Sunday Homily, December 9, Second Sunday, Advent

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

Readings:

Exodus  20, 1-17,  God delivered all these commandments.   Special reading for Rita's memorial,    Song of Songs, 2, 8-14

Psalm 19,    Lord, you have the words of everlasting life.

1 Corinthians  1, 22-25,   The foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom.

 John  2,  13-25,   He made a whip out of cords and drove them all out.

Our Beautiful Georgie says, "Welcome in Everybody, it's fun."

Song of Songs, observation :  Special reading in honor of Rita

What :  A dialogue between a man and a woman who love and long for each other.   No reference to God or the law. 

When:  probably after the Babylonian Captivity, 555 before Christ. 

Our Subject: The girl is speaking to her lover.

Buddies Leo and Cole say, "Hi, Folks."

Rita Dore

I would like to tell you a few stories about Rita, just to give you an idea of how neat and fun a person she was.

I don’t remember when or how I met Rita.  Toward the end of Msgr. Claude Smyth’s life she was just there as the house keeper.  More than anybody else, Rita took good care of Smyth, tending to him day and even night, helping him to move to the other side.

During this time, Matt Bagert was acting pastor and when Msgr. Smyth died Matt opened up the rectory a bit.  He even threw a birthday party once, to which I was invited, along with another young Jesuit, Gene Sessa.  Things went along smoothly this way for some months until…The Big Event happened.  Fr. Duffy Gardner arrived. 

Harper says, "Cupcake time yet?"

Three little vignettes.

First, when Duffy settled into the rectory, the place went from being totally closed up to being wide open.  He was platinum level hospitality.  With Duffy welcoming everyone was the house keeper in the kitchen, Rita.  They made a marvelous one-two team. 

After doing the 9:00 Mass in the church and the 10:30 Mass in the cafetorium, I started going over to the rectory.  I was usually worn out.  I would go upstairs, take a 20 minute nap in an empty bedroom, then come down and join Duffy at the dining room table where he held forth.

Cupcakes of The Week to Grace and Dee.

Meanwhile, Rita had been cooking.  In particular she made chocolate chip cookies the size of dinner plates and homemade vanilla ice cream.  Guess what I ate for lunch.  Wow, did I love Rita.

At the same time that she worked as housekeeper, Rita took on the training of the little kids for first communion.  Two or three times a year I joined Duffy and a handful of other priests to do her kids' first confessions.  My penance to each kid, 2 Hershey kisses.  Think my line was long?

Tom & Lynda, first time grandparents Monday, the 9th.

Two years in a row at this time Duffy hosted the whole gang of kids for first communion on a Saturday.  Both years, Duffy at the homily would ask the kids questions and he would give out a dollar or two for correct answers.  The big final question both years worth $5 was, ‘Who is the holiest priest in St. Marks?’  Hands would go up.  Both years Duffy called on a timid little girl whom I happened to know.   Both years the little girls said, “Fr. Stack.” 

Well, as you can imagine, this brought down the house.  Duffy would put on a display of incredulity.  I don’t know if the first little girl got the $5 or not, but the second year I was there and I jumped up from the stage, ran down, and gave the girl $5 of my own.

Vivian, speaking into the mike, says, "Patience please, I'm coming." With her mommy, Bethany.

Rita loved all this, the penances, which some parents did not think was so good, and the questions from Duffy.

At the same time, Rita volunteered one day to help me with all the weddings, acting as wedding coordinator.  She had made wedding dresses in Birmingham or somewhere in her earlier, married life.  Consequently, we had great fun meeting with the kids, usually over dinner at Jason’s or El Fenix, and celebrating the weddings.

Buddy and Zoe wondering, 'Where is this Vivian?"

One wedding among all of them really stands out.  Two musicians, evening wedding, the big church, big crowd.  After exchanging vows, we had the couple light the unity candle, standing behind the candle and facing the people. 

Just before they lighted the candle, the mothers lit their candles, and then walked up the main aisle lighting a taper at each aisle before returning their candles to the unity candle.  Meanwhile the tapers in the hands of all the people were getting lighted.  Then we turned off the lights in the church. At the same time the couple had two singers, a guy and a girl, sing The Prayer that Bocelli and Celine Dion made famous.  It was stupendous.  Even remembering sends chills down my back. 

