1st Sunday of Advent, November 28, 2021

 Readings:

Samuel 16, 1, 6-7, 10-13. Samuel chooses and anoints David.

 Psalm 23,  The Lord is my shepherd, there is nothing I shall want.

 Ephesians 5,  8-14,   You were once in darkness, but now you are light.

 John 9, 1-41,    The beggar given sight.

 

She is back, Everybody, with a new little baby boy, Caleb.   Congratulations, Bethany.

 

Observations on 1 Samuel:

What: The is the first book of a 4 book series tracing the history of the Israelites,  1 & 2 Samuel and 1 & 2 Kings.  Samuel, Saul, and the great David are the main characters.

When composed:   800 & 700 years before Christ the work was being put together.  Mostly finalized, guess when, Babylonian time, ca. 555 years before Christ.

Today's selection: How Yahweh guided Samuel in selecting David.

 

 

Stuart.

 

Psalm 23, The Lord is my Shepherd.   One of my favorites, very comforting.  Is it true? 

 

Stuart with Julian.

 

The Lord is My Shepherd

I would like to talk this morning about that Psalm 23, which is one of my favorites, The Lord is My Shepherd. 

I would like to tie it in with a guy named Stuart, whose funeral I just did in Toronto Friday at 11:00.  I did Stu’s wedding 25 years ago to one of the Reddick sisters, Renee Reddick, of the family whom I had gotten close to when I studied in Toronto from ’68-’72.  Renee & Stewart had separated a couple of years ago, but they were still peaceful with each other. 

 

Stuart with Julian and Ethan.

 

Stuart had one extraordinary quality that I envied and used as a model for my own life.  He had a Stuart spirit that created life, energy, friendship, and community around him.  With a megawatt smile and laughter, he invited people to have fun and friendship with gobs of adventures, meals, and get togethers.

You will never guess how many of his friends and admirers gathered together Friday morning at 11:00 in St. John’s Catholic Church to celebrate a Catholic Mass.  We estimated at least 200 people.  The church was full.  Even the two viewings the night before were packed with people and energy.

 

Stuart and Renee.

 

A second point.  Stu had a number of hobbies, one of which was playing ice hockey.  After all, he was Canadian.  All Canadians are born wearing skates.  Stu was a big, robust, good looking blond.  If I was playing hockey and saw him barreling down the ice grinning with the excitement of taking me out, I would have jumped over the railing. 

Among all his buddies his hockey team mates seemed to be extra special.  After the funeral Mass a reception was held at a big club on the shore of Lake Ontario right in the middle of Toronto.  His team mates told Renee they were covering the bill.  It was food and open bar for everybody and the party lasted from about 1:00 to 6:00. 

 

Stuart & his buddy after one hour of bad hockey, looking forward to the next 2 hours.

 

Stu has a refrain which I used at the Mass to invite everyone to the reception, “1 hour of bad hockey, 2 hours of good drinking.  Let’s begin!”  I think Stuart was playing hockey up to the last year or so of his life.

The third point about Stewart, he helped to nurture and raise two fine sons, one in college, the other in high school.  They are both beautiful kids.

 

Our Candle Man of The Week, Brandon.

 

Stuart died of cancer just last week.  The cancer was first discovered this past November, around the time of American Thanksgiving.  Stuart was a Good Shepherd to lots of people.  Was the The Lord a Shepherd to him?  Dying of cancer after 4 months?  There is nothing I shall want?

For me it is the question of unconditional love.  Even though I will die, the love and acceptance is there.

How does the Lord Shepherd you?

For whom are you a Shepherd?

 

 

Hi, Genevieve, are you trying out for the choir with that mike, which I know you love? 

 

 

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.

Acts of the Apostles 5:  So they left the presence of the Sanhedrin, rejoicing that they had been found worthy to suffer dishonor for the sake of the name.

Revelation 5:  To the one who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor, glory and might, forever and ever.

John 21:  Cast the net over the right side of the boat and you will find something.

Simon, son of John, do you love me?

