33rd Sunday of Ordinary Time, Cycle A - November 19, 2017

33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time

Cycle A

Saint Mary Parish, Pylesville 4:00pm and 8:00am

Saint Matthew Parish, Baltimore 11:00am

November 19, 2017

The Giftedness of Children

There is a story about a young man named Brian.

Brian always loved to tinker with mechanical devices.  As a 6-year old, he took apart a remote-control toy car.

At age 9, Brian helped his dad fix the lawn mower.  In high school, he spent hours rebuilding computer equipment.

And as a young adult, Brian had already become a sound technician for a theatre company.  His parents steadily encouraged him from a very young age.

But, Brian, in his school years, was never labeled as “gifted.”  The definition of the “gifted child” was traditionally limited to the top 5 to 10% of children who achieved high test scores and excelled in school.

No question, these children are gifted, but, there may be hundreds of other ways for children to be gifted.  Today, educators and psychologists tell us that nearly all children have special gifts.

Children may display their giftedness through words, numbers, music, sports, technical skill, social interaction, intuitive insight, creativity, and on it goes.  Many professionals now say that all children have gifts and they just vary from one child to another.

Our Gifts and the Gospel

I first came across these insights in an article that is entitled Fifty Ways to Bring Out Your Child’s Best. 

This has led me to see today’s gospel parable from a slightly different perspective.  Instead of reflecting on our use of our own gifts, I am thinking about how we can encourage others, especially children, in using their gifts.

The article that I cited gives 50 ways to bring out the best in a child, your own child or a grandchild or a godchild.  This morning I want to share just 5 of these with you.

Five Ways to Bring Out the Gifts

First, look for what really interests children.  Be alert to what captures their attention in a positive way.

These interests may say a lot about where their gifts are.  By being alert to this, we are in effect letting children discover their own giftedness. 

In today’s gospel parable, the number of talents – 5, 2 or 1 – does not just mean having more or less talent than others.  These numbers can also represent different kinds of gifts and our task is to help children identify their own unique gifts.

Second, encourage children, but do not push or pressure them too much.  If we do that, they may become too stressed and not even develop their gifts.

The master in today’s parable does not pressure.  He simply gives his servants the gifts and the opportunities to use them.

Third, allow children to make some mistakes.  If they have to do everything perfectly, they may never take the risks necessary to discover and develop their gifts.

It’s good to assist a child in realizing a mistake and learning from it.  But first, we need to allow some appropriate freedom to make mistakes.

And the fourth rule is connected with this: don’t criticize children in a way that puts them down.  Instead, give them encouragement and constructive criticism.

These two rules – 1) allowing children to make some mistakes and 2) not putting them down – are borne out in the third servant in the gospel parable.  He feels afraid and intimidated and the result is that he does not use and develop his gifts.

And the fifth rule: accept children as they are.  Maybe your son is musically inclined and does not have a lot of athletic ability.

Or maybe your daughter is more into computers than dance.  The important thing is to take children as they are, because that will be the best environment for using the gifts they have been given and for becoming the persons God intended them to be.       

Conclusion

So, these rules will help us to bring out the best in our children and help them to identify and use their gifts.

32nd Sunday of Ordinary Time, Cycle A - November 12, 2017

32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time

 Cycle A

Saint Mary Parish, Pylesville 4:00pm and 8:00am

Saint Matthew Parish, Baltimore 11:00am

November 12, 2017

Sand in an Hourglass

There is a story about a little, seven-year-old girl who lived near the beach.

Her grandfather also lived near there and she loved him very much.  He had a beautiful hourglass and this little seven-year-old liked to turn it upside down and watch the sand steadily flow from the top glass bulb though the narrow opening into the bottom bulb.

Her grandfather once told her that the hourglass reminded him of time – that time was limited and precious.  Well, this particular year, Christmas was coming.

This little girl’s mother told her that her Grandpa was in the hospital and was very sick.  He might even die.

The little girl asked what that meant.  And her mother explained that life was something like Grandpa’s hourglass and that there was very little sand left in the top bulb to flow into the bottom.

Well, her mother suggested that she make a special Christmas gift that they could take to Grandpa.  So the little girl excitedly went to work on her gift.

When they got to the hospital, she gave her Grandpa a little wrapped box.  He slowly unwrapped it and looked inside and just smiled.

He immediately understood.  His little granddaughter had filled the box with sand.

The Story of the Bridesmaids

Well, if it were only that easy!

If only we could extend our days and time by adding more sand to our hourglasses!  But, of course, we cannot!

Today’s parable of the bridesmaids addresses this very issue.  There are three important lessons.

Lesson 1: Prepare

First, each of us must prepare for the moment when we will meet God face to face.

We must do this for ourselves.  No one can do it for us.

We see this in the refusal of the five wise bridesmaids to share their oil with the others.  This is not an issue of being selfish.

Instead, it is about being prepared.  These bridesmaids did not share their oil because they could not share this kind of oil.

This is the oil of personal preparation, the oil of who we have become as persons in the course of our lives.  We can encourage one another, but ultimately each one of us must do this preparation for ourselves.

 Lesson 2: Watch the Time

The second lesson is to watch the time.

There are only so many grains of sand in the hourglass.  We see this in the inability of the five foolish bridesmaids to go and buy oil for themselves.

Obviously, it was midnight and the stores were closed.  And that is exactly the point: it was too late!

The moment had come, the groom and bride were arriving and there was no more time to prepare.  This will be true for each one of us at some moment.

So, we need to watch the time and be ready today.  We need to live as if today were our day to meet the Lord face to face.

Lesson 3: Be a Light

And then the third lesson is that we must be about light.

