Information on Bill's Obituary and Memorial :

Obituary:

https://www.distinctivelife.com/obituary/481706/William-Hammond,-Jr/#obituary

You can attend Bill’s funeral virtually on Wednesday at 10:15 am by going to the link listed below. He will be buried with military honors followed by a short service.

Hammond Virtual Service

Wed, Jul 29, 2020 10:15 AM – 11:15 AM (CDT)

Please join my meeting from your computer, tablet or smartphone.

https://global.gotomeeting.com/join/406331605

You can also dial in using your phone.

United States: +1 (786) 535-3211

Access Code: 406-331-605

This is to let you know that a person attending Mass last Sunday has just been diagnosed with the Covid virus.  Everyone was masked.  This is just to keep you informed.

Readings:

Genesis 15, 5-12,  17-18, To your descendents I give this land.

Psalm 27,  The Lord is my light and my salvation.

Philippians 3, 17 -4, 1,  Therefore, stand firm in the Lord

Luke 9, 28-36, Jesus took Peter, John, and James and went up the mountain.

INTRODUCTION

You probably have heard the figure of speech, ‘They cut a deal.’  The origin of the Hebrew word for covenant was the Hebrew word cut.  As you listen to our First Reading from the Book of Genesis it will become apparent that God and Abraham have entered into a covenant.  A covenant was accompanied by sacrifices that were cut, halved.  [They were ultimately fulfilled for us by the Lamb of God.]

Paul, in his letter to the Philippians, encourages this early church to continue to be guided by the words of Christ, the Lamb of God.

Brandon with Leo looking over the edge.

HOMILY with Mike

Instead of Sarah being barren, the Luke gospel begins with the barren Elizabeth and her husband Zachariah.  They too are symbols, to teach the gentiles, the audience of the Luke gospel, about Judaism in what we call Luke’s Infancy Narrative.  [Recall that later she gave birth to John the Baptist, who prepares the way for the Lamb of God.]

Ray and Ben on music and on the stage this week because of a school play.

The Levite and priest, were the ruling classes of Judaism. In the parable of the Good Samaritan, both pass by the man who has been beaten, robbed and left to die along side the road. Zachariah, who is a priest, symbolizes the priest.

Elizabeth is a descendant of Aaron from the tribe of the Levites, symbolizes the Levite.  The story teaches us why Judaism is barren. Remember the Jewish law, ‘you must love your neighbor as yourself.’  Within Judaism, the word neighbor referred only to one’s fellow Jew.  The Religious leaders of Judaism could claim that they were still righteous [God-like], for they had not broken their law, when they passed by the gentile who had been left to die. 

Cowboy Cole arriving.

The words of Christ are not barren; they pour forth the Holy Spirit, the grace given by God to those who live Christ’s words. The voice from heaven to Peter, James and John in today’s transfiguration event is for them to live Christ’s words. 

Mike homilizing.

Immediately following the transfiguration there is a story in Matthew, Mark and Luke of a Father who brings his Son to Jesus to be healed from a sickness that has existed since the boy’s infancy.  The sickness began to take root with the father’s lack of faith in Christ’s words when he chose instead to have his son circumcised after his birth.  The father and his son are to live the words of Christ that do not abolish but fulfill the Law and Prophets.  What is it that we can take away from today’s gospel?  As parents or grandparents we are to teach our children and grandchildren to live the words of Christ by the way we live them.  Young children can do wonders when they receive a little guidance and encouragement. 

Emma arriving.

I shared a fond memory about our youngest child, who will be 40 this summer, with Judy a few weeks ago.   Judy had been assigned to take communion to a small nursing home when our youngest son was somewhere around the age of seven or eight.   The older children would often find reasons for not joining Paul when we went to the nursing home with Judy late Sunday mornings.

Cowboy Cole safeguarding The Cupcake of the Week for his grandmother, Diane.

At that time there were six Catholics for her to visit and give communion.  One was an elderly man who certainly seemed depressed about being there, and he didn’t look forward to us, or anyone else, coming to visit.  One day Paul, who loved to go fishing with his older brother and me, noticed a small picture on a bulletin board in his room.  I saw him looking at it. The two men, one younger than the other, had poles in hand and had definitely been fishing.

Brent, Soul's Harbor director, accepting from Tom the Community's support.

I gave Paul a little push and he asked the man about the picture.  A short time later Paul told him about an aquarium that was in the hallway at the entrance of the nursing home. The next week when Judy came to bring communion, we were surprised to find the man in a wheel chair waiting for us. From then on after receiving communion, Paul would push him down to the aquarium where they would talk about fishing.  The word of the Lord.

Communion Preparation, the individual cups.

One Great Granddad with Torri and Zoe.

Special Reminder for Holy Thursday & Good Friday:

Place: Marlene's home, 2017 Keystone Place, Plano

Time: 7:00 P.M.

Thanks for the hospitality, Marlene

Guess Who!   Congratulations, Wendy, Brandon and Atlas Xavier Hartsell (8 lbs 15 ounces.)

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

Readings:

Jeremiah   20, 10-13,  He has rescued the life of the poor from the power of the wicked

 Psalm 69,   Lord, in your great love answer me. 

Romans 5, 12-15, Through one man sin entered the world.

Matthew 10, 26-33, Fear no one. 

