Sunday Homily, January 12, 2020, Baptism

Readings:  Deuteronomy 18, 15-20, A prophet like me will the Lord raise up for you; Psalm 95, If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts; 1 Corinthians 7, 32-35, A married man is anxious about the things of the world (what a reading!); Mark 1,21-28, Quiet, come out of him.

Before the gospel acclamation, Mike Carrell

I have shared with you before that the inspired writers of each gospel begin their gospel with a summary of what they will be presenting, and that each gospel is written as a string of teachings, where each teaching builds on the one before it and therefore prepares for the one after it. 

So, before the words of the gospel are proclaimed today, I want to very briefly frame what you are about to hear, so that you will be able to better understand today’s teaching. 

The first teaching from Mark begins, ‘The beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God as it was written in the prophet Isaiah, perceive’.  In other words, we are to understand that the Mark gospel fulfills the expectation of the coming of the Messiah from the written words of the prophet Isaiah that the writers then begin to present.  The good news, the gospel, means, God’s gift to us of salvation, redemption, through his Son, the Lamb of God, who forgives us of our sins.

This first teaching, after we find out how this will happen, ends with the exhortation, ‘The time is fulfilled, the kingdom of God is at hand, repent, and believe in the good news.’  Make a pathway to your heart and welcome the Messiah there!

The Mark gospel’s third teaching, the one after today’s reading, begins on the evening of the first day of Jesus’ public ministry. Very briefly Christ’s words cleanse a leper, who has come to Jesus saying, ‘If you choose, you can make me clean.’ After cleaning him, Jesus sends him to the priests to give the required offering for having had his sins forgiven, that of an unblemished lamb.

For the words of Christ, the unblemished Lamb of God, fulfill the expectation given in the written Mosaic Law for the forgiveness of sin, that of an unblemished lamb! The word leper, then, is an outward presence, a karma, of the man’s inner spiritual journey, in Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism and in Christianity.

(Recall that the gospels tell us that we are known by our fruit, and that the apostle Paul gives us a long list of the fruits of the Spirit when a man’s inner journey is in and with Christ.) So, the man’s outward sign, presence, showed him to be in serious sin prior to having been made clean.

Reading: Mark 1:16-31

Homily:  Today’s reading must build on the first teaching that our salvation comes to us through the words of Christ, the Lamb of God and prepares us for the third teaching that they fulfill the expectation of his coming within the written Mosaic Law as the unblemished Lamb of God who takes away the sins of humankind.

In my last homily, I presented to you what it means to be baptized in the Holy Spirit. The words of Christ are living waters. When we welcome and live them, the Holy Spirit abides with us—fills our hearts.  By the power, authority, of the Holy Spirit, Christ, the light of the world, is alive to us in our hearts.  Light and darkness cannot coexist!  The Holy Spirit and an unclean spirit cannot coexist! 

When we accept the words of Christ, the unclean spirit, the demon, the leprosy, the fever, is therefore cast out by the power and with the authority of the Spirit that abides in our heart.  This is the meaning of today’s reading.  What does Peter’s mother-in-law immediately do after her fever has been cast out? We are told that she begins to serve those around her.  The meaning of this particular Greek word, serve, is to minister.  It is the word that the Church uses today to describe the office of deacon. 

So much then for those who say that a woman cannot be a minister in the Church!  Since we are taught in the gospels that Jesus has come not to save the righteousness but rather to save the sinner, we know why today’s reading begins with the call of Peter, Andrew, James and John. They must have been well known as sinners before they were chosen by Jesus to lay down their old nets used to catch fish and take up a new net formed by the four strings of teachings of Christ’s words to catch people.

Take a moment to think about the most difficult situation that you found yourself in during the past week.  We are known by our fruit, the outward presence we show to others.  Each of us has been given the power and authority to make Christ present in the world.

