Dear Brothers and Sisters,
The power of the Holy Spirit is more powerful than we realize. If we think about it, the Gospel of Jesus has been handed down through the life of the faithful for 2000 years, an amazing demonstration of the power of the third person of the Trinity. We are products of this sharing of the faith. Our liturgical celebrations, as important as they are, are nothing in comparison to the role that each of us plays to be a witness to the that is so essential to the continued growth and fruitfulness of our faith. Each of us, uniquely called, empowered with the Spirit to bring the gospel message into a world that is more focused on giving to Caesar than to God.
Our greatest source of the witnessing to the power of the Spirit is in our young people. Having celebrated Mass with young grade school children this past week I was energized by their participation and engagement. Yes, Mass looks different from before COVID, but they rose to the occasion and gently witnessed to their love for God. The power of our young people should never be overlooked.
Over the next month I have many baptisms scheduled. My baptism homily includes praying for the witness of faith for the child being baptized. How important it is that each of us do this. The potential of each child to witness to the faith is unknowable but can be powerful. Furthermore, parents have the humble responsibility of raising their children in the faith, and they need our support. In these challenging times, we all realize how much the “sacred burden” of parenting has been uniquely realized by our parents, including religious education. May the Spirit of wisdom give them the courage to continue parenting and establishing the faith in each of our children.
I am also looking forward to celebrating First Communions over the next few weeks for some of our families. I have been humbled by the smiles of our young people and their families as the child says “Amen.” As a broader community, although we cannot be present, we need to smile, too. Each “Amen”, whether present at Mass or through spiritual communion, we all continue to witness the faith that our 2000 years of our predecessors have passed along through generations of the faithful.
As we journey together, let us also remember our elderly, especially the homebound. What an asset of wisdom and strength we can gain from them. Remember to reach out to family and neighbors during these uncertain times.
In Christ, Fr. Workman