This and That
Farewell for a While
As many of you know, last year Cardinal Keeler granted me a 6-month sabbatical for prayer and study. Instead of taking it as a period of six months straight, I chose to divide it into two three-month segments. This past January, February and March I spent at Mepkin Abbey, a Trappist monastery in South Carolina. The seven hours of prayer a day, the five hours of manual labor, the horarium (aka “schedule”) that included fasting and abstinence and no talking every day created an extraordinary experience of prayer for me.
I chose to break up the six months inasmuch as a wanted to be here at Our Lady of Grace from April through August. There was a new principal to hire and orient, approve a new 5-year Strategic Plan, and approve the parish and school budgets for the New Year beginning July 1st.
I am now preparing to embark on the “study” part of the sabbatical which will be three months (September 5th through December 4th) studying at the Ecumenical Institute at Tantur, Israel.
At its heart, the Institute is a three-month experience in continuing education and spiritual renewal. What characterizes the program is the context of the Holy Land, what John the Evangelist called “the fifth gospel.” To read the story of Jesus and the first Christians in the context of this “fifth gospel” shapes not only our understanding of the Scriptures and their history of salvation, but also of how our Christian faith is embodied in concrete, complex reality. While we will have many guided excursions (among them, a five-day trip to Galilee) to get to know the land where our Catholic faith originated, we will focus not only on the stones of archeological remains, but also on the “living stones,” the local Christian communities. We will be studying Eastern and Western churches in their difficult situations as minorities in the Holy Land. They share land and life with the Jewish and Muslim communities, whose faith and spirituality will also be part of our study.
The program begins with an introductory week, where some of the historical, cultural and religious realities of the Holy Land will be presented as a frame to understand the Core courses which extend through the three months. I will be taking the following courses:
➢ Ecumenism: with Fr. Thomas Stransky begins with the participants’ reflective experiences of ecumenism, then goes into the biblical foundations for Christian unity work, the development of the ecumenical movement, and where it is now.
➢ Local Churches: with Fr. Michael McGarry roots ecumenism in the local reality, which leads to a study of the Church’s history in the Holy Land, and of differing Eastern and Western spiritualities. This course also includes contact with the local Christian communities.
➢ Biblical Geography: taught by Paul Wright and Mr. Allan Rabinowitz concentrates on the guided field trips, prepared by lectures, with maps and diagrams. Starting with Jerusalem and Bethlehem and their environs, we visit also the Negev and the Judean Deserts and the Dead Sea area. We also devote detailed attention to the Jerusalem of Jesus’ time, as well as a five-day trip to the Galilee of the gospels half-way through the course. The study combines geography and archaeology with the biblical texts, aiming at a deeper understanding of their message.
➢ Scripture: taught by Fr. Michael McGarry as “Jesus in his Cultural Milieu,” and reviews the concrete realities of family life, honor-and-shame culture and other dimensions of Jewish life and Middle Eastern culture at the time of Jesus. Dr. Edward Breuer presents a Jewish reading of the Old Testament/Hebrew Scriptures, both Torah and Prophets.
➢ Judaism: taught by Debbie Weissman presents the fundamental tenets of the Jewish faith and Jewish living, its Covenant, Torah, Talmud; family and gender relations; prayer life, the role of the great festivals, the Land; Jewish-Christian dialogue.
➢ Islam: taught by Dr. Mustafa Abu Sway, and Sister Bridget Tighe, FMDM. The course will offer the faith and history of Islam, its encounters with the West, its social organization (family, gender relations) and how it faces modernity and change.
➢ The program will also offer shorter sessions: Among these shorter sessions are “Palestinian Liberation Theology” (Rev. Dr. Naim Ateek, Anglican priest and Director of the Sabeel Center) and “Jewish Identity, Nationhood and State” (Mr. Daniel Rossing, Jewish educator, director of the Jerusalem Center for Jewish-Christian Relations). A number of lectures open to the wider public are complemented by others only for the Tantur Community, where invited guests give more informal presentations of their personal experiences and perspectives.
The course is an ecumenical experience in itself. During the three months, the participants create and form a learning community, not only in the classroom, but also by common life and conversations, traveling together, and praying together. The community meets every evening for worship prepared by an ecumenically blended group of residents. A willingness both to stand for and present one’s own spiritual tradition and to be open to learning from others’ is important for the common growth.
As was the case when I lived as a monk at the monastery, while I’m away being a student, Sr. Mary Therese will be acting as Pastoral Leader of the community. During my time in studies, I will not be available by phone or Internet. In case of an emergency, please contact Sister Mary Therese at the parish office. She will know how to reach me.
Fondly,
Father Nicholas
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Weekly HOMILY for August 31, 2008: The Dandelion, Rabbit, Hunter and God: Becoming Divine
22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle A
Our Lady of Grace
August 31, 2008
Focus: How to become divine
Function: To show through use of a story how losing ourselves in God we become our real selves
Form: Story as analog
How to Become Divine
By (Rev. Msgr.) Nicholas P. Amato
The Dandelion, Rabbit, Hunter and God
Once upon a time, a dandelion whispered to the nutrients in its soil: “How would you like to become a dandelion?”
“You need only allow yourself to be dissolved in the earth’s water; and I will draw you up through my roots.
“Afterward you will be able to grow and flower and brighten the world.” The nutrients said: “Okay.”
Next morning, a rabbit hopped by and, in a fit of generosity, said to the dandelion: “How would you like to become a rabbit?
“You would have to let me chew you up and swallow you, and you would lose your pretty petals. It would hurt at first, but afterward you would be able to hop around and wiggle your ears.”
Not being rooted in one place sounded good, so the dandelion allowed itself to be munched and swallowed to become a rabbit.
The next day, a hunter spotted the rabbit, and being in a friendly mood, asked: “How would you like to become a human? Of course, you must let yourself be shot, skinned, stewed and eaten.
“That would naturally be rather painful, but think of what you’d gain. You’d be able to think, laugh, cry, get 50 credit cards and appear on Oprah.”
