Letter Four: Our Church as Family
My Dear Family,
In our previous letters, I invited us all to sit around our table as family. Families tend to look alike that are blood bonded. Likewise, our Saint Joseph Catholic Church family shares a likeness to our brother Jesus, and by Holy Communion; we are united by blood no matter what our race may be. When Jesus was told His mother and brothers were outside waiting, Jesus upended the time-honored blood bonds for belonging by asking, “Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?” and answering, “Whoever does the will of my Father in Heaven is my brother, and sister, and mother.” The determining factor for our church community membership is obedience to the will of our heavenly Father, modeled on Jesus’ obedience.
Our family is meant to grow and embrace people far beyond the walls of our building, deep into our neighborhoods of Eldersburg and Sykesville. In fact, everyone in the parish belongs in our church community no matter who they are. The questions are, would they feel welcomed? Are we formed enough in the image of Jesus to be able to embrace and serve every kind of people with all sorts of hard issues they deal with?
The answer to the above questions is, “No, we are not now ready.” If we were, it would be happening. Within our family is a whole lot of pain, especially surrounding sexuality as singles and in marriage, addiction, and identity issues. Individually we suffer in silence. Our confusion is so great, and the atmosphere so hostile, we despair of any resolution, and we cannot see God in it. We must break the shackles of silence and talk about it as family first.
Once we think through these hard issues within our church family around our “table” we must learn to engage our children in our own nuclear families. When we begin to think and act like Jesus in our homes and in our church, the more authentic we will become. Only then will evangelization beyond our walls happen naturally and automatically. The world will see our joy and want to be part of it.
It is only by reading, praying, discussing, and mutual encouragement that we can save ourselves and our neighborhoods. We can do this; we have the same Spirit of Jesus who defeated Satan, the destroyer of souls, and the Apostles who changed the world around them.
Yours in Christ,
Fr. John Worgul
Takeaway
Saint Joseph Catholic Church should be the spiritual, moral, and social heart of Sykesville/Eldersburg through encounters with Jesus Christ.
Discussion Questions
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How do you feel about committing yourself and your family to making “Bearing the Beams of Love” a significant part of your family life this year?
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What steps do you feel called to take to make this commitment meaningful for your family?