Our new Mission Statement
The updated statement of our Mission here at Holy Family that is boldly displayed above the doors entering our main church now reads:
To empower all to new life in Christ through sacramental living,
transformative worship, life-long spiritual growth
and community in service to others.
Sacramental living is an important part of the statement, and of our very purpose here at Holy Family. We believe that Sacrament is celebrated and has been celebrated by our Roman Catholic tradition for centuries. Jesus instigated the sacraments as he acted on his instinct that all life is sacred. I often say that as an extension of God the Father, Jesus sacramentally laid a foundation of the church by bringing about desires that God has for humanity, for me and for YOU.
His desire for us to be welcomed into life through the church – Baptism
A desire to forgive us – Reconciliation
A desire to affirm the evolving nature of our faith – Confirmation
A desire for us to commit in love – to a partner – Marriage
A desire for us to the leadership of the church – Holy Orders
A desire to heal us – Anointing of the Sick
And MOST importantly, a desire to be with us in a REAL and ONGOING way – Eucharist
This weekend we welcome Dr. Terry Nelson-Johnson and other members of the Soul Play team to get us started on our Adventures in Grace: a pilgrimage with adventure number one entitled “An Introduction to Sacramentality”.
Last week I wrote in this space that Grace is bigger than sacrament. I hope that is helpful for you to see the fundamental nature of grace and how sacraments – formal, informal, dramatic and small – flow from the grace that is present in sacramental living.
A scripture story and pattern that helps us to look for the sacramentality that flows from Grace in our lives is what is commonly called the Beatitudes (Matthew 5:1-12). In it Jesus ascends a mountain. I liken our entire life, and particularly this pilgrimage, to ascending a spiritual mountain; and people always encounter or come closer to God when ascending a mountain. When Jesus gets to the top, he sits down and teaches. The pilgrimage will invite us to sit down with each other and learn about the grace, the sacramental, and the blessedness of life. In the story of the beatitudes Jesus finds blessedness in predictable places – in Mercy … in Peace … in standing up for what is right … in doing the right thing
AND
in the unpredictable places – in grief … in persecution …. in meekness … and perhaps, most surprisingly … in a poverty of spirit. Ignatius of Loyola is a strong example of recognizing that he was “…nothing without God.” He also professed “…God in all things.” I supplement that with the sense that life is more than it seems. It holds more tragedy, loss, sorrow, ugliness and disrespect than it seems. But, it also offers much more love, hope, goodness, inspiration – and more story, ritual, and adventure than it seems. When we admit that we are poor in the spiritual part of our lives, we will be motivated to learn and experience more – often much more.
Please join us. Enter into the more of life. Engage yourself spiritually in this pilgrimage and you will see, and we will find, the more that Holy Family Catholic Community can be.
My number one goal for this Pilgrimage is that at Pentecost and beyond in a bright future:
More people will join us on all levels of church
More people coming to Mass, both daily and weekly, more volunteers, more teens, more young adults, more students in our Academy, more children and families participating in Family Faith programs, more adults joining us for spiritual renewal, more awareness of social justice concerns, specifically, the 7 tenets of Catholic Social teaching.
Let’s live a deeper, stronger, more reverent, vibrant, relevant and transformative life – a deeper sacramental life. The adventure of more starts now!