Sunday Homily, May 13, 2018, 7th Easter & Mother’s Day
Says Tori, "Welcome in Everybody, and Happy Mother's Day.
Readings:
Acts of the Apostles 1, 15-17, 20-26, The lot fell upon Matthias.
Psalm 103, The Lord has set his throne in heaven.
1 John 4, 11-16, We must love one another.
John 17, 11-19, When I was with them I protected them.
They are back, Everybody. Welcome Home, Bernadette, to you and Gilbert playing with the kids in the hallway.Welcome home to both of you from your around the world cruise.
Mother's Day History:
1905-08: Anna Jarvis of West Virginia began this celebration for her mother, Ann, who cared for wounded Civil War soldiers of both sides. She campaigned to make it a national day and in 1914, Woodrow Wilson made it national.
The spelling: always singular, according to Anna.
Hallmark Cards: Anna hated them because she felt you know what.
Welcome in, too, Tom & Teresa. Are you ready for an around the world Viking cruise?
Happy Mother’s Day
This morning I would like to tell the story of how on one occasion I attempted to make up to my mom all that she had to put up with in me. This took place when I must have been about 40, still living and working in East Africa, but on a home leave. Rosemary says I have shared this story before. Pardon me if I go here again. It was one of the highlights of my life.
I had a couple of things I figured I owed her for. The first was that she thought I was a bad kid, especially that afternoon the University Park Police came to our house looking for me.
It just happened to be the very day on which my mom was hosting her whole bridge club.
Sister team, Zoe & Georgie teaming up to light and bless our candles for the week.
The second was that I did not go to College (I was enrolled at N.D.)
Instead, I joined the Jesuits in the days when we never came home. It was seven years before I got back to Dallas, not to go home, but to teach at Jesuit.
To compound this event some 15 years later I agreed to accept an invitation to set up a spiritual center in Nairobi, Kenya. For at least 5 or 6 years my mom never spoke to the Jesuits in Dallas. She was convinced I had been sent.
The team special for today on Mother's Day & the special vow renewal.
So, at about 40 years of age I am on a few months home leave, when my mom asks would I be willing to come to Ireland with her and her two sisters, Kitty and Pauline. “Sure,” I said. I would be their driver.
So, we met up in London.
We went to eat at The Irish Pub where we were seated in the basement. Half way through the meal a victorious Irish rugby club tromps in. There was a piano player doing Irish songs at the end of the room on a little platform. These guys joined in with such gusto that I think they drove the poor guy out.
John reads the closing.
Guess who took up the piano, my Aunt Pauline from N.Y. Eventually, all the guys and my girls got up, made a ring around the otherwise now empty basement, we held hands, and with my aunt playing we danced around in a counter clockwise direction. It was one of the most memorable nights of my life and got us all off to a roaring start.
In Dublin we rented a little red car, took off to the north, and laughed our way through the next ten days. We drove counter clockwise all the way over to and beyond Shannon.
Thanks, Shonda and Ben, for singing & leading us in The Father will Dance, one of my most favorite hymns.
Our daily drill was breakfast around 9:00, in the car about 10:00. At 12:00 we were looking for lunch until 1:00 or 1:30. 3:00 was time for tea, and by 5:00 I had to find a place to stay that was clean, had carpet, and had bathrooms connected to the rooms. The girls stayed in one room and laughed until they cried every night. If Ireland were not so small we would never have gotten anywhere.
This was probably the best time I ever had with my mom.
You? What was the best time? Or as a mom, what was the best time?
The Blessing of All The Mothers, actual or virtual.
The Special Blessing.