Picture 1:  Georgie

Picture 2:  The Offertory – Bobby, Mike and Debbie

Picture 3:  Leo and Ray

Picture 4:  The Pastry Shop – Claire, Kayla, Gilberto and Zoe

Picture 5:  Michelle and Ryan

Picture 6: The Census Takers Group 1 – Tom, Bill, Greg, John and Jean

Picture 7: The Census Takers Group 2 - Mary Ellen, Doug, Grace, Rosemary and John 

Readings:

Isaiah  42, 1-4, 6-7  I have formed you to open the eyes of the blind.

Psalm 29,  The Lord will bless his people with peace.

Acts  10, 34-38,  God shows no partiality.

Matthew 3, 13-17, After Jesus was baptised, he came up from the water.

Bailey says, "Hi, Everybody, welcome."

Isaiah reminders—

 Author: This is Isaiah #2, the composer of chapters 40-55.  Isaiah is my favorite book and Isaiah 2 I love the most.  As John Cade pointed out a while back, Isaiah 2 is used by Handel in his work, The Messiah, another of my favorites.

 Date:  Ca. 555 before Christ.  The Jewish people of Jerusalem are in the Babylonian Captivity.

Delaney, Bailey's big sister, says, "Yes, welcome to a fun community."

 Today’s Message: Hope and promise of a better time with emphasis on 1. being chosen, and 2. being chosen to bring light to the other nations, sight to the blind, and freedom to prisoners, very consoling and moving even today. 

Isaiah 2 is aiming his remarks at the Jewish tribe.  Later, after Jesus has come and died, the gospel writers applied the message to Jesus, saying God had chosen him  to do all the things the Prophet mentioned. Handel takes this approach.

Brady and Cameron ready to celebrate their 6th Birthday

Open the Eyes of the Blind?  Me?  I’m blind myself.

This morning, Folks, I would like to talk about the beautiful lines from Isaiah II, where he tells the people that they are chosen for good things.

In particular, they are chosen to give sight to the blind and freedom to prisoners.  This is what we are baptized to.

Reid and Trey say, "Guess whose 6th birthday is Thursday."

The message of this passage has motivated me as a Jesuit, as a priest, as a psychotherapist, and in my decision to go to East Africa.  I think to myself, ‘Maybe I can bring a little light and a little freedom to someone.’   Physically not so much as psychologically and spiritually. 

Trouble is, I constantly discover that I am the blind one or the one more in prison.  I can give you the most recent example. 

As the newest member of our community and a new jewel in our world, Charlotte gets a Cupcake of The Week along with Chloe, Andrew, and Claire.

Rosemary & I have returned to dancing, as some of you probably know. Every Monday night we go to the Senior Center where they specialize in dancing for old geezers.  All types of dancing, ballroom, country western, line, swing, and so on.  And can some of those geezers dance.

We have met some neat people and we have noticed some special couples.  One couple looks like they are out on their first date.  They always dance close and slowly.

Emma at the beauty parlor, "who is next?"

We saw another couple that had us curious.  The guy was a nice looking elderly guy, slender, and a good dancer.  He looked a little like Colonel Sanders, but without the beard.

With him and always with him was an attractive young girl, really young like in her late 20’s or 30’s, long black hair and slender figure.  While Rosemary & I will dance 2 or 3 dances and then sit one out, this couple never sits out and they always stay close together. 

Kiera says, "Where has this community been all my life?"

Guess what.  My curiosity and speculation level was really high with this couple.  I asked a lady we know one evening and she responds that, yes, the couple is a curiosity for everyone.  All are wondering.  This lady tells us that there is an age minimum to get in, like 50, and she is quite a bit younger than 50.  She should not be there and is only there because he brings her and dances every dance with her.

They seem quite congenial, dance well together, and pretty much keep to themselves.   Naturally, I am surmising the guy has a young, trophy bride.

Makela, Kiera's big sister, arriving full of charm.

