21st Sunday in Ordinary Time, August 23, 2020

Yes, John, that red '55 Studebaker is still for sale.   I make you a good deal.  Better grab it before Rob grabs it for Beth.

Readings: 

Sirach 27, 4-7,   Tribulation is the test of the just.  

Psalm 92,  Lord, it is good to give thanks to you.  (The Beauty of Today, Stanza 1)

1 Corinthians 15, 54-58,    Where, O Death, is your sting?

Luke 6,  39-45, A good person produces good.

Spousal abuse!   No way!  You know the truth, Mike, you were there.

Sirach Observations

Who : an educated scribe living and writing in Jerusalem ca. 180 before Christ.  His work was translated from the original Hebrew into Greek by Ben Sira’s grandson in 132.

The Work: The chief loves of Ben Sira’s life were The law and the Temple rituals.  Consequently, his work falls into the Wisdom genre of writings. 

Lots of maxims, for example on fear, 

The fear of the Lord is glory & pride,                                                             

The fear of the Lord gladdens the heart,                                                       

For those who fear the Lord , all will end well.  (p. 809, New Jerusalem Bible)

Two great Jesuit alumni, Bob & Mike Bulger.   Only missing Ray.

Some amusing maxims:                                                                                     

Do not compliment a person, 11/2,                                                                   

Be careful about the kind of person you bring home, 11/29,                           

A father who loves his son will whip him often, 30/1,                                   

A woman has to take any man as a husband, but a man must choose his wife carefully, 36/21

Others focus on patience, uprightness, humility, and duties toward parents.  It is a large book with 51 chapters.

Jan takes care of everybody who walks in the door.

Sunday Homily, 3-3-19, 5 Ways to have a Happy Lent

If there is anything that every year makes me want to say ‘yuk,’ it is the beginning of Lent with its focus on sin.  Guess where we are, Folks, Ash Wednesday this week.  Instead of it being a downer focused on how bad I am and how I need to do penance, I would like to propose 5 ways to have a Happy Lent.

"Patricia, would you not like to take him home with you?"  sez Jan.

First, attitude.   You are not a sinner going to hell.  There is no hell, as I continually repeat.  Why do I say this: data free analysis to prove its reality.  Moreover, we have a God about whom Psalm 92 talks,

It is good to give thanks to the Lord, to sing praise, to proclaim your kindness at dawn and your faithfulness throughout the night.

Emma, How come you look so pretty this morning?

Secondly, unclutter your environment.  Becky suggested this.  Have a box or bag.  Every week or every day put something into the bag, a shirt, a book, an old decoration.  Maybe Becky can use some of the stuff.

I must admit that I just put into the box headed for Half Price Books all my French books.  That was hard.  My memory is not as strong and I just don’t see me using the language enough.  I’ve  loved  languages.

Here they come, the offertory team, Lynda & Tom, Geri & Mike.

Thirdly, a good deed day.  Say ‘Good Morning’ to a stranger at Starbucks or at Central Market.  Call somebody whom you have not talked with in a while and say you are just calling to see how they are.  Take somebody to Romeos or Juliette’s.  Help out here at Legacy.  

Fourth.  Sorry, Folks.  Work out.  Exercise 4, 5 days a week.  Walk through the neighborhood.  Make it fun.   Enough of that. 
Try it, you will like it.

Mabel & her admirers, 

Fifth.  My favorite.  Gratitude.  Like Psalm 92 says,  It is good to give thanks.  Before you go to bed what is your blessing of the day?  Want to bet there is always something.

So, how are you going to have a Happy Lent?

Team Legacy Charter.  The Best.

 Readings: Exodus, 34, 4-9, Note the great line, The Lord is Gracious & Merciful, slow to anger, and rich in kindness & fidelity;

Daniel 3, Glory and Praise Forever;

2 Corinthians 13, 11-13;

John 3, 16-18.   Great readings today!

Father’s Day History:

 Four steps:

     1.  The Civil War started thinking about a Mother’s Day.  Anna Jarvis pushed it ca. 1907 and it was made official in 1914 by President Woodrow Wilson.

