WALKING WITH GOD
Dear Community of SS. Peter & Paul,
Last week we had a very fine session of the Common Leadership group. There was good enthusiasm and a wonderful commitment to the parish mission. Thanks to all our brothers and sisters who serve in leadership as part of their stewardship to our parish.
As I shared in my remarks to the group, I mentioned that as a personal approach to pastoring, I hold in regard The Three P's: Prayer, Presence and Planning.
Prayer is our lifeline to God. Our intentional communication in listening and speaking to the Lord is absolutely essential as a catholic community of faith. Without prayer, we lose our focus and become confused about our participation in the mission of Christ Jesus in the Church.
Presence refers to God's abiding presence among us through the promise of His covenant love (Hesed) finding fulfillment in the abiding presence of His Son, Jesus the Christ, our Emmanuel, God with us. By His example, Jesus teaches us how to draw near to the Father as well as to one another. As we study the scripture, we see the many demonstrations of the manner in which he draws near to us. As we receive the Eucharist, we become the mystery we celebrate, that is, we become the Body of Christ. His presence is revealed in and through us.
Planning is the fruit of our drawing near to God and to one another, listening to the dreams and hopes of our brothers and sisters. Planning is the wise path into loving service. We need to continually seek the wisdom of God in prayer. Planning without prayer easily becomes, to quote the late Father David Kahle, a "ceaseless round of unreflected activity."
As an example of the three "P's", I have the pastoral practice of praying for one parishioner household each day with the occasional interruption. When I do this, I write that household/person a note to share that prayer. I have begun this practice here by simply starting at the beginning of the parish directory booklet. I encourage each of you to do the same. Keep your directory open, and pray for one household a day. What a great grace for us as a parish community. We cannot lose in doing so! Let's give each other the gift of our prayer.
Sincerely yours in the Lord,
Father Noah
