1st Sunday of Lent, February 21, 2021

Readings: Isaiah 40, 1-11; Psalm 104, O Bless the Lord, My Soul; Titus 2, 11-14, 3, 4-7; Luke 3, 1-22.

 

Baptism & Original Sin: traditional & contemporary theology

 

Traditional theology on baptism & original sin:

 

a.  Original sin: the 1 sin of Eve & Adam, the eating of an apple, ruptured the relationship between God & Humans.

 

b.  Why we baptized: purification & removal of that original sin inherited by all babies.  A new born baby was a sinner & would go to Limbo forever if not baptized before dying. 

   

 

Contemporary theology on baptism & original sin:

  

a.  Original sin:

 

1.  no original sin

  

2.  Genesis story of the fall is allegory, not fact.  No Garden of Eden and no Adam & Eve.

  

3.  from Darwin's Origin of the Species the idea has developed that in our human infancy, we needed certain behaviors to survive.  For instance, killing another person & stealing (like food).  As our ancestors formed communities, norms of social behavior emerged, for example, the 10 commandments. 

  

4.  St. Augustine, ca. 400: 

 

–A major, if not the major influence on Christian/Catholic theology of original sin and human nature from his time to today 

–After conversion from a rather lusty life at 32, he had a pessimistic view of human nature, different from early Christianity

–St. John Chrysostom, bishop of Constantinople (Istanbul), Pelagius, a British monk, & Julian of Eclanum, Italy, a bishop, all found nature good and fought against Augustine

–Augustine used all means to vanquish his opponents with their positive view that nature was good, even to sending a gift of horses to the pope to influence his decision.  Augustine won.

   

 

b.  Why we baptize today: (using the contemporary theology)

  

1.  To celebrate a new life

   

2.  To ritually & formally welcome the new person into a family, a community, and to a God famous for love and acceptance.

  

3.  To cleanse after the journey

 

Sources: Elaine Pagels, Adam, Eve, and the Serpent; John Shelby Spong; Wikipedia

 

 

We are Getting Better

 

I have one more Christmas story to celebrate this baptism today. 

 

There are three people in the story.  My good friend, her little daughter, and her niece, who is about 16 or 17.  The story took place at Collin Creek Mall one or two days just after Christmas.  Guess what they were doing.  Bringing things back. 

 

It happened that the niece had offered to take the daughter to the mall to have girl fun while her mother went to the mall to return various items.  After they had been there a while, the niece phoned to say that it was getting to be time for her to leave.  So could she return the daughter? 

 

They agreed that the easiest way to arrange the swap was for the niece to take the girl in her car, drive over to where my friend's car was, and then transfer the daughter & her car seat.  So they met in the parking lot, my friend's car in a parking place, the other car in the aisle behind the first car. 

 

Mother goes into the niece's car, unbuckles her daughter, and places the girl in her car.  Then she disconnects the car seat and reconnects it in her own car, securing her daughter in place.  Somewhere in this process she set her purse down.  Yep, you guessed it.

 

Who knows where she set it down.  Maybe by her niece's car, maybe by her own.  But apparently outside. 

 

She gets into her car and drives off.  Almost immediately she notices her purse is missing.  She calls her niece and asks her to look in her car.  No purse. 

 

So they both return to where the car was parked.  They drive around, ask people.  No sign of the purse.  The niece finally departs and mom  goes home.  She calls her mom, then she calls the mall security.  Nothing had been reported or brought in.  Security says to call the police.  The police do not know what to do.  Was it stolen?  Or was it forgotten? 

 

She thinks of her credit card, of getting a new license, she thinks of her phone.  So, using her mom's phone, she starts calling her phone hoping someone will answer   No one answers. 

 

 

Time passes.  A few hours later in the evening, her mom gets a phone call.  It is young boy, a high school aged kid.  He has the purse.  He says he and his dad found it in the parking lot and simply used the phone's incoming calls to call the number identified as "Mom."

 

The mom who got the purse back was Bobbi Jo Whitley, mother of Dillon, Hunter, and Audry.  Bobbi's mom is Jo Whitley, who read this morning.  The purse came back.  Nothing missing.

 

Are there not lots of good stories like this?  Are we not evolving into a better people?  Scott Burns said so in his column in the Dallas Morning News a couple of weeks ago.  A great Jesuit geologist and paleontologist, Teilhard de Chardin, thought so, saying that the human race is slowly becoming more mature, more sensitive, more peaceful.  I think so, too.  For lots of reasons.

 

What do you think?

 

Picture 1:  Mass begins with Kevin helping

 

Picture 2:  Daniel (Mr. A&M) & Beth

 

Picture 3:  Bob & Jerry with 2 new knees

 

Picture 4:  Georgie

 

 

Rosemary's Blessing Video:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And who let these girls out on the street this morning?!

 

 

Welcome: Catholic Mass with coffee & juice, and pastries, some bought, some home-made.

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

Place: Sigler Elementary, 1400 Janwood Drive, Plano, TX 75075 

 

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The Best All Saints & All Souls team, Sandra, Geri, Denni, and Judy.

 

Readings:

Malachi  3, 19-20,  There will arise the sun of justice with its healing rays.

 Psalm 98,  The Lord comes to rule the earth with justice.

 2 Thessalonians 3, 7-12,  See what love the father has bestowed on us.

 Luke, 21, 5-19,   When you hear of wars and insurrections, do not be terrified.

 

Flowers for Georgie and Buddy. 

 

Community Activities:  

ROMEO MEET: Friday, November 11, Jason's Deli, Collin Creek Mall, west side of Central, 1:00.  Welcome all wakos,  you will fit right in.  

