Readings:

Sirach 15, 15-20,   If you trust in God, you too shall live.   

 Psalm 119,  Blessed are they who follow the law of the Lord.

 1 Corinthians 2, 6-10,   What eye has not seen…

 Matthew 5, 17-37,    If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away.

 

 

Hi, Genevieve, Better watch out that some of the women around here don't swipe you red shoes.

 

Observations:  on Sirach—

What:  This is one of those 12 odd books in between the Old and the New Testament.

 Author: a Jewish teacher called Joshua.  The only identified author in the whole Old Testament.  He tells us who he is, that he is a teacher, lived in Jerusalem, and traveled a lot.  It seems he put his work together while running a school in Alexandria, Egypt.

 His grandson translated the Hebrew work into Greek.  This Hebrew text was lost for centuries until the 19^th century, when 2/3 of it was found in Cairo.  Then other portions were found in Qumran and Masada, as late as 1964.

 

 

Welcome back, Dee, you look so terrific with your brand new hip.  Did I not warn you that you would love it?

 

 Date: composed around 175 years before Christ.  About 90 years before Christ the Jews put together their official bible, but excluded Sirach because they could not find the Hebrew version, only the Greek. 

 Christians accepted the book as part of their bible in the 2^nd century after Christ.  The Council of Trent (keep 1555 in mind as a date) officially accepted it, making it part of that extra 12 books called the Apocrypha or Deuterocanonical.  Martin Luther rejected the book & so do many Protestant congregations today.

 Subject Matter: practical ethics, duties.  Beware of the either / or spirituality presented.  Also, what about unconditional love??

 

 

Welcome back Christine, and welcome to your first day out of the hospital. 

 

Subject today: you may choose good or bad.  Beware of the either / or spirituality presented in the reading.    All is either good or bad.  No in between or both, which is more what we all are, both good and bad.  

It can be simplistic & Pelagian, that is, it is all up to you and you have all the strength needed to choose good.  Pelagians thought that you had to EARN your salvation.  Therefore, the more religious stuff you did, like the more Masses, the more pilgrimages to the church & shrines, the more novenas & rosaries,  the more merit you win for yourself.

 

Psalm 119: the longest of all the psalms.  A focus on observance of the laws, decrees, and statutes.

 

 

The terrific sister Candle Lighting  Team of The Week, Zoe & Tori with help from big sister Georgie.

 

 

Matthew 5:  a continuation of the Sermon on the Mount. Note the figures of speech called “antitheses,” namely, “You have heard it said, but, I say to you.”  4 even 5 times.  Matthew is trying to establish the authority & authenticity of Jesus.

See if you can find any unconditional love in this passage?  

Sources: Good New Bible; New Interpreter's Bible.,  Reginal Fuller, S.J., David Westberg, S.J., & Larry Gillick, S.J., St. Louis U. Liturgies, on line; Wikipedia;

 

 

Leo and his buddy, John.

 

Wako Spirituality

We have been here before, Folks.  In fact, at Romeos Friday Mike sits down and says to me, “So, are you going to start with that same story again?”  Yes, Everybody, we begin with that same story.  Just a quick reminder.  Here we go.

When I was studying theology in Toronto years ago, like maybe 1970, an article came out in the local newspaper.  Some guy had read the passage saying that if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away.  He did it, folks. 

 

 

 

Play Station Numero Uno with the beautiful Zoe and the beautiful Victoria.

 

 In this passage from Matthew there are five pieces of advice to the early Christians which taken literally can get a person all messed up.  Is there a positive as well as a negative to each? 

Two observations before I touch the five.  I have mentioned this so often that I hope you are not worn out.   First, infinite demand and infinite acceptance.  Watch out here for a lot of infinite demand.  I’ll give a positive & a negative for each.  Secondly, God, unconditional love.

 

 

Beginnings…

 

Matthew’s five pieces of advice are 1. breaking the least commandment,  2. getting angry,  3. looking at a woman, 4. divorce, and  5. swearing.  Here goes.

