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Exploring the word

02 Sep 2012 - Twenty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle B

Like most parents, mine had familiar parting words whenever we said good-bye. It didn’t matter if I were heading off to a sleepover at a friend’s house or going off to college or moving away that final time, the parting words were the same: “Be good.” Two simple words. But they held a constellation of meaning imparted over years of parenting, disciplining, instruction, and example. “Be good” had very specific criteria attached: Don’t cheat at games; don’t tell lies; don’t hurt anyone’s feelings; don’t be rude, noisy, or destructive to property. Respect the rules of all reasonable grown-ups in the vicinity. Don’t be an embarrassment to us. My parents didn’t have to go into all that every time they hugged me good-bye. They only had to say: “Be good.” I knew the kind of behavior that was expected of me. If my parents hadn’t done all the role-modeling up front, these final words of instruction would have been vague and pointless. It’s like going to church and hearing the preacher say: “Be holy. Behave like the people of God.” Unless you know the story, unless you’ve heard years of instruction and seen examples of the behavior in the leadership or the assembly, words like these are decidedly ambiguous. Unhappily that is precisely the experience too many Christians have had. They hear churchy instructions and respond in churchy ways, kneeling down, folding their hands, saying their prayers, receiving their sacraments. This is what it means to be holy, right? This is how the people of God behave? It’s all they know because it’s all they’ve seen or understood. It’s too easy to blame Moses for that: Didn’t legalism start with the giving of the Law? Yet external rules are clearly intended to impress on minds and hearts what hands are doing. If you don’t feel like being generous, give anyway and someday your actions may finally penetrate your way of thinking and feeling. We instruct children the same way: School may seem fruitless and pointless now, but go anyway and later you will adapt to the process of learning. The externals take over, however, when rules are not backed up by example. Don’t smoke—even though Mom smokes. Don’t swear—even though Dad does. School is good for you—though there’s not a book in the house and none of the grown-ups read, think critically, go to museums, or seek any form of independent learning. So we wind up with a community of folks who scrub their hands meticulously to conform to outward principles while their hearts are teeming with grime. When politicians and church leaders care more for appearances than interior realities, we breed hypocrisy and cynicism in our communities. “Be good” means nothing without the integrity of the preacher. Related scripture links Words recorded in stone: Exod. 24:12-18; 31:18; 32:15-20; 34:1-4, 27-35; Deut. 5:22 Jesus on the commandments: Matt. 5:17-48 Jesus on hypocrisy in religion: Matt: 6:1-8, 16-21; 7:1-5 No longer I who live: Gal. 2:19-20 Paul on faith working through love: Gal. 5:6 Faith without works is dead: James 2:14-18 Catechism links Word as revelation and truth: CCC 203-217; 456-463 Teaching and law: CCC 425-429; 1961-1974; 2173

Authors Alice Camille

Rules example

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The inner word

12 Feb 2012 - Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle B

"Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ." Saint Paul's words carry a double-command. One is to shape your life around Christ. The other is to be an example for others. How can you more closely imitate Christ? In what ways can you model Christ for others

Imitation example

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Homily stories

25 Apr 2010 - Fourth Sunday of Easter; Good Shepherd Sunday, Cycle C

There seems to be a primordial instinct in most human beings to support the underdog. We read about it in fairy tales like “Jack and the Beanstalk.” We see it in sports with the lithe receiver avoiding the onrushing linebacker twice his size. It happens in politics when the candidate without the clout takes on the political powerhouse and wins. It continues in movies like The Lord of the Rings when Frodo beats unbelievable odds. Two thousand years ago the church began its history as an incredible underdog. There is no good reason—other than their message—for Paul and Barabus to be listened to, much less heard, and ultimately responded to. But they are, to the point of being persecuted. The followers of Jesus are compared to docile sheep protected by the good and powerful shepherd. But we know there was an awesome strength and determination in the early church. Strengthened by the Holy Spirit, aflame with the message of Jesus, the disciples spoke boldly and unafraid. They don’t hesitate in moving on if not listened to. We need to ask ourselves how boldly do our lives preach the gospel of Jesus Christ—at home, in the workplace, with our neighbors. The louder our voices proclaim the Word, the more confident we grow, the closer we come in attaining that life of perfection. And ultimately we will someday join the great multitude that stands before the Lamb of God in heaven forever. Not bad for the underdog.

