August 13, 2023 - Pastor Message
04/30/2024THE YEAR OF MISSION
OUR VALUES (conclusion)
“We are a parish who works together as God’s family for the good of all, putting our common mission above all else” (our parish’s Values Statement).
We conclude our reflection on our parish’s Values Statement this week by looking at the principle of solidarity - we are in this together. As our Mission Statement says, Christ calls us “TOGETHER as a parish.” A parish is not a random assortment of individuals pursuing their own goals. A parish is a community of faith, called together by Christ to serve one, shared mission.
We are all here, at this time, in this place, because Christ wants us here. He has uniquely gifted each of us with the tools he needs to serve his purpose at this time and in this place, but only by doing so together as one. In our divided society, it seems at times that everyone is looking out only for his or her own good, and, sadly, that same attitude can even affect the Church. People can approach their faith with an individualistic, consumerist mentality, asking, “What’s in it for me?”, rather than, “How has God blessed me to work with my brothers and sisters in faith for the salvation of others?”
That is our shared mission, to sow and nurture the seeds of God’s saving love in the hearts and minds of all our neighbors and beyond by living the gospel, the “good news” that we are not alone but that God has created, redeemed, blessed and called us together in Christ to be one, as he and the Father are one. Our parish is where that divine communion happens. Here, we bring ourselves with our individual gifts to the altar, where Christ takes, blesses, and unites us and our gifts to himself and each other in Holy Communion. Then, like the Bread of Life we share, he sends us out, sharing us with the world as living sacraments of his Body, the Church.
Though the bread at Mass is broken and shared, it remains always one, becoming a source of unity for all who receive it. Just so, when Christ sends us out from Mass on our mission, we remain one, becoming a source of unity for our broader community and beyond. For that plan to work, however, we must truly carry out our mission as one, putting our common mission above any personal preferences, goals, or agendas. No person, group, or ministry is more important than any other here at St. Boniface because all are one in Christ and his one, saving mission. That is what the final principle of our Values Statement means.
Fr. Marc Stockton
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