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Sign & sacrament

13 Apr 2014 - Palm Sunday of the Passion of the Lord, Cycle A

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. For more “Sign & sacrament” material, search the Prepare the Word database by today’s scripture reading, a particular theme, or a special occasion.

Service hero

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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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Exploring the word

08 Jan 2012 - Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord, Cycle B

EPIPHANY IS THE traditional day for the blessing of home and family. The ritual doesn’t require clergy and might be encouraged in your community by offering it on the parish website or printing cards with a simplified version of the ritual from Catholic Household Blessings & Prayers. Surely all of us could benefit from pronouncing over our homes: “Bless this house and all who inhabit it. Fill us with the light of Christ, that our concern for others may reflect your love.” It’s a way to make Epiphany not simply an abstract feast we celebrate but something we experience and fulfill with our lives. Epiphany starts with a star that sheds light on salvation history as a whole. Humanity once walked in darkness but entered a period of startling brilliance and clarity with the coming of Jesus into time. This light was visible to faraway wisdom-seekers from another culture and religious tradition altogether. The magi knew nothing of Isaiah’s prophecies or the images of today’s Psalm 72. They weren’t part of the Hebrew story and did not await a messiah of David’s line to save their nation. Yet light is light, and those who seek the light are most likely to find it. Contrast these favored foreigners with the very parochial King Herod. He was entrenched in the history of Israel and surrounded by religious scholars with ready access to the same scripture and images. He, too, stood under the light of this same star and saw nothing—or at least nothing good. He perceived only the potential threat to his own dominion, and rightly so. The newborn king would wield an authority over human history that would far outlast the edifices of stone built by a wealthy and powerful ruler whose authority would vanish with his last breath. You can go to Israel today and see all that remains of Herod’s rule: one mighty wall of the Temple mount, the ruins of a sea port, even his tomb secreted at the base of a weed-sprouting summer palace. Mighty King Herod felt compelled to hide his tomb for fear his many enemies would desecrate it. He left instructions that people in every noble household would be put to the sword on the day he died. Because he was sure no one would mourn him, he wanted to know at least there would be weeping in Israel at his death. The king Herod feared enough to seek to murder at birth would go on to be loved and adored the world over. Today you can find faithful subjects of Jesus weeping at the image of his cross or pledging their lives in service. This is the Epiphany we both celebrate and live: Once upon a time a star revealed to us the light of the world that can never be put out. Related Scripture links OT use of epiphany: Gen. 35:7; Jer. 29:14; Zeph. 2:11; 2 Macc. 3:24, 30, 5:2-4, 12:22, 14:15, 15:27 NT use (birth of Jesus): Luke 1:78-79; 2 Tim. 1:10; Titus 2:11 NT use (parousia): Acts 2:20; 2 Thess. 2:8; 1 Tim. 6:14; 2 Tim. 4:1-2, 8; Titus 2:12-13 Catechism links Theophany and epiphany: CCC 697, 707 Incarnation: CCC 456-463 Baptism of the Lord as epiphany: CCC 438; 535-37; 1223-1225 Light as symbol of manifestation: CCC 696-697; 1168; 1202

Authors Alice Camille

Epiphany magi Herod star

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In other words

03 Jan 2016 - Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord, Cycle C

After Jesus was born in Bethlehem village, Judah territory—this was during Herod’s kingship—a band of scholars arrived in Jerusalem from the East. They asked around, “Where can we find and pay homage to the newborn King of the Jews? We observed a star in the eastern sky that signaled his birth. We’re on pilgrimage to worship him.” When word of their inquiry got to Herod, he was terrified. Herod lost no time. He gathered all the high priests and religion scholars in the city together and asked, “Where is the Messiah supposed to be born?” They told him, “Bethlehem, Judah territory.” Herod then arranged a secret meeting with the scholars from the East. Pretending to be as devout as they were, he got them to tell him exactly when the birth-announcement star appeared. Then he told them the prophecy about Bethlehem, and said, “Go find this child. Leave no stone unturned. As soon as you find him, send word and I’ll join you at once in your worship.” Instructed by the king, they set off. Then the star appeared again, the same star they had seen in the eastern skies. It led them on until it hovered over the place of the child. They could hardly contain themselves: They were in the right place! They had arrived at the right time! They entered the house and saw the child in the arms of Mary, his mother. Overcome, they kneeled and worshiped him. Then they opened their luggage and presented gifts: gold, frankincense, myrrh. In a dream, they were warned not to report back to Herod. So they found another route, left the territory without being seen, and returned to their own country (from Matthew 2). Taken from The Message: Catholic/Ecumenical Edition by Eugene Peterson (ACTA Publications, 2014 ); actapublications.com; 800-397-2282.