Authors Father Dominic Grassi

underdogs persecution Evangelization example

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Homily stories

01 Nov 2009 - Solemnity of All Saints, Cycle B

When you look in a mirror do you see God? You should. In more than any other way God is revealed through people. With each act of forgiveness, compassion, and justice we bring God’s face in view. Today we honor the saints and most especially the saints who have no special feast day. This is a day to remember and say thank you to the holy men and women you knew. Selfless, kind, courageous, and creative folks; lovers of life who left a great void in yours with their passing—a mother, father, sister, brother, best friend, teacher, neighbor, aunt, or uncle—not perfect people, but good and true people despite their faults. These unsung heroes are the children of God Saint John speaks of who have gone before, just as we are God’s children now—learning, growing, preparing ourselves for a future yet to be revealed. But it is not a future without hope. We believe that our pain and sorrow will be redeemed and our hunger and thirst satisfied. Indeed we are blessed, and we pray to the saints to remind us of those blessings.

Saints sainthood example

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Vocation: Is invitation enough?

Short essays about observed trends in Roman Catholic life - Pastoral trends

Vocation to priesthood and religious life depends on personal invitation. Studies confirm this. When fewer priests report inviting young men to consider priesthood, for example, the number entering seminary seems to decline. However, there is another, perhaps even more important factor. Vocations depend on inspiring example and personal witness more than simple invitation. This may seem obvious, but it is often overlooked. Young people are looking for qualities of dedication and approachability, a sense of peace and contentment more so than simply being asked to consider a life as a priest, sister, or brother—or as a lay ecclesial minister, or any particular life calling, for that matter. This may suggest that the most we can do to lift up vocations in the next generation, whether vocations to religious life and church service or simply as faithful followers of Christ, will be in how effectively we witness to who we are, rather than what we do. And this conclusion comes out in studies of the clergy. When priests are asked to rate themselves in terms of what they do and the pressures they feel, the result often shows low morale or division. When they are asked the same question in terms of priesthood or their sense of themselves, the result is typically one of high satisfaction and contentment. The question for vocation and for building a church of high commitment may well be in how we can effectively integrate the two.

