Daily HOMILY for April 16, 2018: Monday in the 3rd Week of Easter

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Monday of the 3^rd Week of Easter

Church of the Nativity 

April 16, 2018

Work or Works of God? 

By (Rev. Msgr.) Nicholas P. Amato 

Jesus Is Asked a Question

Today’s Gospel ends with a question and Jesus’ cryptic response. If taken seriously, the question and answer could have a far reaching effect in your life.

Let’s review the scene: The people following Jesus are so captivated by the works they’ve just seen him perform, the latest of which is the miraculous feeding of more than 5,000 people with just five barley loaves and two small fish. They ask: “What can we do to accomplish the works of God?” 

In essence what they are saying is, “We want to be able to have more of this bread!” 

And Jesus answers — true to form — in a rather unexpected way. He says, “This is the work of God: that you believe in the one he sent.”

If you paid careful attention, you’d see there’s a disconnect between their question and his answer. They want to know what are the “works of God” — works in the plural — but Jesus responds in the singular: “This is the work of God: that you believe in the one he sent.”

So it’s not the works — that is, the miracles — but the work — singular — the work of God that’s taking place through Jesus. 

His point, therefore, is that the one thing that is necessary is to believe that God is working in and through him. 

We’re talking about a shift in the focus of our attention, from looking for miracles, to creating a personal relationship with Jesus, as one sent from God and as one through whom God acts and saves.

The Building of a Relationship

Jesus is making a big deal of this little letter “s” because it is from a relationship with him that all else flows and not vice versa: It’s belief in Jesus then the works, not the works and then belief in Jesus

So let’s look at that relationship — yours and Jesus’ — and where you are with it.

From our own experience of friendship or marriage, we can discern that a close relationship goes through 3 stages: 

Ø  Initially there’s a STAGE OF INITIATION, when you first encounter or are introduced to that other person and you find them, hm-m-m-m, very interesting. Key word “INITIATION.” 

Ø  Then there is a STAGE OF GROWING IN LOVE, when you begin to trust and increasingly allow yourself to be honest and vulnerable. Key word “GROWING.”

Ø  Finally, there is the STAGE OF MATURING IN THE RELATIONSHIP, where the bond deepens, making greater and greater claims on each of you, and good things begin to accrue to both you and others in your lives because of the relationship. Key word “MATURING.”

If this is the case with our relationships with others, it is no less true of our relationship with Jesus.

What comes of that union is that we eventually make him our primary focus. He becomes the model and the basis of what we do, what we say, and how we think. 

Jesus himself begins to move in and through us. 

Where Are You with the Lord? 

I would suggest that we are all somewhere on this relationship continuum with the Lord, and our very being here for this conference attests to that, but there is a deeper question of just, “Where are we on the continuum?”

Are we at the LEVEL OF INITIATION where we hardly know Jesus in our prayer or worship?

Or are we at the level of GROWING IN LOVE and caring for others who are ill or hurting, disadvantaged or displaced, ostracized or excluded?

Or are we MATURING IN THE RELATIONSHIP with the Lord, where we are able to dedicate our suffering, give our lives over for others, forgive the unforgiveable?

Conclusion

The challenge to us today, as we gather to love God, love others, and make disciples, is to ask ourselves, “Am I following Jesus because I’m looking for the works he does?”

Jesus would have us ask instead, “Where are you in your relationship with me?”

Make an effort to deepen that relationship, and out of this “work,” this relationship, will flow his own miracles and works through us.

The relationship must come first. Amen? AMEN!

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Monday of the 3^rdWeek of EasterChurch of the Nativity

April 16, 2018

Reading 1 ACTS 6:8-15

Stephen, filled with grace and power,
was working great wonders and signs among the people.
Certain members of the so-called Synagogue of Freedmen,
Cyreneans, and Alexandrians,
and people from Cilicia and Asia,
came forward and debated with Stephen,
but they could not withstand the wisdom and the Spirit with which he spoke.Then they instigated some men to say,
“We have heard him speaking blasphemous words
against Moses and God.”27
They stirred up the people, the elders, and the scribes,
accosted him, seized him,and brought him before the Sanhedrin.
They presented false witnesses who testified,
“This man never stops saying things against this holy place and the law.
For we have heard him claim
that this Jesus the Nazorean will destroy this place
and change the customs that Moses handed down to us.”
All those who sat in the Sanhedrin looked intently at him
and saw that his face was like the face of an angel.

