Sunday Homily, September 2, 2018, 22nd, Ordinary Time

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Welcome in, Cody & Ben.  So good to see you.

 

 

Readings:  

 Deuteronomy 4, 1-2, 6-8,  Moses said to the people…  

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

 James 1, 17-18, 21-22, 27, All good giving is from above.

Mark 7, 1-8, 14-15, 21-23,  You disregard God’s commandment but cling to human tradition.

   

 

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Welcome in, daughter & dad, Michelle & Gilbert.   So good to see you, too.
                 

 

 

Homily:  Our gospel begins with Jesus being rather upset about the traditions of the elders and their legalism that disregards goodness, justice and compassion. Based on last Sunday’s story in the Dallas Morning News about abuse that still hasn’t been addressed by our hierarchy, our male leaders are not practicing love, or common sense.

 

 

 

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Thanks, Tori, for being a super candle lighter.

 

 

The Church states a human tradition when it says a priest cannot be married, for this should not be so, for Peter was married in the Good News of Jesus Christ, and Paul’s Letter to Timothy is quite clear when it addresses the lifestyle of a bishop with these words:  A bishop is to be blameless; the husband of one wife.

 

 

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Thanks, Georgie, for reading The Blessing of the Candles

 

 

Likewise, the Church states a human tradition when it says that women can not be ordained, but this too is not so, for St. Paul identifies Phoebe in his letter to the Romans, as a deaconess that he works with, and the inspired writers of the Mark and John gospel both identify a servant whose ministry is that of a deaconess.

 

 

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The Best music, Shonda & Ben.

 

 

With what can I compare today in the Church to the hundreds of minor legalistic, human traditions held by the Jewish elders that caused Jesus to be upset?  Recently there is a law in the Church that the Easter Candle can’t be placed in front of or beside the altar unless it was 100 percent bee’s wax, and one of our most prominent cardinals has recently made a Church law that the most expensive and tasteful wine affordable should be used for the altar wine.

 

 

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Team mates and Big Sister & Younger Brother, Georgie & Buddy.

 

 

Besides all of these human traditions, the theologians of the Church have added one of their own.   In the Mark gospel there are only two references to Mary as a mother.  In the first one she thought that Jesus was going out of his mind. His response to those who had surrounded him, was this, ‘Who is my mother, brother, and sister?’ Those who welcome and live my words.’

Mary is also referred to only twice in the John gospel, and again not by the name Mary, but only as mother. 

 

 

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Mike homilizing on the readings.   Thanks for your ideas, Mike.

 

 

The Matthew and Luke gospels have what we call infancy narratives. In both, Mary gives birth to Jesus Christ.  So far, so good and wonderful.  However, in the John gospel we are taught that God is spirit, and from the very beginning [of everything] he, the Word, Jesus Christ, is spirit, in oneness with God the Father.  We know that Mary is the mother of Jesus Christ; but how can this be since he is spirit?’   The answer is this: the inspired writers have made Mary a metaphor in the Matthew, Luke and John gospels.   As the written expectation of the Law, Prophets, and Psalms for the coming of the Messiah, she gives birth to the written Good News of Jesus Christ, where he is present through the power of the Holy Spirit.

 

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 Offertory Team, Becky, Grace, & Tom.

 

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  • Sunday Homily, April 20, 08, 5th of Easter

    Readings: Acts 6, 1-7; Psalm 33; 1 Peter 2, 4-9; John 14, 1-12.

    Acts:  This is another example of stories from the early Christian Community.  On this occasion, the community is selecting from the community seven people, men, who will help free up the priests to do preaching.  The seven chosen are like deacons.

    Blair

    A Chosen Race, a Royal Priesthood

    Two things happened to me in Italy that came to mind when I saw this line in Peter’s letter about being a chosen race and a royal priesthood.

    First, in Rome on our last evening before departing this past Friday.  It was about 6:30.  All four of us were planning to celebrate sunset at 7:45 and the end of our trip with a glass of wine on the rooftop of our 4-5 story, 500 year old palace & convent.  A great vista point for the city.

    Rosemary & I had taken a stroll and were coming home crossing the little plaza next to our convent, when a young Italian boy about 17 came up to me and in Italian asked me where the Pantheon was.  This delighted me for two reasons.

