Weekly THIS AND THAT for March 8, 2009: How Are We Saved?

This and That:
How Are We Saved?


Second of Six Lenten Family Fridays

“How are we saved?” is a question that has haunted Catholics, as well as Christians of all denominations, from the birth of Christianity. Are we saved by faith alone? Are we saved by the good deeds we do? What justifies us, that is, what makes us “right” before God? What can we do now to assure our going to heaven?

Our second Lenten Family Friday dealt with this specific topic in presentation, table discussions, and interaction with the large group. As a summary statement we can say that faith justifies initially, but add quickly that our faith in God is just the beginning of a process. Justification is really an inner change within the believer rather that a declaration by God. In the end, works are also necessary for justification and our entrance into heaven.


Faith Justifies Initially and Works Complete

The Catechism of the Catholic Church tells us that being right with God is essential, if we are to live with God forever. John 1, Romans 8, and 2 Peter 1 all speak of justification being a grace that helps us respond to God’s call to us. The Council of Trent taught that we are justified by faith and that faith is the beginning of salvation. Thus our faith does make us right, but justifies only initially. At the time of the Reformation, claims were made that “faith alone” was needed for salvation. The two sides of the question then were “faith alone,” or “good works”?


Clarifications Through Dialogue

In recent times, with the wonderful ecumenical dialogues going on between the Catholic Church and other Christians, we have come to a richer understanding of the part both terms play in being saved. This has come about particularly in the Catholic–Lutheran Dialogue with the Methodist Church joining in the signing of a joint declaration of belief. Let us look more closely at the terms.

The Greek word for “faith alone” appears only once in the Bible and nowhere does it say we are justified or saved by faith alone. To the Contrary, James 2:24 says we are not. In short, Catholic theology holds that it is faith and works acting together that save us. The corrective for Catholics has been that good works flow from faith; good works on their own are insufficient for salvation.


Faith Just the Beginning of the Process

The Letter to the Hebrews (11:6) tells us that faith is the minimum requirement, but alone does not justify us. It takes both faith and works. In Ephesians 2:8-9 Paul says that faith is the root of justification, but then excludes something called “works of law.” Why make a distinction between say, works of charity (good deeds) and works of the law (obeying the Commandments)? For St. Paul to perform “works of law” puts God in a relationship of debt, not of grace.


Faith Without Works

In his Epistle, James (1:22-25) assures us that hearing the Word of God is not enough. Works need to accompany it. Without works faith is dead (James 2:17, 26). Failure to do works is a sin (James 4:17). “Works” equals what Catholics have always called the “Corporal Works of Mercy” (James 2:15-17). In 2 Corinthians 9:8 Paul says that works are encouraged to complete our faith and in Philippians 4:17 that “fruits,” that is “works,” increase our justification


Clarifications of the Past

At the time of the Reformation as happens with any major disagreement, Protestant and Catholic understandings polarized any discussion of the matter. There was not a clear understanding of what Paul meant by “works of the law.” Any such legal system would make God our debtor as we just mentioned. However “good works” done in grace with faith in Jesus Christ are clearly different from “works of the law” that put God in our debt. The Epistle of James (2:24) helps clarify the distinction between these two terms, “works” and “works of the Law.” It is also addressed in Galatians 2:16 and Rom 3:20,28.


Justification as Inner Change

The Reformation point of view on this matter can be summed up in Psalm 51:1-2 “O God, blot out my transgressions, wash me thoroughly from my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin.” This “cleansing” requires an inner change of heart. Some of the Reformers, however, believed that we are so depraved that God only covers our sins up by declaring us righteous. Catholics believe that God is powerful enough to blot out our sins and remove them. Any view that God just declares us righteous by covering us up, would seem to deny the role of the Holy Spirit who continues the work of Christ through his work of justification and sanctification (infusing his grace into souls and changing the inner person.)

Several Sacred Scripture passages help clarify the fact that God does not cover up our sinful natures. Ps 51:10 – “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within (not cover) me.” God brings about a real metamorphosis in me. Then there is Matthew (6:6) and Luke (6:21) – “Those who hunger for righteousness ‘may be filled.’” It is an inner change, not the covering up of a dunghill. In Matthew (5:28) we read that, “Just looking lustfully at a woman is adultery; avoiding this involves an inner change.” Jesus teaches us (Matthew 15:18) that interior disposition is what defiles us. It is clear that God’s grace changes us interiorly.

In Summary we could say that putting off the old nature involves an internal change (Eph 4:22-24.) Our lives are actually transformed and this internal change is required for us to become adopted sons and daughters. Philemon 2:13 declares that, “God is at work in you.” Yes, God is so powerful that he can actually transform us by working in us. He is not just outside us making declarations about us.


Justification As Ongoing

Paul in 2 Cor 3:18 states that, “We are being changed into the Lord’s likeness from one degree of glory to another, by the power of the Spirit.” that is to say that justification is ongoing, and changes in degrees throughout one’s life, based upon one’s obedience of faith. In 2 Cor 4:16 he continues, “Though our outer nature is wasting away, our inner nature is being renewed every day.” Justification does not happen all at once, and is not an external declaration. It happens daily, and concerns our inner nature.


Examples of Justification As On-Going Process

Abraham:
In Genesis 12:1-4 we read that Abram is justified by his faith in God. In Genesis 15:6 he believes and is further justified. And in Genesis 22:1-18 we find now he is justified by his works, namely, the offering of his son Isaac to God.

Peter:
In Matthew 16:18-19 Jesus blesses Simon for receiving a revelation, changes his name to Peter, and gives him the keys to the Kingdom of Heaven. In John 6:68-69 Peter justified, declares that Jesus has words of eternal life. In Luke 22:31-32 Jesus prays for Peter’s faith and charges him to strengthen the Apostles. However, in Matthew 26:75, Mark 14:72, and John 18:17, 25-27 Peter denies Jesus and thus loses his justification. Finally, in John 21:15-17 Peter is re-justified before God with a three-fold love for Jesus.


Works Necessary for Justification

In Matthew 5:2-11 we see that the Beatitudes go beyond faith to good works. In Matthew 5:16 we are told to “Let your light shine…that they may see your good works and give glory to God.” In Matthew 5:44-47 Jesus exhorts us to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us as good works. No, just saying, “Lord, Lord” (Matt 7:19-23) and accepting Jesus as personal Savior are not enough. We must also bear the fruit of good works.

Next Week’s topic is “Embracing the Cross of Jesus Christ.” Why not join us?

Fondly,
Father Nicholas

Weekly HOMILY for March 8, 2009: Transformation in Jesus Christ

2nd Sunday of Lent, Cycle B
Our Lady of Grace
March 8, 2009


Transformation in Jesus Christ
By (Rev. Msgr.) Nicholas P. Amato


A Prince Transformed

There is a story about a handsome Prince who had a crooked back.

This disability was something that the Prince struggled with. One day his father, the King, had the best sculptor in the land carve a statue of the prince.

But the statue portrayed the prince with a straight back and not a crooked back. The King placed the statue in the Prince’s private garden and whenever the Prince gazed at it, his heart would quicken.

Months passed, and people began to say: “Do you notice, the prince’s back doesn’t seem as crooked as it was.” When the Prince overheard this, he was enthused.

He began spending hours studying the statue and then, one day, a remarkable thing happened. The Prince stretched high overhead, and realized that he was standing straight, just like the statue.

Jesus Transformed

The story is a fable and unfortunately, our physical disabilities are not usually healed so easily.

But the story is really teaching a spiritual, not a physical lesson, viz., that he Prince was transformed by gazing at and studying the statue.

The statue portrayed him as he could become. In a similar way, today’s Gospel says that Jesus is “transfigured” in front of the apostles.

In other words, Jesus’ figure or appearance is changed – transformed. He is seen for all that he is – not just any other person, but as one with a special, even unique relationship with the Father.

Jesus is seen as the Son of God and the voice from the heavens confirms this.

My thought is that Jesus’ transfiguration – or transformation – calls us to be transformed – to become what we are created to be.


Our Transformation: How

How is this possible for us?

What do we have to do for this transformation to happen? The story of the Prince looking at the statue of himself as he could be may help us with this.

We are called to look at and listen to Jesus. Jesus is the full and clear image of God and of the kind of person God calls us to become.

So, in Jesus, we see a person who lives with an inner, prayerful communion with God – his and our Father. We see a person whose actions and words match and flow from that union.

We see him caring for the needy and then listen to him saying that “Whatever we do for the least of our brothers and sisters we do for him.” We listen to him calling us to respond from a center within ourselves, a center where we are one with the Father, and respond positively, constructively, and caringly, and not out of vengeance.

So, we are to look at and listen to Jesus – much as the prince in the story looks at the statue of how he wanted to be. This is why reading Sacred Scripture, especially the Gospels, is so central to our Catholic spirituality.

We are encouraged to make reading and reflecting on Sacred Scripture the center of our prayer. It leads us to a fuller communion with the Lord and that in turn helps us to grow and become more and more like Jesus.

And thus our transformation into who we were meant to be comes about.


Our Transformation: Expectations

What should we expect this process of transformation to be like?

First, we need to expect that it will take time. Our transformation will be like the Prince’s in the fable.

It will be developmental, incremental, perhaps even imperceptible. I have read that every seven years, every cell in our body is replaced. That happens slowly, without our even noticing it.

Our spiritual growth or transformation is much the same and this requires that we stick to it, day by day, and be patient and persevering.

In fact, that is why we begin each Mass with a Penitential Rite or prayer. We get in touch with the number one area where we need to grow and bring that to the Lord for his forgiveness and strength.

And, by the way, I recommend that we select just one thing and keep bringing that to the Lord day after day, week after week, month after month. I know that I don’t change easily, and I believe that is true for all of us.

It takes time for us to grow spiritually. It takes time for us to become more of the kind of person that God creates us to be and we need, as I said, patience and perseverance.


Transformation and Lent

So, transformation – that is the keyword for today, this Second Sunday of Lent.