The rabbit was scared, but who could pass up Oprah? So, he gave up the carefree life of a rabbit and became a human being.
Years later, God noticed this human going about his everyday human way and feeling very fatherly, said: “Hey! How would you like to become a super-human?”
Becoming Divine
That is the question God asks each human being who comes into this world.
And in case we don’t know what is involved, his son, Jesus, spelled it out: “You have to lose your soul to find it.”
Coaches and athletes of last week’s Olympics translate that as: “No pain; no gain.” Psychologists say we must, “lose our false self to find our true self,” and spiritual writers talk about the, “dark night before the dawn and the cross blossoming into resurrection.”
What is it that we actually must lose and what do we actually gain? Well, the good news is that we don’t lose anything essential to our humanity.
We don’t lose anything that is good within us. All we really lose is our inhumanity, our bad self.
What Do We Lose?
Thus we must lose our self-centeredness, which isolates us from other good people.
We must lose our prejudices, which blind us to the truth.
We must lose our lust, which smears and blears our love.
We must lose our insecurity, which restrains us form brave deeds.
We must lose our obsession with money that prevents us from being magnanimous.
We must lose our fear, which strangles our hope.
We must lose our penchant for autonomy, which always leads us into some servitude.
What Do We Gain?
To the degree that we succeed, we enlarge our humanity. And we don’t have to get there all at once. Step by step is normal.
Nor do we have to advance in every department of life. Actually, most saints are unbalance, imperfect, unfinished human beings.
The best part is that in fulfilling our humanity, we simultaneously become divine. We actually participate in divine life.
We become intimate with God, breathe the same pungent air, think the same heavenly thoughts, and love the same Godly way.
We engage in conversation with Father, Son and Spirit.
Conclusion
And here is the really best part. In losing our lives in God, we don’t really lose at all.
We are not sucked through divine roots or chewed up as heavenly nectar. We are not absorbed by God.
No, we retain our own self. In fact, only with God can we be our real self.
Our Lady of Grace
August 31, 2008
Focus: How to become divine
Function: To show through use of a story how losing ourselves in God we become our real selves
Form: Story as analog
How to Become Divine
By (Rev. Msgr.) Nicholas P. Amato
The Dandelion, Rabbit, Hunter and God
Once upon a time, a dandelion whispered to the nutrients in its soil: “How would you like to become a dandelion?”
“You need only allow yourself to be dissolved in the earth’s water; and I will draw you up through my roots.
“Afterward you will be able to grow and flower and brighten the world.” The nutrients said: “Okay.”
Next morning, a rabbit hopped by and, in a fit of generosity, said to the dandelion: “How would you like to become a rabbit?
“You would have to let me chew you up and swallow you, and you would lose your pretty petals. It would hurt at first, but afterward you would be able to hop around and wiggle your ears.”
Not being rooted in one place sounded good, so the dandelion allowed itself to be munched and swallowed to become a rabbit.
The next day, a hunter spotted the rabbit, and being in a friendly mood, asked: “How would you like to become a human? Of course, you must let yourself be shot, skinned, stewed and eaten.
“That would naturally be rather painful, but think of what you’d gain. You’d be able to think, laugh, cry, get 50 credit cards and appear on Oprah.”
The rabbit was scared, but who could pass up Oprah? So, he gave up the carefree life of a rabbit and became a human being.
Years later, God noticed this human going about his everyday human way and feeling very fatherly, said: “Hey! How would you like to become a super-human?”
Becoming Divine
That is the question God asks each human being who comes into this world.
And in case we don’t know what is involved, his son, Jesus, spelled it out: “You have to lose your soul to find it.”
Coaches and athletes of last week’s Olympics translate that as: “No pain; no gain.” Psychologists say we must, “lose our false self to find our true self,” and spiritual writers talk about the, “dark night before the dawn and the cross blossoming into resurrection.”
What is it that we actually must lose and what do we actually gain? Well, the good news is that we don’t lose anything essential to our humanity.
We don’t lose anything that is good within us. All we really lose is our inhumanity, our bad self.
What Do We Lose?
Thus we must lose our self-centeredness, which isolates us from other good people.
We must lose our prejudices, which blind us to the truth.
We must lose our lust, which smears and blears our love.
We must lose our insecurity, which restrains us form brave deeds.
We must lose our obsession with money that prevents us from being magnanimous.
We must lose our fear, which strangles our hope.
We must lose our penchant for autonomy, which always leads us into some servitude.
What Do We Gain?
To the degree that we succeed, we enlarge our humanity. And we don’t have to get there all at once. Step by step is normal.
Nor do we have to advance in every department of life. Actually, most saints are unbalance, imperfect, unfinished human beings.
The best part is that in fulfilling our humanity, we simultaneously become divine. We actually participate in divine life.
We become intimate with God, breathe the same pungent air, think the same heavenly thoughts, and love the same Godly way.
We engage in conversation with Father, Son and Spirit.
Conclusion
And here is the really best part. In losing our lives in God, we don’t really lose at all.
We are not sucked through divine roots or chewed up as heavenly nectar. We are not absorbed by God.
No, we retain our own self. In fact, only with God can we be our real self.
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Weekly THIS AND THAT for August 24, 2008: The New Fountain for Our Courtyard
This and That: The New Fountain for Our Courtyard
Long before the plans for the courtyard were finalized, we were envisioning some sort of fountain to grace its center. The fountain project was made possible by the generous estate of Michael and Felgie Pippi, long-time parishioners of Our Lady of Grace. Michael died in 2000 and Felgie passed in 2007. They had been very dedicated members of our parish since its very beginning. The remainder of their estate will be applied toward our archdiocesan loan for the building of the Education Center and Manor at Gunpowder Falls.
From the very beginning of the construction of the courtyard, the Gutierrez Studios of Baltimore have been working with us on the design of the fountain. We wanted something that was artful and original, that used both fire and water in its design, that was beautiful all year round, especially when not in use, that was “childproof,” and finally, that we could afford.
The photo in the inset is the result of our planning and deliberations. The fountain is designed to stand alone as a piece of art, yet fit in with the look of the courtyard and church.
