Seek the LORD while he may be found, call him while he is near.
Isaiah’s words are an admonition to cultivate and strengthen our faith when we are feeling close to God. Not that God is ever distant, we do have our “mountain top” experiences when we feel closer as well as our “dry desert” moments when we feel distant. Furthermore, when we are feeling good, or are content and are not too burdened by life’s problems, we don’t feel the need to seek the Lord. A failure to recognize how blessed we are when we are content does not serve us well when we find ourselves in desolation. Deepening our awareness of God’s presence in our lives is necessary so that when we are overcome with the feelings of doubt, fear and abandonment, we can find comfort in our experiences of the times when we did know God’s presence. It is important, too, for us to reflect on times of challenge so that we can become aware of God’s presence even in our darkest of days. In those cases, we find ourselves looking back and realizing that we would not have made it through those times without the Lord’s presence, even if we did not recognize him at the time.
CATECHETICAL SUNDAY – This weekend marks our annual celebration of Catechetical Sunday. This is an important opportunity to reflect on the role that each person plays, by virtue of Baptism, in handing on the faith and being a witness to the Gospel. On Catechetical Sunday, we are all called to re-dedicate ourselves to this mission as a community of faith. Following Christ’s example, these catechists live out this year’s theme: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me… to bring good news to the poor” (Lk 4:18). As Christ illuminated our minds and hearts while he was on Earth, he continues to bring light and love to the world through the faithful, speaking, acting, and working through them.
Who are the catechists of our parish? They are, of course, those who volunteer to teach in our Religious Education, Baptism, Pre- Cana, and Christian Initiation of Adults programs. They are not alone, however, in the catechetical mission. At the end of the Rite of Baptism, the blessing prays that the parents of the child, “May, by word and example, prove to be the first witnesses of the faith to their children.” Beginning with parents and extending to all the faithful, we are all catechists. Today we give thanks for those who have passed the faith on to us, and we make a commitment to continue our own faith formation so that we may be the catechetical evangelists the Lord calls us to be. As Christians, we’re all called to live in service of God and others. Catechists live out this mission in a unique way, educating, mentoring, and assisting their parishes with generosity and selflessness.
Peace!
