December 3, 2006
Dear Friend,
Last week the Primate of the 70-million member Anglican Communion, Archbishop Rowan Williams of Canterbury, visited Pope Benedict XVI at the Vatican. He stressed that the path to unity of Anglicans and Catholics is not an easy one, but one both he and the Holy Father committed themselves to pursue.
The following are the Archbishops remarks to the Pope:
“Your Holiness,
“It gives me great pleasure to be able to greet you in this city, which was sanctified in the very early days of the Christian era by the ministry of the Apostles Peter and Paul, and from which so many of your predecessors have borne noble witness to the transforming Gospel of Our Lord Jesus Christ.
“Early in my ministry as Archbishop of Canterbury, I was able to visit your much loved and venerated predecessor, Pope John Paul II, and to bring to him the greetings of the worldwide Anglican family of churches of some eighty million Christians. Pope John Paul had inspired many throughout the world by his dedication to Christ, and, as you know, had won a special place in the hearts of many beyond the Roman Catholic Church by the compassion and steadfastness revealed in his ministry to all.
“As we meet on this occasion, we are also recalling and celebrating the visit forty years ago of my predecessor Archbishop Michael Ramsey to Pope Paul VI, when this encounter between the leaders of the Anglican and Roman Catholic Churches initiated a process of reconciliation and friendship which has continued to this day. The ring that I wear today is the episcopal ring which Pope Paul gave to Archbishop Michael, this cross the gift from Pope John Paul II, symbolic of our shared commitment to work together for the full visible unity of the Christian family.
“It is in that same fraternal spirit that I make this visit now, since the journey of friendship that they began is one that I believe that we should continue together. I have been heartened by the way in which from the very beginning of your ministry as Bishop of Rome, you have stressed the importance of ecumenism in your own ministry. If the Good News of Jesus Christ is to be fully proclaimed to a needy world, then the reconciliation of all Christians in the truth and love of God is a vital element for our witness.
“I say this, conscious that the path to unity is not an easy one, and that disputes about how we apply the Gospel to the challenges thrown up by modem society can often obscure or even threaten the achievements of dialogue, common witness and service. In the modem world, no part of the Christian family acts without profound impact on our ecumenical partners; only a firm foundation of friendship in Christ will enable us to be honest in speaking to one another about those difficulties, and discerning a way forward which seeks to be wholly faithful to the charge laid upon us as disciples of Christ. I come here today, therefore, to celebrate the ongoing partnership between Anglicans and Roman Catholics, but also ready to hear and to understand the concerns which you will wish to share with me.
“However, there is a task which is laid upon us both as pastors of the Christian family: to be advocates of reconciliation, justice and compassion in this world -- to be ambassadors for Christ -- and I am confident that an honest exchange of our concerns will not be allowed to eclipse what we can affirm and proclaim together -- the hope of salvation and healing found in the Grace and Love of God revealed in Christ.”
Let us pray that one day we will fulfill the Jesus’ prayer that we, “all be one.”
Fondly,
Father Nick Amato
Thursday, November 30, 2006
Weekly THIS AND THAT for December 3, 2006: Advent: Celebrating Promise, Joy, and Hope in Your Life
This and That:
Advent: Celebrating Promise, Joy, and Hope in Your Life
Advent, the season of beginnings, contrasts with the end of our calendar year. Advent’s prayerful pondering will be jarred by our shopping and holiday preparation. A season of joy will become a season of stress very quickly. Nevertheless, Advent is a time of expectant hope, when we look to the future and the past in order to focus on the present and find that God’s Reign is indeed in our midst!
The following is a little guide for the Scripture readings over the next four Sundays:
1st Sunday of Advent: A Season of Hope – The Church turns our attention to the God who fulfills promises and to the distant future, the end time, the return of the Son of Man. The Gospel, with its dramatic images and symbols, communicated hope to fearful people by revealing how God would definitively save faithful people from evil forces. In the past, present, and future, God comes to save us, strengthening our hearts with an abundance of love. During this first week of Advent, prayerfully ask yourself: “What is my understanding of the Gospel? How is it good news? What are my fears? What are my hopes?”
2nd Sunday of Advent: A History of Salvation – Our Advent readings frequently speak of time and history. This is not surprising, for both Judaism and Christianity believe that God works within history, freeing, choosing, loving, and saving people in specific times and places. Advent is much more than preparation for a celebration of the Nativity. Advent invites us to prepare again for the coming of the Reign of God in our lives. This Sunday’s Gospel looks back to John the Baptizer. With almost solemn, if not perfectly accurate, historical details, Luke sets the stage for the action of God in John and then Jesus. Do the words of Luke speak to us today? It is so easy to feel the opposite – hopeless and oppressed, like a people in exile. There are so many reasons to feel that way: poverty, war, violence of all kinds, division and anger in our families and Church. Nevertheless, God continues to lead us from slavery to freedom at home and in our communities. God’s Reign is in our midst! This week ponder how God has been active in your history. “Where in your life do you experience light, joy, mercy, and justice?”
3rd Sunday of Advent: A Promise of Joy – This Sunday’s Scriptures offer us a curious mix of joy and love along with profound challenge. The prophet Zephaniah lived around 625 BC, a time of great political turmoil among the superpowers of Assyria, Egypt, and Babylon. Israel suffered under each of these powers, and its people turned away from faithful religious observance. After a strong call to conversion, the Prophet speaks a word of hope and promise. “The Lord, your God, is in your midst…he will rejoice over you with gladness, and renew you in his love, he will sing joyfully because of you. As one sings at festivals.” What a wonderful word of comfort! Surely, then, we can rejoice, rooted not in some hollow optimism, but in profound hope and promise. Our God is in our midst, renewing us in love. Yes, we can know peace, as Paul writes in his affectionate letter to the Philippians, a peace that surpasses all understanding. We can rejoice in the Lord always.
4th Sunday of Advent: The Word Made Flesh – As we near the end of Advent, our Scripture readings turn to Christmas themes. Even though we merge the details into one story and crib scene, the originals (Matthew and Luke are the only Gospels with Christmas stories) are very different. The crèche has both Magi and shepherds, but neither Gospel has both. Matthew focuses on Joseph, has Mary and Joseph living in Bethlehem, and includes the Magi and the flight into Egypt. Luke focuses on Mary, has Mary and Joseph living in Nazareth (going to Bethlehem for the Roman Census), and includes the shepherds and a peaceful visit to Jerusalem. The birth stories are first of all proclamations of faith, not exact historical accounts. The two stories do agree that the central meaning is about Jesus’ identity: he is Son of David and Son of God. These infancy narratives also serve as a bridge from the Jewish Scriptures to the story of Jesus’ ministry. The Gospel writers made a summary of Old Testament stories and related that summary to the beginning of Jesus’ life.
Our Advent readings have led us into holy mystery. God’s Word comes deeply embedded in human words and in human flesh. Promise and meaning, hope and life, pregnancy and flesh – how wonderful it is that God so loved the world. How fortunate we are to hear and ponder this Good News. Still, the world is full of cynicism and suspicion, of oppression and violence, of sickness and death. It was like this for Micah and Isaiah, for Mary and Elizabeth, for John and Jesus. It is still like that for us.
Right here in these difficulties God’s Word comes embedded in human words and human flesh. Modern prophets creatively search for justice and peace. Family members choose to forgive old wounds. People of hope look for light in the darkness. Faithful disciples delight in the simple joy of children and in the warmth of good friends.
During these darkest days of the year in the Northern Hemisphere and in all our wintry season, we sill live in a world of grace. God’s Word in human words and human flesh – are we listening?
Advent: Celebrating Promise, Joy, and Hope in Your Life
Advent, the season of beginnings, contrasts with the end of our calendar year. Advent’s prayerful pondering will be jarred by our shopping and holiday preparation. A season of joy will become a season of stress very quickly. Nevertheless, Advent is a time of expectant hope, when we look to the future and the past in order to focus on the present and find that God’s Reign is indeed in our midst!
The following is a little guide for the Scripture readings over the next four Sundays:
1st Sunday of Advent: A Season of Hope – The Church turns our attention to the God who fulfills promises and to the distant future, the end time, the return of the Son of Man. The Gospel, with its dramatic images and symbols, communicated hope to fearful people by revealing how God would definitively save faithful people from evil forces. In the past, present, and future, God comes to save us, strengthening our hearts with an abundance of love. During this first week of Advent, prayerfully ask yourself: “What is my understanding of the Gospel? How is it good news? What are my fears? What are my hopes?”
2nd Sunday of Advent: A History of Salvation – Our Advent readings frequently speak of time and history. This is not surprising, for both Judaism and Christianity believe that God works within history, freeing, choosing, loving, and saving people in specific times and places. Advent is much more than preparation for a celebration of the Nativity. Advent invites us to prepare again for the coming of the Reign of God in our lives. This Sunday’s Gospel looks back to John the Baptizer. With almost solemn, if not perfectly accurate, historical details, Luke sets the stage for the action of God in John and then Jesus. Do the words of Luke speak to us today? It is so easy to feel the opposite – hopeless and oppressed, like a people in exile. There are so many reasons to feel that way: poverty, war, violence of all kinds, division and anger in our families and Church. Nevertheless, God continues to lead us from slavery to freedom at home and in our communities. God’s Reign is in our midst! This week ponder how God has been active in your history. “Where in your life do you experience light, joy, mercy, and justice?”
3rd Sunday of Advent: A Promise of Joy – This Sunday’s Scriptures offer us a curious mix of joy and love along with profound challenge. The prophet Zephaniah lived around 625 BC, a time of great political turmoil among the superpowers of Assyria, Egypt, and Babylon. Israel suffered under each of these powers, and its people turned away from faithful religious observance. After a strong call to conversion, the Prophet speaks a word of hope and promise. “The Lord, your God, is in your midst…he will rejoice over you with gladness, and renew you in his love, he will sing joyfully because of you. As one sings at festivals.” What a wonderful word of comfort! Surely, then, we can rejoice, rooted not in some hollow optimism, but in profound hope and promise. Our God is in our midst, renewing us in love. Yes, we can know peace, as Paul writes in his affectionate letter to the Philippians, a peace that surpasses all understanding. We can rejoice in the Lord always.
4th Sunday of Advent: The Word Made Flesh – As we near the end of Advent, our Scripture readings turn to Christmas themes. Even though we merge the details into one story and crib scene, the originals (Matthew and Luke are the only Gospels with Christmas stories) are very different. The crèche has both Magi and shepherds, but neither Gospel has both. Matthew focuses on Joseph, has Mary and Joseph living in Bethlehem, and includes the Magi and the flight into Egypt. Luke focuses on Mary, has Mary and Joseph living in Nazareth (going to Bethlehem for the Roman Census), and includes the shepherds and a peaceful visit to Jerusalem. The birth stories are first of all proclamations of faith, not exact historical accounts. The two stories do agree that the central meaning is about Jesus’ identity: he is Son of David and Son of God. These infancy narratives also serve as a bridge from the Jewish Scriptures to the story of Jesus’ ministry. The Gospel writers made a summary of Old Testament stories and related that summary to the beginning of Jesus’ life.