And it is so for obvious reasons. This is the possibility that the Season of Lent holds out to us and a process in which we are already engaged!

Weekly This and That for March 1, 2009: To Live in Christ

This and That:
To Live in Christ


To Journey in the Footsteps of St. Paul

We began this past Friday as St. Paul did, on a journey; for us it was a journey of six Fridays and following his footsteps. Like him we too are sinners, oh we may not be persecuting Christians; it’s more likely a question of not knowing Christ fully or not living a life worthy of our calling. The same Spirit of Jesus Christ that struck St. Paul can strike us. The same Spirit of Jesus Christ that turned his life around can turn our lives around as well. Because it is all a function of the one receiving, it is up to us for the transformation to become a reality. The questions come down to: How much more do we want out of our life as believers? How much more peace, transformation, union with God, ability to handle stress and conflict? Be assured that any dissatisfaction regarding any of those areas is waiting to be filled by the risen Lord Jesus himself. You just have to want it enough. And be assured also that “the wanting it” is in itself the initial rumblings of God’s Spirit within you. Come then, join us for these sessions. Every Friday presentation is preceded by Mass at 6:30pm, Supper at 7:00 with the talk beginning at 7:30 and ending promptly at 8:30. Bring the kids, making it a family night and we’ll feed them and entertain them as well with age-appropriate activities.


To Live in Christ

This past Friday evening’s initial topic was “To Live in Christ.” We began the evening by asking, “What will it take to get into St. Paul’s skin? To get into his head? To actually go through a similar, though different, transformation?” It will take knowledge, grace, and the gifts of the Holy Spirit! A starting point for Paul’s Spirituality is 2 Corinthians 5:16-17 where he says, “From now on, therefore, we regard no one from a human point of view (according to the flesh); even though we once knew Christ from a human point of view, we know him no longer in that way. So if anyone is in Christ there is a new creation; everything old has passed away. See, everything has become new!”

What precisely does Paul mean by knowing someone from a “human point of view” (i.e. according to the flesh?) What’s the “new” point of view i.e. according to the Spirit? How did he know Jesus that way? How might we know Jesus that way?


Changing a Perspective

Through Baptism and grace everything can become new for us too. God is the principle actor and the cause of the effect in the believer. For St. Paul it was a dramatic encounter with the risen Lord. That experience on the road to Damascus empowered him to reorient his perspective. My guess is that we have all had an “Aha!” moment in which an insight helped us to rearrange how we thought about someone or something. The experience may have changed our seeing someone as an “enemy” into seeing him or her as a “friend.” Or the insight may have transformed what we previously saw as a “curse” like an illness into a “blessing.” What may have been an example in your own experience?

Now let’s look at an example of transformation that took place through grace in St. Paul. For it was grace that allowed him to “regard no one from a human point of view.” Even though we know insights have changed how we view others, even though we would like to believe that God’s grace could do in us what it did in St. Paul, we often hear a great deal of chatter going on in our heads that keep us from moving forward in God’s grace. Things like not being ready to surrender a past grievance, like holding on to past ways of looking at myself, like endless rationalizations justifying what I do or the stance I take, like a desire for quick results, an inability to forgive or an inability to believe that “being in Christ” can really make all things new.


Christ from a New Perspective

Each of us lives with a bit of a false identity. It is a façade that we construct about ourselves. It is the result of our struggles, emotions, fears and negative influences in our lives. At some point in living, our false identity can be challenged by a “force” around us. It comes as some experience of mercy, of unmerited love that cuts through my own ego selfishness. It may come from another person or directly from God, but in a moment’s flash, we find ourselves caring for “someone else for himself” rather than “someone who can meet my own needs.” Or it may come from finding our sacrificing time on a project that helps others in some way. Through such ways our identity begins to shift. Our self-centeredness is loosened and the stucco that covered who we really are begins to crumble from us. We still retain a strong sense of a separate self, but loving and more open divine and human relationships are now included as part of who we are. And in the process we begin to put on the “mind of Christ.” And our true self has moved to a relationship with God.


Work-shopping a New Perspective for Yourself

As a group we then began working on an area or two that needed transformation in our own lives. We asked, “What does Christ say to me in each situation and what grace is he offering me in that situation?” The grace being offered is to be so transformed that we no longer live in ourselves, but allow Christ to live in us, so that all we do and all we are reflect Christ to the world. The results of such a “living in Christ” was very clear to Paul. He no longer considered his former life as a Pharisee to count for anything, in comparison to what he had gained in Christ. To the Philippians he said, “Yet whatever gains I had, these I have come to regard as loss because of Christ. More than that, I regard everything as loss because of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things, and I regard them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ…”


Goals for Our Time Together

The evening ended with sharing of the goal of the 6-Friday Series. Consider these weeks as God’s personal invitation to you. God seeks to be closer to you than you can imagine. God is aware that your life, as most others, is a bit of a jumble and not always headed in the right direction. A billboard in the South reads: “God loves you just the way you are, but he loves you too much to leave you that way.” The invitation to joining us for Week 2 trough 6 will require leaving something behind and going to something quite new. But, as Paul experienced it, it is well worth the effort. Come join us on this journey of faith in the footsteps of St. Paul. Next week’s topic is “How are saved?”

Fondly,
Father Nicholas

Weekly HOMILY for March 1, 2009: Lent: A Time to Be Driven into the Desert

1st Sunday of Lent, Cycle B
Our Lady of Grace
March 1, 2009

Lent: Time to Be Driven into the Desert
By (Rev. Msgr.) Nicholas P. Amato


Jesus in the Desert

The Gospel passage that we just heard says this: “The Spirit drove Jesus out into the desert, and he … (was) tempted by Satan.”

A current author, Alan Simek, has written about his experience in the deserts of our own American Southwest. He says: “The desert offers the comfort of permanence, the promise of continuity in a world of change.

“But, it is a vast and lonely landscape. Even the best prepared may meet the unexpected, the freak storm, the slip or fall off a trail, the sudden strike of the rattlesnake.

“Only the fool thinks he can rely on his own strength and skill alone. In short, the desert escapes my control.

“For this reason my mind is drawn quietly, naturally toward someone outside myself on whom I can lean. In the desert I think not so much of causes as of The Cause.

“The experience of the desert is … about recognizing God’s glory. And like Jesus, we may meet and be tempted by the Enemy in the desert.

“One thing is certain: If we come to the desert, we will change.”


We Need the Desert

My friends, I have come to believe strongly that we all need a desert and even more so as I continue in my studies in directing Contemplative Retreats.

I am not suggesting that we have to travel to our American Southwest as our author, or to the Judean Wilderness of our slides, as beautiful as they are. But I am saying that we need desert experiences, desert moments, and we need these regularly.

Such experiences are crucial and the Season of Lent beckons us to this. That is why we have this Gospel on the First Sunday of Lent every year.


Our Deserts

Surprisingly so, our own desert can be found in any experience of stillness.

It may be:
1) When we are lying in bed before getting up in the morning or
2) Driving to work alone with no news on or music playing. It may be
3) Sitting in a chair looking at a candle flame or gazing outside at the trees. It may be
4) Walking the NCR Trail or
5) Waiting for our doctor’s appointment. It may be
6) Sitting quietly, even with our eyes closed, here in church before Mass or in the chapel any day of the week. It may be in the
7) Parking lot after you’ve loaded the car with groceries and before you turn on the ignition.

All of these can be our desert experiences or desert moments. And in all these experiences, the key thing is stillness.

Please note; it is not so much an issue of reciting prayers or speaking words to God. It is more an issue of stillness, of being receptive.

In our desert experience, we are to listen to our inner core. We are to listen to God who often speaks to us from the very depths of our being, the very depths of ourselves as persons.


Temptations in Our Deserts

It is in these desert experiences that we almost immediately and naturally become aware of God. And we also become aware of ourselves.

The Gospel says that “Jesus was tempted by Satan” in the desert.

I think, for us, in our desert, we too will become aware:
1) Of our temptations and our sinfulness
2) Of our impatience and anger
3) Of our resentment or alienation from someone
4) Of our insensitivity to the poor and in our looking out only for ourselves
5) Of judging and thinking ill of others
6) Of our lack of trust or of entrusting ourselves to God.

So yes, in the desert, we are first aware of God and of Jesus. And then, we quickly become aware of ourselves – of our humanity and limitations, our temptations and sin.

As the Spirit drove Jesus into the Judean Wilderness, so the same Spirit is driving each of us into our own desert. Can you not feel the drive and need for this?

Know that there may be a desire to resist this being driven either (1) Because we are not ready to be that close to God or (2) Because we know instinctively that the desert will make us aware of ourselves in ways that we may not like.


Go to the Desert

It has been said that, “Reflection is the kind of inaction that alone makes action meaningful and focused on what is good.” Again, “Reflection is the kind of inaction that alone makes action both meaningful and focused on what is good.”

That, my friends, is what the desert will do for each of us. And so, I appeal to you to heed the call of this First Sunday of Lent.

Go to that place of stillness and simply “be” with your God.

By his grace he has planted the desire in you. And there he is awaiting you. What marvelous things can come from such a daily union!

Weekly THIS AND THAT for February 22, 2009: The Light Is On For You

This and That:
The Light Is On For You

Are you burdened with the same sin as you were a month, a year or two year ago? Would you like to be set free from guilt? Are you ready to stop a destructive pattern in your life? Do you believe that God’s mercy can empower you to change? If you answered “yes” to any of the above, then we have an offer for you!

This year during Lent, our parish is participating in an Archdiocesan-wide reconciliation program initiated by Archbishop O’Brien called The Light is On for You. On five consecutive Wednesdays in Lent – March 4, 11, 18, 25 and April 1 – the sacrament of Reconciliation will be offered here at Our Lady of Grace from 7:00 – 8:30 p.m. A priest will be in the Reconciliation Room during that 90 minute period.

Every Catholic parish in the Archdiocese of Baltimore will have confessions available on these five Wednesdays and we invite you to join us here for this sacrament. If you have been reluctant to come to the sacrament or have been away for some time or just found it difficult to get to a
Saturday afternoon confession time, this is a great opportunity to receive penance.

