Sunday Homily, November 10, 2019, 31st Ordinary Time

Readings: Deuteronomy 18, 15-20; Psalm 95; 1 Corinthians 7, 32-35; Mark 1, 21-28 

Deuteronomy:5th book of the Bible, the Torah, coming after Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, & Numbers.  The work is basically 3 lectures given supposedly by Moses to the Jewish people while they were still in the desert and preparing to enter the land of Canaan, where the Canaanite people lived. 

Author: For centuries people considered Moses to be the author, in fact, the author of the first 5 books of the Bible, the part called the Torah.  Today it is commonly held that Deuteronomy is a compilation by a number of authors.

Date: 7th Century BCE, with some parts coming from the period of the Babylonian Captivity, ca. 575.

Our selection: comes from the second lecture (chapters 5-26) which presents numerous dictates about how to behave in the new land.  For example, an every 7 years a jubilee year is prescribed when all debts are erased (chap. 15); if one's son is rebellious, take him to the city council, and stone him (chap. 21); and laws concerning slaves (chap. 23).  In our section from chap. 18 Moses is telling the people another prophet like himself will be raised up by Yahweh to lead them.  Guess why this prophet statement is chosen by the lectionary editor today?  Jesus is seen by people following Jesus' time as the prophet mentioned by Moses.

A note on Paul's comments in 1 Corinthians: jokesters like to say that maybe Paul was not happy in his marriage.  This is why he puts marriage in second place behind non-marriage.  It could, also, be because he was influenced by the dualistic philosophy of his time, flesh-spirit.   Spirit was good, flesh less good.  For the spirit to thrive the flesh needed disciplining.

Judging the Book by the Cover Again

There was a kid who was working as a stocker at a Home Depot.  One afternoon he heard a new female voice over the store intercom asking for help with packing at the check out.  Sort of reluctantly he stops his break and goes to help.  As he searches for the person asking for help he sees a beautiful woman who stuns him.  He had never seen her before.  He helps her out, then hangs around the time clock to see what her name is when she checks out. 

When she checks out, he watches where her card goes and takes a look at the name.  Brenda.  Then, as he walks to his car he sees her walking up the street toward home he guesses.  The next day he waits around just right and as she departs he asks if she would like a ride.  She accepts, figuring he can't be too bad since he works where she does.

He does the same thing another day and as she is leaving the car he asks if she would like to have dinner the next Saturday night.  She says she can't.  He continues to invite her and she admits that she cannot come because she has two little kids and cannot afford the baby sitter.   He offers to pay for the sitter and asks her to think about it.  Finally, another day she accepts, despite the fact that he is 22 and she is 26.

When he arrives at the door that evening, she says again she cannot go.   The sitter canceled.  He says, "So, let's take the kids."  She says it would be very difficult.  So, he asks to meet the kids and she grudgingly lets him in.  First to come in is a daughter about 8 who he thinks is cute as can be.  Then Brenda goes to the back and returns pushing  a wheel chair with a young boy.  A little child born a paraplegic with Down Syndrome.

"This is why I cannot go out," She explains.  "No problem," he says, "We can still take them with us."  Now it is Brenda's turn to be astounded.  Most men she knew would not come near her just because of having two children.  But one that is a paraplegic with Down Syndrome.  Adios!  But she accepts, they all go to eat, and then to a movie. 

When the kids need anything the guy is ready to help, even helping when the little boy needs to go to the potty.  Brenda continues to be astounded at the guy's helpfulness and consideration.

If you have not heard this story already, the guy's name is Kurt and you can see him on TV this evening playing quarterback for the Cardinals at age 37.  The story has a marvelous ending, because about a year later they married and have had at least two more kids.  Be fun to see Brenda on TV.

I talk about Kurt Warner because before I read this story I have not liked him for a little while.  He plays for a team whose owner I do not like.  But also, the maybe one time I have ever seen him on TV was when he played the last game against Carolina, he never seemed to be excited or animated, never congratulated anybody, or cheered on his team mates.  At least that was what I saw.  Then I get this story from Larry Thompson and think, "There I go, did it again."  Judged a book by the cover.  In fact, judged negatively.

