Time, Talent, & Treasure

Dear sisters and brothers in Christ,

I pray that you are blessed, and I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving surrounded by loved ones. I also hope you had lots of blessings for which to give thanks. A week or two ago I mentioned that throughout Advent we would be focusing on the theme, “Here I am Lord, send me!” in response to God’s summons, “Whom shall I send?” I also mentioned that our response is supposed to be manifested in three distinct ways: “Time, Talent, & Treasure.”

As we have reduced our Covid-restrictions we have focused primarily on our need for liturgical ministers. After all, our Sunday Eucharistic Liturgy is one of the most important things we do. It is where we come to offer praise & thanksgiving to our God for all that our Lord has done for us. It is where we gather as a community to encourage and support one another. It is where we come to be nourished by The Word and Sacrament, so that we can respond to God’s call, go forth, and do the work of The Gospel. Because of these things, it is important that we not only “have mass,” but that we “celebrate with good liturgy.” Our Sunday masses should be worthy of our God. It takes more than “father saying mass.” As the Second Vatican Council declared, it is a requirement of each and every Catholic to not simply be present at mass, but to do so with “full and active participation.”

This is why we need your help, strike that, this is why we need each other’s help. It isn’t a we and you situation, there is only US, the community of believers, and each of us has our part to play. Whether that is in planning the liturgies, or greeting people to make sure they feel welcomed and have what they need, or leading the congregation in song by being a part of a choir, or serving at the altar of The Lord, or proclaiming The Word clearly and with dignity, or helping with the distribution of The Body & Blood of Christ, and now, it even includes helping to stream the liturgy to the home-bound. All of these people are needed. But just because you are sitting in the pew (because it is your Sunday off or you have a different parish ministry) does not mean that you do not have an ACTIVE part to play. To truly be present at the mass requires you to “fully participate” by praying aloud the prayers of the mass, singing aloud the music, and actively listening to The Word of The Lord. It is through all of this that we give honor and glory to God.

One of the most sacred ministries you can perform is to take The Eucharist to those who cannot join us physically. We call it “Communion” because that is precisely what it does. It unites us as a community, and does so even for those who are not physically with us. I am so grateful to those who have been faithfully performing this ministry for years, as well as, those who stepped up during the pandemic to bring The Eucharist to family, friends and neighbors. I would ask anyone who is still performing this ministry to send an email to Carol with your name, contact information, who you take Communion to, and if you are willing to continue to do so. We need to make sure we have everyone accounted for.

So, again, I say thank you to all those who are performing a liturgical ministry and implore others to consider doing one of these very important ministries. If your time is limited it is a great way of combining the offering of both your “time & talent.” Of course, if a liturgical ministry is not your thing, we have plenty of other needs in our parish. In the meantime, let us join our voices together and offer joyful praise to our Lord.

In the Redeemer, Fr. Rick