August 18th, 2011

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Gospel Tile Talk – 8/21/11

 Our group met on Friday to continuing the pursuit of art images that illustrate weekly readings.
 
WE ARE LOOKING FOR MORE TRADITIONAL IMAGES TO COMPARE AND CONTRAST TO MY DRAWINGS.

Two of the men at the meeting are married to Lutheran and Episcopalian wives.

Long Live Ecumenism!
 

We discovered other communities have similar programs of publishing art that illustrate the theme of the Gospel on their hand-out material besides the usual clip art.

Gospel tile illustration for the 20th Sunday in Ordinary Time (#109)

 
We are looking at Internet, picture books, magazines, as well as, homemade photography as possibilities of finding images that will illustrate the readings. For example, pictures of Mother Teresa helping the poor or a caregiver at a local nursing home helping an elder, may have application in many of the readings. If you find something that works with a Gospel passage, please share it. Your comments on the drawings and the program in general are always welcome.
 
 
Thanks.
 
Your brother in Christ,
Tony Bellomo
www.ajbellomostudios.com

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March 11th, 2011

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First Sunday of Lent

First Sunday of Lent
March 13, 2011

“The liturgical year is an adventure in bringing the Christian life to fullness, the heart to alert, the soul to focus. It does not concern itself with the questions of how to make a living. It concerns itself with the questions of how to make a life.”

“Turn away from sin and be faithful to the Gospel.”

 “Remember, man, you are dust and to dust you will return.”
 
“Be merciful, O Lord, for we have sinned.”

We begin Lent with these powerful words. This stuff does not suggest spring to me. He created us. Told us not to sin, but knew we would. I do not get it.

In our own time, in places that we fear; this moment of quiet despair enters our hearts. Our soul reckons with deaths embrace, alone with God as our counsel. Jesus, your death and resurrection is our hope.

To you it is a venial sin; to me it is a pork chop.

Q
What is the difference between politics and sin?
A
Location, location, location
 
Without Resurrection, all seems lost.
Focus on the Eucharist.

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March 6th, 2011

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A Rock Foundation

March 6, 2011

“Everyone who listens to these words of mine, and acts on them,
will be like a wise man who built his house on rock”
Matthew 7:24

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February 26th, 2011

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No One Can Serve Two Masters

February 26-27, 2011

Planning the space gets tough sometimes.

“No one can serve two masters”

What does this sentence really mean?
Heaven and Earth?
We read the Gospel over and over and over, several times.
We were still hung up on this two master thing.

“Do not worry about your life”

We joked about the song, “Don’t worry, be happy”, sarcastically.
Mark and Lois ferreted out this line…

“Look at the birds in the sky, they do not sow or reap, they gather nothing into barns, yet your heavenly Father feeds them”

Lois really liked this one.

” Learn from the way the wild flowers grow. They do not work or spin. But I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was clothed like one of them”

We stopped and talked, and joked, and conned Mark into making
A
BEAUTIFUL
flower arrangment
to visually illustrate the Gospel.

“Will he not provide much more for you?”

We decided to put this quote under the flowers,

“But seek first the kingdom of God”

Then the message became as clear as a crystal pond.

Trust!

Blind stubborn trust!

Head banging,

I don’t care what they do to discourage me,

TRUST!!!

Keep the Faith, Baby

 

 

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February 20th, 2011

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Eye for an Eye and Tooth for a Tooth


February 19-20, 2011
 

Jesus said to his disciples:

“You have heard that it was said,
An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.

But I say to you, offer no resistance to one who is evil. When someone strikes you on your right cheek,
turn the other one as well.”

Matthew 5:38-39

Eye for an Eye and Tooth for a Tooth

 

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February 19th, 2011

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Wise and Experienced Businessmen

 

February 19-20, 2011
 
“Let no one deceive himself. If anyone among you considers himself wise in this age, let him become a fool, so as to become wise. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in the eyes of God,
for it is written:
God catches the wise in their own ruses,
and again:
The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise, that they are vain. So let no one boast about human beings, for everything belongs to you, Paul or Apollos or Cephas, or the world or life or death, or the present or the future: all belong to you, and you to Christ, and Christ to God.”

Corinthians 3:18-23

Wise and Experienced Businessmen

Secure in their superior personal conquest over nature.
they agreed,
the size of their fish is incidental.
It’s the quest!
Having mastered abundant technical knowledge of the fishing process.
Understanding the sophistication of the highly technical equipment and the raw unbridled passion to simply catch one.
But…but…but,
They also agreed however, that having a bigger fish was more fun…
99.9% of the time . . . . . . .

