Brief Articles - Parish Life
January
16, 2000 – Gifts
and Talents
May 23, 1999 – Councils and Controversy
September 27, 1998 – Ministry in the World
September 20, 1998 – Baptized to Serve
September 6, 1998 – Why Bother?
August 16, 1998 – The Importance of Each and Every
July 26, 1998 – Centrality of the Parish
March 29, 1998 – The Scrutines
March 15, 1998 – RCIA & the Elect
January
16, 2000 – Gifts
and Talents
Last weekend we had the opportunity, on the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord, to reflect on this event which marked the beginning of Jesus’ public ministry. The Lord’s Baptism cannot help but remind us of our own, and the fact that this sacrament unites us to the life and death and rising of our Lord Jesus Christ.
This draws us right into the topic of Stewardship. To refresh our memories, Stewardship is based on the fact that our lives, talents, abilities, and yes, our possessions, truly belong to God. They are not ‘our property’ to simply do with as we will. Rather, we are responsible to God for the way in which we live our lives, use our talents, and make our choices throughout our time on this earth.
Several Gospel passages make this clear to us, with servants being entrusted with their master’s property. Upon his return, he called them in for an accounting, and judged them according to their use of the items that had been entrusted to their stewardship.
At the heart of stewardship of time and talent is our service to our parish. This weekend, you will find an insert in the bulletin, which provides you with opportunities for service. In addition, there is a space on the back for you to suggest other ways in which you might become a more active member of our faith community.
I’m quite aware of the challenge this call to ministry presents to a number of people. One thing it does is call us away from the ‘McDonald’s model’ of church membership. The ‘McDonald’s’ mindset basically sees various church parishes as interchangeable as the various burger drive-thru’s. One is no different from another, and one drives up to the one that is convenient, picks up a Sunday’s worth of Mass attendance, and goes on one’s merry way. While certainly convenient, it is not the kind of attitude that builds faith, and strengthens faith communities.
Stewardship demands, by its very nature, a commitment. It means actually letting the fact that I am a Catholic affect the routine of my life. At the same time, like any commitment to something worthwhile and life-giving, it will also bring its own rewards.
Hand in hand with stewardship goes discernment. Our responsibilities to God are not the only responsibilities in our lives. We have family and work and other activities which are certainly legitimate, and valuable. Discernment is the task of reflecting on how I can balance my various commitments and activities. Sometimes it isn’t easy. That’s why parish ministry is not ‘one size fits all’. It’s up to each of us to look at our lives, our talents and abilities, and other responsibilities, and discern how we can be of service.
May 23, 1999 – Councils and Controversy
In recent weeks, we have been hearing in the Scripture readings at Mass about the early days of the Church. The Gospel passages have focused first on the accounts of the resurrection appearances in the early part of the Easter Season. Of late, we have been hearing a from what is known as the Farewell Discourse, those chapters of John’s Gospel which relate Jesus’ final instructions, promises and prayers for his chosen ones.
In the other two readings, we’ve heard more about the later years, as the Church grew and developed. We’ve heard of great numbers of conversions, with entire households being baptized into the faith and Saul, to be know as Paul, knocked off his horse by a blinding light. We’ve also heard of discussions and controversies, as the early Church worked out in very practical ways what it would mean to be the People of God here on earth.
One central event in those early years was what came to be known as the Council of Jerusalem. This was a gathering of the Apostles in Jerusalem with Paul and his co-workers to seek to resolve a major disagreement amongst them. We all know that the Catholic Church had its roots in the Jewish religion, so that we call ourselves a Judeo-Christian religion. But in those first years, it was unclear whether one had to actually convert to Judaism in order to be a follower of Jesus. The Council of Jerusalem was called to resolve this controversy, which was done in the midst of prayer and discussion. As we know today, one need not be Jewish in order to be Catholic.
This was but the first of a number of such Councils to be held by the Church, the most recent of which we know as the Second Vatican Council (1962-65). Each and every one of these councils gathered together the leaders, the bishops, of the Church. They prayed and discussed, and made decisions, all aimed at furthering the mission of the Church. Sometimes actual reforms were put into place, sometimes teachings were clarified. These Councils remain a rich Tradition for us, as we both look back and go forward.