1. Matthew says that if you break the smallest commandment you will be the least in the kingdom.  Moreover, unless you are better than the Pharisees, you will not even get into the kingdom.  The positive here is that the bar is set high.  The negative is that all, all of us sinners will be kept out. It creates scruples and obsessive compulsive behavior.  
2. Secondly, if you get mad at me and call me a fool, you are going to Hell.  I love it.  The positive here is the call to anger management.  I am challenged to know that all feelings are okay and need to be controlled.  The negative is that it gives me the idea that anger is not allowed, so stuff it.  Trouble is, it does not stuff well.  Not like a sleeping bag or tent.  It pops up in unexpected places.

 

 

The Offertory Team, Sandra and Nina, Kerry and Mary.

 

3. Looking at a woman with lust.  The positive here is teaching respect for all people.  This advice, written by men for men, was attempting to gain some respect for women who were looked upon as property.  I found this in Tanzania & Kenya.  Rosemary read me an article about some guy who cut off his wife’s ears and nose for reporting him for abuse.   The negative is that it teaches us that feelings are sinful.  In the old days, we thought we looked at a girl and we were going to hell.  This is doubly sad because I don’t think there is a hell anyway.
4. Divorce is adultery.  The positive is that it reinforces the unity of marriage.  The negative is that people stay in abusive or addictive marriages long after it may even be safe.  Divorce is failure and we all fail sometimes even in tragic ways.  In order to escape using the word divorce the Catholic Church comes up with the more convoluted word Annulment.

 

 

The Best, Ray and David.

 

5. Swearing.  The positive is that it involves politeness and respect for others.  Even if I am okay with my anger I do not swear at someone.  The negative is that it tightens us up.  We forget the therapeutic value of cussing, maybe a healthy & fun way of releasing anger.  The healthy Jesuits I lived with certainly partook of this therapy. 

 

 

Anybody due soon, Bethany?  Like in two weeks?  Wow!  Cannot Wait.

 

 The overall danger in these pieces of advice is that we really get messed up, forgetting two things.  First they are presenting infinite demand and they make no mention of infinite acceptance.

Secondly, where is the God of unconditional love?

 The poor guy in Toronto who blinded himself is an example of how we can mess ourselves up with goofy religion. 

 

 

 

Please don't cry John.  I promise not to try singing again, maybe.  

 

 Where are you with these ideas?

 

 

Help, Everybody.  She is taking over.  

Readings:

Isaiah 58, 7-10,   If you bestow your bread on the hungry, then light shall rise for you in the darkness.   

 Psalm 112,  The Just Person is a light in darkness to the upright.

 1 Corinthians 2, 1-5,   God chose the foolish of the world.

 Matthew 5, 13-16,    You are the light of the world.

 

 

 

Kristin and Everett say, "Welcome in, Everybody. "  And we say to you, Everett, "Welcome into our world."

 

Isaiah reminders, again—(I lied again, Folks.  I thought we were finished with Isaiah, my favorite, until next Advent.  Nope.  Not really sorry, though.  We have him again Feb. 26, last Sunday before Lent.)

 Author: This is Isaiah #3, the composer of chapters 56-66.  Isaiah #3 lives after the Israelites have returned to the ruined city of Jerusalem.  It is a very depressing experience after the exuberance of being allowed to depart from slavery in Babylon.  Like returning to your shattered home after a tornado, hurricane, or forest fire.

 

Hi, Leo, good to see you.

 

 Date:  Ca. 555 before Christ, the composition.  The Jewish people of Jerusalem are home again.

Subject:  A great day will come for you Jews.  You will be a bright light at dawn and your wound will be healed (of your defeat and slavery), if you take care of your neighbor, providing food, clothing, and shelter.  The corporal works of mercy.

 

 Welcome to our marvelous community, Michael Tuck.  It is so nice to have you and you are welcome any time Ray cannot make it.  Or even if he can.

