This and That:
The Whole Family of God Is Holy
While away on sabbatical, one of many heartfelt experiences of the Palestinian People came in our visit to a Refugee Camp in Bethlehem. Agar and Emenia were parents of six children. They had fled from Iraq, hoping for a better life in the West Bank. It’s hard to know if things are really “better” for them. While they feel safer, life in the camps threatens their family with little or no food, cramped living conditions (8 in two rooms and a small kitchen), and no work to be found for either of them. Could we even imagine our family in a similar situation? Yet, with so little they invited us warmly into their humble home and offered us tea. Salir, their small son, graciously poured tea from a battered metal pot into six small glasses and served them as if he were serving royalty.
Speaking through an interpreter we asked them about their life in the camp. Their explanation only added to the dismay we felt over the living conditions we saw. We entertained the little children, taking their pictures and playing hide-and–seek. After an hour and a half we thanked them and left. What I will always remember is how Emenia bid us farewell saying, “Please come again and maybe next we make you chicken.” Our guide assured us that for them to “make us chicken” would be a very special occasion indeed.
Whether tight-knit, loosely woven, or downright poor, family is the safety net that draws unique and different human persons and holds them together in a unity, however, strong or tenuous. Whether wholesome or fractured, prosperous or poor, the ties that bind us bring tears to every family member’s eyes when one of their own is suffering. When one in the family achieves success, all celebrate it as if it were their own. When a newborn becomes part of the family, all feel a surge of new life; when one member dies, a little dying comes to all.
Today, in the company of Jesus, Mary and Joseph, we celebrate our identity as family, as “The Joneses,” the O’Learys,” the “Rossettis,” “the Martinezes.” etc. In addition to our own nuclear family, our Judeo-Christian faith reminds us that we also belong to a global family that excludes no one. But this is a goal we must work for.
At this moment, untold numbers of our worldwide family that includes Agar and Emenia are struggling to survive circumstances that threaten their very existence. War and its consequences destroy thousands in the human family each day. Poverty, hunger and disease claim even more lives, leaving countless children orphaned and alone.
This hard reality is well known and many among us, individually and as a parish, acknowledge our suffering brothers and sisters with generous help, prayers and outreach. But there are other family members whose voices are not heard and whose claim on us is not acknowledged. Millions of people from developing countries are seeking to survive through emigration. Driven by hunger and weighed down by poverty, joblessness and political oppression, these refugees risk their lives to try to provide the basic necessities of life for their own families. Many do not survive the journey; others are turned away at unfriendly borders. Nevertheless, their need is so great, they keep coming and keep hoping that someone will recognize their humanity and welcome them.
In recent years not just America, but other wealthy nations with great resources and room at the table for those who want to work hard and live responsibly are closing their doors to immigrants. Fear of political and economic conflict, supposed threats of terrorism and ethnic shift have challenged even our historic identity as a “Nation of Immigrants.” In recent times, lacking a coherent immigration policy, we have focused on a deportation-only strategy to pursue the millions of undocumented people who are already in the country hoping to find a legal path to citizenship. We read of workplace raids that are dividing families, imprisoning and deporting workers who were first welcomed, but then exploited by employers. While the goals of a national immigration system are in large measure responsible for this, the means have become an assault on human dignity and fairness. Children watch as their parents are taken away in handcuffs to appear later in court in chains. With little help from the legal system, limited cautious support from the Church, and little sympathy from a public that, despite our own immigrant heritage believes the myths about immigrants circulated by hate media, these helpless members of our family have little or no recourse.
Yet at the same time, signs of momentous change are visible. We just witnessed a general election that was a historic struggle to determine who would lead our county and set national goals and policy. Each party made history in presenting either an African American for president or the first woman in history as Vice President.
Inclusivity is undisputedly becoming a reality that enriches the lives of many, but others as families continue to live in a nightmare of fear and insecurity. The dream must expand to every member of the family. Therefore, those of us who are free to celebrate the gift of family on this Feast of the Holy Family are compelled because our membership in the family of Jesus to work diligently and to speak out boldly until absolutely every member of our human family can share the same joys.
Fondly,
Father Nicholas
Friday, December 26, 2008
Weekly THIS AND THAT for December 28, 2008: Becoming an Adult Believer Within a Family
Feast of the Holy Family
Our Lady of Grace
December 28, 2009
Becoming an Adult Believer Within a Family
By (Rev. Msgr.) Nicholas P. Amato
Two Friends
Two friends of mine, Bill and Doris, came to see me last week and among other things we talked about their pain over asking their 18-year old son finally to leave their home because of his beliefs and behavior.
That was six long years ago and they have not heard from him since. Talk about pain!
Being in their presence reminded me that being a family isn’t easy; remaining a family is even more difficult.
The Task of Parents
In our sharing, I mentioned that the task of parents in childhood is to offer their children a context, a space – limits within which to grow.
And having a First Grader grow into an Eighth Grader is akin to having a balloon slowly fill with helium and occupy the space between your hands.
Your child, your grandchild, needs that containment, if he/she is not to float off into the air.
In these early years, the child is called to grow in faith; parents are called to be (1) Models of faith and, very importantly, to be the (2) Tangible limits for that growth.
They set the parameters, if you will.
The Task of Son or Daughter
However, in the teenage years, the balloon, having filled the space, now wants to push beyond the space. The high school son or daughter wants to extend and expand the limits that were set in childhood.
The tasks for both parents and child have also been redefined. The child, while trying to be true to his or her own beliefs, is challenged to remain obedient to his parents.
The parents, while trying to maintain the context for faith and moral development, struggle at being patient and pray for guidance and the ability to accept their child as he/she is.
The Gospel
It is right here – in this type of family tension – that our gospel contains a special lesson for young people and for adults.
To young people, it says that there’s a time in life when we begin to experience the first movements out of childhood into adulthood.
We begin to think for ourselves and to ask questions about things that we’ve never thought about before.
From a religious point of view, it says that there is a time in life when we must make our own, the faith that we received from our parents and make it our own within our own limits.
There is a time when we must begin to make the transition from being a Christian child to being a Christian adult.
The Challenge
But this is a terrible critical time for both young people and their parents, as it was for my friends Bill and Doris, as it was for Joseph and Mary in St. Luke’s Gospel that we just heard proclaimed.
The account describes Jesus’ transition form religious childhood to religious adulthood.
And what is more important to note is that he suggests that this transition was difficult not only for Jesus, but also for his parents.
It was trying, not because Jesus or his parents did anything wrong. It was trying because they were a human family.
In other words, Jesus was feeling the death of his childhood limits set by his parents, and the birth of his adulthood limits set by himself, as every human being does.
This should come as no surprise for Sacred Scripture tells us that he was like us in all things but sin.
And Mary and Joseph had to adjust to the death of Jesus the child and the birth of Jesus the adult – and that wasn’t easy.
The Final Paragraph
The final paragraph of today’s Gospel is especially helpful here.
It holds an important lesson for families to grasp on this Feast of the Holy Family, a lesson that can shed some light on the alienation and estrangement we may have felt in the past or perhaps still do.
It reads: “Jesus went with is parents back to Nazareth and was obedient to them; and Mary treasured all these things and reflected on them in her heart.”
In other words, both Jesus and his parents are living out the transition of his own parental childhood limits to his own adulthood limits, and Mary and Joseph are struggling to do this in harmony with him and with understanding.
The struggle from Jesus’ side is obedience to their limits against what, in his heart, he knows he has to be doing as an adult, within his own limits.
On Mary and Joseph’s side, it means patience and praying for guidance in this critical period of their child’s life.
In the end, observe that it’s neither parent nor child who win or loose, for, while Jesus does return with them “in obedience” he does tell them very clearly, “Didn’t you know I must be about my Father’s business?”
Conclusion
Sometimes the transition from a childhood to an adult faith is reasonably smooth. Most of the times it is terribly painful.
What the pain seems to be about is letting something of the-way-we-were-used-to-relating, die.
This is the lesson today’s Gospel offers us. This is the message of today’s Feast of the Holy Family.
Our Lady of Grace
December 28, 2009
Becoming an Adult Believer Within a Family
By (Rev. Msgr.) Nicholas P. Amato
Two Friends
Two friends of mine, Bill and Doris, came to see me last week and among other things we talked about their pain over asking their 18-year old son finally to leave their home because of his beliefs and behavior.
That was six long years ago and they have not heard from him since. Talk about pain!
