This and That:
Trappist Monks Hit the Charts
Dear Friend,
Every morning I wake up at 4:30am to the chanting of monks. A new CD for such a purpose is one from the Cistercian (Trappist) monks of a Viennese abbey. What singles this CD out is that it has made it to pop music’s Top 10 list; it is No. 9 in the United Kingdom. A CD of their prayer, “Chant: Music for Paradise,” (sold as “Chant: Music for the Soul” in some countries) has been called a “must-have” by reviewers. Cistercian Father Karl Wallner, rector of the Benedict XVI Papal University of Heiligenkreuz, attributed the CD’s overwhelming welcome to the fact that, “Gregorian chant spreads harmony, peace and consolation in the depth of the soul.” The following is a recent interview I read with Father Wallner about the CD and the monks who made it. It’s a great way to wake up in the morning or listen to during the nerve wracking drive in the morning or evening commute.
Fondly,
Father Nicholas
Q: Entitled “Chant – Music for Paradise,” the Cistercians’ CD has had extraordinary success. It would seem that Gregorian chant could be described as “music for the world.” How do you account for this?
Father Wallner: The CD enables one to listen to our daily prayer to God, which we sing in the holy traditions of the Church and of the order, on the basis of the reforms of the Second Vatican Council. Its success, on one hand, is amazing. And it is amazing that suddenly a world that has become so profane is interested in a soft and harmonious Latin chant and that our CD jumped to the top of the pop music charts. In England, not only is the CD number one in the field of classical music, but it is also among the top 10 on the charts where usually only pop and similar music is found. Even in stores, our CD has been put under the title “pop.” Here is my interpretation of this: Secular music has arrived at a dead point. In a world anguished by stress and nerves, it now causes more stress and nerves. Sacred music, above all Gregorian chant, has always been an oasis to bring relief to the soul. And it seems that many seek this oasis with nostalgia. We have observed that for years, young people whom we invite to hear our chant, listen in silence, are fascinated, and then say with enthusiasm how they [found it] “cool.” Therefore, it seems clear that there is an instinct in men's ailing hearts, which drives them to look for a medicine. Hence Gregorian chant is a medicine for the soul.
Q: Not long ago the Holy Father said that music, and in general true art, does not separate us from our daily concerns or from the reality of every day. Is this also true for Gregorian chant?
Father Wallner: I consider our choral prayer, during which we use Gregorian chant to praise and exalt God, a moment of relaxation and spiritual uplifting. Benedict speaks of [it as the] “work for God” – in Latin, “opus Dei.” Thus, it isn’t a waste of time. It isn’t something absurd; it’s an action full of significance, a “work” – a work, in fact, for God. And in true music, there isn’t only one man who sings, rather, it is a dimension of the Eternal that penetrates man, creating in him an ability to listen. Why has Gregorian chant always been called “the song of the angels?” Because something is felt that comes from and resounds from another world, something that cannot be measured with mere coordinates, such as rhythm, harmony and notes. That is why this form of music is not foreign to daily life, but heals the wounds of every day and helps to overcome them.
Q: What are the characteristics of this form of sung prayer, which is “daily bread” in convents and monasteries?
Father Wallner: Gregorian chant is very ancient. It was born in the first millennium, appearing already in the 4th century, and in many aspects is addressed to the Most High. First of all the texts are, for the most part, verses from the Bible: hence it is the word of God, which from the mouths of men returns to God in the form of singing. In the second place, the composers of the melodies were pious anonymous men consecrated to God, mostly monks, who created the music not out of a desire for fame, but men who desired, once the work was complete, to return to total anonymity. Hence, men who in their longing for holiness created something holy. In the third place, chant is very fascinating, inasmuch as it is situated outside our normal experience of music. There are no tones of C major or D minor, there are no tempi, there is no established rhythm; it is a song for only one voice. Hence, it is a different sound from all other sounds that we today call music. And at the same time, it is at the root of all that which subsequently developed as music. Fourth point: chant is above all a sung prayer. We sing it always before the altar; therefore, it is not for the people, but for God. That is why we can never go on tour with our chant, because it is always a question of prayer. The recordings for the CD “Chant – Music for Paradise” were also taken from prayer.
Q: In the month of June, the Pope prayed that all Christians cultivate a profound personal friendship with Christ, thus witnessing to his love. In what way can music and song create this friendship and perhaps also reinforce it?
Father Wallner: As a youth I learned to pray through the rosary. If I want to intensify my friendship with Jesus, I kneel before the Most High. Gregorian chant is, in fact, a form of prayer which is not about aggression or intensity, but is like “daily bread” – so one can sing throughout life. The relationship with God that comes from the heart is already a premise. In our meetings with young people, in which between 200 and 300 youth participate, we begin by singing a piece of Gregorian chant. This serves to create an atmosphere of peace for the young people. Then we sing the very beautiful new sacred songs that have the power to create in young people's hearts a personal relationship with Jesus. Then we pray a part of the rosary, and kneel in silence with young people in adoration of the Most High; we [also] teach them to formulate in their hearts a “you” with Jesus, to start this dialogue of the heart. Returning to your question: Yes, music can lead to God, it can open hearts – uplift the soul and unite it to God.
Q: Could you talk about the background of this CD?
Father Wallner: “Chant – Music for Paradise” was born from joy and carries joy. And the reason is that the singing is based on our liturgy for the dead. The entire Requiem is on the CD, that is, the Mass for the dead. Joy? Yes, because true joy is joy for eternal life. We experienced this in February of this year at Heiligenkreuz, when over the span of 16 days, three of our brethren died, while in the preceding five years, no brother had died. One of them had reached 100 years of age. At the time of the Nazis he had been imprisoned in a death cell. However, for many of the young monks who have come to us in recent years and who experienced for the first time the gentle death of one of our brothers, to participate in songs of the liturgy for the dead made a great impression. In convent life, there is no liturgy more edifying than the liturgy for the dead, because one of us has arrived where we all want to go: to eternal communion with God. For this reason the CD is called precisely “Music for Paradise.”
Q: One last question: Is Gregorian chant reserved exclusively for specialists, or can the rest of us also appreciate it?
Father Wallner: The CD is for everyone, in my opinion, also for young people. In any case, the ratings already demonstrate this. When I entered [the monastery] at age 18, initially chant was strange for me. Today I love it very much because it really isn’t “fast food” music, which leads to laziness and indolence of soul, but – to continue the analogy – it is a strong broth, a vitamin concentrate. Gregorian chant spreads harmony, peace and comfort in the depth of the heart. And I would like to add a personal thought, because as a Catholic dogmatic I believe that the divine can be imprinted in a sacred way on the earthly reality. In our convent we are living a moment of grace, because we are in close union with the Church, with the Pope and with the magisterium. And it is possible to feel this internal harmony with all that is in the hearts of the 17 singers. This music is a small sacred gift that God has willed to give to the world through us.
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Weekly THIS AND THAT for July 27, 2008: Our Parish's Strategic Plan, Part 4: What to do? How?
This and That:
Our Parish’s Strategic Plan, Part 4: What to do? How?
