This and That:
What’s all this fuss about Resurrection!
Resurrection
What is resurrection – not as some distant belief, but as a here-and-now experience for us? Because we fail to experience it, it tends to remain to some degree beyond our understanding. It is for this reason the Church helps us shed a little light on it by expressing this very mysterious event in the language of symbols. And just as a poem, painting, or piece of music helps us know experientially the author’s suffering, pain, or ecstasy, so also three symbols of Easter can speak to our hearts and touch our souls in a very personal way.
The Symbol of Light
Take the powerful symbol of light from which life seems to spring. Through light chaos can be transformed into ordered calm. Think of Jesus’ Resurrection as an eruption of light. With the Resurrection, the Lord’s Day enters the nights of our human history. This light alone, the Light of Christ, is the true light. He is pure light, God himself who causes a new creation to be born in the midst of the old, thus transforming chaos into creation in the one who believes. Is that not the calm our faith can bring us?
On this glorious feast of light, we pray to the Lord that the fragile flame of the candle he has lit within us, the delicate light of his word and his love, amidst the confusions of these times, will not be extinguished in us, but will become ever stronger and brighter, so we might be, with him, people of the day, bright pinpoints of light for others.
The Symbol of Water
On this feast of the renewal of Baptismal Promises we are all sprinkled with Baptismal water. True, Christ descended into the Sea, into the waters of death. True that Israel did also into the water of the Red Sea. And both Christ and Israel came out of the waters of death to new life. Thus having risen from death himself, Christ now gives us that same possibility of rising to new life. What this means is that Baptism is not just a washing or cleansing, but a new birth out of real death. With Christ we can symbolically descend into the sea of our own daily deaths and rise again as new creation. The symbol of water is life giving in still another way. We encounter and experience water in the form of the fresh spring that gives life or the great river from which life comes forth. Thus in Baptism, the Lord makes us not only persons of light to others, but also sources from which living water gushes forth. Just think of your relationship to your children, grandchildren, friends and neighbors. We all know people who leave us somehow refreshed and renewed; people who are like a fountain of fresh spring water on a hot summer’s day.
Let us pray that the Lord, who has given us the grace of Baptism, give us the gift of being sources of pure, fresh water, bubbling up from the fountain of his truth and his love within us.
The Symbol of the Alleluia
A third great symbol of Easter is the singing of the new song “Alleluia”! What happens when a person is touched by the light of the Resurrection and thus comes into contact with Life itself? What happens when one rises out of a watery death to a new lease on life? He or she cannot merely speak about it. Mere speech is no longer adequate to express the reality. No, they and we have to sing and shout and let it all out! And so we as the Church sing the song of thanksgiving of the Saved. And while all around us may be sinking – just read the headlines – we are rising in that same water. While all around us may see dark and dread, we are following the Light, Jesus himself.
Let us pray that our song of hope and celebration – our personal and communal Alleluia – continue to reecho into the future at each Sunday Eucharist where we come to sing of the light and water that is the cause of our joy.
So what’s all the fuss about resurrection? It’s the “fuss” of knowing what it means to know the Lord Jesus and to experience his victory in the present. Now that’s something to sing about! Happy Easter!
Fondly,
Father Nicholas
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Weekly HOMILY for April 4, 2010: Easter Sunday -- Finding the Living among the Living
Easter Sunday, Cycle C
Our Lady of Grace
April 4, 2010
Finding the Living among the Living
By (Msgr.) Nicholas P. Amato
An Easter Friendship
Just three months ago – it was December 31st to be exact – the New York Times carried a story about two children, Orel and Marya.
Orel and Marya are both eight years old. They have been next-door neighbors for nearly a year.
Orel and Marya talk, watch television, and share their favorite foods and treats. They have become best friends.
Orel can be kind of wild and impulsive at times; Marya is smart, upbeat, and strong-willed. But, they take each other as they are.
They are both patients at Jerusalem’s Alyn Hospital. They are recovering from devastating wounds suffered in the violence of their homeland.
Orel suffered severe brain damage during a Hamas rocket attack in the Gaza. Marya’s spinal cord was severed a missile from an Israeli jet fighter mistakenly hit the car she was riding in.
What makes their friendship so special is that Orel is an Israeli Jew and Marya is a Palestinian Muslim.
These two 8-year olds do not understand the centuries of war and division between their two peoples.
Their parents and friends forgot to tell them that they are supposed to be enemies. Orel and Marya are simply dear friends.
And against all odds, their families – both from very different backgrounds and cultures and religions – also become friends. And again, against all odds, the friendship between Orel and Marya has also inspired the hospital staff, volunteers, and other patients of Jerusalem’s Alyn Hospital.
Don’t Seek the Living among the Dead
I share this story at this Easter Vigil (on this Easter morning) because it can actually guide us to faith in the Resurrection.
Let’s take a look at our Easter Gospel.
In the passage, the two men at Jesus’ tomb ask the women: “Why do you seek the living one among the dead? He is not here; he has been raised up.”
What a simple, yet profound truth this is! The idea is that it is important for us not to look for the risen Christ or for Resurrection in a place of death, that is in places or in people that have no life.
So we will not find the risen Christ in the death-like actions of hostility, vengeance, bitterness, or destruction. We will note find him in the death-like actions of selfishness, insensitivity, and apathy.
Theses are all forms of death and we simply ought not look for the risen Christ there. It’s that profound, yet that simple.
Seek the Living among the Living
On the other hands, we need to look for the risen Christ among the Orels and Maryas of our world.
We need to look at:
• Where love has endured in spite of hurt
• Where friendship has emerged in spite of prejudice
• We need to look at where compassion has won out over self-absorption
• Where good deeds are done in spite of evils that have been inflicted
• Where joy is present in spite of pain
• At the smile on the face of one who has suffered great loss
• We need to look at where flowers bloom after the death of fall and winter
• Where new life emerges in spite of, or even from, past failures and disappointments
• And, as I experienced on Good Friday taking time to say farewell to Archbishop Borders who is now in hospice and to see the joy and hope in his eyes
• And to see it in the loving care of those caring for him who are finding him such a consolation in their own life challenges
Conclusion
The insight is that the Resurrection happens in moments like these.
We can find the risen Christ in those who are truly living or in nature or animals. We can find faith in the Resurrection, if only we look and note it.
This is the heart of the Easter message and in our finding it among the living in our lives, we find our faith in the Living One renewed.
A blessed Easter to you and your loved one!
Our Lady of Grace
April 4, 2010
Finding the Living among the Living
By (Msgr.) Nicholas P. Amato
An Easter Friendship
Just three months ago – it was December 31st to be exact – the New York Times carried a story about two children, Orel and Marya.
Orel and Marya are both eight years old. They have been next-door neighbors for nearly a year.
Orel and Marya talk, watch television, and share their favorite foods and treats. They have become best friends.
Orel can be kind of wild and impulsive at times; Marya is smart, upbeat, and strong-willed. But, they take each other as they are.
They are both patients at Jerusalem’s Alyn Hospital. They are recovering from devastating wounds suffered in the violence of their homeland.
Orel suffered severe brain damage during a Hamas rocket attack in the Gaza. Marya’s spinal cord was severed a missile from an Israeli jet fighter mistakenly hit the car she was riding in.