Authors Bryan Froehle

vocations example

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Exploring the word

09 Feb 2020 - Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle A

When I moved to the desert some years ago, my mother sent me an appropriate housewarming gift. It’s a little lamp molded at the base into an adobe-style house, with a matching lampshade bearing a pleasing Southwestern pattern. When you turn on the lamp, at first you get what’s expected: a wash of light under the lampshade. At the second click, however, the lights also go on in the windows of the little adobe house at the base. A third click leaves you in the dark again—but the lights of the little house are still burning. Friends took to calling this novelty the “pueblo lamp.” I looked up the word recently—pueblo technically means a communal dwelling or even a whole Native American village. But it also refers to a particular native people, or any member of that group. It’s an intriguingly elastic word: a single building, a whole village, a tribe of people, or just one person. I thought of how the word church functions in a similar way—I was about to say “in a similar light.” I am church. We are church together. That building over there is church. And the milieu in which we live and move and have our being is church on a grand scale. Of course, there is another way in which this analogy is helpful. Consider the exchange of light from the greater light of the primary lamp to the humble glow of the “pueblo” house. That, too, is a movement familiar to the church. Called to the light Want to live in the light? Then do justice, says the Lord. Share your bread, shelter the homeless, and clothe the naked. It’s almost commonplace how often people return from a simple work of this nature and declare with amazement, “I got so much more than I gave.” That “so much more,” we could say, is the promised light. When we move into the world’s darkness bringing help and hope, we bear the light with us. It’s not ours exactly, and it’s not us either. Divine justice harbors its own light, and when we consent to surrender to its service, the light has a chance to rise in some of the darkest places around. Like the heart of a man on parole who is resigned to a life of revolving incarceration. Or the soul of a woman crushed by poverty and abuse for as long as she can remember. How about the needs of children who have seen more schools and more failure in the past five years than they can, literally, count? When we find the courage to touch those lives, the glory of the Lord goes ahead of us, and the gloom can indeed become like midday. This “glory of the Lord,” understood as the Shekinah or hidden-yet-manifest presence of the divine, always did function as a light in dark places. Remember the smoking brazier Abraham witnessed on the dark night of covenant, or the burning bush that appeared before Moses. Consider the pillar of fire that stayed with Israel during long desert nights, or the tongues of fire at Pentecost that lit the way for the nascent church. When we travel the way of holiness, we won’t lack for light. Called to be light Jesus calls us the light of the world. That’s an amazing proposition, considering that we regard him in the same way. He dares us to take that light and bathe the whole world with its brilliance. Well, how are we doing? How many people know we are Christians, by our love or by any other means? A fish on the bumper sticker of the car or a smudge of ash on the forehead just isn’t enough. We can wear a cross around our necks or read our Bibles conspicuously during the coffee break, but that doesn’t necessarily shed any light on our convictions. No, the best way to be the light of the world is to shine before others through our example. We are called to be the Christ-bearers, bringing our little pueblo light before us as a testimonial of the greater light of Christ that we have witnessed. If we bear no light in our coming, then we can gesture all we want in the darkness about our faith, and no one will believe us or even comprehend what we are talking about. The only way to reveal the light is to be the light. The piercing of human darkness with a single ray of light is more powerfully convincing than all the religious chatter we are capable of. Saint Paul knew this. That’s why he put the theologizing and catechizing on hold when he went to Corinth. All he brought with him was knowledge of Jesus, and him crucified. That deep knowing led to demonstrations of Spirit and power instead of wisdom talk and religious argument. Sometimes I think the world would be a better place if we stopped talking about religion altogether and lived our creeds instead. Applying the word Shine before all It must be the child in all of us that leads people to play with the pueblo lamp when they come to my house. Click—click—click: The light begins at the top, is shared with the bottom, and is finally left alone in the little house. The smallest light, summoned at that final click, is invariably the most charming. How tiny it is, and yet it dares to speak itself against the entire darkness of the night! The windows of the adobe house burn brightly as if inviting us in. It’s like the porch light at the old homestead, reminding us that we are welcome at any hour. Our lives can become this kind of invitation for others if we leave our Christ-light burning at all times. Each of us, though a small sample of church, is at the same time an ambassador of all that church is meant to be. Christ has shared his light with us so that in our lives, however humble, the promise of that light speaks boldly against the darkness. Even the hour of death is not so dark that the light of Christ cannot pierce it. May our light so shine, now and always. Related scripture links The glory of the Lord: Gen. 15:17; Exod. 3:1-15, 13:21; Ps. 78:14; Ezek. 43:2; Acts 2:3 God is the giver of light: Gen. 1:3-5; Ps. 13:4; Prov. 29:13; Isa. 45:7 Jesus is the light: John 1:9, 3:19-21, 8:12, 9:5, 12:35, 46 We are the light: Luke 16:8b; John 12:36; 1 Thess. 5:5; Eph. 5:8 Other divine associations with light: 1 Tim. 6:16; 1 John 1:5-7

Authors Alice Camille

Light bear light example be the light invitation

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Homily stories

02 Mar 2025 - Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle C

I was an inconsistent student over the years of my formal education. I excelled in some areas and struggled in others. I have come to realize that the teacher often made the difference. My introduction to numbers beyond the basics was high school Algebra I. The teacher was brilliant but had no patience in explaining the steps necessary to learn the concepts because it came easy to him. It remained inaccessible to me because of that. There was no fun or sense of accomplishment. I felt he didn’t want to be there as much as I didn’t. I dreaded every math course after that. On the other hand, my teacher in English II loved to read and write. He found books students our age enjoyed reading and encouraged spirited discussions. He had us writing every day, printed our work, had us read it aloud to the class, and patiently helped us improve our technique. We were having as much fun as he did. That pleasure of reading has stayed with me, and the satisfaction writing gives remains an integral part of my life today. I have also learned that teaching encompasses more than imparting knowledge and skills. Example, enthusiasm, and respect of the subject from the teacher can make a student not just a learner but also a disciple. Often, the disciple will become a teacher as well. We can teach theology, but we help people learn what faith really means by how we live our lives as disciples of Christ.

Authors Father Dominic Grassi

teachers Teaching example

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