So where in the church is the Reconciliation Room? You are not alone – many people are not aware of the location. When you approach the church through the Courtyard, enter through the wooden doors on your left. Just past the second set of wooden entrance doors, there is a blue door on your left, before the water fountain. That is the door to the Reconciliation Room. If the door is open, the priest is available for confession and if it’s closed, another penitent is receiving the sacrament. Feel free to wait in the foyer or go into the chapel to pray while you are waiting.

We have simple pamphlets containing the steps in the rite of individual Penance, if you are unfamiliar with it. We will have these pamphlets available on a table in the foyer on Wednesday evenings, in case you want to review the rite before going into the Reconciliation Room. Feel free to take the pamphlet in with you. Also, there is a brochure in the bulletin this weekend to remind you about the parts of confession and the Act of Contrition.

In addition to the Wednesday evenings, we will have our Communal Penance Service for Lent on Monday, March 23rd at 7:30pm. Confessions will also continue to be available on Saturday afternoons from 4:00pm to 4:30pm, as they are throughout the year.

Many Catholics no longer have an appreciation for the benefits of celebrating the Sacrament of Reconciliation, especially if they do not commit any serious sin. We know that our sacraments give us a tangible experience of God’s presence through words, gestures and sensible elements such as bread, wine, oil and water. When we celebrate Reconciliation, what becomes tangible is God’s mercy extended to us through the ministry of the priest. We have the incredible experience of hearing the priest say, “I absolve you from your sins…” This experience of receiving absolution is the focus of the sacrament, more than the sins we confess.

Lent is the season of the church year in which we are called to do penance in preparation for renewing our Baptismal promises at Easter, when we will affirm that we reject the allurement of evil and we profess our belief in the God who saves us in Jesus.

Why not take advantage of one of the opportunities to experience God’s mercy during this season – by receiving the Sacrament of Reconciliation on a Wednesday evening, a Saturday afternoon or at our Lenten Penance Service on March 23rd? If you have questions about the sacrament, please feel free to contact me at the parish office.

Blessings,
Sister Mary Therese

Weekly HOMILY for February 22, 2009: Deacon Preaching Weekend

Deacon Lee Benson preached at Father Nicholas' Masses this weekend. Father Nicholas will return next Sunday.

Weekly THIS AND THAT for February 15, 2009: Archbishop’s Appeal Benefits All, Including Our Parish

This and That:
Archbishop’s Appeal Benefits All, Including Our Parish


In last week’s column I introduced the Archbishop’s Annual Appeal. I reviewed the purpose of the Appeal, that is, the programs, services, and ministries that it funds. The Appeal is an excellent opportunity for each of us to assist in making God’s work happen beyond the boundaries of our parish. It is an opportunity to work together as an Archdiocesan Church.

Each parish in the Archdiocese is given a dollar goal for this Appeal. The goals are set at approximately 9% of parish offertory income. Our goal here at Our Lady of Grace is $__,___. That sounds like and is a lot of money, but it is the same percentage as would be applied to parishes that are much smaller and with much less income. I suppose that the Lord’s words apply as we look at this: “From those to whom much has been given, much will be expected.” Our goal is just that: a goal. It is not a mandatory amount, although we will work hard to meet it. In the end, we give what we can.

While I shared last week all the various needs that this Appeal will meet, I did not share that 25% of what we as a parish give will come right back to us. Yes, you heard it correctly! Our Lady of Grace’s share will be 25% of our total contribution. So, if we achieve our goal of $__,___, we will receive $__,___ back. Each parish is asked to state what it will do with its 25% share. We have selected three purposes or uses:
➢ 1/3rd for Tuition Assistance for parishioners whose children attend Our Lady of Grace School. We do this especially because the Archdiocese is providing a match for what we designate for tuition assistance.
➢ 1/3rd to assist our sister parish, St. Cecilia’s in Baltimore City with some necessities that they cannot sustain.
➢ 1/3rd for Debt Reduction

We like this distribution of our parish share of Appeal funds because it provides some additional help to the Parish, to parishioners who are in special need, and to an Inner City Parish that does not have the funding base that we enjoy here at Our Lady of Grace.

How much should we contribute to the Archbishop’s Annual Appeal? Ultimately, we all need to decide this for ourselves. Please be aware that the Archbishop does not want this to take the place of or interfere with our regular weekly Offertory giving to the Parish. Our contributions to the Parish do come first.
I would recommend as a possible guideline that we give 10% of what we give annually to the Parish Offertory. So, if you give $1,000 a year to the parish in the Weekly Offertory, you might consider a gift of $100 to this Appeal. Some of us may be unable to give as much as this 10%. Some have lost jobs and some are having their salary frozen. On the other hand, others may be able to give more than the 10% to help where others are not able to do so. I know of one family who is pledging to give 30% of what they give to the Offertory.

If we simply give according to our means and use what I am saying here as a rule of thumb, we as individuals and we as Our Lady of Grace Parish will be responding with appropriate generosity and should come very close to or meet our goal.

Fondly,
Father Nicholas

Weekly HOMILY for February 15, 2009: Archbishop's Annual Appeal / Commitment Weekend

6th Sunday of Ordinary Time, Cycle B
Our Lady of Grace
February15, 2009

Archbishop’s Annual Appeal / Commitment Weekend
By (Rev. Msgr.) Nicholas P. Amato


Introduction to Archbishop O’Brien’s Talk

Last weekend, at all Masses, we introduced the Archbishop’s Annual Appeal.

As we said, the Appeal supports programs, services, and ministries that are offered on the Archdiocesan level. It calls us to look beyond the boundaries of our parish and to work together as an Archdiocesan Church.

Archbishop O’Brien wants the opportunity to speak with everyone around the Archdiocese. So today, we have a homily from him via a CD and we will now listen to that.

(Play the CD)

In-Pew Commitment

As Archbishop O’Brien just said, today we are asked to consider a commitment to this Annual Appeal and I am here to guide us through that with the help of Dee O’Donnell / Paul Ceribelli of our Appeal Committee.

Before beginning this, I want to review the question of how much should we consider contributing to the Appeal. As we said last week, our parish committee is recommending that we give an amount equal to 10% of what we give each year to the parish.

So, if we give $1000 a year to the parish in the offertory, the recommendation is to give $100 to the Appeal. We say this knowing that some of us, especially this year, cannot do this 10% and that is fine.

Some of us can do more than that. Our Catholic Marriage Encounter program has a practice of asking couples who do the Encounter weekend to give more than the actual cost if they can, as a way to provide a kind of scholarship for couples who cannot afford to pay the full cost.

Perhaps that spirit may apply here as well.

Tactics

With those thoughts, I would now ask one person from each household to look at the Appeal envelope that is in the pew (that was distributed to you when you entered).

Please take this even if you have already given to this year’s Appeal. If you do not have an envelope, please just raise your hand and Dee/Paul or one of the ushers will get one to you.

Again, we are asking one person from every household to complete this. You can indicate that you have already given, that you are making a commitment today, that you are making a pledge, or that you are unable to give this year.

Now, please open the flap of the envelope and find a pledge form and a pencil. (Pause until about half the people are looking up to you.)

Please print your name, address, telephone number, and e-mail address on the first five lines of the form. (Pause until about half the people are looking up to you.)

On the next line, please write Our Lady of Grace Parish, Parkton. If you are a visitor from another parish, please write the name of your home parish. (Pause until about half the people are looking up to you.)

If you have already given by mail, check the box that says “I have already given to the Annual Appeal through the mail.” Please do not indicate any additional financial information on this form. We do not want to double count your pledge.

I ask everyone else to look at the gift boxes on the right side of the form and check the amount that you wish to enter. You can make your gift as a pledge and be billed over ten months or longer if necessary. Also, there is no need to provide a down payment today unless you choose to do so.

If you want to contribute an amount other than the ones indicated, please check the “Other” box and indicate the full amount of your pledge on the blank line to the right. (Pause until about half the people are looking at you.)

Now, please look at the lines provided on the lower right-hand side of the pledge envelope. Indicate the total amount that you pledged on the first line. If you are making a down payment, write the amount of the down payment on the line that says Amount Enclosed. (Pause 5 seconds.)

Subtract the down payment from the full amount of your pledge and note the remaining “Pledge balance” on the line provided. (Pause 5 seconds.)

If you are not contributing, please check the box on the lower left side of the envelope, stating “I do not wish to make a gift to the Annual Appeal at this time.” (Pause 5 seconds.)

I will give another moment right now to complete credit card information, if you wish to use your credit card. Please note that you can use a box below the credit card information that will tell the Archdiocese to bill you in ten monthly installments or to process the full amount in a single payment. (Pause 25 seconds with music.)

Wrap Up

Please seal the envelope and be sure to keep the pencil separate.

Please mark the outside of the envelope if you have enclosed a check, cash, or credit card information. Mark the appropriate box in the lower right corner of the envelope cover.

If you have given through the mail, made a pledge without a payment, or decided not to give this year, please check “No payment enclosed/Other.”

Finally, please place these envelopes and the pencils in the basket that the ushers are passing around.

On behalf of Archbishop O’Brien, I thank you for your contribution to this Archbishop’s Annual Appeal.

Weekly THIS AND THAT for February 8, 2009: The Archbishop's Annual Appeal Begins

This and That:
The Archbishop’s Annual Appeal Begins


This weekend I am introducing the Archbishop’s Annual Appeal. By now, many of us have received a mailing about this. I strongly endorse this Appeal and encourage all of us to make a financial gift. Because of that, I want to give you a thorough explanation of it.

First, as a clarification, for the past fifteen years or so we in the Archdiocese of Baltimore have participated in something called the Cardinal’s Lenten Appeal. The Archbishop’s Annual Appeal we are presently in is the same thing, but with a different name. Why the change in name? Basically, because the major work of promoting this is now being done on the three weeks before the beginning of Lent and not during Lent. Also, in fact, the former Cardinal’s Lenten Appeal continued throughout much of the year, as many people fulfilled their pledges in monthly payments. Thus, it seems better to name it the Archbishop’s Annual Appeal.

