vows at their 60th.

Rex Burkhead exemplifies loving one another.

This even happens in our very own community in so many ways.

For instance, I know one anonymous person who cleans houses once in a while.  One elderly family, in particular, she visits once a week.  It takes her at most an hour to clean the house.  But she always plans to stay with the couple about 3 more hours to talk with them and do little helps. 

I know, also, of a couple of women from our community who visit Rita once or twice a week to help her and especially to change her pressure sox, which she cannot do herself. 

Rosemary preparing her blessing.

This is living it out, loving one another.

Give me one way you love another.

Reference: Dallas Morning News, Sports section, Friday, April 26, 2013

Jeremiah 31, I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel.

Psalm 130, Create a clean heart in me, O Lord.

Hebrew 5, He became the source of salvation

John 12, Sir, we would like to see Jesus.

Thanks……

Music,  Ben 

Readers,  Jackie & Brent, & Buddy, the candle blesser

Gospel,  Mike Carrell

Homily,  John Cade

Eucharistic Prayer A & B, Stack & John Cade

The Magic Zoom makers,   Hue & Richard & Mike  

Final Blessing, Rosemary

For hosting us at Legacy, Becky

Christine Dullenty's Memorial, Breckenridge Park, Saturday, 3-20-2021

Readings for Sunday, March 21, 2021

Download Reading 5th Lent 03-21-2021

Homily for Sunday by John Cade, March 21, 2021

Download Cade Homily 3-21-2021

Please Remember these special people:

For Carrie's ex, Larry with Corona;  For Alan Stryker;  For Joe Sullivan;    For Rosemary's great niece, Rylie ;  For Richard's grand daughter, Madeleine;   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 &  Leo & all of Shonda's dear family; For Ursuline Sr. Mary Troy 

John Cade sharing his homily on Sounds of Silence.

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 daughter, Lisa;  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 boy undergoing an operation; for David McKeon's brother, Hugh; for the medical staffs, teachers, and coaches in our public & private schools.

Our Brain Team, Richard, Hue, & Mike.

Birthdays:   John Cades' mother in law, Kaliope

Anniversaries: 

Community Finances,   March 21, 2021

Expenses: $900.00

Outreach: $250.00 

Thanks again, Folks, for doing what you can.

Ben, The Music Man.

A note about our Easter Celebration.

We now welcome 20 people to our Easter celebration, all vaccinated and coming with mask.  Seating will be spread around the large cafeteria.  Please don't show up without signing up.  Let's see if this goes so well that we can increase the number the Sunday after Easter.

Concelebration.

Rosemary's Blessing:

Oh God who made me absolutely unique,

Help me to value more the Person You made Me to be.

And protect me from comparisons and envy and discouragement over what I am not.

Andrew Greeley,  Irish American Blessings  

Readings: Acts 10, 34-43; Psalm 118 (This the Day the Lord had made; let us Rejoice and be Glad); Colossians 3, 1-4; Mark 16, 1-7 (from Saturday night readings)

Acts: 

Author: Most likely Luke, who wrote the Gospel with his name and who followed and copied some of Mark's material. 

Date: ca. 70-100 A.D., therefore ca. 40 years after the death of Jesus. 

Subject: the ministry of Paul & the 12 Apostles after the death of Jesus.

        Chapters 1-8 deal with the Resurrection, Ascension, & Pentecost (Holy Spirit)

        Chapters 8- 28 deal with Paul's conversion & ministry.

Today's selection: Two visions/dreams have just occurred:

        1. Cornelius, a captain in the Roman army and a Gentile, has a vision in which he is instructed to go to a town called Joppa and talk with a man named Peter.

        2.  Peter has a vision in which a sheet held by its 4 corners comes down and is full of all kinds of animals.  A voice says, "Eat."  Peter refuses because of the law of ritual impurity, i.e., some animals are ritually impure and it is prohibited to eat them.  But the voice insists.  At this point three of Cornelius' people arrive and invite him to come to Cornelius' house.  This vision symbolizes that even Gentiles who are ritually impure are invited to the new Christian community.

Our selection takes up just after Peter arrives are Cornelius' house, finds a group of Cornelius' friends, is invited to speak to them, and he begins.  The following is what he says to the group of Gentiles gathered in Cornelius' house.

Meaning of the Word Easter: the origin of the use of Easter seems lost in history.  Probably not from Latin, which uses pasqua.  Probably not coming from a German goddess of spring, which some have suggested.  May have emerged from early Celtic converts (British Isles), who wanted to use their own words for Christian feasts, rather than Latin words.

