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01 Nov 2015 - Solemnity of All Saints, Cycle B

Our community with the saints joins us to Christ, from whom as from its fountain and head issues all grace and the life of the People of God itself. —Lumen Gentium, 1964 Holiness is not the luxury of a few. It is a simple duty for you and for me. –Mother Teresa (1910-1997)

Mother Teresa Saints

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10 May 2015 - Sixth Sunday of Easter, Cycle B

Today is Mother’s Day. An appropriate day to consider the ultimate possibilities of love. Through the centuries, women take the risk of love to bring children into the world. Often in terrible circumstances, under difficult, lonely, economically strained conditions. Women became mothers at the risk of their lives in times past and still in many parts of the world where medical care is sketchy or non-existent. And once the children are born, good mothers continue to put the welfare of their children above their own need for rest, for recreation, for all they might have had without the burden of care for dependent lives. Whether they stay at home with their children or must work outside to provide their care, mothers remain the primary paradigm of constancy in our world. Even mothers who neglect or deny their children prove the paradigm because we expect them to do otherwise. A mother’s love is mythic. If we got it from our mothers it needs no explanation; if we didn’t get it, we may spend our lives looking for it or suffering its lack. Father-love, of course, can be equally heroic and is certainly as mythic, if in distinct ways. Psychologists have only begun to explore how we need our parents, and how we seek to supply parent figures if one or another was absent or inadequate. The happy adult will originally have had, or restored for themselves through mentors, the mythic sources of love and constancy we seem to require at the root of ourselves. And maybe this isn’t so strange, since God is love, and we are God’s children. Love is literally at the root of our identity. We seem to know this and need it as much as air and food and shelter. We’re made from love, and for happiness, according to the most basic catechisms. Unless and until we discover this love for ourselves, we won’t really be happy. Like Augustine said, we’re restless until we rest in ultimate love. So Jesus tells us: Remain in me, as I remain in my Father. How do we find our way to this kind of love, especially if we didn’t experience it originally or lost it along the way? Jesus points us to the one unshakeable command of his Kingdom: Love one another as I love you. It’s no good to lament that we didn’t get the love we needed or don’t get it now if we’re unwilling to give it to those who need it from us. Jesus doesn’t invite us to love each other. He doesn’t recommend that we do. He doesn’t think it’s a good idea. He commands it. Love is an imperative, because the fulfillment of life is impossible without it. Related scripture links Kingdom paradox: Matt. 5:3-11; 11:4-5; 18:4; 19:30; Mark 9:35; Luke 6:20-26; 9:48; 1 Cor. 15:42-44; 2 Cor. 12:9-10 Eye of the needle: Matt. 19:24; Mark 10:25 Travel light: Matt. 10:9-10; Luke 9:3; 10: 4

Authors Alice Camille

Love Mother

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Homily stories

10 May 2015 - Sixth Sunday of Easter, Cycle B

Collecting stuff did not mean a lot to my mother. She easily was able to downsize her possessions when she moved herself into a retirement complex at age 80. Once she started, she never looked back. She took great delight in giving away trinkets, jewelry, statues, curios—and the stories that went with them. After her funeral as we emptied her apartment, my brothers and I remarked how few mementos she had hung onto over the years. So I was surprised when I came across a box of cards and letters we had written to her when we were children. There was one from me from around first grade. A simple red Crayola heart enclosed the words “I love you mom.” I signed my name in pencil smudging some of the letters. The fact that she had saved it brought a tear to my eyes. On this Mother’s Day the scriptures remind us that God is loving and calls us to love in the same way. God’s love comes to us through Jesus. Like a mother’s love it conquers even death itself. And nothing we possess, not even the most precious memento, can come close in value.

