Funeral Mass for Rodgers Brooks
Shrine of the Sacred Heart Church
July 26, 2010
Lifting the Veil of Ego Self-Image
By (Rev. Msgr.) Nicholas P. Amato
CONDOLENCES
To his wife Ruth, who is unable to be with us,
To his five treasures: Marygill, Rebecca, Lucy, Sutton, and Fran,
And their husbands Lewis, Bob, Andre, Peter and Andy,
To his 11 beloved grandchildren,
And to his brother, Harvey.
We gather this morning to offer you our condolences over the death of your dad and brother and to stand by you in solidarity over your loss. What an extraordinary man he was. It is such an honor for me to return here to the Shrine of the Sacred Heart and celebrate his Funeral Mass with you.
It’s no secret that Rodgers led a full, active and successful life of 89 years; 64 of them he was married to his dear wife and best friend, Ruth.
Thinking about it over the weekend had me realize that the secret of Rodgers’ success had to do with a different vision of how he saw himself, and how that vision was played out in relationships.
WHO WE ARE NOT
In the first reading, the prophet Isaiah describes a high mountain where God will one day gather all his people. We are assured that it will be a time of feasting not fasting, a time of smiles, not tears, a time of enlightenment not darkness.
Isaiah says, “On this mountain God will destroy the veil that veils all peoples and the web that is woven over all nations.”
The Prophet seems to imply that we can’t see God or this mountain paradise clearly because of this veil that covers us.
I would like to suggest that the veil is the ego self-image most of us have of ourselves, a self-image that places me in the center of the universe and everyone else on the periphery. Such a perspective can only lead to our demise.
You will recall that in the gospel the question those excluded from heaven ask Jesus is, “Lord, when did we see you hungry and not feed you, in prison and not visit you, sick and not tend you, etc.?”
Lifting the veil, then, has to do with seeing ourselves in a different way and this is where Rodgers’ life is such a gift to us.
My identity – who I am – is fundamentally a son or daughter of God. In short, I am not just like the God who created me; I am one with the God who created me. I am his presence here, as are you.
That self-identity of “being-in-God” that Rodgers had came from his strong faith and it was lived out in his family and the community-at-large.
THE POWER TO LIFE THE VEIL: A STRONG FAITH
It takes faith to go from my “ego self-image” to know that who I am is in God. Rodgers had that faith. It was nurtured by weekly Mass attendance, which he continued even during his six years at Mercy Ridge.
He was a member of the First Friday Club at Loyola College.
His dad and mom were good models for giving to Catholic causes and great supporters of the Archdiocese.
The way he saw himself created the relationships with family, community and the world. It made him a lover of people. He was as Sutton says,“the eternal optimist who smiled all the time and lifted people spirits.”
You can be that way when you are not the center of the universe … and God is.
RODGERS' IDENTITY AND THE FAMILY
Rodgers loved his family more than anything. The girls unanimously award him, “Best father ever.” That’s quite a title.
He was a very athletic masculine individual though surrounded by five daughters. His interest in them was intense from the color of their nail polish to the dishes he enjoyed cooking for them.
True, he always wanted a son, but he went a bit far when he cut the girls’ hair and made them all look like little boys. Ruth put a quick end to his hair cuttery days!
And how the women of the house loved him. The girls would literally fight over who was to get him his glass of ice water.
As his siblings died, Rodgers would take his nieces and nephews and just put his loving arms around them. He knew well how to meet the emotional needs of children in their times of great loss.
He was a firm yet gentle disciplinarian. The girls learned that quickly and did what they were told.
In all, it was a happy wonderful childhood and Rodgers for a dad was a great way to grow up.
RODGERS' IDENTITY AND THE COMMUNITY
Rodgers was a shrewd dealmaker. He did well in the family insurance business of Tongue Brooks and Company where he worked hard with his brothers.
And how he saw himself also got him involved in the community. He served on many boards and was a great supporter of the Vincent de Paul Society and their charitable works to those in need.
Yes, he was a “Good neighbor Sam” in the fullest sense of the phrase.
Perhaps that could best been seen in his being a Jack-of-all-trades. He was able to mix well with the most sophisticated of the cocktail circuit, yet climb in under the sink of a humble dwelling to fix a faucet.
You need a job done; you call Sam or I should say Rodgers.
CONCLUSION
Our ego self-image is truly a veil. Isaiah noted that it covers all peoples and all nations.
On the occasion of Rodgers’ passing, Marygill’s husband Peter remarked, “Every act and scene of this wonderful life was led with class and dignity. In this modern world of ‘me first’ greed and weak principles, Rodgers was a rarity, yet a reminder to all of us of what that virtue really entails.”
It is who Rodgers saw himself to be and his “identity in God” that made it possible for him to be God to family and community and for that he now enjoys the fullness of life.
Saturday, July 24, 2010
Friday, July 16, 2010
Weekly HOMILY for July 18, 2010: Martha and Mary: Animus and Anima
16th Sunday of Ordinary Time, Cycle C
Bon Secours Spiritual Center
July 18, 2010
Martha and Mary: Animus and Anima
By (Rev. Msgr.) Nicholas P. Amato
Letting Our Souls Catch Up
There is a story told by Terry Hershey about a group of Americans who hired a guide to take them on a safari to the wilds of the African Serengeti.
Their guide assured them that is was a long long way.
The 1st day they rise very very early, go very very fast, and get very very far
The 2nd day they rise very very early, go very very fast, and get very very far
The 3rd day they rise very very early, go very very fast, and get very very far
The end of the day the guide was nowhere to be found. They finally discover him sitting in a meditative posture in the high grass and ask him, “Why aren’t we hurrying forward?”
He replies, “I’m not going.” “Not going! Why not?” they ask. I simply have to wait for my soul to catch up with my body!
We know well the feeling when our souls become detached from our bodies. We’re out of joint, out of kilter.
The Story, Luke, and the Gospel
That African guide’s point is precisely what Jesus is talking about in today’s story about Martha and Mary.
To understand this passage, we need to remember its context in Luke’s Gospel. Not to do this would be like evaluating a club sandwich by looking only at the bacon, lettuce, and tomato and not at the kind of bread that it is on.
Just before this story about Martha and Mary, Saint Luke recalls Jesus telling the parable of the Good Samaritan. We heard this at Mass last weekend. That parable illustrates the commandment regarding the love of neighbor.
Today, Jesus is not putting down the love of neighbor nor is he saying that is not as important as the love of God.
Instead, he is calling for a balance – much like the African guide was seeking a balance of his soul and body.
Martha and Mary – Balance
We are told that Martha was “very busy with all the details of hospitality” that is she was “Rising very very early, going very very fast, and getting very very far.”
Apparently, Martha was preparing a full course meal, from shrimp cocktail right through to Crème Brulle. Jesus says, “Martha, you are anxious about so many things; one thing only is necessary.”
This does not mean that Jesus is asking for a simple bologna sandwich and nothing else. What he is saying is: “Martha, you’ve got to make sure that you are seeking God’s kingdom, because if you are not, everything else counts for nothing.”
In other words, busyness and caring for others become empty, if we are not tending to our relationship with God. And at the same time, our relationship with God is incomplete without real-life caring for others.
The issue is a question of balance. Again, it is something like the African guide saying that his soul needed to catch up with his body.
The Animus and the Anima
My guess is that many of us tend to be Marthas. We tend to be busy and active. We live by calendars and schedules and lists of things we have to get done.
The famous psychiatrist Carl Jung gives us a helpful insight into all of this. Jung talks about the difference between the “animus” (a-n-i-m-u-s) or our masculine traits, and the “anima” (a-n-i-m-a) or our feminine traits.
In this Gospel story, Martha represents the “animus.” She is assertive, logical, and well organized.
She tends toward power and control, so when she herself cannot control Mary’s behavior, she seeks out someone – Jesus – who might be able to control her.
On the other hand, Mary represents the “anima.” She is sensitive, gentle, and nurturing.
Notice, she is more focused on relationships than on tasks. She is more concerned with understanding than with controlling.
Carl Jung says that both the “animus” and the “anima” are needed. All of us – regardless of our gender –need both facets to our personality.
One side is not better than the other. Both sides together make us whole persons.
The Balance
This idea of balance is a helpful way to understand Jesus’ interaction with Martha and Mary.
Jesus is not putting down Martha’s hard work and her desire to be hospitable. But he is questioning a life of constant activity that may neglect our fundamental relationship with God or even the very persons that we may be caring for with our work.
Jesus is calling us to balance our task-centeredness with person-centeredness. He is reminding us to make room for God and our relationship with God.
He is awaking us to a careful, healthy, and holy balance in our lives.
Bon Secours Spiritual Center
July 18, 2010
Martha and Mary: Animus and Anima
By (Rev. Msgr.) Nicholas P. Amato
Letting Our Souls Catch Up
There is a story told by Terry Hershey about a group of Americans who hired a guide to take them on a safari to the wilds of the African Serengeti.
Their guide assured them that is was a long long way.
The 1st day they rise very very early, go very very fast, and get very very far
The 2nd day they rise very very early, go very very fast, and get very very far
The 3rd day they rise very very early, go very very fast, and get very very far
The end of the day the guide was nowhere to be found. They finally discover him sitting in a meditative posture in the high grass and ask him, “Why aren’t we hurrying forward?”
He replies, “I’m not going.” “Not going! Why not?” they ask. I simply have to wait for my soul to catch up with my body!
We know well the feeling when our souls become detached from our bodies. We’re out of joint, out of kilter.
The Story, Luke, and the Gospel
That African guide’s point is precisely what Jesus is talking about in today’s story about Martha and Mary.
To understand this passage, we need to remember its context in Luke’s Gospel. Not to do this would be like evaluating a club sandwich by looking only at the bacon, lettuce, and tomato and not at the kind of bread that it is on.
Just before this story about Martha and Mary, Saint Luke recalls Jesus telling the parable of the Good Samaritan. We heard this at Mass last weekend. That parable illustrates the commandment regarding the love of neighbor.
Today, Jesus is not putting down the love of neighbor nor is he saying that is not as important as the love of God.
Instead, he is calling for a balance – much like the African guide was seeking a balance of his soul and body.
Martha and Mary – Balance
We are told that Martha was “very busy with all the details of hospitality” that is she was “Rising very very early, going very very fast, and getting very very far.”
Apparently, Martha was preparing a full course meal, from shrimp cocktail right through to Crème Brulle. Jesus says, “Martha, you are anxious about so many things; one thing only is necessary.”
This does not mean that Jesus is asking for a simple bologna sandwich and nothing else. What he is saying is: “Martha, you’ve got to make sure that you are seeking God’s kingdom, because if you are not, everything else counts for nothing.”
In other words, busyness and caring for others become empty, if we are not tending to our relationship with God. And at the same time, our relationship with God is incomplete without real-life caring for others.
The issue is a question of balance. Again, it is something like the African guide saying that his soul needed to catch up with his body.
The Animus and the Anima
My guess is that many of us tend to be Marthas. We tend to be busy and active. We live by calendars and schedules and lists of things we have to get done.
The famous psychiatrist Carl Jung gives us a helpful insight into all of this. Jung talks about the difference between the “animus” (a-n-i-m-u-s) or our masculine traits, and the “anima” (a-n-i-m-a) or our feminine traits.
In this Gospel story, Martha represents the “animus.” She is assertive, logical, and well organized.
She tends toward power and control, so when she herself cannot control Mary’s behavior, she seeks out someone – Jesus – who might be able to control her.
On the other hand, Mary represents the “anima.” She is sensitive, gentle, and nurturing.
Notice, she is more focused on relationships than on tasks. She is more concerned with understanding than with controlling.
Carl Jung says that both the “animus” and the “anima” are needed. All of us – regardless of our gender –need both facets to our personality.
One side is not better than the other. Both sides together make us whole persons.
The Balance
This idea of balance is a helpful way to understand Jesus’ interaction with Martha and Mary.
Jesus is not putting down Martha’s hard work and her desire to be hospitable. But he is questioning a life of constant activity that may neglect our fundamental relationship with God or even the very persons that we may be caring for with our work.
Jesus is calling us to balance our task-centeredness with person-centeredness. He is reminding us to make room for God and our relationship with God.
He is awaking us to a careful, healthy, and holy balance in our lives.
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Weekly THIS AND THAT for June 27, 2010: My Final Column: Of Exits and Entrances
This and That
My Final Column: Of Exits and Entrances
The car is packed; the driveway to the campus is clear. What has been the entrance to the grounds the past 15 years is now become for me the exit. The last two “projects” to what was envisioned as the plan for the parish included the entrance marquee and the courtyard fountain. With both completed, there’s a sense that what needed to be done has been done.
Over the past twelve months the questions that have occupied the attention of many of our people including our Parish Corporators, Pastoral Council, and Staff have been, “Who will be our new pastor?” “Will he be what Our Lady of Grace needs to continue growing in faith?” How pleased we are to have Archbishop O’Brien appoint Father Sam Young as our new pastor. He has now visited the parish several times and spent an entire day with the Pastoral Team preparing for the next fiscal year, which begins July 1, 2010. He has visited teachers and students of our Catholic School. All have found him affable, caring and attentive to what was shared with him.
Six Challenges
There are some wonderful challenges ahead for Our Lady of Grace and include the following:
1. Blue Ribbon Report: Outcome of the Blue Ribbon Committee Report and how it affects the future of Catholic Schools and in particular Our Lady of Grace School will be worked on in the new fiscal year beginning July 1, 2010.
2. Capital Campaign: The Archdiocese will be mandating all parishes to participate with the Local Church of Baltimore’s Capital Campaign in two years. A new master plan will first be developed and a case made for what is needed to further enhance our ministries and service to people
3. Kneelers: Whenever it is decided that we need to refurbish the interior of the church that will be the time also to study the possibility of having kneelers.
4. Shifts in Responsibilities: Transitions of Dr. Jack Buchner to some of Sister Mary Therese’s responsibilities, Rick Gonzales to some of Elaine Hagner’s, and Elaine to some of Sister’s will allow Sister Mary Therese the opportunity to become part-time in the new fiscal year and depart in July 2011.
5. New Parishioner Registrations: Care will be given to the fact that registrations of new families have leveled off over the past three years. The budget will continue to increase only modestly based on these projections.
6. New Expenses: Two additional expenses for FY 2012 will be purchase of the new web-based parish data system called “Parish Soft” and increasing the support to the school as dictated in recommendations of the Blue Ribbon Committee.
Six Opportunities
1. Youth Programs: Programs for our youth are already strong and will continue to increase. Our young people are the future of the Church.
2. Annual Offertory Renewal: The fall Annual Renewal Program will take on some of the aspects of the Archbishop’s Annual Appeal that have proven very successful.
3. Extra Efforts in Giving: Whenever we have been hit with unexpected expenses and decreased income such as happened during the three white out weekends of snow this year, our people always respond generously when asked. It is important to ask.
4. Loan Pay Off: Once our loan indebtedness to the Archdiocese is paid off in September 2012, an additional $7,000/month for worship, programs and services will be available.
5. Master Plan: The Parish Corporators have approved the creation of a new Master Plan for 2011. The last 10-Year Master Plan ended in 2007. The new plan will help us better address our needs in the years ahead and lay the groundwork for the Case Statement for new Capital Campaign. It will be a very exciting time to dream as a parish.
6. Our New Pastor: It will be very easy to get to know Father Sam, our new pastor. This will happen very quickly inasmuch as he is very open, affable and enjoys people.
A final word of thanks and gratitude to all who worked on the Testimonial Weekend: the dinner, the three receptions, the music, servers, ministers at the Masses – it was all more than I could have hoped for or expected. My “exit” from the campus today is not a farewell. I promise to visit and not be a stranger. I would ask you to pray for me as I begin my new ministries. Be assured of my prayers for you and your loved ones. Our Lady of Grace will always be my home.
Love,
Father Nicholas
My Final Column: Of Exits and Entrances
The car is packed; the driveway to the campus is clear. What has been the entrance to the grounds the past 15 years is now become for me the exit. The last two “projects” to what was envisioned as the plan for the parish included the entrance marquee and the courtyard fountain. With both completed, there’s a sense that what needed to be done has been done.
Over the past twelve months the questions that have occupied the attention of many of our people including our Parish Corporators, Pastoral Council, and Staff have been, “Who will be our new pastor?” “Will he be what Our Lady of Grace needs to continue growing in faith?” How pleased we are to have Archbishop O’Brien appoint Father Sam Young as our new pastor. He has now visited the parish several times and spent an entire day with the Pastoral Team preparing for the next fiscal year, which begins July 1, 2010. He has visited teachers and students of our Catholic School. All have found him affable, caring and attentive to what was shared with him.
Six Challenges
There are some wonderful challenges ahead for Our Lady of Grace and include the following:
1. Blue Ribbon Report: Outcome of the Blue Ribbon Committee Report and how it affects the future of Catholic Schools and in particular Our Lady of Grace School will be worked on in the new fiscal year beginning July 1, 2010.
2. Capital Campaign: The Archdiocese will be mandating all parishes to participate with the Local Church of Baltimore’s Capital Campaign in two years. A new master plan will first be developed and a case made for what is needed to further enhance our ministries and service to people
3. Kneelers: Whenever it is decided that we need to refurbish the interior of the church that will be the time also to study the possibility of having kneelers.
4. Shifts in Responsibilities: Transitions of Dr. Jack Buchner to some of Sister Mary Therese’s responsibilities, Rick Gonzales to some of Elaine Hagner’s, and Elaine to some of Sister’s will allow Sister Mary Therese the opportunity to become part-time in the new fiscal year and depart in July 2011.
5. New Parishioner Registrations: Care will be given to the fact that registrations of new families have leveled off over the past three years. The budget will continue to increase only modestly based on these projections.
6. New Expenses: Two additional expenses for FY 2012 will be purchase of the new web-based parish data system called “Parish Soft” and increasing the support to the school as dictated in recommendations of the Blue Ribbon Committee.
Six Opportunities
1. Youth Programs: Programs for our youth are already strong and will continue to increase. Our young people are the future of the Church.
2. Annual Offertory Renewal: The fall Annual Renewal Program will take on some of the aspects of the Archbishop’s Annual Appeal that have proven very successful.
3. Extra Efforts in Giving: Whenever we have been hit with unexpected expenses and decreased income such as happened during the three white out weekends of snow this year, our people always respond generously when asked. It is important to ask.
4. Loan Pay Off: Once our loan indebtedness to the Archdiocese is paid off in September 2012, an additional $7,000/month for worship, programs and services will be available.
5. Master Plan: The Parish Corporators have approved the creation of a new Master Plan for 2011. The last 10-Year Master Plan ended in 2007. The new plan will help us better address our needs in the years ahead and lay the groundwork for the Case Statement for new Capital Campaign. It will be a very exciting time to dream as a parish.
6. Our New Pastor: It will be very easy to get to know Father Sam, our new pastor. This will happen very quickly inasmuch as he is very open, affable and enjoys people.
