Monday Message, August 23, 2021
KNOW
Tomorrow is our first (of this academic year) Parish Leader Check In. Please find all your need to know at this link.
This week is the Catechetical Summit. To date, there are more than sixty people registered. Are you one of them?
Many of the events in September will be shifting to virtual events or they will be postponed until later dates. Please keep checking the event page for the latest updates.
At tomorrow’s meeting, I will give you the following information. It will go out this afternoon in the email blast from the Chancery.
- Directives and Liturgical Planner for Fall 2021
- Request for Spring 2022
Speaking of Confirmation, if anyone is hosting a retreat before September 18, please get in touch with Dina Otoni-Martins with the Brazilian community at St. Charles Borromeo. She is in teen of a retreat for a few teens.
Please see the report below. It shows all those who receive email alerts from LEAD (weekly reports). If your parish has “null” that means no one is getting the report. Email me and let me know who should be getting these weekly reports. Note: these reports show the status of catechists formation.
Who gets parish reports as of 082321
Evengelus is a part of Diocesan.com. They have asked us to partner with them for one year and will provide their services free to nine parishes (well, ten, but one spot is taken). Look over their text and email service and let me know if you wish to be one of the lucky nine to pilot this is the diocese.
REFLECT
This morning’s Gospel reading from Matthew 25 always hits me. Maybe it’s because I remember singing about “blind guides” in our high school production of Godspell (wouldn’t you like to see that video?). Or perhaps it’s because the entire passage is a stark warning to all of us about the way we should behave as leaders.
In the passage, Jesus is chastising the Pharisees for their arrogance, their impudence, and their failure to hold themselves accountable to the same rules they force upon others. The Pharisees, in short, miss the point.
Sometimes, so do I.
I mistake the whining for immaturity when it is really rooted in hunger. I mistake the moodiness for irritation with siblings when it is really rooted in nervousness about a new school. I mistake the over-sensitivity for pettiness when it is a struggle to find balance between a child and being a big girl. I excuse the lack of confidence on the fact that she is the youngest, when really she just wants to find her place among the others.
I get irritated when the dishwasher is not filled the way it should be but do not take the time to teach them how to do it. I complain about the condition of the bedroom but do not take time to help straighten it. I expect maturity and empathy and responsibility but sometimes fail to lead by example.
Blind guides indeed. Blind parents. Blind father.
This week, I will teach instead of tell. I will model instead of demand. I will listen for the explanation instead of jumping to conclusions.
This week, I will be less pharisaic and more like the Master.
The real struggle is what happens next week, and the next, and the next…
LAUGH
