As the Pastor, I generally try to be the one who has the difficult conversations. It’s not that I don’t trust Fr. Jeff to preach boldly on tough issues, but I feel some sort of mother-bird instinct to take the brunt of things that folks don’t want to hear. Maybe it’s  because he’s so small, who knows? On the complete opposite end of that spectrum, I recall going to Mass in another Diocese and hearing a transitional deacon give a beautiful stewardship plea for a parish that wasn’t his own in a diocese to which he didn’t belong. I suppose the pastor knew he would do a great job, because I can’t imagine dumping that kind of
responsibility on a rookie who didn’t have any of his own stake in the parish.

I remember this deacon and his message so well because he touched on an aspect of our faith that isn’t often considered in how many people view the Church today, as he spoke about how sacrifices we make today can lay the foundation for the Church that will take care of our children and our grandchildren in the future. Apparently his great-grandparents had fasted, along with their entire family, in order to save the money necessary to donate the communion rail for the brand new church that was being built in their town. It was a struggle for a family that already had so little to find money on the side for the construction of a church, but they made it happen. Decades later, this very same deacon gave communion to his sister and her husband on the day of their wedding at that same rail that was offered by their ancestors.

It would be easy to use this beautiful witness to
convince people to be generous with their money in serving the Lord and His Church, but to do so is to miss a more foundational point. If the family in
question had not made many spiritual, not just
financial, sacrifices to pass the Faith on to their
children, then there would have been no Catholic wedding at which this man and wife, joined together in matrimony, could receive Jesus in the Eucharist, regardless of whether the communion rail or the Church were still there or not. This deacon would
not be working towards giving his life over entirely to the Lord for the cause of the salvation of souls. If sacrifices are not made to evangelize and bring souls to Christ, the Faith will weaken and whither before our very eyes. Jesus promised that the gates of hell would not prevail, but there is no denying that there are some places/nations/parishes that are more in love with Jesus than others. We must respond to the Lord’s call in order to see such promises fulfilled.
 
As we continue to process the draft plan of the families of parishes that was released recently, I ask you to do two things: First, with the primacy of the Faith and the need to pass it on in mind, please pray about what could make these families of parishes great. What is God calling you to do for your parish and the many families who are in need of a deeper relationship with Jesus? Then, with that in mind, please prayerfully submit your comments and remarks on the Beacons website. I know these are crazy times, but remember that our fate as the people of God is not in the hands of the Archdiocese, nor is it entirely in our hands. Our designation as sons and daughters of the most high comes from God Himself, and everything we do as individuals, as families, and as parishes, should be a generous response to that primary vocation of being beloved by God.
 
Prayers always,
Fr. McC