Our Advent readings have led us into holy mystery. God’s Word comes deeply embedded in human words and in human flesh. Promise and meaning, hope and life, pregnancy and flesh – how wonderful it is that God so loved the world. How fortunate we are to hear and ponder this Good News. Still, the world is full of cynicism and suspicion, of oppression and violence, of sickness and death. It was like this for Micah and Isaiah, for Mary and Elizabeth, for John and Jesus. It is still like that for us.
Right here in these difficulties God’s Word comes embedded in human words and human flesh. Modern prophets creatively search for justice and peace. Family members choose to forgive old wounds. People of hope look for light in the darkness. Faithful disciples delight in the simple joy of children and in the warmth of good friends.
During these darkest days of the year in the Northern Hemisphere and in all our wintry season, we sill live in a world of grace. God’s Word in human words and human flesh – are we listening?
Weekly HOMILY for December 3, 2006: 3 Habits for Advent
1st Sunday of Advent, Cycle C
Our Lady of Grace
December 3, 2006
3 Habits for Advent
By (Rev. Msgr.) Nicholas P. Amato
Covey’s Interior Habits
Most of us have heard of the book entitled The 7 Habits for Highly Effective People. It was written by Steven Covey (COVE-ee) and has been a national bestseller.
In the book, Covey is not just describing effective businessmen and women. He is talking about how to be effective and good spouses, parents, friends, or citizens.
He sees seven habits as important for effectiveness and the first three of these deal with our interior dispositions.
Covey says that highly effective people are, first of all, proactive. Second, they live with the end in mind. And third, they put first things first.
Today, I am suggesting that that these three habits are right on target for the Season of Advent that we begin today.
They express well the messages in our Advent readings this weekend.
1. Be Proactive
First, Covey says that highly effective people are proactive.
In other words, they take the initiative; they don’t sit back and re-act to things that come their way.
We often see a proactive stance in successful businesses. For example, the merger of one bank with another is often a proactive way for them both to grow and offer their services more effectively.
The Scripture readings also call us as persons of faith to be proactive.
In today’s Gospel, Jesus calls us to be proactive and “pray for strength” to live out our lives. And in the second reading, St. Paul calls us to be proactive again in “overflowing with love for one another.”
Thus, we are to pray not just when we need something, but to pray everyday for the strength to keep growing in the Lord’s ways. We are to reach out to help those in need or to do our part in patching up a relationship.
These are very powerful ways of being proactive as persons of faith.
2: Live with the End in Mind
Second, Steven Covey says that highly effective people live with an end in mind. That is to say, they are always goal-oriented.
Again, we often see this in the business world.
For example, it appears that companies like McDonald’s have the goal of a good market share of the fast-food industry, and so they are always testing food preferences as a way to attract more customers. So McDonald’s now sells chicken and tacos.
The Scripture readings also call us as persons of faith to live with an end or goal in mind.
In the first reading, the prophet Jeremiah reminds us that “the days are coming” when the Lord will send the Savior into our midst. And in the Gospel, Jesus uses some very startling images to describe the coming of the Savior.
So one way we can live with the end in mind is to use the Penitential Rite at the beginning of Mass as a moment to check the quality of our lives. And, of course, the Sacrament of Reconciliation at our upcoming Advent Penance Service a week from this Tuesday is another way to make sure of our readiness right now for that unknown moment.
These are both concrete ways of living our days with the end in mind as persons of faith.
3: Put First Things First
And finally, Covey says that highly effective people put first things first and second things second.
In other words, they live with a sense of priorities. Again, we see this in the business world.
I know of a car dealership that realizes that quality service and repair is crucial, and they make this a priority in their entire operation; they take you home, pick you up, and even tow free of charge.
The Scripture readings also call us as persons of faith to put first things first. So we have Jesus cautioning us today not to drift into a life of “self-indulgence.” And Paul very positively calls us to be “blameless and holy.”
The important things in life must remain first. So, in preparing for Christmas we need to give time and attention to our spouses and children, our parents or good friends, and not let the hectic pace of the season put them second.
Yes, a very concrete way of putting first things first as persons of faith.
Conclusion
So, today as we begin Advent, we are given wisdom for these four weeks and for our life all year round.
Success as a believer in Jesus will come from (1) Being proactive, (2) Living with the end or goal in mind, and (3) Putting first things first.
Putting these into practice could find us celebrating Christmas in a whole new and deeper way.
Our Lady of Grace
December 3, 2006
3 Habits for Advent
By (Rev. Msgr.) Nicholas P. Amato
Covey’s Interior Habits
Most of us have heard of the book entitled The 7 Habits for Highly Effective People. It was written by Steven Covey (COVE-ee) and has been a national bestseller.
In the book, Covey is not just describing effective businessmen and women. He is talking about how to be effective and good spouses, parents, friends, or citizens.
He sees seven habits as important for effectiveness and the first three of these deal with our interior dispositions.
Covey says that highly effective people are, first of all, proactive. Second, they live with the end in mind. And third, they put first things first.
Today, I am suggesting that that these three habits are right on target for the Season of Advent that we begin today.
They express well the messages in our Advent readings this weekend.
1. Be Proactive
First, Covey says that highly effective people are proactive.
In other words, they take the initiative; they don’t sit back and re-act to things that come their way.
We often see a proactive stance in successful businesses. For example, the merger of one bank with another is often a proactive way for them both to grow and offer their services more effectively.
The Scripture readings also call us as persons of faith to be proactive.
In today’s Gospel, Jesus calls us to be proactive and “pray for strength” to live out our lives. And in the second reading, St. Paul calls us to be proactive again in “overflowing with love for one another.”
Thus, we are to pray not just when we need something, but to pray everyday for the strength to keep growing in the Lord’s ways. We are to reach out to help those in need or to do our part in patching up a relationship.
These are very powerful ways of being proactive as persons of faith.
2: Live with the End in Mind
Second, Steven Covey says that highly effective people live with an end in mind. That is to say, they are always goal-oriented.
Again, we often see this in the business world.
For example, it appears that companies like McDonald’s have the goal of a good market share of the fast-food industry, and so they are always testing food preferences as a way to attract more customers. So McDonald’s now sells chicken and tacos.
The Scripture readings also call us as persons of faith to live with an end or goal in mind.
In the first reading, the prophet Jeremiah reminds us that “the days are coming” when the Lord will send the Savior into our midst. And in the Gospel, Jesus uses some very startling images to describe the coming of the Savior.
So one way we can live with the end in mind is to use the Penitential Rite at the beginning of Mass as a moment to check the quality of our lives. And, of course, the Sacrament of Reconciliation at our upcoming Advent Penance Service a week from this Tuesday is another way to make sure of our readiness right now for that unknown moment.
These are both concrete ways of living our days with the end in mind as persons of faith.
3: Put First Things First
And finally, Covey says that highly effective people put first things first and second things second.
In other words, they live with a sense of priorities. Again, we see this in the business world.
I know of a car dealership that realizes that quality service and repair is crucial, and they make this a priority in their entire operation; they take you home, pick you up, and even tow free of charge.
The Scripture readings also call us as persons of faith to put first things first. So we have Jesus cautioning us today not to drift into a life of “self-indulgence.” And Paul very positively calls us to be “blameless and holy.”
The important things in life must remain first. So, in preparing for Christmas we need to give time and attention to our spouses and children, our parents or good friends, and not let the hectic pace of the season put them second.
Yes, a very concrete way of putting first things first as persons of faith.
Conclusion
So, today as we begin Advent, we are given wisdom for these four weeks and for our life all year round.
Success as a believer in Jesus will come from (1) Being proactive, (2) Living with the end or goal in mind, and (3) Putting first things first.
Putting these into practice could find us celebrating Christmas in a whole new and deeper way.
Friday, November 24, 2006
Weekly MESSAGE for November 26, 2006: Parades and Prayer on Thanksgiving
November 23, 2006
Thanksgiving Morning
Dear Friend,
It’s Thanksgiving morning as I write. One can only take so much of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. I’m not sure why I even turned it on for even a few minutes to watch this morning while I prepared the vegetables for today’s dinner. Perhaps it was because we always had it on growing up, while my mother prepared the feast that would follow at 2:00pm.
What I found more life giving was Morning Prayer and the silence of simply resting in God’s presence. It is an extraordinary experience not to have to produce or do anything when praying. Just being is such a relief, having God manifest himself to you is such a joy, receiving that presence simply fills you with gratitude and thanksgiving.
So for the gift of life, and new life each day in the Spirit, for family and friends, for ministry I give thanks. May the day be filled with much of the same divine presence and giving of thanks for you.
Love,
Father Nick Amato
Thanksgiving Morning
Dear Friend,
It’s Thanksgiving morning as I write. One can only take so much of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. I’m not sure why I even turned it on for even a few minutes to watch this morning while I prepared the vegetables for today’s dinner. Perhaps it was because we always had it on growing up, while my mother prepared the feast that would follow at 2:00pm.
What I found more life giving was Morning Prayer and the silence of simply resting in God’s presence. It is an extraordinary experience not to have to produce or do anything when praying. Just being is such a relief, having God manifest himself to you is such a joy, receiving that presence simply fills you with gratitude and thanksgiving.
So for the gift of life, and new life each day in the Spirit, for family and friends, for ministry I give thanks. May the day be filled with much of the same divine presence and giving of thanks for you.
Love,
Father Nick Amato
Weekly THIS AND THAT for November 26, 2006: An Inventory for Thanksgiving
This and That:
An Inventory for Thanksgiving
By now all that remains of the turkey is the carcass and the annual soup can’t be too far behind. On this four-day respite, when we pause to thank God for our blessings and family, I thought the following philosophy of Charles Schultz, the creator of the “Peanuts” comic strip, was very apropos. Please keep in mind that you don’t have to actually answer the questions. Just read straight through and you’ll get the point.
Fondly,
Father Nick Amato
1. Name the five wealthiest people in the world.
2. Name the last five Heisman trophy winners.
3. Name the last five winners of the Miss America.
4. Name ten people who have won the Nobel or Pulitzer Prize.
5. Name the last half dozen Academy Award winners for best actor and actress.
6. Name the last decade’s worth of World Series winners.
How did you do?
The point is, none of us remembers the headliners of yesterday. These are no second-rate achievers. They are the best in their fields, but the applause dies quickly. Awards tarnish. Achievements are forgotten. Accolades and certificates are buried with their owners.
Now here’s the second quiz. See how you do on this one.
1. List three teachers who aided your journey through school.
2. Name three friends who have helped you through a difficult time.
3. Name five people who have taught you something worthwhile.
4. Think of a four people who have made you feel appreciated and special.
5. Think of five people with whom you enjoy spending time.
Easier?
