Monday Message, August 28, 2023
KNOW
It is good to be back at work after World Youth Day, Covid, and a family vacation – all mixed together. I may be the only one who falls asleep on a bench at the top of the Eiffel Tower. This new strand of Covid is awful, so eat your Wheaties and wash your hands.
We will gather in person on Saturday, September 16th. Bishop Caggiano is asking all those who work with young people – in faith formation, youth ministry, catechetical ministry, sacramental formation, etc. We will meet from 9 am to 2 pm and, spoiler alert, I brought a gift for all of you from Fatima, but you have to be there to get it. Sign up here to tell us you are attending.
Ministry Day is September 30th. Registration opens on September 1st. More details here.
How will your parish celebrate Catechetical Sunday? Check out these resources.
The National Federation for Catholic Youth Ministry (NFCYM) has recently launched the 2023 National Youth Ministry Field Survey. This annual survey serves as a crucial instrument to capture the realities and evolving needs of youth ministers in the field. The results of this annual survey allows NFCYM to formulate actionable plans and advocacy initiatives that directly address the needs of youth ministries and the young people they serve. If you work in youth ministry – or with young people in general – please consider participating in the survey. Click here to participate.
REFLECT
The reading from Matthew’s Gospel we shared yesterday is one of my favorites.
Remember: Jesus asks the apostles that great, defining question, “Who do people say that I am?” It’s the 2,000-year-old version of, “Hey, what are you hearing about me out there?” except that it doesn’t sound paranoid or conceited coming from Jesus.
Some apostles give answers and then Peter jumps in and shuts down the conversation. “You are the Messiah, the Son of the Living God.” Boom. There it is. The naked truth. The confession.
I use the word confession on purpose. Peter believed it to be true. It was – and is – a statement setting out essential religious doctrine. It was not and could not be a profession of some religious truth because that truth was not yet fully established. For this group of itinerant preachers, getting to the reality that Jesus was the Messiah was a process. Peter, who I imagine as very impatient, sought to make the truth known now.
And therein lies the challenge for us. Do we let others define who Jesus is for ourselves, our families, our coworkers, and partners in ministry or are we, like Peter, willing to make the statement others only say in the silence of their hearts?
To make Peter’s confession our own, we have to remember that it’s all faith. Peter’s statement is important because he did not know it to be true. He believed it to be true. Ultimately, we go to the grave believing, not knowing.
LAUGH
