Closed for the holidays
It is August, and in many of our churches, groups have shut down for the school holidays as catechists take a well earned break. Great for the catechists, but what of those potential enquirers or the catechumens who have to put their faith journey on hold.
- How are we ever going to achieve the all year round catechumenate?
I’d like to suggest two routes. One is the widespread acceptance that RCIA is not the responsibility of the RCIA ‘team’, but is the task of all of the local community. Imagine having the whole parish supporting RCIA. Well, isn’t that what is intended by RCIA 4 & 9:
- ‘The initiation of catechumens is a gradual process that takes place within the community of the faithful.’ RCIA 4
- ‘... the local Church, should understand and show by their concern that the initiation of adults is the responsibility of all the baptised’ RCIA 9
It needs some thought about seeing where and in what diverse ways the RCIA process is mirrored in church activities as well as Mass and liturgical celebrations.
- Does your parish council include members with specific experience of RCIA?
- Is RCIA well publicised throughout your parish?
A parish which grows around the RCIA process is a parish whose parishioners will take responsibility for sharing in the support and formation of aspiring new catholics. Then, just as any business does, there will be the manpower to have rotas and temps and a plan for year round cover for vital roles. After all how would you feel if you went to your favourite bakery or newsagents, and a notice said ‘closed for the school holidays’? A week, you may accept, but 6 weeks: No.
CLOSED for the School Holidays
A second route is to promote the post easter ‘mystagogy’ period, as this will also lead to a greater awareness by the parish of the catechumenate, as well as providing much needed ongoing formation for our new catholics.
In this Sunday’s gospel (18th Ordinary Time Mathew 14:13-21) Jesus also tried to get away, in order to grieve on the death of John the Baptist. But when he saw the crowd that followed him, he was able to take pity on those who needed him and give of his healing power.
So how do we ‘take pity’ and apply all year round catechumenate.
- If your parish is working towards this or has achieved it , do share your experience.
RCIA as the model for all catechesis?
Having had a formation session on RCIA, the historical threads, vision and practice, a trainee catechist said this week that she couldnt see it working as a model for catechesis - her concern was the ability of the catechumen or candidate to 'know enough doctrine, and to fully understand the discipline of the sacraments' in order to take that step and become a Catholic', and very much seeing the main task of the catechist as providing a 'systematic programme' covering all there is to know...
Let's look at formation offered in the parish -
Children for first sacraments, baptism preparation with new parents, confirmation candidates, marriage preparation, welcome of returners and so on. How are these informed by the vision of RCIA? Where sacramental preparation is concerned, what are we saying through what we offer? Are Sacraments divine gifts, celebrating the human and divine relationship, to be prepared for, received and opened to, gradually over a life time, or are they the end-of-programme certificates of knowledge, passports to a Catholic school or a wedding in a pretty church?
RCIA gives the parish an incarnational model that involves the whole person, body, mind, heart and spirit -
with invitation and welcome (Come and See where we live), gradual pathway into community life (see how they love one another) , encounter with God (I am with you always) through the Word and the experience of Liturgy, prayer, and reflection on scripture and tradition, outward-looking concern for others, and steps marked by liturgical rites, and blessings to strengthen the whole community on the journey of deepening conversion.
I was invited by a priest colleague recently to give a day for engaged couples, as part of their preparation for the sacrament of marriage. In this one parish, 12 couples have applied to get married this year. So far the marriage preparation has involved: (1) individual meetings of the couples with the priest to discern where they are and what they are asking for (2) invitation to weekly Family Mass on Sundays to celebrate with and meet the community (2) a rite of welcome that took place during
T & C vows
a Sunday Mass, asking the community to pray for all the couples (3) marriage preparation sessions given by a married couple covering all aspects of 'Catholics and marriage' - opening with 'beginner's guide to lectio on the Word, and finishing with special prayers of blessing for them (4) members of the community involved in preparing for the wedding itself (5) follow-up sessions to share wedding stories, and offer ongoing support. Not a bad RCIA model!
What is your experience of RCIA as model for other areas of catechesis?
“You are the salt of the earth…” Yes, but how?
