16th Sunday, Ordinary time, 7-18-2021

Theme Today: Why do bad things happen to good people.

 

                 Says our beautiful Zoe, "Welcome in, Everybody."

 

Readings:

 Job  38,  1, 8-11,  Who shut within doors the sea.

Psalm 107,    Give thanks to the Lord, his love is ever lasting

2 Corinthians 5, 14-17,   He died for us all.

 Mark  4, 35-41, A violent squall came up and waves were breaking over the boat. 

 

                        Kevin, too, "Happy Fathers' Day."

Job observations:

The Story: Job is a good man, pious, married, affluent, 7 boys, 3 girls, obeys the Lord & his laws.  Satan makes a bet with Yahweh: you take away Job's goodies, he will curse you.  "Deal," says Yahweh.

Shortly after that, one day servants come to tell Job: 1. rustlers have taken his cattle & killed his servants; 2. lightning has killed his sheep & shepherds; 3. more rustlers took his camels & killed their caretakers; 4.  a storm has killed his 10 kids.  Job does not curse.  In fact, he make the famous statement: "Naked I entered the world, naked I leave.  The Lord has given, the Lord has taken away.  Blessed be the name of the Lord."

 

And, of course, our beautiful Genevieve, looking right at you (the camera on the second deck),  also says, "Happy Fathers' Day and Happy first day of summer."

 

Satan then proposes another bet with Yahweh: let me afflict him bodily, he will curse you.  "Deal," says Yahweh.  Job is struck with leprosy and is expelled to the trash heap outside the town.    Job does not curse Yahweh, but he does say, "God, put a curse on the day I was born."

Then Job's wife and three friends all attack him, basically telling him to just die, because he is obviously a bad man.  Job says, "No, I've done nothing wrong."   Job finally complains to God and get a rather critical response.

 

 

Another beautiful Quinn, Shannon, says, "Hi, Folks, nice to be here."

 

Eventually he is rewarded by Yahweh, lives 140 more years and has 7 more sons and 3 daughters, plus more wealth.  

How many questions do you have?  How does a person's badness or goodness effect the bad things in his life?  Bad things don't happen to good folks?  The main proposition of Job:  Why do bad things happen to good people?   How about Yahweh making bets with Satan?  What about a Satan?

 

                         Hue, our great sound man.

 

Author: not Moses.  A compilation of sources. 

Structure: a central poetic section with prose entry and exit.  The happy ending was also added.  Again, a parable, a fable, a myth, not history.

 

 

               Emma ready for another morning at The Toy World

 

Date:  the present form was probably put together after the famous Babylonian Exile, i.e., ca. 550 BCE.

Our Selection: after Job finally complains, Yahweh responds rather critically, saying, "Who do you think you are," and, "Do you forget who I am?"   

Sources: Fr. William Most on line, Good News Bible, Wikipedia       

 
The Community Blessing for all the men, with Genevieve and Georgie's special help.

 

Why do bad things happen to good people

 

Homily: A Fathers' Day Gift.  

The Job story is our lesson for today.  Rosemary would have divorced me if I taken off on another long homily.  You people luck out today.

 

                                    The Men, group B.

Isaiah 35, Be strong, fear not

Psalm 146, Praise the Lord, my soul

James 2,  Did not God choose those who are poor

Mark 7,  The people brought to him a deaf man.

 

 

Jackie & friend.

 

Thanks……

Music,    Ben & Shonda

Readers, Geri & Mike, & Buddy, our candle blesser 

Gospel,     John Cade

Homily,   John Cade

Eucharistic Prayer A & B,  John Stack & John Cade

The Magic Zoom makers,     Richard & Hue & Mike

Final Blessing, Rosemary

For hosting us at Legacy for all these years & will miss you enormously, Becky

 

 

John & John or Black & White

 

Readings: Sorry, not today

 

Homily by John Cade:  Sorry, not today

 

Mike reading from the Letter of James

 

Remember these special people:

For John & Karen Anderlick's unborn grandson;   For Rosemary's great niece, Rylie;  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,

  

The Team

 

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

 

 

Peace to All.

