15th Sunday, Ordinary time, 7-11-2021

Readings: Isaiah 7, 10-14; Psalm 24; Romans, 1, 1-7; Matthew 1, 18-24.

Isaiah: The great prophetic book.  8 centuries before Christ.  Talking here about the coming of the savior.

The Gift of Life

Last Sunday morning ca. 1:30 A.M., a friend of mine was having insomnia.  She got up without waking her husband.  Got into her car and headed down Belt Line to get a coffee or something at the 7-11 on the corner near Central.  Along the way she lost control of her Expedition, ran into a pole, and then slammed into another.  Parkland Hospital awakened her husband at 3:00 A.M. to inform him that his wife Sally had just died in their emergency room.

I have known Sally Ann Kidwell Swenholt since the 60’s when she was a little girl and I taught her big brother John Michael at Jesuit, where he was a good basketball player.   She was 48 and married 29 years to her high school boy friend. Her father had been my dentist in Preston Center until he retired and John Michael took over.  She became a dental hygienist and cleaned my teeth every year or so.  Her sister Susanne is a special friend.  I have loved this family and been privileged to walk with them through some great times and some troubled times.  This event has knocked me out.  Why?  And why at this time of year.

Some observations.

I can’t answer the why question for myself.  It just happens.  I can live with that mystery.  However, one big lesson stands out for me: life is a gift.  I may blow it off or I may treasure and appreciate it.  Sally Ann did the latter and I hope to follow her example.

One of the qualities that endeared her to me was that she was a delightful airhead who chattered non-stop.  The Kidwell dental office works very efficiently, on time.  You get your teeth cleaned & X-rayed in 30 minutes.  More attention needed, you make another appointment.  I do not know how she & I ever got through a half hour appointment.  Talk & more talk.  Ever try to tell someone how your sister is or how the Masses are at San Vino with someone cleaning your teeth with a drill mounted brush?  We always had so much to catch up on. 

As a tribute to her person centered, caring life, as well as the Kidwell family, St. Rita’s was full with a thousand plus people.  People were standing in the back.  Even though I could not concelebrate with Phil Postell, the Jesuit president, I was delighted that I got the idea and then did it: I applauded after Shauna, Sally’s oldest child who also works at the dental office, gave a beautifully amusing & tear filled eulogy to her mom.  In fact, though I fantasized that I might be clapping all alone, people not only jumped right in, but as Shauna came down & hugged her dad, the whole community stood and redoubled their applause.   I was in tears. 

One other observation.  When Sally drove into that pole on Belt Line she did not have her seat belt on.

We are privileged to celebrate here this morning, we are privileged to celebrate Christmas tomorrow, we are privileged to be alive.

How are you treasuring this gift today?

   

 

                   Harper says, "Hi, Everybody, Welcome in."

 

Readings:

 1 Kings 19 4-8, Elijah prayed for death.  Plus Chapter 18, it is so good.

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

Ephesians 4, 30-5, 2,   All bitterness, fury, anger, shouting, and reviling must be removed from you.

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

 

                       Hi, Genevieve, Welcome in to You.

 

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.

 

                          Zoe says, "Wow, it is fun to be here."

 

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.  

 

Cole & Angela holding hands during the Our Father.  Cole says to his mom, "Mom, she needs me to hold her hand…She doesn't have anyone."  Wow, Cole, you are The Best.

 

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.   

We will read an expanded chapter 19, from 1-13.   

 

Cole's grandmother, Diane, one of the numerous                             positive influences in Cole's life.

 

Kind, Compassionate, and Forgiving

I would like to talk about what Ephesians brings up, being kind, compassionate, and forgiving.  It happened to me.

Folks, I unexpectedly had another one of those special weeks.  Not on the Kilimanjaro level of my Ragbrai week, but still special.

I don’t know if you saw in the news that this past week the Jewish Community Center was hosting the Maccabi games.  There are two or three places where these games take place every summer for Jewish kids from, say, 12 to 16.  Kids come from all over the world.  Some games are even scheduled in Europe and Israel. 

 

Linda and Hue at 40 years today.  Give that marvelous couple a cupcake!

 

Dallas hosts the games every 5 or so years and it is big.  9 venues are involved where the events take place.  Kids came from Australia and Israel, to name only two that I saw, plus from cities all over the States.  26 programs were involved with over a thousand kids playing soccer, basketball, volleyball, and even ping pong, to name just some . 

How did I get mixed up in the show?  You know I do spin classes at the Jewish Community Center every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday mornings at 6:00.  Two of the women in the class whom I like a lot are part of the organizing team.  They were looking for volunteers among even non-Jewish people, not to host the kids, but to volunteer.  So I volunteered. 

