This and That:
“Liturgical Minute” Becomes “Catholic Update”
Because of several requests, we are resuming the custom of having a “Liturgical Minute” before each Mass on the 4th Sunday of the month. Many have found it a helpful way to get caught up on different aspects of the Liturgy. In addition to my offering them, Sister Mary Therese (Assistant Pastor) and Jack Buchner (Director of Religious Education) will also take turns in presenting. Since we will not limit ourselves to Liturgy, we are renaming the monthly offering “Catholic Update” and broadening the subjects to include Faith Formation, Evangelization, as well as Liturgy.
A part of this week’s column is based on the “Catholic Update” I presented before all the Masses on the weekend of November 29th regarding Liturgy and fuller participation at Mass. It deals with some initial thoughts about the Mass, the power that gestures play during that one hour together, as well as some other related items – all ideas on making the Mass more meaningful for yourself.
Fondly,
Father Nicholas
Initial Thoughts
The Power of Gestures:
➢ Gestures add or enhance what is being said, e.g. the placing of the right hand over our heart at the Pledge of Allegiance
➢ Asking someone to marry you and the way you gesture in opening the ring box and placing the ring on her finger
➢ Similarly each gesture at Mass is meant to highlight a deeper reality
Preparation for Mass:
➢ When going to a movie, it enhances your enjoyment if you know what it is about
➢ You read the jacket of a book to have a sense of its contents
➢ Preparing for Mass can similarly enhance our experience of it. The following are ways to do that:
o Get the reading citations from the bulletin for next Sunday’s Mass and look them up in your own Bible
o Go to the parish webpage on a Thursday and get the text of Father Nicholas’ homily for the coming Sunday
o Go to the webpage the week after the homily and get a voice recording as an mp3 file
➢ Approach the Liturgy of the Word asking, “What is God wanting me to hear today?”
➢ Hearing the celebrant conclude Mass with the words, “Go the Mass is ended,” ask yourself, “What am I taking with me?”
Gestures During Mass
The following gestures all help express the deeper understanding of what we are hearing or what we are doing. They appear in bold type.
Opening of Mass:
➢ Sign of the Cross only at beginning, not after Penitential Rite. The Mass begins and ends with this important gesture.
Gospel Introduction:
➢ The 3-fold signing of the cross on forehead, lips, and heart
➢ In doing it, our thoughts are: “Lord enlighten my mind (+ on forehead) to know your truth; help me to speak (+ on lips) that truth to others; give me a love (+ over heart) for your Word”
Consecration:
➢ Bowing after the elevation of the consecrated Bread and again after the elevation of the Wine help your body express what you believe, that this is the flesh and blood of the Lord, himself
Lord’s Prayer:
➢ Hands in the “orans” (opened and upright) position to do as the early Christians did
Receiving Communion:
➢ Singing as you come forward in the Communion Procession and hearing the support of your brothers and sisters in their singing while you receive
➢ Bowing as you step forward to receive acknowledges what you are about to do
➢ Making a throne with your hands creates a sacred place in which to receive your Lord and Savior
➢ Receiving in the hand is safer hygienically than on the tongue where there is a risk of saliva passing to the hand of the Minister of Communion
➢ Saying “Amen” to “Body of Christ” is an acknowledgment that yes, indeed this is the Body of Christ!
➢ Remain standing and singing in support of others receiving
Other Related Items
Chapel:
➢ Where we celebrate daily Mass and where the tabernacle with the Blessed Sacrament is located. It is there that the Communion Ministers go with the extra Eucharist after the Assembly has received Communion
➢ Reserved Sacrament is kept in the chapel for private prayer and for taking to the sick outside of Mass
➢ It is proper to genuflect when entering and leaving the chapel as a sign of respect to Christ present in the tabernacle
Children’s Participation:
➢ The nursery, located just off of the foyer in the church is open during the 9:00 and 11:30am Masses each Sunday. There is a TV monitor there that carries a signal of the Mass going on in the Worship Space
➢ CLOW (Children’s Liturgy of the Word) is for children from 3 to 10 years of age. They are sent forth after the Opening Prayer and return during the General Intercessions
➢ All children are invited up to make their contribution at the Offertory time
➢ We encourage children to use their own envelopes. Extra envelopes are always available on the table in the foyer
Personal Versus Public Piety: The following are expressions of personal piety and not part of the Roman Ritual.
➢ Making the Sign of the Cross at the Penitential Rite could easily be confused with the Sign of the Cross in the Sacrament of Reconciliation when the priest absolves our sins. The two are not the same and therefore it is better not to make the Sign of the Cross at the Penitential Rite
➢ Blessing oneself before receiving Communion does not seem appropriate as a gesture for receiving whereas the bow and the hands placed as a throne to receive is. The Sign of the Cross is reserved for the opening and closing of the Mass. All other Signs of the Cross were dropped in the renewal of Vatican II
➢ Genuflecting before the reception of Communion is one of the two gestures that is approved. However each parish for the sake of order follows its own custom in this regard. Most parishes, as do we, use a bow
➢ Sitting after you come back from receiving communion is not our custom. After we have received we stand and sing while others receive, as they stood and sang in support of our receiving. After Communion all sit for quiet reflective time
Things to come:
➢ Over the years we have reserved the Blessed Sacrament in the tabernacle in the chapel. In the future, when the church interior is repainted – the present paint is the original of 20 years ago – consideration will be given to placing the tabernacle in the Sanctuary
➢ Kneelers for kneeling during the Eucharistic Prayer, as is the custom in most Catholic Churches in the US, will also be considered when new carpeting and painting the interior of the church is considered
Friday, November 27, 2009
Weekly HOMILY for November 29, 2009: Three Traits of Leaders Put Advent into Focus
1st Sunday of Advent, Cycle C
Our Lady of Grace
November 29, 2009
Three Traits of Leaders Put Advent into Focus
By (Rev. Msgr.) Nicholas P. Amato
Three Traits of Leaders
A friend of mine who is a Management Consultant shared a good idea about the essential requirements for being an effective leader.