    First, he must have thought I was more of a local, not an American tourist.  Ever since my time in East Africa I have always tried to blend in, not stand out as from elsewhere.  That was hard in Tanzania. Secondly, because of the first, he spoke to me in Italian. I both knew what he asked, and I knew how to respond and guide him to the Pantheon, which I half walked him to because it was fairly near.  For a last nighter, this was a gift.

    The other event took place on a high point in Florence a week earlier.  Again Rosemary & I had taken a stroll in the early evening while others rested & before going out together.  I was exploring and had climbed a hill to see if I could spot a good place to see the sunset over Florence.  I had heard about this place from one of the sisters at the Florence convent we were staying in.  There were a series of steps in a switch back pattern leading up to a secondary basilica, called St. Miniato.  The steps were quite a climb, with the basilica steps going straight up.

    At one point Rosemary is wandering around & I am sitting at the very top, my legs hanging over the marble balustrade.  I am looking over Florence & watching a rain storm approach from the west when I see a little man stooped with osteoporosis start to climb the steps way below me.  He has a dark overcoat on and he uses an umbrella as a cane.  He leans on the balustrade on his left.  Slowly & steadily he climbs until he reaches the top, turns right, and starts to pass near me. 

    As he approaches I say in Italian, "Congratulations on climbing the steps."  I reach over and shake his sweaty little hand.  Bent over, he looks up and says, "What?"  I repeat and he asks me who I am.  After I tell him he says, "Are you Italian?"  I am complimented, but say, "No, I’m not Italian.  I am American."  "Oh, bahh," he exclaims and goes on his way.  I am slightly deflated. 

    As Peter says in his letter, we are all chosen, we are all a royal priesthood.  Royal does not grab me, but priesthood does.  Sometimes we feel more chosen, more priestly, sometimes we feel more rejected and certainly not royal. 

    The 17 year old boy chose me out of all the people in that plaza and asked for help.  In the priest context, I was able to help & guide him.  This experience is common to all of us.  I chose to compliment the little man in a priest context, but he rejected me.  Another common experience to all of us.  Because we are all chosen by God, we are all called to priesthood.  The challenge is to continue to congratulate, help, & guide the next person.

    Macchios

    How are you doing this?

    AUDIO: http://mysite.verizon.net/reso7rjy/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderfiles/2008-04-20.mp3 

  • Sunday Homily 8-14-11, 20th Ordinary Time

    Readings: Isaiah 56, 6-7; Psalm 67, O God, let all the Nations praise You; Romans 11, 13-15, 29-32; Matthew 15, 21-28 

    Isaiah:

        1.  Author:  This is Isaiah III, the one who writes after the Babylonian Captivity, therefore, probably in Jerusalem after 550 B.C., more or less.

        2.  Today’s message:  this selection is used to support the gospel, a message of inclusion of all peoples.  His house will be open to all. 

     Celebration 8-14-11

    Romans: For months we have been using as our second reading Paul's letter to the Romans.  I have not mentioned it or even included in the homilies for two reasons:

    1. It is not related to the other two readings. The Gospel & the first reading attempt to follow a theme. The second reading continues the same book week after week and if it relates it is accidental.  Romans will be with us another 4 Sundays into mid-September.
    2. It is dense. I really don’t like it, except in a few sections.  7 letters are considered written by Paul who wrote this one probably around 55 A.D., while he was in Corinth, Greece, and in anticipation of a visit to Rome.  Some scholars consider it his masterpiece, but it is often difficult to understand.  

    Communion 8-14-11 

    The Assumption

    Often I mention that a line from the readings is one of my favorites, or a certain passage, maybe from Isaiah, is a favorite.  Today I cannot say the Matthew passage is a favorite.  In fact, I do not like the way Jesus insults the Canaanite woman.  A dog!  No way!

    For maybe two days I thought about talking about this, but I could not find what I was looking for.  Like, was this Matthew, not Jesus, speaking?  And why?  I searched all my resources.  I even phoned my ace in a jamb, my friend, fellow ex-Jesuit, and excellent scripture scholar, Francis Vanderwall.  He admitted he had not a clue. 

