Twenty-Ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle B

Our readings for Sunday are here. 

These are the poems, my notes, and interpretations of Fr Dennis’ homily from the Mass of

  • October 18, 2015  10AM

_______

The poems Fr Dennis references this year are:

  • Equinox by Barbara Crooker
  • Now by Barbara Crooker

In 2015, we reflected on —

  • James and John were nicknamed “Sons of Thunder” — no one knows how they got this nickname
  • The two say, essentially, we want to be known as the best: sit us at your right hand and left hand, and …
  • Jesus replies with what “the best” is: the suffering servant who
    • comes to serve people
    • who walks and talks along with them, e.g., the Road to Emmaus
  • It’s interesting with all that God grants to Jesus — Jesus cannot give the place at either the right or left hand to whom he would choose (whether that would have been James and John or not).  It demonstrates that
    • he is human in that he can’t do so
    • But the “Son of Man” reveals a sense of knowledge derived from being divine
  • This time of year, we become conscious of having to get back indoors.  Fall goes to winter, death; we are living with diminishment.  In that sense, all of us are suffering as we’re not the best.
  • But, living with our ordinariness is always difficult, as the Barbara Crooker poems share so well.

Twenty-Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle B

Our readings for Sunday are here. 

These are the poems, my notes, and interpretations of Fr Dennis’ homilies from the Masses of

  • September 23, 2018
  • September 20, 2015

_______

The poems Fr Dennis references this year are:

In 2018, we reflected on —

  • D2 offered that the poem helped us see the readings are about things that grow:
    • The glory of God in the grasses.
    • How adults might think a child spending a day in the fields returned “empty-handed” and that child’s view — what Jesus offers at the end of today’s gospel passage — of seeing God’s Creation in the native plants of the field — that may not look like much or have barbs, hooks, and thorns but help it hold on tight.
    • The plants that might seem “less” because they are not as showy, show the value of being together — those that “dig in, that burrow, that hug winds // and grab handholds // in whatever lean place. // // It’s been a good day.”
  • A cameo by Fr Eric Sundrup, SJ notes that gratitude helps us avoid the temptations of jealousy.
  • RL — the readings reminded me of Dumbledore’s quote in Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, in explaining to Harry how his spell kept the stone and its powers from being misused,  “Only a person who wanted to find the stone, find it, and not use it … would be able to get it.”  The hallmark of the child in us is the opposite of the apostles’ discussion (gospel) and the darker spirits mentioned in the first two readings.

In 2015, we reflected with Fr Dennis that —

  • The first reading of Wisdom has a dark feel to it, a malicious sense in that they’re out to prove and test through punishment and torture of someone to see if he / she will keep believing in God.
  • And the gospel passage from Mark … well ..
    • and this is what is going to happen to Jesus, per Jesus.  Then the apostles grow quiet and uncomfortable in the face of Jesus’ real challenge / danger and begin to debate who is the greatest among themselves, the apostles.  Who’s the best?
    • That jostling can sometimes be a good source of motivation in, say, learning.  But, it can also get in the way of following Christ. 
    • Jesus closes his teaching with the example of holding the child.  In his time and place, the child was an outsider, the work of women … not a model for grown men … but that’s what Jesus was saying, once again upending the culture in favor of God’s Love (see also, e.g., the Parable of the Good Samaritan, set in a culture and time in which a Samaritan would have been the last person a Jewish person would rescue or want to be rescued by).
    • And this teaching underscores how remarkable it was that Jesus doesn’t engage in a “Look at me! at how grand I am!” style of ministry.
  • Poetry also asks us to look at things, at life differently.  Andre Segovia (most active in the first half of the 20th century) and Julian Bream (most active in the second half of the 20th century) were preeminent classical guitarists.  Jesus was self-taught, too, an original who you always wanted to hear what he had to say … because he was an original.
  • Jesus models to us to be creative and to be a source of real life / living in the Lord’s Spirit.

Sixteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time, Cycle B

Our readings for Sunday are here. 

These are the poems, my notes, and interpretations of Fr Dennis’ homily from the Mass of

  • July 26, 2015 Sun 5PM

_______

The poem Fr Dennis references this year is:

In 2015, we reflected on —

  • Both Jesus and the apostles are tired, maybe exhausted and are heading out to find a private, quiet place to pray and rest, but …
  • Jesus sees a vast crowd who has run around the lake to intercept them, has pity on them (the gut-wrenching, heart-breaking pity of the Good Samaritan parable) and then … teaches.  ?!?!?
  • Why no miracles this time?  Why teaching?  And, to top it off, Mark does not even share what Jesus taught, save to say “many things.”
  • What we can take from this sharing, then, is that the content of what Jesus said is relevant, but it is his person that was the remarkable thing.  He was compassionate, a shepherd, e.g., the way he goes about living his faith.
  • Peter Schmitt’s poem of Tin Ear shares a teacher’s approach to letting a student know he may is likely off-key, without saying a thing, a pastoral teacher.  No more group singing, but the poet’s enthusiasm for shower, car, and other private singing is not diminished in the least (“where [he’s] ready to sing // in a key no one has ever heard.”)
  • A cameo from Fr Eric Sundrup, SJ, at the Sunday 10AM Mass in which he emphasized how this passage emphasizes Jesus’ compassion arising from his relational Love; God IS relationship.  As we show more compassion, we show more people we are human, thus remind those who see that they are human, too.

Our featured image is a repeat of “The Good Shepherd” by the late Fr Sieger Koder (1925-2015).  He was a German priest, WWII veteran, smith, and artist.  He retired from active priestly pastoral duties in 1995, but continued his artistry until he passed in 2015.  A gift of another 20 years to us all.  The Europeans have created a number of books offering retreat-like meditations using his work.

I continue to love the warmth and embrace of this Good Shepherd.  🙂

Eleventh Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle B

Our readings for Sunday are here. 

These are the poems, my notes, and interpretations of Fr Dennis’ homily from the Mass of

  • June 14, 2015 10AM & 5PM

_______

The poem Fr Dennis references this year is:

In 2015, we reflected on —

  • The readings are about things that grow:
    • The first reading of Ezekiel 17:22-24 focuses on the cedar of Lebanon
    • The Gospel of Mark 4:26-34 is Jesus using seeds and the mustard seed to convey the Good News.
  • And regardless of the farmer’s efforts in the gospel reading, the seeds grow (or don’t), i.e., God is in control of what grows and doesn’t.  This might also be said that the gospel grows itself, we will likely not know or see the fruits of our labor.
    • Jesus is clear that the seed has a way to grow in and of itself, and by analogy, it is impossible for us to quench the reign of God, and
    • it is that Godliness that sustains and calls each of us through our lives and challenges
  • Paul Zimmer’s poem is a loving look at trees, their growth, and the poet’s eventual death to “hover above” and “To see at last what held the darkness up.”  It reminded D2 of the cedar of Lebanon in the first reading.
  • John Updike’s Chicory poem describes the inevitability of growth in all circumstances by the grace of God.

The seasons in the upper Midwest / Great Lakes region illustrate these ideas so vividly — the stunning growth from April through September, the gradual letting go that begins in August as color, leaves, and energy leave the portion of the tree above ground, the deepest of deep sleep and life occurring beneath the snow and ground … waiting, just waiting to burst forth — while we of little faith on the wintry grounds above doubt its return.  And that final doubt makes the bursting forth, bud by bud, from late February on feel like a miracle every year.  Another gift of gospel well-received, it always feels new.

Our image today is one of “free” Chicory, growing in a field. The photos are taken by the author of Stephen’s View (a member of the UK and Eire Natural History Bloggers, and can be found at his blog Random Jottings (though this blog does not see activity since 2020) He notes in his blog chicory are more often in the 3′ to 4′ range, but these were 6′ tall! These are European chicory which were introduced to the Americas and Australia.

