Deacon's Corner for February 2, 2018
In
Sunday’s scripture readings we see how Job “sings the blues” (JB 7:
1-4,6-7). The great lament on the drudgery of life. My mind wanders to
early mornings on the Babylon LIRR platform as commuters face another cold
Winter’s trek into the “city” and what could be just another day of toil. The
hope of an eventless train ride is dashed, as the announcement crackles over the platform speakers and
cries out yet another train delay.
Job
speaks to our lament of today, “Is this as good as it gets”? We often feel the longing for something more!
Parish
life can be the center of activity for us, whether in our Sunday worship,
bringing the kids to religious education or tending to our prayer life and
spiritual well-being. For others,
particularly the millennials, being drawn to have the Parish of St. Joseph as the central place in their lives can be chalked up to wishful thinking.
Bishop
John Barres calls us all toward Dramatic Missionary Growth and as a Deacon on
the altar I see the missing faces in the pews. The path to engagement seems to
be less clear. I long to understand God’s plan for us as a missionary in our
own community. I pray for those
disenfranchised, the missing, who can teach me a thing or two about their
needs, and their spiritual longing.
I
have a desire to move beyond our parish campus and into the community. If our
young adults don’t see a parish centered existence, then maybe God is calling
us as missionaries to reach out to them and our local community! We need to be open to change and be
emboldened with a broader understanding of what it means to encounter Jesus.
One
definition of insanity is to continue to do the same thing and expect
different outcomes. If we focus on the same tactics without a deeper
understanding of the needs of the community, we risk diminishing returns and
the return to a vibrant parish.
We
need a new playbook, a new spirit, one which is unafraid and life-giving. We
need to follow Jesus’ example by reaching out, by engaging through community
service and purposeful ecumenical partnerships.
In
Ezekiel, as the Lord commission’s him, it is written: “Son of man, eat what
you find here: eat this scroll, then go, speak ...feed your stomach and fill
your belly with this scroll I am giving you. I ate it, and it was as sweet as
honey in my mouth.
What
was on the scroll...? A song of lament, “The Blues”, in a word.
When
all seems to fail us, we should swallow the words of our lament and our Lord
Jesus will commission us and then redirect our paths. The Divine Source of
Love dwells in us, He who provides all that we need to rise into action. Take
the first step and the Lord will multiply all that is good.
When
hope seems to be stolen away when action is displaced by silence when lines
of division are draw, we need to draw ourselves closer to Jesus. Closer to Him
in prayer, closer to Him in charity, closer to Him in finding ways to bridge
the divide we find with each other, and the separation of those we need to
Welcome back.
My
mind muses on musical snippets and lyrics which seem to play as an ongoing loop
during my moments of contemplation and prayer. We recently sang a new song at
the twelve noon Sunday Mass, “All My Hope” by Crowder. (https://youtu.be/7tElvdnId4Q)
The line, “All my hope is in Jesus, thank God,
my yesterday’s gone”, seems to tie in well with our struggles.
We
are called to be missionaries, with the very gifts our Lord has given us, and
we need to begin right here and right now.
Sometimes
it feels good to sing the blues, but now its time to rock and roll!
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