A final word of thanks and gratitude to all who worked on the Testimonial Weekend: the dinner, the three receptions, the music, servers, ministers at the Masses – it was all more than I could have hoped for or expected. My “exit” from the campus today is not a farewell. I promise to visit and not be a stranger. I would ask you to pray for me as I begin my new ministries. Be assured of my prayers for you and your loved ones. Our Lady of Grace will always be my home.
Love,
Father Nicholas
Weekly HOMILY for June 27, 2010: The Wake We Leave in Life
13th Sunday of Ordinary Time, Cycle C
Our Lady of Grace
June 27, 2010
The Wake We Leave in Life
By (Rev. Msgr.) Nicholas P. Amato
The Principle
A wise old priest was meeting with a young man who was feeling conflicted about the decisions confronting him. He felt pretty clear about the sort of material success he was after, but uncertain about everything else in his life.
So the priest asked him what he thought he was committed to. What path did he think he was on? Could he describe it?
He warned the old priest that he wasn’t going after some sappy religious fantasy. “Sappy or not,” the priest countered, “everyone has a religion of some sort.”
“Everyone functions from a grand operating principle whether or not they admit it,” he added.
“Mostly that principle can be inferred by the wake they leave behind as they pass through their lives,” he continued.
What the priest meant was that the tangible content of our commitments – what we spend our time on and the things we do – tells the tale for all of us, notwithstanding what we say. That’s true of each of us as individuals; that’s true of us as a parish.
The priest then suggested that the young man check out the wake he was currently leaving behind, or if he was brave, he might ask a couple of others what they saw there.
The question remained, “Did he want to hear the evidence of what his wake revealed?”
Our Individual Wakes
Jesus is asking that very question in today’s Gospel: What is our “grand operating principle” – what are the values that we live, not just talk about, as individuals and as a parish?
To realize your “true religion,” – that is, what you worship – look at what you leave in your wake, look at the harvest your life is reaping.
Think for a moment of what you love. (Pause after each for a moment of reflection)
Think of your disappointments. How is your wealth spent? In what areas are you poor? What can you say you have accomplished? And what do you still hope to do?
Now ask yourself, “Are you satisfied?” “Are you fulfilled?” “Are you happy?”
Our Parish Wake
In theology we say that gifts given and received make people what they are. Over our 15 years together, you have been a gift to me and my life and ministry have hopefully been a gift to you.
You have loved this parish and me as I have loved you who make it up. The marvelous reciprocity of grace – how love begets love, and zeal produces zeal, and that generosity over the years has engendered more giving – is evident.
Just look around at our relationships, our sense of welcome, our concern for those in need, and our campus.
I love being a priest and I have loved being your pastor these past 15 years. And reciprocally, I have felt your love for me. And yes, that has moved me to love you all the more.
Out of this give-and-take of love we have both reached even deeper and farther in our support of each other, for love feeds on love. That reaching and deepening is the mystery of what we celebrate on this altar each Sunday.
Farewell
But, the final act of service, as Jesus has taught us, is how to leave friends and faith family and by the very act of leaving send more spirit into the community you love.
The Ascension after all is followed by Pentecost. Jesus’ final ascent to the Father sends the Holy Spirit’s fresh descent on the Apostles.
Those who are able to depart from what they love most know something special about Jesus and they inspire even more grace in their wake.
And, the grace for this community will come because of who you are and what gifts I am tangibly and intangibly leaving behind here in this marvelous parish.
“Remember such a one in time to come…” it says on my anniversary card. I count myself as one who will not forget you; please remember me, as well.
God bless you all.
Our Lady of Grace
June 27, 2010
The Wake We Leave in Life
By (Rev. Msgr.) Nicholas P. Amato
The Principle
A wise old priest was meeting with a young man who was feeling conflicted about the decisions confronting him. He felt pretty clear about the sort of material success he was after, but uncertain about everything else in his life.
So the priest asked him what he thought he was committed to. What path did he think he was on? Could he describe it?
He warned the old priest that he wasn’t going after some sappy religious fantasy. “Sappy or not,” the priest countered, “everyone has a religion of some sort.”
“Everyone functions from a grand operating principle whether or not they admit it,” he added.
“Mostly that principle can be inferred by the wake they leave behind as they pass through their lives,” he continued.
What the priest meant was that the tangible content of our commitments – what we spend our time on and the things we do – tells the tale for all of us, notwithstanding what we say. That’s true of each of us as individuals; that’s true of us as a parish.
The priest then suggested that the young man check out the wake he was currently leaving behind, or if he was brave, he might ask a couple of others what they saw there.
The question remained, “Did he want to hear the evidence of what his wake revealed?”
Our Individual Wakes
Jesus is asking that very question in today’s Gospel: What is our “grand operating principle” – what are the values that we live, not just talk about, as individuals and as a parish?
To realize your “true religion,” – that is, what you worship – look at what you leave in your wake, look at the harvest your life is reaping.
Think for a moment of what you love. (Pause after each for a moment of reflection)
Think of your disappointments. How is your wealth spent? In what areas are you poor? What can you say you have accomplished? And what do you still hope to do?
Now ask yourself, “Are you satisfied?” “Are you fulfilled?” “Are you happy?”
Our Parish Wake
In theology we say that gifts given and received make people what they are. Over our 15 years together, you have been a gift to me and my life and ministry have hopefully been a gift to you.
You have loved this parish and me as I have loved you who make it up. The marvelous reciprocity of grace – how love begets love, and zeal produces zeal, and that generosity over the years has engendered more giving – is evident.
Just look around at our relationships, our sense of welcome, our concern for those in need, and our campus.
I love being a priest and I have loved being your pastor these past 15 years. And reciprocally, I have felt your love for me. And yes, that has moved me to love you all the more.
Out of this give-and-take of love we have both reached even deeper and farther in our support of each other, for love feeds on love. That reaching and deepening is the mystery of what we celebrate on this altar each Sunday.
Farewell
But, the final act of service, as Jesus has taught us, is how to leave friends and faith family and by the very act of leaving send more spirit into the community you love.
The Ascension after all is followed by Pentecost. Jesus’ final ascent to the Father sends the Holy Spirit’s fresh descent on the Apostles.
Those who are able to depart from what they love most know something special about Jesus and they inspire even more grace in their wake.
And, the grace for this community will come because of who you are and what gifts I am tangibly and intangibly leaving behind here in this marvelous parish.
“Remember such a one in time to come…” it says on my anniversary card. I count myself as one who will not forget you; please remember me, as well.
God bless you all.
Friday, June 18, 2010
Weekly THIS AND THAT for June 20, 2010: Vacation WITH God, not FROM God
This and That:
Vacation WITH God, Not FROM God
Now that school is out for the summer and there are less activities or meetings for children and adults, many people take on a different schedule for the summer. In a sense, it’s like the Jewish and Christian tradition of Sabbath, a time to rest from labors and to be rejuvenated.
Summer is actually a great time to renew or deepen our relationship with God. The beauty of nature inspires praise for our Creator. Longer days of daylight mean a little more time in the morning or evening to spend in prayer. I love summer evenings, and taking a 30 minute walk becomes a time of prayer.
If we have a little more leisure time, we can reflect on the past year and where we are in our lives since last summer. Don’t miss the opportunities for some moments of quiet prayer, whether to give thanks for blessings or to turn our troubles and challenges over to the Lord, asking for his help.
Without school work, summer is a great time to do some Bible study or read some books on spiritual topics. For children, lives of the Saints or Bible stories can be inspirational. For adults, there are many books on prayer, Scripture, and Christian living. Lots of people spend their time on the beach reading, so why not include a spiritual book on your summer reading list?
If you take a vacation as a family or as an individual, find a Catholic parish and attend Mass. It may be interesting to see how other parishes celebrate – what kind of music they sing, how the priest or deacon preaches, how they greet people or minister to children. We have often found good ideas for our parish through experiences from other parishes.
We notice that Mass attendance is lower once Religious Education classes are over for the year and Sacraments have been celebrated. We know that some of this is due to people being away on vacation different weekends. We also know that some folks take the summer “off” from church, and I think they may be missing spiritual nourishment that we all need so much.
On last exhortation – LISTEN for God’s messages to you – in the quiet of your own heart, in conversations with friends or family members while sipping a cool drink, and in the beautiful sounds of nature. Everyone is so “plugged in” these days – always listening to music on IPods or watching videos or television – and these are good things. However, sometimes we miss the beautiful sounds of nature – birds singing, crickets chirping, leaves swaying in the breeze, waves crashing on the shore. We need to be quiet to hear these sounds. Listening to them can be very calming and can connect us with our God, who created us to enjoy all of these other parts of creation.
So enjoy your summer vacation, whether at home or away. Spend some time being quiet each day and know that the Spirit of God dwells within your own heart. LISTEN – to your own thoughts and feelings, to God’s Word in Scripture and to the sounds of creation, and RESPOND as a disciple of Jesus Christ – sharing love, forgiveness, healing presence and joy with others.
Happy Summer!
Sister Mary Therese
Vacation WITH God, Not FROM God
Now that school is out for the summer and there are less activities or meetings for children and adults, many people take on a different schedule for the summer. In a sense, it’s like the Jewish and Christian tradition of Sabbath, a time to rest from labors and to be rejuvenated.
Summer is actually a great time to renew or deepen our relationship with God. The beauty of nature inspires praise for our Creator. Longer days of daylight mean a little more time in the morning or evening to spend in prayer. I love summer evenings, and taking a 30 minute walk becomes a time of prayer.
If we have a little more leisure time, we can reflect on the past year and where we are in our lives since last summer. Don’t miss the opportunities for some moments of quiet prayer, whether to give thanks for blessings or to turn our troubles and challenges over to the Lord, asking for his help.
Without school work, summer is a great time to do some Bible study or read some books on spiritual topics. For children, lives of the Saints or Bible stories can be inspirational. For adults, there are many books on prayer, Scripture, and Christian living. Lots of people spend their time on the beach reading, so why not include a spiritual book on your summer reading list?
If you take a vacation as a family or as an individual, find a Catholic parish and attend Mass. It may be interesting to see how other parishes celebrate – what kind of music they sing, how the priest or deacon preaches, how they greet people or minister to children. We have often found good ideas for our parish through experiences from other parishes.
We notice that Mass attendance is lower once Religious Education classes are over for the year and Sacraments have been celebrated. We know that some of this is due to people being away on vacation different weekends. We also know that some folks take the summer “off” from church, and I think they may be missing spiritual nourishment that we all need so much.
On last exhortation – LISTEN for God’s messages to you – in the quiet of your own heart, in conversations with friends or family members while sipping a cool drink, and in the beautiful sounds of nature. Everyone is so “plugged in” these days – always listening to music on IPods or watching videos or television – and these are good things. However, sometimes we miss the beautiful sounds of nature – birds singing, crickets chirping, leaves swaying in the breeze, waves crashing on the shore. We need to be quiet to hear these sounds. Listening to them can be very calming and can connect us with our God, who created us to enjoy all of these other parts of creation.
So enjoy your summer vacation, whether at home or away. Spend some time being quiet each day and know that the Spirit of God dwells within your own heart. LISTEN – to your own thoughts and feelings, to God’s Word in Scripture and to the sounds of creation, and RESPOND as a disciple of Jesus Christ – sharing love, forgiveness, healing presence and joy with others.
Happy Summer!
Sister Mary Therese
Weekly HOMILY for June 20, 2010: Who's Saved and Who Isn't?
12th Sunday of Ordinary Time, Cycle C
Our Lady of Grace
June 20, 2010
Who’s Saved and Who Isn’t?
By (Rev. Msgr.) Nicholas P. Amato
“Who do you say that I am?”
Last year, I participated in a gathering of about twenty-five ministers here in Northern Baltimore County.
I was the only Catholic pastor. The rest of the group was from some of the mainline Protestant denominations, but most of them were from Evangelical or Pentecostal churches.
I had been asked to lead the prayer and reflection for the day. I did not use today’s Gospel passage, but in my reflections I was really addressing Jesus’ question today.
“Who do you say that I am?” In effect, I was personally responding to the question: “Who do I say that Jesus is?”
The Savior…
I began my reflection by stating that Jesus is the full, complete revelation of God. He is the Word of God made flesh.
He is, as our Profession of Faith says, “God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God.”
Jesus is our way to the Father because he and the Father are one. He brings us an intimacy with God and a sharing in God’s life.
And it is in these ways that Jesus is our Savior:
➢ He saves us from a profound, existential loneliness
➢ He saves us from not knowing how to live
➢ He saves us from having our hunger for eternal life unsatisfied
Because of this, we obviously want everyone to come to know Jesus. We want to share Jesus – his person, his life, his message with everyone.
… But All Can Be Saved
At the same time, I also stated at that gathering of clergy that all people can still be saved. Those who have never heard of Jesus or those who follow some other religious tradition can still be saved.
Why? Because Jesus reveals the unlimited, unconditional, inclusive, universal love of God.
Jesus reveals that God is pure love – love itself! So in some way, all people must be able to be saved and to live with God in eternity.
God has revealed himself fully and completely in Jesus, but he has and is present in some way also in Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, and all religions of the world.
That fact is that all who sincerely seek God can be saved.
This wonderful insight does not in any way diminish who Jesus is. It recognizes who he is and also who God is and God’s mysterious love for all humanity.
Response
When I shared these thoughts at that clergy gathering, some ministers immediately nodded and agreed.
But several other ministers – they happened to be from the more fundamentalist churches – disagreed. They believe that only Christians, only those who have accepted Jesus and been baptized, could be saved.
This led me to recall that, when I was a child, we Catholics were often taught much the same thing. In fact, we were even taught that outside the Catholic Church, there is was no salvation.
The Second Vatican Council has taken us back to the Scripture and to the best of our theological tradition. It has helped us to see both the uniqueness of Jesus and the universal possibility of salvation.
I share all of this today because I feel so passionate about it. I feel concerned that the rather limited notion of God and of Jesus and the exclusivist idea of salvation still seem so alive.
Our Faith: Both/And
Perhaps at the root we need to realize that our faith is more of a “both/and” and not an “either/or.”
We can:
➢ Both believe in Jesus as God’s Son
And also allow the possibility of salvation for all peoples
➢ Both respect Catholicism and Christianity as the way
And also respect other religions or peoples of no religion who sincerely seek God
I sometimes wonder if there is not something in our human psyche, in our emotional or psychological make-up that we have to deal with here.
It’s something like:
➢ My “being okay” does not mean that I have to judge others as “not okay”
➢ My “being good” does not mean that I have to judge others as “bad”
➢ My being “included in God’s family” does not mean that I have to judge others as “excluded”
➢ And yes, my “being saved” does not mean that I have to judge others as “not saved”
God, who is love itself, God who is Jesus, does not seem to approach things this way at all – just read through the Gospels and that is so very clear.
Conclusion
So, “Who do I…” or “Who do you say that Jesus is?”
The answer is crucial.
Our Lady of Grace
June 20, 2010
Who’s Saved and Who Isn’t?
By (Rev. Msgr.) Nicholas P. Amato
“Who do you say that I am?”
Last year, I participated in a gathering of about twenty-five ministers here in Northern Baltimore County.
I was the only Catholic pastor. The rest of the group was from some of the mainline Protestant denominations, but most of them were from Evangelical or Pentecostal churches.
I had been asked to lead the prayer and reflection for the day. I did not use today’s Gospel passage, but in my reflections I was really addressing Jesus’ question today.
“Who do you say that I am?” In effect, I was personally responding to the question: “Who do I say that Jesus is?”
The Savior…
I began my reflection by stating that Jesus is the full, complete revelation of God. He is the Word of God made flesh.
He is, as our Profession of Faith says, “God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God.”
Jesus is our way to the Father because he and the Father are one. He brings us an intimacy with God and a sharing in God’s life.
And it is in these ways that Jesus is our Savior:
➢ He saves us from a profound, existential loneliness
➢ He saves us from not knowing how to live
➢ He saves us from having our hunger for eternal life unsatisfied
Because of this, we obviously want everyone to come to know Jesus. We want to share Jesus – his person, his life, his message with everyone.
… But All Can Be Saved
At the same time, I also stated at that gathering of clergy that all people can still be saved. Those who have never heard of Jesus or those who follow some other religious tradition can still be saved.
Why? Because Jesus reveals the unlimited, unconditional, inclusive, universal love of God.
Jesus reveals that God is pure love – love itself! So in some way, all people must be able to be saved and to live with God in eternity.
God has revealed himself fully and completely in Jesus, but he has and is present in some way also in Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, and all religions of the world.
That fact is that all who sincerely seek God can be saved.
This wonderful insight does not in any way diminish who Jesus is. It recognizes who he is and also who God is and God’s mysterious love for all humanity.
Response
When I shared these thoughts at that clergy gathering, some ministers immediately nodded and agreed.
But several other ministers – they happened to be from the more fundamentalist churches – disagreed. They believe that only Christians, only those who have accepted Jesus and been baptized, could be saved.
This led me to recall that, when I was a child, we Catholics were often taught much the same thing. In fact, we were even taught that outside the Catholic Church, there is was no salvation.
The Second Vatican Council has taken us back to the Scripture and to the best of our theological tradition. It has helped us to see both the uniqueness of Jesus and the universal possibility of salvation.
I share all of this today because I feel so passionate about it. I feel concerned that the rather limited notion of God and of Jesus and the exclusivist idea of salvation still seem so alive.
Our Faith: Both/And
Perhaps at the root we need to realize that our faith is more of a “both/and” and not an “either/or.”
We can:
➢ Both believe in Jesus as God’s Son
And also allow the possibility of salvation for all peoples
➢ Both respect Catholicism and Christianity as the way
And also respect other religions or peoples of no religion who sincerely seek God
I sometimes wonder if there is not something in our human psyche, in our emotional or psychological make-up that we have to deal with here.
It’s something like:
➢ My “being okay” does not mean that I have to judge others as “not okay”
➢ My “being good” does not mean that I have to judge others as “bad”
➢ My being “included in God’s family” does not mean that I have to judge others as “excluded”
➢ And yes, my “being saved” does not mean that I have to judge others as “not saved”
God, who is love itself, God who is Jesus, does not seem to approach things this way at all – just read through the Gospels and that is so very clear.
Conclusion
So, “Who do I…” or “Who do you say that Jesus is?”
The answer is crucial.
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Weekly THIS AND THAT for June 13, 2010: Catholic Evangelization
This and That:
Catholic Evangelization
The document “Go and Make Disciples” is a national plan and strategy for Catholic evangelization in the U. S., written by our national council of Catholic bishops. The bishops note that the simplest way to say what evangelization means is to follow Pope Paul, who wrote in the encyclical “On evangelization in the Modern World,” that “evangelizing means bringing the Good News of Jesus into every human situation and seeking to convert individuals and society by the divine power of the Gospel itself.” Too, the bishops write that evangelization must always be directly connected to the Lord, Jesus Christ. Furthermore, there is no evangelization without conversion. Conversion is the change in our lives that comes about through the power of the Holy Spirit. All who accept the Gospel undergo change as we continually put on the mind of Christ by rejecting sin and becoming more faithful disciples in His Church. Unless we undergo conversion, we have not truly accepted the Gospel. So, conversion is crucial: we must be converted – and we must continue to be converted.
