Tuesday, July 30, 2019

HOMILY for July 28, 2019: 17th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle C

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17th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle C
St. Mark, Fallston
July 28, 2019

 

We Dare to Say

By (Rev. Msgr.) Nicholas P. Amato 



“Lord, teach us to pray”


The disciples ask Jesus, “Lord, teach us to pray,” and Jesus responds with a fifty-five-word prayer. That’s why we call this the Lord’s Prayer or, after its first words, the Our Father.

Today I want to share a way of (1) understanding this prayer that (2) could very well have an impact on our lives. 

Let’s begin by stating something about the prayer’s structure. As Jesus presents it, we see it has three distinct sections. 
Ø 1st, there is the address or salutation.
Ø 2nd, there are the “thy” sections of three phrases, each containing the word “thy.”
Ø And 3rd, there are the “us” sections with three phrases, each containing the word “us,” “our,” or “we.”

So let’s look at each of Jesus’ sections more closely and how each might impact our lives.

1.   The Salutation 

[1] We begin with the address or salutation, “Our Father, who art in heaven.”

To better understand this, notice the words the priest uses to introduce the prayer at Mass each Sunday: they are “We dare to say.”

[2] In our culture today, we don’t find it daring or risky to say Our Father,” but, it was daring to say those words at the time Jesus taught it.

The Jewish people would never think of addressing God by name much less in a familiar way. It would look as disrespectful and daring as being introduced to Pope Francis and saying, as saying, “Hi, Frank, I have a favor to ask.” The Jews of Jesus’ time saw God as distant and felt it irreverent to even use a name for God. 

[3] Yet, Jesus teaching us to call God “Our Father” is a risky step forward and a shift 
to seeing God as our loving our parent, and still as beyond us – “who art in heaven.”

The impact this shift has on us is a feeling of closeness and intimacy with God rather than a feeling of distance, dread or fear.

2.    “Thy”


[1] That takes us to section two of the prayer – the “Thy” phrases.

We say, Hallowed be thy name” so first and foremost, we need to praise God. We do that by worshiping  God here at Mass or praying Jesus’ prayer to the father. 

The impact of this? It keeps a check on our egos and keeps us humble in a good way. 

[2] Then, we say,“Thy kingdom come.” Here we’re focusing not on what we want to do or control. 

The impact? We are focusing on what God wants to do for us. We are honoring God’s intention and plan for us.

[3] To make this completely clear, we say, “Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” We’re affirming that God’s will is done in heaven because that’s what heaven is.

The impact? We pray that God’s way, God’s will, also permeates all that we do as followers of Jesus. This is the way that God’s kingdom will come, namely by my cooperating in bringing it about.

3.    “Our/We/Us”

[1] That takes us to section three of the prayer – the “Us/Our/We” phrases.

In saying, “Give us this day our daily bread” we are making an act of faith or trust in God. 

The impact? We are not asking God for long-term needs. We are simply placing our trust in God for what we need to get through this day and live it well.   

[2] Next, we say,“Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.” 

Nine times in this prayer we use the words “our,” “us,” or “we.” Jesus never tells us to use the words “I,” “me,” or “mine.” 

The impact? Because it is always in the plural, we include all God’s people — and that really means all people — in our forgiveness. No exceptions!

So, in this phrase about forgiving us, as we in turn forgive, Jesus is reminding us that we are all human and imperfect. Remembering this helps us to be forgiving.

[3] Finally, we say, “Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.” Pope Francis has talked about the translation of these words.

He says that instead of “Lead us not into temptation,” the more precise meaning is, “Do not let us fall into temptation.” He says that God, our loving Father, would never lead us into temptation.

The impact? Our shadow side, our unbridled passions may lead us into temptation, not God and we are committing ourselves to taking responsibility to remain vigilant in time of temptation.    

Conclusion


So, we dare to address God as “Our Father”  – a loving parent who is in heaven.

And then we focus on God – the three “thy” phrases, and then on ourselves in relation to God – the three “our/us/we” phrases. 