Being in their presence reminded me that being a family isn’t easy; remaining a family is even more difficult.
The Task of Parents
In our sharing, I mentioned that the task of parents in childhood is to offer their children a context, a space – limits within which to grow.
And having a First Grader grow into an Eighth Grader is akin to having a balloon slowly fill with helium and occupy the space between your hands.
Your child, your grandchild, needs that containment, if he/she is not to float off into the air.
In these early years, the child is called to grow in faith; parents are called to be (1) Models of faith and, very importantly, to be the (2) Tangible limits for that growth.
They set the parameters, if you will.
The Task of Son or Daughter
However, in the teenage years, the balloon, having filled the space, now wants to push beyond the space. The high school son or daughter wants to extend and expand the limits that were set in childhood.
The tasks for both parents and child have also been redefined. The child, while trying to be true to his or her own beliefs, is challenged to remain obedient to his parents.
The parents, while trying to maintain the context for faith and moral development, struggle at being patient and pray for guidance and the ability to accept their child as he/she is.
The Gospel
It is right here – in this type of family tension – that our gospel contains a special lesson for young people and for adults.
To young people, it says that there’s a time in life when we begin to experience the first movements out of childhood into adulthood.
We begin to think for ourselves and to ask questions about things that we’ve never thought about before.
From a religious point of view, it says that there is a time in life when we must make our own, the faith that we received from our parents and make it our own within our own limits.
There is a time when we must begin to make the transition from being a Christian child to being a Christian adult.
The Challenge
But this is a terrible critical time for both young people and their parents, as it was for my friends Bill and Doris, as it was for Joseph and Mary in St. Luke’s Gospel that we just heard proclaimed.
The account describes Jesus’ transition form religious childhood to religious adulthood.
And what is more important to note is that he suggests that this transition was difficult not only for Jesus, but also for his parents.
It was trying, not because Jesus or his parents did anything wrong. It was trying because they were a human family.
In other words, Jesus was feeling the death of his childhood limits set by his parents, and the birth of his adulthood limits set by himself, as every human being does.
This should come as no surprise for Sacred Scripture tells us that he was like us in all things but sin.
And Mary and Joseph had to adjust to the death of Jesus the child and the birth of Jesus the adult – and that wasn’t easy.
The Final Paragraph
The final paragraph of today’s Gospel is especially helpful here.
It holds an important lesson for families to grasp on this Feast of the Holy Family, a lesson that can shed some light on the alienation and estrangement we may have felt in the past or perhaps still do.
It reads: “Jesus went with is parents back to Nazareth and was obedient to them; and Mary treasured all these things and reflected on them in her heart.”
In other words, both Jesus and his parents are living out the transition of his own parental childhood limits to his own adulthood limits, and Mary and Joseph are struggling to do this in harmony with him and with understanding.
The struggle from Jesus’ side is obedience to their limits against what, in his heart, he knows he has to be doing as an adult, within his own limits.
On Mary and Joseph’s side, it means patience and praying for guidance in this critical period of their child’s life.
In the end, observe that it’s neither parent nor child who win or loose, for, while Jesus does return with them “in obedience” he does tell them very clearly, “Didn’t you know I must be about my Father’s business?”
Conclusion
Sometimes the transition from a childhood to an adult faith is reasonably smooth. Most of the times it is terribly painful.
What the pain seems to be about is letting something of the-way-we-were-used-to-relating, die.
This is the lesson today’s Gospel offers us. This is the message of today’s Feast of the Holy Family.
Weekly THIS AND THAT for December 25, 2008: Where Christmas Could Find Us
This and That:
Where Christmas Could Find Us
Merry Christmas to each of you from our Pastoral Team: Sr. Mary Therese, Elaine Hagner, Byrdie Ricketts, Deborah Webber, Chris Pignataro, Beth Pugliese, Erin Ingram, Jen Perry, Mary Miller, Joan DeSoto, Mary Kioussis, Chien Dang, Deacon Lee, and yours truly.
To those who are visiting with family and friends, to those whom we haven’t had the pleasure of seeing in a while, and to those who are with us a first time, a heartfelt welcome to our Catholic family on this glorious day. We are happy to have you worship with us as we celebrate Christ’s coming among us and begin the 9th Year of the Third Millennium of the Christian Era. In greeting you, we want to add quickly that you and your loved ones are always welcome here at Our Lady of Grace.
A constant theme we children heard from our mothers was that no matter how difficult times were, no matter what our living situation was, we were grateful to God for the little we did have. Thankfully, that point of view became part of our world view as children and continues in us as adults today. True, these are trying times economically and the financial situation has touched most if not all of us. Yet, it is a time to give thanks and to think of others who are in greater need.
IF you woke up this morning with more health than illness ...
THEN, you are more blessed than the million who will not survive this week.
IF you have never experienced the danger of battle, the loneliness of imprisonment, the agony of torture, or the pangs of starvation ...
THEN, you are ahead of 500 million people in the world.
IF you can attend a church service without fear of harassment, arrest, torture, or death ...
THEN, you are more blessed than three billion people in the world.
IF you have food in the refrigerator, clothes on your back, a roof overhead and a place to sleep …
THEN, you are richer than 75% of this world.
IF you have some money in the bank or in your wallet, and spare change in a dish someplace ...
THEN, you are among the top 8% of the world’s wealthy.
IF your parents are still alive and still married ...
THEN, you are a very rare family, even in the United States.
IF you hold up your head with a smile on your face and are truly thankful ...
THEN, you are blessed because the majority can … but most do not.
IF you can hold someone’s hand, hug them or even place a hand on their shoulder . . .
THEN, you are blessed because you can offer a healing touch.
IF you can read this message, you have just received a double blessing in that someone was thinking of you,
AND BEYOND THAT, you are more blessed than the over two billion people in the world who cannot read at all.
… AND SO may we count our blessings and not only think of others, but reach out to them as well, as we celebrate an event that has Jesus coming to poor shepherds as well as wealthy Magi.
Fondly,
Father Nicholas
Where Christmas Could Find Us
Merry Christmas to each of you from our Pastoral Team: Sr. Mary Therese, Elaine Hagner, Byrdie Ricketts, Deborah Webber, Chris Pignataro, Beth Pugliese, Erin Ingram, Jen Perry, Mary Miller, Joan DeSoto, Mary Kioussis, Chien Dang, Deacon Lee, and yours truly.
To those who are visiting with family and friends, to those whom we haven’t had the pleasure of seeing in a while, and to those who are with us a first time, a heartfelt welcome to our Catholic family on this glorious day. We are happy to have you worship with us as we celebrate Christ’s coming among us and begin the 9th Year of the Third Millennium of the Christian Era. In greeting you, we want to add quickly that you and your loved ones are always welcome here at Our Lady of Grace.
A constant theme we children heard from our mothers was that no matter how difficult times were, no matter what our living situation was, we were grateful to God for the little we did have. Thankfully, that point of view became part of our world view as children and continues in us as adults today. True, these are trying times economically and the financial situation has touched most if not all of us. Yet, it is a time to give thanks and to think of others who are in greater need.
IF you woke up this morning with more health than illness ...
THEN, you are more blessed than the million who will not survive this week.
IF you have never experienced the danger of battle, the loneliness of imprisonment, the agony of torture, or the pangs of starvation ...
THEN, you are ahead of 500 million people in the world.
IF you can attend a church service without fear of harassment, arrest, torture, or death ...
THEN, you are more blessed than three billion people in the world.
IF you have food in the refrigerator, clothes on your back, a roof overhead and a place to sleep …
THEN, you are richer than 75% of this world.
IF you have some money in the bank or in your wallet, and spare change in a dish someplace ...
THEN, you are among the top 8% of the world’s wealthy.
IF your parents are still alive and still married ...
THEN, you are a very rare family, even in the United States.
IF you hold up your head with a smile on your face and are truly thankful ...
THEN, you are blessed because the majority can … but most do not.
IF you can hold someone’s hand, hug them or even place a hand on their shoulder . . .
THEN, you are blessed because you can offer a healing touch.
IF you can read this message, you have just received a double blessing in that someone was thinking of you,
AND BEYOND THAT, you are more blessed than the over two billion people in the world who cannot read at all.
… AND SO may we count our blessings and not only think of others, but reach out to them as well, as we celebrate an event that has Jesus coming to poor shepherds as well as wealthy Magi.