    So, I am going to cop out.  I want to talk on a much more favorite topic, the Assumption. 

    Cliff 8-14-11 
     

    Tomorrow the Catholic Church celebrates one of the big feast days, the Assumption of Mary into heaven.  The meaning: Mary, after she finished her time on earth, was taken bodily into heaven.  I would like to make 4 observations.

    1.  The history of the belief.  The idea that Mary was taken up bodily into heaven got going by at least the 5th century.  People thought that she was rewarded for her role in redemption by this action on God's part. 

    2.  The history of the declaration.  Really fascinating.  In November, 1950, Pius XII declared this event to be a dogma of the Catholic Church, that is, you have to believe it if you are a Catholic.   It was the first and only doctrine declared under papal infallibility, a doctrine proclaimed by Pius IX in 1870.

    Emma 8-14-11 

    The story behind both of these dates is quite revealing.  1870 is the date of Italian unification.  Up to this time there was no united peninsula, no Italy like today.  There were at least three big parts: north, south, and right in the middle the Papal States. 

    The people wanted those states to be part of the whole.  Pius IX was adamantly against ceding an inch of papal property.  When the people won the property deal, Pius withdrew into the Vatican, declared himself a prisoner of the Vatican, appealed to France who did not help him, and finally declared that what he said as pope on faith & morals was infallible, despite the advice of the majority of his consulters.  Sort of  'And I'll show you!' action.

    Leo 8-14-11 

    In 1950 the Second World War was finished and the world was stunned into shock by the revelation of the Holocaust.  Pius XII himself was downcast by the Holocaust.  Moreover, he was getting heat because he did not stand up more strenuously to Hitler.  He had been Vatican ambassador to Germany during the build up of the Third Reich, so he knew the atmosphere well.  On top of that, there was evidence that at least one senior Vatican official was complicit in sending Jews to the death camps. 

    Pius XII might have experienced some shame.  In the face of the brutality of the Holocaust, Pius decided to make a dramatic statement to show the sacredness of the human person, body included, by declaring the assumption of Mary's body into heaven a dogma.  

    3.  The basis in Scripture for the doctrine.  There is none.  What is taking place here, is that Pius is articulating what has been considered a belief for centuries.  People have believed this for, say, 10-15 centuries.  Therefore, it took place.  There is a weakness here, of course.  What can be asserted a fact without evidence, can be discarded without evidence. 

    Wedding I 8-14-11 

    4.  The Assumption in my life.  53 years ago tomorrow I walked into the Jesuit novitiate in Grand Coteau, LA.  30 of us entered more or less together.  Two of my classmates are still Jesuits. 

    On that day 50 years ago my life took a 180 degree turn from being a typical  bratty teen- ager to a monk.  From days spent with friends, cars, and radios, I entered a world of silence, meditation, physical work, and study.  Feast days were eagerly anticipated and the Assumption was one of the big ones.  The date is still big with Jesuits and it brings back fond memories.  It comes at a convenient time at the end of the summer and before the school year. 

    I still celebrate August 15, not at all with the same belief pattern that I had when I entered the Jesuits August 15, 1958, 18 years old just out of high school.   I celebrate because of a fondness for Mary and a fondness for my years as a Jesuit.

    Wedding II 8-14-11 

    The Assumption is celebrated tomorrow.  What do you think about it?  What do you believe?

    Picture 1:    Celebration

    Picture 2:   Communion

    Picture 3:   Cliff

    Picture 4:   Emma

    Picture 5:   Leo

    Picture 6:   Wedding of Victoria Looney (an old friend since her childhood) & David Cline

    Picture 7:   Wedding at the gazeebo, Plano City Park

     

           

  • Sunday Homily, May 1, 2016, 6th Easter

    Readings:

    Acts  15, 1-2, 22-29,   Unless you are circumcised you cannot be saved.

    Psalm 67,  Oh, God let all the nations praise you.

    Revelation  21, 10-14, 22-23,  The angel took me to a great, high mountain.

    John 14, 23-29,  Whoever loves me will keep my word.

     

      Chloe 1

     

    Welcome home, Chloe, you are beautiful and special here.

