1st Sunday in Lent, February 26, 2023

Readings:  Wisdom 1, 13-15, 2, 23-24; Psalm 30, I will Praise You, Lord, for You have rescued Me; 2 Corinthians 8, 7-15; Mark 5, 21-43.  

     

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

Author: not Solomon, but a Jew living in Alexandria, Egypt, who spoke and wrote excellent Greek.

Date: ca. 100-200 BCE.  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. 

Sources: Catholic Encyclopedia on line

This is Radical

There is a novel going around called Shanghai Girls, by Lisa See.  I recommend it. The novel tracks the lives of two middle class, educated sisters who are born in Shanghai in the 1920's or early '30's.   It follows them through a time in 1937 when the Japanese invaded China to the time when they end up in California as arranged brides. The novel has good character development and provides a view into a time just before & after the Second World War from the perspective of Chinese middle class women. 

What struck me in a unique way was the mother of the two girls.  She was, according to the girls, an old fashioned mother.  That is, she bound her feet so they would not grow.  From the novel I discovered what a barbaric & painful experience this was for women, young & old.  Imagine the pain of wearing shoes too tight or new.  Why?  Beauty?  I discovered in researching for our homily that another reason was to limit the mobility of women.  So they cannot run away or even run.  The reason for the demand was to limit mobility; the side effect was beauty, all because of male bias against women.

I remembered this novel when I read about Jesus healing two females.  Do you realize how radical this was, especially with the woman bleeding?  Leviticus, the third book of the Bible, has a lot to say about women who bleed.  For instance, a woman giving birth to a boy is ritually unclean for 7 days; a girl baby, 14 days (chapter12).

In Lev. 15 it says that during menstration, women were ritually unclean, which meant they were considered socially dead, not allowed in the temple, not allowed in the community, could not touch anyone and no one was allowed to touch them or their clothes or they, too, were ritually unclean.  So what does the lady in Mark do?   What does Jesus do?

Do you realize today how historic and universal this bias was against women?  Plato in The Republic says that Socrates asked, Do you know of any thing done by humans which is not done better by the male.

Hindus teach that a woman must immolate herself after her husband's death.  Buddhists consider it bad karma to be reincarnated as a woman.  Jewish men are taught to pray, Blessed be God who has not created me a heathen, a slave, or a woman.  Our Bible in Genesis blames a woman for the origin of evil in our world.

In 1873 in Illinois a case was decided against a woman.  She had passed the bar exam to be a lawyer, and the court would not grant her appeal to receive a law license.  A judge said that the place of a woman was in the home and that women did not have the fortitude to deal with such issues as the law.

The church fathers, as they are called, had their own bias.  St. Jerome says that when a woman wishes to serve God more that the world, then she will cease to be a woman and will be called a man.  You do not want to know what St. Augustine thinks about women.

So why this historic and universal bias against women by men (& women)?  One reason, from my research, blood.  Another is the male nervousness & weakness around women, beginning in adolescence.

So here comes Jesus along.  The woman touches him.  He could have had her killed by the crowd.  What was she doing in the crowd anyway?    And what does he do?  He calls her "Daughter," and heals her.  This is revolutionary.  He moves from bias to inclusion & acceptance.

In Galatians (Chapter 3) it says there is no male or female.  Just folks.  We are being called to get rid of the bias.  Women do not deserve to have their feet bound.

 

How is your bias barometer?  Any bias against women, men, a particular race, political party, a part of town, a school? 

Sources: The Sins of Scritpture, Bishop (Anglican) John Shelby Spong; Catholic Encyclopedia on line.

Audio on vacation this week & next, sorry.

Picture 1:  Mass with Kevin & Noah helping

Picture 2:  Kevin & Noah

Picture 3:  Birthdays & Anniversaries, Sue Tomas, Rick & Jackie, Sandra & Chuck Pratt

Picture 4:  Birthdays & Anniversaries, Nina Waldron, Barb & Warren Wittek

John reading from Micah

Music,   Ben & Shonda

Connie gets a cookie for her birthday

Expenses: $   1,275.00

Outreach: $    380.00

Thanks again, Folks, for doing what you can.

 

 

 

 

Rosemary's Blessing:

 

A Christmas Prayer

 

Loving Father, help us to remember the birth
of Jesus, that we may share in the song of the angels,
the gladness of the shepherds,
and the 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 the Christmas evening
bring us to our beds with grateful thoughts,
forgiving and forgiven, for Jesus' sake.

Amen!

 Robert Louis Stevenson

 

 

 

The Living Nativity.  

 

Readings:

Isaiah 9, 1-6,    The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light, upon those who dwelt in the land of gloom a light has shown.  (Wow!  Beautiful)

Psalm, 96,  Today is born our savior, Christ the Lord.

Titus 2, 10-11,  The grace of God has appeared.

