May 31, 2007
Focus: On the Lighter Side
Dear Friend,
We are presently beginning to think of inviting individuals to join our Inquiry Group of the Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults for those interested in learning more about the Catholic Church. The following little anecdote about “becoming Catholic” came to mind. I hope it gives you a chuckle.
Sister Mary, who worked for a home health agency, was out making her rounds visiting homebound patients when she ran out of gas. As luck would have it, a gas station was just a block away.
She walked to the station to borrow a gas can and buy some gas. The attendant told her that the only gas can he owned had been loaned out, but she could wait until it was returned.
Since the nun was on the way to see a patient, she decided not to wait and walked back to her car. She looked for something in her car that she could fill with gas and spotted the bedpan she was taking to the patient. Always resourceful, she carried the bedpan to the station, filled it with gas, and carried the full bedpan carefully back to her car.
As she was pouring the gas into her tank, two men, walking by, watched from across the street. One of them turned to the other and said, “If it starts, I’m turning Catholic!”
Fondly,
Father Nick Amato
Thursday, May 31, 2007
Weekly THIS AND THAT for June 3, 2007: Gillian Vincent on the Power of Ignorance
This and That:
Gillian Vincent on “The Power of Ignorance”
During the month of April the Hereford and Jacksonville Optimist Clubs selected sixteen participants from all sixth, seventh, and eighth-grade students to participate in each of their local competitions. As a result of their local competitions, three students from Our Lady of Grace School were chosen. Brittany Martin and Scott Novak were to represent Jacksonville and Gillian Vincent was to represent Hereford at the Cockeysville area competition. Scott is in our seventh grade; Brittany and Gillian are in our eighth grade. This is the second of three essays being published in the weekly bulletin. What a joy it is to share the marvelous skills our boys and girls have developed at Our Lady of Grace School. Congratulations Brittany, Gillian, and Scott, we are very proud of you!
Fondly,
Father Nick Amato
The definition of the word ignorance, according to the Miriam Webster Dictionary, is “The condition of being uneducated, unaware, or uninformed.” It is when one acts on ignorance that ignorance becomes the most difficult challenge. What so many fail to understand is that ignorance harms the next generation and that we are left with our ancestors mistakes. Another thing that makes ignorance of the world so challenging is the harm it inflicts on others. Dr. Martin Luther King said, “Nothing in the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity.” Dr. King’s statement is correct in the fact that we harm others with our uniformed ideals on certain subjects and beliefs. Ignorance begins as a state of unawareness and being ill advised, but such lack of knowledge can grow to a hate that is based upon non-existent principles. Ignorance causes pain for everyone and comes in many forms.
Environmental and global destruction are forms of ignorance. We are uninformed as to what the effects of our, at times, immoderate lives will be upon our environment. Earth is being destroyed and one of the terrible effects of our pollution is global warming. What could ignorance have to do with the warming of our Earth? Our own ignorance is that we ignore the warnings of our earth, this way avoiding the inconvenience of cutting down on our industrialized lifestyles. There are many effects of global warming which include a decrease in polar bears and the melting of the icecaps. However, what is to come surpasses the destruction of now. Scientists say that, because of global warming, the temperature of our Earth will rise by three to ten degrees in the next 100 years which will cause a great disturbance in ecosystems, weather patterns, and agriculture. This devastation of the Earth affects me as well. I, or my descendants, will be the ones forced into cleaning up this mess caused by the past communities or I will be alive during world’s end. The vast majority seems uninterested in fixing this issue.
Throughout the nations of the globe intolerance is found in different forms. There is sexism and ethnic intolerance among lands. I must now overcome the intolerance of others towards my own culture and intolerance of those around me so I may keep a nonjudgmental mind. During the early 1920’s, suffragists strove to gain female equality and abolish sexism. Suffragist Susan B. Anthony once said “It was we the people; not we, the white male citizens.” Anthony is right, this nation was built upon equality, but it was a limited equality that only applied to a select few, while separate cultures fought for their rights. Even now, some eighty years later, men still receive more pay than women. Religious and ethnic intolerance frequently leads to hate crimes, wars, and genocide. As I address you ladies and gentlemen, the Sunnis and the Shiites of the Middle East battle because of their different religious beliefs. Thousands of Sunnis and Shiites of Lebanon, Iran, Iraq, and Saudi Arabia have killed, and continue to kill, each other simply because they disagree as to who the leader of the Middle East should be. One of the religious groups claims a government leader is best while the other says that a descendant of Muhammad is a better choice. The terror of this example of religious intolerance is that no one is spared and the government supports it. Abdul Rahman al-Barak, a top Saudi cleric, said that Shiites are worse than “Jews or Christians.” The hate in the words of these government leaders inspires much of the killing. Intolerance is blind as is the hate that is built on it.
Ignorance is the first spark that lights the fire of hate and destruction. Throughout the rest of my life I will have to overcome the judgment of others that may be prejudiced towards my race, gender, or my religion. I will also have to overcome the ignorance of others, as I try to better the world and myself. Dr. Elie Wiesel, an author and Holocaust survivor, once said in reference to genocide. “A destruction, an annihilation that only man can provoke, man can prevent.” Wiesel is right. We, not our government leaders, but the populace alone can prevent hatred and gain equality. The difficult and sad truth is, few people are willing to, and will stand and be proud. In order to succeed, we might have to stand alone. That is my greatest challenge.
Gillian Vincent on “The Power of Ignorance”
During the month of April the Hereford and Jacksonville Optimist Clubs selected sixteen participants from all sixth, seventh, and eighth-grade students to participate in each of their local competitions. As a result of their local competitions, three students from Our Lady of Grace School were chosen. Brittany Martin and Scott Novak were to represent Jacksonville and Gillian Vincent was to represent Hereford at the Cockeysville area competition. Scott is in our seventh grade; Brittany and Gillian are in our eighth grade. This is the second of three essays being published in the weekly bulletin. What a joy it is to share the marvelous skills our boys and girls have developed at Our Lady of Grace School. Congratulations Brittany, Gillian, and Scott, we are very proud of you!
Fondly,
Father Nick Amato
The definition of the word ignorance, according to the Miriam Webster Dictionary, is “The condition of being uneducated, unaware, or uninformed.” It is when one acts on ignorance that ignorance becomes the most difficult challenge. What so many fail to understand is that ignorance harms the next generation and that we are left with our ancestors mistakes. Another thing that makes ignorance of the world so challenging is the harm it inflicts on others. Dr. Martin Luther King said, “Nothing in the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity.” Dr. King’s statement is correct in the fact that we harm others with our uniformed ideals on certain subjects and beliefs. Ignorance begins as a state of unawareness and being ill advised, but such lack of knowledge can grow to a hate that is based upon non-existent principles. Ignorance causes pain for everyone and comes in many forms.
Environmental and global destruction are forms of ignorance. We are uninformed as to what the effects of our, at times, immoderate lives will be upon our environment. Earth is being destroyed and one of the terrible effects of our pollution is global warming. What could ignorance have to do with the warming of our Earth? Our own ignorance is that we ignore the warnings of our earth, this way avoiding the inconvenience of cutting down on our industrialized lifestyles. There are many effects of global warming which include a decrease in polar bears and the melting of the icecaps. However, what is to come surpasses the destruction of now. Scientists say that, because of global warming, the temperature of our Earth will rise by three to ten degrees in the next 100 years which will cause a great disturbance in ecosystems, weather patterns, and agriculture. This devastation of the Earth affects me as well. I, or my descendants, will be the ones forced into cleaning up this mess caused by the past communities or I will be alive during world’s end. The vast majority seems uninterested in fixing this issue.
Throughout the nations of the globe intolerance is found in different forms. There is sexism and ethnic intolerance among lands. I must now overcome the intolerance of others towards my own culture and intolerance of those around me so I may keep a nonjudgmental mind. During the early 1920’s, suffragists strove to gain female equality and abolish sexism. Suffragist Susan B. Anthony once said “It was we the people; not we, the white male citizens.” Anthony is right, this nation was built upon equality, but it was a limited equality that only applied to a select few, while separate cultures fought for their rights. Even now, some eighty years later, men still receive more pay than women. Religious and ethnic intolerance frequently leads to hate crimes, wars, and genocide. As I address you ladies and gentlemen, the Sunnis and the Shiites of the Middle East battle because of their different religious beliefs. Thousands of Sunnis and Shiites of Lebanon, Iran, Iraq, and Saudi Arabia have killed, and continue to kill, each other simply because they disagree as to who the leader of the Middle East should be. One of the religious groups claims a government leader is best while the other says that a descendant of Muhammad is a better choice. The terror of this example of religious intolerance is that no one is spared and the government supports it. Abdul Rahman al-Barak, a top Saudi cleric, said that Shiites are worse than “Jews or Christians.” The hate in the words of these government leaders inspires much of the killing. Intolerance is blind as is the hate that is built on it.
Ignorance is the first spark that lights the fire of hate and destruction. Throughout the rest of my life I will have to overcome the judgment of others that may be prejudiced towards my race, gender, or my religion. I will also have to overcome the ignorance of others, as I try to better the world and myself. Dr. Elie Wiesel, an author and Holocaust survivor, once said in reference to genocide. “A destruction, an annihilation that only man can provoke, man can prevent.” Wiesel is right. We, not our government leaders, but the populace alone can prevent hatred and gain equality. The difficult and sad truth is, few people are willing to, and will stand and be proud. In order to succeed, we might have to stand alone. That is my greatest challenge.
Weekly HOMILY for June 3: A Promise to Fulfill a Yearning
Solemnity of the Holy Trinity, Cycle C
Our Lady of Grace
June 3, 2007
The Trinity: A Promise to Fulfill a Yearning
By (Rev. Msgr.) Nicholas P. Amato
The Trinity
I was in the Major Seminary studying theology from 1966 to 1970.
One of our core courses was titled “The Triune God.” Imagine that: a three-credit graduate course for five months solely on the Trinity!
We studied the roots in the Scripture of our belief in God as Father, Son and Holy Spirit. We studied the development of that belief that led to the declaration of the doctrine of the Trinity in the year 325 at the Council of Nicaea.
And then we studied the insights of theologians from that time for 1,700 years to the present day all attempting to explain how there can be three persons in one God. And I must admit, even with all of this insight and study, the Trinity remains a mystery.