 

Your Light must shine before Others

This is the fourth or fifth Sunday we have dealt with delightful readings that involve light, either receiving light or giving light.  Guess what.  I want to talk again about 3 people who are lights for me.

I have talked before about a guy whom I greatly admire, Jim Mahar, a professor of something like economics at St. Bonaventure University near Buffalo, NY.  This guy just continues to amaze and humble me. 

 

 

 

Hi, Harper.  Welcome to the Queen of Girl Scout Cookies.

 

I first met Jim through Bill Hammond.  He, I, and Bob McGrath,  all went down to Galveston to help with the clean up and repair of the city after the hurricane Ike in 2008.  It seems to me like yesterday and, yet, incredibly long ago.

There were 20-25 of us, mostly students probably on spring break.  We stayed in a very hospitable Protestant church.  The pastor himself was most friendly and accommodating.  The kids had bunk beds on the left & right of the church.  We old guys bedded down in a rectangular room with about 20 Baptist Men volunteers.  I could talk about those guys all day, they are so good.  The only problem that time: one guy in our dorm snored like a bear. 

 

 

Buddy, our Candle Man of The Week.  Thanks, Buddy.

 

These guys had an 18 wheeler trailer that they had rigged up with a number of showers.  The people in the church community fed us 3 meals a day. 

This was the first time I worked with Jim Maher.  I also went to Moore, OK, a suburb of OK City to help with a tornado that passed through.  And now just a week or so ago I get a facebook note from Jim, working with a bunch of St. Bonaventure kids in maybe the Bahamas.

 

 

Offertory, Cindy, Bill, and Marlene.

 

Jim is a bright light in my life.  In fact, his light is blinding.  I am exhausted just following him from one disaster to another.   He and some kids even came to help in Rowlett last year.  I did not get to help out, but Bill Hammond was there. 

Secondly, I have told you about another light of mine, Coach Frank Hart, mostly bed ridden in a home for elders.  I have been visiting Frank almost every Friday afternoon for some years. 

 

 Ready or not, here we go.

 

When I first started entering this house, I noticed the particular accent with which three black caretakers ladies spoke English.  I immediately recognized from where that accent comes, East Africa.  They were marvelous caretakers. 

So one afternoon, I took a minute to speak with one of the girls who bubbled over with personality.  I addressed her in Swahili, which I totally still remember.

 

 

Anybody know who these characters are??

 

Folks, I thought she was going to faint, drop her teeth, and go crazy.  She yelled to her 2 girl friends and we had a marvelous time.  They were from Kenya.  Very caring, very courageous girls.  Lights to me for their courage in making a better life for themselves and others, like Coach Frank. 

The third group: our kids.  They don’t have to do anything and I love them.  I am so delighted with their presence, which brings light to our celebrations.

 

 

The "Juliets," just us ladies into eating together."

 

I have always welcomed little kids at the Masses I celebrate, and for sure, at St. Marks.  I would normally invite them up around me during the Eucharistic prayer.  One time a little boy knocked over the standing candles and another time a little baby barfed on my shoulder while I was welcoming her for maybe the first time. 

 

 

Is this not a pretty tough group?!  Hi, Carol.  Love the hair.

 

Guess what, everybody was so timid and cowed they did not even stop me to let me know the baby had thrown up on my shoulder until after the Mass, when even I was beginning to wonder about where that smell was coming from.  These events both took place in the big church, not the 10:30 cafetorium.   That 10:30 crowd would have spoken up, probably laughing at me.

 

 

And another play station.

 

Again the questions:

Who gives you light?

To whom do you give light?

 

Readings:

Zephaniah 2, 3; 3, 12-13,   They shall do no wrong and speak no lies.   

 Psalm 146,  Blessed are the poor in spirit, the kingdom of heaven is theirs.

 1 Corinthians 1, 26-31,   God chose the foolish of the world.

 Matthew 5, 13-16,    You are the light of the world.

 

 

 

Welcome in, Everybody.

 

Zephaniah observations:

What:  a tiny book of only 4 chapters.

