This and That:
Trappist Monks Hit the Charts
Dear Friend,
Every morning I wake up at 4:30am to the chanting of monks. A new CD for such a purpose is one from the Cistercian (Trappist) monks of a Viennese abbey. What singles this CD out is that it has made it to pop music’s Top 10 list; it is No. 9 in the United Kingdom. A CD of their prayer, “Chant: Music for Paradise,” (sold as “Chant: Music for the Soul” in some countries) has been called a “must-have” by reviewers. Cistercian Father Karl Wallner, rector of the Benedict XVI Papal University of Heiligenkreuz, attributed the CD’s overwhelming welcome to the fact that, “Gregorian chant spreads harmony, peace and consolation in the depth of the soul.” The following is a recent interview I read with Father Wallner about the CD and the monks who made it. It’s a great way to wake up in the morning or listen to during the nerve wracking drive in the morning or evening commute.
Fondly,
Father Nicholas
Q: Entitled “Chant – Music for Paradise,” the Cistercians’ CD has had extraordinary success. It would seem that Gregorian chant could be described as “music for the world.” How do you account for this?
Father Wallner: The CD enables one to listen to our daily prayer to God, which we sing in the holy traditions of the Church and of the order, on the basis of the reforms of the Second Vatican Council. Its success, on one hand, is amazing. And it is amazing that suddenly a world that has become so profane is interested in a soft and harmonious Latin chant and that our CD jumped to the top of the pop music charts. In England, not only is the CD number one in the field of classical music, but it is also among the top 10 on the charts where usually only pop and similar music is found. Even in stores, our CD has been put under the title “pop.” Here is my interpretation of this: Secular music has arrived at a dead point. In a world anguished by stress and nerves, it now causes more stress and nerves. Sacred music, above all Gregorian chant, has always been an oasis to bring relief to the soul. And it seems that many seek this oasis with nostalgia. We have observed that for years, young people whom we invite to hear our chant, listen in silence, are fascinated, and then say with enthusiasm how they [found it] “cool.” Therefore, it seems clear that there is an instinct in men's ailing hearts, which drives them to look for a medicine. Hence Gregorian chant is a medicine for the soul.
Q: Not long ago the Holy Father said that music, and in general true art, does not separate us from our daily concerns or from the reality of every day. Is this also true for Gregorian chant?
Father Wallner: I consider our choral prayer, during which we use Gregorian chant to praise and exalt God, a moment of relaxation and spiritual uplifting. Benedict speaks of [it as the] “work for God” – in Latin, “opus Dei.” Thus, it isn’t a waste of time. It isn’t something absurd; it’s an action full of significance, a “work” – a work, in fact, for God. And in true music, there isn’t only one man who sings, rather, it is a dimension of the Eternal that penetrates man, creating in him an ability to listen. Why has Gregorian chant always been called “the song of the angels?” Because something is felt that comes from and resounds from another world, something that cannot be measured with mere coordinates, such as rhythm, harmony and notes. That is why this form of music is not foreign to daily life, but heals the wounds of every day and helps to overcome them.
Q: What are the characteristics of this form of sung prayer, which is “daily bread” in convents and monasteries?
Father Wallner: Gregorian chant is very ancient. It was born in the first millennium, appearing already in the 4th century, and in many aspects is addressed to the Most High. First of all the texts are, for the most part, verses from the Bible: hence it is the word of God, which from the mouths of men returns to God in the form of singing. In the second place, the composers of the melodies were pious anonymous men consecrated to God, mostly monks, who created the music not out of a desire for fame, but men who desired, once the work was complete, to return to total anonymity. Hence, men who in their longing for holiness created something holy. In the third place, chant is very fascinating, inasmuch as it is situated outside our normal experience of music. There are no tones of C major or D minor, there are no tempi, there is no established rhythm; it is a song for only one voice. Hence, it is a different sound from all other sounds that we today call music. And at the same time, it is at the root of all that which subsequently developed as music. Fourth point: chant is above all a sung prayer. We sing it always before the altar; therefore, it is not for the people, but for God. That is why we can never go on tour with our chant, because it is always a question of prayer. The recordings for the CD “Chant – Music for Paradise” were also taken from prayer.
Q: In the month of June, the Pope prayed that all Christians cultivate a profound personal friendship with Christ, thus witnessing to his love. In what way can music and song create this friendship and perhaps also reinforce it?
Father Wallner: As a youth I learned to pray through the rosary. If I want to intensify my friendship with Jesus, I kneel before the Most High. Gregorian chant is, in fact, a form of prayer which is not about aggression or intensity, but is like “daily bread” – so one can sing throughout life. The relationship with God that comes from the heart is already a premise. In our meetings with young people, in which between 200 and 300 youth participate, we begin by singing a piece of Gregorian chant. This serves to create an atmosphere of peace for the young people. Then we sing the very beautiful new sacred songs that have the power to create in young people's hearts a personal relationship with Jesus. Then we pray a part of the rosary, and kneel in silence with young people in adoration of the Most High; we [also] teach them to formulate in their hearts a “you” with Jesus, to start this dialogue of the heart. Returning to your question: Yes, music can lead to God, it can open hearts – uplift the soul and unite it to God.
Q: Could you talk about the background of this CD?
Father Wallner: “Chant – Music for Paradise” was born from joy and carries joy. And the reason is that the singing is based on our liturgy for the dead. The entire Requiem is on the CD, that is, the Mass for the dead. Joy? Yes, because true joy is joy for eternal life. We experienced this in February of this year at Heiligenkreuz, when over the span of 16 days, three of our brethren died, while in the preceding five years, no brother had died. One of them had reached 100 years of age. At the time of the Nazis he had been imprisoned in a death cell. However, for many of the young monks who have come to us in recent years and who experienced for the first time the gentle death of one of our brothers, to participate in songs of the liturgy for the dead made a great impression. In convent life, there is no liturgy more edifying than the liturgy for the dead, because one of us has arrived where we all want to go: to eternal communion with God. For this reason the CD is called precisely “Music for Paradise.”
Q: One last question: Is Gregorian chant reserved exclusively for specialists, or can the rest of us also appreciate it?
Father Wallner: The CD is for everyone, in my opinion, also for young people. In any case, the ratings already demonstrate this. When I entered [the monastery] at age 18, initially chant was strange for me. Today I love it very much because it really isn’t “fast food” music, which leads to laziness and indolence of soul, but – to continue the analogy – it is a strong broth, a vitamin concentrate. Gregorian chant spreads harmony, peace and comfort in the depth of the heart. And I would like to add a personal thought, because as a Catholic dogmatic I believe that the divine can be imprinted in a sacred way on the earthly reality. In our convent we are living a moment of grace, because we are in close union with the Church, with the Pope and with the magisterium. And it is possible to feel this internal harmony with all that is in the hearts of the 17 singers. This music is a small sacred gift that God has willed to give to the world through us.
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Weekly THIS AND THAT for July 27, 2008: Our Parish's Strategic Plan, Part 4: What to do? How?
This and That:
Our Parish’s Strategic Plan, Part 4: What to do? How?
Dear Friends,
Well, this is the fourth and final installment of our Parish Strategic Plan. After having considered our vision, mission, and purpose as a parish, it is now time to turn to the objectives – the actions that will bring about the desired goals.
As I have said the preceding weeks, as you read this fourth and “installment,” your impressions, feedback and comments are welcome and can be shared with any Council member. They are the parishioners wearing the red ribbon and pin at Sunday Masses. You are also invited to share your thoughts via email to our Parish Council Chairperson, Bill Campbell at Bill.campbell@milliman.com.
Fondly,
Father Nicholas
Celebrating Life through Worship and Service
Strategic Plan
Our Lady of Grace Parish
2008 through 2013
Approved by Pastoral Council May 12, 2008
Objectives
The strategic planning process and the resultant Strategic Plan document are the means by which we align our near-term goals and objectives with our mission statement. Objectives have been established for the next several years that will ultimately enhance our ability to “Worship and Serve.” These objectives are broad in nature and provide benchmarks and milestones to guide our Parish Staff, committees, ministries and volunteers. These organizations and individuals then establish their own near-term goals and action lists to meet their commitments and contribute to the attainment of these strategic objectives.
Objective # 1: Increase evangelization efforts to assist all on their faith journey
Our faith journey begins with a first step: Coming to know God through Jesus Christ. The journey advances as God becomes one with us as we hear The Word and partake of the Eucharist at Mass. The journey continues as we then become one in God through living the life of Jesus in service and evangelization. Every aspect of our parish, Liturgy, Evangelization, Education and Stewardship, exists for one purpose—to assist the individual on his/her faith journey.
Our parishioners are at different stages in their personal faith journeys. We must have activities in place that allow us to identify the disenfranchised and provide the means to introduce or bring them back to the faith. We must also take action to find out why Catholics in our parish are not attending Mass and respond appropriately, where we can, to increase their participation. And finally, we must encourage our parishioners to “move out of the pew” and into “service within the community,” thereby progressing further in their individual faith journeys through living the life of Jesus.
Increases in RCIA participation, Mass attendance, participation in Religious Education for children and faith renewal for adults, Welcome Orientation attendance, as well as the numbers of volunteers in ministries and outreach will indicate success in meeting this objective. Particular attention will be focused on activities that will result in an increased attendance at Mass, specifically those identified by the Think Tank on Filling the Pews, and those expressed in Bishop Rozanski’s findings from his Pastoral Visit.
Objective # 2: Prepare the parish for the Church of the Future (Address the issues outlined in “The Hope That Lies Before Us.”)
The current, and soon to become critical, shortage of priests has created the need to take an honest look at what the Church can expect in the next 10 to 20 years in terms of clergy staffing of parishes. In some areas of the Archdiocese, alternatives to a resident Pastor are already a reality. In “The Hope That Lies Before Us,” the Archdiocese outlines activities that parishes can undertake to prepare for the days ahead when priests may not be available to be assigned as pastors. Among the parishes of the York Road Corridor (St. Pius X, Immaculate Conception, Nativity, St. Joseph, St. Francis Xavier, and Our Lady of Grace), pastors have hired a facilitator to meet every six weeks to develop a plan for the area with involvement of Parish Staffs, Pastoral Councils, Parish Corporators, and parishioners by June 2010.
As a parish, we have taken steps to analyze the situation as we see it at Our Lady of Grace. We must now review those findings, establish priorities and address the impact of those issues on our parish, both as it may be when Father Nicholas takes his next assignment in 2010, and as it may be in the next 10 to 20 years. We must prepare for several possible scenarios and plan accordingly.
Objective # 3: Ensure Financial Stability (Through management of expenses and increased giving.)
Our Lady of Grace must be fiscally responsible in order to continue its mission. We cannot implement programs and practices that place the financial future of the parish at risk. The requirements for compensating our Parish Staff, maintaining our facilities, performing our outreach services, and providing our educational programs must be tied to revenue generating activities, the largest of which is offertory income, that result in a balanced or surplus budget each fiscal year. The need to cut back on expenses for any services at the start of a year or during the year has a profoundly negative impact on the community.
More and more demands are being made on our parishioners for their time and financial resources; our last stewardship campaign was just such a demand. Creative and innovative means will be required in the future to achieve and maintain the increased giving necessary to ensure financial stability.
Objective # 4: Enhance our “Service and Outreach” efforts
“Worship without service cannot be true worship.” Our record of service to the community is noteworthy, as is our phenomenal number of “outreach volunteers.” Yet, as the past has demonstrated, there are always more people who need assistance. As more people become “in need” and those needs change, we must be able to respond to meet those needs.
Additional volunteers and additional “givers” would allow us to identify better those in need and match them up with the services or assistance they require. Indeed, when it comes to Service and Outreach, more is better. Enhancing the quality and quantity of our outreach services will enable us to do more for more people. By doing more for others, we will help ourselves in our individual faith journeys and help to reinforce Our Lady of Grace as a strong presence in our community – living our faith among others as the Body of Christ in Northern Baltimore County.
Implementation
Our Parish Staff, the Pastoral Council, and our Parish Corporators are responsible for most of the planning and oversight of the Church’s endeavors. This Strategic Plan will help to guide and focus as we go forward.
Each year, the Pastoral Council will establish annual goals to measure progress of the various objectives and action plans to implement the objectives. Each year’s goals will be reviewed at the end of that year. Accomplishments as well as areas in need of improvement will be identified. A Yearly Status Report will be prepared each year to document this yearly assessment. Action plans to implement these objectives may be found in the Implementation Plan. The Pastoral Council Panel Coordinators will work with the ministries and committees to communicate the goals and action plans associated with each objective and to monitor progress.
The Church’s activities are actually carried out by the Pastor, Parish Staff, numerous committees, ministry groups, “partner organizations,” and individual volunteers. These individuals are what make this parish the faith community that it is today. Short-term goals and longer-term objectives that are tied to our Mission Statement and Parish Vision are what will keep Our Lady of Grace Parish thriving in the years to come. We will continue to develop objectives within the Strategic Plan to provide guidance to the staff and committees as they do God’s work throughout the years to come.
Our Parish’s Strategic Plan, Part 4: What to do? How?
Dear Friends,
Well, this is the fourth and final installment of our Parish Strategic Plan. After having considered our vision, mission, and purpose as a parish, it is now time to turn to the objectives – the actions that will bring about the desired goals.
As I have said the preceding weeks, as you read this fourth and “installment,” your impressions, feedback and comments are welcome and can be shared with any Council member. They are the parishioners wearing the red ribbon and pin at Sunday Masses. You are also invited to share your thoughts via email to our Parish Council Chairperson, Bill Campbell at Bill.campbell@milliman.com.
Fondly,
Father Nicholas
Celebrating Life through Worship and Service
Strategic Plan
Our Lady of Grace Parish
2008 through 2013
Approved by Pastoral Council May 12, 2008
Objectives
The strategic planning process and the resultant Strategic Plan document are the means by which we align our near-term goals and objectives with our mission statement. Objectives have been established for the next several years that will ultimately enhance our ability to “Worship and Serve.” These objectives are broad in nature and provide benchmarks and milestones to guide our Parish Staff, committees, ministries and volunteers. These organizations and individuals then establish their own near-term goals and action lists to meet their commitments and contribute to the attainment of these strategic objectives.
Objective # 1: Increase evangelization efforts to assist all on their faith journey
Our faith journey begins with a first step: Coming to know God through Jesus Christ. The journey advances as God becomes one with us as we hear The Word and partake of the Eucharist at Mass. The journey continues as we then become one in God through living the life of Jesus in service and evangelization. Every aspect of our parish, Liturgy, Evangelization, Education and Stewardship, exists for one purpose—to assist the individual on his/her faith journey.
Our parishioners are at different stages in their personal faith journeys. We must have activities in place that allow us to identify the disenfranchised and provide the means to introduce or bring them back to the faith. We must also take action to find out why Catholics in our parish are not attending Mass and respond appropriately, where we can, to increase their participation. And finally, we must encourage our parishioners to “move out of the pew” and into “service within the community,” thereby progressing further in their individual faith journeys through living the life of Jesus.
Increases in RCIA participation, Mass attendance, participation in Religious Education for children and faith renewal for adults, Welcome Orientation attendance, as well as the numbers of volunteers in ministries and outreach will indicate success in meeting this objective. Particular attention will be focused on activities that will result in an increased attendance at Mass, specifically those identified by the Think Tank on Filling the Pews, and those expressed in Bishop Rozanski’s findings from his Pastoral Visit.
Objective # 2: Prepare the parish for the Church of the Future (Address the issues outlined in “The Hope That Lies Before Us.”)
The current, and soon to become critical, shortage of priests has created the need to take an honest look at what the Church can expect in the next 10 to 20 years in terms of clergy staffing of parishes. In some areas of the Archdiocese, alternatives to a resident Pastor are already a reality. In “The Hope That Lies Before Us,” the Archdiocese outlines activities that parishes can undertake to prepare for the days ahead when priests may not be available to be assigned as pastors. Among the parishes of the York Road Corridor (St. Pius X, Immaculate Conception, Nativity, St. Joseph, St. Francis Xavier, and Our Lady of Grace), pastors have hired a facilitator to meet every six weeks to develop a plan for the area with involvement of Parish Staffs, Pastoral Councils, Parish Corporators, and parishioners by June 2010.
As a parish, we have taken steps to analyze the situation as we see it at Our Lady of Grace. We must now review those findings, establish priorities and address the impact of those issues on our parish, both as it may be when Father Nicholas takes his next assignment in 2010, and as it may be in the next 10 to 20 years. We must prepare for several possible scenarios and plan accordingly.
