January 23, 2016
by Fr. Chip Hines, Pastor
Saint Paul understands mission. If ever there was a missionary man it was him. And we hear in his letter to the Corinthians of the many ways we are given a mission in the Church and the many ways we can help. Some people take this very seriously; other people, maybe not so much, but the reality is we need to be aware that being a Catholic is not just a Sunday morning activity. It is far more than that and this is something people knew just a few generations ago.
They knew that being a part of the ladies’ sodality or the men’s group or the Holy Name Society was important. Their lives centered on and around church activities. Even the children had CYO. Most of this was lead, not by clergy, but by regular lay folks, and yet as the number of clergy has decreased, the leadership role that was once dominated by lay people has actually shrunk some. Makes no sense right? However, it does if you dig beyond the surface.
In today’s world many of the things the Church used to do in our communities have been assumed by government or secular institutions, whether it’s charitable work or youth sports. In our striving as an immigrant Church to be more American and less Italian, Irish, Polish, etc. we left not only our ethnic background behind; we left our Catholic identity behind as well. Now if you’re reading this you’re going to church, which means you’re still connected, but I guess I’d ask the question: Is the Church—the parish, your faith life—part of your life on any other day but Saturday or Sunday? Do you pray regularly during the week?
We need to be aware of this, because we have gone from being Catholic Church that is Catholic 24/7 to a Church of Fulfilling our Obligation. When we look at how attendance at Mass has fallen, we realize we are missionary territory now and so what’s old is new again. For those of us who are still here, we have been given a tough mission, and then make us ask ourselves the tough questions. Do we care enough about Jesus to take leadership positions in our parish? Does our love for Jesus motivate us to say yes when asked to help out? Do we have a love of prayer that extends beyond Mass to our homes? These are just a few of the questions we can ask ourselves. Maybe you have felt the prompting in your own heart the Holy Spirit asking you one just for you.
We can all start asking ourselves the tough questions that will help us grow as Christians and help our parishes grow as centers of Christian love in Walpole. Find within yourself the gifts and talents God gave you and express them. Being a missionary is not easy and requires some sacrifice and maybe even pushback from those who do not want to hear God’s call. We cannot be afraid.
Peace.