The lesson is simple: The people who make a difference in your life are not the ones with the most credentials, the most money, or the most awards.
They are the ones that care about you.
You might share this note of thanksgiving with folks for whom you give thanks.
A closing thought from Charles Schultz: “Don't worry about the world coming to an end today. It’s already tomorrow in Australia.”
An Inventory for Thanksgiving
By now all that remains of the turkey is the carcass and the annual soup can’t be too far behind. On this four-day respite, when we pause to thank God for our blessings and family, I thought the following philosophy of Charles Schultz, the creator of the “Peanuts” comic strip, was very apropos. Please keep in mind that you don’t have to actually answer the questions. Just read straight through and you’ll get the point.
Fondly,
Father Nick Amato
1. Name the five wealthiest people in the world.
2. Name the last five Heisman trophy winners.
3. Name the last five winners of the Miss America.
4. Name ten people who have won the Nobel or Pulitzer Prize.
5. Name the last half dozen Academy Award winners for best actor and actress.
6. Name the last decade’s worth of World Series winners.
How did you do?
The point is, none of us remembers the headliners of yesterday. These are no second-rate achievers. They are the best in their fields, but the applause dies quickly. Awards tarnish. Achievements are forgotten. Accolades and certificates are buried with their owners.
Now here’s the second quiz. See how you do on this one.
1. List three teachers who aided your journey through school.
2. Name three friends who have helped you through a difficult time.
3. Name five people who have taught you something worthwhile.
4. Think of a four people who have made you feel appreciated and special.
5. Think of five people with whom you enjoy spending time.
Easier?
The lesson is simple: The people who make a difference in your life are not the ones with the most credentials, the most money, or the most awards.
They are the ones that care about you.
You might share this note of thanksgiving with folks for whom you give thanks.
A closing thought from Charles Schultz: “Don't worry about the world coming to an end today. It’s already tomorrow in Australia.”
Weekly HOMILY for November 26, 2006: Reasons for Gratitude
Thanksgiving Day, Cycle B
(Sirach 50.22-24 / I Corinthians 1.3-9 / Luke 17.11-19)
Our Lady of Grace
November 23, 2005
Reasons for Gratitude
By (Rev. Msgr.) Nicholas P. Amato
Mention It
There is an anecdote about a little six-year-old girl named Kara.
Kara was going to a birthday party for one of her neighborhood friends. Her mother told her to remember, when she was leaving, to thank her hostess, Mrs. Brown.
Well, Kara came home from the birthday party and her mother asked if she had remembered to thank Mrs. Brown. The little girl replied, “No, I didn’t.
“You didn’t?” inquired her mother, very surprised at the omission.
“No,” replied Kara, “you see, the girl next to me thanked Mrs. Brown and she said, `Oh, don’t mention it.’ So, when my turn came, I didn’t mention it.”
Importance of Gratitude
Of course, Kara’s mother was absolutely correct.
It is important to say “thanks” to one another and to God for all we’ve received.
Way back around the year 1250 – over 700 years ago – a Catholic spiritual writer named Meister Eckart said: “If the only prayer you ever said was `Thank you,’ it would be enough.”
In today’s first reading, the Wisdom writer blesses and thanks God. He recognizes God’s many gifts to us.
In the second reading, St. Paul tells the people in Corinth that he thanks God for them. In doing that, he is thanking the people themselves for their faith and goodness.
Reasons for Gratitude
This evening I want to share with you four reasons why our giving thanks to God is so very important.
First, our giving thanks makes us aware of the gifts we have and how blessed we are. Theses gifts can be health, family, friends, opportunities or material comfort. The list is legion.
One spiritual writer says that gratitude is the key to happiness because we positively see all that we have as gift from God. In turn, gratitude helps us to fight negativity.
Sometimes it is so easy to dwell on what is going wrong or areas where we feel deprived. This kind of negativity can absorb a lot of our attention and energy, while gratitude opens us to the life and love of God.
Second, gratitude leads us away from a sense of entitlement. It is the opposite of feeling that we are simply owed so much in life and of taking life’s blessings for granted.
Might this have been the case with the nine lepers who did not return to offer thanks to Jesus? Maybe they just felt that they were somehow owed or entitled to being healed.
Third, besides helping us as individuals, gratitude also helps us as a community. This is why our American Thanksgiving Day is such an important for us as a nation.
It binds us together as one people in recognizing God’s blessings to us as a country. And spiritually, we would certainly say that gratitude forms us into the living body of Christ on this earth.
Fourth and last, giving thanks has a way of limiting our self-centeredness. When we are grateful, we tend to place less emphasis on material good and more emphasis on God as the basis of our happiness.
With that, gratitude increases our desire to share what we have. Our parish holiday food baskets, the food we bring for our two food pantries, the baking of casseroles are all clear signs of this.
Eucharist = Thanks
Let us make all these reasons for being grateful be the reason we have gathered this evening.
Let them be why specifically, we celebrate Eucharist this evening and not simply have a prayer service.
Actually, the very word Eucharist means “thanksgiving.”
The heart of this Sacrament is Jesus’ giving thanks to God and in being his Body in this community, it becomes our giving thanks as well.
(Sirach 50.22-24 / I Corinthians 1.3-9 / Luke 17.11-19)
Our Lady of Grace
November 23, 2005
Reasons for Gratitude
By (Rev. Msgr.) Nicholas P. Amato
Mention It
There is an anecdote about a little six-year-old girl named Kara.
Kara was going to a birthday party for one of her neighborhood friends. Her mother told her to remember, when she was leaving, to thank her hostess, Mrs. Brown.
Well, Kara came home from the birthday party and her mother asked if she had remembered to thank Mrs. Brown. The little girl replied, “No, I didn’t.
“You didn’t?” inquired her mother, very surprised at the omission.
“No,” replied Kara, “you see, the girl next to me thanked Mrs. Brown and she said, `Oh, don’t mention it.’ So, when my turn came, I didn’t mention it.”
Importance of Gratitude
Of course, Kara’s mother was absolutely correct.
It is important to say “thanks” to one another and to God for all we’ve received.
Way back around the year 1250 – over 700 years ago – a Catholic spiritual writer named Meister Eckart said: “If the only prayer you ever said was `Thank you,’ it would be enough.”
In today’s first reading, the Wisdom writer blesses and thanks God. He recognizes God’s many gifts to us.
In the second reading, St. Paul tells the people in Corinth that he thanks God for them. In doing that, he is thanking the people themselves for their faith and goodness.
Reasons for Gratitude
This evening I want to share with you four reasons why our giving thanks to God is so very important.
First, our giving thanks makes us aware of the gifts we have and how blessed we are. Theses gifts can be health, family, friends, opportunities or material comfort. The list is legion.
One spiritual writer says that gratitude is the key to happiness because we positively see all that we have as gift from God. In turn, gratitude helps us to fight negativity.
Sometimes it is so easy to dwell on what is going wrong or areas where we feel deprived. This kind of negativity can absorb a lot of our attention and energy, while gratitude opens us to the life and love of God.
Second, gratitude leads us away from a sense of entitlement. It is the opposite of feeling that we are simply owed so much in life and of taking life’s blessings for granted.
Might this have been the case with the nine lepers who did not return to offer thanks to Jesus? Maybe they just felt that they were somehow owed or entitled to being healed.
Third, besides helping us as individuals, gratitude also helps us as a community. This is why our American Thanksgiving Day is such an important for us as a nation.
It binds us together as one people in recognizing God’s blessings to us as a country. And spiritually, we would certainly say that gratitude forms us into the living body of Christ on this earth.
Fourth and last, giving thanks has a way of limiting our self-centeredness. When we are grateful, we tend to place less emphasis on material good and more emphasis on God as the basis of our happiness.
With that, gratitude increases our desire to share what we have. Our parish holiday food baskets, the food we bring for our two food pantries, the baking of casseroles are all clear signs of this.
Eucharist = Thanks
Let us make all these reasons for being grateful be the reason we have gathered this evening.
Let them be why specifically, we celebrate Eucharist this evening and not simply have a prayer service.
Actually, the very word Eucharist means “thanksgiving.”
The heart of this Sacrament is Jesus’ giving thanks to God and in being his Body in this community, it becomes our giving thanks as well.
Thursday, November 16, 2006
Weekly MESSAGE for November 19, 2006: Catholic Bishops Take a Stand on the War in Iraq
November 19, 2006
Dear Friend,
The Catholic bishops met in Baltimore this week for their semi-annual meeting and their statement on the War in Iraq is significant. The president of the bishops’ conference, Bishop Skylstad of Spokane, called for a more substantive, civil and nonpartisan discussion about a responsible transition in Iraq. Here is their statement.
“The Administration and the new Congress need to engage in a collaborative dialogue that honestly assesses the situation in Iraq, acknowledges past difficulties and miscalculations, recognizes and builds on positive advances, and reaches agreement on concrete steps to address the serious challenges that lie ahead.”
“To meet these challenges, we hope our nation has moved beyond the divisive rhetoric of the recent campaign and the shrill and shallow debate that distorts reality and reduces the options to ‘cut and run’ versus ‘stay the course,” stated the bishop of Spokane.
He contended that the military should remain in Iraq, “only as long as their presence contributes to a responsible transition. Our nation should look for effective ways to end their deployment at the earliest opportunity consistent with this goal.”
Bishop Skylstad, 72, continued: “The Holy See and our Conference now support broad and necessary international engagement to promote stability and reconstruction in Iraq. Therefore, our nation cannot just look back. The complex situation in Iraq demands that our nation look around at what we face now and look ahead to what we can do in the future. …
“Basic benchmarks for a responsible transition in Iraq include: fostering adequate levels of security; curbing wanton killings, indefensible terrorist attacks and sectarian violence; strengthening the basic rule of law; promoting economic reconstruction to begin to create employment and economic opportunity for Iraqis; and supporting the further development of political structures and solutions that advance stability, political participation, and respect for religious freedom and basic human rights.”
“Ultimately,” the bishop said, “this work must be done by Iraqis, but the United States and its coalition partners have a moral obligation to continue and intensify efforts with Iraqis, other countries in the region and the international community toward achieving these benchmarks. In particular, we urge Arab nations and the countries of Western Europe to take concrete steps against terror and to seek stability in the region.
“In addition, the future of Iraq and the whole region would be improved by our nation’s concerted leadership to resolve, in concert with the international community, other conflicts in the region, especially by pursuing a just peace between Israelis and Palestinians.”
The statement on Iraq appeared on the first day of the bishops’ annual fall meeting. The meeting ended Thursday.
Let us continue to pray for peace.
Fondly,
Father Nick Amato
Dear Friend,
The Catholic bishops met in Baltimore this week for their semi-annual meeting and their statement on the War in Iraq is significant. The president of the bishops’ conference, Bishop Skylstad of Spokane, called for a more substantive, civil and nonpartisan discussion about a responsible transition in Iraq. Here is their statement.
