- by Alice Candy, Parish Pastoral Council and Liturgy Committee
The Rule of Saint Benedict includes a phrase that is central to monastic life and to Christian life more generally: ora et labora, or ‘pray and work’. This idea connects what we do liturgically, that is, during the time in which we meet together to hear God’s word, affirm our faith, and receive the Eucharist, to the acts of our day-to-day lives. Being the people of God by sharing in the nourishment that flows from Christ’s presence in the eucharistic meal doesn’t stop when we exit the church building; it continues everywhere that we go and permeates each moment of our day.
When we meet together for Mass, we hear how God has worked in history, we pray for God to move in our world today, and then we receive the communion that enables us to be the hands and feet of God, so that God’s work continues through us. As Fr. Martin likes to remind us in his homilies, we are fed with Christ’s body so that we become Christ’s Body, equipped as part of the Christian community to be Christ to those around us.
At the Mass in which he canonised St. Teresa of Calcutta, Pope Francis put it this way: “We are [...] called to translate into concrete acts that which we invoke in prayer and profess in faith.” Addressing a group of volunteers present at the Mass, the pope added: “You are that crowd who follows the Master and who makes visible his concrete love for each person.”
The pope’s reflection on the way that Mother Teresa offered up her life to serve others doesn’t conclude by requiring all of us to become consecrated religious, but it invites us to seek out ways in our own lives that we can participate in the Lord’s work. This includes the simple act of smiling at others, to express to them the joy and hope that comes from praying and working as the people of God.
As Jesus tells us in Matthew 25, this work involves feeding the hungry, refreshing the thirsty, welcoming the stranger, clothing the naked, comforting the sick, and visiting the imprisoned. In the case of Holy Rosary, one of the ways we have chosen to participate in the Lord’s work as a parish community is by preparing a safe, clean, and comfortable place in which to welcome refugees fleeing conflicts and violence around the world through our Rectory renovation project and our partnership with Matthew House.
The project has certainly had its ups and downs, stumbling blocks, and unexpected delays. But we are so close to reaching our goal! And one of the remaining things that stands in our way is a long (but doable!) list of cleaning and minor repair tasks that the Holy Rosary community can help with. My family and I had the privilege of helping with a couple of these tasks earlier this week, and I can’t express how satisfying it is to see a tiny part of the project come together before our eyes!! I urge everyone to volunteer your time and energy if you can, and to pray for the project and encourage those around you with your smile. Together let us work to accomplish what we pray for!
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