Sunday Homily 6-15-08, Fathers” Day

Readings:  Isaiah 60, 1-6, Rise up in splendor, Jerusalem, your light has come!; Psalm 72, Lord, every nation on earth will adore you; Ephesians, 3, 2-6, The Gentiles are coheirs; Matthew 2, 1-12, The Magi arrived from the east asking, "Where is the newborn king of the Jews?"  

 

Isaiah, a review 

Here is another of those passages which make me love Isaiah so much.  I said this on the 3^rd Sunday of Advent, when we read Isaiah 61.   

Today we have Isaiah III talking again to the Jews who have returned to Jerusalem from the Babylonian Captivity, about 550 years before Christ. 

When he says Jerusalem or Zion, you may consider it a metaphor referring particularly to us, to you and to me.

                                                                          

Ephesians

Paul is directly talking Epiphany, that is God to Gentiles, to us.  

Sources: Good News Bible, The New Interpreter’s Bible

 

Epiphany Every Day?

    Almost every evening Rosemary & I take Aviana for a walk along our street.  Usually we meet a variety of neighbors and neighbor dogs.  It is a fun connection. 

    This past week we were walking when we met a lady who lives across and down the street.  She had tragedy hit her family.  A daughter with 3 young kids died 18 months ago with cancer.  It had been a lengthy fight and numerous neighbors had helped out. 

    We asked her how she was doing.  She waited a moment and then with a gulp she said, “Ollie has cancer.” 

    Ollie is a 3 year old son of the mother who died.  A week or so before Christmas the family noticed that Ollie had a lump on his forehead.  They took him to get checked and discovered that he has a very rare and aggressive form of child cancer.  Only about 350 cases occur a year in the States, hitting children between ages 1 and 5.  Ollie is 3. 

    The lump has been removed but a port has been put on Ollie’s chest for chemotherapy.  He is expected to receive chemo from 6 to 11 months.  Meanwhile, another small tumor I think in his lymph nodes grew about a centimeter in just about 10 days.  

    Folks, this was an epiphany moment for me.  I wanted to cry with our neighbor.  My heart went out to Ollie, his dad, his brother & sister, and to my neighbor & her husband, to the whole family. 

I would suggest that an epiphany is

    1.  a God light breaking through, especially through & into those corners of myself where I don’t go,

    2. a deeper awareness of the fragility of the Gift, the Gift of life & health & control

    3.  a deeper awareness of my normal insensitivity & ingratitude.   

The Accident was an Epiphany.  Check Rosemary.  

    I suggest that there are large, small, and medium epiphanies.  However, they occur daily.  At home, at work, at Tom Thumb, on the roads, at the Bridge & Austin Street Shelter, at Vines.   In fact, we can be epiphanies for others. 

Your last epiphany?  

Picture 1:    Mass Begins

Picture 2:    Our Father   

 Picture 3:    Taylor & Zack

Picture 4:    Torri walks

Picture 5:    Sienna

Picture 6:    Cole

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Readings:  –  from Thanksgiving Day 

 Sirach  50, 22-24,   May he grant you joy of heart.

Psalm 113,   Blessed be the Name of the Lord forever.

1 Corinthians 1, 3-9,   You were enriched in every way.

Luke 17, 11-19,  Has none but this foreigner returned to give thanks? 

 Thanksgiving History: Everyone knows about the first Thanksgiving in 1602 with the Pilgrims and the Indians eating together, the Mayflower, and Plymouth Rock.   Here are 5 facts that people do not hear about usually.

1.  When did Thanksgiving begin?  Our ancestors have celebrated end of harvest feasts of gratitude for centuries.  Lincoln first focused on a national feast; FDR established the national holiday in 1941.

2.  The pilgrims did not know they were pilgrims.  They called themselves saints, and non-saints were called strangers.  The word pilgrim came along in the 18 hundreds, 2 centuries later.  They were not even Puritans, but separatists.  They split off from the Church of England, old Henry VIII's church, and the Puritans did not split off.

