Readings: Wisdom 2, 12-20; Psalm 54, The Lord upholds My Life; James 5, 1-6; Mark 9, 38-48.

Wisdom:   One of the 14-15 books of the deutero-canonical books of the bible.  Not OT nor NT, but in between and the subject of controversy over the centuries.  Were they really part of the bible or not?  How do you know?  Catholic church accepts the books.

Subject matter: the book collects traditional Jewish material, as well as ideas borrowed from Greek philosophy, in order to teach that God rewards those who are faithful to him.

Author: not Solomon, but a Jew living in Alexandria, Egypt who spoke and wrote excellent Greek.

Date: ca. 100-200 BCE.  How do we know these facts?  Because of text analysis.  For example, while the author wrote in Greek, he uses phrases and expressions that have a Hebrew flavor.  Also, he mentions rulers and places that reveal date and locale. 

Our Selection: what a wicked person thinks should be done with a good person–beat & kill.  This links up with the suffering servant poem from 2 Isaiah last week.  Jews think the good person getting beaten is the Jewish race/nation.  Christians think the person is Christ.

James:  presents a pretty negative image of people.  What would be a compassionate image? 

Every Person is a Child

Ever hear of a guy named Bear Bryant?  Like in Coach Bear Bryant?  Bear Bryant was football coach of the University of Alabama at Tuscaloosa for 25 years, up to 1982, when he retired.  He won 6 national championships and I was living in Mobile when he won his second in ’64.  At his retirement he was asked by a reporter what he was going to do next.  He quipped, “I’ll probably croak in a week.”  8 days later he died of a heart attack.  After having just received a positive report on a physical check up.  

The story goes that in his first year as coach at Alabama he was driving around the rural south of the state looking for a player he had heard about and whom he wanted to invite to the university.  He could not find the kid’s house and he was getting hungry because it was after his lunch hour.  He sees a little ramshackle joint with a tattered sign, ‘restaurant,’ and decides to give it a try.  He walks in, the place goes dead silent, and the head of every person turns to look at this white guy.  A big black guy behind a home made bar asks, “What can I do for you, sir?”  

Bryant says he is the new coach at Tuscaloosa, can’t find a boy he is looking for, and has an appetite.  The black guy says he is welcome to eat what they got, but he may not like it because they are serving that day corn bread, beans, and chitlin.

Bryant says, “I’m from Moro Bottom, AK, I’ve eaten probably a mile of chitlin (pig intestines), and the menu sounds great.”  Everybody smiles and he eats his lunch at the bar.  A while later, leaving the restaurant with the information he wanted on the boy’s house, he pays and gives the man a tip, not flashy, but generous.  The black man asks him if he has a photo of himself.  Bryant says he has not been coach long enough to have a photo, but he writes down the guy’s name & address, and promises to send him one.  Back at Tuscaloosa, although disappointed in the recruit he went to find, he remembers to send the picture, signed with, “Thanks for one of the best lunches ever.”

Time passes.  Years later another boy has developed a reputation in that region and Bryant wants him for Tuscaloosa.  A black athlete.  The university has integrated.  He calls the boy and invites him to the university.  The boy is polite but says his two best friends are going to Auburn and he hopes to team with them.  Auburn is to Alabama as the Giants are to the Cowboys.  So Bryant figures he has lost the kid. Not so.  About a week later the kid calls the coach and asks if he still would like him at Alabama.  Bryant says sure and asks him what made him change his mind.  The kid says his grandfather knew him and has great respect for him.  Not that he would remember his grandfather.  Bryant had once eaten in his little restaurant and promised him a picture.  

His grandfather respected him because he not only ate chitlins at the restaurant, but he honored his promise and sent him a picture, which has place of honor to that day in the restaurant.

Moral of the story?

Picture 1:  The Mass with Kevin & Sabrina

Picture 2:  Brunch Time

Picture 3:  The Girls–Jackie Ritter, Jackie McGrath, & Beth

Readings: Isaiah 50, 4-9; Psalm 116, I will walk before the Lord, in the Land of the Living; James 2, 14-18; Mark 8, 27-35

Isaiah: 

Date of Composition:

A picture of the time span:

        1. Solomon (he of Wisdom, the temple builder, 700 wives, & 300 mistresses–if he really existed) dies ca. 900-1000 BCE

        2. the Hebrew kingdom divides into 2 parts, the north, Israel (Galilee), the south, Judah.

        3.  Assyria destroys Israel and obliterates the 10 Hebrew tribes located there, ca. 725.

        4.  Babylon carries into captivity the Hebrews of Judah, ca. 590.

Contemporary scholars conjecture that this work could have been composed over a period of 400 years, i.e., 700-300.  It obviously begins by predicting disasters.  They happen,  the 2 big tragedies in Jewish history up to the Holocaust, the Assyrian destruction & the Babylonian Captivity.