The Archdiocese of Baltimore, like most dioceses in the country, conducts this annual campaign to fund services, programs, and ministries that it provides to Catholics and non-Catholics throughout the Archdiocese. Some of these are services that help Our Lady of Grace and all parishes. Some are programs that serve people in areas that are financially poor, but where we very much need our Catholic presence. Some are programs that individual parishes, like Our Lady of Grace cannot do alone and that we need to do together as an Archdiocesan Church. Here are some examples of what our gifts to Archbishop’s Annual Appeal fund:

• Youth Ministry grants and Inner City Youth Outreach
• Assistance to Religious Education and Vacation Bible School Programs
• Support for the Archdiocesan Youth Retreat Center located in our own parish
• Tuition Assistance Grants and Special Education Funding for Catholic schools
• Grants to Catholic High Schools for capital improvements
• Pro-Life Ministries including Project Rachel
• Hispanic Ministry and Outreach
• Grants to parishes for financial and capital emergencies
• Significant assistance to Associated Catholic Charities and its many services, programs, and institutions
• Assistance to the St. Vincent de Paul Society for its work with the needy
• Chaplaincies and Catholic Ministry for some non-Catholic hospitals
• Chaplaincies and Catholic Ministry for some prisons and Detention Centers
• Ministry to the Hearing Impaired, Camp GLOW for the developmentally challenged and disability access improvements to locations in need

I look upon this Appeal as our opportunity to express in a very real way (financial giving) our connectedness with the Church beyond our parish boundaries. It is our opportunity as an Archdiocesan Church to work together and to bring the love of the Lord to persons who might not otherwise experience this. I will say more about the Archbishop’s Annual Appeal next week.

Fondly,
Father Nicholas

Weekly HOMILY for February 8, 2009: The Annual Archbishop's Appeal

5th Sunday of Ordinary Time, Cycle B
Our Lady of Grace
February 8, 2009

The Annual Archbishop’s Appeal
By (Rev. Msgr.) Nicholas P. Amato


Nine Winners

There is a wonderful story from the Seattle Special Olympics several years ago.

Nine runners – all physically or mentally handicapped – are assembled at the starting line for the 100-yard dash. At the sound of the starter’s gun, they all take off, not exactly in a dash, but eager to finish the race and win.

All, that is, except one boy who stumbles, tumbles over, and begins to cry. The other eight runners hear the boy crying and slow down to see what has happened.

Then they all turn around and run back to the boy. One girl with Down’s Syndrome bends down and whispers to him, “This will make it better” and she kisses him on the cheek.

All nine runners link arms and walk together to the finish line.

Everyone in the stadium stands up and cheers for the winners – all nine of them.


What They Saw

That day those children in the Seattle Special Olympics saw the truth about each other.

They saw each other first and foremost as persons, not as competitors. They were not so carried away with the desire to win that they forgot the core of who we are – that we are all one.

They saw the child who fell as a person in need. They realized that it is better for all of us to win than for one or some of us to win, while others lose in the game of life itself.

This, I believe, is the insight that Saint Paul has in our second reading today. He is absorbed with care for all persons as his brothers and sisters in need of Christ’s presence.

Paul wants to bring the Gospel to everyone and to do so he even says: “I have become all things to all.” We have to imagine that Paul would also have been there for that one child who stumbled and fell in the Special Olympics.


Archbishop’s Annual Appeal

I see this as the basis of something that our parish and all the parishes in the Archdiocese are asked to do this month.

We are all taking part in what we call “The Archbishop’s Annual Appeal” – formerly “The Lenten Appeal.” We have been participating in this Appeal for about fifteen years and it invites us to look beyond the boundaries of our parish.

The Archbishop’s Annual Appeal invites us to support and be part of the programs, services, and ministries that are offered on the Archdiocesan level. Some of these programs serve people in areas that are financially poor and where our Catholic presence is clearly needed.

Some are services that individual parishes, like Our Lady of Grace cannot do alone and that we need to do together as an Archdiocesan Church. For example, the Appeal provides some support to Catholic Education and Religious Education Programs in needy areas.

It supports the Youth Retreat Center right here in Sparks. It supports the programs and institutions of Catholic Charities – the largest private provider of social services in the entire State of Maryland.

You can see a fuller listing of what the Appeal supports in my bulletin column today. We can be very proud of all that we do as a Local Church.


What to Give

Many of us have contributed to the Archbishop’s Annual Appeal in the past and some of us have already given this year.

On behalf of the Archbishop, I thank you very much. I have asked myself, “How much should I give?” “What is an appropriate amount?” Well, I do want to say that our giving to Our Lady of Grace comes first.

Archbishop O’Brien does not want this Appeal to hurt parish giving or parish ministries. Each parish is assigned a goal for the Appeal that equals 9% of its Annual Offertory Collection.

Our Lady of Grace’s goal is $42,000. This is a goal, a target, but in the end, we give what we can give.

Our Parish Committee working on this and I are recommending that we as individuals or families contribute 10% of what we give to the parish each year. So, if you give $1,000 a year in the Offertory, we ask you to consider a gift of $100 to the Appeal.

These gifts can be made as pledges and spread out over ten months. Some of us are unable to give 10% and others are able to give more.

The important thing is that we think and pray about this and do what we can. I ask you to reflect on this during the coming week.


Conclusion

Before I conclude, it is important to add this.

Each parish will receive back 25% of what it gives. So, 25% of Our Lady of Grace’s contribution to the Appeal will be our share for special needs that we have designated.

Our parish leadership has decided to use our share for three purposes. 1/3rd for Tuition Assistance for parishioners going to Our Lady of Grace School; this is important since the Archdiocese will match what we designate for this.

1/3rd will go toward our Debt Reduction. And 1/3rd will go to our Sister Parish of St. Cecilia’s in Baltimore City.

In closing, I would ask you to approach this Appeal with the spirit of those children in the Special Olympics – joining hands to help one another so that all can be winners.

Please read my bulletin column on the Archbishop’s Appeal, reflect and pray about this, and try to come to Mass next weekend prepared with your decision about a commitment.

Weekly THIS AND THAT for February 1, 2009: Our Youth Need Values Education

This and That:
Our Youth Need Values Education


“Youth need an integral education of not only ideas, but also those values that form the basis of a fulfilled life and a humane society,” says Benedict XVI. As a nation we have a rich history of which we should be proud and our Nation’s impressive legacy cannot be taken for granted. It needs to be constantly taken as one’s own and consciously handed down to the younger generation at every level of education and community life.

We can see the values of freedom, hard work, literacy, and justice for all, the values that have shaped America’s national life and identity, being challenged by materialism, greed, and rugged individualism. “What has happened to the gift our young people bring to society, their idealism, generosity, joy, hope and enthusiasm? By fostering a climate of cynicism and alienation, they facilitate the spread of a counter-culture of violence and escapism, and the search for false utopias through alcohol and drug abuse,” the Holy Father added.

It is alarming to see the increase of alcohol and drug use within our community. When young people have the time, the “wheels,” and the money, just sprinkle in a few influential youth who are up to no good and the whole group goes down the slippery slope. Schools, churches, youth organizations and especially parents need to be particularly concerned as those committed to the welfare, not only of the young, but of society as a whole.

In our Parish and Catholic School we are committed to help meet these challenges by assisting young people to discern, in the light of the Gospel, the lasting truths which are the foundation of an authentic and truly fulfilling life, and the basis of a peaceful and humane social community. If the children and youth are not coming to Church, or are not in our Catholic School or Religious Education Programs, it is difficult for us to reach them.

The family is key. It is a truism to say that the family is essential to the future of any society. As a family goes, so goes a nation. In his message for the 2008 World Day of Peace, Pope Benedict emphasized the unique role of the family as “the foundation of society and the first and indispensable teacher of peace.” There is no doubt about it, strong families have long been the hallmark of our national life. The people of our Catholic parishes must be committed to working with all people of good will in meeting responsibly the growing threats to the institutions of marriage and the family. The Holy Father stated they need to do that especially, “by upholding the nature of marriage based on the life-long union of a man and woman, protecting the specific rights of the family, and respecting the inviolable dignity of all human life, from the moment of conception to natural death."

Churches, schools and families thus give witness that is aimed at informing public opinion and fostering wise, far-sighted family policies. What comes of this is clearly a contribution to the common good by defending an institution, which has been, and continues to be, as the Pope called it, “an essential resource in the service of peace and social progress.”

I close with an incident that shows the power of a Catholic Family, nurtured on regular hearing of the Word of God and being nourished on the Eucharist. Bob (I’ve changed his name) was home from college for Christmas. He appeared for daily Mass at which we usually share our thoughts at homily time. We were talking about the importance of living out our faith in Jesus. After several had spoken, Bob chimed in saying that he was captain of the football team and when he began college he went to daily Mass. He was the only member of the football team that did so. After a couple years and many talks with his teammates about his faith in Jesus, there are now eight men from the team attending daily Mass.

What I said above about the influence an individual can have for evil is also true of the influence and individual can have for good. What makes the difference is the individual…and his family…and his church…and his school. What influence are you having on your children?

Fondly,
Father Nicholas

Weekly HOMILY for February 1, 2009: Authority Under and Authority Over

4th Sunday of Ordinary Time, Cycle B
Our Lady of Grace
February 1, 2009

Authority Under and Authority Over
By (Rev. Msgr.) Nicholas P. Amato


Authority of the Principal

Today I am recalling an experience I had back in the 1970’s, in my early years in the priesthood.

I was in the parish school, in the principal’s office. It was at the end of the school day, about three in the afternoon.

The principal and I were talking about something, and her assistant came in and said that Mrs. So-and-So was out in the hallway wanting to talk with her. The principal stepped outside and the mother started.

She disagreed with something the principal had done and was very upset. With loud, angry, and disrespectful words, this mother began berating the principal – and all of this in front of the children who were walking by, leaving the school at dismissal time.