Fondly,
Father Nicholas
Weekly HOMILY for December 25, 2008: The Manger Comes Alive
Christmas, Cycle C
Our Lady of Grace
December 25, 2006
The Manger Comes Alive
By (Rev. Msgr.) Nicholas P. Amato
The Manger
Ask, “Where do folks place their Nativity or Manger Scenes?” (Answers: under tree, on the mantle, on the hearth, on an end table or coffee table.)
Growing up we placed ours front-and-center under the Christmas tree with the gifts around both sides.
As a child I used to love to lie on my side in front of the manger and act out the parts, a bit like playing with soldiers.
My young boyhood view of the crèche was a more satisfying experience than even our annual Lionel train set-up in the spare bedroom. It seemed that my imagination really came alive when playing with these figures that had to do with God.
I’d pick up each of the figurines and think about the expressions on their faces and how they interacted with each other figurine.
I didn’t know it then, but these little statues each year began to express more and more the profound mystery and gift that the birth of the Son of God was for me.
Let me show you what I mean.
The Child Jesus
(Styrofoam box with all the figurines in it.) The figure of the newborn child Jesus was always in the center of the Nativity scene.
This child has come to symbolize the child that lies dormant within each of us.
My prayer for you this Christmas would be:
➢ That the newborn Jesus calls you to stand in wonder at the greatness of the universe and of creation.
➢ That the birth of the child leads you to reverence the life of every child from the very moment of conception.
➢ That the newborn Jesus leads you to reverence the sacredness of the life of every human being.
Mary and Joseph
And on each side of Jesus were Mary and Joseph looking lovingly over their infant son.
My prayer for you this Christmas would be:
➢ That the example of Joseph and Mary moves you, as a parent, to care tenderly for your children.
➢ That as a parent you understand that “what you say” and “how you say it” will have a direct effect on your child’s self-esteem and security.
➢ That as a parent you have the patience and wisdom to guide your children in the way of the child of Bethlehem
The Shepherds
A bit away from the sacred trio stood the shepherds who came out of their fields to see the Savior whom the angels have announced.
My prayer for you would be:
➢ That you come to the manger with the simplicity of the shepherds.
➢ That, like them, you realize that money and possessions are not the greatest gifts we can give and that it’s our presence to each other that makes the difference.
➢ That you remember, like the shepherds, you and I are spiritually poor and in need of the Savior.
The Magi
And then a little farther removed were those three famous fellows from the East – the Magi or Wise Men – who are seeking the child and bring wonderful gifts.
The gift of gold is the finest of metals.
➢ May you give the gold of yourself, caring for others, even when it may not be returned to you.
Frankincense creates a pleasing aroma when it is burned and rises up as smoke to the heavens.
➢ May you bring the frankincense of prayer to the manger as you lift up your voice to to pray for peace on earth and good will toward all.
Myrrh is used to prepare a body for burial.
➢ May you bring the myrrh of kindness to the sick, the suffering, the homeless, and the hungry.
The Star
And finally, what would a manger be without the star of Bethlehem shining brightly above it.
My prayer here would be:
➢ That the star that is Jesus, light your way on this earth as you struggle to love others.
➢ That he enlighten us with God’s Word and the God’s will.
➢ That the star of Jesus draw us more and more fully into communion with the Church, the Body of Jesus on earth.
Conclusion
Your manger set, or Nativity scene, has a great deal to tell you about how Christ’s coming can make a difference for your quality of life.
Take a few moments
➢ (3:30/5:30) with your children and have them explain what it is telling them)
➢ (10:00) when no one else is around, to see what it is telling you.)
Our Lady of Grace
December 25, 2006
The Manger Comes Alive
By (Rev. Msgr.) Nicholas P. Amato
The Manger
Ask, “Where do folks place their Nativity or Manger Scenes?” (Answers: under tree, on the mantle, on the hearth, on an end table or coffee table.)
Growing up we placed ours front-and-center under the Christmas tree with the gifts around both sides.
As a child I used to love to lie on my side in front of the manger and act out the parts, a bit like playing with soldiers.
My young boyhood view of the crèche was a more satisfying experience than even our annual Lionel train set-up in the spare bedroom. It seemed that my imagination really came alive when playing with these figures that had to do with God.
I’d pick up each of the figurines and think about the expressions on their faces and how they interacted with each other figurine.
I didn’t know it then, but these little statues each year began to express more and more the profound mystery and gift that the birth of the Son of God was for me.
Let me show you what I mean.
The Child Jesus
(Styrofoam box with all the figurines in it.) The figure of the newborn child Jesus was always in the center of the Nativity scene.
This child has come to symbolize the child that lies dormant within each of us.
My prayer for you this Christmas would be:
➢ That the newborn Jesus calls you to stand in wonder at the greatness of the universe and of creation.
➢ That the birth of the child leads you to reverence the life of every child from the very moment of conception.
➢ That the newborn Jesus leads you to reverence the sacredness of the life of every human being.
Mary and Joseph
And on each side of Jesus were Mary and Joseph looking lovingly over their infant son.
My prayer for you this Christmas would be:
➢ That the example of Joseph and Mary moves you, as a parent, to care tenderly for your children.
➢ That as a parent you understand that “what you say” and “how you say it” will have a direct effect on your child’s self-esteem and security.
➢ That as a parent you have the patience and wisdom to guide your children in the way of the child of Bethlehem
The Shepherds
A bit away from the sacred trio stood the shepherds who came out of their fields to see the Savior whom the angels have announced.
My prayer for you would be:
➢ That you come to the manger with the simplicity of the shepherds.
➢ That, like them, you realize that money and possessions are not the greatest gifts we can give and that it’s our presence to each other that makes the difference.
➢ That you remember, like the shepherds, you and I are spiritually poor and in need of the Savior.
The Magi
And then a little farther removed were those three famous fellows from the East – the Magi or Wise Men – who are seeking the child and bring wonderful gifts.
The gift of gold is the finest of metals.
➢ May you give the gold of yourself, caring for others, even when it may not be returned to you.
Frankincense creates a pleasing aroma when it is burned and rises up as smoke to the heavens.
➢ May you bring the frankincense of prayer to the manger as you lift up your voice to to pray for peace on earth and good will toward all.
Myrrh is used to prepare a body for burial.
➢ May you bring the myrrh of kindness to the sick, the suffering, the homeless, and the hungry.
The Star
And finally, what would a manger be without the star of Bethlehem shining brightly above it.
My prayer here would be:
➢ That the star that is Jesus, light your way on this earth as you struggle to love others.
➢ That he enlighten us with God’s Word and the God’s will.
➢ That the star of Jesus draw us more and more fully into communion with the Church, the Body of Jesus on earth.
Conclusion
Your manger set, or Nativity scene, has a great deal to tell you about how Christ’s coming can make a difference for your quality of life.
Take a few moments
➢ (3:30/5:30) with your children and have them explain what it is telling them)
➢ (10:00) when no one else is around, to see what it is telling you.)
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
Weekly THIS AND THAT for December 21, 2008: Reflections on Bethlehem Today
This and That:
Reflections on Bethlehem Today
From my room at the Ecumenical Center for Theological Studies at Tantur (Tantur is Arabic for “hill”), you could see Bethlehem not more than 2,000 feet away. Bethlehem is in the “Occupied Territory,” also called the “West Bank” and separating “us” in Israel from “them” in the West Bank is a 30-foot high concrete wall with even higher lookout turrets and young Israeli soldiers with machine guns slung over their shoulders. The Wall is supposed to be called “the Separation Barrier” since for hundreds of miles it is not a wall, but a fence with barbed wire and 50 feet of forbidden entry alongside its length. It is there to protect Israel from terrorist attacks and suicide bombers. Israelis are not permitted entry into the West Bank, although foreigners are, but you have to show your passport to get in and out.
While the Wall seems to have reduced the number of attacks on Israelis, it was caused undue hardship for the Muslim and Christian Palestinians who live on the other side of it. To just pass through “the Checkpoint,” as it is called to get to a job, it will often take 2 hours of waiting. At other times, if there is what they call a “security alert,” the Checkpoint will be closed for an unspecified time. For some who work with their hands, the fingerprint reader that each Palestinian must pass through may not pick up the print worn down by manual labor and they are turned back. The Wall has separated families in the same town one from another, workers from their jobs, and made travel impossible for so many.
Inside the West Bank, also referred to as “Palestine,” Israel has set up three types of Areas. Keep in mind that Israel is technically “occupying” the West Bank. Areas designated as “A” are under Palestinian Authority and Palestinian Security. Areas designated as “B” are under Palestinian Authority, but with Israeli Security. Areas designated as “C” are under both Israeli Authority and Israeli Security.
