Readings:

Acts 15, 1-2, 22-29,  Unless you are circumcised, you cannot be saved.   

Psalm 67,  Oh, God, let all the nations praise you

Revelation 21, 10-14, 22-23,  The angel took me in spirit to a great, high mountain.

John 14, 23-29,  Peace I leave with you, my peace I give to you.

John Cade celebrates.

 WHAT: Acts

WHO: same as author of Gospel of Luke

WHEN: late 60’s, before 70

WHY: To further Paul’s desire to make “The Way” of Jesus’ followers acceptable to people in the Greco-Roman world of his time.

Today’s reading from Chapter 15 of Acts gives us another example of how the followers of Jesus at that time were originally Jewish. We have no documents from the 20 years following Jesus’ death. Scholars conjecture that there were writings from that time that became sources for the authors of the gospels of Matthew and Luke.

Chloe.

Whether or not there were such documents, the focus of the Jesus movement was on the “kingdom of God.” The movement gathered around the belief that Jesus preached with urgency and intensity the need to establish God’s reign on earth. The movement was a way of life and was radical in its embrace of Jesus’ preaching.

It is highly likely that in this 20 year period Jesus was considered by members of the movement to be a Jewish prophetical figure. The movement’s concern was to change this world. The focus was on Jesus’ preaching a way of life that would express the Divine Presence in human living and loving.

Buddy with his momma, Michelle.

It is also important to acknowledge that this was a Jewish movement rather than a new religion. There is no evidence to suggest that any members of the Jesus movement thought they were part of a new religion.

Then, beginning mid-century with Paul’s writings and culminating in John’s Gospel at the end of the century, a monumental shift in thinking occurred. The short answer is that Paul, himself a Jew, embraced the idea that Jesus’ preaching and message was intended for Jews and Gentiles alike. So, in his letters, Paul wrote about Jesus in a way that could be heard and would be acceptable to the Greco-Roman world of his time.

This raises many other questions for us, for another time.

Torri with her granddad, Gil.

 Homily: 

When Lambrini left for Baton Rouge 2 weeks ago for a week of business training, I thought my home job would be watching after and preparing meals for my mother-in-law, Kalliopi. That changes when we discovered on Wednesday morning she had some serious bleeding. I took her to the ER. Eventually she was transferred to a room in the hospital,  given 2 units of blood by transfusion, and several tests ordered.

Cupcake of the Week, Patricia.

A colonoscopy indicated that diverticulosis was the likely culprit. Kalliopi was in hospital till Friday, still in a lot of pain from the broken arm. I was moved by the peace with which she accepted all the questioning and poking and testing she endured along with the pain of her broken arm. She shared her gratitude for the treatment she received from the doctors and nurses and techs. She did not whine or demand special treatment.

Cole getting ready to be…

When Kalliopi was moved from the ER to the room I met her roommate, Margaret. I spoke with Margaret off and on and actually asked about her story. About 5 years ago Margaret was bitten by a dog in the abdomen and she developed sepsis, a dangerous blood infection that is often fatal. In her case it led to the amputation of both legs and about half of her right hand. Her lungs were seriously affected. She is on oxygen all the time. Before we left Margaret told me she was to have a rib removed to facilitate being able to treat her lungs that need drainage and other treatment.

Cupcake of the Week, Cole.

In talking with Margaret I observed how calm she seemed to be and how she did not complain about being in the hospital again for more surgery. The only time she complained was when we met her. She had been taken for tests and had not been given a meal. I offered to get food for her down on the 1^st floor, but she kept asking nurse at station for a meal and eventually got it. When they brought her food, it wasn’t great. When she heard me say I was going down to eat, she asked me for a favor, to bring her a Hershey bar with almonds, which I did.  

Emma Checking out the altar.

Eventually I asked Margaret how she was able to have peace in the midst of all her trauma.  Margaret replied, “I pray a lot.” She added that when she woke each morning, she gave thanks for her life. I told her she was an inspiration to me in the way she accepted her life just as it came to her, and in the way she received peace and shared that peace with others.

Emma with her mom, Beth, and her favorite train.

This past Sunday Lambrini and I were at Joey’s home for the 70^th birthday celebration of my former wife, Kay. Joey, as a surprise gift for her mom, had flown Kay’s granddaughter, Chyna, and Chyna’s 10 month old daughter, Catrina, from Florida for the weekend.

Buddies, Emma and Cowboy Cole.