3.  The Separatists did not come to establish religious freedom.  They came for religious freedom for their religion and only their religion.  Like the Catholic Church, the Separatists demanded everyone belong to their program.  Failure to conform could result in execution, ala inquisition.

4.  The Mayflower returned to England, was torn apart, and its beams were used to build a barn in Buckinghamshire (just north of London & east of Oxford).

5.  How did the Indians & Separatists communicate?   The Indians were Algonquians & one of them, Squanto had actually lived in Briton some years.  He returned to his tribe and taught his friend Samoset English.  It was Samoset who communicated with the Separatists, & the Indians taught them to raise corn, to fish, and to hunt.  In the first winter half of the 100 Separatists died before the Indians taught them how to survive. 

 

Thanksgiving

It is Thanksgiving this week, Folks, my favorite feast and holiday.   I would like to talk about our blessings. 

It was over a year ago when Chris Dembney walked in here one Sunday and told me about a bike ride he had done for 7 days across Iowa, 500 miles.  He says, “Stack, you would love this trip.” 

I remember telling him, “Chris, you are crazy.  Why would I want to ride 500 miles across Iowa?”  Guess what I did this past July. 

Blessing #1 for me: my health. 

Not only have I been able to ride 500 miles and am ready to sign up for this July.  But I have been able to return to back packing in the mountains.   In 2009 in Matterhorn Canyon, Yosemite, I knew I could never hike again in the mountains with my old, factory issue hips.  2010, January & February, I got the new hips and that August I was back packing in CO with the usual degenerate group.  I still am amazed.

Blessing #2: our community

You people are a Work of Art.   Here is what I see and how you are a blessing.

The generosity.  This little community just this year has contributed  $25,000   to help numerous nonprofits and numerous individuals in financial straits.   This very weekend your generosity is helping in NYC and NJ through Professor Jim Mahar and Bona Responds.  $2000 of your aid was given directly to them last Sunday.  What a blessing.

The warmth.  I do not know how many times someone or a couple has come to me after visiting here.  They always mention the warmth and the hospitality.  What a blessing.

Your child friendly warmth.  Do you realize these kids are growing up in a sacred environment without fear?  What a privilege to watch and help them grow.   Thanks to you parents & grandparents who share your kids with us. What a blessing.

Blessing #3: Rosemary’s recuperation.

January 6 it was when she crashed her Christmas bike and busted her elbow so badly.  The past few weeks she has been riding the same bike around White Rock Lake.  The physical recuperation is remarkable enough.  The spiritual and psychological recuperation has been even more marvelous.

What are 2 or 3 of your biggest blessings this year?

 

 

 

Readings:

Revelation 7, 2-4, 9-14, These are the ones who have survived the time of great distress

Psalm 24, Lord this is the people that long to see your face. 

1 John 3, 1-3,  See what love the Father has bestowed on us.—–

Matthew 5,1-12, Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom.

 

 

 

Thanks to the Team,  Ben & Shonda's  

Readers,   Denni & Tom & Buddy, the candle blesser

Gospel,  Deacon Mike 

Homily,  Deacon Mike 

Eucharistic Prayer A & B, Stack & John Cade

The Magic Zoom makers,  Richard & Hue 

Final Blessing, Rosemary

For hosting us at Legacy, Becky

 

 

Download Readings Week 31 All Saints (2)

 

 

Homily by Mike Carrell,   All Saints            

The Mark gospel teaches us how potential saints come alive:  It begins with the unexpected: an accident; a death; a fire, a flood. It is then that a call comes to us; the kingdom of God is at hand; repent. Live the Good News! 

Buddy, this morning, revealed to us from the Matthew Gospel how the beatitudes call us each to be the light in the world, to be saints.

The feast of All Saints teaches us that holiness comes in all sizes and shapes. Saints are rich and poor, young and old, warriors and peacemakers, scholars and those who don’t even know how to read. Every era has its saints as does ours. We read about the struggles our nurses and doctors face day after day to keep patients alive during this pandemic.

 

 

Mary Ellen, Honfleur, France, 2011, one of our Saints.

 

We give thanks to our parents, grandparents, and god parents who gave us names of known saints when we were baptized; they were intended to challenge us to be ready to respond to a call to holiness.