The fountain will be set upon a precast concrete base. Its base will be a hollow steel structure clad in 16 gage powder coated steel sheet panels and housing the operating equipment for the fountain and flame. The fountain’s basin will be rectangular in shape, fabricated in powder-coated steel with a patinated bronze/brass trim and liner. The center column of the fountain will be fabricated from patinated sheet brass with a cast bronze top crown assembly. The sculptural flames atop the center column will be formed and fabricated of heavy brass. The water feature will be based on a recycling pump system. The live flame will be generated via a plumbed propane gas system whose delivery lines have already been installed underground.
In terms of fitting in with the church and the courtyard, the concrete base will look the same as the border of the courtyard and the center column imitates the bell tower. The water symbolizes the life giving waters of baptism and the flame the tongues of flame that the followers of Jesus received at Pentecost.
The courtyard will be used as a place to greet and chat with parishioners before and after Mass, for hospitalities and social gatherings, conducting religious services as the Blessing of Palms on Palm/Passion Sunday the lighting of the Easter Fire at the Easter Vigil.
We are scheduled to begin construction of the fountain this fall with a dedication in the spring of 2009. How grateful we are to Michael and Felgie Pippi for the gracious gift that will help us remember there love and dedication to Our Lady of Grace. May they rest in peace and their good works continue to echo within this family of faith they loved so much.
Fondly,
Father Nicholas
Long before the plans for the courtyard were finalized, we were envisioning some sort of fountain to grace its center. The fountain project was made possible by the generous estate of Michael and Felgie Pippi, long-time parishioners of Our Lady of Grace. Michael died in 2000 and Felgie passed in 2007. They had been very dedicated members of our parish since its very beginning. The remainder of their estate will be applied toward our archdiocesan loan for the building of the Education Center and Manor at Gunpowder Falls.
From the very beginning of the construction of the courtyard, the Gutierrez Studios of Baltimore have been working with us on the design of the fountain. We wanted something that was artful and original, that used both fire and water in its design, that was beautiful all year round, especially when not in use, that was “childproof,” and finally, that we could afford.
The photo in the inset is the result of our planning and deliberations. The fountain is designed to stand alone as a piece of art, yet fit in with the look of the courtyard and church.
The fountain will be set upon a precast concrete base. Its base will be a hollow steel structure clad in 16 gage powder coated steel sheet panels and housing the operating equipment for the fountain and flame. The fountain’s basin will be rectangular in shape, fabricated in powder-coated steel with a patinated bronze/brass trim and liner. The center column of the fountain will be fabricated from patinated sheet brass with a cast bronze top crown assembly. The sculptural flames atop the center column will be formed and fabricated of heavy brass. The water feature will be based on a recycling pump system. The live flame will be generated via a plumbed propane gas system whose delivery lines have already been installed underground.
In terms of fitting in with the church and the courtyard, the concrete base will look the same as the border of the courtyard and the center column imitates the bell tower. The water symbolizes the life giving waters of baptism and the flame the tongues of flame that the followers of Jesus received at Pentecost.
The courtyard will be used as a place to greet and chat with parishioners before and after Mass, for hospitalities and social gatherings, conducting religious services as the Blessing of Palms on Palm/Passion Sunday the lighting of the Easter Fire at the Easter Vigil.
We are scheduled to begin construction of the fountain this fall with a dedication in the spring of 2009. How grateful we are to Michael and Felgie Pippi for the gracious gift that will help us remember there love and dedication to Our Lady of Grace. May they rest in peace and their good works continue to echo within this family of faith they loved so much.
Fondly,
Father Nicholas
Weekly HOMILY for August 24, 2008: Deacon Preaching Sunday
Deacon Lee Benson preached this Sunday.
Father Nicholas will return next Sunday.
Father Nicholas will return next Sunday.
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
Weekly THIS AND THAT for August 17, 2008: New Ways to Proclaim the Good News
This and That:
New Ways to Proclaim the Good News
The Church has a message to deliver, and the challenge of that task today is to do it in a “mediated” world, said one of the hosts of the 2008 International Catholic Media Convention. Basilian Father Thomas Rosica, who is also the Director of Salt and Light Catholic Media Foundation and Television Network, added that the Church needs to be “there on the scene, using all the means of modern social communications to proclaim the Word of God and the message of the Church.” Its theme was “Proclaim It From the Rooftops.”
The following is an interview I read recently with Father Rosica in which he comments on the future of Catholic media and their relationship with the secular press. I thought you would enjoy reading it.
Fondly,
Father Nicholas
Q: Why the theme “Proclaim It from the Rooftops”?
Father Rosica: We have chosen as the theme “Proclaim It From the Rooftops,” inspired by the Scriptures – Matthew 10:27 – and also by Pope John Paul II’s Apostolic Letter “Rapid Development.” The reality is that the Church must now speak to a highly technological, “mediated” society. John Paul II said that the Church must be present in the new “Areopagai” of the world – a world replete with so many competing philosophies, ideas and phenomena. [The Areopagus was the hill in Athens where philosophers and scholars came to debate their positions.] The Church has to be there on the scene, using all the means of modern social communications to proclaim the word of God and the message of the Church.
Q: What new developments in Catholic journalism did you want to see highlighted at this conference? Outcomes?
Father Rosica: The 2008 Catholic Media Convention owes its existence to a collaboration that is rare in any part of the publishing world. Two unique aspects of the convention are how we can foster good collaboration among all entities of Catholic media and view our work as part of the New Evangelization.
Second, is our concern for the future, especially how we can reach out to the next generation and involve young adults in the mission of communications. The week was an intensive lesson for North American Catholic journalists in building bridges within and outside the Church as we learned to tell our stories, bear witness to the truth, and proclaim our message from the rooftops.
Q: The Pope said in his message for World Communications Day, “That seeking and presenting the truth about humanity constitutes the highest vocation of social communication.” Does this vision of the role of communications mark a fundamental difference between Catholic and secular journalists?
