14th Sunday of Ordinary Time, Cycle B
Our Lady of Grace
July 5, 2009
Handicapped One and All
(Rev. Msgr.) Nicholas P. Amato
Spaces for the Handicapped
We have all had the experience of driving into a parking lot and seeing an empty space close to the store or the entrance to the mall.
And then, as we get close to it, we see the symbol for handicapped persons painted on the pavement. So, we drive on and look for another space.
Well, imagine driving into the parking lot of Wegmann’s of the Hunt Valley Mall and seeing that the entire parking lot is almost empty and we think, “Man, I’ll be able to park wherever I want!”
But then, as you look more closely, you see the yellow symbol for the handicapped on every single solitary space. Every space is painted with that stick figure symbol of a person in a wheelchair.
All Are Handicapped
This image – a parking lot with every space designated for the handicapped – is very appropriate this morning.
Isn’t each of us handicapped in one way or another? Isn’t each of us at a loss in some particular way: physically, psychologically, emotionally, spiritually, socially, or intellectually?
I would suggest that we not view those who are physically handicapped as a minority. Instead, every time we see one of those especially reserved parking spaces let them remind us that we are all handicapped in some way?
Paul’s Handicap
This is what Saint Paul is getting at in this morning’s second reading.
Paul says that, “A thorn in the flesh was given to me, an angel of Satan.” He does not say what this “thorn” is.
Scholars speculate that it might have been a physical disability, or a moral flaw, or rejection and persecution by others. Whatever it was, Paul was aware of some “thorn in his flesh” – some handicap or weakness.
Paul knows that he has been given special gifts and a special role to play by God, but he is also aware of this “thorn.” And from God, Paul gets the great insight that, “Power is made perfect in weakness.”
In other words, this thorn or handicap or weakness keeps him from getting, as he says, “elated” or proud. It keeps him humble and therefore compassionate toward others.
As Paul, So Us
I suggest the same thing is true for each of us. We have all been given certain gifts and we believe that we have a special relationship with God.
But each of us, myself included, has something known or unknown to others – maybe a quick temper, maybe some kind of intestinal trouble, maybe some kind of compulsive behavior or addiction, maybe an imagination that gets me in trouble, maybe feeling alone and not part of the group.
No question about it, we’ve all got some kind of thorn or handicap or weakness.
And Paul’s insight is that this thorn can temper or perfect us. It can keep us humble and alert to one another, to the thorn or handicap or weakness of others.
In other words, our humanity should make us humble and sensitive to the humanity of others. It should soften us and make us more compassionate.
Handicaps to Compassion
One spiritual writer says that the virtue of compassion is a conscious sharing in the ten thousand possible handicaps, thorns, or weaknesses of others.
Compassion means making constant allowances for others’ shortcomings. It means remembering that the majority of handicaps are not even visible to the naked eye.
On this national holiday weekend, this leads me to think of today’s immigrants. No question, we as a country need to structure immigration and we need laws for this.
But some of the attitudes toward immigrants, especially Spanish-speaking immigrants, are simply incompatible with the Gospel and with what Paul is saying today. These are people very much like us.
They have been drawn to the United States by opportunities that are here and by American business. Often they are filling jobs that our businesses can get no one else to fill.
Be that as it may, we need to be aware of ourselves – of our weakness or thorn or handicap when we think about immigrants. And as we do that, we need to support a re-thinking of attitudes and policies on immigration.
Conclusion
I conclude with this.
When Jesus talks about the final judgment, those invited into the kingdom are the compassionate. Those close to the Lord are those who have compassion for the poor, the physically sick, the imprisoned, the emotionally or mentally challenged, and on it goes.
If being one of those invited, it would be good to remember Saint Paul’s words: “In weakness power reaches perfection.” And when we see handicap parking spaces, let’s be aware of our own handicaps and allow that to challenge us to be more compassionate toward others.
Thursday, July 02, 2009
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Weekly THIS AND THAT for June 28, 2009: New Peace Initiative in our Archdiocese
This and That:
New Peace Initiative in our Archdiocese
In a letter to pastors and parish administrators dated May 27, 2009, Archbishop O’Brien wrote:
“The seriousness of our city’s crime problem is well known. Shootings, most of which are drug-related, and other crimes against our citizens have taken a heavy toll on our people and our neighborhoods. This has been evident to me since my arrival, as has the enormous effort being made by our parishes and schools to minister to so many who otherwise would have lost hope in the face of such tragedy and despair.
Determining how best our community of faith can play an active role in promoting peace has been at the core of meetings between our pastors in Baltimore City and Bishop Madden over the past year and more. This issue was also at the heart of a discussion that took place recently between the bishop, other ecumenical leaders in the city and the commissioner of the Baltimore Police Department.
The result of that meeting was a commitment by church leaders to collaborate on efforts that promote peace in our city, such as Safe Streets, an initiative of the City Health Department that puts trusted members of the community who also have had in the past, difficulties with violent behavior, in positions to intervene and diffuse infighting and turf wars where shootings occur.
Several of our faith leaders formalized this commitment by agreeing to promote in our respective communities “A Summer of Peace.” At a time of year when shootings typically spike and many of our youth, vulnerable outside the safety of their schools and the rec centers and pools that will not re-open, become targets of violence and the drug trade, churches in and around Baltimore are being asked to promote peace by:
➢ Celebrating Peace Sunday
➢ Reciting a Prayer for Peace
➢ Collecting donations for the Safe Streets program
I urge all of our parishes, regardless of location, to consider joining this effort. Other peace-promoting efforts that target kids and create safe havens to be discussed are youth centers, summer camps, summer jobs programs. You are encouraged to explore these and other options that keep kids in your area safe this summer.”
Here at Our Lady of Grace, we are celebrating Peace Sunday this weekend by using the Prayer for Peace to end our General Intercessions and by donating our Poor Box collection to the Safe Streets program.
Some of our youth and adults have participated in recent years in the Baltimore Work Camp, which gives youth experience of working in the inner city. This takes place each June, around the same time as the youth trip to Appalachia. These experiences contribute to peace by putting faces on poverty and raising consciousness of our brothers and sisters who live in dangerous circumstances.
Our parish also has an ongoing relationship with the Franciscan Youth Center which provides a safe environment for Baltimore city children in after-school programs and summer camp. Each summer, we collect school supplies to help these children be ready for a new school year.
While we in northern Baltimore County are physically removed from the violence of the city, let us be mindful of those who live in dangerous areas, especially the children. Let’s make “Peace Sunday” an ongoing experience of solidarity with those in our city. Let’s continue to pray, share our resources and stay involved with our brothers and sisters throughout the summer and the school year.
Blessings,
Sister Mary Therese
New Peace Initiative in our Archdiocese
In a letter to pastors and parish administrators dated May 27, 2009, Archbishop O’Brien wrote:
“The seriousness of our city’s crime problem is well known. Shootings, most of which are drug-related, and other crimes against our citizens have taken a heavy toll on our people and our neighborhoods. This has been evident to me since my arrival, as has the enormous effort being made by our parishes and schools to minister to so many who otherwise would have lost hope in the face of such tragedy and despair.
Determining how best our community of faith can play an active role in promoting peace has been at the core of meetings between our pastors in Baltimore City and Bishop Madden over the past year and more. This issue was also at the heart of a discussion that took place recently between the bishop, other ecumenical leaders in the city and the commissioner of the Baltimore Police Department.
The result of that meeting was a commitment by church leaders to collaborate on efforts that promote peace in our city, such as Safe Streets, an initiative of the City Health Department that puts trusted members of the community who also have had in the past, difficulties with violent behavior, in positions to intervene and diffuse infighting and turf wars where shootings occur.
Several of our faith leaders formalized this commitment by agreeing to promote in our respective communities “A Summer of Peace.” At a time of year when shootings typically spike and many of our youth, vulnerable outside the safety of their schools and the rec centers and pools that will not re-open, become targets of violence and the drug trade, churches in and around Baltimore are being asked to promote peace by:
➢ Celebrating Peace Sunday
➢ Reciting a Prayer for Peace
➢ Collecting donations for the Safe Streets program
I urge all of our parishes, regardless of location, to consider joining this effort. Other peace-promoting efforts that target kids and create safe havens to be discussed are youth centers, summer camps, summer jobs programs. You are encouraged to explore these and other options that keep kids in your area safe this summer.”
Here at Our Lady of Grace, we are celebrating Peace Sunday this weekend by using the Prayer for Peace to end our General Intercessions and by donating our Poor Box collection to the Safe Streets program.
Some of our youth and adults have participated in recent years in the Baltimore Work Camp, which gives youth experience of working in the inner city. This takes place each June, around the same time as the youth trip to Appalachia. These experiences contribute to peace by putting faces on poverty and raising consciousness of our brothers and sisters who live in dangerous circumstances.
Our parish also has an ongoing relationship with the Franciscan Youth Center which provides a safe environment for Baltimore city children in after-school programs and summer camp. Each summer, we collect school supplies to help these children be ready for a new school year.
While we in northern Baltimore County are physically removed from the violence of the city, let us be mindful of those who live in dangerous areas, especially the children. Let’s make “Peace Sunday” an ongoing experience of solidarity with those in our city. Let’s continue to pray, share our resources and stay involved with our brothers and sisters throughout the summer and the school year.
Blessings,
Sister Mary Therese
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Weekly HOMILY for June 28, 2009: Deacon Preaching Sunday
Deacon Lee Benson preached at all the Masses this weekend as his farewell to Our Lady of Grace.
Friday, June 19, 2009
Weekly THIS AND THAT for June 21, 2009: Farewell and Thank You to Deacon Lee and Chris Pignataro
This and That:
Farewell and Thank You to Deacon Lee and Chris Pignataro
Deacon Lee Benson to be Reassigned
After two years with us, Deacon Lee is awaiting reassignment to another parish to continue his ministry which included preaching and assisting at Mass. He and his wife Debby have become familiar faces at Mass and it has been wonderful having them with us here at Our Lady of Grace.
While most of us will remember him from his excellent homilies and his use of PowerPoint slides to share his insights and reflection at Sunday Masses, Deacon Lee has been there for us in many other ways as well. He has prepared couples for the Baptism of their children, conducted large group Baptisms each month, and participated as a presenter for Lenten Family Fridays.
Deacon Lee has been a gentle and steady presence to our faith family, and in his moving on in ministry, we offer him our well wishes and prayers. We will bid farewell to Deacon Lee at the 10:00am Mass on Sunday, June 28th followed by a reception in the courtyard. All are invited to join us at that time.
Operation Faith Formation
For several months now Sister Mary Therese and I have been studying our parish’s 60+ ministries to see how effectively we have been serving the formation of our people in the areas of catechesis of our children and the evangelization of the members of the community-at-large. The effort has been called “Operation Faith Formation.”
In the area of Religious Education of our children, youth, and teens we have seen where many needs are coming to the fore, needs that require a fully credentialed and experienced Director of Religious Education. It has become evident that we need to upgrade the current position of “Administrator of Religious Education” to “Director of Religious Education,” effective July 1, 2009 and to seek a fully credentialed and experienced individual.
As a result, Chris Pignataro will be leaving her position as Administrator, effective June 30, 2009. We are presently in the process of interviewing for the position and are seeking a Director with a “Professional Catechist Certificate” which requires 18 college credits and five to ten years of experience. Such experience and training will make it possible for the individual to offer the theological presentations for parent preparation for First Sacraments, develop new programs, and even teach in the Confirmation Program of 9th and 10th Grades, as well as being the Retreat Director for the annual two-day retreat.
Chris Pignataro to Leave Position
Two and a half years ago Chris was wonderful in being willing to “step up to the plate” and help us with administering the Religious Education Programs with the unexpected resignation of our then Director of Religious Education. How grateful I was for her willingness to assist us in keeping all our programs going in mid-year. And that she has continued to do.
The results of “Operation Faith Formation” (see above) are having us upgrade the position from Administrator to Director, the latter of which requires a “Professional Certification” from the Archdiocese, a degree in Religious Education, and five to ten years of parish experience.
In meeting with Chris she very gracious and shared her thoughts. She has been helpful in the transition to a new person and is even willing to help out in the future, if the funds are available. There will be time for thanking her publicly at the 10:00am Mass on the weekend of June 28th with a reception that will follow the Mass in the courtyard.
In her two and a half years with us, she has added much to the life and vitality of both our Pastoral Team and our Religious Education Programs. Our catechists and parents have truly come to care for her, as have we all. She has assured me that she will continue as an active member of our parish family.
As you can see next weekend will be an important one for us as a parish. We invite you to join us at the 10:00am Mass and the reception that follows to help us celebrate and thank Deacon Lee and Chris Pignataro for their ministry among us.
Fondly,
Father Nicholas
Farewell and Thank You to Deacon Lee and Chris Pignataro
Deacon Lee Benson to be Reassigned
After two years with us, Deacon Lee is awaiting reassignment to another parish to continue his ministry which included preaching and assisting at Mass. He and his wife Debby have become familiar faces at Mass and it has been wonderful having them with us here at Our Lady of Grace.
While most of us will remember him from his excellent homilies and his use of PowerPoint slides to share his insights and reflection at Sunday Masses, Deacon Lee has been there for us in many other ways as well. He has prepared couples for the Baptism of their children, conducted large group Baptisms each month, and participated as a presenter for Lenten Family Fridays.
Deacon Lee has been a gentle and steady presence to our faith family, and in his moving on in ministry, we offer him our well wishes and prayers. We will bid farewell to Deacon Lee at the 10:00am Mass on Sunday, June 28th followed by a reception in the courtyard. All are invited to join us at that time.
Operation Faith Formation
For several months now Sister Mary Therese and I have been studying our parish’s 60+ ministries to see how effectively we have been serving the formation of our people in the areas of catechesis of our children and the evangelization of the members of the community-at-large. The effort has been called “Operation Faith Formation.”
In the area of Religious Education of our children, youth, and teens we have seen where many needs are coming to the fore, needs that require a fully credentialed and experienced Director of Religious Education. It has become evident that we need to upgrade the current position of “Administrator of Religious Education” to “Director of Religious Education,” effective July 1, 2009 and to seek a fully credentialed and experienced individual.
As a result, Chris Pignataro will be leaving her position as Administrator, effective June 30, 2009. We are presently in the process of interviewing for the position and are seeking a Director with a “Professional Catechist Certificate” which requires 18 college credits and five to ten years of experience. Such experience and training will make it possible for the individual to offer the theological presentations for parent preparation for First Sacraments, develop new programs, and even teach in the Confirmation Program of 9th and 10th Grades, as well as being the Retreat Director for the annual two-day retreat.
Chris Pignataro to Leave Position
Two and a half years ago Chris was wonderful in being willing to “step up to the plate” and help us with administering the Religious Education Programs with the unexpected resignation of our then Director of Religious Education. How grateful I was for her willingness to assist us in keeping all our programs going in mid-year. And that she has continued to do.
The results of “Operation Faith Formation” (see above) are having us upgrade the position from Administrator to Director, the latter of which requires a “Professional Certification” from the Archdiocese, a degree in Religious Education, and five to ten years of parish experience.
In meeting with Chris she very gracious and shared her thoughts. She has been helpful in the transition to a new person and is even willing to help out in the future, if the funds are available. There will be time for thanking her publicly at the 10:00am Mass on the weekend of June 28th with a reception that will follow the Mass in the courtyard.
In her two and a half years with us, she has added much to the life and vitality of both our Pastoral Team and our Religious Education Programs. Our catechists and parents have truly come to care for her, as have we all. She has assured me that she will continue as an active member of our parish family.
As you can see next weekend will be an important one for us as a parish. We invite you to join us at the 10:00am Mass and the reception that follows to help us celebrate and thank Deacon Lee and Chris Pignataro for their ministry among us.
Fondly,
Father Nicholas
Weekly HOMILY for June 21, 2009: Overcoming the Storms in Your Life
12th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle B
Our Lady of Grace
June 21, 2009
Overcoming the Storms in Your Life
By (Rev. Msgr.) Nicholas P. Amato
Imaging the Storm
I would like to begin my homily this (evening) (morning) with you creating in your imagination the storm on the Sea of Galilee that we just heard expressed in the Gospel.
If you feel comfortable closing your eyes for a moment, while I try to describe it, please do so.
It is a sunny bright afternoon and the Sea is as tranquil as a pond on a summer’s day.
The Gospel tells us that “It happened that a bad squall blew up. The waves were breaking over the boat.”
Imagine if you will, as often happens in Galilee, a cold front of dark ominous clouds moves in quickly over the Lake and part of the sky darkens and beneath the winds begin to howl and the water becomes chopped. Soon the downpour begins.
What had been a calm, viable sea all of a sudden becomes a dangerous threat to life as choppy waters lash against the small 24-foot fishing boat and it is caught up in the tumult. It begins shifting to and fro, tossed about by the winds.
Water begins to fill the boat, as bolts of lightening illumine the sky. The Disciples begin to fear for their lives.
Jesus sleeps in the stern, apparently unaware of or unperturbed by the storm; the Disciples, on the other hand, are frantic.
Please open your eyes.
The storm on the Sea of Galilee you saw is a symbol of the storms in our own lives, storms that have to do with our own sense of drowning, going under for the last time, or overwhelm, reaching the end of our rope – call it what you will.
What we see in the dialogue between Jesus and the Disciples in the midst of their storm is a three-fold progression into a deepening relationship with him as their “Savior at Sea.”
I would like to suggest that if we go through that same three-fold progression, we might attain the same sense of being saved from our own storm, as were the Disciples.
We Question
Let’s give it a try and begin with the first step of the progression.
Once the Disciples know that they are in trouble, they do reach out to the Lord albeit in panic. “Teacher, doesn’t it matter to you that we are going to drown” they frantically call out to him.
For us, in our own particular “drowning situation,” it may be the statement:
➢ “Doesn’t it matter that the one I loved has died?”
➢ “Doesn’t it matter that my life has been turned upside down by this divorce, this love, this sickness, this struggle, this problem?”
➢ “Doesn’t it matter that I’ve lost my job, my pension, my investment income after all these years of faithful service to my company.”
Well, the response to that from the Lord is, “Yes, my friend, it does matter!”
It matters greatly to our God when one of his beloved is frightened, scared, or upset.
But let us quickly add that sometimes that turmoil is needed in life, that at times, we need a “perfect storm” to blow through our life, clearing out the cobwebs of over-control, of presumption, of self-righteousness, of selfishness.
We need our precious self-control to be utterly frustrated so we can fall backwards into the arms of the “Sender of the Storm” who will become the “Savior in the Storm.”
Jesus Acts
A second progression of being saved from our storms is hearing Jesus’ rebuke of the wind and the sea when he cries out, “Quiet!”
When storms rage across the boat of your life and mine, and everything turns upside down, we need to be assured that our cry was heard and Jesus will call out in our storm.
We need to hear him say: “Be still, chaos!” “Leave him, anxiety and fear!” “Dispel her darkness!” “Grant them peace in their loss.” “Be lifted depression!”
And as we hear him, we need to let go of it all, to forget our preconceptions and our plans, to yield to the divine energy surging through us.
Do not fight or resist it. Stop struggling in the water; float with it! Trust that God’s word is enough to quell the winds and the sea.
Yes, there is a risk, but we need to trust it!