The Easter Event Today

I think it was last Tuesday morning.  I had come out into the yard in front of our house to let Aviana do her business.  Suddenly around the corner comes a little black Prius which I recognize.  The window comes down and one of Aviana's favorite neighbors stops to give her a little loving. 

The neighbor who is so friendly asks how we are all doing and was I getting the spring weddings going.  I said that, yes, we had weddings for all the weekends of May except one and that one weekend we had two weddings.  I also mentioned that I was looking forward to a fun Easter Sunday with an Easter egg hunt for the kids.

She then mentions that Lent has passed by in a flash and that she has paid no attention to it and really did nothing special.  Am I hearing maybe some minor Catholic guilt?  I'm also thinking to myself that this woman is just terrific as she is.  She does not need to do anything special for Lent.  I mean she loves Aviana and she is friendly to me.  That in itself is extraordinary.  But she also goes back & forth in front of our house it must be a dozen times a day ferrying her 4 kids to numerous events.  On top of that, she teaches at SMU. 

I thought about this friendly lady as I started looking around in my daily life for a recent Easter event.  You know what I think an Easter event is.  It is something or someone which gives me greater peace and life. 

Initially as I looked back over the past six weeks since we started Lent, I thought of the week I spent in Galveston with the 50 kids from St. Bonaventure U. in Buffalo, NY.  That was a dramatic Easter event for me. 

Way back I had talked about making Lent a time of service and greater sensitivity.  I hit the jackpot with the Galveston trip.   The generosity and desire of those kids to donate their spring break to service gave me a ton of peace and life.  I still feel the effect of them in my life.

I am aware that I lucked out with the Galveston trip.  Just to be able to get away for the week.  Like Rosemary who is working now in downtown Dallas, the majority of you cannot walk away from your job for a week.  However, if Lent has passed you by quickly and you look back with any guilt, I would say, "Get rid of it." 

The sensitivity begins now. 

What is the Easter event in your life today?

AUDIO:  ttp://mysite.verizon.net/reso7rjy/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderfiles/2009-04-12.mp3

Picture 1:  Easter Mass with Noah helping

Picture 2:  Guess Who Made it!

Picture 3:  Second time ever!

Picture 4:  Good Friday Stations

Picture 5:  Good Friday Stations at the Robinson's house

Readings:

Acts  13, 14, 43-52,  Paul and Barnabas continued on from Perga.

Psalm 100,  We are his people, the sheep of his flock.

Revelation  7, 9, 14-17, I, John, had a great vision.

John 21, 19-31,  My sheep hear my voice, I know them, and they follow me.   

Genevieve welcomes all you folks and says, "Welcome in!"   Guess who is 1 year old.

Genevieve in May 2015.

Acts observations:

More of the same, Paul's travels.

Kevin, too, says, "Come in, Everybody.  It is only rain out there.   Not even any hail.  Just a bit of flooding.  No need for an ark yet."

We are a Team

Boston Marathon is tomorrow.  Who is going from our community?  Tom & Lynda.  Paul & Carrie did it last year. 

See the article in the Dallas Morning News yesterday?  About Carol Ann Taylor running for her husband Sterling Proctor.  Sterling is, or was, a CO hiker and a French horn player in the F.W. Symphony.  He also biked The Lake, White Rock. 

He now has a worsening degenerative muscle condition that  has him relegated to an electric wheel chair.

The Great Candle Lighter at work.  Do not disturb.  

Carol Ann, Sterling’s wife, is running The Boston to earn money for more research into Sterling’s condition.  It is her first.  She runs “for my heart, for my Sterling,” she said. 

The reporter noted how they listened to each other, how they were in sync with each other.  When they said of themselves, “We are a team,” I thought they have The Karma.  They are a team.  Carol Ann runs tomorrow and Sterling will watch via satellite. 

Rosemary & I know another couple who has had The Karma, Carl & Barbara Castille. 

Offertory, John & Jim, Karen & John.  Thanks.
 

Carl is one of my best Jesuit buddies.  Carl is a Cajun (like you, John), growing up near Opelousas, LA.  We entered the Jesuits together in 1958 (60 years this 2018), and we lived together in the same large houses for 7 years. 

Carl was coming to our Spring Hill College reunion last weekend.  He & Barbara live in a suburb of Pittsburg.  He had come early to visit his family around Opelousas.  I knew Carl had attempted and failed to book into the same Fairfield Inn as I and my companion, Francis Vanderwall, the guy who spoke to us some years ago.  So I did not really notice Carl’s absence the first night. 

