Search

Results

Homily stories

23 Jun 2013 - Twelfth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle C

When I went to pick up my 12-year-old daughter, Hannah, from her Friday night drama class, I found her waiting in the theatre with an “Well, now, who is this?” the volunteer asked my daughter as I approached and waived hello. Hannah turned, looked at me, then looked back at the volunteer, and said with a completely straight face, “I’ve never seen her before in my life.” Suddenly I realized I would have a lot of explaining to do. Identity is a funny thing. When it comes right down to it, so much of who we are depends on who others say we are: parent, sibling, loved one, friend. The essence of each of these relationships is not determined by genetics or even long-time association: It is determined by mutual agreement. We acknowledge the relationship we have with the other person and in so doing accept the responsibility the relationship carries. Jesus calls us friends. Do we identify ourselves as such? Would others see us in this light?

Authors Patrice J. Tuohy

identity Belonging friendship

Restricted
Teens screen out relationships

07 Mar 2010 - Preaching the News for Sunday

"I must go over to look at this remarkable sight," Moses decided when an angel of the Lord appeared in fire flaming out of a bush. These days teens are more likely to be drawn to what they see on a screen. A new study suggests that the more time they spend in front of computer or television screens, the more problems they have relating to their parents or peers. Researchers looked at 3,043 New Zealand teens, aged 14 to 15, who provided details about how they spent their free time and how close they were with other people. The more time the teens spent watching TV or using a computer, the more likely they were to report having difficulty forming a relationship or an emotional bond with their parents. The likelihood of having what the researchers called "low attachment" to parents increased 4 percent for every hour spent watching TV and 5 percent for every hour spent using a computer. Teens who spent more time doing homework or reading had a higher level of attachment to their parents, the study authors noted in their report published in the March issue of the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine. There are a number of possible reasons why too much screen time may affect teens' relationships with family and peers, the study authors said. For example, teens who have TVs in their bedroom spend more time watching TV and may share fewer meals with their family. "Given the importance of attachment to parents and peers in adolescent health and development, concern about high levels of screen time among adolescents is warranted," the researchers concluded. "With the rapid advance of screen-based options for entertainment, communication, and education, ongoing research is needed to monitor the effect that these technologies have on social development and psychological and physical well-being among adolescents." Source: An article by Robert Preidt for HealthDay News

teenagers friends low attachment screens computers teens television adolescents parents relationships peers

Restricted
Optimism guarded from friends

21 Apr 2013 - Preaching the News for Sunday

The reading from the Book of Revelation takes a pretty optimistic view of the “great multitude” the author envisioned standing before the throne of the Lamb: “They will not hunger or thirst anymore, nor will the sun or any heat strike them.” Research suggests most of us have an optimistic view of our own futures but only because we assume bad things will happen to others rather than to us.In a study published in the journal Psychological Science, researchers investigated if people’s optimism about the future was influenced by whether they spent time contemplating depressing potential scenarios. They found, not surprisingly, that when people thought about depressing past events they reported feeling unhappy during those times. The reverse was true for happy past events; they recalled those days as periods of well-being and contentment in their lives.When participants imagined the future, however, those rules did not hold. People who thought about positive future events felt happy but people who thought about negative future events still held to their optimism. They assumed that those bad things would not wind up occurring to them or that things would somehow work out for the best.When the researchers asked their subjects to imagine bad things happening to their friends in the future, by contrast, the participants conceded that those negative events would indeed impact their friends’ happiness. The conclusion reached is that we tend to think we will avoid future misfortune, or at least be able to weather it well, but are less optimistic about the prospects of our friends and loved ones.Homily hint: Study after study demonstrates that religious faith and a sense of community are strong indicators of a person’s likelihood of having a positive attitude. Celebrate the hope and optimism at the heart of the Christian message during this Easter season. Source: An article by Smithsonian.com

Optimism friends psychological science

Restricted
Homily themes

13 May 2012 - Sixth Sunday of Easter, Cycle B

Everyone who loves is begotten by God and knows God. To know someone is to love them, the old saying goes, but as scripture points out in so many words, the reverse is also true: To love is know. In love God is revealed, the First Letter of John says—in fact God is revealed to be love, especially in God’s Son, who in turn loves his “friends” who believe in him. With all this love given out, however, comes a command: to love. Love reveals who knows God and who does not. What does that love look like? How can you “know”? It is a sacrificial love. “No one has greater love than this,” Jesus says, “to lay down one’s life for one’s friends”—a love, as Saint Peter learned, that also “shows no partiality.”