It could be the CEO of a bank, the owner of a local retail store, the principal of a school, or the pastor of a parish.
There are three key traits to being a good leader. He or she must have Insight, Foresight, and Oversight.
A Particular Leader
We can see these three traits at work by looking at a person like Steve Jobs.
You may know that Steve Jobs was the head of Apple Computer. As Apple’s leader, he had the insight that people wanted accessibility to communication and information wherever they are.
And Jobs also had the insight that people want this accessibility in one instrument. So he had Apple Computer develop the I-Phone.
Who doesn’t know by now that this little instrument is a cell phone, a computer with access to the Internet and e-mail, and many other things like a Dictaphone, camera, calculator etc. all combined into one.
It has become very popular and that in itself validates the insight.
Steve Jobs had to have the foresight. He had to have studied the strengths and weaknesses of his company, and also the opportunities and threats posed by the marketplace.
Finally, Jobs must had to have oversight. He had to put the right people in the right positions to assure the successful marketing and development of the product.
Insight: Faith
I am thinking of Steve Jobs’ I-Phone because today’s Scripture readings, on this First Sunday of Advent, call all of us to have these three traits of leaders: Insight, Foresight, and Oversight.
First, Advent reminds us that we are to live with Insight.
(1) Insight that it is not we who have not brought ourselves into existence.
(2) Insight that there is a Higher Power, a divine source, a transcendent God, a God who transcends our human and earthly existence.
(3) Insight that God is our heavenly Creator and that God is the very ground of our being that holds us in existence.
(4) Insight that God has not left us on our own and that God came to be with us in Jesus of Nazareth.
(5) And we need that we insight that God even now is with us through his Holy Spirit.
This insight, in our Christian tradition, we call faith.
Foresight: Hope
Secondly, we need Foresight.
(1) Foresight means knowing that someday we will leave behind this earthly and human life and return to God.
(2) Foresight is the truth beneath the imagery in today’s Gospel. And in this imagery is also the truth that we will need to give an accounting of our lives to God.
(3) Foresight tells us that we will stand before God and the sum of our earthly life will be reviewed and a decision will be made about our eternal status with God.
(4) This foresight includes the love and mercy of Jesus and his promise of resurrection and the fullness of life.
This foresight, in our Christian tradition, we call hope.
Oversight: Love
And finally, we need Oversight.
We need to live today and each day guided by the insight of where we come from and the foresight of where we are going. This leads us to oversight of our lives right now.
(1) Saint Paul in our second reading addresses us as “Brothers and Sisters” and calls us to look upon one another in that way.
(2) He calls us to live with the moral code given us by the Lord Jesus and with the guidance of Paul himself and of the Church down through the centuries.
(3) The oversight that Paul advocates is to be alert to how we are relating to one another.
(4) We are to bring and to be God’s presence in the world.
(5) We are to gauge all we do by whether it is pleasing to God.
This oversight, in our Christian tradition, we call love.
Conclusion
So, Insight, Foresight, and Oversight: this First Sunday of Advent calls us to have these three traits.
Coincidentally, they are the equivalents of our virtues of faith, hope and love.
The first two insight and foresight -- or faith and hope -- will lead us to live well in the present moment -- with love -- and to prepare for that future moment when we will meet the Lord face to face.
Our Lady of Grace
November 29, 2009
Three Traits of Leaders Put Advent into Focus
By (Rev. Msgr.) Nicholas P. Amato
Three Traits of Leaders
A friend of mine who is a Management Consultant shared a good idea about the essential requirements for being an effective leader.
It could be the CEO of a bank, the owner of a local retail store, the principal of a school, or the pastor of a parish.
There are three key traits to being a good leader. He or she must have Insight, Foresight, and Oversight.
A Particular Leader
We can see these three traits at work by looking at a person like Steve Jobs.
You may know that Steve Jobs was the head of Apple Computer. As Apple’s leader, he had the insight that people wanted accessibility to communication and information wherever they are.
And Jobs also had the insight that people want this accessibility in one instrument. So he had Apple Computer develop the I-Phone.
Who doesn’t know by now that this little instrument is a cell phone, a computer with access to the Internet and e-mail, and many other things like a Dictaphone, camera, calculator etc. all combined into one.
It has become very popular and that in itself validates the insight.
Steve Jobs had to have the foresight. He had to have studied the strengths and weaknesses of his company, and also the opportunities and threats posed by the marketplace.
Finally, Jobs must had to have oversight. He had to put the right people in the right positions to assure the successful marketing and development of the product.
Insight: Faith
I am thinking of Steve Jobs’ I-Phone because today’s Scripture readings, on this First Sunday of Advent, call all of us to have these three traits of leaders: Insight, Foresight, and Oversight.
First, Advent reminds us that we are to live with Insight.
(1) Insight that it is not we who have not brought ourselves into existence.
(2) Insight that there is a Higher Power, a divine source, a transcendent God, a God who transcends our human and earthly existence.
(3) Insight that God is our heavenly Creator and that God is the very ground of our being that holds us in existence.
(4) Insight that God has not left us on our own and that God came to be with us in Jesus of Nazareth.
(5) And we need that we insight that God even now is with us through his Holy Spirit.
This insight, in our Christian tradition, we call faith.
Foresight: Hope
Secondly, we need Foresight.
(1) Foresight means knowing that someday we will leave behind this earthly and human life and return to God.
