The Members Stepped Up

April 22, 2023

From today’s reading…

you, brothers, must select from among yourselves seven men of good reputation, filled with the Spirit and with wisdom, to whom we can hand over this duty.” Acts 6:3

On the regular, I hear people say they switched parishes or stopped attending Mass altogether because they “got nothing from the priest’s sermons,” or “no one is friendly,” or “they weren’t attentive to our needs.”

Guess what, Buttercup: neither the Church nor the church is a hotel for saints, it’s a hospital for sinners, and the treatment is best administered by each of us to one another.

When did you become such a vain, pampered diva worthy of Concierge service at Mass and too good to be a greeter or to serve on the finance committee or on the hospitality committee or to be an usher or to assist with the childcare or lead a Bible study?

Why do you think you are to be spoon-fed the Good News from world-class theologians and orators with your feet up on a leather ottoman in the front row while you might remember to throw a $5 bill into the collection plate every other week?

From the first weeks of the Church, members were called upon to step up and serve so the Good News could be spread, the members fed, the sick healed, the naked clothed, and the imprisoned visited. 

Yes, a lot of priests are well-meaning and faithful servants of God, but they can’t deliver a homily better than a fifth grader.

Fine, start a Bible study and dig into the Word yourself. Invite that terrible homilist to attend because he’s probably wonderful in small groups, where he can elaborate on a topic and go deep into the Word, which would help all of you.

Fine, there are a lot of hypocrites and self-centered people in every church, committee, PTA, HOA, city, county, and state.

Be the change you want to see.

Volunteer for the hospitality committee.

Lead it if you have to.

Revamp it.

Make it the best of class.

See to it that every new family, every family suffering a hardship or loss, and every family celebrating a birthday, anniversary, engagement, or wedding is welcomed, hugged, seen, and acknowledged.

Easter was less than two weeks ago.

We’re reading now about how on fire the followers of “The Way” were immediately following this salvific event.

Let these writings from Acts light a fire in you to step up and serve as Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolaus of Antioch (v5) did, which is the only way to…

Stay the course.Keep the faith.Endure.

Market like you mean it. Now go sell something.