It is a mystery because we humans can never fully understand God or the Trinity. It is a mystery because there is always something more to be said about God or the Trinity.
About God and Us
Over my 37 years as a priest, I have shared many ideas on Trinity Sunday, and this weekend, I have yet another insight or approach. You might say I’m still uncovering the mystery.
My idea is that God through Jesus has promised us: “I will be with you always.” For our part, as human beings, we have deep within us the yearning to be close to God and to be like God.
So, how can God’s promise to “be with us always” and our yearning to be close to God and even God-like ever be satisfied? I have discovered that the Scripture reveals a threefold or three-step process for this “promise” and “yearning” to come together.
1. Created in God’s Likeness
First, in the moment of creation, God says: “Let us create humans in our own likeness.”
And that is what God does. What is this likeness between God and us?
The consensus is that since we have bodies and God does not, flesh is not the likeness. It seems more likely that our higher faculties, our spiritual powers of intellect and will, they are what make us like God.
So, our ability to reflect and be conscious of ourselves, and our ability to think and arrive at an understanding about things – these functions of our intellect make us like God who knows all that is.
In addition our ability to choose to sit or stand, to say or do something that is helpful or hurtful – our free will makes us like God who wills to create us.
The conclusion then is that there is something of God within us, something that is part and parcel of our very being. So you might say that at birth we begin with a fundamental closeness and likeness to God.
2. One of Us
As a sort of second step in the process of “promise” meeting “yearning,” God actually becomes one of us.
From God’s point of view, the choice was automatic. Since God does not make rocks, rhubarb, or and rabbits in his image, God would not become a mineral, plant, or animal.
God could express himself only in something that already images him. And that is us human beings.
From our point of view, the Incarnation of God is an amazing feat when you think about it. God has become human and one of us humans has become God!
God takes on our humanity and one of us takes on God’s divinity.
So, in a second way, God is with us and we are close to God and even like God. That union of “promise” and “yearning” gets more and more intense.
3. Through the Spirit
And yet, how in fact is God with all of us, and how in fact are all of us close to God and like God?
After all God – the Son – could become only one person because human flesh is limited. We need a manifestation of God that is not bound by human flesh. Enter God’s Spirit for a spirit is not limited.
So God – the Father or Creator and God the Son or Jesus – so God breathes his very Spirit into each of us. And this invisible Spirit comes to us through the visible water of Baptism and the visible bread and wine of the Eucharist.
And we call this Spirit, spelled with a capital S, the Holy Spirit. It is God actually dwelling within us.
It makes us close to God and little by little over time, it transforms us more and more like God himself.
Conclusion
On today’s Solemnity, after 37 annual reflections on the Trinity, I continue to have revealed to me the mystery of how God’s “promise” and our “yearnings” to be like God are being fulfilled.
It is my hope that some of that same mystery is being revealed to you.
Our Lady of Grace
June 3, 2007
The Trinity: A Promise to Fulfill a Yearning
By (Rev. Msgr.) Nicholas P. Amato
The Trinity
I was in the Major Seminary studying theology from 1966 to 1970.
One of our core courses was titled “The Triune God.” Imagine that: a three-credit graduate course for five months solely on the Trinity!
We studied the roots in the Scripture of our belief in God as Father, Son and Holy Spirit. We studied the development of that belief that led to the declaration of the doctrine of the Trinity in the year 325 at the Council of Nicaea.
And then we studied the insights of theologians from that time for 1,700 years to the present day all attempting to explain how there can be three persons in one God. And I must admit, even with all of this insight and study, the Trinity remains a mystery.
It is a mystery because we humans can never fully understand God or the Trinity. It is a mystery because there is always something more to be said about God or the Trinity.
About God and Us
Over my 37 years as a priest, I have shared many ideas on Trinity Sunday, and this weekend, I have yet another insight or approach. You might say I’m still uncovering the mystery.
My idea is that God through Jesus has promised us: “I will be with you always.” For our part, as human beings, we have deep within us the yearning to be close to God and to be like God.
So, how can God’s promise to “be with us always” and our yearning to be close to God and even God-like ever be satisfied? I have discovered that the Scripture reveals a threefold or three-step process for this “promise” and “yearning” to come together.
1. Created in God’s Likeness
First, in the moment of creation, God says: “Let us create humans in our own likeness.”
And that is what God does. What is this likeness between God and us?
The consensus is that since we have bodies and God does not, flesh is not the likeness. It seems more likely that our higher faculties, our spiritual powers of intellect and will, they are what make us like God.
So, our ability to reflect and be conscious of ourselves, and our ability to think and arrive at an understanding about things – these functions of our intellect make us like God who knows all that is.
In addition our ability to choose to sit or stand, to say or do something that is helpful or hurtful – our free will makes us like God who wills to create us.
The conclusion then is that there is something of God within us, something that is part and parcel of our very being. So you might say that at birth we begin with a fundamental closeness and likeness to God.
2. One of Us
As a sort of second step in the process of “promise” meeting “yearning,” God actually becomes one of us.
From God’s point of view, the choice was automatic. Since God does not make rocks, rhubarb, or and rabbits in his image, God would not become a mineral, plant, or animal.
God could express himself only in something that already images him. And that is us human beings.
From our point of view, the Incarnation of God is an amazing feat when you think about it. God has become human and one of us humans has become God!
God takes on our humanity and one of us takes on God’s divinity.
So, in a second way, God is with us and we are close to God and even like God. That union of “promise” and “yearning” gets more and more intense.
3. Through the Spirit
And yet, how in fact is God with all of us, and how in fact are all of us close to God and like God?
After all God – the Son – could become only one person because human flesh is limited. We need a manifestation of God that is not bound by human flesh. Enter God’s Spirit for a spirit is not limited.
So God – the Father or Creator and God the Son or Jesus – so God breathes his very Spirit into each of us. And this invisible Spirit comes to us through the visible water of Baptism and the visible bread and wine of the Eucharist.
And we call this Spirit, spelled with a capital S, the Holy Spirit. It is God actually dwelling within us.
It makes us close to God and little by little over time, it transforms us more and more like God himself.
Conclusion
On today’s Solemnity, after 37 annual reflections on the Trinity, I continue to have revealed to me the mystery of how God’s “promise” and our “yearnings” to be like God are being fulfilled.
It is my hope that some of that same mystery is being revealed to you.
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
Weekly MESSAGE for May 27, 2007: Summer -- A Time for Reading
May 23, 2007
Focus: Summer – A Time for Reading
Dear Friend,
I always associate leisurely reading with the coming of beautiful weather and summer. Every book we read has the potential to touch the human soul deeply, arousing patterns of thought that might otherwise have lain dormant. The pleasure we derive from the written word is unique in that we must labor for it. Other forms of art like music, drama, and painting provide us with stimulus and ask nothing more than our emotional response. Reading on the other hand is an active pastime that requires an investment of emotion, as well as our concentration and imagination. The words we read are merely a starting point for a process that takes place largely within our minds and hearts.
There are few activities as comforting, relaxing, and healthy as perusing the pages of a good piece of fiction or nonfiction. Curling up with a book and a glass of iced tea is one of the simplest ways we can remove ourselves from the confines of reality in order to immerse ourselves in the drama and intrigue of the unfamiliar. The pleasure of transcending reality is only one aspect of the reading experience, however. Each time we read for enjoyment, whether we prefer the fantastic nature of fiction, the empathy awakened within us by memoir, or the instructive passion of nonfiction, we create entire landscapes in our mind’s eye. The books we choose provide us with the inspiration we need to accomplish such a feat, but it is our own creative reserves that empower us to use our imaginations for this unique and beautiful purpose.
The tales you lose yourself in can lead you on paths of discovery that take you out of your own life and help you see that existence can unfold in an infinite number of ways. You can learn so much from the characters and mentors who guide you from page to page. Your emotions are awakened each time you read, allowing you to become vessels of the passion that pours forth from line after line of print. Ultimately, the books you absorb – those that touch you deeply – will become a part of who you are, providing you with a rich and thrilling world within that you can revisit anytime you wish by simply closing your eyes. If you haven’t read a book for pleasure lately, try and allow yourself the time. You deserve it.
Fondly,
Father Nick Amato
Focus: Summer – A Time for Reading
Dear Friend,
I always associate leisurely reading with the coming of beautiful weather and summer. Every book we read has the potential to touch the human soul deeply, arousing patterns of thought that might otherwise have lain dormant. The pleasure we derive from the written word is unique in that we must labor for it. Other forms of art like music, drama, and painting provide us with stimulus and ask nothing more than our emotional response. Reading on the other hand is an active pastime that requires an investment of emotion, as well as our concentration and imagination. The words we read are merely a starting point for a process that takes place largely within our minds and hearts.
There are few activities as comforting, relaxing, and healthy as perusing the pages of a good piece of fiction or nonfiction. Curling up with a book and a glass of iced tea is one of the simplest ways we can remove ourselves from the confines of reality in order to immerse ourselves in the drama and intrigue of the unfamiliar. The pleasure of transcending reality is only one aspect of the reading experience, however. Each time we read for enjoyment, whether we prefer the fantastic nature of fiction, the empathy awakened within us by memoir, or the instructive passion of nonfiction, we create entire landscapes in our mind’s eye. The books we choose provide us with the inspiration we need to accomplish such a feat, but it is our own creative reserves that empower us to use our imaginations for this unique and beautiful purpose.
The tales you lose yourself in can lead you on paths of discovery that take you out of your own life and help you see that existence can unfold in an infinite number of ways. You can learn so much from the characters and mentors who guide you from page to page. Your emotions are awakened each time you read, allowing you to become vessels of the passion that pours forth from line after line of print. Ultimately, the books you absorb – those that touch you deeply – will become a part of who you are, providing you with a rich and thrilling world within that you can revisit anytime you wish by simply closing your eyes. If you haven’t read a book for pleasure lately, try and allow yourself the time. You deserve it.