Father Rosica: Catholic communicators and journalists have a special obligation and mission not only to serve the Church, but to teach the world about seeking the truth and serving the truth. The secular media misses the mark when the truth, goodness and the dignity of the human person are not part of the story. As John Paul II – himself a media expert and master – wrote in 2005, in his final 2005 Apostolic Letter titled, “The Rapid Development”: “Communication both within the Church community and between the Church and the world at large requires openness and a new approach toward facing questions regarding the world of media. This communication must tend toward a constructive dialogue, so as to promote a correctly informed and discerning public opinion within the Christian community.” Good journalists and communicators must be concerned with truth, goodness, beauty and hope, even in the most dire of circumstances.
Q: What can the Catholic media do to get the message of the Gospel more widely known?
Father Rosica: I have learned some powerful lessons in dealing with the media over the years, especially through the adventure of World Youth Day 2002 in Canada, the suffering and death of John Paul II, and my work with Salt and Light Television and our collaboration with the “secular” media.
It serves no purpose for Church officials, leaders, and members to vilify those in the media, to stonewall and not respond to the constant phone calls of this reporter, that producer, some editor. That’s the nature of the beast. They don’t call it breaking news for nothing. Nor does it serve any purpose for those in the “secular” media to ignore or marginalize the Church and religious issues, treating them as trivial matters that don’t merit serious reflection. We have to learn from each other, and we have much good work to do together to serve the cause of truth and decency in a world that is becoming more devoid of value, virtue and meaning. Many times in the Church, our stories are non-stories because key elements are missing. In more biblical language, how on earth do we move the light from under the bushel and onto the lamp stand so everyone in the house may see it? How do we learn the difference between old news and the new news with relevance – a real story worth telling to the world?
High on the agenda of the 2008 Convention was the theme of the so-called hostility of “secular” media to religion and the Church. Is the hostility real or perceived? What can be done to build bridges? The convention helped Church media workers to learn to tell our stories to the world cogently, boldly and courageously.
New Ways to Proclaim the Good News
The Church has a message to deliver, and the challenge of that task today is to do it in a “mediated” world, said one of the hosts of the 2008 International Catholic Media Convention. Basilian Father Thomas Rosica, who is also the Director of Salt and Light Catholic Media Foundation and Television Network, added that the Church needs to be “there on the scene, using all the means of modern social communications to proclaim the Word of God and the message of the Church.” Its theme was “Proclaim It From the Rooftops.”
The following is an interview I read recently with Father Rosica in which he comments on the future of Catholic media and their relationship with the secular press. I thought you would enjoy reading it.
Fondly,
Father Nicholas
Q: Why the theme “Proclaim It from the Rooftops”?
Father Rosica: We have chosen as the theme “Proclaim It From the Rooftops,” inspired by the Scriptures – Matthew 10:27 – and also by Pope John Paul II’s Apostolic Letter “Rapid Development.” The reality is that the Church must now speak to a highly technological, “mediated” society. John Paul II said that the Church must be present in the new “Areopagai” of the world – a world replete with so many competing philosophies, ideas and phenomena. [The Areopagus was the hill in Athens where philosophers and scholars came to debate their positions.] The Church has to be there on the scene, using all the means of modern social communications to proclaim the word of God and the message of the Church.
Q: What new developments in Catholic journalism did you want to see highlighted at this conference? Outcomes?
Father Rosica: The 2008 Catholic Media Convention owes its existence to a collaboration that is rare in any part of the publishing world. Two unique aspects of the convention are how we can foster good collaboration among all entities of Catholic media and view our work as part of the New Evangelization.
Second, is our concern for the future, especially how we can reach out to the next generation and involve young adults in the mission of communications. The week was an intensive lesson for North American Catholic journalists in building bridges within and outside the Church as we learned to tell our stories, bear witness to the truth, and proclaim our message from the rooftops.
Q: The Pope said in his message for World Communications Day, “That seeking and presenting the truth about humanity constitutes the highest vocation of social communication.” Does this vision of the role of communications mark a fundamental difference between Catholic and secular journalists?
Father Rosica: Catholic communicators and journalists have a special obligation and mission not only to serve the Church, but to teach the world about seeking the truth and serving the truth. The secular media misses the mark when the truth, goodness and the dignity of the human person are not part of the story. As John Paul II – himself a media expert and master – wrote in 2005, in his final 2005 Apostolic Letter titled, “The Rapid Development”: “Communication both within the Church community and between the Church and the world at large requires openness and a new approach toward facing questions regarding the world of media. This communication must tend toward a constructive dialogue, so as to promote a correctly informed and discerning public opinion within the Christian community.” Good journalists and communicators must be concerned with truth, goodness, beauty and hope, even in the most dire of circumstances.
Q: What can the Catholic media do to get the message of the Gospel more widely known?
Father Rosica: I have learned some powerful lessons in dealing with the media over the years, especially through the adventure of World Youth Day 2002 in Canada, the suffering and death of John Paul II, and my work with Salt and Light Television and our collaboration with the “secular” media.
It serves no purpose for Church officials, leaders, and members to vilify those in the media, to stonewall and not respond to the constant phone calls of this reporter, that producer, some editor. That’s the nature of the beast. They don’t call it breaking news for nothing. Nor does it serve any purpose for those in the “secular” media to ignore or marginalize the Church and religious issues, treating them as trivial matters that don’t merit serious reflection. We have to learn from each other, and we have much good work to do together to serve the cause of truth and decency in a world that is becoming more devoid of value, virtue and meaning. Many times in the Church, our stories are non-stories because key elements are missing. In more biblical language, how on earth do we move the light from under the bushel and onto the lamp stand so everyone in the house may see it? How do we learn the difference between old news and the new news with relevance – a real story worth telling to the world?
High on the agenda of the 2008 Convention was the theme of the so-called hostility of “secular” media to religion and the Church. Is the hostility real or perceived? What can be done to build bridges? The convention helped Church media workers to learn to tell our stories to the world cogently, boldly and courageously.
Weekly HOMILY for August 17, 2008: In What Does Faith Consist?