What makes their friendship so special is that Orel is an Israeli Jew and Marya is a Palestinian Muslim.
These two 8-year olds do not understand the centuries of war and division between their two peoples.
Their parents and friends forgot to tell them that they are supposed to be enemies. Orel and Marya are simply dear friends.
And against all odds, their families – both from very different backgrounds and cultures and religions – also become friends. And again, against all odds, the friendship between Orel and Marya has also inspired the hospital staff, volunteers, and other patients of Jerusalem’s Alyn Hospital.
Don’t Seek the Living among the Dead
I share this story at this Easter Vigil (on this Easter morning) because it can actually guide us to faith in the Resurrection.
Let’s take a look at our Easter Gospel.
In the passage, the two men at Jesus’ tomb ask the women: “Why do you seek the living one among the dead? He is not here; he has been raised up.”
What a simple, yet profound truth this is! The idea is that it is important for us not to look for the risen Christ or for Resurrection in a place of death, that is in places or in people that have no life.
So we will not find the risen Christ in the death-like actions of hostility, vengeance, bitterness, or destruction. We will note find him in the death-like actions of selfishness, insensitivity, and apathy.
Theses are all forms of death and we simply ought not look for the risen Christ there. It’s that profound, yet that simple.
Seek the Living among the Living
On the other hands, we need to look for the risen Christ among the Orels and Maryas of our world.
We need to look at:
• Where love has endured in spite of hurt
• Where friendship has emerged in spite of prejudice
• We need to look at where compassion has won out over self-absorption
• Where good deeds are done in spite of evils that have been inflicted
• Where joy is present in spite of pain
• At the smile on the face of one who has suffered great loss
• We need to look at where flowers bloom after the death of fall and winter
• Where new life emerges in spite of, or even from, past failures and disappointments
• And, as I experienced on Good Friday taking time to say farewell to Archbishop Borders who is now in hospice and to see the joy and hope in his eyes
• And to see it in the loving care of those caring for him who are finding him such a consolation in their own life challenges
Conclusion
The insight is that the Resurrection happens in moments like these.
We can find the risen Christ in those who are truly living or in nature or animals. We can find faith in the Resurrection, if only we look and note it.
This is the heart of the Easter message and in our finding it among the living in our lives, we find our faith in the Living One renewed.
A blessed Easter to you and your loved one!
Sunday, March 21, 2010
Weekly HOMILY for April 1, 2010 Holy Thursday: John and No Last Supper Account!
Mass of the Lord’s Supper
Our Lady of Grace
April 1, 2010
John and No Last Supper Account!
By Nicholas P. Amato
John Versus the Synoptics
To understand the revelation that Jesus teaches us at this Mass of the Lord’s Supper, we must note the differences between the Gospel of John and the Synoptic Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke
Curiously, there is no Last Supper account in John and each of the other three do have an account of Passover Meal with Jesus before his Passion and Death.
And doesn’t it seem strange to call the Mass on Holy Thursday, the Mass of the Lord’s Supper and then not include an account of the Last Supper?
We actually did hear an account of the Last Supper, but it comes in the Second Reading from 1 Corinthians, where we hear, “On the night he was handed over, took bread, and Jesus took wine.’
The question still remains, why this Gospel of John with no Last Supper account tonight?
Jesus’ Passover
First, let’s look at Jesus’ Passover.
The Gospel begins by telling us that Jesus realizes that “the hour had come for him to pass from this world to the Father,” and further, that Jesus is “fully aware that he had come from God and was going to God.”
In other words, it is the hour of Jesus’ passing over, or Jesus’ Passover.
You will remember that early in John’s Gospel Jesus is presented as “the Lamb of God,” that is, the new Passover lamb whose blood gives life.
In this section of the Gospel, John again emphasizes this theme by describing Jesus’ last meal with his disciples, not as the Passover meal as in the Synoptics, but as occurring “before the feast of Passover.”
Mystery solved: Jesus dies at the time the Passover lambs are being slain in preparation for the Passover.
So the point is that we’re looking at Jesus’ passing over not the Passover Supper!
Deeper Understanding
A second point regarding this Gospel on this evening has to do with a deeper understanding of washing.
Jesus’ dialogue with Peter about the necessity of Peter being washed in order to have a share in Jesus’ heritage is obviously about more than foot washing.
John presents Jesus in a dialogue in which Jesus’ words should be understood allegorically, that is they should be interpreted as revealing a hidden meaning.
When we hear Peter say, “You will never wash my feet” Peter’s thinking feet. But in Jesus’ answer, “Unless I wash you, you will have no inheritance with me” Jesus is thinking Baptism. See the hidden meaning?
Peter then wants to have not only his feet washed, but his hands and head as well. Jesus continues to talk about Baptism when he says that the one who has bathed is “entirely cleansed” and has no need of further washing.
What I Do, Do
Finally, we have something called the Mandatum, Latin for “The Sending.”
By introducing the foot-washing scene, John makes it clear that the hour of Jesus’ passing over has precipitated the foot washing, and that the foot washing, at the allegorical or hidden meaning level, is connected to Baptism.
And as we heard, Jesus tells his disciples that his actions are to serve as an example for them.
Yes, the disciples must do for others what Jesus has done for them.
What has he done?
(1) He’s acted as a lowly servant by washing their feet; we must do the same with coworker and the poor
(2) He’s laid down his life for them as the Passover Lamb; we must do the same dying to our bad habits
(3) He has washed them clean in Baptism so they may go where he is going; we must help others in their faith.
Conclusion
With these lessons of Jesus’ Passover, the Washing as our Baptism, and the Sending, let us now act by washing each other’s feet and feeding on the Pascal Lamb as we too pass over from death to new life.
Our Lady of Grace
April 1, 2010
John and No Last Supper Account!
By Nicholas P. Amato
John Versus the Synoptics
To understand the revelation that Jesus teaches us at this Mass of the Lord’s Supper, we must note the differences between the Gospel of John and the Synoptic Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke
Curiously, there is no Last Supper account in John and each of the other three do have an account of Passover Meal with Jesus before his Passion and Death.
And doesn’t it seem strange to call the Mass on Holy Thursday, the Mass of the Lord’s Supper and then not include an account of the Last Supper?
We actually did hear an account of the Last Supper, but it comes in the Second Reading from 1 Corinthians, where we hear, “On the night he was handed over, took bread, and Jesus took wine.’
The question still remains, why this Gospel of John with no Last Supper account tonight?
Jesus’ Passover
First, let’s look at Jesus’ Passover.
The Gospel begins by telling us that Jesus realizes that “the hour had come for him to pass from this world to the Father,” and further, that Jesus is “fully aware that he had come from God and was going to God.”
In other words, it is the hour of Jesus’ passing over, or Jesus’ Passover.
You will remember that early in John’s Gospel Jesus is presented as “the Lamb of God,” that is, the new Passover lamb whose blood gives life.
In this section of the Gospel, John again emphasizes this theme by describing Jesus’ last meal with his disciples, not as the Passover meal as in the Synoptics, but as occurring “before the feast of Passover.”
Mystery solved: Jesus dies at the time the Passover lambs are being slain in preparation for the Passover.
So the point is that we’re looking at Jesus’ passing over not the Passover Supper!
