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Generations
in Faith Together
Fr.
George Smiga
2-3
October 2004
Luke
17: 5 - 10
The
apostle's request in today's Gospel should be our request:
Lord increase our faith.” We all have faith. We believe in
God and God's presence in our lives. Otherwise we would not
be here today. But do we have enough faith, enough faith for
today and tomorrow? None of us know what tomorrow might bring.
Do we have enough faith to deal with a diagnosis of a serious
disease that might strike our family, or to cope with the
challenges of old age? Do we have enough faith to give us
courage if our country was to experience another terrorist
attack on our soil, or to deal with a crisis of unemployment
or divorce? Do we have enough faith to push through the daily
problems of life and live our lives in such a way that they
are characterized by hope and joy?
It
is no wonder that the apostles asked the Lord to increase
their faith. But how do we increase our faith? This is not
only an important question for you but particularly for me,
because I realize that as pastor of this parish my primary
responsibility is to see that the faith of this community
not only continues but deepens. So how do we increase our
faith?
There
are three ways: worship, service and community. I hope that
it is obvious to you the high value we place on worship in
our parish. I believe that together with our entire staff
that the liturgy, in the words of the Second Vatican Council,
is both the “source and summit” of the Christian life. When
we pray here, when we sing here, when we worship here, we
deepen our faith. I hope it is also obvious that our community
is dedicated to service. For years we have served in the food
center at St. Augustine and growing food in the garden in
Tremont. We have ministries in the county jail. At Christmas
we deliver hundreds of food packages. Our teenagers have a
summer project of service. Our social action group raises
issues that expand our vision of the gospel. Next week we
will be announcing an important new international relationship
with a village in El Salvador. We do all this because we understand
that what we do for the least of our brothers or sisters we
do for Christ. In doing that for him, we deepen our faith.
But
worship and service on their own are not enough. We need to
grow our faith within the context of community. We are not
isolated individuals on our way to God, but a church, a body
of believers. Again I think St. Noel has a great tradition
here. Our motto “One Lord, One Faith, One Family” stresses
the importance of our connectedness to one another. Many people
travel from outside of our boundaries because they feel the
hospitality of this community. Yet I must admit to you that
I believe that it is this area of community which is our biggest
challenge. We are no longer a community of 400 families but
of 1600 families. We know one another's faces but very few
names. We are so busy and so committed that it is difficult
to take the time to see that our connectedness to one another
remains strong.
This
is why I am particularly excited about the new initiative
that we are piloting this year at St. Noel. You received information
on it this past week in the mail. It's called GIFT, Generations
In Faith Together. GIFT recognizes that we need more than
worship and service. GIFT provides us with a regular opportunity
to come together as a parish. GIFT is not an idea that we
have developed here locally. It is a national effort and many
parishes in our diocese are piloting it this year. If we were
to adopt GIFT as normative in our parish, it would provide
an opportunity each month for us, as a parish, to come together,
to share a meal, and then to reflect upon an upcoming celebration
of our parish life. Our pilot this year provides three such
sessions: one for Christmas, one for Lent and one Holy Thursday.
If the pilot for GIFT is successful and we adopted it as normative
for our parish next year, it would become the means through
which the religious education of our children, the growth
of adults in faith formation and many of our community experiences
would all take place.
Why
is this so important? Because all research and experience
has shown that faith grows more effectively when the whole
parish comes together. When the generations mix, when we see
our connectedness to one another, then it is easier for our
faith in God to deepen and to grow. I look forward to the
possibility that our children will grow up learning their
Catholic faith together with their parents and grandparents
and other parishioners. I look forward to the opportunity
that GIFT can provide for parishioners in their 50's, 60's,
70's, and 80's to deepen their faith on a regular basis and
connect with teenagers and young families of our parish. We
are stronger when we are connected to one another. Our faith
grows when the generations of our parish come together.
Obviously
I am sharing this today because I am asking you to participate
in this pilot for GIFT. You have received all the materials
in the mail. Beginning this weekend in the narthex after mass
you will have the opportunity of turning in your reservation
card and registering for the first session of GIFT. It will
take place this November. It will be a time to prepare as
a community for the great feast of Christmas. Think again
how routine our Christmas celebrations may have become, and
how we can as a community reflect on the true meaning of Christmas
and deepen our experience of it in practical ways.
As
you can imagine, GIFT is tremendous amount of work. We have
had committees working on GIFT for over a year. But we also
need the cooperation of many other people in the parish. In
your mailing you received a list of Want Ads. These are roles
we must fill, if GIFT is to be successful. I encourage you
to consider whether you could volunteer to help us with your
time and talent. Indeed one of the reasons we are piloting
GIFT this year is to see whether we have the vision and the
resources as a community to do GIFT on a regular basis. I
think we do. But the real choice is up to you in terms of
your involvement and excitement about this program.
GIFT
is for everyone, for children, for retired people, for young
adults, for singles, for married, for divorced, for those
who are widowed, for college students, for people visiting
our parish. Everyone is welcome. Moreover, I am convinced
that we will never understand GIFT until we experience it.
That is why I am asking you to participate in the three sessions
of GIFT we will be piloting this year, to volunteer to assist
us if you are able, and to give us your feedback about how
you value the experience you have undergone.
Our
faith increases through worship, service and community. If
our faith is to grow we need all three. Take a step today
to increase your faith. Take a step today to help us build
our community here at St. Noel.
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