Monday Message, October 18, 2021
KNOW
A few weeks ago, I posted a Monday Message and dated it 2011. Clearly I wasn’t paying attention. What cracks me up is either no one noticed or anyone who saw it figured I was losing my mind and it was more charitable not to say anything.
Anyway, here we are back in 2021 and a few reminders for you:
Parish Leader Check In is this week. Visit this page for the link. We will be talking about Ministry Day 2022, the new LEAD portal (coming soon), and ongoing formation.
The second Clergy Check In is on Wednesday. Please encourage any clergy in your parish to join us. Forward this link to them.
We will have a workshop for Adult Confirmation on November 13th. If you know of anyone who is over the age of 18, a practicing Catholic and only lacks Confirmation (i.e., has already received first reconciliation and Holy Communion), have them sign up here. This is not a celebration of the sacrament, it is formation (and a discussion of what they will need to provide re: paperwork).
Our next face-to-face gathering is December 9th. Hold the date.
REFLECT
Today is the feast of St. Luke. I like Luke. I like Luke for his portrayal of Our Lady.
Luke gives the fullest account of Mary both as mother of Jesus and symbol of humanity. She is a real mother and completely human. She is a Jewish girl who grows to womanhood in the company of a son who is as much a mystery to her as a child can be. Yet she is a woman of extraordinary faith, which is what sets her apart and makes her a model for the rest of us.
Although Luke does not give us a glorified and unrealistic portrait of Mary, neither does he give us an undoctored photograph. What we read in the first three chapters of his Gospel, therefore, is not so much an historical account as a theological account. He is speaking not only about individuals but also about exemplary individuals. He is not so much describing particular events as much as he is portraying the universal meaning of those events.
We need to see Mary not just as a person, but also as an example for us all. She is a particular woman, but she is also a model of faith for all women and men. And the events which Luke describes are not simply events in one woman’s life; they portray eternal meaning of every life of faith.
St. Luke, pray for us.
LAUGH