I mention this because I got to experience again the peace that Chyna, the new mother in our family, has. I won’t go into details, but Chyna has had plenty of trauma in her young life. Yet she displays so much peace in her life, in her mothering and in her relationships.

Sienna and her mom, Erin.

A few words about peace, inner peace. Although some people may live in a more-or-less constant state of peace, most of us experience moments of peace in our lives. For me it is most often close contact with nature and in special relationships that I experience peace. Sometimes we are surrounded by nature (trips to mountains or oceans eg) and sometimes we are struck by nature in our urban lives (sunset, cloud formation eg). Peace received in relationships sometimes comes with those we are closest to, and sometimes it is a chance moment like my meeting Margaret.

Offertory, Donna, Jim, Sydney and Hue.

My question is how do you receive and experience peace? And how do you share this peace with others?

Readings:

Wisdom  3, 1-9,  The souls of the just are in the hand of God.

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

1 John 3, 1-3,  See what love the Father has bestowed on us.

John 6, 37-40,  I will not reject anyone.

Emma says, "Hi, Everybody, Welcome."

All Souls Day observations–

Let me give you a bit of history and the thinking behind this All Souls' Day.  Five observations: the theology, purgatory-limbo, a legend, pre-Christian practices, and today.

1.  The Theology.  All Souls' Day is part of a package with All Saints.  The idea is: on All Saints' Day we honor all those who are enjoying the beatific vision, that is, heaven, the saints.  On All Souls' Day we honor those who have died but have not reached heaven because they had penance to do. 

We are talking mortal & venial sin here.  If the person died with mortal sin, they are you know where. Those with venial sins have to go through purification and purging, which brings us to All Souls' Day and purgatory.

And Georgie, too, "Come in, Everybody."

2.  Purgatory & limbo.  People ended up in purgatory to purify themselves with suffering, before being allowed into heaven.  Limbo was for whom?  It was for people, especially children who died without being baptized.  They remained there how long?  Forever.  Can you imagine a baby there or even in the old purgatory?

At least the Catholic Church recently acknowledged that the limbo idea was bogus.  The pope said it does not exist and never did.  Though many consider purgatory to be in the same class, it still exists.  Want to know how we know?  A previous pope was offering indulgences.  The indulgence is for the soul in purgatory.  It speeds up the process.  There are partial & total indulgences.  We can win them for these souls and get them out or we can win them for ourselves. 

For instance, on the last feast of Peter & Paul Rome offered an indulgence if you visited a church named after one or both of these two, and you recited a prescribed menu of prayers. 

And Zoe says, "It's fun here."

3.  The legend.   It happened around 1000 A.D. that a monk, St. Idolo, from the French monastery of Cluny was shipwrecked on a desolate island as he returned from a pilgrimage to the Holy Land, i.e., Israel.  On the island he met a poor hermit.  The hermit told him that among the rocks was a crevice from which came the anguished voices of the many suffering in purgatory.  Likewise, listening carefully you could hear the devils cursing that living people were speeding up the sufferings of these souls by praying and doing penance for them. 

Some time after this, i.e., 1000 A.D., the Cluny Monastery established an All Souls' Day.  Ca. 1300 Rome followed suit.  

Buddy asks, "Any cupcakes left over this morning?"

4.  Pre-Christian times.  There is evidence that at least in Mexico numerous tribes had a day or period when the departed ancestors were honored.  The purpose was to honor them, remember their example, and to communicate with them.  Today in Mexico & in Hispanic families the Day of the Dead is still celebrated.  This custom has been celebrated for 3,000 years.

5.  Today.  Limbo has been discarded by Rome and many scholars consider purgatory a dinosaur idea from antiquity.  Consequently, All Souls' Day celebrates Samantha, my mom & dad, Rosemary's mom & dad, and all our loved ones pictured on the stage.  All Saints' Day handles the canonized.   Hell is also considered today a mental concept, not real.

So we say, What special blessing did you receive from one of these people pictured or whom you remember in your heart?

Arianna, another one of Our Saints.

Today's Saint

I would like to talk today about a saint for the day.  Every day has its saint. I want to talk about one.

Ever hear of a 67 year old black guy named Johnny Lindsay?  I read about him in the Dallas Morning News this summer.   Another of the army of exonerees. 

Johnny spent 26 years in prison for a rape he did not commit. He got out in 2008.  Can you believe that, 26 years!  Oh, but how he had grown.  