 

Birthdays:   Aggie Stryker

Anniversaries:  

Aggie & Allen Stryker, 54th

Beth & Rob, 37th?

Gratifioris, David & Caroline, 36th

 

 

 

Community Finances,   September 5, 2021

Expenses: $725.00

Outreach: $515.00

Thanks again, Folks, for doing what you can.

 

Rosemary sharing her blessing?

 

Rosemary's Blessing:

Loving God…

Give us hearts
where all may enter in,
ears to hear your call,
hands to do your will,
voices to sing your praise
and soul enough
to recognize You
in everything we do.

Taken from The Prayer for Those Who Dwell In A Monastery of the Heart by Joan Chittister

 

 

Welcome, Lynda & Tom

 

 

 

 

Welcome, Everybody. 

 

 

Readings:  

 1 Kings 19:4-8,  Elijah went a day’s journey into the desert.  

 Psalm 34,   Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.

 Ephesians 4:30-5,2, Be kind to  one another

John 6: 41-51,  I am the bread of life

 

 

 

 

Emma doing her Candle Magic.

 

 

Kings:  a review–

Subject: The kings of Israel.  The Big 3 kings were Saul, David, & his son Solomon.  The 2 Books of kings follows the 2 Books of Samuel, which describe the lives of the the kings up to the death of the Great King David, my favorite.  1 & 2 Kings takes up the life of Solomon, David's son, his building of the temple, his death, and the fate of the kingdom following his death, that is, it divides and is conquered. 

Time Period:  from ca. 900 – 555 before Christ, or from Solomon to Nebuchadnezzar & Cyrus.

 

 

 

 

Hue reading our Blessing of the Summer Candles.

 

 

Authors: a compilation of many sources that was put together at the end of the Babylonian Captivity, ca. 555 before Christ. 

Our Selection: focus is on one man, the prophet Elijah.  The kingdom has already been split.  Our story takes place in the northern state, Israel.  Time of severe drought.  The king is Ahab; his queen, the famous Jezebel.  The prophet Elijah has scolded them for turning to false gods to end the drought. 

 

 

 

Welcome, Dear Sandra.

 

There has been a contest in chapter 18: Elijah vs the 450 prophets of Baal, ultimately to see which side would be more effective in bringing rain.  2 bulls were slaughtered.  Naturally, Elijah wins when Yahweh answers his prayer, sends down fire, and consumes the bull Elijah has slaughtered.  When he wins, he slaughters the 450 prophets of Baal.   

We enter at a point where Jezebel is furious with Elijah for killing her favorite prophets and aims to kill Elijah.  He is going to run away all depressed. 

 

 

 

 

What a Team!  It don't get no better.

 

 

Taste & See the Goodness of the Lord

I want to talk this morning about one of my favorite themes, namely that we can see, hear, and be touched by the presence of the Lord every day.  As the Psalm says & I believe, we can taste and see the goodness of the Lord.

Two examples.

 

 

 

 

Our Special Ekes' Offertory Team, Cindy, Bill, & Marlene.

 

 

As you all know Rosemary with her buddy, Barbara, delivers Meals on Wheels every Thursday.  They visit 15 to 20 clients every week in the general area of Spring Valley east of Coit. Among their clients, whom they love, is a elderly Vietnamese.

While the apartment complex in which he lives is somewhat worn down, he is scrupulously neat and clean.  He has planted flowers and grass outside his door.  In fact, he trims the grass with scissors.

 

 

 

Elevation time.

 

The man heard about rental bikes and thought it would make his trips to the grocery store much easier.  A good idea until he discovered that a credit card was needed. 

There must be a Vietnamese radio station in town.  So he calls up to voice his disappointment.

Thursday when Rosemary & Barbara bring him his food for the day, what do they find in the living room?  A new bike, complete with a lock, an air pump, and bike stuff all from some family that was listening to the radio station.

Taste and See the Goodness of the Lord.

 

 

 

 

Play Station #1.

 

One final story from this year’s Ragbrai.  This story comes from David.