magi Herod

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Homily stories

27 Jan 2013 - Third Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle C

"Miss Jean Louise, stand up. Your father’s passin’.” That line, delivered by the character of Reverend Sykes in To Kill a Mockingbird, is one of the most moving passages in a novel filled with affecting moments. Atticus Finch, the father in question, is a lawyer who has just lost a case that ensures the death of his client, Tom Robinson. But despite his failure, Atticus—a white man in 1930s Alabama—is revered by the black community for agreeing to take on the defense of Robinson, a black man falsely accused of raping a white women. In unison, the men and women viewing the trial from the “colored balcony” stand up out of respect for Atticus as he exits the courtroom at the end of the trial. In 2003 Atticus Finch was voted the greatest hero in American film—ahead of James Bond and Indiana Jones, who, unlike Atticus, never fail to accomplish their missions. As difficult as it is to accept at times, surely each of knows, not only from characters in literature but from the life of Christ, that true heroism has nothing to do with winning and everything to do with love.

Authors Patrice J. Tuohy

Heroism

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More Americans switching cornerstones

03 May 2009 - Preaching the News for Sunday

While today’s psalm speaks of how the “stone rejected by the builders has become the cornerstone,” when it comes to their faith Americans tend not to completely reject cornerstones but simply drift from one to another. According to the results of a survey released Monday by the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life, researchers found that almost three-quarters of Catholics and Protestants who have become unaffiliated with a religion said they had “just gradually drifted away” from their faith. The same number of Catholics and half of Protestants currently unassociated with a faith said that over time they stopped believing in their religion’s teachings. Pew Forum senior fellow John C. Green said that result surprised researchers, who had expected policy disputes or disillusionment over internal scandals--such as the clergy sex-abuse crisis in the Catholic Church--to play more of a role in people’s decision to leave a faith. Among former Catholics who became Protestants, one in five cited the sex-abuse scandal as one of several reasons why they had left the church. But only a small percentage--2 to 3 percent--cited it as the lone reason. “It suggests that what leads people to leave their faith is that, somehow for some reason, it isn’t meeting their needs . . . . Religion becomes less plausible to the person,” Green said. Researchers interviewed non-Christians but focused their analysis on Christians, which provided them with large enough groups to permit close scrutiny, said Pew research fellow Gregory A. Smith. Researchers discovered that the “churn” between denominations among the faithful and formerly faithful was 56 percent. They also found that up to one-third of people who have left their childhood faith have jumped around among three or more other faiths. At the same time, the large and growing number of people who report having no religious affiliation are surprisingly open to religion, researchers said. Contrary to the popular perception that many have embraced secularism, a significant percentage appeared simply to have put their religiosity on pause, having worshiped as part of at least one faith already, and about 3 in 10 said they have not yet found the right religion. “We tend to think that when people leave [religion] they leave,” said Stephen Prothero, chairman of the religion department at Boston University. “But a lot of these unaffiliated are unaffiliated for now.” Source: An article by Jacqueline Salmon for the Washington Post.

religion united states stephen prothero gregory a smith john c green surveys pew forum on religion public life

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Cherokee Nation no longer includes former slaves

28 Aug 2011 - Preaching the News for Sunday

Jesus knew that when he went to Jerusalem he would suffer greatly at the hands of the elders, chief priests, and scribes. The Cherokee Native American people suffered greatly when forced to vacate the eastern seaboard in 1838 in the infamous “Trail of Tears” forced migration Some of them had owned plantations in the South and brought along their slaves on the march to present-day Oklahoma. This week, the tribe officially stripped descendants of those slaves of the right to tribal membership. The Cherokee had voted after the U.S. Civil War to admit the slave descendants to the tribe. But on Monday the Cherokee Nation Supreme Court ruled that a 2007 tribal decision to kick the so-called "Freedmen" out of the tribe was proper. Some 4,000 Indians died during the Trail of Tears, "and our ancestors carried the baggage," said Marilyn Vann, the Freedmen leader who is a plaintiff in the legal battle. A lawsuit challenging the Freedmen's removal from the tribe has been pending in federal court in Washington for about six years. As a sovereign nation Cherokee officials maintain that the tribe has the right to amend its constitutional membership requirements. Removal from the membership rolls means the Freedmen will no longer be eligible for free healthcare and other benefits such as education concessions. Source: An article by Steve Olafson for Reuters

cherokee nation freedmen marilyn vann

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“Super pope” is not a super idea, says Francis

