FOLLOWING HIM ON THE WAY
“Take courage; get up, Jesus is calling you.” -Mark 10:49
As we come to the end of October we enter the ‘home stretch’ of the Liturgical Year which draws to a close with the Solemnity of Christ the King on November 24. We might think of the arc of the Gospel narrative as a walking journey with Jesus going before us to Jerusalem to be crowned with thorns and enthroned upon the Cross. Although it is not easy to live as Christ’s disciples, we are called to follow Him wherever He leads. Following Christ—often called discipleship—demands courage and determination when we might run for fear, and sacrifice and perseverance when we might give up. All of us, wherever we are in our faith, must strive to grow as His followers.
Like Bartimaeus in this Sunday’s Gospel we all need to find healing, whole-ness, mercy and sight. This is the central reason our parish exists: to help us respond more completely to the call of Christ to become His disciples. Pope St. John Paul II in his first Encyclical “On the Redeemer of Man” written in 1979 beautifully captured this understanding of the Church as a communion of recovering sinners, imperfect and yet on the way:
“…We must see first and foremost Christ saying in a way to each member of the community: “Follow me.” It is the community of the disciples, each of whom in a different way-at times very consciously and consistently, at other times not very consciously and very inconsistently-is following Christ. This shows also the deeply "personal" aspect and dimension of this society, which, in spite of all the deficiencies of its community life-in the human meaning of this word-is a community precisely because all its members form it together with Christ himself, at least because they bear in their souls the indelible mark of a Christian” (Redemptor Hominis, 21).
What a noble calling for our parish to pursue! As we go along the path of discipleship we become more identified with the Lord but also with one another. As we come to know one another, we learn serve and support one another. We enjoy companionship and we share a common cause and undertake shared mission. This is a momentous time of year as our four-week Discovering Christ series has wrapped up and we are now making invitations to those wanting to go deeper into Discovering Catholicism which begins on Tuesday, November 5th. Discovering Catholicism (also referred to as RCIA) is a communal exploration of the breadth and depth of the Catholic Faith which is a perfect path for any adults who are desiring to receive one or more Sacraments including Baptism and Confirmation. It is also a fitting way for those who are already Catholic to delve deeper into the Faith. We already have a good group with people from all walks of life ready to begin, but there is room for you. Please reach out to Grant O’Neil at grant@ourholycross.org if you’d like to join us.
Additionally, our parish Small Groups are kicking off a new season. They typically meet a couple of times per month at times and locations set by the members of the group. They are a great way to grow spiritually. If you’ve been wondering whether Small Groups are for you, please reach out to Grant or visit our website: www.ourholycross.org/small-groups.
As I head on pilgrimage to Italy this coming week with a couple of priest friends from my seminary days, I promise to take your intentions with us in prayer.
Jesus is calling! Let’s follow Him together.
-Fr. Howe, Pastor