       2.  Monongah, WV mining disaster, 210 fathers killed, Dec. 6, 1907 (just before Christmas & after the Mother’s Day activity).  Fairmont, WV.   Grace Golden Clayton pushed the idea. 

        3.  Spokane, WA, Sonora Dodd & influence of Mother’s Day.  Dodd’s dad had fought in the Civil War and all by himself raised Sonora & her 5 siblings.   

        4.  Pres. LBJ made it special, 1966.  Pres. Nixon made it a national holiday, 1972.

Exodus Story: 

The Israelite people have been wandering around in the Sinai Desert for many years after escaping from old Pharaoh in Egypt.  Moses has been invited up Mt. Sinai to receive 10 Commandments.  

He comes down loaded with two stone tablets written on both sides and discovers that the people have become  exasperated with him and the wandering in the desert.  They have created a gold bull to celebrate with and to worship.

Old Moses, all angry, throws down the tablets and breaks them.  He calls Aaron, his lieutenant, tells him to gather the Levite tribe, the priestly tribe, and he tells them to slaughter all the rest.  They do.

Then, and here we take up the reading, Yahweh tells Moses to make two more tablets and to return to the top of Mt. Sinai, where he will get another set of commandments.  It is here where that marvelous line about the nature of God is mentioned again, "The Lord is gracious & merciful, never gets angry, and is abounding in love."

Beware of taking this story literally.  It is mythical history making.  

Responsorial Psalm from the Book of Daniel: 

A great story.  Characters: three Jewish boys, a gold statue, and the great King, Nebuchadnezzar, what a name. 

Seems like old Nebuchadnezzar decided to cast a gold statue.  He wanted everyone to bow down to it.  Three Jewish boys said no.  Even though they were favorites of the king, he had to throw them into a flaming furnace.   

Far from being burned up, the boys started dancing around in joy and they sang the song we have for today’s responsorial psalm.  Though this is totally a mythical story, you can picture them.

Homily was given by Tony Levatino of Holy Trinity Parish.

Picture 1:   Consecration

Picture 2:   Our Father

Picture 3:   Father's Day Blessing

Picture 4:   Father's Day Blessing

Picture 5:   Tony 

The Nativity with Emma (the sheep), Buddy (the camel), Cowboy Cole (Joseph), Zoe (Mary), and at about 3 weeks, Jake (Jesus).

Readings:

Isaiah 9, 1-6,  The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light.

Psalm 96,  Today is born our Savior, Christ the Lord.

Titus,  2, 11-14,  The Grace of God has appeared.

Luke 2, 1-14,   In those days a decree went out from Caesar  Augustus that the whole world should be enrolled.

The angels including Torri, CC, Brooklyn, and Sienna.

A Christmas Gift

I want to tell you about a Christmas gift this afternoon.  It is one of my biggest gifts of this season and it came to me yesterday afternoon by surprise.

In our neighborhood we have alleys behind the lots.  Garbage trucks and service vehicles us the alleys.

The whole gang.

Once a week on Mondays we are visited by the trash trucks and the recycle trucks.  The trash trucks are all mechanized, so only a driver runs the show.  A mechanical arm grabs the trash can, empties it, and replaces it.

Emmett getting ready for his debut with Marilyn.

The recycle truck, however, has three people, one driver and two men who empty the recycles into their truck.  I often see the recycle guys because they start the day’s run at our alley and at our house.  We are on the corner.  We wave.

I got this idea from a guy I helped to do his memorial a few years ago.  He would give a small gift to his mail man and trash collectors.

Jesus getting ready, Jake & his mom, Amanda.

So Monday morning I am watching at 7:00, hoping to give the recycle guys a gift of a few bucks.  They don’t come.  I am afraid I will miss them like I did at Thanksgiving.  So I place a note on the recycle bin.  And I continue to watch.  I can hear them usually, because their big truck makes noise.

Jacob with his mom, Stacie.

Suddenly about 3:00 I hear the truck.  By the time I grab my coat and head out, one of the guys is coming in the back yard, because my note told them to come to the door.   They are friendly as ever.

I give them each $20.

This was when my present arrived. 

Joe and his family.

