Homily: Second Friday of Easter

Second Friday of Easter (Acts 5:34-42) “It is Good to Evolve”

I had a mentor once that said that if a ministry did not prosper it was because it somehow did not, please God. I have seen many ministries flounder and die throughout the course of my priesthood. Because I have, I question this belief.

Ministries cease many times because of a lack of new leadership. Another reason may be that the original need is no longer there. Sometimes a charitable work is so successful that the people who are served no longer need help.

Ministries sometimes must reinvent themselves. This is a difficult thing to do at times. We get stuck in certain paradigms and we are afraid to start something new. 

Gamaliel, the Pharisee mention in the Acts of the Apostles, gives his opinion about the Christian movement that is taking hold in Jerusalem. He says to leave the Christians alone. If their ministry is meant to prosper it will. Everything is in God’s hands. I think he felt that Christianity would be like a flare. It would burn strong for a time but then fizzle.

Gamaliel did not foresee how the early Church would adapt every time it ran into a new challenge. We see how new ministries were added whenever there was a need. People were empowered to act. The early Christians were not overly dependent on a central authority. Decisions were made by councils and authority was shared.

Because the early church was not afraid to follow the promptings of the Spirit it grew. We can imagine mistakes were made, but that did not destroy the momentum. When failures happened, new initiatives were tried. Trial and error were an excepted methodology in early Christian communities.

As a result of all this not two Christian communities operated in the same way. Perhaps we can learn from all this as we try to be a faithful Christian Community.

1.    Do I think that the church always must get things right the first time? Why or why not?

2.   What new ministries have I seen established? Have such ministries been a good thing?

 Dear Parishioners,

           We will be having a wedding this weekend. Our new bride’s room will be used for the first time. We had to look for space for bridal parties to dress until now. Dressing in the room under the bell tower became less of an option as time went by. It is nice to have a comfortable space for bridal parties to prepare for weddings.

          Confirmation will be taking place this Sunday. The confirmands will be able to get ready in the gathering area and the reception will be there. It is great that we will not be running back and forth across campus.

          Thanks to all who have donated towards our new space and to those who are continuing to pledge so that we can pay off our debt. We are reaping the benefits of all our hard work. Our parish church is a more hospitable place for our visitors.

          May Our Lady pray for us,

          Fr. Mark