Trinity Sunday, Cycle B

Our readings for The Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity are here. 

These are the poems, my notes, and interpretations of Fr Dennis’ homily from the Masses of

  • May 27, 2018 5PM
  • May 31, 2015 10AM

_______

The poem Fr Dennis references this year is:

  • Grace Before Meals by John Shea, from The God Who Fell From Heaven on May 27, 2018 5PM
  • For My Son Reading Harry Potter by Michael Blumenthal on May 31, 2015 10AM

In 2018, we reflected on —

  • The Mass observance feels like a celebration of worshipping God for coming close to us, for “pitching God’s tent with us,” even as it is a liturgical “Solemnity.”
  • In the first reading from Deuteronomy of the Hebrew Scriptures, Moses proclaims the nature of God through this gift of land from One who helps the alien and the poor, forgives all debts, and thereby inspires and encourages all to do the same.
  • In the Christian Scripture, we feast on the unity of spirit, of Spirit, and through Spirit.  In the Jewish tradition, Pentecost means the harvest fifty days after planting.  The crop is ripe for harvest and for offering the first fruits to God, something only the wealthy can offer: a lot of grains and animals.  The sacrifices were made on fires, then forgiveness.  The licking, leaping flames are resonant as the Christian Scripture “tongues of fire” of Pentecost.
  • If we wade through the details of the readings and focus in on the mystery of the Trinity, we gain understanding.  If you know who you are — Beloved — you will act as you ought.  That’s also why we say “Our Father” rather than “My Father” or “Jesus’ Father.”  Through the second reading’s discussion of the Spirit of Adoption, we know we are.  But living in that Belovedness in our heart is the challenge for the moments of our days.
  • The spirit of Belovedness / service / giving is our call — service ourselves and our community as people for others.
  • John Shea’s poem (unavailable online) captures this beautifully:  Now by the favor of the festive God, there is no world but this table, no time but the moments between us.

In 2015, we reflected on —

  • That the Solemnities of the Most Holy Trinity and Corpus Christi always go together and always right after Pentecost.
  • This is interesting because they are very different from each other.
  • The Holy Trinity is abstract and relational.  Maybe it is best explained by a chord of music (à la St Ignatius), yet It is not.  Even today, the Holy Trinity is still an obscure mystery … at the very center of our faith!
  • The Holy Trinity is the mystery of family and relationship and of love — falling in love and/or those born to us.  While we can usually list reasons why we love someone, mostly we just end up shrugging our shoulders and declaring “I just do.”
  • The Holy Trinity teaches us we can believe in someone even if we don’t understand them; in the mystery we can still be a people of great belief and service to others.
  • The Holy Trinity teaches us living with a mystery.
  • Today’s poem, For My Son Reading Harry Potter by Michael Blumenthal, is a touching reflection of the love a parent has for both the protection of their child from the world as it is and the knowing their child must know it and be in it to live life.

Our featured image is the Chi Rho (Christ, the first two Greek letters of His Holy Name) page from the Book of Kells (ca. 8th century) and housed in the Library of Trinity College Dublin. I found this very high quality from the now defunct site of http://bishandmrsbish.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/Pic0014.jpg. So, thank you, Mr. Bish and Mrs. Bish. It also indicated a google site, but I didn’t find a formal citation.

In my search for an available Celtic Trinity Knot, I settled on the Chi Rho page. It is a mesmerizing example of Christ in our World, created out of a variety of designs, including many three-parted ones. I couldn’t find a “Trinity Knot” on the page — but I’d be down the Chi Rho rabbithole looking for days on end. 🙂 And certainly Spirit filled the one who illuminated the page!