Dear Friends,
Well, this is the fourth and final installment of our Parish Strategic Plan. After having considered our vision, mission, and purpose as a parish, it is now time to turn to the objectives – the actions that will bring about the desired goals.
As I have said the preceding weeks, as you read this fourth and “installment,” your impressions, feedback and comments are welcome and can be shared with any Council member. They are the parishioners wearing the red ribbon and pin at Sunday Masses. You are also invited to share your thoughts via email to our Parish Council Chairperson, Bill Campbell at Bill.campbell@milliman.com.
Fondly,
Father Nicholas
Celebrating Life through Worship and Service
Strategic Plan
Our Lady of Grace Parish
2008 through 2013
Approved by Pastoral Council May 12, 2008
Objectives
The strategic planning process and the resultant Strategic Plan document are the means by which we align our near-term goals and objectives with our mission statement. Objectives have been established for the next several years that will ultimately enhance our ability to “Worship and Serve.” These objectives are broad in nature and provide benchmarks and milestones to guide our Parish Staff, committees, ministries and volunteers. These organizations and individuals then establish their own near-term goals and action lists to meet their commitments and contribute to the attainment of these strategic objectives.
Objective # 1: Increase evangelization efforts to assist all on their faith journey
Our faith journey begins with a first step: Coming to know God through Jesus Christ. The journey advances as God becomes one with us as we hear The Word and partake of the Eucharist at Mass. The journey continues as we then become one in God through living the life of Jesus in service and evangelization. Every aspect of our parish, Liturgy, Evangelization, Education and Stewardship, exists for one purpose—to assist the individual on his/her faith journey.
Our parishioners are at different stages in their personal faith journeys. We must have activities in place that allow us to identify the disenfranchised and provide the means to introduce or bring them back to the faith. We must also take action to find out why Catholics in our parish are not attending Mass and respond appropriately, where we can, to increase their participation. And finally, we must encourage our parishioners to “move out of the pew” and into “service within the community,” thereby progressing further in their individual faith journeys through living the life of Jesus.
Increases in RCIA participation, Mass attendance, participation in Religious Education for children and faith renewal for adults, Welcome Orientation attendance, as well as the numbers of volunteers in ministries and outreach will indicate success in meeting this objective. Particular attention will be focused on activities that will result in an increased attendance at Mass, specifically those identified by the Think Tank on Filling the Pews, and those expressed in Bishop Rozanski’s findings from his Pastoral Visit.
Objective # 2: Prepare the parish for the Church of the Future (Address the issues outlined in “The Hope That Lies Before Us.”)
The current, and soon to become critical, shortage of priests has created the need to take an honest look at what the Church can expect in the next 10 to 20 years in terms of clergy staffing of parishes. In some areas of the Archdiocese, alternatives to a resident Pastor are already a reality. In “The Hope That Lies Before Us,” the Archdiocese outlines activities that parishes can undertake to prepare for the days ahead when priests may not be available to be assigned as pastors. Among the parishes of the York Road Corridor (St. Pius X, Immaculate Conception, Nativity, St. Joseph, St. Francis Xavier, and Our Lady of Grace), pastors have hired a facilitator to meet every six weeks to develop a plan for the area with involvement of Parish Staffs, Pastoral Councils, Parish Corporators, and parishioners by June 2010.
As a parish, we have taken steps to analyze the situation as we see it at Our Lady of Grace. We must now review those findings, establish priorities and address the impact of those issues on our parish, both as it may be when Father Nicholas takes his next assignment in 2010, and as it may be in the next 10 to 20 years. We must prepare for several possible scenarios and plan accordingly.
Objective # 3: Ensure Financial Stability (Through management of expenses and increased giving.)
Our Lady of Grace must be fiscally responsible in order to continue its mission. We cannot implement programs and practices that place the financial future of the parish at risk. The requirements for compensating our Parish Staff, maintaining our facilities, performing our outreach services, and providing our educational programs must be tied to revenue generating activities, the largest of which is offertory income, that result in a balanced or surplus budget each fiscal year. The need to cut back on expenses for any services at the start of a year or during the year has a profoundly negative impact on the community.
More and more demands are being made on our parishioners for their time and financial resources; our last stewardship campaign was just such a demand. Creative and innovative means will be required in the future to achieve and maintain the increased giving necessary to ensure financial stability.
Objective # 4: Enhance our “Service and Outreach” efforts
“Worship without service cannot be true worship.” Our record of service to the community is noteworthy, as is our phenomenal number of “outreach volunteers.” Yet, as the past has demonstrated, there are always more people who need assistance. As more people become “in need” and those needs change, we must be able to respond to meet those needs.
Additional volunteers and additional “givers” would allow us to identify better those in need and match them up with the services or assistance they require. Indeed, when it comes to Service and Outreach, more is better. Enhancing the quality and quantity of our outreach services will enable us to do more for more people. By doing more for others, we will help ourselves in our individual faith journeys and help to reinforce Our Lady of Grace as a strong presence in our community – living our faith among others as the Body of Christ in Northern Baltimore County.
Implementation
Our Parish Staff, the Pastoral Council, and our Parish Corporators are responsible for most of the planning and oversight of the Church’s endeavors. This Strategic Plan will help to guide and focus as we go forward.
Each year, the Pastoral Council will establish annual goals to measure progress of the various objectives and action plans to implement the objectives. Each year’s goals will be reviewed at the end of that year. Accomplishments as well as areas in need of improvement will be identified. A Yearly Status Report will be prepared each year to document this yearly assessment. Action plans to implement these objectives may be found in the Implementation Plan. The Pastoral Council Panel Coordinators will work with the ministries and committees to communicate the goals and action plans associated with each objective and to monitor progress.
The Church’s activities are actually carried out by the Pastor, Parish Staff, numerous committees, ministry groups, “partner organizations,” and individual volunteers. These individuals are what make this parish the faith community that it is today. Short-term goals and longer-term objectives that are tied to our Mission Statement and Parish Vision are what will keep Our Lady of Grace Parish thriving in the years to come. We will continue to develop objectives within the Strategic Plan to provide guidance to the staff and committees as they do God’s work throughout the years to come.
Our Parish’s Strategic Plan, Part 4: What to do? How?
Dear Friends,
Well, this is the fourth and final installment of our Parish Strategic Plan. After having considered our vision, mission, and purpose as a parish, it is now time to turn to the objectives – the actions that will bring about the desired goals.
As I have said the preceding weeks, as you read this fourth and “installment,” your impressions, feedback and comments are welcome and can be shared with any Council member. They are the parishioners wearing the red ribbon and pin at Sunday Masses. You are also invited to share your thoughts via email to our Parish Council Chairperson, Bill Campbell at Bill.campbell@milliman.com.
Fondly,
Father Nicholas
Celebrating Life through Worship and Service
Strategic Plan
Our Lady of Grace Parish
2008 through 2013
Approved by Pastoral Council May 12, 2008
Objectives
The strategic planning process and the resultant Strategic Plan document are the means by which we align our near-term goals and objectives with our mission statement. Objectives have been established for the next several years that will ultimately enhance our ability to “Worship and Serve.” These objectives are broad in nature and provide benchmarks and milestones to guide our Parish Staff, committees, ministries and volunteers. These organizations and individuals then establish their own near-term goals and action lists to meet their commitments and contribute to the attainment of these strategic objectives.