-->This deeper understanding of the Lord’s Prayer will have a positive impact on our lives.

HOMILY for July 14, 2019: 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle C

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15th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle C
Church of the Nativity
July 14, 2019

What It Takes to Be a Good Samaritan 
By (Rev. Msgr.) Nicholas P. Amato


Hurrying and Helping

Several years ago, Princeton University did a study on what they called “Good Samaritan.” The study has become a classic. 

The University divided some students into three groups. Each group was told to report to another building across the campus to take a test.

The FIRST GROUP was told to get there immediately and they were called the “high hurry” group. The SECOND GROUP was told to get there in fifteen minutes and they were called the “middle hurry” group.

And the THIRD GROUP was told to get there sometime that morning and they were called the “no hurry” group. Without knowing it, the students were being set up for a study.

Along the way, various individuals posed as “persons in need.” One was crying, another pretended to be sick, and another had a flat tire.

Interestingly, no one of the students from the “high hurry” or “middle hurry” groups stopped to help anyone. But every student from the “no hurry” group did stop.

This was one indicator that led the Princeton study to conclude that as the hurry in our lives increases, our caring decreases. This finding strikes me as pretty accurate

The Good Samaritan

The Princeton “Good Samaritan Study” gives us a helpful angle for looking at today’s Gospel. 

The Gospel says that someone asks Jesus, “What do I have to do to inherit eternal life?” Perhaps this person is really asking,“What do I have to do and what don’t I have to do?”

Jesus ends up telling the parable of the Good Samaritan. As I look at the parable, I have to imagine that there are three levels of response to the man lying by the side of the road: (1) Seeing him, (2) Having Feelings about him, and (3) Acting or not acting.

Seeing, Feeling, and Acting

All three folks who are walking on this road see the injured man lying there. The first two, the priest and the Levite, just keep walking.

They know that if they get near this guy or touch him, the religious law makes them ritually unclean. And if this happens, they will have to jump through some time-consuming hoops to become ritually clean again.

So the first two folks seethe man, but don’t slow down to really see what has happened or to help. Then the third man comes along, a Samaritan — a sinner and outcast to Jews — and he both seesthe injured man and then acts; he slows down and stops.

The Samaritan sees to the point that he feels compassion for the beaten man.  And with this compassion, he then acts and does what he can to help.

So, to go back to the Princeton study, it seems that we have to first, slow down enough to see, to really see the person who is in front of us. For us, it could be a homeless person at a traffic light, carrying a cardboard sign asking for help.

Or it could be a son or daughter who is upset about a relationship that has fallen apart, but is trying to hide it. 

Or it could be an aging parent or neighbor who’s feeling alone and left behind.

We have to be slow down enough to really see who is before us. In the very slowing down our seeing can lead us to compassion and action that wouldn’t be there if we were scurrying to the next 101 things we have to do today! 

However, if we do allow ourselves the luxury of slowing down, we are most likely to feel compassion for the person or persons who are hurting. 

Honestly, all it takes is slowing a bit and the feeling of compassion will bubble up , much to our surprise to do what we humanly can do to help.

Conclusion

So, (1) Seeing leads to feeling and (2) Feeling leads to compassion and (3) Compassion leads to acting.  

But the initiation of this life giving process — for both ourselves and the other — is that we are willing to slow it down: (1) To live slowly enough within ourselves (2) To really see (3) To really feel the other person’s plight and then (4) to take “the next step” to help.

That’s the answer posed to Jesus regarding: “What do I have to do to inherit eternal life?” 

Slow down NOW, TODAY and NOTICE. The rest of the empowerment flows from God’s grace and it flows through you! Imagine that!

Tuesday, July 09, 2019

Wedding HOMILY for Chris and Sarah on July 6, 2019

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Marriage of Chris and Sarah
Church of the Nativity
July 6, 2019

Prayer and Scripture: Rock-Solid Foundation for Marriage
By (Rev. Msgr.) Nicholas P. Amato 


Couples Selecting Their Readings

It is my practice when preparing couples for marriage to have the two of them choose the readings. 