Now the vast majority of the West Bank is Area C so, even within the West Bank itself, Palestinians are not free to move about without literally hundreds of lesser checkpoints as you move from one Area to another. To this Israeli presence, we also have the situation of “the settlements.” The settlers who live in these Israeli government built complexes are there either because they believe all the land belongs to the Jewish People or they have a Messianic hope that the Messiah will come in these parts, or finally that they just want a “good buy for the money.” This last category is by far the largest motivator. For example an Israeli Jew can get a newly government built home in a settlement for about $16,000 versus a home of the same quality in Jerusalem for $400,000. Settlers also get tax breaks, special roads built for them to get them from the settlement to employment centers like Tel Aviv, and special Israeli buses to get them through the Checkpoints. On my way home from an Israeli mall the day before I left, some 20 folks got off the bus at my stop and then boarded a special settlement bus to take them safely into the settlement where they live.
At Tantur all two-dozen workers (cooks, housekeepers, maintenance folks, and those in administration) are Muslim and Christian Palestinians. In my three months with them I came to appreciate their gentle ways, sense of hospitality, and warm friendship. They reminded me of my Italian forebears where food, family, and faith were the glue that held us together.
Our studies at Tantur were comprised mainly of three types of input. We had Jewish, Christian, and Muslim presenters for our two classes a day. The afternoons were free to visit local holy sites, museums, and attend lectures. And then there were half-day, full day and full week excursions with special guides to places like Galilee, the Negev, Jordan, and Sinai.
In terms of land area, all of Israel is the size of New Jersey. Living in Israel would be like taking a multitude of different ideologies, religions, political positions, languages (Hebrew, Arabic, and English), and cultures (there are at least a half-dozen different types of Jews in the land), taking them from “sea to shining sea” and squeezing them into New Jersey. Is it any wonder there is so much tension and conflict in this Holy Land and in these two cities of Jerusalem and Bethlehem!
I came to Israel three months ago very much a pro-Israeli. After my life here I have come to realize that the situation is not that black and white. I returned home having come to see both the Israeli and Palestinian sides of many issues. Most people from both sides are advocating for a Two-State Solution: An Israel and a Palestine. Israelis need to feel secure; Palestinians need to be treated more humanely. One of our presenters, a Palestinian Christian, told us that when an oppressor has a victim on the ground with one of his boots on the victim’s throat, that both individuals need to be freed for both are in some way “oppressed.” As peace has come to Ireland, South Africa, and East and West Germany, as if by a miracle, my prayer is that a similar miracle take place in this Land I came to love.
Following a pilgrimage to the Holy Land, Reverend Phillips Brooks of Philadelphia wrote the words to a very familiar Christmas carol. He was inspired by the view of Bethlehem to write:
O little town of Bethlehem
How still we see thee lie
Above thy deep and dreamless sleep
The silent stars go by
Yet in thy dark streets shineth
The everlasting Light
The hopes and fears of all the years
Are met in thee tonight
I had the joy of sharing that same view of Bethlehem from behind a set of sliding glass doors before going to bed each night. My prayer is that “the hopes and fears of all the years” I saw expressed in Israelis and Palestinians will also one day, “meet in thee tonight.”
Fondly,
Father Nicholas
Reflections on Bethlehem Today
From my room at the Ecumenical Center for Theological Studies at Tantur (Tantur is Arabic for “hill”), you could see Bethlehem not more than 2,000 feet away. Bethlehem is in the “Occupied Territory,” also called the “West Bank” and separating “us” in Israel from “them” in the West Bank is a 30-foot high concrete wall with even higher lookout turrets and young Israeli soldiers with machine guns slung over their shoulders. The Wall is supposed to be called “the Separation Barrier” since for hundreds of miles it is not a wall, but a fence with barbed wire and 50 feet of forbidden entry alongside its length. It is there to protect Israel from terrorist attacks and suicide bombers. Israelis are not permitted entry into the West Bank, although foreigners are, but you have to show your passport to get in and out.
While the Wall seems to have reduced the number of attacks on Israelis, it was caused undue hardship for the Muslim and Christian Palestinians who live on the other side of it. To just pass through “the Checkpoint,” as it is called to get to a job, it will often take 2 hours of waiting. At other times, if there is what they call a “security alert,” the Checkpoint will be closed for an unspecified time. For some who work with their hands, the fingerprint reader that each Palestinian must pass through may not pick up the print worn down by manual labor and they are turned back. The Wall has separated families in the same town one from another, workers from their jobs, and made travel impossible for so many.
Inside the West Bank, also referred to as “Palestine,” Israel has set up three types of Areas. Keep in mind that Israel is technically “occupying” the West Bank. Areas designated as “A” are under Palestinian Authority and Palestinian Security. Areas designated as “B” are under Palestinian Authority, but with Israeli Security. Areas designated as “C” are under both Israeli Authority and Israeli Security.
Now the vast majority of the West Bank is Area C so, even within the West Bank itself, Palestinians are not free to move about without literally hundreds of lesser checkpoints as you move from one Area to another. To this Israeli presence, we also have the situation of “the settlements.” The settlers who live in these Israeli government built complexes are there either because they believe all the land belongs to the Jewish People or they have a Messianic hope that the Messiah will come in these parts, or finally that they just want a “good buy for the money.” This last category is by far the largest motivator. For example an Israeli Jew can get a newly government built home in a settlement for about $16,000 versus a home of the same quality in Jerusalem for $400,000. Settlers also get tax breaks, special roads built for them to get them from the settlement to employment centers like Tel Aviv, and special Israeli buses to get them through the Checkpoints. On my way home from an Israeli mall the day before I left, some 20 folks got off the bus at my stop and then boarded a special settlement bus to take them safely into the settlement where they live.
At Tantur all two-dozen workers (cooks, housekeepers, maintenance folks, and those in administration) are Muslim and Christian Palestinians. In my three months with them I came to appreciate their gentle ways, sense of hospitality, and warm friendship. They reminded me of my Italian forebears where food, family, and faith were the glue that held us together.
Our studies at Tantur were comprised mainly of three types of input. We had Jewish, Christian, and Muslim presenters for our two classes a day. The afternoons were free to visit local holy sites, museums, and attend lectures. And then there were half-day, full day and full week excursions with special guides to places like Galilee, the Negev, Jordan, and Sinai.
In terms of land area, all of Israel is the size of New Jersey. Living in Israel would be like taking a multitude of different ideologies, religions, political positions, languages (Hebrew, Arabic, and English), and cultures (there are at least a half-dozen different types of Jews in the land), taking them from “sea to shining sea” and squeezing them into New Jersey. Is it any wonder there is so much tension and conflict in this Holy Land and in these two cities of Jerusalem and Bethlehem!
I came to Israel three months ago very much a pro-Israeli. After my life here I have come to realize that the situation is not that black and white. I returned home having come to see both the Israeli and Palestinian sides of many issues. Most people from both sides are advocating for a Two-State Solution: An Israel and a Palestine. Israelis need to feel secure; Palestinians need to be treated more humanely. One of our presenters, a Palestinian Christian, told us that when an oppressor has a victim on the ground with one of his boots on the victim’s throat, that both individuals need to be freed for both are in some way “oppressed.” As peace has come to Ireland, South Africa, and East and West Germany, as if by a miracle, my prayer is that a similar miracle take place in this Land I came to love.
Following a pilgrimage to the Holy Land, Reverend Phillips Brooks of Philadelphia wrote the words to a very familiar Christmas carol. He was inspired by the view of Bethlehem to write:
O little town of Bethlehem
How still we see thee lie
Above thy deep and dreamless sleep
The silent stars go by
Yet in thy dark streets shineth
The everlasting Light
The hopes and fears of all the years
Are met in thee tonight
I had the joy of sharing that same view of Bethlehem from behind a set of sliding glass doors before going to bed each night. My prayer is that “the hopes and fears of all the years” I saw expressed in Israelis and Palestinians will also one day, “meet in thee tonight.”
Fondly,
Father Nicholas
Weekly HOMILY for December 21, 2008: Deacon Preaching Sunday
Deacon Lee Benson preached this Sunday. Father Nicholas will return for Christmas Day.