Who: a prophet in the typical mode, criticism of current bad behavior, promise of punishment, a better day after repentance and purification.

When: about 600 years before Christ.

 Today's selection: A promise of better days in the future.

 

 

And from Kevin, too, "Come on in, Folks."

 

The Lord will give Sight to the Blind (Psalm 146, verse 8)

I have talked the past two Sundays on how I was given light to find my way by various people.  I would like to continue this theme this morning because I am struck by the line in the Psalm that says the Lord will give sight to the blind.   Another story.

When I was ordained at St. Rita’s in ’71, I returned from Toronto where I had been studying theology to my mother Jesuit province, called the New Orleans or Southern Province.

 

 

Hi, Kara, Hi, Denise, daughter & Mom team.

 

For about 4 years I gave spiritual retreats mostly to nuns and priests, retreats which were individually directed instead of preached to large numbers.  To do this I established a base and a team at St. Charles College in Grand Coteau, LA, a beautiful place where Jesuits were trained for the first 4 years of their times as a Jesuit.

There was another center like ours in Wernersville, PA.  I would go there once a year to consult with their team and director, George Schemel.  He was maybe 20 years older than I and a sage in my eyes. 

 

 

 

Hi, Cole, Hi, Erin, son & mom team.

 

At some point on one of my visits there, George asked me to be part of a team he wanted to send to East and West Africa to give these directed retreats to the religious over there.  Would I go? 

I was stunned that he believed in me so much.  I was both scared and honored.  What does this guy see in me that he would ask me to be part of this team?

 

 

We are loaded with great Candle Lighters, this week Brandon.

 

I checked with my home province, got the okay, and went off for a year with another young Jesuit, Bob Hamm.   While there I got asked to come back after the year to set up a permanent spiritual center.    Guess what I did.  Yep, I came back.

As a result of George Schemel believing in me, a number of things took place.

 

 

The Offertory Team, Mike & Geri, Connie & John

 

I spent ten years in East Africa, mostly in the country of Tanzania, where I coordinated a team going to about 4 centers in the country to give seminars and retreats, some lasting a month. 

I also had the privilege of setting up a spiritual center in Nairobi, Kenya, and working there for about 4 years.  I found a plot of 39 acres & two houses on the edge of town.  On one side was the town, on the other, the Nairobi game park.  One night we came home and a giraffe was walking casually across our yard. 

 

Hi, Zoe, you look beautiful.

 

While doing this, I discovered I had a talent hidden up to then.  I learned Swahili and discovered through the language I could really enter into the cultural fabric of the people. 

Once when I was at the little town of Moshi, near Kilimanjaro, I went to the local market.  I knew an old man who sold fruit and veggies.  I loved the old guy and we would chat up a storm when I was in town.  I could also leave my motor cycle near him, so he would keep thieves away. 

 

 

The Play Station.
 

 

At one point after chatting with him, I was picking up some fruit while he talked with a little old lady.  She asks my friend about me, “Is he one of us,” using a word I would never presume to use for myself, ndugu, meaning brother, but more than that.  She had overheard me talking Swahili with my old friend.  He responded, “Yes.” 

 

 

The Best, Bethany (plus 1 soon to arrive) & Ray

 

Talking about Kilimanjaro, I climbed that old mountain 5 times

After all this, I finally returned to the States, and what did I encounter? Two more lights who, incredibly, believed in me.  Who? Bernadette and Carol.   Because of them we are here this morning.  What a Blessing!

 

 

I think, Ray, we may have another understudy here.

 

George Schemel believed in me and showed it.  Because of his believing, I was able to accomplish things I never would have dreamed about.  Plus, I lived a marvelous 10 year adventure.  George was a light to me.  As are  Bernadette, Carol, and you people.  

Who has believed in you?

Whom do you believe in? 

 

Yeah!   It is Girl Scout Cookie time again and Harper is ready to supply all your favorite flavors.  Good work, Dear Harper.