Deeper Understanding
A second point regarding this Gospel on this evening has to do with a deeper understanding of washing.
Jesus’ dialogue with Peter about the necessity of Peter being washed in order to have a share in Jesus’ heritage is obviously about more than foot washing.
John presents Jesus in a dialogue in which Jesus’ words should be understood allegorically, that is they should be interpreted as revealing a hidden meaning.
When we hear Peter say, “You will never wash my feet” Peter’s thinking feet. But in Jesus’ answer, “Unless I wash you, you will have no inheritance with me” Jesus is thinking Baptism. See the hidden meaning?
Peter then wants to have not only his feet washed, but his hands and head as well. Jesus continues to talk about Baptism when he says that the one who has bathed is “entirely cleansed” and has no need of further washing.
What I Do, Do
Finally, we have something called the Mandatum, Latin for “The Sending.”
By introducing the foot-washing scene, John makes it clear that the hour of Jesus’ passing over has precipitated the foot washing, and that the foot washing, at the allegorical or hidden meaning level, is connected to Baptism.
And as we heard, Jesus tells his disciples that his actions are to serve as an example for them.
Yes, the disciples must do for others what Jesus has done for them.
What has he done?
(1) He’s acted as a lowly servant by washing their feet; we must do the same with coworker and the poor
(2) He’s laid down his life for them as the Passover Lamb; we must do the same dying to our bad habits
(3) He has washed them clean in Baptism so they may go where he is going; we must help others in their faith.
Conclusion
With these lessons of Jesus’ Passover, the Washing as our Baptism, and the Sending, let us now act by washing each other’s feet and feeding on the Pascal Lamb as we too pass over from death to new life.
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Weekly THIS AND THAT for March 28, 2010: Discipleship
This and That:
Discipleship
Often, in order to teach, Jesus conducted Himself in a very similar way to what the people saw in their Rabbis’. For example, He called disciples. So did other Rabbis. But He did it a bit differently. The difference is enormous. For example, a typical Rabbi waited for someone to come and ask, “May I follow you?” The Rabbi examined him to see if he had the knowledge of scripture, and the passion, and the interest, and the commitment. All of those things are important. Jesus went out and found people who, apparently, didn’t even think they were qualified to be a great Rabbi. And He said, “Come follow me.”
Imagine the feeling of a Peter, who’s fishing, thinking, “I could never be a disciple.” And, Jesus comes along, and says, “Come, follow me.”
In Galilee, how were disciples called? Well, young men went to school; they studied scripture; they reached the age of discipleship (usually late teens), and they would find a Rabbi, and ask if they could follow him. This inquiry meant that this young man was going to try with every ounce of energy he has, to try and walk with God, exactly the way this Rabbi models God for him. As already noted, Jesus went out, and instead of waiting for young men to come to Him, He went out and did the choosing. He did this because He wanted the chosen person to know that “if you are my disciple, it is I who chose YOU!” Then, the Rabbi would take his disciples for a period of time. These disciples would live with him every, single, day to hear his teaching of the general audience of the area (so that they could learn to teach), but, especially to watch how he followed God’s teaching; how he obeyed God; how he lived faithfully to God’s teachings, so that they could model themselves after this person.
In Jesus’ culture, children went to school from about age 5-12. It was usually connected with the synagogue. The main focus in the school, taught by one of the teachers of the law, was the text of scripture. There was a real attempt to memorize part of the scripture. If one had demonstrated unusual gifts, and commitment to learning, one was encouraged to take your first Passover, before age 20. So, we know that Jesus went to first Passover at age 12. This implies that by age 12 already, He is an outstanding student of scripture. But, it’s at the next level, somewhere 12-15, most young men would begin to learn the family trade. But the few with unusual talent would try to find a great Rabbi with whom to connect. So, they would learn to follow the Rabbi, and become Rabbis’ themselves. We know that at age 30, Jesus becomes a teacher. At that point, He begins to call His disciples.
So, with Jesus, we note a similarity with the other Rabbis of His time. That is, when you become like a Rabbi, to the Rabbi’s satisfaction, then, rather than give you a diploma, what the Rabbi would do would be to say: “you go, and make disciples.” So, Jesus walks with his disciples for three years, and at the end of three years, He gathers them together and walks the (Mt. 28) all the way back to Galilee, from Jerusalem, and says to them: now, right here where you learned discipleship, YOU go, and make disciples. Show people how to follow your example, as you have followed the example of Jesus. And this is the jump point for us. Jesus thought they were ready, and filled them with his Spirit. From there, we pick up on the amazing things that happened when they went. These common men that Jesus chose went out and changed the world.
Guess what? Jesus has chosen us! But, once we’re in the game, we are God’s olympians. Saint Paul uses this very analogy. There are many runners in the race, but only one wins the prize. So run, as if to win. Our run tells people why we live; who we live for; who, and what we treasure in life. So RUN! RUN!
Love and Prayers,
Jack
Dr. Jack Buchner
Director, Religious Education
Discipleship
Often, in order to teach, Jesus conducted Himself in a very similar way to what the people saw in their Rabbis’. For example, He called disciples. So did other Rabbis. But He did it a bit differently. The difference is enormous. For example, a typical Rabbi waited for someone to come and ask, “May I follow you?” The Rabbi examined him to see if he had the knowledge of scripture, and the passion, and the interest, and the commitment. All of those things are important. Jesus went out and found people who, apparently, didn’t even think they were qualified to be a great Rabbi. And He said, “Come follow me.”
Imagine the feeling of a Peter, who’s fishing, thinking, “I could never be a disciple.” And, Jesus comes along, and says, “Come, follow me.”
In Galilee, how were disciples called? Well, young men went to school; they studied scripture; they reached the age of discipleship (usually late teens), and they would find a Rabbi, and ask if they could follow him. This inquiry meant that this young man was going to try with every ounce of energy he has, to try and walk with God, exactly the way this Rabbi models God for him. As already noted, Jesus went out, and instead of waiting for young men to come to Him, He went out and did the choosing. He did this because He wanted the chosen person to know that “if you are my disciple, it is I who chose YOU!” Then, the Rabbi would take his disciples for a period of time. These disciples would live with him every, single, day to hear his teaching of the general audience of the area (so that they could learn to teach), but, especially to watch how he followed God’s teaching; how he obeyed God; how he lived faithfully to God’s teachings, so that they could model themselves after this person.
In Jesus’ culture, children went to school from about age 5-12. It was usually connected with the synagogue. The main focus in the school, taught by one of the teachers of the law, was the text of scripture. There was a real attempt to memorize part of the scripture. If one had demonstrated unusual gifts, and commitment to learning, one was encouraged to take your first Passover, before age 20. So, we know that Jesus went to first Passover at age 12. This implies that by age 12 already, He is an outstanding student of scripture. But, it’s at the next level, somewhere 12-15, most young men would begin to learn the family trade. But the few with unusual talent would try to find a great Rabbi with whom to connect. So, they would learn to follow the Rabbi, and become Rabbis’ themselves. We know that at age 30, Jesus becomes a teacher. At that point, He begins to call His disciples.
