Last November, St. Mary Parish hosted a gathering to welcome Bishop Thomas as our new Bishop. In his homily, Bishop Thomas expressed his vision for our Diocese as that of doing our part to reach the goals of Holy Families, Holy Vocations and Holy Disciples. Thus, in a concise and easy to remember way, this vision expresses who we are and what we are to be about as a diocesan faith community.
How fitting it is that Holy Families are mentioned first. The family is the most basic unit of both the Church and the larger community in which we live. As goes the quality of life in our families, so goes the quality of life in the Church and in the world.
To offer direction in becoming Holy Families, the Church liturgically celebrates the Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph during the Christmas Season. As one of us, our Lord did not grow up in a vacuum. He no doubt was powerfully influenced and affected by the love and respect that Joseph and Mary had for each other.
As we develop, we each need wholesome role models with whom we can identify. The greatest way that fathers and mothers can love their children is by loving each other as the Lord has designed this to happen. The love that Joseph and Mary had for each other enabled our Lord, as one of us, beginning as a boy, to find His vocation, or His Father’s rightful place for Himself in the world.
The Lord has a special place for each of us in this world. The vocational states of the single life, marriage, the priesthood and religious or consecrated life offer directions for our development as persons.
As children experience that their mothers and fathers are grateful for each other with all of the ups and downs of married life, in many cases, they will be attracted to embrace marriage. A healthy marriage is not an escape from the single life.
We all enter this world in the single state. Depending upon the gifts that we receive in relating to others, a number of us can most effectively be enriched and enrich others by remaining in the single state. For persons who are called to marriage, a wholesome way for an individual to prepare for this Sacrament is to be at home with one’s self in the single state. In this way, a person can proactively embrace marriage and thus be enriched and enrich the individual with whom one is joined in this Sacrament.
From the love that we receive as we grow up, some of us, in a mysterious way, are led to embrace the priesthood or religious life. I was loved into the priesthood. I assume that this is also the case with persons who are called to embrace the religious or consecrated life style.
Regardless of the vocational state in which we find ourselves as adults, we are each called and equipped to be a blessing for all other persons in the Church and in the world. As Holy Disciples, regardless of our vocation, we are all needed in order to make both the Church and the world more Christlike communities in which to reside.
Let’s continue to support one another as the Lord would have us do this so that each person will want to proactively do her/his part to extend Christ’s redeeming Presence wherever we are in a most effective manner.
Sincerely yours in Christ,
Fr. Nelson Beaver – Pastor