I would like to apply this lesson to the Mark story about the man with the unclean spirit.  Traditionally when people were considered to have an unclean spirit they were considered possessed by a devil.  Do you believe in devils?  In this tradition we have all the melodrama connected with exorcisms.  Want to read about how this can go wako?  Read Heretic's Daughter  by a Dallas author, Kent. It talks about the Salem, MA witch hunts around 1690.

Today, with our much deeper psychological understanding of people's behaviors, their thinking and feeling, we would consider the man with the unclean spirit to most likely have a mental disorder or sickness.  It could even be an addiction.  You only have to visit psych wards in hospitals to run into what could be called people with unclean spirits.  You meet a homeless person on the street and you might be tempted to think that person is demonic. 

What did Jesus do?  I propose he first of all was not scared away by the man.  Secondly, he accepted him peacefully. 

The lesson for us?  Maybe two.

First, regarding the Bible, what is your belief system?  Believe in devils, in evil spirits, in demonic possession, in exorcisms?

Secondly, how many times a week do you judge the book by the cover? 

AUDIO:  sorry, missed connection

Picture 1:  Mass with T.J., Lorynne, & Lacee

Picture 2:  Birthday of John & Geri

Picture 3:  Jim & Dorothy

Picture 4:  Birthday of Gilberto

References:

• The Carmelite web site

• Christ in the Desert web site

• St. Raymond Catholic Parish, Dublin, CA web site

• Bishop John Shelby Spong, various works and articles in Mirabile Dictu, edited by David          Gawlik

 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 

Readings:

Exodus 3, 1-8, 13-15, The Lord appeared to Moses in fire flaming out of a bush.  (One of the great stories)

Psalm 103,  The Lord is kind and merciful. (One of the great lines)

1 Corinthians 10, 1-6, 10-12,  Do not grumble.

Luke 13, 1-9,  There was a person who had a fig tree.

Exodus observations:

Natalie.

What: this is the second book of the Bible and Torah, following Genesis.  It is a story about how the Jewish tribe of people escaped from slavery in Egypt.

Who:  the story is about the Jewish people and their reluctant leader, Moses.  It was put together, not by Moses, as was thought for centuries, but by a group of the priests even centuries later.

When:  it is put together at The Time in Jewish history, yes, during the Babylonian Captivity, say 555 years before Christ.  It is a mostly mythological story about how God helped his special people out of slavery eons before Babylon.  Do you see a parallel between the slavery of Egypt and Babylon?  Could this be a reason for developing the Egypt story, that is, to encourage the people enslaved in Babylon?

Our selection:  like the call stories of Isaiah and Jeremiah, here is another call story, this time Moses.  Unlike the booklet which edits out part of the story, we will read it all.

Jerry and William arriving.

Psalm 103 observations:

This psalm has one of my most favorite lines in all of scripture, The Lord is gracious and merciful…. 

There are so many pictures of God presented by the Bible, some of which are quite demanding and unpleasant.  Note, for example, the story of the fig tree in Luke this morning.  Each of us is challenged to put a face on our God according to our own searching and experience.  This line, which is seen in other places in the Bible, is my vision of God.

Emma arriving.

Joseph with the Beautiful Coat

I bet you don’t know why the Jewish people ended up in Egypt and became slaves.  This is a Bible story Sunday.  Here we go.  

Let me tell you the story of Joseph with the beautiful coat.  We pick up Joseph living in Canaan, which the Israelites will say later that God gave them.  He lives with his 11 older brothers. 

Harper arriving.

His father is Jacob, the third of the Big 3, the 3 patriarchs of the Jewish tribe, namely, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob or Israel, father, son, & grandson.   Jacob loves his 12^th son in a special way and because of this the other brothers get jealous.  Unfortunately, Joseph has told on his brothers, informing his dad that they are not taking care of the live stock.

Cathy and Mary arriving.

 One day Joseph goes looking for his brothers in the fields.  They see him coming and decide they will kill him.  Reuben, the eldest, persuades them to sell Joseph to some guys running a camel train by on their way to Egypt.  Price: 20 pieces of silver.  Sound familiar?

Queen Zoe arrives.

 So Joseph ends up in Egypt and is sold to the captain of the king’s guards.  He does so well the captain puts him in charge of his affairs.  Unfortunately for Joseph, the captain’s wife develops a crush on Joseph.  When Joseph refuses her, she gets mad and tells her husband Joseph tried to seduce her.  Joseph goes to prison.