Most of the names of these heroes that we read about in the News have already faded away; however some of our teenagers have chosen not to forget about these holy ones by taking their names when they were and are confirmed.

Praise be to God.

 

Please Remember these special people:

For Alan Stryker;  For John Doherty recuperating from an operation this past week for his back pain;   For David Dinsmore's bad shoulder from a biking accident;  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;   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;  

 

 

Mike, how come you did not invite us to this beautiful lake?  Daisy State Park, Arkansas.

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 the students, teachers, and coaches in our public & private schools.

 

 

 

Birthdays:  John DeGenova, Ed Kless, Karen Anderlick, Ryan McCabe, 19

  

 

Community Finances, November 1, 2020

Expenses: $750.00

Outreach   $200.00    (often for Souls Harbor, Legacy, etc.)

Thanks, Folks, for doing what you can.

 

Home, Sweet Home for Mike & Gerry.

 

Rosemary's Blessing:

 

Gracious God inspire us with the hope in the gift of shalom, the gift of wholeness and the promise of your presence.

Give wisdom to seek nonviolence as an answer to the violence of our lives and world.

Give us courage to seek wholeness in a fractured and divided world, to find reconciliation rather than revenge, to abandon the instruments of violence and death and entrust our lives, our homes and our families to you.

May your presence fill us and others with the thirst for unity, wholeness, and the desire to see all people valued as created in your image.

May we and others receive your shalom, that we might be faithful instruments of your love.

Blessed be your name forever,

Amen.

Rabbi Andrew M. Paley, senior rabbi with Temple Shalom, Dallas.  He emailed this letter to his congregation and gave The Dallas Morning News permission to publish it.

 

Readings:

Isaiah 49, 14-15,  I will never forget you.   

 Psalm 62,  Rest in God alone, my soul.

 1 Corinthians 4, 1-5,   Then everyone will receive praise from God.

 Matthew 6, 24-34,    Do not worry about tomorrow, tomorrow will take care of itself.

 

 

"Happy Mardi Gras, Everybody," say Cathy and Harper.

 

Isaiah observations and reminders—

Who, This is 2^nd Isaiah.

When, This is during the Captivity in Babylon, ca. 555 before Christ. 

Subject, The writer, the prophet, is trying to lift the spirits of his fellow slaves.  He gives them exquisite news, using God’s words, “I will never forget you.”  A short but touching cameo of consolation and hope. 

 

 

And from Kevin, "Welcome in, Folks."

 

Have a Happy Lent

I admit that Lent is my least favorite seasons of the year, mostly because of the emphasis on penance I encountered as a kid and during my early years as a Jesuit.  We did penance in those days.  I don’t think it was spiritually and psychologically healthy. 

Therefore, I would like to talk about how to have a Happy Lent.  A no dread zone.  And, I would add, a belief that God cares not a whit for us doing all sorts of penance.   

 

 

Tori, too, says, "Hi, Everybody."

 

Consequently, I have two points based on being people fully alive.  The first point focuses on self nurture and has two suggestions.

First, treat yourself each week of Lent.  Like take a special day off, go out to eat, like join us at Romeos or Juliettes, have some ice cream, and go for a drive (if possible with the traffic congestion).  In fact, because we have not had a day off since Thanksgiving, Rosemary, I, and Aviana are going to visit her sister in Hilton Head for a week. 

 

 

Hi, Vivian.  It is so nice to have you with us this morning.

 

Secondly, spend some quiet time in contemplation, especially with a focus on gratitude.  I just read about a guy who survived the Burma death camps.  He said he was never a prisoner, meaning he always focused on what he was grateful for whatever torment was going on around him.

The second half of this you will maybe hate me for bringing up.  But, here I go, exercise.  I want to keep you people alive, fully alive until you are ready to check out.  This really involves only 2-3 hours per week, 30 minutes a day for six days.  There are two types of exercise, cardio and strength. 

 

 

The Candle Man of The Week, Cole, at work. 

 

Cardio involves walking, riding a bike, and running.  A 30 minute walk around the neighborhood has amazingly positive effects. 