Authors Joel Schorn

Love Knowledge sacrifice friendship friends

Restricted
Homily themes

13 May 2012 - Sixth Sunday of Easter, Cycle B

Everyone who loves is begotten by God and knows God. To know someone is to love them, the old saying goes, but as scripture points out in so many words, the reverse is also true: To love is know. In love God is revealed, the First Letter of John says—in fact God is revealed to be love, especially in God’s Son, who in turn loves his “friends” who believe in him. With all this love given out, however, comes a command: to love. Love reveals who knows God and who does not. What does that love look like? How can you “know”? It is a sacrificial love. “No one has greater love than this,” Jesus says, “to lay down one’s life for one’s friends”—a love, as Saint Peter learned, that also “shows no partiality.”

Authors Joel Schorn

Love Knowledge sacrifice friendship friends

Restricted
Homily stories

01 Mar 2009 - First Sunday of Lent, Cycle B

My newest hero is my neighbor across the hall: a public high-school teacher thought of as funny, sensitive, but not all that deep. Brian was on the verge of getting engaged to a beautiful woman, a social worker with a genuine concern for the people she helped. But when they began talking about marriage and children, she was clear about her expectations. He would, of course, have to pursue a different career because they could never raise a family on a teacher’s salary. “How ‘bout law school?” she threw out as a possibility. Brian was taken aback, but he too was very clear: He wanted to be a high school teacher. It was his dream job, his “vocation,” to use his words. He watched his dad die early in a high-powered job that kept his family at a distance, and he didn’t want that for his kids. He also wanted to be there to help other kids. Wow, who knew? We all read him wrong, including his girlfriend. Since she couldn’t get past the money, the relationship ended. But for me, it was the beginning of an even more beautiful friendship. Here was a friend who could teach me about resisting temptation and staying on course—just like Jesus.

Authors Patrice J. Tuohy

teacher engage expectations Vocation friendship Temptation

Restricted
Homily stories

22 Feb 2009 - Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle B

I once saw an ad in a magazine with the headline: “Will it take six strong men to carry you back into church?” Beneath the headline was a picture of pallbearers carrying a coffin up the church steps. I thought of that humorous ad as I read this Sunday’s gospel. Through the crowds, up the roof, through the ceiling, and down to the floor, four friends found a way to get their paralyzed buddy close to Jesus. Moved by the faith of these friends, Jesus healed the one who was paralyzed. Sometimes we need our friends and family to carry us to a place where we will be healed. We may feel unable to step out of our pain, our shame, or our problems. But good friends will find a way to carry us where we might be afraid to go–toward happiness and peace. The carrying might take the form of good-natured teasing. Sometimes it comes in the form of a “good talking-to.” Sometimes it involves a tough-love ultimatum, and sometimes it’s a shower of sweet tenderness. Whatever form this carrying takes, it’s always a matter of those who love us doing what love requires to get us where we belong–close to Jesus.

Authors Tom McGrath

paralyzed good friends family jesus

Restricted
Homily stories

15 Feb 2009 - Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle B

The day after 8th grade my family moved, and all summer long I missed my friends back in the city. So I invited my friend Billy to spend the weekend. Our visit was a bit stilted at first; at 13 we were both changing so drastically. After walking around my new neighborhood (where I knew no one), and playing some card games Billy had learned since I had moved, it was time to get ready for bed. Trying to be casual, Billy asked, “You don’t sleep with a teddy bear, do you?” “Heck no!” I replied, wondering if I’d hid my stuffed animals well enough in the back closet. “Oh,” replied Billy. “I hope it doesn’t bother you that I brought mine along.” He pulled a small, worn bear from his overnight bag. I felt horrible! I’d betrayed my best buddy and was still too afraid of appearing un-cool to do the right thing and drag out my own favorite teddy bear. The rest of the weekend I felt a rift between us. Years later, we met at our high-school reunion. It was great seeing Billy, now a police lieutenant and a good man. We spent the whole time catching up and joking around like old times. Driving home, I reflected on all the time with Billy I’d lost—all because of fear.

