Pastor's Letter -- January 24, 2021

Continuing my exploration of the Parish Pastoral Plan, I now delve into the third Core Value of the Parish Plan – Sacrificial Generosity. There are three bullet points to describe what that means: (1) God first, others second, I am third; (2) I let God interrupt my plans; (3) I have gifts worth giving. Again, I would like to expand upon these bullet points.

God first, others second, I am third. This is not natural for fallen human nature. We naturally are inclined to protect ourselves and those we care about. However, keeping first things first, and following the example set by Jesus, this is the re-orientation that the Lord calls us to in the Gospel. Dismissing crowds and foregoing sleep, Jesus put God first through night vigils in prayer and through his prayer the night before He was crucified: "not My will but Yours be done." He put others second so clearly by seeing the crowds as "sheep without a shepherd," and proceeded to "teach them many things." Even when exhausted, he thought of them. In this flipping of our natural inclination of priorities, we find new and abundant life, as Vatican II so clearly taught: man, who is the only creature on earth which God willed for itself, cannot fully find himself except through a sincere gift of himself. (Gaudium et Spes, 24)

I let God interrupt my plans. One of the most difficult sacrifices for us to offer up is our plans, which are based on our expectations and assumptions (which can be barriers to God working in new ways). Jesus came that we would have life to the full, but our plans may be clouding over the fullness. Listening to and following God can involve a lot of “letting go.” This is clear for Joseph and Mary, and for Simon and Andrew and the sons of Zebedee who had to leave their fishing careers to follow Christ. But how do we know it is God interrupting our plans? This is a tough process to pin down, because God tends to surprise us. However, He also doesn't contradict Himself. And lastly, humbly trying to please Him does in fact please Him. So let us keep our eyes and ears open for where and how the Lord is calling us to give ourselves in ways that surprise us.

I have gifts worth giving. Everybody is gifted. Everybody! Remember the Parable of the Talents (Matthew 25:14-30). Substituting “gifts” for “talents”, whether you have received five gifts, two gifts, or one gift, you have it, and it is of huge value for the kingdom. We thrive when we share our gifts, not keeping them for ourselves like the man who buried his talent in the ground. Here is one gift everyone has: your presence. Showing up is a gift. Caring is a gift. There are the gifts of the Holy Spirit (Isaiah 11:2-3) which we are strengthened in through the Sacrament of Confirmation. What we traditionally think of as the fruits of the Holy Spirit – love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control – can be thought of as gifts. The spiritual gifts found in 1 Corinthians 12 are given by the Holy Spirit to build up the community. Then there are other types of gifts found in Romans 12, which include teaching, giving, and leadership. And in Titus 1:8, we find hospitality. And there are plenty of gifts not found in Scripture; for example, creativity, as expressed in music, art, sculpture, and writing. You may have more of these than you know. And we all benefit when the gifts are shared.

Saint Thérèse, the little flower, pray for us!