We Trust
The third and final progression in being saved at Sea is to hear Jesus’ words to each of us in the midst of our storm, “Why are you so terrified, Father Nicholas? Why are you so lacking in faith?”
To be able to make this act of trust in the midst of our storm, we need to know in our heads and trust with our hearts that Jesus would never leave us alone.
We need to know from our own past experiences that God holds all things in his hands and he now holds us as he has in the past.
Only then will our terror and fear dissolve in the warm embrace of God’s arms.
Yes, God holds us. Yes, God is with us. Yes, God is the river we float in, leading us to inevitable glory.
Conclusion
God is the master of all storms. God is the one who allows whirlwinds to rage in our lives from time to time.
But God is also sunshine after the rain. And God is the one who brings newfound peace in new waters of new places in life.
We question Jesus. Jesus acts. And Jesus questions us.
Our Lady of Grace
June 21, 2009
Overcoming the Storms in Your Life
By (Rev. Msgr.) Nicholas P. Amato
Imaging the Storm
I would like to begin my homily this (evening) (morning) with you creating in your imagination the storm on the Sea of Galilee that we just heard expressed in the Gospel.
If you feel comfortable closing your eyes for a moment, while I try to describe it, please do so.
It is a sunny bright afternoon and the Sea is as tranquil as a pond on a summer’s day.
The Gospel tells us that “It happened that a bad squall blew up. The waves were breaking over the boat.”
Imagine if you will, as often happens in Galilee, a cold front of dark ominous clouds moves in quickly over the Lake and part of the sky darkens and beneath the winds begin to howl and the water becomes chopped. Soon the downpour begins.
What had been a calm, viable sea all of a sudden becomes a dangerous threat to life as choppy waters lash against the small 24-foot fishing boat and it is caught up in the tumult. It begins shifting to and fro, tossed about by the winds.
Water begins to fill the boat, as bolts of lightening illumine the sky. The Disciples begin to fear for their lives.
Jesus sleeps in the stern, apparently unaware of or unperturbed by the storm; the Disciples, on the other hand, are frantic.
Please open your eyes.
The storm on the Sea of Galilee you saw is a symbol of the storms in our own lives, storms that have to do with our own sense of drowning, going under for the last time, or overwhelm, reaching the end of our rope – call it what you will.
What we see in the dialogue between Jesus and the Disciples in the midst of their storm is a three-fold progression into a deepening relationship with him as their “Savior at Sea.”
I would like to suggest that if we go through that same three-fold progression, we might attain the same sense of being saved from our own storm, as were the Disciples.
We Question
Let’s give it a try and begin with the first step of the progression.
Once the Disciples know that they are in trouble, they do reach out to the Lord albeit in panic. “Teacher, doesn’t it matter to you that we are going to drown” they frantically call out to him.
For us, in our own particular “drowning situation,” it may be the statement:
➢ “Doesn’t it matter that the one I loved has died?”
➢ “Doesn’t it matter that my life has been turned upside down by this divorce, this love, this sickness, this struggle, this problem?”
➢ “Doesn’t it matter that I’ve lost my job, my pension, my investment income after all these years of faithful service to my company.”
Well, the response to that from the Lord is, “Yes, my friend, it does matter!”
It matters greatly to our God when one of his beloved is frightened, scared, or upset.
But let us quickly add that sometimes that turmoil is needed in life, that at times, we need a “perfect storm” to blow through our life, clearing out the cobwebs of over-control, of presumption, of self-righteousness, of selfishness.
We need our precious self-control to be utterly frustrated so we can fall backwards into the arms of the “Sender of the Storm” who will become the “Savior in the Storm.”
Jesus Acts
A second progression of being saved from our storms is hearing Jesus’ rebuke of the wind and the sea when he cries out, “Quiet!”
When storms rage across the boat of your life and mine, and everything turns upside down, we need to be assured that our cry was heard and Jesus will call out in our storm.
We need to hear him say: “Be still, chaos!” “Leave him, anxiety and fear!” “Dispel her darkness!” “Grant them peace in their loss.” “Be lifted depression!”
And as we hear him, we need to let go of it all, to forget our preconceptions and our plans, to yield to the divine energy surging through us.
Do not fight or resist it. Stop struggling in the water; float with it! Trust that God’s word is enough to quell the winds and the sea.
Yes, there is a risk, but we need to trust it!
We Trust
The third and final progression in being saved at Sea is to hear Jesus’ words to each of us in the midst of our storm, “Why are you so terrified, Father Nicholas? Why are you so lacking in faith?”
To be able to make this act of trust in the midst of our storm, we need to know in our heads and trust with our hearts that Jesus would never leave us alone.
We need to know from our own past experiences that God holds all things in his hands and he now holds us as he has in the past.
Only then will our terror and fear dissolve in the warm embrace of God’s arms.
Yes, God holds us. Yes, God is with us. Yes, God is the river we float in, leading us to inevitable glory.
Conclusion
God is the master of all storms. God is the one who allows whirlwinds to rage in our lives from time to time.
But God is also sunshine after the rain. And God is the one who brings newfound peace in new waters of new places in life.
We question Jesus. Jesus acts. And Jesus questions us.
Weekly THIS AND THAT for June 14, 2009: Operation Faith Formation
This and That:
Operation Faith Formation
For several months now Sister Mary Therese and I have been studying our parish’s 60+ ministries to see how effectively we have been serving the formation of our people in the areas of catechesis of our children and the evangelization of the members of the community-at-large. The effort has been called “Operation Faith Formation.”
The three primary feedback tools that were employed were:
➢ Bishop Rozanski’s Pastoral Visit to the Parish three years ago and consequent Report
➢ Feedback from the Pastoral Council and Pastoral Team to the self-study on “The Hope That Lies Before Us,” [This is a document that helps parishes plan for the diminishing number of priests in the future.]
➢ Our Parish’s Strategic Plan
The time seemed appropriate to review this matter in order to leave the parish on a sound foundation, given the change of leadership on July 1, 2010.
The three feedback tools mentioned above were reviewed and each of the more than sixty ministries were studied regarding the numbers contacted through the ministry, and the background, experience, education and credentialing of staff members responsible for each ministry. Many questions arose: What new ministries are called for particularly in evangelization? What present ministries needed more attention? What things could be dropped as not central to “Faith Formation?”
Our findings were many. An important area that needs attention is our efforts in evangelization. That number one priority is currently only able to be done in small part by the Assistant Pastor and the work of our volunteer Evangelization Committee. Another area that needs greater emphasis is Religious Education. The present Administrator has had no undergraduate or graduate education or experience in this area and must rely on seminarians and other qualified staff members for theological presentations and “learning the ropes.” Programs also need to be developed in Adult Faith Formation. Presently all that is offered is the Annual Lenten Family Friday program and “Why Catholic?” groups and those are done by the Pastor and the Assistant Pastor. Getting people to attend Mass more regularly, seeking out those who have strayed, resourcing parents whose grown children have strayed from the Church, and welcoming all into our community are areas that need greater attention. Finally, greater emphasis needs to be given to assisting Religious Education catechists and School Religion teachers in receiving their certification to teach our children.
Elements of a plan were then developed. With the departure of the Pastor in June 2010 the Archdiocese may take one of several options regarding his replacement. After a Parish Visitation that will be done by the Division of Clergy Personnel, the Archbishop may appoint a new pastor immediately or he might wait up to 6 months before appointing a new one. This was what happened with the present Pastor being appointed. The Archbishop might also appoint an Associate Pastor (priest) who would report to a Pastor in another parish. In this scenario, the Pastor would in actuality be the Pastor of two parishes. A final option is where the Archbishop may appoint a Pastoral Life Director (Lay Ecclesial Minister or Permanent Deacon.) We are obviously advocating for a resident full-time pastor to succeed me.
Regarding other personnel, at this writing we are presently interviewing for a half-time professional Director of Religious Education. We also believe strongly that in the future we will need professional leadership in the general area of Faith Formation that would include expanded efforts in Evangelization and Adult Faith Formation. Such an individual would have to have at least a Master’s Degree in Theology and from five to ten years of parish experience. The challenge will come in providing such leadership, given the constraints of the budget and the guidelines set by the Parish Finance Committee calling for no new increases in staffing. It is both a challenging and exciting task we face.
Fondly,
Father Nicholas
Operation Faith Formation
For several months now Sister Mary Therese and I have been studying our parish’s 60+ ministries to see how effectively we have been serving the formation of our people in the areas of catechesis of our children and the evangelization of the members of the community-at-large. The effort has been called “Operation Faith Formation.”
The three primary feedback tools that were employed were:
➢ Bishop Rozanski’s Pastoral Visit to the Parish three years ago and consequent Report
➢ Feedback from the Pastoral Council and Pastoral Team to the self-study on “The Hope That Lies Before Us,” [This is a document that helps parishes plan for the diminishing number of priests in the future.]
➢ Our Parish’s Strategic Plan
The time seemed appropriate to review this matter in order to leave the parish on a sound foundation, given the change of leadership on July 1, 2010.
The three feedback tools mentioned above were reviewed and each of the more than sixty ministries were studied regarding the numbers contacted through the ministry, and the background, experience, education and credentialing of staff members responsible for each ministry. Many questions arose: What new ministries are called for particularly in evangelization? What present ministries needed more attention? What things could be dropped as not central to “Faith Formation?”
Our findings were many. An important area that needs attention is our efforts in evangelization. That number one priority is currently only able to be done in small part by the Assistant Pastor and the work of our volunteer Evangelization Committee. Another area that needs greater emphasis is Religious Education. The present Administrator has had no undergraduate or graduate education or experience in this area and must rely on seminarians and other qualified staff members for theological presentations and “learning the ropes.” Programs also need to be developed in Adult Faith Formation. Presently all that is offered is the Annual Lenten Family Friday program and “Why Catholic?” groups and those are done by the Pastor and the Assistant Pastor. Getting people to attend Mass more regularly, seeking out those who have strayed, resourcing parents whose grown children have strayed from the Church, and welcoming all into our community are areas that need greater attention. Finally, greater emphasis needs to be given to assisting Religious Education catechists and School Religion teachers in receiving their certification to teach our children.
Elements of a plan were then developed. With the departure of the Pastor in June 2010 the Archdiocese may take one of several options regarding his replacement. After a Parish Visitation that will be done by the Division of Clergy Personnel, the Archbishop may appoint a new pastor immediately or he might wait up to 6 months before appointing a new one. This was what happened with the present Pastor being appointed. The Archbishop might also appoint an Associate Pastor (priest) who would report to a Pastor in another parish. In this scenario, the Pastor would in actuality be the Pastor of two parishes. A final option is where the Archbishop may appoint a Pastoral Life Director (Lay Ecclesial Minister or Permanent Deacon.) We are obviously advocating for a resident full-time pastor to succeed me.
Regarding other personnel, at this writing we are presently interviewing for a half-time professional Director of Religious Education. We also believe strongly that in the future we will need professional leadership in the general area of Faith Formation that would include expanded efforts in Evangelization and Adult Faith Formation. Such an individual would have to have at least a Master’s Degree in Theology and from five to ten years of parish experience. The challenge will come in providing such leadership, given the constraints of the budget and the guidelines set by the Parish Finance Committee calling for no new increases in staffing. It is both a challenging and exciting task we face.
Fondly,
Father Nicholas
Weekly HOMILY for June 14, 2009: Eucharist -- The Divine Embrace
Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ, Cycle A
Our Lady of Grace
June 14, 2009
Eucharist: the Divine Embrace
By (Rev. Msgr.) Nicholas P. Amato
A Rabbi’s Embrace
There is a story about a six-year-old Jewish boy named Mortakai.
Mortakai refused to go to school. Each day, his mother took him to school, but as soon as she left him, he ran back home only to have his mother bring him back to school once again.
This scenario played itself day after day. No bribe or threat could convince Mortakai to change his mind.
In desperation, the parents contacted their rabbi. The rabbi said, “If the boy won’t listen to words, bring him to me.”
And so, the parents took Mortakai to the rabbi. As they entered his study, the rabbi did not say a word, but simply picked up the boy and held him to his heart for a long time.
Then, without speaking, the rabbi set the boy down. Amazingly, what words alone could not accomplish, a silent embrace did.
Mortakai began going to school willingly every day. And beyond that, he went on to become a famous Jewish scholar and rabbi.
God’s Embrace
One of our current Catholic spiritual writers, Fr. Ronald Rolheiser, says that this parable expresses the essence of the feast we celebrate today, the Feast of Corpus Christi.
Through the Eucharist, God physically embraces us and holds us close to the divine heart. Words are important in life and that is why the Word of God has such a prominent part to play in our celebration of the Eucharist.
But, at times, words can fail us. I have to think of my visits to funeral homes.
The older I get, the more I realize that it is more important that I am just there with a hug or a firm warm handshake with a parishioner who has suffered the loss of a loved one and is grieving. My presence is a spiritual embrace and that communicates more than my words.
Certainly, Jesus makes powerful use of words and we hear his words in the Gospels. But even Jesus’ words have limits and so he resorts to another language – the language of ritual and action.
This is what the gift of his Body and Blood in the forms of bread and wine is all about. It is Jesus doing what that rabbi did for young Mortakai; it is Jesus’ physical embrace, his holding us near to his heart.
A Parent’s Embrace
Ronald Rolheiser offers another example.
He says that there often comes a time, usually late in the afternoon, when little children can get very tired. Perhaps they have been to pre-school and did not get much of a nap. At such times they can get into all sorts of cranky behaviors, like tormenting the cat or the dog.
The child is tired and begins to whine. The mother is also tired and begins to reprimand the child.
The child simply whines all the more and now the mother knows exactly what to do.
She scoops up the child and without speaking, just holds the child to her heart.
The Eucharist’s Embrace
Rolheiser says that this is a good image of the Eucharist.
We all come to the Eucharist, at times, tired, strung out, lonely, preoccupied, worried or just plain cranky. There are times when we have no words to say and cannot really hear or heed any words.
And then, in that moment, God touches us and picks us up, like a mother calming her child. In that moment, only a physical touch or embrace will work.
This is why God, in Jesus, gives us the Eucharist. It is this physical embrace by the Divine that we celebrate today.
No wonder the Eucharist is such a powerful sacrament. No wonder we have a hunger for it, even if we have not been here for it for some time.
No wonder those who are not Catholic also have a hunger for it. We human beings all need and we all have a hunger for the Divine Embrace that the Eucharist is.
Conclusion
When we are sacramentally and physically embraced by Jesus here in the Eucharist, we become one with the very God who nourishes us. We find a profound comfort in our human upset and anxiety.
We find a profound satisfaction for our human tiredness and searching.
That is what the Eucharist, the Body and Blood of Christ, is for us: the divine embrace that communicates without any words at all.
Our Lady of Grace
June 14, 2009
Eucharist: the Divine Embrace
By (Rev. Msgr.) Nicholas P. Amato
A Rabbi’s Embrace
There is a story about a six-year-old Jewish boy named Mortakai.
Mortakai refused to go to school. Each day, his mother took him to school, but as soon as she left him, he ran back home only to have his mother bring him back to school once again.
This scenario played itself day after day. No bribe or threat could convince Mortakai to change his mind.
In desperation, the parents contacted their rabbi. The rabbi said, “If the boy won’t listen to words, bring him to me.”
And so, the parents took Mortakai to the rabbi. As they entered his study, the rabbi did not say a word, but simply picked up the boy and held him to his heart for a long time.
Then, without speaking, the rabbi set the boy down. Amazingly, what words alone could not accomplish, a silent embrace did.
Mortakai began going to school willingly every day. And beyond that, he went on to become a famous Jewish scholar and rabbi.
God’s Embrace
One of our current Catholic spiritual writers, Fr. Ronald Rolheiser, says that this parable expresses the essence of the feast we celebrate today, the Feast of Corpus Christi.
Through the Eucharist, God physically embraces us and holds us close to the divine heart. Words are important in life and that is why the Word of God has such a prominent part to play in our celebration of the Eucharist.
But, at times, words can fail us. I have to think of my visits to funeral homes.
The older I get, the more I realize that it is more important that I am just there with a hug or a firm warm handshake with a parishioner who has suffered the loss of a loved one and is grieving. My presence is a spiritual embrace and that communicates more than my words.
Certainly, Jesus makes powerful use of words and we hear his words in the Gospels. But even Jesus’ words have limits and so he resorts to another language – the language of ritual and action.
This is what the gift of his Body and Blood in the forms of bread and wine is all about. It is Jesus doing what that rabbi did for young Mortakai; it is Jesus’ physical embrace, his holding us near to his heart.
A Parent’s Embrace
Ronald Rolheiser offers another example.
He says that there often comes a time, usually late in the afternoon, when little children can get very tired. Perhaps they have been to pre-school and did not get much of a nap. At such times they can get into all sorts of cranky behaviors, like tormenting the cat or the dog.
The child is tired and begins to whine. The mother is also tired and begins to reprimand the child.
The child simply whines all the more and now the mother knows exactly what to do.
She scoops up the child and without speaking, just holds the child to her heart.
The Eucharist’s Embrace
Rolheiser says that this is a good image of the Eucharist.
We all come to the Eucharist, at times, tired, strung out, lonely, preoccupied, worried or just plain cranky. There are times when we have no words to say and cannot really hear or heed any words.
And then, in that moment, God touches us and picks us up, like a mother calming her child. In that moment, only a physical touch or embrace will work.
This is why God, in Jesus, gives us the Eucharist. It is this physical embrace by the Divine that we celebrate today.
No wonder the Eucharist is such a powerful sacrament. No wonder we have a hunger for it, even if we have not been here for it for some time.
No wonder those who are not Catholic also have a hunger for it. We human beings all need and we all have a hunger for the Divine Embrace that the Eucharist is.
Conclusion
When we are sacramentally and physically embraced by Jesus here in the Eucharist, we become one with the very God who nourishes us. We find a profound comfort in our human upset and anxiety.
We find a profound satisfaction for our human tiredness and searching.
That is what the Eucharist, the Body and Blood of Christ, is for us: the divine embrace that communicates without any words at all.
Weekly THIS AND THAT for June 7, 2009: Forgiving Sometimes Means Forgetting
This and That:
Forgiving Sometimes Means Forgetting
Pope Benedict had a unique role to play in the Holy Land. Having lived for three months at the Bethlehem Wall and a 10-minute bus ride to Jerusalem, I could not help but raise my heart to God in gratitude for his presence there. I realized just how unique his mission is in this divided and conflicted country the size of New Jersey. They squabble over everything from land to doctrinal minutiae. The fact is that the Pope did not come to the Holy Land to play party politics, not even for his own “party.” Nor did he come merely as a representative of the Catholic Church; he came on behalf of everyone involved, on behalf of humanity itself.
Benedict spoke on behalf of the Jews, praising their religious heritage and defending their right to security and self-rule. He spoke on behalf of Palestinians and their right to sovereignty and freedom. He spoke on behalf of Muslims, calling them to the best of their religious tradition with its deep religious convictions and heartfelt worship of the one God. He spoke for Christians in their difficult status as a tiny, suffering minority of the population. Yes, he spoke to all and for all.
And this is the singularity of the Pope’s voice and message. Paradoxically, amidst all the manipulation of the Pope’s message and all the complaints that he does not side closely enough with any one group, we see the greatness and uniqueness of his presence here. Is there any other leader in the world that can speak with the same moral authority or true impartiality? I think not. His very refusal to play partisan politics is why his message is so often rejected, and yet, why it is so desperately important.
