Sunday Homily, November 4, 2007, 31st in Ordinary Time

Says Bernadette, "Welcome in, Everybody."

Readings: 

Isaiah 40, 1-5, 9-11   Comfort, give comfort to my people.  (a good one)

Psalm 104,  Bless the Lord my soul.

Titus 2, 11-14, 3, 4-7,  The grace of God has appeared.  

Like 3, 15-16, 21-22,  He will baptize you with Holy Spirit.

The Team with Tori doing the candles and Buddy the blessing of the candles and Georgie watching out for all of us.

No homily today, guest speaker from Single Parent Advocacy, Robyn LaCasse.

Bill introduces Robyn LaCasse, the Director of Operations for Single Parent Advocacy.   Members of our community helped the Advocacy present a big Christmas party for single parent families.  Remember the photos of the huge number of donated bicycles.

Our Offertory presented by David, Caroline, & Jim.

Readings:                          

Deuteronomy  30,  10-14,  Heed the voice of the Lord.

Psalm 69,  Turn to the Lord in your need and you will live.

Colossians 1, 15-20,     Jesus is the image of the invisible God.

Luke 10, 25-37,  The man robbed on the road to Jericho.

Genevieve says, "Welcome in, Everybody.  It is nice to be back.  Here, let me open the door for you."

Deuteronomy observations:

The Scene: the desert outside the promised land.  Moses is talking to the people about all that has happened to them since he led them out of Israel and through the desert for many years.  Now, as they prepare to enter, Moses is dying.  He is simply exhorting them to love Yahweh and obey his laws. 

The Author:  not Moses.  A compilation put into three discourses.

Date:  guess when?  Yes, after the Babylonian Captivity, ca. 555 before Christ.

Subject today:  Moses talks about a command, but never mentions exactly what it is.  Watch for the answer in today's gospel.  The Great Command, to be a Good Samaritan.

Says Zoe, "Hi, Folks, Yes, it is nice to be back.  California is also pretty nice."

The Victims in Our Lives

This past Friday evening I did something I have been doing a lot of.  I rode my bike down the White Rock Creek Path to The Lake, went around it, and came back up the path to Royal Lane, a distance of about 20 miles.   Sorry to tell another biking story, but it was so relevant for me at the time.

As I was coming home and making the transition from the Lake to the Path, I went under the new Northwest Hwy Bridge.  Being dusk it was sort of dark under the bridge.  However, to my left about twenty yards over to the wall, I noticed 3 bikers stopped maybe two guys and a girl. 

So, I took a deep breath and yelled, “You guys okay, need any help?”

Welcome back to you, Leo.  I've missed the Leo spirit around here.

It may seem pretty trivial, but this is so hard for me to do.  These people are calling me to be a Good Samaritan.  I, however, am obsessed about keeping my schedule.  As I yelled I was hoping they would say, “We are okay.”  Which they did.  So I got off easy. 

I asked these people because I knew I was going to have to make a resolution in view of this homily.  I even used to ask people, but got too busy, at least in my mind. 

Victoria and Zoe, our Candle Lighters of The Week.

In the past two months I have passed two groups.  One group of two guys, they were walking a bike with a flat front tire.  I can fix flats in ten minutes.   I have everything I need.  The other group was under another bridge and had a bike upside down and they were working on an inner tube.  Both times I passed by, said nothing, and then felt guilty.

So, I resolve to always ask people if they need help when I see them standing by their bike. 

Now, you say, ‘Well, I don’t even ride a bike.  How does this pertain to me?’   My bet?  Somewhere you have a similar challenge.

Three of the Wyndham Clan, Ron, Barbara, and Ray.

As a community, I would highlight a joy I have, the fact that we attempt to be a good Samaritan to a number of small charities, and in particular to Souls Harbor.  This is a privilege. 

Recalling my psych stuff, How am I called to be a good Samaritan to myself?   We are all wounded people in some way.  How am I nurturing my spirit?  Where have I been hurt and how am I a Good Samaritan with that hurt? 

Where are you challenged to be a Better Good Samaritan?

"Nothing beats Grandma's hugs,"  says Zoe?

Readings: Isaiah 7, 10-14; Psalm 24; Romans, 1, 1-7; Matthew 1, 18-24.

Isaiah: The great prophetic book.  8 centuries before Christ.  Talking here about the coming of the savior.

