Oh!! Know who said that? A young girl said this after Mass to her mother on Sunday. Her mom and I told her that the Church has seasons but they’re liturgical. Unlike schools, the Church is never closed. Vacations? We all need them, young and old alike. The Church recognizes this and invites us to spend some time away rejuvenate ourselves. Read more
People come to church bearing gifts. They come to us, made in the image and likeness of God. That is gift enough. But wait … there’s more:they bring to us their gifts, their talents, their time, and treasure.They entrust to us those that they love most in this world, and ask only that we love them as well. We, for our part, ask them to serve in our parishes in a number of great ways.
Here then are seven not so great ways to invite people to ministry: Read more
Too often, as lay ecclesial ministers, priests, and deacons, we complain that engaged couples require a great deal of time and energy from the parish but, in the end, many couples simply use the Church for their wedding after which they are never to be seen at the parish again. Conversely, engaged couples complain about all the “hoops” that they are required to jump through in order to get married in the Church.
Both perspectives hold some truth. Read more
I had the privilege of leading a couple of parish retreats this summer. The participants were parish volunteers from all different kinds of ministries. They gave themselves a gift of time with our Lord, and I was truly evangelized by their faith and their presence.
Sometimes it’s only in silence that our hearts can hear most clearly what’s being said.
Last week, news from Paris began streaming across our TV screens, smart phones, and tablets. In the midst of TV news anchors updating us on the latest developments, politicians shouting for retaliation, reporters reading the terrorists’ messages, it was the silences in between that spoke to our hearts. Read more
“Behold, I make all things new.” (Rev. 21:5)
Clearly, we serve a God who is about transformation. It is this transformation that is the stuff that dreams are made of for Pope Francis: “I dream of a ‘missionary option,’ that is, a missionary impulse capable of TRANSFORMING everything, so that the Church’s customs, ways of doing things, times and schedules, language and structures can be suitably channeled for the evangelization of today’s world rather than for her self-preservation.” Joy of the Gospel, 27 (Of course, the emphasis is added.) Read more