At the present time attention has shifted to Bethlehem, the City of David and birthplace of Jesus Christ, but also a part of the Palestinian Territories. On arriving to Bethlehem, Benedict XVI lost no time in expressing his heartfelt solidarity with the suffering Palestinians, and in affirming the Holy See’s position regarding their right to sovereignty. “Mr. President, the Holy See supports the right of your people to a sovereign Palestinian homeland in the land of your forefathers, secure and at peace with its neighbors, within internationally recognized borders,” he said.
In theory this should provoke no disagreement, since the official position of the State of Israel coincides with that of the Holy See. Israel, too, affirms the right of the Palestinians to a sovereign homeland, once such an arrangement can be feasibly worked out without detriment to Israel's security. Of course, there’s the rub.
In my studies in the Holy Land I had spoken with a number of people of diverse backgrounds and experiences, and the one thing they all seem to have in common is that they are suffering. Each one wanted to tell me of the hardships and injustices endured, either personally or historically. Each had a tale of woe to tell. No one seems to recall ever having committed injustice, but all remember having suffered it. And I cannot help but wonder, in a land of so much pain and grief, a land whose peoples pride themselves on “remembering,” whether on occasion forgetfulness might not be a more needed virtue.
While in Bethlehem, Benedict XVI urged his Christian hearers to “Be a bridge of dialogue and constructive cooperation in the building of a culture of peace to replace the present stalemate of fear, aggression and frustration.” This is what he himself is striving to be – by his presence, by his words and by his patient resolve to persistently preach the Good News “in season and out of season” (2 Timothy 4:2).
Fondly,
Father Nicholas
Forgiving Sometimes Means Forgetting
Pope Benedict had a unique role to play in the Holy Land. Having lived for three months at the Bethlehem Wall and a 10-minute bus ride to Jerusalem, I could not help but raise my heart to God in gratitude for his presence there. I realized just how unique his mission is in this divided and conflicted country the size of New Jersey. They squabble over everything from land to doctrinal minutiae. The fact is that the Pope did not come to the Holy Land to play party politics, not even for his own “party.” Nor did he come merely as a representative of the Catholic Church; he came on behalf of everyone involved, on behalf of humanity itself.
Benedict spoke on behalf of the Jews, praising their religious heritage and defending their right to security and self-rule. He spoke on behalf of Palestinians and their right to sovereignty and freedom. He spoke on behalf of Muslims, calling them to the best of their religious tradition with its deep religious convictions and heartfelt worship of the one God. He spoke for Christians in their difficult status as a tiny, suffering minority of the population. Yes, he spoke to all and for all.
And this is the singularity of the Pope’s voice and message. Paradoxically, amidst all the manipulation of the Pope’s message and all the complaints that he does not side closely enough with any one group, we see the greatness and uniqueness of his presence here. Is there any other leader in the world that can speak with the same moral authority or true impartiality? I think not. His very refusal to play partisan politics is why his message is so often rejected, and yet, why it is so desperately important.
At the present time attention has shifted to Bethlehem, the City of David and birthplace of Jesus Christ, but also a part of the Palestinian Territories. On arriving to Bethlehem, Benedict XVI lost no time in expressing his heartfelt solidarity with the suffering Palestinians, and in affirming the Holy See’s position regarding their right to sovereignty. “Mr. President, the Holy See supports the right of your people to a sovereign Palestinian homeland in the land of your forefathers, secure and at peace with its neighbors, within internationally recognized borders,” he said.
In theory this should provoke no disagreement, since the official position of the State of Israel coincides with that of the Holy See. Israel, too, affirms the right of the Palestinians to a sovereign homeland, once such an arrangement can be feasibly worked out without detriment to Israel's security. Of course, there’s the rub.
In my studies in the Holy Land I had spoken with a number of people of diverse backgrounds and experiences, and the one thing they all seem to have in common is that they are suffering. Each one wanted to tell me of the hardships and injustices endured, either personally or historically. Each had a tale of woe to tell. No one seems to recall ever having committed injustice, but all remember having suffered it. And I cannot help but wonder, in a land of so much pain and grief, a land whose peoples pride themselves on “remembering,” whether on occasion forgetfulness might not be a more needed virtue.
While in Bethlehem, Benedict XVI urged his Christian hearers to “Be a bridge of dialogue and constructive cooperation in the building of a culture of peace to replace the present stalemate of fear, aggression and frustration.” This is what he himself is striving to be – by his presence, by his words and by his patient resolve to persistently preach the Good News “in season and out of season” (2 Timothy 4:2).
Fondly,
Father Nicholas
Weekly HOMILY for June 7, 2009: Relationships and the Trinity
Solemnity of the Holy Trinity, Cycle B
Our Lady of Grace
June 7, 2009
Relationships and the Trinity
By (Rev. Msgr.) Nicholas P. Amato
In Relationship
Let’s think for a minute about our human experience, our experience of ourselves as persons.
If we look back to the time of our birth, we can see that infants are made to be cared for. They are born in a very special relationship of love.
Their very survival as infants depends on a relationship. They cannot think for themselves and take care of themselves, and they depend on their mother or father to do this for them.
So right from the beginning, our human experience is both shared and relational. We are – for all our days – caught up in personal relationship.
In fact, we can say that none of us really exists on our own. The essence, the heart, of a human being is to be in relation to the other. True? (Yes.)
Our Best: When Relational
Think now for a moment of what you would say are your best moments in life. Another way to ask that is when are you most yourself?
I believe that the bottom line of everyone’s really best moments always involve being in relationship.
Isn’t this true? When my mother or father hugged me, it was a best moment. When your spouse says, “I love you” – a best moment. When your teacher or boss affirms you – a best moment.
When friendship is tangible and strong – a best moment. When someone is there for you at the visitation in the funeral home – another best moment.
Our Worst: Not Relational
And conversely, what are our worst moments? When are the moments in your life that you are least yourself?
I believe it is when we are out of relationship: feeling isolated, alienated, abandoned or alone. Point of clarification: to be in solitude is different from all of these. To be in solitude is to be in intimate union with God, so you’re not really alone.
This is why solitary confinement is the most severe penalty in prison. It is why divorce is such a painful experience for everyone – husband, wife, and children.
What is the worst pain then? The worst pain if to be out of relationship.
Relationship: The Trinity
The point of all this is that we human beings do not merely exist as animals do.
We exist, we live, in relationship. Relationship is what makes us what we are and now of course we have to ask the really big question: Why?
Why is this so? Today’s celebration of the Holy Trinity gives us the answer.
The Scripture first tells us that we are made in the image and likeness of God. Then the Trinity reveals that God is above anything else, in God’s very core, relational.
It should come as no surprise that to say God is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit is to say that God is relationship. So, no wonder that we, who are made in God’s image and likeness, are also essentially relational.
God is about relationship and we are about relationship. No wonder that Jesus’ last words to his disciples, right in today’s Gospel, are relational: “I am with you always, even to the end of the world.”
Trinity: Four Truths
I suggest then that today’s celebration of the Trinity lifts up four wonderful truths that we can know and feel in our very bones.
First: It sheds light on who we are. We are persons with an undeniable, inescapable drive to be in relationship and we are happiest when we are.
Second: The Trinity shows the primacy of love. If God is relationship, it is a love relationship, and no surprise that poets and songwriters all over the planet keep exploring the wonder of love.
Third: Today’s celebration reminds us that we are baptized “In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” – as we heard in the Gospel. Our spiritual identity is cast as persons who are caught up in the relationship of God himself.
And because of this, the Fourth and last truth is that the Trinity gives us hope. A question in the Old Baltimore Catechism said, “Why did God make us?”
And the answer was: “To know, love, and serve him in this world, and to be happy with him forever in the next.”
So, the final, long-term purpose of human existence is to be with, to be in relationship with God who made us in God’s image – that is the hope we celebrate today.
Our Lady of Grace
June 7, 2009
Relationships and the Trinity
By (Rev. Msgr.) Nicholas P. Amato
In Relationship
Let’s think for a minute about our human experience, our experience of ourselves as persons.
If we look back to the time of our birth, we can see that infants are made to be cared for. They are born in a very special relationship of love.
Their very survival as infants depends on a relationship. They cannot think for themselves and take care of themselves, and they depend on their mother or father to do this for them.
So right from the beginning, our human experience is both shared and relational. We are – for all our days – caught up in personal relationship.
In fact, we can say that none of us really exists on our own. The essence, the heart, of a human being is to be in relation to the other. True? (Yes.)
Our Best: When Relational
Think now for a moment of what you would say are your best moments in life. Another way to ask that is when are you most yourself?
I believe that the bottom line of everyone’s really best moments always involve being in relationship.
Isn’t this true? When my mother or father hugged me, it was a best moment. When your spouse says, “I love you” – a best moment. When your teacher or boss affirms you – a best moment.
When friendship is tangible and strong – a best moment. When someone is there for you at the visitation in the funeral home – another best moment.
Our Worst: Not Relational
And conversely, what are our worst moments? When are the moments in your life that you are least yourself?
I believe it is when we are out of relationship: feeling isolated, alienated, abandoned or alone. Point of clarification: to be in solitude is different from all of these. To be in solitude is to be in intimate union with God, so you’re not really alone.
This is why solitary confinement is the most severe penalty in prison. It is why divorce is such a painful experience for everyone – husband, wife, and children.
What is the worst pain then? The worst pain if to be out of relationship.
Relationship: The Trinity
The point of all this is that we human beings do not merely exist as animals do.
We exist, we live, in relationship. Relationship is what makes us what we are and now of course we have to ask the really big question: Why?
Why is this so? Today’s celebration of the Holy Trinity gives us the answer.
The Scripture first tells us that we are made in the image and likeness of God. Then the Trinity reveals that God is above anything else, in God’s very core, relational.
It should come as no surprise that to say God is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit is to say that God is relationship. So, no wonder that we, who are made in God’s image and likeness, are also essentially relational.
God is about relationship and we are about relationship. No wonder that Jesus’ last words to his disciples, right in today’s Gospel, are relational: “I am with you always, even to the end of the world.”
Trinity: Four Truths
I suggest then that today’s celebration of the Trinity lifts up four wonderful truths that we can know and feel in our very bones.
First: It sheds light on who we are. We are persons with an undeniable, inescapable drive to be in relationship and we are happiest when we are.
Second: The Trinity shows the primacy of love. If God is relationship, it is a love relationship, and no surprise that poets and songwriters all over the planet keep exploring the wonder of love.
Third: Today’s celebration reminds us that we are baptized “In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” – as we heard in the Gospel. Our spiritual identity is cast as persons who are caught up in the relationship of God himself.
And because of this, the Fourth and last truth is that the Trinity gives us hope. A question in the Old Baltimore Catechism said, “Why did God make us?”
And the answer was: “To know, love, and serve him in this world, and to be happy with him forever in the next.”
So, the final, long-term purpose of human existence is to be with, to be in relationship with God who made us in God’s image – that is the hope we celebrate today.
Weekly THIS AND THAT for May 31, 2009: Pentecost and Our Volunteers
This and That:
Pentecost and Our Volunteers
The Liturgical Year has many things to teach us about how Jesus is interacting in our very lives.
While Easter Sunday is at the center of our lives of faith, Jesus’ rising from the dead was not a reality his followers were in touch with, nor is it for us. We need to come around to believing and understanding it. We need to be eased into it, if you will. And so the Liturgical Year helps us do just that.
For seven weeks after Jesus’ Resurrection, we are fed on the Word and Eucharist as we hear of Jesus’ walking around the earth and appearing to the disciples. We see and feel their confusion, their disbelief, and their coming to their senses about this victory over death that is his and how it can be ours. But no sooner do the disciples get accustomed to the glorious reality that is theirs that Jesus begins to rock the boat again.
He is off to his Father’s house, that is, he is ascending to God the Father’s right hand in heaven. “Leave us? Just like that! Just after you’ve accustomed us to your presence?” They are beyond themselves! Jesus assurance is that he must go for, if he does not, he cannot send the Paraclete, the Comforter, who will teach them all things. But there is more. These very disciples will be empowered by this Spirit he will send so much so that they will now be his physical presence in the world. Quite a commission and they are getting the energy, the resource to be that formidable presence!
Last Sunday we celebrated Jesus’ Ascension, the return to the Father. Then right on the “liturgical tails” of that, this Sunday we celebrate the empowerment Jesus promised us. He sends the Holy Spirit to fill us with the seven-fold gifts that are his divine life of grace manifested in us. Concretely, we are given wisdom, understanding, right judgment, courage, knowledge, reverence, and awe of God.
Which gift of the Spirit that you have received is your strength? Which is your short suit? Which do you use in the service of the Church? This Sunday we are celebrating Pentecost, the fulfillment of Jesus’ promise to us and it seems appropriate that we also celebrate and thank all the 600+ individuals who fill some 800 ministries for our parish family. If we are the Body of Christ, which we are, and if that body needs flesh and blood in terms of testifying, then our volunteers are that presence. Catechists, liturgical ministers, music ministers, office volunteers, Martha and Mary, Grace Our Table Ministers, Drama Ministry, Corporators, Pastoral, School and Reading Center Council members, a multitude of committees and panels, and scores of others, they are all the flesh and bones of this Body of Christ.
The following are how the gifts of the Spirit that they so generously place at our disposal are manifested:
➢ Wisdom – With the gift of wisdom, we see God at work in our lives and in the world. For the wise person, the wonders of nature, historical events, and the ups and downs of our lives take on deeper meaning
➢ Understanding – With the gift of understanding, we comprehend how we need to live as a follower of Jesus Christ. A person with understanding is not confused by all the conflicting messages in our culture about the right way to live. Also called “Common Sense,” the gift of understanding perfects a person’s speculative reason in the apprehension of truth
➢ Counsel (Right Judgment) – With the gift of right judgment, we know the difference between right and wrong, and we choose to do what is right. A person with right judgment avoids sin and lives out the values taught by Jesus. The gift of truth that allows the person to respond prudently, and happily to believe our Christ the Lord
➢ Courage – With the gift of courage, we overcome our fear and are willing to take risk as a follower of Jesus. A person with courage is willing to stand up for what is right in the sight of God, even if it means accepting rejection, verbal abuse, or even physical harm and death. The gift of Courage allows people the firmness of mind that is required both in doing good and in enduring evil, especially with regard to goods or evils that are difficult.
➢ Knowledge – With the gift of knowledge, we understand the meaning of God’s Revelation, especially as expressed in the life and words of Jesus Christ. A person with knowledge is always learning more about the Scriptures and Tradition. The gift of knowledge is more than an accumulation of facts
➢ Piety (Reverence) - With the gift of reverence, sometimes called piety, we have a deep sense of respect for God and the Church. A person with reverence recognizes our total reliance on God and comes before God with humility, trust, and love. Piety is the gift whereby, at the Holy Spirit’s instigation, we pay worship and duty to God as our Father
➢ Fear of the Lord (Awe of God) - With the gift of wonder and awe (fear of the lord), we are aware of the glory and majesty of God. A person with wonder and awe knows that God is the perfection of all we desire: perfect knowledge, perfect goodness, perfect power, and perfect love.
On this celebration of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon the followers of Jesus, let us give thanks to the men, women and youth who so beautifully manifest that presence and thank them for their gracious service to the Church.
Fondly,
Father Nicholas
Pentecost and Our Volunteers
The Liturgical Year has many things to teach us about how Jesus is interacting in our very lives.
While Easter Sunday is at the center of our lives of faith, Jesus’ rising from the dead was not a reality his followers were in touch with, nor is it for us. We need to come around to believing and understanding it. We need to be eased into it, if you will. And so the Liturgical Year helps us do just that.
For seven weeks after Jesus’ Resurrection, we are fed on the Word and Eucharist as we hear of Jesus’ walking around the earth and appearing to the disciples. We see and feel their confusion, their disbelief, and their coming to their senses about this victory over death that is his and how it can be ours. But no sooner do the disciples get accustomed to the glorious reality that is theirs that Jesus begins to rock the boat again.
He is off to his Father’s house, that is, he is ascending to God the Father’s right hand in heaven. “Leave us? Just like that! Just after you’ve accustomed us to your presence?” They are beyond themselves! Jesus assurance is that he must go for, if he does not, he cannot send the Paraclete, the Comforter, who will teach them all things. But there is more. These very disciples will be empowered by this Spirit he will send so much so that they will now be his physical presence in the world. Quite a commission and they are getting the energy, the resource to be that formidable presence!
Last Sunday we celebrated Jesus’ Ascension, the return to the Father. Then right on the “liturgical tails” of that, this Sunday we celebrate the empowerment Jesus promised us. He sends the Holy Spirit to fill us with the seven-fold gifts that are his divine life of grace manifested in us. Concretely, we are given wisdom, understanding, right judgment, courage, knowledge, reverence, and awe of God.
Which gift of the Spirit that you have received is your strength? Which is your short suit? Which do you use in the service of the Church? This Sunday we are celebrating Pentecost, the fulfillment of Jesus’ promise to us and it seems appropriate that we also celebrate and thank all the 600+ individuals who fill some 800 ministries for our parish family. If we are the Body of Christ, which we are, and if that body needs flesh and blood in terms of testifying, then our volunteers are that presence. Catechists, liturgical ministers, music ministers, office volunteers, Martha and Mary, Grace Our Table Ministers, Drama Ministry, Corporators, Pastoral, School and Reading Center Council members, a multitude of committees and panels, and scores of others, they are all the flesh and bones of this Body of Christ.
The following are how the gifts of the Spirit that they so generously place at our disposal are manifested:
➢ Wisdom – With the gift of wisdom, we see God at work in our lives and in the world. For the wise person, the wonders of nature, historical events, and the ups and downs of our lives take on deeper meaning
➢ Understanding – With the gift of understanding, we comprehend how we need to live as a follower of Jesus Christ. A person with understanding is not confused by all the conflicting messages in our culture about the right way to live. Also called “Common Sense,” the gift of understanding perfects a person’s speculative reason in the apprehension of truth
➢ Counsel (Right Judgment) – With the gift of right judgment, we know the difference between right and wrong, and we choose to do what is right. A person with right judgment avoids sin and lives out the values taught by Jesus. The gift of truth that allows the person to respond prudently, and happily to believe our Christ the Lord
➢ Courage – With the gift of courage, we overcome our fear and are willing to take risk as a follower of Jesus. A person with courage is willing to stand up for what is right in the sight of God, even if it means accepting rejection, verbal abuse, or even physical harm and death. The gift of Courage allows people the firmness of mind that is required both in doing good and in enduring evil, especially with regard to goods or evils that are difficult.
➢ Knowledge – With the gift of knowledge, we understand the meaning of God’s Revelation, especially as expressed in the life and words of Jesus Christ. A person with knowledge is always learning more about the Scriptures and Tradition. The gift of knowledge is more than an accumulation of facts
➢ Piety (Reverence) - With the gift of reverence, sometimes called piety, we have a deep sense of respect for God and the Church. A person with reverence recognizes our total reliance on God and comes before God with humility, trust, and love. Piety is the gift whereby, at the Holy Spirit’s instigation, we pay worship and duty to God as our Father
➢ Fear of the Lord (Awe of God) - With the gift of wonder and awe (fear of the lord), we are aware of the glory and majesty of God. A person with wonder and awe knows that God is the perfection of all we desire: perfect knowledge, perfect goodness, perfect power, and perfect love.
