December 8, 2024
I wouldn’t consider myself a luddite (someone categorically against new technology) but I certainly have a romantic attachment to the idea that things seemed a bit easier before we had a lot of what the world now considers conveniences. One aspect of this romantic attachment is the fireplace. While it is not impossible to find family and friends gathered around a fireplace, or a bonfire, there is no doubt that our lives are less centered around a near continually tended fire in the heart of our homes. Especially on nights as cold as it has been, the memory of a roaring fire may help to take someone back to a different time and place. As we prolong the season of gratitude into the season of Advent, and on into Christmas, it may be a good practice to be grateful for the heat that we do have available. Whether or not it is a fire crackling in the fireplace, or an electric heater that supplies heat to the whole house, these sources of heat can also be a healthy reminder to us to remain grateful for the comforts we do have. Recently we have been experiencing difficulty with our heating systems at both parishes. This is nothing new – the systems have some age on them and routine, if not costly, maintenance is expected. The church at Saint Aloysius has been a bit chilly in weeks past and the cafeteria at Saint Benedict’s has numbed a number of noses and fingers as well. We must stay on top of the need to keep our building warm and inviting, but this should not take away from another source of comfort in these dark days – our faith.
Our faith is that deep and abiding assurance of things hoped for and what we hope for is, in part, a warm invitation for our soul. What if I told you that, similar to the way that the boiler or the electric heater is essential for keeping the church warm, there is another centrally located focal point for our faith? Here I am speaking about the Tabernacle. We would not for even a moment be led to believe that the heating system in our church is unimportant, but how quickly do we fail to recognize the essential nature of the Tabernacle – the residing presence of the Word-made-Flesh, Jesus Christ Himself! How easy it is for us to have our focus taken from something that means everything. It is important for us to have our attention drawn time and again to this central mystery, the overwhelming gratuitous gift that is the Blessed Sacrament and how blessed we are to have this very presence in both of our churches. I spoke last weekend about the importance of us being a people of prayer. I will continue that admonition this weekend, but I want to especially emphasize that we must see our parish as a school of prayer. A place, but more than just a place, a home where we learn with our sisters and brothers what it is to listen to our Lord, listen to each other, and listen to the deepest desire of our hearts, all of which, when properly ordered, lead us to God.
It is good to connect with people, to build relationships, to know that when we come to church we come to be with people whom we love and respect. Better still is it to take some time to prepare our hearts for the worship of God that is about to take place. May we be a people of prayer; may we help our neighbor learn to pray, in this school of prayer, our church.
Two Parishes, One Heart,
Fr. Adam