Thank you for the prayers as the parish begins to be Rebuilt. Keep them coming, we can always use prayers. Last month you were briefly introduced to Fr. Michael White and Tom Corcoran from Church of the Nativity in Timonium Maryland. The ideas for rebuilding the church are very specific to them and so we will use their ideas as a guide to our new parish community.
As St. Vincent de Paul Parish moves toward meeting the needs of its people we find that "Church is Not Easy". We have to ask ourselves "What did we get wrong?" and "What did we get right?"
Yes, we've made mistakes and the key is learning from those mistakes, making changes that will help rather than hinder, and build on our successes. Blessed Mother Teresa said "God didn't call me to be successful, He called me to be faithful." In fact, Blessed Mother Teresa stands among the most successful and innovative church leaders of the twentieth century.
Since we are following a building theme this story is food for thought as we continue our journey.
THE HOUSE WE BUILD
An elderly carpenter was ready to retire. He told his employer-contractor of his plans to leave the house-building business and live a more leisurely life with his wife enjoying his extended family. He would miss the paycheck, but he needed to retire. They could get by.
The contractor was sorry to see his good worker go and asked if he could build just one more house as a personal favor. The carpenter said yes, but in time it was easy to see that his heart was not in his work. He resorted to shoddy workmanship and used inferior materials. It was an unfortunate way to end his career.
When the carpenter finished his work and the builder came to inspect the house, the contractor handed the front-door key to the carpenter: "This is your house," he said, "my gift to you."
What a shock! What a shame! If he had only known he was building his own house, he would have done it all so differently. Now he had to live in the home he had built none too well.
So it is with us. We build our lives in a distracted way, reacting rather than acting, willing to put up less than the best. At important points we do not give the job our best effort. Then with a shock we look at the situation we have created and find that we are now living in the house we have built. If we had realized that we would have done it differently.
Think of our self as the carpenter. Think about our house. Each day we hammer a nail, place a board, or erect a wall. Build wisely. It is the only life we will ever build. Even if we live for only one day more, that day deserves to be lived graciously and with dignity.
We built our life today. It is the result of our attitudes and the choices we have made in the past.
We can build the life we want. It will be the exact result of our attitudes and the choices we make today and tomorrow.
-- Author Unknown
From Blessings Upon Blessingsby Sister Maxine Shonk, OP
May the God of Growing Things call you to ever more wonderful growth and wholeness. May the horizons of your life stretch far to the east and west, to the north and south...and in the stretching may you know the wonder of God's universe within and around you. Through this awareness may you plant seeds of hope in all you meet. May the God of Growing Things be with you.
St. Vincent de Paul, pray for us.
St. Leo, pray for us.
Jesus the Prince of Peace, pray for us.
