Nativity Catholic Church
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The Chance to Say "Yes" Again
A "FIRESTARTER"
Spiritual Essay by Rev. Dr. Benjamin Berinti, C.Pp.S.
It is always a special opportunity to witness a married couple renewing their wedding vows, no matter how long or short the years may be. I get a kick out of seeing Cub Scouts stand at attention before a meeting and, fingers appropriately held in position, recite the Scout pledge. Every year at the Chrism Mass, along with the other priests in attendance, I have the grace-filled invitation to renew my commitment to priestly service to God’s people. There’s something heartening, moving, and invigorating about celebrating the chance to say “yes” again to something or someone we hold dear in our lives. Every time we say “yes” again, we are making a decision in favor of strengthening some commitment we have made. Significant decisions along the journey of our life are ultimately about who and what we love, about who or what we say “yes” to. In the Book of Joshua (24:1-2.15-17.18), we find our hero facing the final days of his life in service to God and God’s people. Joshua had spent his life toiling as the successor of Moses, whose task was almost as formidable as that of Moses—overtaking the “Promised Land.” While Moses faced the challenges of leading the people out of Egypt, Joshua had to get them into their new home—a “home,” which incidentally, was already filled with inhabitants (who now had to be driven off)! In the final chapter of the book, Joshua poses a very harsh, clear-cut challenge to the whole assembly of people gathered before him (that’s the beauty of people who have been around a long time; they can always ask the hard questions; they’ve got nothing to lose!): “If it does not please you to serve the Lord, decide today whom you will serve!” Perhaps as people who frequently gather for the weekly Eucharist, perhaps as people who maintain the sacred days and devotions of the Catholic tradition, we may assume that we’ve already made our decision—so what’s the problem? It’s the old, “I’m here, aren’t I?” syndrome—as if simply occupying space in a pew, or dropping your child off on the curb for religious education, or “completing one’s sacraments” are proof enough of commitment. Perhaps we foolishly believe, “We’re baptized, aren’t we? Isn’t it obvious that we’ve already made a decision to follow Christ?” Certainly, we gather in community because God has invited us to be God’s people, and we are trying to respond to that invitation, but each of us knows that to truly be a follower of Christ, we must daily make decisions which reflect that we are living witnesses to the presence of Jesus in our world. We need to keep making, seizing, and celebrating all the opportunities we are given to say ‘yes’ again to this commitment, this decision to be a vibrant, functioning member of the Body of Christ, rather than a piece of jewelry on that Body. Each year parishioners are given an opportunity to say ‘yes’ again to living as a faithful disciple by practicing the stewardship of time, talent and treasure. This “yes,” like so many choices that stare us in the face every day, can easily become something we don’t give much thought to, something that can become, by neglect, a reality only in words but not in deeds. All of us know, deep in our hearts, that there are many options from which to choose as we take a new breath each day and lay ourselves to rest each night; there are many people and things which we can choose to make a part of our lives—some of which draw us closer into the circle of God’s life and love…and some which lead us away from the presence of the living God. That’s why we need grace-filled times in our lives to be reminded of what we once said “yes” to, and now how we must recommit ourselves, how we must say “yes” again…and again…and again. As we begin these weeks of reflection, study, prayer, and recommitment to the practice of the stewardship of time, talent and treasure, i.e., returning to the Lord in gratitude for what we have received with increase, let us allow the potent and pregnant words of Joshua to echo in our ears, in the recesses of our hearts: “If it does not please you to serve the Lord, decide today whom you will serve!”
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