“The Administration and the new Congress need to engage in a collaborative dialogue that honestly assesses the situation in Iraq, acknowledges past difficulties and miscalculations, recognizes and builds on positive advances, and reaches agreement on concrete steps to address the serious challenges that lie ahead.”
“To meet these challenges, we hope our nation has moved beyond the divisive rhetoric of the recent campaign and the shrill and shallow debate that distorts reality and reduces the options to ‘cut and run’ versus ‘stay the course,” stated the bishop of Spokane.
He contended that the military should remain in Iraq, “only as long as their presence contributes to a responsible transition. Our nation should look for effective ways to end their deployment at the earliest opportunity consistent with this goal.”
Bishop Skylstad, 72, continued: “The Holy See and our Conference now support broad and necessary international engagement to promote stability and reconstruction in Iraq. Therefore, our nation cannot just look back. The complex situation in Iraq demands that our nation look around at what we face now and look ahead to what we can do in the future. …
“Basic benchmarks for a responsible transition in Iraq include: fostering adequate levels of security; curbing wanton killings, indefensible terrorist attacks and sectarian violence; strengthening the basic rule of law; promoting economic reconstruction to begin to create employment and economic opportunity for Iraqis; and supporting the further development of political structures and solutions that advance stability, political participation, and respect for religious freedom and basic human rights.”
“Ultimately,” the bishop said, “this work must be done by Iraqis, but the United States and its coalition partners have a moral obligation to continue and intensify efforts with Iraqis, other countries in the region and the international community toward achieving these benchmarks. In particular, we urge Arab nations and the countries of Western Europe to take concrete steps against terror and to seek stability in the region.
“In addition, the future of Iraq and the whole region would be improved by our nation’s concerted leadership to resolve, in concert with the international community, other conflicts in the region, especially by pursuing a just peace between Israelis and Palestinians.”
The statement on Iraq appeared on the first day of the bishops’ annual fall meeting. The meeting ended Thursday.
Let us continue to pray for peace.
Fondly,
Father Nick Amato
Weekly THIS AND THAT for November 19, 2006: The Potential and Promise of Your Family
This and That:
The Potential and Promise of Your Family
I’d like to begin this week’s note with two questions for you to answer before going on.
The first is, “What is the most important gift you have given your child?” The second is, “What is the most important thing you can do for your spouse?” Give the questions a minute or two before moving on. We’ll come back to the answers in a moment.
You probably have seen that one area of emphasis of Pope Benedict XVI is the importance of the Catholic Family. The Holy Father has made the “family” a key part of his messages as he visits different countries, so he must think the family as important. From his address to the Plenary Assembly of the Pontifical Council for the Family last May he said the following:
➢ “The Lord is the center and heart of the family. He accompanies them in their union and sustains them in their mission to raise children to maturity.”
➢ “The Christian family cooperates with God… in cultivating the seeds of divine life given in Baptism.”
➢ “It is possible for husbands and wives to overcome their difficulties and remain faithful to their vocation with recourse to God’s support, with prayer and participating devotedly in the sacraments, especially the Eucharist.”
➢ “To hand down the faith to children, with the help of individuals and institutions like the parish, the school or Catholic associations, is a responsibility which parents cannot overlook, neglect or completely delegate to others.”
The following are remarks from his address at The Fifth World Meeting of Families this past July:
➢ “The family is the privileged setting where every person learns to give and receive love. The family receives abundant help from God in the sacrament of Matrimony, which brings with it a true vocation to holiness.”
➢ “Reflect on a theme of particular importance, one fraught with great responsibility: the transmission of faith in the family.”
➢ “The language of faith is learned in homes where this faith grows and it is strengthened through prayer and Christian practice.”
As we can see by life around us, there are many threats today to our Catholic families. The messages and attitudes of today’s world cultures encourage behaviors that are often contrary to our traditional Catholic family values. Half of marriages end in divorce. Half of our Country’s population supports abortion. It seems that no one is exempt from knowing someone who has experienced drug abuse, sexual permissiveness, exposure to violence, and spousal or child abuse. All parents and children today face problems seem to be facing daily some challenge such as these in their family life. This is true for the Catholic family as it is for all families. No family seems to be exempt.
I would ask you as a parent to contrast the family environment that your parents raised you in and how much “easier” it was in the “good old days” when values and daily exposures were different. If your youth was like the youth of most other Catholic families – and I’m the first to say that mine was not – you will probably remember that there was more “religious activity” within families. The most common included grace before meals – we actually ate together every day! Some families recited the Rosary and there were many activities to attend. We had Adoration, Benediction, Stations of the Cross, Parish Retreats, Holy Days, Novena Devotions, monthly Confession, and others. Participating in these activities required modeling and “cajoling” on the part of parents.
Today it seems apparent that the pressures on families, coupled with the lack of support in both the public, private, and social sectors of our society, make family life somewhat vulnerable. Studies have shown that as a family’s exposure to faith and religion gets weaker, the second generation from the strong religious influence virtually has no religion. A recent discussion with several parents indicated that many of them felt that their children would have a stronger Catholic faith than they themselves. While this is a wonderful hope, I would ask, “How is this going to happen?”
The Catholic family is the first place for education in God, faith and prayer. It is the unit from which all faith, love, forgiveness, and peace have their roots. It would seem apparent that parents have to jointly nurture these gifts in themselves and also their children. It doesn’t happen by itself and school and parish are not the primary source of this happening. But, as with so many lessons you want to pass on, you cannot nurture and pass on what you do not first have.
At the World Meeting of Families, Pope Benedict made it very clear, “Parishes have an important role to play, as do the various ecclesial associations, called to cooperate as networks of support and a helping hand for the growth of families in faith.”
I am pleased to say that Our Lady of Grace is ready to meet its responsibilities in giving your family more ways to develop stronger relationships with God and enhance your Catholic family values. For parents, in October we began the Why Catholic? program. This is a six-week program and 150 adults in 19 small groups have responded. For our youth, last year we began the Sunday LIFE TEEN program for high school teens. We had a successful first year and we want to make it better and continue to get more of our teens participating. This year we began a new program in Religious Education called “The Edge” for middle school youth. I would encourage all parents to discuss these programs with their children. Help them get more out of them on a more permanent basis. Things talked about at home make lasting impressions.
Another very important program we have begun is one that would get your family praying together in special devotions. This is our monthly “Hour of Family Prayer.” The purpose of these monthly hours of prayer is to get families praying together and to keep traditional Catholic devotions alive in families. On a monthly rotating basis, the devotions include Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, Benediction, the Rosary, Veneration of the Cross, Stations of the Cross, and the Chaplet of Divine Mercy. Each includes special prayers, meditations, and hymns. They are all familiar devotions. When is the last time you participated in one of them? Do you and your children know them? As spiritually enriching as these devotion sessions have been – just ask anyone who has attended even one – other than the thirty regulars, they have been poorly attended. In only a few instances have young people participated, but here is the written feedback of a middle school girl, “I really felt one with Jesus.”
For parents with an empty nest, the Monthly Hour of Family Prayer would be a wonderful experience for you and your relationship with God and each other. In many families it seems that discussions of God and faith are difficult, and perhaps even embarrassing, either between spouses or between parent and child. Come to our Monthly Hour of Family Prayer and on the way home ask those with whom you came such questions as:
➢ Which part of the Adoration or Benediction meant the most to you?
➢ What mystery of the Rosary got you thinking the most about Jesus?
➢ Which Station of the Cross felt most real to you?
➢ What were you thinking about during the meditations of Christ on the Cross?
You might then follow up the conversation after a few days at the dinner table. I believe that you will be surprised at how easily it is to move by a special prayer moment, and secondly, it will become easier to talk freely about God and your faith. The entire family’s faith will grow as will each member’s relationship with God.
Why not join us on Tuesday the 21st at 7:00pm? This month’s devotion is Benediction.
And now the answers to the two questions with which we began:
1st What is the most important gift you have given your child?
The first is life; the second is his/her life of baptism. Nothing else even comes close. Everything else you have given them is very temporary, no matter if they have it all of their lives and they live to be 100! A hundred years as compared to eternity is miniscule, but with Baptism you have made it possible for them to live forever. Now you have to help your child nurture the benefits of Baptism and this is your responsibility as a parent.
2nd What is the most important thing you can do for your spouse?
I would think that it is to help him/her nurture and grow their faith and relationship with God and thus sanctify your marriage. Most of you are Catholic parents. Any material thing you accumulate in this life on earth will matter little when we pass over to the other side of life. Your relationship with God and how you applied Christian values to your family and life will determine the quality of your life hereafter.
Fondly,
Father Nick Amato
The Potential and Promise of Your Family
I’d like to begin this week’s note with two questions for you to answer before going on.
The first is, “What is the most important gift you have given your child?” The second is, “What is the most important thing you can do for your spouse?” Give the questions a minute or two before moving on. We’ll come back to the answers in a moment.
You probably have seen that one area of emphasis of Pope Benedict XVI is the importance of the Catholic Family. The Holy Father has made the “family” a key part of his messages as he visits different countries, so he must think the family as important. From his address to the Plenary Assembly of the Pontifical Council for the Family last May he said the following:
➢ “The Lord is the center and heart of the family. He accompanies them in their union and sustains them in their mission to raise children to maturity.”
➢ “The Christian family cooperates with God… in cultivating the seeds of divine life given in Baptism.”
➢ “It is possible for husbands and wives to overcome their difficulties and remain faithful to their vocation with recourse to God’s support, with prayer and participating devotedly in the sacraments, especially the Eucharist.”
➢ “To hand down the faith to children, with the help of individuals and institutions like the parish, the school or Catholic associations, is a responsibility which parents cannot overlook, neglect or completely delegate to others.”
The following are remarks from his address at The Fifth World Meeting of Families this past July:
➢ “The family is the privileged setting where every person learns to give and receive love. The family receives abundant help from God in the sacrament of Matrimony, which brings with it a true vocation to holiness.”
➢ “Reflect on a theme of particular importance, one fraught with great responsibility: the transmission of faith in the family.”
➢ “The language of faith is learned in homes where this faith grows and it is strengthened through prayer and Christian practice.”
As we can see by life around us, there are many threats today to our Catholic families. The messages and attitudes of today’s world cultures encourage behaviors that are often contrary to our traditional Catholic family values. Half of marriages end in divorce. Half of our Country’s population supports abortion. It seems that no one is exempt from knowing someone who has experienced drug abuse, sexual permissiveness, exposure to violence, and spousal or child abuse. All parents and children today face problems seem to be facing daily some challenge such as these in their family life. This is true for the Catholic family as it is for all families. No family seems to be exempt.