No matter what the century, the site or the issue, each of these Councils had one central thing they shared: They gathered and deliberated and decided under the guidance and inspiration of the Holy Spirit. This was the Spirit that Jesus himself had promised he would send. This was the same Spirit who’s coming upon the Apostles we celebrate on this Pentecost Sunday.
There are not many institutions existing today which began some 2000 years ago. The Catholic Church is one of the few. Sometimes is it amazing that we have survived the trials and tribulations and persecutions that have come our way. But the Church is not merely a human institution. It is a divine reality, present in the world, graced by God, taught, led and inspired by the Sprit. That’s why we’re still here!
September 27, 1998 – Ministry in the World
Looking back on some things I’ve been preaching about and writing about over the last few weeks, I’ve realized that it all needs a ‘part two’. We’ve been recruiting religion teachers, which of course is essential to our parish life. We’re also looking right now for more people to serve as Eucharistic Ministers, Lectors and Altar Servers. These are wonderful tasks in our church, and are necessary to our ongoing work as a parish.
The ‘part two’ of all this is our ministry as Catholics does not end at the Church doors. There are other ministries, outside the parish, having their own dignity and value. Given our emphasis of late on internal parish ministries, I wouldn’t want to give the impression that this is all there is.
Let’s begin with our celebration of the Eucharist, the ‘source and summit’ of our life together as Catholics. While nothing can take the place of the Mass in our common life as a parish family, being ‘source and summit’ does not mean that is all there is. The mass itself makes this clear. At the end of Mass, we are not told, “Let’s just all stay here and feel close to God”. Quite to the contrary, we are literally dismissed. We are sent out. ‘Let us go in peace, to love and serve the Lord’, which of course includes serving our neighbor. We are challenged to take what we’ve received there in Church, and bring it with us out into the world.
How do we do that? First and foremost, it’s not something we do by abandoning our daily responsibilities and commitments. As Catholics, we are called to live up to those, including our involvement with school, work, family, and community. On the surface it might seem that we are doing the same thing everybody else is.
But we are not. We are going out into the community, to school, to work, precisely as Catholics. We have certain values and beliefs as Catholics, and we do not leave those at the door of the Church. We let those beliefs and values shape and form our work and study, and our lives together as family.
For example, last weekend at each Mass, we gathered input for the Milton Civic Organization regarding Picard Park. We did this not just because we want a better park, but because as a Church community, we are called to be involved with and committed to the broader community.
Likewise with work, we should work at our jobs as Catholics. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if in any and every company considering some unscrupulous business practice, they would say, ‘Oh, we cannot ask John and Sally to do this. They wouldn’t do this because they’re Catholic’. Consider what a witness that would be to the world!
Why is this so important? Because the world desperately needs that witness. We gather and worship together, ministering to each other, so that we might then go out, and minister to the world.
September 20, 1998 – Baptized to Serve
I remember it was the summer before my Junior Year in high school. One of our high school religion teachers, Harold Lachaussee called me about attending a retreat for high school students in our parish. As a matter of fact, he called twice. Though he certainly didn’t know it at the time, those phone calls were the beginning of a process that led to my entering the seminary, and some 10 years later, being ordained a priest for the Diocese of Lafayette.
Two phone calls. Sometimes that’s all it takes. One of the amazing things about ministry in the Church, any ministry, is that we never know what results our efforts will have. Often, sometimes without even our knowing it, the results go far beyond what we had imagined possible.
How is this possible? The very commitment to ministry in the Church is necessarily an opening of our hearts and minds and souls to the activity of God’s grace. We create a space where God can come in and do what He wills, becoming instruments of his saving action in the world. Like the clay in the hands of the potter, or the instrument in the hands of the musician, we allow ourselves to be used to create something beautiful for God.