Like an icon (not metaphorical, but the literal religious object), this image is sacred as part of an illustrated manuscript of the four Christian gospels, along with some tables and prefaces. It also has the quality of drawing you in deeper and deeper by engaging dynamic movement of the eye in, across, and through the image. The Irish animation studio, Cartoon Saloon, in a European partnership, produced THE SECRET OF KELLS (2009), an animated story telling of the creation of this treasured work of God and art. Some of the animated sequences bring to life the meditative and dynamic quality of the image. Hélio Sá offered a video clip on Youtube from the film’s end that animates the experience.

Pentecost Sunday, Cycle B

Our readings for this Pentecost are here. (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/051924.cfm).  So for most of Eastertide (through Pentecost), the first reading will have been from the Acts of the Apostles, and the gospel reading mostly from St John’s account.

These are my notes from Fr Dennis’ homily from the Mass of May 20, 2018 10AM.

______

In 2018, Fr Dennis kept it real, simple, and direct.

At the time, it did not feel particularly Easter-y as the news was filled with Aaron Schlossberg (who ranted loud and racist comments to Spanish-speaking workers in a restaurant), Anthony Weiner (former member of the U.S. Congress, sexted to a minor and later convicted), and more.  D2 noted that having such behavior seemingly fill the news can be disheartening.

He also had us read Option B of the Second Reading, Gal 5:16-25.  It talks about the works of the flesh that are sinful, but also the fruits of the Spirit — love, joy, peace, and more.

Fr Dennis offered that forgiveness is not a call to passivity.  Peacefulness is the fight for justice; it is our foundation.  Forgiveness and peacefulness are dynamic, not static or passive.

And that is a nice thought in the year 2024 when so much seems amuck (again or still).

*****

For our image this week, I stumbled across a Danish fresco in the Cathedral of Aarhus in Aarhus, Denmark.  It is a fresco of Pentecost with the tongues of fire descending on the twelve apostles … and one title indicates Mary of Magdala but, gospel-wise, Mary the Mother of God and the Church.  She is the one with light hair and no beard.  🙂

Seems to fit with the Roman Catholic Church’s observance on the Monday after Pentecost of Mary, Mother of the Church.

The image was part of a “free download,” but it did not seem the same as other free downloads.  The attribution is asked to be ID 85709227 © Stig AlenA?s | Dreamstime.com

Ascension Sunday, Cycle B

Our readings for this Ascension Sunday are here. (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/051224.cfm).  So for most of Eastertide (through Pentecost), the first reading will have been from the Acts of the Apostles, and the gospel reading mostly from St John’s account. Note that today’s gospel is from the primary Cycle B gospel, the Gospel according to Saint Mark.

Again, these are the poem, my notes, and interpretations of Fr Dennis’ homily from the Mass of: 

  • May 13, 2018 10AM

______

The poem Fr Dennis references is:

In 2018, we reflected on —

something wonderful, I’m sure — but I must have missed that Mass.  No notes!  So the following are my reflections from the scripture, and the poem he selected.

***********

The Mary Oliver poem captures one of the truths of our faith with “Every morning the world is created.”

The second reading(s) have language about all things beneath His feet, so He is the head of the church (Second Reading Option A) and “What does ‘he ascended’ on high mean except that he also descended into the lower regions of the earth? // The one who descended is also the one who ascended far above all the heavens, that he might fill all things.” (Second Reading Option B).

These scripture lines resonate with God’s reach, expanse, and presence across and through what we consider “opposites.”

The second half of the Mary Oliver poem captures this sense of how Creation encompasses us.

“If it is your nature // to be happy // you will swim away along the soft trails //
for hours, your imagination // alighting everywhere.
….
And if your spirit // carries within it //
the thorn // that is heavier than lead — // if it’s all you can do // to keep on trudging
… //
there is still // somewhere deep within you // a beast shouting that the earth //
is exactly what it [your body/your created self] wanted
…
whether or not // you have ever dared to be happy, //
whether or not // you have ever dared to pray.”

