October 1, 2009
by Father HectorOCTOBER OBSERVATIONS
Our parish is continually blessed as it walks with the Living Lord Jesus. His inexhaustible richness continues to touch us. Sometimes we, in inexcusable ungratefulness, fail to acknowledge or be thankful for the Lord’s desire to include us as a royal priesthood.
BLESSINGS:
· TWO PRIEST ASSOCIATES where many parishes do not even have a resident pastor
· ONE FULL TIME PERMANENT DEACON, ONE VOLUNTEER RETIRED DEACON, and TWO NEWLY ORDAINED PERMANENT DEACONS ASSIGNED TO OUR PARISH where other parishes still have to be educated as to the Roman Catholic Order of Deacon
· RELIGIOUS EDUCATION AND YOUTH STAFF FOR OVER 2000 YOUNG ADULTS where other parishes feel stressed by very much smaller numbers
· PARISH ORGANIZATIONS (KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS, GUADALUPANOS, GRUPO DE ORACION, RESPECT LIFE, LADIES GUILD, ADMINISTRACION DE LOS BIENES, ULTREYA, MUJERES ENAMORADAS DE JESUS, JOVENES) WHICH LOOK TO THE PHYSICAL AND SPIRITUAL NEEDS OF OUR LINGUISTIC AND CULTURAL DIFFERENCES as opposed to the churlish bickering so blatant in other parishes and rooted in a basic sin to not see Christ in the other
· PARISH STAFF WHO MINISTER TO THE JUST AND THE UNJUST FOR OVER 6000 FAMILIES where other parishes employ staffs for 1200 ( a normal parish size) families
· EXTRAORDINARY MINISTERS of HOLY COMMUNION, CHOIRS, LECTORS, USHERS AT ALL SEVEN WEEKEND MASSES where some parishes struggle to provide ministries at 3 or 4 masses
· TWO CHILDREN’S CHOIRS (IN ENGLISH AND SPANISH) where other parishes have little to no adult choirs
· A MINISTRY TO THE SICK (FLOURISHING IN SPANISH AND BUDDING IN ENGLISH) where other parishes struggle to organize
· A PARISH FAMILY WITH WARTS AND GRACES, WHICH TAKES IN THE PARISHIONERS OF AT LEAST 4 LOCAL PARISHES as they excuse themselves from ministering to all of God’s people who live in their proper parish boundaries
· OUR LITURGIES (MAJOR FEASTS TO FUNERALS) are some of the most prayerful moments of our lives
· PERSONAL BLESSINGS innumerable
Bishop Vann was told a story while he was in Celaya, Mexico of a dynamic parish liturgy during Holy Week of 2009. The man who was about to leave his faith found his faith once again in the liturgy….it was at St. Matthew’s in Arlington Texas.
DEFEATS:
· OURSELVES. We are the only ones who defeat ourselves in negativism and complaining without providing working solutions which include the WHOLE PARISH, not just the mass I attend. As the Bishop heard of a man finding his faith in God once again, I remember Fr. Wallis who had to hear a venomous prejudice spewed at him before one of the most Solemn of Liturgies. Jesus was inclusive, never exclusive. FATHER FORGIVE THEM were his words…not forgive those who look like me, speak like me, think like me, or even believe in me. Every time we put ourselves before His needs, our parish suffers. THE LIVING LORD by our side has to whisper in our ears HIS GOSPEL so that our conversion is complete. IS YOUR CONVERSION BEING MADE WHOLE?
THE FUTURE: We have a great deal of work to do in the upcoming months and years. Some projects have been undertaken already in these past 3 years: the renovation of the gardens, the renovation of room 6, the renovation of the library, the kitchen renovations, the new tile in the sanctuaries and entrance, the new sound system, the new carpeting (which reminds us that gum chewing is never, never, never, never allowed in the church). All of these have been paid for by parish, parish organizations, and private parishioner donations. Future expectations include: a renovation of the air heating system, roofing needs, and lighting needs. NONE OF THESE PROJECTS OR MINISTRIES OCCUR WITHOUT PRAYER. In vain does the builder labor if the Lord does not build with him. As pastor, this is my primary concern; WE DO NOT PRAY ENOUGH. This is your challenge: to pray as if your life depended on it, because it does. We must decrease so that Christ may increase. We will overcome any difficulty, but only if we pray as individuals, spouses, families, ministries, groups, staff, clergy, as a parish. And when we pray the hard question must be asked: Do I hear the voice of the Lord, or is it simply my voice clamoring? Pray as if your life depended on it.