THE MISSION CONTINUES - Rich Budd

On March 1st of this year, we celebrated the First Sunday of Lent. For our parish, and for Catholics world-wide, this was the beginning of a particularly long Lent. For those of our parish preparing to become Catholic through The Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults (R.C.I.A.), that day also marked the Rite of Election, the end of their formal catechesis and the beginning of a final stage of prayer and purification in anticipation of the Easter Sacraments. The Rite of Election takes place every year at the beginning of Lent and is an opportunity for Bishop Boyea to meet with the Catechumens and Candidates, to offer them his blessing, and share words of encouragement as they begin the final stages of their initiation. COVID-19 came so swiftly that very few that day considered what the future would bring, or how it would affect the final leg of their journey.

Our class included men and women, college students and people well into their careers, single people and married folks with kids. Each had a wide array of experiences, knowledge, and hopes for what their future life in the Church would look like. We became a close-knit community, sharing struggles, insights, and laughing together. Then, almost without warning, we were separated. For those in RCIA, Lent is a time of increased prayer, reflection, and synthesis of everything they’ve learned and gone through to get to that point. Preparing for the Easter sacraments among friends is very important to the process and yet, we were left praying, sharing, and reflecting on scripture through our computer screens.

A world-wide pandemic might have thrown a bump in the road or rerouted their journey to the Church, but even it could not stop the work of the Church, the work of our very own Church of the Resurrection, from bringing new souls to Christ.

Ultimately, even Easter was taken from us and we had to watch the Vigil from home, not knowing when the day of grace would finally come. And so we waited. We kept meeting, kept sharing, kept praying together. We asked God to bring to completion our long journey. Finally, the group got word that we’d be receiving “Easter” sacraments on Pentecost. What an amazing gift! The day on which the Holy Spirit was first poured out upon the earth and the Church was commissioned to go out to all nations was the day our “Long Lent” would finally come to an end.

The Pentecost Vigil Mass was a reminder that the Church has been through a lot in her 2000-year history. We’ve seen wars, famine, and the rise and fall of many powers; still, She continues on that mission of making disciples and going out to all the world, even the very local world of our city. And so, a world-wide pandemic might have thrown a bump in the road or rerouted their journey to the Church, but even it could not stop the work of the Church, the work of our very own Church of the Resurrection, from bringing new souls to Christ.

This fall, a group of eleven individuals came forward to seek a deeper and more complete relationship with our Lord. This time around, we know a bit more about the virus and have had more time to prepare so we can meet in person with all of the precautions of social distancing, masks, and sanitization. Please pray for these members of our community who are seeking the Lord. In a few short months, they will be full members of the Body of Christ, and will join us at the altar to receive His precious Body and Blood.

Also, please pray for the parish staff who are given the great gift of journeying alongside them, that they might be filled with the creativity of the Holy Spirit in helping these future brothers and sisters to know the Lord. The Church has seen darker times than these, and we will continue, even in the midst of uncertainty, to bring souls to Christ.

Finally, no one comes to the Lord on their own. Each one of us could make a list of the people who assisted us in coming to know our God. The same goes for the people who approach our parish for RCIA. Take some time over the coming weeks and months to think about who in your life you could invite to know the Lord in a deeper and more meaningful way. Who out there might be ready to join the Catholic Church if only they had someone courageous enough to reach out and ask them about their faith, to invite them to explore more, and to show them where they could find answers to the deep questions they have?

If you know someone like this, help them contact me or Susan Bartold at the parish office. We would love to help them journey closer to our Lord, even in the time of pandemic. God Bless!