     

     Acts observations again:

    WHO: same as author of Gospel of Luke, Chapter 15 of 28

    WHEN: late 60’s, before 70

    WHY: To further Paul’s desire to make “The Way” of Jesus’ followers acceptable to people in the Greco-Roman world of his time.

    Today’s reading from Chapter 15 of Acts gives us another example of how the followers of Jesus at that time were originally Jewish. We have no documents from the 20 years following Jesus’ death. Scholars conjecture that there were writings from that time that became sources for the authors of the gospels of Matthew and Luke.

     

     

    Tori- Zoe 2

     

    Victoria, along with Zoe, they say, Welcome, Everybody."

     

     

    My Peace I give to you

    My Peace I give to you.  What a beautiful gift.  The Best.  How do you find it?   

    I would like to talk about finding the peace this morning.  I would propose that the gift is all around us.  It is here in our community, it is in our homes, it is in Tom Thumb, it is in our city.  I would suggest that there are big and little packages of peace.  For example, some little packages that give me peace.

    First, taking Aviana, our dog, for a walk.  Rosemary takes Aviana for two or three afternoon walks.  Along the way she gets to know so many of our neighbors. 

     

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    Brandon, the guy with all the personality, also says, "Hi, Folks."

     

     

    I take Aviana for 3 walks in the morning, including her first walk at ca. 4:15.   Want to know what peace is?   Watching her do her business quickly, especially both of them on this 5 minute walk.  It is short because she knows that she will get her breakfast right away afterward. 

    Secondly, try biking.  Sometimes riding my bike with Rosemary around White Rock and going down the White Rock Creek Trail, I cannot believe how delightful this is.   On The Trail I often think, 'I cannot really be in Dallas,' the scenery is so beautiful and natural.

     

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    Chloe put to work lighting the candles.
     

     

     

    Thirdly, I find great peace in doing weddings and, in particular, getting together with each couple to plan their wedding.  Just this past Friday and Saturday I spent an hour with two delightful couples. Saturday’s couple was Lisa Anderlick, John and Karen’s daughter.  

    These daily and weekly events, while being really profound to me, are what I could call smaller packages of peace.    Want to know about a Big Packages?

      

    The Girls 1

    Sisters, Jessica and Renee.

     

    First, how can I not be touched with peace every time we all come together?   Remember that morning that it was pouring rain at 9:30?  Rosemary and I both said that few people would find their way here in that storm. 

    What happened?  We had 65 plus people.  The kids are a special event of peace.  Our music.   And just everybody.   The peace of our community stays with me all week long. 

     

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    The Quinn Girls,  Vivienne, Kiera, & Mikayla.

     

    Secondly, Cinco de Mayo!   What?, you say.  Cinco de Mayo? 

    This big Mexican feast is also a special day for Rosemary & me.  We are celebrating our 11th anniversary.  I know you figured Rosemary could not stand to live so long with this old obsessive bachelor.  However, we have made it and each day brings more peace and more fun. 

     

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    Another beautiful Sunday thanks to Shonda & Bethany, Ray & David.

     

     

    One of the fun things  takes place most weekday mornings, when I return from the J at around 7:15.   I wake up Rosemary with coffee and newspaper in hand.  Then I return to the kitchen, get my cup of coffee, and proceed to hop on the bed where we talk and discuss the day.  Aviana is also part of the event.

    Unfortunately, even though coffee is supposed to be a stimulant, when I drink it after working out, it has the opposite effect.  Ten minutes and I tell Rosemary I am falling asleep and think I will take a 15 minute nap.  Of course, I get a comment like, “What a fascinating conversationalist you are.”

     

     

    Brent

     

    Remember, Brent, the cupcake is for Reggie, your Souls Harbor manager and recovery story–his birthday.

     

    What is the response to these little and big packages of peace?  Two things.   Awareness and Gratitude.

    Where do you find The Peace? 

     

  • 26th Sunday, Ordinary Time, 9/26/2021

    Numbers 11, Would that all the people for the Lord were prophets.

    Psalm 19, The precepts of the Lord give joy to the heart. 

    James 5,  Where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there is disorder.

    Mark 9,  If your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out.

     

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    Shonda & Ben bringing us together.

