Readings:

Acts of the Apostles  8, 5-8, 14-17, There was gret joy in that city.

Psalm 66,  Let all the earth cry out to God with joy.

1 Peter 3, 15-18, It is better to suffer for doing good, thank doing evil.

 John 14, 15-21,  If you love me you will keep my commandments.. 

 

 

 

Good Morning, Harper, and thanks for welcoming us all back.

 

Unconditional Love ?  Certainly !

Did you catch that Psalm 66 ?  Can you believe?!

Let all the earth cry out to God with joy!

Shout joyfully to God…, sing praise to the glory of his name,… proclaim his glorious praise.  Say to God, “How tremendous are your deeds!

I dream of Matterhorn Canyon, Yosemite, whenever I read or hear that last line.

 

 

She's back, Everybody, Sabrina, one of our most special people since she was a little girl.  Congratulations on graduation and double congratulations on the double magna cum laude.  Congratulations, also, to you two, John and Alison.

 

And while we are congratulating graduates, congratulations to Karen Anderlick on her graduation and especially with the summa cum laude.

 

This is a counter weight to the first line of John’s reading, If you love me, you will keep my commandments.

I want to talk about how I went from being a fear based Catholic, Christian, human being, to living without fear. 

It all started in my first two years as a Jesuit novice in Grand Coteau, 1958-1960, 60 years ago next year.   It is the novice master’s fault. 

 

 

 

Congratulations to you, too, Shonda, on the Air Force uniform.  All these years we have known  each other and this is the first time I see your uniform.  You look Quite Striking!

 

Tony Mangiaracina was the novice master, about 5’1”, ramrod straight, did not walk, but marched in his cassock.  He could look very rigid and uninviting.  But underneath the rigid exterior, which was mostly what we saw for months, was a softy, all heart.  How many times we saw him in tears at special events.  Christmas carols always got him.

In those days we, too, lived a really Spartan life, silence except for three nights a week when we could talk at dinner, Sundays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays.  These three days were also recreation days, like for touch football or handball games.  Other days we worked inside the building or on the farm, we studied, and we had periods of prayer.  A very monastic life.

 

 

The Best Music, Shonda, Bethany, and David.
 

 

My awakening took place one afternoon when I went to get permission from the master to drink water.  Yes, we had to get permission to drink water at the beginning of each month.   We were told this was to teach us obedience even in the smallest things. 

Now it so happened that around this time an edict came out from Jesuit headquarters in Rome that smoking was prohibited for all Jesuits.  This was no burden for us 50 or so novices because we could not smoke anyway. 

But, guess who did smoke.  Yes, Tony Mangiaracina.

 

The Best Teammates, Georgie and Buddy.

 

On this particular day I went in to Tony’s office, I must have gotten my permission to drink and then chatted a few extra moments.   He had two large windows behind his desk, which faced me and the door I entered.  Suddenly I see against the light and even smell, guess what, smoke coming out of his right hand desk drawer. 

I never said a thing, but I was amused and touched.  Tony had put his cigarette into the drawer when I knocked to come in. 

At that moment I began to let loose of the fear that I was a sure bet for hell.   Like, here was my saintly novice master breaking a commandment that came all the way from Jesuit headquarters in Rome. 

 

 

Buddies, Cody & Ben, Paul & Carrie.

 

15 or so years later when I returned to Grand Coteau to establish a spiritual center, Tony was one of my team members.  And guess what. He still smoked.  The ban had been lifted a year or so after Vat. II.

I am grateful today to Tony and his human nature.  I figured bit by bit that if Tony was still going to heaven after being disobedient, I had a  chance, too.  I began to see that God’s love was not conditional, but unconditional. 

So, where are you going, Heaven?

 

More Buddies, Zoe & Harper

Exodus 16:  "I've listened to the complaints of the Israelites. Now tell them: 'At dusk you will eat meat and at dawn you'll eat your fill of bread; and you'll realize that I am God, your God.'"