 

 

Connie reading from the Acts of the Apostles

     

 

 

Thanks…

Music,    Ben & Shonda

Readers,  Connie & John

Gospel,    John Cade

Homily,  John Stack

Eucharistic Prayer A & B,  John Stack & John Cade

The Magic Zoom makers,      Mike & Hue & Richard & Kevin

Final Blessing, Rosemary

 

 

John reading from Revelation

 

 

 

 

Readings:  Download 05- 01-22 – Readings – 3rd Easter

Homily:  

 

 

 

The Community singing

 

 

 

Remember these special people:

For John Stack having a hard time right now with a bad back;  For Sandra who has been diagnosed with Large B Cell Lymphoma;   For Lambrini, John Cade's wife who is dealing with cancer;  For Tom Good;  For a young man, 19 struggling with a brain tumor and cancer;    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 and for a friend Cadence still suffering from a serious medical condition;   For Sir Charlie & Jan;  All of Shonda's dear family;

                           

 

Shonda and Ben

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 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 & friends, Annie, a mom of 3 kids and Michael ;    for the medical staffs, teachers, and coaches in our public & private schools.

 

 

Communion

                   

                  

Birthdays:  Denni Zurchin

Anniversaries:   

      

Community Finances:   

Expenses: $  765.00

Outreach: $  65.00

Thanks again, Folks, for doing what you can.

 

Communion
                                    

Rosemary's Blessing:  

 

Exodus 19:  Thus shall you say to the house of Jacob; tell the Israelites: You have seen for yourselves how I treated the Egyptians and how I bore you up on eagle wings and brought you here to myself.

Romans 5:  Not only that, but we also boast of God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.

Matthew 9:  Without cost you have received; without cost you are to give.

           

Last Sunday's Homily: Download 06-11-23 Homily – Corpus Christi

 

 

John Stack Ministries now meets at:  The ArtCentre of Plano, 902 E. 16th St, Plano

 

Jeremiah 31: Watch them come! They'll come weeping for joy as I take their hands and lead them, Lead them to fresh flowing brooks, lead them along smooth, uncluttered paths. 

Hebrews 5:  In another place God declares, "You're a priest forever in the royal order of Melchizedek."

Mark 10:  "On your way," said Jesus. "Your faith has saved and healed you." In that very instant he recovered his sight and followed Jesus down the road.

John Cade's Homily  for last Sunday:  Download 10-20-24 Homily- The 29th Sunday in Ordinary Time

 

 

 

Gardens in Nova Scotia

 

 

 

Another Reminder for 30th Sunday in Ordinary Time, October 27, 2024

Readings:

 Amos 7, 12-15  I was no prophet.  I was a shepherd.

Psalm 85,    Lord, let us see you kindness and grant us your salvation.

Ephesians 1, 3-14, In love he destined us for adoption

 Mark  6, 7-13, Take nothing for the journey but a walking stick

 

                      Says Kevin, "Welcome in, Everybody."

 

Amos  observations:

Author: Amos or his scribe.  He was a shepherd of sheep & tended sycamore trees.  One of the 12 minor prophets of the OT, minor because of smallness of the works.  Amos has only 9 chapters.  Usual pattern of prophets: 1. predictions of dire times for evil behavior; 2. predictions of better times in the future. 

Date: Ca. 777 (a memory help), after the kingships of David & Solomon, time of King Jeroboam of the northern kingdom, called Israel vs the southern kingdom, called Judah (where Jerusalem is).   

 

 

                          And from Harper, too, "Hi, Folks."

 

Geography: Note the two kingdoms, Judah in the south, Israel in the north.  Amos tended sheep in a little town called Tekoa, 10 miles south of Jerusalem, in Judah, the south.  He is sent by Yahweh to Bethel, a small but important town in the northern kingdom, 10 miles north of Jerusalem, to warn the people of Israel & their king Jeroboam that Yahweh was mad at them.  The wicked high priest of Bethel, Amaziah condemns Amos for his interference.

The Setting: a time of prosperity.  But Yahweh is mad at the greed of the wealthy and their oppression of the poor (which ties into our gospel talking about walking lightly through life).  We know the people of this kingdom of Israel are headed for annihilation by the Assyrian nation.  And they will disappear as a significant body.  