Thursday, December 11, 2008
Weekly THIS AND THAT for December 14, 2008: Snapshots of Jesus and the Holy Land
This and That:
Snapshots of Jesus and the Holy Land
It has been a week since I have been home from studies in the Holy Land and this weekend I took the opportunity of inviting those attending weekend Masses to share some photos of the three months away. Just to spare you, I had reduced the 3,000 photos taken of the Holy Sites to a little more than 100!
The time away truly was “study” and every day, apart from days that we spent visiting Sacred Sites, was comprised of two classes in the morning and a reflection session each evening. The afternoons were free to visit a score of museums and the many places of interest in the Old City of Jerusalem, the New City of Jerusalem, Bethlehem, and scores of other places available by bus. So mornings, afternoons and evenings were full.
The slide show for the most captured the tours we did as a group. I broke the presentation up into five sections:
I. Home Sweet Home – which was the place I lived in community with 12 other folks for the time there. The group consisted of 5 Catholic priests, 1 Anglican priest, 5 Catholic Sisters, and 1 AME (African Methodist Episcopal) seminarian
II. The Holy Land Before Jesus
III. The Coming of Jesus
IV. The Ministry of Jesus
V. The “Not-So-Holy” Holy Land.
The outline served two purposes, first to organize my thoughts and second, to put all the places and sites I’d visited into a context that revolved around Jesus and the chief events of his life, namely his Birth, Ministry, Death, Resurrection, and Ascension. Where the Jews are focused almost exclusively on the Torah (the first five Books of Moses), we Christians are able to see in Jesus someone who took the Old Law of the Torah and transformed it into a New Law, a New Covenant that went beyond the Jews to the Gentiles and to us. Oh, happy day for us!
After sharing the “digs” I found myself in at Tantur, I began with Abraham’s leaving the Land of Ur (present-day Iraq) and coming to the Land of Canaan in the Negev Desert (Southern Israel.) It was in this very area that Abraham’s son, Isaac, and his son Jacob also lived. We actually drank water from Jacob’s Well. This well was where Jesus was to transform the Samaritan Woman when he asked her for a drink. The area of the Negev Desert here is called Beer Sheba.
It’s a big jump from Abraham, Isaac and Jacob to the Jews being lead by Moses through the Sinai Desert to the Jordan River, but the jump was made in the slides. God told Moses he would not take his People into the Promised Land, and the torch was passed to Joshua with Moses dying on Mt. Nebo. Franciscan Fathers now are custodians of the site. It’s quite a view of the entire Holy Land!
The Jews are now in Canaan where they learn to make olive oil for use in temple worship, cooking, and the lighting of lamps. We saw the actual presses they used. With wells like Jacob’s Well and development of the six sacred crops, the Jews were able, in the midst of a barren wasteland, to make “the desert bloom” and bloom it does!
We fast-forwarded on the photo tour to the places that King David and King Solomon inhabited and saw Mount Zion and the City of David and the very place that David is buried. Then I shared the secret of how Jerusalem, on the edge of the Judean Wilderness, was able to survive its enemies. The secret had to do with something called “Hezekiah’s Tunnel.” We actually descended into the tunnel and saw the Gihon Spring that gave the City its water.
And then we moved to the world preparing to receive a Savior in “the fullness of time.” We saw photos of the place Mary visited Elizabeth, where she drew water for her cousin, and where John the Baptist is buried. From there we set off to Shepherds’ Field outside of Bethlehem and saw where the Shepherds heard the greeting, “Behold I bring you good news of great joy…” There was a series of photos from Nazareth Village, a reproduction of the world into which Jesus was born. You met a local farmer tending his donkey, a shepherd acting as a “sheepgate” for his sheep, a carpenter at work in his shop, and a homemaker spinning thread to be woven into clothing and blankets.
The Basilica of the Annunciation is the beautiful church in Nazareth that is built over the home of Mary where the Angel Gabriel appeared to tell her she was to bear the Christ Child. The photos of her home are extraordinary. From Nazareth you have to travel several hours south to Bethlehem where Jesus was born. There were photos that marked the sight of his birth in the Church of the Nativity on Manger Square. Back to Nazareth we went, for photos of the synagogue where Jesus prayed each week on the Sabbath.
And now Jesus, the man, begins his ministry. The first stop was the Jordan River. One of our group was actually baptized at the place. Jesus after his own baptism goes into the Judean Desert to be tempted by the Devil. You joined me for our experience of that same Desert. What a lonely, yet lovely place to be alone and with God! Out of the desert Jesus performs his first miracle in Cana of Galilee. We saw the Wedding Church that marks the spot of that most famous of weddings. From Cana, Jesus moves on to Capharnaum and the Sea of Galilee where he will center his ministry. There we saw Peter’s House – where Jesus healed Peter’s mother-in-law – and the ruins of the synagogue of Capharnaum.
Clustered around the See of Galilee are many of the places describing Jesus’ ministry. The Church of the Beatitudes just off the Sea is spectacular. It was on this very ground that the Lord preached and fed his disciples so long ago. For lunch at the shore we ate St. Peter’s fish caught that day in the Sea. Pass the tartar sauce! And then there was the Church of the Multiplication of the Loaves where Jesus fed 5,000 from two loaves and three fish. The final site at this part of the Sea was the Church of Peter’s Primacy where he gave Peter the Keys and the power to be first among equals. That day ended with photos of the boat trip on the Sea where we even cast nets as the Apostles did. Like them we initially caught nothing. We saw an actual boat that was very much like one the Disciples would have used. For 2,000 years it lay in the mud beneath the Sea. Caesarea Philippi and the Temple of the pagan god Pan was where Jesus told Peter that he was to be the “rock.” There was one more site in Galilee that touched Jesus’ life. On Mount Tabor is the Church of the Transfiguration. It’s the highest point in Galilee and is where Jesus took Peter, James and John and was transfigured before them.
After the Transfiguration, Jesus left Galilee and made his way “up” (it’s really south) to Jerusalem to suffer, die, rise, and ascend to the Father. On his way up to Jerusalem Jesus passed through Samaria (the present day West Bank) and we saw photos of actual Samaritans living on Mt. Gerizim. Just outside of Jerusalem, the photo of the Pater Noster Church on the Mount of Olives is where he taught his disciples the Lord’s Prayer and of course there also is the Garden of Gethsamane. We saw olive trees that are over 1,000 years old and show clearly the surroundings in which Jesus found himself on that fearful night. Before entering Jerusalem the final time, Jesus wept in the Garden of Gethsemane and the Church commemorating that is even called “Dominus Flevit,” Latin for “the Lord wept.” The church itself is in the form of a teardrop. The Franciscan Church of All Nations nearby commemorates where Jesus experienced his “Agony in the Garden.”
A stone’s throw from Mt. of Olives is Bethpage. The town should have an ominous ring to it. It’s where Jesus began his triumphal entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday in order to celebrate the Passover Meal. He would have used the Golden Gate of the City, but it was sealed “not to be opened until the coming of the Messiah,” say the Jews.
In photos we wandered down the narrow cobblestone streets of Old Jerusalem to the Western Wall of the Temple Mount. This place is held as most sacred to Orthodox Jews and it’s where I prayed for the people of Our Lady of Grace several times. On the southern end of the Temple Mount are the “Southern Steps” of the Temple. We saw the very steps Jesus would have walked up the three times he visited the Temple. In the vicinity of the Temple was the Church of the Last Supper with a sculpture behind the altar portraying Jesus eating with the Apostles.
Things moved quickly that night for Jesus. The Anatonia Fortress was where he was brought after being arrested and there he condemned. We saw photos of the very pavement where that happened. This site became the “1st Station of the Cross” and the Via Dolorosa throughout the Old City traces his steps to Golgotha and you can see them all. The last of the Stations are actually inside the Church of the Holy Sepulcher where we celebrated Mass, a very moving experience! On the main floor of the Holy Sepulcher is the very tomb of Jesus.
Jesus has now died and risen from the dead and he appears to two disciples on the Road to Emmaus. Yes we had photos of the site as well. The site of Jesus’ Ascension on the Mount of Olives is actually a site owned by the Muslims. Remember they hold Jesus to be a prophet, though not the Son of God so it is a holy site for them as well as for us.
The slide show ended with my idea of how the Holy Land might be referred to as, “The Not-So-Holy Holy Land” and shared photos of the Wall, the Settlements, and the Refugee Camps, as well as the sources of hope for both Israelis and Palestinians for peace.