Authors Father Dominic Grassi

Love Mother

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11 May 2014 - Fourth Sunday of Easter; Good Shepherd Sunday, Cycle A

Today we pray for vocations—and mothers. Not such a strange pairing because many vocations into this world come by way of mothers. Many learned to say their prayers from their mothers and were brought to Mass (later dragged to Mass) and sacraments and other parish involvements because it was important to their mothers. You learned her values and observed them in her example and maybe that left an impression on you. A lot of you are in church this morning because of the woman we honor society-wide today. But obviously some inherited their religious values from their fathers, or grandmothers, or a significant mentor or friend who made the faith seem so attractive and desirable that they came to the church later. It's probably extremely rare (if it ever happens at all) that someone wakes up one morning and independently has a thought to become a Catholic or to be baptized a Christian. Faith is a gift that comes by way of a giver. As the saying goes, it's caught more than taught. We use "call"-language of invitation or summons to describe the experience. People come to faith because of what they've heard, and their arrival is their response. "Call" is not a singular event. When you enter into relationships with people, you don't get one phone call, one invitation, and never hear from them again. Rather that voice becomes a familiar voice. You come to know everything about that voice because it's a sound you want to hear and to which you leap up in response. The call to Christ is the same way. It doesn't occur once, in baptism, and then fade away. Instead you seek to hear that voice again and again. So you come around to dinner. You share the old stories over and over. You listen for new information and affirm the fundamental intimacy with gestures: rituals of greeting and departure, asking for forgiveness as needed, surrendering forgiveness when asked, handshakes, careful attention, sharing resources, eating a meal of celebration together. Mostly you're present to relationships so that intimacy can deepen. You spend time talking and in silence. You share the events of your lives, the pain and triumph, the hopes and the needs. You build trust through the sheer force of time spent together. When the relationship is real, the sound of that person's voice is something you recognize anywhere: on the phone, in the street, in a shout from across a crowded auditorium or whispered into the darkest hour. Context doesn't matter: That's him, that's her. When you've learned the sound that grace makes in your lives, you'll recognize it anywhere and everywhere. You'll even be surprised how often you're being called by the voice that desires to lead you all the way home.

Authors Alice Camille

Vocation call Mother

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Sign & sacrament

01 Apr 2012 - Palm Sunday of the Passion of the Lord, Cycle B

When we think of heroes we usually think of those who save people through their use of power or force, those who establish empires, those who dominate the competition—think Superman, Alexander the Great, Michael Jordan. But Jesus broke the mold when it comes to heroes. He shows us another way to live a heroic life: emptying ourselves in service to others—think Mother Teresa, Saint Francis of Assisi, Archbishop Oscar Romero. The Easter story teaches us that when we pour ourselves out for the sake of others, our resulting “emptiness” allows us to rise to the very heavens.

hero Service Mother Teresa saint francis archbishop oscar romero

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01 Jan 2012 - Octave Day of the Nativity of the Lord; Solemnity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of God, Cycle B

There’s no intrinsic reason why a new year should be any different from an old one. While we’re conscious of having turned a page on a whole new calendar, New Year's Day is really no more than just another sunrise. Still, we greet each new year with hope for the chance to be born again to new life and possibilities. We pray for a peaceful world. We anticipate new beginnings. We make resolutions to quit smoking, exercise more, eat better, make better decisions for ourselves and those we love. This could be the year we finally keep our promises. If we look back at past years and former resolutions that began bravely and ended miserably, we might be discouraged. Starting over in a new town, we may wind up with the same old problems if we change only the outer circumstances and not the inner person. Newness of life is not achieved by rearranging the deck chairs while remaining aboard a ship bound for disaster. If we drink too much, we have to give up the booze, period. If we cheat, we have to come clean and go straight. If we’ve been tepid in our family life, we have to resolve to commit. If we’re morally lazy, we have to pledge to be ambitious for virtue. If we don’t pray, now’s the time to start. If we’re depressed or anxious, we should seek professional support and guidance. If our goals are fuzzy, we should seek spiritual direction and discernment. If we’re lonely, we can seek community in parish involvement, faith-sharing, or volunteer work. Why today? Why not some other day? Precisely because we live in a human society that offers mutually established markers for the measurement of time and progress. Now is the time; now is always the time, if we understand anything about the magnificent present tense of the “I AM” God we worship. God blesses today because today is where we always find ourselves. Today is the most important day of our lives because it’s the day in which we live and move and have our being. Yesterday’s gone; tomorrow is no sure thing. Today is the only day in which you can make a difference. So may the Lord bless us and keep us, shine the divine face on us, and be gracious to us this day and the coming year. And may Mary, Mother of God and mother of the church, surround us with her nurturing love and guidance. We can follow her example, pondering our present circumstances in our hearts and seeking understanding of where we stand and where we might yet be led. Take time to determine today what needs changing and resolve to take that first step into a brave and blessed new future. Related scripture links Infancy narratives in Matthew and Luke: Matt. 1:18-2:23; Luke 1:26-56, 2:1-52 The Woman in John: John 2:1-12, 19:25-27 Mary at Pentecost: Acts 1:13-14, 2:1-4 Catechism links Natures of Jesus: CCC 464-469 Mary, Mother of God: CCC 144; 484-507; 721-726 Mary, Mother of the Church: CCC 773; 829; 963-972