The Gift of Life

Last Sunday morning ca. 1:30 A.M., a friend of mine was having insomnia.  She got up without waking her husband.  Got into her car and headed down Belt Line to get a coffee or something at the 7-11 on the corner near Central.  Along the way she lost control of her Expedition, ran into a pole, and then slammed into another.  Parkland Hospital awakened her husband at 3:00 A.M. to inform him that his wife Sally had just died in their emergency room.

I have known Sally Ann Kidwell Swenholt since the 60’s when she was a little girl and I taught her big brother John Michael at Jesuit, where he was a good basketball player.   She was 48 and married 29 years to her high school boy friend. Her father had been my dentist in Preston Center until he retired and John Michael took over.  She became a dental hygienist and cleaned my teeth every year or so.  Her sister Susanne is a special friend.  I have loved this family and been privileged to walk with them through some great times and some troubled times.  This event has knocked me out.  Why?  And why at this time of year.

Some observations.

I can’t answer the why question for myself.  It just happens.  I can live with that mystery.  However, one big lesson stands out for me: life is a gift.  I may blow it off or I may treasure and appreciate it.  Sally Ann did the latter and I hope to follow her example.

One of the qualities that endeared her to me was that she was a delightful airhead who chattered non-stop.  The Kidwell dental office works very efficiently, on time.  You get your teeth cleaned & X-rayed in 30 minutes.  More attention needed, you make another appointment.  I do not know how she & I ever got through a half hour appointment.  Talk & more talk.  Ever try to tell someone how your sister is or how the Masses are at San Vino with someone cleaning your teeth with a drill mounted brush?  We always had so much to catch up on. 

As a tribute to her person centered, caring life, as well as the Kidwell family, St. Rita’s was full with a thousand plus people.  People were standing in the back.  Even though I could not concelebrate with Phil Postell, the Jesuit president, I was delighted that I got the idea and then did it: I applauded after Shauna, Sally’s oldest child who also works at the dental office, gave a beautifully amusing & tear filled eulogy to her mom.  In fact, though I fantasized that I might be clapping all alone, people not only jumped right in, but as Shauna came down & hugged her dad, the whole community stood and redoubled their applause.   I was in tears. 

One other observation.  When Sally drove into that pole on Belt Line she did not have her seat belt on.

We are privileged to celebrate here this morning, we are privileged to celebrate Christmas tomorrow, we are privileged to be alive.

How are you treasuring this gift today?

Readings:

Exodus, 17, 8-13,  Joshua mowed down Amelak and his people.  

 Psalm 121,  Our help is from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.

2 Timothy  3, 14-4, 2,  Remain faithful to what you learned.

 Luke 18, 1–8,   The poor widow who pestered the judge.

Harper says, "Welcome, Everybody."  And what could I be seeing on your cheeks, Harper?  

Exodus  observations:

What: A very readable story about the Israelites departing their slavery in Egypt.  Moses is their reluctant leader and his struggle in getting old Pharoah to allow the people to depart is classic.   The story, mostly fable, continues through the people's journey through the Sinai Desert for 40 years and their entrance into the Caananite land, a land promised to them by Yahweh. 

 When put together:  Two collections were recorded as early as the time of Solomon, about 1000 ears before Christ.  Other collections were added and the definitive & final form took place around the Babylonian Captivity, i.e., 555 before Christ.  

Our Selection: The people are in the desert.  They get attacked by the Amelekites.  How Moses saves the day is amusing.  The finale is not so amusing, but typical for the time.

Sources:  The New Jerusalem Bible, Good News Bible. 

Victoria, too, says, "Hi, Folks, Come in."

What We Ask For

A few years ago I had three elderly people from the subdivision of Northwood Hills contact me about planting trees in their neighborhood.  Two were a couple and there was a third guy, all probably about my age right now.  I really did not want to do this project because they were north of LBJ and I thought it was too far to drag the water trailer full of water from Jesuit, where I was living then.

Welcome in to you, My Dearest Vivian.  So nice to see you.  Thanks to your special mommy.

So I put them off.  Maybe even for a year.  Eventually, however, because of their persistence I went to see their project, which consisted of Fretz Park, Hillcrest from LBJ to Beltline, Beltline from Preston to Coit, and a neighborhood elementary school, about 350 plus trees.

Despite not being eager to tackle the distance, two things pulled down my resistance.  First, they were willing to kick in a good portion of the cost of the trees.  Secondly, they were so gracious and eager to improve their own neighborhood.  I could not tell them no after all they were willing to put out, and all their pleading. 

Genevieve says, "Where now is that Vivian?  She has disappeared."