JULIET LUNCHEON, (aka.,just us ladies into eating together), December, TBA.   

 

Sir Charlie, you swiped those flowers!  I know where you are going.

                        

Christmas at the Dallas Symphony

This year we are going to the Meyerson on Friday, December 16th at 7:30 pm.   We will have seats in the Orchestra section at approximately $45.00 per person.  Please let Rosemary (rosemary.mcginn@sbcglobal.net) know as soon as possible if you are interested in going.  As always we will gather at Tulip Lane before the performance.

 

Country Western Dancing anybody?

 

What is going on in Our Catholic World

1. Nothing this week.  

 

 

I know I am funny here sometimes, Buddy, but that funny?

 

True?

Pocock paused and stepped back from the frame of the shell and put his hands on his hips, carefully studying the work he had so far done.  He said for him the craft of building a boat was like religion.  It wasn’t enough to master the technical details of it.  You had to give yourself up to it spiritually; you had to surrender yourself absolutely to it.  When you were done and walked away from the boat, you had to feel that you had left a piece of yourself behind in it forever, a bit of your heart.  He turned to Joe, “Rowing,” he said, “is like that.  And a lot of life is like that too, the parts that really matter anyway.”

Boys in the Boat, p. 215. 

 

 

Healing.

 

See you Sunday.

J.S., 214-783-0443

 

Three generations, Peace.

 

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.

 

Peace.

 

Next Sunday we will have a service for Cody’s son, Caleb,  at 12:30 at the ArtCentre.  Family will be coming into town.  We would like to hep Cody and Shonda during this time by providing some food for the out of towners (15 – 20 persons) to share while here.  If you are able to bring some food to 3622 North Echo Trail, Plano TX 75023  on Saturday at 2:00, it would be appreciated.

Ideas for food:  cheese plates, small sandwiches, salads, pasta, deviled eggs, hors d’oeuvres, the usual luncheon things.

Cody’s Mom will bring dessert.

Thanks to all.

 

Are you guys laughing at me–again?  This is serious business, no?

 

Welcome: Catholic Mass with coffee & juice, and pastries, some bought, some home-made. 

Time: 9:30; Celebrate with the Community  & John Cade  

Place: Legacy Charter School,  601 Accent Drive, Plano, TX 75075

The next two weeks The Blog will take a bit of a vacation.

 

 

Sez Mike, "John, Want to buy a used bike?"

 

Readings: 

Acts of the Apostles, 15, 22-29,  Unless you are circumcised, you cannot be saved.

Psalm 67,  O 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 13, 31-35, Whoever loves me will keep my word..

 

 

 

Healing Touch.

 

Community Activities:  

ROMEO MEET: Friday, May 24, Jason's Deli, Collin Creek Mall, west side of Central, 1:00.  Welcome all wakos, you will fit right in.   

 

Juliettes, June, TBA

 

 

Healing touch for Bill.

 

TRUE?

Only a biker knows why a dog sticks his head out a car window.

 

 

 

Our Father.

 

 

What's up in Ye Old Catholic Church?  Like…

2 steps forward & 1 step back won't cleanse the Catholic Church

http://corpus-blog.blogspot.com/2019/05/two-steps-forward-and-one-step-back.html

 

   

Our Father.

 

 

See you Sunday,

J.S., 214-783-0443

 

 

Peace, Everybody.

 

 

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.

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks…     

Music,   Ben 

 

  Expenses: $   375.00

  Outreach: $       0.00

Thanks again, Folks, for doing what you can.

 

 

Izzy gets a cookie

 

 

Rosemary's Blessing:

O God of Quiet, come!

Whisper in our waiting hearts what you ask of us. … Come!

Help us listen. Help us be quiet.

May God’s small, still whisper reach our waiting, listening hearts.

 

Sr. Delores Dolezai

 

Donna give us an update on the sweatshirt collection

Jeremiah 20:  I say to myself, I will not mention him, I will speak in his name no more.  But then it becomes like fire burning in my heart, imprisoned in my bones; I grow weary holding it in, I cannot endure it.
Romans 12:  Do not conform yourselves to this age but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and pleasing and perfect.
Matthew 16:  Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me.  For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.

 

Nothing we attempt to do well is lost. It is always a sign of either the possible or the desirable to someone else. “Although only a small fraction of those who try to scale the heights of human achievement arrive anywhere close to the summit,” Chardin wrote, “it is imperative that there be a multitude of climbers. Otherwise the summit may not be reached by anybody.
The Monastic Way, Sister Joan Chittister

Important Message:
This Sunday only – for the John Stack Celebration – Mass will be held at 11:15 at the Clubhouse at 6970 Helsem Way, Dallas, 75230.  Doors open for guests attending Mass at 11:00.  For guests attending the reception only, please arrive after 11:45 (when mass is over)

There will not be a Mass at 9:30 at the ArtCentre.

We plan to have Zoom available (but note this is a bit iffy with the facility, but we will try our best)

Rickey Turner
Please click on the link below for more information on Rick’s fund for ongoing treatment and medications for a kidney transplant. As Rick is now back on track for the transplant, we are helping to cover the medications necessary following the transplant.
Rick Turner Blog Post

Another Reminder for the 22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time, August 30, 2026
Here are the links for Sunday:

For Zoom   ( the video conference)
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88528744737?pwd=Te3cub31Q6XpNvUfzutHMgQ8JGqd42.1
Meeting ID: 885 2874 4737
Passcode: 412993

 

John Stack Ministries meets on Sunday for Mass at 9:30 at
The ArtCentre of Plano,
902 E. 16th St, Plano, Texas.

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.