20th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle A
Our Lady of Grace
August 17, 2008
Focus: In what does faith consist?
Function: To assist members of the assembly in recognizing the elements of their own faith and what needs to be done to “activate” them
Form: Problem/Solution
In What Does Faith Consist?
By (Rev. Msgr.) Nicholas P. Amato
Everyday Faith Challenges
We all face challenges to our faith each day. We have them today and if not, they will be there tomorrow, of this we can be sure.
A single parent asleep in a downstairs bedroom with her three children sleeping on the second floor is killed by a truck that crashes into their home.
A middle-age woman learns that she has breast cancer.
A father of four is laid off from work and the family has fallen behind in their mortgage payments.
Tragic deaths, health challenges, difficult financial situations plague us all.
Such incidents raise the question of what is our faith made up of? How can we better understand faith so it can help us meet the everyday challenges of life?
Image of Transmitter and Receiver
“The Constitution on Revelation” of the Second Vatican Council states that: “The obedience of faith must be given to God as he reveals himself.”
It would seem then, that faith consists first in God’s revealing himself in different ways at different times and second, that faith consists in our obedience to that revealing God.
Perhaps an image would help.
Think of God as the transmitter, the divine broadcasting station, emitting a wave, a grace, or energy into the environment.
Think of yourself as the receiver, the radio or TV that gets this signal and digests it into sound and a visual picture.
God As Transmitter
Let us talk about the transmission end of the image first.
God was revealing himself in Old Testament times where he was asking the people he has chosen for a fundamental response of faith. You have folks like Abraham and Sarah, Moses, and Aaron.
Fast forward (Make zipping sound) to a different time and a different place where this faith is called to be renewed and to be increased. God calls his people to respond to the revelation of his Son Jesus.
Jesus, you will recall, expressly asks for it from his disciples at the Last Supper when he says: “Believe in God, believe also in me.”
So the first thing that faith consists in is a transmitter, a God who is sending out a signal at different times and in different places to those whom he has chosen.
You As Receiver
The second thing that faith consists in is the receiver, you or I who take in this “signal” and have it make a difference in our own life.
To be such a receiver we must look at our intellect – that is, our ability to think and reason – and our will – the ability to choose and act according to what our intellect holds as true.
We’re all very much aware of these faculties and use them constantly, as in my intellect says, “No more dessert”; my will helps me say, “No) to the second piece of pie.
The same document of Vatican II says that, “a person freely commits his/her entire self to God, making the full submission of their intellect and will to God who reveals.”
Thus faith is not only the intellect’s adherence to the truth revealed, but also a submission of the will and a gift of self to the God who is revealing himself.
Because it involves intellect and will, it is a stance that involves one’s entire existence.
Grace
Now this power for the intellect to understand and the will to submit requires the grace of God to move or assist them.
Thus, it is the Spirit within us, and the gifts of that Spirit, that will open the eyes of our mind and make is easy to accept and believe the truth.
However, without God’s grace, without the Spirit within us, it’s only going to be our natural seeing and our natural desperate attempt to will it. And it simply isn’t going to happen as we kno
w all to well from experience!
The Canaanite Woman
What a wonderful example of such faith is the Canaanite woman in the Gospel, who in faith, asks that Jesus heal her little daughter.
Remember, she is an outsider to the People of Israel. She is a woman held in low esteem. Despite it all, she’s bold, she’s insistent, she’s undaunted in her request!
And what’s Jesus’ response? “Woman, how great is your faith!”
What we’d say, knowing intellect and will as the elements of faith, is how responsive she is to God’s grace “transmitted” to her and “received” as a flash of understanding in her intellect, and the indefatigable power of her will.
Our Lady of Grace
August 17, 2008
Focus: In what does faith consist?
Function: To assist members of the assembly in recognizing the elements of their own faith and what needs to be done to “activate” them
Form: Problem/Solution
In What Does Faith Consist?
By (Rev. Msgr.) Nicholas P. Amato
Everyday Faith Challenges
We all face challenges to our faith each day. We have them today and if not, they will be there tomorrow, of this we can be sure.
A single parent asleep in a downstairs bedroom with her three children sleeping on the second floor is killed by a truck that crashes into their home.
A middle-age woman learns that she has breast cancer.
A father of four is laid off from work and the family has fallen behind in their mortgage payments.
Tragic deaths, health challenges, difficult financial situations plague us all.
Such incidents raise the question of what is our faith made up of? How can we better understand faith so it can help us meet the everyday challenges of life?
Image of Transmitter and Receiver
“The Constitution on Revelation” of the Second Vatican Council states that: “The obedience of faith must be given to God as he reveals himself.”
It would seem then, that faith consists first in God’s revealing himself in different ways at different times and second, that faith consists in our obedience to that revealing God.
Perhaps an image would help.
Think of God as the transmitter, the divine broadcasting station, emitting a wave, a grace, or energy into the environment.
Think of yourself as the receiver, the radio or TV that gets this signal and digests it into sound and a visual picture.
God As Transmitter
Let us talk about the transmission end of the image first.
God was revealing himself in Old Testament times where he was asking the people he has chosen for a fundamental response of faith. You have folks like Abraham and Sarah, Moses, and Aaron.
Fast forward (Make zipping sound) to a different time and a different place where this faith is called to be renewed and to be increased. God calls his people to respond to the revelation of his Son Jesus.
Jesus, you will recall, expressly asks for it from his disciples at the Last Supper when he says: “Believe in God, believe also in me.”
So the first thing that faith consists in is a transmitter, a God who is sending out a signal at different times and in different places to those whom he has chosen.
You As Receiver
The second thing that faith consists in is the receiver, you or I who take in this “signal” and have it make a difference in our own life.
To be such a receiver we must look at our intellect – that is, our ability to think and reason – and our will – the ability to choose and act according to what our intellect holds as true.
We’re all very much aware of these faculties and use them constantly, as in my intellect says, “No more dessert”; my will helps me say, “No) to the second piece of pie.
The same document of Vatican II says that, “a person freely commits his/her entire self to God, making the full submission of their intellect and will to God who reveals.”