Responsorial Psalm PS 119:23-24, 26-27, 29-30

R. (1ab) Blessed are they who follow the law of the 

Alleluia MT 4:4B

Gospel JN 6:22-29

[After Jesus had fed the five thousand men,his disciples saw him walking on the sea.]The next day, the crowd that remained across the sea
saw that there had been only one boat there,
and that Jesus had not gone along with his disciples in the boat,
but only his disciples had left.
Other boats came from Tiberias
near the place where they had eaten the bread
when the Lord gave thanks.
When the crowd saw that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there,
they themselves got into boats
and came to Capernaum looking for Jesus.
And when they found him across the sea they said to him,
“Rabbi, when did you get here?”
Jesus answered them and said,
“Amen, amen, I say to you, you are looking for me
not because you saw signs
but because you ate the loaves and were filled.
DO NOT WORK FOR FOOD THAT PERISHES
BUT FOR THE FOOD THAT ENDURES FOR ETERNAL LIFE,which the Son of Man will give you.
For on him the Father, God, has set his seal.”
So they said to him,
“What can we do to accomplish the works of God?”
Jesus answered and said to them,
“This is the work of God, that you believe in the one he sent.”

HOMILY for April 15, 2018: 3rd Sunday of Easter, Cycle B

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3^rdSunday of Easter, Cycle B

April 15, 2018

Terranova Hermitage

 

Alive and There for Others

By (Rev. Msgr.) Nicholas P. Amato 

 

Alive

Back in August of 2016, about a year and a half ago, there was a moving article in The Washington Post.

The article was written by a woman named Tracy Grant. She is now the Managing Editor for Staff Development at The Post.

Tracy Grant writes that in 2003, her husband Bill was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer. She says that over the course of seven months, he went from from beating her silly at tennis to needing her help to get to the bathroom.

Tracy Grant says that this was a difficult, stressful and exhausting time. But, she also says that those seven months were the time in her life when she felt “most alive.”

Seeing

Tracy Grant reflects that she was a respected professional and also a parent of two sons. 

She writes this. “I had to discover the reason why I was on this earth.

“During those seven months, I came to understand that whatever else I did in my life, nothing mattered more. 

I discovered that the petty grievances of an irksome coworker or a flat tire pale in comparison with the beauty of spontaneous laughter, the night sky, or the smells of a bakery.

“There were moments of joy, laughter, and tenderness everyday – if I was willing to look hard enough. I found I could train myself to set my internal barometer to be more compassionate than callous.”   

Purposeful 

Tracy Grant goes on to say that in the days following Bill’s diagnosis and brain surgery, she really used all her skills as a reporter.

She researched clinical trials and talked with oncologists in several states. She says that this gave her a sense of purpose.

And, it gave Bill comfort and some laughs. He would chuckle as he listened to her arguing with insurance companies about what was and was not covered.

Grateful

Thirteen years after Bills’ death, Tracy Grant looks at those last seven months with her husband with lots of gratitude.

She writes this. “I haven’t started a foundation to cure cancer.

“I haven’t left the news business to get a medical degree. I work.

“I try to be there for my sons. I will never again have that high a purpose.

“But every day, I try again to be the person I became during those seven months. I try to be a little less judgmental, a little more forgiving and generous, a little more grateful for the small moments in my life.

“I am a better person for having been Bill’s caregiver. It was his last, best gift to me.”

“Flesh and Bones” 

I think that is a great story and it really brings today’s Gospel alive for us.

Jesus appears – the passage says “flesh and bones” – to his disciples. In turn, the disciples become much more alive as persons and as persons of faith.

They are now seeing things differently and are much more purposeful and grateful for life. They become for others the “flesh and bones” of the risen Christ.

Whether or not she thought of it this way, Tracy Grant experienced Jesus in his “flesh and bones” in her sick and dying husband. And through this, as she says, she became much more alive as a person.

She was seeing things differently and she became much more purposeful and grateful for life. In turn, she became the “flesh and bones” of the risen Christ especially to her sons. 

So, Jesus began a process in that resurrection appearance. It is a process that each one of us is to be drawn into.

We are to experience Jesus in his “flesh and bones” maybe in your teenage daughter or son who brings great enthusiasm and hope, or in your spouse or elderly parent who is sick and needs assistance, and on it goes. 

Through this, we can become more alive as persons and as persons of faith.

Conclusion

We can see things differently and become much more purposeful and grateful for life. We can become for others the “flesh and bones” of the risen Christ.

That’s how I see today’s gospel. And I thank Tracy Grant for helping me to see this in a whole new way.

HOMILY for April 8, 2018: 2nd Sunday of Easter, Cycle B

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2^ndSunday of Easter, Cycle B

Terranova Hermitage

April 8, 2018

 

To Seekers, One and All!

