Our Parish
Our Mission & Patron
Parish History
Join our Parish
Bulletins
Latest News
Stories
Catholic Faith Resources
Calendar
Full Calendar Link
Blog
Giving
Contact Us
Stewardship
Newsletters
Event Form
Community Life
Fish Fry
Donut Sundays
Meet the Team
Pastoral Staff
Pastoral Council
Finance Council
Committees
Careers
Liturgy & Sacraments
Mass Times
Pray With Us
Funerals & Cemetery
Sacraments
Baptism
Eucharist
Reconciliation
Confirmation
Anointing of the Sick
Marriage
Holy Orders
Become Catholic
Faith Formation
Contact Faith Formation
Catholic Social Teaching
September 2022--Introduction to Catholic Social Teaching
October 2022-Life & Dignity of the Human Person
November 2022--Call to Family, Community & Participation
December 2022--Rights & Responsibilities
January 2023--Option for the Poor & Vulnerable
February 2023--The Dignity of Work & the Rights of Workers
March 2023--Solidarity
Adult Formation
Lent Resources
Lenten Resources & Media
2023
Alpha
The Bible & the Virgin Mary
Knights of Columbus
Men's Group
Restored: Stories of Encounter
Women's Group
Small Groups
RCIA: Adult Sacraments
Student Formation
Busy Bees & Parents @ the Playground
Registration Information
Family Class
Pre K- 1st Grade: CGS
Grades 2-5
Middle School
High School
Ministries
Get Involved
Help from Home
Outreach Ministry
Console the Sick
Feed the Hungry
Clothe the Naked
Comfort the Mourning
Strengthen Families
Sister Parishes
Liturgical Ministry
Music Ministry
Minister at Mass
Console the Sick
Ready the Church
Hospitality
|||
Mass Times
Join our Parish
Contact Us
Bulletins
Facebook
Instagram
Blog
News RSS
Search
Search
Our Parish
Our Mission & Patron
Parish History
Join our Parish
Bulletins
Latest News
Catholic Faith Resources
Calendar
Blog
Giving
Contact Us
Stewardship
Newsletters
Event Form
Community Life
Fish Fry
Donut Sundays
Meet the Team
Pastoral Staff
Pastoral Council
Finance Council
Committees
Careers
Liturgy & Sacraments
Mass Times
Pray With Us
Funerals & Cemetery
Sacraments
Baptism
Eucharist
Reconciliation
Confirmation
Anointing of the Sick
Marriage
Holy Orders
Become Catholic
Faith Formation
Contact Faith Formation
Catholic Social Teaching
Adult Formation
Lent Resources
2023
Alpha
The Bible & the Virgin Mary
Knights of Columbus
Men's Group
Restored: Stories of Encounter
Women's Group
Small Groups
RCIA: Adult Sacraments
Student Formation
Busy Bees & Parents @ the Playground
Registration Information
Family Class
Pre K- 1st Grade: CGS
Grades 2-5
Middle School
High School
Ministries
Get Involved
Outreach Ministry
Console the Sick
Feed the Hungry
Clothe the Naked
Comfort the Mourning
Strengthen Families
Sister Parishes
Liturgical Ministry
Music Ministry
Minister at Mass
Console the Sick
Ready the Church
Hospitality
August 29, 2021
Our Parish
August
26
,
2021
Albert Einstein said that the “true measure of intelligence is not knowledge but imagination.” Being a disciple of Jesus Christ requires a great deal of imagination. It is not enough to simply attend to facts, rules and rituals and consider the job done. Quite contrarily, the Gospels demands creativity, of trying to discern how to put flesh on the Beatitudes and properly serve God’s children. Jesus never doled out a top down agenda. Not once did he ever demand conformity over conversion or sacrifice over mercy. The Gospel is always about putting people in touch with their compassionate, forgiving, and unconditionally loving God and meeting them where they are.
For Jesus, it often meant breaking a few rules. Well respected and time-honored traditions had to be set aside in order to attend to what really mattered. God’s compassion, mercy and true conversion were always the trump cards. The story of the Good Samaritan, healing on the Sabbath, and bypassing of purification rituals all display this theme. Human beings can get too hung up on protocol and tradition. This is so much so that often preserving all of these things is of greater concern than the beggar knocking on our door or the sinner looking for mercy. It is no wonder, then, that we can easily become hypocritical. Many can see us on our knees in prayer while our true heart and actions, rooted in judgment and self-preservation, are hidden from others. It is a trap into which we can easily fall. Who cares how we live our lives as long as our hands are properly washed!
Here enters the need for imagination and the distinction of truly being a wise and intelligent person. It takes a good measure of creativity and a lot of guts to really be a doer of God’s word and not merely a hearer. Being a person who doesn’t just tell people about God but shows people God requires courage and ingenuity. That’s why people like St. Francis of Assisi and St. Teresa of Calcutta are timeless. Their genuineness speaks volumes generation to generation. It’s risky business taking the step to allow God into our hearts. Permitting God to release us from the grip of our evil thoughts, infidelity, greed, malice, sexual improprieties, licentiousness, envy, arrogance, folly, and the like takes courage. That’s why we prefer to spend our energy rearranging the future rather than take measures to secure a foundation that is most certainly crumbling. ©LPi