     

    Thanks……

    Music,    Ben & Shonda

    Readers,  Beth & Rob & Buddy, our candle blesser 

    Gospel,     John Cade

    Homily,   John Stack

    Eucharistic Prayer A & B,  John Stack & John Cade

    The Magic Zoom makers,      Hue & Mike

    Final Blessing, Rosemary

     

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    Beth reading the first reading from Numbers.

     

    Readings: 

    Download Readings 26th Ordinary time 09-26-21

     

    Homily by John Stack,  

    Download Homily 26th Sunday 9-26-2021

     

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    Rob reading from James.

     

    Remember these special people:

    For John & Karen Anderlick's unborn grandson;   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,

     

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    Jan & Charlie saying, "Hi, Everybody!"

    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 12 month old 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.

     

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    Mary, Connie, & John singing the beautiful hymn "On Eagles' Wings."

     

    Birthdays:   Ben's daughter, Sophia, 14 (yesterday), Judy Carol, Leo (11?), Jackie Johnson

    Anniversaries:  

    Fred & Patricia

    Tom & Becky Good

    Ron & Nancy Kovatis

     

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    Cathy, Fred, & Ron updating the news of the week.

     

    Community Finances,   September 26, 2021

    Expenses: $600.00 

    Outreach: $5.00 

    Thanks again, Folks, for doing what you can.

     

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    Rosemary sharing her beautiful Blessing of the Week.

     

    Rosemary's Blessing:

    “Rivers do not drink their own water;

    trees do not eat their own fruit;

    the sun does not shine on itself

    and flowers do not spread their fragrance for themselves.

    Living for others is a rule of nature.

    We are born to help each other.

    No matter how difficult it is.

    Life is good when you are happy

    but much better when others are happy because of you.

    Let us remember that pain is a sign that we are alive,

    problems are a sign that we are strong and

    prayer is a sign that we are not alone.

    If we can acknowledge these truths and

    condition our hearts and minds, our lives will be more meaningful,

    different and worthwhile.”

    Pope Francis

     

     

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    Peace, Everyone!

     

    JSM Mission-Faith Statement  

          Help create a Catholic Community that welcomes all God’s People, provides for & challenges spiritual & total growth.  

          Reaches out to help people who are disadvantaged & make the world we live in a better place to live.

     
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  • Sunday Homily, February 4, 2018, 5th Ordinary Time

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    "Welcome in, Everybody," says Cody with Olivia and Ben.

     

    Readings:

    Job 7, 1-4, 6-7,  Is not man’s life on earth a drudgery?

    Psalm 147,  Praise the Lord who heals the broken hearted.

     Corinthians 9, 16-19. 22-23,   I have become all things to all.

    Mark 1, 29-39, They brought to him all who were ill.

     

     

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    And, Welcome in to you, Judy.  So nice to see you.  You look beautiful.

     

     

    Job 0bservations:

    WhatA comment on The Universe.  No book in the OT or NT has less known about it.  Called the most profound book of the OT.    It deals with the problem of evil, personal justification, and why bad things happen to good people.   Job himself could be historical, a literary creation, or a combination of the first two.

    Author: Unknown. 

    Date: It is guessed to be before the time of Moses and Egypt, i.e., earlier than 1300 before Christ.

    Structure: 3 poetic dialogues preceded by a prose introduction and ending with a prose conclusion, an epilogue judged to have been added sometime later by another person or group of persons.

     

     

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    Emma, your smile makes my day.  Thanks to you and your little friend.   By the way, your other little friend that you loaned us still rides in our car above the mirror.

     

     

    Psalm 147 observations:

     

    The message is beautifully optimistic.   Is it naive?   We all die.  What about the Jews who entered Auschwitz?   My JCC friend from Poland?  85 members of his family liquidated.  

     

     

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    Want to go to communion?  See Jan, she will fix you up.

     

     

    The Story of Job

    I would like to tell you this morning the story of Job.

    Once upon a time there was a good man named Job who lived in the land of Uz.  He had 7 sons and 3 daughters, a sign that he was especially blessed.  He not only had sons, but he had the special number of 7. 