The Leo Man.

While in prison he interprets dreams of the prisoners, one of whom is the king’s wine steward and who is released.  For two years Joseph stays in prison.

Twins, Leo and Fred.

 One day the king has a dream that worries him.  The wine steward tells the king about Joseph’s ability to interpret dreams.  The king calls him, Joseph interprets the dream.   The king loves Joseph and makes him the governor of all of Egypt.  Joseph is now in his 20’s.

Rosemary reading her blessing.

Meanwhile, the 11 brothers and Jacob are experiencing severe drought in Canaan.  They decide to go to Egypt and ask the king for aid.  They arrive and are shown to the office of the governor.  Guess whom they see.  Joseph.  They don’t recognize him.  He, however, recognizes them and really messes with them.   Read it, a fun story.

J.T. arrives with Georgie and Natalie.

Finally, Joseph reveals who he is with many tears.   Old Jacob and all the brothers reunite with Joseph, who lives in Egypt until he is 110 years old. 

This is how the Israelites got to Egypt.  How they became slaves?  The Bible says not a word, but they did multiply like rabbits to numbers which threatened the security of a later king.  And, then, along comes Moses and our reading this morning.

Cupcakes of The Week, Jackie and Chuck.

Why talk about this story?  Three reasons.

1.  We Catholics don’t get the Bible stories read to us.  Even as fables they are marvelous.  It is nice to cover them on occasion.
2. The writers of this story are attempting to convince the Jewish people that God watches over them and protects them.  He watched over Joseph and watched over the enslaved Israelites in Egypt, sending them Moses.  He even watched over Moses.  And Babylon?
3. Finally, in our life we are each challenged to find out who God is, what is his way of proceeding.  These stories give us an image.  And so does my favorite line from Psalm 103.  Read about how God punishes, pays back, demands sacrifice, sends us goats to everlasting fire?  Keep the line near you or in your head,

The Lord is gracious and merciful, never gets angry and is abounding in love. 

On this third Sunday of Lent what is your image of God?

Video: Cupcakes of The Week to Jackie and Chuck

Bona Responds at work.

Readings:

 2 Chronicles 36, 14-16, 19-23, Cyrus, king of Persia, builds a temple in Jerusalem.

Psalm 137, Let my tongue be silenced if I ever forget you.

Ephesians 2, 4-10,  God raised us up.

John  3,  14-21, Jesus and Nicodemus converse

Some of The Team.

Today's Homily, Shared

On February 23 a group of 10-15 of our community went to Dickinson, TX to help people cleaning up from Hurricane & flood Harvey.  Our group met up with about 50 students, faculty, and alumni from St. Bonaventure U., near Buffalo.   Professor Jim Mahar regularly leads these groups to crisis areas mostly in our country.  He titles the group Bona Responds.

Today the community has invited the members of our group to share with us what touched their hearts during their stay in Dickinson.  Our group includes John & Connie Bresson, David Dinsmore, Bill Hammond who coordinates us with Bona Responds, and Mike Moran.

 Bona does ceilings.

John started by saying how emotional and humbling it was to work along these college kids who were giving up their Spring Break to clean up trash, to tear down dry wall, to wade through filthy flood water left in houses, to crawl back out of holes when the rotten flooring in a house or trailer home collapsed.  

Connie described working in the black mold trailer home of an elderly lady who could hardly do anything.  They cleared out moldy dry wall, insulation, and even flooring.  

Clean up.

There was one house that had 10 family members and relatives during the flood which brought in 4 feet of water inside the house/trailer.  A tree fell on the house.  Everyone, including a 94 year old grandmother and a dog had to climb to the attic for 10 hours to escape the flood water.  

They were finally rescued when they hailed a passing boat, everybody, including the dog.  Except one beloved family treasure, a Cockatiel bird.   They were broken hearted.  They finally were able to return a week later.  And what did they find, the pet Cockatiel, his cage half way filled with water, but alive and still loving everyone.

Some of our Community who made the trip to Dickinson. 

The family was blessed in that they had friends and family out of state who came to the rescue, cleaning, gutting, repairing, and even repainting.  Our group helped with some of the final steps, removing old insulation and installing new.