Fondly,
Father Nicholas
Snapshots of Jesus and the Holy Land
It has been a week since I have been home from studies in the Holy Land and this weekend I took the opportunity of inviting those attending weekend Masses to share some photos of the three months away. Just to spare you, I had reduced the 3,000 photos taken of the Holy Sites to a little more than 100!
The time away truly was “study” and every day, apart from days that we spent visiting Sacred Sites, was comprised of two classes in the morning and a reflection session each evening. The afternoons were free to visit a score of museums and the many places of interest in the Old City of Jerusalem, the New City of Jerusalem, Bethlehem, and scores of other places available by bus. So mornings, afternoons and evenings were full.
The slide show for the most captured the tours we did as a group. I broke the presentation up into five sections:
I. Home Sweet Home – which was the place I lived in community with 12 other folks for the time there. The group consisted of 5 Catholic priests, 1 Anglican priest, 5 Catholic Sisters, and 1 AME (African Methodist Episcopal) seminarian
II. The Holy Land Before Jesus
III. The Coming of Jesus
IV. The Ministry of Jesus
V. The “Not-So-Holy” Holy Land.
The outline served two purposes, first to organize my thoughts and second, to put all the places and sites I’d visited into a context that revolved around Jesus and the chief events of his life, namely his Birth, Ministry, Death, Resurrection, and Ascension. Where the Jews are focused almost exclusively on the Torah (the first five Books of Moses), we Christians are able to see in Jesus someone who took the Old Law of the Torah and transformed it into a New Law, a New Covenant that went beyond the Jews to the Gentiles and to us. Oh, happy day for us!
After sharing the “digs” I found myself in at Tantur, I began with Abraham’s leaving the Land of Ur (present-day Iraq) and coming to the Land of Canaan in the Negev Desert (Southern Israel.) It was in this very area that Abraham’s son, Isaac, and his son Jacob also lived. We actually drank water from Jacob’s Well. This well was where Jesus was to transform the Samaritan Woman when he asked her for a drink. The area of the Negev Desert here is called Beer Sheba.
It’s a big jump from Abraham, Isaac and Jacob to the Jews being lead by Moses through the Sinai Desert to the Jordan River, but the jump was made in the slides. God told Moses he would not take his People into the Promised Land, and the torch was passed to Joshua with Moses dying on Mt. Nebo. Franciscan Fathers now are custodians of the site. It’s quite a view of the entire Holy Land!
The Jews are now in Canaan where they learn to make olive oil for use in temple worship, cooking, and the lighting of lamps. We saw the actual presses they used. With wells like Jacob’s Well and development of the six sacred crops, the Jews were able, in the midst of a barren wasteland, to make “the desert bloom” and bloom it does!
We fast-forwarded on the photo tour to the places that King David and King Solomon inhabited and saw Mount Zion and the City of David and the very place that David is buried. Then I shared the secret of how Jerusalem, on the edge of the Judean Wilderness, was able to survive its enemies. The secret had to do with something called “Hezekiah’s Tunnel.” We actually descended into the tunnel and saw the Gihon Spring that gave the City its water.
And then we moved to the world preparing to receive a Savior in “the fullness of time.” We saw photos of the place Mary visited Elizabeth, where she drew water for her cousin, and where John the Baptist is buried. From there we set off to Shepherds’ Field outside of Bethlehem and saw where the Shepherds heard the greeting, “Behold I bring you good news of great joy…” There was a series of photos from Nazareth Village, a reproduction of the world into which Jesus was born. You met a local farmer tending his donkey, a shepherd acting as a “sheepgate” for his sheep, a carpenter at work in his shop, and a homemaker spinning thread to be woven into clothing and blankets.
The Basilica of the Annunciation is the beautiful church in Nazareth that is built over the home of Mary where the Angel Gabriel appeared to tell her she was to bear the Christ Child. The photos of her home are extraordinary. From Nazareth you have to travel several hours south to Bethlehem where Jesus was born. There were photos that marked the sight of his birth in the Church of the Nativity on Manger Square. Back to Nazareth we went, for photos of the synagogue where Jesus prayed each week on the Sabbath.
And now Jesus, the man, begins his ministry. The first stop was the Jordan River. One of our group was actually baptized at the place. Jesus after his own baptism goes into the Judean Desert to be tempted by the Devil. You joined me for our experience of that same Desert. What a lonely, yet lovely place to be alone and with God! Out of the desert Jesus performs his first miracle in Cana of Galilee. We saw the Wedding Church that marks the spot of that most famous of weddings. From Cana, Jesus moves on to Capharnaum and the Sea of Galilee where he will center his ministry. There we saw Peter’s House – where Jesus healed Peter’s mother-in-law – and the ruins of the synagogue of Capharnaum.
Clustered around the See of Galilee are many of the places describing Jesus’ ministry. The Church of the Beatitudes just off the Sea is spectacular. It was on this very ground that the Lord preached and fed his disciples so long ago. For lunch at the shore we ate St. Peter’s fish caught that day in the Sea. Pass the tartar sauce! And then there was the Church of the Multiplication of the Loaves where Jesus fed 5,000 from two loaves and three fish. The final site at this part of the Sea was the Church of Peter’s Primacy where he gave Peter the Keys and the power to be first among equals. That day ended with photos of the boat trip on the Sea where we even cast nets as the Apostles did. Like them we initially caught nothing. We saw an actual boat that was very much like one the Disciples would have used. For 2,000 years it lay in the mud beneath the Sea. Caesarea Philippi and the Temple of the pagan god Pan was where Jesus told Peter that he was to be the “rock.” There was one more site in Galilee that touched Jesus’ life. On Mount Tabor is the Church of the Transfiguration. It’s the highest point in Galilee and is where Jesus took Peter, James and John and was transfigured before them.
After the Transfiguration, Jesus left Galilee and made his way “up” (it’s really south) to Jerusalem to suffer, die, rise, and ascend to the Father. On his way up to Jerusalem Jesus passed through Samaria (the present day West Bank) and we saw photos of actual Samaritans living on Mt. Gerizim. Just outside of Jerusalem, the photo of the Pater Noster Church on the Mount of Olives is where he taught his disciples the Lord’s Prayer and of course there also is the Garden of Gethsamane. We saw olive trees that are over 1,000 years old and show clearly the surroundings in which Jesus found himself on that fearful night. Before entering Jerusalem the final time, Jesus wept in the Garden of Gethsemane and the Church commemorating that is even called “Dominus Flevit,” Latin for “the Lord wept.” The church itself is in the form of a teardrop. The Franciscan Church of All Nations nearby commemorates where Jesus experienced his “Agony in the Garden.”
A stone’s throw from Mt. of Olives is Bethpage. The town should have an ominous ring to it. It’s where Jesus began his triumphal entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday in order to celebrate the Passover Meal. He would have used the Golden Gate of the City, but it was sealed “not to be opened until the coming of the Messiah,” say the Jews.
In photos we wandered down the narrow cobblestone streets of Old Jerusalem to the Western Wall of the Temple Mount. This place is held as most sacred to Orthodox Jews and it’s where I prayed for the people of Our Lady of Grace several times. On the southern end of the Temple Mount are the “Southern Steps” of the Temple. We saw the very steps Jesus would have walked up the three times he visited the Temple. In the vicinity of the Temple was the Church of the Last Supper with a sculpture behind the altar portraying Jesus eating with the Apostles.
Things moved quickly that night for Jesus. The Anatonia Fortress was where he was brought after being arrested and there he condemned. We saw photos of the very pavement where that happened. This site became the “1st Station of the Cross” and the Via Dolorosa throughout the Old City traces his steps to Golgotha and you can see them all. The last of the Stations are actually inside the Church of the Holy Sepulcher where we celebrated Mass, a very moving experience! On the main floor of the Holy Sepulcher is the very tomb of Jesus.
Jesus has now died and risen from the dead and he appears to two disciples on the Road to Emmaus. Yes we had photos of the site as well. The site of Jesus’ Ascension on the Mount of Olives is actually a site owned by the Muslims. Remember they hold Jesus to be a prophet, though not the Son of God so it is a holy site for them as well as for us.
The slide show ended with my idea of how the Holy Land might be referred to as, “The Not-So-Holy Holy Land” and shared photos of the Wall, the Settlements, and the Refugee Camps, as well as the sources of hope for both Israelis and Palestinians for peace.