I just sat inside the office and listened – astonished.

It was at that moment that I began to realize that something had changed – in our society, in America – something had changed for the worse in the way we treat those in authority.


Authority in the Scripture

We see this issue of authority in today’s Scripture readings.

In the first reading, Moses tells the people that the Lord will raise up prophets like himself for the people. Theses prophets will be in positions of authority.

And then in today’s gospel, the people in the synagogue “are astonished at Jesus’ teaching, for he taught them as one having authority.” So, both readings specifically raise the question of authority.

Based on the experience I had over thirty years ago, I would like to reflect with you on the issue of authority this morning. I am seeing two sides or two dimensions to the issue.

First, we are all under the authority of at least someone. And second, all adults have authority over at least someone.


Under Authority

First, we are all under the authority of at least someone.

Human society is built upon a basic respect for authority. Society cannot function effectively without this, but today there is a problem.

Today various professionals say that we are in an age of excessive individualism and that individual rights, including the right of self-expression, are no longer in balance with the rights of the community.

The mother in the incident that I recalled was completely disregarding both the person and the role of the principal, as well as the common good of that school. She was out of bounds and out of balance.

No question, sometimes there are abuses of authority – in the government, at work, in the Church, in volunteer organizations. And when there are, we need to address the dark side of authority that hurts or oppresses others.

Nevertheless, we need to view the role of authority positively. We need to remember that we are first under divine authority, the authority of God.

And then, for the well being of society, we need to respect those in authority and their role. We need to see them in the context of the common good.

We can and should think for ourselves, and express ourselves, and disagree if we are so inclined. But it is important that we do that balancing of our point of view and our right with respect for the person and role of authority as well as for the common good.


Authority Over

Secondly, all adults also have authority over at least someone.

I am thinking here of parents, teachers, day care providers, coaches, scout leaders, employers, pastors, government officials, and so on.

In these positions, we need to remember the divine origin of all authority.

The word “authority” comes from the Latin word “auctor” which means “author.” An “auctor” is a life-giver, one who gives life. That is why the Scripture refers to God as the “author of life.”

So, in our roles of authority, we need to be sure that we are giving and not diminishing life.

We need to build up and not tear down. We need to act for the good of others and not selfishly for our own good.

We are to be strong and yet gentle at the same time. We are to be freeing and not enslaving.

In other words, we are to imitate the Divine Authority. We see this so beautifully and clearly in Jesus himself.


Conclusion

So, a few thoughts today on a key topic – maybe a hot topic in our society.

We need to be mindful of authority – that we are under authority, and that we are called to exercise authority over.

Let’s allow the Lord and the Scripture to guide us in both of these experiences.

Weekly THIS AND THAT for January 25, 2009: Celebrating Paul's Conversion and Ours

This and That:
Celebrating Saint Paul’s Conversion – and Ours!


Last spring, Pope Benedict XVI dedicated a special jubilee year to the Apostle Paul, from June 28, 2008 to June 29, 2009 (feast of Saints Peter and Paul), to mark the second millennium of Paul’s birth.

Saint Paul was converted from Judaism while on his way to the city of Damascus as he was engaged in persecution of the early believers in Jesus. Known as the Apostle to the Gentiles, Paul’s missionary travels included Asia Minor, Greece, Spain and Rome. In Rome, Paul was kept in chains and in the year 67 A.D., he was beheaded.

The Feast of the Conversion of Saint Paul is celebrated each year on January 25th. Since the feast falls on this Sunday during this Year of Saint Paul, Pope Benedict has encouraged us to celebrate the Feast at our weekend Masses.

Paul’s entire life can be explained in terms of one experience—his meeting with Jesus on the road to Damascus. In an instant, he saw that all the zeal of his dynamic personality was being wasted, like the strength of a boxer swinging wildly. Perhaps he had never seen Jesus, who was only a few years older. But he had acquired a zealot’s hatred of all Jesus stood for, as he began to harass the Church: “...entering house after house and dragging out men and women, he handed them over for imprisonment” (Acts 8:3b). Now he himself was “entered,” possessed, all his energy harnessed to one goal—being a slave of Christ in the ministry of reconciliation, an instrument to help others experience the one Savior.

One sentence determined his theology: “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting” (Acts 9:5b). Jesus was mysteriously identified with people—the loving group of people Saul had been running down like criminals. Jesus, he saw, was the mysterious fulfillment of all he had been blindly pursuing.

From then on, his only work was to “present everyone perfect in Christ. For this I labor and struggle, in accord with the exercise of his power working within me” (Colossians 1:28b-29). “For our gospel did not come to you in word alone, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with much conviction” (1 Thes 1:5a).

Paul’s life became a tireless proclaiming and living out of the message of the cross: Christians die baptismally to sin and are buried with Christ; they are dead to all that is sinful and unredeemed in the world. They are made into a new creation, already sharing Christ’s victory and someday to rise from the dead like him. Through this risen Christ the Father pours out the Spirit on them, making them completely new.

So Paul’s great message to the world was: You are saved entirely by God, not by anything you can do. Saving faith is the gift of total, free, personal and loving commitment to Christ, a commitment that then bears fruit in more “works” than the Law could ever contemplate.
Our Lenten Family Fridays this year will focus on Saint Paul’s theology and how we are called to be transformed, as he was, by encountering Jesus Christ. Father Nicholas participated in a pilgrimage “In the Footsteps of Saint Paul” last summer and his presentations will be enriched by that experience. Deacon Lee, Father Nicholas and I will each share aspects of Saint Paul’s exhortation to live in Christ. Mark your calendars for the Lenten Family Fridays: February 27, March 6, 13, 20 and 27 and April 3.

Blessings,
Sister Mary Therese

Weekly HOMILY for January 25, 2009: Deacon Preaching Sunday

Deacon Lee Benson preached this weekend at Father Nicholas' Masses. Father's homily will return next week.

Weekly THIS AND THAT for January 18, 2009: Affording a Catholic School Education

This and That:
Affording a Catholic School Education


On November 27, 2008 Archbishop O’Brien wrote an open letter to the Catholic faithful of the Archdiocese of Baltimore in The Catholic Review. In it he spoke of the fact that Catholic Schools are facing downward trends in enrollment with rising salary and benefit costs, resulting in continuous increases in tuitions.

The recent downturn in our national economy has collided with these pre-existing factors to create a bit of a “perfect storm” that poses a real challenge to the sustainability of many of our Catholic schools, our own parish school included. Catholic schools in other dioceses are facing similar financial challenges as a result of a sharp decline in enrollment.

Since returning from Israel, I have met with the chairs of the Parish Finance Committee, the School Finance Committee, and Ms. Brydie Ricketts, our school principal, in an effort to address these challenges and to create a way to make our Catholic School affordable for all who seek it. This same goal has and continues to be a priority of this Archdiocese.

One objective our parish Catholic School has is to fill every classroom without negatively impacting the quality of an excellent academic curriculum and the added benefit of a faith-based education. To meet this objective we recognize that some families will need financial assistance to bridge the gap between their financial resources and the cost of attending OLGS. We feel confident that we can award a tuition assistance grant to help any child attend OLGS based on demonstrated financial need.

In order to apply for Tuition Assistance, all a family needs to do is share its financial situation on a confidential basis with an outside firm called SSS (School and Student Service for Financial Aid). This firm in turn would recommend to the Tuition Assistance Committee how much assistance is needed for a family to attend OLGS.

➢ If you would like to have a child or grandchild enrolled in our Catholic School, but you do not feel you can afford the annual tuition of $5,625 for K-8th Grade and $5,425 for the five full-day option Pre-School for the 2009-2010 school year, simply ask Ms. Ricketts or me for an application form for SSS. They will ask for your financial picture including incomes, assets, and debts information.

➢ Once the application is evaluated by SSS, they will recommend to our School the amount of Tuition Assistance that could be granted, based on the household’s financial need.

➢ While the amount for financial assistance to be recommended is being considered, the enrollment application process for acceptance to OLGS would be occurring.

➢ Once the Financial Assistance grant recommendation is received, you will have a confidential meeting with me as a member of the Tuition Assistance Committee to review the recommendation.

➢ With the grant awarded and the enrollment process completed, the child is ready for school, whether it is the beginning of the next school year or entrance into a class in the middle of the year.

➢ Each year you will re-apply for financial assistance and, assuming no material changes in your financial status, a similar grant could be awarded.

It is important to remember that a current family that experiences a change in its financial situation that creates a need for assistance can also apply for financial assistance consideration. You would follow the same process as outlined above.

The following are dates to remember regarding enrollment into the Fall Semester for the 2009-2010 School Year.

➢ New Enrollments – Began December 1st
➢ Re-enrollment – February 6th
➢ Deadline for Tuition Assistance Applications – April 1st

Our School Council and School Finance Committee are working hard at a balancing act of keeping tuition affordable, while also providing our students a high-quality learning environment with the finest faculty, which requires competitive salaries and benefits to attract and retain the best teachers. Ensuring full enrollment is a critical component to achieving a balanced budget and helping families with a demonstrated financial need is a top priority.

The years have witnessed a radical change in the role our Catholic schools have played. We find ourselves at a critical juncture in the history of Catholic schools, one that offers us the opportunity to meet the social, spiritual, and cultural challenges faced by parents and children, and offers us the exciting opportunity for dynamic change. Our Lady of Grace School, I am proud to say, exists to continue the tradition of Catholic education by providing a strong academic environment rooted in faith and moral values. It does not get better than that.

Therefore, I would not want families who desire a Catholic education for their children to refrain from doing so for financial reasons. Please feel free to inquire more about our Tuition Assistance Program.

Fondly,
Father Nicholas

Weekly HOMILY for January 18, 2009: Father Nicholas Is on Christmas Break

Father Nicholas is on Christmas Break This Week

Weekly THIS AND THAT for January 11, 2009: A New Venture in Prayer for Me and for You!

This and That:
A New Venture in Prayer for Me and for You!