Tori, "Have you seen Vivian?"

An amusing footnote to the wedding took place.  A woman, who wanted to hire out as a wedding coordinator, asked if she could sit in.  “Sure, of course,” we said.  After the wedding a staff member asked the lady what she thought of the wedding.   “I just saw a wedding from hell,” she responded. 

As a result of that, every time Rita and I would depart the rectory to perform a wedding in the church, Duffy would ask if we were doing another wedding from hell.  It became our handle and provided lots of laughs. 

Thanks, Rita, you have been a fun and tremendous friend.  Rest well.  

Our Beautiful Zoe says, "Have a good week, Everybody."

Readings:

Acts  5, 12-16,  Many signs and wonders were done among the people.

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

Revelation  1, 9-19, I was caught up in spirit on the Lord’s day.

John 20, 19-31,  Thomas, “Unless I see the mark of the nails.   

Harper says, "Hi, Everybody, Welcome in."

 Acts observations:  I won’t bore you every Sunday for the next six with these same observations.  I thought I would mention them because you may have missed them Easter Sunday with all that was going on.  Periodically I will remind you of the basics.

Date:  sometime before the year 70.  Why?  No mention of the destruction of Jerusalem, which took place the year 70, a Big Date in Jewish history.

Genevieve, too, says, "Hi, Folks, come in."

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.

Today’s Subject: a description of the growth & expansion within the first area, Jerusalem. 

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

Hi, Cathy, and welcome to you, too.  Thanks for bringing Harper.

New Life Next Weekend

Next Sunday when you all come together here I will be getting together with my former Jesuit classmates in the beautiful college chapel at Spring Hill College in Mobile, Alabama.  We guys spent the 5^th, 6^th, and 7^th years of our training at Spring Hill. 

It is class reunion time this weekend and about 8 of us gathered last year for the same event.  This year the alumni board is making a big deal out of us and is inviting all the ex and present Jesuits who got degrees at Spring Hill to special recognition.  There could be hundreds.

Leo, the Candle Lighter, at work on the Easter Candle.

When I was there we had about 150 guys residing in Assumption Hall, which has been since demolished and replace with smaller units of student housing. 

I would like to make 4 observations on the uniqueness of this group of guys.

You never know what you will find out on April 1.  The Juliets.

First, all joined up to be Jesuit priests despite the 10-14 years of training involved.  Some entered out of college, others, like myself, entered out of high school.  I got the full 14 years of training, which at the time was not too bad.  It was broken up into 3 & 4 year goals.

Secondly, all these guys became well educated, whether in the Jesuits or after leaving.  Lots of the guys taught in schools and universities.  They were a pretty progressive group, interested in service, usually to the poor.  All would have made good priests and good contributors to the numerous Jesuit high schools, universities, parishes, and retreat houses.  In my early years there were 35,000 Jesuits just in the U.S. 

Welcome, Nora, into our special Catholic Family.

Thirdly, in my class there is and has been a love of reuniting to see how everyone is doing.  There is a comfort zone and guys are willing to share pretty important parts of their lives.

I remember a reunion maybe 3-4 years ago in New Orleans.  One of my buddies, Bill, who had cared for his wife for some years before she died of cancer was there.  I had not seen him or talked with him since she had died.  I was sitting in the group where we were talking about where each of us was at. 

Tom and Denni with their just baptized grandbaby.

Bill had not said anything.  I remember debating within myself.  But I am used to asking these questions.  Finally I simply asked him would he be willing to share how it was to care for and lose his wife.  We were all in tears.

In Wernersville, PA there is a large Jesuit retreat house & novitiate.  Every summer a reunion of some 50 or more Jesuit & ex-Jesuit classmates gather for a weekend.   I just found out about this from one of my classmates from the east.  I plan to go some summer in the future.

These reunions are just among Jesuits.  There is a large, more formal group called Corpus.  These guys seem to be mostly ex-diocesan priests.

John Cade, any Carmelite groups?

Who are all these people, Nora?  Why, that is you granddad, Tom, your sister, Charlotte, your grandmommy, Denni, your big sister,  Chloe, your mommy, Claire, and your daddy, Andrew.