Objective # 3: Ensure Financial Stability (Through management of expenses and increased giving.)
Our Lady of Grace must be fiscally responsible in order to continue its mission. We cannot implement programs and practices that place the financial future of the parish at risk. The requirements for compensating our Parish Staff, maintaining our facilities, performing our outreach services, and providing our educational programs must be tied to revenue generating activities, the largest of which is offertory income, that result in a balanced or surplus budget each fiscal year. The need to cut back on expenses for any services at the start of a year or during the year has a profoundly negative impact on the community.
More and more demands are being made on our parishioners for their time and financial resources; our last stewardship campaign was just such a demand. Creative and innovative means will be required in the future to achieve and maintain the increased giving necessary to ensure financial stability.
Objective # 4: Enhance our “Service and Outreach” efforts
“Worship without service cannot be true worship.” Our record of service to the community is noteworthy, as is our phenomenal number of “outreach volunteers.” Yet, as the past has demonstrated, there are always more people who need assistance. As more people become “in need” and those needs change, we must be able to respond to meet those needs.
Additional volunteers and additional “givers” would allow us to identify better those in need and match them up with the services or assistance they require. Indeed, when it comes to Service and Outreach, more is better. Enhancing the quality and quantity of our outreach services will enable us to do more for more people. By doing more for others, we will help ourselves in our individual faith journeys and help to reinforce Our Lady of Grace as a strong presence in our community – living our faith among others as the Body of Christ in Northern Baltimore County.
Implementation
Our Parish Staff, the Pastoral Council, and our Parish Corporators are responsible for most of the planning and oversight of the Church’s endeavors. This Strategic Plan will help to guide and focus as we go forward.
Each year, the Pastoral Council will establish annual goals to measure progress of the various objectives and action plans to implement the objectives. Each year’s goals will be reviewed at the end of that year. Accomplishments as well as areas in need of improvement will be identified. A Yearly Status Report will be prepared each year to document this yearly assessment. Action plans to implement these objectives may be found in the Implementation Plan. The Pastoral Council Panel Coordinators will work with the ministries and committees to communicate the goals and action plans associated with each objective and to monitor progress.
The Church’s activities are actually carried out by the Pastor, Parish Staff, numerous committees, ministry groups, “partner organizations,” and individual volunteers. These individuals are what make this parish the faith community that it is today. Short-term goals and longer-term objectives that are tied to our Mission Statement and Parish Vision are what will keep Our Lady of Grace Parish thriving in the years to come. We will continue to develop objectives within the Strategic Plan to provide guidance to the staff and committees as they do God’s work throughout the years to come.
Weekly HOMILY for July 27, 2008: Father Nicholas is on a pilgrimage
Father Nicholas is away on a pilgrimage "in the footsteps of St. Paul" to Turkey and will return to the parish on August 2.
Thursday, July 17, 2008
Weekly HOMILY for July 20, 2008: Father Nicholas on Pilgrimage
There is no homily this week.
Father Nicholas is away on a Pilgrimage "in the footsteps of St. Paul."
He will return to the parish on Saturday, August 2 and homilies will resume the weekend after that.
Father Nicholas is away on a Pilgrimage "in the footsteps of St. Paul."
He will return to the parish on Saturday, August 2 and homilies will resume the weekend after that.
Weekly THIS AND THAT for July 20, 2008: Our Parish's Strategic Plan, Part 3: Our Background As a Parish
This and That:
Our Parish’s Strategic Plan, Part 3: Our Background As a Parish
Dear Friends,
This is the 3rd installment through the bulletin of our Parish Strategic Plan. It deals with the background of who we are as a parish and how our ministry, worship and service are expressed.
As you read the remaining two parts, this week and next, your impressions, feedback and comments are always welcome and can be shared with any Council member. Remember, they are the ones wearing the red ribbon and pin at Sunday Masses. You are also invited to email the Council Chairperson, Bill Campbell at Bill.campbell@milliman.com.
Fondly,
Father Nicholas
Celebrating Life through Worship and Service
Strategic Plan
Our Lady of Grace Parish
2008 through 2013
Approved by Pastoral Council May 12, 2008
Background
Our Lady of Grace Parish is a dynamic faith community in which our beliefs are exhibited on a daily basis through word and deed. We are blessed with a Parish Staff and core of volunteers who are dedicated to serving our parish members and our outreach community. For three decades, Our Lady of Grace Parish has met the needs of this community in the Liturgy of the Word, the Breaking of the Bread, and our numerous Education and Service programs. Our faith journey is truly constituted by “Worship and Service.”
Over the past few years, we have expanded our ministries to 60+ volunteer organizations (committees, groups, ministries, etc.). We have 620 volunteers to assist our Pastor and Parish Staff. We have an infrastructure that allows us to meet effectively many, if not all, of the needs of the parish. As our parish grows and the world around us continues to change, it will be a challenge to maintain and enhance our ability to do so. Our parish has increased in size to almost 1,400 families. The needs of this community and its many constituents will continue to change in the future. With the growth and changes come new constituents, additional requirements, and different sets of needs. We must plan for and be prepared to meet the challenges that will accompany this change.
Our ability to provide a Catholic School education for Kindergarten through grade 8 complements our other Education and Youth Activities (parish religious education, youth ministry, Confirmation, adult education and faith renewal, etc.). We plan to study the possibility of a pre-school for 3 and 4 year olds as a feeder for our Kindergarten. We also plan to study the needs of our people as they relate to the use of our middle school grades 6 through 8.
In order to support our future plans, we will endeavor to ensure that: (1) we have the appropriate Stewardship programs in place to maintain and, when needed, upgrade our infrastructure, and; (2) we can finance these projects to ensure the parish remains fiscally sound.
While we continue to meet the needs of many parishioners and residents of the community, we are aware that there are individuals and groups that we have not been able to serve—or serve well enough. There are three groups within our community that have, and will continue to present, such unique challenges:
• Of the nearly 1,400 families registered at Our Lady of Grace, less than one-third attend Mass regularly. The other two-thirds represent parishioners that have not elected to avail themselves of our Liturgy on a routine basis (or most likely many of our other services and ministries).
• There are Catholics in the Northern Baltimore community who are not registered as parishioners, but are still members of our faith community.
• There are those in need that have an affiliation with the parish because they are our neighbors.
If we are to remain a community of “Worship and Service,” we must identify and reach out to these community members as well. Through additional efforts in Evangelization and other activities, we can identify and seek out the “disenfranchised” and work to expand the benefits they receive from the Church, increase their level of participation and assist them in moving forward in their personal faith journeys.
Mass attendance will continue to have an impact on our financial status and must continue to be monitored. For a while, weekly attendance at Mass was declining. However, Mass attendance has been rising gradually since the end of 2007 and into 2008. We must ensure that the parish remains financially sound year after year while continuing to meet its spiritual and mission-related obligations.
An old challenge, but new initiative, has come to the forefront over the past several years. This initiative will continue to be one of the primary focuses of the Pastoral Council and the Parish Staff. The “Hope That Lies Before Us” is a wide-ranging initiative within the Archdiocese that seeks to address the impact that the increasing shortage of priests will have on the Church, the Archdiocese, and the parish. This is a subject that we have been addressing and will be devoting more attention to in the future, especially when Father Nicholas’s departure in 2010 is taken into consideration.
Planning, commitment and action are required if we are to continue to meet our current obligations and stay abreast of the changing needs of our community. The objectives contained in this Strategic Plan will provide direction for our activities over the next several years. The plan focuses on coordinating activities at all levels of the parish so that the results are aligned with the established long-term objectives of the parish and, ultimately, enhance our ability to carry out our Mission.
Our Parish’s Strategic Plan, Part 3: Our Background As a Parish
Dear Friends,
This is the 3rd installment through the bulletin of our Parish Strategic Plan. It deals with the background of who we are as a parish and how our ministry, worship and service are expressed.
As you read the remaining two parts, this week and next, your impressions, feedback and comments are always welcome and can be shared with any Council member. Remember, they are the ones wearing the red ribbon and pin at Sunday Masses. You are also invited to email the Council Chairperson, Bill Campbell at Bill.campbell@milliman.com.
Fondly,
Father Nicholas
Celebrating Life through Worship and Service
Strategic Plan
Our Lady of Grace Parish
2008 through 2013
Approved by Pastoral Council May 12, 2008
Background
Our Lady of Grace Parish is a dynamic faith community in which our beliefs are exhibited on a daily basis through word and deed. We are blessed with a Parish Staff and core of volunteers who are dedicated to serving our parish members and our outreach community. For three decades, Our Lady of Grace Parish has met the needs of this community in the Liturgy of the Word, the Breaking of the Bread, and our numerous Education and Service programs. Our faith journey is truly constituted by “Worship and Service.”
Over the past few years, we have expanded our ministries to 60+ volunteer organizations (committees, groups, ministries, etc.). We have 620 volunteers to assist our Pastor and Parish Staff. We have an infrastructure that allows us to meet effectively many, if not all, of the needs of the parish. As our parish grows and the world around us continues to change, it will be a challenge to maintain and enhance our ability to do so. Our parish has increased in size to almost 1,400 families. The needs of this community and its many constituents will continue to change in the future. With the growth and changes come new constituents, additional requirements, and different sets of needs. We must plan for and be prepared to meet the challenges that will accompany this change.
Our ability to provide a Catholic School education for Kindergarten through grade 8 complements our other Education and Youth Activities (parish religious education, youth ministry, Confirmation, adult education and faith renewal, etc.). We plan to study the possibility of a pre-school for 3 and 4 year olds as a feeder for our Kindergarten. We also plan to study the needs of our people as they relate to the use of our middle school grades 6 through 8.
In order to support our future plans, we will endeavor to ensure that: (1) we have the appropriate Stewardship programs in place to maintain and, when needed, upgrade our infrastructure, and; (2) we can finance these projects to ensure the parish remains fiscally sound.
While we continue to meet the needs of many parishioners and residents of the community, we are aware that there are individuals and groups that we have not been able to serve—or serve well enough. There are three groups within our community that have, and will continue to present, such unique challenges:
• Of the nearly 1,400 families registered at Our Lady of Grace, less than one-third attend Mass regularly. The other two-thirds represent parishioners that have not elected to avail themselves of our Liturgy on a routine basis (or most likely many of our other services and ministries).
• There are Catholics in the Northern Baltimore community who are not registered as parishioners, but are still members of our faith community.
• There are those in need that have an affiliation with the parish because they are our neighbors.
If we are to remain a community of “Worship and Service,” we must identify and reach out to these community members as well. Through additional efforts in Evangelization and other activities, we can identify and seek out the “disenfranchised” and work to expand the benefits they receive from the Church, increase their level of participation and assist them in moving forward in their personal faith journeys.
Mass attendance will continue to have an impact on our financial status and must continue to be monitored. For a while, weekly attendance at Mass was declining. However, Mass attendance has been rising gradually since the end of 2007 and into 2008. We must ensure that the parish remains financially sound year after year while continuing to meet its spiritual and mission-related obligations.
An old challenge, but new initiative, has come to the forefront over the past several years. This initiative will continue to be one of the primary focuses of the Pastoral Council and the Parish Staff. The “Hope That Lies Before Us” is a wide-ranging initiative within the Archdiocese that seeks to address the impact that the increasing shortage of priests will have on the Church, the Archdiocese, and the parish. This is a subject that we have been addressing and will be devoting more attention to in the future, especially when Father Nicholas’s departure in 2010 is taken into consideration.
Planning, commitment and action are required if we are to continue to meet our current obligations and stay abreast of the changing needs of our community. The objectives contained in this Strategic Plan will provide direction for our activities over the next several years. The plan focuses on coordinating activities at all levels of the parish so that the results are aligned with the established long-term objectives of the parish and, ultimately, enhance our ability to carry out our Mission.
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Weekly THIS AND THAT for July 13, 2008: Our Parish's Strategic Plan, Part 2: Opportunities through Which to Grow
This and That:
Our Parish’s Strategic Plan, Part 2: Opportunities through Which to Grow
Dear Friends,
This is the second part of our Parish Strategic Plan approved by the Pastoral Council at its last meeting before the beginning of the new Fiscal Year. It will shape who we are and where we are going as a parish. The plan, effective July 1, 2008, will run through June 30, 2013. This week’s installment highlights the opportunities that exist for us here at Our Lady of Grace. It is very important to have a plan such as this in place through the challenges and opportunities we will be facing in the years ahead.
As you read each of the remaining parts, your impressions, feedback and comments are always welcome and can be shared with any Council member. Remember, they are the ones wearing the red ribbon and pin at Sunday Masses. You are also invited to email the Council Chairperson, Bill Campbell at Bill.campbell@milliman.com.
Fondly,
Father Nicholas
Celebrating Life through Worship and Service
Strategic Plan
Our Lady of Grace Parish
2008 through 2013
Approved by Pastoral Council May 12, 2008
Opportunities
• Evangelize among the growing population in Northern Baltimore County
• Expand our service ministry with more volunteers providing more hands-on support to those in need (food, clothing, shelter, companionship)
• Reinforce important principles to our youth to make them better representatives of Christ and better citizens of the world
o Peaceful coexistence with brothers/sisters of other faiths (all Children of Abraham)
o Responsibility to serve others in need
o Respect for and stewardship of the earth
• Increase campus utilization to become a stronger focal point/gathering place in the community, which could in turn increase evangelical opportunities and financial resources
o More evening and summer classes
o Summer camps (indoor & outdoor)
o Sports fields/pavilion rental to other organizations when not in use by Our Lady of Grace sports teams
o Other uses/users of Manor at Gunpowder Falls
o Other users of Karl Heldrich Reading Center
Given this understanding of who we are and where we are going, our Strategic Plan defines how we will get there through a number of distinct and clear objectives for the parish over the next five years. These objectives have been selected because their attainment will have a profound impact on the success of our mission. They provide guidance and direction to Pastoral Council members when they interact with the numerous and diverse committees, groups, individual volunteers and parishioners as they go about their parish-related activities. The intent is to harness and focus such actions in concert with the specifically identified objectives that we have set. Each successful effort, in the pursuit of accomplishing these objectives, will enable this community to move closer to becoming the living embodiment of our parish mission statement and vision.
This plan incorporates a combination of objectives developed over the past several years and some newly developed ones for the years ahead. We will continue to focus our activities on evangelization and the process of helping people along on their personal faith journeys, particularly on activities that will result in an increase in Mass attendance and ministry volunteers. We have included an objective to address “The Hope That Lies Before Us” and its impact on our parish community. We will also focus on fiscal accountability in all of our activities and enhancing our assistance to others in the community through outreach and service. The latter will be measured by an increase in those served and the services provided. We will continue to identify those areas where we believe we need additional efforts, and implement action plans to improve them. These four long-term objectives will guide us in the years to come.
Our Parish’s Strategic Plan, Part 2: Opportunities through Which to Grow
Dear Friends,
This is the second part of our Parish Strategic Plan approved by the Pastoral Council at its last meeting before the beginning of the new Fiscal Year. It will shape who we are and where we are going as a parish. The plan, effective July 1, 2008, will run through June 30, 2013. This week’s installment highlights the opportunities that exist for us here at Our Lady of Grace. It is very important to have a plan such as this in place through the challenges and opportunities we will be facing in the years ahead.
As you read each of the remaining parts, your impressions, feedback and comments are always welcome and can be shared with any Council member. Remember, they are the ones wearing the red ribbon and pin at Sunday Masses. You are also invited to email the Council Chairperson, Bill Campbell at Bill.campbell@milliman.com.
Fondly,
Father Nicholas
Celebrating Life through Worship and Service
Strategic Plan
Our Lady of Grace Parish
2008 through 2013
Approved by Pastoral Council May 12, 2008
Opportunities
• Evangelize among the growing population in Northern Baltimore County
• Expand our service ministry with more volunteers providing more hands-on support to those in need (food, clothing, shelter, companionship)
• Reinforce important principles to our youth to make them better representatives of Christ and better citizens of the world
o Peaceful coexistence with brothers/sisters of other faiths (all Children of Abraham)
o Responsibility to serve others in need
o Respect for and stewardship of the earth
• Increase campus utilization to become a stronger focal point/gathering place in the community, which could in turn increase evangelical opportunities and financial resources
o More evening and summer classes
o Summer camps (indoor & outdoor)
o Sports fields/pavilion rental to other organizations when not in use by Our Lady of Grace sports teams
o Other uses/users of Manor at Gunpowder Falls
o Other users of Karl Heldrich Reading Center
Given this understanding of who we are and where we are going, our Strategic Plan defines how we will get there through a number of distinct and clear objectives for the parish over the next five years. These objectives have been selected because their attainment will have a profound impact on the success of our mission. They provide guidance and direction to Pastoral Council members when they interact with the numerous and diverse committees, groups, individual volunteers and parishioners as they go about their parish-related activities. The intent is to harness and focus such actions in concert with the specifically identified objectives that we have set. Each successful effort, in the pursuit of accomplishing these objectives, will enable this community to move closer to becoming the living embodiment of our parish mission statement and vision.