Generally it goes something like this: before we meet next time set aside three evenings to have dinner at home together. 

For the first evening read all the selections offered for the Old Testament reading and decide which is your first choice and why. Then decide which one will be used for the wedding and why. The second evening choose an epistle and the third the Gospel, all using the same method.  

I invite them to do this because in the process they have to look at what in scripture resonates in their own lives as future husband and wife.

At our next meeting they sharing regarding which readings they’ve chosen gives me lots of ideas for the homily.

I must admit the quality and the amount of fruit that such a process produces really depends on how well they link scripture to their experiences. Most times it’s a mediocre harvest, if you will. 

However, with Chris and Sarah the harvest was plentiful! Think of acres and acres of green corn stalks or waving wheat. Think of an orange groves with hundreds of trees laden with luscious fruit.

Book of Tobit

In their both choosing the reading from the Book of Tobit, Chris and Sarah give themselves away. Prayer is and will continue to be the rock on which their marriage will build.

Tobias and Sarah — ahem, can her name only be a coincidence! — rise on their wedding night to bless God and praise his holy name. They are grateful for the heavens and all in nature, for Adam and Eve who began it all, and end by asking God to allow them live to a happy old age.

Gratitude gratitude, gratitude. Their prayer is filled with it.

And what gratitude was called forth from Chris and Sarah in choosing this reading?  They told me: grateful for them finding each other, grateful for the journey of faith they’ve been on together, for relief in stressful times, support in moments of health crises, a sense of comfort with being who they are as individuals and not having to change, and grateful for each having different skills with a certain complementarity.

Notice: gratitude, gratitude, gratitude. Their prayer, as Tobias and Sarah’s, is filled with it. 

When you pray and your prayer begins with what you’re grateful to God for, two things begin to happen. First, if you’re willing to never repeat the things you’re grateful for, you begin to look for more and more and begin to notice smaller and smaller things. 

Second, you begin to experience gratitude in the moment, rather than just in the recollection. A real sense of joy right now, right now, right now  begins to grow.

Romans 12: “Rejoice, Endure, Persevere”

The reading from Romans was Sarah’s first choice and her choosing it reveals something very personal about her values.  

The verse that jumps out for her is, “Rejoice in hope, endure in affliction, persevere in prayer,” and is a phrase that remains emblazoned on an erase board that continues to hang on her fridge.

That verse has gotten her through some tough times before meeting Chris. Her trust in God was tested and into her life walked Chris. That was no mere coincidence. Trusting in God gets results.

John 15 “I call you friends”

The reading from the Gospel of John was Chris’ first choice and particularly the words of Jesus, “Love one another as I love you.”What do they call forth in Chris’ life? His experience as an Eagle Scout and the Order of the Arrow.

When he read those words of Jesus they resonated with his life and values. It was a kind of “Aha!” As with Sarah, sacred scripture lighted up Chris’ very human experiences and resulted in a deepened faith and trust in Jesus.

For Chris it created a deeper level of commitment that had its focus in Jesus as an example of sacrificial love. 

That sacrificial love gets played out in a hundred and one ways from taking out the trash and changing the wiper blades on Sarah’s car to committing himself to love Sarah all their days. 

Conclusion

My challenge to you on your wedding day is to commit to doing what you already do so well:
Ø  Pray every day and begin by jotting 3 things you’re grateful for in a little spiral-bound pad, and never repeating an item.
Ø  Keep the phrase “Rejoice in hope, endure in affliction, persevere in prayer,” on your fridge and we all might do the same — a phrase that lifts the weight, is a shaft of light in darkness, or serves like a refreshing glass of ice water on a sweltering day. 
Ø  Finally, along with Chris selection of “Love one another as I love you,” we might all select a scripture verse that connects with our own life and values, and takes you deeper into a relationship with Jesus. Memorize it and recall it often as an affirmation of your deeper self.

Chris and Sarah, even before you have exchange your vows, the simple act of selecting three readings has taught us much about rock-solid marriages. Thank you and God bless you.

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May your both continue to be models of married love into a happy old age.