Objective # 1: Increase evangelization efforts to assist all on their faith journey
Our faith journey begins with a first step: Coming to know God through Jesus Christ. The journey advances as God becomes one with us as we hear The Word and partake of the Eucharist at Mass. The journey continues as we then become one in God through living the life of Jesus in service and evangelization. Every aspect of our parish, Liturgy, Evangelization, Education and Stewardship, exists for one purpose—to assist the individual on his/her faith journey.
Our parishioners are at different stages in their personal faith journeys. We must have activities in place that allow us to identify the disenfranchised and provide the means to introduce or bring them back to the faith. We must also take action to find out why Catholics in our parish are not attending Mass and respond appropriately, where we can, to increase their participation. And finally, we must encourage our parishioners to “move out of the pew” and into “service within the community,” thereby progressing further in their individual faith journeys through living the life of Jesus.
Increases in RCIA participation, Mass attendance, participation in Religious Education for children and faith renewal for adults, Welcome Orientation attendance, as well as the numbers of volunteers in ministries and outreach will indicate success in meeting this objective. Particular attention will be focused on activities that will result in an increased attendance at Mass, specifically those identified by the Think Tank on Filling the Pews, and those expressed in Bishop Rozanski’s findings from his Pastoral Visit.
Objective # 2: Prepare the parish for the Church of the Future (Address the issues outlined in “The Hope That Lies Before Us.”)
The current, and soon to become critical, shortage of priests has created the need to take an honest look at what the Church can expect in the next 10 to 20 years in terms of clergy staffing of parishes. In some areas of the Archdiocese, alternatives to a resident Pastor are already a reality. In “The Hope That Lies Before Us,” the Archdiocese outlines activities that parishes can undertake to prepare for the days ahead when priests may not be available to be assigned as pastors. Among the parishes of the York Road Corridor (St. Pius X, Immaculate Conception, Nativity, St. Joseph, St. Francis Xavier, and Our Lady of Grace), pastors have hired a facilitator to meet every six weeks to develop a plan for the area with involvement of Parish Staffs, Pastoral Councils, Parish Corporators, and parishioners by June 2010.
As a parish, we have taken steps to analyze the situation as we see it at Our Lady of Grace. We must now review those findings, establish priorities and address the impact of those issues on our parish, both as it may be when Father Nicholas takes his next assignment in 2010, and as it may be in the next 10 to 20 years. We must prepare for several possible scenarios and plan accordingly.
Objective # 3: Ensure Financial Stability (Through management of expenses and increased giving.)
Our Lady of Grace must be fiscally responsible in order to continue its mission. We cannot implement programs and practices that place the financial future of the parish at risk. The requirements for compensating our Parish Staff, maintaining our facilities, performing our outreach services, and providing our educational programs must be tied to revenue generating activities, the largest of which is offertory income, that result in a balanced or surplus budget each fiscal year. The need to cut back on expenses for any services at the start of a year or during the year has a profoundly negative impact on the community.
More and more demands are being made on our parishioners for their time and financial resources; our last stewardship campaign was just such a demand. Creative and innovative means will be required in the future to achieve and maintain the increased giving necessary to ensure financial stability.
Objective # 4: Enhance our “Service and Outreach” efforts
“Worship without service cannot be true worship.” Our record of service to the community is noteworthy, as is our phenomenal number of “outreach volunteers.” Yet, as the past has demonstrated, there are always more people who need assistance. As more people become “in need” and those needs change, we must be able to respond to meet those needs.
Additional volunteers and additional “givers” would allow us to identify better those in need and match them up with the services or assistance they require. Indeed, when it comes to Service and Outreach, more is better. Enhancing the quality and quantity of our outreach services will enable us to do more for more people. By doing more for others, we will help ourselves in our individual faith journeys and help to reinforce Our Lady of Grace as a strong presence in our community – living our faith among others as the Body of Christ in Northern Baltimore County.
Implementation
Our Parish Staff, the Pastoral Council, and our Parish Corporators are responsible for most of the planning and oversight of the Church’s endeavors. This Strategic Plan will help to guide and focus as we go forward.
Each year, the Pastoral Council will establish annual goals to measure progress of the various objectives and action plans to implement the objectives. Each year’s goals will be reviewed at the end of that year. Accomplishments as well as areas in need of improvement will be identified. A Yearly Status Report will be prepared each year to document this yearly assessment. Action plans to implement these objectives may be found in the Implementation Plan. The Pastoral Council Panel Coordinators will work with the ministries and committees to communicate the goals and action plans associated with each objective and to monitor progress.
The Church’s activities are actually carried out by the Pastor, Parish Staff, numerous committees, ministry groups, “partner organizations,” and individual volunteers. These individuals are what make this parish the faith community that it is today. Short-term goals and longer-term objectives that are tied to our Mission Statement and Parish Vision are what will keep Our Lady of Grace Parish thriving in the years to come. We will continue to develop objectives within the Strategic Plan to provide guidance to the staff and committees as they do God’s work throughout the years to come.
Weekly HOMILY for July 27, 2008: Father Nicholas is on a pilgrimage
Father Nicholas is away on a pilgrimage "in the footsteps of St. Paul" to Turkey and will return to the parish on August 2.
Thursday, July 17, 2008
Weekly HOMILY for July 20, 2008: Father Nicholas on Pilgrimage
There is no homily this week.
Father Nicholas is away on a Pilgrimage "in the footsteps of St. Paul."
He will return to the parish on Saturday, August 2 and homilies will resume the weekend after that.
Father Nicholas is away on a Pilgrimage "in the footsteps of St. Paul."
He will return to the parish on Saturday, August 2 and homilies will resume the weekend after that.
Weekly THIS AND THAT for July 20, 2008: Our Parish's Strategic Plan, Part 3: Our Background As a Parish
This and That:
Our Parish’s Strategic Plan, Part 3: Our Background As a Parish
Dear Friends,
This is the 3rd installment through the bulletin of our Parish Strategic Plan. It deals with the background of who we are as a parish and how our ministry, worship and service are expressed.
As you read the remaining two parts, this week and next, your impressions, feedback and comments are always welcome and can be shared with any Council member. Remember, they are the ones wearing the red ribbon and pin at Sunday Masses. You are also invited to email the Council Chairperson, Bill Campbell at Bill.campbell@milliman.com.
Fondly,
Father Nicholas
Celebrating Life through Worship and Service
Strategic Plan
Our Lady of Grace Parish
2008 through 2013
Approved by Pastoral Council May 12, 2008
Background
Our Lady of Grace Parish is a dynamic faith community in which our beliefs are exhibited on a daily basis through word and deed. We are blessed with a Parish Staff and core of volunteers who are dedicated to serving our parish members and our outreach community. For three decades, Our Lady of Grace Parish has met the needs of this community in the Liturgy of the Word, the Breaking of the Bread, and our numerous Education and Service programs. Our faith journey is truly constituted by “Worship and Service.”
