4th Sunday in Lent, March 30, 2025

Isaiah 40:  Thunder in the desert! "Prepare for God's arrival! Make the road straight and smooth, a highway fit for our God.  Fill in the valleys, level off the hills, Smooth out the ruts, clear out the rocks.

Titus 2:  But when God, our kind and loving Savior God, stepped in,  he saved us from all that. It was all his doing; we had nothing to do with it. He gave us a good bath, and we came out of it new people, washed inside and out by the Holy Spirit.

Luke 3:  After all the people were baptized, Jesus was baptized. As he was praying, the sky opened up and the Holy Spirit, like a dove descending, came down on him. And along with the Spirit, a voice: "You are my Son, chosen and marked by my love, pride of my life." Son of Adam, Son of God

 John Cade's Homily from last Sunday: Download 01-05-25 Homily – The Epiphany of the Lord

Another Reminder for the Baptism of the Lord, January 12, 2025

Deuteronomy 4:  Yes. What other great nation has gods that are intimate with them the way God, our God, is with us, always ready to listen to us?

James 1:  Real religion, the kind that passes muster before God the Father, is this: Reach out to the homeless and loveless in their plight, and guard against corruption from the godless world.

Mark 7:  Jesus called the crowd together again and said, "Listen now, all of you – take this to heart.   It's not what you swallow that pollutes your life; it's what you vomit – that's the real pollution."

Another Reminder for 22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time, September 1, 2024

Community Finances:   

  Expenses: $   340.00

  Outreach: $   110.00

Thanks again, Folks, for doing what you can.

Paul gets a cookie for his birthday

Rosemary's Blessing:

Lord Jesus Christ,

who are called the Prince of Peace,

who are yourself our peace and reconciliation,

who so often said, “Peace to you,”

grant us peace.

Make all men and women witnesses of

truth, justice, and brotherly love.

Banish from their hearts whatever might endanger peace.

Enlighten our rulers that they may guarantee

and defend the great gift of peace.

May all peoples of the earth become as brothers and sisters.

May longed-for peace blossom forth

and reign always over us all.

Amen.

Prayer for Peace– by St. John XXIII

1 Kings 3: Give your servant, therefore, an understanding heart to judge your people and to distinguish right from wrong

Romans 8:  Brothers and sisters: We know that all things work for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.

Matthew 13:  Jesus said to his  disciples: "The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure buried in a field, …

John Stack Ministries now meets at:  The ArtCentre of Plano, 902 E. 16th St, Plano

Acts of the Apostles 10:  To him all the prophets bear witness, that everyone who believes in him will receive forgiveness of sins through his name.

Colossians 3:  When Christ your life appears, then you too will appear with him in glory.

John 20:  They have taken the Lord from the tomb, and we don't know where they put him.

Thanks…     

Music,    Ben

Readers,  Mary, Frank and Mary

Gospel,   

Homily,   John Stack

Eucharistic Prayer A & B,  John Stack & John Cade

The Magic Zoom makers,   Hue & Kevin

Final Blessing, Rosemary

Frank reading from the Acts of the Apostles

Readings:  Download 04-09-23 Readings – Easter Sunday

Homily: 

Mary reading from Paul's Letter to the Colossians

There will be a Funeral Service  for Cindy Cramer on April 15, 2023 at Restland (Wildwood Chapel) at 10:00 in the morning

Remember these special people:

For Cindy Cramer's family;  For the family of Ron Senter;  For Frank Esparza;  For Jan;  For Tom  Quinn who had back surgery on November 21st;  For Sandra who has been diagnosed with Large B Cell Lymphoma;   For Lambrini, John Cade's wife, who is dealing with cancer ;  For Madeleine, Richard Eshelbrenner's granddaughter;  For Hue; For Jackie;  For John's sister, Kathey recovering from a fall;   For Tom Good;  For a young man, 19 struggling with a brain tumor and cancer;     For Mary Hall's friend Cadence still suffering from a serious medical condition;   For Sir Charlie & Jan; 

Hue, our Number 1 Zoom Man

Jackie's mom, sister, & friend, Lynn;  For Rick Turner searching for a kidney donor, Type O neg.;   For Jean & Cliff Wright;  For Dee, and for her daughters, Lisa & Lauren;  For a young man who is suffering from depression;  John Cade's daughter, Joey, with cancer; from Barbara, a little baby boy named Ford recuperating from an operation & friends, Annie, a mom of 3 kids and Michael ;    for the medical staffs, teachers, and coaches in our public & private schools.

Kevin, our Number 2 Zoom Man

Birthdays:  Tom Zurchin 4/11

Anniversaries:

Community Finances:   

Expenses: $  1,100.00

Outreach: $  50.00

Thanks again, Folks, for doing what you can.

Buddy gets a cookie for his reading of the Prayer for the Lighting of the Candles

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 the spirit.

John 20, 19-31,  Put your finger here and see my hands.

Offertory, Ron & Barb, Claire & Ray.

 Acts observations:  I won’t bore you every Sunday for the next six with these same observations.  I thought I would repeat 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.

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

Easter Poster, by Rosemary.

 More on New Life

Ever hear of a guy named Christopher Scott?  How about Michael Morton?

I want to talk again about the new life coming from the resurrection.  To exemplify I want to tell you the story of one of these two men,  Michael.  Both were chosen by The Dallas Morning News as their Toys of 2012, Texans of the Year.  Both were exonerated of crimes in the last two years.   Christopher served 13 years for a robbery & murder he never committed.  Michael, 25 years.  Here is Michael’s story. 

Cupcake of The Week to Tom on his Birthday.

It is early morning, August 13, 1986.  Michael is 33 years old and manager of a grocery store.  He gets up early this morning and slips out of the house quietly so he won’t wake up Christine, his wife, and his son. 

He goes to work, punches in, and begins his regular day.  Meanwhile, back home a sick man breaks in and kills Christine while the 3 year old son watches.  Then he disappears.

Cupcake of The Week to Mabel & Curtis for their anniversary, Sixty Years!

Next thing Michael knows he is arrested for killing his wife and taken to jail.  The prosecutor is convinced Michael did it and determined to convict him, even to the point of hiding evidence that proved Michael could not have done it.   The prosecutor succeeds and Michael is sent to prison for life.

Sixteen months later in the same area another woman is killed in a similar fashion and a man is caught and charged.  His DNA and the DNA from Christine’s crime scene match.  Nobody checks it out.

Our beautiful Celeste.

All during this time, Michael is in prison for life, knowing he was innocent.  His wife murdered and he is convicted of it.  He cannot raise his young son.  The long years pass for Michael.

Until 2011.  A group of lawyers and student lawyers take up his case and expose how he was framed.  November 9, 2011, Michael, now 58,  walks free exonerated more than half his life behind him.

Buddy.

And now the amazing part.  I would imagine that if I were in the same place, I would be bitter and eager for revenge.  Michael, however, is totally at peace and instead of seeking revenge is seeking to convince the Texas legislature that some new laws need to be enacted to protect innocent people from prosecutors framing people and hiding evidence. 

Both Michael with his 25 years and Christopher with 13, the other guy I mentioned, are working to help other prisoners who are innocent.   Already about 90 have been exonerated.  How many more?

Zoe.

Can you imagine how you would feel walking free after 25 years in prison for a crime you did not commit?   And not be bitter?  And not want justice, but want to help others in similar circumstances?   Talk about resurrection and new life.  This is it.

When was the last time you were grateful for and just savored your life and your freedom? 

Source: The Dallas Morning News, Sunday, December 30, 2012, Texan of the Year

Emma eager to get there.