Ephesians 4:  And then take on an entirely new way of life – a God-fashioned life,  a life renewed from the inside . . .

John 6:  They jumped at that: "Master, give us this bread, now and forever!"   Jesus said, "I am the Bread of Life. The person who aligns with me hungers no more and thirsts no more, ever.

 

 

 

Note: we are now meeting at Legacy Academy.

 

 

 

Can it get any better than Emma lighting the candles?

 

 

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

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

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

 

 

 

 

 

Where is everybody?  Well, it does look like every chair is occupied.

 

 

 

Readings:  

 Exodus 16, 2-4, 12-15,   The whole community grumbled against Moses & Aaron

 Psalm 78,   The Lord gave them bread from heaven.

 Ephesians 4: 17, 20-24, You must no longer live as the Gentiles do.

John 6: 24-35,  It was not Moses who gave them the bread from heaven

 Ragbrai (honest, no bragging) report this Sunday.  Prepare yourself.

 

 

 

 

Offertory with Hugh, Sydney, and Mary.

                                                                                                   

 

Community Activities:  

 

ROMEO MEET: Friday, August 3, 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), September 7, 12;00, Ocean Seafood, Spring Creek & Coit.   

 

 

 

 

Looks like trouble brewing with Ben, Cody, & Olivia.

 

 

True?

 

Everyone should have themselves regularly overwhelmed by Nature.

George Harrison

 

 

See you Sunday.

J.S., 214-783-0443

 

 

 

Shonda, where is David??

 

 

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.

 

 

 

Could that be David & Dana?

Exodus 34:  Thus the LORD passed before him and cried out, “The LORD, the LORD, a merciful and gracious God, slow to anger and rich in kindness and fidelity.”
2 Corinthians 13:  Mend your ways, encourage one another, agree with one another, live in peace, and the God of love and peace will be with you.
John 3:  God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life.

 

Pope John XXIII modeled love and kindness for all the world to see. “See everything,” he said, “overlook a great deal; correct a little.”
The Monastic Way, Sister Joan Chittister

 

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 Trinity Sunday, May 31, 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.

 

 

Readings:

1 Samuel 1, 20-22, 24-28, Hannah conceived a son, whom she called Samuel. 

Psalm 84,  Blessed are they who dwell in your house, O Lord

Colossians 3, 12-21,  Wives, be subordinate to your husbands.

Luke 2, 41-52, Jesus left behind in the temple.

 

Says our dear Leo, "Happy New Year, Everybody.

 

Samuel observations: who, when, what, our passage with a story

Who:

          –about whom: Samuel, the last judge ruler of the Israelites and the first of the Big Three, that is, Samuel, Saul, and The Great King David, a fascinating Old Testament character. 

          –by whom: not written by Samuel, but a compilation of numerous sources.

When:  being familiar as you are with the Big Three Prophets, Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel, when they did their prophet job,  and the influence of the Babylonian Captivity, around 555, yes, you are right if you guess that the work apparently was assembled at this same time.  The Jewish leaders were attempting to preserve their community as a tribe-nation.

What:  a Jewish history lesson, fantasized greatly, and attempting to give a divinely chosen character to the Israelites’ heredity.  Originally there were two books, Samuel and Kings.  Now there are 4.  How come?  A simple answer.

Apparently originally Samuel was one scroll written in Hebrew.  It was translated into Greek.  Hebrew has no vowels and therefore takes up less space.  Greek has vowels.  Therefore, two scrolls were needed to write out the book of Samuel and thus it became Samuel I and II.   Sort of amusingly simple.

 

"And don't forget me," says our dear Genevieve, "Happy New Year to You All."

 

The Story: (chapter 1)

          The 4 characters: Samuel’s mom, Hannah; her husband Elkanah; Elkanah’s second wife, Peninnah; & the temple priest, Eli.

          There was this man, Elkanah, who lived with his two wives in Ramah.  He loved them both.  Over the years Peninnah had numerous children, but Hannah had none.  Despite this, Elkanah had a special love for Hannah.

