1st Sunday of Lent, March 6, 2022

 

                              Says Emma, "Hi, Everybody."

 

 

Welcome: Catholic Mass with coffee and juice and pastries, both bought and home-made, after Mass.

Time: 9:30; Celebrate with the Community & Stack.

Place: Vines High School, Plano, 15th between Custer & Independence.

 

 

 

                      Says Harper, "You got any extra cupcakes?"

 

Readings:

 Exodus 16, 2-4, 12-15 You had to lead us into this desert to make the whole community die of famine.

Psalm 78,    The Lord gave them bread from heaven.

Ephesians 4, 17-24,   You must no longer live as the Gentiles do.

John 6, 24-35 I am the bread of life. 

 

 
Says Leo, "Be nice to me and I bet I can get you a cupcake, Harper."

 

Community Activities:  

1.        ROMEO MEET: Friday, July 31, Jason's Deli, Collin Creek Mall, west side of Central, 1:00.   Ragbrai stories for cookies.

 2.      LADIES' LUNCHEON,  August 6, Thursday, 1:00 P.M.,  Big Shucks, 103 S. Coit, Richardson, between Beltline and Spring Valley.

Everyone, please forward to anyone you think would be interested.  If you let me know I will add their email to the list. 

Carol 

 

                          Zoe looks at The Gang with awe.

 

 3.  Ray and Shonda have some new Mass responses (Mass of Glory) that they would like for us to practice for a few weeks before Mass before we sing it during the Mass proper.  You can check out these utube sites to hear them: 

http://youtu.be/mGlpu6_c3gQ

http://youtu.be/wYAikjow24E

http://youtu.be/k6Qjsxq8dU4

 

 

                                Brandon and his momma.

 

What is going on in our Catholic World:

1.       Francis fires two more bishops, National Catholic Reporter, July 15, 567 words,   Download Francis dumps two bishops 7-30-15    

 2.      Phillippine Church embraces Francis' environment vision, National Catholic Reporter, July 25, 765 words,       Download Philippine Church 7-31-15

 

Genevieve says, "Wanna bet I don't weigh 5 pounds any more." 

 

True?  

This is my simple religion.  There is no need for temples.  No need for complicated philosophy.  Our brain, our own heart is our temple.  The philosophy is kindness.

Dalai Lama

 

                     I think I see a philosophy of kindness.

 

 See you this Sunday.

J.S., 214-783-0443

 

 "Okay, let's get serious.  Enough of this having a good time."

 

JSM Mission-Faith Statement

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

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

 

 

 

              Our temple is filled with music, beautiful music.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Correction the JULIET LUNCHEON, (aka.,just us ladies into eating together):  is scheduled for Friday, August 5, 2016.

www.residenttaqueria.com  

Readings: Deuteronomy 4, 1-8; Psalm 15, The One who does Justice will Live in the Presence of the Lord; James 1 17-27; Mark 7, 1-23.

Deuteronomy:  

The fifth book of the Old Testament.  The last book of what we refer to as the Pentateuch, namely five books.  These five books, Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy were made up of five scrolls, which is how it got its Greek title, Pentateuch.  The Jewish people referred to them at the Torah or Law.  Interestingly, the books themselves got their titles from the Greeks as a way to describe what the content of each book was about.  They cover a period from the very beginning of time down to the arrival of the Jewish people into the Promised Land.

Deuteronomy is mainly made of laws, and the bulk of the book is composed of a series of addresses by Moses and also a long collection of laws, which covered just about every facet of life for the “devout Jew”.

The book was probably composed sometime either during or shortly after the Babylonian Captivity, namly around the sixth century before Christ.

In today’s reading we hear Moses first of all explaining that there is no need for anything beyond the laws he is giving and also selling them on how lucky they are to have such laws!

 

Letter of James

 

For five Sundays, starting this week, we are going to be reading the Letter of James as our second reading.  The author, James was probably the head of the church in Jerusalem, and at times is referred to as the brother of Jesus.  He is not one of the twelve apostle James, there were two of them!  The letter is not a typical “letter” in the same sense as Paul’s Letters, in that there is a very brief greeting, not the typical extended greeting, no information about the sender and nothing of the usual formulaic ending of letters of that time.

The letter was probably written before 62CE when James was stoned to death.  It is addressed to the “twelve tribes of the diaspora”, which refers back to the diaspora when the tribes were scattered following the Babylonian and Assyrian invasions.  In this case it is thought to be addressed to those churches outside of  Jerusalem made up of Jewish converts to Christianity.

