Reminder for the 4thd Sunday in Lent, March 19, 2023

Here is the homily for Sunday.

Ezekiel

Ezekiel was the third great prophet with Isaiah and Jeremiah, because this author’s book is big like theirs, divided into 48 chapters.  Ezekiel is called by God to warn the Israelite people of their coming punishment and banishment to Babylon because of their infidelity to God and his law.  Ezekiel starts out about 600 years before Jesus lived and before the Babylonian captivity. Ezekiel’s prophecies continue through the captivity and the return of the Jewish people to Israel.

                                                                              

Homily

The book of Ezekiel is about warning people to get it together. The Gospel story has a similar directive to warn or confront a friend of their need for correction.  I want to say a word about that difficult directive.  The formula given in Matthew is 1) By yourself, speak your hurt to your friend and try to work it out; 2) take one or two others and confront your friend; and 3) take it to the community for mediation.  The smartest statement in Matthew may be admitting that these three steps might not achieve the desired end, and then you start over from scratch (or you drop it).  The point I want to make is that human relationship is probably the most difficult thing we do as humans and that healing hurt is what we’re all about.

An example is a personal case I have talked about before, between my sisters and me.   

1) Two of my sisters felt hurt and upset by each other’s actions in regards to our sister Carol’s care in a nursing home. Our older sister had been in charge of managing Carol’s care.  The sister who lives in the town where Carol’s nursing home was visited Carol and checked up on her every day. The older sister and the local sister didn’t seem able to speak respectfully to or listen well with each other. Often they would cancel out one another’s directives about Carol’s care. So Step 1 didn’t really happen.

2) Their inability to connect work together as co-caregivers led to step 2 and my involvement. Our older sister asked me to be present at a meeting with the local sister and our youngest sister, and an ombudsman representing Carol. This was an awkward meeting.  Since the home had complained about the local sister’s intrusive and disruptive behavior at the home, and threatened to ask us to remove Carol from the home, I and our youngest sister sided with our older sister in the matter. In theory this meeting had the potential of bringing us together for Carol’s sake.  In reality the process pitted two sisters and a brother against Carol’s local sister and set limits on that sister’s behavior as regards the nursing home and its staff.  No real listening to one another happened.

3) That takes us to Step 3: As Catholic Christians we no longer have a tradition of taking one’s hurts to the church community for mediation.  That venue in this time is the court.  Carol’s local sister took the matter to the court and she ultimately gained legal management over Carol’s care.  This result was probably beneficial to Carol as the push and pull about her welfare and treatment ended, and Carol’s local sister continued to visit and care for her till Carol died 1½ years ago. The family breach, however, hardened, and my sisters remain estranged from one another. 

 

Do I think I am alone in having family hurts that remain unresolved?  No, I don’t. In 44 years as a counselor, I have known many relationships that are stuck in their hurt.  Do I lose hope for them or for my own family relationships?  No I don’t.  Today’s second reading from Paul to the Romans, is a clue to our hope: everything is summed up by love, and there’s no accounting for how or when love will find expression. Period.

Finally, going back to Ezekiel, near the end of his book (in Chapter 37) Ezekiel talks about God’s promise, when times were the darkest, to raise up the people of Israel and help them get it together and walk back to their promised land.  His point was that, even if we are dead and gone and our bones are dried up, even then God is with us raising us up. Ezekiel’s poetic words were turned into a spiritual I remember singing as a child: “Dem bones, dem bones, dem dry bones….I hear the Word of the Lord” …  your toe bone connected to your foot bone, your foot bone connected to your ankle bone….

 

My question for you is: Who has been Ezekiel in your life, confronting you and giving you hope in stuck times?

And when have you been the Ezekiel in someone else’s life?

 

 

 

 

 

Hi, Emma, Happy Easter

 

 

Rosemary's Blessing of The Week:

 

Risen Jesus, help us to be human expressions of the God

you proclaimed: a God who is gracious and merciful,

slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness.

 

May we know deeply God's great love for us, and like

God, lean toward those suffering, oppressed and poor.

 

Taken from A Reflection and Prayer for Easter by S. Jean Amore, CSJ

 

 

John reading from Acts of the Apostles.

 

 

Thanks to these special people:

•    For  the Readings:   John & Mary Jane
•    For The Team:    Buddy  & Georgie, John & Mike
•    For the Communion Bread:   Alison
•    For the Special Communion Cups:  Jan
•    For the Pictures:   Rick &  Mike & Connie 
•    For the coffee and extras: Mike & Jackie
•    For the altar & sound:  Jackie
•    For the Music:     Ben  & David  & Shonda
•    For all who helped with Communion 

 

 

 

Mary Jane reading from 1 Corinthians.

