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June 12, 2024This Sunday I am returning from England after attending a conference sponsored by the worldwide organization of which we are a part. The Divine Renovation Ministry, started by a priest in Halifax, Nova Scotia, has grown to be a worldwide organization that has the vision to begin a renewal process in the church beginning with thirty-three thousand parishes across the world. Why 33,000? That is roughly ten percent of the number of parishes that exist around the world. The vision of the founder, Father James Mallon, and his team is that by affecting ten percent, the whole world will be affected by the change. What is changing? Basically, the way parishes live out their mission to make disciples of Jesus Christ is by inviting them to a personal relationship between Jesus and them.
The whole premise of Divine Renovation is dependent on three keys. They are, as I have discussed before, the guidance of the Holy Spirit in all things, the centrality of the parish as an evangelizing organization first and primarily, and the importance of developing leadership across all levels of the Parish. All of this is of course centered in and anchored by the Eucharist, the source and summit of our faith. We have seen for ourselves, over the past 5 years, that there has been a lot of growth, participation, and the presence of the Holy Spirit acting in many ways in the parish. Using the principles of the founder and imitating some of his programs, we have seen wonderful developments occurring. People have stepped forward to serve and witness and it has changed many lives to date and we hope and trust there is more coming. It all starts with the vision of someone who wanted to see change and knew that he could not continue leading his parish as it was. That vision now reaches around the world in myriads of ways, expressed through the leadership of priests and people in the parish who are on fire with the Holy Spirit. Why mention vision?
In today’s readings, one central theme is the vision of God for his people and his kingdom. The prophet Ezekiel wanted to relate that God’s vision starts with a single tree that is carried to a mountaintop and grows and flourishes from there. For Paul, it is remembering that our faith in Jesus leads us. In the Gospel, it is the humble beginning of a mustard seed that leads to a vibrant strong plant that supports birds and provides shade and comfort. So the vision of God is a place of life and care that naturally arises and grows. And the final lines of today’s Gospel also reveal that it is to be given to all to understand that it is available to all. In the time of Jesus, most people were illiterate and so were unable to study scripture, etc. Jesus used parables so that everyone could understand that they were invited to participate. This is the great good news. That all are invited to hear the Gospel message and then participate, to “nest” in the message of the kingdom. Locally, a great example of that is the Alpha program we are concluding this week. We hope that the guests and the team, touched by the Holy Spirit, will, in turn, continue to be people who flock to the message and draw others to grow into it. We need to pause and say thanks to Steve Antonio and the leaders of Alpha #33, Shayne and Rosa, for their leadership and commitment to this great evangelization effort. Thanks also to Chi Chi and the hospitality team for the food and welcoming and to all who participate in this important ministry. Our next Alpha is coming up in the fall. Stay tuned. It is our vision that everyone will experience Alpha so that all will realize how Jesus and the Holy Spirit are working in everyone’s lives.
Thanks to Bianka Jimenez, who has taken over the task of leading the ministry of welcoming at the 11:30 Mass. Thanks also to those who joined and are part of the team.
Peace,
Father Murray
Building news. The front of the building is done at IC and the next phase is to dismantle the scaffolding and enjoy the view. I am also pleased that the garden crew has done some planting and there are even some lilies being planted from the Easter season. The stump at the back of the property will be removed and then we can plant something there. A wild rose bush was suggested as something that is beautiful and needs a lot of sun and that is a perfect place for it.