So, with Jesus, we note a similarity with the other Rabbis of His time. That is, when you become like a Rabbi, to the Rabbi’s satisfaction, then, rather than give you a diploma, what the Rabbi would do would be to say: “you go, and make disciples.” So, Jesus walks with his disciples for three years, and at the end of three years, He gathers them together and walks the (Mt. 28) all the way back to Galilee, from Jerusalem, and says to them: now, right here where you learned discipleship, YOU go, and make disciples. Show people how to follow your example, as you have followed the example of Jesus. And this is the jump point for us. Jesus thought they were ready, and filled them with his Spirit. From there, we pick up on the amazing things that happened when they went. These common men that Jesus chose went out and changed the world.
Guess what? Jesus has chosen us! But, once we’re in the game, we are God’s olympians. Saint Paul uses this very analogy. There are many runners in the race, but only one wins the prize. So run, as if to win. Our run tells people why we live; who we live for; who, and what we treasure in life. So RUN! RUN!
Love and Prayers,
Jack
Dr. Jack Buchner
Director, Religious Education
Weekly HOMILY for March 28, 2010: Removing Our Cloaks
Passion (Palm) Sunday
Cycle C
March 28, 2010
Our Lady of Grace
Cloaks
In Jesus’ day, people wore cloaks as their outer garment.
It probably looked something like the chasuble – this vestment – that the priest wears at Mass. This morning, we heard the story from the Gospel of Luke about Jesus entering Jerusalem.
Luke says that people take off their cloaks and spread them on the road where Jesus is going to pass. The cloak was the most expensive article of clothing and most people owned only one of them.
In the course of time, a cloak would be mended and mended again, but never thrown away. For the poorest of the poor, the cloak was also their shelter and home, something like a large cardboard box is for a homeless person today.
Removing Our Cloaks
Placing their cloaks on the road that Jesus is traveling is a symbolic act.
Luke is conveying that these people are removing something that they are used to wearing and may want to hold on to. They are in effect giving themselves fully to Jesus and his way.
I am thinking that this action calls us to look at ourselves today. The question is: What cloaks do we need to remove?
How do we need to place ourselves along Jesus’ path today? And how might the story of Jesus’ Passion that we just heard call us to do this?
For example, do we need to remove the cloak of impatience with our children or with traffic? Do we need to put on the way of Jesus’ patience with humanity, such as his patience with Peter and the other disciples today?
Do we need to remove the cloak of pride, of having to be seen as right or as knowing everything? Do we need to put on the way of Jesus’ humility, emptying himself of his status as God’s Son and becoming fully human, even to the point of suffering and dying?
And do we need to remove the cloak of vengeance, of getting back at others who have wronged us? Do we need to put on the way of Jesus’ forgiveness, even in the face of the most ultimate injustice?
And do we need to remove the cloak of busyness with everything but God? Do we need to put on the way of Jesus’ prayerfulness in the garden and on the cross and make time for Mass each Sunday and some personal prayer each day, prayer that will us the strength to put on Jesus’ way in all circumstances?
How to Do This
This Tuesday, we will have a good opportunity for removing cloaks and putting on the way of Jesus.
We will have Reconciliation Services at Our Lady of Grace. This sacrament is a powerful way of identifying the cloaks we need to remove and of putting on the way of Jesus.
It is a powerful way to prepare for Easter because it awakens the life and presence of God within us. I hope that you would consider this Sacrament of Reconciliation on Tuesday or sometime during this Holy Week.
Cycle C
March 28, 2010
Our Lady of Grace
Cloaks
In Jesus’ day, people wore cloaks as their outer garment.
It probably looked something like the chasuble – this vestment – that the priest wears at Mass. This morning, we heard the story from the Gospel of Luke about Jesus entering Jerusalem.
Luke says that people take off their cloaks and spread them on the road where Jesus is going to pass. The cloak was the most expensive article of clothing and most people owned only one of them.
In the course of time, a cloak would be mended and mended again, but never thrown away. For the poorest of the poor, the cloak was also their shelter and home, something like a large cardboard box is for a homeless person today.
Removing Our Cloaks
Placing their cloaks on the road that Jesus is traveling is a symbolic act.
Luke is conveying that these people are removing something that they are used to wearing and may want to hold on to. They are in effect giving themselves fully to Jesus and his way.
I am thinking that this action calls us to look at ourselves today. The question is: What cloaks do we need to remove?
How do we need to place ourselves along Jesus’ path today? And how might the story of Jesus’ Passion that we just heard call us to do this?
For example, do we need to remove the cloak of impatience with our children or with traffic? Do we need to put on the way of Jesus’ patience with humanity, such as his patience with Peter and the other disciples today?
Do we need to remove the cloak of pride, of having to be seen as right or as knowing everything? Do we need to put on the way of Jesus’ humility, emptying himself of his status as God’s Son and becoming fully human, even to the point of suffering and dying?
And do we need to remove the cloak of vengeance, of getting back at others who have wronged us? Do we need to put on the way of Jesus’ forgiveness, even in the face of the most ultimate injustice?
And do we need to remove the cloak of busyness with everything but God? Do we need to put on the way of Jesus’ prayerfulness in the garden and on the cross and make time for Mass each Sunday and some personal prayer each day, prayer that will us the strength to put on Jesus’ way in all circumstances?
How to Do This
This Tuesday, we will have a good opportunity for removing cloaks and putting on the way of Jesus.
We will have Reconciliation Services at Our Lady of Grace. This sacrament is a powerful way of identifying the cloaks we need to remove and of putting on the way of Jesus.
It is a powerful way to prepare for Easter because it awakens the life and presence of God within us. I hope that you would consider this Sacrament of Reconciliation on Tuesday or sometime during this Holy Week.
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Weekly THIS AND THAT for March 21, 2010: Jesus' Inclusion of Women As Disciples
This and That:
Choosing the Better Part
Jesus’ Inclusion of Women As Disciples
Our Lenten Family Friday series this year is featuring the Gospel of Luke, which shows us that Jesus’ call is universal. Luke gives a special place to women in his Gospel account. Luke’s vision of Jesus’ interaction with women is part of his theology of the universality of salvation.
In the Infancy Narrative, Luke introduces us to a number of women who are in relationship with God and who are called to play an important role in the Incarnation:
➢ Mary – a young woman whose faith makes her “highly favored” by God and chosen to be the mother of our Savior
➢ Elizabeth – an old woman who has also been favored by God and who “recognizes” the presence of the Lord in Mary
➢ Anna – a woman who spends her days in the temple and who recognizes the Messiah in the child brought by Mary and Joseph to be presented to God
As Luke describes the ministry of Jesus, he writes about a number of women who are
disciples of Jesus:
➢ Woman who washes Jesus’ feet (Luke 7: 31 – 50) demonstrates relationship with him – sorrow, gratitude, hospitality
➢ Mary and Martha (Luke 10: 38 – 42) demonstrate that women are called to be disciples
➢ Women are mentioned as following Jesus, along with the Twelve, and providing for them out of their resources (Luke 8: 1 – 3)
➢ Women at the crucifixion
o Women of Jerusalem on the way of the cross (Luke 23: 27 – 31)
o At the cross – women who had followed him from Galilee (Luke 23: 49)
➢ Women are first witnesses to the resurrection – announce the good news to the Eleven (Luke 24: 1 – 12)
➢ Women are among the disciples gathered in the upper room at the time of Pentecost (Acts 1: 14)
CHOOSING THE BETTER PART
The example of Mary and Martha is seen as the primary example of Jesus endorsing a woman as a disciple. Martha is distressed because Mary is not helping her with “women’s work.” Mary has taken the position of a disciple, sitting at the master’s feet and listening to his teaching. As he answers Martha’s distress, Jesus says that Mary “has chosen the better part.”
