Before We Become a Very Sad Statistic Too

Friends:

In the Houses of Worship section of the Wall Street Journal last week, columnist Elliott Kaufman wrote an article entitled, Chabad Ministers to Jews of No Religion. I found the article interesting for a number of reasons, not the least of which is that a similar article could be written about Catholics and that really concerns me! Kaufman cites the Pew Research group with a number of frightening statistics regarding our Jewish brothers and sisters and their religious practices. The most noteworthy parts for me are: - Twice as many Jewish Americans say they derive a great deal of meaning and fulfillment from spending time with their pets as say the same about their religion; -Only 12% of American Jews attend weekly services … Jews express Judaism through culture instead and from this emanates a different kind of “involved” Jew; -Only 7% say that being Jewish is important to their lives and its unlikely that number will grow in the next generation; Citing the Pew study, the article continues, outlining how Jews who participate in Chabad activities like dinners, prayer services and more, actually seem to be more involved. (Chabad is family oriented.) What about us Catholics? Pew studies have also been conducted measuring Catholics and engagement, and the numbers are abysmally frightening. It really seems to me that we have come to the crossroads. What is the faith that we will pass on to our children? What will our parishes look like? How will they survive? Our faith tradition has been promoting the “domestic church” for centuries … in the home is actually where faith was celebrated, learned about and shared among inter- generational family members. In many homes, it still is. Supporting and promoting a life of faith in the home is more important now than ever. With parishes and Churches struggling, with our leaders causing scandal and giving bad example and causing more and more doubt daily, and with a structure that at times seems to be further and further from the Gospel message of Jesus, its time for every Catholic to think seriously about what does it mean to be a Catholic and how committed am I to learning about, living and spreading the Good News daily. By necessity parishes will change, churches will close and the numbers of those ordained will continue to fall … despite that Jesus promises that “I will be with you until the end of time.” How? Let's think about this as individuals, as families and as a community of faith. What can we do? What should we do? To continue to bring the Good News of salvation to the world. I’m interested in your thoughts … and our collective efforts … before we become a very sad statistic too! Blessings! RSM

Restorative Rest

Surely, no matter how we choose to exercise it … we all agree that the human person needs rest. Whether it be at a beach, in the mountains, on a long drive, or just relaxing with a good book … our beings need to be away from the day-to-day busy-ness, to find a place of respite and rest.

Rest was actually ordained by God … Genesis tells us that on the last day, God rested, thus we have the Sabbath. And while so much of our society seems to work contrary to this principle, the church provides and encourages restorative rest, not only for vacation times, but every week. There is no doubt that we’ve all had a pretty intense year so rest should be at the forefront of our minds these days.

It’s interesting to note that while Jesus invites his disciples to rest, you’ll notice that they don’t get really that opportunity. Instead, Jesus and his disciples respond to the needs of the throngs coming to them. Seeing the crowds and their manifold unmet needs, Jesus, Mark reports, has compassion on them. He puts his plans for rest temporarily on hold and goes out to them, healing, curing, feeding, and teaching all who are in need.

While our Gospel today starts off sounding a note on the significant need for rest among our labors, it quickly shifts gears to move instead to talk about compassion and need. And these two – compassion and need – always go together. Which is why it’s always important to be in touch with what we need and how we can be better ambassadors of compassion.

What do you need to feel whole, to be happy, to lead fulfilling lives, to make a difference in the world, to feel like you belong and to have a place to call you own? These are important questions, the answers which will undoubtedly give us not only greater insights into our selves, but more restorative rest. I say this because if we are not honest with what we need, we spend so much of our time and energy chasing that which we want, but not necessarily what we actually need. And clearly, as the song goes, you can’t always get what you want … but Jesus reassures us that he will provide what we need!

In today’s passage and others like it in Mark, the needs seem clear:

1. People who are sick want to be healed;

2. People who are hungry want to be fed;

And certainly, there are those manifold needs in abundance all around us.

I believe that despite what things might look like on the outside or in appearances, some of those needs are right here in our congregation, and at other times they are spread throughout our communities and surely are so evident in our world. Our supplements to the summer bulletin have been sharing the goals from the United Nations … if you take away anything from reading these pages, you will agree that there are a lot of needs in our world!

Our faith community, our gifted parish, can and should play an active role in meeting those concrete needs on all levels. Interestingly, some studies measuring the vibrancy of a parish resulted in two concrete factors that seemed to characterize those congregations identified as vibrant. Those characteristics reported were (1) a substantial and sustained commitment to the community (like food banks, after school tutoring, various social ministries, etc.) and (2) a willingness to experiment with forms of worship.

I would say that we possess both of those marks of vibrancy, but there is always room for improvement. And in the midst of our relaxing summer, the staff and I continue to evaluate how we can become even a more vibrant parish community, not only for you who already are committed and regularly attend and support, but perhaps more importantly, how we can reach the unchurched … those who have walked or run away in alarming numbers.

