If only ....

From time to time, parishioners raise the question about how are we, a little parish, going to be able to finance building the church and a new parish life center. For some reason the question of money always rises to the top, like oil on water, when decisions are made to strengthen our life together by making necessary changes to our facilities thus allowing more people to enjoy fellowship, creating space for more outreach opportunities, providing sacred space for our children's experience of christian formation, etc.

Yet, it seems to me that the financial issue is minor and one that will take care of itself, if we would only commit ourselves to do the following:

1) Affirming the parish as a place of hospitality for all people;
2) Inviting newcomers into the very heart of our life together;
3) Participating frequently in the eucharistic meal;
4) Refusing to allow conflict to move underground;
5) Learning to speak the truth in love;
6) Being prayerful;
7) Learning to follow, and not to lead, becoming a disciple;
8) Celebrating the children of our parish;
9) Living a life of gratitude;
10) Serving others;
11) Becoming involved in a servant ministry; focusing one's energies
on only one ministry;
12) Engaging in adult education, bible study, small groups.

As we embrace these principle in our lives as a faith community, our financial worries will go away; for Christ will be leading us into the future.

The Sacrament of Salvation

The Church is not only a sign of conversion but also the universal sacrament of salvation. Sins are Christian's failure to respond to Christ's call to holiness, their infidelity to their baptismal pledge as members of the covenant community, and obstacles to the Church's mission of signing salvation to all the world. Sin and penance are first seen in relation to God: sin offends God by breaking asunder the love relationship that commits us to God. The purpose of penance, then, is a deeper love and a total commitment on our part. While the trinitarian nature of the return is noted, the social and ecclesial character of sin and reconciliation is more absorbing. The Christian's sin and holiness affects other Christians and the Church as a whole. Penance consequently always involves reconciliation with those who have been harmed by our sins. Sin is social (e.g. people cooperate in committing injustice) and so people should also help one another do penance. Liberated from sin by Christ's grace, they can then work together with all people of goodwill for justice and peace in the world.

James Dallen, The Reconciling Community

The Rule of Saint Benedict, Chapter 48

On the Daily Manual Labor

From the Calends of October until the beginning of Lent,
let them apply themselves to reading
up to the end of the second hour.

At the second hour let Terce be said,
and then let all labor at the work assigned them until None.
At the first signal for the Hour of None
let everyone break off from his work,
and hold himself ready for the sounding of the second signal.
After the meal
let them apply themselves to their reading or to the Psalms.

On the days of Lent,
from morning until the end of the third hour
let them apply themselves to their reading,
and from then until the end of the tenth hour
let them do the work assigned them.
And in these days of Lent
they shall each receive a book from the library,
which they shall read straight through from the beginning.
These books are to be given out at the beginning of Lent.

But certainly one or two of the seniors should be deputed
to go about the monastery
at the hours when the brothers are occupied in reading
and see that there be no lazy brother
who spends her time in idleness or gossip
and does not apply herself to the reading,
so that he is not only unprofitable to himself
but also distracts others.
If such a one be found (which God forbid),
let him be corrected once and a second time;
if he does not amend,
let him undergo the punishment of the Rule
in such a way that the rest may take warning.

Moreover, one brother shall not associate with another
at inappropriate times.