WOMEN DISCIPLES IN THE
HISTORY OF THE CHURCH
We have in our tradition great women saints along with great men saints. There are three women saints who have also been declared Doctors of the Church: Saint Teresa of Avila, Saint Catherine of Sienna and Saint Therese of Lisieux. This title is given to a saint from whose writings the whole Church has derived great advantage and to whom “eminent learning” and “great sanctity” have been attributed by a proclamation of a pope.
WOMEN AS DISCIPLES TODAY
Since the Second Vatican Council in the 1960’s, many leadership and ministry roles in the church have opened up to women. Currently, we find women in the ministries of: Theology Professor, Canon Lawyer, Pastoral Life Director, Pastoral Associate, Director of Religious Education, Catechist, Pastoral Care Minister, Spiritual Director, Diocesan Chancellor, Parish Corporator, Advocate in Marriage Tribunal, director of a hospital or social service agency, member of Curial Office at the Vatican.
Whether we are women or men, we can all look at how we may limit our ability to be a disciple of Jesus by saying to ourselves, “I can’t do that (ministry, volunteer work) because I am _______.” If we find ourselves thinking along this line, we need to reflect on Luke’s story of Martha and Mary and hear Jesus say, “choose the better part.”
Blessings,
Sister Mary Therese
Choosing the Better Part
Jesus’ Inclusion of Women As Disciples
Our Lenten Family Friday series this year is featuring the Gospel of Luke, which shows us that Jesus’ call is universal. Luke gives a special place to women in his Gospel account. Luke’s vision of Jesus’ interaction with women is part of his theology of the universality of salvation.
In the Infancy Narrative, Luke introduces us to a number of women who are in relationship with God and who are called to play an important role in the Incarnation:
➢ Mary – a young woman whose faith makes her “highly favored” by God and chosen to be the mother of our Savior
➢ Elizabeth – an old woman who has also been favored by God and who “recognizes” the presence of the Lord in Mary
➢ Anna – a woman who spends her days in the temple and who recognizes the Messiah in the child brought by Mary and Joseph to be presented to God
As Luke describes the ministry of Jesus, he writes about a number of women who are
disciples of Jesus:
➢ Woman who washes Jesus’ feet (Luke 7: 31 – 50) demonstrates relationship with him – sorrow, gratitude, hospitality
➢ Mary and Martha (Luke 10: 38 – 42) demonstrate that women are called to be disciples
➢ Women are mentioned as following Jesus, along with the Twelve, and providing for them out of their resources (Luke 8: 1 – 3)
➢ Women at the crucifixion
o Women of Jerusalem on the way of the cross (Luke 23: 27 – 31)
o At the cross – women who had followed him from Galilee (Luke 23: 49)
➢ Women are first witnesses to the resurrection – announce the good news to the Eleven (Luke 24: 1 – 12)
➢ Women are among the disciples gathered in the upper room at the time of Pentecost (Acts 1: 14)
CHOOSING THE BETTER PART
The example of Mary and Martha is seen as the primary example of Jesus endorsing a woman as a disciple. Martha is distressed because Mary is not helping her with “women’s work.” Mary has taken the position of a disciple, sitting at the master’s feet and listening to his teaching. As he answers Martha’s distress, Jesus says that Mary “has chosen the better part.”
WOMEN DISCIPLES IN THE
HISTORY OF THE CHURCH
We have in our tradition great women saints along with great men saints. There are three women saints who have also been declared Doctors of the Church: Saint Teresa of Avila, Saint Catherine of Sienna and Saint Therese of Lisieux. This title is given to a saint from whose writings the whole Church has derived great advantage and to whom “eminent learning” and “great sanctity” have been attributed by a proclamation of a pope.
WOMEN AS DISCIPLES TODAY
Since the Second Vatican Council in the 1960’s, many leadership and ministry roles in the church have opened up to women. Currently, we find women in the ministries of: Theology Professor, Canon Lawyer, Pastoral Life Director, Pastoral Associate, Director of Religious Education, Catechist, Pastoral Care Minister, Spiritual Director, Diocesan Chancellor, Parish Corporator, Advocate in Marriage Tribunal, director of a hospital or social service agency, member of Curial Office at the Vatican.
Whether we are women or men, we can all look at how we may limit our ability to be a disciple of Jesus by saying to ourselves, “I can’t do that (ministry, volunteer work) because I am _______.” If we find ourselves thinking along this line, we need to reflect on Luke’s story of Martha and Mary and hear Jesus say, “choose the better part.”
Blessings,
Sister Mary Therese
Weekly HOMILY for March 21, 2010: Fasten Your Seatbelts!
5th Sunday of Lent
Cycle C
March 20-21, 2010
Our Lady of Grace
Fasten Your Seat Belts
Sometimes at meetings, I use the expression “Fasten your seat belts.”
I say this when I think the air may get a bit turbulent. In other words, my use of this expression means that there will be some challenging, maybe uncomfortable things to talk about.
This morning, I am inclined to say: “Fasten your seat belts.” Today’s gospel story strikes me as packed with lessons.
And naturally, as I often like to do, I see three lessons packed into this story. So, “Fasten your seat belts.”
Sexual and Social Morality
First, the story centers on a woman who is accused of adultery.
This leads me to recall our Catholic teaching on sexuality. Our Church teaches that sexuality is a gift from God and is sacred.
The Church’s understanding is that sexuality expresses something within us, perhaps we would say something deep, something even at the core of who we are. Sexual expression is powerful because it affects who we are and who others are.
And so, our teaching is that sexual expression is to be reserved to the committed relationship of marriage. It is in marriage that our human sexuality finds its true and authentic and fullest meaning.
At the same time, our Catholic morality is not limited to sexual morality. Especially in the last forty years or so, we are also clear that there is a social morality.
There is a Catholic social teaching that guides us in our relationship with society. For example, this social teaching emphasizes the priority of the poor who lack the basics for human life.
It emphasizes our acting for the common good of all, even when that may not be best for my own interests. Our Catholic social teaching, like our sexual morality, is to form our conscience and guide us in what we do.
Men and Women
The second lesson I see in this story also concerns the woman.
Some people, actually they are religious leaders, bring this woman to Jesus because she was caught in adultery. But they do not bring her partner, the man.
In the culture of that day, women were treated as inferior, as not equal to men, and only women were severely punished for this sin. So, the woman was blamed for this and the man got off the hook.
This leads me to think about our Church. Our Church allows only men to be ordained to the priesthood.
Our teaching is that this is not an issue of equality or inequality, but rather a revelation of Jesus. Our teaching is that Jesus ordered priesthood in this way and we need to adhere to that.
At the same time, ministry in the Church flourishes only when both men and women are engaged in it. Right in this parish, women are engaged in all ministries – education, liturgy, administration, outreach, and on it goes.
They are gifted and essential ministers and leaders in our Church and our parish. We need to be in forefront of respect for the dignity and rights of women within our Church and in our society in general.