 

Birthdays:    Jean O’Donnell (81, Thusday), Hugh Bivona (29^th)

 

 

 

 

Happy 81st Birthday, My Dearest Jean. 

 

 

Remember these special people

For Beth & John O'Donnell & Mary Ellen;   For Carol's recuperation;   For Dee and her daughter, Lisa; For John Schanot's continued recuperation;   For a young man who is suffering from depression;  For Cliff & Jean, plus Jean's brother Terry;   For Rosemary's niece, Beth and her partner, Sarah with cancer;   For Laura's sister Claudia;   For Dawn;    For Anthony & Sabrina;   For John & Jean's son John Louis;   For our good friend Kay in Ontario;   For Rose's daughter in law Jamie; For a  young father of two & married, Paul Day, struggling with a heart problem

 

 

 

 

Holy Thursday at Marlene's home.

 

 

For Rosemary's sister, Patty and her husband, Lou;   For Mary Jane Stevenson's son Philip, 34, sick & don't know why;   For Jackie's friend, Barbara, plus Angela & her mom;    For Sr. Patricia Otillio, a nun I worked with for years in Grand Coteau;   John Cade's mother in law, Kalliopi Piskiouli;  for Frank’s brother with advanced Parkinsons;      For Steve Barrett, Rose, & Katie;

 

 

 

 

Washing of hands, Holy Thursday.

 

 

Dick Thompson's daughter, Teri Jill, and Judy's aging parents;  Barb & Warren's grandbabies, Leighton Elizabeth and Warren Phillip and Ethan Michel, & their friend Chris, plus Barb's  Annie & Kaitlen; Tom and Teresa Quinn's niece, Chawna, with cancer, their granddaughter, Mikayla;   plus Neva Flynn, Angel, and Diane Kreeitzer;   Connie Doherty's mom and her sister, plus Kevin's cousin, Peter; For a number of David McKeon's family who are having a rough time with health issues; for our friends, sons, and daughters in the military, including Ryan McClurg and Chebino; cure for autism from Laura Chollick; for our President.

 

 

 

 

Myron Hubble's Memorial at Bob Woodruff Park, North Pavilion, on a beautiful Saturday early afternoon.

 

 

Your Finances, April 1, 2018

Expenses:    $2545.00

Outreach:    $1415.00

Thanks for your Generosity, Everybody.

 

 

 

 

Who is this walking into our Easter celebration?

 

 

Have a Great Week, J.S.

(214-783-0443)

 

 

 

 

The Great Easter Egg hunt is on.

 

 

JSM Mission-Faith Statement  

    Help create a Catholic Community that welcomes all God’s People,  provides for & challenges spiritual & total growth.  

      Reaches out to help people who are disadvantaged & make the world  we live in a better place to live.

 

 

Hi, Harper.  Tell your dad it is so nice to see him.  Happy Easter.

Isaiah 7:  Therefore the Lord himself will give you this sign: the virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall name him Emmanuel.

Romans 1:  Through him we have received the grace of apostleship, to  bring about the obedience of faith, for the sake of his name, among all the Gentiles

Matthew 1:  She will bear a son and you are to name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.

     

Christmas Eve Mass will be on Saturday, December 24th at 4:30 P.M.  There will not be a Mass on Christmas Day. 

 

 

John lighting the candles

 

 

Thanks…     

Music,    Ben

Readers,  Georgie and Kevin

Gospel,   John Cade

Homily,  John Stack

Eucharistic Prayer A & B,  John Stack & John Cade

The Magic Zoom makers,   Hue & Kevin & Lynda & Tom

Final Blessing, Rosemary

 

       

 

Kevin reading from Paul's letter to the Romans           

 

 

 

                                                                  

Readings:  Download 12-18-22- Readings – 4th Sunday of Advent

Homily:  Download 12-11-22- Homily – 3rd Sunday of Advent

 

 

 

It's Ben's birthday and he got a cookie

 

Remember these special people:

For Jan;  For Tom  Quinn who had back surgery on November 21st;  For Sandra who has been diagnosed with Large B Cell Lymphoma;   For Lambrini, John Cade's wife, who is dealing with cancer and Kaliope, John Cade's Mother-in-law;  For Madeleine, Richard Eshelbrenner's granddaughter;  For Hue; For Jackie;  For John's sister, Kathey recovering from a fall;    For Tom Good;  For a young man, 19 struggling with a brain tumor and cancer;     For Mary Hall's friend Cadence still suffering from a serious medical condition;   For Sir Charlie & Jan; 