I remember graduation from Boston University in 1977 and my parents coming up to see me receive my Doctoral Degree. Back in the hotel room my mother asked, what seemed at the time, to be the fundamental question, one I had never considered, “With all this education, with all these degrees, with all the expense of eight years of Graduate Studies, what do you make an hour!” “Make an hour?” I responded surprised. “No, really,” she continued, “What do you make an hour?” I sat down and did a bit of figuring and came up with a figure that, as a priest ordained seven years at the time, I made $2.85 an hour. Her response? “Well, you’re worth every penny!” I decided to take that as a compliment! Over the years I have come to realize how much I simply enjoy studying and learning new things in areas of history, theology, software applications, cooking, and spirituality, to name a few. I am what we used to call in education a “self-motivated learner.”

So you’d think, as would my mother, that after three months praying in a Trappist Monastery and three months studying in Israel, “you’d have had enough!” Sorry, Mom, not yet! As of this month, while being full-time in the parish and continuing all my duties as pastor, I have also enrolled at the Shalem Institute in Bethesda, Maryland. The Institute provides in-depth support for contemplative living and leadership – a way of being in the world that is prayerfully attentive and responsive to God’s presence and guidance. The Institute offers a wide variety of programs and resources for spiritual directors, clergy, lay leaders, and individuals who want to open themselves more fully to God in their daily lives and work. I have enrolled in an 18-month program in “Leading Contemplative Prayer Groups & Retreats: Transforming Community.”

One might ask, “What does the word ‘contemplative’ mean?” The word itself has many meanings today. It comes from the Latin roots cum (with) and templum (temple), connoting a sense of the sacred. Stated simply, the classical tradition understands contemplation as a loving quality of presence in which one is open to things just as they are in the present moment. In Christianity and other traditions that understand God to be present everywhere, contemplation includes a reverence for the Divine Mystery, finding God in all things, or being open to God’s presence, however it may appear. When referring to prayer or other spiritual practices, contemplation is classically distinguished from meditation.

Generally this means that meditation seems like something we ‘do’ by means of our own effort and intention, while contemplation always seems to come as a gift. Furthermore, the reverence for mystery implies an openness to unknowing, a willingness to be led and guided by God without having to comprehend what is happening. In this understanding, contemplation is in no way opposed to action. In fact, our sense is that truly effective, responsive action in the world needs to be undergirded and informed by contemplative awareness.

What I learned very well while at the Trappist Monastery for three months was that although silence and solitude play a role in the contemplative life, contemplation does not mean withdrawing from the world. On the contrary, it is a responsive, participative presence in and with God, oneself, one’s neighbors, and all creation. My goal is to assist others in deepening the contemplative life and nurturing their presence for God.

The 18-month program consists of reading a lengthy series of books and articles, networking with others in the program, small group gatherings for discussion, and two one-week “residencies,” one in May of this year and the other in March of next year. This program will help me prepare for my ministry in giving Parish Missions and Contemplative Retreats when I leave Our Lady of Grace in June 2010.

In addition to the requirements already stated, I need to continue with monthly Spiritual Direction and finally, to create a small prayer group for personal support and shared informal prayer and meditation. If you or someone you know would like to be part of a regularly meeting prayer group for 18 months, please let me know by giving me a call (410-329-6826) or emailing me at namato@earthlink.net. It will be an experience of praying and meditating with others that could be a valuable resource for you spiritually.

Fondly,
Father Nicholas

Weekly HOMILY for January 11, 2009: Taking Our Baptismal Promises Seriously

Feast of the Baptism of the Lord, Cycle B
Our Lady of Grace
January 11, 2009

Taking Our Baptismal Promises Seriously
By (Rev. Msgr.) Nicholas P. Amato


The Godfather

All of us are familiar with the movie “The Godfather.”

For me, one of the most memorable scenes in the movie is the baptism sequence. Michael Corleone, the Sicilian Godfather, is the actual godfather at the baptism of his newborn nephew.

During the Baptism, we see the baptismal promises made by Corleone. And, as he makes them, we also see other events that he has ordered his death squad to carry out.

The priest asks, “Do you renounce Satan?” Corleone responds, “I do” and in the same moment, we see a brutal murder committed by the Godfather’s henchmen.

The priest asks, “And all Satan’s works?” And again, Corleone’s “I do” is followed by the scene of another gruesome massacre that he has directed.

And so it goes throughout the Baptism ceremony. You pick up the theme very quickly: Michael Corleone says one thing and he does another, and his profession of faith is a sham.


Baptismal Commitment

The same questions asked of Michael Corleone are also posed to us at Baptisms and sometimes here at Mass, especially in the weeks following Easter when the Creed is recited as a series of the same questions.

And the challenge is the same for us as it was for Corleone. Answering these questions is one thing, but living out a full bodies response is quite another.

Perhaps the real issue is: What does it really mean to live out my baptismal commitment? I think that Jesus’ own baptism and today’s Scripture readings help to define what the “I do” of our baptismal promises means.


Commitment #1: Living with God

Let’s look at their meaning. First, baptism involves a commitment to live in union with God.

In our Gospel passage, we are told that, “The skies open and the Spirit of God descends.” So, the Almighty God, the divine presence is here.

For us, Baptism means that we make the Divine – our relationship with God – the guiding force of our lives. It means that we seek a greater closeness with God through prayer, and that we try to live out of this inner communion with God as a way of life.

Our baptismal “I do” means that “I do commit myself to living in communion with God.”


Commitment #2: Naming Children

Second, Baptism involves a commitment to name our children as sons and daughters of God.

At Jesus’ Baptism, “The voice from the heavens says, ‘This is my beloved Son.’” So, to our children, we need to say clearly, “You are God’s daughter; you are God’s son.”

We do this in practical ways: By talking with our children, grandchildren, and godchildren about God and by teaching them little prayers, by bringing them to Mass and tending to their Religious Education.

And we do this by being a good example and guiding them through the challenging and tumultuous teenage years.

Our baptismal “I do” means that, “I do commit myself to name our children as God’s daughters and sons in real-life ways.”


Commitment #3: Caring for Others

And third, Baptism involves a commitment to care for others.

In our first reading, Isaiah foretells the coming of a Servant of God. Isaiah foresees that this Servant will, “Open the eyes of the blind, bring prisoners out from confinement, and from the dungeon, those who live in darkness.”

Isaiah’s vision of this Servant is fulfilled in Jesus and now needs to be continued by us.

So, we are to open the eyes of others to a life of faith in Jesus, do what we can to free those trapped by poverty, and lead into the light those caught in depression.

Our baptismal “I do” means that, “I do commit myself to care for others.”


Conclusion

In conclusion, unlike Michael Corleone in The Godfather, our actions must match our baptismal “I dos.”

We do commit (1) To live with God, (2) To name our children as God’s own, and (3) to care for others.

This is the meaning of our baptismal commitment and better we not renew it than renew it with half a heart.

Our Creed that follows will ask those very important questions, but first let us ponder our response.

Weekly THIS AND THAT for January 4, 2009: A Change in Our Monthly Envelope Mailing

This and That:
A Change in Our Monthly Envelope Mailing

Beginning in February in our monthly mailing of envelopes, we will discontinue an old familiar envelope and begin a new one. The old familiar goldenrod Capital Campaign envelope will be replaced by a new green one called, “Our Lady of Grace Debt Reduction Fund.” Because we get our February envelopes mailed to us in mid or late January, I thought it important to “get the word out” about the change. This week’s “This and That” is to explain the “What” and the “Why” of the envelope change and to give you a “heads up” before you receive the packet in the mail.

While I have this opportunity, it might be good to explain the different envelopes in the monthly packet you receive. There are the weekly Offertory envelopes, which are your weekly contribution to the support of the parish and its more than 60 ministries. Without the “bread and butter” Offertory we could not provide for our worship, programs or services. The second envelope is the new green “Debt Reduction Fund” which is explained further below. Finally there are the Christmas and Easter Special Collection envelopes. They are your Christmas and Easter gift to your parish.

Regarding the new green envelope, our three-year Capital Campaign was begun in January 2005 to pay for new construction and improvements to the facilities on campus. It also included paying down of some of our debt that was incurred on prior parish projects. The Campaign was a success with all of our planned projects being completed and we were able to reduce some of our outstanding debt.

In December 2007 we completed our Capital Campaign original pledge period for the Campaign, which used the goldenrod collection envelope. There were some parishioners who needed to extend the payment of their pledges beyond the original pledge schedule. There were other families who had joined our parish after the Capital Campaign had officially begun and were willing to make a three-year commitment that extended beyond December 2007. For these reasons we kept the goldenrod envelope in the monthly Offertory packet of envelops for all of 2008.

As we enter 2009, your family and your parish family each faces challenging times. Our parish is not immune to the economic climate in keeping our operational budget balanced and in servicing of our debt. Our Parish Development Committee has recommended that we discontinue the goldenrod Capital Campaign envelope and in its place include a green envelope called “Our Lady of Grace Debt Reduction Fund” beginning with the February envelop packet. These donations will go directly to servicing our debt on a regular basis and will be used for nothing else. The green envelope will now be included in the monthly packet.

The debt which was approved by the Finance Committee, Pastoral Council and Parish Coporators, was a result of our purchasing of some of the adjoining property, the opening of the Middle School, creating additional parking, building of the athletic fields, improvement of the ingress and egress to the campus, and expansion of the Educational Center. It was never our intention to completely pay off the debt to the Archdiocese so now that the Capital Campaign is officially over, we are asking all our people to help us chip away at reducing it, since the more we are able to pay off, the lesser the interest cost to the parish.

Thank you for continued generous support of Our Lady of Grace. Without your financial help we could not have accomplished all that has been done and will be done in the future.

Fondly,
Father Nicholas

Weekly HOMILY for January 4, 2009: Epiphany: A Game of Hide-and-Seek

Feast of the Epiphany, Cycle B
Our Lady of Grace
January 4, 2009

Epiphany: A Game of Hide-and-Seek
By (Rev. Msgr.) Nicholas P. Amato


A Hasidic Story

While in Israel this past fall, I heard a Hasidic story about a little boy playing hide-and-seek with his friends. For some unknown reason the other children stopped playing while he was hiding.

