St. Joseph Parish

Forty days after Easter we celebrated the Ascension of our Lord leading to the fifty days marked by Pentecost. As in the earliest days of the church and the apostles, so now with and for us these days are liminal times. A time in between, a time of change and transition...trying to cling to what they (we) have known while realizing that things are no longer what they were before. There’s a certain comfort through faith knowing that we are having similar feelings in our church, in our world, in our parish, in our lives at this time.

 

Pentecost leads us now into our summer ordinary time liturgical season. This season of ordinary time begins with the two lavish feasts of The Most Holy Trinity and The Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ (Corpus Christi).

 

The Gospel reading of Trinity Sunday is at the conclusion of Matthew (28: 16-20), known as the Great Commission. These are the final words of Jesus to the eleven. The crucifixion and resurrection have already taken place. On this mountaintop encounter with Jesus, the disciples do two things: they worship and they doubt. Yes, even at this point some of the disciples doubted. That can give comfort to some of us today, and perhaps ease any guilt we have about our doubting.

 

Jesus’ message of instruction to them is clear and authoritative, GO

to GO teach, baptize, and MAKE DISCIPLES.

Matthew is writing to a specific community and this instruction challenges them to break out of their tribal mentality, cross social boundaries and be inclusive of ALL.

 

As our community REviews these past months and REbounds these next several weeks we too are instructed to GO. But first we must BE. We must be disciples and make disciples witnessing by what we say and do and HOW we do it. Willingness Honesty and Openmindedness are WHO & the HOW of our REconstruction of our parish life. YOU ARE NEEDED to BE DISCIPLES.

 

These weeks distributing pieces of the puzzle are the tangible beginning of our parish planning and reimagining what we look like, who we are into post pandemic times.

Our first survey questions of our spiritual wellness check are:

Where’s YOUR PASSION? Your specific individual connecting piece?

What particular gift(s) do you bring to our communal discipleship?

 

We know that love is always the missing piece. Love of God, Love of neighbor, Love of self.

 

When love has entirely cast out doubt, cast out fear, and doubt and fear have been transformed into love, then the unity brought us by our Savior will be fully realized for all and all will be united with one another through their union with the one supreme Good.

To be bound together with the bonds of peace in the unity that comes from the Holy Spirit, The Holy Trinity, The Holy Body of Christ and by the one hope to which the disciples were called, to which we are called...

That all may be one...

 

Let us go forth ALL or Nothing! ALL for one and one for all. True discipleship, true parish life REquires us EACH & ALL taking on our Easter Baptismal promises ... say I DO this REorganizing period in our parish life.

 

ANSWER THE CALL... the first two questions and stay tuned for the ongoing questions to be answered, the ongoing call for YOU to BE DISCIPLE here and now building up the Kingdom of God right here at St Joseph’s downtown Boston.