Thus faith is not only the intellect’s adherence to the truth revealed, but also a submission of the will and a gift of self to the God who is revealing himself.
Because it involves intellect and will, it is a stance that involves one’s entire existence.
Grace
Now this power for the intellect to understand and the will to submit requires the grace of God to move or assist them.
Thus, it is the Spirit within us, and the gifts of that Spirit, that will open the eyes of our mind and make is easy to accept and believe the truth.
However, without God’s grace, without the Spirit within us, it’s only going to be our natural seeing and our natural desperate attempt to will it. And it simply isn’t going to happen as we kno
w all to well from experience!
The Canaanite Woman
What a wonderful example of such faith is the Canaanite woman in the Gospel, who in faith, asks that Jesus heal her little daughter.
Remember, she is an outsider to the People of Israel. She is a woman held in low esteem. Despite it all, she’s bold, she’s insistent, she’s undaunted in her request!
And what’s Jesus’ response? “Woman, how great is your faith!”
What we’d say, knowing intellect and will as the elements of faith, is how responsive she is to God’s grace “transmitted” to her and “received” as a flash of understanding in her intellect, and the indefatigable power of her will.
Friday, August 08, 2008
Weekly THIS AND THAT for August 10, 2008: St. Paul, an Expert in Dialogue
This and That:
Saint Paul: An Expert in Dialogue
Dear Friends,
I am writing this column (on July 4th) after a retreat with my Priests’ Support Group, having used St. Paul as our “Retreat Director.” It is also in anticipation of using my vacation time for a pilgrimage to Turkey to follow in the footsteps of St. Paul and the many churches he founded in that area of Asia Minor.
Fondly,
Father Nicholas
“St. Paul was not only a zealous preacher of Christianity, but also a man open to dialogue with those who do not know Christ,” affirmed the president of the Pontifical Council for Christian Unity. Cardinal Walter Kasper spoke with L’Osservatore Romano recently about the Apostle to the Gentiles on the occasion of the beginning of the Pauline Jubilee Year on June 28, 2008.
He started with a biographical sketch of St. Paul, noting that he was in prison many times, beaten and in danger of death. Five times he suffered 39 lashes, was scourged three times, stoned once, shipwrecked, endured hunger and thirst, cold and nakedness, slander, persecution and finally decapitation by the sword. “How did he endure all this?” the cardinal asked. He affirmed that the answer was given by Paul, himself, “By the grace of God I am what I am.” And again, “I can do all things in him who strengthens me.”
“[Here] we touch upon the central point of [Paul's] life and faith,” Cardinal Kasper affirmed. “He attributed nothing to his own merit; but believed that everything was owed to God and his grace. God was the power and strength of his life.” The Vatican official proposed that Paul’s message is, in fact, “the message of grace. We have courage and dignity, salvation and holiness only from God and his grace,” he explained. “We cannot save ourselves through good works. Salvation is given to us because of our faith. This grace is offered to each one of us. With God’s grace, a new beginning is always possible.”
Converted
Cardinal Kasper reflected on the key event in Paul’s life, his conversion on the road to Damascus. “That experience made such an impression on him that he forgot all his past, projecting himself with determination towards the future,” he said. “For Paul, the Gospel was not an abstract doctrine but a person: Jesus Christ. God is not far away. He is God for us, close to us and with us. He humbled himself and lowered himself in Jesus Christ. If God has resurrected Jesus Christ from the dead, he will also resurrect us. Therefore, in every suffering and every sorrow, in all of life’s adversities, hope will shine for us even beyond death.” Such a message, the Cardinal added, is joyful but also exacting.
He explained: “We must always be oriented to Jesus Christ, to his example, life and Word. We must always be converted again, allow ourselves to be taken by him and to follow him. Jesus Christ is the fulcrum of the Christian faith; he is its identity and characteristic. Faith in Jesus Christ as the Son of God distinguishes us from the Muslims. We must not hide our faith, but witness to it courageously as Paul did. This is realized not only with words, but above all through a convincing life of faith, through affability, availability, benevolence, goodness and active charity.”
Rooted in Turkey
Cardinal Kasper focused on another of Paul’s characteristics: his dedication to dialogue. “Paul was an ardent witness of Christ and, at the same time, a man of dialogue,” the Cardinal said, citing an affirmation from the Turkish bishops in their pastoral letter for the Pauline year. And he noted Paul’s familiarity with the Jewish and Greco-Roman cultures, that he spoke both Aramaic and Greek. On referring to other religions in the Areopagus of Athens (a hill on which met the highest governmental council and later the judicial court), Paul quoted their own poets, saying that God, “Is not far from any one of us. For in him we live and move and have our being.”
In this connection, Cardinal Kasper recalled that, “Vatican Council II made this exhortation its own and stated that the Catholic Church does not reject anything that is true and holy in other religions. The Council spoke of respect for Muslims, appealing for collaboration with them when it comes to protecting and promoting social justice, moral values, peace and liberty for all men.” To dialogue “does not mean to leave one’s own faith aside, or to make a flexible adaptation,” he clarified. “It is about giving reasons for the faith with all due amiability and patience. To explain what, how, and why we believe. To be witnesses of the faith in an active way.”
The Vatican official noted that St. Paul is a teacher in this type of dialogue. “Thanks to him, the Church has become universal,” he noted. And mentioning Paul’s roots in Turkey, the Cardinal observed that, “Christians in Turkey are a small flock that does not always have an easy life, but they form part of a great universal community of believers. The whole Church has one of its roots in Tarsus and Turkey. That is why the universal Church can never forget the Christians in Turkey.”
Saint Paul: An Expert in Dialogue
Dear Friends,
I am writing this column (on July 4th) after a retreat with my Priests’ Support Group, having used St. Paul as our “Retreat Director.” It is also in anticipation of using my vacation time for a pilgrimage to Turkey to follow in the footsteps of St. Paul and the many churches he founded in that area of Asia Minor.
