Mission Sunday, 29th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Greetings from the River City, Richmond Virginia, three of us from Saint Joseph came to the National Black Catholic Men’s conference. The conference which welcomes all Catholic men came to “The River City” oh the subject “Know Yourself, Share Yourself”.
Each of us is, gifted, equipped and anointed for greatness. To often we live, focus and center on ourselves with little or no thought to others. Our society is one that promotes individualism, me mine and you get yours mentality. We see it in our own individualistic religious practices that get disconnected from others lives, and is all about our convenience. The call and charge for us this week is to Show Up, Stand Up and Serve.
Listen to the words of the Gospel, “we want that you would do this for Us”. What is seemingly a selfish, self-centered request Christ Transforms to a message of empowering invitation to greatness. The time is here and now to embrace the challenge of our world. We’ve become desensitized to plight of the suffering, the unwelcome and those on the peripheries. Our apathy and lack of concern must be transformed. We can’t come to church put forth nothing and expect everything. If we want a vibrant parish that is serving and cutting edge we have to provide for it So become the solution to your concern, fill up what is lacking.
This week we celebrate mission, we recall great men and women who both show up, Stand Up and Serve others and as missionaries see the great value of others. You see mission is about responding to our Baptismal call. To proclaim and share the love of God through and in His Son Jesus Christ, to truly show, stand and serve. We often associate mission with foreign lands. But wherever the Gospel has not been preached or insufficiently so, namely anyone who has not had the opportunity to know Christ and His power to transform their lives must hear The a Good News of Jesus.
Mission is the responsibility of each of us. But we must know ourselves, know our faith and the truth of who we are and how we are called to show up, stand up and serve. The local parish of St Joseph needs each of one to show up stand up and serve. The mission of the parish requires committed women and men, and children who first show up. We can’t leave our families at home we need them to come to church, and take their rightful place. Standing comes from knowledge, knowing who we are in relationship to the God who created us and a willingness to share ourselves. We have been placed in a position where knowing and understanding opens us to Service. True service moves us from ourselves and lifts up the other, the true blessing is that greatness comes from a willingness to serve. To know ourselves, and that we are really strong enough, we have been empowered by Christ to Show Up, to Stand Up and to Serve.