This plan incorporates a combination of objectives developed over the past several years and some newly developed ones for the years ahead. We will continue to focus our activities on evangelization and the process of helping people along on their personal faith journeys, particularly on activities that will result in an increase in Mass attendance and ministry volunteers. We have included an objective to address “The Hope That Lies Before Us” and its impact on our parish community. We will also focus on fiscal accountability in all of our activities and enhancing our assistance to others in the community through outreach and service. The latter will be measured by an increase in those served and the services provided. We will continue to identify those areas where we believe we need additional efforts, and implement action plans to improve them. These four long-term objectives will guide us in the years to come.
Weekly HOMILY for July 13, 2008: Being Good Soil
15th Sunday of Ordinary Time, Cycle A
Our Lady of Grace
July 13, 2008
Being Good Soil
By (Rev. Msgr.) Nicholas P. Amato
The Bonsai and the Sequoia
Most of us have probably seen at least a picture of a Japanese Bonsai tree. It’s a small decorative oriental looking tree. When a young Bonsai sapling begins to sprout, it is carefully pulled up from the soil in which it is planted.
The taproot and some of the feeder roots are tied off and then the Bonsai is re-planted. The result is that the growth of the bonsai is deliberately stunted and it usually reaches only fifteen to eighteen inches in height.
In great contrast to the Japanese Bonsai is the gigantic California Sequoia. The Sequoia grows in the rich soil and enjoys the wonderful balance of rain and sun in California.
The result is that it has large and deep roots and grows very tall and very wide. There is one famous California Sequoia named the “General Sherman” that is 272 feet tall and 79 feet in circumference.
Obviously, the Bonsai and the Sequoia do not have a choice in determining where or how they will grow. But you and I do have a choice about where and how we will grow and that is the point of today’s Gospel.
The Soil
In this parable, the sower or farmer is Jesus himself and the seed is the Word of God.
The different types of soil stand for us. Each type of soil receives the seed to a different and varying degree.
It is we who need to decide whether we are going to be like the Bonsai or the Sequoia. We need to decide how we will let the Word of God take root in us?
If we are like the footpath or the rocky or thorny soil, the Word will not have deep roots and the result will be limited growth. We will be something like the Bonsai tree – good looking perhaps but not having reached our potential.
However, if we are like the good soil in the parable, the Word of God will have deep and healthy roots and the result will be significant growth. We will be something like the Sequoia tree.
To be like this good soil, I suggest that there is a three-step process for us to reach our potential as followers of Jesus and it is helpful for us to be aware of this.
The steps in the process are: (1) The Mind Step, (2) The Heart Step, and (3) The Body Step.
1. The Mind Step
First, the Mind Step:
This is the step where we hear or read the Word of God. We are consciously trying to listen to Jesus’ words and understand what they mean.
So, for example, Jesus calls us to love our enemies and always to forgive others.
Does this mean that we are just supposed to be a doormat and expose ourselves to injury? That does not seem to harmonize with Jesus’ other saying about loving one another, and to do so as we love ourselves.
Perhaps Jesus means that we are to see “getting back at others” – an eye for an eye; a tooth for a tooth mentality – as a dead end and at least not to return evil for evil.
Yes, in Step 1 – the Mind Step – we are trying to understand what Jesus means.
2. The Heart Step
Step 2 is the Heart Step.
Here we try to see how the Word of God as we understand it applies specifically to our hearts, to us.
So, am I holding a grudge against someone for something that was said or done in the past?
Do I consistently try to put down, or in some way get back at, my spouse or friend or fellow employee?
In this Heart Step, I am asking: “Is God’s Word speaking directly, personally to me this morning?”
3. The Body Step
Finally, Step 3 is the Body Step.
Here we physically resolve to do something. (1) We have understood what Jesus is saying and (2) We have looked at how it applies to us, and now (3) We resolve to act on it.
So, instead of ignoring or not speaking with someone, am I willing at least to be cordial and respectful?
Instead of engaging in “getting back” or “getting even” behavior, am I willing at least to pray for the well-being of someone who has offended me?
Yes, in this “Body” Step, I am trying to do something. I am trying to respond and allow the Word of God to affect who I am and what I do.
Conclusion
It is my belief that if we approach the Scripture with this three-step process – (1) The Mind Step, (2) The Heart Step, and (3) The Body Step, then we have indeed become the “good soil” of today’s parable.
Then the Word of God can really take root in us. And then we can really grow to our potential as persons – something like the giant California Sequoia tree.
Our Lady of Grace
July 13, 2008
Being Good Soil
By (Rev. Msgr.) Nicholas P. Amato
The Bonsai and the Sequoia
Most of us have probably seen at least a picture of a Japanese Bonsai tree. It’s a small decorative oriental looking tree. When a young Bonsai sapling begins to sprout, it is carefully pulled up from the soil in which it is planted.
The taproot and some of the feeder roots are tied off and then the Bonsai is re-planted. The result is that the growth of the bonsai is deliberately stunted and it usually reaches only fifteen to eighteen inches in height.
In great contrast to the Japanese Bonsai is the gigantic California Sequoia. The Sequoia grows in the rich soil and enjoys the wonderful balance of rain and sun in California.
The result is that it has large and deep roots and grows very tall and very wide. There is one famous California Sequoia named the “General Sherman” that is 272 feet tall and 79 feet in circumference.
Obviously, the Bonsai and the Sequoia do not have a choice in determining where or how they will grow. But you and I do have a choice about where and how we will grow and that is the point of today’s Gospel.
The Soil
In this parable, the sower or farmer is Jesus himself and the seed is the Word of God.
The different types of soil stand for us. Each type of soil receives the seed to a different and varying degree.
It is we who need to decide whether we are going to be like the Bonsai or the Sequoia. We need to decide how we will let the Word of God take root in us?
If we are like the footpath or the rocky or thorny soil, the Word will not have deep roots and the result will be limited growth. We will be something like the Bonsai tree – good looking perhaps but not having reached our potential.
However, if we are like the good soil in the parable, the Word of God will have deep and healthy roots and the result will be significant growth. We will be something like the Sequoia tree.
To be like this good soil, I suggest that there is a three-step process for us to reach our potential as followers of Jesus and it is helpful for us to be aware of this.
The steps in the process are: (1) The Mind Step, (2) The Heart Step, and (3) The Body Step.
1. The Mind Step
First, the Mind Step:
This is the step where we hear or read the Word of God. We are consciously trying to listen to Jesus’ words and understand what they mean.
So, for example, Jesus calls us to love our enemies and always to forgive others.
Does this mean that we are just supposed to be a doormat and expose ourselves to injury? That does not seem to harmonize with Jesus’ other saying about loving one another, and to do so as we love ourselves.
Perhaps Jesus means that we are to see “getting back at others” – an eye for an eye; a tooth for a tooth mentality – as a dead end and at least not to return evil for evil.
Yes, in Step 1 – the Mind Step – we are trying to understand what Jesus means.
2. The Heart Step
Step 2 is the Heart Step.
Here we try to see how the Word of God as we understand it applies specifically to our hearts, to us.
So, am I holding a grudge against someone for something that was said or done in the past?
Do I consistently try to put down, or in some way get back at, my spouse or friend or fellow employee?
In this Heart Step, I am asking: “Is God’s Word speaking directly, personally to me this morning?”
3. The Body Step
Finally, Step 3 is the Body Step.
Here we physically resolve to do something. (1) We have understood what Jesus is saying and (2) We have looked at how it applies to us, and now (3) We resolve to act on it.
So, instead of ignoring or not speaking with someone, am I willing at least to be cordial and respectful?
Instead of engaging in “getting back” or “getting even” behavior, am I willing at least to pray for the well-being of someone who has offended me?
Yes, in this “Body” Step, I am trying to do something. I am trying to respond and allow the Word of God to affect who I am and what I do.
Conclusion
It is my belief that if we approach the Scripture with this three-step process – (1) The Mind Step, (2) The Heart Step, and (3) The Body Step, then we have indeed become the “good soil” of today’s parable.
Then the Word of God can really take root in us. And then we can really grow to our potential as persons – something like the giant California Sequoia tree.
Thursday, July 03, 2008
Weekly THIS AND THAT for July 6, 2008: Our Parish's Strategic Plan, Part 1: Responsibilities, Strength, and Challenges
This and That:
Our Parish’s Strategic Plan, Part 1: Responsibilities, Strengths, and Challenges
Dear Friends,
This past May our Pastoral Council approved a Strategic Plan that will shape who we are and where we are going as a parish. The plan became effective July 1, 2008 and will run through June 30, 2013. During that time many changes will come to Our Lady of Grace, including my own departure as your Pastor in June 2010. We thought it was very important to have a plan in place through the challenges and opportunities we will be facing in the years ahead.
The Pastoral Council supported the publication of the new Plan as a four-part series in the “That and That” column of our Sunday bulletin. In the near future a booklet format of the entire document will also be available.
As you read each of the four parts this week and the ensuing three, your impressions, feedback and comments are always welcome and can be shared with any Council member. Remember, they are the parishioners wearing the red ribbon and pin at Sunday Masses. You are also invited to email your comments and thoughts to the Council Chairperson, Bill Campbell at Bill.campbell@milliman.com.
Fondly,
Father Nicholas
Celebrating Life through Worship and Service
Strategic Plan
Our Lady of Grace Parish
2008 through 2013
Approved by Pastoral Council May 12, 2008
Parish Vision
“God calls the people of Our Lady of Grace Parish to be a welcoming, worshiping community of faith, hope and love. Through His Spirit, the Lord Jesus lives in those who believe and reaches into our world with His saving message and His healing love.”
Mission Statement
“We see ourselves as the heralds of God’s love for people and believe we are called to serve those in need. We commit ourselves to knowing Jesus Christ in the Breaking of the Bread and from this central experience we live that faith among others as the Body of Christ in Northern Baltimore County. We believe that “faith without good works is dead,” (James 2:26) and therefore, that worship without service cannot be true worship. Worship and service are at the very heart of our mission; they constitute who we are.”
Purpose
Our Lady of Grace Parish has developed this Strategic Plan document to add structure to our process of planning for the future and to focus our efforts on accomplishing our mission. During our strategic planning process we critically examined who we are as a parish and we defined where we are going by identifying our parish responsibilities, our strengths, the challenges we are facing, and the opportunities we can pursue to help meet those challenges. Those responsibilities, strengths, challenges, and opportunities follow:
Responsibilities
• Assist all parishioners in their faith journeys through worship services, religious education, pastoral care, and opportunities to serve others
• Provide religious education for all ages
• Operate and maintain Our Lady of Grace campus in a fiscally sound fashion
• Serve those in need within Our Lady of Grace parish family and beyond
Strengths
• Strong Pastor, Assistant Pastor, and Pastoral Staff
• Welcoming faith community
• Vibrant youth program
• Beautiful, spacious campus
• Sound fiscal practices (Our Lady of Grace lives within its means)
• Some very generous parishioners (to Our Lady of Grace and community)
• Many volunteers who help the needy (giving time, talent and/or treasure)
• Accredited school offering grades K through 8
Challenges
• Grow our congregation (fill the pews)
• Be relevant to youth, competing successfully in today’s culture for their attention
• Mentor youth in their faith journey – they are the parishioners of tomorrow
• Meet rising operation and maintenance costs in the face of difficult economic times
• Find other clergy to cover short term needs (complementing Father Nicholas)
• Plan for Father Nicholas’s change in assignment in 2010
• Motivate more parishioners to become more deeply involved in parish life
• Increase our Parish School enrollment to capacity
• Study the possibility of a pre-school for 3 year olds and 4 year olds as a feeder for our Parish School Kindergarten
• Study the needs of our people as they relate to the use of our Parish Middle School.
Our Parish’s Strategic Plan, Part 1: Responsibilities, Strengths, and Challenges
Dear Friends,
This past May our Pastoral Council approved a Strategic Plan that will shape who we are and where we are going as a parish. The plan became effective July 1, 2008 and will run through June 30, 2013. During that time many changes will come to Our Lady of Grace, including my own departure as your Pastor in June 2010. We thought it was very important to have a plan in place through the challenges and opportunities we will be facing in the years ahead.
The Pastoral Council supported the publication of the new Plan as a four-part series in the “That and That” column of our Sunday bulletin. In the near future a booklet format of the entire document will also be available.
As you read each of the four parts this week and the ensuing three, your impressions, feedback and comments are always welcome and can be shared with any Council member. Remember, they are the parishioners wearing the red ribbon and pin at Sunday Masses. You are also invited to email your comments and thoughts to the Council Chairperson, Bill Campbell at Bill.campbell@milliman.com.
Fondly,
Father Nicholas
Celebrating Life through Worship and Service
Strategic Plan
Our Lady of Grace Parish
2008 through 2013
Approved by Pastoral Council May 12, 2008
Parish Vision
“God calls the people of Our Lady of Grace Parish to be a welcoming, worshiping community of faith, hope and love. Through His Spirit, the Lord Jesus lives in those who believe and reaches into our world with His saving message and His healing love.”
Mission Statement
“We see ourselves as the heralds of God’s love for people and believe we are called to serve those in need. We commit ourselves to knowing Jesus Christ in the Breaking of the Bread and from this central experience we live that faith among others as the Body of Christ in Northern Baltimore County. We believe that “faith without good works is dead,” (James 2:26) and therefore, that worship without service cannot be true worship. Worship and service are at the very heart of our mission; they constitute who we are.”
Purpose
Our Lady of Grace Parish has developed this Strategic Plan document to add structure to our process of planning for the future and to focus our efforts on accomplishing our mission. During our strategic planning process we critically examined who we are as a parish and we defined where we are going by identifying our parish responsibilities, our strengths, the challenges we are facing, and the opportunities we can pursue to help meet those challenges. Those responsibilities, strengths, challenges, and opportunities follow:
Responsibilities
• Assist all parishioners in their faith journeys through worship services, religious education, pastoral care, and opportunities to serve others
• Provide religious education for all ages
• Operate and maintain Our Lady of Grace campus in a fiscally sound fashion
• Serve those in need within Our Lady of Grace parish family and beyond
Strengths
• Strong Pastor, Assistant Pastor, and Pastoral Staff
• Welcoming faith community
• Vibrant youth program
• Beautiful, spacious campus
• Sound fiscal practices (Our Lady of Grace lives within its means)
• Some very generous parishioners (to Our Lady of Grace and community)
• Many volunteers who help the needy (giving time, talent and/or treasure)
• Accredited school offering grades K through 8
Challenges
• Grow our congregation (fill the pews)
• Be relevant to youth, competing successfully in today’s culture for their attention
• Mentor youth in their faith journey – they are the parishioners of tomorrow
• Meet rising operation and maintenance costs in the face of difficult economic times
• Find other clergy to cover short term needs (complementing Father Nicholas)
• Plan for Father Nicholas’s change in assignment in 2010
• Motivate more parishioners to become more deeply involved in parish life
• Increase our Parish School enrollment to capacity
• Study the possibility of a pre-school for 3 year olds and 4 year olds as a feeder for our Parish School Kindergarten
• Study the needs of our people as they relate to the use of our Parish Middle School.
Weekly HOMILY for July 6, 2008: "Take My Yoke upon You"
14th Sunday of Ordinary Time, Cycle A
Our Lady of Grace
July 6, 2008
“Take My Yoke upon You”
By (Rev. Msgr.) Nicholas P. Amato
“Come to me, you who are burdened…”
I entertained friends and family at a 4th of July celebration. Perhaps “celebration” is the wrong word to use to describe our day together.
My friend David, the only child in his family, is struggling to place his mother in a nursing home. My sister who, after 27 years of faithful service to a heating oil company, was laid off and is without health care, a neighbor who is struggling to meet his mortgage payment, and a friend who couldn’t join us because the gasoline costs from North Carolina were prohibitive.