Authors Tom McGrath

betrayed friends teddy bear high school

Restricted
Exploring the word

05 Apr 2020 - Palm Sunday of the Passion of the Lord, Cycle A

It has become a nearly dogmatic element of contemporary religious education to assert that Jesus is our friend. We teach this to children, herald it in devotional meditations, sing it in hymns, and hear it wafting down from pulpits far and wide. Of course, it’s not just the bumper stickers that make the claim; no less a resource than the Gospel of John implies that Jesus “lay down his life for his friends.” I’m not in a position to argue that Jesus is not our friend, but I would question the reverse assumption: that we are friends of Jesus or that we even understand the implications of being a friend to Jesus. Consider the historical friends of Jesus whose hearts are laid bare for us in the story of the Passion. One of them turns out to be his betrayer. Another denies multiple times that Jesus has ever made his acquaintance. The rest of his friends are so shaken in their faith that they make themselves scarce at the first sign of trouble. The companions of Jesus are in fact so unreliable that when it comes time for him to carry his cross to his execution, a stranger and foreigner named Simon has to be drafted to shoulder the burden. As Matthew tells the story, Jesus is so bereft of support at his final hour that the last words on his lips are, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” As the revolutionaries abuse him and passersby taunt him, only the women of Galilee stand at a distance and keep vigil with Jesus in his suffering. Numbered among the friends If we claim to be friends of Jesus, then we have to consider seriously how the historical friends of Jesus behaved. They were not a trustworthy bunch, not perceptive or loyal or useful much of the time. They followed him out of amazement, perhaps, or with hopes of bettering themselves should the tide of fortune rise with him. Maybe in time they followed Jesus simply out of habit or because the alternative—returning to a life of mundane fishing with no promise of glory at the end—seemed even drearier than the irregular reception offered to itinerant preachers. If they had any convictions about Jesus or his message mixed into their motivations, these were not solid enough to withstand the threat of personal harm. Clearly, the friends of Jesus were not an admirable bunch. Do we still want to identify ourselves among their number? Regrettably, it would seem, the name is all too appropriate. Most of us are archetypical friends of Jesus: the denying, betraying, cowardly kind. No matter how pure our motivations and convictions about following him, they are dramatically shaken whenever harsh realities impose themselves. We doubt Jesus the moment things go wrong for us: Shouldn’t this friendship shield us in some way from the dark side of life? Doesn’t our alliance with Jesus guarantee a certain tranquility and stability in our fortunes? Don’t we “get” peace in our hearts, protection for our families, a blessing on our country, immunity from disease, anguish, and the power of evil? If it wasn’t true for the group that traveled with Jesus the first time, I’m not sure why we imagine it will be different for us. Models of friendship If we are looking for a clearer understanding of what it means to be a true friend to Jesus, we need look no further than the first two readings. Isaiah tells us about the faithful servant of God who speaks the divine word fearlessly despite rejection and persecution. Beatings and humiliations and disgrace may result, but the true ally of God does not turn a back on the truth. Those who spent three years as the companions of Jesus seemed to be unfamiliar with this prophecy—or perhaps unconvinced by it. They liked the teaching and preaching and display of miracles, but they were unwilling to consider the cost of proclaiming this gospel. The second model of friendship with Jesus is Saint Paul, who knows the cost of the gospel in his own flesh. In the Philippians hymn, he describes the glory and infamy awaiting the Christ. One who bears the form of God takes on the form of a slave. One who contains the fullness of God is persuaded to empty himself to the point of death. The Pauline parabola is traced: What goes down must come up in the paradox of the Kingdom. The one willing to go down in humility is raised up in exaltation. It was this understanding that permitted Paul to go down, again and again, until his final martyrdom. He knew that the only way up is down. The final example of friendship is, of course, the women of Galilee, traditionally among the “uncounted” of every crowd in ancient cultures. They stood in the anonymity of the costume of their gender, unnoticed and irrelevant to most of the men on the scene. Silent witnesses to a great atrocity, by their presence and observation they made the return to the tomb on Easter morning possible. Applying the word Called to friendship When Judas kisses Jesus in the fateful garden, Matthew alone tells us that Jesus responds with an intimate address: “Friend, do what you have come for.” (The other gospels do not use the word friend, and John omits the kiss altogether.) Matthew offers us a rare glimpse of the intimacy with which Jesus holds the sinner even in the moment of love’s betrayal. This bond is not shaken even when we are most false, and we can consider it an invitation to be a real friend to Jesus, as he is to us. In the same way, we can offer our friendship to others even when they do not meet our expectations or live up to our hopes for loyalty, bravery, and integrity. The only way to accept such impossible terms for friendship, of course, is the way Jesus outlined with his words and his life. We have to forgive those who trespass against us, just as Jesus forgives us. Related scripture links Jesus calls us friends: John 15:13-15 Women uncounted: Mark 6:44; Matt. 14:21; Luke 9:14; John 6:10 Other betrayal scenes in the gospels: Mark 14:43-52; Luke 22:47-53; John 18:1-14