Until I happen to ask another lady we know if she knows the couple.  And the story is.  The young girl has recently gotten divorced, is still hurting, and does not want to get married again or even date.  But likes to dance, and knows the guy from somewhere else.

He, on the other hand, is married, but his wife is not doing well health wise.  He loves to dance and they have all 3 agreed that the husband and the girl go dancing at Farmers’ Branch.  The wife totally supports it. 

How can I bring sight to the blind when I am so blind myself?  Talk about creating a whole fabric out of superficials.

To whom are you blind?   How do we get rid of this blindness.

The family, Georgie, Zoe, and Tori.

Readings:   (A couple of good readings today)

Genesis  18,  1-10,  I will return next year and Sarah will have a son.  She laughs.

Psalm 15,  He who does justice will live in the presence of the Lord.

Colossians 1, 24-28,     I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake.

Luke 10, 38-42,  The story of Martha & Mary.

Old buddies, John & Leo, say, "Welcome in, Everybody."

Genesis observations:

What :   This is the first book in the whole bible, a good read.  It begins with the 2 versions of creation, Adam & Eve, the apple, Cain & Abel, the Ark and the flood with Noah (see the picture of the huge ark somebody has built?), Abraham & the almost sacrifice of his son, and others. 

When put together:  Babylonian Captivity, ca. 555 before Christ.

Kevin, too, says, "Come on in, Folks."

Today’s story: An amusing little story, though you don't know it because the editor snipped off the end.   Abraham is hospitable to three travelers.  This results in the men, messengers from Yahweh,  saying that a year from now Sarah will have a son.  Sarah is 99 years old and never had a child.  She is behind a tent flap, hears the promise, and she laughs.  Amusingly Yahweh hears her laugh, asks her why, and she lies, saying she did not laugh.  

Offertory with Tom & Teresa & Sandra, and, of course, Leo.

Martha & Mary, who is better?

This morning I would like to talk about who is better, Martha or Mary?  Before I even begin I must acknowledge that Rosemary has a strong opinion on this subject.  You can guess it.  She thinks that Martha is getting a bad deal. 

It must be also admitted that Rosemary has a bit of the Martha complex.   She tells me often how she feels like Martha because she is so over worked. 

Want to see one happy kid today?  

So, being a good husband and trying to lessen the load, I will tell you what I do.  This is also my way of finding meaning to this either/or story.  Maybe it is not either/or? 

It happens on Tuesday evenings when the sun is going down and I am in the shade that I mow our lawn.  I not only mow, but I edge, trim the bushes, use the weed eater, and blow it all.  Just mowing the grass takes me 90 minutes.  I enjoy doing it.  It is like an art form.  I am imitating Rosemary, the artist.  Plus, it is good exercise.

The Wedding, Lisa Anderlick and Mark Cheek, Saturday evening, Suncreek United Methodist, Allen.

When I am mowing I get into a pretty swift rhythm.   I can push the lawn mower faster than the mower ordinarily goes.  My little 88 year old neighbor lady who lives across the street, Joyce,  says I look like I am running behind the lawn mower. 

One evening recently when I was zooming back & forth across our front yard, a neighbor couple, Barbra & Bud, and their white sort of poodle dog, all came walking by.   This happens occasionally in front of our house and in front of their house when we are walking Aviana.  The dogs have a relationship that consists of all of about a two minute mutual check out.  I love these people and they are the couple who introduced me to the “J,” the Jewish Community Center.

"I take you, Lisa, in Marriage.  I promise to be true to you in good times & bad, in sickness and in health.   I will love and cherish you all the days of my life."

So I see Bud & Barbra & Patty.  I wave but do not lessen my rhythm.  I keep chasing that lawn mower.  And then….I feel guilty. 

I have just again chosen Project over People, one of my most favorite activities.  I think to myself, ‘What if I just stopped and chatted for 5 minutes?’  ‘Would it make the slightest difference in when I finish?’