I would ask you as a parent to contrast the family environment that your parents raised you in and how much “easier” it was in the “good old days” when values and daily exposures were different. If your youth was like the youth of most other Catholic families – and I’m the first to say that mine was not – you will probably remember that there was more “religious activity” within families. The most common included grace before meals – we actually ate together every day! Some families recited the Rosary and there were many activities to attend. We had Adoration, Benediction, Stations of the Cross, Parish Retreats, Holy Days, Novena Devotions, monthly Confession, and others. Participating in these activities required modeling and “cajoling” on the part of parents.
Today it seems apparent that the pressures on families, coupled with the lack of support in both the public, private, and social sectors of our society, make family life somewhat vulnerable. Studies have shown that as a family’s exposure to faith and religion gets weaker, the second generation from the strong religious influence virtually has no religion. A recent discussion with several parents indicated that many of them felt that their children would have a stronger Catholic faith than they themselves. While this is a wonderful hope, I would ask, “How is this going to happen?”
The Catholic family is the first place for education in God, faith and prayer. It is the unit from which all faith, love, forgiveness, and peace have their roots. It would seem apparent that parents have to jointly nurture these gifts in themselves and also their children. It doesn’t happen by itself and school and parish are not the primary source of this happening. But, as with so many lessons you want to pass on, you cannot nurture and pass on what you do not first have.
At the World Meeting of Families, Pope Benedict made it very clear, “Parishes have an important role to play, as do the various ecclesial associations, called to cooperate as networks of support and a helping hand for the growth of families in faith.”
I am pleased to say that Our Lady of Grace is ready to meet its responsibilities in giving your family more ways to develop stronger relationships with God and enhance your Catholic family values. For parents, in October we began the Why Catholic? program. This is a six-week program and 150 adults in 19 small groups have responded. For our youth, last year we began the Sunday LIFE TEEN program for high school teens. We had a successful first year and we want to make it better and continue to get more of our teens participating. This year we began a new program in Religious Education called “The Edge” for middle school youth. I would encourage all parents to discuss these programs with their children. Help them get more out of them on a more permanent basis. Things talked about at home make lasting impressions.
Another very important program we have begun is one that would get your family praying together in special devotions. This is our monthly “Hour of Family Prayer.” The purpose of these monthly hours of prayer is to get families praying together and to keep traditional Catholic devotions alive in families. On a monthly rotating basis, the devotions include Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, Benediction, the Rosary, Veneration of the Cross, Stations of the Cross, and the Chaplet of Divine Mercy. Each includes special prayers, meditations, and hymns. They are all familiar devotions. When is the last time you participated in one of them? Do you and your children know them? As spiritually enriching as these devotion sessions have been – just ask anyone who has attended even one – other than the thirty regulars, they have been poorly attended. In only a few instances have young people participated, but here is the written feedback of a middle school girl, “I really felt one with Jesus.”
For parents with an empty nest, the Monthly Hour of Family Prayer would be a wonderful experience for you and your relationship with God and each other. In many families it seems that discussions of God and faith are difficult, and perhaps even embarrassing, either between spouses or between parent and child. Come to our Monthly Hour of Family Prayer and on the way home ask those with whom you came such questions as:
➢ Which part of the Adoration or Benediction meant the most to you?
➢ What mystery of the Rosary got you thinking the most about Jesus?
➢ Which Station of the Cross felt most real to you?
➢ What were you thinking about during the meditations of Christ on the Cross?
You might then follow up the conversation after a few days at the dinner table. I believe that you will be surprised at how easily it is to move by a special prayer moment, and secondly, it will become easier to talk freely about God and your faith. The entire family’s faith will grow as will each member’s relationship with God.
Why not join us on Tuesday the 21st at 7:00pm? This month’s devotion is Benediction.
And now the answers to the two questions with which we began:
1st What is the most important gift you have given your child?
The first is life; the second is his/her life of baptism. Nothing else even comes close. Everything else you have given them is very temporary, no matter if they have it all of their lives and they live to be 100! A hundred years as compared to eternity is miniscule, but with Baptism you have made it possible for them to live forever. Now you have to help your child nurture the benefits of Baptism and this is your responsibility as a parent.
2nd What is the most important thing you can do for your spouse?
I would think that it is to help him/her nurture and grow their faith and relationship with God and thus sanctify your marriage. Most of you are Catholic parents. Any material thing you accumulate in this life on earth will matter little when we pass over to the other side of life. Your relationship with God and how you applied Christian values to your family and life will determine the quality of your life hereafter.
Fondly,
Father Nick Amato
Weekly HOMILY for November 19, 2006: End Times: Yours and Mine
33rd Sunday of Ordinary Time, Cycle B
Our Lady of Grace
November 19 2006
End Times: Yours and Mine
By (Rev. Msgr.) Nicholas P. Amato
An Experience of Dying
There is a woman named Jane who tells of her own personal experience of dying.
Jane had had a serious heart attack. She states that as it happened, she felt her spirit rise out of her very body, and pass upward, upward, and through what felt like a tunnel.
After some time, it seemed like only minutes, Jane found herself standing before a Being of Pure Light. The Being’s light poured out on her and through her, and told her that it was not yet her time.
She had to return to earth. Jane testifies that this experience has indeed transformed her life.
She now has no fear of death. Her faith in an Almighty God is now absolute and completely unshakeable.
The End Times
Jane’s experience leads us to ask a question that we may wish to avoid no matter what our age. Do you ever think about your death, think about what your end-time will be like?
The Scripture readings today portray the end times with graphic and even frightening imagery.
The prophet Daniel in the first reading says: “At that time, there shall arise Michael, the great prince; it shall be a time unsurpassed in distress.” And in the Gospel Jesus says, “In those days, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from the sky.”
These were standard images used thousands of years ago. To us today, to the ears of our modern, educated and somewhat skeptical generation, these vivid images may seem a bit unbelievable.
But, underneath them, I would suggest that there lies great truth and profound wisdom. I see three lessons about life that we can learn from these images.
Lesson 1: Mortality
First, we can grow more accepting of our own mortality.
Whether or not we think or speak about death, this life on earth will pass away; no is passing away and our everyday experience confirms this: we’re aging, slowing down, forgetting, getting sick, etc.
And there are seasons even in the Divine Plan for our human life.
Jesus today uses a seasonal image when he says, “When the branches of the fig tree become tender and sprout leaves, you know that summer is near. In the same way, when you see these things, know that [the Lord] is near.”
So, like it or not, this world is not our home. When we stand before the Lord, our credit cards, clothes and cars will not matter a wit.
What will matter are the eternal things we have accumulated – the faith at the core of our being and the love in depths of our hearts.
The scary images of these readings remind us then to be accepting of our mortality.
Lesson 2: Hope
The second lesson that we can learn from these images is hope.
Sometimes the tragedies of this world turn us away from God. Sometimes anxiety and fear grip and hold us fast.
In the face of this, Jesus’ words are unequivocal and leave us with no doubt. He says: “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.”
This means that love – in the end – will conquer evil. God’s victory over death is assured for those who hold on.
And so, we are to live life with our eyes fixed on Jesus’ words and on this truth. We are to live actively – in the here-and-now – with this hope.
Lesson 3: Live
The final lesson flows from the second.
While we have it, we are to live life on this earth fully. This world has been created by God and it is good and it is beautiful.
And so, we are to utilize and develop our talents for our fulfillment as the persons God made us to be.
And we are to share our gifts unselfishly and joyfully for the well-being of our loved ones and for the common good of all.
But, as we do this and journey through this world, we are never to lose sight of the life beyond this life, where all fullness is to be found.
It was expressed well when someone said, “We should live this life with joyful abandon, while dreaming of the next with abundant expectation!”
Conclusion
(1) Aware of our own mortality, (2) Hoping in Jesus, and (3) Living life to the fullest are the keys that will make our passing to the other side of life fruitful.
Living that way each day, we are always ready for the coming of the Bridegroom though as Jesus says, “We do not know the day or the hour.”
And some day – and you can bet it will be sooner than you think – you will awake to find that our Savior is “near, even at the door.”
And when that moment comes, as right now, we will have what is needed for it will have been the way we’ve lived.
Our Lady of Grace
November 19 2006
End Times: Yours and Mine
By (Rev. Msgr.) Nicholas P. Amato
An Experience of Dying
There is a woman named Jane who tells of her own personal experience of dying.
Jane had had a serious heart attack. She states that as it happened, she felt her spirit rise out of her very body, and pass upward, upward, and through what felt like a tunnel.
After some time, it seemed like only minutes, Jane found herself standing before a Being of Pure Light. The Being’s light poured out on her and through her, and told her that it was not yet her time.
She had to return to earth. Jane testifies that this experience has indeed transformed her life.
She now has no fear of death. Her faith in an Almighty God is now absolute and completely unshakeable.
The End Times
Jane’s experience leads us to ask a question that we may wish to avoid no matter what our age. Do you ever think about your death, think about what your end-time will be like?
The Scripture readings today portray the end times with graphic and even frightening imagery.
The prophet Daniel in the first reading says: “At that time, there shall arise Michael, the great prince; it shall be a time unsurpassed in distress.” And in the Gospel Jesus says, “In those days, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from the sky.”
These were standard images used thousands of years ago. To us today, to the ears of our modern, educated and somewhat skeptical generation, these vivid images may seem a bit unbelievable.
But, underneath them, I would suggest that there lies great truth and profound wisdom. I see three lessons about life that we can learn from these images.
Lesson 1: Mortality
First, we can grow more accepting of our own mortality.
Whether or not we think or speak about death, this life on earth will pass away; no is passing away and our everyday experience confirms this: we’re aging, slowing down, forgetting, getting sick, etc.
And there are seasons even in the Divine Plan for our human life.
Jesus today uses a seasonal image when he says, “When the branches of the fig tree become tender and sprout leaves, you know that summer is near. In the same way, when you see these things, know that [the Lord] is near.”
So, like it or not, this world is not our home. When we stand before the Lord, our credit cards, clothes and cars will not matter a wit.
What will matter are the eternal things we have accumulated – the faith at the core of our being and the love in depths of our hearts.
The scary images of these readings remind us then to be accepting of our mortality.
Lesson 2: Hope
The second lesson that we can learn from these images is hope.
Sometimes the tragedies of this world turn us away from God. Sometimes anxiety and fear grip and hold us fast.
In the face of this, Jesus’ words are unequivocal and leave us with no doubt. He says: “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.”
This means that love – in the end – will conquer evil. God’s victory over death is assured for those who hold on.
And so, we are to live life with our eyes fixed on Jesus’ words and on this truth. We are to live actively – in the here-and-now – with this hope.
Lesson 3: Live
The final lesson flows from the second.
While we have it, we are to live life on this earth fully. This world has been created by God and it is good and it is beautiful.
And so, we are to utilize and develop our talents for our fulfillment as the persons God made us to be.
And we are to share our gifts unselfishly and joyfully for the well-being of our loved ones and for the common good of all.