But faith is not something that only happens to each of us individually. The Gospel also speaks to society itself, with its values, goals, and systems. The Gospel must overflow from each heart until the presence of God transforms all human existence. The fruit of evangelization, then, is changed lives and a changed world – holiness, spiritually, and peace.
The Bishops speak of three goals of evangelization:
1. To bring about in all Catholics such an enthusiasm for their faith that, in living their faith in Jesus, they freely share it with others.
2. To invite all people to hear the message of salvation in Jesus Christ so they come to join us in the fullness of the Catholic faith.
3. To foster Gospel values in our society, promoting the dignity of the human person, the importance of family, and the common good of out society.
This fall at Our Lady of Grace, we will implement goal one in two ways. On the Tuesday mornings of October 5th, 12th, 19th and 26th at 9:30am, we will do an adult bible study on the Psalms, Jesus’ prayer book. Secondly, we will look at the role and significance of the sacraments in our daily lives on the Sunday mornings of September 26th and October 3rd, and on Thursday night, October 7th. We will ask the parents of ALL sacrament candidates in 2010-11, to come to one of these sessions, but, most certainly, these sessions are open to ALL adult parishioners.
We will implement goal two in three ways this fall. One, we will continue to offer the RCIA for all non- Catholics who wish to become Catholic, and for all Catholic adults who have not yet received Eucharist or Confirmation, or both. Too, we will offer the “Welcome Back” ministry for all Catholics currently inactive in the practice of the faith, but seek help in returning to an active practice. Please send me the names and addresses of your loved ones and friends to whom you would like me to send a kind note of invitation to this program, which will be held on the Tuesdays of September 14th, 21st and 28th at 7:00pm.
Goal two will also be addressed through the St. Monica Ministry. This ministry is intended to facilitate the healing of parents whose loved ones are no longer active in the practice of the faith. This ministry will be held on the Mondays of September 13th, 20th and 27th at 7:00pm.
We will look to help transform society through the power of the sacraments and gospel by inviting parishioners from other parishes to join with us for any of our faith enrichment opportunities.
Please do not forget to get me the names and addresses of those to whom you’d like me to send a personal letter of invitation to Welcome Back.
God bless,
Dr. Jack Buchner
Catholic Evangelization
The document “Go and Make Disciples” is a national plan and strategy for Catholic evangelization in the U. S., written by our national council of Catholic bishops. The bishops note that the simplest way to say what evangelization means is to follow Pope Paul, who wrote in the encyclical “On evangelization in the Modern World,” that “evangelizing means bringing the Good News of Jesus into every human situation and seeking to convert individuals and society by the divine power of the Gospel itself.” Too, the bishops write that evangelization must always be directly connected to the Lord, Jesus Christ. Furthermore, there is no evangelization without conversion. Conversion is the change in our lives that comes about through the power of the Holy Spirit. All who accept the Gospel undergo change as we continually put on the mind of Christ by rejecting sin and becoming more faithful disciples in His Church. Unless we undergo conversion, we have not truly accepted the Gospel. So, conversion is crucial: we must be converted – and we must continue to be converted.
But faith is not something that only happens to each of us individually. The Gospel also speaks to society itself, with its values, goals, and systems. The Gospel must overflow from each heart until the presence of God transforms all human existence. The fruit of evangelization, then, is changed lives and a changed world – holiness, spiritually, and peace.
The Bishops speak of three goals of evangelization:
1. To bring about in all Catholics such an enthusiasm for their faith that, in living their faith in Jesus, they freely share it with others.
2. To invite all people to hear the message of salvation in Jesus Christ so they come to join us in the fullness of the Catholic faith.
3. To foster Gospel values in our society, promoting the dignity of the human person, the importance of family, and the common good of out society.
This fall at Our Lady of Grace, we will implement goal one in two ways. On the Tuesday mornings of October 5th, 12th, 19th and 26th at 9:30am, we will do an adult bible study on the Psalms, Jesus’ prayer book. Secondly, we will look at the role and significance of the sacraments in our daily lives on the Sunday mornings of September 26th and October 3rd, and on Thursday night, October 7th. We will ask the parents of ALL sacrament candidates in 2010-11, to come to one of these sessions, but, most certainly, these sessions are open to ALL adult parishioners.
We will implement goal two in three ways this fall. One, we will continue to offer the RCIA for all non- Catholics who wish to become Catholic, and for all Catholic adults who have not yet received Eucharist or Confirmation, or both. Too, we will offer the “Welcome Back” ministry for all Catholics currently inactive in the practice of the faith, but seek help in returning to an active practice. Please send me the names and addresses of your loved ones and friends to whom you would like me to send a kind note of invitation to this program, which will be held on the Tuesdays of September 14th, 21st and 28th at 7:00pm.
Goal two will also be addressed through the St. Monica Ministry. This ministry is intended to facilitate the healing of parents whose loved ones are no longer active in the practice of the faith. This ministry will be held on the Mondays of September 13th, 20th and 27th at 7:00pm.
We will look to help transform society through the power of the sacraments and gospel by inviting parishioners from other parishes to join with us for any of our faith enrichment opportunities.
Please do not forget to get me the names and addresses of those to whom you’d like me to send a personal letter of invitation to Welcome Back.
God bless,
Dr. Jack Buchner
Weekly HOMILY for June 13, 2010: Our Shadows Have a Lesson to Teach
11th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle C
Testimonial Weekend
Our Lady of Grace
June 13, 2010
Our Shadows Have a Lesson to Teach
By Nicholas P. Amato
Shadow As Metaphor
This evening’s/morning’s readings have a very powerful lesson to teach us about forgiveness and to get us to those lessons, let us think for a moment about shadows.
Imagine with me the shadow you were casting just this afternoon (or the last sunny day.) If I stand with my back to the sun (gesture sun=forward; shadow=behind) I am definitely going to see my shadow as it is cast by the sun.
However, if a stand facing the sun, my shadow will be behind me.
Oh, it is still very much there, but I simply do not see it and after a while, I am not even aware of it.
Our Shadows and God
Now, let us identify our physical shadow with something in our lives that we are not proud of. Perhaps it is something we have done or a negative personality trait that pops up from time to time or even a hidden secret sin I have never shared with anyone.
And then, let us identify the sun as Jesus who has been known as “The light of the world.”
Notice: I only see my shadow when I have my back turned to Christ, the Sun. When I do that, I am focused on my shadow and in some cases even living out of it.
Today’s Scripture
I believe that this is a good way to understand today’s readings and especially the Gospel we just heard.
The woman in the Gospel has come to terms with her shadow – she knows she is a sinner and so does most of the town – yet, she has turned herself toward Christ.
Yes, her shadow remains part of her past, part of her life, but it is in a real sense put behind her.
She experiences God’s forgiveness and has been able to move beyond her shadow, if you will, into the light that is Christ.
I can see three important lessons about our shadows here.
Lesson #1: All Have Shadows
The first lesson is that we all have shadows – from the most saintly of Popes to the most sinful of sinners.
Jesus tells the story about the creditor and the debtors and how the individual who has been forgiven much will be able to love more.
Simon misses the point completely and instead disdains this unnamed, so-called sinful woman.
An underlying message here is that we all have something that needs forgiveness. The worse or sinful the act, trait, or imperfection is, the greater love that person will have toward the one forgiving.
The sins, little or great, are there and imaged (look over shoulder) as our shadow.
This is the core truth of life and of our relationship with God.
Lesson #2: Face God the Son
The second lesson is that we all need to turn and face God, who is represented by the sun or the light.
We can do this turning only by entrusting ourselves to the power of God. We can do this by prayer, by feeding on the Eucharist, and especially through the Sacrament of Reconciliation.
In this turning through the grace of God, God is then able to forgive us of the thing or the trait that make up our shadow, in much the same way that Jesus has done with the woman in the Gospel.
God first draws us into his light and then God empowers us to live in him.
Make no mistake about it, our shadow is still there, but it is, in a sense, behind us. It no longer has to determine what we do or who we are. We don’t have to live out of it.
Lesson 3: Don’t Look at Others’ Shadows
The third and final lesson drawn from this shadow and light image is that we need to be careful not to get focused on the shadows of others.
When we are facing God – the light, the sun – we can still see the shadows of others. The caution here is not to get focused on their shadows.
This is what the Pharisee named Simon is doing in the Gospel. He thinks he is facing God, but he is really focused on the woman’s shadow and he is feeling very self-righteous and condescending.
Amazingly, in focusing on the shadow of the woman, Simon is really in his own shadow without even knowing it. So, a telltale sign of living in our own shadow, even when we think we are facing God, is when we get focused on the shadows of others.
We, as individuals, can easily slide into this with one another. And quite honestly, we as a Church, can get into this in the way we talk about or treat others whom we think are not facing God fully, such as some politicians.
Far better to make sure that we ourselves are facing the Lord, the light! And far better for us to invite others to do this respectfully and positively!
Conclusion
So, some extremely powerful lessons to us about our shadows and what they have to tell us this evening/morning!
“Let those who have ears, hear.”
Testimonial Weekend
Our Lady of Grace
June 13, 2010
Our Shadows Have a Lesson to Teach
By Nicholas P. Amato
Shadow As Metaphor
This evening’s/morning’s readings have a very powerful lesson to teach us about forgiveness and to get us to those lessons, let us think for a moment about shadows.
Imagine with me the shadow you were casting just this afternoon (or the last sunny day.) If I stand with my back to the sun (gesture sun=forward; shadow=behind) I am definitely going to see my shadow as it is cast by the sun.
However, if a stand facing the sun, my shadow will be behind me.
Oh, it is still very much there, but I simply do not see it and after a while, I am not even aware of it.
Our Shadows and God
Now, let us identify our physical shadow with something in our lives that we are not proud of. Perhaps it is something we have done or a negative personality trait that pops up from time to time or even a hidden secret sin I have never shared with anyone.
And then, let us identify the sun as Jesus who has been known as “The light of the world.”
Notice: I only see my shadow when I have my back turned to Christ, the Sun. When I do that, I am focused on my shadow and in some cases even living out of it.
Today’s Scripture
I believe that this is a good way to understand today’s readings and especially the Gospel we just heard.
The woman in the Gospel has come to terms with her shadow – she knows she is a sinner and so does most of the town – yet, she has turned herself toward Christ.
Yes, her shadow remains part of her past, part of her life, but it is in a real sense put behind her.
She experiences God’s forgiveness and has been able to move beyond her shadow, if you will, into the light that is Christ.
I can see three important lessons about our shadows here.
Lesson #1: All Have Shadows
The first lesson is that we all have shadows – from the most saintly of Popes to the most sinful of sinners.
Jesus tells the story about the creditor and the debtors and how the individual who has been forgiven much will be able to love more.
Simon misses the point completely and instead disdains this unnamed, so-called sinful woman.
An underlying message here is that we all have something that needs forgiveness. The worse or sinful the act, trait, or imperfection is, the greater love that person will have toward the one forgiving.
The sins, little or great, are there and imaged (look over shoulder) as our shadow.
This is the core truth of life and of our relationship with God.
Lesson #2: Face God the Son
The second lesson is that we all need to turn and face God, who is represented by the sun or the light.
We can do this turning only by entrusting ourselves to the power of God. We can do this by prayer, by feeding on the Eucharist, and especially through the Sacrament of Reconciliation.
In this turning through the grace of God, God is then able to forgive us of the thing or the trait that make up our shadow, in much the same way that Jesus has done with the woman in the Gospel.
God first draws us into his light and then God empowers us to live in him.
Make no mistake about it, our shadow is still there, but it is, in a sense, behind us. It no longer has to determine what we do or who we are. We don’t have to live out of it.
Lesson 3: Don’t Look at Others’ Shadows
The third and final lesson drawn from this shadow and light image is that we need to be careful not to get focused on the shadows of others.
When we are facing God – the light, the sun – we can still see the shadows of others. The caution here is not to get focused on their shadows.
This is what the Pharisee named Simon is doing in the Gospel. He thinks he is facing God, but he is really focused on the woman’s shadow and he is feeling very self-righteous and condescending.
Amazingly, in focusing on the shadow of the woman, Simon is really in his own shadow without even knowing it. So, a telltale sign of living in our own shadow, even when we think we are facing God, is when we get focused on the shadows of others.
We, as individuals, can easily slide into this with one another. And quite honestly, we as a Church, can get into this in the way we talk about or treat others whom we think are not facing God fully, such as some politicians.
Far better to make sure that we ourselves are facing the Lord, the light! And far better for us to invite others to do this respectfully and positively!
Conclusion
So, some extremely powerful lessons to us about our shadows and what they have to tell us this evening/morning!
“Let those who have ears, hear.”
Thursday, June 03, 2010
Weekly THIS AND THAT for June 6, 2010: What Would I Tell an Individual Considering the Priesthood Today?
This and That:
What Would I Tell an Individual Considering the Priesthood Today?
The vast parking lot of St. Mary’s Seminary in Roland Park was empty as I drove up for my monthly Clergy Support Group meeting. The seminarians had come in September and had now gone home to their respective dioceses for the summer and with them went our own Deacon Chris Ballard. I began thinking what does an old geezer celebrating his 40th ordination anniversary tell a young man like Chris about being a priest?
As I parked my car in the deserted lot, I quickly jotted down the ideas that were swirling in my head. It was easy writing as I pictured sharing my thoughts with Deacon Chris.
Joy of Being a Priest
I have never regretted not being able to marry or be the father of children. Both marriage and fathering do find an expression in the life of a priest. People will often ask, “Are you going home for Christmas or Thanksgiving?” and my response is always, “I am home.” After God, there is no close second to my parish as my family. As for children, the constant calling “Father Nicholas” and trying to realize what the title really means is very compelling. I am reminded of the teen who asked me what cologne I was wearing. When I asked why, she said she wanted to buy it for her father because we wears “old man’s cologne.” There are a multitude of such connections where our children are my children.
The other joy of being a priest has been to celebrate the Sacraments. It is an extraordinary experience to glimpse from time to time what I am really doing at the Mass and in Jesus’ name to say, “This is my body…this is my blood” and have what I say become the fact! In each of the sacraments there is something: what a joy it is to see the relief in the eyes of the penitent, the peace in the one anointed before surgery, the excitement in the signing of the hymn at Mass, or the thrill of raising that little bambino at baptism and have you all applaud!
Sadness of Being a Priest
Being a priest does have a “heavy” side, particularly in the sexual abuse scandals of last 20 years. What heartbreak to see so many children abused at the hands of a beloved and trusted priest or to see the failure in leadership of bishops not dealing with the issues more responsibly or to know priests themselves who were part of our “Band of Brothers” in such profound trouble.
A second sadness has to do with the legion of cases where, in pastoral care of our people, the law or teaching of the Church is considered more important than the individual in anguish or pain. Among such people are the divorced and remarried, persons with same-sex attraction, and women who have had abortions. I often think that people know what the Church’s teachings are; what they do not often receive is the Church’s compassion.
Challenges of the Priesthood
I have always liked the distinction of the Church as being both human and divine. As divine, it is the Body of Christ in our world. As human, it is the sinful spouse, the weak and unfaithful disciple. Thank God the “greats” like Peter and Paul had their own faults and failings. In their changes of heart there is hope for all of us. I have found that it helps others, as well as myself, for me to recognize my own sins and failings. When we are able to admit that, people see us as real and the mercy of God becomes more tangible.
A second challenge has to do with the things we lament in our lives as a Church. Unfortunately, we all think that the challenges and crises are unique to our own lifetime. History is such an aid in seeing that parents have complained about children from the dawn of creation. We need to honestly admit that perhaps there were never any real “good old days.” Oh, I know we think there were, but we often fail to see the problems experienced then and, as our lives become past memories, we tend to romanticize them. That is all to say that “this too shall pass away” and when the journey gets tough, just put one foot in front of the other and keep moving forward.
Response to One’s Call to Priesthood
As I sat in the car, I searched for the ways I had been able to better experience the joys, carry the sadness, and confront the challenges of the past 40 years. First and foremost has been the acquiring of the habit of prayer as a way to remain regularly in Christ’s presence from one day to the next. It is that presence that gives one the ability to hope, to endure, and to stay motivated.
Finally, as choices and opportunities of all sorts presented themselves, it has helped to simply reiterate the popular saying many teens have on their wristbands, “What would Jesus do?” If you have put on the mind of Jesus Christ through prayer, then the answer and the grace to know and to follow would flow more easily. I suddenly realized I needed to get into the Seminary to my brother priests. And with that thought, my little parked car reflection quickly drew to a close.
Fondly,
Father Nicholas
What Would I Tell an Individual Considering the Priesthood Today?
The vast parking lot of St. Mary’s Seminary in Roland Park was empty as I drove up for my monthly Clergy Support Group meeting. The seminarians had come in September and had now gone home to their respective dioceses for the summer and with them went our own Deacon Chris Ballard. I began thinking what does an old geezer celebrating his 40th ordination anniversary tell a young man like Chris about being a priest?
As I parked my car in the deserted lot, I quickly jotted down the ideas that were swirling in my head. It was easy writing as I pictured sharing my thoughts with Deacon Chris.
Joy of Being a Priest
I have never regretted not being able to marry or be the father of children. Both marriage and fathering do find an expression in the life of a priest. People will often ask, “Are you going home for Christmas or Thanksgiving?” and my response is always, “I am home.” After God, there is no close second to my parish as my family. As for children, the constant calling “Father Nicholas” and trying to realize what the title really means is very compelling. I am reminded of the teen who asked me what cologne I was wearing. When I asked why, she said she wanted to buy it for her father because we wears “old man’s cologne.” There are a multitude of such connections where our children are my children.
The other joy of being a priest has been to celebrate the Sacraments. It is an extraordinary experience to glimpse from time to time what I am really doing at the Mass and in Jesus’ name to say, “This is my body…this is my blood” and have what I say become the fact! In each of the sacraments there is something: what a joy it is to see the relief in the eyes of the penitent, the peace in the one anointed before surgery, the excitement in the signing of the hymn at Mass, or the thrill of raising that little bambino at baptism and have you all applaud!
Sadness of Being a Priest
Being a priest does have a “heavy” side, particularly in the sexual abuse scandals of last 20 years. What heartbreak to see so many children abused at the hands of a beloved and trusted priest or to see the failure in leadership of bishops not dealing with the issues more responsibly or to know priests themselves who were part of our “Band of Brothers” in such profound trouble.
A second sadness has to do with the legion of cases where, in pastoral care of our people, the law or teaching of the Church is considered more important than the individual in anguish or pain. Among such people are the divorced and remarried, persons with same-sex attraction, and women who have had abortions. I often think that people know what the Church’s teachings are; what they do not often receive is the Church’s compassion.
Challenges of the Priesthood
I have always liked the distinction of the Church as being both human and divine. As divine, it is the Body of Christ in our world. As human, it is the sinful spouse, the weak and unfaithful disciple. Thank God the “greats” like Peter and Paul had their own faults and failings. In their changes of heart there is hope for all of us. I have found that it helps others, as well as myself, for me to recognize my own sins and failings. When we are able to admit that, people see us as real and the mercy of God becomes more tangible.