Aging parents, health care costs, mortgage payments, and cost of gasoline – they sound like challenges we can all understand as causing pain, suffering, and heartbreak to us or our loved ones.
It may be that many of us are doing just fine at the moment, but our “day” may have already come or is soon to be on the horizon.
“Take my yoke upon you”
In the midst of this sadness and pain, we hear Jesus say: “Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and you will find rest for yourselves. For my yoke is easy, and my burden light.”
To understand what Jesus means and how he can personally help us, we have to know what he means by his “yoke.”
My guess is none of us have ever ploughed a field with a team of oxen. In Jesus’ day, that was the only way to do it. A “yoke” is the wooden collar that fit around the neck of the oxen and connected them to the plough.
In Jesus’ time, carpenters handcrafted every yoke to fit the ox perfectly. It is fit well. The oxen could plough all day and pull up to five times their weight.
But if the yoke did not fit well, it would rub and chafe and cut into the flesh of the oxen until every step was sheer torture. You can see why a carpenter would be known by the quality of his yokes.
It was also common practice to have oxen in a double yoke. In other words, there were usually two oxen joined together by the yoke and together pulling the plough together.
They would train a younger, weaker ox by pairing it with a stronger, more mature animal.
As a result, the stronger one ended up bearing the heavier portion of the load and would lead the younger less experience ox on.
What Jesus Means
With this image of a double yoke, we can begin to unwrap precisely what Jesus means when he says “My yoke is easy, and my burden light.”
He is saying that when we are bearing the burdens of human life, we need to remember that (1) The yoke was made to fit me, (2) That we are in a double yoke, and (3) That we are not pulling the load alone.
Far from it, Jesus himself is right there next to us, pulling the load with us. And, like the stronger and more mature ox, he is even bearing the heavier portion.
Allowing Jesus to Help
Now, to accept the double yoke that Jesus offers us, and to allow him to bear the burden with us, we need to do three things.
First, we need to admit that alone we cannot handle the burdens in our life, so we have to admit our need of the Lord and his help.
It would be good to remember that even Jesus let Simon of Cyrene help him carry his cross.
Second, we need to turn to the Lord in prayer. We need to entrust ourselves to his power and strength.
If we do not pray, we are most likely trying to pull the load alone.
Trying to pull it alone woul surely overwhelm the less experienced ox and it will surely overwhelm us.
Finally, we need to discern what loads the Lord wants us to carry or not to carry. We need to discern if some of our loads are not if fact of our own making.
For example, does some of our financial stress come from buying too many things that are really “wants” and not needs?
Or are we so fatigued because we are assuming too much responsibility for the wellbeing of another and not taking proper care of ourselves?
Conclusion
To sum up:
(1) We need to admit that we cannot bear the burden alone.
(2) We need to entrust ourselves to the Lord in prayer, and
(3) We need to make sure that we carrying the yoke that Jesus wants us to carry.
Yes, we may well be “burdened,” but we will find some “rest,” because in a certain way, the Lord’s “yoke is easy and his burden is light.”
Our Lady of Grace
July 6, 2008
“Take My Yoke upon You”
By (Rev. Msgr.) Nicholas P. Amato
“Come to me, you who are burdened…”
I entertained friends and family at a 4th of July celebration. Perhaps “celebration” is the wrong word to use to describe our day together.
My friend David, the only child in his family, is struggling to place his mother in a nursing home. My sister who, after 27 years of faithful service to a heating oil company, was laid off and is without health care, a neighbor who is struggling to meet his mortgage payment, and a friend who couldn’t join us because the gasoline costs from North Carolina were prohibitive.
Aging parents, health care costs, mortgage payments, and cost of gasoline – they sound like challenges we can all understand as causing pain, suffering, and heartbreak to us or our loved ones.
It may be that many of us are doing just fine at the moment, but our “day” may have already come or is soon to be on the horizon.
“Take my yoke upon you”
In the midst of this sadness and pain, we hear Jesus say: “Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and you will find rest for yourselves. For my yoke is easy, and my burden light.”
To understand what Jesus means and how he can personally help us, we have to know what he means by his “yoke.”
My guess is none of us have ever ploughed a field with a team of oxen. In Jesus’ day, that was the only way to do it. A “yoke” is the wooden collar that fit around the neck of the oxen and connected them to the plough.
In Jesus’ time, carpenters handcrafted every yoke to fit the ox perfectly. It is fit well. The oxen could plough all day and pull up to five times their weight.
But if the yoke did not fit well, it would rub and chafe and cut into the flesh of the oxen until every step was sheer torture. You can see why a carpenter would be known by the quality of his yokes.
It was also common practice to have oxen in a double yoke. In other words, there were usually two oxen joined together by the yoke and together pulling the plough together.
They would train a younger, weaker ox by pairing it with a stronger, more mature animal.
As a result, the stronger one ended up bearing the heavier portion of the load and would lead the younger less experience ox on.
What Jesus Means
With this image of a double yoke, we can begin to unwrap precisely what Jesus means when he says “My yoke is easy, and my burden light.”
He is saying that when we are bearing the burdens of human life, we need to remember that (1) The yoke was made to fit me, (2) That we are in a double yoke, and (3) That we are not pulling the load alone.
Far from it, Jesus himself is right there next to us, pulling the load with us. And, like the stronger and more mature ox, he is even bearing the heavier portion.
Allowing Jesus to Help
Now, to accept the double yoke that Jesus offers us, and to allow him to bear the burden with us, we need to do three things.
First, we need to admit that alone we cannot handle the burdens in our life, so we have to admit our need of the Lord and his help.
It would be good to remember that even Jesus let Simon of Cyrene help him carry his cross.
Second, we need to turn to the Lord in prayer. We need to entrust ourselves to his power and strength.
If we do not pray, we are most likely trying to pull the load alone.
Trying to pull it alone woul surely overwhelm the less experienced ox and it will surely overwhelm us.
Finally, we need to discern what loads the Lord wants us to carry or not to carry. We need to discern if some of our loads are not if fact of our own making.
For example, does some of our financial stress come from buying too many things that are really “wants” and not needs?
Or are we so fatigued because we are assuming too much responsibility for the wellbeing of another and not taking proper care of ourselves?
Conclusion
To sum up:
(1) We need to admit that we cannot bear the burden alone.
(2) We need to entrust ourselves to the Lord in prayer, and
(3) We need to make sure that we carrying the yoke that Jesus wants us to carry.
Yes, we may well be “burdened,” but we will find some “rest,” because in a certain way, the Lord’s “yoke is easy and his burden is light.”
Saturday, June 28, 2008
Weekly HOMILY for June 29, 2008: Libation and Keys: Symbols of Paul and Peter
Feast of Saints Peter and Paul, Cycle A
Our Lady of Grace
June 29, 2008
Libation and Keys: Symbols of Paul and Peter
June 29 – The Pallium
Today, our Archbishop, Archbishop Edwin O’Brien, is in Rome. He and some others from around the world who were appointed Archbishops since last June 29th are in Rome for a special ceremony.
Every year on this day – on the Feast Day of Saint Peter and Saint Paul – the Pope confers a simple vestment on newly appointed Archbishops.
The vestment is called the pallium and it is a circular band of lamb’s wool worn around the neck and over the shoulders, on top of the vestments for Mass.
The pallium is a symbol of an Archbishop’s unity with the Pope as the successor of Saint Peter. It also symbolizes the role of leadership that an Archbishop has with the bishops, not archbishops, of neighboring dioceses.
We Catholics and practically all Christians see Peter and Paul as the first two great leaders of Christianity.
Peter, you’ll recall, is the one designated by Jesus as first among the apostles and, in effect, the first pope. Paul is the great missionary who early on brought the faith to so many different lands.
Each of these saints, Peter and Paul, has a special message for all of us today, messages that are clearly presented in today’s readings and each of them is captured in a concrete image.
Paul: Libation
For Paul, the image is the word “libation.”
In today’s second reading, Paul begins with these words: “I, Paul, am already being poured out like a libation…” For us, the word “libation” means any kind of beverage, such as a coke, lemonade, iced tea, or a coffee.
But for Paul, in this passage, “libation” means a glass of wine sacrificed to the gods. The pagan, non-Christian custom was to pour a glass of wine on the earth as part of a ritual.
They saw this as a sacrifice, as a way of giving yourself and dedicating your life to the gods. Paul uses this pagan, non-Christian idea to express what he is thinking here.
Paul has suffered a great deal and is anticipating that he will be put to death for his faith in Jesus. In fact, both Paul and Peter were martyred for their faith in Rome around the year 64.
Spiritually, Paul was looking upon this as a “libation.” He is making a sacrifice of himself to God, to Jesus, not pouring out wine, but willing to pour out his own blood for the sake of his faith.
And with this expectation, Paul remains positive and hopeful. He uses sports imagery and says, “I have competed well and finished the race, and from now on, the crown of righteousness awaits me.”
So, for his sacrifice, his “libation,” Paul expects not a gold medal or a trophy, but resurrected life with Jesus Christ.
And here is Paul’s message to us. We also face hardships in our lives: the break-up of a relationship, being misunderstood by others, the death of a loved one, the sickness that comes with chemotherapy, and on it goes. We also have sufferings.
Paul’s example calls us to make a spiritual sacrifice, a spiritual libation to God of this suffering. And he calls us to do this with the hope of resurrection and the inner peace that the Lord Jesus offers.
Peter: Keys
That takes us to Saint Peter and the image that he leaves with us is the “keys.”
In today’s Gospel, Jesus gives Peter “the keys to the kingdom of heaven.” The “keys” are a symbol of responsibility. Jesus is asking him to take care of his body, the Church.
And specifically, the keys speak of the responsibility Peter will have to open doors for others. Jesus reveals that he is “the way” to the Father and “the way” to eternal life.
And while Jesus has unlocked these doors for us, now he wants Peter to continue this work and that is what the “keys” are all about. This unlocking means opening up for us the mystery of who God is and how we are to relate to God – all revealed by Jesus.
This is also where Jesus’ statement about “binding and loosing” comes in. “Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”
The word “religion” comes from the Latin word “religare” which means “to bind.” The idea is that Peter and his successors, the Pope and the bishops, are to “bind” us to God by opening up the mysteries of God to us and making possible our relationship with God.
And they are to loosen us from those ideas or beliefs or ways of life that do not bind and lead us to God. This is the meaning of the “keys” Jesus gives to Peter.
This image calls us to celebrate, maybe especially today, June 29th, our oneness in faith with the Catholic Church throughout the world. It calls us also to form our faith and our conscience with the guidance of our community of faith and its leaders.
Conclusion
I conclude with one final point.
Peter, in today’s Gospel, professes his faith in Jesus: “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Paul, in our second reading, humbly and proudly states: “The Lord stood by me and gave me strength.”
With a faith like Peter’s we have the possibility of knowing Jesus as God’s Son. And with a faith like Paul’s, we have the security of God’s overture to us in our daily lives.
The rest is up to us!
Our Lady of Grace
June 29, 2008
Libation and Keys: Symbols of Paul and Peter
June 29 – The Pallium
Today, our Archbishop, Archbishop Edwin O’Brien, is in Rome. He and some others from around the world who were appointed Archbishops since last June 29th are in Rome for a special ceremony.
Every year on this day – on the Feast Day of Saint Peter and Saint Paul – the Pope confers a simple vestment on newly appointed Archbishops.
The vestment is called the pallium and it is a circular band of lamb’s wool worn around the neck and over the shoulders, on top of the vestments for Mass.
The pallium is a symbol of an Archbishop’s unity with the Pope as the successor of Saint Peter. It also symbolizes the role of leadership that an Archbishop has with the bishops, not archbishops, of neighboring dioceses.
We Catholics and practically all Christians see Peter and Paul as the first two great leaders of Christianity.
Peter, you’ll recall, is the one designated by Jesus as first among the apostles and, in effect, the first pope. Paul is the great missionary who early on brought the faith to so many different lands.
Each of these saints, Peter and Paul, has a special message for all of us today, messages that are clearly presented in today’s readings and each of them is captured in a concrete image.
Paul: Libation
For Paul, the image is the word “libation.”
In today’s second reading, Paul begins with these words: “I, Paul, am already being poured out like a libation…” For us, the word “libation” means any kind of beverage, such as a coke, lemonade, iced tea, or a coffee.
But for Paul, in this passage, “libation” means a glass of wine sacrificed to the gods. The pagan, non-Christian custom was to pour a glass of wine on the earth as part of a ritual.
They saw this as a sacrifice, as a way of giving yourself and dedicating your life to the gods. Paul uses this pagan, non-Christian idea to express what he is thinking here.
Paul has suffered a great deal and is anticipating that he will be put to death for his faith in Jesus. In fact, both Paul and Peter were martyred for their faith in Rome around the year 64.
Spiritually, Paul was looking upon this as a “libation.” He is making a sacrifice of himself to God, to Jesus, not pouring out wine, but willing to pour out his own blood for the sake of his faith.
And with this expectation, Paul remains positive and hopeful. He uses sports imagery and says, “I have competed well and finished the race, and from now on, the crown of righteousness awaits me.”
So, for his sacrifice, his “libation,” Paul expects not a gold medal or a trophy, but resurrected life with Jesus Christ.
And here is Paul’s message to us. We also face hardships in our lives: the break-up of a relationship, being misunderstood by others, the death of a loved one, the sickness that comes with chemotherapy, and on it goes. We also have sufferings.
Paul’s example calls us to make a spiritual sacrifice, a spiritual libation to God of this suffering. And he calls us to do this with the hope of resurrection and the inner peace that the Lord Jesus offers.
Peter: Keys
That takes us to Saint Peter and the image that he leaves with us is the “keys.”
In today’s Gospel, Jesus gives Peter “the keys to the kingdom of heaven.” The “keys” are a symbol of responsibility. Jesus is asking him to take care of his body, the Church.
And specifically, the keys speak of the responsibility Peter will have to open doors for others. Jesus reveals that he is “the way” to the Father and “the way” to eternal life.
And while Jesus has unlocked these doors for us, now he wants Peter to continue this work and that is what the “keys” are all about. This unlocking means opening up for us the mystery of who God is and how we are to relate to God – all revealed by Jesus.
This is also where Jesus’ statement about “binding and loosing” comes in. “Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”
The word “religion” comes from the Latin word “religare” which means “to bind.” The idea is that Peter and his successors, the Pope and the bishops, are to “bind” us to God by opening up the mysteries of God to us and making possible our relationship with God.
And they are to loosen us from those ideas or beliefs or ways of life that do not bind and lead us to God. This is the meaning of the “keys” Jesus gives to Peter.
This image calls us to celebrate, maybe especially today, June 29th, our oneness in faith with the Catholic Church throughout the world. It calls us also to form our faith and our conscience with the guidance of our community of faith and its leaders.
Conclusion
I conclude with one final point.
Peter, in today’s Gospel, professes his faith in Jesus: “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Paul, in our second reading, humbly and proudly states: “The Lord stood by me and gave me strength.”
With a faith like Peter’s we have the possibility of knowing Jesus as God’s Son. And with a faith like Paul’s, we have the security of God’s overture to us in our daily lives.
The rest is up to us!
Weekly THIS AND THAT for June 29, 2008: Media Management to Protect Your Family: A Plan for All Christians
This and That:
Media Management to Protect Your Family: A Plan for All Christians
Catholic and other Christian families are beginning to realize there is more to life than what the secular media promises, says a Catholic talk show host. I recently read a review of a book Teresa Tomeo has just published entitled: “Noise: How Our Media-saturated Culture Dominates Lives and Dismantles Families.” In the interview Tomeo discusses her book and how families of faith can guard against the effects of the ever-encroaching secular media. It was very provocative. Excerpts follow and will be of interest to Catholic and all Christian parents who are concerned about their children’s viewing of television.
Fondly,
Father Nicholas
Q: In your book, you discuss how the media is the most dominant force in American culture today. What do you think are the most damaging effects it has had on us morally and spiritually?
Tomeo: I think the biggest issue is with the overall desensitization of the Catholic culture and belief system. As one Catholic author said on my show recently, the culture has been forming our faith and not the other way around. Birth control, abortion, cohabitation, pre-marital sex, have all become the "norm" in society and most of the messages come from the entertainment media and the news media, which embrace and promote all of the above. That combined with very poor catechesis over the past 40-50 years along with the sexual revolution has led to disaster. The good news is the Church has – and always has had – the answers in her teachings. And there are some real positive efforts such as a huge explosion in Catholic media that are making a big difference. Many Catholics are coming home and realizing that the culture has been selling them a bill of goods and there is something more to life.