Their gratitude.  It was over the top.  They thanked me over and over.  One guy says, “I’m rich, I’m rich.”  They head off down the alley with more thanks and well wishes for a Happy Christmas and a Happy New Year. 

I was so touched I got choked up when Rosemary asked me how it went.  So small a gift on my part, so great a gift to me on their part.

Want to receive a gift like this?  When are you going to do it?

One of Ours, Cole Carey, Corporal, USMC, lighting the 4 candles.

Readings: Genesis 9, 8-16; Psalm 145, The Lord is near to all who call upon Him; 1 John 4, 7-16; John 15

Opening Prayer (Included will be some prayers composed by John because they are so good) 

Let us pray: O God, you are not far away, but with us wherever we are, calling us to live in unity and love, and accepting us as we are, with all our weaknesses. We acknowledge the blessings we experience each day. For the little ones who bring us joy in the present and hope for the future—Leo X 2, Freddie, (names of all the kids),    and for your presence always with us, we give thanks to you both now and forever and ever…   Amen. 

Intro to the Readings:

I chose the readings for today’s Mass, so they aren’t in the Missals for today’s date. Ray will tell you what page the Responsorial Psalm and Gospel acclamation are on. The first 2 readings will be read by my daughters, Joey and Sam. I put in the blog some information on the readings’ authors, the time and why the readings were written. Also go to Wikipedia.

The story of Noah is found in Chapters 6-9 of Genesis, the first book of the Torah, the Torah being the first 5 books of the Jewish Bible. Genesis was put together during the 5^th century BC. The story of Noah combined 2 sources of the story from the 10^th and 7^th centuries BC. That explains the differences in the details of the stories.

The Gospel of John, the 3 Letters of John and the Book of Revelation were traditionally attributed to the Apostle John.  According to recent scholarship, John was not the author of either and further, the Gospel, the letters and Revelation may have 3 separate authors. The First Letter of John was written in Ephesus between 100-110 CE. It seems to be written to counter ideas that Jesus was a Spirit only, not human with a body, and against a Gnostic, Cerinthus, who denied the humanity of Jesus. 

The first reading is from the story of Noah. It’s about the covenant God made with Noah and his offspring. This covenant is a promise of God’s presence and acceptance, symbolized in the story by a rainbow.

On Labor Day weekend I visited 2 of my sisters in Louisiana. One evening my sister Didi and I were driving from Jennings to Lake Arthur to eat at a lovely restaurant sitting right over the lake. There was just a slight mist or sprinkle falling when, off to the side, we saw the beginnings of a rainbow. Gradually the colors got brighter and brighter and became the most strikingly beautiful rainbow I have ever seen; a complete arch of color. We slowed down to take in its beauty. I had already chosen the readings for today; seeing that rainbow took my breath away.

The second reading is from John’s first letter. Both it and the Gospel reading speak words of challenge we are given from prophets throughout human history, even in our own time and, in this case, from Jesus who over and over challenged us to live in unity and love.

Now the first reading…..

FIRST READING  The Book of Genesis, Chapter 9(Verses 8-9, 12-16)

Psalm: 145: 8-9, 17-18 (Page 52 in Today’s Missal) Refrain: “The Lord is near to all who call upon him.”

SECOND READING  First Letter of John, Chap. 4  (Verses 7-8, 12-16)

Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!  – John 13: 34 (Page 51 in Today’s Missal)

A Reading from the Gospel of John, Chapter 15.   

“I tell you this so that you can share my joy, and that your happiness may be complete. This is my commandment: that you love each other as I have loved you. You are my friends if you do what I tell you to do. This I command: love one another.”

      HOMILY:

For years this community has heard Stack saying that God is infinite demand, challenging us to live in all our relationships with love and forgiveness; and, on the other hand, that God is infinite acceptance, always receiving us just the way we are. -Please hold that thought-

Today we are remembering my ordination on Sept. 30,1961. Many centuries ago priestly ordination was made one of the 7 sacraments, and has traditionally been conferred selectively, and by the hierarchy. What evolved historically was the separating of ‘priests’ and people as if our basic callings were different. (Just look at us–we wear the clothing of 2000 years ago, back when you would have been wearing the same outfit.)  My take on the priestly role is this: whoever gets up each day and embraces the possibility of living in forgiveness and love, and of accepting oneself as one is and others as they are—these all share the priestly role in the community. Jesus didn’t draw lines of distinction among his friends. His words were the same for all.