16 Mar 2014 - Preaching the News for Sunday

Jesus makes it clear in this Sunday’s gospel that he is not interested in worldy fame or adulation, as he sternly directs those disciples who witnessed his Transfiguration not to tell of the vision to anyone until after his Resurrection. Pope Francis is also not interested in hero-worship, he made clear in a recent interview.Francis said that media coverage that depicts him as a "superman" is "offensive" because he is just a "normal person." The pope spoke to an Italian newspaper just a week before the first anniversary of his election. He has quickly become enormously popular for his common touch and his directives to church leaders to take a more humble approach.Francis bristled at the adulation he has received. “Depicting the pope as a sort of superman, a sort of star, is offensive to me,” Francis said. "The pope is a man who laughs, cries, sleeps well, and has friends like everyone else; a normal person.”Speaking in the interview about the myth-making of his persona, he explained, “I like to be among the people, be together with those who suffer, visit parishes,” but he debunked one story about him. “Like when it is said, for example, that I leave the Vatican at night to go to distribute food to the homeless. It never crossed my mind. Sigmund Freud said, if I am not mistaken, that every idealization is an aggression,” he said.The pope’s growing popularity has brought four times the number of pilgrims flocking to see him than his predecessor. He was named TIME magazine’s Person of the Year and has graced the cover of Rolling Stone magazine among hundreds of others around the world. His Twitter accounts in nine languages have over 12 million followers and his name is one of the most clicked on the web worldwide. It was also announced today that Pope Francis is also on the list of those who could be chosen to receive the Nobel Peace Prize this year.Homily hint: Much as we might admire Francis’ words and actions, it is essential to not rely on one person to make the world and the church a better place, even someone in so important a position as a pope. Salvation is of the Lord, and the Lord works through all of us. Do your part! Sources: Articles by Phoebe Natanson for Yahoo! News and Claudio Lavanga and Erik Ortiz for NBC News

Humility Pope Francis popularity hero worship

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Homily stories

02 Jan 2011 - Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord, Cycle A

This Sunday's gospel offers two distinct and opposite models to follow: Live like the magi, or live like Herod. While both were eager to find the newborn King, the magi brought gifts; Herod brought death. The magi were motivated by generosity; Herod was motivated by fear and lust for power and control. The magi were willing to be led by the light of a star; Herod followed nothing but his own dark inner drives. The magi gave generously; Herod hoarded greedily. The magi were willing to be changed; Herod remained hard-hearted to the end.

magi Herod Epiphany Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord

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Homily stories

30 May 2010 - Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity, Cycle C

WE IN AMERICA like our heroes, and we especially like them to be bigger than life. Like the faces of the presidents carved on the side of Mt. Rushmore or the hallowed memorials in our nation’s capital, we tend to enshrine them on a scale that is also larger than life. We visit their birthplaces and the battlefields on which they fought and the homes where they lived. We read their own words in autobiographies or the words of others written about them. And while most of these men and women would probably be embarrassed by such adulation, some of them actually fostered such heroic images of themselves, convinced that they had a date with destiny. For every one of these “Winston Churchill” types, however, there was the diminutive Gandhi or the reticent Oscar Romero whose humility actually added to their greatness. No words or pictures are able to capture their true essence. So, can there be any wonder that our faith rests on the belief we hold of God who is so encompassing as to be more than we are able to describe in the human terms we normally use? Our God is at once three persons whose love interacts and animates all life that was and is and will come, God who created us, who walked with us, and whom we find in the core of our hearts. Theologians have written about God’s nature for centuries, yet we call it a mystery. Perhaps it is better to accept the reality of this Trinity and experience it through that love God shares with us rather than try to explain it.

Authors Father Dominic Grassi

heroes mystery trinity

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