On this celebration of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon the followers of Jesus, let us give thanks to the men, women and youth who so beautifully manifest that presence and thank them for their gracious service to the Church.
Fondly,
Father Nicholas
Weekly HOMILY for 31, 2009: Unlock the Doors
Feast of Pentecost, Cycle B
Our Lady of Grace
May 31, 2009
Unlock the Doors
By (Rev. Msgr.) Nicholas P. Amato
One Man’s Fear
A friend of mine from a former parish I was in was told that he had cancer and only a short time to live.
After the initial shock and grieving, he decided to change some of his ways. For example, he found things that used to bother him, didn’t any more.
He made time for significant conversations with his two teenage sons. He wanted them to know how much he loved and how proud he was of them.
He made sure to tell his wife repeatedly how much he loved her and admired her.
And, after many years of not talking with his brother, he invited him to dinner and they were reconciled.
After all of this had taken place, my friend’s doctor retired and he had to find a new one. This new doctor confirmed that he indeed had cancer – but that it was treatable.
My friend began to weep. He explained to me later that he cried not only because he was relieved, but because he was afraid he would return to his previous ways.
He felt afraid that he would get caught up again in his old world mentality. He felt afraid that he would lose his newly found life.
The Disciples’ Fear
In today’s Gospel, we hear that the disciples have another kind of fear.
They are afraid that what happened to Jesus – being beaten and killed – will happen to them. They are huddled together, with the doors locked, feeling that they are a failure and have no future.
In the midst of this, when things could not seem worse, Jesus appears.
Isn’t this how we sometimes experience the presence of Jesus? Isn’t this how the man with cancer came to experience him?
Sometimes doesn’t it take us to reach rock bottom, feeling helpless and without a future before we really open ourselves to God, to Jesus, to the Holy Spirit?
Our Fear/ Jesus’ Peace
Now, notice, when Jesus appears, he does not give the disciples a tongue lashing for denying him and running away and being so afraid.
There’s a lesson right here for us in the way we, as individuals or as a Church, treat those whom we judge have done wrong. What does Jesus say?
The first word out of his mouth is “Peace!” That one word tells them that things are okay between them and him no matter how they feel.
That one word – peace – puts aside the past. And notice, Jesus says this without them saying anything at all, including an apology or a request for forgiveness.
It’s like us when we have had an argument or when we have hurt someone badly and they say, “Forget about it! Let’s just move on!” What relief the apostles must have felt!
They must have felt, “Whew! Now we can start all over.
“The past is past; our relationship with Jesus has a future and righting the past isn’t part of it.” That’s what Jesus’ greeting of “Peace!” must have meant to his disciples.
Fear/ Peace/ Future
What’s interesting is that Jesus says it again: “Peace be with you!”
This time the “Peace!” is about the future. Jesus wants them to unlock the doors.
He wants them to welcome in and go out to the world that had been making them afraid. He was sending them, as he now sends us, not to seek revenge for past offenses, but to bring peace, reconciliation, forgiveness – and again, even if it is not requested.
So today, I believe that Jesus doesn’t want a Church with locked doors. He doesn’t want us to lock out those who don’t seem to measure up to the standards or are not in 100% agreement with us.
That’s not ours – as individuals – to worry about. That’s living in fear; that’s living behind locked doors; that’s a life of wasted energy!
Jesus calls us to welcome in and to reach out at one and the same time. He wants us to notice the overlooked and neglected, those looked down upon and scorned.
That’s the best way, the Jesus way, to draw others to him as their Savior. And yes, it is a different way to do things.
It is not the way of the world and it might incur wonder and ridicule and rejection, but it is the way of Jesus.
Conclusion: The Spirit
Jesus gives the disciples and us his Spirit, the Holy Spirit.
This is our source of life and energy and strength for unlocking the doors and letting go of the fear, both of the past and of the future.
It is the Spirit will enable us to do what Jesus does.
We can breathe in this Spirit here at Mass when we hear those same words of Jesus, “Peace be with you!” We are energized by the Spirit, as well, when we receive the Eucharist.
And it is this life-giving fear-dissolving Spirit that will keep us from sliding back into our old self, as the man with cancer feared. It will empower us to live the new life of Jesus.
Our Lady of Grace
May 31, 2009
Unlock the Doors
By (Rev. Msgr.) Nicholas P. Amato
One Man’s Fear
A friend of mine from a former parish I was in was told that he had cancer and only a short time to live.
After the initial shock and grieving, he decided to change some of his ways. For example, he found things that used to bother him, didn’t any more.
He made time for significant conversations with his two teenage sons. He wanted them to know how much he loved and how proud he was of them.
He made sure to tell his wife repeatedly how much he loved her and admired her.
And, after many years of not talking with his brother, he invited him to dinner and they were reconciled.
After all of this had taken place, my friend’s doctor retired and he had to find a new one. This new doctor confirmed that he indeed had cancer – but that it was treatable.
My friend began to weep. He explained to me later that he cried not only because he was relieved, but because he was afraid he would return to his previous ways.
He felt afraid that he would get caught up again in his old world mentality. He felt afraid that he would lose his newly found life.
The Disciples’ Fear
In today’s Gospel, we hear that the disciples have another kind of fear.
They are afraid that what happened to Jesus – being beaten and killed – will happen to them. They are huddled together, with the doors locked, feeling that they are a failure and have no future.
In the midst of this, when things could not seem worse, Jesus appears.
Isn’t this how we sometimes experience the presence of Jesus? Isn’t this how the man with cancer came to experience him?
Sometimes doesn’t it take us to reach rock bottom, feeling helpless and without a future before we really open ourselves to God, to Jesus, to the Holy Spirit?
Our Fear/ Jesus’ Peace
Now, notice, when Jesus appears, he does not give the disciples a tongue lashing for denying him and running away and being so afraid.
There’s a lesson right here for us in the way we, as individuals or as a Church, treat those whom we judge have done wrong. What does Jesus say?
The first word out of his mouth is “Peace!” That one word tells them that things are okay between them and him no matter how they feel.
That one word – peace – puts aside the past. And notice, Jesus says this without them saying anything at all, including an apology or a request for forgiveness.
It’s like us when we have had an argument or when we have hurt someone badly and they say, “Forget about it! Let’s just move on!” What relief the apostles must have felt!
They must have felt, “Whew! Now we can start all over.
“The past is past; our relationship with Jesus has a future and righting the past isn’t part of it.” That’s what Jesus’ greeting of “Peace!” must have meant to his disciples.
Fear/ Peace/ Future
What’s interesting is that Jesus says it again: “Peace be with you!”
This time the “Peace!” is about the future. Jesus wants them to unlock the doors.
He wants them to welcome in and go out to the world that had been making them afraid. He was sending them, as he now sends us, not to seek revenge for past offenses, but to bring peace, reconciliation, forgiveness – and again, even if it is not requested.
So today, I believe that Jesus doesn’t want a Church with locked doors. He doesn’t want us to lock out those who don’t seem to measure up to the standards or are not in 100% agreement with us.
That’s not ours – as individuals – to worry about. That’s living in fear; that’s living behind locked doors; that’s a life of wasted energy!
Jesus calls us to welcome in and to reach out at one and the same time. He wants us to notice the overlooked and neglected, those looked down upon and scorned.
That’s the best way, the Jesus way, to draw others to him as their Savior. And yes, it is a different way to do things.
It is not the way of the world and it might incur wonder and ridicule and rejection, but it is the way of Jesus.
Conclusion: The Spirit
Jesus gives the disciples and us his Spirit, the Holy Spirit.
This is our source of life and energy and strength for unlocking the doors and letting go of the fear, both of the past and of the future.
It is the Spirit will enable us to do what Jesus does.
We can breathe in this Spirit here at Mass when we hear those same words of Jesus, “Peace be with you!” We are energized by the Spirit, as well, when we receive the Eucharist.
And it is this life-giving fear-dissolving Spirit that will keep us from sliding back into our old self, as the man with cancer feared. It will empower us to live the new life of Jesus.
Weekly THIS AND THAT for May 24, 2009: How to Choose Godparents and Sponsors
This and That:
How to Choose Godparents and Sponsors
Being a Godparent for Baptism or a Sponsor for Confirmation is a wonderful experience. It puts us in a position of having a unique relationship with someone that is based upon our Catholic faith.
The practice of having Godparents or Sponsors goes back to the way that people were initiated in the early Church. When adults were the candidates for initiation, they had a sponsor who was already Christian who helped them to prepare to be Baptized, Confirmed and to receive Eucharist. The sponsor presented the candidate to the Bishop for initiation. This was done all in one initiation ceremony, as we do with folks who go through the RCIA process now.
Baptism and Confirmation are closely related because they were initially one rite. In the history of the Church, they became two separate sacraments, with Baptism being celebrated by a priest or deacon and confirmation being celebrated later with a Bishop. In recent times, we have tried to emphasize the connection between these Sacraments of Initiation. One way to do this is to invite one of the Baptismal godparents to be the Sponsor for Confirmation.
Parents who are choosing Godparents for Baptism and Confirmation Candidates who are choosing sponsors need to be aware that the Catholic Church has three basic requirements for those who will fulfill this role:
1. The Godparent or Sponsor must be a fully initiated Catholic, having received the sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation and Eucharist themselves.
2. The person must be at least 16 years of age.
3. The person must be a practicing Catholic.
For Baptism, there must be one Godparent who meets these three requirements. While we have the tradition of two Godparents for Baptism, the second person is sometimes a Christian Witness. That is someone who may be from another Christian faith whom the parents believe will be a good support to the child in living their Catholic faith.
Godparents and Sponsors have the role of helping children and youth to grow in faith. They need to be people of prayer who are faithful to the Word of God and who live a sacramental life themselves. They become another model for children, in addition to parents, of what a faithful Catholic looks like in all aspects of life . . . Parents are not permitted to be Godparents or Sponsors for their own children.
Some suggestions for Godparents and Sponsors:
➢ Celebrate the child’s anniversary of Baptism by reminding them of this special day each year
➢ Pray daily for the child and share your own faith with them as they grow up
➢ Be attentive to the child’s growth in faith and encourage them
I have a Godson who received the Sacrament of Confirmation this year. He asked me to be his Sponsor and I was grateful and humbled. During the Rite of Confirmation I was flooded with memories of the boy’s Baptism, which had taken place in the same church. I remembered how his parents, his Godfather and I had made Baptismal promises for him as a baby. Now he was renewing that commitment and promising for himself to live as a disciple of Jesus Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit.
I encourage parents to choose Godparents thoughtfully. Ask yourself, who will be a good model for my child of living their Catholic faith?
For those who are Godparents or Sponsors, remember that while you may be in relationship with the young person as a relative or friend of the family, you have this unique role of helping them to grow in faith as disciples of Jesus Christ.
Blessings,
Sr. Mary Therese
How to Choose Godparents and Sponsors
Being a Godparent for Baptism or a Sponsor for Confirmation is a wonderful experience. It puts us in a position of having a unique relationship with someone that is based upon our Catholic faith.
The practice of having Godparents or Sponsors goes back to the way that people were initiated in the early Church. When adults were the candidates for initiation, they had a sponsor who was already Christian who helped them to prepare to be Baptized, Confirmed and to receive Eucharist. The sponsor presented the candidate to the Bishop for initiation. This was done all in one initiation ceremony, as we do with folks who go through the RCIA process now.
Baptism and Confirmation are closely related because they were initially one rite. In the history of the Church, they became two separate sacraments, with Baptism being celebrated by a priest or deacon and confirmation being celebrated later with a Bishop. In recent times, we have tried to emphasize the connection between these Sacraments of Initiation. One way to do this is to invite one of the Baptismal godparents to be the Sponsor for Confirmation.
Parents who are choosing Godparents for Baptism and Confirmation Candidates who are choosing sponsors need to be aware that the Catholic Church has three basic requirements for those who will fulfill this role:
1. The Godparent or Sponsor must be a fully initiated Catholic, having received the sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation and Eucharist themselves.
2. The person must be at least 16 years of age.
3. The person must be a practicing Catholic.
For Baptism, there must be one Godparent who meets these three requirements. While we have the tradition of two Godparents for Baptism, the second person is sometimes a Christian Witness. That is someone who may be from another Christian faith whom the parents believe will be a good support to the child in living their Catholic faith.
Godparents and Sponsors have the role of helping children and youth to grow in faith. They need to be people of prayer who are faithful to the Word of God and who live a sacramental life themselves. They become another model for children, in addition to parents, of what a faithful Catholic looks like in all aspects of life . . . Parents are not permitted to be Godparents or Sponsors for their own children.
Some suggestions for Godparents and Sponsors:
➢ Celebrate the child’s anniversary of Baptism by reminding them of this special day each year
➢ Pray daily for the child and share your own faith with them as they grow up
➢ Be attentive to the child’s growth in faith and encourage them
I have a Godson who received the Sacrament of Confirmation this year. He asked me to be his Sponsor and I was grateful and humbled. During the Rite of Confirmation I was flooded with memories of the boy’s Baptism, which had taken place in the same church. I remembered how his parents, his Godfather and I had made Baptismal promises for him as a baby. Now he was renewing that commitment and promising for himself to live as a disciple of Jesus Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit.
I encourage parents to choose Godparents thoughtfully. Ask yourself, who will be a good model for my child of living their Catholic faith?
For those who are Godparents or Sponsors, remember that while you may be in relationship with the young person as a relative or friend of the family, you have this unique role of helping them to grow in faith as disciples of Jesus Christ.
Blessings,
Sr. Mary Therese
Weekly HOMILY for May 24, 2009: Deacon Preaching Sunday
Deacon Lee preached at Father Nicholas' Masses this weekend.
Weekly THIS AND THAT for May 17, 2009: Hey Mister, are you Jesus?
This and That:
“Hey Mister are you Jesus?”
A few years ago a group of salesmen went to a regional sales convention in Chicago. They had assured their wives that they would be home in plenty of time for Friday evening dinner. In their rush, with tickets and briefcases, one of these salesmen inadvertently kicked over a table that held a display of apples. Apples flew everywhere. Without stopping or looking back, they all managed to reach the plane in time for their nearly missed boarding.
All but one! He paused, took a deep breath, got in touch with his feelings, and experienced a twinge of compassion for the girl whose apple stand had been overturned.
He told his buddies to go on without him, waved good-bye, told one of them to call his wife when they arrived at their home destination and explain that he had to take a later flight. Then he returned to the terminal where the apples were all over the terminal floor.
He was glad he did.
The 16-year-old girl was totally blind! She was softly crying, tears running down her cheeks in frustration, and at the same time helplessly groping for her spilled produce as the crowd swirled about her, no one stopping and no one to care for her plight.
The salesman knelt on the floor with her, gathered up the apples, put them back on the table and helped organize her display. As he did this, he noticed that many of them had become battered and bruised; these he set aside in another basket.
When he had finished, he pulled out his wallet and said to the girl, “Here, please take this $40 for the damage we did. Are you okay?' She nodded through her tears. He continued on with, “I hope we didn’t spoil your day too badly.”
As the salesman started to walk away, the bewildered blind girl called out to him, “Mister…” He paused and turned to look back into those blind eyes. She quietly added, “Are you Jesus?’
He stopped in mid-stride and he wondered. Then slowly he made his way to catch the later flight with that question burning and bouncing about in his soul: “Are you Jesus?” Do people mistake you for Jesus?
That’s what Easter empowers us to be; it is our destiny, is it not? To be so much like Jesus that people cannot tell the difference as we live and interact with a world that is blind to his love, his life and his grace.
If we claim to know him through his Word and Eucharist, we should live, walk and act as he would.
Knowing him is more than simply quoting Scripture and going to Church. It is actually living the Word and becoming the Eucharist as our life unfolds day to day.
You and I are the apple of his eye even though we, too, have been bruised by a fall. He stopped what he was doing and picked you and me up on a hill called Calvary and paid in full for our damaged fruit. And on Easter Sunday he shared the victory with the world. His victory is ours.
Fondly,
Father Nicholas
“Hey Mister are you Jesus?”
A few years ago a group of salesmen went to a regional sales convention in Chicago. They had assured their wives that they would be home in plenty of time for Friday evening dinner. In their rush, with tickets and briefcases, one of these salesmen inadvertently kicked over a table that held a display of apples. Apples flew everywhere. Without stopping or looking back, they all managed to reach the plane in time for their nearly missed boarding.
All but one! He paused, took a deep breath, got in touch with his feelings, and experienced a twinge of compassion for the girl whose apple stand had been overturned.
He told his buddies to go on without him, waved good-bye, told one of them to call his wife when they arrived at their home destination and explain that he had to take a later flight. Then he returned to the terminal where the apples were all over the terminal floor.
He was glad he did.
The 16-year-old girl was totally blind! She was softly crying, tears running down her cheeks in frustration, and at the same time helplessly groping for her spilled produce as the crowd swirled about her, no one stopping and no one to care for her plight.
The salesman knelt on the floor with her, gathered up the apples, put them back on the table and helped organize her display. As he did this, he noticed that many of them had become battered and bruised; these he set aside in another basket.
When he had finished, he pulled out his wallet and said to the girl, “Here, please take this $40 for the damage we did. Are you okay?' She nodded through her tears. He continued on with, “I hope we didn’t spoil your day too badly.”
As the salesman started to walk away, the bewildered blind girl called out to him, “Mister…” He paused and turned to look back into those blind eyes. She quietly added, “Are you Jesus?’
He stopped in mid-stride and he wondered. Then slowly he made his way to catch the later flight with that question burning and bouncing about in his soul: “Are you Jesus?” Do people mistake you for Jesus?
That’s what Easter empowers us to be; it is our destiny, is it not? To be so much like Jesus that people cannot tell the difference as we live and interact with a world that is blind to his love, his life and his grace.
If we claim to know him through his Word and Eucharist, we should live, walk and act as he would.
Knowing him is more than simply quoting Scripture and going to Church. It is actually living the Word and becoming the Eucharist as our life unfolds day to day.
You and I are the apple of his eye even though we, too, have been bruised by a fall. He stopped what he was doing and picked you and me up on a hill called Calvary and paid in full for our damaged fruit. And on Easter Sunday he shared the victory with the world. His victory is ours.
Fondly,
Father Nicholas
Weekly HOMILY for May 17, 2009: Our Desire for God
6th Sunday of Easter, Cycle B
Our Lady of Grace
May 17, 2009
Our Desire for God
By (Rev. Msgr.) Nicholas P. Amato
Love Through an Icon
This past week I spent two days praying with icons. It was part of my preparation to one day become a Director of Contemplative Retreats.
Using perhaps the oldest and most famous icon from the dome of Hagia Sophia in Istanbul, I was able to see through the icon, as if through a window, to the Jesus behind its eyes.
At times it was I looking through the icon’s eyes to the Lord and at other times it was the Lord looking out the icon’s eyes to me.
And for long periods of time I was able to feel my love for Jesus and his for me. There was a tremendous bonding and feeling of unity between us. It was extraordinary.
Desire to Be Desired
Today’s scripture is full of a similar love. God wants to be loved; Jesus wants to be loved; everybody wants to be loved.
One theologian has said that the essence of being human is the desire to be desired by the one we desire.