Author (s): obviously it was composed by numerous people.  Isaiah himself is considered behind chapters 1-39.  In fact, line 1 identifies Isaiah as the author of the ideas.

What is it about:

Chapters 1-39: predict doom for the Hebrews because they have not been faithful to their one god, YHWH.

Chapters 40-55: called Isaiah 2, this & the remaining chapters (56-66) are called The Book of Consolation.  They try to assure the people who are now in exile that YHWH will restore them to their former glory & peace.  In fact, in chapter 45 the composer even mentions the name of Cyrus, the king of the Persians who defeats Babylon & sends the Hebrews back to Jerusalem.  So the composer knew of Cyrus and a date can be narrowed down.

This Isaiah 2 section presents 4 suffering servant songs, #3 being our selection today.  Jews see the servant to be the Hebrew people/nation.  Christians see the servant to be Christ.  Isaiah 2 is considered maybe the most influential O.T. book, especially on the New Testament.  On Isaiah 2 Mark built much of his gospel, especially the story of the crucifixion.

Handel's Messiah uses Isaiah 2 for its lyrics.

Chapter 56-66: more assurances of a return to peace & glory.

Our selection: Isaiah 2.  The suffering servant is talking about the abuse he is experiencing.  Then he proclaims, 'YHWH will help me & I won't be put to shame.' 

Take up Your Cross and Follow

As most of you know, the last Saturday in August I joined Bill Hammond & 14 thousand plus other nuts to ride in the Hotter 'N Hell Hundred (as in miles).  Folks, it was ecstatic. For me participatory athletic events like this have an elixir, a kinetic energy that touches me all the way down to my toes.  In fact, for the second year in a row, as I rode down the ramp of a bridge and headed toward the dramatic finish arch, I had tears of consolation in my eyes.  I am humbled that I can actually be part of the event.

As much as I was intoxicated by the over all event, two smaller happenings moved me.  Both occurred in the latter 50 mile section, the section where I know I am more wako than I thought.  I had pulled into one of the marvelous rest stops around mile 70.  There were tons of riders & volunteers all around.  I went over to a chair to rest a few moments.  Near me was a group of about 6 guys in their late 20's, very athletic and full of personality and energy.  One of their guys was sitting about one seat over from me and he was teasing back & forth with the other guys.  I look over at him and he's got no left foot.  I am stunned.  Lying on the ground was his artificial foot and he was massaging his stump.  So, what am I complaining about!

Later I am pedaling along and clumps of riders are passing me.  I see ahead of me a young guy whom I just might pass, hooray.  I get up behind him, say, "On your left," and begin to pass him.  I look over at him as I am coming along side and he has no arms.  He has metal prosthetics.  I gulp.  Suddenly I am embarrassed to pass him. 

I talk about this because it feeds right into something that is mentioned in Mark, a paragraph that has great potential for healthy living, and for unhealthy living.  Mark mentions that to follow Jesus I have to deny myself and take up my cross.  I got to lose my life to save it.  Hey, I don't like denying myself and I am not attracted to the idea of taking up a cross.  Look what happened to him.

Folks, we have infinite demand here again.  The other side being infinite acceptance.  Let me touch three points, a little history and an explanation of the unhealthy and healthy approach to these ideas.

First, the history.  When Mark wrote you can bet he was under the influence of the philosophy of dualism.  That is, all the world is divided into two, bad-good, flesh-spirit, body-soul.  To enhance the growth of the spirit & soul, the flesh & body has to be disciplined.  In fact, basic appetites & attractions must not only be disciplined but hammered into quiescence. 

Which leads to the second point, the unhealthy & healthy living.  It is easy to see how a person, influenced by this philosophy could be hard on himself, in fact, could do damage to himself.  It is called masochism.  Spiritual practices that mirrored this philosophy were part of my early Jesuit training.

In order to detach ourselves from our attachment to our families, our love of our families, we young Jesuits were never allowed to return home for a visit, not for Christmas, Easter, anything.  I remember one summer vacation floating down the Calcacieu River in a pirogue in s.w. Louisiana with a classmate of mine, and he told me that a few miles away in New Orleans his brother was getting married at that very time. We thought that was normal.  We had to extinguish our desires.  This is how the idea of denying myself can be unhealthy or at least just unnecessary.  I have told you about the little rope scourges we were expected to use on ourselves especially on Fridays. 