By (Rev. Msgr.) Nicholas P. Amato 

 

 

Doubting Thomas?

In more recent years, I have begun to dislike the expression doubting Thomas.

I and many of us have heard this expression and maybe even used it. We might call others a doubting Thomas,if they refuse to believe something. 

Obviously, this expression is based on the Gospel story that we just heard. Thomas refuses to believe, unless he sees and touches Jesus. 

But then, Thomas ends up making one of the most beautiful professions of faith. He calls Jesus, “My Lord and my God.”

Still, our tradition has dubbed him doubting Thomas. In a way, we have looked down upon him and his faith as being less than the other disciples.

Seeking Thomas

Well, as I said, I have begun to dislike the expression doubting Thomas.

I think it would be much better to refer to him as seeking Thomas.After all, Thomas isn’t closed to believing in the risen Christ.

In fact, he wants to believe and he is seekingfaith or else he would not have been with the disciples on that Sunday following the resurrection. So, I think that Thomas stands as a good example for all those who are seekingto understand more about God. 

Our Seeking 

Today some authors, including some Catholic authors, tell us that many people experience this same sort of seekingin their own faith.

These scholars tell us that this seekingshould really be seen, not as a lack of faith, but as a stage or a dimension of faith. I agree with that, and from my own experience in ministry, I see persons of faith seekingor questioning in a number of ways. I myself have done this.

For example, some who are seekingmay question certain sections of the Bible. They might ask, “How can the image of a militant and vengeful God in parts of the Old Testament harmonize with the picture of a merciful and forgiving God that Jesus presents?”

Or, some who are seekingmay question the designation of God only as Father.  After all, isn’t God the source and creator of both genders and doesn’t that say something about the identity of God?

Or again, some who are seekingmay question why our Church or any Church or religion would say that those who are not part of that community will not be saved? Didn’t Jesus bring salvation to all people and isn’t the mystery of heaven and of God’s love bigger than anything we can grasp or imagine? 

I have listened to those seekingand have heard these and other questions. As I said before, some of them have been my own. They also may be yours? 

So, I suggest that it is better not to look upon those are seekingas in some way less or to call them doubting Thomases. Rather, it is better to see this seekingas a dimension of faith that some of us experience.

Conclusion

I want to conclude with two small points that are really like two sides of one coin. 

First, it is important for any of us who are seekingto stick with a community of faith. Being part of a church can really help us, especially when we are seeking.

Jesus knew that we need a community for our journey of faith. He intended the Church to support and guide us positively in our journey, especially when we are in a seekingmode. 

And second which is really the other side of the coin, we as a Church need to take the approach of Jesus in today’s Gospel.

Jesus engages Thomas and he does this right in the community of the disciples. The result is that Thomas receives satisfaction to his seekingand he is able to come to believe. 

Well, we, as a Church or as a parish, we also need to be engaging. This means that we need to be welcoming and including and respecting of those who are seeking. 

This is the way that we as Church can provide a safe and nourishing spiritual space, free of coercion or guilt-tripping.  

It is the best way that we can empower everyone and especially those who are seekingto come to a satisfying faith and come to place on our own lips the words of Thomas “My Lord and my God.”

HOMILY for April 1, 2018: Easter Sunday, Cycle B

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Easter Sunday, Cycle ABC

Retreat and Conference Center 

April 1, 2018

Why do you search for the living One among the dead? 

By (Rev. Msgr.) Nicholas P. Amato

The Two Angels at the Tomb of Jesus

“Why do you search for the living One among the dead?”

This evening (morning), I think it is good for us to allow this question in today’s Gospel to be asked directly to ourselves.  “Why do you or I search for the living One among the dead?”

Today is a day of great celebration for us Catholics and all Christians.  We sing: “Christ is risen!  Christ is risen indeed!” (Have assembly repeat.)

But the truth of the matter is that many of us struggle with our faith in that very fact: Did Jesus really rise from the dead?  

Will we really rise from the dead? Is there a resurrection, a life after death?

Messengers of Life and Messengers of God

I would submit that one reason for this struggle with faith is that we, in fact, are “Looking for the living One among the dead” – to use the words of our Gospel passage.

Yes, we are quote, “among the dead” when cynicism holds us back from loving or when fear paralyzes us from really living.  I believe we are “among the dead” when loneliness overcomes us or when prejudice blinds us to truth or goodness.

In being part of these experiences, we have, in effect, “one foot in the grave.”  And it can be very difficult from that place we stand, to trust in a loving God or even believe in a risen Savior.