On Monday, the second day of riding, we rode from the overnight town of Dennison to Jefferson, a ride of 70 miles or so.  Along the route there are always vendors, both in the lovely little towns we pass through and just on the shoulder of the road or in a big field.  My favorite, of course, is the Amish site with ice cream & pie.

Another favorite, as you may imagine, is the craft beer garden.  There will be 3-4 scattered along the road and the crowds are enormous.  You have to be really careful riding by because of all the off going and in coming bikers.

 

 

 

 

 

Play Station #1 revisited.

 

 

Somewhere along the road to Jefferson David stops.  He gets a beer and is talking to a couple of guys from Grinnell College, just east of Des Moines (French for monks).  One of the guys is looking for a potty seat for his kid.

Why a potty seat on a bike ride of 70 miles.  From David: " Both guys had their families riding.  One of the families had a 2-3 year old girl who rode in a compartment on her mom's handle bar.  The little girl was potty training and the parents did not want to confuse her and loose ground.   They had a potty seat but it had gotten lost in their sag wagon pick up truck."   (Homily by committee.)

 

 

Our Special Welcoming Committee: Jan can do it all.

 

 

So they go on down the road and end up at the Catholic Church in Jefferson, our overnight town.   Guess why.  Lasagna!  I stopped, too, but later. 

One of the Church volunteers, a guy, hears that the Grinnell guy is looking for a potty seat.  He has one & it is not being used.  He can go get it.  “Be back in an hour & a half,” he says.  He lives 35 miles away.

When did you last Taste & See the Goodness of the Lord?

 

 

 

Our Beloved Music Team, Shonda, Ben, & David.

 

Readings:

Acts of the Apostles  1, 12-14,  All devoted themselves to prayer.

Psalm 27,   I believe that I shall see the good things of the Lord in the land of the living. (a good one)

1 Peter 4, 13-16,  Rejoice.

 John 17, 1-11,   I pray for them. 

 

 

 

"Welcome in, Everybody, " says Harper.

 

To dwell in the house of the Lord

This past Friday after Romeos, I headed across Central to Plano Cycling, one of my favorite places to visit.  I wanted one of my service friends to check Rosemary’s rear bike brake.  She had told me it was soft.  I can fix a lot of things on a bike, and love doing it, but I would prefer a specialist work on her brake for safety’s sake.

 

 

So says Seth likewise, plus, "Wake me up after that old guy stops talking."

 

So I go in about 2:30 and this is why I love to go there.  I walk in and hear, “Hi, John” from numerous staff, or “Hi, John Stack” from the service manger.  I confess it means a lot to be known by name in a store.

I look for my specialist friends, Darrell or Lorinda.  Not there.  A bummer.  But a new guy is there, about 28.   He is working on a bike and apparently is alone.  I tell him what I want and he says, “sure,” he will fix it while I wait. 

 

 

 

Our Candle Lighter of The Week, Leo

 

Turns out Rosemary needs more than a cable tightened.  She has worn out her brake pads and needs a new set.  Joey says, “No problem,” he can fix that in a minute.

So we begin to talk.  “What's your name?  Joey.  How long you been working here?  About 2 months.  How do you like it?  I love it.  How did you get here?”

 

 

Offertory,Bernadette, Gil, and Diane.

 

He proceeds to tell me he had a good office job with good money.  But he was not happy.  He used to bring work home.  He is married, but did not mention kids.  Everything was good, but he was not happy.  He had known Plano Biking since he bought his first bike there as a little kid.  He loved to just visit.

One day he was talking with somebody on the staff and saying how he loved bikes & working on them and how his job was not satisfying.   “We’ll hire you,” the person said.  Joey jumped. 

 

Prep time.

 

This exemplifies what it means

To dwell in the House of the Lord,

To see the good things of the Lord in the land of the living.

And you? 

How do you dwell in the House of the Lord?

What are the good things of the Lord that you see in the land of the living?

 

 

 

And what for recessional?

 

P.S.   A note to all of you who are celebrating our Memorial Day weekend at your lake houses, on cruises, like to Alaska, Mike & Geri, and to points south, like Tom and Teresa, and to all points in between, you, too, are seeing and celebrating the good things of the Lord in the land of the living.