Over the past few years, we have expanded our ministries to 60+ volunteer organizations (committees, groups, ministries, etc.). We have 620 volunteers to assist our Pastor and Parish Staff. We have an infrastructure that allows us to meet effectively many, if not all, of the needs of the parish. As our parish grows and the world around us continues to change, it will be a challenge to maintain and enhance our ability to do so. Our parish has increased in size to almost 1,400 families. The needs of this community and its many constituents will continue to change in the future. With the growth and changes come new constituents, additional requirements, and different sets of needs. We must plan for and be prepared to meet the challenges that will accompany this change.
Our ability to provide a Catholic School education for Kindergarten through grade 8 complements our other Education and Youth Activities (parish religious education, youth ministry, Confirmation, adult education and faith renewal, etc.). We plan to study the possibility of a pre-school for 3 and 4 year olds as a feeder for our Kindergarten. We also plan to study the needs of our people as they relate to the use of our middle school grades 6 through 8.
In order to support our future plans, we will endeavor to ensure that: (1) we have the appropriate Stewardship programs in place to maintain and, when needed, upgrade our infrastructure, and; (2) we can finance these projects to ensure the parish remains fiscally sound.
While we continue to meet the needs of many parishioners and residents of the community, we are aware that there are individuals and groups that we have not been able to serve—or serve well enough. There are three groups within our community that have, and will continue to present, such unique challenges:
• Of the nearly 1,400 families registered at Our Lady of Grace, less than one-third attend Mass regularly. The other two-thirds represent parishioners that have not elected to avail themselves of our Liturgy on a routine basis (or most likely many of our other services and ministries).
• There are Catholics in the Northern Baltimore community who are not registered as parishioners, but are still members of our faith community.
• There are those in need that have an affiliation with the parish because they are our neighbors.
If we are to remain a community of “Worship and Service,” we must identify and reach out to these community members as well. Through additional efforts in Evangelization and other activities, we can identify and seek out the “disenfranchised” and work to expand the benefits they receive from the Church, increase their level of participation and assist them in moving forward in their personal faith journeys.
Mass attendance will continue to have an impact on our financial status and must continue to be monitored. For a while, weekly attendance at Mass was declining. However, Mass attendance has been rising gradually since the end of 2007 and into 2008. We must ensure that the parish remains financially sound year after year while continuing to meet its spiritual and mission-related obligations.
An old challenge, but new initiative, has come to the forefront over the past several years. This initiative will continue to be one of the primary focuses of the Pastoral Council and the Parish Staff. The “Hope That Lies Before Us” is a wide-ranging initiative within the Archdiocese that seeks to address the impact that the increasing shortage of priests will have on the Church, the Archdiocese, and the parish. This is a subject that we have been addressing and will be devoting more attention to in the future, especially when Father Nicholas’s departure in 2010 is taken into consideration.
Planning, commitment and action are required if we are to continue to meet our current obligations and stay abreast of the changing needs of our community. The objectives contained in this Strategic Plan will provide direction for our activities over the next several years. The plan focuses on coordinating activities at all levels of the parish so that the results are aligned with the established long-term objectives of the parish and, ultimately, enhance our ability to carry out our Mission.
Our Parish’s Strategic Plan, Part 3: Our Background As a Parish
Dear Friends,
This is the 3rd installment through the bulletin of our Parish Strategic Plan. It deals with the background of who we are as a parish and how our ministry, worship and service are expressed.
As you read the remaining two parts, this week and next, your impressions, feedback and comments are always welcome and can be shared with any Council member. Remember, they are the ones wearing the red ribbon and pin at Sunday Masses. You are also invited to email the Council Chairperson, Bill Campbell at Bill.campbell@milliman.com.
Fondly,
Father Nicholas
Celebrating Life through Worship and Service
Strategic Plan
Our Lady of Grace Parish
2008 through 2013
Approved by Pastoral Council May 12, 2008
Background
Our Lady of Grace Parish is a dynamic faith community in which our beliefs are exhibited on a daily basis through word and deed. We are blessed with a Parish Staff and core of volunteers who are dedicated to serving our parish members and our outreach community. For three decades, Our Lady of Grace Parish has met the needs of this community in the Liturgy of the Word, the Breaking of the Bread, and our numerous Education and Service programs. Our faith journey is truly constituted by “Worship and Service.”
Over the past few years, we have expanded our ministries to 60+ volunteer organizations (committees, groups, ministries, etc.). We have 620 volunteers to assist our Pastor and Parish Staff. We have an infrastructure that allows us to meet effectively many, if not all, of the needs of the parish. As our parish grows and the world around us continues to change, it will be a challenge to maintain and enhance our ability to do so. Our parish has increased in size to almost 1,400 families. The needs of this community and its many constituents will continue to change in the future. With the growth and changes come new constituents, additional requirements, and different sets of needs. We must plan for and be prepared to meet the challenges that will accompany this change.
Our ability to provide a Catholic School education for Kindergarten through grade 8 complements our other Education and Youth Activities (parish religious education, youth ministry, Confirmation, adult education and faith renewal, etc.). We plan to study the possibility of a pre-school for 3 and 4 year olds as a feeder for our Kindergarten. We also plan to study the needs of our people as they relate to the use of our middle school grades 6 through 8.
In order to support our future plans, we will endeavor to ensure that: (1) we have the appropriate Stewardship programs in place to maintain and, when needed, upgrade our infrastructure, and; (2) we can finance these projects to ensure the parish remains fiscally sound.
While we continue to meet the needs of many parishioners and residents of the community, we are aware that there are individuals and groups that we have not been able to serve—or serve well enough. There are three groups within our community that have, and will continue to present, such unique challenges:
• Of the nearly 1,400 families registered at Our Lady of Grace, less than one-third attend Mass regularly. The other two-thirds represent parishioners that have not elected to avail themselves of our Liturgy on a routine basis (or most likely many of our other services and ministries).
• There are Catholics in the Northern Baltimore community who are not registered as parishioners, but are still members of our faith community.
• There are those in need that have an affiliation with the parish because they are our neighbors.
If we are to remain a community of “Worship and Service,” we must identify and reach out to these community members as well. Through additional efforts in Evangelization and other activities, we can identify and seek out the “disenfranchised” and work to expand the benefits they receive from the Church, increase their level of participation and assist them in moving forward in their personal faith journeys.
Mass attendance will continue to have an impact on our financial status and must continue to be monitored. For a while, weekly attendance at Mass was declining. However, Mass attendance has been rising gradually since the end of 2007 and into 2008. We must ensure that the parish remains financially sound year after year while continuing to meet its spiritual and mission-related obligations.
An old challenge, but new initiative, has come to the forefront over the past several years. This initiative will continue to be one of the primary focuses of the Pastoral Council and the Parish Staff. The “Hope That Lies Before Us” is a wide-ranging initiative within the Archdiocese that seeks to address the impact that the increasing shortage of priests will have on the Church, the Archdiocese, and the parish. This is a subject that we have been addressing and will be devoting more attention to in the future, especially when Father Nicholas’s departure in 2010 is taken into consideration.