Ultimately -
God controls the environment.

 

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February 13th, 2011

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Trust

 February 13, 2011

Planning the space gets tough sometimes.

 
“No one can serve two masters”
 
The response I got was, “Tell Father Ron that!”
What does this sentence really mean?
We read the Gospel
over and over and over,
several times.
We were still hung up on this two master thing.
 
“Do not worry about your life”
 
We joked about the song, “Don’t worry, be happy”,
sarcastically.
 
Mark and Lois ferreted out this line…
 
“Look at the birds in the sky, they do not sow or reap, they gather nothing into the barn, yet your heavenly father feeds them”
 
Lois really liked this one.
 
”Learn from the way the wild flowers grow. They do not work or spin. But I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was clothed like one of them”
 
We stopped and talked, and joked, and conned Mark into making
 A
 BEAUTIFUL
 flower arrangement
to visually illustrate the readings.
 
“Will he not provide much more
for you?”
 
We decided to put this quote under the flowers,
 
“But seek first the kingdom of God”
 
Then the message became as clear as a
crystal pond.
 
Trust! 
Blind stubborn trust!
Head banging,
 I don’t care what they do to discourage me,
TRUST!!!
 
Faith is so hard these days.

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February 12th, 2011

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Love Your Neighbor as Yourself

February 12-13, 2011

A reading from the Book of Leviticus

The Lord said to Moses, “Speak to the whole Israelite community and tell them:

Be holy, for I, the Lord, your God, am holy.”

“You shall not bear hatred for your brother or sister in your heart.

Though you may have to reprove your fellow citizen, Do not incur sin because of him.

Take no revenge and cherish no grudge against any of your people.

You shall love your neighbor as yourself.

I am the Lord.”

The word of the Lord.

 

In this environment, the greatest commandment is to love one another.

The timing is perfect, have a loving St. Valentine Day!

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January 29th, 2011

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Don’t Lose Your Potency

January 29, 2011

Salt Mountain U.S.A.

Mary Hollen told me that salt loses its potency when it sits too long. 

I did not know that.

That little tid-bit of information helped me understand today’s Gospel.
 
President Obama, in his state of the union address, told us that as a culture, we need to recommit ourselves to education, act on our dream of making this a better world, help each other and get back to being a beacon of human justice to the world.
 
 These two people inspired me this week.
 
Thank you, both.
 
You did it!
 
Jesus tells us to get moving.
“Use it or loose it.”
Light and salt are the visual metaphors.
 
When was the last time I inspired someone?
OR
For that matter,
When was the last time I made a stranger smile?
 
Have a good week.

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January 23rd, 2011

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An Ordinary Man

 January 23, 2011

An ordinary man
With the eye of an artist and the heart of a poet.

 
 
Pope John-Paul II is responsible for the first World Youth Day. Did you know he was a thespian (actor) before he became a priest? The cross in the narthex last week was made by the Saint Lawrence faith community and is moving around the diocese of Detroit to commemorate that event and acknowledge how valuable our young people are. Our team photographer, Don Fouchey, took these photos and sent me this e-mail;
 
We don’t often think of Jesus as a

true artist

“Tony… There is not a doubt in my mind that what these 4 special needs kids did with their dust rags was far more pleasing to God than any thing any artist could do with a paintbrush. You spoke of inspiration, I acted on it. I was meant to be there, with a camera, to notice the unnoticed and shine a light on them.” 

Don’s sensitivity captured Veronica, Brandon and Joel, and in spirit many more young people that come from Stevenson High School’s special needs program. They minister to us by cleaning our worship space regularly and help Mark prepare the Lords house for us to share at the Table of our Eucharist celebration every week.

After He heard the news of John’s imprisonment, Jesus began his short life of public ministry. In his humanity and divinity Gods son choose ordinary people (fisherman) to be his helpers. They willingly came, not exactly knowing what they were supposed to do. In our church the other day Jesus called a retired government worker with a camera and a handful of young adults and their teachers to minister to us by taking a picture of  “ the kids” wiping a church pew so your clothes would not be soiled.

 
In the little and ordinary things we do for each other,
Jesus is there
 
Enjoy the warmth of this thought on a winter’s night and let it help you prepare your hearts environment for a new ordinary day tomorrow.

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