Final observation.  Do you realize that within the next 30 years these groups will all disappear?  We have here a unique sample of the population, ex-priests and ex-seminarians.   They all wanted to be priests.   They all wanted to be married.    Because of Vatican II in the ‘60s, they decided remaining celibate was not healthy for them.  Shortly the whole group will pass on.

A little slice of history for you today, folks.  

Nora, you are beautiful and perfect.  Welcome into our world.  

Readings:  (special for Fred)

Isaiah 43, 1-5,  Do not be afraid, you are mine

Psalm 32,    I turn to you, Lord, in time of trouble, and you fill me with the joy of salvation.

1 Corinthians 13, 1-3,   If I have no love, I am nothing.

 John 15, 10-11,   As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you.  Live in my love.  I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and you joy may be complete.

Maureen and Fred Macchio.

Today's readings, observation:

I have chosen all of these readings with the spirit of Fred Macchio  and the family in mind.

The Macchio Clan.

Fred Macchio

I would like to talk about our dear old friend, Fred.  I have two small vignettes and, then, I would like to tell my most favorite Fred story, the pickup story.

First, we have a group of guys who meet every Friday at 1:00 at Jason’s Deli at Collin Creek.  The group was christened “Romeo’s” by Mike Moran, though I have gathered this is not an original.  Like, try T.I. and Poor Richard’s.  Nevertheless, Fred was always with us every week.

When we got together there were two things.  First, every time I had to be absent, Fred would tell me that the numbers jumped to a dozen or more.

Thanks to all from Maureen and the Macchios.

Secondly, Fred would always find in the Thursday blog I sent out a mistake or two or more.  Like, “Hey, you forgot to change the date.”  Or “Hey, you misspelled this or that word.”  It really became a game for me and I enlisted Rosemary to get rid of mistakes.  However, even with her help Fred always caught something.  I got better, though, and was ready to wager him.   No mistakes, he buys my lunch.  A mistake, I buy his lunch.   So, you know how he handled that, he checked out on me.

Second, a little fact you all may not know about Fred.  He donated his body to Southwestern Medical.  I was so impressed that I have started the screening process for myself.

And now the pickup story.

The scene with pictures and hats.

In 1990 I was driving an old Chevy pickup that was a castoff from Jesuit.  Trouble was, it was dying.  I needed a new ¾ ton to continue my tree planting hobby.  I was pulling an 800 gallon water tank to water all summer the new trees.

So I approached my Jesuit community, the other priests, and asked for a new truck.   “Sure,” they said, but I had to find the money myself. 

Like, where am I going to find some thousands of bucks to buy a new truck?  I was, at that time, celebrating a 9:00 and a 10:30 Sunday Mass every week at St. Marks.  I had a bunch of friends there.

Cupcake of the Week to Maureen for just being Maureen and for inviting us all to share in this special memorial.

So, I called the pastor one day and asked if I may contact some of the parishioners who are my special friends.  “Yes,” he said somewhat reluctantly if I remember correctly.  “But, never, never, never mention this at the Mass or anywhere at any church function where I am the celebrant.”  Okay by me.  I felt grateful that I got what I got.

So I contact some of these dear friends of mine.  And guess who one of these people was.  Yes, my buddy Fred. 

A week passed.  Then another week.  On, perhaps the third Sunday after making my calls, I am walking from the main church to the cafetorium, where we had the 10:30 Mass.  Suddenly, a woman comes up and gives me a page.  I think it might have been Marcia Kolar.  I look at it and it says, “Help Stack get his pickup.” 

Cupcake of the Week for being Danny's wife.

I go in the cafetorium and I find these empty gallon jars that had contained mustard or ketchup.  Pasted on the jars, “Help Stack get his pickup.”  Jim Herman, who died a few years ago, was the reader that Sunday and he is up at the podium saying the same thing.  Wow, I was really getting nervous.  We could be in deep doo doo.

I see Fred and ask what does he know about all this.  He says cryptically, I will always remember, “It is easier sometimes to apologize after it is done, than to request permission ahead of time.”  

More of those marvelous Macchios.

Suddenly at that moment, like a clap of thunder in comes the pastor, yelling, “Who did this?”  He goes for me and yells that he had told me never.  He is yelling and running around trying to take back from people those little pages with “Help Stack get his truck.”  It was quite a scene.