Exclude and Include
The third and last lesson I see here concerns the religious leaders.
They want Jesus’ approval to stone her to death. This is the most radical way of rejecting, putting down, and excluding her.
The only problem – Jesus will not go along with it. Instead, Jesus invites those who are sinless to throw the first stones.
In this way, he confronts them with the truth that we are all human and sinful. So to these religious leaders, Jesus in effect says: “Get off it!”
He accepts and includes this woman just as he does with others – like having dinner with tax collectors, or like including Judas who betrayed him and Peter who denied him at the Last Supper – the first First Communion Mass. There’s a sharp point here for us.
It is not ours to reject, to put down, to exclude others who are sinful. When we as individuals or as today’s religious leaders do that, we are not following Jesus’ way. (I’m sure you’re aware you might get some “feedback” on this statement.)
Instead of all that, we are to follow Jesus’ way of accepting and including and then respectfully, gently, inviting others to grow and embrace his way more fully. This is not the way of feel-good self-righteousness, but it is the way of being right with God.
Conclusion
So, I see some challenging lessons here today and that’s why at least I felt it was a good idea to “Fasten our seat belts.”
Cycle C
March 20-21, 2010
Our Lady of Grace
Fasten Your Seat Belts
Sometimes at meetings, I use the expression “Fasten your seat belts.”
I say this when I think the air may get a bit turbulent. In other words, my use of this expression means that there will be some challenging, maybe uncomfortable things to talk about.
This morning, I am inclined to say: “Fasten your seat belts.” Today’s gospel story strikes me as packed with lessons.
And naturally, as I often like to do, I see three lessons packed into this story. So, “Fasten your seat belts.”
Sexual and Social Morality
First, the story centers on a woman who is accused of adultery.
This leads me to recall our Catholic teaching on sexuality. Our Church teaches that sexuality is a gift from God and is sacred.
The Church’s understanding is that sexuality expresses something within us, perhaps we would say something deep, something even at the core of who we are. Sexual expression is powerful because it affects who we are and who others are.
And so, our teaching is that sexual expression is to be reserved to the committed relationship of marriage. It is in marriage that our human sexuality finds its true and authentic and fullest meaning.
At the same time, our Catholic morality is not limited to sexual morality. Especially in the last forty years or so, we are also clear that there is a social morality.
There is a Catholic social teaching that guides us in our relationship with society. For example, this social teaching emphasizes the priority of the poor who lack the basics for human life.
It emphasizes our acting for the common good of all, even when that may not be best for my own interests. Our Catholic social teaching, like our sexual morality, is to form our conscience and guide us in what we do.
Men and Women
The second lesson I see in this story also concerns the woman.
Some people, actually they are religious leaders, bring this woman to Jesus because she was caught in adultery. But they do not bring her partner, the man.
In the culture of that day, women were treated as inferior, as not equal to men, and only women were severely punished for this sin. So, the woman was blamed for this and the man got off the hook.
This leads me to think about our Church. Our Church allows only men to be ordained to the priesthood.
Our teaching is that this is not an issue of equality or inequality, but rather a revelation of Jesus. Our teaching is that Jesus ordered priesthood in this way and we need to adhere to that.
At the same time, ministry in the Church flourishes only when both men and women are engaged in it. Right in this parish, women are engaged in all ministries – education, liturgy, administration, outreach, and on it goes.
They are gifted and essential ministers and leaders in our Church and our parish. We need to be in forefront of respect for the dignity and rights of women within our Church and in our society in general.
Exclude and Include
The third and last lesson I see here concerns the religious leaders.
They want Jesus’ approval to stone her to death. This is the most radical way of rejecting, putting down, and excluding her.
The only problem – Jesus will not go along with it. Instead, Jesus invites those who are sinless to throw the first stones.
In this way, he confronts them with the truth that we are all human and sinful. So to these religious leaders, Jesus in effect says: “Get off it!”
He accepts and includes this woman just as he does with others – like having dinner with tax collectors, or like including Judas who betrayed him and Peter who denied him at the Last Supper – the first First Communion Mass. There’s a sharp point here for us.
It is not ours to reject, to put down, to exclude others who are sinful. When we as individuals or as today’s religious leaders do that, we are not following Jesus’ way. (I’m sure you’re aware you might get some “feedback” on this statement.)
Instead of all that, we are to follow Jesus’ way of accepting and including and then respectfully, gently, inviting others to grow and embrace his way more fully. This is not the way of feel-good self-righteousness, but it is the way of being right with God.
Conclusion
So, I see some challenging lessons here today and that’s why at least I felt it was a good idea to “Fasten our seat belts.”
Thursday, March 04, 2010
Weekly THIS AND THAT for March 14, 2010: Prayer As a Lifeline
This and That:
Prayer As a Lifeline
“Where Were You God, When I Needed You?”
We all are familiar with the story of the man alone in his home and threatened by an impending hurricane and flood. His neighbor Sam comes by and warns him to evacuate. The man states that he’ll put his trust in the Lord. The rains and the wind come and the water rises quickly – one foot, two feet, and it’s now flooding the living room. A rescue team in a rowboat passes by living room winder and warns him that the worst of the hurricane is still to come. Again, the man proclaims, “I’m going to put my trust in the Lord!” “Have it your way,” they respond and quickly row away. The water level continues to rise and the man is driven to the second floor to keep dry, and then to the attic, and eventually he finds himself on the roof! A helicopter comes and circles the house, “We’ll throw you a rope ladder!” “Never mind,” he shouts back over the noise of the rotating blades. But even now it is too late and the man goes under.
At the pearly gates he asks God, “Where were you, Lord? I placed all my trust in you and you let me drown.” “Where was I?” God proclaims, “I came to you in your neighbor Sam, the rescue team in the rowboat, and the guys in the helicopter! Where was I? The question is where were you!”
Prayer is about communication: God’s presence to us and our experience of God’s presence. If that is how we choose to define prayer, then we may, as the man in our story, be missing both – the presence of God in our lives and our experience of him. “Where are we?” is the right question. This past Friday, Session 4 of our Lenten Family Fridays, was about how to plug into an experience of God and how to see God in everything we do.
Why Is Luke Important for Us?
Over the course of our six-weeks, we are considering the Gospel of St. Luke and how he, in his own way, helps us communicate and experience God as Luke knows him. Luke was a non-Palestinian writing to a non-Palestinian audience that was largely made up of Gentile Christians, like us. The prologue of the Gospel makes it clear that Luke is not part of the first generation of Christian Disciples, but is himself dependent upon the traditions he received from those who were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word, again, like us. No gospel writer is more concerned with the role of the Holy Spirit in the life of Jesus and the Christian disciple, with the importance of prayer, or Jesus’ concern for women. Throughout the Gospel, Jesus sets the example – all contemporary issues of our own day.
Luke shows us the centrality that prayer was for Jesus. Jesus worships with others in the synagogue at Nazareth and yet he withdraws for prayer at critical moments in his life. The Disciples turn to prayer and praise after Easter as a way of life. Jesus warns the Disciples in the Garden that they would have to pray in order to be spared testing and is a daily reminder of the last petition of the Lord’s Prayer. Yes, prayer is central to Jesus’ life and ministry; it also needs to be for ours and Luke is the right person to help us understand Jesus in this regard.
