“Knowing Jesus is the best gift that anyone can ever receive. That we have encountered Him is the best thing that has happened in our lives. And making Him known by our deeds and words is our greatest joy.”
St Mary of the Visitation Parish exists to be a light on the hill and offer every person in our community a life-changing encounter with Jesus so that we can grow as His intentional disciples and become an evermore credible witness to the difference that Jesus alone can make in each of our lives.
We have been launching our Fall by reflecting on the power of unity and the truth that “We Are Better Together” . In a world of division and divisiveness, in a political environment more and more defined by "sides", the Church is called to be a body of unity, even in the midst of diversity. There is no greater vehicle which can make that possible than the local parish.
Often Jesus uses the images in scripture of the "Wedding Banquet". When we talk
about spiritual growth, it is about enjoying the feast and celebration God has
in store for us. Spiritual growth allows us to enjoy the abundant gifts and
blessings of God’s kingdom. When the focus of our lives – and the focus of our
parish – is on spiritual growth – then we truly are better together!
In Matthew 22:1–14, Jesus tells the story of a wedding feast. In the time of Jesus, people would make it a
priority to go to a wedding for the feasting and celebration, but surprisingly
in the parable no one participates. They refuse to enjoy the good things the
king has prepared and miss out on the celebration.relationships and lost opportunities. In many ways it
is the manifestation of the “cycle of ingratitude – for remember:” When the “cycle of gratitude” does not take
place then most often the “cycle of ingratitude” begins.
The “cycle of ingratitude” is best described as “hard feelings”
which, then depending on the maturity of those involved, can either resemble a
Junior Kindergarten classroom, or a mature series of adult discussions. Every
family, relationship and organization becomes subject to this. Sometimes when
the “cycle of ingratitude” goes too far, we see violence, selfishness and even
people feeling rejected or “leaving” because they are angry.
This
is why Service Saturday, Tuesday Night Together, outreach efforts by our Small
Groups – all of these are important because they keep the “cycle of gratitude”
going. This is why a simple hand written “Thank you Note” is so powerful. This
is why the Eucharist and weekly being at Sunday Mass is so vital. It keeps the
“cycle of gratitude” in motion.
But
we know that sometimes, like in the Gospel – people reject the invitation to
the banquet – Sunday Mass. Funny enough all the reasons are the same today as
they were in the parable, (c.f. – “But they made light of it and went away, one to his farm,
another to his business, while the rest seized his slaves, mistreated them, and
killed them” ). In other words “I don’t need religion,
I am busy, don’t talk to me about God….” The king responds in an interesting
way…. He invites more to come… others… he opens the door ever the wider……. He
does not allow “the cycle of in gratitude” to begin in his heart… but is ever
the more grateful for all who come.
So
I guess here is the question for us as Disciples of Jesus – and for us as a
parish community committed to offering every person
in our community a life changing encounter with Jesus. Are we inviting others?
A little self-examination
might help here:
- When was the last time we invited or brought a friend to Mass?
- When we don’t see someone at our parish that use to belong – do we ever ask them to return (even if they give the same excuses as above)?
- When was the last time we spoke positively about our parish, priests, our religion – even if people don’t share the “cycle of gratitude” that we do?
- When was the last time we generously donated to our parish to keep things not only ‘operating’ but ensuring we can invite others to the banquet
So often we are hesitant to ask the above and maybe
even say “this is not my role, it is not my business.” This Gospel tells us it
surely is! If we are not contributing to the cycle of gratitude then we are
leaving room for the cycle of in gratitude to begin. If we say well “when they
have time they will come”, or “they have a lot going on now, soon they will
come” then we are much like the excuse makers in the parable who had
ingratitude in their hearts.
Let me pause with this little story. At a parish I
served at once there was a couple. They were at church every day and seemed
pious. But in their hearts there was a hardness that made them offer snide
remarks about others and priests even during Mass. They came to the banquet but
not with gratitude. Here is what I learned from observing them – they might
have been pious but they did not possess gratitude. In
the Gospel, the King discovered that those he had invited were not grateful - but
he kept inviting others to the banquet (even when rejected) because the banquet
was important and his heart possessed gratitude. Since
he never gave up, in time, his banquet hall was filled with people who might
not have been pious, but they were grateful. Do we keep inviting? Do we possess
gratitude for the invitation to come to the banquet?
As we draw soon to a conclusion our series,
are we keeping our commitment to the Banquet? Are we aware of what keeps us
from it? Are we present with piety or pure gratefulness? Are we seeking in all
we do (action and especially word) to lead others to know that by offering every person in our community a
life changing encounter with Jesus – we are better together!