Planning, commitment and action are required if we are to continue to meet our current obligations and stay abreast of the changing needs of our community. The objectives contained in this Strategic Plan will provide direction for our activities over the next several years. The plan focuses on coordinating activities at all levels of the parish so that the results are aligned with the established long-term objectives of the parish and, ultimately, enhance our ability to carry out our Mission.
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Weekly THIS AND THAT for July 13, 2008: Our Parish's Strategic Plan, Part 2: Opportunities through Which to Grow
This and That:
Our Parish’s Strategic Plan, Part 2: Opportunities through Which to Grow
Dear Friends,
This is the second part of our Parish Strategic Plan approved by the Pastoral Council at its last meeting before the beginning of the new Fiscal Year. It will shape who we are and where we are going as a parish. The plan, effective July 1, 2008, will run through June 30, 2013. This week’s installment highlights the opportunities that exist for us here at Our Lady of Grace. It is very important to have a plan such as this in place through the challenges and opportunities we will be facing in the years ahead.
As you read each of the remaining parts, your impressions, feedback and comments are always welcome and can be shared with any Council member. Remember, they are the ones wearing the red ribbon and pin at Sunday Masses. You are also invited to email the Council Chairperson, Bill Campbell at Bill.campbell@milliman.com.
Fondly,
Father Nicholas
Celebrating Life through Worship and Service
Strategic Plan
Our Lady of Grace Parish
2008 through 2013
Approved by Pastoral Council May 12, 2008
Opportunities
• Evangelize among the growing population in Northern Baltimore County
• Expand our service ministry with more volunteers providing more hands-on support to those in need (food, clothing, shelter, companionship)
• Reinforce important principles to our youth to make them better representatives of Christ and better citizens of the world
o Peaceful coexistence with brothers/sisters of other faiths (all Children of Abraham)
o Responsibility to serve others in need
o Respect for and stewardship of the earth
• Increase campus utilization to become a stronger focal point/gathering place in the community, which could in turn increase evangelical opportunities and financial resources
o More evening and summer classes
o Summer camps (indoor & outdoor)
o Sports fields/pavilion rental to other organizations when not in use by Our Lady of Grace sports teams
o Other uses/users of Manor at Gunpowder Falls
o Other users of Karl Heldrich Reading Center
Given this understanding of who we are and where we are going, our Strategic Plan defines how we will get there through a number of distinct and clear objectives for the parish over the next five years. These objectives have been selected because their attainment will have a profound impact on the success of our mission. They provide guidance and direction to Pastoral Council members when they interact with the numerous and diverse committees, groups, individual volunteers and parishioners as they go about their parish-related activities. The intent is to harness and focus such actions in concert with the specifically identified objectives that we have set. Each successful effort, in the pursuit of accomplishing these objectives, will enable this community to move closer to becoming the living embodiment of our parish mission statement and vision.
This plan incorporates a combination of objectives developed over the past several years and some newly developed ones for the years ahead. We will continue to focus our activities on evangelization and the process of helping people along on their personal faith journeys, particularly on activities that will result in an increase in Mass attendance and ministry volunteers. We have included an objective to address “The Hope That Lies Before Us” and its impact on our parish community. We will also focus on fiscal accountability in all of our activities and enhancing our assistance to others in the community through outreach and service. The latter will be measured by an increase in those served and the services provided. We will continue to identify those areas where we believe we need additional efforts, and implement action plans to improve them. These four long-term objectives will guide us in the years to come.
Our Parish’s Strategic Plan, Part 2: Opportunities through Which to Grow
Dear Friends,
This is the second part of our Parish Strategic Plan approved by the Pastoral Council at its last meeting before the beginning of the new Fiscal Year. It will shape who we are and where we are going as a parish. The plan, effective July 1, 2008, will run through June 30, 2013. This week’s installment highlights the opportunities that exist for us here at Our Lady of Grace. It is very important to have a plan such as this in place through the challenges and opportunities we will be facing in the years ahead.
As you read each of the remaining parts, your impressions, feedback and comments are always welcome and can be shared with any Council member. Remember, they are the ones wearing the red ribbon and pin at Sunday Masses. You are also invited to email the Council Chairperson, Bill Campbell at Bill.campbell@milliman.com.
Fondly,
Father Nicholas
Celebrating Life through Worship and Service
Strategic Plan
Our Lady of Grace Parish
2008 through 2013
Approved by Pastoral Council May 12, 2008
Opportunities
• Evangelize among the growing population in Northern Baltimore County
• Expand our service ministry with more volunteers providing more hands-on support to those in need (food, clothing, shelter, companionship)
• Reinforce important principles to our youth to make them better representatives of Christ and better citizens of the world
o Peaceful coexistence with brothers/sisters of other faiths (all Children of Abraham)
o Responsibility to serve others in need
o Respect for and stewardship of the earth
• Increase campus utilization to become a stronger focal point/gathering place in the community, which could in turn increase evangelical opportunities and financial resources
o More evening and summer classes
o Summer camps (indoor & outdoor)
o Sports fields/pavilion rental to other organizations when not in use by Our Lady of Grace sports teams
o Other uses/users of Manor at Gunpowder Falls
o Other users of Karl Heldrich Reading Center
Given this understanding of who we are and where we are going, our Strategic Plan defines how we will get there through a number of distinct and clear objectives for the parish over the next five years. These objectives have been selected because their attainment will have a profound impact on the success of our mission. They provide guidance and direction to Pastoral Council members when they interact with the numerous and diverse committees, groups, individual volunteers and parishioners as they go about their parish-related activities. The intent is to harness and focus such actions in concert with the specifically identified objectives that we have set. Each successful effort, in the pursuit of accomplishing these objectives, will enable this community to move closer to becoming the living embodiment of our parish mission statement and vision.
This plan incorporates a combination of objectives developed over the past several years and some newly developed ones for the years ahead. We will continue to focus our activities on evangelization and the process of helping people along on their personal faith journeys, particularly on activities that will result in an increase in Mass attendance and ministry volunteers. We have included an objective to address “The Hope That Lies Before Us” and its impact on our parish community. We will also focus on fiscal accountability in all of our activities and enhancing our assistance to others in the community through outreach and service. The latter will be measured by an increase in those served and the services provided. We will continue to identify those areas where we believe we need additional efforts, and implement action plans to improve them. These four long-term objectives will guide us in the years to come.
Weekly HOMILY for July 13, 2008: Being Good Soil
15th Sunday of Ordinary Time, Cycle A
Our Lady of Grace
July 13, 2008
Being Good Soil
By (Rev. Msgr.) Nicholas P. Amato
The Bonsai and the Sequoia
Most of us have probably seen at least a picture of a Japanese Bonsai tree. It’s a small decorative oriental looking tree. When a young Bonsai sapling begins to sprout, it is carefully pulled up from the soil in which it is planted.
The taproot and some of the feeder roots are tied off and then the Bonsai is re-planted. The result is that the growth of the bonsai is deliberately stunted and it usually reaches only fifteen to eighteen inches in height.