Fondly,
Father Nick Amato
Weekly THIS AND THAT for May 27, 2007: Brittany Martin on "My Greatest Challenge"
This and That:
Brittany Martin on “My Greatest Challenge”
During the month of April the Hereford and Jacksonville Optimist Clubs selected sixteen participants from all sixth, seventh, and eighth-grade students to participate in each of their local competitions. As a result of their local competitions, three students from Our Lady of Grace School were chosen. Brittany Martin and Scott Novak were to represent Jacksonville and Gillian Vincent was to represent Hereford at the Cockeysville area competition. Scott is in our seventh grade; Brittany and Gillian are in our eighth grade. This weekend and the two following I will be printing their speeches here in the weekly bulletin to share the marvelous skills our boys and girls have developed at Our Lady of Grace School. Congratulations Brittany, Gillian, and Scott, we are very proud of you!
Fondly,
Father Nick Amato
My greatest challenge is understanding how I can make a difference towards the goal of world peace. World peace is such an overwhelming goal, how can an ordinary person, like me, matter. First, I have to establish what world peace means to me. Is it a world without war, gangs, or weaponry; is it a world with no boundaries; is it a world with no poverty; is it a world without discrimination of race, religion, or ethnicity? To me, it’s all these things. We can face this challenge by overcoming the obstacles to world peace, recognizing the achievements of people who have influenced world peace, and figuring out how each of us can be a factor to world peace.
Obviously, the most severe obstacle to World Peace is War. From the expansion of the Roman Empire, to the present Iraqi conflict, war has been around for centuries. It seems to me, that both sides believe their cause will create peace. And yet, in each and every instance, peace was never sustained. War achieved very little and therefore, in my opinion, is a misguided means to their end. As I experience the current Iraqi War, it’s sad to watch, and listen, knowing how past wars never really ended. In Ronald Reagan’s Address on United States-Soviet Relations, he said, “To keep the peace, we and our allies must be strong enough to convince any potential aggressor that war could bring no benefit, only disaster.”
Race, Religion, ethnicity, more wealth, more land, and more power have all started these wars. But, history provides us with many great people who rose above these barriers to world peace. They are an inspiration to me in their personal acceptance of the responsibility to make a difference. They give me reason to believe that, in being like them, I, too, can make a contribution.
Born to uneducated parents on a farm in Kentucky, lost his mother at age nine, Abraham Lincoln preserved the Union and abolished slavery. Living as a peasant with parents unrightfully sentenced to prison, Mikhail Gorbachev created peace between Russia and Japan and also contributed to the ending of the Cold War. Growing up under American segregation of blacks, Martin Luther King rose above the racial inequalities that got in the way of a peace-loving world. Pope John Paul II became known as the "Pilgrim Pope" for traveling great distances. According to John Paul II, the trips symbolized bridge-building efforts between nations and religions, attempting to remove divisions created throughout history. While history describes those individuals as great, some even to be Nobel Peace prizewinners, they began life as ordinary people, just like me. But they accepted the challenge to be responsible for achieving world peace.
I can contribute towards world peace as well. Any ordinary person can help the world if they recognize that every good deed no matter how small makes a world of difference. This reminds me of a movie I saw called “Pay it Forward,” where an 11-year-old boy comes up with the idea that if one person does a good deed for three people, then each of those does a good deed for another three people, and those nine people do a good deed for three more, and the chain continues, it can have an incredible impact. This requires an extreme act of faith in others. This movie makes the point that it is hard for people, who are so used to the way things are, to change, that they just give up, and everyone loses. The prominent Greek statesmen and orator, Demosthenes, said “Small opportunities are often the beginning of great enterprises.” So seize every opportunity because, I believe it can make a local, national, or even global difference towards the goal of world peace.
Brittany Martin
February 13, 2007
Brittany Martin on “My Greatest Challenge”
During the month of April the Hereford and Jacksonville Optimist Clubs selected sixteen participants from all sixth, seventh, and eighth-grade students to participate in each of their local competitions. As a result of their local competitions, three students from Our Lady of Grace School were chosen. Brittany Martin and Scott Novak were to represent Jacksonville and Gillian Vincent was to represent Hereford at the Cockeysville area competition. Scott is in our seventh grade; Brittany and Gillian are in our eighth grade. This weekend and the two following I will be printing their speeches here in the weekly bulletin to share the marvelous skills our boys and girls have developed at Our Lady of Grace School. Congratulations Brittany, Gillian, and Scott, we are very proud of you!
Fondly,
Father Nick Amato
My greatest challenge is understanding how I can make a difference towards the goal of world peace. World peace is such an overwhelming goal, how can an ordinary person, like me, matter. First, I have to establish what world peace means to me. Is it a world without war, gangs, or weaponry; is it a world with no boundaries; is it a world with no poverty; is it a world without discrimination of race, religion, or ethnicity? To me, it’s all these things. We can face this challenge by overcoming the obstacles to world peace, recognizing the achievements of people who have influenced world peace, and figuring out how each of us can be a factor to world peace.
Obviously, the most severe obstacle to World Peace is War. From the expansion of the Roman Empire, to the present Iraqi conflict, war has been around for centuries. It seems to me, that both sides believe their cause will create peace. And yet, in each and every instance, peace was never sustained. War achieved very little and therefore, in my opinion, is a misguided means to their end. As I experience the current Iraqi War, it’s sad to watch, and listen, knowing how past wars never really ended. In Ronald Reagan’s Address on United States-Soviet Relations, he said, “To keep the peace, we and our allies must be strong enough to convince any potential aggressor that war could bring no benefit, only disaster.”
Race, Religion, ethnicity, more wealth, more land, and more power have all started these wars. But, history provides us with many great people who rose above these barriers to world peace. They are an inspiration to me in their personal acceptance of the responsibility to make a difference. They give me reason to believe that, in being like them, I, too, can make a contribution.
Born to uneducated parents on a farm in Kentucky, lost his mother at age nine, Abraham Lincoln preserved the Union and abolished slavery. Living as a peasant with parents unrightfully sentenced to prison, Mikhail Gorbachev created peace between Russia and Japan and also contributed to the ending of the Cold War. Growing up under American segregation of blacks, Martin Luther King rose above the racial inequalities that got in the way of a peace-loving world. Pope John Paul II became known as the "Pilgrim Pope" for traveling great distances. According to John Paul II, the trips symbolized bridge-building efforts between nations and religions, attempting to remove divisions created throughout history. While history describes those individuals as great, some even to be Nobel Peace prizewinners, they began life as ordinary people, just like me. But they accepted the challenge to be responsible for achieving world peace.
I can contribute towards world peace as well. Any ordinary person can help the world if they recognize that every good deed no matter how small makes a world of difference. This reminds me of a movie I saw called “Pay it Forward,” where an 11-year-old boy comes up with the idea that if one person does a good deed for three people, then each of those does a good deed for another three people, and those nine people do a good deed for three more, and the chain continues, it can have an incredible impact. This requires an extreme act of faith in others. This movie makes the point that it is hard for people, who are so used to the way things are, to change, that they just give up, and everyone loses. The prominent Greek statesmen and orator, Demosthenes, said “Small opportunities are often the beginning of great enterprises.” So seize every opportunity because, I believe it can make a local, national, or even global difference towards the goal of world peace.
Brittany Martin
February 13, 2007
Weekly HOMILY for May 27, 2007: How the Church and We Survive
The Solemnity of Pentecost, Cycle C
Our Lady of Grace
May 27, 2007
How the Church and We Survive
By (Rev. Msgr.) Nicholas P. Amato
TV Survivors
It was this month in the year 2000 that a new TV show first aired. Anybody guess what it was? Yes, Survivor! It has been around a while and has become a very popular show.
Each series has a very varied group of individuals who are sent to a remote area of the world where their skills at surviving the elements are tested.
We viewers witness amazing challenges where the individuals must prove their physical, mental, and emotional strengths and endurance.
As each competition progresses, the daily frictions that are an inevitable aspect of day-to-day living arise and are exacerbated by the rigors of living in the wild. The difficulties are compounded by the ambition to triumph over others at all costs.
Gradually, the viewer begins to see certain personality and character traits revealed in the contestants, not all of which are admirable.
Because the prize to be awarded in the end is a considerable sum of money and because there will be only one winner, contestants do whatever is necessary to survive. In the end, the sole survivor is declared the winner.
The Church As Survivor
Today, as the Church, we celebrate not just one of us, but all of us, who have survived together as a community in this world from the time of Jesus himself.
Despite the challenges, the failures and all the tests of endurance that living in this world as Jesus’ disciples may bring into our lives, the Church survives, and at different times even thrives.
But unlike the survivors of TV show, whose desire to outlast, outwit, and outdo one another is their sole motivation, the continued survival of the Church is due to another force, another presence.
The Spirit in the Church
This “Other” assures the Church’s continued presence in the world as a witness to the person and mission of Jesus.
This “Other” does not permit the Church to be relegated to distant memory or closed away in a history book.
This “Other” empowers the Church to be pertinent, relevant, and ever attentive to the changing circumstances that call forth its best efforts at making known the Good News, at service, at speaking truth to governments and the world.
And because of our link, our connection, our presence as part of that Church, this “Other” endows believers with unique gifts and inspires each with real survival skills, survival skills like faith, hope, love, and trust.
For all these reasons, every celebration of the Church is also, in truth, a celebration of the “Other,” without whom the Church would not be the Church; that Other – you may have guessed by now – is of course who?
Yes, the Holy Spirit!
The Spirit in Us
(As the Power to Welcome) What I’d like to suggest is this: if the Spirit could move the earliest believers in Jesus to overcome their reluctance to welcome Gentiles freely and fully into the community, cannot the same Spirit move us also to see beyond our fears and prejudices to welcome all others in Christ?
To welcome the sinner, the outcast, the unpopular, the one whose talked about?
(As the Power to Overcome Controversy) If the Spirit could continue to move and preserve the Church through heresies, controversies, dual papacies, so called “Holy Wars,” and schisms, cannot the same Spirit move us to try to understand and negotiate rather than to alienate and condemn?
To understand the person at work, whom no one seems to understand? Negotiate with the neighbor no one likes?
(As the Power to Center Ourselves) There is a final area of energy that is ours.
If the Spirit could move the Church through the work of more than two dozen councils over 2,000 years toward a renewal and recentering of itself in Christ, cannot the same Spirit move us to remember and regain our rootedness in those virtues by which we, as Church, were first recognized and identified by the world.
Couldn’t people know or recognize us as Catholics:
By the quality of our love?
By the optimism of our hope?
By the assuredness of our believing?
By the generosity of our service?