The contents are a collection of moral observations and instructions, our reading today from Chapter One fits perfectly with the whole theme of todays Gospel, namely the need to interiorize what it means to follow Christ rather than to go through the motions.

 

 

Why am I here

I blame Vatican II.  Up until that time, the early 1960s we knew exactly what was a sin and what wasn’t a sin.  In fact George Carlin had great fun with his album Class Clown.  But after Vatican Council 2 everything seems to have changed and all the certainties we had before are gone.  You knew clearly that it was a sin to eat meat on Friday!  You knew that you had to fast from Midnight before receiving communion.  It was the kind of environment we find Jesus dealing with today.  The rules became everything.  I can remember in the early 70’s getting that phone call when a holy day fell on a Saturday.  “Father, if I go to mass on Saturday evening will that cover for the Holy day obligation and also the Sunday.”  It was the same as asking “what is the least I have to do to remain in a relationship with you?”

 

 

 

 

Before Vatican II the pathway was clear, follow the rules and you will get into heaven, or at least purgatory.  After the council, it seems that the ball was passed to each one of us.  We were responsible for our own relationship with God.  Catholics certainly began to take responsibility, aided greatly by the encyclical on Birth Control. 

The gospel today focus’ on rules for meals…but if we step back and really take a closer look at what is going on it is the way the rules are used by Jesus, versus the Pharisees.  They are going by the literal interpretation of the rules, kind of like slavishly following a recipe, where as Jesus is looking at the “intention” behind the actions.

 

 

 

We might well apply this discussion to our selves.  Why are you here today?  Is it because your parents made you come??? Is it because you will go to hell if you don’t come here?  Probably a more basic question could well be: What is the purpose of being here today?  Am I here just because of habit, or does what we do here each week have an impact on my life outside this “getting together”?

 

Picture 1:  Mass with Kevin & Sabrina

Picture 2:  Mass helpers, an Old Geezer, Kevin, and Sabrina

Picture 3:  Birthdays, Melissa, Maureen, & Carl

Picture 4:  Birthdays, Jo & Jackie

Isaiah 50:  And the Master, God, stays right there and helps me, so I'm not disgraced. Therefore I set my face like flint, confident that I'll never regret this.

James 2:  For instance, you come upon an old friend dressed in rags and half-starved  and say, "Good morning, friend! Be clothed in Christ! Be filled with the Holy Spirit!" and walk off without providing so much as a coat or a cup of soup – where does that get you?

Mark 9:  Calling the crowd to join his disciples, he said, "Anyone who intends to come with me has to let me lead. You're not in the driver's seat; I am. Don't run from suffering; embrace it. Follow me and I'll show you how.

The Blog will be on vacation until September28,2024

 

There will be no Mass at the ArtCentre this Sunday.  Mass will be on Zoom.  Please note new address below.

 

Another Reminder for 24th Sunday in Ordinary Time, September 15, 2024

Isaiah 5:  As high as the heavens are above the earth, so high are my ways above your ways and my thoughts above your thoughts.

Philippians 1: Only, conduct yourselves in a way worthy of the gospel of Christ.

Matthew 20:  Are you envious because I am generous?  Thus, the last will be first, and the first will be last.

 

 

Leviticus 19:  You shall love your neighbor as yourself.

Corinthians 3:  Do you not know that you are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?

Matthew 5:  You have heard that it was said, You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.  But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, …

 

 

Connie reading from Leviticus

 

 

Thanks…     

Music,    Ben and Shonda

Readers,  John & Connie

Gospel,   John Cade

Homily,   John Stack

Eucharistic Prayer A & B,  John Stack & John Cade

The Magic Zoom makers,   Hue & Kevin

Final Blessing, Rosemary

       

 

John reading from Paul's letter to the Corinthians

 

Readings:  Download 02-19-23 Readings – 7th Ordinary

Homily:   

 

 

 

Remember these special people:

For the family of Ron Senter;  For Frank Esparza;  For Jan;  For John Simari's mother who is not feeling well;  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 ;  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.

 

 

Brent and Meredith

 

 

Birthdays:  

Anniversaries:  

Community Finances:   

Expenses: $  135.00

Outreach: $ 

Thanks again, Folks, for doing what you can.

 

       

Shonda and Ben

 

 

Rosemary's Blessing: