Earlier this past week, I was
at a meeting held at our Burton Street site.
In attendance were about 50 of the parishioners from that place who had
come to speak with our Bishop about their concerns. This was not the first time that such an
encounter had taken place within those walls, but as people I have come to know
came through the doors, I could sense that they had prepared themselves to hear
some sad news. As the meeting went on
though, the Bishop sees great potential for our Burton Street site as a place
of gathering for the lost and the forsaken.
All the statistics show that the
Donnivan neighbourhood is home to the poorest and neediest of our population, he
said. This is exactly where we, the Church, need to be present.
As he spoke, I thought of the
many people who have entered the doors of that church. I thought of the countless souls who have
prayed there, and hoped there, and laughed there and developed friendships
there. I also thought of the people who
are too tired now, too challenged now by age and infirmity to give of their
talents as they once did, and I wondered about how we could, even now, find
ways to reach out to the people who need us.
In the tropical islands of the
Caribbean, if a small farmer wants a fence that will last, a strong limb from a
roble tree will do the job. The branch,
once placed in a post hole along a fence line will come alive in the moist
tropical soil. New growth will soon
appear on the seemingly dead post, and it will grow into a sturdy tree which
will resist rot and decay.
Life can remain dormant in a
piece of wood or the most insignificant seed.
The readings we heard today offer parables that speak of cedar twigs
that can be transplanted to sprout into new growth, and grains of wheat and
mustard seeds which also hold the promise of new life. The kingdom of God can come alive in our
world from the most insignificant of things, often in mysterious ways that are
far beyond our own understanding.
I can’t help thinking that
somehow these readings are meant as an answer to our prayers, a word of
encouragement and hope, and a promise that God is still among us, hoping and
dreaming, reaching out to the poor and the needy and asking each of us to do
what we can to be instruments of his compassion, his peace and his love. Ever since Christ walked on this earth, he
has been calling disciples to exercise small acts of kindness toward strangers,
to stand up and give witness against injustices, to hand a warm bowl of soup to
a hungry person.
The Church has a wonderful
opportunity to be present to those in our city who need us most, but this means
that we must find ways to become like the first apostles, to speak words of
encouragement and hope to our neighbours and to our world. We need to become missionaries in our own
land. We need to find ways to plant
roble trees and seeds of faith and we need to find ways to provide warm
nutrient soil in which these acts of faith can take root and breathe new life.
No comments:
Post a Comment