And by our communion with one another?
Conclusion
I leave you with an image. We may be similar to a group that gathers around an important personage say a club committed to George Washington or an Albert Einstein or Jackie Robinson.
And if our personage were Jesus Christ alone, we would be no more powerful, no more able to survive than either of those three groups I’ve just mentioned.
However the group called the Church – because Jesus breathes into it the Holy Spirit and that Holy Spirit continues to live, and breathe and animate the Church – as a group, it takes on the quality of being able to survive.
And so it has for 2,000 years and so it will until the end of time.
And we – as long as we are connected and bound to this community called the Catholic Church – we draw our life from that Spirit-filled connection.
And it is that relationship that empowers us to (1) Welcome, (2) Overcome Controversy, and (3) Center Ourselves. It is that Spirit that assures us our survival.
Our Lady of Grace
May 27, 2007
How the Church and We Survive
By (Rev. Msgr.) Nicholas P. Amato
TV Survivors
It was this month in the year 2000 that a new TV show first aired. Anybody guess what it was? Yes, Survivor! It has been around a while and has become a very popular show.
Each series has a very varied group of individuals who are sent to a remote area of the world where their skills at surviving the elements are tested.
We viewers witness amazing challenges where the individuals must prove their physical, mental, and emotional strengths and endurance.
As each competition progresses, the daily frictions that are an inevitable aspect of day-to-day living arise and are exacerbated by the rigors of living in the wild. The difficulties are compounded by the ambition to triumph over others at all costs.
Gradually, the viewer begins to see certain personality and character traits revealed in the contestants, not all of which are admirable.
Because the prize to be awarded in the end is a considerable sum of money and because there will be only one winner, contestants do whatever is necessary to survive. In the end, the sole survivor is declared the winner.
The Church As Survivor
Today, as the Church, we celebrate not just one of us, but all of us, who have survived together as a community in this world from the time of Jesus himself.
Despite the challenges, the failures and all the tests of endurance that living in this world as Jesus’ disciples may bring into our lives, the Church survives, and at different times even thrives.
But unlike the survivors of TV show, whose desire to outlast, outwit, and outdo one another is their sole motivation, the continued survival of the Church is due to another force, another presence.
The Spirit in the Church
This “Other” assures the Church’s continued presence in the world as a witness to the person and mission of Jesus.
This “Other” does not permit the Church to be relegated to distant memory or closed away in a history book.
This “Other” empowers the Church to be pertinent, relevant, and ever attentive to the changing circumstances that call forth its best efforts at making known the Good News, at service, at speaking truth to governments and the world.
And because of our link, our connection, our presence as part of that Church, this “Other” endows believers with unique gifts and inspires each with real survival skills, survival skills like faith, hope, love, and trust.
For all these reasons, every celebration of the Church is also, in truth, a celebration of the “Other,” without whom the Church would not be the Church; that Other – you may have guessed by now – is of course who?
Yes, the Holy Spirit!
The Spirit in Us
(As the Power to Welcome) What I’d like to suggest is this: if the Spirit could move the earliest believers in Jesus to overcome their reluctance to welcome Gentiles freely and fully into the community, cannot the same Spirit move us also to see beyond our fears and prejudices to welcome all others in Christ?
To welcome the sinner, the outcast, the unpopular, the one whose talked about?
(As the Power to Overcome Controversy) If the Spirit could continue to move and preserve the Church through heresies, controversies, dual papacies, so called “Holy Wars,” and schisms, cannot the same Spirit move us to try to understand and negotiate rather than to alienate and condemn?
To understand the person at work, whom no one seems to understand? Negotiate with the neighbor no one likes?
(As the Power to Center Ourselves) There is a final area of energy that is ours.
If the Spirit could move the Church through the work of more than two dozen councils over 2,000 years toward a renewal and recentering of itself in Christ, cannot the same Spirit move us to remember and regain our rootedness in those virtues by which we, as Church, were first recognized and identified by the world.
Couldn’t people know or recognize us as Catholics:
By the quality of our love?
By the optimism of our hope?
By the assuredness of our believing?
By the generosity of our service?
And by our communion with one another?
Conclusion
I leave you with an image. We may be similar to a group that gathers around an important personage say a club committed to George Washington or an Albert Einstein or Jackie Robinson.
And if our personage were Jesus Christ alone, we would be no more powerful, no more able to survive than either of those three groups I’ve just mentioned.
However the group called the Church – because Jesus breathes into it the Holy Spirit and that Holy Spirit continues to live, and breathe and animate the Church – as a group, it takes on the quality of being able to survive.
And so it has for 2,000 years and so it will until the end of time.
And we – as long as we are connected and bound to this community called the Catholic Church – we draw our life from that Spirit-filled connection.
And it is that relationship that empowers us to (1) Welcome, (2) Overcome Controversy, and (3) Center Ourselves. It is that Spirit that assures us our survival.
Thursday, May 17, 2007
Weekly MESSAGE for May 20, 2007: The Truth Is One
May 15, 2007
Focus: The Truth Is One
Dear Friend,
A parishioner and dear friend sent me a few more Zen statements. They are very provocative. I thought you would enjoy them.
Fondly,
Father Nick Amato
➢ The journey of a thousand miles begins with a broken fan belt and a leaky tire.
➢ It’s always darkest before dawn. So if you’re going to steal your neighbor’s newspaper, that’s the time to do it.
➢ Don’t be irreplaceable. If you can’t be replaced, you can’t be promoted.
➢ Always remember you’re unique. Just like everyone else. (There is something truly Christian in this one, the longer I think about it.)
➢ Never test the depth of the water with both feet.
➢ Before you criticize someone, you should walk a mile in their shoes. That way, when you criticize them you’re a mile away and you have their shoes.
➢ If at first you don’t succeed, skydiving is not for you.
➢ Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day. Teach him how to fish, and he will sit in a boat and drink beer all day.
➢ If you lend someone $20 and never see that person again, it was probably worth it.
➢ Good judgment comes from bad experience, and a lot of that comes from bad judgment.
➢ A closed mouth gathers no foot.
Focus: The Truth Is One
Dear Friend,
A parishioner and dear friend sent me a few more Zen statements. They are very provocative. I thought you would enjoy them.
Fondly,
Father Nick Amato
➢ The journey of a thousand miles begins with a broken fan belt and a leaky tire.
➢ It’s always darkest before dawn. So if you’re going to steal your neighbor’s newspaper, that’s the time to do it.
➢ Don’t be irreplaceable. If you can’t be replaced, you can’t be promoted.
➢ Always remember you’re unique. Just like everyone else. (There is something truly Christian in this one, the longer I think about it.)
➢ Never test the depth of the water with both feet.
➢ Before you criticize someone, you should walk a mile in their shoes. That way, when you criticize them you’re a mile away and you have their shoes.
➢ If at first you don’t succeed, skydiving is not for you.
➢ Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day. Teach him how to fish, and he will sit in a boat and drink beer all day.
➢ If you lend someone $20 and never see that person again, it was probably worth it.
➢ Good judgment comes from bad experience, and a lot of that comes from bad judgment.
➢ A closed mouth gathers no foot.
Weekly THIS AND THAT for May 20, 2007: Today's Dedication, the Approaching Summer, and Mass Attendance
This and That:
Today’s Dedication, the Approaching Summer, and Mass Attendance
This weekend we celebrate two events that include our Area Vicar, Bishop Mitch Rozanski. He is with us for the 10:30am Mass today, Sunday, which follows with the dedication of the Sports Pavilion and the blessing of the Athletic Fields. He returns later this evening for the Sacrament of Confirmation at the Sunday 5:00 Alive. It is not coincidental that both events deal with youth.
Our new pavilion and athletic fields have increased our possibilities for serving our youth through athletics. Our Confirmation Class of high school Sophomores is another group of faith-filled youth who, hopefully, will be committed to their faith in Jesus Christ as they continue through their high school years.
In the past two years the number of youth to whom we minister has grown a great deal. Through the Drama Ministry and Athletics Programs we are drawing in young people at an increasing number. Of course drawing them in is only the beginning. It is the role of our parents to develop in them an appreciation for regular Sunday worship, as well as involvement in our parish life and outreach to those in need.
Last weekend and this weekend we have given the Sacrament of First Eucharist to so many wonderful 2nd Graders. Their openness and innocence to receiving Jesus in the Eucharist are a marvel to watch. Yet, if that openness and innocence is not fostered by regular Sunday worship, it will surely dry up and wither on the vine. It does take parents, who themselves have developed a habit of regular and faithful attendance and participation at Mass.
The school year is winding down. Anyone at weekend Masses will quickly note how the numbers have already begun to thin out now that Religious Education is over. Well, they will thin again when we switch to the summer schedule of three Masses on Memorial Day Weekend, and still again when our Catholic School ends the year. At that point, our people will scatter to vacation spots across the State and across the Nation. We have always experienced this lighter attendance as summer approached. However, what is of added concern is that over the past few years the attendance does not rebound to the level at which it was when things began to thin out. I do not really understand why this is so.
A Think Tank that is studying declining Mass attendance recently sent out a survey to all registered parishioners asking them what was keeping them away from regular Mass attendance and what could we do to bring them back to regular to attending regularly? The response was excellent with over 400 surveys received. A second letter and survey will be going out to the same group in a week or two, this time reporting the results of our findings and asking folks what their preference is for Mass time and type of music. Once all this information is in, the Think Tank will formulate recommendations, which will then go to parish leadership for decisions. There is no question that the input will have an impact on what our weekly worship with look like by this coming September.
Of course in the end what gets someone to regular Mass attendance, whether it is summer and they are away from home or it is just a lazy, hazy Sunday morning, is the person’s desire to be there or not. I wonder what makes me a regular attendee? Part of it is learned habit (It would not be Sunday for me if I didn’t go to Mass.) Part of it is to obey the commandment (Keep the Sabbath holy and worship God.) Part of it is my own desire to go and to feel connected to Jesus Christ and others with whom I share my faith.
They say that faith is “caught” not “taught.” That is, that it is “caught” in much the same way we catch a cold. We have to be exposed to someone who has a cold. Faithful Sunday observance, a home where children see parents forgiving and caring for each other, regular prayers at mealtime and before bed are all ways that children “catch” the faith. In addition, a home environment that is rich with symbols helps, e.g. a crucifix in bedrooms, palm over a picture or two, a statue or rosary on a dresser top are all helpful images that our Catholic Faith in present here.
