Baptisms, Confirmations, First Communions

     Baptisms, Confirmations, First Communions…for the last month we have been celebrating the Sacraments of Initiation among the members of our parish. From infants to children to adolescents to adults…all have received the Sacraments with joy. And, the community of St. Willebrord prayed for them, welcomed them, and celebrated with them with enthusiasm.

     Now the challenge is to keep these “new ones” engaged and active (traditionally, the newly initiated are called “neophytes”). We need their energy and spirit. We need their prayers and presence. How will we seek them out and invite them to enter even more deeply into the community of faith, sharing the best they have to offer (first fruits) to the rest of the community members?

     If you are a leader or a member of a ministerial group in the parish, you will do well to look for these new ones and investigate their desires and abilities. Parish ministries are not simply tasks for which we volunteer, but perhaps will be better served if we ask specific persons to investigate according to their interest and ability.

     Evangelization, that is, the process of helping others to discover, follow, worship, and share the person AND the message of Jesus, requires us to be ACTIVE and NOT passive in our faith lives. We must not assume that if a child grows up in a Catholic, Christian home that they will receive and cherish that faith. We need to encourage and give real example to our children and to the new ones in our church and home.

     Our children and the next generation of believers are not persuaded by obligations and rules. They want authenticity and relevance. If we tell them the truth, then we must also demonstrate that truth. If we say that it is important to be present and to celebrate Sunday Mass, then we need to show them that it makes a difference in our own lives.

     So, our challenge is to grow in the ways we incarnate/embody our faith in Christ. How will I be more Christ-like today? How can I be nourished and strengthened by Scripture, the Eucharist, and prayer?

     When we become, speak, and act more Christ-like, I think that others will be attracted to such a way of life. And when we claim one belief and live by something different, we will repel them. Let us BE the Catholic Christians we claim to be, every day!

Peace, Fr. Andy