Fondly,
Father Nicholas
“St. Paul was not only a zealous preacher of Christianity, but also a man open to dialogue with those who do not know Christ,” affirmed the president of the Pontifical Council for Christian Unity. Cardinal Walter Kasper spoke with L’Osservatore Romano recently about the Apostle to the Gentiles on the occasion of the beginning of the Pauline Jubilee Year on June 28, 2008.
He started with a biographical sketch of St. Paul, noting that he was in prison many times, beaten and in danger of death. Five times he suffered 39 lashes, was scourged three times, stoned once, shipwrecked, endured hunger and thirst, cold and nakedness, slander, persecution and finally decapitation by the sword. “How did he endure all this?” the cardinal asked. He affirmed that the answer was given by Paul, himself, “By the grace of God I am what I am.” And again, “I can do all things in him who strengthens me.”
“[Here] we touch upon the central point of [Paul's] life and faith,” Cardinal Kasper affirmed. “He attributed nothing to his own merit; but believed that everything was owed to God and his grace. God was the power and strength of his life.” The Vatican official proposed that Paul’s message is, in fact, “the message of grace. We have courage and dignity, salvation and holiness only from God and his grace,” he explained. “We cannot save ourselves through good works. Salvation is given to us because of our faith. This grace is offered to each one of us. With God’s grace, a new beginning is always possible.”
Converted
Cardinal Kasper reflected on the key event in Paul’s life, his conversion on the road to Damascus. “That experience made such an impression on him that he forgot all his past, projecting himself with determination towards the future,” he said. “For Paul, the Gospel was not an abstract doctrine but a person: Jesus Christ. God is not far away. He is God for us, close to us and with us. He humbled himself and lowered himself in Jesus Christ. If God has resurrected Jesus Christ from the dead, he will also resurrect us. Therefore, in every suffering and every sorrow, in all of life’s adversities, hope will shine for us even beyond death.” Such a message, the Cardinal added, is joyful but also exacting.
He explained: “We must always be oriented to Jesus Christ, to his example, life and Word. We must always be converted again, allow ourselves to be taken by him and to follow him. Jesus Christ is the fulcrum of the Christian faith; he is its identity and characteristic. Faith in Jesus Christ as the Son of God distinguishes us from the Muslims. We must not hide our faith, but witness to it courageously as Paul did. This is realized not only with words, but above all through a convincing life of faith, through affability, availability, benevolence, goodness and active charity.”
Rooted in Turkey
Cardinal Kasper focused on another of Paul’s characteristics: his dedication to dialogue. “Paul was an ardent witness of Christ and, at the same time, a man of dialogue,” the Cardinal said, citing an affirmation from the Turkish bishops in their pastoral letter for the Pauline year. And he noted Paul’s familiarity with the Jewish and Greco-Roman cultures, that he spoke both Aramaic and Greek. On referring to other religions in the Areopagus of Athens (a hill on which met the highest governmental council and later the judicial court), Paul quoted their own poets, saying that God, “Is not far from any one of us. For in him we live and move and have our being.”
In this connection, Cardinal Kasper recalled that, “Vatican Council II made this exhortation its own and stated that the Catholic Church does not reject anything that is true and holy in other religions. The Council spoke of respect for Muslims, appealing for collaboration with them when it comes to protecting and promoting social justice, moral values, peace and liberty for all men.” To dialogue “does not mean to leave one’s own faith aside, or to make a flexible adaptation,” he clarified. “It is about giving reasons for the faith with all due amiability and patience. To explain what, how, and why we believe. To be witnesses of the faith in an active way.”
The Vatican official noted that St. Paul is a teacher in this type of dialogue. “Thanks to him, the Church has become universal,” he noted. And mentioning Paul’s roots in Turkey, the Cardinal observed that, “Christians in Turkey are a small flock that does not always have an easy life, but they form part of a great universal community of believers. The whole Church has one of its roots in Tarsus and Turkey. That is why the universal Church can never forget the Christians in Turkey.”
Weekly HOMILY for August 10, 2008: God's Whisperings
19th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle A
Our Lady of Grace
August 10, 2008
Focus: God’s presence is often seen in his “whisperings”
Function: To offer members of the assembly a way of discerning God’s presence in their lives
Format: Establishing theme from the three readings and then developing a method for encountering God more effectively
God’s “Whisperings”
By (Rev. Msgr.) Nicholas P. Amato
Seeking, Finding and Knowing God’s Presence
Knowing God’s presence forms the theme that weaves together the experiences of Elijah the prophet, Paul the Apostle, and the tempest-tossed disciples of Jesus this evening/morning.
Elijah seeks out the God’s divine presence on a mountain, in the manifestations of nature, but God surprises him by being revealed instead in a tiny whispering sound.
Paul thinks that he has experienced the fullness of God’s presence in his careful observance of the Law, but he too is surprised when the divine presence becomes a person and is revealed to him in Jesus Christ.
On the stormy sea, the disciples think themselves to be on their own, with no defense against the elements, yet God’s power and presence is revealed to them in the person of Jesus, who calms the sea and their fears.
Each of these experiences affirms that God indeed wants to be found and known and experienced. It’s as if God says: “I am ever near. All you need do is open your eyes, your heart, your life to me.”
The issue I would like to address this evening/morning is how can I maximize this encounter with God? What can I do to tie into the divine presence that seems to elude me? What am I doing wrong in my efforts at prayer and meditation?
In short, God has found me, but how can I more effectively find God?
Desire
Some time ago I discovered a three-step process as a good way of getting deeply into prayer and getting there more quickly – a way of contacting the “whispers” of God in my life.
It can be summarized in three words: (1) Desire, (2) Humility, and (3) Openness. Let’s take a look at each briefly.
First, to experience God in the here-and-now I must stir up desire. One thing we all would admit is that we know the feel of desire: we desire food, comfort, rest, intimacy, support, love, and admiration.
Such desires are the motivators that get us their proper objects and thus satisfy us. The desire of hunger gets us food. Gathering with friends and family gets us love and belonging. Reading a good book gets our minds off problems and provides us relaxation.
In much the same way there is a desire in each of us for God, a desire for us to possess the Divine Presence.
