Sunday Homily, February 4, 2007 – 5th Sunday, Ordinary Time

Readings:

1 Kings  17, 17-24,  The life breath returned to the body of the child.

Psalm 30,  I will praise you, Lord, for you have rescued me.

Galatians 1, 11-19,  The gospel preached by me is not of human origin.

Luke 9, 11-17,  Young man, I tell you, arise.

 

 Observations on the readings: 

 

1 Kings 17:17-24

The young man’s mother recognizes that the word of the Lord
truly comes from Elijah’s mouth.  He
breaths forth life into her son in this parable.

Second reading: Galatians 1:11-19

Our Gospel is the proclamation of good news, where good news, is a noun. Paul is preaching good news that came to him
through a revelation of Jesus Christ, where preaching
good news is a verb.  The Gospel
hadn’t been written, yet.

Gospel:  Luke 7:11-17

 

Paul uses the word ‘flesh’ at least 100 times in his
letters, once in our short reading from Galatians. 

 I want
you to understand a verse from John’s gospel. 
‘What is born of flesh is flesh; what is born of Spirit is spirit.  To be born only of flesh means that when a
decision needs to be made that person relies only on his mind…and the mind
seeks to have the flesh satisfied. 

 

Everything
God created is good; the flesh is good. For example; if you work hard all
morning your stomach lets your mind know that your body wants some food.  So, if you are home, you use your mind and go
to the refrigerator to find something to eat. 
Your mind will seek to satisfy the flesh when you open that door.  Anything is fair game. 

 

But, what is born of Spirit is spirit, where
the Spirit has a [capital S].  The Spirit
enhances the flesh!  Instead of a desire
to satisfy your flesh your desire is to put your spouse first, even if he or
she is not there. What is born of Spirit is spirit. 

 

 

A great way to hone in on Spirit-living
begins with, ‘in everything give thanks.’ 
If you go to the refrigerator only to find it empty, give thanks. Your
desire to satisfy just the flesh will begin to fade away.  Pick up the list of things on the counter
that you and your spouse make to replenish the empty refrigerator.  Give thanks when the parking place is further
away from the store than you had hoped. The exercise will be good. 

 

Someone left a cart in a good parking place.
Give thanks that someone will find it a good place as soon as you push it
toward the store doors. 

Number 2. Affirm
your spouse for the great things that he or she put on the grocery list.   Affirm the stocker who has just filled up
the shelf, ‘looks great.’ 

 

3, Be a good
listener at home, and enjoy looking into your spouse’s eyes and touching his or
her shoulder or hand. 

Last of all always
forgive your spouse; it is in giving that you receive.  Remember, forgiveness is the message of the
good news of Jesus Christ.  Recall for a
moment our communal services in Lent and Advent.  You listen, you look into each other’s eyes,
you ask to be forgiven, you forgive others; you embrace; you affirm; you give
thanks. 

 

In today’s gospel, a young man
is seeking forgiveness. The assembly ritually carries him.  He’s not heavy; he’s their brother. The
assembly mourns along with his mother for all of times that they have not shown
love.  They are professing their faith with
him.

 

In this parable Jesus is there to grant forgiveness to this young
man.  He will rise to be set free, unbound from whatever had enslaved him.  In faith, through the power of the Holy Spirit
we can say those words to someone; and we have during Lent and Advent.             

Is there someone you know who needs
to be forgiven.   Give thanks that you
have the time to heal yourself and them this week. 

 

 

 

Readings:

Isaiah 62, 1-5,  The Lord delights in you.

Psalm 96,  Proclaim his marvelous deeds to all the nations.

1 Corinthians 12, 4-11, There are different kinds of spiritual gifts, but the same Spirit.

John 2, 1-11, There was a wedding at Cana in Galilee.

 For those who don’t have a decent Bible or a book of the readings, here are two links that I use, The Bible at Your Fingertips (http://st-luke-church.org/bible-at-finger-tips.php) and USCCB, The New American Bible (http://www.usccb.org/).  

The difference?  The first is Protestant more or less, and the second is officially Catholic and has the 12 little books in between the O.T. & N.T., called Deuterocanonical or Apocrypha. 

Both are good translations.     

 Homily for January 20

 One of the three summer canoe trips that I used to organize each year at St. Mark was for the 13 and 14 year old children.  It was a three-day trip where we put in the Brazos River just south of Cleburne off highway 67 below the Boy Scout camp.