We desire all kinds of things from birth to death. We begin desiring a breast, and end, as the poet says, “By desiring ease from suffering and finally the freedom to die.”
And along the way, we desire health, safety, success, money, fame and everything we can imagine.
The Desire of Another Person
But beneath and above and beyond all of our desires is the desire for another person.
We don’t have to prove that – it’s buried deep within our bones and we know when it happens.
We immediately recognize that we desire a person in a different way from how we desire other things like chocolate or a glass of wine, or success for ourselves.
We desire a person for her own sake, not for our sake. We desire him not as a possession, but as a partner.
But that is only the first part of desire. In the very act of desiring another person, we also desire that they desire us.
Our desiring makes them valuable; their desiring makes us valuable.
Desire Less Than Perfect
But even when desire is answered, it is less than perfect. Your desire wanes, their desire gets distracted, but desires are wayward.
No one can ever meet our needs, match our wants, complete our desires. We always desire more; if we didn’t what would God be for?
That’s how my gazing at the icon became such a wonderful experience: I could see God as he is and God could see me as I am. He is reaching out to me and I to him.
So through grace and the window of an icon of Jesus, I could discover that there is a God who is all that I can ever desire.
What a joy it is to know that our desires are not futile or evil!
Desired by the One we Desire
But that is only our first desire. We now desire to be desired by the One we desire.
But how can a perfect Being who created me actually desire me?
That would mean that God cares about me, live for me, loves me.
Of course, that is precisely the Good News: that God first desires us, and then enables us to desire God back.
But why doesn’t it feel that way? Why are we not as emotional about God as we are about our human loves? It’s because we split our single act of loving into two compartments.
We elevate loving God to another sphere; we spiritualize God’s love; we de-humanize God’s love.
We have to keep our love on a single continuum. We have to understand that our desire for Oreo cookies is a piece of our desire for God; that our desire for peace is a taste of diving shalom; that our desire for another person is a participation in our desire for God.
Conclusion
Every desire leads to God.
Each of us is essentially a living, throbbing desire to be desired by the God we desire.
Our Lady of Grace
May 17, 2009
Our Desire for God
By (Rev. Msgr.) Nicholas P. Amato
Love Through an Icon
This past week I spent two days praying with icons. It was part of my preparation to one day become a Director of Contemplative Retreats.
Using perhaps the oldest and most famous icon from the dome of Hagia Sophia in Istanbul, I was able to see through the icon, as if through a window, to the Jesus behind its eyes.
At times it was I looking through the icon’s eyes to the Lord and at other times it was the Lord looking out the icon’s eyes to me.
And for long periods of time I was able to feel my love for Jesus and his for me. There was a tremendous bonding and feeling of unity between us. It was extraordinary.
Desire to Be Desired
Today’s scripture is full of a similar love. God wants to be loved; Jesus wants to be loved; everybody wants to be loved.
One theologian has said that the essence of being human is the desire to be desired by the one we desire.
We desire all kinds of things from birth to death. We begin desiring a breast, and end, as the poet says, “By desiring ease from suffering and finally the freedom to die.”
And along the way, we desire health, safety, success, money, fame and everything we can imagine.
The Desire of Another Person
But beneath and above and beyond all of our desires is the desire for another person.
We don’t have to prove that – it’s buried deep within our bones and we know when it happens.
We immediately recognize that we desire a person in a different way from how we desire other things like chocolate or a glass of wine, or success for ourselves.
We desire a person for her own sake, not for our sake. We desire him not as a possession, but as a partner.
But that is only the first part of desire. In the very act of desiring another person, we also desire that they desire us.
Our desiring makes them valuable; their desiring makes us valuable.
Desire Less Than Perfect
But even when desire is answered, it is less than perfect. Your desire wanes, their desire gets distracted, but desires are wayward.
No one can ever meet our needs, match our wants, complete our desires. We always desire more; if we didn’t what would God be for?
That’s how my gazing at the icon became such a wonderful experience: I could see God as he is and God could see me as I am. He is reaching out to me and I to him.
So through grace and the window of an icon of Jesus, I could discover that there is a God who is all that I can ever desire.
What a joy it is to know that our desires are not futile or evil!
Desired by the One we Desire
But that is only our first desire. We now desire to be desired by the One we desire.
But how can a perfect Being who created me actually desire me?
That would mean that God cares about me, live for me, loves me.
Of course, that is precisely the Good News: that God first desires us, and then enables us to desire God back.
But why doesn’t it feel that way? Why are we not as emotional about God as we are about our human loves? It’s because we split our single act of loving into two compartments.
We elevate loving God to another sphere; we spiritualize God’s love; we de-humanize God’s love.
We have to keep our love on a single continuum. We have to understand that our desire for Oreo cookies is a piece of our desire for God; that our desire for peace is a taste of diving shalom; that our desire for another person is a participation in our desire for God.
Conclusion
Every desire leads to God.
Each of us is essentially a living, throbbing desire to be desired by the God we desire.
Weekly THIS AND THAT for May 10, 2009: Christian One-Liners to Tickle Your Funny Bone
This and That:
Christian One-Liners to Tickle Your Funny Bone
Here are a few one-liners to tickle you. How many apply to you?
Fondly,
Father Nicholas
➢ Don’t let your worries get the best of you. Remember, Moses started out as a basket case.
➢ Some people are kind, polite, and sweet-spirited until you try to sit in their pews.
➢ Many folks want to serve God, but only as advisers.
➢ It is easier to preach ten sermons than it is to live one.
➢ The good Lord didn’t create anything without a purpose, but mosquitoes close.
➢ When you get to your wits end, you’ll find that God lives there.
➢ People are funny; they want the front of the bus, the middle of the road, and back of the church.
➢ Opportunity may knock once, but temptation bangs on the front door forever.
➢ Quit griping about your church. If it were perfect, you couldn’t belong.
➢ If a church wants a better pastor, it only needs to pray for the one it has.
➢ We are called to be witnesses, not lawyers or judges.
➢ God himself doesn’t propose to judge a person until he is dead. So why should you?
➢ Some minds are like concrete, thoroughly mixed up and permanently set.
➢ Peace starts with a smile.
➢ I don’t know why some people change churches? What difference does it make which one you stay home from?
➢ A lot of church members singing “Standing on the Promises” are just sitting on the premises.
➢ Be ye fishers of men. You catch ‘em; He’ll clean ‘em!
➢ Stop, Drop, and Roll won't work in Hell.
➢ Coincidence is when God chooses to remain anonymous.
➢ Don’t put a question mark where God put a period.
➢ Don’t wait for six strong men to take you to church.
➢ Forbidden fruits create many jams.
➢ God doesn’t call the qualified; he qualifies the Called.
➢ God grades on the cross, not the curve.
➢ God loves everyone, but probably prefers “fruits of the spirit” over “religious nuts”!
➢ God promises a safe landing, not a calm passage.
➢ He who angers you, controls you!
➢ If God is your Co-pilot, swap seats!
➢ Prayer: Don’t give God instructions, just report for duty!
➢ The task ahead of us is never as great as the Power behind us.
➢ The will of God never takes you to where the grace of God will not protect you.
➢ We don’t change the message; the message changes us.
➢ You can tell how big a person is by what it takes to discourage him.
➢ The best mathematical equation I have ever seen: 1 cross + 3 nails = 4 given.
➢ Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass. It’s about learning to dance in the rain.
Christian One-Liners to Tickle Your Funny Bone
Here are a few one-liners to tickle you. How many apply to you?
Fondly,
Father Nicholas
➢ Don’t let your worries get the best of you. Remember, Moses started out as a basket case.
➢ Some people are kind, polite, and sweet-spirited until you try to sit in their pews.
➢ Many folks want to serve God, but only as advisers.
➢ It is easier to preach ten sermons than it is to live one.
➢ The good Lord didn’t create anything without a purpose, but mosquitoes close.
➢ When you get to your wits end, you’ll find that God lives there.
➢ People are funny; they want the front of the bus, the middle of the road, and back of the church.
➢ Opportunity may knock once, but temptation bangs on the front door forever.
➢ Quit griping about your church. If it were perfect, you couldn’t belong.
➢ If a church wants a better pastor, it only needs to pray for the one it has.
➢ We are called to be witnesses, not lawyers or judges.
➢ God himself doesn’t propose to judge a person until he is dead. So why should you?
➢ Some minds are like concrete, thoroughly mixed up and permanently set.
➢ Peace starts with a smile.
➢ I don’t know why some people change churches? What difference does it make which one you stay home from?
➢ A lot of church members singing “Standing on the Promises” are just sitting on the premises.
➢ Be ye fishers of men. You catch ‘em; He’ll clean ‘em!
➢ Stop, Drop, and Roll won't work in Hell.
➢ Coincidence is when God chooses to remain anonymous.
➢ Don’t put a question mark where God put a period.
➢ Don’t wait for six strong men to take you to church.
➢ Forbidden fruits create many jams.
➢ God doesn’t call the qualified; he qualifies the Called.
➢ God grades on the cross, not the curve.
➢ God loves everyone, but probably prefers “fruits of the spirit” over “religious nuts”!
➢ God promises a safe landing, not a calm passage.
➢ He who angers you, controls you!
➢ If God is your Co-pilot, swap seats!
➢ Prayer: Don’t give God instructions, just report for duty!
➢ The task ahead of us is never as great as the Power behind us.
➢ The will of God never takes you to where the grace of God will not protect you.
➢ We don’t change the message; the message changes us.
➢ You can tell how big a person is by what it takes to discourage him.
➢ The best mathematical equation I have ever seen: 1 cross + 3 nails = 4 given.
➢ Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass. It’s about learning to dance in the rain.
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Weekly THIS AND THAT for May 3, 2009: 7 Things Teenage Boys Need Most
This and That:
7 Things Teenage Boys Need Most
Being the parent of an adolescent boy is legendary for its difficulty, but according to one priest who acts as a spiritual director and confessor for high school boys, just keeping in mind seven points can make for a better relationship with adolescent sons. The following is an interview with that spiritual director, Father Michael Sliney. He makes some excellent points to support both parents and young men.
Fondly,
Father Nicholas
Father Sliney suggests seven necessities for parents of adolescent boys:
1. Clear guidelines with reasonable consequences from a unified front; cutting slack but also holding boys accountable for their actions.
2. Reasonable explanations for the criteria, guidelines and decisions made by parents.
3. Avoiding hyper-analysis of boys’ emotions and states of mind: avoiding “taking their temperature” too often.
4. Unconditional love with an emphasis on character and effort more than outcome: Encourage boys to live up to their potential while having reasonable expectations. To love them regardless of whether they make it into Harvard or become a star quarterback.
5. Authenticity, faith and fidelity should be reflected in parent's lifestyles.
6. Qualities of a dad: Manliness, temperance, making significant time for family, putting aside work, and being a reliable source of guidance.
7. Qualities of a mom: Emotional stability, selflessness, loving service and extreme patience.
The interview follows.
Q: What are some of the particular characteristics of this age group that parents and educators need to bear in mind?
Father Sliney: Well, one of the first and most important points is to recognize that they are no longer kids. Up to age 12, they are still kids. But from 13 onward, puberty kicks in and there is a lot more sensitivity; they are more easily irritated and they want to be treated like a teen, not like a kid. At this age, teenage boys are discovering their identities and going through a lot of turmoil. It’s a very sensitive time, and we need to pray for them and dedicate time to them, show personal interest, try to understand what they’re thinking.
Q: How can a parent find the balance between being clear, firm and yet flexible?
Father Sliney: Explain to your son in advance: These are the guidelines and these are the consequences. The consequences must be reasonable. Every parent has an atomic bomb he or she can pull out – taking away the Internet, the cell phone, or the driver’s license, or keeping their bedroom door open – but everything needs to be done in a fair way, in due proportion. You can’t surprise a kid with a negative punishment that doesn’t correspond to what he did. Don’t let the kids feel like there is no hope or that they have totally lost your trust. Striking the balance between being firm and cutting them some slack is important. Also, it is better to be emotionless and rational when you reprimand them or make a point. Don’t throw salt in the wound by making a punishment into an emotional ordeal. If you’re going to ground your kid, do it in a rational, non-emotional way. Be brief. In the end, boys respect it more.
Q: How can parents motivate their kids to do the right thing?
Father Sliney: Don’t explain it so much in terms of “right” and “wrong,” but in terms of “wise” and “wrong.” Explain the reasons behind why something is wrong or right and frame your motivations in a positive way. For example, instead of telling your son, “Don't become a drug addict,” help him to see how resisting the temptation is a great way to forge his character. When the issue of premarital sex comes up, flip it around: Instead of saying, “It’s a mortal sin” or “You might get a disease,” help him to look forward to his future wife, and to think of what a great gift he could offer her if he waits for her.
Q: Why should parents avoid probing into their sons’ emotional life?
Father Sliney: Boys don’t like to be analyzed under a microscope. Sometimes the worst possible question a parent can ask is: “How are you doing today? How are you feeling? You look a little sad.” Don’t analyze their emotions and state of mind. Girls might like to talk about their feelings and emotions, but most boys don’t. If they had a bad day, they don’t want to talk about it because it makes them feel vulnerable and weak.
Q: Do teenage boys really feel a lot of pressure to perform up to their parents’ standards?
Father Sliney: Yes, they do feel a lot of pressure and they are very sensitive when they feel judged by how they perform instead of by who they are. They need the love and esteem of their parents. Parents should put the emphasis on their kids’ characters and on the effort they make, not necessarily on the result that comes out. If a kid is honest, generous, prayerful, trying hard in school, and is still a B student, he’s doing his best, and he should be encouraged. It’s important for parents to have reasonable expectations and to encourage each boy to live up to his potential.
Q: How important is the good example of the parents?
Father Sliney: It is extremely important. We all hyper-analyze our parents and observe the example they set in all areas: If they are practicing what they preach, if they are faithful to each other, etc. High school is a very tumultuous, unstable time for boys. If these qualities of fidelity and authenticity are not there, and if there is not a stable, happy marriage, it’s chaos. Troubled kids generally come from dysfunctional… families. Here we see the importance of a great marriage: If that’s in place, you’ve got a pretty good chance of a teenager getting through in good shape. There are not too many cases of parents who’ve got it together having dysfunctional kids.
Q: Can you expand on the importance of the dad's role in relation to his son?
Father Sliney: Kids, especially in high school, need to spend time with their dad, doing things together. This time together creates a space for him to open up and talk if he wants to. Take him out to breakfast or out to a game. Look for ways that he would want to do something with you. Dads need to get personally involved with their sons and dedicate time especially to their more difficult kids. Making little gestures of kindness is so important. My dad used to stop in every night before going to bed. He showed me he cared by asking how I was doing with my homework, how things were going. It was just a quick gesture but it was very helpful.
We're living in a very feminized culture, so dads need to teach their sons what true masculinity is all about. Being masculine doesn't mean being a tough football player and lifting weights. Manliness means strong character, self-control, quiet strength, and getting through adversity without whining. Kids need to see the example of what it means to be a man in their dad. It’s about having an internal toughness, not complaining, and not letting others tell you what to do…. If you're living an authentic life, it comes across. One time when I was a kid, we got a pretty serious tornado warning while we were out in the yard, cleaning up. My dad went to each one of us: He was calm, in control, and he knew what needed to be done. Once we were all in the basement, he was at peace, having a good conversation with us. He was a calming force, full of confidence and authenticity. And dads need to be a reliable source of guidance because high school kids are looking for words of wisdom. Kids are looking for advice from the one they love. Dads need to be available, but also offer. Kids shouldn’t be intimidated or afraid to approach their dad for advice.
Q: Why did you list “emotional stability” as the first characteristic for moms of teenage boys?
Father Sliney: Well, guys are pretty choleric and easily excitable. They don’t want their mom in their face, exploding, without self-control. It’s very irritating. If a mom is too excitable, anything she says is not going to be well received because of the emotional charge. In my experience working with kids, I’ve seen that very few have a great relationship with their mom. There’s not always a natural connection there. The way of being is so different ... and in some cases, moms still treat their teenage sons as if they were little kids. Moms should deal with their sons in a calm, straightforward way. When guys talk, they get to the point. They don’t go roundabout the point or over-emphasize it with emotions, etc. It’s important for moms to watch what comes across in their tone, in the way they address the kids.
Q: Can you expand on how moms can communicate more effectively with their sons?
Father Sliney: Most teenage boys don’t like engaging in long, philosophical conversations with their moms. It’s generally better for moms not to ask too many questions and to be satisfied with short answers. If moms dig too deeply, kids try to avoid them, because they feel like they’re being probed. Obviously, moms can pick up if their boy is having a bad day, but it’s humiliating for him to have to admit it. If you’re prodding them, it’s like forcing them to expose their weakness. Boys don’t want to show their emotions.
Moms have to understand that there won’t be a lot of communication, and they need to go about it in a very delicate way, trying to talk about things the kids like to talk about: “Hey, you played a great game last night.” The mom’s role is to be a mentor, a guide, and a leader, but she is not called to be a friend to her son. Moms are not going to have a loving, intimate, communicative relationship with their high school boys. For example, the worst thing in the world is for mom to say, “Son, we’re going shopping.” Shopping for a guy is “get in, get out.” A guy wants to go throw a football around, not stand around analyzing outfits. So Moms, you have to let them go a little bit and do things as a family. It’s more the dad’s role to have one-on-one time and to build that close man-to-man friendship. Moms can really make a big impact when they give an example of selfless love and service. Kids need to feel loved, served, appreciated, because they are not getting that in their competitive environment.
Q: How do you help teenage boys build character and a strong spiritual life?
Father Sliney: Character and the spiritual life go hand in hand, because grace builds on nature. It is not possible for a kid to be able to resist his passions of disobedience, rebelliousness, vanity, and lust without the help of God’s grace. I always suggest confession…. Definitely Sunday Mass… And it’s important for them to learn to live in the presence of Christ, because the motivation of loving Christ and serving Christ is really what is going to help kids overcome the struggles they face. Doing things just because Mom is watching or because they’ll get in trouble is not enough, because once they go to college, those deterrents are no longer there. They need to form convictions of faith in the presence of God. The most important task is to help Christ become a friend for them, to help them see that Christ is counting on them, and to know that the sacrament of confession is there if they happen to fall.
7 Things Teenage Boys Need Most
Being the parent of an adolescent boy is legendary for its difficulty, but according to one priest who acts as a spiritual director and confessor for high school boys, just keeping in mind seven points can make for a better relationship with adolescent sons. The following is an interview with that spiritual director, Father Michael Sliney. He makes some excellent points to support both parents and young men.
Fondly,
Father Nicholas
Father Sliney suggests seven necessities for parents of adolescent boys:
1. Clear guidelines with reasonable consequences from a unified front; cutting slack but also holding boys accountable for their actions.
2. Reasonable explanations for the criteria, guidelines and decisions made by parents.
3. Avoiding hyper-analysis of boys’ emotions and states of mind: avoiding “taking their temperature” too often.
4. Unconditional love with an emphasis on character and effort more than outcome: Encourage boys to live up to their potential while having reasonable expectations. To love them regardless of whether they make it into Harvard or become a star quarterback.
5. Authenticity, faith and fidelity should be reflected in parent's lifestyles.
6. Qualities of a dad: Manliness, temperance, making significant time for family, putting aside work, and being a reliable source of guidance.
7. Qualities of a mom: Emotional stability, selflessness, loving service and extreme patience.
The interview follows.
