Last week Sunday we heard the words: “You are the salt of the earth…you are the light of the world.”  These are the words that Jesus spoke to us last Sunday in his famous Sermon on the Mount.

This Journey in Faith discernment that we are on is precisely to discern how we can better and more effectively let the light of Christ shine.  While we may see the pastoral restructuring only as a loss: less church buildings will have Sunday Mass….but there is also something gained; that we are pulling together.  Calling us to pull together.  Like many little lights, flames brought together to be a blazing beacon.  “You are the light of the world…. set on a lampstand where it gives light to all.”

Furthermore, Christ is reminding us that we are not simply to be disciples, but to be missionary disciples.  To go out and shine the light.  To invite others to Church, to Mass.  To evangelize.  Evangelization is one of our priorities in this Journey in Faith.  As we saw from the survey we took a little over a year ago, we have strong faith in our Archdiocese…but an area of growth is the “missionary” dimension.  To invite people to Mass.  To give witness: to share with others what the Lord has done in our own lives.  To invite more young men to consider a vocation to the priesthood.  To invite more young woman to consider a vocation to the consecrated religious life. To invite someone to consider work in pastoral ministry.

When we began this Journey in Faith, our shepherd, Archbishop Thomas Zinkula said to us, “I believe deeply in the bright future toward which God is calling us.  Journey in Faith is a pastoral and spiritual pilgrimage that we are walking together as an archdiocesan family. It is a Spirit-led invitation to renewal, vitality, and growth. It is an opportunity to build something enduring, not just for ourselves, but for generations to come. I envision a Church that is alive with the joy of the Gospel, where our parishes are not only sustainable, but thriving centers of mission and encounter….”

So, this Journey of Faith process is meant to inspire us to live more fully what Christ calls…to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world!

Peace,

-Fr. Kevin