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Well, have you noticed how salt improves the taste of the food that comes into contact with it? In the right amount of course, salt somehow makes the food more interesting; it brings out its characteristic flavour. So what is the particular gift, trait or value in us, in me, that brings out the best in my environment? And where around me is the taste bland, boring or lacking that pleasant “something” – a clear sign that the Gospel is missing? Or am I just safely clustering around the other “bits” of salt, the other Christians, creating salty “rocks” that are too big a dose for any regular consumption? The world longs for our “pinch of salt” - in moderation, but also in generosity…
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With salt in our diet, lots of things transpire. Salt makes people thirsty for example. But thirst is a good starting point for anyone looking for living water. It motivates and drives people to quench their need. So which elements of my life make people around me thirsty “for more”?
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Salt is also an ancient food preservative; it prolongs the sell-by date of meat by fending off the rot. Equally, our faith and the gift of our relationship with Christ can preserve “the flesh” in a confident hope of resurrection. This can be contagious too, despite the hardships we face. Our “saltiness” in season and out of season can enable those around us to pluck up courage and dare to hope for some meaning in the midst of various crises, pain, sin or suffering. In fact, even our tears are full of salt…
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Salt is occasionally used to thaw ice on roads. Similarly, we are called to warm the hardened hearts locked in fear, selfishness, anger or lack of forgiveness. Thus our “saltiness” can help to clear the path to God. However, this undoubtedly means getting “out there”, into the frozen conditions of our cultures, transforming them into safer places. And risking the resulting “melt-down” that binds us irrevocably together. Formerly two different materials, salt and ice, dissolve slowly into a single substance of salty water. Indeed, in Christ all can become one… but only if no one remains the same.
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Unsurprisingly, salt without its salty “edge” loses its purpose. In the same way, when we lose our integrity as Christians, we need “re-salination”. We need to regain that taste of eternity which God has engraved in us. For it is the internal structure of the atoms of salt that makes it taste salty. Equally, the very pattern of Christ in us gives us the unmistakable flavour of God’s children. We are the salt of the earth if we live out of this deep mystery dwelling inside us...
THE CALL OF BAPTISM
THE CALL OF BAPTISM
This photo is of the Memorial Window in Stevington Baptist Church. It remembers those from the two world wars who were called, who did their duty and who died. Perhaps it is the ‘call’ that we hold on to as we start a new year. In so many ways we have a new start. The incarnation, a new year, probably even a new session of RCIA meetings, and what a fitting way to begin, to remember our own baptism and what it feels like to be called to a ministry of evangelising, catechesis, welcoming and accompanying.
There is something about a New Year that lends itself to evaluating and making new plans. As RCIA catechists we have a double task, to look at our own ministry and that of our catechumens. Perhaps some questions will assist.
- How have I answered the call of my baptism in this past year?
- Were there times when I resisted or questioned what the Spirit directed?
- On what occasions did I use my gifts and skills to their best?
- Did I always listen, to myself and to others?
- How have I developed my faith?
From an individual evaluation we might in our first team meeting review how RCIA has progressed in the past year. What worked, what challenges did we have, how do we feel we responded to them? Is there a more public face of RCIA in the parish? Are more of the community involved, has the initiation of new catholics been adopted as the task of the whole community?
There were lots of challenges in 2010, and no doubt they will continue in 2011 but an evaluation, recorded, discussed and one that initiates change for the better, will give the whole parish a burst of new energy to continue its task of evangelising and retaining new members in its community. Perhaps 2011 will be the year when Dismissal during the Lent Sunday masses is introduced, or opportunities given to the catechumens and enquirers to continue to meet during the school holiday breaks: for a cup of tea and discussion, a quiet time in the church, to reflect on the Sunday Word.
- What specific decisions were made in 2010, and how well was the objective achieved?
- What will we do the same?
- What will we change?
- What will we introduce?
Sue P
Second Sunday of Advent (Matthew 3:1-12)
"In due course John the Baptist appeared..."
It is amazing how God sends his people “in due course”. This fills me with hope – especially when I realise that the blank page that divides the old and new testaments in our bibles has a “value” of some 400 years’ silence and hunger for the word of God… It took God only about 400 years to send John the Baptist after the last prophet before him - so why should we get impatient when some “church things” are taking a bit longer than we anticipated? And equally, if John the Baptist hadn’t recognised the “due course” and responded, we would have been living a very different “now”. But thanks be to God, he did and:
"...he preached in the wilderness of Judaea..."