Finally, since I began with youth, I’ll close with them. There are many couples who worship with their teenage children. I know from experience that many of those teens would prefer not to be there, but they come because they have learned that Sunday Mass is “what we do,” in much the same way that we do many other family customs. Once teens are out of the nest and away at college at least they will have the experience of having attended Mass with their family in the “old days.” That will be a tremendous resource to them when they have an opportunity to decide for themselves what to do on a Sunday morning.
Fondly,
Father Nick Amato
Today’s Dedication, the Approaching Summer, and Mass Attendance
This weekend we celebrate two events that include our Area Vicar, Bishop Mitch Rozanski. He is with us for the 10:30am Mass today, Sunday, which follows with the dedication of the Sports Pavilion and the blessing of the Athletic Fields. He returns later this evening for the Sacrament of Confirmation at the Sunday 5:00 Alive. It is not coincidental that both events deal with youth.
Our new pavilion and athletic fields have increased our possibilities for serving our youth through athletics. Our Confirmation Class of high school Sophomores is another group of faith-filled youth who, hopefully, will be committed to their faith in Jesus Christ as they continue through their high school years.
In the past two years the number of youth to whom we minister has grown a great deal. Through the Drama Ministry and Athletics Programs we are drawing in young people at an increasing number. Of course drawing them in is only the beginning. It is the role of our parents to develop in them an appreciation for regular Sunday worship, as well as involvement in our parish life and outreach to those in need.
Last weekend and this weekend we have given the Sacrament of First Eucharist to so many wonderful 2nd Graders. Their openness and innocence to receiving Jesus in the Eucharist are a marvel to watch. Yet, if that openness and innocence is not fostered by regular Sunday worship, it will surely dry up and wither on the vine. It does take parents, who themselves have developed a habit of regular and faithful attendance and participation at Mass.
The school year is winding down. Anyone at weekend Masses will quickly note how the numbers have already begun to thin out now that Religious Education is over. Well, they will thin again when we switch to the summer schedule of three Masses on Memorial Day Weekend, and still again when our Catholic School ends the year. At that point, our people will scatter to vacation spots across the State and across the Nation. We have always experienced this lighter attendance as summer approached. However, what is of added concern is that over the past few years the attendance does not rebound to the level at which it was when things began to thin out. I do not really understand why this is so.
A Think Tank that is studying declining Mass attendance recently sent out a survey to all registered parishioners asking them what was keeping them away from regular Mass attendance and what could we do to bring them back to regular to attending regularly? The response was excellent with over 400 surveys received. A second letter and survey will be going out to the same group in a week or two, this time reporting the results of our findings and asking folks what their preference is for Mass time and type of music. Once all this information is in, the Think Tank will formulate recommendations, which will then go to parish leadership for decisions. There is no question that the input will have an impact on what our weekly worship with look like by this coming September.
Of course in the end what gets someone to regular Mass attendance, whether it is summer and they are away from home or it is just a lazy, hazy Sunday morning, is the person’s desire to be there or not. I wonder what makes me a regular attendee? Part of it is learned habit (It would not be Sunday for me if I didn’t go to Mass.) Part of it is to obey the commandment (Keep the Sabbath holy and worship God.) Part of it is my own desire to go and to feel connected to Jesus Christ and others with whom I share my faith.
They say that faith is “caught” not “taught.” That is, that it is “caught” in much the same way we catch a cold. We have to be exposed to someone who has a cold. Faithful Sunday observance, a home where children see parents forgiving and caring for each other, regular prayers at mealtime and before bed are all ways that children “catch” the faith. In addition, a home environment that is rich with symbols helps, e.g. a crucifix in bedrooms, palm over a picture or two, a statue or rosary on a dresser top are all helpful images that our Catholic Faith in present here.
Finally, since I began with youth, I’ll close with them. There are many couples who worship with their teenage children. I know from experience that many of those teens would prefer not to be there, but they come because they have learned that Sunday Mass is “what we do,” in much the same way that we do many other family customs. Once teens are out of the nest and away at college at least they will have the experience of having attended Mass with their family in the “old days.” That will be a tremendous resource to them when they have an opportunity to decide for themselves what to do on a Sunday morning.
Fondly,
Father Nick Amato
Weekly HOMILY for May 20, 2007: Up or Down?
The Ascension of the Lord, Cycle C
Our Lady of Grace
May 20, 2007
Up or Down?
By (Rev. Msgr.) Nicholas P. Amato
A Painting: Up and Down
In the Vatican Museum in Rome, there is painting entitled The Ascension.
This painting dates back to the fifteenth century and it depicts the apostles gathered on top of a mountain. Half of them are looking up at the sky.
There is an opening in the clouds and they are just staring. Jesus has apparently returned to the Father and is no longer visible.
The other half of the apostles are looking down to the ground. They see footprints, apparently the imprints of Jesus’ feet, but again, he is not visible.
The Scriptures: Up and Down
That Renaissance painting expresses one of the core messages in today’s readings.
In both the first reading and the gospel, Jesus reaffirms what he calls “the promise of the Father.” He is speaking here of the Holy Spirit.
Jesus is reassuring the apostles that he will be present to them through the Holy Spirit. And he is reassuring them that they will feel both comforted and empowered by this.
After Jesus says this and is taken up into heaven, the apostles kneel down in prayer and reverence. St. Luke says that “they are gazing up into the heavens.”
On the other hand, in our first reading we hear that two angels appear to these apostles. They ask, “Why do you stand here looking up at the skies?”
In effect, they remind the apostles that they must now get to work. Jesus has made them his witnesses or ministers on this earth.
So, when I think about the Renaissance painting and these Scripture passages, I see a balance between the heavens and the earth, between our looking up and our looking down. I also think that we see this balance I1) In our sacraments and (2) In the way Jesus calls us to live.
The Sacraments: Up and Down
First, our sacraments are a mix, a balance of the heavens and the earth.
For example, in Baptism, we repeat the words of Jesus, the Son of God: “I baptize you in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”
At the same time, we use ordinary water, the material of this earth.
In the Eucharist, we again repeat the words of Jesus: “This is my body; this is my blood.” And again, Jesus has us use something of the earth: simple, ordinary bread and wine.
So, in our sacraments, there is this mix, this balance of the heavens and the earth. It is as if we are at one and the same time looking up to the heavens and looking down to the earth, much like the apostles in that painting.
Our Lives: Up and Down
I believe we are also called to live this balance in our personal lives.
First, we are to “look up to the heavens.” This means that we need to be grounded and rooted in God who is beyond this earth.
We do this by personal, private prayer, by reading the Scripture in a reflective way, and by coming to Mass and receiving the Eucharist each week. These are ways of “looking up to the heavens” – ways of strengthening our relationship with the Lord.
At the same time, we need to be looking down to the earth. This means that we care for our families, volunteer in our children’s schools, things like that.
And beyond family, it might mean that we assist the local Birthright Center or that we think about our Catholic teaching on just war and how that should guide us as a country. These are ways of looking down to the earth and being Jesus’ witnesses in the world.
Conclusion
So, today’s celebration of Jesus’ being taken up into heaven calls us to a balance.
It is a balance between looking up to the heavens and looking down to the earth. And this balance leads us to a spiritually healthy and holy life.
Our Lady of Grace
May 20, 2007
Up or Down?
By (Rev. Msgr.) Nicholas P. Amato
A Painting: Up and Down
In the Vatican Museum in Rome, there is painting entitled The Ascension.
This painting dates back to the fifteenth century and it depicts the apostles gathered on top of a mountain. Half of them are looking up at the sky.
There is an opening in the clouds and they are just staring. Jesus has apparently returned to the Father and is no longer visible.
The other half of the apostles are looking down to the ground. They see footprints, apparently the imprints of Jesus’ feet, but again, he is not visible.
The Scriptures: Up and Down
That Renaissance painting expresses one of the core messages in today’s readings.
In both the first reading and the gospel, Jesus reaffirms what he calls “the promise of the Father.” He is speaking here of the Holy Spirit.
Jesus is reassuring the apostles that he will be present to them through the Holy Spirit. And he is reassuring them that they will feel both comforted and empowered by this.
After Jesus says this and is taken up into heaven, the apostles kneel down in prayer and reverence. St. Luke says that “they are gazing up into the heavens.”
On the other hand, in our first reading we hear that two angels appear to these apostles. They ask, “Why do you stand here looking up at the skies?”
In effect, they remind the apostles that they must now get to work. Jesus has made them his witnesses or ministers on this earth.
So, when I think about the Renaissance painting and these Scripture passages, I see a balance between the heavens and the earth, between our looking up and our looking down. I also think that we see this balance I1) In our sacraments and (2) In the way Jesus calls us to live.
The Sacraments: Up and Down
First, our sacraments are a mix, a balance of the heavens and the earth.
For example, in Baptism, we repeat the words of Jesus, the Son of God: “I baptize you in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”
At the same time, we use ordinary water, the material of this earth.
In the Eucharist, we again repeat the words of Jesus: “This is my body; this is my blood.” And again, Jesus has us use something of the earth: simple, ordinary bread and wine.
So, in our sacraments, there is this mix, this balance of the heavens and the earth. It is as if we are at one and the same time looking up to the heavens and looking down to the earth, much like the apostles in that painting.
Our Lives: Up and Down
I believe we are also called to live this balance in our personal lives.
First, we are to “look up to the heavens.” This means that we need to be grounded and rooted in God who is beyond this earth.
We do this by personal, private prayer, by reading the Scripture in a reflective way, and by coming to Mass and receiving the Eucharist each week. These are ways of “looking up to the heavens” – ways of strengthening our relationship with the Lord.
At the same time, we need to be looking down to the earth. This means that we care for our families, volunteer in our children’s schools, things like that.
And beyond family, it might mean that we assist the local Birthright Center or that we think about our Catholic teaching on just war and how that should guide us as a country. These are ways of looking down to the earth and being Jesus’ witnesses in the world.
Conclusion
So, today’s celebration of Jesus’ being taken up into heaven calls us to a balance.
It is a balance between looking up to the heavens and looking down to the earth. And this balance leads us to a spiritually healthy and holy life.