Thirdly, on the healthy side, I have my two handicapped guys in the HHH.  I would propose that to live a healthy life, to develop a wholeness in myself, to aim to be a Renaissance person, I need to focus on four targets, the intellectual, the physical, and the spiritual/psychological.  This involves denying myself and self discipline, it involves moderation.  I am my cross.  The reward is contentment & peace.

The fourth element in wholeness is you got to live for others, like James' reading brings up.  Jesuit talks about being men for others.  I specialize in aiding the underprivileged.  I do it not for me but for them.  In giving, however, I am richer. 

Those two guys I encountered in the HHH have taken up their crosses, they have denied themselves and I would suggest that they are more content and peaceful than if they had stayed home watching TV.

Your cross?  What is it?

Picture 1:  Mass with Kevin & T.J.

Picture 2:  The Choir with Celeste, Marianne, & Ray

Picture 3:  Birthdays & Anniversaries, Theresa McClure, Doug, Teresa, & Taylor Read, and Chloe's mom Claire (24)

Picture 4:  The Donut Shoppe with Chloe surrounded by Frank, Jackie, her mom, Claire, and grand dad Tom

Readings: Isaiah 35, 4-7; Psalm 146, Praise the Lord, my Soul; James 2, 1-5; Mark 7, 31-37.  Today's celebrant: Tony O'Donovan

Isaiah:   The book of Isaiah is one of those very long 66 chapters and interesting books of the Old Testament.  The book is really two books, written by very different people and at very different times.  Isaiah himself is most likely thought to be the author of the first section, to chapter 39.  It was written at a troubling time for Judah, the southern kingdom. 

The Assyrians had over-run the northern kingdom of Israel and were making noises about invasion of the southern kingdom of Judah.  The four different kings who ruled at the time of writing the first part of Isaiah had all made deals with the Assyrians in an attempt to placate them into leaving  Jerusalem alone.  The people were living with an interesting kind of philosophy.  God will forgive whatever we do, so lets do whatever!!  The theme of the whole book is one of ‘Judgment and Promise’.  Judgment of the people because they are not following God’s Law, and Promise, such as we hear in today’s reading, of better times.

The Gospel today focuses on Jesus healing.  Mark’s Gospel is the shortest and earliest written of the four Gospels in the New Testament.  It is only 16 Chapters and has nothing about the birth of Jesus.  Mark begins his gospel with the statement “The beginning of the Good News about Jesus Christ, the Son of God”.  A very clear purpose statement, and for the rest of the gospel he carefully builds up supporting evidence to back that statement.  The first half of the gospel is primarily a series of parables and miracles, designed to have us asking, “who could this be?”  And exactly half way through the gospel, Jesus turns to Peter and does ask that very question “and who do you say I am?”.  And of course we have Peter’s famous response “you are the Christ, the Son of the living God”.  The whole tone of the Gospel immediately shifts towards Jerusalem and the passion/death.  Today’s Gospel reading from Mark is from the first half of the gospel; it is a miracle, the healing of a deaf man.  Yet I think that there is more to it.  Remember, when this was written, sickness was closely associated with sin.  It was widely believed that if someone was afflicted in some way, then they or their parents must have sinned.  And in the gospels remember the Jews used to get upset with Jesus healing and forgiving.  I think for many at the time, the two were closely linked.

Of course if we jump to today, we find that the two are still closely associated, “you are as sick as the secrets you keep”.  With the demise of the confessional, the question comes up of how do we get forgiveness. 

A couple of points to keep in mind:  God is always ready to forgive.  Remember the story of the Prodigal Son.  There was the father not just willing to forgive the wayward son, he was actually waiting, looking to see if he would come home again.  Running out to greet the kid.  Something which we can easily overlook, the son’s “sin” was not just that he blew all the money, but remember what he had originally asked for – his share of the estate, something he would normally only get when his father died.  What he is saying is “dad, you are dead”.  This too was what the father was forgiving him.  The point, God is always ready to forgive us, everything.  The question for today, are we able to forgive ourselves. 

Remember, at mass we have several times when we acknowledge our sins, and ask forgiveness.  At the Rite of Penance as we begin mass.  At the “Lamb of God”, and most especially right before communion when say, “Lord I am not worthy to receive you,  but say but the word and I will be healed.” 

As we continue with our liturgy, lets pause and reflect:  What have I not asked forgiveness for, and what have I not forgiven myself for?  Life is too short to be carrying around our mistakes from the past. Lets leave them here at the altar for God to take care of.

Picture 1:  Tony O'Donovan celebrating our Mass in the patio of Wilson Middle School.  Vines was closed for the weekend while renovations took place.

Picture 2:  Tony & the choir, Wendy, Shonda, Ray, & Celeste

Picture 3:  Tree shaded patio of Wilson Middle School.

Picture 4:  Tony & Kevin