But, as we do this and journey through this world, we are never to lose sight of the life beyond this life, where all fullness is to be found.
It was expressed well when someone said, “We should live this life with joyful abandon, while dreaming of the next with abundant expectation!”
Conclusion
(1) Aware of our own mortality, (2) Hoping in Jesus, and (3) Living life to the fullest are the keys that will make our passing to the other side of life fruitful.
Living that way each day, we are always ready for the coming of the Bridegroom though as Jesus says, “We do not know the day or the hour.”
And some day – and you can bet it will be sooner than you think – you will awake to find that our Savior is “near, even at the door.”
And when that moment comes, as right now, we will have what is needed for it will have been the way we’ve lived.
Thursday, November 09, 2006
Weekly MESSAGE for September 12, 2006: A Shepherd Spends a Day with His Sheep
November 12, 2006
Dear Friend,
It takes place ever 6 years – the bishop comes to the parishes under his charge for a Pastoral Visitation. Ours took place this past Wednesday, when Bishop Mitch Rozanski and his staff spent the day with the leadership of our parish and school.
The day was packed and began with the daily Mass at 8:00am followed by a reception, meetings with the pastor the Pastoral Team and all those involved in Finance. After a luncheon with the staff, he met with the Parish Corporators, held a school assembly, visited the facilities on campus, and then had a tour of the parish. There were plans to have him see the parish via helicopter – given the fact that it is 200 square miles – but these were foiled by drizzle and cloud cover. A promise was made that he would return to bless the pavilion and athletic fields and collect on his helicopter ride. After some “downtime” at Everett House (aka the rectory), the Bishop attended a Pastoral Council meeting at the home of a parishioner and the evening ended with dinner.
Three moments in the busy itinerary had special significance: The first came when, in spite of the abrupt cancellation of the helicopter ride, the Bishop was awarded Snoopy flying gear that included a dog house, long white silk fringed scarf, a pair of goggles, and leather flying headgear. The second was one of the questions asked the Bishop during the children’s assembly, “What is the hardest thing for you to believe as a Christian?” His answer was, ‘That the dead can rise.’” Finally, was the praise all groups shared with the bishop regarding the quality of life at Our Lady of Grace and the dedication of the members of the Pastoral Team.
At times it takes folks visiting and spending time with you and then sharing their impressions to realize what great blessings the Lord has so generously bestowed upon you.
It was a day to savor and long remember.
Fondly,
Father Nick Amato
Dear Friend,
It takes place ever 6 years – the bishop comes to the parishes under his charge for a Pastoral Visitation. Ours took place this past Wednesday, when Bishop Mitch Rozanski and his staff spent the day with the leadership of our parish and school.
The day was packed and began with the daily Mass at 8:00am followed by a reception, meetings with the pastor the Pastoral Team and all those involved in Finance. After a luncheon with the staff, he met with the Parish Corporators, held a school assembly, visited the facilities on campus, and then had a tour of the parish. There were plans to have him see the parish via helicopter – given the fact that it is 200 square miles – but these were foiled by drizzle and cloud cover. A promise was made that he would return to bless the pavilion and athletic fields and collect on his helicopter ride. After some “downtime” at Everett House (aka the rectory), the Bishop attended a Pastoral Council meeting at the home of a parishioner and the evening ended with dinner.
Three moments in the busy itinerary had special significance: The first came when, in spite of the abrupt cancellation of the helicopter ride, the Bishop was awarded Snoopy flying gear that included a dog house, long white silk fringed scarf, a pair of goggles, and leather flying headgear. The second was one of the questions asked the Bishop during the children’s assembly, “What is the hardest thing for you to believe as a Christian?” His answer was, ‘That the dead can rise.’” Finally, was the praise all groups shared with the bishop regarding the quality of life at Our Lady of Grace and the dedication of the members of the Pastoral Team.
At times it takes folks visiting and spending time with you and then sharing their impressions to realize what great blessings the Lord has so generously bestowed upon you.
It was a day to savor and long remember.
Fondly,
Father Nick Amato
Weekly THIS AND THAT for November 12, 2006: What a Difference 100 Years Makes
This and That:
What a Difference 100 Years Makes!
The year is 1906. One hundred years ago. The following are some of the US statistics for the Year 1906.
➢ The average life expectancy in the U.S. was 47 years.
➢ Only 14 percent of the homes in the U.S. had a bathtub.
➢ Only 8 percent of the homes had a telephone.
➢ A three-minute call from Denver to New York City cost eleven dollars.
➢ There were only 8,000 cars in the U.S., and only 144 miles of paved roads.
➢ The maximum speed limit in most cities was 10 mph.
➢ Alabama, Mississippi, Iowa, and Tennessee were each more heavily populated than California.
➢ With a mere 1.4 million people, California was only the 21st most populous state in the Union.
➢ The tallest structure in the world was the Eiffel Tower!
➢ The average wage in the U.S. was 22 cents per hour.
➢ The average US worker made between $200 and $400 per year.
➢ A competent accountant could expect to earn $2000 per year, a dentist $2,500 per year, a veterinarian between $1,500 and $4,000 per year, and a mechanical engineer about $5,000 per year.
➢ More than 95 percent of all births in the U.S. took place at HOME.
➢ Ninety percent of all U.S. doctors had no college education! Instead, they attended so-called medical schools, many of which were condemned in the press and the government as "substandard."
➢ Sugar cost four cents a pound.
➢ Eggs were fourteen cents a dozen.
➢ Coffee was fifteen cents a pound.
➢ Most women only washed their hair once a month, and used borax or egg yolks for shampoo.
➢ Canada passed a law that prohibited poor people from entering into their country for any reason.
➢ Five leading causes of death in the U.S. were:
o Pneumonia and influenza
o Tuberculosis
o Diarrhea
o Heart disease
o Stroke
➢ The American flag had 45 stars. Arizona, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Hawaii, and Alaska hadn't been admitted to the Union yet.
➢ The population of Las Vegas, Nevada, was only 30 people.
➢ Crossword puzzles, canned beer, and ice tea hadn't been invented yet.
➢ There was no Mother's Day or Father's Day.
➢ Two out of every 10 U.S. adults couldn't read or write. Only 6 percent of all Americans had graduated from high school.
➢ Marijuana, heroin, and morphine were all available over the counter at the local corner drugstores. Back then pharmacists said, "Heroin clears the complexion, gives buoyancy to the mind, regulates the stomach and bowels, and is, in fact, a perfect guardian of health."
➢ Eighteen percent of households in the US had at least one full-time servant or domestic help.
➢ There were about 230 reported murders in the ENTIRE US!
➢ Now I have forwarded this from someone else without typing it myself, and sent it to you and 300 others all over the United States in a matter of seconds.
➢ Imagine what it may be like in another 100 years!
What a Difference 100 Years Makes!
The year is 1906. One hundred years ago. The following are some of the US statistics for the Year 1906.
➢ The average life expectancy in the U.S. was 47 years.
➢ Only 14 percent of the homes in the U.S. had a bathtub.
➢ Only 8 percent of the homes had a telephone.
➢ A three-minute call from Denver to New York City cost eleven dollars.
➢ There were only 8,000 cars in the U.S., and only 144 miles of paved roads.
➢ The maximum speed limit in most cities was 10 mph.
➢ Alabama, Mississippi, Iowa, and Tennessee were each more heavily populated than California.
➢ With a mere 1.4 million people, California was only the 21st most populous state in the Union.
➢ The tallest structure in the world was the Eiffel Tower!
➢ The average wage in the U.S. was 22 cents per hour.
➢ The average US worker made between $200 and $400 per year.
➢ A competent accountant could expect to earn $2000 per year, a dentist $2,500 per year, a veterinarian between $1,500 and $4,000 per year, and a mechanical engineer about $5,000 per year.
➢ More than 95 percent of all births in the U.S. took place at HOME.
➢ Ninety percent of all U.S. doctors had no college education! Instead, they attended so-called medical schools, many of which were condemned in the press and the government as "substandard."
➢ Sugar cost four cents a pound.
➢ Eggs were fourteen cents a dozen.
➢ Coffee was fifteen cents a pound.
➢ Most women only washed their hair once a month, and used borax or egg yolks for shampoo.
➢ Canada passed a law that prohibited poor people from entering into their country for any reason.
➢ Five leading causes of death in the U.S. were:
o Pneumonia and influenza
o Tuberculosis
o Diarrhea
o Heart disease
o Stroke
➢ The American flag had 45 stars. Arizona, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Hawaii, and Alaska hadn't been admitted to the Union yet.
➢ The population of Las Vegas, Nevada, was only 30 people.
➢ Crossword puzzles, canned beer, and ice tea hadn't been invented yet.
➢ There was no Mother's Day or Father's Day.
➢ Two out of every 10 U.S. adults couldn't read or write. Only 6 percent of all Americans had graduated from high school.
➢ Marijuana, heroin, and morphine were all available over the counter at the local corner drugstores. Back then pharmacists said, "Heroin clears the complexion, gives buoyancy to the mind, regulates the stomach and bowels, and is, in fact, a perfect guardian of health."
➢ Eighteen percent of households in the US had at least one full-time servant or domestic help.
➢ There were about 230 reported murders in the ENTIRE US!
➢ Now I have forwarded this from someone else without typing it myself, and sent it to you and 300 others all over the United States in a matter of seconds.
➢ Imagine what it may be like in another 100 years!
weekly HOMILY for November 12, 2006: Having Trust and Being Trustworthy
32nd Sunday of Ordinary Time, Cycle B
Our Lady of Grace
November 12 2006
Having Trust and Being Trustworthy
By (Rev. Msgr.) Nicholas P. Amato
Trust Walk
The 6th Graders were having their annual retreat. The theme this year was trust and the retreat day began with a wonderful activity called a “Trust Walk.”
Many of us are familiar with the exercise and may have done a Trust Walk at some time or another. What happened is that the 86 boys and girls were paired off.
In each pair, one of students was blindfolded and the other was the leader. The leader led the blindfolded partner through the aisles and rows of chairs in the school hall.
The catch was that the leader could guide only by words and not by physical touch. For the boys and girls, this was both a fun activity and a good learning experience.
Scripture and Trust
I begin with the familiar idea of a Trust Walk because it illustrates one of the themes in today’s Scripture readings.
In the first reading, a widow gives something to eat to the Prophet Elijah. She does this even though she has practically nothing left for herself to eat.
In the Gospel, once again a widow is in the spotlight. She puts two small copper coins into the Temple treasury. Jesus says that she “contributed all that she had.”
What I see is a great deal of trust in both of these widows. Both of them trusted in God and they acted on and lived out of that trust. It’s what made them free enough to give our of their need, not knowing where their next meal would come from.
Lesson 1: Having Trust
The image of these two widows in the Scripture calls us also to trust in God.
Trust is part and parcel of our faith. It is an expression of our faith in God.
