Pastor's Letter -- October 10, 2021

We have given up everything and followed you…

Peter’s question to our Lord in the latter part of our Gospel reading for this weekend echoes a series of questions that many of us might have asked when a request is made of our time, talent or resources. It is not difficult to hear people ask, “what is in it for me?” You invite me to help out at the food pantry, what do I gain from it? Will my children acquire service hours by helping at a parish event? Would participating in a retreat be worth my time? What would I benefit from hours of work on a parish project, or serving in a committee? How would my life be improved by coming to Mass every weekend, or even daily? What is in it for me? These questions, as common as they are, express the human desire for validation. We all want our effort to count, and be recognized. Doing good for the sake of it even when not applauded doesn’t always appeal to everyone. Our Lord acknowledges this need for gratuity, and does not dismiss Peter’s question. He gave his all to save humanity without asking what was in it for himself, as scripture tells us, he ‘emptied himself…(Philippians 2:7). This same Jesus promised that his disciples would have a hundred times over whatever they had sacrificed to follow him. This is only possible because God cannot be overdone in generosity. And because he knows what sacrifices we make to do anything good and worthwhile, he knows what rewards are appropriate.

I recently listened to a conference talk from Amazing Parish. The keynote speaker shared a quote from Nicky Gumbel that spoke to me, and I have been reflecting on this since I heard it:

“The Church is often like a football game. 22 people desperately in need of a rest, watched by thousands of people desperately in need of exercise.”

In the past weeks I have been inviting all our parishioners to be more engaged in our parish life. Your pastor and parish staff are willing, but cannot do it all. The parish is a family of believers, who have been gathered by the risen Lord in order to sanctify them and send them out to help gather others into the fold. We are saved to help save others. And we do this through joyful proclamation of the gospel, living lives of authentic witnessing and service to our brothers and sisters. Our parish family, like any family, would function better when every member contributes to making it work. The point I am trying to make is that the mission of the church to bring everyone to the knowledge of Christ is enhanced when everyone plays their part. God has entrusted to each one of us, as diverse as we are, gifts he has not entrusted to another. And these different gifts are entrusted to us to be used in building up the body of Christ (Ephesians 4:12). This is how we witness to SACRIFICIAL GENEROSITY, one of our core values. We recognize that we all have gifts to give, and are willing to give them in the service of God and of his church. I know firsthand how difficult it could be when the work of the many is left to a few. Some of our parishioners want to be engaged but don’t know how to. Some are not sure what needs to be done, but would jump right in if invited. Some are tired of waiting to be asked to do something, and some are exhausted from doing so much already; some feel undervalued and underappreciated and as such do not offer to help. Whatever group you identify with, I want you to know there’s a lot to be done, and we need you. One gift we all can give is the gift of our presence. Just showing up goes a long way. No one gives God anything without having it multiplied and returned to them a hundredfold. If you would like to be more involved but don’t know how, our parish staff or members of our Parish Pastoral Council would be more than glad to point you in the right direction. You can find a list of our parish staff on our website: www.littleflowerchurch.org and published in our weekly bulletin, and on the bulletin board at the back of the church. You can find a list of the members of our Parish Pastoral Council below:
Mike Jasper
Christine Gaffney
Lynn Handley
Daniel Flowers
Joseph Torma
Francisca Flores
Ron Miller
Nevin Siqueira
Craig Phillips

This weekend I am preaching missions at Corpus Christi. Please pray for its success. Also make welcome the visiting priests Fathers Dominic Verner and George Ike who would be celebrating our weekend liturgies. We thank them for coming to celebrate for and with our parish community.

May Jesus bless you, and may Our Lady protect you! With blessings from my heart,