Fondly,
Father Nicholas
Weekly HOMILY for December 14,2000: Need for a Savior
3rd Sunday of Advent, Cycle B
Our Lady of Grace
December 14, 2008
Need for a Savior
By (Rev. Msgr.) Nicholas P. Amato
O Come, O Come Emmanuel
I think you would agree that the most familiar of all our Advent hymns is “O Come, O Come Emmanuel.”
Every Advent we sing this beautiful hymn that dates all the way back to the year 800. We sing words and verses like these.
“Disperse the gloomy clouds of night, And death’s dark shadow put to flight. To us the path of knowledge show, And teach us in her ways to go.”
And again, “O Come, O Come Emmanuel, And ransom captive Israel.” All of these expressions are so rich in what they convey about God and us.
A Savior? Is So, from What?
At its heart, this hymn is about the need of a savior.
It is the Advent hymn because this season is about a savior and salvation. But, I think we must ask an important question.
Do you and I, as people who tend to be rather independent and self-sufficient, do we right now honestly believe we need to be saved? (1) Do we really believe we need a savior?
(2) And from what do we think we need to be saved?
These are important questions of faith for us especially during this Advent Season.
A Lutheran theologian named Paul Tillich has what I think is a great insight into why we need a savior and what we need to be saved from.
Tillich says that we human beings today, twenty centuries after the birth of Jesus, still need a savior because we labor under three fundamental anxieties.
We are anxious (1) About death, (2) About meaning, and (3) About guilt.
From Anxiety about Death
First, we have a fundamental anxiety about death.
Each of us knows that eventually we will die and we don’t like thinking about death. A friend dies we think, “Me too some day.” A parent died we think, “My generation is next in line.”
We start showing some gray, and we aren’t too pleased.
We may find ourselves getting tired quicker or having less energy or motivation to do things, and we avoid admitting it.
We do not like to face up to these realities because they remind us, if only subconsciously, of our own death one day.
From Anxiety about Meaning
And then we have a fundamental anxiety about meaning – about the meaning of life.
This anxiety may show itself in our drive for affirmation or our need to be right.
It may show itself in our questioning what is underneath our routines of household chores and work and everything else.
We may worry that we are missing something in life.
We may even have a deep, gnawing feeling that our basic life choices have left us incomplete and that there must be more to life.
From Anxiety about Guilt
And finally, as if that were not enough anxiety to handle, we have a fundamental anxiety about guilt.
We sense that there is evil in the world and even some bad streaks of evil in ourselves. We sense that we have something to do with the lack of goodness.
We know that sometimes we do wrong when our emotions are running hot in spite of all our good intentions.
And no matter how hard we try, we may do better, but we are never completely good.
Salvation from These Anxieties
What I would suggest is that given this human condition, perhaps Advent can be the best time of the year for us.
For Advent invites us:
(1) To link a physical pain to our anxiety over death, or
(2) To link a nagging worry to our anxiety over meaning, or
(3) To link an uneasy conscience to our anxiety over guilt.
When we allow Advent to lead us to these anxieties, we may indeed discover our need for a savior.
We need a savior to transform death to resurrection, and so we sing: “Disperse the gloomy clouds of night, And death’s dark shadow put to flight.”
We need a savior to give fundamental meaning to our lives, and so we sing: “To us the path of knowledge show, And teach us in her ways to go.”
And we need a savior to love and forgive us when we are caught in guilt, and so we sing: “O Come, O Come Emmanuel, And ransom captive Israel.”
Conclusion
This is both the proclamation and the invitation of Advent: to be in touch with our need of a Savior, and to find this need fulfilled in Jesus!
Our Lady of Grace
December 14, 2008
Need for a Savior
By (Rev. Msgr.) Nicholas P. Amato
O Come, O Come Emmanuel
I think you would agree that the most familiar of all our Advent hymns is “O Come, O Come Emmanuel.”
Every Advent we sing this beautiful hymn that dates all the way back to the year 800. We sing words and verses like these.
“Disperse the gloomy clouds of night, And death’s dark shadow put to flight. To us the path of knowledge show, And teach us in her ways to go.”
And again, “O Come, O Come Emmanuel, And ransom captive Israel.” All of these expressions are so rich in what they convey about God and us.
A Savior? Is So, from What?
At its heart, this hymn is about the need of a savior.
It is the Advent hymn because this season is about a savior and salvation. But, I think we must ask an important question.
Do you and I, as people who tend to be rather independent and self-sufficient, do we right now honestly believe we need to be saved? (1) Do we really believe we need a savior?
(2) And from what do we think we need to be saved?
These are important questions of faith for us especially during this Advent Season.
A Lutheran theologian named Paul Tillich has what I think is a great insight into why we need a savior and what we need to be saved from.
Tillich says that we human beings today, twenty centuries after the birth of Jesus, still need a savior because we labor under three fundamental anxieties.
We are anxious (1) About death, (2) About meaning, and (3) About guilt.
From Anxiety about Death
First, we have a fundamental anxiety about death.
Each of us knows that eventually we will die and we don’t like thinking about death. A friend dies we think, “Me too some day.” A parent died we think, “My generation is next in line.”
We start showing some gray, and we aren’t too pleased.
We may find ourselves getting tired quicker or having less energy or motivation to do things, and we avoid admitting it.
We do not like to face up to these realities because they remind us, if only subconsciously, of our own death one day.
From Anxiety about Meaning
And then we have a fundamental anxiety about meaning – about the meaning of life.
This anxiety may show itself in our drive for affirmation or our need to be right.
It may show itself in our questioning what is underneath our routines of household chores and work and everything else.
We may worry that we are missing something in life.
We may even have a deep, gnawing feeling that our basic life choices have left us incomplete and that there must be more to life.
From Anxiety about Guilt
And finally, as if that were not enough anxiety to handle, we have a fundamental anxiety about guilt.
We sense that there is evil in the world and even some bad streaks of evil in ourselves. We sense that we have something to do with the lack of goodness.
We know that sometimes we do wrong when our emotions are running hot in spite of all our good intentions.
And no matter how hard we try, we may do better, but we are never completely good.
Salvation from These Anxieties
What I would suggest is that given this human condition, perhaps Advent can be the best time of the year for us.
For Advent invites us:
(1) To link a physical pain to our anxiety over death, or
(2) To link a nagging worry to our anxiety over meaning, or
(3) To link an uneasy conscience to our anxiety over guilt.
When we allow Advent to lead us to these anxieties, we may indeed discover our need for a savior.
We need a savior to transform death to resurrection, and so we sing: “Disperse the gloomy clouds of night, And death’s dark shadow put to flight.”
We need a savior to give fundamental meaning to our lives, and so we sing: “To us the path of knowledge show, And teach us in her ways to go.”
And we need a savior to love and forgive us when we are caught in guilt, and so we sing: “O Come, O Come Emmanuel, And ransom captive Israel.”
Conclusion
This is both the proclamation and the invitation of Advent: to be in touch with our need of a Savior, and to find this need fulfilled in Jesus!
Saturday, December 06, 2008
Weekly HOMILY for December 7, 2008: Operating Systems and the Present and Future “Comings” of the Lord
2nd Sunday of Advent, Cycle B
Our Lady of Grace
December 7, 2008
Operating Systems and the Present and Future “Comings” of the Lord
By (Rev. Msgr.) Nicholas P. Amato
Cleaning the Hard Drive
A man named Jack Sacco tells a story about his computer.
Sacco says that he once bought a state-of-the-art computer. Over the years, he installed a number of different operating systems.
One day, after Sacco had just installed the latest and greatest operating system, his computer crashed. He couldn’t figure out what had gone wrong.
Sacco took the computer to an expert and explained what he had been doing. The technician asked if he had deleted the former operating systems from the hard drive before installing the new one.
Sacco said, “No, I’ve just been installing new ones on top of the old ones.” The technician replied, “That’s the problem.”
“Your computer has so many confusing instructions telling it how to operate that it doesn’t know what to do. So it shut down.”
The technician then deleted all former operating systems from the hard drive and re-installed the latest one. The computer worked like a charm.
The Coming(s) of the Lord
That story helps us to appreciate what we are to do in this Season of Advent.
Our English word “Advent” is from the Latin word that means “coming.” There are three comings of the Lord that form the heart of this Season, Advent.
First, we believe that the Lord has already come to us in the birth of Jesus. We will celebrate this past coming on December 25th.
Second, we also believe that the Lord comes to us in the present. He comes to us here in the liturgy in the Word and in a few minutes in the Sacrament of the Eucharist.
And third, we also believe that the Lord will come again. This will happen at an unknown moment in the future.