Thursday, May 10, 2007
Weekly MESSAGE for May 13, 2007: A Third of Priest Ordained in 2007 Are Foreign Born
May 10, 2007
Focus: A Third of Priests Ordained in 2007 Are Foreign Born
Dear Friend,
U.S. Bishops’ data on those to be ordained this year shows that their average age is 35 and one in three were born outside the United States. Researchers gathered information from 282 seminarians (including 221 future diocesan priests and 60 religious), approximately 60% of the estimated 475 men who are expected to be ordained.
The following are some interesting statistics:
-- Seven in 10 report their primary race as Caucasian, European American, or white.
-- Of the 33% of individuals to be ordained who were born outside the United States, the largest numbers come from Vietnam, Mexico, Poland and the Philippines. Our Archdiocese has priests from each country serving here.
-- Some 6% are converts to the Catholic faith.
-- More than six in 10 have a college degree from before entering the seminary.
-- Half of those responding attended a Catholic elementary school.
-- About two-thirds of the group had full-time jobs before going to the seminary.
-- The average age at which they began considering a vocation was 17.
The Georgetown University-based Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate compiled the information. The organization conducts the survey each year for the U.S. Bishops’ Secretariat for Vocations and Priestly Formation
It seems as if, given the clergy shortage, we are becoming a Mission Land once again.
Fondly,
Father Nick Amato
Focus: A Third of Priests Ordained in 2007 Are Foreign Born
Dear Friend,
U.S. Bishops’ data on those to be ordained this year shows that their average age is 35 and one in three were born outside the United States. Researchers gathered information from 282 seminarians (including 221 future diocesan priests and 60 religious), approximately 60% of the estimated 475 men who are expected to be ordained.
The following are some interesting statistics:
-- Seven in 10 report their primary race as Caucasian, European American, or white.
-- Of the 33% of individuals to be ordained who were born outside the United States, the largest numbers come from Vietnam, Mexico, Poland and the Philippines. Our Archdiocese has priests from each country serving here.
-- Some 6% are converts to the Catholic faith.
-- More than six in 10 have a college degree from before entering the seminary.
-- Half of those responding attended a Catholic elementary school.
-- About two-thirds of the group had full-time jobs before going to the seminary.
-- The average age at which they began considering a vocation was 17.
The Georgetown University-based Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate compiled the information. The organization conducts the survey each year for the U.S. Bishops’ Secretariat for Vocations and Priestly Formation
It seems as if, given the clergy shortage, we are becoming a Mission Land once again.
Fondly,
Father Nick Amato
Weekly THIS AND THAT for May 13, 2007: Feedback on Mothers This Mothers' Day
This and That:
Feedback on Mothers This Mothers’ Day
The following appeared in this column two years ago and is worth repeating. They are answers given by elementary school age children to questions they were asked regarding mothers.
Why did God make mothers?
➢ She’s the only one who knows where the Scotch Tape is
➢ Mostly to clean the house
➢ To help us out of there when we were getting born
How did God make mothers?
➢ He used dirt, just like for the rest of us
➢ Magic plus super powers and a lot of stirring
➢ God made my mom just the same like he made me. He just used bigger parts
What ingredients are mothers made of?
➢ God makes mothers out of clouds and angel hair and everything nice in the world and one dab of meanness
➢ They had to get their start from men’s bones. Then they mostly use string, I think
Why did God give you your mother and not some other mom?
➢ We’re related
➢ God knew she likes me a lot more than other people’s moms like me
What kind of little girl was your mom?
➢ My mom has always been my mom and none of that other stuff
➢ I don’t know because I wasn’t there, but my guess would be, pretty bossy
➢ They say she used to be nice
What did mom need to know about dad before she married him?
➢ His last name
➢ She had to know his background. Like is he a crook? Does he drink too much?
➢ Does he make at least $800 a year? Did he say NO to drugs and YES to chores?
Why did your mom marry your dad?
➢ My dad makes the best spaghetti in the world and my mom eats a lot
➢ She got too old to do anything else with him
➢ My grandma says that mom didn’t have her thinking cap on.
Who’s the boss at your house?
➢ Mom doesn’t want to be boss, but she has to because dad can goof off sometimes
➢ Mom is. You can tell by room inspection. She sees the stuff under the bed.
➢ I guess Mom is, but only because she has a lot more to do than dad
What’s the difference between moms and dads?
➢ Moms work at work and work at home, and dads just go to work at work
➢ Moms know how to talk to teachers without scaring them
➢ Dads are taller and stronger, but moms have all the real power because that’s who you got to ask if you want to sleep over at your friend’s
➢ Moms have magic. They make you feel better without medicine
What does your mom do in her spare time?
➢ Mothers don’t do spare time
➢ To hear her tell it, she pays bills all day long.
What would it take to make your mom perfect?
➢ On the inside she’s already perfect. On the outside, I think some kind of plastic surgery
➢ Diet. You know, her hair. I’d diet, maybe blue.
If you could change one thing about your mom, what would it be?
➢ She has this weird thing about me keeping my room clean. I’d get rid of that
➢ I’d make my mom smarter. Then she would know it was my sister who did it and not me
➢ I would like for her to get rid of those invisible eyes on the back of her head
God bless all our moms – those who are with us still and those in heaven – this Mothers day for without them we simply would never have been.
Fondly,
Father Nick Amato
Feedback on Mothers This Mothers’ Day
The following appeared in this column two years ago and is worth repeating. They are answers given by elementary school age children to questions they were asked regarding mothers.
Why did God make mothers?
➢ She’s the only one who knows where the Scotch Tape is
➢ Mostly to clean the house
➢ To help us out of there when we were getting born
How did God make mothers?
➢ He used dirt, just like for the rest of us
➢ Magic plus super powers and a lot of stirring
➢ God made my mom just the same like he made me. He just used bigger parts
What ingredients are mothers made of?
➢ God makes mothers out of clouds and angel hair and everything nice in the world and one dab of meanness
➢ They had to get their start from men’s bones. Then they mostly use string, I think
Why did God give you your mother and not some other mom?
➢ We’re related
➢ God knew she likes me a lot more than other people’s moms like me
What kind of little girl was your mom?
➢ My mom has always been my mom and none of that other stuff
➢ I don’t know because I wasn’t there, but my guess would be, pretty bossy
➢ They say she used to be nice
What did mom need to know about dad before she married him?
➢ His last name
➢ She had to know his background. Like is he a crook? Does he drink too much?
➢ Does he make at least $800 a year? Did he say NO to drugs and YES to chores?
Why did your mom marry your dad?
➢ My dad makes the best spaghetti in the world and my mom eats a lot
➢ She got too old to do anything else with him
➢ My grandma says that mom didn’t have her thinking cap on.
Who’s the boss at your house?
➢ Mom doesn’t want to be boss, but she has to because dad can goof off sometimes
➢ Mom is. You can tell by room inspection. She sees the stuff under the bed.
➢ I guess Mom is, but only because she has a lot more to do than dad
What’s the difference between moms and dads?
➢ Moms work at work and work at home, and dads just go to work at work
➢ Moms know how to talk to teachers without scaring them
➢ Dads are taller and stronger, but moms have all the real power because that’s who you got to ask if you want to sleep over at your friend’s
➢ Moms have magic. They make you feel better without medicine
What does your mom do in her spare time?
➢ Mothers don’t do spare time
➢ To hear her tell it, she pays bills all day long.
What would it take to make your mom perfect?
➢ On the inside she’s already perfect. On the outside, I think some kind of plastic surgery
➢ Diet. You know, her hair. I’d diet, maybe blue.
If you could change one thing about your mom, what would it be?
➢ She has this weird thing about me keeping my room clean. I’d get rid of that
➢ I’d make my mom smarter. Then she would know it was my sister who did it and not me
➢ I would like for her to get rid of those invisible eyes on the back of her head
God bless all our moms – those who are with us still and those in heaven – this Mothers day for without them we simply would never have been.
Fondly,
Father Nick Amato
Weekly HOMILY for May 13, 2007: Absent Yet Present
Sixth Sunday of Easter, Cycle C
Our Lady of Grace
May 13, 2007
Absent Yet Present
By (Rev. Msgr.) Nicholas P. Amato
A Mother and Daughter
A mother named Terry West has written a very warm story about her relationship with her little daughter.
Terry West worked outside the home and her three-year-old daughter Marion stayed at the next-door neighbor’s house. The neighbor did day care for Marion and two other children.
Each day at noontime, Terry would come home from work on her lunch break. She would pick up little Marion at the neighbor’s house and Marion would be jumping for joy.
Mother and daughter would go home, have lunch and play together for a few minutes. Then, Marion would feel sad when her mother had to go back to work.
One day, Terry West stopped coming home for lunch. Even though her mother had explained this, Marion just could not understand.
But years later, Marion learned that her mother still did come each day. But she would sit at her kitchen window, eating her lunch by herself and watching Marion play in the neighbor’s yard.
Terry West did this because she wanted her daughter to become a little less reliant on her and to learn how to play well with the other children.
Marion now understands well that it was for her own growth and development that her mother stopped taking her home for lunch.
Jesus and Us
This true story can help us better understand today’s Gospel passage.
In it, Jesus is saying to the disciples: “I know you are anxious because I am going to leave you, but it is important for you that I go. For my Father will send the Holy Spirit to be with you and to help you grow in a new way.”
In other words, Jesus’ absence, like Terry West’s absence from Marion, is a time for the disciples to begin a new phase in their development.
And in a similar way, now is also a time of growth for us and this morning I want to focus on two aspects of our own growing, two aspect where we may be feeling Jesus’ absence and yet be assured of how he is present, lest we lose heart.
Our Growth by Relating to Others
First, we need to be attentive to our relationships, attentive to the persons we touch, see and speak with day in and day out.
Remember that Terry West in her seeming absence wanted her daughter to develop good ways of relating to her little friends.
Most of Jesus’ life was devoted to teaching us how to relate to one another. For example, we need to be respectful of one another even when differences and disagreements are present.
In today’s first reading, we hear of a significant conflict in the early Church, but notice how they maintain respect for one another and arrive at a resolution. I think we can largely conceive of our task on earth as developing God’s kingdom by being respectful and caring of all of God’s children.