Authors Alice Camille

friendship friends of jesus

Restricted
Exploring the word

05 Apr 2020 - Palm Sunday of the Passion of the Lord, Cycle A

It has become a nearly dogmatic element of contemporary religious education to assert that Jesus is our friend. We teach this to children, herald it in devotional meditations, sing it in hymns, and hear it wafting down from pulpits far and wide. Of course, it’s not just the bumper stickers that make the claim; no less a resource than the Gospel of John implies that Jesus “lay down his life for his friends.” I’m not in a position to argue that Jesus is not our friend, but I would question the reverse assumption: that we are friends of Jesus or that we even understand the implications of being a friend to Jesus. Consider the historical friends of Jesus whose hearts are laid bare for us in the story of the Passion. One of them turns out to be his betrayer. Another denies multiple times that Jesus has ever made his acquaintance. The rest of his friends are so shaken in their faith that they make themselves scarce at the first sign of trouble. The companions of Jesus are in fact so unreliable that when it comes time for him to carry his cross to his execution, a stranger and foreigner named Simon has to be drafted to shoulder the burden. As Matthew tells the story, Jesus is so bereft of support at his final hour that the last words on his lips are, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” As the revolutionaries abuse him and passersby taunt him, only the women of Galilee stand at a distance and keep vigil with Jesus in his suffering. Numbered among the friends If we claim to be friends of Jesus, then we have to consider seriously how the historical friends of Jesus behaved. They were not a trustworthy bunch, not perceptive or loyal or useful much of the time. They followed him out of amazement, perhaps, or with hopes of bettering themselves should the tide of fortune rise with him. Maybe in time they followed Jesus simply out of habit or because the alternative—returning to a life of mundane fishing with no promise of glory at the end—seemed even drearier than the irregular reception offered to itinerant preachers. If they had any convictions about Jesus or his message mixed into their motivations, these were not solid enough to withstand the threat of personal harm. Clearly, the friends of Jesus were not an admirable bunch. Do we still want to identify ourselves among their number? Regrettably, it would seem, the name is all too appropriate. Most of us are archetypical friends of Jesus: the denying, betraying, cowardly kind. No matter how pure our motivations and convictions about following him, they are dramatically shaken whenever harsh realities impose themselves. We doubt Jesus the moment things go wrong for us: Shouldn’t this friendship shield us in some way from the dark side of life? Doesn’t our alliance with Jesus guarantee a certain tranquility and stability in our fortunes? Don’t we “get” peace in our hearts, protection for our families, a blessing on our country, immunity from disease, anguish, and the power of evil? If it wasn’t true for the group that traveled with Jesus the first time, I’m not sure why we imagine it will be different for us. Models of friendship If we are looking for a clearer understanding of what it means to be a true friend to Jesus, we need look no further than the first two readings. Isaiah tells us about the faithful servant of God who speaks the divine word fearlessly despite rejection and persecution. Beatings and humiliations and disgrace may result, but the true ally of God does not turn a back on the truth. Those who spent three years as the companions of Jesus seemed to be unfamiliar with this prophecy—or perhaps unconvinced by it. They liked the teaching and preaching and display of miracles, but they were unwilling to consider the cost of proclaiming this gospel. The second model of friendship with Jesus is Saint Paul, who knows the cost of the gospel in his own flesh. In the Philippians hymn, he describes the glory and infamy awaiting the Christ. One who bears the form of God takes on the form of a slave. One who contains the fullness of God is persuaded to empty himself to the point of death. The Pauline parabola is traced: What goes down must come up in the paradox of the Kingdom. The one willing to go down in humility is raised up in exaltation. It was this understanding that permitted Paul to go down, again and again, until his final martyrdom. He knew that the only way up is down. The final example of friendship is, of course, the women of Galilee, traditionally among the “uncounted” of every crowd in ancient cultures. They stood in the anonymity of the costume of their gender, unnoticed and irrelevant to most of the men on the scene. Silent witnesses to a great atrocity, by their presence and observation they made the return to the tomb on Easter morning possible. Applying the word Called to friendship When Judas kisses Jesus in the fateful garden, Matthew alone tells us that Jesus responds with an intimate address: “Friend, do what you have come for.” (The other gospels do not use the word friend, and John omits the kiss altogether.) Matthew offers us a rare glimpse of the intimacy with which Jesus holds the sinner even in the moment of love’s betrayal. This bond is not shaken even when we are most false, and we can consider it an invitation to be a real friend to Jesus, as he is to us. In the same way, we can offer our friendship to others even when they do not meet our expectations or live up to our hopes for loyalty, bravery, and integrity. The only way to accept such impossible terms for friendship, of course, is the way Jesus outlined with his words and his life. We have to forgive those who trespass against us, just as Jesus forgives us. Related scripture links Jesus calls us friends: John 15:13-15 Women uncounted: Mark 6:44; Matt. 14:21; Luke 9:14; John 6:10 Other betrayal scenes in the gospels: Mark 14:43-52; Luke 22:47-53; John 18:1-14

Authors Alice Camille

friendship friends of jesus

Restricted