Reminder for Sunday, August 4, 2019, 18th, Ordinary Time

Mary Jane reading from Joshua

Thanks…     

Music,   Ben

Community Finances:   

  Expenses: $    620.00

  Outreach: $      50.00

Thanks again, Folks, for doing what you can.

Marlene

Rosemary's Blessing:

Dust If You Must

By Rose Milligan

Dust if you must, but wouldn’t it be better

To paint a picture, or write a letter,

Bake a cake, or plant a seed,

Ponder the difference between want and need?

Dust if you must, but there’s not much time,

With rivers to swim, and mountains to climb;

Music to hear, and books to read;

Friends to cherish and life to lead.

Dust if you must, but the world’s out there,

With the sun in your eyes and the wind in your hair,

A flutter of snow, a shower of rain,

This day will not come around again.

Dust if you must, but bear in mind,

Old age will come and it’s not kind,

And when you go(and go you must),

You yourself, will make more dust.

Denni reading from 1 Samuel

Music,   Ben & Shonda

The Kiss of Peace

Expenses: $   550.00

Outreach: $    110.00

Thanks again, Folks, for doing what you can.

Rosemary's Blessing:

Dear Lord, please give me

 A few friends who understand me and remain my friends;

A work to do which has real value,
     without which the world would be the poorer;

A mind unafraid to travel, even though the trail be not blazed; 

A sense of humor;

Time for quiet, silent meditation;

The patience to wait for the coming of these things,

Amen.

Anonymous

Readings: Sirach 35, 12-18; Psalm 34, The Lord hears the Cry of the Poor; 2 Timothy 4, 6-8, 16-18; Luke 18 9-14.

Introduction to the Readings 

A brief word about our first reading.  We have heard from Sirach eight weeks ago on the twenty second Sunday of Ordinary Time.  At that time I had told you that this book was written by Sirach, it is part of the Wisdom literature, and probably written around the year 180 BCE.  The writing is also known at Ecclesiasticus, because early in the life of the church it was one of the most used of the Old Testament books.  I love that contrast between the statement in the first two lines “The LORD is a God of justice, who knows no favorites” with what then follows, namely how God hears the cry of the poor, the widows, the orphans, the oppressed. 

Our second reading is the final one from Paul’s Letters to Timothy.  We have been reading from these two letters for the past six weeks.  The letter is perhaps the last one written by Paul from prison in Rome before he is executed.  The two letters to Timothy and the letter to Titus, form what is known as the Pastoral Letters.  The style is very different from Paul’s other letters.  He is writing to these two to encourage them as leaders in communities that Paul had set up.  Remember, Timothy, who is mentioned in Luke’s Acts Chapter 16, was a companion to Paul.  Our reading today is the conclusion of the second letter and sounds like Paul’s farewell.

 Homily

 Main Point – A simple parable, humility trumps pride, especially when we pray.  I could stop there but won’t because there is a second layer to this simple parable.  We need to understand the setting for the story.  The two men going into the temple were not like two men going into church here any afternoon. 

 First of all, they were going into the Temple in Jerusalem.  They were going into a “Prayer of Atonement” service held each afternoon in the Temple.  The Pharisee would have naturally joined with the other Pharisees at the front and the tax collector would have hung around inside the door.  In the eyes of the Law, or Torah, the Pharisee was a very good person, and what he declared went even beyond the Law. 

 Where he failed, was realizing that everything about his “holiness” was due to his own efforts and nothing came from God.  The tax collector on the other hand was all too well aware of his shortcomings and acknowledges that he is totally dependant on God and His mercy.

 Our catholic tradition has always given me the impression that if I was good, went to Mass every Sunday, obeyed the commandments, fasted at the appropriate time etc. then I was all set for heaven.  It would seem that God had very little to do in it.  And of course this was the whole crux that caused the Reformation. 

 One would think we could have learned from our mistakes.  At that time Martin Luther was appalled at the practice of selling indulgences, as if folks could purchase their way into heaven.  His position was: “Salvation by faith alone” and the church preferred to add that “good works” were also important. 

 But back to the two in the temple.  There are several interesting little hints given which tell us a whole lot more.  The Pharisee stands apart, he does not seem to belong to the gathered community.  When the tax collector prays “have mercy on me a sinner” the word he uses in the original Greek is not the common word “eleison” which we use when we say Lord have mercy, or Kyrie Eleison, but a very different word connecting to the liturgy which he was part of that afternoon. 

 In other words the tax collector saw himself as part of a community, and absolutely in need of God’s forgiveness, the Pharisee saw only himself!!  It was being part of a community and recognizing his total need for God, which allowed for him to go home justified. 

 The message:  we must be aware that even though we are here each Sunday, this should not lead us down the same path of the Pharisee. 

Picture 1:  Mass with Tony

Picture 2:  Tom, Lynda, & Nina packing up food for this Saturday at the Habitat House

Picture 3:  Maggie with her dad & granddad, Tom & Bob

Picture 4:  Sienna with her mom & dad, Erin & Payton

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

Time: 9:30; Celebrate with the Community & John Cade. 