Prayer in the Gospel of Luke
When we pray, what happened at Jesus’ baptism happens to us, heaven opens and tells us who we are and what our task is. Together with Jesus we belong to the same life source, the same family. When Christians were asked, “Why do you live that way?” they replied that they had been inspired by the Spirit, the Spirit of Jesus. When asked, “How did you contact that Spirit?” their answer was “in prayer.” Luke became convinced that prayer was also the key to understanding Jesus and empathizing with his life and his mission. For Luke, Jesus is a person of prayer. Prayer guides his life. It is while at prayer that he makes his decisions. He prays at his baptism, when tempted in the desert, when choosing the twelve, at his Transfiguration, in the Garden of Gethsemane before his arrest, and on the cross. Asking for the Holy Spirit, inviting that kind of contact with God, means playing with fire. In prayer we, like Jesus, come to know who we are, come in contact with ourselves and realize what is asked of us. This is what happened to Jesus when he prayed: “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me: yet not my will but yours be done” (22:42) When we pray, “Give us each day our daily bread,” do we ever think about the missions and millions of starving people in our world? If we restrict that “us” to only ourselves, do we not escape the consequence of that prayer?
Parables on Prayer
In his four parables on prayer Jesus teaches us not so much what to pray for, but how to pray.
➢ 1st In the Friend at Midnight, a request for something to eat for an unexpected guest suggests that we should approach God as our friend no matter what the inconvenience (12:4)
➢ 2nd The Unjust Judge is a parable (18:1-8) about a widow who asks an unjust judge to do her justice. He refuses to help her, but the widow does not give up, and the judge gives in quickly. It teaches us that with our requests of God we should be just as persistent and persevering.
➢ 3rd Asking As of a Parent is a parable in which Jesus compares the one whom we address in prayer to a parent who is good to his children, giving them what they ask for (11:9-13)
➢ 4th The Pharisee and the Tax Collector (18:9-14) has two individuals going up to the temple to pray. The moral is “all who exalt themselves will be humbled, but all who humble themselves will be exalted.”
Luke is clearly the Gospel of Prayer. He shows Jesus at prayer at all the great moments of his life. That should be testimony enough for how prayer must be part of our daily lives as well.
A Paradigm for Daily Prayer
1 Minute
➢ Stretch
➢ Relax
➢ Breathe deeply
4 minutes
➢ Spiritual Passage
➢ Psalm or
➢ Hymn
10 minutes
➢ Awareness rather than Thinking
➢ Maintain Awareness using breathing and phrase
5 minutes
➢ Writing
➢ Sharing insights with others
Over time the writing (journal entry becomes a record of your transformation.)
The following little paradigm for 20 minutes of daily prayer was shared and demonstrated.
Fondly,
Father Nicholas
Prayer As a Lifeline
“Where Were You God, When I Needed You?”
We all are familiar with the story of the man alone in his home and threatened by an impending hurricane and flood. His neighbor Sam comes by and warns him to evacuate. The man states that he’ll put his trust in the Lord. The rains and the wind come and the water rises quickly – one foot, two feet, and it’s now flooding the living room. A rescue team in a rowboat passes by living room winder and warns him that the worst of the hurricane is still to come. Again, the man proclaims, “I’m going to put my trust in the Lord!” “Have it your way,” they respond and quickly row away. The water level continues to rise and the man is driven to the second floor to keep dry, and then to the attic, and eventually he finds himself on the roof! A helicopter comes and circles the house, “We’ll throw you a rope ladder!” “Never mind,” he shouts back over the noise of the rotating blades. But even now it is too late and the man goes under.
At the pearly gates he asks God, “Where were you, Lord? I placed all my trust in you and you let me drown.” “Where was I?” God proclaims, “I came to you in your neighbor Sam, the rescue team in the rowboat, and the guys in the helicopter! Where was I? The question is where were you!”
Prayer is about communication: God’s presence to us and our experience of God’s presence. If that is how we choose to define prayer, then we may, as the man in our story, be missing both – the presence of God in our lives and our experience of him. “Where are we?” is the right question. This past Friday, Session 4 of our Lenten Family Fridays, was about how to plug into an experience of God and how to see God in everything we do.
Why Is Luke Important for Us?
Over the course of our six-weeks, we are considering the Gospel of St. Luke and how he, in his own way, helps us communicate and experience God as Luke knows him. Luke was a non-Palestinian writing to a non-Palestinian audience that was largely made up of Gentile Christians, like us. The prologue of the Gospel makes it clear that Luke is not part of the first generation of Christian Disciples, but is himself dependent upon the traditions he received from those who were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word, again, like us. No gospel writer is more concerned with the role of the Holy Spirit in the life of Jesus and the Christian disciple, with the importance of prayer, or Jesus’ concern for women. Throughout the Gospel, Jesus sets the example – all contemporary issues of our own day.
Luke shows us the centrality that prayer was for Jesus. Jesus worships with others in the synagogue at Nazareth and yet he withdraws for prayer at critical moments in his life. The Disciples turn to prayer and praise after Easter as a way of life. Jesus warns the Disciples in the Garden that they would have to pray in order to be spared testing and is a daily reminder of the last petition of the Lord’s Prayer. Yes, prayer is central to Jesus’ life and ministry; it also needs to be for ours and Luke is the right person to help us understand Jesus in this regard.
Prayer in the Gospel of Luke
When we pray, what happened at Jesus’ baptism happens to us, heaven opens and tells us who we are and what our task is. Together with Jesus we belong to the same life source, the same family. When Christians were asked, “Why do you live that way?” they replied that they had been inspired by the Spirit, the Spirit of Jesus. When asked, “How did you contact that Spirit?” their answer was “in prayer.” Luke became convinced that prayer was also the key to understanding Jesus and empathizing with his life and his mission. For Luke, Jesus is a person of prayer. Prayer guides his life. It is while at prayer that he makes his decisions. He prays at his baptism, when tempted in the desert, when choosing the twelve, at his Transfiguration, in the Garden of Gethsemane before his arrest, and on the cross. Asking for the Holy Spirit, inviting that kind of contact with God, means playing with fire. In prayer we, like Jesus, come to know who we are, come in contact with ourselves and realize what is asked of us. This is what happened to Jesus when he prayed: “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me: yet not my will but yours be done” (22:42) When we pray, “Give us each day our daily bread,” do we ever think about the missions and millions of starving people in our world? If we restrict that “us” to only ourselves, do we not escape the consequence of that prayer?
Parables on Prayer
In his four parables on prayer Jesus teaches us not so much what to pray for, but how to pray.
➢ 1st In the Friend at Midnight, a request for something to eat for an unexpected guest suggests that we should approach God as our friend no matter what the inconvenience (12:4)
➢ 2nd The Unjust Judge is a parable (18:1-8) about a widow who asks an unjust judge to do her justice. He refuses to help her, but the widow does not give up, and the judge gives in quickly. It teaches us that with our requests of God we should be just as persistent and persevering.
➢ 3rd Asking As of a Parent is a parable in which Jesus compares the one whom we address in prayer to a parent who is good to his children, giving them what they ask for (11:9-13)
➢ 4th The Pharisee and the Tax Collector (18:9-14) has two individuals going up to the temple to pray. The moral is “all who exalt themselves will be humbled, but all who humble themselves will be exalted.”