On the Trust Walk of those 6th Graders, those who were blindfolded needed to trust the word of their partner, leading them to turn left or right or to go straight ahead. In a similar way, our faith calls us to trust in the Word of God.
Trust does not mean that we naively believe that things will always be easy or comfortable or the way we want them to be. It does mean that we believe that God is good and loving and will always here with us.
Trust means that we believe that in some way good can come from evil and life can come from suffering and death. It means that we believe the words of Jesus: “I am with you always, even till the end of the world.”
Lesson 2: Being Trustworthy
The image of the two widows in today’s readings also calls us to be trustworthy.
They were generous and caring and used the little that God had given them very well. Once, on a former Trust Walk, one boy decided to play a trick on his blindfolded partner and actually he led him into a wall.
The partner got a bruise and a knot on his forehead. The lesson? Some folks will end up being untrustworthy.
In contrast to young man, the two widows in our readings invite us to be trustworthy with what God has given us. What might this mean for us today?
One thing that it means can be found in the root meaning of the word “widow.” In the original Hebrew, the word for widow is al-ma-nah which means “the silent one.”
The Society of Jesus’ day was very patriarchal and male-dominated. An unmarried woman lived in the house of her father and he was her voice. When she married she moved into the house of her husband and he became her voice. So, if a woman was widowed, she had no one to speak for her and secure her rights and livelihood.
She was “the silent one.”
I would like to suggest that one of the ways we can be trustworthy in relation to God is to speak up for the silent ones of our own day – that is, to speak up for those who have no voice in our society.
This might be the unborn or those living on minimum wage or near the so-called poverty line. It could be that we speak up for the 45 million Americans who have no health insurance or those who are terminally ill.
So often these persons are the silent ones, those without real voice in our society and part of our trustworthiness is to speak on their behalf.
Summary
To sum up, our faith includes trust in God.
And trust in God is to lead us to be trustworthy with what God has given us.
Both, are simple yet profound
Our Lady of Grace
November 12 2006
Having Trust and Being Trustworthy
By (Rev. Msgr.) Nicholas P. Amato
Trust Walk
The 6th Graders were having their annual retreat. The theme this year was trust and the retreat day began with a wonderful activity called a “Trust Walk.”
Many of us are familiar with the exercise and may have done a Trust Walk at some time or another. What happened is that the 86 boys and girls were paired off.
In each pair, one of students was blindfolded and the other was the leader. The leader led the blindfolded partner through the aisles and rows of chairs in the school hall.
The catch was that the leader could guide only by words and not by physical touch. For the boys and girls, this was both a fun activity and a good learning experience.
Scripture and Trust
I begin with the familiar idea of a Trust Walk because it illustrates one of the themes in today’s Scripture readings.
In the first reading, a widow gives something to eat to the Prophet Elijah. She does this even though she has practically nothing left for herself to eat.
In the Gospel, once again a widow is in the spotlight. She puts two small copper coins into the Temple treasury. Jesus says that she “contributed all that she had.”
What I see is a great deal of trust in both of these widows. Both of them trusted in God and they acted on and lived out of that trust. It’s what made them free enough to give our of their need, not knowing where their next meal would come from.
Lesson 1: Having Trust
The image of these two widows in the Scripture calls us also to trust in God.
Trust is part and parcel of our faith. It is an expression of our faith in God.
On the Trust Walk of those 6th Graders, those who were blindfolded needed to trust the word of their partner, leading them to turn left or right or to go straight ahead. In a similar way, our faith calls us to trust in the Word of God.
Trust does not mean that we naively believe that things will always be easy or comfortable or the way we want them to be. It does mean that we believe that God is good and loving and will always here with us.
Trust means that we believe that in some way good can come from evil and life can come from suffering and death. It means that we believe the words of Jesus: “I am with you always, even till the end of the world.”
Lesson 2: Being Trustworthy
The image of the two widows in today’s readings also calls us to be trustworthy.
They were generous and caring and used the little that God had given them very well. Once, on a former Trust Walk, one boy decided to play a trick on his blindfolded partner and actually he led him into a wall.
The partner got a bruise and a knot on his forehead. The lesson? Some folks will end up being untrustworthy.
In contrast to young man, the two widows in our readings invite us to be trustworthy with what God has given us. What might this mean for us today?
One thing that it means can be found in the root meaning of the word “widow.” In the original Hebrew, the word for widow is al-ma-nah which means “the silent one.”
The Society of Jesus’ day was very patriarchal and male-dominated. An unmarried woman lived in the house of her father and he was her voice. When she married she moved into the house of her husband and he became her voice. So, if a woman was widowed, she had no one to speak for her and secure her rights and livelihood.
She was “the silent one.”
I would like to suggest that one of the ways we can be trustworthy in relation to God is to speak up for the silent ones of our own day – that is, to speak up for those who have no voice in our society.
This might be the unborn or those living on minimum wage or near the so-called poverty line. It could be that we speak up for the 45 million Americans who have no health insurance or those who are terminally ill.
So often these persons are the silent ones, those without real voice in our society and part of our trustworthiness is to speak on their behalf.
Summary
To sum up, our faith includes trust in God.
And trust in God is to lead us to be trustworthy with what God has given us.
Both, are simple yet profound
Thursday, November 02, 2006
Yes, It's the Glory Train!
November 5, 2006
Dear Friend,
It’s a breezy and bright Thursday afternoon (November 2nd) and outside my window the trees are already bear. The Cardinal bushes that line the driveway are ablaze in red. It’s the Feast of All Souls.
One of the great spirituals created by African Americans is one that compared death to a train. The same train that called my father and mother and took them is at the station waiting for me. The train only makes one-way trips to the Land of Glory. Yes, it’s the Glory Train! The composer of the hymn did not try to describe the destination in detail and neither did St. Paul.
While there is no disagreement of St. Paul with the hymn on the certainty of death, he tells his people that they shouldn’t try to imagine what life after death would be like. He himself longed to be dissolved and be with Christ. He also called death the “last enemy to be destroyed.
It’s been said that the road to death is often harder than death itself and St. Paul did not recommend avoiding anxiety by closing the door against any thought of that last enemy.
During this month of November we Catholics reconsider these thoughts as we remember our beloved dead. Such prayers are appropriate when we look at Iraq and the Sudan. The dead these days wear the face of the young.
Let us commend all those who have boarded that train to Glory to the mercy of God
Fondly,
Father Nick Amato
Dear Friend,
It’s a breezy and bright Thursday afternoon (November 2nd) and outside my window the trees are already bear. The Cardinal bushes that line the driveway are ablaze in red. It’s the Feast of All Souls.
One of the great spirituals created by African Americans is one that compared death to a train. The same train that called my father and mother and took them is at the station waiting for me. The train only makes one-way trips to the Land of Glory. Yes, it’s the Glory Train! The composer of the hymn did not try to describe the destination in detail and neither did St. Paul.
While there is no disagreement of St. Paul with the hymn on the certainty of death, he tells his people that they shouldn’t try to imagine what life after death would be like. He himself longed to be dissolved and be with Christ. He also called death the “last enemy to be destroyed.
It’s been said that the road to death is often harder than death itself and St. Paul did not recommend avoiding anxiety by closing the door against any thought of that last enemy.
During this month of November we Catholics reconsider these thoughts as we remember our beloved dead. Such prayers are appropriate when we look at Iraq and the Sudan. The dead these days wear the face of the young.
Let us commend all those who have boarded that train to Glory to the mercy of God
Fondly,
Father Nick Amato
Weekly THIS AND THAT for November 5, 2005: Final Report for Our Annual Offertory Renewal (AOR)
This and That:
Final Report for Our Annual Offertory Renewal (AOR)
Another Annual Renewal has come and gone. How did we fare? What will be the implications of our results? In short, there is good news and bad news. Which do you want first? The bad news is that our weekly attendance numbers for the first quarter of the fiscal year, which began July 1st, are down on the average of 50 people a week. Second, we had only a 20% return (272 households responding) of our registered parishioners return their pledge cards. Those 272 households pledged $501,000, which leaves us $179,000 short of our goal. We received 110 fewer pledges this year than last. The good news is that our registrations are up and those who did respond did so generously. If you are one of the 80% who did not, please do so by simply calling Elaine Hagner at the office (410) 329-6826 or Jack Wright at (410) 357-8179 and they will be happy to take your pledge over the phone.
I want to thank the entire AOR Committee for all their work and especially Jack Wright, its chairperson, for the dedication and energy he continues to give to our parish. Even with his physical challenges, Jack has been faithful to meetings and helping us stay the course. What an example of commitment to Our Lady of Grace!
Your weekly envelope in the basket is what keeps the worship, programs, and services here at Our Lady of Grace going. That envelope funds the ministry budget and all its activities. Whether you have one person at Mass or 650, the expenses for that liturgy are the same. Of course, the income to make that Mass possible is not. That’s why summer weekends, whether the Ravens are in town, Christmas falling on a Sunday, rain, and especially snow, create special challenges. The other thought along this line is that many who attend Mass regularly, and most of those who do not, think of attending Mass as a bit like listening to Public Radio. Someone else will pay to make it possible. They don’t need my donation. Nothing could be farther than the truth. And of course, the need for support goes far beyond Sunday Mass. It extends to all our efforts in Religious Education, Youth Ministry, Adult Faith Formation, Evangelization, Pastoral Care, and Outreach to those in need. While we have the volunteers, we do need the staffing and leadership to make what we do as a parish a reality and that costs money. At such times of financial appeal I am always reminded of St. Paul’s going to the Corinthian people and asking for support for the Church and its mission. The first time he asked, they didn’t respond so he wrote them back again and made it very clear, “Take up a collection!” This time they did and they were very generous.
Because of the lower numbers in attendance this past summer – more of our people were out of town, in town and sleeping in, or simply doing other things at Mass times – our revenues for the first quarter are under budget by 16.3%. This could have implications for our having to hold back on some expenses for we must live with a balanced budget. It is my hope, as well as the Parish Finance Committee’s, that with our people beginning their new weekly offertory commitments November 1st, we will experience an increase in weekly offertory. This is crucial if we are to make our budget.
As your pastor, I share the reality of the head of any household, namely, that there is a great deal of pressure to be the “breadwinner” or to “bring home the bacon.” When the source of “bread” or “bacon” is the free will offerings of your people, the challenge becomes even more daunting. Of course such a situation does give rise to faith in the fact that if we’re doing the Lord’s work, it’s up to the Lord to move the hearts of his People so be attentive to those “stirrings.”
There are concrete things you can do:
➢ Get your own commitment card in or call Elaine Hagner or Jack Wright.
➢ Mention obliquely to a neighbor or friend who is a parishioner, something like, “Gosh, I’ve been meaning to get my offertory pledge in and keep forgetting to do it.”
➢ Pray for the success of the campaign
➢ Honor your commitment by contributing as planned beginning November 1, 2006.