(2) Foresight is the truth beneath the imagery in today’s Gospel. And in this imagery is also the truth that we will need to give an accounting of our lives to God.
(3) Foresight tells us that we will stand before God and the sum of our earthly life will be reviewed and a decision will be made about our eternal status with God.
(4) This foresight includes the love and mercy of Jesus and his promise of resurrection and the fullness of life.
This foresight, in our Christian tradition, we call hope.
Oversight: Love
And finally, we need Oversight.
We need to live today and each day guided by the insight of where we come from and the foresight of where we are going. This leads us to oversight of our lives right now.
(1) Saint Paul in our second reading addresses us as “Brothers and Sisters” and calls us to look upon one another in that way.
(2) He calls us to live with the moral code given us by the Lord Jesus and with the guidance of Paul himself and of the Church down through the centuries.
(3) The oversight that Paul advocates is to be alert to how we are relating to one another.
(4) We are to bring and to be God’s presence in the world.
(5) We are to gauge all we do by whether it is pleasing to God.
This oversight, in our Christian tradition, we call love.
Conclusion
So, Insight, Foresight, and Oversight: this First Sunday of Advent calls us to have these three traits.
Coincidentally, they are the equivalents of our virtues of faith, hope and love.
The first two insight and foresight -- or faith and hope -- will lead us to live well in the present moment -- with love -- and to prepare for that future moment when we will meet the Lord face to face.
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Weekly THIS AND THAT for November 22, 2009: Parishioners Ideas Regarding A New Pastor
This and That:
Parishioners Ideas Regarding A New Pastor
On Monday, November 9th, the Archdiocese of Baltimore Clergy Personnel Board conducted a Consultation with our parish regarding the appointment of a new Pastor when Father Nicholas retires in June. Msgr. Dick Tillman and Father Chris Moore from the Clergy Personnel Board spent five hours listening to input during three meetings. In the first meeting, the Pastoral Team (parish staff) gave their ideas. The second meeting included the Pastoral Council, Finance Committee and Parish Corporators. The third and final meeting was open to all parishioners.
Msgr. Tillman and Father Moore began each meeting, by telling us that the discernment regarding the assignment of a new pastor is done by the Board in the context of prayer. They reminded us that it is God who leads our parish, and that will continue to be true when we have a new pastor. They also shared the process to be followed:
Priests of the Archdiocese of Baltimore may indicate that they are interested. After their consultation with our parish, Msgr. Tillman and Father Moore write a report which is given to the Placement Committee of the Board. The Committee tries to match our parish with one of the priests who is interested or with any priest in the Archdiocese whom they think would fit well here.
They send a list of several priests to the bishops of our Archdiocese, who make the selection. The priest selected is then offered the position. When the new pastor accepts, our parish will be informed. Until then, the Consultors cautioned us not to believe any “rumors” circulating that a particular priest has been chosen as pastor.
In all three meetings, the same three questions were asked:
1. What are the strengths of the parish?
2. What are the challenges of the parish at this time?
3. What qualities and skills do we need in a new pastor, in order for him to be successful here?
Having attended all three meetings, I was encouraged by the consistency of responses across the three groups who gave input:
STRENGTHS OF THE PARISH:
➢ Welcoming and accepting of individuals and families
➢ Dynamic and active parish with involved volunteers
➢ Good leadership by parish staff – programs are well-run
➢ An excellent Parish School
➢ Good use of talents and gifts of parishioners
➢ Beautiful campus and facilities
➢ Adult Education opportunities provided
➢ Growing commitment to Evangelization
➢ Collaborative spirit within staff, Pastoral Council and ministries
➢ Parish continuing to grow
➢ Demographics include a majority of young families
➢ Many programs for children and youth
➢ Great liturgy, including training of ministers
➢ Excellent preaching by homilists
➢ Variety of sacramental and prayer opportunities available
CHALLENGES OF THE PARISH
➢ Engage and evangelize registered parishioners who do not participate
➢ Keep youth engaged in parish life
➢ Maintain the great facilities and campus
➢ Continue and improve the supportive relationship of parish and school
➢ Provide financial fall-back for maintenance needs
QUALITIES NEEDED IN A NEW PASTOR
➢ Good relational skills – with children, youth and adults
➢ Collaborative style of leadership
➢ Ability to use the gifts and talents of staff and parishioners
➢ Spiritual Leadership – project a vision that others can believe in
➢ Good communication skills
➢ Willingness to listen and to change when necessary
➢ Good homilist
➢ Accessible
➢ Teacher
➢ Supportive of our Catholic School; able to work on its continued growth and interact with students
➢ Theologically in tune with Vatican II
➢ Able to use electronic media for communication
➢ Seasoned in ministry
This Consultation was a wonderful experience of self-reflection for our parish and it gives us a “snapshot” of who we are at this time as well as our hopes for the future. Everyone who spoke was grateful for the blessing of excellent leadership that we have experienced with Father Nicholas and all acknowledged that he will be “a hard act to follow.” Let us sincerely pray for our parish and for our next pastor in the coming months, as well as praying for Father Nicholas as he moves into a new phase of life.
Blessings,
Sister Mary Therese
Parishioners Ideas Regarding A New Pastor
On Monday, November 9th, the Archdiocese of Baltimore Clergy Personnel Board conducted a Consultation with our parish regarding the appointment of a new Pastor when Father Nicholas retires in June. Msgr. Dick Tillman and Father Chris Moore from the Clergy Personnel Board spent five hours listening to input during three meetings. In the first meeting, the Pastoral Team (parish staff) gave their ideas. The second meeting included the Pastoral Council, Finance Committee and Parish Corporators. The third and final meeting was open to all parishioners.