Luke 2, 1-14,   The Nativity story.   (Lovely)

 

 

 

 

What do we have here?  A donkey, a giraffe, an Addie?  

 

 

Isaiah observations:

 

This is Isaiah 1, a beautiful, hope filled piece.

 

 

 

Ever see a prettier Mary?  Hi, CC.

 

 

The Daily Nativities bringing Peace, Joy, & Gratitude

I would like to talk a few minutes this evening about celebrating the Nativity.  We do this once a year.  I propose that we can celebrate the Nativity, not once a year, but everyday.  The Nativity is an event that gives me peace and joy and a sense of gratitude.  These nativities happen daily. 

 

 

 

Hey, who let this character in?  Got a gift for me Santa?

 

Two examples.

There is a little widow lady named Joyce who lives right across the street from Rosemary & me.  She is on the southeast corner of Tulip Lane & Camellia.  We are on the northeast corner.

Joyce is 89 years old and Aviana & I visit her every morning.  In fact, we give her our newspaper after we have read it.

 

 

 

Has Santa run out of presents?  No way!

 

 

A week ago Joyce walked over to The Tom Thumb on the corner of Preston & Royal, a ten minute walk from our corner.  After buying bread and crossing over Preston at the light, Joyce was crossing Royal at Camellia.  As she walks to the median, she steps into a pile of leaves thinking it was flat.  

Nope, it was the curb and Joyce falls face down on the cement of the median.  She gets right up and is bleeding all over herself from where her sunglasses had cut around her left eye.  Not the eye itself, but her face.

 

 

 

Thanks, Emma, for doing your Candle Magic again.

 

 

At this point Joyce says all these people literally stopped their cars and ran to her.  Some wanted to call an ambulance for her.  Others offered to drive her home.  “No,” she said, “I am okay and only live right there,” and she points to her house.

One guy, however, puts his arm around her waist and offers to walk her home.  She accepts and gets home.

 

 

 

"All I want for Christmas?  Yes," says Vivian, my front tooth."  And Viki, her mom agrees

 

 

Want to know what really touched her?  Yes, all the people who ran to help her, leaving their cars right there on extremely busy Royal Lane. 

Those people were a Nativity event for Joyce.  And guess what.  She has  great peace, joy, and gratitude.

 

 

 

The Team, Georgie & Buddy, Leo & Mike.

 

 

The second example of a nativity happened to me Thursday.  I went to the main Dallas recycle dump on Harry Hines & Webb Chapel.  I get on the ramp and start unloading empty paint cans, old phones, and stuff that had accumulated for a year or more.

Coming up and helping me was a tall, old black guy, probably older even than I am.   I’m thinking this guy should be retired and at home with his grandkids.  I take the stuff out of the van, he takes  it and puts it in the correct container.  I am most touched.

 

 

 

And the Rest of The Team.

 

 

I wish him Happy Christmas and I start to get into the van.  “He deserves a tip,” I think and look into my bill fold.  5 bucks, maybe.  No luck.  No fives, no tens even.  Only a 20.  “Rosemary is going to kill me,”  So I walk over and shake his hand, the 20 in the shake. 

He, of course, tells me how I do not need to do this a bunch of times.  But finally he is all gratitude.  I get into the van quickly so he won’t see my tears.

 

 

 

 

Jack & his sister Sophia, who dances, like to all the music their dad (Ben) is playing.

 

 

A daily nativity event.  I gave him a 20.  I took from him peace, joy, and gratitude.

Where is the Nativity Event in your life this season?

 

 

 

 

Merry Christmas, Carrie.  Merry Christmas, Paul.

Rosemary’s Blessing    

Come, O Dancing God,

Spirit of Life and Love,

of Beauty and Diversity,

stir up my soul,

bathe me in your light,

and unleash my own spirit

that I may dance with you

and be light for those around me

and reflect your love to all that I meet this week.

Edited and adapted from a blessing by Fr. Andrew M. Greeley

 

                                                                                

Our Special Thanks:

•    For Reading:   Erin & Chuck
•    For The Team:  Georgie & Kevin
•    For the Communion Bread:  Alison
•    For the Wine & Cups: Jean & Cliff
•    For the Pictures & Video:  Connie & John & Rick
•    For the coffee and pastries:   Beth D. & Jackie
•    For the altar & sound: Jackie & Hue
•    For the Music:  Ray & Shonda & Bethany

 

 

Birthdays:   Rose Banzhaf (last Friday, 65)

 Anniversaries: 

Bernadette and Gilberto (49^th, Thursday)

 

 

 Please Remember these special people:

For Morgan Froebe home from teaching English in Equador for the summer;   Marilyn Ackerman with a bad bang on her leg;   Mike & Dee Miller's daughter, Lisa, not doing well;  For Tom Quinn's continued recuperation from shoulder surgery;    for Nina Tucker's dad;   Jackie Urbanczyk's continued recovery;    for a special girl named Missy Ackerman; Judy Thompson's dad in the hospital;  John Cade's mother in law, Kalliopi Piskiouli;  Charlie's brother in law with cancer;  Beth Dugan's dad struggling with prostate cancer;  from Rob, the brother of his business associate who has cancer;   For Diane Drescher with a bad back;  

 

 

Frank’s sister, Grace Campos, 84, with stage one;  Margie McKeon’s brother, Bill, with lung cancer;  Jackie's sister, Shellie;  Diane McClurg's mom having a hard time making the transition to assisted living;   Dee's friend, Don Fox, with cancer;   Dick Thompson's daughter, Teri Jill & her cousin Terri.  Barb & Warren's grandbabies, Leighton Elizabeth and Warren Phillip;   Judy Carrell's friend, Matt Larson;  Rita; 

 

 

 Bernadette Delgado's mom; Gilberto's mom and brother; Tom and Teresa Quinn's niece, Chawna, with cancer, plus Neva Flynn, Angel, and Diane Kreeitzer; Connie Doherty's mom and her sister, plus Kevin's cousin, Peter; Mary Ellen's Christopher, Margaret and Jim; our friends, sons, and daughters in the military, including Cole Carey, Ryan McClurg, and Chebino; cure for autism from Laura Chollick; for our President that he have great success and someday hold his grandchildren in his lap.

 

 

Your Finances, August 17, 2014

Expenses:   $760.00  

Outreach:   $415.00

We Donated this week:  

Nothing special this week.

                                                                                         

 Video: Entrance hymn, Gather the People,  2:00 min.

   

 

Thanks for your Generosity.

Important Notice of the Week: We got 2" of rain in Preston Hollow from Saturday evening until today, Sunday.

Have a Good Week, J.S

(214-783-0443)

 

 

 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.

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

Acts 9, When Saul arrived in Jerusalem

Psalm 22, I will praise you, Lord, in the assembly of your people.

1 John 3, Let us love not in word or speech, but in deed & truth.

John 15, I am the true vine and my Father is the vine grower.

 

 

 

Thanks……

Music,  Ben & Shonda

Readers,  Paul & Carrie Bieda, & Buddy, our candle blesser

Gospel, Deacon Mike Carrell

Homily,  Mike Carrell

Eucharistic Prayer A & B, Stack & John Cade

The Magic Zoom makers,   Hue & Richard

Final Blessing, Rosemary

For hosting us at Legacy, Becky

 

 

Mike lights the Easter candles.

 

Readings for Sunday, May 2, 2021

Download Reading 5th Easter 05-02-2021

 

 

 

 

Paul reading from Acts.

 

Remember these special people:

For Alan Stryker;  For Joe Hogan;    For Rosemary's great niece, Rylie ;  For Richard's grand daughter, Madeleine;   For Esparza's new great grandson baby, son of Monique;  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 Loretta's aunt Alicia;  For Sir Charlie & Jan;  Shonda's mom & Cody &  Leo & all of Shonda's dear family; For Ursuline Sr. Mary Troy 

 

Carrie reading from 1 John.

 

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 daughter, Lisa;  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 4 month old baby boy named Ford recuperating from an operation; for David McKeon's brother, Hugh; For Beth's friends;   for the medical staffs, teachers, and coaches in our public & private schools.

 

 

Shonda & Ben with spirit!

 

Birthdays:    Warren Wittek (7), Cole McClurg, Patricia, Jim Shropshire 

Anniversaries: Joe & Marsha Farmer, 37th

 

Community Finances,   May 2, 2021

Expenses: $1480.00 

Outreach: $815.00

Thanks again, Folks, for doing what you can.

 

 

 

Rosemary sharing her Blessing of The Week.

 

Rosemary's final blessing

…and life is still a constant surprise to me.  We never know what will happen next, what we will see, and what important person will come into our life, or what important person we will lose.  Life is change, constant change, and unless we are lucky enough to find comedy in it, change is nearly always drama, if not tragedy.  But after everything, and even when the skies turn scarlet and threatening, I still believe that if we are lucky enough to be alive, we must give thanks for the miracle of every moment of every day, no matter how flawed.  And we must have faith in God, and in the Universe, and in a better tomorrow even if that faith is not always deserved.

 

Beneath a Scarlet Sky by Mark Sullivan

 

Isaiah 60: Caravans of camels shall fill you, dromedaries from Midian and Ephah; all from Sheba shall come bearing gold and frankincense, and proclaiming the praises of theLord.

Ephesians 3:  … the Gentiles are coheirs, members of the same body, and copartners in the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.

Matthew 2:  … and on entering the house, they saw the child with Mary  his mother.  They prostrated themselves and did him homage.  Then they opened their treasures and offered him gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.