From his Cycle C homily, D2 had offered Ascension as a day to rejoice for Jesus!  His work is finished, and he’s going home AND being with us eternally, just not in the same way as he was in his human-divine life on Earth.

So whether you are starting today from a place of contentment or carrying a “thorn heavier than lead,” get out into Creation today and revel in the joy and happiness of our friend and Ascended Savior, and let him keep you in contentment, companion you as you are in His joy, and/or lift you up.

***********

If you’re working all day and can’t get outside to see the daytime wonders of Creation, look out tonight … just about anywhere on the planet it seems!  This article in space.com has a wonderful selection from images all over the world of a major solar event that reached the Earth yesterday and again tonight (Saturday), at least.  Solar events are categorized, and we are experiencing a G5 event (on a scale from G1 to G5). 

One of the largest solar flares ever is creating an enormous range of night sky colors and shapes.  The aurora borealis and aurora australis seem to have all kinds of hot pinks, oranges, raging purples, bright greens in sheets, flares, ribbons, and more.  The above linked article has photos from throughout the world.

I’ve included a photo taken by Sanka Vidanagama / AFP in South Carolina. Even living in the north, I can count on one hand the times I’ve witnessed the northern lights (living in Michigan and its green-giving cloudy skies doesn’t help!). 🙂 So I found myself delighted that so many who might rarely have even the opportunity to do so are having the northern (or southern) lights delivered direct to their door, so to speak.

A scientist in the linked article above offered that even if you yourself are not seeing the colors, take a photo with a high quality phone camera or the like — the cameras are often better at capturing the twilight and dark sky colors than the human eye.

I love that a very big “we” are receiving “night lights” throughout the world (with sympathy for the workers having to repair some of the at-risk infrastructure).  I’m also grateful God is giving us, particularly on the North American continent, so many awe-inducing things to share (a total eclipse, night lights, cicadas, …) this spring at a time when we’re struggling to see our common humanity, to see the shared Divinity Jesus sacrificed so much to give us.

And so I “dare to pray” across day and night, earth and sky, heaven and hell in faith that our God is waiting to Love us in every place, every time, every moment.

Sixth Sunday of Easter Sunday, Cycle B

Our readings for this Sixth Sunday of Easter are here. (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/050524.cfm).  So for most of Eastertide (through Pentecost), the first reading will have been from the Acts of the Apostles, and the gospel reading mostly from St John’s account.

Again, these are the poems, my notes, and interpretations of Fr Dennis’ homilies from the Masses of: 

  • May 6, 2018 10AM
  • May 10, 2015 5PM

There is a brief cameo from Fr Eric Sundrup, SJ, in 2015 as well.

______

The poems/texts Fr Dennis & Fr Eric reference are:

  • An excerpt from God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater by Kurt Vonnegut, 10AM Mass, May 6, 2018 Cycle B
  • An excerpt from The Four Loves by C.S. Lewis, 5PM Mass, May 10, 2015 Cycle B
  • Widows by Louise Gluck from Ararat (Ecco Press), 5PM Mass, May 10, 2015 Cycle B

In 2018, we reflected on —

The Sixth Sunday of Easter is more about how Jesus Christ lives in the world now.  Jesus Christ is present as Love.  When we reach Ascension, it is about the fulfillment of unity in sending and returning Jesus.

In the first reading, the Holy Spirit met all the Gentiles, as well as the circumcised Jewish people (presumably the women, too).  It’s almost as if Jesus Christ were there before the church.

Our Baptismal rite is a formal, concrete expression of entry into the church but birth itself marks the kiddo as a child of God, a sign of hope.

He offered the following excerpt from a Kurt Vonnegut story — a crazy or holy baptismal rite from the novel God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater. 