Peninnah used to laugh at and mock Hannah, who became depressed, often would not eat, and cried a lot.

One day Hannah was in the temple crying over her inability to have children.  At one point she promised that if she had a son, she would dedicate him to God’s service.  She continued to pray, whispering her prayer quietly.

Eli, the priest, was sitting in the back of the temple watching Hannah.  He thinks she is drunk and scolds her, “Stop making a drunken spectacle of yourself.  Stop your drinking and sober up.”

Hannah, of course, is mortified and defends herself, saying she is not drunk, but has no children and is miserable.  Eli believes her and tells her to go in peace and may God give you what you ask.

Guess what happens….

Sources: Good News Bible, New Interpreter's Study Bible, Bible Gateway.com, Wikipedia

 

 

"She's crawling," Folks, "beware."  Leo shows Genevieve how he used to climb up the pole to see better.

 

Paradigms for Families

I remember way back when Rosemary and I had been married a while, I told her one day that I thought this special line from the Bible was my new favorite line.  “Wives, be subordinate to your husbands.”  Sounded good to me. 

You know what I got, the look, the dog kennel look, the look that said, ‘There is a vacancy in the dog kennel in the back yard, bubba.’  So much for my new favorite line. 

We have one of the classic lines in Scripture here this morning.  “Wives,be subordinate to your husbands.”  I have talked about this probably numerous times over the past 25 years, but the message deserves to be heard occasionally.   It is relevant today.

 

Genevieve on tour, visiting Ray.

 

For instance, I remember one afternoon I was in line to ride the roller coaster or something at 6 Flags.  Ahead of me was a family, husband and wife with maybe two or three kids.  The couple were discussing two sides of some decision.  Then I heard the husband tell the wife that she should follow his opinion, because….   You know what he said.  I almost passed out.  I did not realize that contemporary, educated, middle class folks followed this just because it says it in the Bible.

Let me offer some perspective, a little history and the 3 models of family dynamics.

Historically, remember that the writer of the line lived not in the Middle Ages, but way before that.  Women were not considered equal to men in any way.  I saw this in East Africa when I lived there.  The man was the head and the wife, kids, and farm animals were all more or less on the same level.

 

 

The Best Music, Shonda, Bethany, & Ray.

 

You may see the same phenomenon today.  Where?  Try Afghanistan or among many Arab or Muslim countries.  Women have no rights and are certainly not considered equal to men.  Because of this, women can be beaten like a child or abused with hardly any consequence.  The old dictum held, ‘A good beating never hurt anyone.’

The writer of this letter saw this and spoke to it.  Not only does he speak to the wife, he also speaks to the husband, “Husbands, love your wives.”  Pretty unique stuff for those days.  Wives, in other words, are human beings, not property to be told how to dress and behave.

 

A Cupcake of the Week to Hanna & David, "Welcome Home." 

 

Finally, let me remind you of the 3 models of family dynamics.

First, you have the patriarchy.  The father is the head, which today’s writer is aware of.  And accepts.

Secondly, you have the matriarchy, the wife is the head of the family.  This model has been used over the centuries in various places.

Thirdly, you have equality.  This model has more traction today because women and men are equally educated and often equally talented.  In this family the husband and wife share responsibility and consult with each other.

 

Cupcake of The Week to Kevin for years of faithful service.  Happy New Year, Kevin.

 

It is not so much that one model is better than the other.  Which model works?  

Which model works for you?

Jeremiah 23:  In his time Judah will be secure again and Israel will live in safety. This is the name they'll give him: 'God-Who-Puts-Everything-Right.'

Ephesians 2:  The Messiah has made things up between us so that we're now together on this, both non-Jewish outsiders and Jewish insiders. He tore down the wall we used to keep each other at a distance.

Mark 6:  When Jesus arrived, he saw this huge crowd. At the sight of them, his heart broke – like sheep with no shepherd they were. He went right to work teaching them.