Q: What are some of the particular characteristics of this age group that parents and educators need to bear in mind?
Father Sliney: Well, one of the first and most important points is to recognize that they are no longer kids. Up to age 12, they are still kids. But from 13 onward, puberty kicks in and there is a lot more sensitivity; they are more easily irritated and they want to be treated like a teen, not like a kid. At this age, teenage boys are discovering their identities and going through a lot of turmoil. It’s a very sensitive time, and we need to pray for them and dedicate time to them, show personal interest, try to understand what they’re thinking.
Q: How can a parent find the balance between being clear, firm and yet flexible?
Father Sliney: Explain to your son in advance: These are the guidelines and these are the consequences. The consequences must be reasonable. Every parent has an atomic bomb he or she can pull out – taking away the Internet, the cell phone, or the driver’s license, or keeping their bedroom door open – but everything needs to be done in a fair way, in due proportion. You can’t surprise a kid with a negative punishment that doesn’t correspond to what he did. Don’t let the kids feel like there is no hope or that they have totally lost your trust. Striking the balance between being firm and cutting them some slack is important. Also, it is better to be emotionless and rational when you reprimand them or make a point. Don’t throw salt in the wound by making a punishment into an emotional ordeal. If you’re going to ground your kid, do it in a rational, non-emotional way. Be brief. In the end, boys respect it more.
Q: How can parents motivate their kids to do the right thing?
Father Sliney: Don’t explain it so much in terms of “right” and “wrong,” but in terms of “wise” and “wrong.” Explain the reasons behind why something is wrong or right and frame your motivations in a positive way. For example, instead of telling your son, “Don't become a drug addict,” help him to see how resisting the temptation is a great way to forge his character. When the issue of premarital sex comes up, flip it around: Instead of saying, “It’s a mortal sin” or “You might get a disease,” help him to look forward to his future wife, and to think of what a great gift he could offer her if he waits for her.
Q: Why should parents avoid probing into their sons’ emotional life?
Father Sliney: Boys don’t like to be analyzed under a microscope. Sometimes the worst possible question a parent can ask is: “How are you doing today? How are you feeling? You look a little sad.” Don’t analyze their emotions and state of mind. Girls might like to talk about their feelings and emotions, but most boys don’t. If they had a bad day, they don’t want to talk about it because it makes them feel vulnerable and weak.
Q: Do teenage boys really feel a lot of pressure to perform up to their parents’ standards?
Father Sliney: Yes, they do feel a lot of pressure and they are very sensitive when they feel judged by how they perform instead of by who they are. They need the love and esteem of their parents. Parents should put the emphasis on their kids’ characters and on the effort they make, not necessarily on the result that comes out. If a kid is honest, generous, prayerful, trying hard in school, and is still a B student, he’s doing his best, and he should be encouraged. It’s important for parents to have reasonable expectations and to encourage each boy to live up to his potential.
Q: How important is the good example of the parents?
Father Sliney: It is extremely important. We all hyper-analyze our parents and observe the example they set in all areas: If they are practicing what they preach, if they are faithful to each other, etc. High school is a very tumultuous, unstable time for boys. If these qualities of fidelity and authenticity are not there, and if there is not a stable, happy marriage, it’s chaos. Troubled kids generally come from dysfunctional… families. Here we see the importance of a great marriage: If that’s in place, you’ve got a pretty good chance of a teenager getting through in good shape. There are not too many cases of parents who’ve got it together having dysfunctional kids.
Q: Can you expand on the importance of the dad's role in relation to his son?
Father Sliney: Kids, especially in high school, need to spend time with their dad, doing things together. This time together creates a space for him to open up and talk if he wants to. Take him out to breakfast or out to a game. Look for ways that he would want to do something with you. Dads need to get personally involved with their sons and dedicate time especially to their more difficult kids. Making little gestures of kindness is so important. My dad used to stop in every night before going to bed. He showed me he cared by asking how I was doing with my homework, how things were going. It was just a quick gesture but it was very helpful.
We're living in a very feminized culture, so dads need to teach their sons what true masculinity is all about. Being masculine doesn't mean being a tough football player and lifting weights. Manliness means strong character, self-control, quiet strength, and getting through adversity without whining. Kids need to see the example of what it means to be a man in their dad. It’s about having an internal toughness, not complaining, and not letting others tell you what to do…. If you're living an authentic life, it comes across. One time when I was a kid, we got a pretty serious tornado warning while we were out in the yard, cleaning up. My dad went to each one of us: He was calm, in control, and he knew what needed to be done. Once we were all in the basement, he was at peace, having a good conversation with us. He was a calming force, full of confidence and authenticity. And dads need to be a reliable source of guidance because high school kids are looking for words of wisdom. Kids are looking for advice from the one they love. Dads need to be available, but also offer. Kids shouldn’t be intimidated or afraid to approach their dad for advice.
Q: Why did you list “emotional stability” as the first characteristic for moms of teenage boys?
Father Sliney: Well, guys are pretty choleric and easily excitable. They don’t want their mom in their face, exploding, without self-control. It’s very irritating. If a mom is too excitable, anything she says is not going to be well received because of the emotional charge. In my experience working with kids, I’ve seen that very few have a great relationship with their mom. There’s not always a natural connection there. The way of being is so different ... and in some cases, moms still treat their teenage sons as if they were little kids. Moms should deal with their sons in a calm, straightforward way. When guys talk, they get to the point. They don’t go roundabout the point or over-emphasize it with emotions, etc. It’s important for moms to watch what comes across in their tone, in the way they address the kids.
Q: Can you expand on how moms can communicate more effectively with their sons?
Father Sliney: Most teenage boys don’t like engaging in long, philosophical conversations with their moms. It’s generally better for moms not to ask too many questions and to be satisfied with short answers. If moms dig too deeply, kids try to avoid them, because they feel like they’re being probed. Obviously, moms can pick up if their boy is having a bad day, but it’s humiliating for him to have to admit it. If you’re prodding them, it’s like forcing them to expose their weakness. Boys don’t want to show their emotions.
Moms have to understand that there won’t be a lot of communication, and they need to go about it in a very delicate way, trying to talk about things the kids like to talk about: “Hey, you played a great game last night.” The mom’s role is to be a mentor, a guide, and a leader, but she is not called to be a friend to her son. Moms are not going to have a loving, intimate, communicative relationship with their high school boys. For example, the worst thing in the world is for mom to say, “Son, we’re going shopping.” Shopping for a guy is “get in, get out.” A guy wants to go throw a football around, not stand around analyzing outfits. So Moms, you have to let them go a little bit and do things as a family. It’s more the dad’s role to have one-on-one time and to build that close man-to-man friendship. Moms can really make a big impact when they give an example of selfless love and service. Kids need to feel loved, served, appreciated, because they are not getting that in their competitive environment.
Q: How do you help teenage boys build character and a strong spiritual life?
Father Sliney: Character and the spiritual life go hand in hand, because grace builds on nature. It is not possible for a kid to be able to resist his passions of disobedience, rebelliousness, vanity, and lust without the help of God’s grace. I always suggest confession…. Definitely Sunday Mass… And it’s important for them to learn to live in the presence of Christ, because the motivation of loving Christ and serving Christ is really what is going to help kids overcome the struggles they face. Doing things just because Mom is watching or because they’ll get in trouble is not enough, because once they go to college, those deterrents are no longer there. They need to form convictions of faith in the presence of God. The most important task is to help Christ become a friend for them, to help them see that Christ is counting on them, and to know that the sacrament of confession is there if they happen to fall.
Weekly HOMILY for May 3, 2009: Jesus the Good Shepherd: So What?
4th Sunday of Easter, Cycle B
Our Lady of Grace
May 3, 2009
Jesus the Good Shepherd: So What?
By (Rev. Msgr.) Nicholas P. Amato
Emerson
In 1991 I got a dog, a little buff colored Cocker Spaniel and I had him until five years ago. Some of you may remember him; his name was Emerson after the poet.
I got Emerson when he was eight weeks old and we both attended weekly obedience classes. He was a wonderful pet.
As you would imagine, I got to know Emerson and he got to know me very well. For example, if I were coming back to the rectory in the evening after an appointment or meeting, he would be looking out the front window waiting for me.
As soon as he saw me, he would start to bark and run to get a toy and be ready to play as soon as I walked in the door.
And of course, the moment I would call his name – Emerson – he would look up and be ready for a walk, a snack, or play “keep it away.”
Shepherd and Sheep
My guess is that many of you have had similar experiences with your dogs or other pets.
And these experiences help us to understand the image in today’s Gospel. Jesus speaks of himself as the “Good Shepherd.”
I see here three traits or three things that a good shepherd does for his sheep. They help us to appreciate what Jesus, as our Good Shepherd, is ready to do for us.
1st He Knows Us
First, Jesus says: “I am the good shepherd, and I know mine and mine know me.”
In other words, the shepherd and the sheep know each other in a way that is similar to the way that my Emerson and I knew each other. The important idea here is that knowing and belonging go together.
A shepherd knows his sheep and the sheep know him because they belong to him. Knowing and belonging are one and the same thing.
The Good Shepherd does not possess the sheep in the way that we own a book or cell phone or a Blackberry or whatever. Instead, they belong to each other as the members of a family belong to one another.
Children are not their parents’ property and husbands and wives are not each other’s property, but they do belong to each other in a much deeper way. They belong by virtue of a oneness of being and of life and of love and of responsibility.
And because of this belonging, they really know one another. This is what our relationship with Jesus the Good Shepherd is all about.
He knows us and we can know him in the way that the members of a family know and belong to one another.
What a wonderful closeness and bond this is with Jesus!
2nd He Gives Life
Then second, right before today’s passage, Jesus says: “I am the good shepherd and I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.”
Jesus promises his sheep life in abundance. He promises to lead them to pastures where they will have something to live on.
Sheep, of course, live on grass. Jesus gives us the Word of God.
This Word is what we will live on: it is the meaning and purpose and direction for our lives. And as if that’s not enough, Jesus also gives us the Eucharist.
He makes the gift of life concrete and visible for us in the bread that becomes his Body and the wine that becomes his Blood.
There’s no question of how much life our Good Shepherd gives us in Word and Eucharist.
3rd He Gives Himself
Finally, Jesus says: “I will lay down my life for the sheep.”
The idea is that Jesus does not just give us a thing. He gives us himself.
He gives us himself in the Word. He is the Word of God made flesh.
And he gives us himself in the bread. He is the bread of life.
It is Jesus himself then, who comes to us in Word and in Eucharist.
In our hearing and eating, it is Jesus himself who then lives within us. What this creates is an inner communion with him a communion of life, what we call a Holy Communion.
Conclusion
So, a wonderful image today for all of us, and maybe especially for the children receiving their First Communion, Jesus as the Good Shepherd!
(1) He knows us intimately because we belong to him.
(2) He gives us life.
(3) He gives us himself.
This is the extraordinary reality we celebrate on this 4th Sunday of the Easter Season.
Our Lady of Grace
May 3, 2009
Jesus the Good Shepherd: So What?
By (Rev. Msgr.) Nicholas P. Amato
Emerson
In 1991 I got a dog, a little buff colored Cocker Spaniel and I had him until five years ago. Some of you may remember him; his name was Emerson after the poet.
I got Emerson when he was eight weeks old and we both attended weekly obedience classes. He was a wonderful pet.
As you would imagine, I got to know Emerson and he got to know me very well. For example, if I were coming back to the rectory in the evening after an appointment or meeting, he would be looking out the front window waiting for me.
As soon as he saw me, he would start to bark and run to get a toy and be ready to play as soon as I walked in the door.
And of course, the moment I would call his name – Emerson – he would look up and be ready for a walk, a snack, or play “keep it away.”
Shepherd and Sheep
My guess is that many of you have had similar experiences with your dogs or other pets.
And these experiences help us to understand the image in today’s Gospel. Jesus speaks of himself as the “Good Shepherd.”
I see here three traits or three things that a good shepherd does for his sheep. They help us to appreciate what Jesus, as our Good Shepherd, is ready to do for us.
1st He Knows Us
First, Jesus says: “I am the good shepherd, and I know mine and mine know me.”
In other words, the shepherd and the sheep know each other in a way that is similar to the way that my Emerson and I knew each other. The important idea here is that knowing and belonging go together.
A shepherd knows his sheep and the sheep know him because they belong to him. Knowing and belonging are one and the same thing.
The Good Shepherd does not possess the sheep in the way that we own a book or cell phone or a Blackberry or whatever. Instead, they belong to each other as the members of a family belong to one another.
Children are not their parents’ property and husbands and wives are not each other’s property, but they do belong to each other in a much deeper way. They belong by virtue of a oneness of being and of life and of love and of responsibility.
And because of this belonging, they really know one another. This is what our relationship with Jesus the Good Shepherd is all about.
He knows us and we can know him in the way that the members of a family know and belong to one another.
What a wonderful closeness and bond this is with Jesus!
2nd He Gives Life
Then second, right before today’s passage, Jesus says: “I am the good shepherd and I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.”
Jesus promises his sheep life in abundance. He promises to lead them to pastures where they will have something to live on.
Sheep, of course, live on grass. Jesus gives us the Word of God.
This Word is what we will live on: it is the meaning and purpose and direction for our lives. And as if that’s not enough, Jesus also gives us the Eucharist.
He makes the gift of life concrete and visible for us in the bread that becomes his Body and the wine that becomes his Blood.
There’s no question of how much life our Good Shepherd gives us in Word and Eucharist.
3rd He Gives Himself
Finally, Jesus says: “I will lay down my life for the sheep.”
The idea is that Jesus does not just give us a thing. He gives us himself.
He gives us himself in the Word. He is the Word of God made flesh.
And he gives us himself in the bread. He is the bread of life.
It is Jesus himself then, who comes to us in Word and in Eucharist.
In our hearing and eating, it is Jesus himself who then lives within us. What this creates is an inner communion with him a communion of life, what we call a Holy Communion.
Conclusion
So, a wonderful image today for all of us, and maybe especially for the children receiving their First Communion, Jesus as the Good Shepherd!
(1) He knows us intimately because we belong to him.
(2) He gives us life.
(3) He gives us himself.
This is the extraordinary reality we celebrate on this 4th Sunday of the Easter Season.
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Weekly THIS AND THAT for April 26, 2009: Sundays of Easter – Extending Our Joy!
This and That:
Sundays of Easter – Extending Our Joy!
In our culture, each “holiday” quickly gives way to the next. So on this Third Sunday of Easter, we find our stores urging us to prepare for Mother’s Day and graduations. However, in the liturgical life of the Church, we are still immersed in Easter Joy! During the Sundays of Easter, not “after” Easter, we hear the beautiful Gospel stories of disciples encountering the risen Jesus. Also, each Sunday of Easter, we renew our baptismal promises and we are sprinkled with Baptismal water to remind us of the new life that is ours in Christ. Following is a reflection on this Sunday’s story of the disciples encountering their risen Lord on the way to Emmaus. It is written by Larry Gillick, SJ, a Jesuit from Creighton University:
We pray for the grace of youthful joy. This grace for which we long does not return us to the innocence of our youth, but the sense of our being re-embraced. It is the season of Baptism and we pray with the infants and the adults who are “claimed by Christ” as His own.
Easter lingers in our church assemblies and the readings and prayers keep insisting that we allow the grace of joy to return and flow in and around us. Our memories can also insist that we have walked away and forgotten and forsaken our own baptismal joy. We can pray that we remember as well, at these times, the life, death and resurrection of the most Innocent of all to re-immerse us by His ever-flowing love.
REFLECTION ON TODAY’S GOSPEL
This Easter season, for the liturgies of Sunday, we do not hear of the two men walking rejectedly away from Jerusalem toward their home town of Emmaus. What we do hear in today’s Gospel is the story they are relating to their companions about how Jesus met them in their broken dreams and in the “breaking of bread.” Their excitement is that of two persons who have just come out of the best movie they had ever seen.
I personally have never failed to grow tired listening to friends as they relate some film they have just seen. It does lose something in the translation. If I enjoy anything it is the experience of two people who have seen the movie together and keep interrupting each other with details which really don’t assist my un-enjoyment. Well, here are these two returning veterans from the battle of faith in Jerusalem these latter days and behold who does the interrupting. I doubt the listeners to the excited fellows were bored with their resurrectional stories. In a sense we are being introduced to a kind of Sunday liturgy.
The congregation has listened to the word which brings Jesus alive. Then Jesus appears in a Eucharistic display. Jesus does admit that He is a challenge to their believing. The Greeks, for whom Luke is writing mainly, do not believe in the resurrection of the body, so Luke has to stress this central mystery. Jesus offers them His body with its wounds and then eats fish to show He is not a ghost. The liturgy ends with a little scriptural review of how the prophets and psalms had indicated His death and Resurrection. The liturgy ends with a Rite of Dismissal, that those who have been witnesses are to announce the call to repentance and the announcement of God’s mercy, beginning from right where they are.
If I ever get in charge of redesigning the Eucharistic liturgy I would begin with the Rite of Sending! I would have a little silent reflection time about such topics as “to whom are you sent?” “To whom are you to extend forgiveness?” “What gifts have you been given to distribute?” I might have everybody write down their reflections and then the presider would bless them and announce loudly “The world is waiting, your families are waiting, and the needy are waiting! Go in peace to continue the Mass as people who are sent beginning right where you are!”
As we renew our Baptismal promises and feel the spray of Baptismal water, may we also feel a resurgence of faith and joy – and share it freely with others!
Blessings,
Sister Mary Therese
Sundays of Easter – Extending Our Joy!
In our culture, each “holiday” quickly gives way to the next. So on this Third Sunday of Easter, we find our stores urging us to prepare for Mother’s Day and graduations. However, in the liturgical life of the Church, we are still immersed in Easter Joy! During the Sundays of Easter, not “after” Easter, we hear the beautiful Gospel stories of disciples encountering the risen Jesus. Also, each Sunday of Easter, we renew our baptismal promises and we are sprinkled with Baptismal water to remind us of the new life that is ours in Christ. Following is a reflection on this Sunday’s story of the disciples encountering their risen Lord on the way to Emmaus. It is written by Larry Gillick, SJ, a Jesuit from Creighton University:
We pray for the grace of youthful joy. This grace for which we long does not return us to the innocence of our youth, but the sense of our being re-embraced. It is the season of Baptism and we pray with the infants and the adults who are “claimed by Christ” as His own.
Easter lingers in our church assemblies and the readings and prayers keep insisting that we allow the grace of joy to return and flow in and around us. Our memories can also insist that we have walked away and forgotten and forsaken our own baptismal joy. We can pray that we remember as well, at these times, the life, death and resurrection of the most Innocent of all to re-immerse us by His ever-flowing love.
REFLECTION ON TODAY’S GOSPEL
This Easter season, for the liturgies of Sunday, we do not hear of the two men walking rejectedly away from Jerusalem toward their home town of Emmaus. What we do hear in today’s Gospel is the story they are relating to their companions about how Jesus met them in their broken dreams and in the “breaking of bread.” Their excitement is that of two persons who have just come out of the best movie they had ever seen.