 

The Best Music, Shonda, Bethany for her last event, and David.

Readings:

Acts of the Apostles  2, 1-11,  Arrival of the Holy Spirit

Psalm 104,   Lord, send out your Spirit, and renew the face of the earth

1 Corinthians 12, 3-7, 12-13, different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit.

 John 20, 19-23,   Peace be with you; receive the Holy Spirit. 

 

 

 

Welcome back home from Arkansas, CC  I really miss you when you are not here.

 

Pentecost

This morning I want to talk about the feast of Pentecost.   I propose that a Pentecost event takes place often in our lives.  It is a light bulb happening.  I see more clearly.  I have more energy.   There are light bulb events and light bulb people.  For example.

I know a lady who graduated from high school some years ago.  She was 18 and decided she would go to college.  She signed up, went to her accounting class, and got a D.  “That decided me,” she told me, “college was not for me.”

So she met her husband, got married, and had three kids.  Much more fun.

 

 

Says Olivia, "Welcome, Everybody."  Olivia, do you realize what a megawatt smile you have?  It brightens my day.

 

Fast forward about 30 years.  Her kids have grown up and they have graduated from college.  One is continuing studies to become a doctor.

It is Christmas.  They are all sitting around the table.  Somebody asks, “Is there anything in your life that you regret not doing?”  Various answers come in. 

My friend says, “I regret not getting my college degree many years ago.”  “Well, why don’t you go and get it?,” everybody says. 

 

 

Emma, you make my day.  Welcome back after a bunch of weeks missing you.

 

So she decides to take the entrance exams at CCCC (Collin County Community College).  See how it goes.  She takes two exams, math and reading.  She barely flunks the math, which is her long term weakness.  Remember the D in accounting. 

The reading exam?  She flat out fails the reading exam, also.  The college admissions office tells her they cannot admit her. 

 

 

Yeah, Ben is back everybody.  What a treat to have you and Sophia back, Ben.
 

 

What a blow!  Is that the end of it?  In fact, no!  She decides to appeal to take the reading test again. 

End of story, end of college career?  Nope, she aces the reading exam and is allowed to enter the college. 

 

 

What a scene.  The Girls' play station with Harper, Tori, and Zoe, with Olivia watching over the whole scene.

 

She proceeds to pass two years at CCCC during which time she takes a, you guessed it, an accounting course.  Fortunately, she has a husband who understands these arcane concepts.  Like, he says, “ You see this dollar?  That is an asset.”  And so on.  With his help she gets even a good grade in the class. 

After the two years at CCCC, it is time for another big step.  By the way, all during this time she is working full time.

 

 

Offertory with Carol Ann & Doug, Caroline & David.
 

 

The next big step is Texas A & M at Commerce.  Do you realize how far it is to Commerce.  Also during this time she is not taking a light load, like 9 hours.  Oh, no, once she even takes 18 hours.  This is a monster load for a full time student. 

After two years of A & M she is finally ready to graduate.  She even wins an award, not a cum laude, not even a magna cum laude, but a summa cum laude.  With the Highest Honor.  Latin.

 

 

My little buddy Seth is helping me to celebrate the wedding of his mom & dad, Monique and Zack, last Friday evening at The Rectory.
 

 

Karen Anderlick, thanks for being my inspiration and our Pentecost Person.

Who is your Pentecost Person?

 

 

 

Karen Anderlick, Summa cum Laude.

 

 

 

Welcome in out of that 26 degree cold, Dear Emma and Dear Beth.

 

 

Readings:

Leviticus 13, 1-2, 44-46,  If a  man is leprous, the priest shall declare him unclean

Psalm 32,  I turn to you, Lord, in time of trouble.

 Corinthians 10, 31-11, Whatever you do, do for the glory of God.

Mark 1, 40-45, A leper came to Jesus

 

 

 

I bet I can guess why Ben & Olivia are not here today.   Like 26 degrees!