Msgr. Tillman and Father Moore began each meeting, by telling us that the discernment regarding the assignment of a new pastor is done by the Board in the context of prayer. They reminded us that it is God who leads our parish, and that will continue to be true when we have a new pastor. They also shared the process to be followed:
Priests of the Archdiocese of Baltimore may indicate that they are interested. After their consultation with our parish, Msgr. Tillman and Father Moore write a report which is given to the Placement Committee of the Board. The Committee tries to match our parish with one of the priests who is interested or with any priest in the Archdiocese whom they think would fit well here.
They send a list of several priests to the bishops of our Archdiocese, who make the selection. The priest selected is then offered the position. When the new pastor accepts, our parish will be informed. Until then, the Consultors cautioned us not to believe any “rumors” circulating that a particular priest has been chosen as pastor.
In all three meetings, the same three questions were asked:
1. What are the strengths of the parish?
2. What are the challenges of the parish at this time?
3. What qualities and skills do we need in a new pastor, in order for him to be successful here?
Having attended all three meetings, I was encouraged by the consistency of responses across the three groups who gave input:
STRENGTHS OF THE PARISH:
➢ Welcoming and accepting of individuals and families
➢ Dynamic and active parish with involved volunteers
➢ Good leadership by parish staff – programs are well-run
➢ An excellent Parish School
➢ Good use of talents and gifts of parishioners
➢ Beautiful campus and facilities
➢ Adult Education opportunities provided
➢ Growing commitment to Evangelization
➢ Collaborative spirit within staff, Pastoral Council and ministries
➢ Parish continuing to grow
➢ Demographics include a majority of young families
➢ Many programs for children and youth
➢ Great liturgy, including training of ministers
➢ Excellent preaching by homilists
➢ Variety of sacramental and prayer opportunities available
CHALLENGES OF THE PARISH
➢ Engage and evangelize registered parishioners who do not participate
➢ Keep youth engaged in parish life
➢ Maintain the great facilities and campus
➢ Continue and improve the supportive relationship of parish and school
➢ Provide financial fall-back for maintenance needs
QUALITIES NEEDED IN A NEW PASTOR
➢ Good relational skills – with children, youth and adults
➢ Collaborative style of leadership
➢ Ability to use the gifts and talents of staff and parishioners
➢ Spiritual Leadership – project a vision that others can believe in
➢ Good communication skills
➢ Willingness to listen and to change when necessary
➢ Good homilist
➢ Accessible
➢ Teacher
➢ Supportive of our Catholic School; able to work on its continued growth and interact with students
➢ Theologically in tune with Vatican II
➢ Able to use electronic media for communication
➢ Seasoned in ministry
This Consultation was a wonderful experience of self-reflection for our parish and it gives us a “snapshot” of who we are at this time as well as our hopes for the future. Everyone who spoke was grateful for the blessing of excellent leadership that we have experienced with Father Nicholas and all acknowledged that he will be “a hard act to follow.” Let us sincerely pray for our parish and for our next pastor in the coming months, as well as praying for Father Nicholas as he moves into a new phase of life.
Blessings,
Sister Mary Therese
Weekly HOMILY for November 22, 2009: Deacon Preaching Weekend
Deacons Jim Prosser and Chris Ballard preached at all the Masses this weekend.
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Weekly THIS AND THAT for November 15, 2009: Airline Announcements to Tickle Your Funny Bone
This and That:
Airline Announcements to Tickle Your Funny Bone
➢ It seems to be a growing tendency to have flight attendants make humorous announcements. The following were heard on different carriers.
Fondly,
Father Nicholas
➢ United Flight Attendant announced, “People, people we’re not picking out furniture here, find a seat and get in it!”
➢ On landing, the stewardess said, “Please be sure to take all of your belongings. If you’re going to leave anything, please make sure it’s something we'd like to have.”
➢ “There may be 50 ways to leave your lover, but there are only 4 ways out of this airplane.”
➢ An airline pilot wrote that on this particular flight he had hammered his ship into the runway really hard.
➢ The airline had a policy which required the first officer to stand at the door while the passengers exited, smile, and give them a “Thanks for flying our airline.” He said that, in light of his bad landing, he had a hard time looking the passengers in the eye, thinking that someone would have a smart comment. Finally everyone had gotten off except for a little old lady walking with a cane. She said, “Sir, do you mind if I ask you a question?” “Why, no, Ma’am,” said the pilot. “What is it? “The little old lady said, “Did we land, or were we shot down?”
➢ As the plane landed and was coming to a stop at Ronald Reagan, a lone voice came over the loudspeaker: “Whoa, big fella, whoa!”
➢ After a particularly rough landing during thunderstorms in Memphis, a flight attendant on a Northwest flight announced, “Please take care when opening the overhead compartments because sure as shootin’ everything has shifted after a landing like that.”
➢ Another flight attendant’s comment on a less than perfect landing: “We ask you to please remain seated as Captain Kangaroo bounces us to the terminal.”
➢ Overheard on an American Airlines flight into Amarillo, Texas on a particularly windy and bumpy day. During the final approach, the Captain was really having to fight it. After an extremely hard landing, the Flight Attendant said, “Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to Amarillo. Please remain in your seats with your seat belts fastened while the Captain taxis what's left of our airplane to the gate!”
➢ “Your seat cushions can be used for flotation; and, in the event of an emergency water landing, please paddle to shore and take them with our compliments.”
➢ “As you exit the plane, make sure to gather all of your belongings. Anything left behind will be distributed evenly among the flight attendants. Please do not leave children or spouses, except for that gentleman over there.”