He kept yelling and finally I gave a nod to Teresa, she started the music, and I just simply walked away and up the aisle.

The Girls.

After the Mass he was back, saying, “I know who did this,” and yelling at Fred and even Maureen, saying that Fred was going to pay for this. 

Sometime later, Fred says to me, “In all my years here, I’ve never seen him go nuclear like that.”  Before Christmas that year I was handed enough to pay $15,000 in cash for that truck. 

Fred, I never thanked you enough.

The Guys.

Readings:

Wisdom 2, 12, 17-20,  Let us condemn him to a shameful death.

 Psalm 54,    The Lord upholds my life.

James 3, 16-4, 3, Where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there is disorder.  

Mark 9, 30-37, Whoever receives one child such as this in my name, receives me.

Victoria and her dear little friend say, "Hi, Everybody, Welcome in.

Wisdom observations:  

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

Subject matter: the book makes use of traditional Jewish material, as well as ideas borrowed from Greek philosophy, in order to teach that God rewards those who are faithful to him.

        Emma, joining her pal Tori, also says, "Hi, Everybody."

Author: not Solomon, but a Jew living in Alexandria, Egypt who wrote and spoke excellent Greek.  The book is sometimes called “The Wisdom of Solomon.”

Date: ca. 100-200 before Christ.  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. 

Our Selection: what a wicked person thinks should be done with a good person–beat & kill.  This links up with the suffering servant poem from 2 Isaiah last week.  Jews think the good person getting beaten is the Jewish race/nation.  Christians think the person is Christ.

James:  presents a pretty negative image of people.  What would be a compassionate image? 

And of course, Genevieve, not wanting to be left behind, says, "Welcome, Folks.  It's fun here."

Says the child, “Numero uno or last??”

This morning I would like to talk about receiving the child. In particular, I would like to focus on the inner child, the child inside all of us, even in old geezers like myself.  

I also want to say a word about the notion of being  first or last.

To exemplify the points, a story.    I have used the story before.  It is too good to bury.   The story, the musical play Most Happy Fella.

                   Zoe, the beautiful candle lighter, at work.

The play is about a guy named Tony, middle aged Italian American, successful wine maker from Nappa Valley, and a bachelor.

He eats in a restaurant one evening in, say, Chicago.  He likes the waitress and leaves her a note with his tip, despite his shyness.   They begin a long distance correspondence and start to get close.  Both are looking for partners.

                       "Zoe, what is everybody laughing at?"

 They decide to exchange photos.  Tony, who has been taking a lot of risk because he is so shy, is afraid to show her his picture.  He thinks he is too old & too ugly.  So he sends her the photo of his handsome young farm foreman.  The foreman has already told Tony he is planning on moving on anyway.

So Tony and his girl decide to wed at the farm.  On the day of her arrival and the big wedding, Tony discovers that the foreman decided to hang around for the wedding & party.  Tony loses it.  He goes out, rolls his pickup, and almost kills himself. 

Leo and Kevin welcoming a new member to the community. How many elementary schools have a gorilla just outside of the cafeteria?

Meanwhile, girl arrives and thinks the nice foreman is the groom.  In fact, they get rather enamored of each other.  Then Tony is brought in on a stretcher.  Guess what happens then.  I’ll tell you at the end.

Let me make 2 observations about Tony. 

                            Two Greats, Shonda & Mike.

First, Tony might have had ambitions about being numero uno, but he really thought he was the last, a loser, ugly, and old.  His challenge: get away from thinking best or worst.  Both are traps.  Just accept Tony as okay.

Secondly, when Tony let himself leave the note for the waitress, he was letting his inner child out for a minute.  In his correspondence he was letting that child play.  The child wants to be loved and to play.  Trouble was, the child was not used to getting out and was afraid.   So he tries the picture trick.

                        "Don't shoot me, Leo, shoot that gorilla."

I can resemble Tony.  Thinking I am first, numero uno in anything, or last, both are traps.  I would propose it is irrelevant.  I am okay just as I am.

Like Tony I have an inner child.  Want to know what the child wants?  Just watch our kids here.  To be loved and to play.  I think this is what I am doing when I ride my bike across Iowa or in the Hotter N' Hell Hundred, and when I hike around  Yosemite.  These are great times for my inner spirit, that is, my inner child. 