On the third day all the adult team was aware of a stop we would make an hour or so before we would board the bus for home.  The young people would be tired and hot as they approached some water gently pouring over some limestone at probably 5 or 10 gallons a minute like a miniature waterfall. 

They got terribly excited when they were told that it was a natural spring, cold and drinkable. The kids would take turns standing under it with their mouths open. 

2000 years ago a traveling Jesus and his disciples would have loved such water.  They would have used it drink and to dilute the wine that they had with them.  Travelers usually didn’t drink water unless it was living, flowing from a spring or recent rain.  They drank diluted wine.

The OT Stories were written around things like living waters, wine and vineyards.  Since the gospels fulfilled the expectation of the OT for the coming of the Messiah, within them these symbols took on a deeper spiritual meaning. The vine became the symbol of Christ, living waters the symbol for the good news.

Since the word, wine, is present in most, if not all, of the books in the OT, we should expect that the wine in today’s gospel would be a symbol for something terribly important…and it is.

In the Mark gospel we are presented with this metaphor.  You don’t pour new wine into an old wineskin.  Anyone who ever left a wet handball or golf glove in the sun knows why.  You would find it stiff and hardened.  If you tried to pour new wine into them, the cracks in the leather would become revealed.  The wine would be lost; the leather also would be of no value.

Therefore, Place new wine into new wineskins!  In the Story where you find that metaphor, you are introduced to the hardened hearts of the Pharisees and scribes who had rejected the good news and therefore the Holy Spirit that flowed forth from those living waters.

Remember the Holy Spirit and the unclean spirits cannot coexist within a heart.  A new wineskin is the heart of someone who has repented and welcomed the new wine, the Holy Spirit.

So, now you pretty much know the meaning of the parable about the wedding feast in Cana of Galilee.  The old wine gave out because God sent to us his only begotten Son with new wine. The empty jars used in the purification rite within Judaism that had been empty, barren, now would be fulfilled by living waters, to the brim…from which would pour forth the Holy Spirit. 

What one thing would I like for you to take away from the gospel today?  

The Greek word for the servants who assisted Jesus in today’s gospel is used for male or female, diakonia. We are to understand that they were manifesting the Holy Spirit to those at the wedding feast of Cana by their words and actions. 

You might have felt distanced by Nancy’s 2^nd reading if you were wondering who those people are in our assembly.  We are those people!   Those who proclaimed the Word; those who serve at the table, those who distribute from the table; those who wash and fill the cups; those who bake the bread; those who set the table with gifts; those who lead us in song; those who give and distribute our gifts to those in need; those who visit the sick; those who extend the sign of peace to one another.

We are his body, blessed and broken for each other.

 

 

 

 

Readings: Deuteronomy 30, 10-14; Psalm 69; Colossians 1, 15-20; LUKE 10, 25-37, The Good Samaritan.

Deuteronomy: the scene is 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, and Moses is dying, he is simply exhorting them to love Yahweh and obey his laws.

Moses talks about a command, but never mentions exactly what it is.  Watch for the answer in today’s gospel.  The Great Command.

The Good Samaritan

I am going to do an explication of text today. 

Initially this parable looks like simply an encouragement to help others. Actually there is a second meaning, perhaps much more profound, especially for the Jews who are listening. It has to do with prejudice.

The setting. A Jewish lawyer is asking a question about his justification. Where does one draw the line in helping a person. Who is my neighbor? Some observations.

First, the road from Jerusalem to Jericho was notoriously dangerous and plagued with thieves. That this man was alone is significant.  People would travel in groups for safety. Was he an outcast?  Friendless?  Not too intelligent or innocent?

Second, the man was stripped. For the lawyer this would signify that the man was without identity, of no identifiable class. In other words, he might not be a lawyer or intellectual or even a Jew. He was Every Person.  A human being.

The priest & the Levite. The lawyer would know why they did not stop to help. The Law. They could have been on the way to the temple and they could not cause themselves to be ritually impure. In the temple they had to be pure, no contact with dirty people orthey could not offer their sacrifice. Obviously organized religion still follows this practice. 

Along comes a Samaritan. To the Jewish lawyer & the Jewish listeners Samaritans were considered demon possessed.  Samaritans intermarried with pagans, i.e., people who did not recognize Yahweh as the name of their God. They would defile the temple just by entering. In sum, they were vile and dirty, certainly not capable of performing an act of love.  