Or more precisely, in the wilderness at the far side of Jordan (John 1:28; 10:40). But why is this son of a priest (Luke 1:5-25) hanging around in the desert instead of serving God in the Temple? Why is he “out there,” in the barren land just behind affluent Jericho, far from the main focal point of the religion of his time? Perhaps because the river Jordan is a natural boundary and there is something about being immersed in it by another human being that brings home the striking message of John…
The Israelites crossed the river Jordan under the lead of Joshua (which we could equally transcribe as “Jesus”) in order to reach the Promised Land (Josh 3:15-17); and Elijah would cross the same river also dry-shod before he ascended into heaven in a chariot of fire (2 Kings 2:11), making room for a double portion of his spirit in Elisha (2 Kings 2:9). So is John telling people that they first of all need to retreat from the known religious “landscape” in order to wholeheartedly re-enter the Promised Land with full and conscious commitment? Is he telling them that by doing so they will iron out the path for Elijah’s doubly-zealous spirit to rest on them in the baptism of fire that was to come?
"...and this was his message: ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is close at hand.’"
Certainly, something amazing is about to happen… Like the dust stirred on the horizon by the hoofs and wheels of a king’s carriage, the certainty of God’s reign drawing near is almost tangible - and so people cannot go about their business as usual. How invigorating it would be if such a sense of expectation and urgency could soak our Advent time like the water must have soaked the garments of those seeking John’s baptism... What is more, even Jesus was happy to preach this is message (Mt 4:17) after the arrest of John.
"This was the man the prophet Isaiah spoke of when he said:
A voice cries in the wilderness: Prepare a way for the Lord, make his paths straight."
This is a quote from the Second Isaiah which was originally addresses to the Jews who had been exiled to Babylon after Jerusalem fell in the 6BC. This was the in-between time when the First Temple was already destroyed and the Second one was waiting yet to be built. Therefore the restored connection between God and his people required a “highway” at that moment in time, a straight path of communication that allowed for the “flow” of God’s presence into human history. And once again a “divine highway surveyor” enters the scene of human history to mark out the path in the wilderness.
"This man John wore a garment made of camel-hair with a leather belt round his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey."
In a certain sense, John the Baptist reminds me of a hippo… Quite a grotesque creature out in the open - but extremely dangerous, especially when plunged in its element. He is cut as a prophet in his camel-hair outfit and leather belt accessory (2 Kings 1:8), feeding on a radical diet of clean (Leviticus 11:21, 22), wholesome and providential food. He thus walks in the footsteps of Samson, Samuel and Elijah. No wonder he attracts some curious attention. In fact, he is a magnet that pulls the whole region into a movement towards the most significant river in his people’s history: the river Jordan.
"Then Jerusalem and all Judaea and the whole Jordan district made their way to him, and as they were baptised by him in the river Jordan they confessed their sins."
So why is it that John often gets just a cursory glance from us? Why is it that we often overlook the fact that he was such a powerful magnet that he drew even Jesus out of his “hidden” life into the “public ministry” as his call echoed “righteousness” in the heart of the Son of God (Mt 21:23-27 & Mt 3:15)? It is perhaps because the realm of water is where John becomes dangerous…and that is perhaps something that does not sit easily with us because the font of baptism contains water too. At any rate, John turns out to be a “wild beast,” defending the territory marked out for God from any sinister trespasser:
"But when he saw a number of Pharisees and Sadducees coming for baptism he said to them, ‘Brood of vipers, who warned you to fly from the retribution that is coming? But if you are repentant, produce the appropriate fruit, and do not presume to tell yourselves, “We have Abraham for our father,” because, I tell you, God can raise children for Abraham from these stones. Even now the axe is laid to the roots of the trees, so that any tree which fails to produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown on the fire. I baptise you in water for repentance, but the one who follows me is more powerful than I am, and I am not fit to carry his sandals; he will baptise you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing-fan is in his hand; he will clear his threshing-floor and gather his wheat into the barn; but the chaff he will burn in a fire that will never go out.’"
And maybe John is not so far off the mark when he claims that God can raise Abraham’s children even from stones. There is a master-builder coming soon, known as the carpenter’s son (Mt 13:55) – where carpenter (tekton) means also a stone mason or builder. He will also refer to himself as a cornerstone by the words of Psalm 118 (Mt 21: 42-43), and he will be on an outrageous mission to build a new temple (Jn 2:19). So perhaps the most pertinent question is: do I let myself be chiselled by the master builder this week?