The Best, Mary & Bethany & Ray.

Somewhere during Saturday we heard that Carl had returned to Pittsburg because Barbara had a stroke and was hospitalized.  The guys and I, we were all stunned.  I began to phone.  In fact, the first time I phoned I got Barbara’s phone with her voice message. 

Day by day I called, mostly talking to Robbie, their son who was handling the phone.  And day by day Barbara got worse.  She had more strokes and Robbie said each day that she was losing ground.  At one point Robbie told me that Barbara was going into Hospice and that the family was telling her she did not have to fight to stay alive.  She could let loose.  Finally I was home and called again.  This time Carl answered and said Barbara had died. 

 The A Team, including Buddy.

I was in tears, Carl was in tears, and we could hardly speak.  Barbara and Carl had The Karma.  Rosemary & I could sense it when we stayed with them last year in Pittsburg.  They were a team like Carol Ann and Sterling.

Carl is a Good Karma guy.  He has other teams he can rely on, like their 3 grown kids.  I hope to help out, even from a distance. 

 Sisters, Victoria and Zoe.

I would suggest that we all need to be part of a team.  Rosemary & I are a team.  I would also suggest that we have a team in this community.  I am humbled by this every time we come together and I am grateful. 

And you.  Who makes up your Team?

 The Butterlies, caught in the act of having too much fun at Mass,  Kara, Denise, and James.

Happy Mother's Day, Cathy, and Happy Grandmother's Day, too.

Readings: 

Acts of the Apostles, 13, 14, 43-52, The Gentiles were delighted.

Psalm 100,  We are his people, the sheep of his flock. (excellent stanzas)

Revelation 7, 9, 14-17,  I, John, had a vision of a great multitude.

John 10, 27-30, My sheep; hear my voice.

It's a Family Affair, Zoe & Tori lighting our Easter candles with the help of their big sister Georgie.  And Buddy reading the Easter Blessing of the Candles.

Observations on Acts

Date: Sometime before the year 70.  Why?  No mention of the destruction of Jerusalem, which took place the year 70, an enormous date in Jewish history.

Who: The same person who wrote the Gospel of Luke.  How do we know.  Similarities of style, language (Greek), and theological themes.

Subject: the story of the expansion of the Jesus story in 3 areas, first, Jerusalem, then, Palestine or the Holy Land, and finally, into the Mediterranean and, ultimately, Rome. 

Sources, Good News Bible, The New Interpreter's Study Bible, Wikipedia

Another Family Affair for the Offertory, John & Connie & Kevin.

Mother's Day History:

1905-08: Anna Jarvis of West Virginia began this celebration for her mother, Ann, who cared for wounded Civil War soldiers of both sides.  She campaigned to make it a national day and in 

1914:  Woodrow Wilson made it national.

The spelling: always singular, according to Anna. 

Hallmark Cards: Anna hated them because she felt you know what.  

The Communion Team,  Lynda & Tom, Claire & Denni.

The Lord is Good, Psalm 100, Today’s second stanza

In honor of Mother’s Day, I would like to share two stories about my mom and our relationship.  Or why she was probably glad to see me get on that train taking me to the Jesuit Novitiate in Grand Coteau. LA.

Both events took place in the delightful Spring of 1957.  I was 17 and a junior at Jesuit.  Both involve my mom’s car, a light blue, low slung probably ’55 Pontiac sedan. 

Sez Buddy, "I'm worn out, Georgie."

So I came home from school one afternoon, wanted to go for a ride, and found that my mom had taken her car keys, which meant she did not want me driving around in her car.  I was allowed to drive my dad’s Chevy when it was home.

In those days a person could hot wire a car’s ignition and drive off.  Guess what I did.  I got all the way on my street, Stanford, to the corner with Preston, a block & a half.  Then the tin foil fell off of the ignition and the car died.

While I am trying to rectify this operation, a car turns off of Preston onto Stanford.  Guess who was in it.  Yep, my mom with one of her bridge buddies.   I gave up the idea of going for a ride and returned home to a chilly reception.

The Special Mother's Day Blessing.

The second time I had been given the keys to mom’s car and I went to hang out at a cleaners shop on Preston just south of NWST Highway.  A buddy, Jerry, worked there afternoons providing curb service to customers.  

Shortly after I arrived a University Police car pulled up next to me and asked me to come with them to the station to be questioned about another of our friends who stole neighborhood  cars.  I got into the squad car and the other cop brought my mom’s car.

Mother's Day Blessing.