A second challenge has to do with the things we lament in our lives as a Church. Unfortunately, we all think that the challenges and crises are unique to our own lifetime. History is such an aid in seeing that parents have complained about children from the dawn of creation. We need to honestly admit that perhaps there were never any real “good old days.” Oh, I know we think there were, but we often fail to see the problems experienced then and, as our lives become past memories, we tend to romanticize them. That is all to say that “this too shall pass away” and when the journey gets tough, just put one foot in front of the other and keep moving forward.
Response to One’s Call to Priesthood
As I sat in the car, I searched for the ways I had been able to better experience the joys, carry the sadness, and confront the challenges of the past 40 years. First and foremost has been the acquiring of the habit of prayer as a way to remain regularly in Christ’s presence from one day to the next. It is that presence that gives one the ability to hope, to endure, and to stay motivated.
Finally, as choices and opportunities of all sorts presented themselves, it has helped to simply reiterate the popular saying many teens have on their wristbands, “What would Jesus do?” If you have put on the mind of Jesus Christ through prayer, then the answer and the grace to know and to follow would flow more easily. I suddenly realized I needed to get into the Seminary to my brother priests. And with that thought, my little parked car reflection quickly drew to a close.
Fondly,
Father Nicholas
Weekly HOMILY for June 6, 2010: "Give Them Something to Eat Yourselves"
Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ, Cycle C
Our Lady of Grace
June 6, 2010
“Give Them Something to Eat Yourselves”
By (Rev. Msgr.) Nicholas P. Amato
“Aren’t They All Our Children”
This past week, I recalled a newspaper article that I read about fifteen years ago.
A reporter was in Sarajevo covering the Balkan War. He reported on his experience of seeing a little girl get shot by a sniper.
Immediately another man and the reporter ran to the little girl. Together they got this six-year-old into the reporter’s car and started racing to the hospital.
The reporter was driving and in the back seat the other man cradled the child in his arms. He pleaded, “Hurry, my child is still alive.”
A moment later, he said again, “Hurry, my friend, my child is still breathing.” After a few more minutes, he said again, “Hurry, my child is still warm.”
Finally, he moaned, “Hurry, Oh dear God, my child is getting cold.” When they finally arrived at the hospital, the little girl was pronounced dead.
The unknown man turned to the reporter and said, “This is terrible. Now I must go and tell her father that his daughter is dead.”
The reporter was stunned and said to the grieving man, “But I thought she was your child.” The man responded, “No, but aren’t they all our children?”
The Body of Christ
What a touching, poignant story!
It helps us to appreciate what today’s liturgy is all about. There are two essential aspects to this celebration that honors of the Body and Blood of Christ.
On the one hand, we are celebrating the sacramental Body of Christ. Our faith assures us that this is special, unique, sacred food.
We believe that Jesus is really present here and that we receive him in this bread and wine. We believe that Jesus nourishes and strengthens us for the journey of life with this sacramental food.
On the other hand, we are also celebrating the living Body of Christ. In a way, the idea is simple.
We who eat the sacramental Body are to become the living, visible Body of Christ in our families, our community and our world. Since Christ is our food, we are challenged to be the real presence of Christ especially to those who are hungry and undernourished in our world.
And we need to see one another – indeed all persons – as part of this living Body of Christ.
That man in Sarajevo understood this so clearly when he cared for that little girl as his own child and said, “Aren’t they all our children?” Yes, they are!
The Word of God
Today’s Scripture readings beautifully express both of these dimensions of the Body of Christ.
Saint Paul recalls what Jesus gave us at the Last Supper. Jesus takes bread and says, “This is my body,” and then he takes wine and says, “This is my blood.”
Jesus gives us his sacramental Body and Blood in the bread and wine. Then, in today’s Gospel story, we hear of the feeding of the five thousand.
Notice the words that Luke uses to describe this miracle. “Jesus took the bread…blessed it…broke it…and gave it...”
The exact same words used at the Last Supper! The Gospel writer carefully uses these same words to help us realize the connection between the sacramental body and the living body of Christ.
He wants us to realize that Jesus’ sacramental body must lead us to be his living Body.
We live in a world where 13,600 people will die of hunger today every day and where over a billion of the world’s people – about one of every six people in the world – are undernourished.
We need to heed Jesus’ response when the disciples ask him to send the hungry people away: “Give them something to eat yourselves.” We need to be his living Body.
Conclusion
And so, both dimensions of the Body of Christ are essential.
Without the sacramental Body of Christ, we will lack the motivation, energy, and purpose to continue being the living Body of Christ.
And without our becoming the living Body of Christ for one another, our sharing in the sacramental Body can become merely self-centered.
That is the full message of today’s celebration. That is the two-fold invitation of this feast of the Body and Blood of Christ.
“Give them something to eat yourselves,” Jesus tells us.
Our Lady of Grace
June 6, 2010
“Give Them Something to Eat Yourselves”
By (Rev. Msgr.) Nicholas P. Amato
“Aren’t They All Our Children”
This past week, I recalled a newspaper article that I read about fifteen years ago.
A reporter was in Sarajevo covering the Balkan War. He reported on his experience of seeing a little girl get shot by a sniper.
Immediately another man and the reporter ran to the little girl. Together they got this six-year-old into the reporter’s car and started racing to the hospital.
The reporter was driving and in the back seat the other man cradled the child in his arms. He pleaded, “Hurry, my child is still alive.”
A moment later, he said again, “Hurry, my friend, my child is still breathing.” After a few more minutes, he said again, “Hurry, my child is still warm.”
Finally, he moaned, “Hurry, Oh dear God, my child is getting cold.” When they finally arrived at the hospital, the little girl was pronounced dead.
The unknown man turned to the reporter and said, “This is terrible. Now I must go and tell her father that his daughter is dead.”
The reporter was stunned and said to the grieving man, “But I thought she was your child.” The man responded, “No, but aren’t they all our children?”
The Body of Christ
What a touching, poignant story!
It helps us to appreciate what today’s liturgy is all about. There are two essential aspects to this celebration that honors of the Body and Blood of Christ.
On the one hand, we are celebrating the sacramental Body of Christ. Our faith assures us that this is special, unique, sacred food.
We believe that Jesus is really present here and that we receive him in this bread and wine. We believe that Jesus nourishes and strengthens us for the journey of life with this sacramental food.
On the other hand, we are also celebrating the living Body of Christ. In a way, the idea is simple.
We who eat the sacramental Body are to become the living, visible Body of Christ in our families, our community and our world. Since Christ is our food, we are challenged to be the real presence of Christ especially to those who are hungry and undernourished in our world.
And we need to see one another – indeed all persons – as part of this living Body of Christ.
That man in Sarajevo understood this so clearly when he cared for that little girl as his own child and said, “Aren’t they all our children?” Yes, they are!
The Word of God
Today’s Scripture readings beautifully express both of these dimensions of the Body of Christ.
Saint Paul recalls what Jesus gave us at the Last Supper. Jesus takes bread and says, “This is my body,” and then he takes wine and says, “This is my blood.”
Jesus gives us his sacramental Body and Blood in the bread and wine. Then, in today’s Gospel story, we hear of the feeding of the five thousand.
Notice the words that Luke uses to describe this miracle. “Jesus took the bread…blessed it…broke it…and gave it...”
The exact same words used at the Last Supper! The Gospel writer carefully uses these same words to help us realize the connection between the sacramental body and the living body of Christ.
He wants us to realize that Jesus’ sacramental body must lead us to be his living Body.
We live in a world where 13,600 people will die of hunger today every day and where over a billion of the world’s people – about one of every six people in the world – are undernourished.
We need to heed Jesus’ response when the disciples ask him to send the hungry people away: “Give them something to eat yourselves.” We need to be his living Body.
Conclusion
And so, both dimensions of the Body of Christ are essential.
Without the sacramental Body of Christ, we will lack the motivation, energy, and purpose to continue being the living Body of Christ.
And without our becoming the living Body of Christ for one another, our sharing in the sacramental Body can become merely self-centered.
That is the full message of today’s celebration. That is the two-fold invitation of this feast of the Body and Blood of Christ.
“Give them something to eat yourselves,” Jesus tells us.
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Weekly THIS AND THAT for May 30, 2010: An Educational Mission That Has Grown Out of Ordination
This and That:
An Educational Mission That Has Grown Out of Ordination
“Though priests are called to preach a message that is not their own, they are also called to identify with that message, allowing themselves to be profoundly transformed in it.” This was a reflection made by Benedict XVI at a recent general audience in St. Peter’s Square. As the Year for Priests draws to a close – closing celebrations are scheduled for June 9-11th – the Pope said he would dedicate a series of reflections to priestly ministry.
In that address he took up the first of the three offices the priest receives (teaching, sanctifying and governing), reflecting on the importance of the priest in the midst of what he refers to as an educational emergency. “We live amid great confusion about the fundamental choices of our life,” the Holy Father observed, saying there are “so many contrasting philosophies, which arise and disappear, creating confusion about the fundamental decisions.” However, as promised in the Gospel, the Lord has compassion on his “sheep without a shepherd,” the Holy Father said. “The Lord, moved by compassion, interpreted the Word of God, he himself is the Word of God, and thus he gave guidance. This is the function ... of the priest: to render present, in the confusion and disorientation of our times, the light of the Word of God, the light that is Christ himself in this our world.”
This means, Benedict XVI explained, that the priest “does not teach his own ideas, a philosophy that he himself has invented, has found and that pleases him; ... but, in the confusion of all the philosophies, the priest teaches in the name of Christ present, he proposes the truth that is Christ himself, his word, his way of living and of going forward.”
Of course, the Pope clarified, that this does not mean the priest is “neutral” in relation to this Word, “almost like a spokesman who reads a text which, perhaps, he does not appropriate.” Instead, like Jesus with the Father, the “priest who proclaims the Word of Christ, the faith of the Church and not his own ideas, must also say: I do not live from myself and for myself, but I live with Christ and from Christ and because of this all that Christ has said to us becomes my word, even if it is not mine.”
It is clear that the teaching the priest is called to give must be internalized and lived as an intense personal spiritual journey, so that the priest first enters into a profound interior communion with Christ himself. I have come to realize that anything I teach by way of doctrine or Catholic moral practice must first be grounded in the relationship I have with Jesus. Without a daily regular practice of prayer and presence to the Lord, no such relationship is possible. On the other hand, with it, one gains a sense of compassion and understanding to act as Jesus would act and with the same respect he had for the Law.
In beginning a new ministry in July, I will be doing many of the same things I have done the past 15 years among the people of Our Lady of Grace, namely celebrating Mass, preaching, and teaching. What I will not be doing anymore is administration, attending meetings, or fundraising. So in offering Contemplative Retreats for the Laity, conducting Parish Missions, and presenting Days of Recollection, my ministry will take a decided fuller emphasis on teaching and preaching. The support and the power to do this will come from a more regularly lived contemplative lifestyle with early rising and time for extended daily prayer, reflection, physical labor, and the preparation of food. As I see it, it will have a monastic flavor. The daily lifestyle of union with the Lord will then flow over into the preaching and teaching any given week. Weekends that I will not be presenting will be spent assisting parishes that need a celebrant and preacher for Masses.
Who among us would not like to slow life’s pace down a bit? Who among us would not want more time for inner silence and reflection? Who among us would not want a closer union with God? In this sense the priest/teacher is called to be a countercultural voice in today’s society, opting for each of these values and not only opting for them, but helping provide them in a concrete way for those wanting to do something about bringing them about. Only such a lifestyle of prayer and union can bring about an authentic and profound renewal for our people grounded in Christ as the Living One and experience of a God who operates in our life and for the life of the world and gives us his very presence as a way to live.
The priest is always a teacher, but he gives his lesson with the humble and happy certainty of one who has found Christ and in his encounter with the Lord, he has been gripped and transformed. Because of this he can do nothing less than proclaim and assist others in experiencing it.
Our people are asking us to assist them in renewing our encounter with Christ who alone can give us the inner joy and peace we crave. It is my desire to serve the Lord by helping others experience the loving embrace of God the Father, the healing forgiveness of Jesus, and the abiding, sustaining presence of the Holy Spirit.
Fondly,
Father Nicholas
An Educational Mission That Has Grown Out of Ordination
“Though priests are called to preach a message that is not their own, they are also called to identify with that message, allowing themselves to be profoundly transformed in it.” This was a reflection made by Benedict XVI at a recent general audience in St. Peter’s Square. As the Year for Priests draws to a close – closing celebrations are scheduled for June 9-11th – the Pope said he would dedicate a series of reflections to priestly ministry.
In that address he took up the first of the three offices the priest receives (teaching, sanctifying and governing), reflecting on the importance of the priest in the midst of what he refers to as an educational emergency. “We live amid great confusion about the fundamental choices of our life,” the Holy Father observed, saying there are “so many contrasting philosophies, which arise and disappear, creating confusion about the fundamental decisions.” However, as promised in the Gospel, the Lord has compassion on his “sheep without a shepherd,” the Holy Father said. “The Lord, moved by compassion, interpreted the Word of God, he himself is the Word of God, and thus he gave guidance. This is the function ... of the priest: to render present, in the confusion and disorientation of our times, the light of the Word of God, the light that is Christ himself in this our world.”
This means, Benedict XVI explained, that the priest “does not teach his own ideas, a philosophy that he himself has invented, has found and that pleases him; ... but, in the confusion of all the philosophies, the priest teaches in the name of Christ present, he proposes the truth that is Christ himself, his word, his way of living and of going forward.”
Of course, the Pope clarified, that this does not mean the priest is “neutral” in relation to this Word, “almost like a spokesman who reads a text which, perhaps, he does not appropriate.” Instead, like Jesus with the Father, the “priest who proclaims the Word of Christ, the faith of the Church and not his own ideas, must also say: I do not live from myself and for myself, but I live with Christ and from Christ and because of this all that Christ has said to us becomes my word, even if it is not mine.”
It is clear that the teaching the priest is called to give must be internalized and lived as an intense personal spiritual journey, so that the priest first enters into a profound interior communion with Christ himself. I have come to realize that anything I teach by way of doctrine or Catholic moral practice must first be grounded in the relationship I have with Jesus. Without a daily regular practice of prayer and presence to the Lord, no such relationship is possible. On the other hand, with it, one gains a sense of compassion and understanding to act as Jesus would act and with the same respect he had for the Law.
In beginning a new ministry in July, I will be doing many of the same things I have done the past 15 years among the people of Our Lady of Grace, namely celebrating Mass, preaching, and teaching. What I will not be doing anymore is administration, attending meetings, or fundraising. So in offering Contemplative Retreats for the Laity, conducting Parish Missions, and presenting Days of Recollection, my ministry will take a decided fuller emphasis on teaching and preaching. The support and the power to do this will come from a more regularly lived contemplative lifestyle with early rising and time for extended daily prayer, reflection, physical labor, and the preparation of food. As I see it, it will have a monastic flavor. The daily lifestyle of union with the Lord will then flow over into the preaching and teaching any given week. Weekends that I will not be presenting will be spent assisting parishes that need a celebrant and preacher for Masses.
Who among us would not like to slow life’s pace down a bit? Who among us would not want more time for inner silence and reflection? Who among us would not want a closer union with God? In this sense the priest/teacher is called to be a countercultural voice in today’s society, opting for each of these values and not only opting for them, but helping provide them in a concrete way for those wanting to do something about bringing them about. Only such a lifestyle of prayer and union can bring about an authentic and profound renewal for our people grounded in Christ as the Living One and experience of a God who operates in our life and for the life of the world and gives us his very presence as a way to live.
The priest is always a teacher, but he gives his lesson with the humble and happy certainty of one who has found Christ and in his encounter with the Lord, he has been gripped and transformed. Because of this he can do nothing less than proclaim and assist others in experiencing it.
Our people are asking us to assist them in renewing our encounter with Christ who alone can give us the inner joy and peace we crave. It is my desire to serve the Lord by helping others experience the loving embrace of God the Father, the healing forgiveness of Jesus, and the abiding, sustaining presence of the Holy Spirit.
Fondly,
Father Nicholas
Weekly HOMILY for May 30, 2010: From Human Experience to Divine Persons
Solemnity of the Holy Trinity, Cycle C
Our Lady of Grace
May 30, 2010
From Human Experience to Divine Persons
By (Rev. Msgr.) Nicholas P. Amato
In the Image of God
We believe that we are made in the image of God. The Book of Genesis says that God made us “in his image and likeness.”
Given that, there must be reflections of God in us and in our experience.
Today, we honor God as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – the Holy Trinity.
This evening/morning, I do not want to start with the doctrine of the Trinity and attempt to explain it.
Instead, I suggest that we start with ourselves and our own human experience. Our experience of ourselves as persons must in some way reflect God as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
I say that because this body of mine, if made in God’s image – and this is a God who is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – than that 3-fold reality must also be part of this (point to self) reality.
Let us reflect for a bit and see where this leads us.
The Father
First, let us be aware of our desire to foster life.
Be aware of our desire to be a mother or father and to bring a child into this world. Or be aware of our desire to pass on life by teaching or by spiritual guidance or by emotional support.
Be aware of the sheer pleasure in bringing life forth from the earth by growing tomato plants or by seeing Gerber daisies flower in our gardens. Be aware of our pleasure in feeding and grooming and tending our dog or cat and those soul-full eyes.
Be aware of our satisfaction in repairing the clothes’ washer. Or be aware of humanity’s satisfaction in exploring the universe or discovering new ways of healing through adult stem cells.
Be aware of all of this within us human beings. These are all reflections of God, the consummate creator, God whom we call the Father.
The Son
And now, be aware of our thirst to restore.
Be aware of our thirst to restore our marriage to the feeling of love it once had. Or be aware of our thirst to patch up a friendship that has grown distant.
Be aware of our undeniable need to forgive and our restlessness when we do not forgive. Or be aware of our lack of peace when we have not asked for forgiveness, even though we know we are responsible for wrongdoing.
Be aware of the crosses we have to bear and the strength that comes from beyond us to bear them. Or be aware of our seeking for meaning and purpose and the way to live our lives fully.
Be aware of all of this within ourselves as human beings. These are all witnesses of God, our Savior, God the Son.
The Holy Spirit
And last, let us get in touch with our passion for certain things.
Be aware of our passionate love for spouse or children or parents or close friends. Or be aware of our passionate care for all victims of violence and war.
Be aware of our ardent faith in God or our strong commitment to the environment or our undying care for human life. Or be aware of whatever it is that we will skip a meal for or even die for.
Be aware of our excitement at a new insight, perhaps the simple insight that God is love and that I am unconditionally loved by God. Or be aware of our growth over the years in wisdom and understanding, in patience and compassion.
Be aware of all of this within ourselves as human beings. These are all expressions of God, the Spirit operating from within, God the Holy Spirit.
Conclusion
I believe these human experiences reflect God as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. They are in harmony with Jesus revealing to us the Father, calling himself the Son, and sending us his Holy Spirit.
It was these sorts of experiences that led to articulating, as a Church at the Council of Nicea, a statement about our belief in the Trinity.
This, of course, came to be known as The Nicene Creed that we recite each Sunday here at Mass.
Let us be aware that when we recite this Creed together that it is something that comes out of our very experience of our imaging God.
