You have the potential to give flavor and light to our world! Can you take a moment to let that statement sink into your heart and soul? Can you hear Jesus Christ telling you that? Can this reflection lead you to truly believe it? In this weekend’s Gospel from Matthew, Jesus tells the disciples and us that we are salt and we are light. The two images are connected but, like other parables that link two images, they are also slightly different. In the parable of the treasure and the pearl (Matthew 13:44), the first is found, the second is sought. Reflecting on the passage then can lead us to ask many questions, but two are prominent: What have you found in life? and What do you seek? Prayerful reflection on scripture can always lead to similar questions.
In this weekend’s Gospel, Jesus follows the statement of the first of two images, “You are the salt of the earth…” with a caution and a concern. He poses them in the form of a question: “If salt loses its flavor, with what can it be seasoned?” This actually leads us to several questions. What and who do we season with the flavor of our faith? What food in the world do we make tastier because we are in it or part of it? What endeavors or people do we enrich with our presence? What do we add flavor to? Have we lost our flavor? During this year when we are asking all to reNEW, perhaps this image of salt and flavor can help us to add new flavor to, or flavor in a different way, the mission of our ministries and the overall mission of Holy Family Catholic Community.
The second statement, “You are the light of the world,” is followed by a much more positive and encouraging message from Jesus. The lights of a city on a hill cannot go unnoticed, and any light that is lit is not destined to be covered, but rather meant to be shared, so that by its very nature it may enrich the world. So our prayer can lead us to ask, “What is your light?” How is it shining? What unique light do you bring to the world? What light has God uniquely blessed you with? Is it being hidden or covered up?” The image is accompanied with an encouraging commission from Jesus Christ. Our light must be put in a place where it shines the most light, and our God given light must shine before others so that God may be glorified. As the song that our children sing says, “Take your candle, go light your world!”
Our unique collaboration with Catholic Extension Society continues. Fr. Jack Wall and others at Catholic Extension have once again offered us here at Holy Family a chance to be ground breaking in our efforts to help enrich the faith lives of people in need; in this case, great need in the midst of a political structure that has suppressed the church for years, but not the heroic faith lives and spiritual depth of people in Cuba. Sue Geegan, our Director of Human Concerns, Ro Geisler, our Parish Manager, and I recently visited Cuba along with staff members of Catholic Extension and Fr. Ron Hicks, the Vicar General of the Archdiocese of Chicago. We saw first-hand, the needs and the courage of the church in Cuba. Our Parish Pastoral Council and our Directors approved this year’s Lenten Social Justice project for assistance to Cuba. The connection that Catholic Extension Society has with the eleven Bishops of Cuba will guarantee that funds we raise here at Holy Family during Lent will go DIRECTLY to the bishops and thus go DIRECTLY to the projects that will DIRECTLY enrich the faith lives of the Cuban people.
Large beautiful church buildings have been taken over by the government, stripped of valuables and left unattended and in horrible decay for almost 60 years. In the wake of this physical decay, the work of the church has gone into neighborhoods and into people’s homes, much like the community structure that we see in the early church. As people were persecuted for what they believe, the church went underground.
Recent developments and the death of Fidel Castro has brought a loosening of governmental suppression of faith, and particularly the very meaningful ministry of the Catholic Church in Cuba. This is a historic moment of reNEWal for Cuba and we should all be proud to be of assistance in that reNEWal. As we move closer to Lent, we will share details and provide opportunities to answer questions that you may have regarding this unique partnership.
Our 2017 Gala is fast approaching. Please plan on attending Saturday, February 25 at the Meadows Club in Rolling Meadows. This is an event that began as exclusively benefitting our Academy and my vision was that it become a fun fund raiser for the ENTIRE Holy Family community. More and more of the proceeds from the Gala benefit parish activities and are available upon request from any ministry. Please come to the Gala. Catch our lively and passionate spirit. Meet new members of both the Academy and parish. Please consider supporting our Family, Teen and Adult Faith communities in addition to the Academy.
You can support the Gala in several ways:
- Come to the event
- Get friends to come and join you, preferably non-parishioners, so we can show them the vibrant Holy Family Spirit and have a lot of fun
If you can’t attend:
- Donate to the very successful “Wine and Dine” $25 Bottle of Wine/ $25 Gift Certificate from local restaurants – bring these items to the front office
- Help set up the day before at Meadows Club in Rolling Meadows between 10am-2pm or take down after the event from 11pm-1am (college kids encouraged!) – contact Andrea Farrell at acfarrell@comcast.net
- Many auction items are ideal for multiple families or groups of couples to arrange to bid on ahead of time – more info to come to help you plan for this
- Offer to purchase a ticket for a staff member, teacher or catechist who might not be able to afford a ticket.