A Letter From Our Pastor: The Opportunity

Dear Parishioners,

The other day I was talking with a parishioner and I shared a favorite story from my childhood, Tomie dePaola’s The Legend of Old Befana. In this Italian folktale, the Magi are passing through Befana’s town, and they disclose that they are on their way to find the Christchild. They invite Befana to join them, but she dismisses them because of her tasks and activities that keep her busy.

After they depart, Old Befana realizes what a mistake she’s made, and sets out after them to find the newborn king. Having missed her opportunity, however, she wanders futilely, finding neither the Magi nor the child Immanuel.

You’ll have to read the story to hear what becomes of Old Befana, but I recounted the story the other day because, as the parishioner and I were talking, we were looking at how opportunities can come in a moment, unexpectedly, but if we let them pass us by, they can be lost to us.

One of the things I love about this month’s newsletter is as you read about parishioners here at St. Isidore’s — Maureen Guth, Peggy Steel and Maria Martinez, glimpses of God’s work here in the parish — you encounter the stories of parishioners who have heard the invitation of God, have caught a glimpse of this opportunity, and have responded.

To be Catholic is to believe that you are not here by accident — to believe God created you for a reason, that there’s a purpose to your being here. We believe, we profess that God is extending to you an opportunity, and you don’t want to miss it.

The testimonies of our brothers and sisters here and beyond can provide a glimpse into the opportunity being presented to us: we have Magi passing through our lives and inviting us to join them on the adventure of a lifetime. Opportunity and responsibility: if God has created you for a mission, this opportunity is your responsibility to fulfill. You do not want to arrive at the finish line of your life and discover you have failed in the very reason why you were placed on this earth. The Church gives us a vocabulary for this extraordinary gift and role we’ve received. Recognizing we have a responsibility to God and to each other, we call this discipleship, mission, stewardship. Stewardship specifically means you’ve been entrusted with specific gifts and abilities, resources and opportunities, and you alone are responsible for ensuring they are used to the best of their ability.

At the end of Spielberg’s evocative film Schindler’s List, even as Schindler has saved the lives of countless vulnerable Polish Jews, he sees that he could have done more: he had an opportunity, and when the window closed, his one wish was to have done more.

God has sent the Magi to pass by, to call us to greet the newborn king. Here at St. Isidore Parish, we can be the ones ready to respond to God’s gift and opportunity.

Sincerely yours in Christ,

Rev. Avram Brown, Pastor