In a moment of stillness I can speak words that express this desire as in, “I long for you Oh Lord; with all my heart I search for you.”
By just such a simple statement of desire, a desire that is rooted in our experience of all things we hold dear, God becomes closer to my experience.
Humility
A second factor that makes possible our interaction with God who is already with us, but whom we haven’t fully encountered, is to allow ourselves to feel a bit of humility.
By this I mean that it is important to know who you are before this almighty, all powerful God. We’re the clay; he’s the potter. We’re the portrait; he’s the artist.
The God who created me, the source of all life, the power that has existed for all times sends us a Son who will put a face on God, a Son who will show us how to relate to this loving Father.
Add to that the fact that this loving God plants his own Spirit within me, so that I may know him as he is in himself.
The chasm between God and me would be impossible to breech without the Son and the Holy Spirit.
This reality leaves me spell bound with the statement we speak before we receive Communion at every Mass: “Lord, I am not worthy that you should come to me, but only say the word and I shall be healed.”
If desire gets you hungering for God, humility closes the breech between you and the source of your desire.
Openness
Finally, it is with a simple attitude of openness that you are ready to experience this God who has been present all along.
The incident of Elijah in the first reading tells us that God’s presence for us, as for Elijah, won’t come in a strong and heavy wind, nor in an earthquake, nor as a huge fire, but instead in a tiny whispering sound.
What are those “whisperings” in which we might find God?
He may not be found in getting us out of the financial crisis we find ourselves in, but in bringing us closer together as a family.
He may not be found in curing the cancer of a loved one, but in the renewed dedication of a spouse and children to their mother.
He may not be found in the ending of a long family conflict, but in the stamina to accept people as they are.
Conclusion
Yes, God is in the very “stuff” of our daily lives. God is where we are, including the very weaknesses that vie for our souls.
Knowing God’s presence will take finding some quiet time and a quiet place and (1) Stirring up our desire, 2) Having a sense of humility, and (3) Being open to his presence.
Our Lady of Grace
August 10, 2008
Focus: God’s presence is often seen in his “whisperings”
Function: To offer members of the assembly a way of discerning God’s presence in their lives
Format: Establishing theme from the three readings and then developing a method for encountering God more effectively
God’s “Whisperings”
By (Rev. Msgr.) Nicholas P. Amato
Seeking, Finding and Knowing God’s Presence
Knowing God’s presence forms the theme that weaves together the experiences of Elijah the prophet, Paul the Apostle, and the tempest-tossed disciples of Jesus this evening/morning.
Elijah seeks out the God’s divine presence on a mountain, in the manifestations of nature, but God surprises him by being revealed instead in a tiny whispering sound.
Paul thinks that he has experienced the fullness of God’s presence in his careful observance of the Law, but he too is surprised when the divine presence becomes a person and is revealed to him in Jesus Christ.
On the stormy sea, the disciples think themselves to be on their own, with no defense against the elements, yet God’s power and presence is revealed to them in the person of Jesus, who calms the sea and their fears.
Each of these experiences affirms that God indeed wants to be found and known and experienced. It’s as if God says: “I am ever near. All you need do is open your eyes, your heart, your life to me.”
The issue I would like to address this evening/morning is how can I maximize this encounter with God? What can I do to tie into the divine presence that seems to elude me? What am I doing wrong in my efforts at prayer and meditation?
In short, God has found me, but how can I more effectively find God?
Desire
Some time ago I discovered a three-step process as a good way of getting deeply into prayer and getting there more quickly – a way of contacting the “whispers” of God in my life.
It can be summarized in three words: (1) Desire, (2) Humility, and (3) Openness. Let’s take a look at each briefly.
First, to experience God in the here-and-now I must stir up desire. One thing we all would admit is that we know the feel of desire: we desire food, comfort, rest, intimacy, support, love, and admiration.
Such desires are the motivators that get us their proper objects and thus satisfy us. The desire of hunger gets us food. Gathering with friends and family gets us love and belonging. Reading a good book gets our minds off problems and provides us relaxation.
In much the same way there is a desire in each of us for God, a desire for us to possess the Divine Presence.
In a moment of stillness I can speak words that express this desire as in, “I long for you Oh Lord; with all my heart I search for you.”
By just such a simple statement of desire, a desire that is rooted in our experience of all things we hold dear, God becomes closer to my experience.
Humility
A second factor that makes possible our interaction with God who is already with us, but whom we haven’t fully encountered, is to allow ourselves to feel a bit of humility.
By this I mean that it is important to know who you are before this almighty, all powerful God. We’re the clay; he’s the potter. We’re the portrait; he’s the artist.
The God who created me, the source of all life, the power that has existed for all times sends us a Son who will put a face on God, a Son who will show us how to relate to this loving Father.
Add to that the fact that this loving God plants his own Spirit within me, so that I may know him as he is in himself.
The chasm between God and me would be impossible to breech without the Son and the Holy Spirit.
This reality leaves me spell bound with the statement we speak before we receive Communion at every Mass: “Lord, I am not worthy that you should come to me, but only say the word and I shall be healed.”
If desire gets you hungering for God, humility closes the breech between you and the source of your desire.
Openness
Finally, it is with a simple attitude of openness that you are ready to experience this God who has been present all along.
The incident of Elijah in the first reading tells us that God’s presence for us, as for Elijah, won’t come in a strong and heavy wind, nor in an earthquake, nor as a huge fire, but instead in a tiny whispering sound.
What are those “whisperings” in which we might find God?
He may not be found in getting us out of the financial crisis we find ourselves in, but in bringing us closer together as a family.
He may not be found in curing the cancer of a loved one, but in the renewed dedication of a spouse and children to their mother.
He may not be found in the ending of a long family conflict, but in the stamina to accept people as they are.
Conclusion
Yes, God is in the very “stuff” of our daily lives. God is where we are, including the very weaknesses that vie for our souls.
Knowing God’s presence will take finding some quiet time and a quiet place and (1) Stirring up our desire, 2) Having a sense of humility, and (3) Being open to his presence.
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