The Feast of St. Noel
October 18, 2009
Fr. George Smiga
Mark 10:35-45
Today we celebrate the feast of the patron of our parish, St. Noel. St. Noel was a Jesuit missionary who worked among the American Indians in this region in the middle of the 1600’s. He was martyred in service of the gospel. But today we are not so much celebrating on the life of St. Noel as on the life of the parish that bears his name. What we celebrate today is the fact that this parish exists; that it is alive with many very active ministries; that there are dedicated parishioners who make the life of this parish grow; and that we have a regular opportunity as a parish to come here week after week and worship God together.
Now even as we celebrate this truth we also have to recognize that fewer and fewer people think that what we do here is important. Since the 1950’s the Catholic population in the United States has doubled. But the percentage of people who regularly attend church has been cut in half. In the 1950’s it is estimated that church attendance was about 60 percent. Today it is about 35 percent. When we look at Europe, which tends to be an indicator of where we will be a few years from now, only 17 percent of Catholics are active. The trend does not look too promising.
When I talk to people who are not coming to church and encourage them to do so, what I usually hear is this: “Father, don’t get me wrong, I believe in God. I see myself as a spiritual person. I just do not see an advantage of being connected to an organized church. Isn’t God everywhere? So why should I come to church?” When people say these things to me I believe them. I believe they are spiritual people. And I certainly believe God is everywhere. But that’s only part of the picture, just the beginning of the truth. Since we are spiritual people, the question is: What are we doing to see that our spirituality grows and deepens? What do we do to see that our spirituality has the power to stand against the temptations and challenges that we must face? Yes, God is everywhere, but where are we? Are we in any conscious way making a space for God’s love to enter our life and for our relationship with God to grow? Faith needs to be more than an idea or a mental conviction. It needs to be a concrete part of our lives. God needs to have a visible presence in the way that we live.
A six year-old girl was very afraid of thunderstorms and one evening, as her father was preparing her for bed a real storm was brewing. So the father knew it was going to be a difficult night. He took her up to bed, tucked her in, and said, “Honey, there is going to be a storm, but do not be afraid. I am right downstairs. And remember, God is always with you.” He went downstairs and the storm broke loose. In the midst of the lightening and thunder he heard a voice, “Daddy.” So he went upstairs, sat down, comforted his daughter and reminded her that God was with her. Then he went back downstairs. As the storm continued, this pattern repeated over and over again. Time and again he went up, sat with his daughter, and then came back downstairs. Finally he decided that he must put an end to this. He went up one more time and said, “Honey, I know that you’re afraid, but there’s no reason to be afraid. You are safe here. I am downstairs. And remember, God is with you.” The little girl responded, “I know that God is with me. But I need someone with skin on.”
We all need a God with skin on. That is why we need the Church. That is why we need our parish community. Our parish provides a place where our faith in God can become public, where the work of Christ becomes tangible and concrete. St. Paul knew this truth. He called the Church the Body of Christ—Christ’s visible presence in the world. The Church is called to make Christ visible to those outside the Church. Others need to see Christ in our love and service, in our charity and justice. The Church is also called to make Christ visible to those inside the Church. We need concrete men and women as an example of faith. We need other people like us, who believe in God and are willing to publicly express that faith. We need to be able to feel from one another prayerful support and love. In that concrete support and love, we are able to sense God’s presence in our lives.
We would look suspiciously on a man who said, “I love my wife,” but never said or did anything to celebrate that love. It would be difficult to believe in his love, if he never took a moment to say I love you to his spouse and to hear that love returned. For that man the love of his wife was only an idea. It had no concrete tangible presence in his life. Our parish community is the place where we celebrate the love of God. We come together here to worship, to learn, to serve. In those concrete actions, God’s presence becomes visible in our life.
We all need to make our personal spirituality visible. We need a God with skin on. That is why I remain thankful for this parish community, because it is in the relationships I have with you that my own faith deepens and grows, that it becomes more than an idea. And I challenge all of us today to recommit ourselves to our God who becomes known in our love, service, and interaction with one another. Let us always be thankful for that gift. Let us recommit ourselves to live out our faith in God as part of this parish community of St. Noel.
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