The Gospel tells us that Jesus first responds to the crowds because they seem lost, like “sheep without a shepherd.” It’s interesting to me that at first, he doesn’t cure or feed but instead he reaches out and meets them where they are. He encounters the people of his day teaching and preaching and opening up to them the power and possibility of life in God’s kingdom. It’s a good model for us too. In order to meet the needs of our community, we will first need to meet people where they are, as they are, who they are … then and only then can we share the Good News of salvation. Otherwise, we will meet with frustration, futility and fights.

The Wall Street Journal this weekend has a very large article written by Francis S Rocca entitled: Is Pope Francis Leading the Church to a Schism?. And while I will write more about this in the coming days, I do believe that the Pope, in the spirit of Jesus, is challenging our Church to meet people where they are, as they are, who they are … and that challenge makes some people anxious.

In the end, I wonder how can the church help our people to live more abundant lives? … because in the end, that’s what we’re talking about: abundance. Not just happiness, or belonging, or a sense of purpose, but something bigger that includes all these things and also includes justice and peace and community, with one another and with our God. In Mark’s Gospel, Jesus calls this the kingdom of God.

So amid these lazy days of summer, I think that’s the work we need to do – to reflect and ponder and pray about what we need as individuals, households, and a community to flourish as God’s children put on this planet for a purpose, and then, more specifically, to think about what each of us can contribute and what our church can do to support all of us in moving in that direction together.

I know that working together, praying together, with mutual respect and cooperation, we will all be surprised and moved by what we can accomplish to meet the needs of this world that God loves so very much.

RSM

God's Gift of Freedom

Dear friends:

Oh God, come to my assistance. Lord make haste to help me!

Multiple times a day, I repeat these words. They are the well-known versicle and response which begins all but one of the “hours” that make up the Liturgy of the Hours. Many of us in sacred vows and promises, and other people too, have made this response literally thousands of times in our lives. For over a thousand years, at least as early as Saint Benedict, and perhaps earlier, the Church has placed these words on our lips at the beginning of her “official” prayers throughout the day.

While each of us would have our own interpretation as to their significance, for me, I am grateful that they frame my day. Usually, I wake up with a pretty full agenda that includes Mass, sacramental preparations, correspondence, administration, planning and the like. And that’s just what’s planned. Then there’s also the emergency or the phone call that needs immediate attention. Having a smart phone and iPad seems to prevent there from ever being boundaries to the workday. The words of Psalm 69 noted above helps keep all the many things that need to be done in perspective. Welcoming the Lord into the nitty gritty part of my day provides comfort, relief and guidance.

What is a typical day for you? How do you weave the Lord into it? As we celebrate July 4 – Independence Day, many of us will move away from the fixed schedule of our everyday routine and have some time for some new and creative summer thinking. Perhaps we can use this time to reevaluate and refocus as to how we use the freedom that the Lord has given us. Surely there are many ways, but here are some suggestions:

1. Express More of Who You Are

Sometimes when we get stuck in a routine, we become lax and uninteresting in putting forth our true and full selves. God has created each of us in a unique manner, and we have the ability to touch others like no one else. Taking the time to better express ourselves can be both liberating and fulfilling, but we also have to be first comfortable in our own skin.

2. Use Your Resources Towards a Large Passion Project

Being comfortable is nice but staying in comfort for too long can start to make one dormant, making it difficult to be freed from that zone. Spending money on little things that were once pleasurable may now be part of the routine and may be a dependency. Perhaps the summer will give us a chance to think about ways to put some of our money towards a bigger passion project, especially one that benefits others.

3. Get Mentally Stimulated

The slower pace of the summer may provide the opportunity to take a one-day workshop, an online course, or watch a few hours about it on YouTube. Learning about wines or cooking, taking a virtual trip, or even learning about a hero or an idol can provide great mental stimulation. There are also many virtual ways to learn about Jesus and matters of faith too!

4. Reinvest In Someone You Love

Relationships also need refinement. And it is good to be aware when the relationship with your best friend, spouse, or business partner needs some creativity. Summers provide us many opportunities for doing something new together that puts us all in new environment and can be a great experience to learn something new about each other. Taking time to grow our relationship with Jesus is also helpful.

5. Go Deep

We’re all here to grow and we never stop evolving. God wants us to be the best version of ourselves. Examining the areas where we can make some profound changes and see what’s holding us back from a fuller life is in itself life-giving.

6. Broaden Your Horizons

Summer and travel provide us endless opportunities to meet and explore new cultures that are different from ours and challenge us to be open to new and different philosophies. It’s not necessary even to leave the country because traveling to a large, highly diverse city can provide us with lots of exposure to different ways people live life. And trying to see God in all people is a good exercise as well!

7. Find Your Purpose

Jobs and careers can become stagnant especially if it’s not your calling or something we love doing. Some people make an impact on society in a large way beyond their neighborhood, city, or state and some do not, and that’s okay too. Taking time to think about why God created us and how we can use our unique gifts is a positive exercise and can bear great fruit.

God’s gift of freedom is a great gift. Let’s use the summer to better understand and explore it!

RSM

[Thanks to Camille Thomas for inspiring the topics. Her full article is available at https://diligentcopy.medium.com/12-ways-to-exercise-and-express-your-personal-freedom-13ad5168d12a]