Well, I have changed the scripture verse at the top of this letter again. The verse we used during the initial lock down, Isaiah 30:15,18, was about how the Lord would save us through waiting and calm. Then, once we were beginning parish ministries again, we transitioned to Matthew 14:15-18, where Jesus encourages his Apostles to feed the crowd themselves, a verse I chose after preaching a homily on that theme.
Now we have moved to Matthew 28:19-20, a verse which could very well be with us for a long time. This verse is the mission statement of the Church, the last thing Jesus said to his Apostles in the Gospel of St. Matthew. As rich and complex as our Catholic faith is, this verse should always serve to focus us. This verse is our foundation. We should not be doing anything else until we have made sure we are at least doing this.
And, as I will never tire of emphasizing, carrying out this mission statement is the responsibility of all of the baptized. It can serve as an interesting examination of conscience: Have I gone out, or just stayed focused on myself? Have I tried to help people, including myself, grow in the love of Jesus (i.e. make disciples)? Have I engaged in the sacramental life and encouraged others to do so? Have I learned and communicated the teachings of Jesus and the Catholic faith?
The work of carrying out this mission statement is, of course, first and foremost Jesus’ work, given to him by the Father; but he also chooses to carry out this work through us, his Body. I hope that our parish never forgets these final words of Jesus, and that they inform every aspect of our life and activity.
On an unrelated note, we are beginning to transition from the eschatological (i.e. Second Coming) focus of Advent to the incarnational focus. We are beginning to focus, not on the end point of history, but on its center point, on the point around which every other moment of creation turns. We like to tell the stories of great leaders in our history classes, but no story and no leader can ever be as important as the fact that God took upon himself our human nature. I hope we never get tired of telling to story of Jesus, the greatest story ever told, beyond anything we could have previously imagined.
Fr. Moore 