I can certainly vouch for how good I feel after I have done a spin class at the Jewish Community Center in the morning.  I do this Monday through Friday and it is marvelous.

 

 

Delivery day is here,  TODAY.   Do we have a doctor in the house?  
 

 

Strength is for muscle and bone, and involves things like yoga, Tai Chi, and weights.  It also includes doing things like gardening (even mowing the grass?), taking the stairs, walking from the outer edge of the parking lot, dancing, and house work (like vacuuming).

The goal in all of this is to be fully alive and happy until we arrive home. 

 

 

Offertory team, John & Connie, Scott & Lily

 

So, how are you going to have a Happy Lent?

Good article on exercise,  Download EXERCISE FOR LENT 2-

 

Bethany, when is my new play mate coming to visit me?  

Readings: 

Isaiah 35, 1-6,   Be Strong,  fear not.

 

Psalm 146,  Lord, come and save us.

James 5, 7-10,  Be patient until the coming of the Lord.

Matthew  11, 2-11, What did you go out to the desert to see?

 

 

Isaiah 35 observations: 

As you may remember, the book of Isaiah has three distinct writers.  Isaiah I covers the first 39 chapters, out of 66 chapters.  Isaiah I has a certain amount of condemnation typical of prophets. However, as you can see from this beautiful reading, Isaiah I can share a vision of a beautiful future.

Date: written before the Syrians destroyed the northern kingdom of Israel, around 700 years before Christ.  

 

 

Advent Wreaths, a reminder: This little liturgical practice came to the Catholic liturgy, believe it or not, from the German Lutherans in the 1500's, the time of Martin Luther.  It was more than just decoration.  The circle symbolized eternity.  The greens Christian life in a dead time of the year.  The candles represent each of the 4 weeks of Advent, each candle symbolizing the greater light brought by Christ.  Their color purple symbolized penance and purification for the Coming.  The Rose candle says, 'We are almost there!'  

All together the wreath represented and shed light in a dark world, a world with no electricity.

 

The Celebration

This past week has been momentous and touching for me and for many.  Twice we celebrated the life and vitality of Chuck Pratt, one of our most special friends in this community.  Wednesday evening was a memorial, and Thursday morning at All Saints, Pam’s husband’s brother, Joe, beautifully celebrated a Mass. 

I would like to talk about Chuck in January.  Today I would like to talk about the celebration.

 

 

At the memorial celebration Wednesday, Pam, Chuck & Sandra’s oldest child, told a story that comes from John Ruskin, a British academic and critic who lived until 1900.  The story has gone around, but is beautiful to hear it again. 

Picture this man.  He is sitting in his house one night with a friend, looking out a window.  He is an old man.  There is no electricity.  Many of you have been there.  Remember what it is like, no heat, no light.  He & his friend are looking across a valley. 

 

 

As they watch a light is going up the other side.  As the light goes, it lights other lights along the way.  The lamplighter.  They cannot see anybody, just the light moving and leaving light behind.

Ruskin says to his friend, “That is a good illustration of a Christian. People may never have known him.  They may never have met him.  They may never even have seen him.  But they know he passed through their world by the trail of lights he left behind him.”

At the celebrations there were an abundance of lights.  I want to tell you about two little lights who touched me. 

 

 

During the Mass I was seated in the second pew with the family on the right end.  At one point Amelia, Chris & Cecily’s 3 year old daughter crawled into the lap of the lady next to me.  For the rest of the Mass she played with the books and chatted. 

I’m sitting there with tears in my eyes half the time, but enchanted by Amelia’s happy spirit beside me.  She and her sister Olivia had also shared their light with us by bringing up the offertory.  I was most touched.

 

 

Which naturally made me reflect on the lights we have in our community, lights who chatter and clatter, walk around in the back, and occasionally walk shyly up here and put a toy on the altar. 

Chuck was a lamplighter.  He left lights behind him and they have become lamplighters in turn, two little ones and a bunch more.

Who are the lamplighters in your life?  For whom are you a lamplighter?

 

 

 Readings:

Ruth,  The story of Naomi and Ruth

Psalm 104,    Lord, send out our Spirit, and renew the face of the earth. 