But, to the surprise of the lawyer & the audience, it is the Samaritan who performs the act of love.  He even risks his own life by rescuing the man. Jesus further twists the knife by showing how the Samaritan goes beyond the call by setting the man up in an inn and promising to cover all his expenses.

The composer of the parable goes further and plays with two elements used in the temple sacrifice: oil and water.  He employs these elements to clean (purify?) the victim.  The author knows what he is suggesting in using these items.

Jesus is responding to the lawyer’s question, "Who is my neighbor," by saying "Everybody."  No prejudice.

Who is the number one neighbor you are taking care of today?

Audio: http://mysite.verizon.net/reso7rjy/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderfiles/2007-07-15.mp3

 

Says Emma, Hi, Folks, Welcome in.  

 

Readings:

Malachi 1, 14-2, 2, 8-10,   A great king am I, says the Lord

Psalm 131,  In you, O Lord, I have found my Peace

Thessalonians 2, 7-9, 13 ,  We were gentle with you.

Matthew 23, 1-12,  Do not be like the Pharisees.

 

 

Likewise, Zoe, says, "Good Morning, Everybody, Come in."

 

 

Observations on Malachi:

 Interesting notes, a review:

                   1.  This is the last book of the Old Testament.    

                   2.  A little book, only 4 chapters.

                   3.  Last of the 12 minor prophets ( minor because of their small content )

 

 Author: Malachi means “my messenger.”  The writer’s real name is unknown.

 

 

 

Offertory with Sydney & Hugh, Nina & Kerry.

 

 

 Date:   555 years before Christ.  This is deduced from the emphasis on the temple and the priesthood, and the word “governor” used one time.  Governors ruled after the Babylonian Exile, ca. 590-550, kings before.    

 The temple was rebuilt ca. 520 after the Israelites came back ca. 550 from the Babylonian Exile.  The Persian ruler Cyrus let them return & rebuild the old walls & temple. 

 Message:  Beware, you priests and people, because you are lax, corrupt, and cheating God of his rightful offerings.   Again, the prophet act: 1. condemn behavior, 2. promise punishment, 3. offer consolation after reform.

 

 

 

Sophia, our Candle Lighter of The Week, in action.

 

 

Today’s Message:

                   1.  Yahweh is speaking, actually to the priests, though in the official reading this reference is edited out.   

                   2.  You priests, I will curse you if you do not honor my name.

                    3.  I have made you contemptable because you don't follow my ways.  Again, note the Prophet's message: 1. condemn behavior, 2. promise punishment, 3. consolation after the conversion.

                   Sources:  Good News Bible; New Interpreter’s Study Bible; The Minor Prophets by Al Maxey (on line); & Wikipedia

 

 

 

So, Georgie, how is it being 16?   Know you are The Best.

 

Gratitude for Blessings 2017-11-04

Rosemary & I have an end of year exercise we go through, what are the Blessings of the Year.  We write them down.  It is a process of numerous days, beginning with Thanksgiving and ending only around New Years. 

So, when I told Rosemary I wanted to give a Thanksgiving homily this Sunday, she says, “Okay, but don’t get off on your Big 3.  People have heard them often enough.”  “But people forget,” I say to little avail.  So I won’t, with nothing more than their mention.  Namely, 1. My years as a Jesuit.   2. My years in East Africa.  3.  My years with Rosemary.

 

 

 

Study Hall for Tori & Zoe. 

 

The following are five 2017 gifts or blessings.

1. The Jewish Community Center.  I know only a small slice of the Community’s day, from about 5:30 to 7:00 every weekday morning, always in the spin class room or in the gym. 

The peopIe I have come to know and love are so normal and loving.  Plus they all work at keeping themselves in some kind of good shape.  I look at these good people and I think that it is my religion, Catholicism and Christianity that has caused this community to be hounded, hunted, persecuted, and killed for centuries, ever since Matthew wrote the Blood Curse, Let his blood be upon us and our children.”   Matthew 27.   I am humbled they accept me.

 

 

 

All Our Saints for All Saints.
 

 

2. Rob, Beth, Rosemary, & I rode the 20 mile Dallas Bikes rally yesterday and it was glorious. It was a blessing and reminded me of two other special summer blessings look forward to and I take part in every year, Ragbrai (ride across Iowa for a week, 500 miles) and the Matterhorn Canyon back packing trip. 

 

 

 

All Saints Prep with Karen and Denni.