This is true of each and every ministry in the Church. There is no way we could do what we do in the name of Jesus without God’s grace empowering and enabling us. In his 1988 letter on the ministry of the lay faithful, Pope John Paul II had this to say:
“The Second Vatican Council, in particular, with its rich doctrinal, spiritual and pastoral patrimony, has written as never before on the nature, dignity, spirituality, mission and responsibility of the lay faithful. And the Council Fathers, re-echoing the call of Christ, have summoned all the lay faithful, both women and men, to labour in the vineyard: "The Council, then, makes an earnest plea in the Lord's name that all lay people give a glad, generous, and prompt response to the impulse of the Holy Spirit and to the voice of Christ, who is giving them an especially urgent invitation at this moment. Young people should feel that this call is directed to them in particular, and they should respond to it eagerly and magnanimously. The Lord himself renews his invitation to all the lay faithful to come closer to him every day, and with the recognition that what is his is also their own (Phil 2:5) they ought to associate themselves with him in his saving mission.”
In recent weeks, we have been seeking our religion teachers for our parish religious ed program. It would be very easy to see this as a burden, as one more thing that must be done. Likewise, we are now looking for people to server as Communion Ministers, Lectors and Altar Servers.
Isn’t it more accurate to see all of this as an opportunity for each and every person to unite themselves with the ministry of Christ in the Church? In one sense, one purpose of the parish is to create opportunities for people to put their gifts and talents at the service of the Church. We call that stewardship. It is not burden. It is opportunity, a chance to become instrument of God’s grace at work in the world.
In light of the Holy Father’s words quoted above, one could say that the question has changed. We no longer ask, “Should I serve the Church?” Rather, our question, as Catholics baptized into the Body of Christ, is, “How is God calling me to serve the Church, today?”
September 6, 1998 – Why Bother?
Why do we bother? I mean with all this Church stuff. We’ve got so much going on right now, with the beginning of our yearly programs, and with the normal other stuff that goes on, day by day. Some of it is frustrating. Time is running short, and we still need teachers for CCD. Registrations continue to trickle in. A rather strange and disturbing call about a wedding came in the other day. Every now and then, the attitude we encounter is of minimalism: What’s the least I can do and still get by? Why do we bother?
Well, the first thing to do is to open our eyes to the flip side of all that. While we still need teachers, many of our parishioners have volunteered. The vast majority of our parents have registered their children, even shelling out cash for the privilege. Our RCIA team is gearing up to share the faith with new members. Expectant parents come to our baptism seminar, and engaged couples attend marriage prep courses. Our parish council took a whole morning recently to reflect on our mission as parish church. Probably 180 people came out to our parish social, just to be with and share a meal with their fellow Catholics. Our Ladies Altar Society, Knights of Columbus, St. Vincent de Paul folks still meet, and put their energy into our parish. People keep popping up wanting to donate this or that, just to help others. Our ministers of music, communion, the Word and serving at the altar continue to show up, and freely offer their service. We have people who get out in the hot sun, and by the sweat of their brow, beautify our grounds. Sunday after Sunday people fill our church, coming to worship.
I’ll stop there, not because there isn’t more that could be said, but simply because I think you get the point. The amount of commitment, energy, and effort that abounds in our parish is staggering. So much good is happening.
So back to the original question: Why do we bother?
There’s no sociological study needed. The answer is staring us right in the face, jumping out at us from the Scriptures, nourishing us at the altar, visible in the faces and actions of our brothers and sisters in Christ. We bother, because God loves us. That’s it. That’s the core, the heart of it all. Call it simplistic, call it naive, call it whatever. Isn’t that what it comes down to? God loves us.
We need to know and believe that. Sometimes, we wonder, but we don’t turn back. We stay the course. We not only need to know that ourselves, but we also want others to know it. So we share that good news with our children, and our spouses, and our friends and our neighbors. They need to know it, too.
God knows we need to revel in his love. That’s why he sent Jesus. To show us that love. A love so great that He even died for us. That’s why we bother.
August 16, 1998 – The Importance of Each and Every
Sometime recently (and I don’t remember where), I ran across this story, which I found striking: Out of pure generosity, a man donated an entire church to a poor village which had lost their previous building to a fire. He provided everything, inside and out: the building itself, seating, furnishings, sacred vessels and vestments. When finally completed, the people of that town entered and were amazed. Someone noted, however, that there were no lights in the building. But their benefactor had thought of that, too. To each family in the village, he gave a lamp, which they were to keep at home, and bring to Church when they came to worship. There were places on the walls to hang the lamps. With the church filled, the building was filled with light. Of course, when anyone was absent, that part of the building was dark, a clear reminder that the community was missing someone and something important: their presence and support.