In great contrast to the Japanese Bonsai is the gigantic California Sequoia. The Sequoia grows in the rich soil and enjoys the wonderful balance of rain and sun in California.
The result is that it has large and deep roots and grows very tall and very wide. There is one famous California Sequoia named the “General Sherman” that is 272 feet tall and 79 feet in circumference.
Obviously, the Bonsai and the Sequoia do not have a choice in determining where or how they will grow. But you and I do have a choice about where and how we will grow and that is the point of today’s Gospel.
The Soil
In this parable, the sower or farmer is Jesus himself and the seed is the Word of God.
The different types of soil stand for us. Each type of soil receives the seed to a different and varying degree.
It is we who need to decide whether we are going to be like the Bonsai or the Sequoia. We need to decide how we will let the Word of God take root in us?
If we are like the footpath or the rocky or thorny soil, the Word will not have deep roots and the result will be limited growth. We will be something like the Bonsai tree – good looking perhaps but not having reached our potential.
However, if we are like the good soil in the parable, the Word of God will have deep and healthy roots and the result will be significant growth. We will be something like the Sequoia tree.
To be like this good soil, I suggest that there is a three-step process for us to reach our potential as followers of Jesus and it is helpful for us to be aware of this.
The steps in the process are: (1) The Mind Step, (2) The Heart Step, and (3) The Body Step.
1. The Mind Step
First, the Mind Step:
This is the step where we hear or read the Word of God. We are consciously trying to listen to Jesus’ words and understand what they mean.
So, for example, Jesus calls us to love our enemies and always to forgive others.
Does this mean that we are just supposed to be a doormat and expose ourselves to injury? That does not seem to harmonize with Jesus’ other saying about loving one another, and to do so as we love ourselves.
Perhaps Jesus means that we are to see “getting back at others” – an eye for an eye; a tooth for a tooth mentality – as a dead end and at least not to return evil for evil.
Yes, in Step 1 – the Mind Step – we are trying to understand what Jesus means.
2. The Heart Step
Step 2 is the Heart Step.
Here we try to see how the Word of God as we understand it applies specifically to our hearts, to us.
So, am I holding a grudge against someone for something that was said or done in the past?
Do I consistently try to put down, or in some way get back at, my spouse or friend or fellow employee?
In this Heart Step, I am asking: “Is God’s Word speaking directly, personally to me this morning?”
3. The Body Step
Finally, Step 3 is the Body Step.
Here we physically resolve to do something. (1) We have understood what Jesus is saying and (2) We have looked at how it applies to us, and now (3) We resolve to act on it.
So, instead of ignoring or not speaking with someone, am I willing at least to be cordial and respectful?
Instead of engaging in “getting back” or “getting even” behavior, am I willing at least to pray for the well-being of someone who has offended me?
Yes, in this “Body” Step, I am trying to do something. I am trying to respond and allow the Word of God to affect who I am and what I do.
Conclusion
It is my belief that if we approach the Scripture with this three-step process – (1) The Mind Step, (2) The Heart Step, and (3) The Body Step, then we have indeed become the “good soil” of today’s parable.
Then the Word of God can really take root in us. And then we can really grow to our potential as persons – something like the giant California Sequoia tree.
Our Lady of Grace
July 13, 2008
Being Good Soil
By (Rev. Msgr.) Nicholas P. Amato
The Bonsai and the Sequoia
Most of us have probably seen at least a picture of a Japanese Bonsai tree. It’s a small decorative oriental looking tree. When a young Bonsai sapling begins to sprout, it is carefully pulled up from the soil in which it is planted.
The taproot and some of the feeder roots are tied off and then the Bonsai is re-planted. The result is that the growth of the bonsai is deliberately stunted and it usually reaches only fifteen to eighteen inches in height.
In great contrast to the Japanese Bonsai is the gigantic California Sequoia. The Sequoia grows in the rich soil and enjoys the wonderful balance of rain and sun in California.
The result is that it has large and deep roots and grows very tall and very wide. There is one famous California Sequoia named the “General Sherman” that is 272 feet tall and 79 feet in circumference.
Obviously, the Bonsai and the Sequoia do not have a choice in determining where or how they will grow. But you and I do have a choice about where and how we will grow and that is the point of today’s Gospel.
The Soil
In this parable, the sower or farmer is Jesus himself and the seed is the Word of God.
The different types of soil stand for us. Each type of soil receives the seed to a different and varying degree.
It is we who need to decide whether we are going to be like the Bonsai or the Sequoia. We need to decide how we will let the Word of God take root in us?
If we are like the footpath or the rocky or thorny soil, the Word will not have deep roots and the result will be limited growth. We will be something like the Bonsai tree – good looking perhaps but not having reached our potential.
However, if we are like the good soil in the parable, the Word of God will have deep and healthy roots and the result will be significant growth. We will be something like the Sequoia tree.
To be like this good soil, I suggest that there is a three-step process for us to reach our potential as followers of Jesus and it is helpful for us to be aware of this.
The steps in the process are: (1) The Mind Step, (2) The Heart Step, and (3) The Body Step.
1. The Mind Step
First, the Mind Step:
This is the step where we hear or read the Word of God. We are consciously trying to listen to Jesus’ words and understand what they mean.
So, for example, Jesus calls us to love our enemies and always to forgive others.
Does this mean that we are just supposed to be a doormat and expose ourselves to injury? That does not seem to harmonize with Jesus’ other saying about loving one another, and to do so as we love ourselves.
Perhaps Jesus means that we are to see “getting back at others” – an eye for an eye; a tooth for a tooth mentality – as a dead end and at least not to return evil for evil.
Yes, in Step 1 – the Mind Step – we are trying to understand what Jesus means.
2. The Heart Step
Step 2 is the Heart Step.
Here we try to see how the Word of God as we understand it applies specifically to our hearts, to us.
So, am I holding a grudge against someone for something that was said or done in the past?
Do I consistently try to put down, or in some way get back at, my spouse or friend or fellow employee?
In this Heart Step, I am asking: “Is God’s Word speaking directly, personally to me this morning?”
3. The Body Step
Finally, Step 3 is the Body Step.
Here we physically resolve to do something. (1) We have understood what Jesus is saying and (2) We have looked at how it applies to us, and now (3) We resolve to act on it.
So, instead of ignoring or not speaking with someone, am I willing at least to be cordial and respectful?
Instead of engaging in “getting back” or “getting even” behavior, am I willing at least to pray for the well-being of someone who has offended me?
Yes, in this “Body” Step, I am trying to do something. I am trying to respond and allow the Word of God to affect who I am and what I do.
Conclusion
It is my belief that if we approach the Scripture with this three-step process – (1) The Mind Step, (2) The Heart Step, and (3) The Body Step, then we have indeed become the “good soil” of today’s parable.
Then the Word of God can really take root in us. And then we can really grow to our potential as persons – something like the giant California Sequoia tree.
