Saint Andrew Church

      Our Church recovered at the Second Vatican Council the understanding that ministerial responsibility flows from the sacrament of baptism and not from holy orders. This is the reason we’ve had what seems like an explosion of ministries that did not exist prior to Vatican II: Eucharistic and music ministry, lectoring, catechetics, and especially the permanent diaconate. Liturgically you see evidence of this with the inclusion of the offertory procession, the prayers of general intercession and the sign of peace at mass. This recovery is also why the laity is much less passive in evangelizing. When Jesus told the disciples at the time of his ascension to go make disciples of the nations by baptizing, he was speaking not only to the ordained. He was speaking to the entire community of faith. If there are no people to be baptized, it is irrelevant how many ministers there are celebrating the baptismal rites.

      I pointed out to people attending an adult education session that this is evidence of the vitality of our Church. My observation that our Church is ministering in very exciting times sparked a response from a man who said he did not feel excited as much as he felt anxious. He went on to cite the closing of many of our schools and the closing of parishes, and that of those left open, they were not nearly as full as he remembers from his childhood, and that even priests and bishops have collapsed into inattentive administration. In part, he was saying that we are a Church in obvious decline and that that was the source of his anxiety. I traced the idea with him in the hope that when we got to the heart of the matter, the true cause of his anxiety could be seen and understood.

     If responsibility for the growth of the kingdom of God on earth lies with all the baptized (and it does), then the anxiety that our Church is administrating over decline makes sense but only under one condition; that is if the Holy Spirit has ceased to act in and upon us. The man’s apprehension flowed from his fear that the third person of the Blessed Trinity was a figment of our imagination.

     I asked the man (who is in reality very faith-full) if the reason why he let his children take advantage of him a million times before they were five years old was evidence of his permissiveness or his belief that eventually his children would learn that love prevails in his household above all else. It helped me to know before asking the question that his children have responded to the firm, consistent love he and his wife gave them. The man did not use these exact words, but he said in effect that he raised his children believing in the transformative power of love. For him and his wife, the one for whom you are most willing to look foolish is the one you love deeply. That is the very stuff the Church is made of. A parent’s act of faith is that their ministry to their spouse and to their children has a salvific value: it is the business of saving souls by being vulnerable for those they love.

     I believe I saw the gears beginning to turn and mesh in the man’s facial expression. It began to dawn on him that the same act of faith he made early on in his marriage was called for in his marriage with his Church. He had begun to overcome fearing fear itself.

Fr. Dan

  Each week our bulletin has an additional page of information that we share.  Take a moment and open the link    (open here) 

 WHO:      Tri-Parish Event sponsored by St. Paul, Sacred Heart, and St. Andrew Churches

WHAT:      Nativity display ( Parishioners are asked to loan their nativity sets for the weekend.)

WHEN:      Displays can be seen Dec. 8th from 5:30 to 6:30 & Dec. 9th from 10:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

WHERE:    St. Paul Social Center - 453 West 16th St.

COST:       A free-will offering will benefit Erie Dawn, which provides housing for families.

THE PUBLIC IS INVITED...Bring your friends and neighbors!