 

 

Would you trust this man to give Carrie her birthday                       cupcake?   Mr. Paul  has been known… 

 

The first thing I noticed when I came on board was that, despite the fact that there was a tsunami of kids at the J, which was ground zero, that same spirit of trust was there that I noticed in Iowa.  Backpacks were lying around all over, inside a lot, but outside everywhere.  I was again moved by this trust atmosphere.

Secondly, I noticed the security.  My car had to be tagged, I had to be tagged, photo ID at all times.  Guess why.  Remember the Munich games?  These kids are potentially a target.  About that, I am sad.  These kids were beautiful and charming.  And there are people who would be happy to kill them.  I am reminded of the Holocaust and I always have a hard time getting my mind around that. 

 

 

A Cupcake for you on your Birthday, Marlene.

 

 

My role in the event?  I was involved Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday, mostly in being a score keeper and line judge in girls’ volley ball and in being a timer in swimming.  I was at the Sportsplex on Alpha Road behind the old Valley View center.  This was where I met kindness, compassion, and forgiveness.

I met it because I messed up the score at least 5 games out of the 10 or so I scored and even flubbed being a line judge.  At least three times the volleyball games had to be stopped so the score could be made right.  For me it was not so simple because the scoring is different today.   Plus I would get emotional and cheer a spike or some wicked serve and forget to flip the score. 

 

 

The Team.  No white alb this morning.  The alb got left at the wedding venue the night before.

 

 

And you think being a line judge is simple.  No way.  It goes against all my Jesuit training and psychological formation.  My training was don’t judge the book by the cover, no black or white, no right or wrong.  So I had to think about what I saw.  On the one had, this shot could be in.  On the other, maybe it was out.

One time I even judged a ball out, which favored the team I was closer to.  The main line judge, however, over ruled me and then the girls on the team said to him, “But he said it was out!” 

Despite all my dufus mistakes, all these people were kind, compassionate, and forgiving. 

 

The Offertory Team  John & Connie, Marsha & Joe.

 

 

Moreover, I even fell in love with the Dallas girls’ volleyball team.  I had watched them so much.  Trouble was, they lost the final.  I could not stay to watch after they had lost the first 2 out of 5 to L.A.. 

The week was special for me.  What was special this week for you?

 

 Says Genevieve, "Wake me up, please when that old                         geezer stops talking."

 

Readings:  Jeremiah 20, 7-9; Psalm 63; Romans 12, 1-2; Matthew 16, 21-27

Jeremiah: One of the 3 great prophets, called the "broken hearted prophet,' because he had a heart rending life predicting punishment of death and destruction for the Hebrews for their sinful ways. 

He wrote from Jerusalem ca. 600 B.C. and his predictions came true when Nebuchadnezzar attacked Jerusalem in 588 B.C., defeated the Hebrews, and took them off to Babylon-Baghdad as prisoners.  Jeremiah wore a wooden yoke as a visual aid to his message.  He may have been ultimately killed by the Hebrews.

Deny Yourself, Take up Your Cross, and Follow Me

This simple little line from Matthew can be very tricky.  It can be approached healthily or in a less than healthy way.  I can witness to the latter in my own life.  I have already described how as a young Jesuit I was expected to do penance and deny myself in various ways, like the practice of using little whips to scourge our backs and little chains with points to wear around our thighs.  This was supposed to bring me closer to God.

I can laugh at this now, but I am humbled at how easily I can be programed.  When I read this line and others like it in the Bible and remember my experiences with such spirituality, I pick up the scent of an ancient philosophy that still influences a lot of religious activity which is not spiritually so sane.  The philosophy: dualism. 

The idea is simple.  Reality comes in pairs, hot & cold, rich & poor, order & chaos, and, in particular for this discussion, body & soul or flesh & spirit or mind & matter.  So far so good. 

The trouble enters with a judgment about the flesh & spirit.  Specifically, flesh is bad, spirit is superior.  Consequently, so that my spirit may reach an elevated plane of purity & perfection, and ultimately closer union with God, I attempt to control the flesh by disregarding the body's existence & appetites, ultimately aiming to live without it.  How about that!

There is a healthy, in fact, a rich approach to the line.  But first a couple of facts.  Dualism is identified as far back as 1000 years B.C. and came out of Zoroastrianism, a religion that worshiped one god and believed in an afterlife.  Did it come from Egypt as so much did at that time?  No, from  Persia, the area we call Iran today.  Zoroastrianism was widespread until Muhammad arrived on the scene around 650 and established Islam.  Through the ages lots of people picked up on dualism, for example, Plato, Augustine, Descartes.

I have two stories about people who healthily acted out self denial.

