Tuesday, March 20, 2018

HOMILY for March 18, 2018: 5th Sunday in Lent, Cycle B


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5th Sunday of Lent, Cycle B
Church of the Nativity
March 18, 2018

“Hating My Life in This World”
Nicholas P. Amato


Struggle with “Hate”

I have to confess; I have some struggles with today’s Gospel

Jesus says, “Whoever hates their life in this world will preserve it for eternal life.”

My first struggle is that I really like my life.
Ø  I like who I am; I like Italian food, both cooking it at home and eating out.
Ø  I like my freedom which allows me time to read, write, and watch good films.
Ø  I like spending time with friends and family.

And those are just a few of the things I like. I’m sure you have a list as well.

Resolution: “Priority”

The struggle had me look more closely at what Jesus really meant by those words “whoever hates his life in this world.”

Scripture scholars tell us that Jesus is really talking about our priorities and choices and that he wants us to model in our choices his own values and priorities.

So what might that modeling look like?
Ø  Let’s say I’m on my way to Little Italy for that food I mentioned and I stop at a light and there’s someone asking for handout. In that moment, I can place the food I’m going to have, second, and give the fellow a dollar or two.
Ø  Or the freedom I enjoy might be placed second and I take some time to visit a neighbor who is ill or elderly.
Ø  Or spending time with friends watching a basketball game may be placed second, and instead I spend some time with my child or grandchildren.

So “hating my life in this world” is simply giving priority, in the moment, to a value of Jesus over something else that may be perfectly good in itself.

Struggle with “World”

I also had a bit of a struggle with the word “world” that Jesus uses in saying, “whoever hates his life in this world.”

I have to admit, I rather like my world: my home, this community we live in, my school, shopping malls, the Internet. Like it all, yet Jesus seems to speak pejoratively about “the world.” He talks about “judgment of the world and “the ruler of the world being driven out.”

The struggle in me is over the fact that God made the world. The Book of Genesis says that God looked at what he had made and saw that it was very good.

And yet, this Gospel seems to hold the world as in opposition to God or in opposition to the spiritual. So what’s going on here?
 
Resolution: “Sacred GPS”

A careful reading of the Gospel tells us that Jesus is talking about those who do not follow his way. Yes, at times each of us can choose not to follow the way of Jesus.

The “world” then, means others or us, when we don’t make the way of Jesus a priority. Our parish mission is like a sacred GPS; it’s meant to help us navigate and choose the way of God and not the way of the world to get to our destination.

Three easy-to-remember actions of our sacred GPS can get us to where we want to go in this world: (1) Love God, (2) Love Others, (3) Make Disciples. Clean, clear, to the point, easy to remember. (Repeat and then have them repeat.)

Congratulations; you’ve just downloaded your Sacred GPS! Now:

(1)  Your celebrating Eucharist on Sunday and praying each day will stir up your longing for God.

(2)  That stirring up of God’s love within you, in turn, will empower you to love, to be compassionate, to forgive others.

(3)  The crowning glory will be to move out and draw others into this experience of discipleship.

Conclusion

Our faith is about ministering to a world that is essentially good and by living out our mission to make it even better.

Our love for God that is rooted here, moves through us, and reaches out to Timonium Tim, the disenfranchised, the lonely, or the underprivileged; it draws all to the Lord.

“Whoever hates their life in this world will preserve it for eternal life.”

In rethinking our priorities and following our Sacred GPS, we’ll be doing a lot more than leading a fuller happier life.

In Jesus’ words, “we’ll be preserving it for eternal life.” (Time — 4:50)


Monday, March 19, 2018

Daily HOMILY for March 15, 2018: Thursday in the 4th Week of Lent


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Thursday of the Fourth Week of Lent
Oak Crest Day of Recollection
March 15, 2018
JESUS’ NON-CLAIM +++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Ø  In today’s Gospel Jesus says that his Father’s works testify to his identity
Ø  Jesus’ words = Father’s words; his deeds are the Father’s deeds. His story is the Father’s story 
Ø  Tells Pharisees why they should believe in him; it’s not becz he says so, but becz others testify
Ø  Never, I’m the Christ” becz doesn’t need to
Ø  Recall that when he is asked if he is Christ at his trial, he says, “You say that I am.”
Ø  So it’s the testimony of OTHERS that identify him as the Messiah, the Song of God
Ø  Fair enough! So what’s that mean to us?
Ø  We need to look to testimonies to assist us in claiming Jesus as Messiah, as a model for our lives
TESTIMONY OF JOHN +++++++++++++++++++++++++
Ø  We look to John/Baptist who witnessed to him
Ø  Pharisees thought John an impressive prophet, since he fit the idea in their minds better
Ø  He fasted and lived in desert & was killed by the king. It seemed very strange to them that this holy man testified that Jesus was the Christ
Ø  Jesus is reminding them they thought John a prophet, but didn’t believe his greatest prophecy
TESTIMONY OF JESUS’ WORKS ++++++++++++++++++
Ø  Pharisees saw Jesus never sinned; saw healings & miracles; saw sinners repenting & following Jesus
Ø  When J says his works R 1 one of the witnesses, he doesn’t just mean his miracles, but all he did
Ø  Today we C works of J in saints; C sinners live extraordinary lives. Know someone < at work
TESTIMONY OF THE FATHER ++++++++++++++++++++
Ø  (1) John + (2) Miracles + (3) witness is Father
Ø  St. Peter didn’t know J was the Christ because he figured it out, but becz Father revealed it to him
Ø  Faith is strongest when there are no reasons behind it, when we simply believe
Ø  There R times when we are so filled with the love of God that, without being able to explain why, we just laugh at the idea that there is no God
APPLICATION and Conclusion ++++++++++++++++
Ø  Which testimony grounds your belief in Jesus?
Ø  Recap: (1) John & others, (2) Works, (3) Father
Ø  When UR part of a family committed to loving even folks who are difficult to love, it’s all 3!
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++