Saint Mary of the Immaculate Conception Roman Catholic Church

Dear Good People of Saint Mary,

Now that things are settling down a little bit, I’ve begun reading Pope Francis’s new publication Amoris laetitia. There is a very simple logic to what he writes—really, to everything that he writes—that makes it accessible and obvious. I often find myself thinking how Pope Francis puts into words the basic truths that we all know, but sometimes find hard to express. In this Apostolic Exhortation he does it again.

He talks about simple processes of just being a human being and his words take us by surprise. It is startling.

His insight touches on the foundation of our life and faith, how we express the faith that we have to other people. It is the process of the Gospel, evangelization in its purest form. Especially today when the so-called “new evangelization” is necessary because there are so many people who have either left the church, or don’t understand the treasure of faith that they have received, we must learn to use our gifts of reaching out, touching others: So many people floating, seeking, maybe even sitting next to us in the pews (if we are lucky) waiting for something to happen, trying to make it all make sense. Many people are “stuck” because there have been generations of faithful who have not realized that the core of everything we do as Catholics must have its origin in that personal relationship with God. One generation cannot pass on to the next something they, themselves, did not receive.

Pope Francis says we discover the relationship first of all in the moment of encounter that we have with one another.

In order for an encounter to happen you must be open. Where is my heart when I encounter another person? The people I like? —and the people that I don’t like? Toward people that agree with you, as well as for people who do not agree? What about those whose lives might not reflect the perfection of the faith that we would like to see in ourselves? Our hearts must be open for that encounter to take place.

The next step after encounter is dialogue. Dialogue, by its nature, requires an openness to communication—you might say, as have the previous popes, that any true interest in giving and receiving in dialogue necessarily requires an openness for both parties to change. This does not mean that Catholics have to become non-Catholics—it doesn’t even mean that non-Catholics have to become Catholic. But the encounter with truth in one another, in the communication of that truth, forms the basis of learning about one another. Misunderstandings are resolved. We grow deeper in our own faith, in our own identity, our learning about one another. In dialogue, we must be honest, we must be who we are, and we must accept one another as we identify ourselves for a real conversation to begin.

Once dialogue is underway, the final step of this process is relationship. We come into relationship with one another having learned about one another. True knowledge always is the open door to love in any relationship, a mutual respect, a reverence for the truth and beauty that are the seeds of God’s life we find in each other.

Relationship is not real without a commitment.

So, having studied this dynamic of human relationship from the point of encounter through dialogue, we now can understand more deeply the process of relationship  that we seek with God. God wants exactly the same from each of us. We encounter him with openness, we dialogue with him in prayer and he speaks to us through his Holy Spirit, and finally we enter into a relationship with a commitment for him to the best of our ability—though imperfect as that may be, knowing that his commitment to us is perfect.

It is said that perhaps 60% of Catholics who practice their faith today—not the ones who don’t practice, but the ones who do—don’t believe that such a personal relationship with God is possible. The same studies have shown that the sense of emptiness of this meaningful relationship is also the greatest factor that causes people to go seeking—often outside our Catholic Church—or simply to drift away, becoming inactive with no actual religious affiliation. This is the most powerful ministry in the Church for you, lay people—to be witnesses of your joy and fulfillment through faith, shown to others through a greeting, a sharing, a walking together.

Let the love of Christ be the love behind the smile, the welcome, and begin the encounter.

God bless you.

Dear Good People of Saint Mary,

This week as I write this bulletin article I am in Louisville, Kentucky, and we are hosting the National Workshop on Christian Unity.

As you probably know, I’ve been serving as the President for CADEIO, or the Catholic Association of Diocesan Ecumenical and Interreligious Officers, for the past six years. My job has been to coordinate the efforts of diocesan ecumenical officers across the country, to help facilitate the teachings of the Church, bring the developments of national dialogues to the local level, and to provide formation and education for those whom bishops appoint in their dioceses as ecumenical officers. This year also will be the eighth year that I have served on the National Planning Committee for this National Workshop. This Wednesday, at our General Assembly Meeting, we will elect a new President for CADEIO. Our Constitution requires  that the President serve only two three-year terms; I will have completed these on Wednesday of this week. I’m retiring!

So, as you might imagine, the work going into finding new leadership, charting the next course for a new president, and defining our next goals for the Association is underway.

To be honest, I must say that the idea of retiring from this role at this particular moment in time, for me, is a relief. I have found so much travel taking a significant chunk out of our  parish life. I want to thank you for your patience while I have been doing this work outside of the parish, it is important. I will still be involved in the work of ecumenism and  interreligious affairs locally; I simply will not have a national leadership role any longer and probably will get to stay closer to home.

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Again soon, we will begin the celebration of parish First Communions during Sunday Masses. Last year we started a new program where, instead of celebrating First Communion at one  large Mass for a large number of children, we spread more than 200 children’s First Communions during Sunday Masses over a four to five-week period.

Sometimes, large parishes are referred to as “sacrament factories.” So many people receiving so many sacraments can tempt us to try to provide the most expedient solutions for sacraments, and often times we discover this is not ideal. Over the past years, our First Communion Masses have become so impersonal, sometimes even irreverent. Our church size limits the number of family members who can participate in each celebration, and we find that families no longer celebrate the sacrament of Eucharist in the context of the Sunday  Mass. By scheduling our First Communions to a Sunday Mass, we discover that The community is better able to celebrate the sacraments with the families of those receiving First Communion.

Beginning the first weekend in May, if you attend a Mass where children receive First Communion with their families, please be sure to stop them after Mass and congratulate them.  Tell them how meaningful it is that you are able to witness their First Communion, and how it reminds you of your First Communion when you were young. Tell them how significant it is that you’re able to celebrate with them in their lives.

Too often the temptation is to think that when we receive a sacrament, it is meant for us alone. The reality of sacramental theology, however,  teaches us the sacraments are intended for the community itself. Not for the individual—it is an opportunity for the community to celebrate the grace of God and the reception of those gifts as something that bring the  community to life. None of us received a gift from God without the instruction to also share it.

Allow these celebrations with children in our parish to restore in you the memory and the understanding of the great gift of Eucharist that you have received. Of course, it is the  Eucharist that draws us together. It is the Eucharist that provides for us the meaning of our life. It is the Eucharist that calls us to our final goal, and the temporary celebration of thanksgiving until that gratitude is perfect and fulfilled in heaven.

God bless you.