I personally have never failed to grow tired listening to friends as they relate some film they have just seen. It does lose something in the translation. If I enjoy anything it is the experience of two people who have seen the movie together and keep interrupting each other with details which really don’t assist my un-enjoyment. Well, here are these two returning veterans from the battle of faith in Jerusalem these latter days and behold who does the interrupting. I doubt the listeners to the excited fellows were bored with their resurrectional stories. In a sense we are being introduced to a kind of Sunday liturgy.
The congregation has listened to the word which brings Jesus alive. Then Jesus appears in a Eucharistic display. Jesus does admit that He is a challenge to their believing. The Greeks, for whom Luke is writing mainly, do not believe in the resurrection of the body, so Luke has to stress this central mystery. Jesus offers them His body with its wounds and then eats fish to show He is not a ghost. The liturgy ends with a little scriptural review of how the prophets and psalms had indicated His death and Resurrection. The liturgy ends with a Rite of Dismissal, that those who have been witnesses are to announce the call to repentance and the announcement of God’s mercy, beginning from right where they are.
If I ever get in charge of redesigning the Eucharistic liturgy I would begin with the Rite of Sending! I would have a little silent reflection time about such topics as “to whom are you sent?” “To whom are you to extend forgiveness?” “What gifts have you been given to distribute?” I might have everybody write down their reflections and then the presider would bless them and announce loudly “The world is waiting, your families are waiting, and the needy are waiting! Go in peace to continue the Mass as people who are sent beginning right where you are!”
As we renew our Baptismal promises and feel the spray of Baptismal water, may we also feel a resurgence of faith and joy – and share it freely with others!
Blessings,
Sister Mary Therese
Weekly HOMILY for April 26, 2009: Great Expectations
3rd Sunday of Easter, Cycle B
Our Lady of Grace
April 26, 2009
Great Expectations
By (Rev. Msgr.) Nicholas P. Amato
Great Expectations
When I was in high school, 1954 to 1959, I remember reading the classic Great Expectations.
I’m sure that most of us have read this somewhere along the way. Great Expectations was written by the English novelist Charles Dickens.
In the story, a young woman named Miss Havisham is about to be married. All the preparations for the wedding have been made.
On the day of the wedding, the guests arrive. They wait…and wait. But the groom never arrives.
Miss Havisham is devastated. When the guests have all left, she draws the shades on the windows, stops the clocks, and leaves the table exactly as it had been set for the wedding breakfast.
And, from then on, for the rest of her life, Miss Havisham never leaves her little house. She just sits in her loneliness – dressed in her wedding finery.
Miss Havisham and the Risen Christ
Miss Havisham is a tragic figure.
She never realizes that it is through dealing with life’s injustices, disappointments, and losses that we grow. She never realizes that it is through dealing with these realities that we come to understand what the gift of life is all about.
In today’s Gospel, the risen Christ challenges the disciples to recall what he has taught them and what they have experienced. Suffering is a reality for all of us.
But, we can still learn and grow from this inevitable suffering. In fact, we can even come to fuller life from this.
Our Expectations
Let’s just look at our own experience.
There are injustices in life. When I was a young adult my best friend John died of liver failure at the age 21 and I remember saying to myself that “Life isn’t fair.”
And it dawned on me, “No, life isn’t fair!” There are injustices – being unfairly evaluated by your boss, having your house robbed, being misunderstood or rejected by others, and on it goes.
And there are disappointments, failures, and frustrations that come to us all. It might be failing an exam, not getting a job, not making the first string or varsity team, and so on.
And yes, there are losses throughout our lives. It might be the death of a parent or spouse or child, a divorce, the loss of eyesight or hearing, and on and on goes that list.
The Risen Christ
Jesus, as the Risen Christ, calls us to deal with all of this differently from the way that Miss Havisham does in Great Expectations.
He calls us actually to confront the pain and suffering, to meet it head on. He calls us not to deny it or pretend that it has not happened or to say how unjust it all is, but to own it.
And then, Jesus, as the Risen Christ, calls us to acceptance – to accept what is and what we cannot change, and then to live – to live on. I keep saying “Jesus as the Risen Christ” because he, as risen, gives us hope and power.
The Risen Christ gives us the hope of resurrection after physical death. And he also gives us power; he empowers us to live and to live on or to live fully right now.
He empowers us not just to turn in on ourselves in the suffering and pain. He empowers us not to become or remain a victim.
Instead, he empowers us to learn and grow from suffering. He empowers us to forgive and not be vengeful, to be loving and not bitter, to be positive and not negative – in other words, to live and live on and live even more fully.
Conclusion
American author Pearl Buck says so insightfully: “We learn as much from sorrow as from joy, as much from illness as from health, as much from handicap as from advantage – and indeed, perhaps more.”
The Risen Christ makes us capable of re-creation, transformation, and even or own resurrection.
Our Lady of Grace
April 26, 2009
Great Expectations
By (Rev. Msgr.) Nicholas P. Amato
Great Expectations
When I was in high school, 1954 to 1959, I remember reading the classic Great Expectations.
I’m sure that most of us have read this somewhere along the way. Great Expectations was written by the English novelist Charles Dickens.
In the story, a young woman named Miss Havisham is about to be married. All the preparations for the wedding have been made.
On the day of the wedding, the guests arrive. They wait…and wait. But the groom never arrives.
Miss Havisham is devastated. When the guests have all left, she draws the shades on the windows, stops the clocks, and leaves the table exactly as it had been set for the wedding breakfast.
And, from then on, for the rest of her life, Miss Havisham never leaves her little house. She just sits in her loneliness – dressed in her wedding finery.
Miss Havisham and the Risen Christ
Miss Havisham is a tragic figure.
She never realizes that it is through dealing with life’s injustices, disappointments, and losses that we grow. She never realizes that it is through dealing with these realities that we come to understand what the gift of life is all about.
In today’s Gospel, the risen Christ challenges the disciples to recall what he has taught them and what they have experienced. Suffering is a reality for all of us.
But, we can still learn and grow from this inevitable suffering. In fact, we can even come to fuller life from this.
Our Expectations
Let’s just look at our own experience.
There are injustices in life. When I was a young adult my best friend John died of liver failure at the age 21 and I remember saying to myself that “Life isn’t fair.”
And it dawned on me, “No, life isn’t fair!” There are injustices – being unfairly evaluated by your boss, having your house robbed, being misunderstood or rejected by others, and on it goes.
And there are disappointments, failures, and frustrations that come to us all. It might be failing an exam, not getting a job, not making the first string or varsity team, and so on.
And yes, there are losses throughout our lives. It might be the death of a parent or spouse or child, a divorce, the loss of eyesight or hearing, and on and on goes that list.
The Risen Christ
Jesus, as the Risen Christ, calls us to deal with all of this differently from the way that Miss Havisham does in Great Expectations.
He calls us actually to confront the pain and suffering, to meet it head on. He calls us not to deny it or pretend that it has not happened or to say how unjust it all is, but to own it.
And then, Jesus, as the Risen Christ, calls us to acceptance – to accept what is and what we cannot change, and then to live – to live on. I keep saying “Jesus as the Risen Christ” because he, as risen, gives us hope and power.
The Risen Christ gives us the hope of resurrection after physical death. And he also gives us power; he empowers us to live and to live on or to live fully right now.
He empowers us not just to turn in on ourselves in the suffering and pain. He empowers us not to become or remain a victim.
Instead, he empowers us to learn and grow from suffering. He empowers us to forgive and not be vengeful, to be loving and not bitter, to be positive and not negative – in other words, to live and live on and live even more fully.
Conclusion
American author Pearl Buck says so insightfully: “We learn as much from sorrow as from joy, as much from illness as from health, as much from handicap as from advantage – and indeed, perhaps more.”
The Risen Christ makes us capable of re-creation, transformation, and even or own resurrection.
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Weekly THIS AND THAT for April 19, 2009: At Last: Ecumenical Headway on Papal Primacy!
This and That:
At Last: Ecumenical Headway on Papal Primacy!
There have been significant steps forward in the Church with dialogue with the Orthodox regarding the relationship between papal primacy and the gathering of Catholic and Orthodox bishops together in synods says Benedict XVI. The Pope recalled these advances when he recently addressed the plenary assembly of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity. The Council was reflecting on the “Reception and Future of Ecumenical Dialogue.” In his address, the Holy Father mentioned progress, both at the level of theological dialogue and at the level of ecclesial fraternity, with the Orthodox Churches and the ancient Churches of the East.
In this regard, he particularly pointed to the joint Catholic-Orthodox statement from the end of 1997 on “Ecclesial Communion, Conciliarity and Authority.” That advance, known as the “Ravenna Document” (because the Church representatives met in Ravenna, Italy) “certainly opens a positive perspective of reflection on the relationship that exists between primacy and synodality [the gathering of the Churches as synods of bishops] in the Church, a discussion of crucial importance in relations with our Orthodox brothers, and which will be the object of deepening and discussion in upcoming meetings,” the Pontiff said.
Benedict XVI recalled that Orthodox Patriarch Bartholomew I made explicit reference to this issue when he addressed the Synod of Bishops in Rome in October. In addition to this positive dialogue, the Holy Father noted, “A sincere spirit of friendship between Catholics and Orthodox has been growing over these years.” This is shown, he said, in the “many contacts established between leaders of the Roman Curia and bishops of the Catholic Church with leaders from the various Orthodox Churches, as well as visits to Rome and particular Catholic Churches by leading figures from the Orthodox.”
Referring to the Pontifical Council’s analysis of the Harvest Project, which deals with the first four international bilateral dialogues in which the Church has participated since Vatican II, the Pope looked at advances with four Protestant confessions: Lutherans, Methodists, Anglicans and the World Alliance of Reformed Churches.
Regarding progress in these dialogues, the Holy Father considered that “we find ourselves on the road, in an intermediate situation, in which it seems very useful and opportune to make an objective analysis of the results obtained.”
The Bishop of Rome encouraged both reflection on the progress made, and “the discovery of new paths…seeking together to overcome the divergences that unfortunately still remain in the relationships between the Disciples of Christ."
In his brief address to the Pope, Cardinal Walter Kasper, President of the Pontifical Council, had explained that during their days of work, the Council members had particularly pointed out “problems of hermeneutics, that is, of interpreting the Word of God expressed in Sacred Scripture and in the living Tradition of the Church; and also urgent problems in this situation regarding anthropology and ecclesiology.”
Faced with challenges that Ecumenical Dialogue is facing with the establishment of more new communities and groups, and with certain unprecedented tendencies and tension, the Holy Father continued emphasizing the importance of dialogue. “Charity,” he said, “will help Christians to cultivate this ‘thirst’ for full communion in the truth, and docilely following the inspirations of the Holy Spirit, we can hope to arrive soon to the desired unity, on the day that the Lord wants.” “Ecumenism invites us to a fraternal and generous interchange of gifts,” the Pope added, “aware that full communion in the faith, in the Sacraments and in ministry remains the goal and end of the entire Ecumenical Movement.”
May the Holy Spirit continue to inspire our Catholic leadership and our people to pray and hunger that “all may be one” as Jesus prayed the day before he died for us.
Fondly,
Father Nicholas
At Last: Ecumenical Headway on Papal Primacy!
There have been significant steps forward in the Church with dialogue with the Orthodox regarding the relationship between papal primacy and the gathering of Catholic and Orthodox bishops together in synods says Benedict XVI. The Pope recalled these advances when he recently addressed the plenary assembly of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity. The Council was reflecting on the “Reception and Future of Ecumenical Dialogue.” In his address, the Holy Father mentioned progress, both at the level of theological dialogue and at the level of ecclesial fraternity, with the Orthodox Churches and the ancient Churches of the East.
In this regard, he particularly pointed to the joint Catholic-Orthodox statement from the end of 1997 on “Ecclesial Communion, Conciliarity and Authority.” That advance, known as the “Ravenna Document” (because the Church representatives met in Ravenna, Italy) “certainly opens a positive perspective of reflection on the relationship that exists between primacy and synodality [the gathering of the Churches as synods of bishops] in the Church, a discussion of crucial importance in relations with our Orthodox brothers, and which will be the object of deepening and discussion in upcoming meetings,” the Pontiff said.
Benedict XVI recalled that Orthodox Patriarch Bartholomew I made explicit reference to this issue when he addressed the Synod of Bishops in Rome in October. In addition to this positive dialogue, the Holy Father noted, “A sincere spirit of friendship between Catholics and Orthodox has been growing over these years.” This is shown, he said, in the “many contacts established between leaders of the Roman Curia and bishops of the Catholic Church with leaders from the various Orthodox Churches, as well as visits to Rome and particular Catholic Churches by leading figures from the Orthodox.”
Referring to the Pontifical Council’s analysis of the Harvest Project, which deals with the first four international bilateral dialogues in which the Church has participated since Vatican II, the Pope looked at advances with four Protestant confessions: Lutherans, Methodists, Anglicans and the World Alliance of Reformed Churches.
Regarding progress in these dialogues, the Holy Father considered that “we find ourselves on the road, in an intermediate situation, in which it seems very useful and opportune to make an objective analysis of the results obtained.”
The Bishop of Rome encouraged both reflection on the progress made, and “the discovery of new paths…seeking together to overcome the divergences that unfortunately still remain in the relationships between the Disciples of Christ."
In his brief address to the Pope, Cardinal Walter Kasper, President of the Pontifical Council, had explained that during their days of work, the Council members had particularly pointed out “problems of hermeneutics, that is, of interpreting the Word of God expressed in Sacred Scripture and in the living Tradition of the Church; and also urgent problems in this situation regarding anthropology and ecclesiology.”
Faced with challenges that Ecumenical Dialogue is facing with the establishment of more new communities and groups, and with certain unprecedented tendencies and tension, the Holy Father continued emphasizing the importance of dialogue. “Charity,” he said, “will help Christians to cultivate this ‘thirst’ for full communion in the truth, and docilely following the inspirations of the Holy Spirit, we can hope to arrive soon to the desired unity, on the day that the Lord wants.” “Ecumenism invites us to a fraternal and generous interchange of gifts,” the Pope added, “aware that full communion in the faith, in the Sacraments and in ministry remains the goal and end of the entire Ecumenical Movement.”
May the Holy Spirit continue to inspire our Catholic leadership and our people to pray and hunger that “all may be one” as Jesus prayed the day before he died for us.
Fondly,
Father Nicholas
Weekly HOMILY for April 19, 2009: Bearers of Peace to One Another
2nd Sunday of Easter, Cycle B
Our Lady of Grace
April 19, 2009
Bearers of Peace to One Another
By (Rev. Msgr.) Nicholas P. Amato
In Your Face
Did it ever strike you that Jesus should have gone into the chambers of the high priests? “Look at me, you poor, misguided people, and repent of your ways,” he could have said. “I am right. You are wrong. I am the Son of God. Now do you get it?”
Or why not go to the judgment seat where Pilate Saturday? “‘What is truth?’ you say. Here it is. ‘Behold the man,’ you said. Behold indeed. Don’t just sit there with your mouth open. I’ve come back from the dead. Take a picture and send it back to your emperor.”
No, Jesus does nothing of the kind. The resurrection is not about himself or for his own persona prestige or vindication. Instead of focusing on trying to prove anything, he comes through locked doors to greet and to challenge his shuddering, fearful and defensive disciples.
Jesus breaks into te company of bewildered and anxious people tooffer them a new sense of meaning and purpose.
These are the people who, in such a touching way, he called friends on the night before he died, and to a man they let him down.
At this point they have lost any dimension of their sense of mission that they might have had or any sense of their being a living community with a clear sense of purpose and direction.
All that binds them together is fear.
The Huddle
They’re not huddled in that room as athletes sometimes huddle to make plans for the next play or the nect offensive, but simply to be huddled. Their huddling is for the sake of huddling.
“Peace be with you,” Jesus says to them, and suddenly a new spirit enters into that locked, shaded room; a new sense of energy and purpose enters into their closed and frightened presence
the appearance of Jesus on that evening of the first day of the week is less about the past than about the future that will arise out of the light and power and peace of his Easter presence.
it is less about evening and more about morning.
The resurrection is about the future of those fearful disciples and about the future of the world they will begin to build in the power of his spirit.
It is the intrusion of the risen Jesus into their frightened little circle that breaks them out of their inward-looking huddle and turns them around.
Jesus turns their circle inside out. His presence and greeting of peace is a call to conversion – a real spiritual turnaround.
More than merely brining peace to his frightened followers, he charges them to move nto the future as heralds and bearers of that same peace.
They themselves will take on his peace-making mission and bring it forward. His appearance do more than simply vindicate his personal integrity or prove the validity of his life and ministry; they evokes and provoke transformation among his disciples.
In his appearances the risen Jesus confronts them with their own possibilities.
The Confrontation
Jesus says to them again, “Peace be with your. As the Father has sent me so I send you.” When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.”
(1) The peace is offered. (2) The commission is given. (3) The energy of the Spirit’s breath is poured out from the very soul of the risen Christ, but the “If’s” loom large, very large.
(4) A choice remains here – a big choice. They will have to make a decision that will give shape and direction to their whole future.
The choice is about being locked up in a huddle or being feed to become messengers of liberation and reconciliation. The choice is about staying in the upper room in self-righteous isolation, or moving to the ground floor and out the door.
Take your pick.
The Choice Is Yours
You can look backwards and point fingers at the chief priests and Pilates in your own life who have hurt you, even at the Peters and the Thomases with their betrayals and doubts, OR you can choose to move into God’s future and go out to these same persons with a message of peace and healing
In the peace of Christ and in the power of his spirit you can believe in the possibilities of forgiveness and reconciliation OR, with one eye looking backward, you can proceed with your own carefully controlled steps and plans and projects, guided by nothing more than your own limited vision and carefully contrived pragmatism.
This is the fundamental choice Jesus offers as he breathes on his first disciples and messengers of good news.
And on this “first day of the week” again with us his disciples huddled together he breathes on us today!
Take your pick!
Our Lady of Grace
April 19, 2009
Bearers of Peace to One Another
By (Rev. Msgr.) Nicholas P. Amato
In Your Face
Did it ever strike you that Jesus should have gone into the chambers of the high priests? “Look at me, you poor, misguided people, and repent of your ways,” he could have said. “I am right. You are wrong. I am the Son of God. Now do you get it?”
Or why not go to the judgment seat where Pilate Saturday? “‘What is truth?’ you say. Here it is. ‘Behold the man,’ you said. Behold indeed. Don’t just sit there with your mouth open. I’ve come back from the dead. Take a picture and send it back to your emperor.”
No, Jesus does nothing of the kind. The resurrection is not about himself or for his own persona prestige or vindication. Instead of focusing on trying to prove anything, he comes through locked doors to greet and to challenge his shuddering, fearful and defensive disciples.
Jesus breaks into te company of bewildered and anxious people tooffer them a new sense of meaning and purpose.
These are the people who, in such a touching way, he called friends on the night before he died, and to a man they let him down.
At this point they have lost any dimension of their sense of mission that they might have had or any sense of their being a living community with a clear sense of purpose and direction.
All that binds them together is fear.
The Huddle
They’re not huddled in that room as athletes sometimes huddle to make plans for the next play or the nect offensive, but simply to be huddled. Their huddling is for the sake of huddling.
“Peace be with you,” Jesus says to them, and suddenly a new spirit enters into that locked, shaded room; a new sense of energy and purpose enters into their closed and frightened presence
the appearance of Jesus on that evening of the first day of the week is less about the past than about the future that will arise out of the light and power and peace of his Easter presence.
it is less about evening and more about morning.
