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January 14, 2018

 

Our scriptures on this Second Sunday in Ordinary Time propel us from the last vestiges of our Christmas into the radical expectations of what it means to be a believer, and the consequences of listening to God’s call in our lives. Today’s first reading narrates the call of Samuel. The young boy comes running to the elder Eli when he hears his call, and presents himself saying  "Here I am. You called me." However, the old priest is aware enough to recognize that there is a greater call unfolding, and so he helps Samuel to respond: "Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening." The gospel from John tells of the call of the first of Jesus’ disciples, and the story of the beginning of the gathering of the Twelve. Here too, we see Andrew responding to a call in his life, bringing his brother Simon to encounter Jesus.

Prompted by these scriptures we can certainly explore our personal call, or vocation, in life. It is true that we are all called individually by virtue of our baptism to a life of holiness before God, and that life of holiness is lived out in our human vocation. It is a vocation into which we are drawn by our baptism, and into which we continue to grow as we deepen our relationships with Jesus throughout our lives. However, in this column I thought I might try to explore the “communal call” that I, along with some staff and other ministry leaders have been exploring for some time. In other words, what is it that God is calling Lourdes to be/do in and for the world?

This is not a very easy question for us to wrap our minds around, I confess. On the surface of it, it might seem obvious. But when we dig into it a little, it becomes a little more challenging, perhaps, requiring a little more thoughtful reflection. It’s not enough to say we’re here to have mass on Sunday, because even the mass is about something more. Popes of living memory, Paul VI, John Paul II, Benedict XVI and now Pope Francis, have consistently reminded us that the primary vocation of the church is to evangelize, in light of the Great Commission of Jesus (Mt. 28:18-20), in which we are charged with the responsibility to “Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age.” This commission is behind the words of Pope Francis just before the Christmas: “The Church is by her very nature projected ‘ad extra’… [in] service of God’s word and the preaching of the Gospel.”

As Pastor, sometimes I wonder about how we here at Lourdes put meat on this bone, or put flesh and blood on our commitment to the world “ad extra”, outside of ourselves. Some parishes have missions to support churches, hospitals, orphanages and schools in Africa, in Haiti, and other distant parts of the world. Our efforts here might seem somewhat less adventurous in comparison, but nonetheless it is worth noting that our participation in the Annual Mission Appeal (Rwanda) yielded $14,000. Our Thanksgiving Mass collection was donated to Catholic Charities in Santa Rosa for the victims of the Fires in Northern California. Our “special collection” for the victims of the hurricanes that hit Texas, Florida and Puerto Rico amounted to $10,996. The dollar amounts aren't as important as the fact that here at Lourdes it is an important value for us that we don’t turn our backs on people who are in need. We may not have much to share with others, but we share what we have. Our collective contributions often make a huge difference in the lives of others, often others whom we may never meet in person. In the aftermath of disasters that take away people’s homes and destroy their churches, it is often the case that the recovery of a single home, or the re-opening of a house of prayer is not only an occasion of both human and spiritual joy, but an affirmation of hope restored. To see a sign of real recovery such as a home becoming habitable again, or a church opening its doors for worship again is a powerful signal of hope to the broader community. When we give of our substance, we participate in this great work of reaching out to witness to our faith beyond our own doors. We literally become “hope for the world”. The relevance of the dimension ‘ad extra’ in our communal vocation can’t be understated, but it is important for us to remember why we do it. And who knows? Maybe one day we might move beyond ‘sending’ help and we might find our way to go and ‘bring’ our help ‘ad extra’…

 

 

 

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