In concluding I do want to thank the 272 families of our 1,400 who have responded to our appeal for support. God bless us all as we continue struggling to be the living presence of the Lord Jesus here in Northern Baltimore County.
Final Report for Our Annual Offertory Renewal (AOR)
Another Annual Renewal has come and gone. How did we fare? What will be the implications of our results? In short, there is good news and bad news. Which do you want first? The bad news is that our weekly attendance numbers for the first quarter of the fiscal year, which began July 1st, are down on the average of 50 people a week. Second, we had only a 20% return (272 households responding) of our registered parishioners return their pledge cards. Those 272 households pledged $501,000, which leaves us $179,000 short of our goal. We received 110 fewer pledges this year than last. The good news is that our registrations are up and those who did respond did so generously. If you are one of the 80% who did not, please do so by simply calling Elaine Hagner at the office (410) 329-6826 or Jack Wright at (410) 357-8179 and they will be happy to take your pledge over the phone.
I want to thank the entire AOR Committee for all their work and especially Jack Wright, its chairperson, for the dedication and energy he continues to give to our parish. Even with his physical challenges, Jack has been faithful to meetings and helping us stay the course. What an example of commitment to Our Lady of Grace!
Your weekly envelope in the basket is what keeps the worship, programs, and services here at Our Lady of Grace going. That envelope funds the ministry budget and all its activities. Whether you have one person at Mass or 650, the expenses for that liturgy are the same. Of course, the income to make that Mass possible is not. That’s why summer weekends, whether the Ravens are in town, Christmas falling on a Sunday, rain, and especially snow, create special challenges. The other thought along this line is that many who attend Mass regularly, and most of those who do not, think of attending Mass as a bit like listening to Public Radio. Someone else will pay to make it possible. They don’t need my donation. Nothing could be farther than the truth. And of course, the need for support goes far beyond Sunday Mass. It extends to all our efforts in Religious Education, Youth Ministry, Adult Faith Formation, Evangelization, Pastoral Care, and Outreach to those in need. While we have the volunteers, we do need the staffing and leadership to make what we do as a parish a reality and that costs money. At such times of financial appeal I am always reminded of St. Paul’s going to the Corinthian people and asking for support for the Church and its mission. The first time he asked, they didn’t respond so he wrote them back again and made it very clear, “Take up a collection!” This time they did and they were very generous.
Because of the lower numbers in attendance this past summer – more of our people were out of town, in town and sleeping in, or simply doing other things at Mass times – our revenues for the first quarter are under budget by 16.3%. This could have implications for our having to hold back on some expenses for we must live with a balanced budget. It is my hope, as well as the Parish Finance Committee’s, that with our people beginning their new weekly offertory commitments November 1st, we will experience an increase in weekly offertory. This is crucial if we are to make our budget.
As your pastor, I share the reality of the head of any household, namely, that there is a great deal of pressure to be the “breadwinner” or to “bring home the bacon.” When the source of “bread” or “bacon” is the free will offerings of your people, the challenge becomes even more daunting. Of course such a situation does give rise to faith in the fact that if we’re doing the Lord’s work, it’s up to the Lord to move the hearts of his People so be attentive to those “stirrings.”
There are concrete things you can do:
➢ Get your own commitment card in or call Elaine Hagner or Jack Wright.
➢ Mention obliquely to a neighbor or friend who is a parishioner, something like, “Gosh, I’ve been meaning to get my offertory pledge in and keep forgetting to do it.”
➢ Pray for the success of the campaign
➢ Honor your commitment by contributing as planned beginning November 1, 2006.
In concluding I do want to thank the 272 families of our 1,400 who have responded to our appeal for support. God bless us all as we continue struggling to be the living presence of the Lord Jesus here in Northern Baltimore County.
Weekly HOMILY for November 11, 2006: Self-Betrayal
31st Sunday of Ordinary Time, Cycle B
Our Lady of Grace
November 5 2006
Self-Betrayal
By (Rev. Msgr.) Nicholas P. Amato
Bud and Nancy
Bud and Nancy have been married six years and they have three children, ages 5, 3 and 4 months.
One night a little after 1:00am Bud is awakened by the crying of their four-year-old son David. Bud thinks to himself, “I should get up and tend to David and let Nancy sleep.”
However, as he lies there very still, other thoughts begin to fill his mind, thoughts about Nancy lying right next to him. “She must hear him too,” he says to himself. He continues to lie perfectly still.
What begins is a little dialogue in his head: “Why doesn’t she get up and take care of the baby? he wonders. “Why should I have to do this?”
Leadership and Self-Deception
That is just the beginning of a true story, a story you may find very familiar from your own child-rearing days.
I read it in this book – Leadership and Self-Deception. And, while this work never refers to the Bible, it has many of the same important points to make about transforming our lives.
The book makes no reference to the two great commandments of love in today’s Gospel. In fact, it never uses the word “love.”
But, when I read the book this past summer, I realized that it gives some excellent insights into human behavior and into our becoming loving persons. Let’s go back to the book and I think you’ll see what I have in mind.
Two Significant Mistakes
Bud himself tells this story about caring for his crying baby.
He says that first he was seeing things only from his own perspective. He was thinking that Nancy was awake even though he didn’t know whether she was or not.
Bud says that he was treating Nancy as an object and not as a person. In effect, he was thinking of her and treating her as a foe or as an object to be used for his own purposes.
Second, Bud admitted that he betrayed himself. He betrayed and did not respond to his inner sense of what he should do – namely, get up and take care of David.
Bud assumes – and I might add correctly so – that we have this inner sense of what we ought to do. We Christians call this inner sense our conscience.
The Results
Then, in the book, Bud talks about the unfortunate results of (1) Treating Nancy as an object and (2) Of betraying his sense of what he ought to do.
He says that this objectifying of her and betraying of himself led him to self-deception. In other words, it led him into a distorted idea both of Nancy and of himself.
He started seeing his wife as lazy, irresponsible and selfish. He started blaming her for everything that wasn’t just right.
And, on the other hand, Bud started justifying himself and his decision not to get up and care for David. He saw himself as hardworking, responsible and doing everything to make the marriage and family work.
He saw himself as deserving of a full night’s sleep without any interruptions.
So, (1) Treating Nancy as an object and (2) Betraying his inner sense of what he should do led Bud into a lot of self-deception.
And, of course, one thought, one idea gives rise to another. The self-deception begins to snowball and starts to make serious inroads on the relationship.
Two Remedies
The conclusions that Bud and the book make are probably obvious.
First, we need to see each other as persons and not as objects. We need to treat others as persons like ourselves – with needs for rest and sleep, for affirmation and love, for accomplishment and fulfillment.
Think about how this might affect the way you see your spouse, a friend, an employee or your employer. Think about how this might affect the way we see Jews or Muslims, Hispanic immigrants or African Americans.
And second, we need to respond out of our inner sense of what we “ought” to do. In other words, we need to be true to our conscience.
Conclusion
Here’s a great application of what I’ve shared. The next time you get into an elevator at a hospital, your place of work, or doctor’s office and you hear someone walking down the hallway.
Do you hit the “open door” button or the “close door” button?
Or think what I’ve shared with you means when I feel the call to bury the hatchet and yet still try to justify my refusal to talk with someone.
For me, these insights have a lot to say about my relationships – one on one. They may also have something to say about the relationships we as a nation have with other nations.
Our Lady of Grace
November 5 2006
Self-Betrayal
By (Rev. Msgr.) Nicholas P. Amato
Bud and Nancy
Bud and Nancy have been married six years and they have three children, ages 5, 3 and 4 months.
One night a little after 1:00am Bud is awakened by the crying of their four-year-old son David. Bud thinks to himself, “I should get up and tend to David and let Nancy sleep.”
However, as he lies there very still, other thoughts begin to fill his mind, thoughts about Nancy lying right next to him. “She must hear him too,” he says to himself. He continues to lie perfectly still.
What begins is a little dialogue in his head: “Why doesn’t she get up and take care of the baby? he wonders. “Why should I have to do this?”
Leadership and Self-Deception
That is just the beginning of a true story, a story you may find very familiar from your own child-rearing days.
I read it in this book – Leadership and Self-Deception. And, while this work never refers to the Bible, it has many of the same important points to make about transforming our lives.
The book makes no reference to the two great commandments of love in today’s Gospel. In fact, it never uses the word “love.”
But, when I read the book this past summer, I realized that it gives some excellent insights into human behavior and into our becoming loving persons. Let’s go back to the book and I think you’ll see what I have in mind.
Two Significant Mistakes
Bud himself tells this story about caring for his crying baby.
He says that first he was seeing things only from his own perspective. He was thinking that Nancy was awake even though he didn’t know whether she was or not.
Bud says that he was treating Nancy as an object and not as a person. In effect, he was thinking of her and treating her as a foe or as an object to be used for his own purposes.
Second, Bud admitted that he betrayed himself. He betrayed and did not respond to his inner sense of what he should do – namely, get up and take care of David.
Bud assumes – and I might add correctly so – that we have this inner sense of what we ought to do. We Christians call this inner sense our conscience.
The Results
Then, in the book, Bud talks about the unfortunate results of (1) Treating Nancy as an object and (2) Of betraying his sense of what he ought to do.
He says that this objectifying of her and betraying of himself led him to self-deception. In other words, it led him into a distorted idea both of Nancy and of himself.
He started seeing his wife as lazy, irresponsible and selfish. He started blaming her for everything that wasn’t just right.
And, on the other hand, Bud started justifying himself and his decision not to get up and care for David. He saw himself as hardworking, responsible and doing everything to make the marriage and family work.
He saw himself as deserving of a full night’s sleep without any interruptions.
So, (1) Treating Nancy as an object and (2) Betraying his inner sense of what he should do led Bud into a lot of self-deception.
And, of course, one thought, one idea gives rise to another. The self-deception begins to snowball and starts to make serious inroads on the relationship.
Two Remedies
The conclusions that Bud and the book make are probably obvious.
First, we need to see each other as persons and not as objects. We need to treat others as persons like ourselves – with needs for rest and sleep, for affirmation and love, for accomplishment and fulfillment.
Think about how this might affect the way you see your spouse, a friend, an employee or your employer. Think about how this might affect the way we see Jews or Muslims, Hispanic immigrants or African Americans.
And second, we need to respond out of our inner sense of what we “ought” to do. In other words, we need to be true to our conscience.
Conclusion
Here’s a great application of what I’ve shared. The next time you get into an elevator at a hospital, your place of work, or doctor’s office and you hear someone walking down the hallway.
Do you hit the “open door” button or the “close door” button?
Or think what I’ve shared with you means when I feel the call to bury the hatchet and yet still try to justify my refusal to talk with someone.
For me, these insights have a lot to say about my relationships – one on one. They may also have something to say about the relationships we as a nation have with other nations.
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