The Roman Catholic Church is a "sacramental Church." Our liturgical life flows out of and revolves around our celebration of the sacraments. We hold and teach the four-fold nature of sacraments. Sacraments are efficacious - they are effective because Jesus Christ is at work in them. Sacraments are instituted by Christ. The Sacraments are entrusted to the Church by Jesus Christ. The Sacraments transmit divine love - we encounter Jesus Christ through the sacraments thus, we grow in holiness.
Jesus gave us the gift of the sacraments calling us to worship God, to build up the Church, to deepen our faith, to connect us with the living tradition of the Church, to pray, to make us holy. Let us give thanks for God working in us and through us as we pray and grow in faith.
Recently I was called to the hospital to celebrate the sacrament of anointing of the sick with one of our parishioners. The hospital chaplain, a Methodist minister, was with the family when I arrived. After I prayed with the family and anointed the parishioner, I had a chance to visit with the chaplain.
I learned that he is new to the hospital, working on-call several days a week. He shared with me his experience of moving into a new parish North West of the hospital, learning what had been their traditions and his desire to minister and pray with the community.
He said that when he arrived the tradition at this church was to receive communion only quarterly. This did not sit well with him. He said he wanted to change that practice, having communion monthly, if not weekly. He told me how important it was for him to receive communion in his faith tradition for sustenance and for strength. He is hopeful that the parish will be open to his direction of having communion offered more regularly for the community. He acknowledged his awareness of the Catholic Mass being celebrated daily in Churches around his parish as well as around the hospital. I shared with him the importance of receiving Holy Communion in the faith lives of Catholics.
I was taken aback by his comments about the parish only receiving communion quarterly. I was thinking about the number of parishioners who attend the 6:30am and 8:00am Mass regularly. I was thinking about the parishioners who come to our Masses on weekends at 5:00pm, 8:00am, 10:00am, 12:00 Noon and 6:00pm. Every time we gather, for Eucharist, we come to give thanks to God, for Word and Sacrament that is celebrated, so that strengthened we can go forth to; "
Go and announce the Gospel of the Lord."
I was also thinking about parishioners, those Catholics who do not attend Mass regularly, who may only attend "quarterly." There are multiple occasions when I meet someone and they tell me they are a parishioner, and say, "but I haven't been to Church in a while, I need to get back." I encourage them and welcome them to return, to be part of the community, to be part of the sacramental life of the Church, to come together to give thanks. If you find yourself in similar conversations, may our continued invitation, outreach, and welcome bring more people to the table of the Lord more regularly and more consistently.
This weekend is our 8th Grade Confirmation enrollment weekend. Our preparation program is a three-year program with prayer, study, worship, service, and related components. Starting in 6th Grade our students grow in their faith and their appreciation for the sacraments and their relationship with our Lord. May all of our students, their parents and family, their classmates, their confirmation sponsors and their confirmation classmates continue to grow in faith, grow in their relationship with Jesus and grow in thanksgiving for blessings great and small in their lives.
God bless you with an
Alleluia heart
this day.