The little boy begins to cry. After a while his old grandfather comes out of the house to see what is troubling him and to comfort him.

After learning what has happened, the grandfather says, “My son, do not weep because the boys and girls did not come to find you.”

“Perhaps this disappointment has a lesson to teach us. All of life is like a game of hide-and-seek between God and us. Only it is God who is weeping for we are not playing the game well.”

“God is waiting to be found and many of us have left the game and gone in search of other things.”


Epiphany: Are We Seeking?

Epiphany is the feast about God-wanting-to-be-found and in fact being found, by shepherds and Wise Men.

Today I would like to look at aspects of ourselves that (1) Help us find God and aspects of ourselves that (2) Keep him veiled and hidden.

A way of doing this is to look at the three groups involved in this feast day and see the characteristics of each. My guess is that we can find aspects of each of them within ourselves.

First, there is King Herod, then the priests of the Temple, and finally the three Wise Men.


Herod: Closed to Seeking

First to King Herod. Here is someone who is threatened by the fact that Jesus could affect his own power and position. Consequently, he is completely closed to Jesus as a possible Savior.

In fact, his only objective is to have this child killed and takes steps in the slaughter of the Innocents to do just that.

Herod might represent us when we are closed to God who is making new expectations of us.

For example, perhaps we are closed to seeking out professional help in our marriage or with our drinking habits.

Perhaps we, like Herod, are threatened and closed to what the Lord may be calling us to face in our lives – the loss of power or control over children, workers, or others.

We may be unwilling to look inside at ourselves because it might require that we change something in our behavior or attitudes.


Temple Priests: Indifferent about Seeking

After Herod there are the Temple Priests. The Gospel simply says that they tell Herod where the newborn King of the Jews is to be born.

But notice that, even though they are good religious people, they don’t bother to go and seek Jesus for themselves.

They are just caught up in their own life and not looking for or even alert to anything new or different in their relationship with God.

I’d suggest that Temple Priests represent many of us, when we are indifferent to the ways God may be speaking to us today.

For example, perhaps we pass the pamphlet rack in the foyer of the church every week, but never consider picking up something to help our faith mature and keep pace with our maturing and learning about other things in life.

Or maybe we hear news reports about the environment but never even think about recycling.


Three Wise Men: Open to Seeking

Finally, there are the three Wise Men. The Gospel says that they travel from the East in search of the new Savior.

Apparently, they were quite spiritual people and are already respected for their wisdom.

They are open to this new revelation of God in Jesus. They are people who are still searching for more in their lives.

I would suggest that these Wise Men represent us when we are open to the Lord calling us to search out new ways in relating to God or to others.

For example, maybe we are willing to talk things through with a teenage son or daughter and look at our part when the relationship just seems to be going down the tubes.

Or maybe we are open to changing our way or manner of praying by making it less of a time for asking for things and more of a time for listening to what God is trying to tell us in the Scripture.


Conclusion

So this simple story of the three Wise Men may not be so simple after all.

It is really a story of how you and I are responding to the ways that the Lord may be speaking to us today and in these times of economic stress.

Am I closed and threatened like Herod? Or am I indifferent like the Temple Priests?

We pray that our style of relating to this Infant Savior is that of the openness of the Wise Men.

Weekly HOMILY for January 1, 2009: Mary, a Model for How to Live in the Present

Solemnity of Mary, the Mother of God, Cycle A
Our Lady of Grace
January 1, 2005

Mary, a Model for How to Live in the Present
By (Rev. Msgr.) Nicholas P. Amato



The Past and the Future

A writer named Alice Camille says that many of us live in the past or in the future a good bit of the time.

Alice Camille says that “past-dwellers” can be divided into two groups.

➢ First, there are the nostalgiacs: those who think that the way things were in the past was great and who long for the good old days.

➢ And second, there are the rubberneckers: those who are fixated on something bad that happened and they just can’t get over it.

Then, Alice Camille also says that future-dwellers can also be divided into two groups.

➢ First, there are the I-can’t-waiters: those who can’t wait for this or that to happen because then everything will be just fine.

➢ And second, there are the worriers: those who are filled with anxiety about tomorrow.

The problem is that the past-dwellers (the nostalgiacs and the rubberneckers) and the future-dwellers (the I-can’t-waiters and the worriers) are not living in the present.

The fact of the matter is that they are largely missing the only moment that counts – today, right now, the present moment.


Mary and the Present

The image of Mary today calls us to (1) Live in the present and (2) Also shows us how to do that.

Our Gospel passage tells us that following Jesus’ birth, “Mary treasures these things and reflects on them in her heart.” Later on in this same chapter, Luke again tells us that Mary “stores up these things in her heart.”

So, Mary is portrayed as a reflective, prayerful person.

➢ She seems to look back to what has happened in her life and to what she has been told about her role in God’s plan.

➢ And Mary also looks ahead to the promises and hopes about tomorrow that God gives us.

So, yes, she reflects on the past and the future, but notice that she is not stuck in either of them!

Instead, Mary sifts through everything and extracts what it is that God wants her to do right now. She tries to shape her life in the present from her experience of the past and from her hope for the future.


Mary as a Model for Us

My recommendation, of course, is that Mary is a good model for us on New Year’s Eve/Day.

She calls us to be prayerful, to be reflective in a very specific way. She moves us to sift through the experiences of our past and review the hopes for the future so that we can live the present fully and live it well.

➢ So, prayerfully, what can we learn from our experience of our past? From success or failure, from joy or sadness?

➢ And, what can we learn from our hopes for the future? From Jesus’ vision of peace and reconciliation, or from our own desire to have more time for the people in our lives?

In other words, what do our experiences of the past and of the future say to us about the present?


Conclusion

The example of Mary calls us to address this question in a prayerful and reflective way.

Weekly THIS AND THAT for December 28, 2008: The Whole Family of God Is Holy

This and That:
The Whole Family of God Is Holy


While away on sabbatical, one of many heartfelt experiences of the Palestinian People came in our visit to a Refugee Camp in Bethlehem. Agar and Emenia were parents of six children. They had fled from Iraq, hoping for a better life in the West Bank. It’s hard to know if things are really “better” for them. While they feel safer, life in the camps threatens their family with little or no food, cramped living conditions (8 in two rooms and a small kitchen), and no work to be found for either of them. Could we even imagine our family in a similar situation? Yet, with so little they invited us warmly into their humble home and offered us tea. Salir, their small son, graciously poured tea from a battered metal pot into six small glasses and served them as if he were serving royalty.

Speaking through an interpreter we asked them about their life in the camp. Their explanation only added to the dismay we felt over the living conditions we saw. We entertained the little children, taking their pictures and playing hide-and–seek. After an hour and a half we thanked them and left. What I will always remember is how Emenia bid us farewell saying, “Please come again and maybe next we make you chicken.” Our guide assured us that for them to “make us chicken” would be a very special occasion indeed.

Whether tight-knit, loosely woven, or downright poor, family is the safety net that draws unique and different human persons and holds them together in a unity, however, strong or tenuous. Whether wholesome or fractured, prosperous or poor, the ties that bind us bring tears to every family member’s eyes when one of their own is suffering. When one in the family achieves success, all celebrate it as if it were their own. When a newborn becomes part of the family, all feel a surge of new life; when one member dies, a little dying comes to all.

Today, in the company of Jesus, Mary and Joseph, we celebrate our identity as family, as “The Joneses,” the O’Learys,” the “Rossettis,” “the Martinezes.” etc. In addition to our own nuclear family, our Judeo-Christian faith reminds us that we also belong to a global family that excludes no one. But this is a goal we must work for.

At this moment, untold numbers of our worldwide family that includes Agar and Emenia are struggling to survive circumstances that threaten their very existence. War and its consequences destroy thousands in the human family each day. Poverty, hunger and disease claim even more lives, leaving countless children orphaned and alone.

This hard reality is well known and many among us, individually and as a parish, acknowledge our suffering brothers and sisters with generous help, prayers and outreach. But there are other family members whose voices are not heard and whose claim on us is not acknowledged. Millions of people from developing countries are seeking to survive through emigration. Driven by hunger and weighed down by poverty, joblessness and political oppression, these refugees risk their lives to try to provide the basic necessities of life for their own families. Many do not survive the journey; others are turned away at unfriendly borders. Nevertheless, their need is so great, they keep coming and keep hoping that someone will recognize their humanity and welcome them.

In recent years not just America, but other wealthy nations with great resources and room at the table for those who want to work hard and live responsibly are closing their doors to immigrants. Fear of political and economic conflict, supposed threats of terrorism and ethnic shift have challenged even our historic identity as a “Nation of Immigrants.” In recent times, lacking a coherent immigration policy, we have focused on a deportation-only strategy to pursue the millions of undocumented people who are already in the country hoping to find a legal path to citizenship. We read of workplace raids that are dividing families, imprisoning and deporting workers who were first welcomed, but then exploited by employers. While the goals of a national immigration system are in large measure responsible for this, the means have become an assault on human dignity and fairness. Children watch as their parents are taken away in handcuffs to appear later in court in chains. With little help from the legal system, limited cautious support from the Church, and little sympathy from a public that, despite our own immigrant heritage believes the myths about immigrants circulated by hate media, these helpless members of our family have little or no recourse.

Yet at the same time, signs of momentous change are visible. We just witnessed a general election that was a historic struggle to determine who would lead our county and set national goals and policy. Each party made history in presenting either an African American for president or the first woman in history as Vice President.

Inclusivity is undisputedly becoming a reality that enriches the lives of many, but others as families continue to live in a nightmare of fear and insecurity. The dream must expand to every member of the family. Therefore, those of us who are free to celebrate the gift of family on this Feast of the Holy Family are compelled because our membership in the family of Jesus to work diligently and to speak out boldly until absolutely every member of our human family can share the same joys.