       

Jackie's mom, sister, & friend, Lynn;  For Rick Turner searching for a kidney donor, Type O neg.;   For Jean & Cliff Wright;  For Dee, and for her daughters, Lisa & Lauren;     For a young man who is suffering from depression;  John Cade's daughter, Joey, with cancer; from Barbara, a little baby boy named Ford recuperating from an operation & friends, Annie, a mom of 3 kids and Michael ;    for the medical staffs, teachers, and coaches in our public & private schools.

 

 

The Kiss of Peace

 

 

Birthdays:  Ben  12/18

Anniversaries:   

Community Finances:   

Expenses: $  1,350.00

Outreach: $  80.00 

Thanks again, Folks, for doing what you can.

                 

 

 

Rosemary's Blessing:  

The Christmas Story will always be the story of Emmanuel, of God-with-us, always and everywhere, in the everyday, in the chaos, in the flight into exile, in the love between a man and a woman and in the birth of a child. It is the story of God who heals, empowers and loves us just as we are – in our greatness and our foolishness. As we anticipate the joy, the love and the peace that are God's Christmas gifts to us, let us receive them with gratitude and be sure to unfold them and share them especially where they need to be more visible.

Sister Jean Amore, CSJ, Principal, Sacred Heart Academy, Hempstead, N.Y.

Acts of the Apostles 1:   Then they gave lots to them, and the lot fell upon Matthias, and he was counted with the eleven apostles.

1 John 4:  God is love, and whoever remains in love remains in God and God in him.

John 17:  Consecrate them in the truth. Your word is truth.  As you sent me into the world, so I sent them into the world.  And I consecrate myself for them, so that they also may be consecrated in truth.”

John Cade's Homily from 5/5/24:  Download 05-05-24 Homily -6th Sunday of Easter

 

 

Ladies' Luncheon

Jeremiah 20:  I say to myself, I will not mention him, I will speak in his name no more. But then it becomes like fire burning in my heart, imprisoned in my bones; …

Romans 12: … that you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and pleasing and  perfect.

Matthew 16:  For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.

 

 

Isaiah 9: For a child is born to us, a son is given us; …

Titus 2:   Beloved: the grace of God has appeared, ..

Luke 2:  … the time came for her to have her child, and she gave birth to her firstborn son, …

 

Thanks……

Music,    Ben & Shonda

Readers,    John & Mary Jane & Claire

Gospel,     John Cade

Homily,  John Stack

Eucharistic Prayer A & B,  John Cade

The Magic Zoom makers,      Hue, Richard & Mike 

Final Blessing, Rosemary

Guess Who

 

 

Readings:  Download 12-24-21 – Readings – Christmas Eve

Homily:    Download Christmas Homily

 

 

 

Remember these special people:

For John Stack having a hard time right now with a bad back;  For Laura Chollick;  For Sandra who has been diagnosed with Large B Cell Lymphoma;   For Richard's grand daughter, Madeleine;   For Esparza's new great grandson  & Frank;  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 Sir Charlie & Jan;  Shonda's mom & Cody &  Leo & all of Shonda's dear family; For Ursuline Sr. Mary Troy,

Amsterdam

 

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 daughters, Lisa & Lauren  ;  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 baby boy named Ford recuperating from an operation & a nephew; for David McKeon's brother, Hugh; For Beth's friends & brother;   for the medical staffs, teachers, and coaches in our public & private schools.

Camellias

 

 

Birthdays:   

Anniversaries:   

                                                        

Barcelona

 

Community Finances,   

Expenses: $ 

Outreach: $  

Thanks again, Folks, for doing what you can.

The Mercado, Barcelona

 

Rosemary's Blessing:  

Loving Father, help us remember the birth of Jesus, that we may share in the song of the angels, the gladness of the shepherds, and worship of the wise men.

Close the door of hate and open the door of love all over the world.

Let kindness come with every gift and good desires with every greeting.

Deliver us from evil by the blessing which Christ brings and teach us to be merry with clear hearts.

May the Christmas morning make us happy to be thy children, and Christmas evening bring us to our beds with grateful thoughts, forgiving and forgiven, for Jesus’ sake.

Amen.

Robert Louis Stevenson