1 Corinthians 12, 3-13,   There are different kinds of spiritual gifts, but the same spirit.

 John 15, 26-27 & 16, 12-15, When he comes, he will guide you to all truth.

 

                   Georgie says, "Welcome in, Everybody."

 

Introduction   

When the Jews returned from their exile in Babylon to rebuild their temple, they came back with a lot more than they took with them. A lot of what had begun as oral tradition came back in written form. They came back carrying the scrolls.

When the temple was rebuilt the Jews also added to their Liturgy of the Word one book of Midrash to each of five of their feast days.   

Today in their synagogues, or in their homes, their Pentecost is remembered and the Book of Ruth is read.  Their Pentecost celebrates God giving to Moses the Law 50 days after Passover. The 50 days also coincided with the beginning and end of their grain harvest.

 

       And Megan, too, says, "Hi, Everybody, Nice to be back."

 

^{A reading from the Book of Ruth:}

So Naomi returned together with Ruth the Moabite, her daughter-in-law, who came back with her from the country of Moab. They came to Bethlehem at the beginning of the barley harvest. And Ruth the Moabite said to Naomi, “Let me go to the field and glean among the ears of grain, behind someone in whose sight I may find favor.” She said to her, “Go, my daughter.” So she went. She came and gleaned in the field behind the reapers.

As it happened, she came to the part of the field belonging to Boaz, who was of the family of Elimelech. Just then Boaz came from Bethlehem. He said to the reapers, “The Lord be with you.” They answered,  “The Lord bless you.” Then Boaz said to his servant who was in charge of the reapers, “To whom does this young woman belong?”

 

                   The Beautiful Zoe says, "Wow, it is fun here."

 

The servant who was in charge of the reapers answered, “She is the Moabite who came back with Naomi from the country of Moab.  She said, ‘Please, let me glean and gather among the sheaves behind the reapers.’ So she came, and she has been on her feet from early this morning until now, without resting even for a moment.”

Then Boaz said to Ruth, “Now listen, my daughter, do not go to glean in another field or leave this one, but keep close to my young women.   Keep your eyes on the field that is being reaped, and follow behind.  I have ordered the young men not to bother you.

If you get thirsty, go to the vessels and drink from what the young men have drawn.”

 

Our Special Gift, Genevieve, says, "Welcome, Folks, Just don't                                       mess with my bottle."

 

Then she fell prostrate, with her face to the ground, and said to him, “Why have I found favor in your sight, that you should take notice of me, when I am a foreigner?”

But Boaz answered her, “All that you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband has been fully told me, and how you left your father and mother and your native land and came to a people that you did not know before.  May the Lord reward you for your deeds, and may you have a full reward from the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come for refuge!”

 

What a Team.  Because of the torrential rain, the candles got                forgotten and so did the robes for Georgie and Kevin. 

 

Homily by Mike

 As you might have hoped, Boaz marries Ruth, the widow and foreigner. She has no property to bring to this union; she brings only herself, and that is more than enough.  Boaz has been her advocate; he respects her for who she is as a person.

The whole community of Bethlehem celebrated with Naomi the sacredness of their wedding and the wonder of what would come from it.  In this intimate spiritual union of Jew and foreigner, Boaz treats Ruth with goodness and justice, with tenderness and compassion, and in him we see a glimpse of God, as Father, who does bless them with a son, Obed.

 

                                              Mike homilizing.

 

 And God blessed Obed to be the father of Jesse, the father of King David.  From David’s descendants God brought forth the Messiah, his Son, from whom we received the Holy Spirit, our advocate when Christ returned to the Father in glory.

Together, we have been called to be Christ in the world; we are his advocates to others, by our words and actions.  Advocates recognize the worth of the other; for they perceive others as made in the image and likeness of God.

 

                               Victoria giving us The Look.

 

Advocates bring about the Kingdom; they are young and old, male and female. They come in all sizes, shapes, colors, and religions; they welcome all others with the same ease and grace; to them God has no favorites.  

 

                   Emma putting her bread into the Mass bowl.