Fondly,
Father Nicholas

Weekly THIS AND THAT for December 28, 2008: Becoming an Adult Believer Within a Family

Feast of the Holy Family
Our Lady of Grace
December 28, 2009

Becoming an Adult Believer Within a Family
By (Rev. Msgr.) Nicholas P. Amato


Two Friends

Two friends of mine, Bill and Doris, came to see me last week and among other things we talked about their pain over asking their 18-year old son finally to leave their home because of his beliefs and behavior.

That was six long years ago and they have not heard from him since. Talk about pain!

Being in their presence reminded me that being a family isn’t easy; remaining a family is even more difficult.


The Task of Parents

In our sharing, I mentioned that the task of parents in childhood is to offer their children a context, a space – limits within which to grow.

And having a First Grader grow into an Eighth Grader is akin to having a balloon slowly fill with helium and occupy the space between your hands.

Your child, your grandchild, needs that containment, if he/she is not to float off into the air.

In these early years, the child is called to grow in faith; parents are called to be (1) Models of faith and, very importantly, to be the (2) Tangible limits for that growth.

They set the parameters, if you will.


The Task of Son or Daughter

However, in the teenage years, the balloon, having filled the space, now wants to push beyond the space. The high school son or daughter wants to extend and expand the limits that were set in childhood.

The tasks for both parents and child have also been redefined. The child, while trying to be true to his or her own beliefs, is challenged to remain obedient to his parents.

The parents, while trying to maintain the context for faith and moral development, struggle at being patient and pray for guidance and the ability to accept their child as he/she is.


The Gospel

It is right here – in this type of family tension – that our gospel contains a special lesson for young people and for adults.

To young people, it says that there’s a time in life when we begin to experience the first movements out of childhood into adulthood.

We begin to think for ourselves and to ask questions about things that we’ve never thought about before.

From a religious point of view, it says that there is a time in life when we must make our own, the faith that we received from our parents and make it our own within our own limits.

There is a time when we must begin to make the transition from being a Christian child to being a Christian adult.


The Challenge

But this is a terrible critical time for both young people and their parents, as it was for my friends Bill and Doris, as it was for Joseph and Mary in St. Luke’s Gospel that we just heard proclaimed.

The account describes Jesus’ transition form religious childhood to religious adulthood.

And what is more important to note is that he suggests that this transition was difficult not only for Jesus, but also for his parents.

It was trying, not because Jesus or his parents did anything wrong. It was trying because they were a human family.

In other words, Jesus was feeling the death of his childhood limits set by his parents, and the birth of his adulthood limits set by himself, as every human being does.

This should come as no surprise for Sacred Scripture tells us that he was like us in all things but sin.

And Mary and Joseph had to adjust to the death of Jesus the child and the birth of Jesus the adult – and that wasn’t easy.


The Final Paragraph

The final paragraph of today’s Gospel is especially helpful here.

It holds an important lesson for families to grasp on this Feast of the Holy Family, a lesson that can shed some light on the alienation and estrangement we may have felt in the past or perhaps still do.

It reads: “Jesus went with is parents back to Nazareth and was obedient to them; and Mary treasured all these things and reflected on them in her heart.”

In other words, both Jesus and his parents are living out the transition of his own parental childhood limits to his own adulthood limits, and Mary and Joseph are struggling to do this in harmony with him and with understanding.

The struggle from Jesus’ side is obedience to their limits against what, in his heart, he knows he has to be doing as an adult, within his own limits.

On Mary and Joseph’s side, it means patience and praying for guidance in this critical period of their child’s life.

In the end, observe that it’s neither parent nor child who win or loose, for, while Jesus does return with them “in obedience” he does tell them very clearly, “Didn’t you know I must be about my Father’s business?”


Conclusion

Sometimes the transition from a childhood to an adult faith is reasonably smooth. Most of the times it is terribly painful.

What the pain seems to be about is letting something of the-way-we-were-used-to-relating, die.

This is the lesson today’s Gospel offers us. This is the message of today’s Feast of the Holy Family.

Weekly THIS AND THAT for December 25, 2008: Where Christmas Could Find Us

This and That:
Where Christmas Could Find Us


Merry Christmas to each of you from our Pastoral Team: Sr. Mary Therese, Elaine Hagner, Byrdie Ricketts, Deborah Webber, Chris Pignataro, Beth Pugliese, Erin Ingram, Jen Perry, Mary Miller, Joan DeSoto, Mary Kioussis, Chien Dang, Deacon Lee, and yours truly.

To those who are visiting with family and friends, to those whom we haven’t had the pleasure of seeing in a while, and to those who are with us a first time, a heartfelt welcome to our Catholic family on this glorious day. We are happy to have you worship with us as we celebrate Christ’s coming among us and begin the 9th Year of the Third Millennium of the Christian Era. In greeting you, we want to add quickly that you and your loved ones are always welcome here at Our Lady of Grace.

A constant theme we children heard from our mothers was that no matter how difficult times were, no matter what our living situation was, we were grateful to God for the little we did have. Thankfully, that point of view became part of our world view as children and continues in us as adults today. True, these are trying times economically and the financial situation has touched most if not all of us. Yet, it is a time to give thanks and to think of others who are in greater need.

IF you woke up this morning with more health than illness ...
THEN, you are more blessed than the million who will not survive this week.

IF you have never experienced the danger of battle, the loneliness of imprisonment, the agony of torture, or the pangs of starvation ...
THEN, you are ahead of 500 million people in the world.

IF you can attend a church service without fear of harassment, arrest, torture, or death ...
THEN, you are more blessed than three billion people in the world.

IF you have food in the refrigerator, clothes on your back, a roof overhead and a place to sleep …
THEN, you are richer than 75% of this world.

IF you have some money in the bank or in your wallet, and spare change in a dish someplace ...
THEN, you are among the top 8% of the world’s wealthy.

IF your parents are still alive and still married ...
THEN, you are a very rare family, even in the United States.

IF you hold up your head with a smile on your face and are truly thankful ...
THEN, you are blessed because the majority can … but most do not.

IF you can hold someone’s hand, hug them or even place a hand on their shoulder . . .
THEN, you are blessed because you can offer a healing touch.

IF you can read this message, you have just received a double blessing in that someone was thinking of you,

AND BEYOND THAT, you are more blessed than the over two billion people in the world who cannot read at all.

… AND SO may we count our blessings and not only think of others, but reach out to them as well, as we celebrate an event that has Jesus coming to poor shepherds as well as wealthy Magi.

Fondly,
Father Nicholas

Weekly HOMILY for December 25, 2008: The Manger Comes Alive

Christmas, Cycle C
Our Lady of Grace
December 25, 2006

The Manger Comes Alive
By (Rev. Msgr.) Nicholas P. Amato


The Manger

Ask, “Where do folks place their Nativity or Manger Scenes?” (Answers: under tree, on the mantle, on the hearth, on an end table or coffee table.)

Growing up we placed ours front-and-center under the Christmas tree with the gifts around both sides.

As a child I used to love to lie on my side in front of the manger and act out the parts, a bit like playing with soldiers.

My young boyhood view of the crèche was a more satisfying experience than even our annual Lionel train set-up in the spare bedroom. It seemed that my imagination really came alive when playing with these figures that had to do with God.

I’d pick up each of the figurines and think about the expressions on their faces and how they interacted with each other figurine.

I didn’t know it then, but these little statues each year began to express more and more the profound mystery and gift that the birth of the Son of God was for me.

Let me show you what I mean.


The Child Jesus

(Styrofoam box with all the figurines in it.) The figure of the newborn child Jesus was always in the center of the Nativity scene.

This child has come to symbolize the child that lies dormant within each of us.

My prayer for you this Christmas would be:

➢ That the newborn Jesus calls you to stand in wonder at the greatness of the universe and of creation.

➢ That the birth of the child leads you to reverence the life of every child from the very moment of conception.

➢ That the newborn Jesus leads you to reverence the sacredness of the life of every human being.


Mary and Joseph

And on each side of Jesus were Mary and Joseph looking lovingly over their infant son.

My prayer for you this Christmas would be:

➢ That the example of Joseph and Mary moves you, as a parent, to care tenderly for your children.

➢ That as a parent you understand that “what you say” and “how you say it” will have a direct effect on your child’s self-esteem and security.

➢ That as a parent you have the patience and wisdom to guide your children in the way of the child of Bethlehem


The Shepherds

A bit away from the sacred trio stood the shepherds who came out of their fields to see the Savior whom the angels have announced.

My prayer for you would be:

➢ That you come to the manger with the simplicity of the shepherds.

➢ That, like them, you realize that money and possessions are not the greatest gifts we can give and that it’s our presence to each other that makes the difference.

➢ That you remember, like the shepherds, you and I are spiritually poor and in need of the Savior.


The Magi

And then a little farther removed were those three famous fellows from the East – the Magi or Wise Men – who are seeking the child and bring wonderful gifts.

The gift of gold is the finest of metals.

➢ May you give the gold of yourself, caring for others, even when it may not be returned to you.

Frankincense creates a pleasing aroma when it is burned and rises up as smoke to the heavens.

➢ May you bring the frankincense of prayer to the manger as you lift up your voice to to pray for peace on earth and good will toward all.

Myrrh is used to prepare a body for burial.

➢ May you bring the myrrh of kindness to the sick, the suffering, the homeless, and the hungry.


The Star

And finally, what would a manger be without the star of Bethlehem shining brightly above it.

My prayer here would be:

➢ That the star that is Jesus, light your way on this earth as you struggle to love others.

➢ That he enlighten us with God’s Word and the God’s will.

➢ That the star of Jesus draw us more and more fully into communion with the Church, the Body of Jesus on earth.


Conclusion

Your manger set, or Nativity scene, has a great deal to tell you about how Christ’s coming can make a difference for your quality of life.

Take a few moments
➢ (3:30/5:30) with your children and have them explain what it is telling them)
➢ (10:00) when no one else is around, to see what it is telling you.)