Of course, as a community grows, there is an advantage in having structure, with distinct roles that help the community function well, like the role of organizational management or spiritual leadership. Jesus, however, was clear with his friends and with everyone he met: the demand to love is the same for all, and acceptance by God is the same for all. Even those 12 friends who were with Jesus all the time often didn’t get it, and were confused by his message to just love one another and accept everyone as they are. Their experience with the religious community of their time, the Jewish synagogue with the priestly caste, didn’t prepare them for such revolutionary thinking about what a community can be.

Much much later (fast-forward to our era) only about a year after my ordination, Pope John 23^rd called and inspired the Second Vatican Council. That Council opened the windows of the universal Christian community to fresh and new possibilities. Today, St. Vine’s is one example of a community living in those new possibilities. For me, this is completing a circle.

My desire to be a priest grew in my late teen years, but a pivotal point in my religious development happened after I finished theology studies. We were asked to attend a period of pastoral formation prior to ordination, which I did at a Benedictine monastery outside Kansas City in the summer of ‘61. Though I had had serious questions and ‘funny feelings’ about the traditional theology we got in the seminary, it was that summer that I was exposed to the knowledge and experience of several great minds from North America and Europe and Africa. That experience, along with Vatican II, changed the way I thought and lived as a priest for the next ten years. Those experiences also made it really difficult for me to live and function in the face of immense resistance to the new possibilities opened up by Vatican II. In 1971, I chose to be part of the exodus of priests leaving at that time.

So for me, it’s a real joy to be part of a community such as this. I am grateful for your openness, your caring for one another, and your acceptance of those who are other than you. I am grateful that you are not afraid of stepping outside the box and of stepping into new possibilities. Do you see now why I think of this community as completing a circle in my life?

Thank you for remembering with me that special day in 1961.

The question I leave with you today is: how do you respond to the demand to give forgiveness, love and acceptance in this community, in your own family, and with your own self?

Further Prayers:

 As we prepare the table with the bread, wine and grape juice, and sing the Offertory Song, I will go around with the sacrament of the sick which you are welcome to receive, whether your ailment or pain is big or small, physical or emotional, acute or chronic. Just stand near an aisle or give a sign and I’ll get to you.

PREFACE TO EUCHARISTIC PRAYER:

The Lord be with you. And with your spirit.

Lift up your hearts. We lift them up to the Lord.

Let us give thanks to the Lord our God. It is right to give Him thanks and praise.

O God, we have no word or name in any language to express fully who or what you are. We call you Father or Mother or Brother or Spirit or Lord. We make believe and speak as if you are like us, just bigger and better.  One thing we know: You are not distant from us; you are not hidden. You are experienced in all the workings of the known and the not yet known universe. Most of all You are known in and through others who touch us in some way as we journey together in time. And so, we raise our voices together and praise you with the words we long ago learned to use, as we sing:

HOLY HOLY HOLY LORD

EUCHARISTIC PRAYER:

In a special way we give thanks and praise for the one named Jesus, who proclaimed clearly and repeatedly that you are not far away, but here with us. He taught us to know you as present, as holding us in being, as nurturing and strengthening us in the midst of life’s difficulties and pain, as challenging us to grow in spirit and in truth, and as always accepting us just the way we are. 

As a sign and celebration of our sisterhood and brotherhood with him and with each other, Jesus, on the night before he died, gathered his friends together and shared with them the Passover meal. While they were at table, he took some bread, gave thanks, broke it, and passed it among them saying: “Take this, all of you, and eat. This is my body given up for you.” Then he took the cup and, giving thanks, gave it to them saying, “Take this, all of you, and drink from it. This is the cup of my blood, poured out for you. This is a new and everlasting covenant. Do this in memory of me.”

And so we repeat this remembrance today, and we recall Jesus and how he showed us a way to live gratefully with and for others. We remember the hope he taught so well, the hope of an always new, fresh and full life, a life we can live regardless of our situation or the circumstances of our lives.