This story illustrates but one element of the great mystery that is the Church. We begin with Christ, who founded the Catholic Church on the apostles, the first to proclaim the good news of salvation to the world. Christ’s gift of his Holy Spirit has kept the the church alive and enlivened throughout the many generations of believers who have gone before us.
Founded on Christ, the Church has been led by the Spirit over the centuries to develop a structure and organization to continue Christ’s work. This is the institutional aspect of the Church, with the Holy Father sitting in the Chair of Peter, building up the unity of the Church, in charity and grace. In union with him are all the Bishops, spread throughout the world. These participate in the three-fold mission of Christ, to teach, to sanctify, and to govern. Because we are not only a spiritual society, but also a human one, we have rules and policies that help us to live together in harmony.
There is also of course the aspect of the Church that we call the People of God. This is made up of all the members of the Body of Christ, scattered throughout the world. This People is given visible expression in the local parish, where we come together, to celebrate our faith, to learn of our faith, to share faith with others.
It is on that local level that most of us experience the Church the most. It is here that the mission of Christ is carried out on a day to day basis. We are members of the Church not simply for our own benefit, or purely for our own salvation. We are Church that we might be busy about the mission of Christ, bringing the good news to the poor, liberty to captives, to announce a year of favor from the Lord. Every time we conclude the celebration of Mass, we are sent out, to be that People of God. We take our lamps from the wall, and carry them out into the world.
July 26, 1998 – Centrality of the Parish
In the 10th chapter of Paul’s letter to the Romans, verse 14, we read the following: “But how can they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how can they believe in him of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone to preach?”
If we call on the Lord, it is because we believe. And if we believe, it is because we have heard his Word, inviting us into a life according to the Gospel. And if we have heard that saving Word, it because someone proclaimed it to us, that we might hear, and believe.
In its own way, this passage speaks to us of the necessity of the Church in God’s plan of salvation. Jesus did not return to the Father without setting aside those who would continue his work. Faithful to that commission to go out and preach the good news, the message of the Gospel has been handed down through the ages, from generation to generation, in the ongoing ministry of the Church.
We are those who have benefited from that ministry, the hearers of that Word. Likewise, we are called to continue that work in our own time.
We do this in the context of membership in the Church. The Second Vatican Council re-affirmed our status as the People of God. As a part of that People, we share in the continuation of the work of Christ himself.
None of this happens in a vacuum. Over the centuries, the Church has developed a structure to make possible that work, including the Holy Father in Rome, the various dioceses throughout the world each served by a Bishop, and of course, the thousands of parishes, where the People of God gather to worship, and to be fed at the Table of the Lord.
It is precisely in the local parish where that work is actually carried out. As Paul made clear in the quote above, the faith we bear does not just drop out of the sky.
One thing which is not good for our spiritual growth is to simply belong nowhere, hopping from parish to parish for Sunday Mass, without any involvement or commitment. We deny ourselves the benefits of belonging to a community of faith.
Taking all this into account, we begin to see why active parish membership is so important. To continue our growth in faith, we need to be part of a community of faith. For many people that means being an active member of the church parish in which they live. On the other hand, some people choose to belong to a parish other than the one in which they live. In these cases, it is essential to register in that parish of one’s choice. By truly belonging to a parish, and practicing good stewardship of our time and talents, we affirm our membership in not only the local Church, but the Catholic Church throughout the world!. This is our inheritance, as heirs of Christ.
March 29, 1998 – The Scrutines
This weekend, and the last two Sundays, at the 10:30 Mass, we’ve celebrated the Scrutinies with our candidates and catechumens. Each is a simple rite, with silent prayer, intercessions, laying on of hands, and a prayer for deliverance. They are celebrated during Lent, because each one focuses on being set free from sin.
When properly done, each of the scrutinies is connected to a particular Gospel reading. The first scrutiny is done after hearing the story of the woman at the well, the second after the story of the man born blind, and the third, after the story of the raising of Lazarus. The power of these stories lies in that each one has Jesus setting someone free from unbelief, from sin and death itself.