I have known Lisa Anderlick since the time she was a little girl.  Now she has not only grown up beautifully, but she is an MD.  In fact, she and two of her brides maids all became MD's together.  

5 minutes later here they come back the other way toward their house.  So, what do you think I did?  Yep, I kept right on chasing that lawn mower.  And they passed me by and went home.  I still cannot believe I did it.  I have yet to apologize to them.  As Rosemary is happy to observe, I get OCD about projects & work.  Obsessive, compulsive, that is. 

Sound familiar?  You got a similar obsession?  Maybe you don’t.  If so you are blessed. 

The first steps on the road to a New Life.

Maybe in our Martha-Mary story Martha gets obsessive, compulsive and needs to be more like Mary?   At least I do.  Mary, who knows?  Maybe she needs to be more sensitive to the job to be done?

For me, the story is a challenge to be both, focused on the work, and focused on the person.  In fact, I believe the person always takes priority despite my behavior.

How do you balance the Martha-Mary dynamic in your life? 

Long time and dear friends, Lisa's parents, Karen & John Anderlick.

Readings: Exodus 20, 1-17; Psalm 19; 1 Corinthians 1, 22-25; John 2, 13-25

Exodus: 2nd book of the Bible & of the Torah, the first 5 books of the Bible.

Date of Composition: put together ca 450-400 BCE, though elements come from 1000 BCE at least.

Author(s):  Moses, no.  At least 3 sources, maybe 4, e.g., the Yahweh (J) source, the Elohim (E) source, the Priestly (P) source, and even the Deuteronomy Source. 

Subject Matter Today:  The 10 Commandments–2 observations:

1. Academics see 3 maybe 4 versions of the 10 commandments, Exodus 34 (the oldest), Exodus 20 (our selection), Deuteronomy 5 (the last)

2. The versions come from the sources composing at different times, for example,

• The Yahweh Source, 10th Century BCE, therefore, Exodus 34    

• The Elohim Source, 9th Century BCE, therefore Exodus 20

•  The Deuteronomy Source, 7th Century BCE, therefore Deuteronomy 5    

• The Priestly Source, edited all the sources in 6th Century BCE (450-400 BCE, at the end of the Babylonian Captivity).  The 7 Day Creation Story comes from this source at this time.

Source:  Bishop (Episcopal) John Shelby Spong

Anger Management

I think it was October last year when Rosemary & I were at DFW taking a flight to Philadelphia (probably departing out of the international terminal) to celebrate Jean Kovatis' wedding.  It was a morning flight so we bought a couple of lattes to take on board. 

We end up at the middle of the pack and head for our double seats in the middle of the plane on the right side facing forward.  Since I like the window & Rosemary doesn't, I squeezed in first, seated myself, opened the table, and put my latte on the table.  Then Rosemary begins to squeeze in.

At some point in this process her purse or arm or something hits my latte.  It flips over to the right, hits the wall and my leg, tumbles down, and finally lands on the floor below the seat in front of me.  I cannot see it. As fast as I can, I lock up my table, get my book out of the way, and squeeze down to pick up the paper cup, hoping that the top was still on.  The top was not still on.  My half gallon of latte spilled all over the carpet creating a lake of coffee with milk under the double seats in front of us.

Rosemary is still standing so she piles into the line of people waiting in the aisle and heads to the rear restrooms to scavenge paper towels.  With these finally we begin to sop up the lake, apologizing to the people in front of us because of the latte lake at their feet.  We succeeded pretty well under the circumstances.  You could hardly tell there had been an accident.

When it was all over, finally seated and buckled in, me without my latte, Rosemary says to me, "I don't know what you got so mad about."  I confess I had been steamed.  "You know I do this frequently," she adds.  True enough.  There had been other special occasions. 