➢ Heard on Southwest Airlines just after a very hard landing in Salt Lake City. The flight attendant came on the intercom and said, “That was quite a bump, and I know what y’all are thinking. I’m here to tell you it wasn’t the airline’s fault; it wasn’t the pilot’s fault; it wasn’t the flight attendant’s fault; it was the asphalt.”
➢ After a real crusher of a landing in Phoenix, the attendant came on with, “Ladies and Gentlemen, please remain in your seats until Capt. Crash and the Crew have brought the aircraft to a screeching halt against the gate. And, once the tire smoke has cleared and the warning bells are silenced, we’ll open the door and you can pick your way through the wreckage to the terminal.”
➢ Part of a flight attendant’s arrival announcement: “We’d like to thank you folks for flying with us today. And, the next time you get the insane urge to go blasting through the skies in a pressurized metal tube, we hope you'll think of US Airways.”
➢ Heard on a Southwest Airline flight: “Ladies and gentlemen, if you wish to smoke, the smoking section on this airplane is on the wing and if you can light ‘em,’ you can smoke ‘em.’”
Airline Announcements to Tickle Your Funny Bone
➢ It seems to be a growing tendency to have flight attendants make humorous announcements. The following were heard on different carriers.
Fondly,
Father Nicholas
➢ United Flight Attendant announced, “People, people we’re not picking out furniture here, find a seat and get in it!”
➢ On landing, the stewardess said, “Please be sure to take all of your belongings. If you’re going to leave anything, please make sure it’s something we'd like to have.”
➢ “There may be 50 ways to leave your lover, but there are only 4 ways out of this airplane.”
➢ An airline pilot wrote that on this particular flight he had hammered his ship into the runway really hard.
➢ The airline had a policy which required the first officer to stand at the door while the passengers exited, smile, and give them a “Thanks for flying our airline.” He said that, in light of his bad landing, he had a hard time looking the passengers in the eye, thinking that someone would have a smart comment. Finally everyone had gotten off except for a little old lady walking with a cane. She said, “Sir, do you mind if I ask you a question?” “Why, no, Ma’am,” said the pilot. “What is it? “The little old lady said, “Did we land, or were we shot down?”
➢ As the plane landed and was coming to a stop at Ronald Reagan, a lone voice came over the loudspeaker: “Whoa, big fella, whoa!”
➢ After a particularly rough landing during thunderstorms in Memphis, a flight attendant on a Northwest flight announced, “Please take care when opening the overhead compartments because sure as shootin’ everything has shifted after a landing like that.”
➢ Another flight attendant’s comment on a less than perfect landing: “We ask you to please remain seated as Captain Kangaroo bounces us to the terminal.”
➢ Overheard on an American Airlines flight into Amarillo, Texas on a particularly windy and bumpy day. During the final approach, the Captain was really having to fight it. After an extremely hard landing, the Flight Attendant said, “Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to Amarillo. Please remain in your seats with your seat belts fastened while the Captain taxis what's left of our airplane to the gate!”
➢ “Your seat cushions can be used for flotation; and, in the event of an emergency water landing, please paddle to shore and take them with our compliments.”
➢ “As you exit the plane, make sure to gather all of your belongings. Anything left behind will be distributed evenly among the flight attendants. Please do not leave children or spouses, except for that gentleman over there.”
➢ Heard on Southwest Airlines just after a very hard landing in Salt Lake City. The flight attendant came on the intercom and said, “That was quite a bump, and I know what y’all are thinking. I’m here to tell you it wasn’t the airline’s fault; it wasn’t the pilot’s fault; it wasn’t the flight attendant’s fault; it was the asphalt.”
➢ After a real crusher of a landing in Phoenix, the attendant came on with, “Ladies and Gentlemen, please remain in your seats until Capt. Crash and the Crew have brought the aircraft to a screeching halt against the gate. And, once the tire smoke has cleared and the warning bells are silenced, we’ll open the door and you can pick your way through the wreckage to the terminal.”
➢ Part of a flight attendant’s arrival announcement: “We’d like to thank you folks for flying with us today. And, the next time you get the insane urge to go blasting through the skies in a pressurized metal tube, we hope you'll think of US Airways.”
➢ Heard on a Southwest Airline flight: “Ladies and gentlemen, if you wish to smoke, the smoking section on this airplane is on the wing and if you can light ‘em,’ you can smoke ‘em.’”
Weekly HOMILY for November 15, 2009: LIfe Lived from the End Looking Backward
33rd Sunday of Ordinary Time, Cycle B
Our Lady of Grace
November 15, 2009
Life Lived from the End Looking Backward
By (Rev. Msgr.) Nicholas P. Amato
Planning Funerals
Recently I read an article about a pastor who does an unusual exercise in his pre-marriage counseling.
At one point in the marriage preparation process, the priest asks the couple to plan each other’s funeral. At first take, this sounds like a real downer.
After all, weddings are supposed to be happy, up-beat times. So, why talk about something sad like the death of a spouse?
This priest finds that the exercise leads the spouses-to-be to think about the kind of person their partner may be years or decades later. And then the two of them start talking about how they might best take care of each other and their marriage right now.
In other words, the couple looks at how their marriage may end, with the death of one of them, and in doing this, they discover how to begin and sustain their marriage in the best possible way from the front end.
From the End Looking Backward
In effect, this is what Jesus is asking us to do today.
He presents a view of human history from the end looking backward and does so by using several images.
For example, he say, “The sun will be darkened, the moon will not give its light, the stars will be falling from the sky, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken. And then they will see the Son of Man coming.”
The clear consensus among biblical scholars is that Jesus does not intend these images to be taken literally. And for sure, he is not intending them to help us to predict when the end will come.
Instead, Jesus is simply reminding us that that there will be an end – someday an end of the world, and certainly an end to my individual life on this earth.