“Hello, babies.  Welcome to Earth.  It’s hot in the summer and cold in the winter.  It’s round and wet and crowded.  On the outside, babies, you’ve got a hundred years here.  There’s only one rule that I know of, babies.  ‘God damn it, you’ve got to be kind.'”

The gospel is the message:  Love one another as I have loved you.

In 2015, we reflected on —

Love as what binds us together:  the theme of today’s readings.

In the first reading, Peter starts from the position that God is God for the Jews only, but then he sees how the Holy Spirit is at work in the Gentiles and responds “Can anyone withhold …?”

We always need to remember

  • who is lovable (everyone),
  • how we love (vulnerably), and
  • how we share (openheartedly and openhandedly)

This is an all sustaining love, one that holds us up and endures, this is the Love of God that can sometimes be hard to understand.

As a prelude to the poem, D2 mentioned that with his parents and family, every Monday was a card game.  Neighbors and friends were included, too, but the family was the mainstay.  Pinochle, canasta, and so on.  So … unsurprisingly, D2’s vision of heaven includes card games.  What he remembers most is card games as a form of sharing, like a meal.

The poem Widows captures that spirit … and the Gospel of Poverty and Love: 

… that’s what you want, that’s the object:  in the end,
the one who has nothing wins.

We need to leave this world without anything except love, the love that has sustained us through easy and/or hard times and lives.

Be inspired by and be grateful for and be the people who pass this love on.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~*****~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Fr Eric Sundrup, SJ cameo from 8:30AM 5/10/15 Mother’s Day:  We hear this commandment of “Love one another, as I have loved you” — and become complacent as it feels too familiar, too Disney-esque at times.  However, if you love and are truly vulnerable, … you get stomped on. Wall Street is “too big” to let fail, but Food Stamps are on the chopping block.  It isn’t that we love God, it’s that we were first Loved by God.  As C.S. Lewis noted:

To love at all is to be vulnerable.  Love anything and your heart will be wrung and possibly broken.  If you want to make sure of keeping it intact you must give it to no one, not even an animal.  Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements.  Lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness.  But in that casket, safe, dark, motionless, airless, it will change.  It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable.  To love is to be vulnerable.  — C.S. Lewis, The Four Loves

God died trying to love and be vulnerable, and it didn’t stop with his death, death didn’t end God’s Love.  So let’s try to die trying — die a little, die a lot.  If you do this, you will actually live.

Today’s image is from an Our History in Photos website — I didn’t find the author, (?”I_am_mountain”?) and mentioned the images are lightly edited. This one came up for a search on images of playing canasta! In Nova Scotia. So it seemed a good match for the Widows poem. 🙂

Fifth Sunday of Easter Sunday, Cycle B

Our readings for this Fifth Sunday of Easter are here. (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/042824.cfm).  Again, these are the poems, my notes, and interpretations of Fr Dennis’ homily from the Mass of: 

  • May 3, 2015 10AM

There is a brief cameo from a Fr Joe Wagner, SJ, homily as well.

______

The poems Fr Dennis referenced are:

In 2015, we reflected on —

This is one of the I AM gospel passages of Jesus.  Recall in the Hebrew Scriptures when Moses is called to lead the people, he is unexcited about this change of direction.  He tries to convince God otherwise (I stutter; my brother, Aaron, is the real deal; and so on).  If you send me (Moses) — who should I say sent me so they’ll listen?  

“Tell them I AM WHO AM sent you. [Alternative Translation: The I AM sent you.]”

So in today’s gospel, John 15:1 (“I am the true vine …”), Jesus is very consciously echoing God’s conversation of yore, and in so doing, identifying himself closely with God.

The vine is also an important metaphor as vines are/were close to the people’s lives.  It also captures and reaffirms that growing and cultivation are part of our relationship with God.

A brief cameo from Fr Joe Wagner, SJ who offered:  We owes so much of our Christian Theology to Saul / Paul, the person who first viciously persecuted Christians through imprisonment and more, and then, after his God moment, is on the doorstep of the new Christian communities, purportedly converted and requesting to be let in.  Can people change?  If our answer is “no,” this isn’t just pessimistic, it is a kind of “no” to God’s Grace.