Under the snow something stirs…
Unexpectedly, I open the curtains today to find a new world: my straggly end-of-season garden smoothed over by a thick blanket of snow. The forecast last night was 'snow showers, maybe', but every car in the road is a white lump, with occasional squares of tarmac where some hardy resident has dug themselves out and driven off. Everything looks different under the sudden change of season.
Further afield, though, and the seasons are mixed - trees still in autumn colours, thick snow on the ground and the sun sparkling on snow in the branches and sending a shining river of light across the surface of the lake. A glorious day, a day for standing in the surprising warmth of the sun and remembering the presence of God, everywhere.
On the first Sunday of Advent, the seasons also seem mixed. We have gone into purple and lit the first candle on the wreath, but the Scriptures at Mass are still looking towards the Second Coming and the end times, just as they were during the last weeks of Ordinary Time. And today's reading from Paul - 'let us appear in the light' - is something which we would not be surprised to find during Lent. So the beginning of our new liturgical year is not a clear-cut new start, new ideas, new life, new resolve, but a continuation of something we are used to, with a sharper focus brought by a change of scenery.
That's as it should be, because for most people the work of conversion is not a single, all-or-nothing event but something which takes time and many restarts. Snow when it falls looks clean and unmarked ('so relaxed!' cried the Franciscan sister from Kenya), but after a couple of days it's trampled and worn through, melted in patches, its perfect surface disrupted - the way we can so often feel when things aren't going well. But under the snow, there's work going on, and when the time comes, our new growth will be seen...
Will he find any faith on earth?
As 'Los 33', the Chilean miners, were winched to the surface one by one in the 'Phoenix' , greeted with such scenes of jubliation in Camp Hope, and around the world, their personal stories began to emerge. One miner said that during those 69 days of incarceration hundreds of meters down in the earth, he had met both God and the devil, and that God had won! Another, on stepping of out the capsule, fell on his knees and prayed his thanksgiving for being brought out of such darkness into light . In the days and weeks ahead we will hear more - life will never be the same again. What caught my imagination was the fact that many people had been praying continually and not losing heart - it echoed with the readings yesterday 29th Sunday Ordinary Time, year C - Moses with his arms raised in prayer for his people, supported on either side by Aaron and Hur; Paul to Timothy saying stick with your faith in Christ and all you have been taught and know to be true, and be guided by it, and Luke, with the parable of the persistent widow.
The real-life drama of the last few weeks in San Jose mine, and the Word of God in sacred scripture intermingled. I wondered what sort of witness to my faith do I both give and receive in the parish community, particularly in our accompaniment of enquirers and catechumens? Is it obvious that we are trying to live what we know to be true, tuning in to the Spirit listening in us, teaching us? Perhaps it is in our darkest times that we recognise our need of rescue - and find that there are life-forces at work unknown to worldly authorities. It could have turned very nasty down there in the dark ruins of the mine - but it seems that other deeper truths were drawn on and sustained them - discipleship seems to function at a level where power does not exist..
This week? Will Christ find evidence of real, living faith in me? Can I open my eyes and ears and heart and notice the sacred encounters the continuing, ongoing, dynamic, saving, healing presence of Christ among us, whether I am in darkness or light, creating that life-giving environment? I think Christ will, Christ does find faith on earth! Do you?
“Take up you Cross and Follow me”
A friend of mine was sitting in his back garden reading a newspaper when two gentlemen came in through the gate, they came up to him and asked ‘Have you found Jesus?’ to which he replied, having put down the paper, ‘Please don’t tell me he’s lost again.’
“Who do you say I am?” is a truly demanding question. It invites each one of us to look deep into our hearts and souls to find the answer. For many ‘enquirers’ the answer is often expressed in moments of revelation or in moments of conversion. Some times the experience is dramatic – sometimes it comes in the bits and pieces of every day.
For some of us there isn’t a moment in our lives when we weren’t conscious of Jesus in our lives. We simply imbibed him with our mother’s milk and have continued to grow in our awareness of who he is both for ourselves and the community of the Church. We have had to let go of childish and infantile ideas of Jesus as a sweet and cuddly toy, for instance.– letting of these false images may have been difficult and even caused pain. For me, at this moment, Jesus is the one who challenges the status quo and invites his followers to have the courage to grow in freedom – freedom to commit oneself to working for the good of others, working for Justice and peace and reconciliation.