Authors Alice Camille

Mary resolutions new year resolutions mother of god

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Who's listening?

17 Jul 2011 - Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle A

The readings this week spread a banquet of opportunities to reach the people to whom you preach. The wonders of divine wisdom. The spirit that helps us to pray and discern our hearts. And the gospel offers not one but three parables, as well as an explanation of a parable. To focus on one: Every person in the assembly has the potential to be a good seed. "Do small things with great love," Mother Teresa said. Encourage the people to do the same. Tell them how even the smallest thing, like a mustard seed or a pinch of yeast, can make a big difference in helping to build the kingdom of God.

mustard seed parables Mother Teresa

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27 Feb 2011 - Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle A

Many of the women in the assembly will be mothers, and many of those mothers will be tired, especially if their children are young! Sunday Mass may be one of the few moments of relatively quiet time in their week. They who nourish all week come to be nourished in turn. Today's psalm refrain of resting in God will fall on receptive ears, and Isaiah comparison between God's steadfastness and that of a mother for her infant will be welcome news. Mothers understand all about being faithful servants as they attentively serve the many needs of their young ones. And while children may, per the gospel's counsel, be free of concern about where their next meal is coming from or what they will wear tomorrow, it is only because their mothers and fathers have taken care of those details. Give a nod this Sunday in the direction of all mothers--and all other adults who tend to the needs of the youngest and most vulnerable among us. Let them know God will not forsake them in their travails nor forget the sacrifice they make to nurture new life to strength.

mothers faithful servants caretaker nurture

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Homily stories

18 Jan 2015 - Second Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle B

Mothers hear everything. They detect the slightest whisper of change in a baby’s breathing; the tiny whine that will lead to a wail if a toddler’s food or sleep doesn’t come quick; the worry and angst in a teenager’s sullenness; the heartbreak and confusion in a young adult’s short temper. It’s not that moms are endowed with supersonic powers. They have simply mastered the art of good listening, which begins and ends with love. Out of love, they pay attention to the patterns and pulses in their children’s lives. Out of love they respond to spoken and unspoken needs. That type of deep listening is not reserved for moms alone. Any relationship benefits from good listening, and it is absolutely essential to being Christian. Many may hear Jesus’ call, but only those who are listening with loving and open hearts will know to stop what they are doing and follow where Christ leads.

Authors Patrice J. Tuohy

mothers listening moms Love

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02 Mar 2014 - Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle A

WHEN MOTHER TERESA'S Sisters first started to care for the babies left on their doorsteps in India, they weren’t very successful. Despite comfortable cribs with clean sheets in bright and cheery nurseries, the little ones were turning their faces to the wall and not even tasting the nutritious food offered them. What was missing? Many of them wasted away and died despite all that the sisters were doing for them. When Mother Teresa saw what was happening, she gathered the sisters around her and told them that no matter how busy they were, no matter what other responsibilities beckoned them, they were to take time every 15 minutes or so to do nothing more than hold each of the children, hug them, kiss them, talk to them, rock them. Following her instructions they found in only the matter of a few days that the children started to respond and then to eat and to laugh and ultimately to thrive. It was being touched, loving touches like a mother’s, which made the difference. Like a loving mother our God holds us and like a protecting father clothes and feeds us so that we, too, can thrive.

Authors Father Dominic Grassi

Mother Teresa

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