First let me begin by apologizing for the hiatus of blogs, particularly since we had started a series. For the past month, we have been moving to Georgetown, Texas, from Steubenville, Ohio.
The Lord’s timing is perfect and the delay in writing and posting this second installment of the Blog Series “Building God’s Kingdom” is, I believe, providential. So many Churches are doing some serious soul-searching about what to do. For those who are in real discernment to move forward, I believe that they are falling into one of two camps.
First Camp – “How do we get our people back?”
Second Camp – Covid, and the Church’s response to it, has revealed to us the true status of the health of the faith life of our parish. We need to focus on the people we have and prepare them to be what they were supposed to be from the beginning – authentic Disciples!
While the first camp is easier to do because we are going back to what we know, I believe that the Lord is calling us into the second camp. This call places us in a situation where we must look to the Spirit for guidance. Everything we need must come from Him! When we look at the first three hundred years of the early Church, we see people filled with the life and power of the Holy Spirit who were HUNGRY FOR SOULS! They serviced the Roman persecutions with courage and intimate love supplied by the Spirit.
A quick examination of the Church today looks more like the descriptions of the various Churches described in the beginning of Revelations (Go and read Chapters 2 and 3). Because they had taken their eyes off the Lord they were I danger of losing their “spirit”.
The million dollar question is how? I believe “a” path forward has to do with how we view our parishes. What is their purpose? What is the purpose of the Priest, Staff, Parish Council, parishioners? How do we regain, within the hearts of our Core Believers, a hunger for saving the souls of the lost? We are so used to doing parish ministry with the same vision of parish that we find it difficult to think out of the box.
I believe we must begin to reframe our view of the local parish into an image of a community of people who are deeply committed to building the Kingdom of God. It appears to me that most people view a relationship with God only within the context of “trying to get to Heaven.” We have not formed their understanding to move beyond attaining a life with God and moving into living in the divine will of God. As the Our Father says, “… Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done ON EARTH as it is in Heaven.
If we are citizens of an eternal Kingdom now, then how does that change our world view, our priorities, loyalties, and how we must live on earth. I want to remain a citizen of God’s kingdom, therefore my need for the Sacraments take on a more urgent role in my life. If we believe that we are eternal beings and God’s will/Kingdom is real, then we must spend our lives in the service of THAT kingdom and not focus on our own little kingdoms on earth.
This change in paradigm, when prayed through and led by the Spirit, should guide each of us to not only reevaluate our own lives, but also what work we must call the faithful to. As we define that work for them, like evangelization and asking God for a hunger for souls, then the parish must equip their individuals with the tools to evangelize personally.
Ultimately, we want every parishioner sitting in our pews today to have a passionate hunger for the souls of all other people in our parishes and out in the world. Why? Because our Lord hungers for them.
Let us re-cast a vision, that is relevant to these days, that will not only help our people navigate theses difficult times but will call them to action.
One last story just to be clear. As a Youth Minister, I placed a call out to the people at Mass and said we need volunteers to minister to our youth. A father of two teens in the program came up and humbly said that he would be glad to help but, frankly, his faith was not where it should be. I told him that if he would commit to 20 hours a month, I would equip him to make a difference. Fearfully, he agreed! He moved from stacking chairs to running a small group to leading young men into a relationship with Jesus Christ. How? He took them with him on his journey!
These days are different and the Church must approach our mission differently!
There are so many wake up calls going forth like this one but aren’t heard over the snoring. The only ones who are listening are the others who are also sending forth wake up calls. The reason we are only preaching to the choir is the choir are the only ones listening.
Hi Larry,
Amen! My most recent Blog speaks to this category of people who are left in our Churches. I believe the Lord wants to gather his remnant and prepare them to be a profound source of light for those who have lost their ears to hear.
Deacon Ralph, We are looking forward to your Mission “Into the Deep” that we have planned for February 7-11th at St. Philip’s Church in Litchfield, Mn. We are also praying for your family, because it will be difficult for them to let you travel for work so soon after your move from Steubenville. Praise God in every circumstance! May God’s grace bless you and your family abundantly. Deacon John and Ruthann
Amen!