By hammering away on this point, he presents a view of our lives from the end looking backward. (Demonstrate this spatially.)
Jesus’ intention is for us to have that future end shape how we live in the present. Another way to say it is that he wants our faith and hope in the future to mold our lives right now.
The End Shaping the Present
APPRECIATION: With this view of our lives from the end looking backward, we might make sure that we appreciate persons in our lives right now. Husbands and wives might make sure that they speak the endearing words they use and use them more frequently.
Parents might make sure that they affirm the unique strengths and gifts of their children.
Friends might make sure that they are there for each other both in accomplishment and in need.
PROCRASTINATION: Again, with this view of our lives from the end looking backward, we might do things that we keep putting off. We might do our part to patch up a relationship that has broken down.
We might figure out a way to have that family vacation that we always talk about. We might schedule regular visits or phone calls to our parents before it is too late.
CREATIVITY: And again, with this view of our lives from the end looking backward, we might do some imagining and create opportunities for things that we will really want to have done.
We might read that spiritual book or be part of that Scripture group for nourishing our relationship with God.
We might plan that once-a-month or once-a-week date night with our spouse or relationship night with friends or extended family.
We might even write a list of the twenty--five things we want to do before we die.
Conclusion
Jesus, in his divine wisdom, gives us some special wisdom today.
Look at your life from its end looking backward. Let that future moment, the moment when my life on earth will end and I will meet god face-to-face, let that shape the present.
Let our faith and hope in that moment begin to mold our lives right now.
This is the best way, it is the way for living life fully now and preparing for the fullness of life with God.
Our Lady of Grace
November 15, 2009
Life Lived from the End Looking Backward
By (Rev. Msgr.) Nicholas P. Amato
Planning Funerals
Recently I read an article about a pastor who does an unusual exercise in his pre-marriage counseling.
At one point in the marriage preparation process, the priest asks the couple to plan each other’s funeral. At first take, this sounds like a real downer.
After all, weddings are supposed to be happy, up-beat times. So, why talk about something sad like the death of a spouse?
This priest finds that the exercise leads the spouses-to-be to think about the kind of person their partner may be years or decades later. And then the two of them start talking about how they might best take care of each other and their marriage right now.
In other words, the couple looks at how their marriage may end, with the death of one of them, and in doing this, they discover how to begin and sustain their marriage in the best possible way from the front end.
From the End Looking Backward
In effect, this is what Jesus is asking us to do today.
He presents a view of human history from the end looking backward and does so by using several images.
For example, he say, “The sun will be darkened, the moon will not give its light, the stars will be falling from the sky, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken. And then they will see the Son of Man coming.”
The clear consensus among biblical scholars is that Jesus does not intend these images to be taken literally. And for sure, he is not intending them to help us to predict when the end will come.
Instead, Jesus is simply reminding us that that there will be an end – someday an end of the world, and certainly an end to my individual life on this earth.
By hammering away on this point, he presents a view of our lives from the end looking backward. (Demonstrate this spatially.)
Jesus’ intention is for us to have that future end shape how we live in the present. Another way to say it is that he wants our faith and hope in the future to mold our lives right now.
The End Shaping the Present
APPRECIATION: With this view of our lives from the end looking backward, we might make sure that we appreciate persons in our lives right now. Husbands and wives might make sure that they speak the endearing words they use and use them more frequently.
Parents might make sure that they affirm the unique strengths and gifts of their children.
Friends might make sure that they are there for each other both in accomplishment and in need.
PROCRASTINATION: Again, with this view of our lives from the end looking backward, we might do things that we keep putting off. We might do our part to patch up a relationship that has broken down.
We might figure out a way to have that family vacation that we always talk about. We might schedule regular visits or phone calls to our parents before it is too late.
CREATIVITY: And again, with this view of our lives from the end looking backward, we might do some imagining and create opportunities for things that we will really want to have done.
We might read that spiritual book or be part of that Scripture group for nourishing our relationship with God.
We might plan that once-a-month or once-a-week date night with our spouse or relationship night with friends or extended family.
We might even write a list of the twenty--five things we want to do before we die.
Conclusion
Jesus, in his divine wisdom, gives us some special wisdom today.
Look at your life from its end looking backward. Let that future moment, the moment when my life on earth will end and I will meet god face-to-face, let that shape the present.
Let our faith and hope in that moment begin to mold our lives right now.
This is the best way, it is the way for living life fully now and preparing for the fullness of life with God.
Thursday, November 05, 2009
Weekly THIS AND THAT for November 8, 2009: A New Sign for Our Entrance
This and That:
A New Sign for Our Entrance
It was a young husband and parishioner who came to me with the idea of doing something in gratitude to God for his mother and father-in-law. He and his wife had discussed it and thought is was a great idea. As always I was “all ears,” first that a husband would make such a dramatic offer to express his fondness for his in-laws and second that he was thinking of his parish as the recipient of such a gift. It turned out that he and his wife wanted to donate a new sign with manually changeable letters for the entrance to our campus. For him it was a very tangible and effective way that we could share the good news of our parish and Catholic school with the greater community that passes by our doors every day. To the gift for the sign I was also able to generate some donations to cover the installation, brick and wrought ironwork that would surround the sign and thus integrate it with the rest of the buildings and courtyard of the campus.
The next step, of course, was getting feedback from the respective collegial bodies of the parish. In this regard, the concept was taken to Pastoral Council, Finance Committee, and Parish Corporators and received support from all quarters, especially since the entire cost would be covered by specific donations and no monies would come out of the operating budget, capital campaign funds, or “Paying Down the Debt” weekly green envelopes.