Psalm 36 in the Old Testament praises God by saying: “In your light we see light.”  The idea is that we need to allow ourselves to be drawn into the light of God.

And then, with this light, we can see light in the world and bring light to one another.  “In your light we see light.”

We see this in the oil lamps that the bridesmaids are to keep burning brightly.  We are to be and to bring light in our world.

This is a helpful way for understanding the kinds of things we are to do, like just being there for a young person who is struggling with an identity issue or like advocating for health care for everyone.  These are examples of ways we can be light and keep our lamps burning brightly.

Conclusion

So,

1.    Prepare. 

2.    Watch the time.

3.    And be a light. 

Valuable lessons and reminders in today’s gospel story!

Solemnity of All Saints, Cycle A - November 1, 2017

Solemnity of All Saints

Cycle A

November 1, 2017        4:00pm

Saint Mary’s Seminary and University

Day of Recollection

The Saints Inspire

I cannot be exactly like Saint Francis of Assisi. 

But he does inspire me to live more simply and to be at peace with others and with all of God’s creation.  In this way, Francis of Assisi leads me to embrace Jesus’ lifting up of “the peacemakers,” whom he calls “children of God.”

I cannot be exactly like Saint Teresa of Calcutta. 

But she does move me to care for those who are hurting and look out for the little person who has less than I have.  In this way, Teresa of Calcutta leads me to embrace Jesus’ lifting up of those “who are merciful,” those who have compassion and empathy for others.

I cannot be exactly like Saint Maximilian Kolbe. 

But he does inspire me to sacrifice at times my own comforts or preferences for the good of others, maybe for the common good of all.  And in that way, Maximilian Kolbe leads me to embrace Jesus’ lifting up of those “who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness.”

And I cannot be exactly like Saint Catherine of Siena.

But she does move me to speak out for what I believe is the right thing to do or the wiser course of action.  And in that way, Catherine of Siena leads me to embrace Jesus’ lifting up of those “who hunger and thirst for righteousness.”    

   

Saint John XXIII

I think you can see what I am getting at.

Pope, Saint John XXIII put it this way.  He said: “From the saints I must take the substance, not the accidents, of their virtues.” 

He was using the Thomistic philosophical concepts of substance and accidents.  To put it very simply, the substance is what something or someone essentially is, and the accidents are features that are not necessarily part of the substance.

It’s like saying that the substance of a wine bottle is glass shaped in such a way that it will hold liquid.  The accidents are its height and color and features like that.

So, Saint John XXIII was telling us to take the substance of the virtues of the saints – like the simple peacefulness of Francis of Assisi.  Take that and not so much the literal way the saints lived out the virtues.

So, take their core virtues and embrace them with our own personality and according to our own vocation and in our own life circumstances.  If we do that, the saints will help to mold us in the way of the Beatitudes and make us more and more like Jesus.

30th Sunday of Ordinary Time, Cycle A - October 29, 2017

30th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Cycle A

October 29, 2017

8:00 am at Saint Mary Parish, Pylesville

11:00 am at Saint Matthew Parish, Baltimore

Learn to Love

Some years ago, I came across a book by a psychologist named Daniel Allender.

Doctor Allender writes tells about a conversation he had with a man named Tom.  They were sitting next to each other on an airplane and Daniel tells Tom that he is on his way to give a presentation about love and forgiveness.

Tom admits that we all need to be reminded of these things, but then he quickly focuses on his career.  He states that what pleases him most about his children is their intense focus on career and success.

Tom also mentions that his three children have been through a total of five divorces.  He has not seen some of his grandchildren for years.

Doctor Allender asks him if it might be important to teach his children how to love and maintain commitment.  Tom responds that he just figured that his children would learn this naturally, on their own.

Allender concludes that often we do not naturally know how to be loving persons.  We need to be taught and we need to teach our children how to love.

How to Love

This psychologist makes an excellent point in relation to today’s gospel.

Jesus gives us the two great commandments of love.  But the question is: how do we love?

How do we love God and love one another?  This morning I want to offer a few some recommendations.

 

How to Love God

First, I think the primary way of loving God is by praying. 

Our coming to Mass, really giving of ourselves to this and participating in it as best we can is an expression of our love for God.  Our desiring to receive Communion and realizing that this is the heartbeat of our life is part of this. 

And then, we love God by praying privately, personally on our own.  Some kind of prayer every day is a real expression of our love for God. 

It could be reading a short passage from the gospels and just letting that be with us through the day.  Or it could be praying the rosary or part of it.

It could be speaking to God in our own words – maybe just thanking God for something or someone each day.  So, weekly Mass and daily prayer – that’s a primary way for how to love God.

How to Love Others

And then, how are we to love one another?

On an interpersonal level, we need to approach relationships with the expectation that they take some work.  This is true of marriage, of parent-child relationships, of friendships and on it goes.

For example, we need to try to listen and to understand the thoughts and feelings of others.  And often we need to process our own thoughts and feelings silently before we speak, and then express ourselves thoughtfully, and not in an “in-your-face” way.

We also need to “love one another” on the wider level of our society in general.  For example, to take a hot-button issue, we as a country need a sensible immigration policy. 

I do not know what that policy should be, but we do need a policy.  And, in this policy, we need to do what we reasonably can to help others.

Look at the Lord’s words in the first reading.  He warns his people not to oppress aliens because you were once aliens yourselves.

The Lord concludes his statement by saying “I am compassionate” and he calls us to be compassionate.  So, we need to refrain from negative stereotyping or demeaning people from Syria or Kenya or Mexico or wherever they come from.

We need to want to do what we can to help.  This is also part of how to love one another.

Conclusion

So, an important theme today and I hope these “how-to-love” ideas are of some help.