Our Lady of Grace
May 30, 2010
From Human Experience to Divine Persons
By (Rev. Msgr.) Nicholas P. Amato
In the Image of God
We believe that we are made in the image of God. The Book of Genesis says that God made us “in his image and likeness.”
Given that, there must be reflections of God in us and in our experience.
Today, we honor God as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – the Holy Trinity.
This evening/morning, I do not want to start with the doctrine of the Trinity and attempt to explain it.
Instead, I suggest that we start with ourselves and our own human experience. Our experience of ourselves as persons must in some way reflect God as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
I say that because this body of mine, if made in God’s image – and this is a God who is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – than that 3-fold reality must also be part of this (point to self) reality.
Let us reflect for a bit and see where this leads us.
The Father
First, let us be aware of our desire to foster life.
Be aware of our desire to be a mother or father and to bring a child into this world. Or be aware of our desire to pass on life by teaching or by spiritual guidance or by emotional support.
Be aware of the sheer pleasure in bringing life forth from the earth by growing tomato plants or by seeing Gerber daisies flower in our gardens. Be aware of our pleasure in feeding and grooming and tending our dog or cat and those soul-full eyes.
Be aware of our satisfaction in repairing the clothes’ washer. Or be aware of humanity’s satisfaction in exploring the universe or discovering new ways of healing through adult stem cells.
Be aware of all of this within us human beings. These are all reflections of God, the consummate creator, God whom we call the Father.
The Son
And now, be aware of our thirst to restore.
Be aware of our thirst to restore our marriage to the feeling of love it once had. Or be aware of our thirst to patch up a friendship that has grown distant.
Be aware of our undeniable need to forgive and our restlessness when we do not forgive. Or be aware of our lack of peace when we have not asked for forgiveness, even though we know we are responsible for wrongdoing.
Be aware of the crosses we have to bear and the strength that comes from beyond us to bear them. Or be aware of our seeking for meaning and purpose and the way to live our lives fully.
Be aware of all of this within ourselves as human beings. These are all witnesses of God, our Savior, God the Son.
The Holy Spirit
And last, let us get in touch with our passion for certain things.
Be aware of our passionate love for spouse or children or parents or close friends. Or be aware of our passionate care for all victims of violence and war.
Be aware of our ardent faith in God or our strong commitment to the environment or our undying care for human life. Or be aware of whatever it is that we will skip a meal for or even die for.
Be aware of our excitement at a new insight, perhaps the simple insight that God is love and that I am unconditionally loved by God. Or be aware of our growth over the years in wisdom and understanding, in patience and compassion.
Be aware of all of this within ourselves as human beings. These are all expressions of God, the Spirit operating from within, God the Holy Spirit.
Conclusion
I believe these human experiences reflect God as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. They are in harmony with Jesus revealing to us the Father, calling himself the Son, and sending us his Holy Spirit.
It was these sorts of experiences that led to articulating, as a Church at the Council of Nicea, a statement about our belief in the Trinity.
This, of course, came to be known as The Nicene Creed that we recite each Sunday here at Mass.
Let us be aware that when we recite this Creed together that it is something that comes out of our very experience of our imaging God.
Thursday, May 20, 2010
Weekly THIS AND THAT for May 23, 2010: Pentecost = Jesus is Everybody's
This and That:
Pentecost = Jesus is Everybody’s
Today we celebrate the great feast of Pentecost, traditionally called “the birthday of the Church.” During the 50 days of Easter, we have celebrated Jesus’ triumph over death and his gift of eternal life to each of us. Pentecost reminds us that our mission is to spread this good news to anyone and everyone. Following is a reflection by Father Richard Rohr, a Franciscan priest who is the founder of the Center for Action and Contemplation is Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Accepting Our Acceptance
God has chosen us. That is simple and clear. But for us to accept that we are chosen or beloved is actually quite difficult, just as it was for Israel. It demands major freedom from self. (Only the "nobodies" seem to be ready for chosenness. Meanwhile God has to lead most of us on long 40-year journeys before we get to that place.)
God chooses each of us—not to "raise us up a notch," but to lead us through necessary and transformative journeys so we can allow ourselves to be beloved, and to relish a mutual relationship. At Pentecost the Spirit is poured out on "all humankind" regardless of status.
The election of the Jews, God's "chosen people," eventually becomes a message for the whole world, and not something to keep them superior, satisfied or apart. It will take the prophets Isaiah, Jeremiah and Jonah, Jesus himself, the rest of the Book of Acts and the fierce ministry of Paul to resolve God's universality. Because the implications of "one God who created all things" gradually became clear, they soon called this new religion "catholic." Our attempts to limit this election have often made us more ethnic than catholic. Not only does God end up looking very small and scarce, but we do too.
We are ready for the great outpouring of the Holy Spirit only after 50 days of enjoying the wisdom of the risen Christ. It takes a while to move from Jesus as mine to Jesus as everybody's. Originally only Paul was strong enough to get the point, and his ministry to the gentiles (which is most of us!) was a scandal to James and Peter. He had to argue with Peter about this, and God had to give Peter a vision to prove it to him.
Choosing, Changing
When God makes a choice, it is definitive and irrevocable. The biblical God does not love us if we change, but so that we can change. God has not stopped choosing Israel any more than God stops choosing us because we do not respond (see Romans 11). As our Catholic tradition and recent popes have affirmed, the Jews are still the chosen people.
God’s love, it seems, is never determined by the worthiness of the one loved, which is almost impossible for us to comprehend—because that is the only way we know how to love. The biblical God seems to be both extremely patient and extremely humble. This is good news, for where would any of us be if God's choice depended upon our response?
Resting, Rejoicing
As humans, we cannot recognize, much less affirm, another person's inherent, God-given goodness until we have rested in that lovely place ourselves. God is inviting us first of all to rest and rejoice in what it means to be God's beloved son or daughter. When we have learned to live and abide in that chosenness, only then can we communicate that same beloved status to anybody else or any situation at any level of depth, joy or freedom. If we have been there, we can proclaim a true and new alternative to the drudgery and darkness of this world. This is healthy and happy religion, and it is offered to us.
Happy Birthday to us – and to all who believe because of us!
Sister Mary Therese
Pentecost = Jesus is Everybody’s
Today we celebrate the great feast of Pentecost, traditionally called “the birthday of the Church.” During the 50 days of Easter, we have celebrated Jesus’ triumph over death and his gift of eternal life to each of us. Pentecost reminds us that our mission is to spread this good news to anyone and everyone. Following is a reflection by Father Richard Rohr, a Franciscan priest who is the founder of the Center for Action and Contemplation is Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Accepting Our Acceptance
God has chosen us. That is simple and clear. But for us to accept that we are chosen or beloved is actually quite difficult, just as it was for Israel. It demands major freedom from self. (Only the "nobodies" seem to be ready for chosenness. Meanwhile God has to lead most of us on long 40-year journeys before we get to that place.)
God chooses each of us—not to "raise us up a notch," but to lead us through necessary and transformative journeys so we can allow ourselves to be beloved, and to relish a mutual relationship. At Pentecost the Spirit is poured out on "all humankind" regardless of status.
The election of the Jews, God's "chosen people," eventually becomes a message for the whole world, and not something to keep them superior, satisfied or apart. It will take the prophets Isaiah, Jeremiah and Jonah, Jesus himself, the rest of the Book of Acts and the fierce ministry of Paul to resolve God's universality. Because the implications of "one God who created all things" gradually became clear, they soon called this new religion "catholic." Our attempts to limit this election have often made us more ethnic than catholic. Not only does God end up looking very small and scarce, but we do too.
We are ready for the great outpouring of the Holy Spirit only after 50 days of enjoying the wisdom of the risen Christ. It takes a while to move from Jesus as mine to Jesus as everybody's. Originally only Paul was strong enough to get the point, and his ministry to the gentiles (which is most of us!) was a scandal to James and Peter. He had to argue with Peter about this, and God had to give Peter a vision to prove it to him.
Choosing, Changing
When God makes a choice, it is definitive and irrevocable. The biblical God does not love us if we change, but so that we can change. God has not stopped choosing Israel any more than God stops choosing us because we do not respond (see Romans 11). As our Catholic tradition and recent popes have affirmed, the Jews are still the chosen people.
God’s love, it seems, is never determined by the worthiness of the one loved, which is almost impossible for us to comprehend—because that is the only way we know how to love. The biblical God seems to be both extremely patient and extremely humble. This is good news, for where would any of us be if God's choice depended upon our response?
Resting, Rejoicing
As humans, we cannot recognize, much less affirm, another person's inherent, God-given goodness until we have rested in that lovely place ourselves. God is inviting us first of all to rest and rejoice in what it means to be God's beloved son or daughter. When we have learned to live and abide in that chosenness, only then can we communicate that same beloved status to anybody else or any situation at any level of depth, joy or freedom. If we have been there, we can proclaim a true and new alternative to the drudgery and darkness of this world. This is healthy and happy religion, and it is offered to us.
Happy Birthday to us – and to all who believe because of us!
Sister Mary Therese
Weekly HOMILY for May 23, 2010: Images of the Spirit's Presence
Feast of Pentecost, Cycle C
Our Lady of Grace
May 23, 2010
Images of the Spirit’s Presence
By (Rev. Msgr.) Nicholas P. Amato
The Spirit: Brick and Mortar
This church and a number of our other parish buildings are made of brick.
We call them brick buildings even though they are really brick and mortar. The mortar is soft and wet when it is applied, but then when it dries, it hardens and is far less visible than the brick.
The mortar ties the bricks to the foundation and holds all the bricks together. It transforms a pile of bricks into this church building.
Now the Holy Spirit whom we celebrate today is something like this strong but not very visible mortar. The Spirit binds us to God the Father and Jesus the Son.
In this way, the Spirit is our strength and security against the many insecurities of life. This is why each one of us seeks some security, some firm grounding that we can rely on and build our lives on.
When we look for this security or feel secure, it is really the Holy Spirit present within us. And when we feel insecure, it is again the Spirit moving us to seek our security in the Father and the Son.
The Spirit: Quilt and Thread
Today I also think of the image of a quilt.
A quilt can begin with many scraps of cloth. It can be made of material with different patterns and colors and textures.
But thread is a key component. Thread is barely visible to the eye, but it holds the pieces of cloth together and makes them into a quilt.
Once again, the Holy Spirit is something like this barely visible thread. The Spirit knits or binds us to one another.
Saint Paul today compares us to the parts of a human body, and says that we are all made one body through our baptism. This is why deep down, we all want to feel accepted and be part of the group and have friendships.
It is the Spirit present within us and moving us to that. And when we feel unwanted or alienated or cut off from others, it is again the Spirit at work moving us to seek the oneness for which we are all made.
The Spirit: Flute and Breath
A third and final image I think of today is a flute.
A flute is basically a metal tube. A few holes are drilled into it at strategic points.
And that’s all it is until a musician breathes into it. The breath or air makes music and the metal tube becomes a musical instrument called a flute.
Once again, the Holy Spirit is something like this breath or air that flows through the metal tube. The Spirit empowers us to do good and continue the work of Jesus.
In today’s gospel, Jesus sends us forth to love, to be persons of love. This is why we feel so fulfilled when we do good things for others.
It is the Spirit present flowing through us and empowering us to be loving. And when we feel restless or when our conscience bothers us for not doing what is right and good, it is again the Spirit at work moving us to do the good that Jesus calls us to do.
Conclusion
I hope these three images help us on this feast of Pentecost.
1) The unnoticed mortar that ties the bricks of our church to the foundation and holds all of them together is something like the Holy Spirit – binding us firmly to God the Father and to Jesus the Son.
2) The barely visible thread that holds together pieces of cloth to make them into a quilt is also something like the Holy Spirit – binding us to one another and making us one.
3) And the invisible breath that flows through a flute and makes beautiful music is also something like the Holy Spirit – moving us to be loving persons and to do good for one another.
This is the Holy Spirit, God within us whom we celebrate on this feast of Pentecost.
Our Lady of Grace
May 23, 2010
Images of the Spirit’s Presence
By (Rev. Msgr.) Nicholas P. Amato
The Spirit: Brick and Mortar
This church and a number of our other parish buildings are made of brick.
We call them brick buildings even though they are really brick and mortar. The mortar is soft and wet when it is applied, but then when it dries, it hardens and is far less visible than the brick.
The mortar ties the bricks to the foundation and holds all the bricks together. It transforms a pile of bricks into this church building.
Now the Holy Spirit whom we celebrate today is something like this strong but not very visible mortar. The Spirit binds us to God the Father and Jesus the Son.
In this way, the Spirit is our strength and security against the many insecurities of life. This is why each one of us seeks some security, some firm grounding that we can rely on and build our lives on.
When we look for this security or feel secure, it is really the Holy Spirit present within us. And when we feel insecure, it is again the Spirit moving us to seek our security in the Father and the Son.
The Spirit: Quilt and Thread
Today I also think of the image of a quilt.
A quilt can begin with many scraps of cloth. It can be made of material with different patterns and colors and textures.
But thread is a key component. Thread is barely visible to the eye, but it holds the pieces of cloth together and makes them into a quilt.
Once again, the Holy Spirit is something like this barely visible thread. The Spirit knits or binds us to one another.
Saint Paul today compares us to the parts of a human body, and says that we are all made one body through our baptism. This is why deep down, we all want to feel accepted and be part of the group and have friendships.
It is the Spirit present within us and moving us to that. And when we feel unwanted or alienated or cut off from others, it is again the Spirit at work moving us to seek the oneness for which we are all made.
The Spirit: Flute and Breath
A third and final image I think of today is a flute.
A flute is basically a metal tube. A few holes are drilled into it at strategic points.
And that’s all it is until a musician breathes into it. The breath or air makes music and the metal tube becomes a musical instrument called a flute.
Once again, the Holy Spirit is something like this breath or air that flows through the metal tube. The Spirit empowers us to do good and continue the work of Jesus.
In today’s gospel, Jesus sends us forth to love, to be persons of love. This is why we feel so fulfilled when we do good things for others.
It is the Spirit present flowing through us and empowering us to be loving. And when we feel restless or when our conscience bothers us for not doing what is right and good, it is again the Spirit at work moving us to do the good that Jesus calls us to do.
Conclusion
I hope these three images help us on this feast of Pentecost.
1) The unnoticed mortar that ties the bricks of our church to the foundation and holds all of them together is something like the Holy Spirit – binding us firmly to God the Father and to Jesus the Son.
2) The barely visible thread that holds together pieces of cloth to make them into a quilt is also something like the Holy Spirit – binding us to one another and making us one.
3) And the invisible breath that flows through a flute and makes beautiful music is also something like the Holy Spirit – moving us to be loving persons and to do good for one another.
This is the Holy Spirit, God within us whom we celebrate on this feast of Pentecost.
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Weekly THIS AND THAT for May 16, 2010: What I Will Be Doing Beginning July 1, 2010
This and That:
What I Will Be Doing Beginning July 1st
It was after three months of prayer and discernment with a Spiritual Director at the Trappist Monastery of Mepkin Abbey in South Carolina that I began to have a clearer understanding of where God was calling me in ministry as a priest. After 13 years as the Secretary of Education and 21 years as pastor of two parishes, there was a new need I saw emerging in our Catholic People, namely, the desire for a contemplative presence during prayer. It was with that new goal that I began 18 months of study at the Shalem Institute for Spirituality in Washington, DC. Those studies will come to an end this June.
As a result of the process of discernment and preparation I will be offering Contemplative Retreats to the laity, directing Parish Missions, and running Days of Recollection for parish staffs and other interested groups. On free weekends I hope to help out in different parishes by preaching and celebrating weekend liturgies. Over the past two years, in preparation for the new ministries, I have had several opportunities to offer retreats, missions and days of recollection, as well as contemplative prayer group sessions to see if they were a good “fit” for me. I must say I have found them very life-giving and am excited about doing them full-time.
Some have asked where I would be living after Our Lady of Grace, beginning July 1, 2010. In 1988 I built a small rancher in the Susquehanna Valley just 20 miles north of Bel Air in Pennsylvania. Just this year I was able to add an office/den to the small home where I can do all my preparation, copying and printing. While I will officially be a resident of Pennsylvania, I will maintain a Maryland address.
The contact information is:
Father Nicholas Amato
P.O. Box 40
Whiteford, Maryland 21160
FatherNicholasAmato@gmail.com
Once I see how my weekly schedule shakes out, I am also thinking of offering prison inmates an opportunity to learn contemplative prayer. I have often thought of facing the Lord one day and my asking him, “Lord, when did I see you hungry, ill, naked, or in prison…?” and realized there was an area in my caring for others over the years that needed some attention. It also seems like a great opportunity to give them something transformative in the many hours they have while incarcerated.
In the retreats, missions, and days of recollection I have already given, at the conclusion of our time together the question has often arisen among participants, “How can we do this again?” As a result, what I have begun generating are several avenues for individuals to learn more about what I’m offering in this area, should they want to avail themselves of the opportunities:
➢ An email list of names that every six months will receive the retreats, missions and days of recollection I will be offering. More about getting on this list in a moment.
➢ A blog (frnickamato.blogspot.com entitled “WordsWorthNoting”) that is updated weekly with homilies and other presentations. It has all homilies and “This and That” columns since July 2006
➢ By June 30th there will be available a fully developed Facebook page regarding these ministries
➢ Also by June 30th the ministries will be on Twitter for daily up-to-date photos and summaries of what is going on in the areas of retreats, missions and days of recollection
➢ If all of this sounds like garble or is overload, simply google FatherNicholasAmato and that will get you to my blog.
That, in a nutshell, is probably more than you needed to know about what the future holds for me. The next month and a half will certainly be a bittersweet experience for me as I begin to share our farewells. I do hope there will be times to do that face-to-face. Our Lady of Grace will always be my #1 home and because one day I would hope to rest in peace somewhere on the property, it will also be my final home before heaven.
If you would like to be added to the 6-month emailing list for retreats, missions, and days of recollection, simply let me know by sending an email to me at: FatherNicolasAmato@gmail.com.
See you at Mass soon.
Love,
Father Nicholas
What I Will Be Doing Beginning July 1st
It was after three months of prayer and discernment with a Spiritual Director at the Trappist Monastery of Mepkin Abbey in South Carolina that I began to have a clearer understanding of where God was calling me in ministry as a priest. After 13 years as the Secretary of Education and 21 years as pastor of two parishes, there was a new need I saw emerging in our Catholic People, namely, the desire for a contemplative presence during prayer. It was with that new goal that I began 18 months of study at the Shalem Institute for Spirituality in Washington, DC. Those studies will come to an end this June.
As a result of the process of discernment and preparation I will be offering Contemplative Retreats to the laity, directing Parish Missions, and running Days of Recollection for parish staffs and other interested groups. On free weekends I hope to help out in different parishes by preaching and celebrating weekend liturgies. Over the past two years, in preparation for the new ministries, I have had several opportunities to offer retreats, missions and days of recollection, as well as contemplative prayer group sessions to see if they were a good “fit” for me. I must say I have found them very life-giving and am excited about doing them full-time.