I am grateful to the Facilities Committee and to Doug Kennedy, our parishioner and Civil Engineer, for overseeing the design and construction. The White Construction Company has been hired to do the work. As the diagram clearly shows, the sign has changeable letters and allows for four lines of lettering. It is double-sided and illuminated from within. It will be a wonderful way to keep the community up-to-date regarding functions that are going on, as well as to have statements of general interest. The way the numbers are cut in the first line allows us to easily post either summer or winter Mass schedules. Individual ministries, parish groups, or committees may request an announcement which will all be handled through Elaine Hagner, our Parish Administrator.
The sign was ordered earlier this month and is scheduled for delivery in early November. Once installed, the brick and ironwork will be added. Won’t it be nice to announce Thanksgiving Greetings and our Christmas Schedule and to welcome all to our services?
Finally, our special thanks go to our young husband and wife who wanted to honor his in-laws and her parents in such a significant way. The impact of your generosity will go a long way in getting what is going on at Our Lady of Grace out to passersby.
Fondly,
Father Nicholas
A New Sign for Our Entrance
It was a young husband and parishioner who came to me with the idea of doing something in gratitude to God for his mother and father-in-law. He and his wife had discussed it and thought is was a great idea. As always I was “all ears,” first that a husband would make such a dramatic offer to express his fondness for his in-laws and second that he was thinking of his parish as the recipient of such a gift. It turned out that he and his wife wanted to donate a new sign with manually changeable letters for the entrance to our campus. For him it was a very tangible and effective way that we could share the good news of our parish and Catholic school with the greater community that passes by our doors every day. To the gift for the sign I was also able to generate some donations to cover the installation, brick and wrought ironwork that would surround the sign and thus integrate it with the rest of the buildings and courtyard of the campus.
The next step, of course, was getting feedback from the respective collegial bodies of the parish. In this regard, the concept was taken to Pastoral Council, Finance Committee, and Parish Corporators and received support from all quarters, especially since the entire cost would be covered by specific donations and no monies would come out of the operating budget, capital campaign funds, or “Paying Down the Debt” weekly green envelopes.
I am grateful to the Facilities Committee and to Doug Kennedy, our parishioner and Civil Engineer, for overseeing the design and construction. The White Construction Company has been hired to do the work. As the diagram clearly shows, the sign has changeable letters and allows for four lines of lettering. It is double-sided and illuminated from within. It will be a wonderful way to keep the community up-to-date regarding functions that are going on, as well as to have statements of general interest. The way the numbers are cut in the first line allows us to easily post either summer or winter Mass schedules. Individual ministries, parish groups, or committees may request an announcement which will all be handled through Elaine Hagner, our Parish Administrator.
The sign was ordered earlier this month and is scheduled for delivery in early November. Once installed, the brick and ironwork will be added. Won’t it be nice to announce Thanksgiving Greetings and our Christmas Schedule and to welcome all to our services?
Finally, our special thanks go to our young husband and wife who wanted to honor his in-laws and her parents in such a significant way. The impact of your generosity will go a long way in getting what is going on at Our Lady of Grace out to passersby.
Fondly,
Father Nicholas
Weekly HOMILY for November 8, 2009: Two Widows -- Two Messages
32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle C
Our Lady of Grace
November 8, 2009
Two Widows: Two Messages
By (Rev. Msgr.) Nicholas P. Amato
Widows As Models for Christian Living
God usually “casts down the mighty” and “lifts up the lowly.” God “fills the hungry with good things” and “sends the rich away empty.” If that’s true, then widows are a good “proof of the pudding.”
Widows in biblical times had it tough. They were disowned by their deceased husband’s family and were barred from returning to their parents’ home.
Consequently, they lived desperate lives. Poor, powerless, without identity or station in life, they still had to provide for their children, a very difficult situation position to be in.
For this reason Jewish and Christian Scriptures paid lots of attention to caring for widows.
In our first reading and Gospel we meet two different widows, who lived some 700 years apart, and they give us two different messages about how to live our lives as Christians.
The Widow of Zarapeth
The first case is the widow of Zarapeth. Her situation is desperate both for herself and her son. She may be a pagan, but God has noticed her in her need.
Elijah the Prophet consoles her but, quite frankly, sounds selfish when he asks her to bake him a cake.
What’s at work here is the Middle Eastern custom of hospitality – practiced even when the poorest had nothing but their last bit of food and drink to offer a traveler.
But with the request by Elijah, comes the promise that God will provide for her even during the drought that has stricken the nation.
The Message: Trusting God in Times of Trouble
Can God really do that? Provide sustenance for us when there seems to be no relief on the horizon?
This non-Jew trusts Elijah, the man of God and interestingly, she and her son will have enough oil and flour until, “the day when the Lord sends rain upon the earth.”
Because of her trust, God will see them through the drought.
The Challenge to Us
What might we have to do to trust God in our droughts?
What reassurances will we have in the dry times of our lives: The dry times of illness, the growing weakness of aging, depression, addictions, hopelessness, financial need, errant children, and the list goes on?
What she and we have is the Word of God: a promise spoken through a Prophet in the midst of a drought is spoken to us in the midst of God’s People assembled at Eucharist.
What she and we have is the fulfillment of God’s promise to get through our droughts with the sustenance of food that gives us life.
Has he not delivered us in the past? Has he not brought us thus far? In short: God will sustain and see us through this present drought.
The Widow in the Temple
The first reading’s widow links us to the Gospel’s widow, but with a very different message. Both stories tell us that God notices the unnoticed; God comes to the rescue of those who are the lowly and hungry in society.
Jesus is in the temple with the crowds and he is watching people pass by. In the women’s court there were trumpet-shaped containers into which people placed their offerings.