Place: Sigler Elementary, 1400 Janwood Drive, Plano, TX 75075 

Our Community Welcome Team

Readings:

Isaiah, 2, 1-5,  They shall beat their swords into plow shares. (a beautiful reading)

 Psalm 122,  Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.

 Romans 13, 11-14,  Our salvation is nearer now.

 Matthew 24, 37-44,   Stay awake, for you do not know on  which day your Lord will come.

Our Special Blessing, Bethany.

Community Activities:  

ROMEO MEET: Friday, December 2, 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), December 9; 12:30

ADVENT PLANS:   Download Advent 2016

Wake up, Leo, Look at what you are missing.                      

Christmas at the Dallas Symphony

This year we are going to the Meyerson on Friday, December 16th at 7:30 pm.   We will have seats in the Orchestra section at approximately $45.00 per person.  Please let Rosemary (rosemary.mcginn@sbcglobal.net) know as soon as possible if you are interested in going.  

Something new and special this year.  We will meet before the 7:30 concert at the condo of Beth & Rob at 2111 Marilla on the corner with S. Pearl across the street from the Dallas Farmers’ Market.   

You may come by car or by DART.  More on this later.

Buddy taking care  of the flowers.

What is going on in Our Catholic World

1. Nothing this week

Georgie taking care of Buddy.

True? 

Men who have pierced ears are better prepared for marriage. They’ve experienced pain and bought jewelry.

Rita Rudner, Comedian

The Team at work. 

See you Sunday.

J.S., 214-783-0443

Peace and Happy Thanksgiving.

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:

2 Samuel 7, 1-5, 8-12, 14, & 16, The Lord tells the prophet Nathan that he will protect his lineage forever.

Psalm, 89, Forever I will sing the goodness of the Lord

Romans 16, 25-27,  To the only wise God be glory forever

Luke 1, 26-38, The angel Gabriel was sent to a town called Nazareth

Thanks to the Team

Music,  Ben & Shonda, 

Readers,  Lynda & Tom & Buddy, the candle blesser

Gospel,  John Cade 

Homily,   John Stack

Eucharistic Prayer A & B, Stack & John Cade

The Magic Zoom makers,   Hue & Mike 

Final Blessing, Rosemary

For hosting us at Legacy, Becky

Download Readings Week 4 Advent

Homily by John Stack:

Download Homily. 4th Advent 2020

Please Remember these special people:

For Cody, For Paul & Carrie recuperating, plus her ex, Larry;  For Alan Stryker;  For Joe Sullivan;    For Rosemary's great niece, Rylie ;  For Richard's grand daughter, Madeleine; For David Dinsmore's bad shoulder from a biking accident;  For Esparza's new great grandson baby, son of Monique;  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 Loretta's aunt Alicia;  For Sir Charlie & Jan;  Shonda's mom & Cody & Ben & Leo & all of Shonda's dear family;  

Tranquility, Fall

For Jackie's mom, sister, & friend, Lynn;  For both Jean & Cliff Wright;  For Rick Turner searching for a kidney donor, Type O neg; For Meredith, cancer free;    For John O'Donnell;   For Dee, and for her daughter, Lisa; For John Schanot's continued health;  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; for a little 4 month old boy undergoing an operation, from Barbara;  For the students, teachers, and coaches in our public & private schools

Birthdays: Jan Keszler, Meredith, & Ben 

A little crowded in the studio this morning.

Community Finances, December 20, 2020

Expenses: $1014.00

Outreach   $0  (often for Souls Harbor, Legacy, etc.)

Thanks again, Folks, for doing what you can.

Schedule for Christmas Eve, Thursday:

4:0o,  live & recorded Christmas music

4:30,  Christmas Eve Mass begins

Becky got a deal on all this classroom & office furniture at a local college closing down their classrooms and going on totally line.

Rosemary's Blessing:

The Christmas Story will always be the story of Emmanuel, of God-with-us, always and everywhere, in the everyday, in the chaos, in the flight into exile, in the love between a man and a woman and in the birth of a child. 

It is the story of God who heals, empowers and loves us just as we are – in our greatness and our foolishness. 

As we anticipate the joy, the love and the peace that are God's Christmas gifts to us, let us receive them with gratitude and be sure to unfold them and share them especially where they need to be more visible.

Sister Jean Amore, CSJ, Principal, Sacred Heart Academy, Hempstead, N.Y.

Ezekiel 17: It shall put forth branches and bear fruit, and become a majestic cedar.  Birds of every kind shall dwell beneath it, every winged thing in the shade of its boughs.

2 Corinthians 5: For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ,  so that each may receive recompense, according to what he did in the body, whether good or evil.

Mark 4: It is like a mustard seed that, when it is sown in the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on the earth.  But once it is sown, it springs up and becomes the largest of plants and puts forth large branches, so that the birds of the sky can dwell in its shade.”

Barbara Wittek heard from her friend whose grandson, Ford we have been praying for.  She asks for even more prayers for Ford.