I mention this little event (with Her permission) because it came to mind when I see the story of Jesus getting all steamed up at the vendors in the temple.   I have to laugh.  Lucky he never got married.  What is he so hyped up about?  Was he having a bad mood day?  Can he have bad moods?  Was he getting old and cranky?  He apparently was about 30 at this time, which would make him a pretty old geezer for those days when most people checked out in their mid-twenties.  If you look at the scene with amusement and detachment, you might want to laugh.

On the other hand, there might have been some significant reasons for anger, like:

    1.  he was angry because the vendors were supposed to remain in the outer courtyard and they were inching into the inner sanctum, the holy place.

    2.  he was angry because he was watching the vendors cheat a little bit here, a little bit there.  Maybe his mom had been cheated by one of these guys 20 years ago and he still was angry about that.

    3.  he was angry because he saw the obsession of some of these people with money.  He was seeing the Bernie Madoffs, the Stanfords, and the Ken Lays of his day.

But, note that

    1.  it was customary for animals to be sold at the temple.  These animals were destined to be bought by people, taken to the priestly cast inside the temple, and given as a sacrifice.  These people were heavy into sacrifice.  The idea: I give something to Yahweh, I get something from Yahweh.  Maybe it was gratitude for already getting something.  The rich bought larger animals, like sheep & goats, the poor bought small critters, like a dove or a pigeon.  So animals were always expected around the temple.

    2.  it was customary that the temple was a center for all sorts of trade.  People went there for sacrifice, giving thanks, and socializing.  The market naturally set up near, in, and around the temple.  The markets I saw in Tanzania when I lived there were probably similar and were fascinating events.  Take our farmers market and multiply, then add bushels of women chatting, snooping around for deals, and bargaining.  Men are drifting around and some are running the meat market.  Both men & women are selling.  You tell the butcher, "I would like a kilo of that beef."  It is hanging from a hook and the butcher uses a sharp knife to slice off a kilo.  It gets wrapped in newspaper you bring or a piece of material you bring with you.

So why was Jesus so angry, why was I angry?  We did not read about it in Exodus, but when Moses came down the mountain and found that his son Aron had built some kind of little idol and all the people were worshiping it, Moses broke the stone tablets of the 10 commandments.  I don't know about Jesus & Moses, but I would suggest that I got caught off guard.  I have a little trick that helps with this craziness.  I would call it expectation adjustment.  The idea comes not from my head, but from a man named Albert Ellis (American Psychologist, developed RET, Rational-emotive Therapy, d. 2007, 93). 

The idea is that I have an expectation about how a person should behave & how things should be.  If I  get obsessive compulsive or as Rosemary might gently describe it, I get anal, then I can go off when the person behaves in a way contrary to my expectation.  What do you think is the dynamic behind road rage?  For example, I expect that truckers will drive in the lanes other than the left lane.  I see trucker in left lane.  I go off. 

Want to fix it?  Adjust my expectation.  Trucker is in left lane.  So what.  Moses comes down the mountain and the people are messing up.  Expectation.  Jesus seems to have done some expectation adjustment, because faced with condemnation by the Pharisees at the end of his life he does not fight back. 

How do you manage your anger? 

Sources:  Center for Liturgy, St. Louis U.; Alfred Ellis

AUDIO:  http://mysite.verizon.net/reso7rjy/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderfiles/2009-03-15.mp3

Picture 1:  Mass with Noah & Rosemary

Picture 2:  Birthdays–Jzckie, Shiela, & JoJo

Picture 3:  Wedding begins, Fred & Martha, her daughter April & best man Manuel

Picture 4:  Fred & Martha share their vows

Readings:

Acts  5, 12-16,  Many signs and wonders were done among the people.

Psalm 118,  Give thanks to the Lord for he is good, his love is everlasting

Revelation  1, 9-19, I was caught up in spirit on the Lord’s day.

John 20, 19-31,  Thomas, “Unless I see the mark of the nails.   

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

 Acts observations:  I won’t bore you every Sunday for the next six with these same observations.  I thought I would mention them because you may have missed them Easter Sunday with all that was going on.  Periodically I will remind you of the basics.