In the face of this, today’s Gospel tells us that some of Jesus’ friends find his tomb empty and they are bewildered and confused.  And then the Gospel says, “While they were at a loss what to think of this, two men in dazzling garments appeared beside them.”

The two individuals are not identified, but our tradition sees them as messengers of God, as divine spokespersons, as angels.  And these two messengers speak the key words: “Why are you looking for the living One among the dead?”

I would like to suggest that you and I, right from within our everyday lives, have similar messengers of God, similar divine spokespersons, similar angels.  

Yes, we might very well have individuals who steer us away from “looking for the living One among the dead” and actually take us to the places and experiences where we can find “the living One.”

Angel of Trust

I would like to suggest that most of us have an angel of trust in our lives.

For example, a mother instinctively reassures her frightened little boy when he wakes up in the middle of the night from a bad dream.  She says, “Everything’s going to be all right” as she holds him close and he smells her scent, feels the warmth of her embrace.

Is she lying?  Or naïve? Or is she expressing a profound truth about the ultimate goodness of life?

Is she not instinctively saying what Jesus himself believed as he commended his life to the Father on the cross? Today is the day to remember your angel of trust.

See if that divine messenger doesn’t also reassure you that everything’s going to be all right.  And see if that assurance doesn’t lead you to sing today with trust: “Christ is risen!  Christ is risen indeed!” (Have assembly repeat.)

Angel of Hope

I think that most of us also have an angel of hope in our lives.

We see this angel in someone refuses to get down in the dumps, no matter what.  As a priest, I have seen this with people who are sick and even actively dying.

Yes, there are people who refuse to give in to their sadness and are able to see even their illness as leading to something greater, in some way to greater life.  

Today name the angel of hope in your life.

See if that divine messenger does not call forth the very best in you.  And see if that leads you to say today with hope: “Christ is risen! Christ is risen indeed!” (Have assembly repeat.)

Conclusion

Two individuals in the lives of those first believers in Jesus’ resurrection — bewildered, fearful, and despondent, they are asked, “Why look for the living among the dead?”

Reflecting on that question, they come to a new sense of trust and hope

That same question is asked of us today

And to answer it, God places messengers of trust and hope squarely in the middle of our lives

They too can restore our sanity and help us proclaim with a new sense of trust and hope, “Christ is risen; Christ has risen indeed!”

HOMILY for March 30, 2018: Good Friday, Cycle B

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Good Friday 

Cycle B

March 30, 2018

Retreat and Conference Center at Bon Secours 

The Third Cross

About ten years ago, a Muslim man was visiting a small Trappist monastery in the Northern African country of Algeria.

This Muslim and the prior of the monastery were friends.  The prior took his guest on a tour of the building, and eventually they came to the chapel.

The Muslim stopped and just starred at the crucifix.  Eventually, the prior asked his friend what he saw in the cross.

The Muslim man said: “I see maybe three crosses here, certainly two crosses.  There is definitely the cross in front and the cross in the back.

“The one in the front is formed by the extended arms of Jesus.  It was created by God and is the cross of God’s embracing love.

“The second cross is the one behind Jesus.  It was made by humanity and is the cross of hatred.

“But it was love and not really nails that attached Jesus to this second cross.  And it is this love which keeps drawing us to him.”

The prior could see all of this, but he asked his Muslim friend: “What is the third cross that you see?”  The visitor responded: “The third cross, it seems to me, is between the other two crosses.

“Isn’t it perhaps you and I struggling to loosen ourselves from the cross of evil and sin behind, so that we can bind ourselves to the cross of love in front?  Isn’t the struggle of moving from violence to peacemaking, from hatred to love, isn’t that struggle a third cross?”

Good Friday 

That Muslim man is quite insightful.

We can discern three crosses on every crucifix.  And by the way, maybe this is one of the values in having a crucifix – a cross with the figure of Jesus on it – and not just a plain cross: the opportunity to discern these three crosses.

We are moved by the first cross.  This cross is Jesus himself reaching out to us with the love of God.

Then we are confronted by the second cross.  This cross is the one that we construct out of our self-centeredness and insecurity, out of our pride and ego, and out of our narrowness and tribalism – the cross on which we crucify both Jesus and one another.

Good Friday calls us to take up this third cross.  It calls us to embrace the humility, compassion and forgiveness of the Christ on the first cross. 

It calls us to loosen ourselves from the crosses we have made – the second cross.  And it calls us to attach ourselves to the self-giving, sacrificial love of God – and that is the third cross.

I hope that this will be a helpful way for us to look at the crucifix from now on.  I hope it is a helpful way for us to venerate the cross here this afternoon.