The widow comes forward and puts in “two small coins, worth a few cents” which provides Jesus an opportunity to teach his disciples. He calls them together and invites them to observe what has just happened.
The Message: Being Alert to the Needs of the Poor
This Gospel passage has a context. Jesus has been involved in controversies with the Pharisees and religious leaders.
He confronts them for building their power and wealth with no concern for the poor and criticizes them for devouring “the houses of widows.”
Jesus shows them the disconnect between their prayer life and their lack of concern of others.
While Jesus admires the widow’s generosity in contributing her whole livelihood, his message is not to encourage those with little to give all they’ve got.
His message is that their prayer life should alert them to the needs of the poor and it doesn’t.
The Challenge to Us
While it is a lament, Jesus’ words also contain good news, for he signals to us that God sees the plight of the poor, although they are overlooked by religious folks.
So the challenge for us is to ask, “Have I ignored the poor?” “Do I walk past the poor box never noticing it’s there?” “Have I ever baked a casserole?” “Ever contributed to the Advent Tree, the Mitten Tree? Special disaster appeals?”
“Where do I stand with regard to minimum wage?” “Do I underpay a worker at my home or office?” “Have I ever spoken out against injustices against women, gays, handicapped persons, or the jobless?”
God knows the difference between the religious frauds and the truly religious, and in Jesus, God is doing something about it in our very hearing.
Conclusion
Two widows: one of Zarapeth, the other at the temple in Jerusalem.
Two messages: (1) Trusting God in times of trouble and (2) Be alert to the needs of the poor.
Two areas of our lives that need tending and Jesus Christ comes to our assistance in both!
Our Lady of Grace
November 8, 2009
Two Widows: Two Messages
By (Rev. Msgr.) Nicholas P. Amato
Widows As Models for Christian Living
God usually “casts down the mighty” and “lifts up the lowly.” God “fills the hungry with good things” and “sends the rich away empty.” If that’s true, then widows are a good “proof of the pudding.”
Widows in biblical times had it tough. They were disowned by their deceased husband’s family and were barred from returning to their parents’ home.
Consequently, they lived desperate lives. Poor, powerless, without identity or station in life, they still had to provide for their children, a very difficult situation position to be in.
For this reason Jewish and Christian Scriptures paid lots of attention to caring for widows.
In our first reading and Gospel we meet two different widows, who lived some 700 years apart, and they give us two different messages about how to live our lives as Christians.
The Widow of Zarapeth
The first case is the widow of Zarapeth. Her situation is desperate both for herself and her son. She may be a pagan, but God has noticed her in her need.
Elijah the Prophet consoles her but, quite frankly, sounds selfish when he asks her to bake him a cake.
What’s at work here is the Middle Eastern custom of hospitality – practiced even when the poorest had nothing but their last bit of food and drink to offer a traveler.
But with the request by Elijah, comes the promise that God will provide for her even during the drought that has stricken the nation.
The Message: Trusting God in Times of Trouble
Can God really do that? Provide sustenance for us when there seems to be no relief on the horizon?
This non-Jew trusts Elijah, the man of God and interestingly, she and her son will have enough oil and flour until, “the day when the Lord sends rain upon the earth.”
Because of her trust, God will see them through the drought.
The Challenge to Us
What might we have to do to trust God in our droughts?
What reassurances will we have in the dry times of our lives: The dry times of illness, the growing weakness of aging, depression, addictions, hopelessness, financial need, errant children, and the list goes on?
What she and we have is the Word of God: a promise spoken through a Prophet in the midst of a drought is spoken to us in the midst of God’s People assembled at Eucharist.
What she and we have is the fulfillment of God’s promise to get through our droughts with the sustenance of food that gives us life.
Has he not delivered us in the past? Has he not brought us thus far? In short: God will sustain and see us through this present drought.
The Widow in the Temple
The first reading’s widow links us to the Gospel’s widow, but with a very different message. Both stories tell us that God notices the unnoticed; God comes to the rescue of those who are the lowly and hungry in society.
Jesus is in the temple with the crowds and he is watching people pass by. In the women’s court there were trumpet-shaped containers into which people placed their offerings.
The widow comes forward and puts in “two small coins, worth a few cents” which provides Jesus an opportunity to teach his disciples. He calls them together and invites them to observe what has just happened.
The Message: Being Alert to the Needs of the Poor
This Gospel passage has a context. Jesus has been involved in controversies with the Pharisees and religious leaders.
He confronts them for building their power and wealth with no concern for the poor and criticizes them for devouring “the houses of widows.”
Jesus shows them the disconnect between their prayer life and their lack of concern of others.
While Jesus admires the widow’s generosity in contributing her whole livelihood, his message is not to encourage those with little to give all they’ve got.
His message is that their prayer life should alert them to the needs of the poor and it doesn’t.
The Challenge to Us
While it is a lament, Jesus’ words also contain good news, for he signals to us that God sees the plight of the poor, although they are overlooked by religious folks.
So the challenge for us is to ask, “Have I ignored the poor?” “Do I walk past the poor box never noticing it’s there?” “Have I ever baked a casserole?” “Ever contributed to the Advent Tree, the Mitten Tree? Special disaster appeals?”
“Where do I stand with regard to minimum wage?” “Do I underpay a worker at my home or office?” “Have I ever spoken out against injustices against women, gays, handicapped persons, or the jobless?”
God knows the difference between the religious frauds and the truly religious, and in Jesus, God is doing something about it in our very hearing.
Conclusion
Two widows: one of Zarapeth, the other at the temple in Jerusalem.
Two messages: (1) Trusting God in times of trouble and (2) Be alert to the needs of the poor.
Two areas of our lives that need tending and Jesus Christ comes to our assistance in both!
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