Last Friday the final report on the terrible happenings which took place in Derry over 30 years ago, known as Bloody Sunday became public. 
It was a frightening indictment of the then ‘powers that be’ defending the status quo and falsifying evidence, casting the victims of official violence as perpetrators of violence rather than as the recipients of violence. I was deeply impressed by the Prime Minister’s whole hearted and unconditional acceptance of the report and expression of sorry for what happened in ‘our name’. I was even more impressed by a relative of one of the victims who said ‘We don’t want vengeance or anything like that – all we wanted was the clearing of the victim’s names and now we seek for reconciliation.’
There is someone who like Jesus in yesterdays Gospel learned to ‘pray alone in the midst of his disciples’ – who has learned to take up ‘his cross and follow Jesus’ – To follow Jesus not just to the place of the scull but to follow him through the cross echoing those incredible words of Jesus “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do”.
The richness and compassion of his response disturb me deeply. Despite my deep conviction of the significance of Jesus in my life - would I be capable of such a truly liberating act, if one of my family had been so unjustly treated for so long? I’d love to think that my answer would be ‘Yes’ but I can honestly say that I don’t know and can only hope that my ‘Yes’ would be unconditional. 
As I write this I am reminded of another friend of mine Johnny Leary, who sadly died of cancer. Johnny, whose eyes continued to sparkle through out a long term of illness, once again challenged me to the very core when we were having a conversation about the inevitability of what was going to happen. This is what he said, “It’s a real hard thing to begin to see your own body as your enemy. And you know that eventually you come to realize that you have to enter into relationship with the illness and the cancer inside you and in some way allow it to become your friend.” I stand in awe of such people for whom the ability to ‘take up the cross and follow me’ are times of liberation and true freedom.
A question for all who journey within the RCIA, in whatever role, is to try to share as honestly as we can our experience of answering the question; ‘Who do you say I am?’ and sharing how ‘taking up the cross’ has liberated each one of us. As the saying goes ‘Be not afraid.’
It’s Great To Be Growing! (Reflections for Corpus Christi)
Recently I planted some bedding plants in the garden ably assisted by my two children. A few days later after the copious amounts of sun, and rain, that we have enjoyed recently the plants had bloomed. Upon witnessing this, the joyful cry went up ‘THE PLANTS ARE GROWING!!!’
It’s great to see growth! It brings us joy and a sense of fulfilment.
When we see growth in the lives of neophytes we have been journeying with, and in our own lives, it too can give us a real sense that the God is truly with us. We can know once more that while we have done our best to be faithful ’planters’ and ‘waterers’ of the seed of God’s Word, it has been God alone who has given the growth.
“What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe—as the Lord has assigned to each his task. I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow." (1 Corinthians 3:5-7)
In the period of Mystagogy that many of us are now experiencing, as well as celebrating the growth that has taken place we can also look ahead with hope for the growth that is still to come. Our hope is that we will see growth in our own lives, in the lives of the neophytes and in the Christian communities to which we all belong. But how can we encourage this growth?
How does the Church grow?
This question was asked by the Fathers of the Second Vatican Council. In response they stated that “as often as the sacrifice of the Cross by which Christ our Passover was sacrificed is celebrated on the altar, the work of our redemption is carried on.” In short they were affirming that the celebration of the Eucharist is at the centre of the process of the Church’s growth (Lumen Gentium 3, Ecclesia de Eucharistia 21).
Pope John Paul II in his Encyclical Letter Ecclesia de Eucharistia remarks that “the Apostles, by accepting in the Upper Room Jesus' invitation: ‘Take, eat’, ‘Drink of it, all of you’, entered for the first time into sacramental communion with him. From that time forward, until the end of the age, the Church is built up through sacramental communion with the Son of God who was sacrificed for our sake.” (Ecclesia de Eucharistia 21). He adds that “incorporation into Christ, which is brought about by Baptism, is constantly renewed and consolidated by sharing in the Eucharistic Sacrifice, especially by that full sharing which takes place in sacramental communion.” (Ecclesia de Eucharistia 22)
As we look back to the joys of our Easter celebrations, it is heartening to know that the grace of those baptisms are ‘constantly renewed and consolidated by sharing in the Eucharistic Sacrifice’.