Richard Froebe painting The House.

He came out of prison without anger, bitterness, or desire for revenge.  In fact, he came out with a desire to do one thing positive for someone.  He had reached that acceptance state where peace lives.  

Ever since Johnny was 12 years old music had touched his spirit.  What kept his spirit alive those 26 years was music.  He sang in a choir the prisoners formed.  He said music was his saving grace and he dreamed all those years of finally being exonerated one day and doing one thing good for others.

Richard Eshelbrenner doing fence removal ai the yard of The House.

At his release he was given $2 million.  So his wife, Sherita, and he decided to actually take piano lessons.   He met Debbie Beach and she became an inspiration for him.  She taught them and shared her dream to have her own music school.  Johnny & Sherita bought her all the keyboards she needed to open her school. 

Has Johnny come out of prison eager for revenge?  Does he hate?  Is he angry?   I think I would be.  However, he, like so many, many of these  exonerated men is at peace. 

Jackie painting The House, her house with Rick.

Even this past Wedneswday, two men were exonerated and released after 14 years in prison.  They are not angry and not looking for revenge.   Johnny loves and accepts others.  He is at peace, with others and with himself. 

With whom are you not at peace?  What do you need to do to attain the peace Johnny has?

Reference:  Dallas Morning News, June 23, 2014. 

The Malphurs, Arianna with her parents, Ryan (an old friend) and Nicole.

Readings:  Ezekiel 18, 25-28; Psalm 25; Philippians 2, 1-11; Matthew 21, 28-32

Ezekiel: One of the Big 3, along with Isaiah & Jeremiah.   This is mostly due to the fact that these three books are bigger than the other, smaller books.

• Time: ca. 585, the time of the Babylonian captivity.

• Place: probably composed in Babylon

• Most famous story: the valley of the dry bones that take on life because of Ezekiel, chapter 37.

• Today's message: the wicked will perish, the good will have life.  Is the life metaphorical?

Working the Vineyard

Last Friday I was back in the grocery story again.  This time it was the Kroger's on the corner of Maple Ave. & Douglas in the Oaklawn area near downtown Dallas.  Fridays I visit a lady in her 90's who is finding it more difficult to get around.  Many of you know her, Elizabeth.  Because of her limited mobility, I buy groceries for the week for her.

On this particular trip in the late morning, I was pushing a cart from the parking lot and entered the store through an initial area where the carts are stored.  A small, middle aged Hispanic lady was sweeping up in the middle of the space.  I stopped while she finished where I wanted to pass.  When she realized that she had been responsible for my waiting, she humbly apologized.  I responded, "No problem, thanks for what you are doing."   Her smile in return was touching.

The day before Rosemary was walking in the neighborhood in the evening.  She has a favorite house because it has a beautiful flower display.  This particular evening she sees the lady from the house and compliments her on her work.  The lady is delighted and thanks her for her compliment.

I think of these simple small events when I hear the story of the two brothers.  Of course, you have heard me talk for years about either or spirituality, namely one brother or the other.  But in fact, there is no either or spirituality.  We are both.

What I would like to explore today, however, is the vineyard.  Obviously, this parable is metaphorical, that is, symbolic of something bigger than two boys, a father, and a vineyard.  The boys symbolize you and me and all people, the father is God, and the vineyard–what is it?  I would suggest that the vineyard is a labor with at least at least three parts. 

The first part is the world, beginning with our local world.  The job is to make it better because of my presence.  When I was a kid and we used to go camping as Boy Scouts, my dad and others used to teach us, 'Always leave your campsite better than you found it.'  An equally popular teaching is, 'Bloom where you are planted. 

This may involve nothing more complicated than picking up trash in the street or park.  Inspiration from these teachings was what got me started planting trees in Dallas back in '88, and even before that in Tanzania & Kenya.  About a year ago when Ron Kovatis was in charge of the Great Trinity Forest, we had a big crowd of the community tackle the litter & trash in the forest.  One of our community, my bicycle partner, Bill Hammond, even works on the Richardson Beautification Committee.

There is a second labor in the vineyard: people.  Helping others to get through this life.  Teachers do it professionally, coaches & scout leaders do it often freely and with great influence.  Parents obviously.   I am grateful to Tom & Lynda Fleming for inviting us and challenging us to help with local Habitat houses.  Julia and Al Grenier's astounding work in setting up the Collin Co. Adult Clinic.  How many totally poor people get medical help on Thursday evenings!  It is a privilege to help the clinic with our outreach contributions.   