Q: What would your response be to someone who said you were overstating the case -- that the media, including Internet, video games, etc. -- is only harmless entertainment?
Tomeo: I would say they are in denial. Many people who make such statements don’t want to take a close look at their own bad media habits such as too much time on the Internet or cell phone or too much time in front of the TV. I also hear this a lot from families as I travel across the United States speaking about this topic – families, namely parents – who don’t want to take the time to stop and see what their children are up to. It takes a lot of time and effort to become a media savvy family, but we all must do our part. To give you an example of just what a media-obsessed culture we are, just nine days after the Pope left the United States the extremely violent video game “Grand Theft Auto Four; Liberty City” went on sale around the world. People were lined up for hours waiting to grab their copy. Now we find out the game has broken sales records – actually beaten the all-time entertainment record in sales. Six million people purchased the game in its first week on the store shelves. The Pope mentioned the culture several times in his U.S. visit and in his address to bishops. He went so far as to say that we can’t talk about protecting our children if we are not willing to take a look at the big picture, including easy access to pornography and media products that promote violence. I would point to Madison Avenue and ask them why it exists if the media doesn’t have an impact? Or how about the Super Bowl where companies spend millions and millions on 30- and 60-second commercials to reach a prime audience? And then I would point them directly to the thousands of studies done by secular universities as well as professional organizations, such as the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), the American Psychological Association, and the American Medical Association, just to name a few, all of whom have been studying media influence for years.
Q: How are children affected by large doses of the media compared to adults?
Tomeo: The American Academy of Pediatrics issued a policy statement nine years ago saying, “No TV for children under the age of two.” They also recommend only two hours a day for young children. That’s how concerned the AAP is about the impact media exposure has on children. The medical experts say young children have a hard time separating what they see on TV from reality and it is also important, they explain, for their attention spans – not to be viewing a lot of fast-paced imagery that today’s TV/mass media are loaded with.
Q: Your book makes a number of suggestions as to how parents can protect their children – and themselves – from the negative influences of media. What are some of these?
Tomeo: Number 1 on the list is to keep the TV and the computer in a central area of the home where the usage can be closely monitored. Leaving kids alone in their rooms with access to the Internet and to TV is a recipe for disaster. Parents should also set guidelines and stick to them and make sure that meal times are media free – no TV, no iPods or cell phones allowed. Families should also take advantage of the many tools that are available, such as Internet filters and TV ratings, as well as helpful media activist groups such as the well-known Parents TV Council. Their Web site is a wealth of information for any parent or concerned citizen who wants to make a difference in their homes and the culture. I would also recommend reading Pope Benedict’s World Communications Day statements along with Pope John Paul II’s message from World Communications Day 2004. There is a wealth of information and guidance to be found in these documents and, of course, in all the Catholic teachings on social communications.
Q: As a former broadcast journalist, you discuss the bias found in mainstream media. As average readers/listeners, how can we protect ourselves from the bias in important news stories, for example, when preparing to vote?
Tomeo: We need to consider the source. Research shows that at least 50% of those working in today's secular media are atheist or agnostic and only about 12% go to some type of church service. The majority of them also admit to supporting legalized abortion, as well as other actions that go directly against Church teaching. While the media are supposed to be objective and balanced, that often is not the case. The media tend to preach instead of report by telling us in the way they cover stories that we need to believe a certain way – and that way is not the way of the Church. So again, consider the source of the news story and then check everything against the Catechism and Scripture. Make sure you know what the Church actually teaches instead of what the media say it teaches. Read the U.S. bishops’ recent document on “Faithful Citizenship.” Also turn to Catholic sources for issues that concern Catholics and voting. There are a number of good Catholic Web sites available.
Q: Many people feel powerless when it comes to being able to effect change in what is broadcast. Are there ways that one person can make a difference?
Tomeo: Absolutely. Joining media activist groups is a great way to make a difference. Parents TV Council has over a million members now and not only informs its members on what’s happening with the media, but also is active with petition drives, awareness campaigns, and congressional efforts to raise media awareness and protect children and families. Writing letters or sending e-mails to stations, as well as writing letters to the editor are also very effective. The competition keeps getting stronger for all media outlets. They need every viewer, listener, and newspaper reader. That’s why every voice counts. And just like voting, one person can indeed make a difference.
Media Management to Protect Your Family: A Plan for All Christians
Catholic and other Christian families are beginning to realize there is more to life than what the secular media promises, says a Catholic talk show host. I recently read a review of a book Teresa Tomeo has just published entitled: “Noise: How Our Media-saturated Culture Dominates Lives and Dismantles Families.” In the interview Tomeo discusses her book and how families of faith can guard against the effects of the ever-encroaching secular media. It was very provocative. Excerpts follow and will be of interest to Catholic and all Christian parents who are concerned about their children’s viewing of television.
Fondly,
Father Nicholas
Q: In your book, you discuss how the media is the most dominant force in American culture today. What do you think are the most damaging effects it has had on us morally and spiritually?
Tomeo: I think the biggest issue is with the overall desensitization of the Catholic culture and belief system. As one Catholic author said on my show recently, the culture has been forming our faith and not the other way around. Birth control, abortion, cohabitation, pre-marital sex, have all become the "norm" in society and most of the messages come from the entertainment media and the news media, which embrace and promote all of the above. That combined with very poor catechesis over the past 40-50 years along with the sexual revolution has led to disaster. The good news is the Church has – and always has had – the answers in her teachings. And there are some real positive efforts such as a huge explosion in Catholic media that are making a big difference. Many Catholics are coming home and realizing that the culture has been selling them a bill of goods and there is something more to life.
Q: What would your response be to someone who said you were overstating the case -- that the media, including Internet, video games, etc. -- is only harmless entertainment?
Tomeo: I would say they are in denial. Many people who make such statements don’t want to take a close look at their own bad media habits such as too much time on the Internet or cell phone or too much time in front of the TV. I also hear this a lot from families as I travel across the United States speaking about this topic – families, namely parents – who don’t want to take the time to stop and see what their children are up to. It takes a lot of time and effort to become a media savvy family, but we all must do our part. To give you an example of just what a media-obsessed culture we are, just nine days after the Pope left the United States the extremely violent video game “Grand Theft Auto Four; Liberty City” went on sale around the world. People were lined up for hours waiting to grab their copy. Now we find out the game has broken sales records – actually beaten the all-time entertainment record in sales. Six million people purchased the game in its first week on the store shelves. The Pope mentioned the culture several times in his U.S. visit and in his address to bishops. He went so far as to say that we can’t talk about protecting our children if we are not willing to take a look at the big picture, including easy access to pornography and media products that promote violence. I would point to Madison Avenue and ask them why it exists if the media doesn’t have an impact? Or how about the Super Bowl where companies spend millions and millions on 30- and 60-second commercials to reach a prime audience? And then I would point them directly to the thousands of studies done by secular universities as well as professional organizations, such as the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), the American Psychological Association, and the American Medical Association, just to name a few, all of whom have been studying media influence for years.
Q: How are children affected by large doses of the media compared to adults?
Tomeo: The American Academy of Pediatrics issued a policy statement nine years ago saying, “No TV for children under the age of two.” They also recommend only two hours a day for young children. That’s how concerned the AAP is about the impact media exposure has on children. The medical experts say young children have a hard time separating what they see on TV from reality and it is also important, they explain, for their attention spans – not to be viewing a lot of fast-paced imagery that today’s TV/mass media are loaded with.
Q: Your book makes a number of suggestions as to how parents can protect their children – and themselves – from the negative influences of media. What are some of these?
Tomeo: Number 1 on the list is to keep the TV and the computer in a central area of the home where the usage can be closely monitored. Leaving kids alone in their rooms with access to the Internet and to TV is a recipe for disaster. Parents should also set guidelines and stick to them and make sure that meal times are media free – no TV, no iPods or cell phones allowed. Families should also take advantage of the many tools that are available, such as Internet filters and TV ratings, as well as helpful media activist groups such as the well-known Parents TV Council. Their Web site is a wealth of information for any parent or concerned citizen who wants to make a difference in their homes and the culture. I would also recommend reading Pope Benedict’s World Communications Day statements along with Pope John Paul II’s message from World Communications Day 2004. There is a wealth of information and guidance to be found in these documents and, of course, in all the Catholic teachings on social communications.
Q: As a former broadcast journalist, you discuss the bias found in mainstream media. As average readers/listeners, how can we protect ourselves from the bias in important news stories, for example, when preparing to vote?
Tomeo: We need to consider the source. Research shows that at least 50% of those working in today's secular media are atheist or agnostic and only about 12% go to some type of church service. The majority of them also admit to supporting legalized abortion, as well as other actions that go directly against Church teaching. While the media are supposed to be objective and balanced, that often is not the case. The media tend to preach instead of report by telling us in the way they cover stories that we need to believe a certain way – and that way is not the way of the Church. So again, consider the source of the news story and then check everything against the Catechism and Scripture. Make sure you know what the Church actually teaches instead of what the media say it teaches. Read the U.S. bishops’ recent document on “Faithful Citizenship.” Also turn to Catholic sources for issues that concern Catholics and voting. There are a number of good Catholic Web sites available.
Q: Many people feel powerless when it comes to being able to effect change in what is broadcast. Are there ways that one person can make a difference?
Tomeo: Absolutely. Joining media activist groups is a great way to make a difference. Parents TV Council has over a million members now and not only informs its members on what’s happening with the media, but also is active with petition drives, awareness campaigns, and congressional efforts to raise media awareness and protect children and families. Writing letters or sending e-mails to stations, as well as writing letters to the editor are also very effective. The competition keeps getting stronger for all media outlets. They need every viewer, listener, and newspaper reader. That’s why every voice counts. And just like voting, one person can indeed make a difference.
Saturday, June 21, 2008
Weekly HOMILY for June 22, 2008: Deacon Preaching Sunday
Fr. Nicholas did not preach this weekend. It was Deacon Preaching Weekend. He will return next week.
Weekly THIS AND THAT for June 22, 2008: D.C. Prelate States That Communion Issue Is up to Local Bishops
This and That:
D.C. Prelate States That Communion Issue Is Up to Local Bishops
There has been much controversy around as to what pro-abortion politicians may or may not receive communion. The archbishop of Washington, D.C., has said that the decision rests solely on the shoulders of the local bishop. The following are excerpts from “My Catholic Standard,” a newspaper of the Archdiocese of Washington, wherein Archbishop Donald Wuerl said he "thought it would be helpful once again to highlight a number of issues" regarding pro-abortion politicians and the Eucharist.
Fondly,
Father Nicholas
The issue brought national attention recently after several pro-abortion politicians received Communion during Benedict XVI’s visit to the United States. Cardinal Edward Egan, archbishop of New York, released a statement April 28 saying former New York mayor Rudolph Giuliani should not have received the Eucharist during the Pope's visit. In his column, Archbishop Wuerl clearly stated the Church’s position on abortion, citing one of his previous articles: “Abortion and support for abortion are wrong. No informed Catholic can claim that either action is free of moral implications.” He said that he has taught throughout his priestly and episcopal ministry, with persistence and insistence, that abortion is an intrinsic evil.
He referred to a document from the U.S. bishops, and a subsequent statement from then Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. “The bishops concluded that the responsibility to assess this situation within a bishop’s own diocese and the proper application of canon law clearly rests with the individual bishop,” Archbishop Wuerl noted. “Bishops may arrive at different conclusions based on their local situations. “In 2004, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, now Pope Benedict XVI, wrote a letter affirming the conformity of the bishops’ position with that of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.”
Archbishop Wuerl noted that a “critical role of the bishops is to teach, to try to persuade and convince others of the truth of the Church’s teaching and the implications of that teaching in their lives, and to encourage Catholics to live out their faith.” He added: “A decision regarding the refusal of Holy Communion to an individual is one that should be made only after clear efforts to persuade and convince the person that their actions are wrong and bear moral consequences. Presumably this is done in the home diocese where the bishops and priests, the pastors of souls, engage the members of their flock in this type of discussion. “In the case of public figures who serve in Washington as representatives of other parts of the nation, this dialogue and any decisions would take place within their home diocese.”
Archbishop Wuerl said he does not support the idea that “the Archdiocese of Washington or episcopal conferences have some particular role that supersedes the authority of an individual bishop in his particular Church.” He affirmed that in the Archdiocese of Washington, “the teaching on the evil of abortion will continue to be an important part of our ministry as will the effort to convince and persuade others to accept that teaching. Just as Catholic voters are not asked to leave aside the most deeply held moral convictions of our faith when they enter a voting booth,” the archbishop stated, “so Catholic elected officials are not asked to deposit the moral and ethical convictions of the Church at the door of Congress or at the State Assembly where they serve.
D.C. Prelate States That Communion Issue Is Up to Local Bishops
There has been much controversy around as to what pro-abortion politicians may or may not receive communion. The archbishop of Washington, D.C., has said that the decision rests solely on the shoulders of the local bishop. The following are excerpts from “My Catholic Standard,” a newspaper of the Archdiocese of Washington, wherein Archbishop Donald Wuerl said he "thought it would be helpful once again to highlight a number of issues" regarding pro-abortion politicians and the Eucharist.
Fondly,
Father Nicholas
The issue brought national attention recently after several pro-abortion politicians received Communion during Benedict XVI’s visit to the United States. Cardinal Edward Egan, archbishop of New York, released a statement April 28 saying former New York mayor Rudolph Giuliani should not have received the Eucharist during the Pope's visit. In his column, Archbishop Wuerl clearly stated the Church’s position on abortion, citing one of his previous articles: “Abortion and support for abortion are wrong. No informed Catholic can claim that either action is free of moral implications.” He said that he has taught throughout his priestly and episcopal ministry, with persistence and insistence, that abortion is an intrinsic evil.
He referred to a document from the U.S. bishops, and a subsequent statement from then Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. “The bishops concluded that the responsibility to assess this situation within a bishop’s own diocese and the proper application of canon law clearly rests with the individual bishop,” Archbishop Wuerl noted. “Bishops may arrive at different conclusions based on their local situations. “In 2004, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, now Pope Benedict XVI, wrote a letter affirming the conformity of the bishops’ position with that of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.”
Archbishop Wuerl noted that a “critical role of the bishops is to teach, to try to persuade and convince others of the truth of the Church’s teaching and the implications of that teaching in their lives, and to encourage Catholics to live out their faith.” He added: “A decision regarding the refusal of Holy Communion to an individual is one that should be made only after clear efforts to persuade and convince the person that their actions are wrong and bear moral consequences. Presumably this is done in the home diocese where the bishops and priests, the pastors of souls, engage the members of their flock in this type of discussion. “In the case of public figures who serve in Washington as representatives of other parts of the nation, this dialogue and any decisions would take place within their home diocese.”
Archbishop Wuerl said he does not support the idea that “the Archdiocese of Washington or episcopal conferences have some particular role that supersedes the authority of an individual bishop in his particular Church.” He affirmed that in the Archdiocese of Washington, “the teaching on the evil of abortion will continue to be an important part of our ministry as will the effort to convince and persuade others to accept that teaching. Just as Catholic voters are not asked to leave aside the most deeply held moral convictions of our faith when they enter a voting booth,” the archbishop stated, “so Catholic elected officials are not asked to deposit the moral and ethical convictions of the Church at the door of Congress or at the State Assembly where they serve.
Thursday, June 12, 2008
Weekly THIS AND THAT for June 15, 2008: Hospital Ethics Strike Home
This and That
Hospital Ethics Strike Home
Dear Friends,
I recently had an experience of a family member back home who is very ill being treated poorly at the Catholic hospital where she is a patient. It just so happens that a friend of mine is also a doctor on staff at the hospital. In my need to “do something” I wrote to him asking if he thought it might help to remedy the situation by sending a letter to the Director of the Hospital, whom I also know, as a way of correcting the abuses I thought had been inflicted on our family. He wrote back the following letter. I am sure you will find it interesting because it falls back – not on the hospital to do something – but on you and me.
Fondly,
Father Nicholas
Dear Nicholas,
I am going to apologize before I even start because I can go on and on about this subject. First of all, let me stress – our Catholic hospital is NOT alone in their thinking or actions. Unfortunately medical care, ethics, and compassion have been on a steady decline for sometime.