 

2. A third blessing this year has been, don’t laugh, you ladies, Romeos!  I look forward to this get together with the guys all week and it is always fun. 
3. For a number of years a classmate and good friend of mine from the days we spent together at Jesuit has made a significant financial monthly donation to our community. It, together with everybody else’s generosity, enables us to help so many deserving people.
4. Finally and most obvious to me so often, the unbelievable blessing of you, our Sunday community. It is a clear sign you all must be crazy.

 

 

 

 

All Saints prep with Geri and Sandra.
 

 

What are your Blessings of The Year 2017?

 

 

 

Our Saints. 

Readings: Daniel 7, 13-14; Psalm 93, The Lord is King, He is robed in Majesty; Revelation 1, 5-8; John 18, 33-27

History of the Christ the King Feast: date, author, reason it was declared

Date: Not during the early church, not during the time when Constantine made Christianity the religion of the Empire, not during the time of Luther & the Reformation, not during the time of Pius IX with the Italian Resorgiamento & his Infallibility statement (1870), but in 1925.  Fairly Recently.

Author: Pius XI, pope 1922-39

Reason(s): at least 2 factors–The Times and Modernism/Secularism

1.  The Times:

a) End of WW I and build up to WW II   

b) Mussolini & Hitler: the same year Pius XI became pope, Mussolini became prime minister.  By 1925 he had become a dictator.  The feast was to counter the dictatorship.

2.  Modernism & Secularism:

a) Modernism.  Despite being scholarly and pro-scientific methods, Pius XI was suspicious of biblical scholarship which questioned, for example, biblical inerrancy, the nature of bible miracles, the virgin birth, the resurrection, the atonement theory that God demanded his son suffer & die for a single sin by a human.

b) Secularism coming out of the Enlightenment said that all people were equal, people should have a say in government as in democracy, and backed the separation of church/state, like proposed by Jefferson. 

Sources: Living with Christ, Nov., 2009; Wikipedia

Requiem for a Chevy Pickup

When I first returned to Dallas after my time in East Africa, I determined that I would like to stay here and I would help to make Dallas a prettier place to live in by planting a few trees.  I started the fall of 1987 by planting on the Jesuit campus 88 trees plus.  The next year, with no more room on the campus, we went down Inwood Road and Willow.  I watered the trees out of buckets in the back of a Chevy Celebrity sedan.

A year or so later I was using the school pick up.  I remember it conking out on us the Sunday we planted Royal Lane.  The red trailer was tearing up the transmission. 

So I said to my Jesuit community brothers, "Hey, I am needing a new truck."  And they said, "Sure.  But you got to get the money yourself."  "Thanks, guys."  This was early in 94.

I'm thinking to myself, 'where can I get all this money?'  I called Claude Smyth.  The former pastor of St. Mark's, Monsignor Claude Smyth.

I ask him, since this is my community, may I contact some of the parish people whom I know?  He says yes, but then gives me a long list of things I cannot do under any circumstances, like no appeal at Mass, no public announcements on Sundays, and so forth.  "No problem," I say.  Then I proceed to contact maybe a dozen families I think can help me personally or who can spread the word quietly that I need help. 

The following Sunday, after saying the Mass in the main church at 9:00, I am walking the breezeway over to the cafetorium for the 10:30.  I run into Marcia Kolar and some other women passing out pages saying John Stack needs help to buy a new truck.  I walk into the cafetorium and there are plastic containers saying the same thing.  A few minutes later, Jim Herman, the lector is announcing the message from the podium.

At that instance, guess who walked in.  'Walked in' is an understatement.  'Stormed in' is more like it.  He was taking the pages out of people's hands, running back & forth.  Anyway, after screaming at me for a while, I walk up the aisle and start the Mass. 

The couple responsible for that event is here today.  Fred & Maureen.  I will always be grateful to you two.  In fact, just before Christmas, that year, 1994, I went over to the old Doran Chev. and paid $15,000 for that white truck I've used all these years to drag the red trailer around watering hundreds of trees.

Today I hand over to Janette Monear and the TX Trees Foundation the keys to the truck & trailer, so the rig can continue to maintain baby trees around Dallas.  The truck was given to me for that project and now that I am semi-retiring, I hand over the truck to Janette. 