Luke is clearly the Gospel of Prayer. He shows Jesus at prayer at all the great moments of his life. That should be testimony enough for how prayer must be part of our daily lives as well.
A Paradigm for Daily Prayer
1 Minute
➢ Stretch
➢ Relax
➢ Breathe deeply
4 minutes
➢ Spiritual Passage
➢ Psalm or
➢ Hymn
10 minutes
➢ Awareness rather than Thinking
➢ Maintain Awareness using breathing and phrase
5 minutes
➢ Writing
➢ Sharing insights with others
Over time the writing (journal entry becomes a record of your transformation.)
The following little paradigm for 20 minutes of daily prayer was shared and demonstrated.
Fondly,
Father Nicholas
Weekly HOMILY for March 14: Colors of the Prodigal
4th Sunday of Lent, Cycle C
Our Lady of Grace
March 14, 2010
The Colors of the Prodigal Son
By Nicholas P. Amato
The Parable of the Prodigal Son
Today’s Gospel is one of the most beloved stories in all of Scripture. (1st slide of women looking at painting)
It is Jesus’ parable of the self-absorbed teenager who demands his inheritance from his loving father, squanders every cent on the good life, and is reduced to tendig pigs when the money runs out.
Once he realizes how foolish he has been, he is welcomed home by his thankful dad, no questions asked.
Many have imagined their own versions of the story, but perhaps the most insightful has been one artist’s interpretation on canvas.
Rembrandt’s Father, Son, and Older Brother
In 1669, the Dutch master Rembrandt pained “The Return of the Prodigal Son.”
It was one of his last works and Rembrandt’s painting portrays the father welcoming home his son.
The details of the painting are very revealing and touch our very souls.
First, there is the father. (2nd picture, of close-up of the father, son and man in black hat) Rembrandt portrays the old man as the very picture of serenity. His face reflects tranquility and peace.
He also appears to be blind; he sees his son, whose head he tenderly holds, not with his eyes but with his heart.
Many have also noted the father’s hands: his left hand, the hand that pulls his son toward him, has the strength and power of a father.
And notice the right hand; it is caressing his son’s back, and has the softness and tenderness of a mother.
In Rembrandt’s portrayal, the old father mirrors the compassion of God, who loves us in the depth of our hearts, who is both mother and father to every one of us prodigals.
The figure of the prodigal, who collapses before his father, is emaciated and exhausted.
His head is shaved; he is dirty and scarred; he wears only a dirty, ragged tunic and one torn sandal on his right foot.
All defiance has been stropped away. The son is a picture of humility. His realization? That he has wasted his life enable him to make the long, hard trek home to his father’s welcoming embrace.
Finally, there is the older brother (3rd photo of five characters in shadowy colors) in the shadows of the painting. He is angry and bitter. Notice, he looks at the scene with scorn and distrust.
He knows that his younger brother’s return is going to be a hard readjustment for all of them.
His bitterness and anger confines him to the darkness, outside of the light and color of his father’s joy and his brother’s gratitude.
Application
Rembrandt’s beautiful painting (4th photo, a brighter scene of the previous slide) invites all of us to see ourselves in each of the characters.
To see ourselves in the father’s joy at having his boy back.
To see ourselves in the Prodigal’s facing responsibility for the hurt he has caused.
To see ourselves in the older brother’s understandable, but divisive resentment and distrust.
The work of forgiveness demands facing our culpability, our blame for having hurt others.
At its center (5th photo, a more golden hue added to the previous slide) forgiveness requires that we be willing to put aside our own hurts and resentments for the ultimate goal of being reunited with those from whom we are separated.
It calls for the balancing within my very heart a willingness to forgive and an openness to be converted by God’s grace, both of which lead to true reconciliation.
Conclusion
May Rembrandt’s colors of forgiveness and gratitude illuminate our relationship and all the struggles we all experience in being family and friends to one another.
6th photo, of the two women before the painting) Is it more than a painting on a wall in a museum? Or is it more a mirror of the forgiveness I can experience in my own life?
Our Lady of Grace
March 14, 2010
The Colors of the Prodigal Son
By Nicholas P. Amato
The Parable of the Prodigal Son
Today’s Gospel is one of the most beloved stories in all of Scripture. (1st slide of women looking at painting)
It is Jesus’ parable of the self-absorbed teenager who demands his inheritance from his loving father, squanders every cent on the good life, and is reduced to tendig pigs when the money runs out.
Once he realizes how foolish he has been, he is welcomed home by his thankful dad, no questions asked.
Many have imagined their own versions of the story, but perhaps the most insightful has been one artist’s interpretation on canvas.
Rembrandt’s Father, Son, and Older Brother
In 1669, the Dutch master Rembrandt pained “The Return of the Prodigal Son.”
It was one of his last works and Rembrandt’s painting portrays the father welcoming home his son.
The details of the painting are very revealing and touch our very souls.
First, there is the father. (2nd picture, of close-up of the father, son and man in black hat) Rembrandt portrays the old man as the very picture of serenity. His face reflects tranquility and peace.
He also appears to be blind; he sees his son, whose head he tenderly holds, not with his eyes but with his heart.
Many have also noted the father’s hands: his left hand, the hand that pulls his son toward him, has the strength and power of a father.
And notice the right hand; it is caressing his son’s back, and has the softness and tenderness of a mother.
In Rembrandt’s portrayal, the old father mirrors the compassion of God, who loves us in the depth of our hearts, who is both mother and father to every one of us prodigals.
The figure of the prodigal, who collapses before his father, is emaciated and exhausted.
His head is shaved; he is dirty and scarred; he wears only a dirty, ragged tunic and one torn sandal on his right foot.
All defiance has been stropped away. The son is a picture of humility. His realization? That he has wasted his life enable him to make the long, hard trek home to his father’s welcoming embrace.
Finally, there is the older brother (3rd photo of five characters in shadowy colors) in the shadows of the painting. He is angry and bitter. Notice, he looks at the scene with scorn and distrust.
He knows that his younger brother’s return is going to be a hard readjustment for all of them.
His bitterness and anger confines him to the darkness, outside of the light and color of his father’s joy and his brother’s gratitude.
Application
Rembrandt’s beautiful painting (4th photo, a brighter scene of the previous slide) invites all of us to see ourselves in each of the characters.
To see ourselves in the father’s joy at having his boy back.
To see ourselves in the Prodigal’s facing responsibility for the hurt he has caused.
To see ourselves in the older brother’s understandable, but divisive resentment and distrust.
The work of forgiveness demands facing our culpability, our blame for having hurt others.
At its center (5th photo, a more golden hue added to the previous slide) forgiveness requires that we be willing to put aside our own hurts and resentments for the ultimate goal of being reunited with those from whom we are separated.
It calls for the balancing within my very heart a willingness to forgive and an openness to be converted by God’s grace, both of which lead to true reconciliation.
Conclusion
May Rembrandt’s colors of forgiveness and gratitude illuminate our relationship and all the struggles we all experience in being family and friends to one another.
6th photo, of the two women before the painting) Is it more than a painting on a wall in a museum? Or is it more a mirror of the forgiveness I can experience in my own life?
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