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April 8, 2021At our last night of How To Catholic before Easter, we talked about Discipleship. We remembered the story from the book of Acts, where Jesus’ disciples have just seen Him lifted up out of their sight on a cloud, and suddenly two people in white appear to ask them “why are you standing there looking at the sky?” They were saying, essentially, “what are you still doing here? Get going!!”
That night we talked about the fact that the disciples, in these moments, had a choice to make. They could shrug their shoulders, ask each other “how about that?” and gone back to their old lives… but what they chose to do was to tell everyone what had happened. They invited others to know Christ, they shared His teachings, and they offered healing to people.
As Catholics, we have that same choice. We can come to Mass each week in person or online, and encounter the very presence of Jesus there… and then we can shrug our shoulders and go back to our lives, or we can do as Jesus’ first disciples did. Our faith, our Church, our parish exists because the disciples chose to follow and teach Christ. When we share our own encounter with Christ, we affect generations and generations to come. If we don’t, it can all end with us.
This Sunday at the 6:00 Mass, we welcome Rachel Richman into our Church through the sacraments of baptism, confirmation, and Eucharist. Rachel is a college student nearby, who reached out to us several months ago and since then has been learning about Catholicism, meeting great people, and praying to discern God’s will for her. We can’t wait to celebrate with Rachel, because when one person joins the body of Christ, it is a blessing to all of us.
Rachel has been going through the Alpha program, and attended our How To Catholic series in Lent, and it has been such a joy to connect her with the wonderful people of this parish. In you, she has found support, hospitality, and inspiration. Members of MQOA have learned with her, welcomed her, and prayed for her leading up to this beautiful day. Rachel joins the ranks of the disciples, because she has been discipled by members of our parish, and other Catholics in her life.
It’s days and moments like this Sunday’s Mass that make me so proud of our parish, so encouraged that God holds us, and so excited to see what the Spirit has in store for us in the future.
Please keep Rachel in your prayers as she continues her journey of faith, and continue to share your faith with others, through the work of this parish.