We should be very clear that we do these scrutinies in the midst of the community for a good reason. Yes, we could do them at some other time, gathering just the candidates and catechumens with their sponsors. But it is not only those preparing to receive the Easter sacraments for the first time who need to be set free.
There is not a one of us who does not struggle with sin. Perhaps it’s one particular sin that keeps asserting itself. Perhaps it’s an attitude that we just can’t seem to shake. Or perhaps it’s resentment or jealousy or a desire for revenge toward some person who’s done us harm.
The first step in being set free lies in admitting our sin. Probably one of the most difficult part of the Sacrament of Reconciliation is that naming out loud of the sins we’ve committed. The Church describes an ‘integral’ confession as the telling of all the sins we remember, and how often we’ve committed them. This is not a hang-up about numbers or embarrassing someone. The reality is that it is all too easy to fool ourselves about our own actions, making excuses, and denying the reality of our sin.
Only then can we begin to look behind the actions, and seek out any fundamental reasons why we choose the wrong action. This can often be important for overcoming the sin in our life. We must look at the root causes of our sin, and the needs we’re trying to meet, by choosing the wrong actions.
It’s essential to see God at work in this entire process. He is the one who leads us to recognition of, and contrition for our sin. He is the one who gives us the insight to learn something of why we do what we do. And his grace alone can give us the strength and guidance to live up to our Act of Contrition: to firmly resolve to sin no more and to avoid the near occasion of sin.
Hopefully, our Lenten practices have made this possible. As we draw near to Easter, it may be time to do a final spring cleaning. The hard fact is that Jesus will not set us free from our sin unless we want him to do so.
At Easter, we want to joyfully welcome the risen Lord into our lives. Let us ‘scrutinize’ each of our hearts, that we might do that.
March 15, 1998 – RCIA & the Elect
By now, you’ve probably noticed the book on the stand at the foot of the cross in our sanctuary. If you were at 10:30 Mass on the First Sunday of Lent, then you know what it is. If not, let me explain.
Throughout this year, a group of people have been pursuing an interest in joining our Church. Some are seeking Baptism, while others are already baptized members of other Christian churches. We also have some children who are preparing to receive the sacraments. We are looking forward to celebrating with these people, at the Easter Vigil, the Sacraments of Initiation: Baptism, Confirmation, and Eucharist, as appropriate.
Two weeks ago, as part of the process of the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults, these people were sent to the Bishop, who ‘elected’ or chose them to receive these sacraments. As part of our Rite of Sending at that 10:30 mass, each person inscribed her or his name into the Book of the Elect, which we keep in our parish. This is the book that will stand at the foot of the cross throughout this Lenten Season.
The fact that this group of people want to share in what we already have should give us pause. It is always so easy to take for granted the gift of our faith, particularly for those of us who were baptized as infants, and grew up in the Catholic Church. Gratitude is certainly called for.
We should also be grateful for the grace-filled insight that led these people to seek to be members of our Church. Led by God, they have seen the gift of life that comes through the Gospel, and that is preached and proclaimed in the Catholic Church.
The Scripture passage that comes to mind in light of this is from 2 Corinthians 4:7: “But we hold this treasure in earthen vessels, that the surpassing power may be of God and not from us.” The ‘treasure’, of course, is Christ. The ‘earthen vessel’ is us, the Church.
We know that the Gospel we preach is not always reflected in the reality of our lives. We fall short of the ideal, and we too often harm one another and ourselves. Yet, we do not lose hope, for the power of the Gospel is from God, not from us. While we continually strive to be true to the example of Jesus, we know he also calls us constantly to conversion and reconciliation, to forgiveness and healing.
When other people look at us, and see our faults and failings as Church, they may turn away. Or they may be led by God to see the ‘treasure’ held in these ‘earthen vessels’. When this happens, it is truly the power of God at work, through us.
Reminded by the Book of the Elect at the foot of the cross, let us pray for these Elect. Let us also pray for ourselves, as we prepare to welcome them into membership in the Body of Christ, the Church. The power of God at work in all of this is truly our hope.
