Readings: Numbers 6, 22-27, The Lord Bless You and Keep You; Psalm 67, May God bless us in his new mercy; Galatians 4, 4-7, So you are no longer a slave; Luke, 2, 16-21, The Shepherds went in haste to Bethlehem.
The book of Numbers:
1. What: the 4th book of the first 5 books of the Bible, the Pentateuch or Torah.
2. Date of composition: around 5 centuries before Christ, but was a compilation of years.
3. Theme: The people are "numbered" or counted at Mt. Sinai and preparations are made for resuming their march through the desert. The Israelites begin the journey, but immediately they "murmur" & complain at the hardships along the way. They arrive at the borders of Canaan and send spies into the land, but on hearing the spies' report the Israelites refuse to take possession of Canaan and God condemns them to death in the wilderness until a new generation can grow up and carry out the task. The book ends with the new generation of Israelites in the plain of Moab ready for the crossing of the Jordan River.
4. Our selection: God tells Moses to have Aaron & his sons bless the people using this special blessing.
References: Good News Bible, Wikipedia
What Kind of a Shepherd am I?
Two weeks ago I had the opportunity to help serve the evening meal at The Bridge in downtown Dallas. The Bridge is a marvelous facility. Basically it is the homeless shelter for the greater Dallas area.
It has space for approximately 250 overnighters. That was the number of people whom we served dinner for the Friday night I was there. For breakfast & lunch up to 800 people are served.
Three things struck me.
First, the spirit of the people I was serving. There are about twenty round tables with, say, 8 places. I was serving water along with about 6 other guys. These people were bundled up because it was cold outside. Everyone I served was super grateful. I joked and played with lots of the people, men & women. They had an amazingly up-beat spirit.
Secondly, I was struck by three folks, two women & one guy. They presented themselves as more middle class. They had a more refined way of speaking, they seemed peaceful. Except the guy. He was nice looking with black hair & slender. But he was more to himself. He was younger than the two women, probably in his 30’s while the women were maybe in their late 50’s or early 60’s. They were not together, but at different tables. The women were talking with people at their tables, but the guy was not.
What is their story? What events brought them to The Bridge?
The three are still vivid in my memory.
The third thing that struck me was how I got to The Bridge that Friday night. I got there because the 16 year old girl who lives next door to Rosemary & me invited me.
I knew Sydney volunteered at The Bridge and I told her I would go as her adult whenever her dad or mom could not accompany her. She invited me.
This was the last day of school before the Christmas break and I am sure lots of kids were out having fun. Sydney might have done so later, but from 6:00 to 7:00 that night she spent time helping the homeless. She was like one of those shepherds in Luke story.
What kind of a shepherd are you?
I am going to help you answer that at the end of our Mass. Just you wait!
Picture 1: Mass Begins
Picture 2: Celeste & Nina
Picture 3: Bethany, Shonda, & Ray
Picture 4: Ray & Jon
Picture 5: Jan, John, Patricia, & Rich
Picture 6: John, Mary Jane, & Jan, all communion helpers.
Enclosed is the link to City House. Help an old geezer celebrate his 72nd birthday, January 26. Volunteer to help take a census of the Plano homeless. We aim at a couple of teams: Download Volunteers needed, City House 1-1-12
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