First, a girl I know who when she was 11 years old thought that she would like to join a swimming team here in Plano. She tried out, more than once, failing each time.  Undaunted, she practiced.  When she was 12 she not only got on the team, but she won the state championship in her age bracket. 

She continued to swim through grade school and into high school, practicing 2 hours early in the morning before class and two hours after school.  She even went to Providence College on a swim scholarship.  This girl, Megan, whom I love tremendously could have slept in two more hours every morning when she was in high school, she could have come home after school and watched TV.  It would have been easier.  This is healthy self denial and because of it she is a girl more alive, more whole, more fully alive with a vibrant spirit.  She is now the mother of Liam, who was our Baby Jesus in the Christmas drama, and the daughter of Rob & Beth.

Saturday we celebrated with a parade in Parker another girl like Megan, Nastia, home from the Olympics.

The second person is Thomas McGowan, 50 years old.  You might have read about him in the paper a few weeks ago.  He was just released from prison after spending half of his life there for a crime he did not commit.  The Innocence Project obtained permission to run a DNA match & he was exonerated. 

I came to know more about him through an old friend and classmate of mine, Tony Levatino, who in his retirement works at the Holy Trinity Center, the outreach arm of Holy Trinity Parish, just like ours.  Tony got familiar with him because his sister works at Holy Trinity and happened to talk with her.  Turns out he could not find a job.  Tony had a connection with the Anatole Hotel and got him hired.

Besides being moved by what Tony was able to accomplish, I was also moved whenTony said Thomas was an excellent man, cheerful, without anger, not wanting to blame anyone.  He accepted his fate while hoping for exoneration.  He was peaceful.  Thomas was a man who denied himself and took up a cross.

These two people have both denied themselves.   Megan strove to achieve, Thomas accepted.

How & why do you deny yourself?

AUDIO:  http://mysite.verizon.net/reso7rjy/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderfiles/2008-08-31.mp3

 

Happy 1st Easter, Dear Atlas, so nice to see  you.  Know that you have a terrific mommy.  Congratulations, Dearest Wendy

 

 

 

Readings:  (Easter Sunday)

 Acts of the Apostles 10, 34, 37-43 , Peter proceeded to speak

Psalm 118,  This is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad.

 1 Corinthians 5, 6-8,  A little yeast leavens all the dough.

John  20, 1-95,  Mary of Magdala came to the tomb early in the morning.

 

 

 

Congratulations, Brandon.  What a neat little boy you have.

 

 

Acts of the Apostles 

 

This work is basically the story of the development & growth of the Christian community after the death of Jesus up to Paul's arrival in Rome.

 

It is considered more idealistic than factual.

 

The author seems to be Luke, the same who wrote the Gospel.

 

 

 

Thanks, Dearest Emma, for being our Candle Lighter of The Week

 

 

A Random Act of Kindness

Mary Ellen has a friend named Diane.  They met in their book club probably many years ago.  Diane was a significant help with the move of Mary Ellen from her nice condo to Prestonwood Assisted Living.

A couple of weeks ago Diane and another friend of hers decided to go out for lunch.  They chose Napoli’s Italian, which I think is on Independence & McDermott.  Do our Juliettes not know this place already?  

 

 

 

 

Offertory.  Happy Easter Dearest Cameron, Trey, Brady, & Reid, and also to your crazy dad, my beloved friend.

 

 

So they have their lunch, chat, and finally ask the waiter for their bill.   Instead of giving them their bill, the waiter says that another lady who had been eating in the restaurant had paid for them and left. 

Another Random Act of Kindness.

And You?  Performed any Random Acts of Kindness lately?

 

 

 

 

Special thanks to our Special Easter Team, Georgie and Buddy, along with John and Mike.

 

 

Happy Easter

(P.S.  Incidentally, Rosemary suggested to me that maybe we ought to have lunch once in a while at this Napoli’s.)

 

 

 

 

I think this must be Christmas or Easter.  So many old & dear friends.

 

 

 

Watch out, My Dear Leo.  A big rabbit is just about ready to snatch you.

Readings: Proverbs 9, 1-6; Psalm 34, Taste & See the Goodness of the Lord; Ephesians 5, 15-20; John 6, 51-58

Proverbs:

What are they: a collection of moral & religious teachings in the form of pithy sayings.  For example: "Better to eat a dry crust of bread with peace of mind than to have a banquet in a house full of trouble" (17, 1); "Being cheerful always keeps you healthy" (17, 22).

Some a bit tough: "Don't hesitate to discipline a child.  A good beating won't kill him" (23, 12).

Some amusing: "A nagging wife is like water going drip-drip-drip" (27, 15); "Better to live on the roof than to share the house with a nagging wife" (25, 24). 

