Pastor's Points: Holiness

Pastor's Points: Holiness

What do you think of when you hear the word “holy”? Perhaps images of the saints or a beloved nun from your childhood come to mind. But what about you? Are you holy?  Because of our common baptism in Christ, each of us shares in the universal call to holiness. Holiness is not just something for those who are numbered among the clergy or those in religious life. Holiness is something that all of us, in varied ways, are called to.
 
The fathers of the Second Vatican Council reminded us of this when they wrote in  Lumen Gentium Dogmatic Constitution of the Church:
 
These faithful are by baptism made one body with Christ and are constituted among the People of God; they are in their own way made sharers in the priestly, prophetical, and kingly functions of Christ; and they carry out for their own part the mission of the whole Christian people in the Church and in the world…They are called there by God that by exercising their proper function and led by the spirit of the Gospel they may work for the sanctification of the world from within as a leaven.  LG 31
 
All of us share in that threefold Christological identity of priest, prophet and king. 
 
As a parish community, we have been responding to the abuse crisis in the Church for over a year. In a letter that Cindy Neely, coordinator of the Abuse Response Team (A.R.T), and I published in the bulletin last month, we outlined some steps the parish took in this last year. We also wrote about what is currently taking place and what is planned to continue to respond to this crisis and to make sure that those who have been affected in some way are cared for. The clergy of the parish are working alongside the members of the A.R.T. in this important ministry.
 
Each of us has a role to play in the church as we strive for holiness both personally and collectively.   Our embracing of our universal call to holiness will lead to a healthier Church that seeks to proclaim the good news of Christ’s death and resurrection above all else.
 
This last year has not be easy and we have felt the pain of this crisis in different ways.  This is why the A.R.T. is in place. I wanted to make sure we did all we could as a local Catholic community to help those who are hurting to have a voice and receive help and healing. As we continue with this process I would ask a few things of you:

• It is important for the A.R.T. to take the pulse of the parish on the crisis. Please take a few minutes to complete this survey.
• Later this month, we will be distributing copies of a short book entitled “Letter to a Suffering Church” by Bishop Robert Barron. Take some time to read it.  There are some difficult parts as Bishop Barron details what has been exposed in certain abuse cases. However, this is all part of the healing process as we strive to become a holier and healthier Church
• I have invited Fr. Jerry McGlone, S.J. to come to the parish the weekend of October 26-27.  Fr. McGlone is the former associate director for protection of minors for the Conference of Major Superiors of Men and is an abuse survivor himself. He has spoken at other parishes helping Catholics to separate fact from fiction in terms of the crisis and offer his perspective.  Fr. McGlone will preach the Masses that weekend, and there will be discussion sessions on Saturday evening at 6:30PM and on Sunday at 3:00PM in Spanish and then in the evening at 6:30PM in English. You can read more about Fr. McGlone here.

We will continue to be dedicated to protecting our children, to assisting those who have been affected by abuse and to praying for healing for victims and for our Church as well.  By choosing to be involved in some way in this response, we show forth our dedication to becoming holier people and that we all share in the mission of the Church. Pope Francis in Gaudete et Exsultate  reminds the  faithful not to be “afraid of holiness,” and adds that “to the extent that each Christian grows in holiness, he or she will bear greater fruit for our world.”  So do not be afraid of holiness. Do not be afraid to bear much fruit.