As a community of family and friends, we proclaim this mystery of the fullness of life, as we sing:

Christ has died,

Christ is risen,

Christ will come again.

 May all of us who share in this meal be brought together in peace and unity by the Spirit that moves in us all.  We remember that we are united with the worldwide community, and that we are called to live with respect, acceptance and love for all, especially those nearest to us.

May we grow in this love, together with our spiritual leaders, with Benedict our Pope, Kevin our Bishop, with our community gathered here, with our families and friends, and with all who journey with us in time.

We recall those who have gone before us and yet remain with us in our hearts and minds. We remember our grandparents, our parents, our sisters and brothers, our children, our close friends and neighbors. We remember all our ancestors some of whose names were given to us at our baptism, such as Joseph and Mary and Peter and Kalliopi and Leo and Joanna and Daniel and Lambrini and Freddie and Hannah and John and Carol and Antony and Samantha and George and Catrina and Michael and Kathryn and Morris and Jane, and all those whose names we carry in our time.

We acknowledge them, and we remember them with love, respect and acceptance.  

Wth confidence we place before You all the yearnings of our hearts and minds, as we proclaim that it is…

Through him, with him and in him, in the unity of the Holy Spirit,

one God, Forever and ever.

Picture 1:     The celebration begins   

Picture 2:     Leo

Picture 3:     Payton

Picture 4:     Chloe

Picture 5:     Sienna & Brooklyn with daddy, Payton

Picture 6:     Freddie

Picture 7:     John & family

Welcome, Our Dearest Michelle.

Readings:

Isaiah 25,, 6-10,  On this mountain  the Lord will provide for all peoples.

Psalm 23,  I shall live iin the house of the Lord all the days of my life.

Phlippians 4, 12-14, 19-20,  I know how to llive in humble circumstances.

Matthew 22, 1-14,  The king throws a wedding feast for his son. 

Welcome in, say our Dearest Tori & Zoe, and The Great Gilbert.

Two beautiful readings this morning, Isaiah 25, and Psalm 23, The Lord is my Shepherd.

Our Dearest Candle Lighter of The Week, Emma.

Isaiah observations:

Who:  Any idea which Isaiah this is, 1, 2, or 3?   We had Isaiah 1 last week talking about the vineyard.  That was chapter 5.  Pretty easy to guess, Isaiah 1.  But, this is chapter 25.

It seems out of character for Isaiah 1, who criticizes the people.  More like Isaiah 2, which John Cade loves and which we will read this Advent. 

Remember Isaiah 1 is pre-Babylonian Captivity, around 555 before Christ.  This selection is a marvelous vision of peace and sensual satisfaction, one of my favorites.

Yep, it is still Isaiah 1, all the way to chapter 39.  Basically he is saying that a great day will come, after you people have paid for your sinful, selfish ways. 

Does it get more beautiful than this, Beautiful Scene, Beautiful Couple.

On this mountain the Lord will provide for all peoples, the Lord will wipe away the tears from every face.

This morning, Folks, I would like to talk about this line in the context of our lives.

Last week after having been privileged to take part in the beautiful wedding of Paul and Carrie on the very edge of the South Rim of Grand Canyon.  And after having the joy of sleeping in for a couple of mornings when the temperature was in the 30’s both outside and inside through our wide open glass door.  And after having spent one whole day just walking around and doing nothing, a very rare event in our lives. 

After being moved by all this, we turned on the radio in our rental car early Saturday morning to begin our 3 hour drive back to the  airport in Phoenix.  Just catching up on current news.  I was immediately depressed and even angry, which is pretty rare for me. 

Communion on the South Rim.
 

I have caught myself here a few times lately and have decided I do not want to be here.  So I returned to a decision I made to simply turn it off and focus on the beauty and how the Lord provides. 

Let me give you 4 little examples on which I am still dwelling here at home.

First, I was touched by the example of lots of the tourists around the South Rim.   There is a shuttle bus system on the South Rim, three routes, one east, one west, and one in the center.  The west bus and the center bus are new for me since I came here in the ‘90’s.