There are many reasons for this, some being, lawyers, insurance companies, money and the increased complexity of patient care. But the reason goes far deeper than the medical profession because the problem, I believe, lies in the society of today.
We live in a world that appears to have lost its moral moorings, in an age where ethics have become obsolete. Think back 20 years and tell me how many workplaces had mandatory seminars on sexual harassment; how many schools had seminars on how “not to touch” our children; and how many teachers were told not to discipline. Today medical ethics, business ethics, environmental ethics, and legal ethics are not only serious endeavors, but they are required curricular studies in respected professional schools across the land. Ethics has been spoken of as a “growth industry.”
Why? Because we as a society have allowed morality and ethics to be superseded by science, deleted by psychology, and dismissed as emotive by philosophy. This has driven society into rewriting the rules, so that utility has replaced duty, self-expression has unseated authority, and being good has become feeling good. To many, life has become a pinball game, whose rules, though they are few, are all instrumental, and not meaningful in themselves, except as a means to the player’s enjoyment. It’s as if we are adrift in uncharted seas and have tossed away the compass.
Not so long ago the Times Literary Supplement referred to a society that has never made a movie of Leonardo DaVinci, but has produced three about Joey Buttafuoco – famous only for having had a teenage love, Amy Fisher, who shot his wife! What kind of example is this for our children?
What kind of example are we giving our children when the most important thing is getting into an Ivy League school, their GPA, their success in sports and being the best in everything? What kind of example is it for our children when we scream at the umpire from the sidelines because we disagree with a call, when we skip church because we are tired, lazy, there’s a good game on TV, or we have to take our kids to soccer? What kind of a society are we when sports are more important than religion? What kind of society are we when the next deadline or dragging our children to ANOTHER after-school activity is more important than sitting down to a family dinner?
We are so focused on power, fame, money and instant gratification that we seem to have little regard for human life. This has led to such a breakdown in the human family and in human interactions in general. Just look at communication – some of the advances are great, but our children think communication is more about machines than human interaction. How are they ever to learn compassion, caring, and mercy when they are hidden behind emails, text messages and cell phones? Just think of the lives that are destroyed by emails written with anonymously because the person is too “small” to own up to their own words. Years ago these words would have gone unsaid but now we have given them a platform. To think that we now have to teach our children about cyber-bullying and sexual predators online! It’s easier to teach them about dangers that are seen than unseen.
I read a book once, and the author skips my kind at the moment, but he/she gave a helpful illustration on how we should live life. He/She said we are like a fleet of ships sailing in formation to a particular destination. Now if the fleet is going to arrive safely without mishap, three things are necessary. First, the individual ships must be seaworthy. Their insides must be in good working order so they can keep afloat, steer well, and have the motive power to make the journey. Second, they must be aware of the other boats so they don’t bump into one another and so cause harm to themselves and others. Third, they must have some idea about where they are heading – why they are afloat in the first place. It will be of no use if, after a good journey, they end up in Calcutta when they were supposed to get to New York!
The first of these we could describe as individual morality – virtues, vices, and character building, which we don’t hear much about from our modern ethical philosophies. We have got to keep ourselves shipshape for the journey. The second we could call social ethics – how to get along with one another and help, rather than hinder, others on the journey. The third issue is – why are we here at all and where are we supposed to be going? Many modern philosophers avoid this last issue, as they have no answer to it. And yet, this is the most important question of all. For morality to be of any use there must be some point to it all. We have got to know our destination!
Of course we know that Christianity provides the answers to these three basic questions. It gives clear guidance as to how to keep ourselves in good working order. It gives very clear instructions on how we should relate to one another and why. More than that, and most importantly, it gives us a clear purpose for making the journey in the first place, a purpose that reaches well beyond the confines of this brief earthly existence. In addition, it tells us how to get aboard the fleet and how to deal with calamities along the way. In this journey, no shipwreck need be final.
Finally, it gives the motive power to see the journey through to the end, an end which is only a greater beginning.
This is a very complex issue, Nicholas, and I do not believe one that will be fixed by a letter to anyone. I would save your words. The hospital Director knows very well what she’s up against – it is just difficult to solve when it is not a hospital we need to change, but a society.
You are right that the hospital is a Catholic Hospital just as Our Lady of Grace is a Catholic Church and we both know from experience that there are people that belong to both that live very unchristian lives.
Sorry for the “Soap box,”
Arthur
Hospital Ethics Strike Home
Dear Friends,
I recently had an experience of a family member back home who is very ill being treated poorly at the Catholic hospital where she is a patient. It just so happens that a friend of mine is also a doctor on staff at the hospital. In my need to “do something” I wrote to him asking if he thought it might help to remedy the situation by sending a letter to the Director of the Hospital, whom I also know, as a way of correcting the abuses I thought had been inflicted on our family. He wrote back the following letter. I am sure you will find it interesting because it falls back – not on the hospital to do something – but on you and me.
Fondly,
Father Nicholas
Dear Nicholas,
I am going to apologize before I even start because I can go on and on about this subject. First of all, let me stress – our Catholic hospital is NOT alone in their thinking or actions. Unfortunately medical care, ethics, and compassion have been on a steady decline for sometime.
There are many reasons for this, some being, lawyers, insurance companies, money and the increased complexity of patient care. But the reason goes far deeper than the medical profession because the problem, I believe, lies in the society of today.
We live in a world that appears to have lost its moral moorings, in an age where ethics have become obsolete. Think back 20 years and tell me how many workplaces had mandatory seminars on sexual harassment; how many schools had seminars on how “not to touch” our children; and how many teachers were told not to discipline. Today medical ethics, business ethics, environmental ethics, and legal ethics are not only serious endeavors, but they are required curricular studies in respected professional schools across the land. Ethics has been spoken of as a “growth industry.”
Why? Because we as a society have allowed morality and ethics to be superseded by science, deleted by psychology, and dismissed as emotive by philosophy. This has driven society into rewriting the rules, so that utility has replaced duty, self-expression has unseated authority, and being good has become feeling good. To many, life has become a pinball game, whose rules, though they are few, are all instrumental, and not meaningful in themselves, except as a means to the player’s enjoyment. It’s as if we are adrift in uncharted seas and have tossed away the compass.
Not so long ago the Times Literary Supplement referred to a society that has never made a movie of Leonardo DaVinci, but has produced three about Joey Buttafuoco – famous only for having had a teenage love, Amy Fisher, who shot his wife! What kind of example is this for our children?
What kind of example are we giving our children when the most important thing is getting into an Ivy League school, their GPA, their success in sports and being the best in everything? What kind of example is it for our children when we scream at the umpire from the sidelines because we disagree with a call, when we skip church because we are tired, lazy, there’s a good game on TV, or we have to take our kids to soccer? What kind of a society are we when sports are more important than religion? What kind of society are we when the next deadline or dragging our children to ANOTHER after-school activity is more important than sitting down to a family dinner?
We are so focused on power, fame, money and instant gratification that we seem to have little regard for human life. This has led to such a breakdown in the human family and in human interactions in general. Just look at communication – some of the advances are great, but our children think communication is more about machines than human interaction. How are they ever to learn compassion, caring, and mercy when they are hidden behind emails, text messages and cell phones? Just think of the lives that are destroyed by emails written with anonymously because the person is too “small” to own up to their own words. Years ago these words would have gone unsaid but now we have given them a platform. To think that we now have to teach our children about cyber-bullying and sexual predators online! It’s easier to teach them about dangers that are seen than unseen.
I read a book once, and the author skips my kind at the moment, but he/she gave a helpful illustration on how we should live life. He/She said we are like a fleet of ships sailing in formation to a particular destination. Now if the fleet is going to arrive safely without mishap, three things are necessary. First, the individual ships must be seaworthy. Their insides must be in good working order so they can keep afloat, steer well, and have the motive power to make the journey. Second, they must be aware of the other boats so they don’t bump into one another and so cause harm to themselves and others. Third, they must have some idea about where they are heading – why they are afloat in the first place. It will be of no use if, after a good journey, they end up in Calcutta when they were supposed to get to New York!
The first of these we could describe as individual morality – virtues, vices, and character building, which we don’t hear much about from our modern ethical philosophies. We have got to keep ourselves shipshape for the journey. The second we could call social ethics – how to get along with one another and help, rather than hinder, others on the journey. The third issue is – why are we here at all and where are we supposed to be going? Many modern philosophers avoid this last issue, as they have no answer to it. And yet, this is the most important question of all. For morality to be of any use there must be some point to it all. We have got to know our destination!
Of course we know that Christianity provides the answers to these three basic questions. It gives clear guidance as to how to keep ourselves in good working order. It gives very clear instructions on how we should relate to one another and why. More than that, and most importantly, it gives us a clear purpose for making the journey in the first place, a purpose that reaches well beyond the confines of this brief earthly existence. In addition, it tells us how to get aboard the fleet and how to deal with calamities along the way. In this journey, no shipwreck need be final.
Finally, it gives the motive power to see the journey through to the end, an end which is only a greater beginning.
This is a very complex issue, Nicholas, and I do not believe one that will be fixed by a letter to anyone. I would save your words. The hospital Director knows very well what she’s up against – it is just difficult to solve when it is not a hospital we need to change, but a society.
You are right that the hospital is a Catholic Hospital just as Our Lady of Grace is a Catholic Church and we both know from experience that there are people that belong to both that live very unchristian lives.
Sorry for the “Soap box,”
Arthur
Weekly HOMILY for June 15, 2008: Absolutes in a Relativistic Age
11th Sunday of Ordinary Time, Cycle A
Our Lady of Grace
June 15, 2008
Absolutes in a Relativistic Age
(Rev. Msgr.) Nicholas P. Amato
Relativism
Since he became Pope three years ago, Pope Benedict has frequently talked about Relativism.
He sees a strong tendency in our world – especially in the Western world – to hold nothing as absolute certainty. He would say that people have come to believe that one set of beliefs, opinions or mores are as good as another.
On one occasion, Pope Benedict said this. “We are moving toward a dictatorship of relativism which does not recognize anything as for certain and which has as its highest goal one’s own ego and one’s own desires.”
I think that the Holy Father is really onto something here.
The dictionary defines relativism as “the viewpoint that what is true or false or good or bad (wave arm above head) depends only on the person or the circumstances.”
Now, it is true that all religions and all persons of good will share aspects of the Truth. But, not everything depends on what I think or what I feel, with little or no reference to any basis or norm beyond myself (Wave arm.)
Our Catholic Tradition holds that there are some absolutes, some things that are certain and definite apart from what I think or feel.
This evening/morning, I want to highlight some of these absolutes for they appear right in our scripture readings.
Absolutes
To begin with, we believe that GOD IS LOVE and that God loves humanity. In our second reading, Saint Paul says, “God proves his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
The idea is here that God has this unconditional and irrevocable love for us and for all human beings.
And this is an absolute – no matter what I think, do, or say.
Another absolute: we Catholics and all baptized Christians for that matter believe that JESUS IS THE SON OF GOD.
In our second reading, Saint Paul says, “We were reconciled to God through the death of his Son.”
The divine presence, the Almighty God, has emerged in our world in the person of Jesus of Nazareth and forged a oneness, a bond, a union at the level of common humanity between God and us.
This is also an absolute – no matter what I think, do, or say.
Next, we believe that we need to actively live out of this new bonding with Christ at the level of our humanity in relationship with God. We call this relationship GOD’S COVENANT with us.
In the first reading, the Lord God says, “If you hearken to my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my special possession.” This means that we need to carefully form our conscience – our inner compass for knowing right from wrong, good from evil – and then walk with this compass as our guide.
We form this inner compass, our conscience, using two primary sources: (1) Sacred Scripture, the inspired Word of God, and (2) The Church which tries to apply this Word down 2,000 years of history.
Forming our conscience in this way and living this covenant relationship with God is also an absolute – no matter what I think, do, or say.
And the last absolute that I see here today is that we are to LIVE WITH A SENSE OF MISSION.
Notice that in the Gospel Jesus chooses the Apostles and then sends them out on mission to “cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers and drive out demons.”
Scripture scholars tell us that we are to interpret this mission on both a physical and spiritual level. So, “curing the sick” means caring for those who are physically ill and also providing inner strength to those feeling weak by the burdens of life.
“Driving our demons” means helping others who are caught in a physical addiction and also raising awareness of the spiritual demons that can possess us, like materialism and sexual permissiveness.
Living with this sense of mission is also an absolute. By now you know the routine, “No matter what I think, do, or say.”
Conclusion
There are other absolutes, but the ones I’ve mentioned are the ones I see expressed in today’s readings.
And it’s important to remember that they are opposed to a mindset of radical relativism where what I think, do or say becomes the only thing that counts.
I like to think of (demonstrate 1- 4 with fingers) (1) God’s Love, (2) Jesus as God’s Son, (3) God’s Covenant with us, and (4) Our Mission, not as not restraints holding me back or hurdles to jump through, but instead as certainties that free me to live a life of direction, to live with purpose and to espouse realities that help me achieve a deeper life in Christ Jesus.
Our Lady of Grace
June 15, 2008
Absolutes in a Relativistic Age
(Rev. Msgr.) Nicholas P. Amato
Relativism
Since he became Pope three years ago, Pope Benedict has frequently talked about Relativism.
He sees a strong tendency in our world – especially in the Western world – to hold nothing as absolute certainty. He would say that people have come to believe that one set of beliefs, opinions or mores are as good as another.
On one occasion, Pope Benedict said this. “We are moving toward a dictatorship of relativism which does not recognize anything as for certain and which has as its highest goal one’s own ego and one’s own desires.”
I think that the Holy Father is really onto something here.
The dictionary defines relativism as “the viewpoint that what is true or false or good or bad (wave arm above head) depends only on the person or the circumstances.”
Now, it is true that all religions and all persons of good will share aspects of the Truth. But, not everything depends on what I think or what I feel, with little or no reference to any basis or norm beyond myself (Wave arm.)
Our Catholic Tradition holds that there are some absolutes, some things that are certain and definite apart from what I think or feel.
This evening/morning, I want to highlight some of these absolutes for they appear right in our scripture readings.
Absolutes
To begin with, we believe that GOD IS LOVE and that God loves humanity. In our second reading, Saint Paul says, “God proves his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
The idea is here that God has this unconditional and irrevocable love for us and for all human beings.
And this is an absolute – no matter what I think, do, or say.
Another absolute: we Catholics and all baptized Christians for that matter believe that JESUS IS THE SON OF GOD.
In our second reading, Saint Paul says, “We were reconciled to God through the death of his Son.”
The divine presence, the Almighty God, has emerged in our world in the person of Jesus of Nazareth and forged a oneness, a bond, a union at the level of common humanity between God and us.
This is also an absolute – no matter what I think, do, or say.
Next, we believe that we need to actively live out of this new bonding with Christ at the level of our humanity in relationship with God. We call this relationship GOD’S COVENANT with us.
In the first reading, the Lord God says, “If you hearken to my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my special possession.” This means that we need to carefully form our conscience – our inner compass for knowing right from wrong, good from evil – and then walk with this compass as our guide.
We form this inner compass, our conscience, using two primary sources: (1) Sacred Scripture, the inspired Word of God, and (2) The Church which tries to apply this Word down 2,000 years of history.
Forming our conscience in this way and living this covenant relationship with God is also an absolute – no matter what I think, do, or say.
And the last absolute that I see here today is that we are to LIVE WITH A SENSE OF MISSION.
Notice that in the Gospel Jesus chooses the Apostles and then sends them out on mission to “cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers and drive out demons.”
Scripture scholars tell us that we are to interpret this mission on both a physical and spiritual level. So, “curing the sick” means caring for those who are physically ill and also providing inner strength to those feeling weak by the burdens of life.
“Driving our demons” means helping others who are caught in a physical addiction and also raising awareness of the spiritual demons that can possess us, like materialism and sexual permissiveness.
Living with this sense of mission is also an absolute. By now you know the routine, “No matter what I think, do, or say.”
Conclusion
There are other absolutes, but the ones I’ve mentioned are the ones I see expressed in today’s readings.
And it’s important to remember that they are opposed to a mindset of radical relativism where what I think, do or say becomes the only thing that counts.
I like to think of (demonstrate 1- 4 with fingers) (1) God’s Love, (2) Jesus as God’s Son, (3) God’s Covenant with us, and (4) Our Mission, not as not restraints holding me back or hurdles to jump through, but instead as certainties that free me to live a life of direction, to live with purpose and to espouse realities that help me achieve a deeper life in Christ Jesus.
