Blog & Pastor Letters

So many times in my life, I have failed to start something because I had not yet adequately prepared. I would have started working out or going for a jog, but I needed to get the right shoes. I would have started eating right if only I could find the time and money to buy the right foods. I would have started that journaling project, but I couldn’t without a really nice leather-bound journal. I would have, I would have, and I would have!

If you had $100 to give away, to whom would you give it? Perhaps you would choose someone you love. How about someone on the street at a corner stoplight? You could really make someone’s day if you gave it to them as a tip after a modestly priced meal. There are so many possibilities. No matter to whom you give the $100, you are certainly being generous. No one can debate that.

What do you call brothers who are born on the same day? Twins, of course. That is what we celebrate today in the inestimable saints, Peter and Paul. Wait: twins? Yes. The early Church believed that Peter and Paul were martyred in Rome on the same day. Since the day of martyrdom is celebrated as a saints’ birth into eternal life, the result is striking: Peter and Paul are twins in God’s family, the Church.

Have you ever paid attention to the purification of the sacred vessels after Holy Communion? If you haven’t, I highly recommend doing so this Sunday. See the care with which the priest handles the chalice and the paten, pouring water into them to cleanse any loose particles of the Body and Blood of Christ. Observe the loving reverence he uses in wiping them dry with a special purificator. It’s a ritual unto itself, and a powerful moment for reflection.

The Church is one, holy, catholic, and apostolic. That oneness is mirrored for us in the Holy Trinity: one God in three Persons. We are a diverse community with different backgrounds, cultures, realities, and gifts, but we are truly one. Unfortunately, we too often forget this and function as a fractioned body. We needlessly compete against one another, judge one another as opposed to help, and sit silent when our brothers and sisters call out for help.

I am a sports fan, and perhaps you are one, too. I don’t follow all sports, but those that I do follow usually involve a team. There is something about a team of individuals coming together for the goal of victory that is compelling. A team is only as good as the sum of all its players. If you have all the right talent at the right positions, great things can happen. What is hard for a fan to watch is a team that has great talent but fails to achieve its goals because some players choose not to give their all to the team. Selfishness, apathy, or immaturity keep some from giving fully of themselves. The hopes and dreams of a team and fan base are dashed even though they had all they needed to be the best.

We were created for community. Human beings are not meant to be alone. As each of us grows in our relationship with Jesus, we find ourselves drawn further into community. Our stewardship never reflects just on us, but on the Body of Christ to which we belong.

When speaking to his Father, Jesus always spoke about all of us as a whole. Jesus has a unique relationship with each and every one of us, but he also sees us collectively as one. When the Holy Spirit was sent to assist us until the Second Coming, she ascended upon a multitude, not just one person at a time.