Some have asked where I would be living after Our Lady of Grace, beginning July 1, 2010. In 1988 I built a small rancher in the Susquehanna Valley just 20 miles north of Bel Air in Pennsylvania. Just this year I was able to add an office/den to the small home where I can do all my preparation, copying and printing. While I will officially be a resident of Pennsylvania, I will maintain a Maryland address.
The contact information is:
Father Nicholas Amato
P.O. Box 40
Whiteford, Maryland 21160
FatherNicholasAmato@gmail.com
Once I see how my weekly schedule shakes out, I am also thinking of offering prison inmates an opportunity to learn contemplative prayer. I have often thought of facing the Lord one day and my asking him, “Lord, when did I see you hungry, ill, naked, or in prison…?” and realized there was an area in my caring for others over the years that needed some attention. It also seems like a great opportunity to give them something transformative in the many hours they have while incarcerated.
In the retreats, missions, and days of recollection I have already given, at the conclusion of our time together the question has often arisen among participants, “How can we do this again?” As a result, what I have begun generating are several avenues for individuals to learn more about what I’m offering in this area, should they want to avail themselves of the opportunities:
➢ An email list of names that every six months will receive the retreats, missions and days of recollection I will be offering. More about getting on this list in a moment.
➢ A blog (frnickamato.blogspot.com entitled “WordsWorthNoting”) that is updated weekly with homilies and other presentations. It has all homilies and “This and That” columns since July 2006
➢ By June 30th there will be available a fully developed Facebook page regarding these ministries
➢ Also by June 30th the ministries will be on Twitter for daily up-to-date photos and summaries of what is going on in the areas of retreats, missions and days of recollection
➢ If all of this sounds like garble or is overload, simply google FatherNicholasAmato and that will get you to my blog.
That, in a nutshell, is probably more than you needed to know about what the future holds for me. The next month and a half will certainly be a bittersweet experience for me as I begin to share our farewells. I do hope there will be times to do that face-to-face. Our Lady of Grace will always be my #1 home and because one day I would hope to rest in peace somewhere on the property, it will also be my final home before heaven.
If you would like to be added to the 6-month emailing list for retreats, missions, and days of recollection, simply let me know by sending an email to me at: FatherNicolasAmato@gmail.com.
See you at Mass soon.
Love,
Father Nicholas
Weekly HOMILY for May 16, 2010: Understanding the Ascension of Jesus
The Ascension of the Lord, Cycle C
Our Lady of Grace
May 16, 2010
Understanding the Ascension of Jesus
By (Rev. Msgr.) Nicholas P. Amato
Life with Morrie
Most of us have heard of the book “Tuesdays with Morrie” or perhaps we have seen the movie that was based on the book.
It is a story about a Detroit sportswriter named Mitch Albom and a university professor, Doctor Morrie Schwartz.
Morrie had been Mitch Albom’s teacher, faculty advisor, and mentor at Brandeis University just outside of Boston. He helped Mitch realize his potential as a writer.
In 1994, Doctor Morrie Schwartz was diagnosed with ALS, Lou Gehrig’s Disease. Doctors told him that he had a year to live and he decided to do just that – to live his last year to the fullest.
Morrie Schwartz appeared on ABC’s Nightline program and talked about what he was learning about life.
Mitch Albom just happened to see the program and decided to visit Morrie Schwartz at his home in Massachusetts.
It was the first of fourteen weekly Tuesday visits that became the content of Mitch’s book, Tuesdays with Morrie. In these visits, Morrie and Mitch reflected on life, suffering, family, marriage, aging, and death.
Most important, all of this was from Doctor Schwartz’s perspective as a man facing his own death. The book – Tuesdays with Morrie – chronicles what Mitch heard in these visits.
Morrie Schwartz’s reflection brought a whole new perspective to Mitch. Mitch’s life had been overwhelmed with work and he was desperate to find love and meaning in it.
In the last class, Doctor Schwartz summed up everything they had discussed the prior 13 weeks. He said this.
“As long as we love each other, and remember the feeling of love we had, we can die without really going away. All the love you created is still there.
“You live on – in the hearts of everyone you have touched or nurtured while you were there. Death ends a life, not a relationship.”
Life with Jesus
That experience with Morrie Schwartz and his final words are similar to what we see and hear in Jesus today.
Jesus has taught great lessons to the Apostles. He has taught them, above all else, to become loving persons – to love God as God has loved us, and to love one another as we love ourselves.
Jesus now returns to the Father. This is what we hear in both our first reading and the Gospel.
And yet, Jesus is still with us. In fact, he has prepared the Apostles for this and told them it would happen.
He has told them he will leave them and return to the Father, but then, he will continue to be with them – and us – through his Holy Spirit.
Jesus will no longer be bound by the limitations of a physical body. Now he is still with us through his Hoy Spirit.
So, as Morrie Schwartz says, “Death ends a life, not a relationship.” We would say: “Death ends a form of life, a way of living simply in a physical state.”
Conclusion
From today’s celebration of the Ascension we learn that Jesus will live on with the Father and he will even live on with us through his Holy Spirit within us.
And now we, God’s sons and daughters, live with Jesus present within us.
Living with Jesus’ presence means living in love and out of a center of love. This is how life with Jesus continues and how we are his witnesses on this earth.
Our Lady of Grace
May 16, 2010
Understanding the Ascension of Jesus
By (Rev. Msgr.) Nicholas P. Amato
Life with Morrie
Most of us have heard of the book “Tuesdays with Morrie” or perhaps we have seen the movie that was based on the book.
It is a story about a Detroit sportswriter named Mitch Albom and a university professor, Doctor Morrie Schwartz.
Morrie had been Mitch Albom’s teacher, faculty advisor, and mentor at Brandeis University just outside of Boston. He helped Mitch realize his potential as a writer.
In 1994, Doctor Morrie Schwartz was diagnosed with ALS, Lou Gehrig’s Disease. Doctors told him that he had a year to live and he decided to do just that – to live his last year to the fullest.
Morrie Schwartz appeared on ABC’s Nightline program and talked about what he was learning about life.
Mitch Albom just happened to see the program and decided to visit Morrie Schwartz at his home in Massachusetts.
It was the first of fourteen weekly Tuesday visits that became the content of Mitch’s book, Tuesdays with Morrie. In these visits, Morrie and Mitch reflected on life, suffering, family, marriage, aging, and death.
Most important, all of this was from Doctor Schwartz’s perspective as a man facing his own death. The book – Tuesdays with Morrie – chronicles what Mitch heard in these visits.
Morrie Schwartz’s reflection brought a whole new perspective to Mitch. Mitch’s life had been overwhelmed with work and he was desperate to find love and meaning in it.
In the last class, Doctor Schwartz summed up everything they had discussed the prior 13 weeks. He said this.
“As long as we love each other, and remember the feeling of love we had, we can die without really going away. All the love you created is still there.
“You live on – in the hearts of everyone you have touched or nurtured while you were there. Death ends a life, not a relationship.”
Life with Jesus
That experience with Morrie Schwartz and his final words are similar to what we see and hear in Jesus today.
Jesus has taught great lessons to the Apostles. He has taught them, above all else, to become loving persons – to love God as God has loved us, and to love one another as we love ourselves.
Jesus now returns to the Father. This is what we hear in both our first reading and the Gospel.
And yet, Jesus is still with us. In fact, he has prepared the Apostles for this and told them it would happen.
He has told them he will leave them and return to the Father, but then, he will continue to be with them – and us – through his Holy Spirit.
Jesus will no longer be bound by the limitations of a physical body. Now he is still with us through his Hoy Spirit.
So, as Morrie Schwartz says, “Death ends a life, not a relationship.” We would say: “Death ends a form of life, a way of living simply in a physical state.”
Conclusion
From today’s celebration of the Ascension we learn that Jesus will live on with the Father and he will even live on with us through his Holy Spirit within us.
And now we, God’s sons and daughters, live with Jesus present within us.
Living with Jesus’ presence means living in love and out of a center of love. This is how life with Jesus continues and how we are his witnesses on this earth.
Thursday, May 06, 2010
Weekly THIS AND THAT for May 9, 2010: Religion and Politics
This and That:
Religion and Politics
The “God question” is part of everyone’s life, and the public life. We simply can’t avoid it. Does God exist or not? If we REALLY believe God exists, that belief will inevitably color our personal and public behavior: our actions, our choices, our decisions.
What we believe about God shapes what we believe about men and women. And what we believe about men and women shapes how we act -- socially, politically, and economically. Jesus tells us in John 15 that if we stay united with the vine, we will bear much fruit; apart from Jesus the vine, we wither and die. Washington Post columnist Robert Samuelson wrote as early as 1995, that for all of our American development in medicine, science and technology, we, as Americans, are neither whole nor happy. Technology has made U.S. workers more competitive. It has also deepened worker stress by overloading employees with information. It has lead to longer workdays and heavier demands for productivity. We now spend up to $ 44 billion dollars each year treating depression. Too, our consumer economy turns appetites into needs. Nobody makes us pile up credit card debt but millions of Americans do exactly that. Further, over the past couple decades, our civic vocabulary has coarsened. An overfed understanding of our personal rights and individual freedom has squeezed out responsibility and decorum we owe each other. We’ve moved off and away from the vine of our lives.
The Catholic mission in the world comes from the nature of God Himself. Catholics believe in one God. But He is a God in three Persons, sharing one nature. This belief is central to Catholic life. For Catholics, God is a living community of love -- Father, Son and Holy Spirit -- and in creating us, God intends us to take part in that community of mutual giving. All of Catholic life comes down to sharing in the exchange of love within the heart of the Trinity and then offering that love to others in our relationships.
The word “love” unpacks into a lot of other words: truth, repentance, forgiveness, mercy, charity, courage, justice. These are action words because in accepting Jesus Christ, the gospel says we will know the truth, and the truth will make us free (Jn. 8:32) -- not comfortable; not respected; but FREE in the real sense of the word: able to see and DO what’s right. This freedom is meant to be used in the service of others. Actively witnessing to, and advancing what we (Catholics) believe to be true about key moral issues in public life is not coercion. It’s honesty. It’s also a duty -- of faith, and of citizenship.
The church engages the world in two ways: through the life of each individual believer and through the common action of believers working together. Every Catholic life, and every choice in every life, MATTERS! Baptism does not simply wash away sin. It also incorporates the baptized person into a new life; and part of that new life is a mandate to act; to be God’s agent in the world. Everybody shares the basic mission: bringing Jesus Christ to the world, and the world to Jesus Christ. We can’t uncouple what we “do,” from what we claim to “believe.” How we act works backwards on our convictions, making them stronger, or smothering them under a snowfall of alibis.
May God’s grace enable us to love the truth (Jesus Christ) strong, well, and with much love.
Love and Prayers,
Dr. Jack Buchner
Director of Religious Education
Religion and Politics
The “God question” is part of everyone’s life, and the public life. We simply can’t avoid it. Does God exist or not? If we REALLY believe God exists, that belief will inevitably color our personal and public behavior: our actions, our choices, our decisions.
What we believe about God shapes what we believe about men and women. And what we believe about men and women shapes how we act -- socially, politically, and economically. Jesus tells us in John 15 that if we stay united with the vine, we will bear much fruit; apart from Jesus the vine, we wither and die. Washington Post columnist Robert Samuelson wrote as early as 1995, that for all of our American development in medicine, science and technology, we, as Americans, are neither whole nor happy. Technology has made U.S. workers more competitive. It has also deepened worker stress by overloading employees with information. It has lead to longer workdays and heavier demands for productivity. We now spend up to $ 44 billion dollars each year treating depression. Too, our consumer economy turns appetites into needs. Nobody makes us pile up credit card debt but millions of Americans do exactly that. Further, over the past couple decades, our civic vocabulary has coarsened. An overfed understanding of our personal rights and individual freedom has squeezed out responsibility and decorum we owe each other. We’ve moved off and away from the vine of our lives.
The Catholic mission in the world comes from the nature of God Himself. Catholics believe in one God. But He is a God in three Persons, sharing one nature. This belief is central to Catholic life. For Catholics, God is a living community of love -- Father, Son and Holy Spirit -- and in creating us, God intends us to take part in that community of mutual giving. All of Catholic life comes down to sharing in the exchange of love within the heart of the Trinity and then offering that love to others in our relationships.
The word “love” unpacks into a lot of other words: truth, repentance, forgiveness, mercy, charity, courage, justice. These are action words because in accepting Jesus Christ, the gospel says we will know the truth, and the truth will make us free (Jn. 8:32) -- not comfortable; not respected; but FREE in the real sense of the word: able to see and DO what’s right. This freedom is meant to be used in the service of others. Actively witnessing to, and advancing what we (Catholics) believe to be true about key moral issues in public life is not coercion. It’s honesty. It’s also a duty -- of faith, and of citizenship.
The church engages the world in two ways: through the life of each individual believer and through the common action of believers working together. Every Catholic life, and every choice in every life, MATTERS! Baptism does not simply wash away sin. It also incorporates the baptized person into a new life; and part of that new life is a mandate to act; to be God’s agent in the world. Everybody shares the basic mission: bringing Jesus Christ to the world, and the world to Jesus Christ. We can’t uncouple what we “do,” from what we claim to “believe.” How we act works backwards on our convictions, making them stronger, or smothering them under a snowfall of alibis.
May God’s grace enable us to love the truth (Jesus Christ) strong, well, and with much love.
Love and Prayers,
Dr. Jack Buchner
Director of Religious Education
Weekly HOMILY for May 9, 2010: Peace Versur Peaceful Coexistence: What's the Difference?
6th Sunday of Easter, Cycle C / Mother’s Day
Our Lady of Grace
May 9, 2010
Peace Versus Peaceful Coexistence: What’s the Difference?
By (Rev. Msgr.) Nicholas P. Amato
Making Peace
Two boys in your second grade are fighting. It’s gotten ugly and they are really slugging it out
Your homeroom teacher breaks up the fight by physically separating the two of you.
They stand there with angry looks on their faces as the teacher makes them shake hands.
Is that peace?
Two girls are calling each other names. Bad names
The Lacrosse coach quiets them down
As things begin to settle, the coach tells them both to apologize. Through glaring eyes and tight lips, they do
Is that peace?
Well, it looks like peace from the outside, but is it peace in their hearts?
I don’t think so for there remains a level of strong feelings within both the boys and the girls, strong feelings of anger, resentment.
You know it’s going to last a long, long time
You see, the peaceful efforts of the teacher and the coach were not enough to move hearts
Moving Hearts
In today’s Gospel Jesus is talking about peace, when he says, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give it to you.”
So how is Jesus’ peace different from the peace that the well-intentioned teacher and coach were trying to give?
For the answer to that we need to hear the opening lines of the Gospel again: “Whoever loves me will keep my word, and my Father will love them.”
Listen to what follows: “And we will come to them and make our dwelling with them.”
A very different kind of peace indeed! It’s not peace imposed from without. It’s not a peace that begins by demanding that we shake hands or apologize
No, it’s a peace that comes from God himself and is planted within the person having the conflict.
And it has been planted in there by hearing the Word of God and letting that Word take root in our hearts.
It’s really an indwelling power and energy.
Energy Boosters
Let’s talk about energy boosters, things we eat or drink that offer us a special boost.
Take this for example. It’s called 01 Prime Pre-Game Fuel by Gatoraid. It contains (read from label) “A concentrated blend of carbohydrates, B vitamins and electrolytes, delivering energy and helping to sustain your bodies ability to burn additional carbohydrates when taken 15 minutes before competition. 01 Prime helps your preparation pay off.”
My point is that the liquid promises to make an interior difference that will make winning possible.
Now I’d like to suggest that we have two other “energy boosters,” boosters that will give us real power to achieve peace and to achieve it from within our hearts. The first is this (show host) and the second is this (show Chalice.)
And if we read the label from Sacred Scripture about the host, we read from Jesus’ own lips “This is my body broken so your sins will be forgiven.”
And from the label of Sacred Scripture, about the chalice we read, “This is my blood poured out for love of you.”
And his promise? That, he and the Father “will come to you and make our dwelling with you.”
Responding to Energy Booster of Word and Eucharist
That is why when the Minister of Communion says, “The Body of Christ” We say? “Amen!” and eat this energy booster.
And when the Minister says, “The Blood of Christ” We say? “Amen.” Exactly! And drink this energy booster.
Conclusion
Boys and girls, you have prepared all year to receive Jesus the Lord. You have come this morning/afternoon to accept his offer to make a difference in your life.
We know that real peace cannot be imposed on us by a teacher or coach, a parent or a priest. It must come from within us.
It will take a real energy booster. It will take the life of Jesus coursing through our minds and hearts.
And it gets in by feeding on Jesus’ Flesh and Blood.
That’s the energy booster we have in this glorious Sacrament.
Our Lady of Grace
May 9, 2010
Peace Versus Peaceful Coexistence: What’s the Difference?
By (Rev. Msgr.) Nicholas P. Amato
Making Peace
Two boys in your second grade are fighting. It’s gotten ugly and they are really slugging it out
Your homeroom teacher breaks up the fight by physically separating the two of you.
They stand there with angry looks on their faces as the teacher makes them shake hands.
Is that peace?
Two girls are calling each other names. Bad names
The Lacrosse coach quiets them down
As things begin to settle, the coach tells them both to apologize. Through glaring eyes and tight lips, they do
Is that peace?
Well, it looks like peace from the outside, but is it peace in their hearts?
I don’t think so for there remains a level of strong feelings within both the boys and the girls, strong feelings of anger, resentment.
You know it’s going to last a long, long time
You see, the peaceful efforts of the teacher and the coach were not enough to move hearts
Moving Hearts
In today’s Gospel Jesus is talking about peace, when he says, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give it to you.”
So how is Jesus’ peace different from the peace that the well-intentioned teacher and coach were trying to give?
For the answer to that we need to hear the opening lines of the Gospel again: “Whoever loves me will keep my word, and my Father will love them.”
Listen to what follows: “And we will come to them and make our dwelling with them.”
A very different kind of peace indeed! It’s not peace imposed from without. It’s not a peace that begins by demanding that we shake hands or apologize
No, it’s a peace that comes from God himself and is planted within the person having the conflict.
And it has been planted in there by hearing the Word of God and letting that Word take root in our hearts.
It’s really an indwelling power and energy.
Energy Boosters
Let’s talk about energy boosters, things we eat or drink that offer us a special boost.
Take this for example. It’s called 01 Prime Pre-Game Fuel by Gatoraid. It contains (read from label) “A concentrated blend of carbohydrates, B vitamins and electrolytes, delivering energy and helping to sustain your bodies ability to burn additional carbohydrates when taken 15 minutes before competition. 01 Prime helps your preparation pay off.”
My point is that the liquid promises to make an interior difference that will make winning possible.
Now I’d like to suggest that we have two other “energy boosters,” boosters that will give us real power to achieve peace and to achieve it from within our hearts. The first is this (show host) and the second is this (show Chalice.)
And if we read the label from Sacred Scripture about the host, we read from Jesus’ own lips “This is my body broken so your sins will be forgiven.”
And from the label of Sacred Scripture, about the chalice we read, “This is my blood poured out for love of you.”
And his promise? That, he and the Father “will come to you and make our dwelling with you.”