I was questioned about what I knew about my friend joy riding in stolen cars.  That was not as scary as it sounds.  University Park in those days was a small, middle class village on the northern edge of Dallas.  Since grade school we had known the cops by name and they knew us by name occasionally.

The thing that really steamed my mom was that the police had come to the door to ask where I was.  She happened to be hosting the afternoon bridge club, the other ladies mostly being moms of my buddies.  She was so embarrassed and ashamed.  Moreover, what she was mad about was the fact that the cop drove her car to the station.

The Blessing.

I never found out what happened to my car thief buddy.  He was with us at Christ the King grade school, but did not go on to Jesuit.  I do know he is still alive, living outside of Dallas. Want to know why I thought I was surely going to hell?  By  your friends shall you be known.  But, God is good.

Where are you going?

Bona Responds again, Tom & Bill & Richard, Michelle & Georgie & Bernadette.

Sez Harper, "Welcome in, Everybody, I still have some Girl Scout cookies"

Readings:

Isaiah 8, 23-9, 3,  The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light.

Psalm 27,  The Lord is my light and my salvation

! Corinthians, 1, 10-13,  That you be united…

Matthew 4, 12-23, Come after me and I will make you fishers of men (people).

"Welcome in, Everybody," say Hue & Linda.

Isaiah reminders, again—

 Author: This is Isaiah #1, the composer of chapters 1-39.  Even though Isaiah #1 lives before the Babylonian Captivity, he still sees that a great, bright day will come to the Jewish people, despite Babylon. 

Isaiah 2: Chapters 40-55;

Isaiah 3: Chapters 56-66

 Date:  Ca. 555 before Christ, the composition.  The Jewish people of Jerusalem are about to be defeated and carried off into slavery.

The famous Sisters' Candle Team in action.

 Subject:  A great day will come for you Jews.  A special leader will be born.  You will be a beacon to others, glorious, and a light to nations everywhere.  You might easily recognize parts of this reading.  From where?  The Nativity readings and Handel's Messiah, a favorite of mine. 

This is the last week we will have these Isaiah readings which I love.  I will miss them.  Until next Advent.

Today's team in action.

80 Years of Blessings

When Isaiah says that a people who walked in darkness have seen a great light, I hear him speaking to me.  There are dozens of ways I see this in my life, all blessings & gifts.  I’ll mention 5, at least 3 of which you have heard me mention previously.

Today's Offertory Team, Sandra, Susan, & Tom,

First, the fact that I joined the Jesuits when I was 18.  Granted I joined up because I thought I was such a bad kid that I was obviously headed to hell.  I got that idea from the monsieur who was pastor at Christ the King.  When he told the congregation that if your friends are going to hell, you will go too.    Obviously my best buddy, Pete was going to hell along with my other friends.  That fear fell away when I was a Jesuit and life turned out to be an adventure.

The minor elevation.

The second blessing was my decision to accept an invitation to work in East Africa.  There was loneliness, but it was an adventure.  How else could I have scaled Kilimanjaro 5-6 times?  How else would I have ridden my motorcycle back & forth across Tanzania.  I discovered that I had a gift for languages and became fluent in Swahili.

Today's Communion Team, Patricia & Denni, Geri & Mike & Grace.

The third blessing was and is my marriage with Rosemary.  Did you people know that she waited 15 years to get formally married?  When I asked her to get married I asked her to wait until I was 65 and would have Medicare.  As a Jesuit I had platinum coverage.  As soon as I would depart, nothing.  I knew guys who married, had an accident, and ended up with an enormous debt.  This cinco de mayo is our 15^th and it has been for me (at least.  I won’t speak for her!) an unimaginable & enchanted time.

Happy Birthday, Mike.

The fourth blessing is the tree hobby project.   That project started with maybe 5-6 trees planted on the Jesuit campus where I was living.   Then it got bigger & bigger.  A guy who owns a construction company gave me a 800 gallon water tank & a 4 wheel trailer.  The community of St. Marks gave me the money to buy a pickup.  Mike Doran gave me the truck for 15K.  The last big project we did was Plano Senior High.  We planted in an hour 400 trees one sunny October Sunday.  

Welcome home, My Dear Carrie, or should I say My Dear Doctor Carrie.   Proud of You.

The fifth but not the last of the blessings is our community here. Do you realize that along with our 15^th anniversary of marriage, I am celebrating 15 marvelous & humbling years participating in our community?

I am most grateful.

What are your five biggest blessings in life?

One cupcake to you, Monique, for being such a good mamma.