 

 

Author: Maybe Solomon is behind chapters 1-29.  Most likely a compilation.  Judging by the examples can it be more obvious whether a male or female was the author and at whom the writers were talking.

Date: Ca. 300 BCE is considered a possibility with material coming from as far back as 900, during the time of Solomon.

Our Selection: Wisdom is personified and she is preparing a feast or banquet to which the simple people are invited.

Sources: Religious Information Service & Wikipedia

The Joy of a First Class Feast

Rather than take responsibility for my ideas today, I am going to blame my Jesuit training and my Jesuit buddies over the years. 

When I came back from my years in East Africa, I took up back packing and camping with a group of Jesuits who had been doing this for some years.  Every year six or eight guys from actually all over the country would choose a destination, gather, and set out for usually two one week back pack trips.  These guys were pretty good and I learned a lot just by tagging along.

However, in the beginning I had one reservation.  The custom was that every year we brought along enough of a certain brew, Jack Daniels, in fact, so that each person might enjoy a shot every evening before dinner.  I remember thinking to myself, 'In my limited experience in camping we never brought this extra weight.'  So why now? 

Well, I learned, I who can be somewhat obsessive about being hard on myself.  In the Jesuit life I had come to understand that while we all are expected to live simply and work hard, occasionally on, say, religious feasts, like the Assumption (which was just celebrated yesterday and which marks the anniversary of my entry into the Jesuits in 1958), I came to appreciate a custom called a first class feast. 

Normally we ate well.  In fact, I can claim that one factor in keeping me a Jesuit for the first years was the cuisine.  We lived in a house with over a hundred Jesuits.  We lived in southwest Louisiana, Grand Coteau, LA, in fact, and we had local guys who cooked cajun.  First time in my life I had 3 prepared hot meals per day.   Because of the rigorous life style I could eat with reckless abandon.  I remember no overweight classmates. 

So this was the norm.  But on special holidays we had first class feasts.  This meant at least that we could talk at meals and probably had ice cream, home made from milk from the large dairy herd on the campus.  We did not have alcohol, but we had tremendous meals. 

My camping trips with these guys carried on the first class feast tradition, even at the cost of lugging in a few extra ingredients.   The custom was that we had a Mass all together about 5:00, then a drink with a hunk of cheese, then soup, a main course, and a desert, like chocolate pudding.  It was terrific.  We had delightful evenings.

Guess what.  The trip we ten just took to Yosemite, my annual pilgrimage, followed the same recipe.  Instead of having Mass before the evening's first class feast, we had a Mass afterward around the campfire on the two occasions we laid over in one beautiful campsite for two nights. 

But at 5:00 the cantina opened and Rob graciously played the role of bartender.  Beth handled the cheese.  Then we had casseroles like chicken or salmon tetrazinni, plus deserts like blueberry cheese cake or apple cobbler.  All the meals had been prepared, dehydrated, and vacuum packed by Rose.  Ray was our main cook.  Mike handled the campfires.

I talk about these feasts because the gospel and the reading from Proverbs both talk about a feast.  Even Ephesians talks about drinking, but negatively, cautioning against drunkenness.  Three observations.

First, these feasts are joys to our lives.  Our ancestors since they came down out of the trees have sat around campfires like we did and they enjoyed their meals.  Harvest celebrations became custom.  These celebrations bring us joy & deeper relationships, happiness and greater inner peace.

Secondly, the best feasts often involve a lot of people.  Look at the covered dish brunches we have here.  Everyone contributes and we have a blast.  I will never forget the covered dish reception Rosemary & I had at our wedding.  In Yosemite everyone seemed to have something to do from Rose who put the food together, to Ray cooking, Mike making the campfire, and Rob & Beth handling the hors d'oeuvres.  Daniel cleaned the pots. 

Thirdly, the first class feast is the paradigm of our celebrations and Masses here on Sunday.   What is unique about it is we intentionally emphasize a spiritual component of the meal, inviting God to be part of our celebration.  Certainly all sorts of people pitch in the make the event special.  Hopefully we too walk out of here with joy & richer relationships, happinesss and greater inner peace.

This reminds me that we ought to have a back to school, beginning of fall Sunday brunch in September.

When was the last time you had this type of feast?  When the next?

Picture 1:  Mass with Stephen (birthday, 19), Kevin, & Sabrina

Picture 2:  Chloe & her granny, Denni

Picture 3:  Anniversary–Bernadette & Gil; Birthday–Marlene

 

Readings:                          

Acts  7,  55-60,  They threw Stephen out of the city, and began to stone him.

Psalm 97,  The Lord is king, the most high over all the earth

Revelation 22, 12-14, 16-17, 20,    I, John, heard a voice.

John 17, 20-26,  I pray that they all may be one.

 

Sorry no homily today.