Responding to Energy Booster of Word and Eucharist
That is why when the Minister of Communion says, “The Body of Christ” We say? “Amen!” and eat this energy booster.
And when the Minister says, “The Blood of Christ” We say? “Amen.” Exactly! And drink this energy booster.
Conclusion
Boys and girls, you have prepared all year to receive Jesus the Lord. You have come this morning/afternoon to accept his offer to make a difference in your life.
We know that real peace cannot be imposed on us by a teacher or coach, a parent or a priest. It must come from within us.
It will take a real energy booster. It will take the life of Jesus coursing through our minds and hearts.
And it gets in by feeding on Jesus’ Flesh and Blood.
That’s the energy booster we have in this glorious Sacrament.
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Weekly THIS AND THAT for May 2, 2010: A Shifting in Responsibilities Beginning July 1, 2010
This and That:
A Shifting in Responsibilities Beginning July 1, 2010
Last fall we were pleased to welcome Dr. Jack Buchner and Rick Gonzales to our Pastoral Team. Jack began as our Director of Religious Education and Rick as our Facilities Person. As a way of not increasing staff yet reshuffling responsibilities, we were trying to take some of the burden of responsibilities off of Elaine Hagner as Parish Administrator and Sr. Mary Therese as Pastoral Associate. That goal has generally been achieved.
Fiscal Year 2011 will see my own leaving Our Lady of Grace and the appointment of a new Pastor, effective July 1, 2010. The new Fiscal Year will see all our present staff remaining as well as a further “shifting of responsibilities” without an “overall staff increase.” Rick will continue to assume some of Elaine’s responsibilities and Jack, Sister’s. In addition to these shifts, Jack will become full-time, leaving Sister Mary Therese more able to pursue other ministries she has been considering. Sister will be present all day Fridays and continue to oversee Liturgy at the weekend Masses. Another full day will be spent given her need to be present on campus for programs and pastoral administration. It is Sister’s desire to begin full-time in her new ministries in July 2011. By that time, the new Pastor will have been here a full year and Elaine Hagner will have assumed Sister’s responsibilities in Pastoral Administration and Jack Buchner will have assumed her programmatic responsibilities.
To sum up then, July 1, 2010 Jack becomes full-time Pastoral Associate for Faith Formation and Sister Mary Therese moves to half-time as Pastoral Associate for Pastoral Administration. July 1, 2011 Sister leaves Our Lady of Grace after 15 years of wonderful service to our Parish Family. The responsibilities for Rick, Elaine, Jack, and Sister for July 1, 2010 are summarized in what follows.
Fondly,
Father Nicholas
Staffing Patterns for FY 2011
Rick Gonzales
➢ Maintenance
➢ Quarterly Water Analysis
➢ Annual Water Treatment
➢ Food Services
➢ AOB Risk Management Inspections
➢ Yearly Fire Inspections
➢ Oversee All Construction
➢ 24 hour/365 Day Contact for Monitoring System
Elaine Hagner
➢ HVAC Programming
➢ Prepare and Oversee Parish Budget
➢ Monthly Ministry Budgets
➢ Sign OLGS Payroll
➢ Sign Parish Payroll and Accounts Payable Checks
➢ Approve Check Requests
➢ Maintain and Execute Monthly EFT Transactions
➢ Oversee and Train Collection Teams
➢ Oversee Weekly Posting of Collections
➢ Generate Annual Tax Information for Parishioners
➢ Oversee Archbishop’s Annual Appeal (AAA)
➢ Oversee Preparation and Mailings of AAA Materials
➢ Staffing of Pastor
➢ Oversee Mass Head Count
➢ On-Site Contact for Outreach
➢ Oversee Martha and Mary Ministry
➢ Oversee Environment Committee
➢ Parish Purchases
➢ Attends Development and Facilities Cte Mtgs.
➢ STAND Coordinator for the Parish
➢ Assigns Meeting Locations
Jack Buchner
➢ Religious Education
➢ Confirmation Preparation
➢ Reconciliation Preparation
➢ Eucharist Preparation
➢ Catechist Formation
➢ RCIA
➢ Evangelization Committee and Programs
➢ Adult Faith Formation: Catholic Update, This and That, and Lenten Family Fridays
➢ Funeral – Assistance
Sister Mary Therese
➢ Liturgy: Committee, AA & WC, Clergy Sched, Mass supervision, School Liturgies
➢ Pastoral Care of the Sick: Visits and Training of Pastoral Care Ministers
➢ Funerals – Assistance
➢ Welcome Orientations
➢ Website – Oversight
➢ Lenten Family Fridays – Coordination & Presentation
➢ Pastoral Team Agendas
➢ Volunteer Appreciation Weekend
A Shifting in Responsibilities Beginning July 1, 2010
Last fall we were pleased to welcome Dr. Jack Buchner and Rick Gonzales to our Pastoral Team. Jack began as our Director of Religious Education and Rick as our Facilities Person. As a way of not increasing staff yet reshuffling responsibilities, we were trying to take some of the burden of responsibilities off of Elaine Hagner as Parish Administrator and Sr. Mary Therese as Pastoral Associate. That goal has generally been achieved.
Fiscal Year 2011 will see my own leaving Our Lady of Grace and the appointment of a new Pastor, effective July 1, 2010. The new Fiscal Year will see all our present staff remaining as well as a further “shifting of responsibilities” without an “overall staff increase.” Rick will continue to assume some of Elaine’s responsibilities and Jack, Sister’s. In addition to these shifts, Jack will become full-time, leaving Sister Mary Therese more able to pursue other ministries she has been considering. Sister will be present all day Fridays and continue to oversee Liturgy at the weekend Masses. Another full day will be spent given her need to be present on campus for programs and pastoral administration. It is Sister’s desire to begin full-time in her new ministries in July 2011. By that time, the new Pastor will have been here a full year and Elaine Hagner will have assumed Sister’s responsibilities in Pastoral Administration and Jack Buchner will have assumed her programmatic responsibilities.
To sum up then, July 1, 2010 Jack becomes full-time Pastoral Associate for Faith Formation and Sister Mary Therese moves to half-time as Pastoral Associate for Pastoral Administration. July 1, 2011 Sister leaves Our Lady of Grace after 15 years of wonderful service to our Parish Family. The responsibilities for Rick, Elaine, Jack, and Sister for July 1, 2010 are summarized in what follows.
Fondly,
Father Nicholas
Staffing Patterns for FY 2011
Rick Gonzales
➢ Maintenance
➢ Quarterly Water Analysis
➢ Annual Water Treatment
➢ Food Services
➢ AOB Risk Management Inspections
➢ Yearly Fire Inspections
➢ Oversee All Construction
➢ 24 hour/365 Day Contact for Monitoring System
Elaine Hagner
➢ HVAC Programming
➢ Prepare and Oversee Parish Budget
➢ Monthly Ministry Budgets
➢ Sign OLGS Payroll
➢ Sign Parish Payroll and Accounts Payable Checks
➢ Approve Check Requests
➢ Maintain and Execute Monthly EFT Transactions
➢ Oversee and Train Collection Teams
➢ Oversee Weekly Posting of Collections
➢ Generate Annual Tax Information for Parishioners
➢ Oversee Archbishop’s Annual Appeal (AAA)
➢ Oversee Preparation and Mailings of AAA Materials
➢ Staffing of Pastor
➢ Oversee Mass Head Count
➢ On-Site Contact for Outreach
➢ Oversee Martha and Mary Ministry
➢ Oversee Environment Committee
➢ Parish Purchases
➢ Attends Development and Facilities Cte Mtgs.
➢ STAND Coordinator for the Parish
➢ Assigns Meeting Locations
Jack Buchner
➢ Religious Education
➢ Confirmation Preparation
➢ Reconciliation Preparation
➢ Eucharist Preparation
➢ Catechist Formation
➢ RCIA
➢ Evangelization Committee and Programs
➢ Adult Faith Formation: Catholic Update, This and That, and Lenten Family Fridays
➢ Funeral – Assistance
Sister Mary Therese
➢ Liturgy: Committee, AA & WC, Clergy Sched, Mass supervision, School Liturgies
➢ Pastoral Care of the Sick: Visits and Training of Pastoral Care Ministers
➢ Funerals – Assistance
➢ Welcome Orientations
➢ Website – Oversight
➢ Lenten Family Fridays – Coordination & Presentation
➢ Pastoral Team Agendas
➢ Volunteer Appreciation Weekend
Weekly HOMILY for May 2, 2010: 3 Steps in Loving As We Have Been Loved
5th Sunday of Easter, Cycle C
Our Lady of Grace
May 2, 2010
3 Steps in Loving As We Have Been Loved
By (Rev. Msgr.) Nicholas P. Amato
The Heifer Project
This past Christmas, I received three very special gifts from three different friends.
The first gift was a sheep. No, it didn’t come by UPS or FedEx. The second was a flock of baby chicks and again, the pen didn’t show up on my doorstep. The third was a goat and no, I didn’t find it on my front lawn munching grass.
What each of these folks did was to donate the sheep, chicks and goat to a very poor family in Uganda. They gave the animals in my name and did this as part of what is called the Heifer Project.
The Heifer Project is a not-for-profit organization aimed at helping very poor families in Third World countries and in rural America. The plan is to give a specific animal or animals to a specific family.
The animal might be a water buffalo, a hive of honeybees, a sheep, a goat, a heifer, a flock of geese or ducks, a trio of rabbits, and on it goes. The family is taught how to care for the animal and then the animal becomes a source of income for that family.
For example, the family might sell the eggs from the chickens or the wool from the sheep.
In some Third World countries, this money enables the parents to send their children to school, since they do not have free public education as we do.
“By Your Love For One Another…”
The Heifer Project helps to break open Jesus’ words in today’s Gospel.
Jesus says, “Such as my love has been for you, so must your love be for one another. This is how people will know you as my disciples: by your love for one another.”
The Heifer Project is a very clear example of living out Jesus’ words.
I see three traits, or maybe we would call them steps, that are part of our loving others as Jesus has loved us.
Step 1: Looking Beyond Myself
First, we need to look beyond ourselves.
I need to look beyond just what I need or what I want or what is in my best interest. We need to look at the needs and wellbeing of others.
This is exactly what God does for us when he sends his Son to the earth for our salvation. It is what Jesus does for us in the Eucharist in giving himself to us.
This is what we also are to do, in something like the Heifer project, and definitely with those who are part of our everyday lives, like our parents or spouse or children or best friend.
Looking beyond ourselves to the needs of others is Step 1 in loving as Jesus has loved.
Step 2: Feeling Compassion
Then, Step 2 is to allow the needs of others to touch our hearts.
This means that we feel compassion for others. It means that we feel concern and care and want to ease the burden of others.
Jesus repeatedly feels compassion – for the hungry, the sick, the grieving, and the rejected. He shows his compassion for us in the Eucharist – by actually remaining with us in this way.
And again, we are to feel compassion for those struggling just to survive in Third World countries or for the co-worker who has just lost her spouse or the neighbor who’s lost his job.
Allowing the needs of others to touch our hearts is Step 2 in loving as Jesus has loved.
Step 3: Committing Something
Finally, Step 3 is to do something – that is, to commit something of ourselves to assist others.
We might donate some of our money or give some of our time. The point is that we actually do something positive and concrete here-and-now.
Jesus repeatedly does this – making time to listen or changing his plans to go and heal someone.
At the Last supper he literally gives us himself in the form of bread and wine to nourish and strengthen us.
We can do this by giving a sheep to a Third World family or by baking a casserole for Our Daily Bread. Committing something of ourselves to assist others is Step 3 in loving as Jesus has loved.
Conclusion
We end as we began. Jesus says, “such as my love has been for you, so must your love be for one another.”
(1) Looking beyond ourselves to the needs of others
(2) Allowing their needs to touch our hearts, and
(3) Committing something of ourselves to help…
this is loving as Jesus has loved.
And as Jesus says, “This is how people will know you are my disciples: by your love for one another.”
What do our actions or lack of them tell others about our belief in the Lord?
Our Lady of Grace
May 2, 2010
3 Steps in Loving As We Have Been Loved
By (Rev. Msgr.) Nicholas P. Amato
The Heifer Project
This past Christmas, I received three very special gifts from three different friends.
The first gift was a sheep. No, it didn’t come by UPS or FedEx. The second was a flock of baby chicks and again, the pen didn’t show up on my doorstep. The third was a goat and no, I didn’t find it on my front lawn munching grass.
What each of these folks did was to donate the sheep, chicks and goat to a very poor family in Uganda. They gave the animals in my name and did this as part of what is called the Heifer Project.
The Heifer Project is a not-for-profit organization aimed at helping very poor families in Third World countries and in rural America. The plan is to give a specific animal or animals to a specific family.
The animal might be a water buffalo, a hive of honeybees, a sheep, a goat, a heifer, a flock of geese or ducks, a trio of rabbits, and on it goes. The family is taught how to care for the animal and then the animal becomes a source of income for that family.
For example, the family might sell the eggs from the chickens or the wool from the sheep.
In some Third World countries, this money enables the parents to send their children to school, since they do not have free public education as we do.
“By Your Love For One Another…”
The Heifer Project helps to break open Jesus’ words in today’s Gospel.
Jesus says, “Such as my love has been for you, so must your love be for one another. This is how people will know you as my disciples: by your love for one another.”
The Heifer Project is a very clear example of living out Jesus’ words.
I see three traits, or maybe we would call them steps, that are part of our loving others as Jesus has loved us.
Step 1: Looking Beyond Myself
First, we need to look beyond ourselves.
I need to look beyond just what I need or what I want or what is in my best interest. We need to look at the needs and wellbeing of others.
This is exactly what God does for us when he sends his Son to the earth for our salvation. It is what Jesus does for us in the Eucharist in giving himself to us.
This is what we also are to do, in something like the Heifer project, and definitely with those who are part of our everyday lives, like our parents or spouse or children or best friend.
Looking beyond ourselves to the needs of others is Step 1 in loving as Jesus has loved.
Step 2: Feeling Compassion
Then, Step 2 is to allow the needs of others to touch our hearts.
This means that we feel compassion for others. It means that we feel concern and care and want to ease the burden of others.
Jesus repeatedly feels compassion – for the hungry, the sick, the grieving, and the rejected. He shows his compassion for us in the Eucharist – by actually remaining with us in this way.
And again, we are to feel compassion for those struggling just to survive in Third World countries or for the co-worker who has just lost her spouse or the neighbor who’s lost his job.
Allowing the needs of others to touch our hearts is Step 2 in loving as Jesus has loved.
Step 3: Committing Something
Finally, Step 3 is to do something – that is, to commit something of ourselves to assist others.
We might donate some of our money or give some of our time. The point is that we actually do something positive and concrete here-and-now.
Jesus repeatedly does this – making time to listen or changing his plans to go and heal someone.
At the Last supper he literally gives us himself in the form of bread and wine to nourish and strengthen us.
We can do this by giving a sheep to a Third World family or by baking a casserole for Our Daily Bread. Committing something of ourselves to assist others is Step 3 in loving as Jesus has loved.
Conclusion
We end as we began. Jesus says, “such as my love has been for you, so must your love be for one another.”
(1) Looking beyond ourselves to the needs of others
(2) Allowing their needs to touch our hearts, and
(3) Committing something of ourselves to help…
this is loving as Jesus has loved.
And as Jesus says, “This is how people will know you are my disciples: by your love for one another.”
What do our actions or lack of them tell others about our belief in the Lord?
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Weekly THIS AND THAT for April 25, 2010: A Seven-Week Anniversary Party.doc
A Seven-Week Anniversary Party!
As we gathered in church for the Easter Vigil, there was an energy of anticipation, as we prepared to baptize one adult and to receive eight others into full communion with the Catholic Church. Many of the folks who came to celebrate the Vigil had been received into the church in previous years and for them, it was an anniversary.
The reality is that for all of us who are baptized, Easter is an anniversary of our initiation into the church and this celebration goes on for seven weeks.
It is no coincidence that we celebrate all of the Sacraments of Initiation during the Easter Season – Baptism, Confirmation and Eucharist. The first Christians celebrated these sacraments as one continuous ritual at the Easter Vigil, and the other members of the Christian community were very excited about the new members, because it renewed their own faith. Now, for adults who are initiated into the church, these sacraments are celebrated all together in one liturgy, as they were in the early church. For children, the initiation is gradual, with Baptism usually celebrated as infants, Eucharist celebrated around second grade and Confirmation celebrated in their teen years.
Every Sunday during the Easter Season, we renew our baptismal promises and we are sprinkled with baptismal water. Most of us do not remember being baptized as infants, yet we have this wonderful opportunity each year to renew the commitment that was made for us by our parents and godparents. As we respond “I do” to the questions, “Do you believe in God the Father…in Jesus Christ…in the Holy Spirit and the Church?”, we are invited to reflect upon how our faith has become our own during the course of our lives. We have internalized the reality of belonging to Christ as children of God and members of the Church.
If we are present at the celebration of Confirmation, we are invited to reflect upon our own Confirmation, in which we were commissioned to live the mission of Christ in our own lives, by the power of his Spirit. As Baptism draws us into belonging to the Church, Confirmation sends us out to live as followers of Jesus Christ in all of our relationships and actions. We might reflect upon how the Holy Spirit guides our decisions, actions and interactions on a daily basis. We need to call upon the power of the Spirit to enliven all that we do.
If we are present at the celebration of First Eucharist, we are invited to reflect upon this tremendous gift, through which Jesus gives himself to us, to sustain us in living as his followers. It’s not enough to look at the young children receiving Communion and admire their innocence. We are called to look at how we have grown in our relationship with Christ through receiving the Eucharist during all the years since our own First Communion.
So if you find yourself at a liturgy where a Baptism, Confirmation or First Eucharist is being celebrated, let it be an opportunity to deepen and rejoice in your own relationship with the Lord Jesus and his church. And every Sunday during the Easter Season, say “I do” to the Baptismal promises with conviction and welcome the sprinkling with holy water as a renewal of your Baptism. It’s our way of saying “happy anniversary” to each other as members of the Body of Christ!
Blessings,
Sister Mary Therese
As we gathered in church for the Easter Vigil, there was an energy of anticipation, as we prepared to baptize one adult and to receive eight others into full communion with the Catholic Church. Many of the folks who came to celebrate the Vigil had been received into the church in previous years and for them, it was an anniversary.
The reality is that for all of us who are baptized, Easter is an anniversary of our initiation into the church and this celebration goes on for seven weeks.
It is no coincidence that we celebrate all of the Sacraments of Initiation during the Easter Season – Baptism, Confirmation and Eucharist. The first Christians celebrated these sacraments as one continuous ritual at the Easter Vigil, and the other members of the Christian community were very excited about the new members, because it renewed their own faith. Now, for adults who are initiated into the church, these sacraments are celebrated all together in one liturgy, as they were in the early church. For children, the initiation is gradual, with Baptism usually celebrated as infants, Eucharist celebrated around second grade and Confirmation celebrated in their teen years.