The resurrection is about the future of those fearful disciples and about the future of the world they will begin to build in the power of his spirit.
It is the intrusion of the risen Jesus into their frightened little circle that breaks them out of their inward-looking huddle and turns them around.
Jesus turns their circle inside out. His presence and greeting of peace is a call to conversion – a real spiritual turnaround.
More than merely brining peace to his frightened followers, he charges them to move nto the future as heralds and bearers of that same peace.
They themselves will take on his peace-making mission and bring it forward. His appearance do more than simply vindicate his personal integrity or prove the validity of his life and ministry; they evokes and provoke transformation among his disciples.
In his appearances the risen Jesus confronts them with their own possibilities.
The Confrontation
Jesus says to them again, “Peace be with your. As the Father has sent me so I send you.” When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.”
(1) The peace is offered. (2) The commission is given. (3) The energy of the Spirit’s breath is poured out from the very soul of the risen Christ, but the “If’s” loom large, very large.
(4) A choice remains here – a big choice. They will have to make a decision that will give shape and direction to their whole future.
The choice is about being locked up in a huddle or being feed to become messengers of liberation and reconciliation. The choice is about staying in the upper room in self-righteous isolation, or moving to the ground floor and out the door.
Take your pick.
The Choice Is Yours
You can look backwards and point fingers at the chief priests and Pilates in your own life who have hurt you, even at the Peters and the Thomases with their betrayals and doubts, OR you can choose to move into God’s future and go out to these same persons with a message of peace and healing
In the peace of Christ and in the power of his spirit you can believe in the possibilities of forgiveness and reconciliation OR, with one eye looking backward, you can proceed with your own carefully controlled steps and plans and projects, guided by nothing more than your own limited vision and carefully contrived pragmatism.
This is the fundamental choice Jesus offers as he breathes on his first disciples and messengers of good news.
And on this “first day of the week” again with us his disciples huddled together he breathes on us today!
Take your pick!
Friday, April 10, 2009
Weekly THIS AND THAT for April 12, 2009: EASTER SUNDAY -- 50 Days of Celebration from Easter to Pentecost
THIS AND THAT:
FIFTY DAYS OF CELEBRATION FROM EASTER TO PENTECOST
We take a moment to wish all those in our parish family, and those visiting with us on this glorious and festive day, a blessed Easter.
It has been said that the human capacity for festivity arises from the ability to affirm all creation as good – from the ability to embrace, in one resounding “yes,” the length and breath, the heights and depths of our experience in and of this world. We see it in opening of our windows to let in some of the refreshing spring air. We see it in the first crocuses and forsythia sprouting through the soil, after a long cold frozen winter. We hear it the poignant descant of an oboe rising above a steady pulse sounded by an orchestra. We hear it in the delighted squeals of a child as its face is licked by the moist tongue and hot breath of a new puppy. We can hear it in the contented, prayerful whispers of an elderly woman – full of love, grace and years – as she prepares to pass through death to the other side of life, with quiet courage and dignity.
Saying “yes” to all of life, letting all of it in – that is festivity’s sustaining source. But there too is the rub. If the truth be known, few of us can say “yes” to anything for very long. We live, after all, in an intensely mobile culture of fast food, faster cars, disposable diapers and planned obsolescence. We know well the distinction between eating and dining, yet have little time or patience for the latter. Andy Warhol once quipped that our greatest goal is to be famous for fifteen minutes.
Have you ever noticed that at parties we do not carry on conversations, instead we “posture,” that is, we repeat to one another bits and pieces of dialogue from movies, beer commercials, sitcoms, or interviews with sports’ celebrities. Is it any small wonder that many in our society feel so isolated and so lonely. They are unable to connect; they are so incapable of forming relationships that last very long. It is no revelation then, that as individuals we find ourselves increasingly bored, angry, aggressive, and violent. Is it that we’re enraged and terrified by the awful emptiness that seems to stretch in every direction around us?
Given such cultural conditioning, the Christian celebration of what our tradition, as Roman Catholics, calls “the blessed Pentecost” will strike many in our families and circles of friends as mad indeed. For today – Easter Sunday – we begin the celebration of fifty days of immersing ourselves in the Paschal Mystery! Fifty days of surrendering in joyful faith and committed love as the Spirit of God takes possession of our lives! Fifty days of what we call “mystagogy,” namely, of walking with the newly initiated of the Rite of Christian Initiation ever more deeply into the baptismal mysteries of death and resurrection. Good heavens; what an order that will be!
Perhaps one reason why such a prolonged celebration of the fifty days from Easter until Pentecost strikes us as difficult – if not downright absurd – is that we tend to link feasts and holidays with mindless hoopla. “Party time,” for many, is our, or at least their, invitation to obliterate consciousness, to “get wasted,” to “veg out,” to forget, or to become violent by getting embroiled in violent mob response following a lost championship or we hate the visiting team.
But a season of Christian festival is precisely the opposite. It is a time of intensified consciousness, finely turned awareness, awakened memory. The great fifty days of Pentecost are not an unwelcome, unrealistic, obligation to “party on,” even if we don’t feel like it, but instead an invitation to explore more deeply what one writer has called “the weather of the heart.” It is a time to awaken our memory of God’s presence and power in our lives, to look more closely at all the rich and varied textures of creation. In short, the fifty days from Easter to Pentecost is a season for learning how to speak a full-throated “yes” in a culture that wants to keep on saying “no.”
Fondly,
Father Nicholas
FIFTY DAYS OF CELEBRATION FROM EASTER TO PENTECOST
We take a moment to wish all those in our parish family, and those visiting with us on this glorious and festive day, a blessed Easter.
It has been said that the human capacity for festivity arises from the ability to affirm all creation as good – from the ability to embrace, in one resounding “yes,” the length and breath, the heights and depths of our experience in and of this world. We see it in opening of our windows to let in some of the refreshing spring air. We see it in the first crocuses and forsythia sprouting through the soil, after a long cold frozen winter. We hear it the poignant descant of an oboe rising above a steady pulse sounded by an orchestra. We hear it in the delighted squeals of a child as its face is licked by the moist tongue and hot breath of a new puppy. We can hear it in the contented, prayerful whispers of an elderly woman – full of love, grace and years – as she prepares to pass through death to the other side of life, with quiet courage and dignity.
Saying “yes” to all of life, letting all of it in – that is festivity’s sustaining source. But there too is the rub. If the truth be known, few of us can say “yes” to anything for very long. We live, after all, in an intensely mobile culture of fast food, faster cars, disposable diapers and planned obsolescence. We know well the distinction between eating and dining, yet have little time or patience for the latter. Andy Warhol once quipped that our greatest goal is to be famous for fifteen minutes.
Have you ever noticed that at parties we do not carry on conversations, instead we “posture,” that is, we repeat to one another bits and pieces of dialogue from movies, beer commercials, sitcoms, or interviews with sports’ celebrities. Is it any small wonder that many in our society feel so isolated and so lonely. They are unable to connect; they are so incapable of forming relationships that last very long. It is no revelation then, that as individuals we find ourselves increasingly bored, angry, aggressive, and violent. Is it that we’re enraged and terrified by the awful emptiness that seems to stretch in every direction around us?
Given such cultural conditioning, the Christian celebration of what our tradition, as Roman Catholics, calls “the blessed Pentecost” will strike many in our families and circles of friends as mad indeed. For today – Easter Sunday – we begin the celebration of fifty days of immersing ourselves in the Paschal Mystery! Fifty days of surrendering in joyful faith and committed love as the Spirit of God takes possession of our lives! Fifty days of what we call “mystagogy,” namely, of walking with the newly initiated of the Rite of Christian Initiation ever more deeply into the baptismal mysteries of death and resurrection. Good heavens; what an order that will be!
Perhaps one reason why such a prolonged celebration of the fifty days from Easter until Pentecost strikes us as difficult – if not downright absurd – is that we tend to link feasts and holidays with mindless hoopla. “Party time,” for many, is our, or at least their, invitation to obliterate consciousness, to “get wasted,” to “veg out,” to forget, or to become violent by getting embroiled in violent mob response following a lost championship or we hate the visiting team.
But a season of Christian festival is precisely the opposite. It is a time of intensified consciousness, finely turned awareness, awakened memory. The great fifty days of Pentecost are not an unwelcome, unrealistic, obligation to “party on,” even if we don’t feel like it, but instead an invitation to explore more deeply what one writer has called “the weather of the heart.” It is a time to awaken our memory of God’s presence and power in our lives, to look more closely at all the rich and varied textures of creation. In short, the fifty days from Easter to Pentecost is a season for learning how to speak a full-throated “yes” in a culture that wants to keep on saying “no.”
Fondly,
Father Nicholas
Weekly HOMILY for April 12, 2009: EASTER SUNDAY The Paschal Candle IS Easter!
Easter Sunday, Cycle B
Our Lady of Grace
April 12, 2009
The Paschal Candle IS Easter!
By (Rev. Msgr.) Nicholas P. Amato
The Easter Candle
(This evening, at this extraordinary celebration of what is called the Great Easter Vigil) (Today, at this holiest of all feasts),
there is one symbol that dominates the sanctuary and will continue to do so for 50 days until the Feast of Pentecost.
It is the tallest, the thickest, the most adorned item before us (point and move toward it) a symbol which epitomizes Easter Resurrection. It was lit for the first time (this) (last) evening and will be lit for every Mass during the seven Sundays of the Easter Season.
Let us reflect on the rich symbolism this extraordinary candle offers us as we embark on the holiest Season of the Liturgical Year.
The Easter Candle – properly called the Paschal Candle – is rich in symbolism and meaning. It speaks to us and draws us into union with the Risen Christ as Light, as Love, and as Life.
The Candle: Light
First, the Easter Candle is like any candle in the sense that by its very nature, its purpose it to give light.
It speaks to us of the Risen Christ as our personal Light and our light as a people. In the Hebrew Scriptures, God is often seen as light, as when he is manifested as a Pillar of Fire leading his people in the Exodus through the desert from Egypt to the Promised Land.
In the New Testament, St. John is emphatic when he says, “God is light.” And then Jesus says: “I am the light of the world and whoever follows me will not walk in darkness.”
The Risen Christ, specifically as Light, leads us out of all forms of personal and communal darkness. He especially draws us out of the darkness of feeling that life has no purpose or that it has no meaning.
The Risen Christ, as Light, enables us to see that we have indeed come from God and will someday return to God.
Jesus as Light, helps us to know ourselves and others as daughters and sons of God and how we are to relate to one another.
The Candle: Love
Second, the Easter Candle is again like any candle in the sense that it gives warmth.
By its very nature, it has the ability to reach out and give of itself as it gives warmth and in so doing it draws us to it. In this way, it speaks to us of the Risen Christ as Love.
Again we can remember St. John who says so simply: “God is love.” After these words, Jesus gives us the two great commandments of love of God and of love of neighbor.
The Risen Christ, as Love, leads us out of all forms of dysfunctional behavior. He especially draws us out of feelings of worthlessness and indifference toward others.
The Risen Christ, as Love, leads each of us to realize our self-worth as God’s beloved sons and daughters.
And he leads us to reach out to one another and to all of God’s children with the same warmth and compassion and willingness to share.
The Candle: Life
Finally, the Easter Candle is like any candle with its flickering flame.
Here the Symbol declares that Jesus is active and alive. In this way, it speaks to us of the Risen Christ as Life.
We believe that we first share this life of the Risen Christ at Baptism. This is why, in our Catholic tradition, we initiate adults into our faith community at the Easter Vigil.
And this is why all of us are invited to renew our baptismal promises at the Easter Masses. We will do that in just a few minutes.
The Risen Christ, as Life, leads us out of all forms of death into new life in him.
He leads us out of the death of bitterness into the life of forgiveness.
As Life, he leads us out of the death of loneliness into the life of relationship and community.
And above all, he leads us out of the death of death itself to the hope of fuller life with him.
Conclusion
The one symbol that predominates in the sanctuary and will continue to do so for 50 days until the Feast of Pentecost predominates because it must.
It is a constant reminder and instrument through which we experience the reality of Easter in our daily lives.
It both (1) Proclaims and (2) Draws us into the Risen Savior as Light, Love, and Life.
There is justifiable cause for our Alleluias and the joy we share on this day!
Our Lady of Grace
April 12, 2009
The Paschal Candle IS Easter!
By (Rev. Msgr.) Nicholas P. Amato
The Easter Candle
(This evening, at this extraordinary celebration of what is called the Great Easter Vigil) (Today, at this holiest of all feasts),
there is one symbol that dominates the sanctuary and will continue to do so for 50 days until the Feast of Pentecost.
It is the tallest, the thickest, the most adorned item before us (point and move toward it) a symbol which epitomizes Easter Resurrection. It was lit for the first time (this) (last) evening and will be lit for every Mass during the seven Sundays of the Easter Season.
Let us reflect on the rich symbolism this extraordinary candle offers us as we embark on the holiest Season of the Liturgical Year.
The Easter Candle – properly called the Paschal Candle – is rich in symbolism and meaning. It speaks to us and draws us into union with the Risen Christ as Light, as Love, and as Life.
The Candle: Light
First, the Easter Candle is like any candle in the sense that by its very nature, its purpose it to give light.
It speaks to us of the Risen Christ as our personal Light and our light as a people. In the Hebrew Scriptures, God is often seen as light, as when he is manifested as a Pillar of Fire leading his people in the Exodus through the desert from Egypt to the Promised Land.
In the New Testament, St. John is emphatic when he says, “God is light.” And then Jesus says: “I am the light of the world and whoever follows me will not walk in darkness.”
The Risen Christ, specifically as Light, leads us out of all forms of personal and communal darkness. He especially draws us out of the darkness of feeling that life has no purpose or that it has no meaning.
The Risen Christ, as Light, enables us to see that we have indeed come from God and will someday return to God.
Jesus as Light, helps us to know ourselves and others as daughters and sons of God and how we are to relate to one another.
The Candle: Love
Second, the Easter Candle is again like any candle in the sense that it gives warmth.
By its very nature, it has the ability to reach out and give of itself as it gives warmth and in so doing it draws us to it. In this way, it speaks to us of the Risen Christ as Love.
Again we can remember St. John who says so simply: “God is love.” After these words, Jesus gives us the two great commandments of love of God and of love of neighbor.
The Risen Christ, as Love, leads us out of all forms of dysfunctional behavior. He especially draws us out of feelings of worthlessness and indifference toward others.
The Risen Christ, as Love, leads each of us to realize our self-worth as God’s beloved sons and daughters.
And he leads us to reach out to one another and to all of God’s children with the same warmth and compassion and willingness to share.
The Candle: Life
Finally, the Easter Candle is like any candle with its flickering flame.
Here the Symbol declares that Jesus is active and alive. In this way, it speaks to us of the Risen Christ as Life.
We believe that we first share this life of the Risen Christ at Baptism. This is why, in our Catholic tradition, we initiate adults into our faith community at the Easter Vigil.
And this is why all of us are invited to renew our baptismal promises at the Easter Masses. We will do that in just a few minutes.
The Risen Christ, as Life, leads us out of all forms of death into new life in him.
He leads us out of the death of bitterness into the life of forgiveness.
As Life, he leads us out of the death of loneliness into the life of relationship and community.
And above all, he leads us out of the death of death itself to the hope of fuller life with him.
Conclusion
The one symbol that predominates in the sanctuary and will continue to do so for 50 days until the Feast of Pentecost predominates because it must.
It is a constant reminder and instrument through which we experience the reality of Easter in our daily lives.
It both (1) Proclaims and (2) Draws us into the Risen Savior as Light, Love, and Life.
There is justifiable cause for our Alleluias and the joy we share on this day!
Weekly HOMILY for April 10, 2009: GOOD FRIDAY Picking up Your Cross
Good Friday Remarks
Our Lady of Grace
April 10, 2009
Picking up Our Cross
By (Rev. Msgr.) Nicholas P. Amato
Crucifixion
Picking up your cross is not exactly what we expected, it?
All the days of Lent, we have walked with a friend, a shepherd, a miracle worker, a storyteller, who seems to be inviting us to imitate him.
Yet, now, the road is uphill, full of pain and ends with a naked Savior nailed to the wood of a cross.
Crucifixion and Others
Lesser souls would shrink from the site. However, something compels us to follow him into crucifixion. He warned us that this was coming.
Our Catholic faith is not a “feel good,” “entertain me” religion. We know that discipleship requires laying down your life for the sake of love, just like the master.
Many have gone to the cross before us: Little St. Terese dying of tuberculosis in a French convent, Padre Pio persecuted for the sake of the stigmata, Edit Stein gassed into stillness because she was a Jew, Dorothy Stang and Stanley Rother dying by bullets of hate in Central America.
The list is not complete. It will continue as long as evil tries to conquer Jesus’ Calvary love.
Crucifixion and Us
We are rarely asked to be so heroic as the martyrs and saints. Our dying is less known, but still a part of the mystery of dying and rising.
In these pews is quite enough suffering to bring grace to all of us.
The beauty of entering Good Friday with our small crosses is that Jesus opens his arms wide to receive all we offer.
From the nagging pain of arthritic joints to a long endured grief, Jesus, in this final gesture of death, wants us near him.
He is like us in all things but sin. He is like us in pain, suffering, grief and dying.
A Sign of Hope
Because of this day we will never stand alone in our personal crucifixions.
The cross before us is the great sign of hope.
In the companionship of the communion of saints we walk up the hill and stand at the cross.
Teacher, shepherd, storyteller, he is finally savior.
We pray for the courage to bear the cross with him.
Our Lady of Grace
April 10, 2009
Picking up Our Cross
By (Rev. Msgr.) Nicholas P. Amato
Crucifixion
Picking up your cross is not exactly what we expected, it?
All the days of Lent, we have walked with a friend, a shepherd, a miracle worker, a storyteller, who seems to be inviting us to imitate him.
Yet, now, the road is uphill, full of pain and ends with a naked Savior nailed to the wood of a cross.
Crucifixion and Others
Lesser souls would shrink from the site. However, something compels us to follow him into crucifixion. He warned us that this was coming.
Our Catholic faith is not a “feel good,” “entertain me” religion. We know that discipleship requires laying down your life for the sake of love, just like the master.
Many have gone to the cross before us: Little St. Terese dying of tuberculosis in a French convent, Padre Pio persecuted for the sake of the stigmata, Edit Stein gassed into stillness because she was a Jew, Dorothy Stang and Stanley Rother dying by bullets of hate in Central America.
The list is not complete. It will continue as long as evil tries to conquer Jesus’ Calvary love.
Crucifixion and Us
We are rarely asked to be so heroic as the martyrs and saints. Our dying is less known, but still a part of the mystery of dying and rising.
In these pews is quite enough suffering to bring grace to all of us.
The beauty of entering Good Friday with our small crosses is that Jesus opens his arms wide to receive all we offer.
From the nagging pain of arthritic joints to a long endured grief, Jesus, in this final gesture of death, wants us near him.
He is like us in all things but sin. He is like us in pain, suffering, grief and dying.
A Sign of Hope
Because of this day we will never stand alone in our personal crucifixions.
The cross before us is the great sign of hope.
In the companionship of the communion of saints we walk up the hill and stand at the cross.
Teacher, shepherd, storyteller, he is finally savior.
We pray for the courage to bear the cross with him.
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