Thursday, July 03, 2008
Weekly THIS AND THAT for July 6, 2008: Our Parish's Strategic Plan, Part 1: Responsibilities, Strength, and Challenges
This and That:
Our Parish’s Strategic Plan, Part 1: Responsibilities, Strengths, and Challenges
Dear Friends,
This past May our Pastoral Council approved a Strategic Plan that will shape who we are and where we are going as a parish. The plan became effective July 1, 2008 and will run through June 30, 2013. During that time many changes will come to Our Lady of Grace, including my own departure as your Pastor in June 2010. We thought it was very important to have a plan in place through the challenges and opportunities we will be facing in the years ahead.
The Pastoral Council supported the publication of the new Plan as a four-part series in the “That and That” column of our Sunday bulletin. In the near future a booklet format of the entire document will also be available.
As you read each of the four parts this week and the ensuing three, your impressions, feedback and comments are always welcome and can be shared with any Council member. Remember, they are the parishioners wearing the red ribbon and pin at Sunday Masses. You are also invited to email your comments and thoughts to the Council Chairperson, Bill Campbell at Bill.campbell@milliman.com.
Fondly,
Father Nicholas
Celebrating Life through Worship and Service
Strategic Plan
Our Lady of Grace Parish
2008 through 2013
Approved by Pastoral Council May 12, 2008
Parish Vision
“God calls the people of Our Lady of Grace Parish to be a welcoming, worshiping community of faith, hope and love. Through His Spirit, the Lord Jesus lives in those who believe and reaches into our world with His saving message and His healing love.”
Mission Statement
“We see ourselves as the heralds of God’s love for people and believe we are called to serve those in need. We commit ourselves to knowing Jesus Christ in the Breaking of the Bread and from this central experience we live that faith among others as the Body of Christ in Northern Baltimore County. We believe that “faith without good works is dead,” (James 2:26) and therefore, that worship without service cannot be true worship. Worship and service are at the very heart of our mission; they constitute who we are.”
Purpose
Our Lady of Grace Parish has developed this Strategic Plan document to add structure to our process of planning for the future and to focus our efforts on accomplishing our mission. During our strategic planning process we critically examined who we are as a parish and we defined where we are going by identifying our parish responsibilities, our strengths, the challenges we are facing, and the opportunities we can pursue to help meet those challenges. Those responsibilities, strengths, challenges, and opportunities follow:
Responsibilities
• Assist all parishioners in their faith journeys through worship services, religious education, pastoral care, and opportunities to serve others
• Provide religious education for all ages
• Operate and maintain Our Lady of Grace campus in a fiscally sound fashion
• Serve those in need within Our Lady of Grace parish family and beyond
Strengths
• Strong Pastor, Assistant Pastor, and Pastoral Staff
• Welcoming faith community
• Vibrant youth program
• Beautiful, spacious campus
• Sound fiscal practices (Our Lady of Grace lives within its means)
• Some very generous parishioners (to Our Lady of Grace and community)
• Many volunteers who help the needy (giving time, talent and/or treasure)
• Accredited school offering grades K through 8
Challenges
• Grow our congregation (fill the pews)
• Be relevant to youth, competing successfully in today’s culture for their attention
• Mentor youth in their faith journey – they are the parishioners of tomorrow
• Meet rising operation and maintenance costs in the face of difficult economic times
• Find other clergy to cover short term needs (complementing Father Nicholas)
• Plan for Father Nicholas’s change in assignment in 2010
• Motivate more parishioners to become more deeply involved in parish life
• Increase our Parish School enrollment to capacity
• Study the possibility of a pre-school for 3 year olds and 4 year olds as a feeder for our Parish School Kindergarten
• Study the needs of our people as they relate to the use of our Parish Middle School.
Our Parish’s Strategic Plan, Part 1: Responsibilities, Strengths, and Challenges
Dear Friends,
This past May our Pastoral Council approved a Strategic Plan that will shape who we are and where we are going as a parish. The plan became effective July 1, 2008 and will run through June 30, 2013. During that time many changes will come to Our Lady of Grace, including my own departure as your Pastor in June 2010. We thought it was very important to have a plan in place through the challenges and opportunities we will be facing in the years ahead.
The Pastoral Council supported the publication of the new Plan as a four-part series in the “That and That” column of our Sunday bulletin. In the near future a booklet format of the entire document will also be available.
As you read each of the four parts this week and the ensuing three, your impressions, feedback and comments are always welcome and can be shared with any Council member. Remember, they are the parishioners wearing the red ribbon and pin at Sunday Masses. You are also invited to email your comments and thoughts to the Council Chairperson, Bill Campbell at Bill.campbell@milliman.com.
Fondly,
Father Nicholas
Celebrating Life through Worship and Service
Strategic Plan
Our Lady of Grace Parish
2008 through 2013
Approved by Pastoral Council May 12, 2008
Parish Vision
“God calls the people of Our Lady of Grace Parish to be a welcoming, worshiping community of faith, hope and love. Through His Spirit, the Lord Jesus lives in those who believe and reaches into our world with His saving message and His healing love.”
Mission Statement
“We see ourselves as the heralds of God’s love for people and believe we are called to serve those in need. We commit ourselves to knowing Jesus Christ in the Breaking of the Bread and from this central experience we live that faith among others as the Body of Christ in Northern Baltimore County. We believe that “faith without good works is dead,” (James 2:26) and therefore, that worship without service cannot be true worship. Worship and service are at the very heart of our mission; they constitute who we are.”
Purpose
Our Lady of Grace Parish has developed this Strategic Plan document to add structure to our process of planning for the future and to focus our efforts on accomplishing our mission. During our strategic planning process we critically examined who we are as a parish and we defined where we are going by identifying our parish responsibilities, our strengths, the challenges we are facing, and the opportunities we can pursue to help meet those challenges. Those responsibilities, strengths, challenges, and opportunities follow:
Responsibilities
• Assist all parishioners in their faith journeys through worship services, religious education, pastoral care, and opportunities to serve others
• Provide religious education for all ages
• Operate and maintain Our Lady of Grace campus in a fiscally sound fashion
• Serve those in need within Our Lady of Grace parish family and beyond
Strengths
• Strong Pastor, Assistant Pastor, and Pastoral Staff
• Welcoming faith community
• Vibrant youth program
• Beautiful, spacious campus
• Sound fiscal practices (Our Lady of Grace lives within its means)
• Some very generous parishioners (to Our Lady of Grace and community)
• Many volunteers who help the needy (giving time, talent and/or treasure)
• Accredited school offering grades K through 8
Challenges
• Grow our congregation (fill the pews)
• Be relevant to youth, competing successfully in today’s culture for their attention
• Mentor youth in their faith journey – they are the parishioners of tomorrow
• Meet rising operation and maintenance costs in the face of difficult economic times
• Find other clergy to cover short term needs (complementing Father Nicholas)
• Plan for Father Nicholas’s change in assignment in 2010
• Motivate more parishioners to become more deeply involved in parish life
• Increase our Parish School enrollment to capacity
• Study the possibility of a pre-school for 3 year olds and 4 year olds as a feeder for our Parish School Kindergarten
• Study the needs of our people as they relate to the use of our Parish Middle School.