Our Selection, chapter 7:  Amos describes three visions or dreams he has.  Amaziah gives it to him for spreading these visions around.  Then, Amos responds and socks it to Amaziah with a hammer.

 

          And from Sienna, "From Brooklyn and me, Welcome."

 

Take Nothing for the Journey

I apologize this morning for telling you a story that some of you will probably remember.  However, the event so speaks to the gospel this morning that I can not pass it up.  Another African story.

One evening in Tanzania I boarded an overnight train in Dar es Salaam, the capital.  I would get off in the region near Kilimajaro where the Jesuit house was that I used as a base when I was not on the road giving seminars or retreats. 

 

       Some of The Cupcakes of The Week gang for this week.

 

I had bought my ticket just the afternoon of the trip.  No compartments were available, which were not much anyway.  Two shared the compartment and an upper bunk came down.  You had to be careful in the little stations, because thieves would look in the window and grab.  So, no big loss.

I had to take general booking.  This entitled me to a place on the train, not necessarily a seat.  It is not air conditioned and can be a bit warm. 

 

 

           Offertory with Mike and Judy, Sydney and Hugh.

 

I started out sitting on a suitcase I traveled with.  There were mothers with little kids and a few chickens all around my area at the end of a train car.   I expected it would be a long night, but I would get where I wanted to go and then sleep extra.

About midnight the train stopped, like in the middle of nowhere.  We sit there.  No explanation, nothing.   I finally join others getting off.  I lie down on the rocks on the edge of the track, my case under my head so no one would snatch it, and wait.  And wait.  We sit there with no explanation until about 7:00 the next evening. 

 

 

                      Wendy and Collin providing The Best.

 

Just like Mark recommends in the gospel today, I had boarded that train with nothing to drink or eat.  Looking back, I cannot believe I was so stupid.  Normally I would never have set out without water. 

Why did I not ask the Tanzanian ladies for a drink?  I could easily talk Swahili with them.  Trouble was, they did not often purify their water and I was afraid of it.   So there I sat, now in the shade.  I look around.  Everyone on that train is Tanzanian.  I am the only white guy, which by then I am at home with.

 

 

                                             Elevation.

 

Suddenly I see up the track maybe 4 or 5 cars ahead of me a white couple.  They have extra water.  Hooray.  They are Germans, but speak English with no problem.

We hang out.  They saved me, and let me tell you a quickie about how I saved them.

We were seated in the shade of a Frangipani tree I can still clearly remember.  All the passengers were seated along the train in the shade.  Next to us was a momma with her baby.  At one point the momma gets up and goes into the train.

 

 

                          Emma and Beth solving the World's problems.

 

The German guy who was about 6 foot 4 inches gets up and takes a picture of the baby.  Bad move.  Someone on the train sees him, tells the momma, she tells her husband, and he comes out yelling with a bunch of people.  He wants the camera.  He wants to take the German to the police, wherever that might be.

So, I stepped in.  We all sat down under the trees and I talked.   I finally got the father to allow the German to go to his compartment, cut off the baby’s picture, and give it to the man. 

 

 

                         Emma with one of her Best Buddies.

 

He cuts off just the end of the film, brings it back, and gives it to the man.  The crisis comes to an end. 

I ended up climbing Kilimanjaro with the couple, which ended up being amusing.  He was an Alpine Mountain rescue expert, like a 4 on a 5 scale.  He could crawl across your ceiling holding on with his fingernails.  When we got to the top of Kilimanjaro he got altitude sickness and I carried his back pack.  Of course, I teased him mercilessly. 

 

                                 Harper dancing to the music.

 

I never saw them again, although they were begging me to come to Germany on one of my homeward trips.  I wanted to see the Berlin wall and never did.  She was East German, he West.

The story simply tries to show how literal reading of the Bible can get you into bad places. 

What  would you suggest is a positive in this story about traveling with nothing? Could this be what Francis is emphasizing when he talks about Less is Better? 

How is Less Better for you?