Our Growth Living by Our Values and Beliefs
And second, we need to live by our values, beliefs, convictions, no matter what. Little Marion West was being challenged to relate well with her peers even when she thought her mother was not watching.
Jesus consistently teaches us to be authentic and not to do things because of what others will think of us or because of what we will get out of it.
It’s something like me, when I am back in the chapel, genuflecting before the tabernacle even when no one else is there looking at what I do.
Someone once said that the test of real character is what we do when we think no one else is watching.
In the same way, the test of our relationship with the Lord is what we do when we think no one else is watching.
Jesus Remains with Us
In this earthly journey, throughout this entire stage of growth we find ourselves in, Jesus remains with us.
Little Marion did not see her mother at lunchtime, but mom was right next door, looking at her through the window. Jesus in today’s Gospel says that he and the Father will actually dwell with us.
They will do this through the Holy Spirit. So, we too may not see Jesus physically with us, but he is here.
And the most important way that Jesus is with us is through the Eucharist, where he’s present as flesh and blood under the forms of bread and wine.
Conclusion
So when we are feeling his “absence,” we can be assured of his presence to sustain and nourish, to comfort and strengthen, to give meaning and hope through all the growing that we must do.
That is the wonderful gift, the sacrament that we have the opportunity to celebrate and receive every Sunday.
Our Lady of Grace
May 13, 2007
Absent Yet Present
By (Rev. Msgr.) Nicholas P. Amato
A Mother and Daughter
A mother named Terry West has written a very warm story about her relationship with her little daughter.
Terry West worked outside the home and her three-year-old daughter Marion stayed at the next-door neighbor’s house. The neighbor did day care for Marion and two other children.
Each day at noontime, Terry would come home from work on her lunch break. She would pick up little Marion at the neighbor’s house and Marion would be jumping for joy.
Mother and daughter would go home, have lunch and play together for a few minutes. Then, Marion would feel sad when her mother had to go back to work.
One day, Terry West stopped coming home for lunch. Even though her mother had explained this, Marion just could not understand.
But years later, Marion learned that her mother still did come each day. But she would sit at her kitchen window, eating her lunch by herself and watching Marion play in the neighbor’s yard.
Terry West did this because she wanted her daughter to become a little less reliant on her and to learn how to play well with the other children.
Marion now understands well that it was for her own growth and development that her mother stopped taking her home for lunch.
Jesus and Us
This true story can help us better understand today’s Gospel passage.
In it, Jesus is saying to the disciples: “I know you are anxious because I am going to leave you, but it is important for you that I go. For my Father will send the Holy Spirit to be with you and to help you grow in a new way.”
In other words, Jesus’ absence, like Terry West’s absence from Marion, is a time for the disciples to begin a new phase in their development.
And in a similar way, now is also a time of growth for us and this morning I want to focus on two aspects of our own growing, two aspect where we may be feeling Jesus’ absence and yet be assured of how he is present, lest we lose heart.
Our Growth by Relating to Others
First, we need to be attentive to our relationships, attentive to the persons we touch, see and speak with day in and day out.
Remember that Terry West in her seeming absence wanted her daughter to develop good ways of relating to her little friends.
Most of Jesus’ life was devoted to teaching us how to relate to one another. For example, we need to be respectful of one another even when differences and disagreements are present.
In today’s first reading, we hear of a significant conflict in the early Church, but notice how they maintain respect for one another and arrive at a resolution. I think we can largely conceive of our task on earth as developing God’s kingdom by being respectful and caring of all of God’s children.
Our Growth Living by Our Values and Beliefs
And second, we need to live by our values, beliefs, convictions, no matter what. Little Marion West was being challenged to relate well with her peers even when she thought her mother was not watching.
Jesus consistently teaches us to be authentic and not to do things because of what others will think of us or because of what we will get out of it.
It’s something like me, when I am back in the chapel, genuflecting before the tabernacle even when no one else is there looking at what I do.
Someone once said that the test of real character is what we do when we think no one else is watching.
In the same way, the test of our relationship with the Lord is what we do when we think no one else is watching.
Jesus Remains with Us
In this earthly journey, throughout this entire stage of growth we find ourselves in, Jesus remains with us.
Little Marion did not see her mother at lunchtime, but mom was right next door, looking at her through the window. Jesus in today’s Gospel says that he and the Father will actually dwell with us.
They will do this through the Holy Spirit. So, we too may not see Jesus physically with us, but he is here.
And the most important way that Jesus is with us is through the Eucharist, where he’s present as flesh and blood under the forms of bread and wine.
Conclusion
So when we are feeling his “absence,” we can be assured of his presence to sustain and nourish, to comfort and strengthen, to give meaning and hope through all the growing that we must do.
That is the wonderful gift, the sacrament that we have the opportunity to celebrate and receive every Sunday.
Thursday, May 03, 2007
Weekly MESSAGE for May 6, 2007: Zen Thoughts
May 3, 2007
Focus: Zen Thoughts
Dear Friend,
The following are a few Zen thoughts for your week I received from a friend earlier in the week. I liked every one of them.
Fondly,
Father Nick Amato
1. Save the whales. Collect the whole set.
2. A day without sunshine is like, night.
3. On the other hand, you have different fingers.
4. I just got lost in thought. It was unfamiliar territory.
5. 42.7 percent of all statistics are made up on the spot.
6. 99 percent of lawyers give the rest a bad name.
7. Honk if you love peace and quiet.
8. He who laughs last thinks slowest.
9. Depression is merely anger without enthusiasm.
10. The early bird may get the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese.
11. Support bacteria. They're the only culture some people have.
12. A clear conscience is usually the sign of a bad memory.
13. Change is inevitable, except from vending machines.
14. Plan to be spontaneous tomorrow.
15. If you think nobody cares, try missing a couple of payments.
16. How many of you believe in telekinesis? Raise my hand...
17. OK, so what's the speed of dark?
18. When everything is coming your way, you're in the wrong lane.
19. Everyone has a photographic memory. Some just don't have film.
20. Eagles may soar, but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines.
Hope this gave you the same chuckle it gave me.
Fondly,
Father Nick Amato
Focus: Zen Thoughts
Dear Friend,
The following are a few Zen thoughts for your week I received from a friend earlier in the week. I liked every one of them.
Fondly,
Father Nick Amato
1. Save the whales. Collect the whole set.
2. A day without sunshine is like, night.
3. On the other hand, you have different fingers.
4. I just got lost in thought. It was unfamiliar territory.
5. 42.7 percent of all statistics are made up on the spot.
6. 99 percent of lawyers give the rest a bad name.
7. Honk if you love peace and quiet.
8. He who laughs last thinks slowest.
9. Depression is merely anger without enthusiasm.
10. The early bird may get the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese.
11. Support bacteria. They're the only culture some people have.
12. A clear conscience is usually the sign of a bad memory.
13. Change is inevitable, except from vending machines.
14. Plan to be spontaneous tomorrow.
15. If you think nobody cares, try missing a couple of payments.
16. How many of you believe in telekinesis? Raise my hand...
17. OK, so what's the speed of dark?
18. When everything is coming your way, you're in the wrong lane.
19. Everyone has a photographic memory. Some just don't have film.
20. Eagles may soar, but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines.
Hope this gave you the same chuckle it gave me.
Fondly,
Father Nick Amato
Weekly THIS AND THAT for May 6, 2007: How Do You Know You're Italian?
This and That:
How do you know you’re Italian?
Very often when my brother or sister and I talk long distance we remember the old days of growing up in Brooklyn, New York. Many times we will laugh over things Italian that we recall, being first generation children. The following are items over which we have had more than a few laughs.
Fondly,
Father Nick Amato
➢ You have at least one relative who wore a black dress every day for an entire year after a funeral.
➢ You spent your entire childhood thinking what you ate for lunch was pronounced “sangwich.”
➢ Your family dog understood Italian.
➢ Every Sunday afternoon of your childhood was spent visiting your grandparents and extended family.
➢ You’ve experienced the phenomena of 150 people fitting into 50 square feet of yard during a family cookout.
➢ You were surprised to discover the FDA recommends you eat three meals a day, not seven.
➢ You thought killing the pig each year and having salami, capacollo, pancetta and prosciutto hanging out to dry from your shed ceiling was absolutely normal. (That’s really Italian!)
➢ You ate pasta for dinner at least three times a week, and every Sunday, and laughed at the commercial for Wednesday is Prince Spaghetti day.
➢ You grew up thinking no fruit or vegetable had a fixed price and that the price of everything was negotiable through haggling.
➢ You were as tall as your grandmother by the age of seven.
➢ You thought everyone’s last name ended in a vowel.
➢ You thought nylons were supposed to be worn rolled to the ankles.
➢ Your mom’s main hobby is cleaning.
➢ You were surprised to find out that wine was actually sold in stores.
➢ You thought that everyone made their own tomato sauce.
➢ You never ate meat on Christmas Eve or any Friday for that matter.
➢ You ate your salad after the main course.\
➢ You thought Catholic was the only religion in the world.
➢ You were beaten at least once with a wooden spoon or broom.
➢ You thought every meal had to be eaten with a hunk of bread in your hand.
➢ You can understand Italian but you can’t speak it.
➢ You have at least one relative who came over on the boat.
➢ All of your uncles fought in a World War.
➢ You have at least six male relatives named Tony, Frank, Joe or Louie.
➢ You have relatives who aren’t really your relatives.
➢ You have relatives you don’t speak to.
➢ You drank wine before you were a teenager.
➢ You grew up in a house with a yard that didn’t have one patch of dirt that didn’t have a flower or a vegetable growing out of it.
➢ Your grandparent’s furniture was as comfortable as sitting on plastic. Wait a minute! You were sitting on plastic.
➢ You thought that talking loud was normal.
➢ You thought sugared almonds and the Tarantella were common at all weddings.
➢ You thought everyone got pinched on the cheeks and money stuffed in their pockets by their relatives.
➢ Your mother is overly protective of the males in the family no matter what their age.
➢ There was a crucifix in every room of the house.
➢ Wakes would be held in someone’s living room.
➢ You couldn’t date a boy without getting approval from your father and he had to be Italian.
➢ You called pasta “macaroni.”
➢ You dreaded taking out your lunch at school.
➢ Going out for a cup of coffee usually meant going out for a cup of coffee over Zia’s house.