There was a trailer park, a complete disaster.  The first lady our people went to work for was named Theresa, very feeble with MS.  Her shower was broken so our people fixed it.  Theresa took her first shower in 6 months.Theresa was so grateful to the group that she gave the only gift she had other than love.  Theresa handed to each person a hand made artificial flower, gifts more touching than any kind of monetary gift.

Mike shares some of his memories and blessings.

Another elderly lady was living with her 5 dogs in a trailer home that was in like a bowl, a bowl with 3 feet of water.  Our people were able to pump out the water, which housed various water creatures like crawdads.  In the middle of the process three volunteers crashed through the lady's mobile home floor, uninjured fortunately.  Our team gutted the ceiling, walls, and floor.  Finally plywood was put back on the lady's floor.

Mike described how he was touched and impressed with Jim Mahar's practice of delegation and inclusion.  Some of the students had never held a hammer or done any of this kind of work.   They were still valuable.  Every morning and every evening all would gather.  In the evening the stories came pouring out in response to Jim's question, What touched you today?

What has touched you today?

Dona reporting on the Community's continued generosity in raising over $200 to help furnish the volunteer barrack with a large coffee maker and a 4 slice toaster (something important missing on the last visit).

Wisdom 7, I pleaded and the spirit of wisdom was given to me.

Psalm 90, Fill us with your love, O Lord and we will sing for joy

Hebrew 6, The word of God is living and effective. 

Mark 10, We have given up everything and followed you.

Ben, the Magic Man, sharing life.

Thanks……

Music,    Ben 

Readers,    Patricia & Fred, & Buddy, our candle blesser 

Gospel,     John Cade

Homily,   John Stack

Eucharistic Prayer A & B,  John Stack & John Cade

The Magic Zoom makers,      Hue & Mike & Richard

Final Blessing, Rosemary

Patricia reading from Wisdom.

Readings: 

Homily by John Stack,  

Download John Stack homily 10-10-2021

Fred reading from Hebrews.

Remember these special people:

For Becky & Tom's son, Austin, who took his life this past week;  For John & Karen Anderlick's grandson, Cooper John who lived only a few hours with his parents;   For Rosemary's great niece, Rylie;  For Richard's grand daughter, Madeleine;   For Esparza's new great grandson  & Frank;  For all the medical personnel struggling to treat the tsunami of sick people, in particular, locally, Cindy's staff at Presby, Dallas, and at Frisco Presby, the mother of Harper and Betsy, Kendle, working in labor & delivery, and for Hue & Linda's daughter, Doctor Rosemary Beavers;   For Mary & Dave Hall's g-daughter Allison Keller working at St. Lukes, The Woodlands,   For Sir Charlie & Jan;  Shonda's mom & Cody &  Leo & all of Shonda's dear family; For Ursuline Sr. Mary Troy,

Rosemary's sister Clare, and her husband, Joe Mazzei.

Jackie's mom, sister, & friend, Lynn;  For Rick Turner searching for a kidney donor, Type O neg.; For Meredith, cancer free & John Schanot;    For John O'Donnell & Jean;   For Jean & Cliff Wright;  For Dee, and for her daughters, Lisa & Lauren  ;  For Anthony & Sabrina;    For a young man who is suffering from depression;  John Cade's mother in law, Kalliopi Piskiouli and Lambrini, plus John's daughter, Joey, with cancer; from Barbara, a little baby boy named Ford recuperating from an operation & a nephew; for David McKeon's brother, Hugh; For Beth's friends & brother;   for the medical staffs, teachers, and coaches in our public & private schools.

Welcome in, Jan & Sir Charlie

Birthdays:  Richard  

Anniversaries:  

Peace. Everybody!

Community Finances,   October 10, 2021

Expenses: $

Outreach: $

Thanks again, Folks, for doing what you can.

May you have a safe & peaceful relocation to Alabama, Patricia & Fred.

Rosemary's Blessing: 

Given to me by Lynda Fleming, Author Unknown

Welcome Back home, Paul & Carrie.

Notice, Everybody: The blog will not be published the next three Sundays.  The Editors will be on a Viking cruise on the Mediterranean.  Next edition will be published November 7.