Weekly HOMILY for July 6, 2008: "Take My Yoke upon You"
14th Sunday of Ordinary Time, Cycle A
Our Lady of Grace
July 6, 2008
“Take My Yoke upon You”
By (Rev. Msgr.) Nicholas P. Amato
“Come to me, you who are burdened…”
I entertained friends and family at a 4th of July celebration. Perhaps “celebration” is the wrong word to use to describe our day together.
My friend David, the only child in his family, is struggling to place his mother in a nursing home. My sister who, after 27 years of faithful service to a heating oil company, was laid off and is without health care, a neighbor who is struggling to meet his mortgage payment, and a friend who couldn’t join us because the gasoline costs from North Carolina were prohibitive.
Aging parents, health care costs, mortgage payments, and cost of gasoline – they sound like challenges we can all understand as causing pain, suffering, and heartbreak to us or our loved ones.
It may be that many of us are doing just fine at the moment, but our “day” may have already come or is soon to be on the horizon.
“Take my yoke upon you”
In the midst of this sadness and pain, we hear Jesus say: “Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and you will find rest for yourselves. For my yoke is easy, and my burden light.”
To understand what Jesus means and how he can personally help us, we have to know what he means by his “yoke.”
My guess is none of us have ever ploughed a field with a team of oxen. In Jesus’ day, that was the only way to do it. A “yoke” is the wooden collar that fit around the neck of the oxen and connected them to the plough.
In Jesus’ time, carpenters handcrafted every yoke to fit the ox perfectly. It is fit well. The oxen could plough all day and pull up to five times their weight.
But if the yoke did not fit well, it would rub and chafe and cut into the flesh of the oxen until every step was sheer torture. You can see why a carpenter would be known by the quality of his yokes.
It was also common practice to have oxen in a double yoke. In other words, there were usually two oxen joined together by the yoke and together pulling the plough together.
They would train a younger, weaker ox by pairing it with a stronger, more mature animal.
As a result, the stronger one ended up bearing the heavier portion of the load and would lead the younger less experience ox on.
What Jesus Means
With this image of a double yoke, we can begin to unwrap precisely what Jesus means when he says “My yoke is easy, and my burden light.”
He is saying that when we are bearing the burdens of human life, we need to remember that (1) The yoke was made to fit me, (2) That we are in a double yoke, and (3) That we are not pulling the load alone.
Far from it, Jesus himself is right there next to us, pulling the load with us. And, like the stronger and more mature ox, he is even bearing the heavier portion.
Allowing Jesus to Help
Now, to accept the double yoke that Jesus offers us, and to allow him to bear the burden with us, we need to do three things.
First, we need to admit that alone we cannot handle the burdens in our life, so we have to admit our need of the Lord and his help.
It would be good to remember that even Jesus let Simon of Cyrene help him carry his cross.
Second, we need to turn to the Lord in prayer. We need to entrust ourselves to his power and strength.
If we do not pray, we are most likely trying to pull the load alone.
Trying to pull it alone woul surely overwhelm the less experienced ox and it will surely overwhelm us.
Finally, we need to discern what loads the Lord wants us to carry or not to carry. We need to discern if some of our loads are not if fact of our own making.
For example, does some of our financial stress come from buying too many things that are really “wants” and not needs?
Or are we so fatigued because we are assuming too much responsibility for the wellbeing of another and not taking proper care of ourselves?
Conclusion
To sum up:
(1) We need to admit that we cannot bear the burden alone.
(2) We need to entrust ourselves to the Lord in prayer, and
(3) We need to make sure that we carrying the yoke that Jesus wants us to carry.
Yes, we may well be “burdened,” but we will find some “rest,” because in a certain way, the Lord’s “yoke is easy and his burden is light.”
Our Lady of Grace
July 6, 2008
“Take My Yoke upon You”
By (Rev. Msgr.) Nicholas P. Amato
“Come to me, you who are burdened…”
I entertained friends and family at a 4th of July celebration. Perhaps “celebration” is the wrong word to use to describe our day together.
My friend David, the only child in his family, is struggling to place his mother in a nursing home. My sister who, after 27 years of faithful service to a heating oil company, was laid off and is without health care, a neighbor who is struggling to meet his mortgage payment, and a friend who couldn’t join us because the gasoline costs from North Carolina were prohibitive.
Aging parents, health care costs, mortgage payments, and cost of gasoline – they sound like challenges we can all understand as causing pain, suffering, and heartbreak to us or our loved ones.
It may be that many of us are doing just fine at the moment, but our “day” may have already come or is soon to be on the horizon.
“Take my yoke upon you”
In the midst of this sadness and pain, we hear Jesus say: “Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and you will find rest for yourselves. For my yoke is easy, and my burden light.”
To understand what Jesus means and how he can personally help us, we have to know what he means by his “yoke.”
My guess is none of us have ever ploughed a field with a team of oxen. In Jesus’ day, that was the only way to do it. A “yoke” is the wooden collar that fit around the neck of the oxen and connected them to the plough.
In Jesus’ time, carpenters handcrafted every yoke to fit the ox perfectly. It is fit well. The oxen could plough all day and pull up to five times their weight.
But if the yoke did not fit well, it would rub and chafe and cut into the flesh of the oxen until every step was sheer torture. You can see why a carpenter would be known by the quality of his yokes.
It was also common practice to have oxen in a double yoke. In other words, there were usually two oxen joined together by the yoke and together pulling the plough together.
They would train a younger, weaker ox by pairing it with a stronger, more mature animal.
As a result, the stronger one ended up bearing the heavier portion of the load and would lead the younger less experience ox on.
What Jesus Means
With this image of a double yoke, we can begin to unwrap precisely what Jesus means when he says “My yoke is easy, and my burden light.”
He is saying that when we are bearing the burdens of human life, we need to remember that (1) The yoke was made to fit me, (2) That we are in a double yoke, and (3) That we are not pulling the load alone.
Far from it, Jesus himself is right there next to us, pulling the load with us. And, like the stronger and more mature ox, he is even bearing the heavier portion.
Allowing Jesus to Help
Now, to accept the double yoke that Jesus offers us, and to allow him to bear the burden with us, we need to do three things.
First, we need to admit that alone we cannot handle the burdens in our life, so we have to admit our need of the Lord and his help.
It would be good to remember that even Jesus let Simon of Cyrene help him carry his cross.
Second, we need to turn to the Lord in prayer. We need to entrust ourselves to his power and strength.
If we do not pray, we are most likely trying to pull the load alone.
Trying to pull it alone woul surely overwhelm the less experienced ox and it will surely overwhelm us.
Finally, we need to discern what loads the Lord wants us to carry or not to carry. We need to discern if some of our loads are not if fact of our own making.
For example, does some of our financial stress come from buying too many things that are really “wants” and not needs?
Or are we so fatigued because we are assuming too much responsibility for the wellbeing of another and not taking proper care of ourselves?
Conclusion
To sum up:
(1) We need to admit that we cannot bear the burden alone.
(2) We need to entrust ourselves to the Lord in prayer, and
(3) We need to make sure that we carrying the yoke that Jesus wants us to carry.
Yes, we may well be “burdened,” but we will find some “rest,” because in a certain way, the Lord’s “yoke is easy and his burden is light.”
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