Every Sunday during the Easter Season, we renew our baptismal promises and we are sprinkled with baptismal water. Most of us do not remember being baptized as infants, yet we have this wonderful opportunity each year to renew the commitment that was made for us by our parents and godparents. As we respond “I do” to the questions, “Do you believe in God the Father…in Jesus Christ…in the Holy Spirit and the Church?”, we are invited to reflect upon how our faith has become our own during the course of our lives. We have internalized the reality of belonging to Christ as children of God and members of the Church.
If we are present at the celebration of Confirmation, we are invited to reflect upon our own Confirmation, in which we were commissioned to live the mission of Christ in our own lives, by the power of his Spirit. As Baptism draws us into belonging to the Church, Confirmation sends us out to live as followers of Jesus Christ in all of our relationships and actions. We might reflect upon how the Holy Spirit guides our decisions, actions and interactions on a daily basis. We need to call upon the power of the Spirit to enliven all that we do.
If we are present at the celebration of First Eucharist, we are invited to reflect upon this tremendous gift, through which Jesus gives himself to us, to sustain us in living as his followers. It’s not enough to look at the young children receiving Communion and admire their innocence. We are called to look at how we have grown in our relationship with Christ through receiving the Eucharist during all the years since our own First Communion.
So if you find yourself at a liturgy where a Baptism, Confirmation or First Eucharist is being celebrated, let it be an opportunity to deepen and rejoice in your own relationship with the Lord Jesus and his church. And every Sunday during the Easter Season, say “I do” to the Baptismal promises with conviction and welcome the sprinkling with holy water as a renewal of your Baptism. It’s our way of saying “happy anniversary” to each other as members of the Body of Christ!
Blessings,
Sister Mary Therese
Weekly HOMILY for April 25, 2010: Deacon Preaching Weekend
Deacon Chris Ballard preached at Father Nicholas' Masses this weekend.
Thursday, April 15, 2010
Weekly THIS AND THAT for April 18, 2010: Who's Saved, Who's Not?
This and That:
Salvation: Who’s Saved, Who’s Not?
To Be One in Christ
It’s like the pain of an aching tooth that won’t go away. Try as you might to explain it, the question continues to arise: “Father, do you have to be Catholic to be saved?” Of course there are other religious denominations that share the same Scriptures with us yet claim that Catholics cannot be saved. Where does one turn to get their bearing on this important question? The Second Vatican Council might be a noteworthy source.
Let us look at “The Apostolic Constitution on the Church” (Gaudium et Spes, Chapter II, Para. 13-17), the most important document produced at Vatican II. The Council Fathers state that all men and women of the world are called to be one in Christ in the unity of his Spirit and to live in peace. In different ways, to it belong or are related the following: The Catholic Faithful, others who believe in Christ, and finally all in the human family, called by God’s grace to salvation.
Just listen to the Council Fathers spell out to whom salvation is offered. You may be in store for some surprises.
The Catholic Faithful
First, salvation is offered to the Catholic Faithful. For Catholics, the Church is necessary for salvation. The one Christ is the mediator and for Catholics he is present to us in his body, which is the Church. Jesus explicitly asserted the necessity of faith and baptism for salvation, so anyone knowing that the Catholic Church was founded as necessary by God cannot be saved, if they refused to enter it or to remain in it. Conversely, Catholics who in good conscience leave the Church to find Christ in another Christian group can be saved. My dear mother who never graduated high school, upon learning that someone we know had left that Catholic Church, used to say, “Better he be a good Baptist than a poor Catholic.” Nor is salvation an automatic guarantee for those who are in the Church. They must persevere in charity in order to be saved.
Other Christians
Next, the Church is joined to other Christians who do not profess the Catholic faith in its entirety or have not remained in unity under the successor of St. Peter. The Council declares: “These Christians are indeed in some real way joined to us in the Holy Spirit; but his gifts and graces, his sanctifying power is also active in them…” The Spirit stirs up actions in all Christians to be peaceably united in one flock with one Shepherd.
Those Who Have Not Received the Gospel
Finally, even those who have not received the Gospel are related to the People of God in various ways. First, are people to whom the covenants and promises were made and from which Christ was born, namely the Jews and Muslims. The Council states: “the plan of salvation also includes… Moslems: these profess to hold the faith of Abraham, and together with us they adore the one, merciful God…”
Nor is God remote from those who in shadows and images seek the unknown God, since the Savior wills all men and women to be saved. (Tim 2:3) Those who do not know the Gospel of Christ or his Church, but nevertheless seek God with a sincere heart, may also achieve eternal salvation. It seems no one is left out when the Council declares: “Nor shall divine providence deny the assistance necessary for salvation to those who…have not yet arrived at an explicit knowledge of God and who … strive to lead a good life.”
Conclusion
The net that Jesus casts seems broader and more inclusive than our comfort might allow.
Fondly,
Father Nicholas
Salvation: Who’s Saved, Who’s Not?
To Be One in Christ
It’s like the pain of an aching tooth that won’t go away. Try as you might to explain it, the question continues to arise: “Father, do you have to be Catholic to be saved?” Of course there are other religious denominations that share the same Scriptures with us yet claim that Catholics cannot be saved. Where does one turn to get their bearing on this important question? The Second Vatican Council might be a noteworthy source.
Let us look at “The Apostolic Constitution on the Church” (Gaudium et Spes, Chapter II, Para. 13-17), the most important document produced at Vatican II. The Council Fathers state that all men and women of the world are called to be one in Christ in the unity of his Spirit and to live in peace. In different ways, to it belong or are related the following: The Catholic Faithful, others who believe in Christ, and finally all in the human family, called by God’s grace to salvation.
Just listen to the Council Fathers spell out to whom salvation is offered. You may be in store for some surprises.
The Catholic Faithful
First, salvation is offered to the Catholic Faithful. For Catholics, the Church is necessary for salvation. The one Christ is the mediator and for Catholics he is present to us in his body, which is the Church. Jesus explicitly asserted the necessity of faith and baptism for salvation, so anyone knowing that the Catholic Church was founded as necessary by God cannot be saved, if they refused to enter it or to remain in it. Conversely, Catholics who in good conscience leave the Church to find Christ in another Christian group can be saved. My dear mother who never graduated high school, upon learning that someone we know had left that Catholic Church, used to say, “Better he be a good Baptist than a poor Catholic.” Nor is salvation an automatic guarantee for those who are in the Church. They must persevere in charity in order to be saved.
Other Christians
Next, the Church is joined to other Christians who do not profess the Catholic faith in its entirety or have not remained in unity under the successor of St. Peter. The Council declares: “These Christians are indeed in some real way joined to us in the Holy Spirit; but his gifts and graces, his sanctifying power is also active in them…” The Spirit stirs up actions in all Christians to be peaceably united in one flock with one Shepherd.
Those Who Have Not Received the Gospel
Finally, even those who have not received the Gospel are related to the People of God in various ways. First, are people to whom the covenants and promises were made and from which Christ was born, namely the Jews and Muslims. The Council states: “the plan of salvation also includes… Moslems: these profess to hold the faith of Abraham, and together with us they adore the one, merciful God…”
Nor is God remote from those who in shadows and images seek the unknown God, since the Savior wills all men and women to be saved. (Tim 2:3) Those who do not know the Gospel of Christ or his Church, but nevertheless seek God with a sincere heart, may also achieve eternal salvation. It seems no one is left out when the Council declares: “Nor shall divine providence deny the assistance necessary for salvation to those who…have not yet arrived at an explicit knowledge of God and who … strive to lead a good life.”
Conclusion
The net that Jesus casts seems broader and more inclusive than our comfort might allow.
Fondly,
Father Nicholas
Weekly HOMILY for April 18, 2010: Father Nicholas on "Easter Break"
Father Nicholas was away this weekend on "Easter Break."
Wednesday, April 07, 2010
Weekly THIS AND THAT for April 11, 2010: Eucharist -- Our Easter Sacrament
This and That
Eucharist: Our Easter Sacrament
The word “Eucharist” means literally “thanksgiving.” Our parish First Com-munions will take place in a few weeks, so I thought I’d share some ideas about the Eucharist, and the Eucharistic life; a life which leads us not just to first communion parties, but to Mission.
A Eucharistic life is one lived in gratitude. The two disciples in the “Road to Emmaus” story (Lk. 24:13-35), shows us that gratitude is not an obvious attitude toward life. Gratitude needs to be discovered and to be lived with great inner attentiveness. Our losses, our experiences of rejection, and our many moments of disillusionment keep pulling us into anger, bitterness, and resentment. When we simply let the facts “speak,” there will always be enough facts to convince us that life, in the end, leads to nothing and that every attempt to beat that fate is only a sign of profound naïveté.
Jesus gives us the Eucharist to enable us to choose gratitude. It is a choice we, ourselves, have to make. Nobody can make it for us. But the Eucharist prompts us to cry out to God for mercy, to listen to the words of Jesus, to invite Him into our home, to enter into communion with Him, and to proclaim good news to the world; it opens the possibility of gradually letting go of our many resentments and choosing to be grateful. The Mass keeps inviting us to that attitude. In our daily lives we have countless opportunities to be grateful instead of resentful. So often we say: “Life isn’t fair. I have no choice but to be angry and to let my anger show.” However, there is always that “still, small voice” that asks us to have a completely new look at our lives, a look not from below, where we count our losses, but from above, where God offers us His glory.
Eucharist – thanksgiving – in the end, comes from above. It is to be received. Often. Weekly. It is freely offered, and asks to be freely received. This is where the choice is! We can let the stranger in the Road to Emmaus story continue his journey and so remain a stranger to us. But we can also invite Him into our inner lives, let Him touch every part of our being and then transform our resentments into gratitude. We don’t have to do this. In fact, most people don’t. But as often as we make that choice, everything, even the most trivial things, become new. Our little lives become great – part of the mysterious work of God’s salvation. Once that happens, nothing is accidental, casual, or futile any more. Even the most insignificant event speaks the language of faith, hope, and, above all, love. That is the Eucharistic life, the life in which everything becomes a way of saying “Thank You” to Him who joined us on the road of life.
Love and Prayers,
Jack
Eucharist: Our Easter Sacrament
The word “Eucharist” means literally “thanksgiving.” Our parish First Com-munions will take place in a few weeks, so I thought I’d share some ideas about the Eucharist, and the Eucharistic life; a life which leads us not just to first communion parties, but to Mission.
A Eucharistic life is one lived in gratitude. The two disciples in the “Road to Emmaus” story (Lk. 24:13-35), shows us that gratitude is not an obvious attitude toward life. Gratitude needs to be discovered and to be lived with great inner attentiveness. Our losses, our experiences of rejection, and our many moments of disillusionment keep pulling us into anger, bitterness, and resentment. When we simply let the facts “speak,” there will always be enough facts to convince us that life, in the end, leads to nothing and that every attempt to beat that fate is only a sign of profound naïveté.
Jesus gives us the Eucharist to enable us to choose gratitude. It is a choice we, ourselves, have to make. Nobody can make it for us. But the Eucharist prompts us to cry out to God for mercy, to listen to the words of Jesus, to invite Him into our home, to enter into communion with Him, and to proclaim good news to the world; it opens the possibility of gradually letting go of our many resentments and choosing to be grateful. The Mass keeps inviting us to that attitude. In our daily lives we have countless opportunities to be grateful instead of resentful. So often we say: “Life isn’t fair. I have no choice but to be angry and to let my anger show.” However, there is always that “still, small voice” that asks us to have a completely new look at our lives, a look not from below, where we count our losses, but from above, where God offers us His glory.
Eucharist – thanksgiving – in the end, comes from above. It is to be received. Often. Weekly. It is freely offered, and asks to be freely received. This is where the choice is! We can let the stranger in the Road to Emmaus story continue his journey and so remain a stranger to us. But we can also invite Him into our inner lives, let Him touch every part of our being and then transform our resentments into gratitude. We don’t have to do this. In fact, most people don’t. But as often as we make that choice, everything, even the most trivial things, become new. Our little lives become great – part of the mysterious work of God’s salvation. Once that happens, nothing is accidental, casual, or futile any more. Even the most insignificant event speaks the language of faith, hope, and, above all, love. That is the Eucharistic life, the life in which everything becomes a way of saying “Thank You” to Him who joined us on the road of life.
Love and Prayers,
Jack
Weekly HOMILY for April 11, 2010: Rediscovering Faith Today
2nd Sunday of Easter, Cycle C
Our Lady of Grace
April 11, 2010
Rediscovering Faith Today
By (Rev. Msgr.) Nicholas P. Amato
The Seventh Seal
The Seventh Seal is a 1957 Swedish drama film directed by Ingmar Bergman
It’s about the journey of a medieval knight across a plague-ridden landscape, and a monumental game of chess between himself and the personification of Death, who has come to take his life
The conversation between the knight and death goes like this:
Knight:
Why does God hide himself?
Why doesn’t he reveal himself?
Why doesn’t God stretch out
his hand and touch us?
Why doesn’t he, at least,
say something to us?
Death:
But God doesn’t do this, does he?
He doesn’t reach out.
He doesn’t speak.
He just remains silent.
Knight:
Tha’t right!
He doesn’t do a thing.
He doesn’t touch us;
he doesn’t speak to us.
Sometimes I wonder
if he’s really out there.
Death:
Well, maybe he’s not there.
Maybe no one’s out there.
Maybe we’re here all alone.
Did you ever think about that?
All of us can relate to that conversation. There are times when we seem to be all alone in the world, times when we wonder if God is really out there. We long for some sign, some touch, some word to reassure us that he’s really there for us
Our Faith “Muscle”
Today I’d like to ask, “Is there any way we can become surer of what we believe? Is there anything we can do to make our faith in the God ‘out there’ stronger?”
I would suggest that there is and what we can do is very practical
We all know that if we don’t use a muscle, it begins to weaken. In fact, it becomes so weak that it will begin to atrophy or die
Something like that can happen to our faith. It too can atrophy or die from lack of use. Yes, unexercised for a while, one day you wake up and find your faith is gone. It can be quite disconcerting to say the least
Thomas’ Faith “Muscle”
You might say that’s what has happened to Thomas’ faith as we see in today’s Gospel
Note two important points about our story: Thomas (1) Was not present with the other disciples when Jesus first appeared and (2) He was not willing to accept their own testimony that Jesus had risen from the dead
These are two serious omissions on his part and they have a direct impact on the quality of his faith. Similarly, when we omit them, they also have an impact on the quality of our faith as well
It is reassuring to see that Jesus does not condemn him, but he does correct Thomas when he says, “Thomas, have you come to believe because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed”
In short, blessed are those who (1) Stay close to their faith community and (2) Believe on the testimony of other believers
Our Physical Muscles
This connection should not surprise us. After all, if we’re going to try to tone up our abs or biceps, if we’re resolved to loose weight, If we’re trying to improve our golf game, think for a moment of what two things would guarantee your success?
What would be essential is (1) Hanging with others who espouse the same values – that is, being part of a select community like an athletic club or having a trainer or buddy with you in the effort – and (2) Listening to and trusting the word of those who have been successful – that is, putting our faith in others’ testimony
In the end, the resulting strength and vigor that we receive is not even our doing. What we’ve done is open ourselves up to the laws of biology and nature and cleared the way for God to give the increase, naturally.
But note, It’s our being open to living in community, being open to trust their testimony, and then to risk, take the plunge, if you will
In the area of faith development an environment of community, testimony and taking the plunge to believe opens the floodgates of grace to transformation.
Conclusion
Today on this feast of empowerment I ask you, “What shape is your faith in?”
What do you need to do to make it a living vibrant faith? (Pause)
Here’s the community of faith (point to assembly), here’s (point to ambo) the testimony of witnesses
All that’s lacking is for you and me to trust and take the plunge and believe that Jesus is here for me, on this day, in this moment
It will make all the difference in the world!
Our Lady of Grace
April 11, 2010
Rediscovering Faith Today
By (Rev. Msgr.) Nicholas P. Amato
The Seventh Seal
The Seventh Seal is a 1957 Swedish drama film directed by Ingmar Bergman
It’s about the journey of a medieval knight across a plague-ridden landscape, and a monumental game of chess between himself and the personification of Death, who has come to take his life
The conversation between the knight and death goes like this:
Knight:
Why does God hide himself?
Why doesn’t he reveal himself?
Why doesn’t God stretch out
his hand and touch us?
Why doesn’t he, at least,
say something to us?
Death:
But God doesn’t do this, does he?
He doesn’t reach out.
He doesn’t speak.
He just remains silent.
Knight:
Tha’t right!
He doesn’t do a thing.
He doesn’t touch us;
he doesn’t speak to us.
Sometimes I wonder
if he’s really out there.
Death:
Well, maybe he’s not there.
Maybe no one’s out there.
Maybe we’re here all alone.
Did you ever think about that?
All of us can relate to that conversation. There are times when we seem to be all alone in the world, times when we wonder if God is really out there. We long for some sign, some touch, some word to reassure us that he’s really there for us
Our Faith “Muscle”
Today I’d like to ask, “Is there any way we can become surer of what we believe? Is there anything we can do to make our faith in the God ‘out there’ stronger?”
I would suggest that there is and what we can do is very practical
We all know that if we don’t use a muscle, it begins to weaken. In fact, it becomes so weak that it will begin to atrophy or die
Something like that can happen to our faith. It too can atrophy or die from lack of use. Yes, unexercised for a while, one day you wake up and find your faith is gone. It can be quite disconcerting to say the least
Thomas’ Faith “Muscle”
You might say that’s what has happened to Thomas’ faith as we see in today’s Gospel
Note two important points about our story: Thomas (1) Was not present with the other disciples when Jesus first appeared and (2) He was not willing to accept their own testimony that Jesus had risen from the dead
These are two serious omissions on his part and they have a direct impact on the quality of his faith. Similarly, when we omit them, they also have an impact on the quality of our faith as well
It is reassuring to see that Jesus does not condemn him, but he does correct Thomas when he says, “Thomas, have you come to believe because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed”
In short, blessed are those who (1) Stay close to their faith community and (2) Believe on the testimony of other believers
Our Physical Muscles
This connection should not surprise us. After all, if we’re going to try to tone up our abs or biceps, if we’re resolved to loose weight, If we’re trying to improve our golf game, think for a moment of what two things would guarantee your success?
What would be essential is (1) Hanging with others who espouse the same values – that is, being part of a select community like an athletic club or having a trainer or buddy with you in the effort – and (2) Listening to and trusting the word of those who have been successful – that is, putting our faith in others’ testimony
In the end, the resulting strength and vigor that we receive is not even our doing. What we’ve done is open ourselves up to the laws of biology and nature and cleared the way for God to give the increase, naturally.
But note, It’s our being open to living in community, being open to trust their testimony, and then to risk, take the plunge, if you will
In the area of faith development an environment of community, testimony and taking the plunge to believe opens the floodgates of grace to transformation.
Conclusion
Today on this feast of empowerment I ask you, “What shape is your faith in?”
What do you need to do to make it a living vibrant faith? (Pause)
Here’s the community of faith (point to assembly), here’s (point to ambo) the testimony of witnesses
All that’s lacking is for you and me to trust and take the plunge and believe that Jesus is here for me, on this day, in this moment
It will make all the difference in the world!
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