Date:  sometime before the year 70.  Why?  No mention of the destruction of Jerusalem, which took place the year 70, a Big Date in Jewish history.

Genevieve, too, says, "Hi, Folks, come in."

Who:  The same person who wrote the Gospel of Luke.  How do we know?  Similarities of style, language (Greek), and theological themes.

Subject:  The story of the expansion of the Jesus story in 3 areas, first, Jerusalem, then, Palestine or the Holy Land, and finally, into the Mediterranean and ultimately, Rome.

Today’s Subject: a description of the growth & expansion within the first area, Jerusalem. 

Sources: Good News Bible, The New Interpreter’s Study Bible, Wikipedia

Hi, Cathy, and welcome to you, too.  Thanks for bringing Harper.

New Life Next Weekend

Next Sunday when you all come together here I will be getting together with my former Jesuit classmates in the beautiful college chapel at Spring Hill College in Mobile, Alabama.  We guys spent the 5^th, 6^th, and 7^th years of our training at Spring Hill. 

It is class reunion time this weekend and about 8 of us gathered last year for the same event.  This year the alumni board is making a big deal out of us and is inviting all the ex and present Jesuits who got degrees at Spring Hill to special recognition.  There could be hundreds.

Leo, the Candle Lighter, at work on the Easter Candle.

When I was there we had about 150 guys residing in Assumption Hall, which has been since demolished and replace with smaller units of student housing. 

I would like to make 4 observations on the uniqueness of this group of guys.

You never know what you will find out on April 1.  The Juliets.

First, all joined up to be Jesuit priests despite the 10-14 years of training involved.  Some entered out of college, others, like myself, entered out of high school.  I got the full 14 years of training, which at the time was not too bad.  It was broken up into 3 & 4 year goals.

Secondly, all these guys became well educated, whether in the Jesuits or after leaving.  Lots of the guys taught in schools and universities.  They were a pretty progressive group, interested in service, usually to the poor.  All would have made good priests and good contributors to the numerous Jesuit high schools, universities, parishes, and retreat houses.  In my early years there were 35,000 Jesuits just in the U.S. 

Welcome, Nora, into our special Catholic Family.

Thirdly, in my class there is and has been a love of reuniting to see how everyone is doing.  There is a comfort zone and guys are willing to share pretty important parts of their lives.

I remember a reunion maybe 3-4 years ago in New Orleans.  One of my buddies, Bill, who had cared for his wife for some years before she died of cancer was there.  I had not seen him or talked with him since she had died.  I was sitting in the group where we were talking about where each of us was at. 

Tom and Denni with their just baptized grandbaby.

Bill had not said anything.  I remember debating within myself.  But I am used to asking these questions.  Finally I simply asked him would he be willing to share how it was to care for and lose his wife.  We were all in tears.

In Wernersville, PA there is a large Jesuit retreat house & novitiate.  Every summer a reunion of some 50 or more Jesuit & ex-Jesuit classmates gather for a weekend.   I just found out about this from one of my classmates from the east.  I plan to go some summer in the future.

These reunions are just among Jesuits.  There is a large, more formal group called Corpus.  These guys seem to be mostly ex-diocesan priests.

John Cade, any Carmelite groups?

Who are all these people, Nora?  Why, that is you granddad, Tom, your sister, Charlotte, your grandmommy, Denni, your big sister,  Chloe, your mommy, Claire, and your daddy, Andrew.

Final observation.  Do you realize that within the next 30 years these groups will all disappear?  We have here a unique sample of the population, ex-priests and ex-seminarians.   They all wanted to be priests.   They all wanted to be married.    Because of Vatican II in the ‘60s, they decided remaining celibate was not healthy for them.  Shortly the whole group will pass on.

A little slice of history for you today, folks.  

Nora, you are beautiful and perfect.  Welcome into our world.