Pastor’s Column for August 18th, 2024
In my column about a month ago I mentioned the need for balance in our lives. One way to achieve that balance is by taking time out to get away from the demands of work or our typically frenetic schedules—and take time to slow down, relax with the Lord, and maybe watch a sunset. In fact, my idea of a vacation is not to frantically keep up with an itinerary of places to see and things to do. Do you remember the movie, “If this is Tuesday, this must be Belgium”? Although sometimes just a change of scenery and visiting new places can bring perspective and be enjoyable for some, for me, I just want to find calm.
Beginning this weekend I will be on vacation for 3 weeks and a total of 4 weekends. Say a prayer that it be a time of refreshment and renewal for me. I’ll need that since things always seem to pick up around the parish after Labor Day.
Getting ready for vacation is always a bit of a struggle, because there is always so much that needs to get done first—but I’m sure you can all relate to that. Most of our lives have so many demands! And when you try to squeeze in a break, it can seem even more demanding! Before leaving for vacation, the real challenge is to “catch up” on our work first! This year, for some reason, it seems even more challenging than usual. (In times past I understand the staff had an office pool every year, betting on when I will actually leave! Maybe this year I’m going to leave on time! —But I wouldn’t bet on it.)
Whether it’s you or me, at some point we finally are forced to admit that trying to get everything done is impossible. At that point, it’s best to resign yourself to just do as much as you can, and leave the rest up to God. I know an older pastor who used to offer this advice when the struggle to “do” became overwhelming: “Leave something for the angels!” Not bad advice at any time, and good advice to remember when preparing for vacation, because you know that when you get back, there will be more work that piled up while you were gone! Oh well, it’s the Lord’s work anyway, and as long as we’re willing to cooperate with what He asks, I’m sure He’ll accomplish what He wants.
Typically, on one of the weekends I am gone, we would welcome a guest priest, a missionary, to share some insights into the work of the Church in other parts of the world. Because of tight scheduling for the missionary that was assigned to us for this year, Fr. Gonzalez from the Institute of the Incarnate Word, we’ve already had our annual visit. I am very proud of our parish, in that Fr. Gonazales was so well received and that our parishioners were so generous in their support. Over $9,000 was collected. I think that speaks to a growing and heightened sense of Mission.
It’s very good that our diocese has such a “Missionary Cooperation Plan”, whereby once a year dedicated Missionaries are invited to speak in the parishes. These kinds of presentations help us understand that all of us, as disciples of Christ, have an obligation to spread the Word. After all, we are all convinced that Catholics, in general, need to become much more aware of the Lord’s command to bring others to the Faith.
We must never forget though, that the missionary efforts of the Church are not reserved to religious orders. We must also see ourselves as missionaries, and, as I mentioned above, I think our vision of mission is coming into sharper focus! I believe our Parish has definitely and irrevocably moved from “maintenance” to “Mission”.
We bring others to the Faith by being evangelists ourselves, in whatever circumstances we find ourselves. We do it by our prayer for the spread of the Gospel. We do it through our lived example to the people we come in contact with. But we also do it by our direct efforts with individuals we know. A good place to start might be with someone whom you know has lapsed from the steady practice of their faith. Pray for the ones you want to invite back, and when you sense the Holy Spirit is telling you that the time is right, personally invite them back to Church. The strategy is “Invite, and Accompany!”
While I’m away, the Parish—as always—will be in my prayers. Please keep me in yours.
In Jesus,
Fr. Michael