➢ Every condition, ailment, misfortune, memory loss and accident was attributed to the fact that you didn’t eat something.
How do you know you’re Italian?
Very often when my brother or sister and I talk long distance we remember the old days of growing up in Brooklyn, New York. Many times we will laugh over things Italian that we recall, being first generation children. The following are items over which we have had more than a few laughs.
Fondly,
Father Nick Amato
➢ You have at least one relative who wore a black dress every day for an entire year after a funeral.
➢ You spent your entire childhood thinking what you ate for lunch was pronounced “sangwich.”
➢ Your family dog understood Italian.
➢ Every Sunday afternoon of your childhood was spent visiting your grandparents and extended family.
➢ You’ve experienced the phenomena of 150 people fitting into 50 square feet of yard during a family cookout.
➢ You were surprised to discover the FDA recommends you eat three meals a day, not seven.
➢ You thought killing the pig each year and having salami, capacollo, pancetta and prosciutto hanging out to dry from your shed ceiling was absolutely normal. (That’s really Italian!)
➢ You ate pasta for dinner at least three times a week, and every Sunday, and laughed at the commercial for Wednesday is Prince Spaghetti day.
➢ You grew up thinking no fruit or vegetable had a fixed price and that the price of everything was negotiable through haggling.
➢ You were as tall as your grandmother by the age of seven.
➢ You thought everyone’s last name ended in a vowel.
➢ You thought nylons were supposed to be worn rolled to the ankles.
➢ Your mom’s main hobby is cleaning.
➢ You were surprised to find out that wine was actually sold in stores.
➢ You thought that everyone made their own tomato sauce.
➢ You never ate meat on Christmas Eve or any Friday for that matter.
➢ You ate your salad after the main course.\
➢ You thought Catholic was the only religion in the world.
➢ You were beaten at least once with a wooden spoon or broom.
➢ You thought every meal had to be eaten with a hunk of bread in your hand.
➢ You can understand Italian but you can’t speak it.
➢ You have at least one relative who came over on the boat.
➢ All of your uncles fought in a World War.
➢ You have at least six male relatives named Tony, Frank, Joe or Louie.
➢ You have relatives who aren’t really your relatives.
➢ You have relatives you don’t speak to.
➢ You drank wine before you were a teenager.
➢ You grew up in a house with a yard that didn’t have one patch of dirt that didn’t have a flower or a vegetable growing out of it.
➢ Your grandparent’s furniture was as comfortable as sitting on plastic. Wait a minute! You were sitting on plastic.
➢ You thought that talking loud was normal.
➢ You thought sugared almonds and the Tarantella were common at all weddings.
➢ You thought everyone got pinched on the cheeks and money stuffed in their pockets by their relatives.
➢ Your mother is overly protective of the males in the family no matter what their age.
➢ There was a crucifix in every room of the house.
➢ Wakes would be held in someone’s living room.
➢ You couldn’t date a boy without getting approval from your father and he had to be Italian.
➢ You called pasta “macaroni.”
➢ You dreaded taking out your lunch at school.
➢ Going out for a cup of coffee usually meant going out for a cup of coffee over Zia’s house.
➢ Every condition, ailment, misfortune, memory loss and accident was attributed to the fact that you didn’t eat something.
Weekly HOMILY for May 6,2007: The Lesson of the $100
Fifth Sunday of Easter, Cycle C
Our Lady of Grace
May 6, 2007
The Lesson of the $100
By (Rev. Msgr.) Nicholas P. Amato
The $100
Last year I was on vacation for a week with four priest friends.
We rented two adjoining apartments in a resort right on the ocean. The complex was large, with four hotel towers and three restaurants.
The resort was also a cashless society. You just needed to show your hotel ID in the restaurants and they would charge your account.
You know the routine: a painless way to wrack up a big bill!
Given my affinity for cooking, we ate in for many meals. Every other day, I’d go to the local market that was only five minutes away to stock up on supplies.
This one day I got everything I needed, was checking out and the bill came to about $85.
And then I realized the problem. I didn’t have my wallet and the store was not part of the resort where we were staying.
What was I going to do? I began asking the clerk if she could hold my order right there while I ran back to the hotel and got my wallet.
As I was saying this, a couple who had just checked out in the next line came over and asked what I needed. And before I could answer, he handed me five $20 bills and said that he and his wife would be on the beach at the volleyball court that afternoon and I could pay them back there.
I was speechless. I had never seen either of them and they didn’t know me.
There I was in sandals, shorts, and a tee shirt; not a black suit and Roman collar. And here this couple comes to my assistance by handing me $100!
Love Without Saying It
Isn’t that an amazing experience?
I was overwhelmed by what this guy and his wife – Tom and Jean – did for me. And I think it illustrates perfectly what Jesus is saying in today’s Gospel.
He says: “Love one another. Such as my love has been for you, so must your love be for one another.”
The fellow at the beach never used the word “love” and, as a matter of fact, I would have wondered about him if he had. The truth of the matter was he was living out in a very demonstrative way Jesus’ command to love.
What Love Isn’t and What Love Is
Notice, he did not base his helping me on any merit of mine – on whether I deserved it or not. In fact, my problem was my own fault, my own forgetfulness.
He did not make his assistance a quid-pro-quo. In other words, he did not loan me the $100 on the condition that I would do something for him in return.
And, what he did was not primarily a feeling he had for me.
It was for none of those reasons that he helped me. It was instead a decision to help, an action, an act of love, if you will.
Jesus’ Love
This, I suggest, is what Jesus does and what his love for us is like.
Jesus shows his love for us throughout his life by all that he says in scripture and all the things that he does. And those words and actions get summed up in one powerful image: this cross.
It is why we must have a crucifix – a cross with a body on it – in our churches, because it captures like nothing else Jesus’ love for you and me.
And like the couple in the market, Jesus’ love is not based on any merit of ours. In fact, we humans have had a pretty checkered history in the way we have lived.
Jesus’ love is not a quid-pro-quo. Even though he calls us to live a certain way, he does not do this on the condition that we will actually do what he asks us to do.
And Jesus’ love involves a decision and an action. It is not just or not primarily a feeling.
Jesus gives himself to us freely and fully. He gives himself to us for our wellbeing. He gives himself to us that we may be saved and have life with him now and for eternity.
And this is what the Eucharist or Holy Communion is all about.
It’s about Jesus giving himself to us right here and now. He gives us his Body and Blood, under the forms of bread and wine.
Imagine the gift. And in our eating and drinking we become one with him and acquire strength, comfort, and the relationship with will get us anything and everything we experience.
Conclusion
By the way, I did go to the volleyball area of the beach that afternoon.
And I did find Tom and Jean. And I did pay back the $100.
As I walked away I remember saying to myself, “This would make a great homily someday” and that day has come.
God bless the Toms and Jeans everywhere. May we be more like them, more like Jesus.
Our Lady of Grace
May 6, 2007
The Lesson of the $100
By (Rev. Msgr.) Nicholas P. Amato
The $100
Last year I was on vacation for a week with four priest friends.
We rented two adjoining apartments in a resort right on the ocean. The complex was large, with four hotel towers and three restaurants.
The resort was also a cashless society. You just needed to show your hotel ID in the restaurants and they would charge your account.
You know the routine: a painless way to wrack up a big bill!
Given my affinity for cooking, we ate in for many meals. Every other day, I’d go to the local market that was only five minutes away to stock up on supplies.
This one day I got everything I needed, was checking out and the bill came to about $85.
And then I realized the problem. I didn’t have my wallet and the store was not part of the resort where we were staying.
What was I going to do? I began asking the clerk if she could hold my order right there while I ran back to the hotel and got my wallet.
As I was saying this, a couple who had just checked out in the next line came over and asked what I needed. And before I could answer, he handed me five $20 bills and said that he and his wife would be on the beach at the volleyball court that afternoon and I could pay them back there.
I was speechless. I had never seen either of them and they didn’t know me.
There I was in sandals, shorts, and a tee shirt; not a black suit and Roman collar. And here this couple comes to my assistance by handing me $100!
Love Without Saying It
Isn’t that an amazing experience?
I was overwhelmed by what this guy and his wife – Tom and Jean – did for me. And I think it illustrates perfectly what Jesus is saying in today’s Gospel.
He says: “Love one another. Such as my love has been for you, so must your love be for one another.”
The fellow at the beach never used the word “love” and, as a matter of fact, I would have wondered about him if he had. The truth of the matter was he was living out in a very demonstrative way Jesus’ command to love.
What Love Isn’t and What Love Is
Notice, he did not base his helping me on any merit of mine – on whether I deserved it or not. In fact, my problem was my own fault, my own forgetfulness.
He did not make his assistance a quid-pro-quo. In other words, he did not loan me the $100 on the condition that I would do something for him in return.
And, what he did was not primarily a feeling he had for me.
It was for none of those reasons that he helped me. It was instead a decision to help, an action, an act of love, if you will.
Jesus’ Love
This, I suggest, is what Jesus does and what his love for us is like.
Jesus shows his love for us throughout his life by all that he says in scripture and all the things that he does. And those words and actions get summed up in one powerful image: this cross.
It is why we must have a crucifix – a cross with a body on it – in our churches, because it captures like nothing else Jesus’ love for you and me.
And like the couple in the market, Jesus’ love is not based on any merit of ours. In fact, we humans have had a pretty checkered history in the way we have lived.
Jesus’ love is not a quid-pro-quo. Even though he calls us to live a certain way, he does not do this on the condition that we will actually do what he asks us to do.
And Jesus’ love involves a decision and an action. It is not just or not primarily a feeling.
Jesus gives himself to us freely and fully. He gives himself to us for our wellbeing. He gives himself to us that we may be saved and have life with him now and for eternity.
And this is what the Eucharist or Holy Communion is all about.
It’s about Jesus giving himself to us right here and now. He gives us his Body and Blood, under the forms of bread and wine.
Imagine the gift. And in our eating and drinking we become one with him and acquire strength, comfort, and the relationship with will get us anything and everything we experience.
Conclusion
By the way, I did go to the volleyball area of the beach that afternoon.
And I did find Tom and Jean. And I did pay back the $100.
As I walked away I remember saying to myself, “This would make a great homily someday” and that day has come.
God bless the Toms and Jeans everywhere. May we be more like them, more like Jesus.
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