Nativity Catholic Church
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We All Have Our "Obligations"
A "FIRESTARTER" Spiritual Essay by Rev.
Dr. Benjamin
Berinti, C.Pp.S.
“If I preach the gospel, this is no
reason for me to boast, for an obligation has been Just as St. Paul shares with us through his letter to the Corinthians about the “obligation” with which he has been entrusted, so too each of us have things in our lives that we are “obliged” to do, things that we are driven to say or do because of who we are, because of the responsibilities we hold due to our roles, whether as husbands and wives, sons and daughters, employees and colleagues, friends and neighbors, mothers and fathers, priests and religious, students and teachers. Each year, in my role as Pastor of this Nativity community, I am charged with speaking to you about OUR CATHOLIC APPEAL. Like St. Paul, I am under “obligation” a compulsion to do so! Part of this drive comes from the respect for our Bishop and the duties he expects of me as a pastor; part of this compulsion is because of its potential financial impact, for good or bad, upon our own life and ministry at Nativity. But, a far greater part of this obligation is motivated by my firm belief that each of us, as brothers and sisters in Christ, are not complete as individuals, nor as a parish community, unless we are connected to those beyond our doors in real, meaningful, tangible and visible ways. It’s easy for us to do a lot of “talking” about how we are all members of the Body of Christ, how much we care for others outside our view, how much we “do” for those in far greater need than ourselves...but it’s not the “talking” that demonstrates our commitment to the values of Christ...the proof is in the ACTING on behalf of those beyond our doors. Our sense of community cannot stop at the doors or parking lot of our church; our sense of solidarity cannot be limited to like-minded people whom we think of when we say “Nativity is family.” Our sense and practice of this obligation must include serving the multitudes who come to the doors of the Church of Orlando, seeking nothing less than the healing and comfort, the strength and guidance, the ministry of service that Jesus provided to those who often crowded his doorway and the countryside where he was preaching and teaching. In Mark’s gospel, after Jesus is recounted as having healed Simon’s mother-in-law, we are told by the evangelist that “when it was evening, after sunset, they brought to him all who were ill or possessed by demons. The whole town was gathered at the door (Mark 1:32-33).” Not unlike this scene from Jesus’ day, our own parish doorway is often crowded with people in need, and we regularly struggle to have the physical, spiritual, and financial resources to respond to them. In fact, that’s why we are always challenging ourselves as a community to increase the gifts of our financial treasure to the parish! And so it is true for the ministry of the Bishop and the whole Diocese of Orlando. Those same resources are often stretched and broken, as many people, the majority of whom you and I will never see or know, seek God’s presence and guidance in their lives. Our diocese is growing by leaps and bounds. The diocesan Synod developed big plans, exciting plans to help meet the needs of a growing Catholic population. It’s a thrilling time to be living and active in the local Church of Orlando and Central Florida! As the call goes out next weekend, and in the coming weeks, please consider how far you are willing to stretch the boundaries of your own generosity; how far you are willing to share your financial resources with our Bishop for the work of this Diocese. I ask you to prayerfully, thoughtfully, and practically consider what “obligation,” what compulsion you are under to respond to this call of Gospel service.
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