Picture 1:  Tree people: Rosemary, The old Geezer, Gayle, Janette, Hugh, Sandra & Chuck

Picture 2:  The transfer of the keys to the truck

Picture 3:  Janette Monear of the TX Trees Foundation receiving the keys to the pickup and giving everyone a baby live oak tree

Picture 4:  Julie reading (Emily's mom)

 

 

Readings: Isaiah 6, 1-8; Psalm 138, In the Sight of the Angels I will Sing Your Praises, Lord; 1 Corinthians 15,1-11; Luke 5, 1-11. 

Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time – Reflections on the Readings

 

A brief few words about our first reading from Chapter 6 of Isaiah.  This reading could in fact easily begin the book of Isaiah.  It gives us the call of Isaiah.  King Uzziah has died after reigning for over 40 years, 40 years of great security and prosperity. 

   

We are told of a vision, which the prophet sees of God, and notice the threefold repeating of the word Holy.  Only God is holy, all holiness.  The prophet proclaims that he is doomed because mere humans cannot look at God. 

 

 

In our second reading, from Paul, he reminds us that he too saw the Risen Lord, and his response, like Peter’s in our gospel reading, it is the same, unworthiness.

  

 The readings all show up the same response from humans when faced with God.  And in each case God is able to reach thru the response and draw the person into a relationship of discipleship. 

 

 

 

 

Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time – Homily

  

What happens when we come face to face with God?  In each of our three readings today this is what we hear about.  For Isaiah it is a vision of God who is Holy, holy holy! And Isaiah’s reaction is similar to Peter’s and later to Paul’s, one of unworthiness in the face of God’s goodness.  But God is able to reach thru that tendency to turn away and invite all three into a relationship of discipleship.

 

 

Our presence here today also comes from some kind of encounter with God, maybe not as Isaiah’s vision of God surrounded with angels, or Peter’s encounter thru the miraculous catch of fish, or Paul’s vision of Light, but in some way God has reached into our lives, whether thru the action of our parents having us baptized, or thru an encounter with someone as an adult, which caused us to want to be here, we each got up this morning and among all of the options available to us, we chose to be here! 

   

And as we celebrate our Liturgy together we too will acknowledge our own unworthiness, several times.  We start with our penitential rite, in the Our Father we ask God to forgive us, in the Lamb of God we sing “Have mercy on us” and before communion we say “I am not worthy”.  But God has managed to reach thru to us, which is why we are here. 

 

But now the question we need to start answering is “what does it mean to be a disciple?”  God enters my life, so what? 

 

  
 

Let’s take a simple example.  When two people become friends, their lives are different as a result, and depending on the kind of friendship, so too the effect on their lives.  When Gayle and I met, I was single and living in an apartment in Carrollton, and she was single and living in her home in Highland Village.  When we decided to be married, we both left the comfort of our previous lives and set off for California.  This had a big impact not just on our lives but also on the lives of our kids!!  I am sure each one of you can tell stories of how your lives were changed as a result of different relationships you entered into. 

 

So too with our relationship with God.  What is the change?  What does God want in a relationship?  For Isaiah, it was to be a prophet to the people of Judah, for Peter it was to become a “fisher of men” and for Paul, it was to tell the whole world, or as much of it as he could get to in those days, about God. 

 

Our instructions are equally clear, Love God and love one another.  How am I doing in that area?

  

In every relationship, one thing that has to happen is that we have to get to know each other.  Anna in the musical “The King and I” sings that lovely song “getting to know you”, and we too need to continue to ‘get to know God’.  We do so thru our presence here, by listening to his Word.  In any relationship, we will also go out for a meal.  And thru sharing food, we get to know each other better. 

  

And so we are here today celebrating a Memorial Meal with God.  We are reminded during the Eucharistic Prayer to “Do this in Memory of me”.  It is another way of our staying in touch with God.  As a people, we have heard the Church Bell, and responded by coming together as a People, to Listen to God’s Word and to “remember Jesus’ Last Meal with His disciples. 

  

 

What does all this mean for us today  We are called to be a people of Hope, of Love and Forgiveness, a kind of light of Joy to the World. 

 

In the words of St Francis:

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
and where there is sadness, joy.

O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek
to be consoled as to console;
to be understood as to understand;
to be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive;
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life. Amen

 

Picture 1:  Mass beginning with Tony & Kevin

 

Picture 2:  Sean

 

Picture 3:  Gilbert with Georgie & Zoe in his lap

 

Picture 4:  Jo with Hunter, Audrey, and Dillon