In his homily, Fr Dennis used both of the following poems.  In April Prayer — Stuart Kestenbaum writes about spring and growth; an easy match to our season, Easter season, and the gospel’s vine metaphor.  He switches to the pledge drive metaphor for imagery of connectedness, participation, and spark of growth.

In From the Garden by Anne Sexton, she notes how “We talk too much. …” to consider the lilies of the field!  When we fill every moment with talk, it becomes more difficult to rest in life itself, rest in the I AM.

D2 thought our best gesture is at Communion when we place our hands out simultaneously in the offering of ourselves and anticipation of receiving.  It is a putting away of words so that we may fully abide in the I AM.

As someone listening, this image would linger with me, and soon enough I’m focusing inward and outward with my heart in my hands waiting for the Host and my best friend.  It’s hard for me to convey how his homilies helped me believe in a living Loving Love who only desired closeness with me … and everyone around me, equally and uniquely.  Communion then became the beautiful fusion or manifestation of the sacred secular that we hope it to be, so we dismiss to the world with Jesus inside us and ready to help. … even in the growth and change I was trying to avoid!

Fourth Sunday of Easter Sunday, Cycle B

Our readings for this Fourth Sunday of Easter, also known as Good Shepherd Sunday, are here. (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/042124.cfm).  So for most of Eastertide (through Pentecost), the first reading will be from the Acts of the Apostles, and the gospel reading mostly from St John’s account.

Again, these are the poems, my notes, and interpretations of Fr Dennis’ homilies from the Mass of: 

  • April 26, 2018 Noon

There is a brief cameo from Fr Eric Sundrup, SJ, as well.

______

The poem Fr Dennis referenced is:

In 2018, we reflected on —

The Fourth Sunday of Easter generally being Good Shepherd Sunday, with the Good Shepherd epitomized by God in David, as leader and person.  It’s pretty clear a good shepherd doesn’t have to be perfect in that case!

Today’s poem is I Meet My Grandmother in Italy by Katrina Vandenberg.  D2, in his reading, that in this poem the grandmother is God:  I’ll take for my granddaughter all // the plants you have with yellow flowers, // … She said,  Take them // all; you need to have a happy life.

  • It is the giving that is the mark of God, the Good Shepherd, and a good shepherd
  • The laughter
  • The kindness

rl — in my 8-day silent retreat of 2023, the bulk of the reflection was on the Good Shepherd, the qualities from a mix of Christian and Hebrew scriptures.  Those five qualities are faithfulness, tenderness, diligence, wisdom, and integrity.  They seem to match the grandma in the poem, too.  🙂

Padre Eric Sundrup, SJ, at the 5PM Mass on April 26, 2015 offered that the Good Shepherd is on the margin, the outskirts, not held up in esteem.  His classic quote: Clue #1 you are not on the right path is if you think God hates all the same people you do.  🙂  !  At the Papal Chrism Mass of 2015, Pope Francis encouraged the priests to smell like sheep, be with their flocks.  And, Fr Eric being Eric — reminded us of Yoda’s wisdom of “Do or do not. There is no try.”  Don’t hold back in your desire and efforts to be with The Good Shepherd or a good shepherd (or being a good shepherd!).  Listen, and you’ll be taken to the margins, where Christ is closest to all those around you.

Still love Mr. David Zinn’s “Thinking of Ewe” image, but that being said,

our featured image is “The Good Shepherd” by the late Fr Sieger Koder (1925-2015).  He was a German priest, WWII veteran, smith, and artist.  He retired from active priestly pastoral duties in 1995, but continued his artistry until he passed in 2015.  A gift of another 20 years to us all.  The Europeans have created a number of books offering retreat-like meditations using his work.