 

 

On the readings:

• The book of Leviticus is the third book of the Hebrew Bible. Most of Leviticus is written as God’s speeches to Moses on Mt. Sinai which Moses repeated to the Israelites. It’s almost all about rituals and moral practices to follow in order to live in ritual purity. It describes the many ways you can be ‘unclean’; today’s reading is one example. Leviticus describes many rituals and rules to be followed. Like the stories in Genesis and Exodus these rules were created to give the Israelites a special identity, to help hold them together during the Babylon captivity in the sixth century B.C. And it worked.

 

 

Our dearest Candle Lighter of The Week in action.

 

 

• In First Corinthians Paul tells the early Christians in Corinth to not be obsessed about Jewish food laws when eating with others. In this same letter before today’s passage Paul said, “I’m not going to walk around on eggshells worrying about what small-minded people might say; I’m going to stride free and easy, knowing what our large-minded Master has already said. If I eat what is served to me, grateful to God for what is on the table, how can I worry about what someone will say?”
• Mark’s Gospel reinforces that caring for another is more important than rituals and rules. I’ll talk more later about how this might relate to how we practice Lent, which begins on Ash Wednesday this week.

 

 

Who let these characters in here, Joe (Geri's brother), Geri, and Mike?

 

 

Homily:

 

Mark’s story of Jesus and the leper is a good example of how Mark used stories to highlight the Good News Jesus preached. From Leviticus we know a leper could neither approach nor talk to Jesus. As a leper, he was unclean and would have to stay totally apart from others in out-of-the-way places and speak only to cry out ‘Unclean’. So, already, Mark is telling Jewish followers of Jesus that the old rules no longer apply.

 

 

 

Hi, Leo.  You are looking terrific this morning.

 

 

This Gospel story turned Leviticus on its ear concerning the idea of being ‘unclean’. [Leprosy was incurable then, so their best survival practice was a strict quarantine. Since about 1880 we have known leprosy is caused by a particular bacteria; for over 60 years now it is treatable and curable with antibiotics.] The old rules said: lepers were ‘unclean’ and had to stay out of the way of others, and they were not to touch or be touched. In Mark’s story he has the man with leprosy not stay out of the way away and has him dare to speak out; and he also has Jesus talk to and touch one known to be ‘unclean’. So, in Mark the rules are changed, and Jesus is approachable by anyone.

 

 

 

 

The Best.
 

 

 

In Paul’s letter to Corinthians he turns the rules in Leviticus upside down by questioning the rules about food and the eating habits of Jewish Christians. Paul said they should relax and “eat your meals heartily.”  

So, considering these teaching stories from Leviticus and Mark and Paul, what do you do for Lent to prepare for Easter?

 

 

 

 

Somebody finally gave that man a job.  

 

 

1) Some may give up sweets or do something else healthy. In the 60’s every Lent I would say “I’m giving up watermelon.” (I even used to get a laugh, since back then everyone knew watermelon wasn’t available till summer.)

2) Some will go to south Texas to work with victims of Hurricane Harvey—people struggling to get their houses and lives back in order. You are the community sending those who go; they represent us and this community’s caring for those in need. They will come back to our community members with stories of fun and comradery. They may also have stories about primitive lodging. (Ask Bill what he’s taking ‘just in case’.)

 

 

 

Peace, Angela and Cathy. 

 

 

3) A third possibility is to consider a teaching quoted in Ash Wednesday’s Mass from the prophet Joel 2:13—a favorite Bible verse of Stack’s: “God is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and rich in kindness.” Why on Ash Wednesday?     This verse is also found in Psalms 86, 103, and 145; and in the books of Exodus 34:6; and Jonah 4:2; and Nehemiah 9:17.

 

 

 

Bill, updating the plans for a dozen or so of our community heading to Dickenson, TX to join Professor Jim Mahar of St. Bonaventure U. & his 50 or so students, to help with the clean up after the hurricane.  There is still lots to do.

 

 

What if everyone prepared for Easter by imitating that verse?—withholding acts of anger; performing acts of mercy and kindness.   What will you do for Lent?

 

 

 

 

An old geezer taking the Sunday off thanks to John Cade.