So the Eucharist constantly renews and consolidates the gift of new life given at baptism, builds us up and enables us to continue to grow in our Christian life. This is captured in the Rite itself where the instruction for the Liturgy of the Eucharist at the Easter Vigil states:
“Before saying ‘This is the Lamb of God’, the celebrant may briefly remind the neophytes of the pre-eminence of the Eucharist, which is the climax of their initiation and the centre of the whole Christian life.” (RCIA 233).
So right at the outset, in the Rite, and in the Easter liturgy itself, the Church is encouraging us to find the source of our life and of our future growth in the Eucharist. These can be deeply encouraging truths and timely for us as prepare for and celebrate the Solemnity of Corpus Christi.
As we look ahead, to future ministry opportunities and new groups of catechumens and candidates we can also receive consolation and support by knowing that “from the perpetuation of the sacrifice of the Cross and her communion with the body and blood of Christ in the Eucharist, the Church draws the spiritual power needed to carry out her mission.” The truth is that “the Eucharist... appears as both the source and the summit of all evangelisation...” (Ecclesia de Eucharistia 22)
So the Eucharist renews and strengthens us, it is the centre of our Christian lives and also gives us the spiritual power we need to witness and share the Good News in many and various ways. Truly we can grow strong and bloom if we can remain true to this great Sacrament.
To end here is a song that I heard some children singing at our local Catholic School, the words are set to the traditional tune Frère Jacques. As we continue to be a Eucharistic people we pray that the truth of these simple and childlike words can become our own as we see the growth that God’s grace will bring in our lives as we share the one bread and the one cup.
"I am growing, I am growing big and tall, big and tall. Growing up for Jesus, growing up for Jesus, big and strong, big and strong!”
And Renew the Face of the Earth
Pentecost - the Celebration of the Spirit; the Birth day of the Church; the fastest fifty days in the calendar.
The time between the celebrations at the Easter Vigil and Pentecost seems to be caught by the image of the Spirit which blows when and where it will leaving the neophytes, parish RCIA teams and communities in a spin.
In theory the process of the RCIA should still be engaging in the period of Mystagogia of reflecting on the experiences preceding and proceeding the Easter Vigil, but in reality many parish groups have by now stopped gathering. Some may have come together for a few weeks after Easter to share their Vigil stories and perhaps had a party of celebration. Some groups may have continued with a few sessions in order to cover some of the items left out of the schedule and other groups haven't met again, now that everyone is 'done'.
The Feast of Pentecost reminds us that in these past 50 days we were meant to gather in upper rooms and other rooms, not out of fear any longer but in anticipation of the coming of the gift of the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, which animates all of us together, sending us out into the world as witnesses to God's power and Gods' presence in our lives.
The period of mystagogy is extended well beyond the 50 days, in reality the mystagogy of going deeper and reflecting on our faith experience is a life long activity...we are all still in this period. Reminding our newest members that we are also joining them in this life long journey gives them the assurance that we continue to be with them even after any formal meetings stop.
Now is the time to integrate them more fully into the community at whatever level and pace is best for them. Afterall, it is into the life of the Christian experience that has been the goal, not the meetings. However, even though teams and the neophyetes themselves may be 'tired', it is crucial that people are not just left alone and this is where the role of the whole faith community comes into being. It is in this period of mystagogia that the people of the parish, of all ages, become real and tangible for our neophytes. A welcoming, consistent, authentic community will gather the neophytes in as if they had always been there.
As we reflect on the fire of Pentecost which kindles and sparks us into a community which accepts and respect all, we remember that each person has something to offer in spreading the Good News and building up the Kingdom of God. When we are tired or fearful or doubtful we could recall this excerpt from Nelson Mandela's Inaugural Address, May 1994:
'Our worst fear is not that we are inadequate, our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. We ask oursleves, "Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented and fabulous?" Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God; your playing small doesn't serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We were born to make manifest the glory of God within us. It is not just in some of us; it is in everyone. And as we let our own light shine we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. '
As we embrace the power of the Spirit, reaffirmed at Pentecost, we look forward to the life long period of mystagogy and the variety of ways in which together we will renew the face of the earth.