Invitations are Powerful

   Thank you to all who made our Patronal Festival such a lovely occasion! I always enjoy “ concert masses” on major Holy Days, and am grateful that our Choir makes such an effort to offer them. 
   Schools are beginning again in North Texas (or have begun), and many people have moved into our area this last month.  I’m going to ask all of you to do something which you may not have previously considered. This week please  consider inviting another person to the Catholic Church of St. Mary the Virgin. This might seem like a bold request on my part, but most adults, and families, become part of the Catholic Church because someone invited them to do so. How do we do this? First, pray to God for insight as to whether someone you know needs an invitation to join the Catholic Church. Or if someone you know is already Catholic, but not practicing their religion, invite them to experience the Ordinariate Mass. In doing so, you might discover that God is inviting you to help that person to the next level of their spiritual life.  
    Invitations are powerful, and that is true for the Catholic Faith. If you ask with kindness and enthusiasm, and those whom you invited decline your invitation, you have done your best in an attempt to bring that particular person closer to God. On the other hand, you just might be the final piece of God’s puzzle to bring that person, or that family, into or back into the Catholic Church. 
    You might ask why should we be the ones to invite others to join the Catholic Church? Shouldn’t that be the Pastor’s job? Well, yes, it is my job, but also yours as well. In the Gospel, (in one of my favorite passages)  Jesus tells us directly: “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you.” (Matthew 28:19) Christ intends this to be the work of every one of us, each having different roles, but each taking part.
    Just as importantly, Jesus also prayed: “That they may all be one, even as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You.” (John 17:21) This is one of the most powerful prayers Christ ever prayed - and is a foundational Scriptural reason why Pope Benedict erected the Ordinariate. Our one Heavenly Father, who created one world, with one family in Adam and Eve, has established one Church, which is meant to prepare us for the one Heaven – “so that they (we) all may be one!”
    The process by which a person becomes a member of the Catholic Church is called the Order of Christian Initiation (OCIA).  Previously it was known as RCIA. Its focus is directed toward those who are curious about or interested in joining the Catholic Church. There are many misconceptions about the Catholic Faith that our friends may have (mis)heard. For example, we don’t worship statues, we do read our Bibles, (in fact, it was the Catholic Church that produced the Bible), and Heaven requires more than just going to Mass on Sunday. OCIA explores various topics of our Faith, such as prayer, sacraments, scripture, morality, church history, etc.  All this aims at helping the inquiring persons make an informed decision about whether they should become part of the Catholic Church. There is no pressure, just a class of enquiring people who want to learn more about the Catholic Church. We have an OCIA class in process now, but it’s not too late to think about inviting your friends to consider attending the next one (For more information, call Terry Southard in the Parish Office)
Please remember to pray about whom you might ask to become part of the Catholic Church and then make the effort to  invite them. Do not underestimate the power of your personal invitation to influence others!
 
Faithfully, Your Friend and Pastor,
 
Fr. Christopher C. Stainbrook KHS