Thursday, June 05, 2008
Weekly HOMILY for June 8. 2008: Judging Is Bad for at Least Two People
10th Sunday of Ordinary Time, Cycle A
Our Lady of Grace
June 8, 2008
Judging Is Bad for at Least Two People
By (Rev. Msgr.) Nicholas P. Amato
The Elements of Judging
Thornton Wilder was one of our finest American playwrights.
Wilder won Pulitzer Prizes for his plays, The Bridge of San Luis Rey and Our Town. As a playwright he tends to present human beings as flawed, but lovable.
On a poster advertising one of Wilder’s plays was a quote from him saying that, “To pass judgment on another person is to stand apart from the human condition.”
Wilder goes on to say that, “Passing judgment involves the assumption that the presence of evil in the world is exceptional.” For him, to pass judgment from the outside is – in his own words – “To assert one’s own immunity.”
Just think about these ideas for a moment: Passing judgment on another person is: (1) “To stand apart from the human condition,” as in “You’ve got a problem, an imperfection, or flaw, not me.” (2) “To assume that the presence of evil is exceptional, rather than the common denominator in us all” and (3) “To assert one’s own immunity as in, ‘Who me?’”
Elements of Not Judging
Now, with these three key insights of Thornton Wilder, let us take a look at today’s Gospel.
Jesus is aware of several important facts about Matthew:
➢ He knows that he is a tax collector
➢ He knows that Matthew may be dishonest like some other tax collectors of the day
➢ He knows that Matthew is viewed as a traitor to his Country because he is working for the occupying power, the Roman Army
➢ He knows that Matthew is probably not attending synagogue regularly and that he probably is not an observant Jew
Jesus knows all these facts yet he does not in the least, judge Matthew.
Quite the contrary is true. Instead of judging, Jesus accepts and sees possibilities in Matthew. And then, he even goes to Matthew’s home for dinner and some of Matthew’s friends are there.
The friends at his home are described as “tax collectors and sinners” – although we are not told what sins they have committed.
Again, take note Jesus does not judge, and again he simply accepts them as they are and sees possibilities in them.
The Effects of Judging
The Pharisees, who are the religious leaders of the day, are puzzled by this acceptance of sinful folks and ask Jesus’ disciples: “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?”
The Pharisees of course are judging Matthew and his friends. They are standing apart from them.
They see evil in them, but not a speck of evil in themselves whom they judge as good and okay. They in effect are asserting their own immunity from evil and sin.
How tragic and misguided! The truth is that sin has touched each of us. No one is excluded.
Now here’s an important insight: To the extent we recognize this truth and to the extent we seek a higher path, to that extent we are truly human and growing. Another insight: When we judge others, we dehumanize them and in the end we end up dehumanizing ourselves.
We make others less than human by labeling and stereotyping and freezing them in a mold. We make ourselves less than human by pretending that we are not part of the human condition.
A Real Issue for Us
This judging is an issue for all persons and certainly for us as persons of faith.
For example, we judge persons who have had an abortion or vote pro-choice. We judge today’s immigrants.
We judge families whose youth have gotten into some sort of trouble. We judge persons who are divorced and in another marriage.
Some in our Catholic Church use what I think is an unnecessary and judgmental label, “Cafeteria Catholics.” They use that to speak of Catholics who do not accept all that the Church teaches.
We could cite other examples, but what is important to remember, however, is that Jesus refrains from this type of judging and stereotyping.
He knew the facts but saw the possibilities in people.
➢ The truth is that sin touches all of us
➢ The truth is that all of us are human and imperfect
➢ The truth is that all of us are “Cafeteria Christians” to some degree because none of us lives the Lord’s way fully
So why bother using terms like “Cafeteria Catholics”? Instead we should strive to follow the Lord and stick to what we believe is right and good without judging others and pretending that they are less and we are better.
Conclusion
Jesus’ example is truly a challenge for each of us.
He gives us a peaceful, sensitive, and non-judgmental way to live and to relate. He gives us possibilities for growing in our relationships with one another and with him.
Our Lady of Grace
June 8, 2008
Judging Is Bad for at Least Two People
By (Rev. Msgr.) Nicholas P. Amato
The Elements of Judging
Thornton Wilder was one of our finest American playwrights.
Wilder won Pulitzer Prizes for his plays, The Bridge of San Luis Rey and Our Town. As a playwright he tends to present human beings as flawed, but lovable.
On a poster advertising one of Wilder’s plays was a quote from him saying that, “To pass judgment on another person is to stand apart from the human condition.”
Wilder goes on to say that, “Passing judgment involves the assumption that the presence of evil in the world is exceptional.” For him, to pass judgment from the outside is – in his own words – “To assert one’s own immunity.”
Just think about these ideas for a moment: Passing judgment on another person is: (1) “To stand apart from the human condition,” as in “You’ve got a problem, an imperfection, or flaw, not me.” (2) “To assume that the presence of evil is exceptional, rather than the common denominator in us all” and (3) “To assert one’s own immunity as in, ‘Who me?’”
Elements of Not Judging
Now, with these three key insights of Thornton Wilder, let us take a look at today’s Gospel.
Jesus is aware of several important facts about Matthew:
➢ He knows that he is a tax collector
➢ He knows that Matthew may be dishonest like some other tax collectors of the day
➢ He knows that Matthew is viewed as a traitor to his Country because he is working for the occupying power, the Roman Army
➢ He knows that Matthew is probably not attending synagogue regularly and that he probably is not an observant Jew
Jesus knows all these facts yet he does not in the least, judge Matthew.
Quite the contrary is true. Instead of judging, Jesus accepts and sees possibilities in Matthew. And then, he even goes to Matthew’s home for dinner and some of Matthew’s friends are there.
The friends at his home are described as “tax collectors and sinners” – although we are not told what sins they have committed.
Again, take note Jesus does not judge, and again he simply accepts them as they are and sees possibilities in them.
The Effects of Judging
The Pharisees, who are the religious leaders of the day, are puzzled by this acceptance of sinful folks and ask Jesus’ disciples: “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?”
The Pharisees of course are judging Matthew and his friends. They are standing apart from them.
They see evil in them, but not a speck of evil in themselves whom they judge as good and okay. They in effect are asserting their own immunity from evil and sin.
How tragic and misguided! The truth is that sin has touched each of us. No one is excluded.
Now here’s an important insight: To the extent we recognize this truth and to the extent we seek a higher path, to that extent we are truly human and growing. Another insight: When we judge others, we dehumanize them and in the end we end up dehumanizing ourselves.
We make others less than human by labeling and stereotyping and freezing them in a mold. We make ourselves less than human by pretending that we are not part of the human condition.
A Real Issue for Us
This judging is an issue for all persons and certainly for us as persons of faith.
For example, we judge persons who have had an abortion or vote pro-choice. We judge today’s immigrants.
We judge families whose youth have gotten into some sort of trouble. We judge persons who are divorced and in another marriage.
Some in our Catholic Church use what I think is an unnecessary and judgmental label, “Cafeteria Catholics.” They use that to speak of Catholics who do not accept all that the Church teaches.
We could cite other examples, but what is important to remember, however, is that Jesus refrains from this type of judging and stereotyping.
He knew the facts but saw the possibilities in people.
➢ The truth is that sin touches all of us
➢ The truth is that all of us are human and imperfect
➢ The truth is that all of us are “Cafeteria Christians” to some degree because none of us lives the Lord’s way fully
So why bother using terms like “Cafeteria Catholics”? Instead we should strive to follow the Lord and stick to what we believe is right and good without judging others and pretending that they are less and we are better.
Conclusion
Jesus’ example is truly a challenge for each of us.
He gives us a peaceful, sensitive, and non-judgmental way to live and to relate. He gives us possibilities for growing in our relationships with one another and with him.
Weekly THIS AND THAT for June 8, 2008: Drastic Consequences of the Breakdown of the Family
This and That:
Drastic Consequences of the Breakdown of the Family
The disintegration of family life is costing taxpayers a bundle. A report released in April put the cost at an annual $112 billion, just in the United States alone. “The Taxpayer Costs of Divorce and Unwed Childbearing: First-Ever Estimates for the Nation and All 50 States,” was released by four policy and research groups – Institute for American Values, Georgia Family Council, Institute for Marriage and Public Policy and Families Northwest. “This study documents for the first time that divorce and unwed childbearing – besides being bad for children – are also costing taxpayers a ton of money,” said David Blankenhorn, president of the Institute for American Values, in a press release accompanying the report.
Marriage is more than a moral or social institution, the study itself observes. It is an economic institution, and, when it breaks down the costs for local, state, and federal government, they are very high. The report points to a yearly $112 billion price tag – or over $1 trillion in the past decade – which the authors say is a minimum estimate. The Federal Government carries the largest burden, $70.1 billion, followed by $33.3 billion for states, and $8.5 billion at the local level.
These costs arise from a variety of sources: increased taxpayer expenditures for anti-poverty programs; criminal justice and education programs; and lower levels of taxes paid by individuals who, as adults, earn less because of reduced opportunities as a result of having been more likely to grow up in poverty. The study argues that government support for marriage and the family would be sound economic policy. Just reducing the divorce rate by a small amount could save billions of dollars a year. Some states are waking up to this and the report cites the example of Texas, which recently appropriated $15 million over two years for marriage education and other programs. The study reports that if this brings about even a less than a 1% decrease in family breakdowns, it will be cost-effective for Texas taxpayers.
Dramatic Changes
The study provides an overview of the huge changes in family life over the last few decades.
➢ Between 1970 and 2005, the proportion of children living with two married parents dropped from 85% to 68%.
➢ More than a third of all U.S. children are now born outside of wedlock, including 25% of non-Hispanic white babies, 46% of Hispanic babies, and 69% of African American babies.
➢ In 2004, almost 1.5 million babies were born to unmarried mothers.
➢ There has been a small decline in divorce after 1980, however this seems to have been offset by increases in unwed childbearing, so the percentage of children living with one parent increased steadily between 1970 and 1998, with only a small drop after 1998.
➢ The report admits that a crucial issue is to verify to what extent there is a causal relationship between family fragmentation and the economic costs to government.
➢ The authors go on to lay out the evidence from a variety of sources to prove their case. There is ample documentation, they observe, that divorce contributes to child poverty.
➢ Analysis suggests that almost all of the increase in poverty observed among divorced mothers is caused by the divorce, the report says, citing a recent study.
➢ The effects on children of divorce, or being brought up by single parents, are also well researched. The study cites academic research where it is established how being in this situation leads to higher crime rates and problems of delinquency.
European Woes
Europe is also suffering great changes in family life, as a recent study published by the news agency Fides, a Vatican missionary agency, pointed out. In a dossier titled “The Crisis of the Family in Europe,” the agency put together information from a number of studies and organizations.
Europe’s population will soon start to decline and is already aging rapidly, Fides warned. Every 25 seconds there is an abortion in the 27 member countries of the European Union, the report said, while at the same time 3 schools a day are closed due to a scarcity of children. Both men and women are postponing marriage, and in 2005, just under 1.9 million babies were born out of wedlock. In some countries around half of all births are either due to single mothers or cohabitating couples. The number of divorces continues to increase, with millions of children
being affected.
In the midst of these trends, Fides also pointed out that out of the 27% of gross national product that Europe spends on social welfare, only a very small part goes to support families, which apparently are not considered a priority. In fact, the report states, “European institutions and legislation regard the family as a historical legacy, rather than an institution which can belong to the future.” Therefore, it continued, governments are not actively supporting the family based on a stable marriage between and a man and a woman and are instead encouraging various forms of cohabitation. There are also moves to allow adoption of children to singles, instead of married couples, as well as allowing adoption for de facto and same-sex couples.
Fundamental Reality
Benedict XVI, well aware of the dire situation of the family, has often spoken out asking public authorities to support marriage. Respect for the family based on marriage is “imperative” the Pope said January 10th when addressing local government representatives from Rome and the surrounding region of Lazio. “Unfortunately, we see every day how insistent and threatening are the attacks on marriage and the misunderstandings of this fundamental human and social reality,” the Pope commented. “Thus, it is especially necessary that public administrations do not support these negative trends but, on the contrary, offer families convinced and concrete support, in the certainty that they are thereby acting for the common good," he concluded.
Recently the Pope commented that many families are crying out for help from civil authorities. Benedict XVI made his remarks on the family during an audience held for representatives from the Forum of Family Associations and the European Federation of Catholic Family Associations, who were in Rome for a conference. “Accordingly, there is an increasingly urgent need for a common commitment to support families by every means available, from the social and economic point of view, as well as the juridical and spiritual,” the Pontiff said. The Holy Father singled out for praise the initiative to mobilize people in support of family-friendly fiscal policy. An initiative sorely needed in many countries around the world.
Fondly,
Father Nicholas
Drastic Consequences of the Breakdown of the Family
The disintegration of family life is costing taxpayers a bundle. A report released in April put the cost at an annual $112 billion, just in the United States alone. “The Taxpayer Costs of Divorce and Unwed Childbearing: First-Ever Estimates for the Nation and All 50 States,” was released by four policy and research groups – Institute for American Values, Georgia Family Council, Institute for Marriage and Public Policy and Families Northwest. “This study documents for the first time that divorce and unwed childbearing – besides being bad for children – are also costing taxpayers a ton of money,” said David Blankenhorn, president of the Institute for American Values, in a press release accompanying the report.
Marriage is more than a moral or social institution, the study itself observes. It is an economic institution, and, when it breaks down the costs for local, state, and federal government, they are very high. The report points to a yearly $112 billion price tag – or over $1 trillion in the past decade – which the authors say is a minimum estimate. The Federal Government carries the largest burden, $70.1 billion, followed by $33.3 billion for states, and $8.5 billion at the local level.
These costs arise from a variety of sources: increased taxpayer expenditures for anti-poverty programs; criminal justice and education programs; and lower levels of taxes paid by individuals who, as adults, earn less because of reduced opportunities as a result of having been more likely to grow up in poverty. The study argues that government support for marriage and the family would be sound economic policy. Just reducing the divorce rate by a small amount could save billions of dollars a year. Some states are waking up to this and the report cites the example of Texas, which recently appropriated $15 million over two years for marriage education and other programs. The study reports that if this brings about even a less than a 1% decrease in family breakdowns, it will be cost-effective for Texas taxpayers.
Dramatic Changes
The study provides an overview of the huge changes in family life over the last few decades.
➢ Between 1970 and 2005, the proportion of children living with two married parents dropped from 85% to 68%.
➢ More than a third of all U.S. children are now born outside of wedlock, including 25% of non-Hispanic white babies, 46% of Hispanic babies, and 69% of African American babies.
➢ In 2004, almost 1.5 million babies were born to unmarried mothers.
➢ There has been a small decline in divorce after 1980, however this seems to have been offset by increases in unwed childbearing, so the percentage of children living with one parent increased steadily between 1970 and 1998, with only a small drop after 1998.
➢ The report admits that a crucial issue is to verify to what extent there is a causal relationship between family fragmentation and the economic costs to government.
➢ The authors go on to lay out the evidence from a variety of sources to prove their case. There is ample documentation, they observe, that divorce contributes to child poverty.
➢ Analysis suggests that almost all of the increase in poverty observed among divorced mothers is caused by the divorce, the report says, citing a recent study.
➢ The effects on children of divorce, or being brought up by single parents, are also well researched. The study cites academic research where it is established how being in this situation leads to higher crime rates and problems of delinquency.
European Woes
Europe is also suffering great changes in family life, as a recent study published by the news agency Fides, a Vatican missionary agency, pointed out. In a dossier titled “The Crisis of the Family in Europe,” the agency put together information from a number of studies and organizations.
Europe’s population will soon start to decline and is already aging rapidly, Fides warned. Every 25 seconds there is an abortion in the 27 member countries of the European Union, the report said, while at the same time 3 schools a day are closed due to a scarcity of children. Both men and women are postponing marriage, and in 2005, just under 1.9 million babies were born out of wedlock. In some countries around half of all births are either due to single mothers or cohabitating couples. The number of divorces continues to increase, with millions of children
being affected.
In the midst of these trends, Fides also pointed out that out of the 27% of gross national product that Europe spends on social welfare, only a very small part goes to support families, which apparently are not considered a priority. In fact, the report states, “European institutions and legislation regard the family as a historical legacy, rather than an institution which can belong to the future.” Therefore, it continued, governments are not actively supporting the family based on a stable marriage between and a man and a woman and are instead encouraging various forms of cohabitation. There are also moves to allow adoption of children to singles, instead of married couples, as well as allowing adoption for de facto and same-sex couples.
