As I write this, I am returning from Dallas where I and some of the staff and volunteers attended the Divine Renovation Conference. There were amazing speakers, and we learned what is happening in the Church in our country and around the world. It was an opportunity to hear about some of the successful practices in the Church and learn what people are doing to address the current needs and circumstances of the Church. The biggest takeaway for me was the importance of good leadership and a clear vision for our parish. We are all called to be leaders. In some way, anyone who has led someone to Jesus is a leader. This includes parents, friends, or chance encounters that began with an invitation to our parish that may have led to a conversion or renewal of faith and faith practices. We constantly remind people that we can be prophetic and priestly by sharing the Word and sacrificing. It is the leadership component of Jesus, given to us through our baptism, that we need to highlight for the Church to grow into the future. The practices of the past worked then and worked well, but now we face a different future with declining participation and fewer priests. Our task is to raise up lay leaders who can talk about their faith and lead others to Jesus Christ. We will continue to roll out this vision and work toward raising up those who “will go out to the world and tell the Good News.” (Mt, Mk, Lk)
One of the themes of this Sunday’s readings is intercession. The first reading finds Abraham negotiating on behalf of the ten righteous people in Sodom and Gomorrah—two cities famous for abominations against God. (Idol worship and strange temples that practiced prostitution and human sacrifice.) Amid all this, however, were people trying to live righteous lives. These are the people that Abraham wanted God to see. In the Gospel, Jesus wanted us to see that God hears us as He heard Abraham. We know that Jesus interceded for us through His Passion and Resurrection. Now we intercede for Him.
One of the suggestions that came out of the conference was the importance of having a prayer team for the parish. Particularly, to have a group of people that pray for the needs and growth of the parish. Whenever I meet people who are homebound or have extra time because of retirement or for other reasons, I ask them to pray for the needs of the parish. I am convinced that if we had a group of people each week gathering at the church to pray for a specific intention of the parish, we would always see the growth and support we need. I am convinced God hears our prayers and sends us messages that He hears us. We have a small team that prays for the parish on Monday nights during adoration and confessions. I invite you to join them and help pray for the needs and success of the parish.
God does hear us and responds in ways that we can see. Here is a good example: A parishioner once told me that whenever she is discerning God’s will, she asks for an answer and for a dozen yellow roses to appear in her life. Every time she has discerned God’s will, sometimes a very challenging thing for her, the roses appear. So, I challenge you to ask for God’s will for your life and ask for a sign that this is God speaking. Enjoy the quiet way of God and His clear message. And the roses.
Peace, Father Murray
Building news. This week, we welcomed teens from the Catholic Heart Work Camp. They helped Chad clean out and organize the maintenance room at IC, dusted and cleaned the entire church, and then organized and cleaned the choir loft. At St. James, they dusted and cleaned the church, took out all the leftover empty boxes and other items from the tower, and cleaned all the tables and chairs in the hall. Thank you to Chad and Steve for organizing, to the teens for all their hard work, and to Peter Gordon for being on-site for the project.