    One day Yahweh was walking around heaven talking with his buddies when he ran into the devil.  "What have you been doing?" he asked.  "I have been walking around here and there," the devil responded. 

    "Have you noticed how good my man Job is?"  "Yes,' says the devil, "but I bet he will curse you to your face if you stop protecting him and take away all his goodies."  "It's a bet," says Yahweh, "Just don't hurt him."

     

     

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    Leo, our Candle Man of the Week, at work.

     

     

    So a few days later while all of Job's 7 sons and 3 daughters where having a feast with their families, a storm blew up killed them all.  A messenger runs to tell Job of the horrible news. 

    Another messenger had raced in and saying lightening has just killed all his sheep and the shepherds.   Other messengers likewise run in saying Job's livestock have been rustled by robbers who killed all the farm hands.

    Job is devastated, of course, but responds with the famous statement: "I was born with nothing, and I will die with nothing.  The Lord gave, and now he has taken away.  May his name be praised." 

     

     

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    Jackie reading the Blessing of the Candles.

     

     

    So Yahweh wins his bet.  But, when Yahweh and the devil meet up to settle their bet, the devil raises the stakes by saying that he bets Job will curse Yahweh if the devil is allowed to hurt his body.  Not death, just hurt.  "Bet," says Yahweh.

    The next day Job comes down with sores all over his body, like leprosy, and he has to go outside of town where the lepers go.  He sits in the town dump.  His wife now comes and his friends.  They all grieve. They also encourage Job to see what he has done bad.  Has he cursed Yahweh?  Confess and repent.  Job proclaims his innocence.  But he is depressed and discouraged. 

    Note the cosmic vision here: God punishes the evil and blesses the good.  So, Job, what bad thing is God punishing?

     

     

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    So sorry, Brent, not even a cupcake for you this week.

     

    (In East Africa I used to celebrate Mass for a small community of lepers

    Finally, while not cursing Yahweh, he cries out his anguish saying (chapter 3): 

    "Oh, God, put a curse on the day I was born; put a curse on the night when I was conceived!  Turn that day into darkness, God." (verses  2-4) 

    "I wish I had died in my mother's womb or died the moment I was born.  Why did my mother hold me on her knees?" (verses 11-12) 

    "Why let men go on living in misery?  Why give light to men in grief?" (verse 20) 

    "Everything I fear and dread comes true.  I have no peace, no rest, and my troubles never end." (verses 25-26)

     

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    The Offertory Team, Nina & Kerry, Judy & Mike.

     

     

    After some time in this situation, Yahweh comes along and speaks with him:

    "Who are you to question my wisdom with your ignorant, empty words?  Stand up now like a man and answer the questions I ask you.  Were you there when I made the world?" (verses 2-3)

    "Job, have you ever in all you life commanded a day to dawn?" (verse 12)

    "Have you been to the springs in the depths of the sea?  Have you walked on the floor of the ocean? "(verse 16)

    "Have you been to the place where the sun comes up or the place where the east wind blows?" (verse 24)

     

     

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    Communion Team ready to begin.

     

     

    After hearing all the numerous ways Yahweh reminds him of how insignificant he is, Job apologizes to Yahweh and promises to be a good boy and not complain from now on. 

    In an epilogue, which is considered a late addition, Yahweh restores his wealth and gives him 7 more sons and 3 more beautiful daughters.  He lives another 140 years a prosperous and happy man.

    Ever feel like Job?  How do you handle the feeling?

     

     

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    Lynda & Tom getting ready to run Hilton Head next week end and Jan is blessing them on their way.   I am envious.

  • Sunday Homily, October 15, 2017, 28th Ordinary Time

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    Welcome, Our Dearest Michelle.

     

    Readings:

    Isaiah 25,, 6-10,  On this mountain  the Lord will provide for all peoples.

    Psalm 23,  I shall live iin the house of the Lord all the days of my life.

    Phlippians 4, 12-14, 19-20,  I know how to llive in humble circumstances.

    Matthew 22, 1-14,  The king throws a wedding feast for his son. 

     

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    Welcome in, say our Dearest Tori & Zoe, and The Great Gilbert.

     

    Two beautiful readings this morning, Isaiah 25, and Psalm 23, The Lord is my Shepherd.

