From our Pastors
Diaspora is the ancient Greek word for “scattering” or “dispersion.” For Greek speaking Jews, the word became a technical term for a scattered or dispersed group of people, as the Jews had been scattered around the world. The Early Church also became a diaspora, as persecution caused believers to flee throughout the Roman Empire. To stay connected to one another while they were apart, the church wrote Epistles (letters) to one another. Today, we have become a diaspora, a scattered and dispersed community of faith. We have various ways we are connecting with one another to sustain faith during these days, epistles of a new sort that help us encourage and challenge one another.
One thing we are learning clearly these past months is the way we conceive of and engage in worship, learning and community is changing. Our community is not limited by Mass times or facilities, by aesthetic preferences or past friendships. We are in a period of discovering a broader sense of church and community: all pilgrims together as we learn to embrace and be nurtured in new ways, with people near and far, bound together by the person of Jesus and the charism of seeking joy in all things. St. Paul reminds us in the Epistle from Romans for this coming Sunday: “We know that all things work for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.” This week let’s attribute good will to one another in the struggles of each day and trust God to lead us on the path forward together.
Fr. Michael Callaghan, c.o. and Fr. Mark Lane, c.o.