Community Activities:  

ROMEO MEET: Friday, June 30, 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), For July,  TBA

What is going on in Our Catholic World

1. The vanishing parish priest,   The Tablet, June 7,   800 words,  

True?

The 'Middle Wife' by an Anonymous 2nd grade teacher:

I've been teaching now for about fifteen years. I have two kids
myself, but the best birth story I know is the one I saw in my own
second grade classroom a few years back.

When I was a kid, I loved show-and-tell. So I always have a few
sessions with my students. It helps them get over shyness and usually,
show-and-tell is pretty tame. Kids bring in pet turtles, model
airplanes, pictures of fish they catch, stuff like that. And I never,
ever place any boundaries or limitations on them. If they want to lug
it in to school and talk about it, they're welcome.

Well, one day this little girl, Erica, a very bright, very outgoing
kid,takes her turn and waddles up to the front of the class with a
pillow stuffed under her sweater.

She holds up a snapshot of an infant. 'This is Luke, my baby brother,
and I'm going to tell you about his birthday.'

'First, Mom and Dad made him as a symbol of their love, and then Dad
put a seed in my Mom's stomach, and Luke grew in there. He ate for
nine months through an umbrella cord.'

She's standing there with her hands on the pillow, and I'm trying not
to laugh and wishing I had my camcorder with me. The kids are watching
her in amazement.

'Then, about two Saturdays ago, my Mom starts going, 'Oh, Oh, Oh, Oh!'
Erica puts a hand behind her back and groans. 'She walked around the
house for, like an hour, 'Oh, oh, oh!' (Now this kid is doing a
hysterical duck walk and groaning.)

'My Dad called the middle wife. She delivers babies, but she doesn't
have a sign on the car like the Domino's man. They got my Mom to lie
down in bed like this.' (Then Erica lies down with her back against
the wall.)

'And then, pop! My Mom had this bag of water she kept in there in case
he got thirsty, and it just blew up and spilled all over the bed, like
psshhheew!' (This kid has her legs spread with her little hands miming
water flowing away. It was too much!)

'Then the middle wife starts saying 'push, push,' and 'breathe, breathe.
They started counting, but never even got past ten. Then, all of a
sudden, out comes my brother. He was covered in yucky stuff that they
all said it was from Mom's play-center, so there must be a lot of toys
inside there. When he got out, the middle wife spanked him for
crawling up in there in the first place.'

Then Erica stood up, took a big theatrical bow and returned to her seat.

I'm sure I applauded the loudest. Ever since then, when it's
Show-and-tell day, I bring my camcorder, just in case another 'Middle
Wife' comes along.

See you Sunday.

J.S., 214-783-0443

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.

Readings: Wisdom 18, 6-9; Psalm 33; Hebrews 11, 1-19; Luke 12, 32-48.

Wisdom: this book is one of the 12 special books only finally approved by the Catholic Church at the Council of Trent in 1546.  Martin Luther, for instance, did not think the 12 books were genuine.  Whatever the case, the 12 books are in a special section of our bible after the Old Testament.

The book we are reading from today contains traditional Jewish and Greek ideas about life, basically saying that God rewards those faithful to him & punishes you know whom.

What are You Afraid of?

When I was about sixteen, I came home from the old Jesuit High School one afternoon probably in the spring.  Nobody was home, not even my sister as far as I can remember. My dad was at work. My mom was at one of her afternoon bridge clubs and had gone with one of her friends because her baby blue Pontiac was in the garage. 

After hanging around a bit and getting bored, I decided I was going to go visit a friend and use my mom’s car. Mom, however, did not like me using her car, so I could not find her keys. Now in those days all of us kids knew how to run a car without keys. It was called hot wiring a car. You used tin foil on the back of the key slot under the dash. 

So I hot wired my mom’s big Pontiac, pulled out of the driveway onto Stanford, and turned toward Preston Road. Arriving at the corner the car stalls. For five minutes I am working on the key slot to start the car, all to no avail, when a car coming north on Preston turns into Stanford. A lady is driving.  I know that lady and sitting next to her, my mom.

The master had returned and the servant was unprepared. In fact, the servant was caught red handed.

I never got that car started and, in fact, had to pay my hard earned paper route money to get it towed and fixed. I had shorted out some wires. I don’t remember my mom ever saying anything, but I was humiliated. 

I remembered this incident when I read about the master & the servant. I have some observations about these readings.

First, I don’t see our God as a thief who is trying to catch us off guard. He is not a strict master who is looking to catch us red handed and beat us. 

Secondly, I don’t see us as servants. In fact, in John’s gospel Jesus says he does not call us servants, but friends. In today’s psalm it says, "Blessed the people the Lord has chosen to be his own.  We are his chosen.  So is everyone.

To see this parable in a positive light, I would go back to last week when we talked about life being a gift.  When it says that the Lord will come at an hour we do not expect, I propose that the gift comes at moments and in packages we do not expect.  Appreciation is the goal and the process. It involves being sensitive and reflective.

One of the best lines in the whole gospel today is the very first line where Jesus says, "Do not be afraid any longer." This means I do not have to be afraid of God, afraid of death, afraid of getting caught red handed, or afraid of missing the gifts of the moment. 

I’ll always remember how stupid I felt when my mom came around that corner and saw me in her car, broken down. She did not tear into me, and neither do we have a god who is a thief or master who will beat us. 

So what are you afraid of?