     

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    Our Dearest Candle Lighter of The Week, Emma.

     

    Isaiah observations:

    Who:  Any idea which Isaiah this is, 1, 2, or 3?   We had Isaiah 1 last week talking about the vineyard.  That was chapter 5.  Pretty easy to guess, Isaiah 1.  But, this is chapter 25.

    It seems out of character for Isaiah 1, who criticizes the people.  More like Isaiah 2, which John Cade loves and which we will read this Advent. 

    Remember Isaiah 1 is pre-Babylonian Captivity, around 555 before Christ.  This selection is a marvelous vision of peace and sensual satisfaction, one of my favorites.

    Yep, it is still Isaiah 1, all the way to chapter 39.  Basically he is saying that a great day will come, after you people have paid for your sinful, selfish ways. 

     

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    Does it get more beautiful than this, Beautiful Scene, Beautiful Couple.

     

     

    On this mountain the Lord will provide for all peoples, the Lord will wipe away the tears from every face.

    This morning, Folks, I would like to talk about this line in the context of our lives.

    Last week after having been privileged to take part in the beautiful wedding of Paul and Carrie on the very edge of the South Rim of Grand Canyon.  And after having the joy of sleeping in for a couple of mornings when the temperature was in the 30’s both outside and inside through our wide open glass door.  And after having spent one whole day just walking around and doing nothing, a very rare event in our lives. 

    After being moved by all this, we turned on the radio in our rental car early Saturday morning to begin our 3 hour drive back to the  airport in Phoenix.  Just catching up on current news.  I was immediately depressed and even angry, which is pretty rare for me. 

     

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    Communion on the South Rim.
     

     

    I have caught myself here a few times lately and have decided I do not want to be here.  So I returned to a decision I made to simply turn it off and focus on the beauty and how the Lord provides. 

    Let me give you 4 little examples on which I am still dwelling here at home.

    First, I was touched by the example of lots of the tourists around the South Rim.   There is a shuttle bus system on the South Rim, three routes, one east, one west, and one in the center.  The west bus and the center bus are new for me since I came here in the ‘90’s.

     

     

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    The South Rim Wedding.

     

     

    Rosemary & I took them all and occasionally they were full, especially the west bus.  One time I am seated and the aisle is full of standing people.  So I get up and offer my seat to somebody.  After I stand up I happen to look toward the back of the bus.  What do I see?  A half dozen other guys were all getting up.  Many of them were Japanese. 

    Rosemary even was bummed later in the day because some guy got up and offered her his seat.  “He must think I’m an old lady,” she grumps to me later.

     

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    The Stack Wedding Tree

     

    Two more neat events took place on our flight experience.  First, at our SWST gate there was a special desk with 3 ladies.  We were at the end of a long corridor and probably 200 passengers were waiting for flights to Dallas, San Francisco, & two others. 

    One of the girls started talking to the mass of people and then asked, “Anybody celebrating a birthday today?”  Across from us Isabella, a shy girl about 11 put up her hand.  The SWST girl got the whole gang to sing to her and then gave her a $25 gift certificate.  Then the SWST girl went through about a dozen trivia question with $25 certificates for the winners.  It was delightful.

     

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    The Best Team, Georgie, Buddy, & Leo.

     

     

    Then on the plane which had come in from somewhere like Jackson Hole, guess whom we saw, Patricia & Fred.   Guess what, the whole plane gave them a rousing round of applause for their 7th anniversary.  Patricia must have told the flight attendants.  Who else?

    Besides these events, blowing me away most of all, the wedding.  Beautiful place and beautiful people.  It was The Best.

    And just to show Paul & Carrie how appreciative I am and we are for the memories, and that I told them that I would give them a special gift when we got home, I have The Gift.  A young Shumard Red Oak, a Stack Wedding Tree. 

     

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    Only One Cupcake today??   Yep.

     

    Let me remind them, because they have probably already forgotten, the little tree says two things when you look at it.  First, are you having fun together?  From my experience, if you are having fun in your marriage, you won’t end up in my office. 

    Secondly, it says that this old geezer truly loves you.

    Thanks for The Memories.

     

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    Number 1 of 2 elevations.