                                                     The Team
   

So, two questions today:

First, where do you think of yourself, first, last, or just okay?

Secondly, how do you let your own inner child out to play? 

What happened to Tony?  He eventually became a most happily married fella.  

                                                        Secrets.

Readings:  2 Special Readings plus Psalm 145 (from Aug. 3) &  John 15, 9.  The readings:

                 Download remembrance_readings_1102.doc

Celebrating All Souls

I want to dedicate our Mass & homily this morning to two little twin girls, Samantha & Zoe.They were  born Tuesday in Plano Presbyterian to Michelle & Randolf Brown.  Michelle is the daughter of Bernadette & Gilberto Delgado.  Michelle was with us last Sunday or at most two Sundays ago.  Zoe was born healthy & happy.  Samantha died at birth.

I visited Zoe & Samantha Tuesday evening.  I baptized, blessed, & prayed for Samantha who was being held by her dad while Zoe nursed.  Both little girls were beautiful and I had a hard time registering that Samantha had moved on already to the next world.  She is one of our most recent souls whom we honor today, All Souls Day. 

Let me give you a bit of history and the thinking behind this All Souls' Day.  Five observations: the theology, purgatory-limbo, a legend, pre-Christian practices, and today.

1.  The Theology.  All Souls' Day is part of a package with All Saints.  The idea is: on All Saints' Day we honor all those who are enjoying the beatific vision, that is, heaven, the saints.  On All Souls' Day we honor those who have died but have not reached heaven because they have penance to do. 

We are talking mortal & venial sin here.  If the person died with mortal sin, they are you know where. Those with venial sins have to go through purification and purging, which brings us to All Souls' Day and purgatory.

2.  Purgatory & Limbo.  People ended up in purgatory to purify themselves with suffering, before being allowed into heaven.  Limbo was for whom?  It was for people, especially children, who died without being baptized.  They remained there how long?  Forever.  Can you imagine Samantha there or even in the old purgatory?

At least the Catholic Church this year or last acknowledged that the limbo idea was bogus.  Rome has said it does not exist and never did.  Though many consider purgatory to be in the same class, it still exists in the minds of some.    Indulgences are for the souls in purgatory or the living.  It speeds up the process for those in purgatory.  There are partial & total indulgences.  We can win them for these souls and get them out or we can win them for ourselves. 

For instance, on the last feast of Peter & Paul Rome offered an indulgence if you visited a church named after one or both of these two, and you recited a prescribed menu of prayers.  All Souls' Day used to be aimed at winning lots of indulgences for the souls in purgatory.

3.  The legend.   It happened around 1000 A.D. that a monk, St. Idolo, from the French monastery of Cluny was shipwrecked on a desolate island as he returned from a pilgrimage to the Holy Land, i.e., Israel.  On the island he met a poor hermit.  The hermit told him that among the rocks was a crevice from which came the anguished voices of the many suffering in purgatory.  Likewise, listening carefully you could hear the devils cursing that living people were speeding up the sufferings of these souls by praying and doing penance for them. 

Some time after this, i.e., 1000 A.D., the Cluny Monastery established an All Souls' Day.  Ca. 1300 Rome followed suit.  

4.  Pre-Christian times.  There is evidence that at least in Mexico numerous tribes had a day or period when the departed ancestors were honored.  The purpose was to honor them, remember their example, and to communicate with them.  In Europe food & drink was put out over night.  Today in Mexico & in Hispanic families here in the States the Day of the Dead is still celebrated.  This custom has been celebrated for 3,000 years.

5.  Today.  Limbo has been discarded by Rome and many scholars consider purgatory a dinosaur idea from antiquity.  All these ideas are man made, not God made.  Consequently, today All Souls' Day celebrates Samantha, my mom & dad, Rosemary's mom & dad, and all our loved ones pictured on the stage.  All Saints' Day still focuses on the canonized.  

Who among these people has touched your heart the most? 

AUDIO:  http://mysite.verizon.net/reso7rjy/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderfiles/2008-11-02.mp3

Picture 1: All Souls' Mass & Sabrina

Picture 2: All Souls' Mass & Choir

Picture 3: Hunter & Audry