“To love God you need three hearts in one: a heart of fire for Him, a heart of flesh for your neighbor, and a heart of bronze for yourself.”
- St. Benedict Joseph Labre
What a memorable Pentecost Sunday it was with five “tongues” speaking French, German, Italian, Spanish and Gaelic, all together proclaiming the Gospel of the Holy Spirit from the Acts of the Apostles last Sunday. I mentioned in my homily that I was a “Spirit Baby,” as I was born in 1962, the year Vatican Council II was convened by Blessed Pope John XXIII. A parishioner who later asked me for a blessing mentioned that she, too, was a “Spirit Baby” since Pentecost was her birthday. To see the banners and the candelabra, (a set of 7 candles, sign of perfection), in the sanctuary reminded us it was Mother Church’s birthday, with the Holy Spirit, the Power of God, burning out evil from our hearts, minds and lives. It was wonderful to see many in the assembly who remembered to wear red for the occasion.
I found it heart-warming when a 10 year-old little girl wrote a note saying, “I can’t wait to go to church on Sunday.” That excitement and enthusiasm fanned into flame my desire to preach the Word of God, so that as we trace three crosses on ourselves at the Gospel, Christ may be in our minds, on our lips and in our hearts. And that through embracing the words of the Holy Gospel, all our sins might be blotted out.
Fr. Ronald Lewinski, a pastor of St. Mary of the Assumption Church in Mundelein, IL, gave an address at the annual meeting of the Pontifical Mission Society, whose purpose is to promote the universal missionary spirit among all Catholics. His talk was entitled, “Rekindling the Spirit of Mission in Parishes.” He notes that we should not take our faith and Church for granted. We need to transform “parishioners” into “missioners." He notes that in our culture today there are many forces which make it difficult to hear God’s Word and build community such as relativism, secularism, excessive individualism and narcissism. These dark realities make us lifeless. But God’s people are hungry for more of what He has to offer so we must fan into flame the gift of faith which lies dormant in the hearts of our sisters and brothers. The mission of the Gospel is to make Jesus a part of our everyday living, thinking, acting and being. And through the gift of our preaching, the Gospel must serve as a catalyst for engendering a missionary spirit.
Fr. Lewinski remarks, “The parish is not an end in itself. It is meant to be a greenhouse that grows disciples. It’s meant to be a mission school preparing missionaries for service in the world.” In addition to preaching and teaching, our parishes need to provide bold witness through strong, vibrant and exemplary and effective Catholic parishes. There are many parishes that are doing marvelous and beautiful things. The problem is, however, that oftentimes, no one knows about them. Did you know that on April 23 we welcomed 6 people into full communion with the Church through RCIA here at St. Joseph? And that there are 10 more persons registered to enter the RCIA in the fall? Did you know that our Pre-Cana is already full of 45 couples coming on August 27? Did you know that every week we meet the material needs of those disadvantaged of our community through the St. Vincent de Paul Society? Do you know that great donations are given to beautify St. Joseph Cemetery as a work of mercy for the deceased? Did you know that through St. Joseph School, for 58 years, we sent disciples into the world with a foundation of faith in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit? Did you know that we have 21 cantors, 33 Eucharistic Ministers, 55 servers, 17 lectors and 21 homebound ministers? Did you know that there’s a devoted battalion of money counters who forge relationships of faith for the well-being and continuance of good works in our community? What wonderful servants we have who weekly volunteer time to clean the church and decorate it for our many feasts and celebrations. Did you know that from June 6-12, 311 tuned into our parish web site? Did you know that for 120 years our little parish has served as a beacon of light?
On Pentecost Sunday I met people from Canada, India, New York, Ohio, Ireland and Argentina. It is enriching to see the global Church in a little town of Coraopolis. I was excited to interview a couple for marriage and see that they signed up to help at our parish festival. The couple said that after being members here for just six weeks, they already feel at home.
We don’t have to go to Haiti, or Nigeria or China to carry out Christ’s mission. There is a fertile field in our own family and parish of St. Joseph. I am grateful for the missionary spirit and apostolic zeal of so many individuals that work together through sacrifice, commitment and service, to animate and make this place so very special.
Someone once said, “Reality is God’s home address.” Today we celebrate the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity. Some may think of the Trinity as “up there” or “over there." But the Trinity is really here among us. The Trinity is our home address. Through Baptism, we enter the mystery of the love of the Triune God, (Father-Love, Son-Grace, Spirit-Fellowship). Our God is united to us through grace, love and fellowship, working for our redemption and sanctification. Our God desires to share eternal life with us. The Holy Trinity is Three Persons in One God, a God of relationships, calling us to enter into the sacred relationship of His being. Love is our highest calling. May God bless our fathers on this Father's Day.