The third labor in the vineyard: myself.  To treasure the gift of myself.  This may take work.  I both treasure the gift and improve it.  Planting trees at middle schools and high schools is often pretty daunting because of vandalism.  How many times watering the trees at Plano Senior do we see a tree whacked off or pulled out.  I know so well that the kids doing this are certainly not seeing themselves as a treasure.  They are usually angry and underneath are hurting.  Consequently, I don't get wigged out about the vandalism.  If the tree is gone, I give it a year, hoping the kid grows beyond the anger and hurt.  Or graduates!  Then I replant.

The vineyard is there, folks, all three parts, all needing attention.

How is the work going in your vineyard?

AUDIO: http://mysite.verizon.net/reso7rjy/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderfiles/2008-09-28.mp3

Readings:  Ecclesiastes 1, 2; 2, 21-23; Psalm 90, If Today You hear his Voice, Harden not your Hearts; Colossians, 3, 1-11; Luke 12, 13-21

Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time – Intro to Readings

Our first reading is from the Book of Ecclesiastes, which makes up some of the Wisdom literature.   The book is concerned with the purpose and value of human life. While admitting the existence of a divine plan, it considers such a plan to be hidden from man, who seeks happiness without ever finding it here on earth. 

The authorship has been attributed to Solomon, but that was just to get the book some credence.  It was written long after Solomon, around 250-150 BCE.  One could easily conclude that the book is rather pessimistic, as in its opening which we read today, “vanity of vanities, all is vanity”, and it concludes in chapter 12 with the following:  “The last word, when all is heard: “Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is man's all; because God will bring to judgment every work, with all its hidden qualities, whether good or bad.” 

This book is also the source of those well known lines from chapter 4:  “There is an appointed time for everything, and a time for every affair under the heavens.  A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to uproot the plant.”

Our second reading is the last for some time from Paul’s Letter to the Colossians.

The Gospel continues with Jesus’ journey up to Jerusalem.  The opening verse, which is omitted from the start of today’s reading, is worth noting:  “Meanwhile, so many people were crowding together that they were trampling one another underfoot.”  Luke is introducing the sense that things are starting to get serious.  And the reality is that the topic today is a serious one.

Readings: Isaiah 8, 23-9, 3; Psalm 27; 1 Corinthians 1, 10-17; Matthew 4, 12-23.

Isaiah: This great book continues for one more beautiful week.  Today we are presented with another vision of a people walking in light with joy and rejoicing.  Just a reminder: the visions in the book come from ca. 800 years B.C.

To what are You Called?

I would like to talk this morning about The Call.  Has anyone heard about a guy named Franz Jagerstatter?  This man was beatified last October in the cathedral in Linz, Austria.   He was Austrian, born in 1907 to poor farming parents.  He toyed with the idea of joining a monastery when he was 27, but decided his mother needed him to stay and help her with the farm.

At 29 he married Franziska and later said he could never have imagined that being married would be so wonderful.  The year was 1936.  Two years later you know what happened?  What happened in Austria?  Nazi Germany unified as it were Austria, and it became basically a state in Germany.  Coincidentally, Adolf Hitler was born in a small Austrian town neighboring the small town Franz was born in. 

With the Nazi take-over of Austria the arrest and exportation of the Jews began immediately.  The majority of the Catholic Church gave full and complete support to the Nazi take over and unification.  The diocese of Linz was an exception, and it was near Linz that Franz & his family lived and listened to the debate.  He was torn.  Some priests even encouraged Franz to get along, don’t endanger his family and keep his head down.

While Franz was struggling with his conscience, Germany spectacularly continued its unification plans, taking over Poland in ’39, France, and the Netherlands.  And arresting Jews.  In February,1943, just two years before the end of the war in May,1945, Franz got his orders to report for military service. March 2 he reported to the military base and refused to serve.  He was arrested and spent the next five months in prison in Linz.  In July he was found guilty of impeding the war effort and condemned to death.   August 9, 1943, 4:00 P.M., he was beheaded.  He was 36 years old.

Franz Jagerstratter heard The Call, Folks.  I am humbled by his example.

Jesus is walking along the lake.  He sees these rough fishermen and calls them to come along.  They do. We get the same call.   I am tempted to think the call is for that guy, for Franz, or someone else.  Not me.  Wrong.  We each get The Call.