Fundamental Reality
Benedict XVI, well aware of the dire situation of the family, has often spoken out asking public authorities to support marriage. Respect for the family based on marriage is “imperative” the Pope said January 10th when addressing local government representatives from Rome and the surrounding region of Lazio. “Unfortunately, we see every day how insistent and threatening are the attacks on marriage and the misunderstandings of this fundamental human and social reality,” the Pope commented. “Thus, it is especially necessary that public administrations do not support these negative trends but, on the contrary, offer families convinced and concrete support, in the certainty that they are thereby acting for the common good," he concluded.
Recently the Pope commented that many families are crying out for help from civil authorities. Benedict XVI made his remarks on the family during an audience held for representatives from the Forum of Family Associations and the European Federation of Catholic Family Associations, who were in Rome for a conference. “Accordingly, there is an increasingly urgent need for a common commitment to support families by every means available, from the social and economic point of view, as well as the juridical and spiritual,” the Pontiff said. The Holy Father singled out for praise the initiative to mobilize people in support of family-friendly fiscal policy. An initiative sorely needed in many countries around the world.
Fondly,
Father Nicholas
Friday, May 30, 2008
Weekly THIS AND THAT for June 1, 2006: Bible Lovers Are Not Defined by Denomination or Politics
This and That:
Bible Lovers Are Not Defined by Denomination or Politics
A survey was recently conducted that sought to prepare for the fall Synod of Bishops in Rome on “The Word of God.” It advocated for a way of prayerfully reflecting on Sacred Scripture that was practiced in the monastery I attended called “Lectio Divina.” The process entails (1) Reading, (2) Meditation, (3) Prayer, and ends in (4) Contemplation. I found the study interesting in terms of a contemporary desire on the part of our people for a better understanding of Sacred Scripture.
Fondly,
Father Nicholas
There is no longer diversity among various Christian traditions regarding a relationship with Scripture, according to a survey presented in the Vatican. Archbishop Gianfranco Ravasi, president of the Pontifical Council for Culture, recently presented the results of a study on the reading of Scripture in nine countries: the United States, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Germany, Spain, France, Italy, Poland and Russia. Bishop Paglia, president of the Catholic Biblical Federation, explained that the Catholic Biblical Federation undertook the survey with a view to the upcoming October synod on “The Word of God in the Life and the Mission of the Church.” The survey took into account various Christian traditions and aimed “to acquire concrete information on Christians’ relationship with Scripture.”
The survey, Bishop Paglia explained, “confirmed in full the Second Vatican Council’s pastoral intuition to exhort the faithful to rediscover Scripture as the primary source of spiritual life.” It also reaffirmed, he said, “the bond that exists between the Bible and the Eucharist,” because “the majority of those interviewed indicated the Sunday celebration as the place in which they habitually listen to the Word of God.”
Ecumenical Role
The Italian prelate said the role of the Bible in ecumenical dialogue is key. The survey found that “Scripture remains the most effective ‘place’ Christians have to progress together along the path of unity... The answers also showed that there no longer exists that diversity among the various Christian traditions – a diversity evident in the past – concerning their relationship with Scripture,” Bishop Paglia noted. Another factor to emerge was “the considerable expectations that the men and women of our time have toward Holy Scripture,” which “is considered with great respect by everyone,” he said. Among Christians, the bishop explained, “it is widely held that the Bible contains the Word of God, that it is an inspired work capable of giving meaning to life, and that it has far greater authority than other ecclesial manifestations,” although the values it contains “are difficult to put into practice.” Bishop Paglia thus concluded that one of the great challenges shown forth by the survey is Scripture-based preaching, which should “constitute an authoritative appeal to believers and to all those who seek.”
Avoiding Extremes
The prelate further noted how “listening to Scriptures favors the cohesion of listeners. Indeed, listening to the Word of God truly ‘makes’ the Church,” he explained. Hence “reading Scripture in the company of the Church” makes it possible to avoid “the two most dangerous obstacles: a fundamentalist reading... and an individualist pseudo-psychological reading that leads readers to reflect themselves in the pages.”
The prelate concluded his remarks by highlighting the need “to find space for the ‘schools of the Word,’ the ‘schools of the Gospel,’ and the ‘schools of reading and listening to the Bible.’... It is in this perspective that we must see ‘lectio divina,’ the oldest and riches method of listening to Scripture,” which must be given “new spaces and new forms until it becomes the habitual way of approaching the Word of God in our Christian communities.”
Broad Majorities
Some 13,000 interviews had been completed during the course of the survey, which were described as “the most systematic scientific undertaking yet attempted to compare, on an international scale, levels and forms of familiarity with the Scriptures of Christian tradition among the adult population.” The Bible in the areas that were examined is not the text of a minority, but an important point of reference, present – in different degrees and ways – in the life and culture of broad majorities of the population. It may be affirmed that between a third and a quarter of adults in the countries examined have read a Bible passage at least once in the last 12 months.”
It has been noted that there is a gap dividing the Anglo-Saxon world from Central and Eastern Europe. In the former, the sensation of the closeness of God is anything but extinct and the practice of prayer is anything but marginal. A large majority of people looks to the Bible as a source of truth, as the source of a message that has to do with life.
More than 50% of those interviewed in Russia, Poland, Italy, the United Kingdom and Germany were in favor of having the Bible studied in schools.
The survey also showed that the practice of reading the Bible depends statistically on participation in events and groups that already adopt this practice, more than on shared religious beliefs. Reading the Bible in no way echoes political polarization between right and left.
Bible Lovers Are Not Defined by Denomination or Politics
A survey was recently conducted that sought to prepare for the fall Synod of Bishops in Rome on “The Word of God.” It advocated for a way of prayerfully reflecting on Sacred Scripture that was practiced in the monastery I attended called “Lectio Divina.” The process entails (1) Reading, (2) Meditation, (3) Prayer, and ends in (4) Contemplation. I found the study interesting in terms of a contemporary desire on the part of our people for a better understanding of Sacred Scripture.
Fondly,
Father Nicholas
There is no longer diversity among various Christian traditions regarding a relationship with Scripture, according to a survey presented in the Vatican. Archbishop Gianfranco Ravasi, president of the Pontifical Council for Culture, recently presented the results of a study on the reading of Scripture in nine countries: the United States, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Germany, Spain, France, Italy, Poland and Russia. Bishop Paglia, president of the Catholic Biblical Federation, explained that the Catholic Biblical Federation undertook the survey with a view to the upcoming October synod on “The Word of God in the Life and the Mission of the Church.” The survey took into account various Christian traditions and aimed “to acquire concrete information on Christians’ relationship with Scripture.”
The survey, Bishop Paglia explained, “confirmed in full the Second Vatican Council’s pastoral intuition to exhort the faithful to rediscover Scripture as the primary source of spiritual life.” It also reaffirmed, he said, “the bond that exists between the Bible and the Eucharist,” because “the majority of those interviewed indicated the Sunday celebration as the place in which they habitually listen to the Word of God.”
Ecumenical Role
The Italian prelate said the role of the Bible in ecumenical dialogue is key. The survey found that “Scripture remains the most effective ‘place’ Christians have to progress together along the path of unity... The answers also showed that there no longer exists that diversity among the various Christian traditions – a diversity evident in the past – concerning their relationship with Scripture,” Bishop Paglia noted. Another factor to emerge was “the considerable expectations that the men and women of our time have toward Holy Scripture,” which “is considered with great respect by everyone,” he said. Among Christians, the bishop explained, “it is widely held that the Bible contains the Word of God, that it is an inspired work capable of giving meaning to life, and that it has far greater authority than other ecclesial manifestations,” although the values it contains “are difficult to put into practice.” Bishop Paglia thus concluded that one of the great challenges shown forth by the survey is Scripture-based preaching, which should “constitute an authoritative appeal to believers and to all those who seek.”
Avoiding Extremes
The prelate further noted how “listening to Scriptures favors the cohesion of listeners. Indeed, listening to the Word of God truly ‘makes’ the Church,” he explained. Hence “reading Scripture in the company of the Church” makes it possible to avoid “the two most dangerous obstacles: a fundamentalist reading... and an individualist pseudo-psychological reading that leads readers to reflect themselves in the pages.”
The prelate concluded his remarks by highlighting the need “to find space for the ‘schools of the Word,’ the ‘schools of the Gospel,’ and the ‘schools of reading and listening to the Bible.’... It is in this perspective that we must see ‘lectio divina,’ the oldest and riches method of listening to Scripture,” which must be given “new spaces and new forms until it becomes the habitual way of approaching the Word of God in our Christian communities.”
Broad Majorities
Some 13,000 interviews had been completed during the course of the survey, which were described as “the most systematic scientific undertaking yet attempted to compare, on an international scale, levels and forms of familiarity with the Scriptures of Christian tradition among the adult population.” The Bible in the areas that were examined is not the text of a minority, but an important point of reference, present – in different degrees and ways – in the life and culture of broad majorities of the population. It may be affirmed that between a third and a quarter of adults in the countries examined have read a Bible passage at least once in the last 12 months.”
It has been noted that there is a gap dividing the Anglo-Saxon world from Central and Eastern Europe. In the former, the sensation of the closeness of God is anything but extinct and the practice of prayer is anything but marginal. A large majority of people looks to the Bible as a source of truth, as the source of a message that has to do with life.
More than 50% of those interviewed in Russia, Poland, Italy, the United Kingdom and Germany were in favor of having the Bible studied in schools.
The survey also showed that the practice of reading the Bible depends statistically on participation in events and groups that already adopt this practice, more than on shared religious beliefs. Reading the Bible in no way echoes political polarization between right and left.
Weekly HOMILY for June 1, 2008: On the Building of Sand Castles
9th Sunday of Ordinary Time, Cycle A
Our Lady of Grace
June 1, 2008
On the Building of Sand Castles
By (Rev. Msgr.) Nicholas P. Amato
A Sand Castle
Few of us are stranger to the book by the title, “When Bad Things Happen to Good People.”
Its author is a Jewish rabbi named Harold Kushner and he has also written some lesser-known books. One of them is entitled, “When All You’ve Ever Wanted Isn’t Enough.”
In this book, Rabbi Kushner relates the following incident. He says: “I was sitting on a beach one summer day, watching two children, a boy and a girl, playing in the sand.
“They were building an elaborate sand castle near the water’s edge. When they had nearly finished their project, a big wave came along and leveled it, washing it into the shoreline.
“I expected the children to burst into tears, but they surprised me. Instead of tears, they joined hands and ran up the shore away from the water, laughing and talking.
“Surprised by their reaction to their loss, I fixed my eye on them and saw them finally sit down and begin with renewed to build another sand castle.
“That afternoon two small children taught me an important life lesson.
“Each and every thing in our daily lives, each complicated structure we spend so much time and energy creating, is rally built on sand. Only our relationships to other people endure.
“Sooner or later, one day a wave comes along and knocks down what we have worked so hard to build up or create. When that happens, only the person who has somebody’s hand to hold will be able to laugh.”
Sand versus Rock
That story and the insightful conclusion that Harold Kushner draws from it are precisely Jesus’ message for us today.
Jesus is wrapping up his core teaching – the Sermon on the Mount. He has taught the crowds things like: “Blessed are the merciful, the compassionate, and the peacemakers.”
Jesus has talked about the primacy of love of God and love of one another. And now, at the conclusion of his major teaching, he is clear that he wants us both to both listen to and to live out his Word.
In the Gospel he says: “Everyone who listens to these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on rock” – and not on sand. It is important to put this statement into context with all that precedes it.
Putting it into context makes it clear that Jesus is calling us to build our lives around relationships and not the many things we’ve built or accomplished. He is urging us to find ourselves and our purpose for living in relationships.
This is how we build our house or our life “on rock.”
I have thought of three simple questions that can help us to look at ourselves and determine if we are doing this and I would like to share these with you.
Are We Building on Rock?
First, am I building on the “rock” of relationships. That is, do I intentionally make time for those who are important to me?
So for example, do I plan time just to be together and communicate with my husband or wife? Do I make it a point to call a friend on her birthday or to connect with my aging parents once a week?
Second, do I keep “things” in perspective?
Thus, do I live with the awareness that having certain clothes or cars or comforts is really secondary? Am I content with what I have and not allow myself to get trapped into the “more is better” mentality?
Third, do I see myself as one with others, even others whom I do not know?
By that I mean, do I listen to the names of the sick and deceased in the General Intercessions and consciously offer a pray for them? Do I see immigrants as persons with the human needs and aspirations that I also have?
Conclusion
So, Jesus calls us to build our house, our life, on rock and not on sand.
And this means, in the full context of his teaching, that we tend to our relationships well. I propose three questions to help us to see where we are with this.
1. Do I intentionally make time for those who are important to me?
2. Do I keep the “things” in my life in perspective?
3. Do I see myself as one with others, even others whom I do not know?
When our sandcastles are buffeted by ocean waves and all seems lost, it will be nice to have someone’s hand in order to run up the beach and begin to build anew!
Our Lady of Grace
June 1, 2008
On the Building of Sand Castles
By (Rev. Msgr.) Nicholas P. Amato
A Sand Castle
Few of us are stranger to the book by the title, “When Bad Things Happen to Good People.”
Its author is a Jewish rabbi named Harold Kushner and he has also written some lesser-known books. One of them is entitled, “When All You’ve Ever Wanted Isn’t Enough.”
In this book, Rabbi Kushner relates the following incident. He says: “I was sitting on a beach one summer day, watching two children, a boy and a girl, playing in the sand.
“They were building an elaborate sand castle near the water’s edge. When they had nearly finished their project, a big wave came along and leveled it, washing it into the shoreline.
“I expected the children to burst into tears, but they surprised me. Instead of tears, they joined hands and ran up the shore away from the water, laughing and talking.
“Surprised by their reaction to their loss, I fixed my eye on them and saw them finally sit down and begin with renewed to build another sand castle.
“That afternoon two small children taught me an important life lesson.
“Each and every thing in our daily lives, each complicated structure we spend so much time and energy creating, is rally built on sand. Only our relationships to other people endure.
“Sooner or later, one day a wave comes along and knocks down what we have worked so hard to build up or create. When that happens, only the person who has somebody’s hand to hold will be able to laugh.”
Sand versus Rock
That story and the insightful conclusion that Harold Kushner draws from it are precisely Jesus’ message for us today.
Jesus is wrapping up his core teaching – the Sermon on the Mount. He has taught the crowds things like: “Blessed are the merciful, the compassionate, and the peacemakers.”
Jesus has talked about the primacy of love of God and love of one another. And now, at the conclusion of his major teaching, he is clear that he wants us both to both listen to and to live out his Word.
In the Gospel he says: “Everyone who listens to these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on rock” – and not on sand. It is important to put this statement into context with all that precedes it.
Putting it into context makes it clear that Jesus is calling us to build our lives around relationships and not the many things we’ve built or accomplished. He is urging us to find ourselves and our purpose for living in relationships.
This is how we build our house or our life “on rock.”
I have thought of three simple questions that can help us to look at ourselves and determine if we are doing this and I would like to share these with you.
Are We Building on Rock?
First, am I building on the “rock” of relationships. That is, do I intentionally make time for those who are important to me?
So for example, do I plan time just to be together and communicate with my husband or wife? Do I make it a point to call a friend on her birthday or to connect with my aging parents once a week?
Second, do I keep “things” in perspective?
Thus, do I live with the awareness that having certain clothes or cars or comforts is really secondary? Am I content with what I have and not allow myself to get trapped into the “more is better” mentality?
Third, do I see myself as one with others, even others whom I do not know?
By that I mean, do I listen to the names of the sick and deceased in the General Intercessions and consciously offer a pray for them? Do I see immigrants as persons with the human needs and aspirations that I also have?
Conclusion
So, Jesus calls us to build our house, our life, on rock and not on sand.
And this means, in the full context of his teaching, that we tend to our relationships well. I propose three questions to help us to see where we are with this.
1. Do I intentionally make time for those who are important to me?
2. Do I keep the “things” in my life in perspective?
3. Do I see myself as one with others, even others whom I do not know?
When our sandcastles are buffeted by ocean waves and all seems lost, it will be nice to have someone’s hand in order to run up the beach and begin to build anew!
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