Saint Peter in today’s second reading says that. “The day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night.” So Advent invites us to get ready for this future coming and this is where the image of cleaning out the hard drive comes in.
We need to clean out our spiritual hard drives, if you will. This is what John the Baptist means in today’s Gospel by his Baptism of Repentance.
It is what Isaiah means in the first reading with his images of filling in the valleys and leveling the mountains. The idea is that we need to allow the Lord to come to us more fully in the present moment, right now.
And in doing that, we are also preparing for his coming at that unknown, future moment.
We need to clean out the old operating systems and allow the new operating system, God’s ways, to work within us.
Our Preparation
For example, maybe we, especially we in America, need to clean out the operating mindset that says, “I am what I have.”
So often we are tempted to identify ourselves by the size of our home or the make of our car or the amount of our savings, thus fulfilling my self-identity in the belief, “I am what I have.”
We need to clean out this mindset and allow space for the new mindset of “being more” instead of “having more.” Jesus would say: “It is more important for you to be more than to have more?”
Perhaps we can take this as a positive message from all of today’s negative financial news. If there is a bright spot in all of this negative financial news most of us find ourselves in, it may be that it takes us back to this message.
So, being or becoming more grounded in God’s Word, more reflective, more understanding, more affirming, more willing to listening, more other-centered – this is our real task of life.
I am suggesting that Advent invites us to this very fundamental task of being more instead of having more.
Conclusion
To go back to where we began, we need to clean out the old operating systems and allow the new operating system, which is Jesus Christ’s modeling and his way of loving, to operate within us.
This is the task of Advent. This allows the Lord to come to us more fully into the present.
But, perhaps, equally as important, it prepares us for the Lord’s coming at that unknown future moment, and it enables us to celebrate on Christmas day the real meaning of the Lord’s coming in the past.
Our Lady of Grace
December 7, 2008
Operating Systems and the Present and Future “Comings” of the Lord
By (Rev. Msgr.) Nicholas P. Amato
Cleaning the Hard Drive
A man named Jack Sacco tells a story about his computer.
Sacco says that he once bought a state-of-the-art computer. Over the years, he installed a number of different operating systems.
One day, after Sacco had just installed the latest and greatest operating system, his computer crashed. He couldn’t figure out what had gone wrong.
Sacco took the computer to an expert and explained what he had been doing. The technician asked if he had deleted the former operating systems from the hard drive before installing the new one.
Sacco said, “No, I’ve just been installing new ones on top of the old ones.” The technician replied, “That’s the problem.”
“Your computer has so many confusing instructions telling it how to operate that it doesn’t know what to do. So it shut down.”
The technician then deleted all former operating systems from the hard drive and re-installed the latest one. The computer worked like a charm.
The Coming(s) of the Lord
That story helps us to appreciate what we are to do in this Season of Advent.
Our English word “Advent” is from the Latin word that means “coming.” There are three comings of the Lord that form the heart of this Season, Advent.
First, we believe that the Lord has already come to us in the birth of Jesus. We will celebrate this past coming on December 25th.
Second, we also believe that the Lord comes to us in the present. He comes to us here in the liturgy in the Word and in a few minutes in the Sacrament of the Eucharist.
And third, we also believe that the Lord will come again. This will happen at an unknown moment in the future.
Saint Peter in today’s second reading says that. “The day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night.” So Advent invites us to get ready for this future coming and this is where the image of cleaning out the hard drive comes in.
We need to clean out our spiritual hard drives, if you will. This is what John the Baptist means in today’s Gospel by his Baptism of Repentance.
It is what Isaiah means in the first reading with his images of filling in the valleys and leveling the mountains. The idea is that we need to allow the Lord to come to us more fully in the present moment, right now.
And in doing that, we are also preparing for his coming at that unknown, future moment.
We need to clean out the old operating systems and allow the new operating system, God’s ways, to work within us.
Our Preparation
For example, maybe we, especially we in America, need to clean out the operating mindset that says, “I am what I have.”
So often we are tempted to identify ourselves by the size of our home or the make of our car or the amount of our savings, thus fulfilling my self-identity in the belief, “I am what I have.”
We need to clean out this mindset and allow space for the new mindset of “being more” instead of “having more.” Jesus would say: “It is more important for you to be more than to have more?”
Perhaps we can take this as a positive message from all of today’s negative financial news. If there is a bright spot in all of this negative financial news most of us find ourselves in, it may be that it takes us back to this message.
So, being or becoming more grounded in God’s Word, more reflective, more understanding, more affirming, more willing to listening, more other-centered – this is our real task of life.
I am suggesting that Advent invites us to this very fundamental task of being more instead of having more.
Conclusion
To go back to where we began, we need to clean out the old operating systems and allow the new operating system, which is Jesus Christ’s modeling and his way of loving, to operate within us.
This is the task of Advent. This allows the Lord to come to us more fully into the present.
But, perhaps, equally as important, it prepares us for the Lord’s coming at that unknown future moment, and it enables us to celebrate on Christmas day the real meaning of the Lord’s coming in the past.
Weekly THIS AND THAT for December 7, 2008: Father Nicholas Returns from Sabbatical
Yesterday I returned from three months of study in Israel. Each day we had presenters who were Jews, Christians, or Muslims and they lectured on Sacred Scripture (Torah, Acts of the Apostles, and Koran respectively), the Geography of the Land, and History.
Each of the religious groups is tied to the Land as their own Holy Land. We studied those ties and their political implications. In the final month we began looking at the possibilities for a Two-State Solution, with Jews and Palestinians each having their own country.
Some have asked how I am different after my three months of study? I went to Israel with a heartfelt understanding of the Jewish People and the suffering they endured in the Holocaust and the joy of finally having their own homeland. I came home seeing that the Israeli/Palestinian conflict is a very complex reality, but my heart went out to the Palestinian People who are going through a tremendous amount of suffering.
A second most frequently asked question I have been getting is what the most moving experience I had was? That’s any easy question. It happened my last weekend in Israel. For most of the time there I saw myself as a student and conducted myself in that manner.
The last weekend a priest friend asked if I would concelebrate Mass and hear confessions of 45 pilgrims in Jerusalem who were there from Toronto. The Mass began at 3:00pm in the Church of the Cenacle, the place where Jesus had the Last Supper with his disciples. After we priests washed everyone’s feet and celebrated the Eucharist, the entire group followed in Jesus’ steps down the Kidron Valley and up the Mount of Olives to the Garden of Gethsemane where we heard confessions. After confessions, the pilgrims went into the adjoining Church of All Nations for Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament.
My ministering as a priest to faith-filled people in these sacred sites was a very different experience from studying those sites. Bringing faith and reflection to the sights through the presence of the pilgrims gave me an extraordinary sense of being a priest for people.
It was a great way to prepare for coming home. My student life was a wonderful experience. I know it will enhance how I am with others as their priest.
Fondly,
Father Nicholas
Each of the religious groups is tied to the Land as their own Holy Land. We studied those ties and their political implications. In the final month we began looking at the possibilities for a Two-State Solution, with Jews and Palestinians each having their own country.
Some have asked how I am different after my three months of study? I went to Israel with a heartfelt understanding of the Jewish People and the suffering they endured in the Holocaust and the joy of finally having their own homeland. I came home seeing that the Israeli/Palestinian conflict is a very complex reality, but my heart went out to the Palestinian People who are going through a tremendous amount of suffering.
A second most frequently asked question I have been getting is what the most moving experience I had was? That’s any easy question. It happened my last weekend in Israel. For most of the time there I saw myself as a student and conducted myself in that manner.
The last weekend a priest friend asked if I would concelebrate Mass and hear confessions of 45 pilgrims in Jerusalem who were there from Toronto. The Mass began at 3:00pm in the Church of the Cenacle, the place where Jesus had the Last Supper with his disciples. After we priests washed everyone’s feet and celebrated the Eucharist, the entire group followed in Jesus’ steps down the Kidron Valley and up the Mount of Olives to the Garden of Gethsemane where we heard confessions. After confessions, the pilgrims went into the adjoining Church of All Nations for Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament.
My ministering as a priest to faith-filled people in these sacred sites was a very different experience from studying those sites. Bringing faith and reflection to the sights through the presence of the pilgrims gave me an extraordinary sense of being a priest for people.
It was a great way to prepare for coming home. My student life was a wonderful experience. I know it will enhance how I am with others as their priest.
Fondly,
Father Nicholas
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