To what are you called?

AUDIO:  http://mysite.verizon.net/reso7rjy/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderfiles/2008-01-27.mp3

Readings: Isaiah 49, 3-6; Psalm 40, Here am I, Lord, I come to do your will; 1 Corinthians 1, 1- 3; John 1, 29-34

The Baptism of the Lord – Introduction to the Readings

 Our second reading from Acts of the Apostles deals with what I will call a tipping point of major proportions, namely the account of how St. Peter understood that the Good News was not just for the Jews but also for all peoples.  We have just a short section of the whole story; it is about the baptism of Cornelius and his family.   It is also the last sermon which we have from St. Peter. 

 Prior to the section we read today there were two visions, Peter had a vision of all kinds of animals being lowered from the heavens and heard a voice telling him to eat, but he protested that the animals were unclean, only to hear God say that what He has made clean you have no right to call unclean. 

 Cornelius also had a vision, which told him to send some men to get Peter in a neighboring town.  This double vision is what it took to convince Peter that it was okay to baptize gentiles without having them circumcised first!!  This was a major change for the early community.

 The other great tipping point is in the gospel, which gives us the account of the start of Jesus’ public ministry.  This is one of those rare accounts, which all four of the gospel writers agree on, and marks the transition from Jesus’ private life to his public life.

By the way, our first reading is from a book we have been reading from for several weeks now, namely Isaiah.  As John has pointed out, there are different writers of this work.  Last week we heard from Isaiah 3 and earlier we had Isaiah 1.  Today our reading is from Isaiah 2, who introduces us to the Suffering Servant. 

Why didn’t the later two writers use their own names?  For the same reason that you will see books with James Patterson’s name boldly on the cover, but if you look closely you will see that there is also another name below his.  The well-known name adds authority to the unknown author; true today and true over 2,500 years ago!

The Baptism of the Lord – Homily

 If we look for signs of confirmation in the New Testament they are all over the place, in fact they are clearly mentioned in two of today’s readings.  We are told that we receive the Holy Spirit in Confirmation and that is what happens in Acts to Cornelius and his family as they are baptized and in Matthew’s Gospel to Jesus as He is baptized.  The Holy Spirit is very much part of baptism; while pouring the water the words said are “I baptize you in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit”.

 So how is it that we now have two separate sacraments?  I was baptized when I was four days old and confirmed when I was ten years old.  In the early church there was only the sacrament of baptism. 

But as the community grew and as the numbers who were joining grew – particularly after Constantine declared Christianity the official religion of the Empire, the bishops could not attend to all baptisms, both because of the large numbers joining and because their diocese were quite large. 

 In the Eastern Church, centered in Constantinople, the problem was solved by having the priest both baptize the candidate and confirm that action with the laying on of hands. 

In the Western Church, centered in Rome, the bishops decided to keep the conferring to themselves, and so the practice grew that way of separating the sacrament of joining or initiation into two events.  What also helped speed up this process was St. Augustine’s position that baptism was needed to overcome the effects of Original Sin, if one wanted to enter into heaven.  Let’s not wait for the bishop to make his rounds for baptism!

 It is clear just from our readings today that the Holy Spirit is received at baptism.  What I would like us to focus on is this.  We are told that we receive the Holy Spirit at Confirmation- we become soldiers for Christ.  What does this mean to you and me here today?  I find some clues in today’s readings.  It was only after he was baptized and received the Holy Spirit that Jesus comes out from obscurity and begins his Father’s work. 

 It was only when the Spirit came upon both Peter and Cornelius, in our second reading, that there was a major change in the requirement for the membership of the early community.  One no longer needed to be circumcised, or no longer needed to be Jewish.  Membership was now open to the gentile world.  The Spirit was responsible; it gave these people the courage to step beyond themselves.

 At the beginning of mass today I quoted from Pope Benedict about the importance of quietness and reflection in our lives.  It is only if we have this quietness that we can begin to hear the promptings of the Holy Spirit which can call us to new actions.  I really believe that it was the Spirit that led me to this community and the courage to reactivate my priesthood after 33 years of silence.  What is the Holy Spirit saying to you?

Picture 1:    Tony celebrating

Picture 2:    The Music Machine, Wendy & Shonda & Ray

Picture 3:    Sacrament of the sick

Picture 4:    Offertory with Mary Ellen & Loretta & Ray

Picture 5:    The Kites, Bernadette, Rich, & Fred