The South Rim Wedding.

Rosemary & I took them all and occasionally they were full, especially the west bus.  One time I am seated and the aisle is full of standing people.  So I get up and offer my seat to somebody.  After I stand up I happen to look toward the back of the bus.  What do I see?  A half dozen other guys were all getting up.  Many of them were Japanese. 

Rosemary even was bummed later in the day because some guy got up and offered her his seat.  “He must think I’m an old lady,” she grumps to me later.

The Stack Wedding Tree

Two more neat events took place on our flight experience.  First, at our SWST gate there was a special desk with 3 ladies.  We were at the end of a long corridor and probably 200 passengers were waiting for flights to Dallas, San Francisco, & two others. 

One of the girls started talking to the mass of people and then asked, “Anybody celebrating a birthday today?”  Across from us Isabella, a shy girl about 11 put up her hand.  The SWST girl got the whole gang to sing to her and then gave her a $25 gift certificate.  Then the SWST girl went through about a dozen trivia question with $25 certificates for the winners.  It was delightful.

The Best Team, Georgie, Buddy, & Leo.

Then on the plane which had come in from somewhere like Jackson Hole, guess whom we saw, Patricia & Fred.   Guess what, the whole plane gave them a rousing round of applause for their 7^th anniversary.  Patricia must have told the flight attendants.  Who else?

Besides these events, blowing me away most of all, the wedding.  Beautiful place and beautiful people.  It was The Best.

And just to show Paul & Carrie how appreciative I am and we are for the memories, and that I told them that I would give them a special gift when we got home, I have The Gift.  A young Shumard Red Oak, a Stack Wedding Tree. 

Only One Cupcake today??   Yep.

Let me remind them, because they have probably already forgotten, the little tree says two things when you look at it.  First, are you having fun together?  From my experience, if you are having fun in your marriage, you won’t end up in my office. 

Secondly, it says that this old geezer truly loves you.

Thanks for The Memories.

Number 1 of 2 elevations.

Two of The Best, Cindy & Dee.

Readings:

2 Malachi 3, 19-20, Lo, the day is coming that will set them on fire. 

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

2 Thessalonians 3, 7-12,   Anyone unwilling to work should not eat.

Luke 21, 5-19,  The days will come when there will not be left a stone upon another.

The best of Teams.

Thanksgiving, 2019-11-15

Guess what, Everybody.  Two Sundays and we celebrate my most favorite holiday, Thanksgiving.  To get us into the spirit I want to describe my three biggest blessings of the year.

The Candle Lighting Ritual.

Blessing 1 is my health.  My whole life I simply assumed that I would always be healthy. 

Trouble started last Thanksgiving when Rosemary, Aviana, & I made our annual visit to Rosemary’s sister’s in Hilton Head.  I could hardly walk, even with a cane.  My routine doctor sent me to an orthopedist.  I’ll never forget the visit.   He pointed to his computer screen, said, “I can fix this.”  He even said he had one opening before the New Year.  Did I want it? 

Wow, did I want it!  I had lumbar stenosis, a pinched nerve in my lower back. 

Buddy reading The Blessing of the Candles (not memorized yet).

While I was dealing with this my parkinson decided to get more active.  My neurologist said exercise, box, work out on ellipticals, anything to get my arms swinging.  He gave me a pill to take 3 times a day. 

We had a May cruise in the North Atlantic & I was pretty nervous, even just with the trans-Atlantic flight.  I took a cane.  I never used it.  Everything improved.  No dizziness, better coordination of my legs and arms. 

Which brings me to today and Thanksgiving.  I am grateful.

The Offertory with Tom & Susan & Bill.

Second blessing  of the year: you people, our community.   The generous spirit of everyone, the eagerness to support & pray for our people who need special care, and the way everyone pitches in.  Buddy & Georgie, John & Mike, Ben & David & Shonda, Jackie & Connie, all plus many others who make our Sunday celebrations so touching.  I am humbled and blessed by all of you people.

The Communion Team.

The final blessing of 2019: Rosemary, my blessing for 15 years & more.

Your blessings of 2019?

Twins??  The Best.