You know the rest.  We planted one of our bigger projects and the trees are thriving.   I was especially touched because they gave me a recognition of gratitude at one of their large community meetings.

When I hear Luke's story about the widow & the judge I always think about Northwood Hills.  With gratitude. 

With confusion also, because I have difficulty with the main point of the story.  Namely, that God will answer persistent prayer, without even being slow about it, as Luke says.  Do you believe that God answers our prayers, and even more swiftly if we are persistent as the widow?  My mom thought that a nine day novena with special prayers got her every request, though my memory tells me otherwise.

Entrance of Lauren Lucas and her dad, Jim.  Friday night wedding at Ana Villa in The Colony.  

I need to make a distinction and an observation to make sense of this for me.  I have talked with numerous people about this discomfort I have.   The distinction is between a macro-managing God and a micro-managing God.

The macro-managing God I can handle.  This god is behind the big stuff, the sky, creation, the stars, life, the balance of the universe.  I see this god as like a person bowling.  He gets the ball going and it travels on its own.

The Unity Candle, Lauren & Dylan.

The micro-managing god, however, is responsible for my sickness.  He makes good things happen & bad things.  He can change each.  If I pester this god enough he will find my lost wedding ring or car keys.  He will cure the sick, make me rich, fix the lottery so I win it, and so forth.  This god I don't see in my experience.

Then why do I pray for people?  Like at our prayers of the faithful.  This is the observation. I pray first because I think, I hope, our God hears and is personal.  Secondly, I pray because I imagine that my spirit sends forth some kind of emotional energy to that God that says, "Please take special care of this person I love."  When we do this as a group, the emotional energy has a little more punch. 

Exit and beginning of a New Life for Lauren and Dylan Mosley.  

I also pray for people because it sensitizes me to the suffering & difficulty other people are experiencing.

So where does this leave us?  Don't pray for people?  Don't pray persistently like the little widow or the people from Northwood Hills?  No. It may mean I lower my expectations. Maybe it helps to make the distinction about the macro vs micro-managing god.  I still remember people in prayer. 

Ultimately, what is your belief about praying for special intentions?

Is there anything you cannot do, Leo?  This is terrific.  Move over, Ray & Mary.  

You ready to read, Buddy?

Readings:  

 Jeremiah 31, 7-9,  The Lord has delivered his people.

Psalm 126,  The Lord has done great things for us, we are filled with joy

 Hebrews 5, 1-6,  Every high priest is taken from among the people.

 Mark 10, 46-52,   Bartimaeus, the blind man.

While Emma lights the candles, Buddy reads the Blessing of The Candles, a first time ever for Buddy.

Jeremiah observations:

Who:  one of the Big 3 Prophets, 52 chapters, the “broken hearted prophet,” because he hated being so unpopular and having to condemn so much. 

Baruch, Jeremiah’s scribe seems to be who put down the prophet’s message.   Jeremiah probably died in Egypt.

When: put together before & during the B.C., Babylonian Captivity, say 555 before Christ  (reminder, Babylon is near present day Bagdad, Iraq).

Remember, too, that time before Christ is counting downward or backwards.

Our Belief.

Interesting Side Note: (another reminder) can you guess when the Genesis story of creation in 7 days was composed?  Biblical research reveals that the creation story was put together during the Captivity, this same time, i.e. ca. 555.

Why?  The priests & prophets (e.g., Ezekiel) of the Jews in captivity determined that the people would not be assimilated into the local gene pool as their cousins in the northern kingdom had done when made to live with the Assyrians.  They decided they would establish customs & religious practices that would make the Jews so different they would not intermarry.  Three special laws were established: 1.  male circumcision; 2. dietary laws and laws about not touching menstruating women; and 3. the Sabbath.

The Healing Touch

The priests put together the 7 day creation story to suggest that Yahweh approved of their Sabbath law.  They had Yahweh rest on the 7th day to bolster their demand that all Jews take a day off every 7 days.  Before the Babylonian Captivity there was no legislated Sabbath and no myth of Yahweh creating the world in 7 days with the 7th being a day of rest.  So, now you know when the story was created & by whom, the priests, and why, to keep the Jews united vs the Babylonians.  It worked, even down to today.

Subject of the work: the usual prophet message—condemn, pay, peace.

Today's subject: Beautiful message of peace and consolation.  It is coming.

Sources: Bishop John Shelby Spong, The sins of Scripture; Wikipedia

The Healing Touch for Emma.

Homily: