Foundational Stewardship, Generous Hospitality
The Office of Stewardship
Welcome the Little Children
This Saturday we celebrate the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord when Mary and Joseph bring the infant Jesus to the Temple to present him to the Lord as was prescribed in the Jewish Law. Both Anna and Simeon receive the Lord and see in him the fulfillment of their desire to see the Messiah.
This story has encouraged me to ponder how we welcome all children. I am mindful of St. Benedict’s instruction, quoted in the Characteristics of a Stewardship Parish, “Let all guests who arrive be received like Christ”. I have experienced many ways children are welcomed with Generous Hospitality in our churches. For instance, I remember one time after spending a hard hour with several rambunctious, unhappy and rather loud toddlers and preschoolers of my own, a woman sitting in front of us turned around and said, “It was such a blessing to have your family with us for Mass today. Thank you for coming.” That simple act was a great encouragement to me. I am always grateful when priests make a special point to welcome families with small children and assure parents that their presence is welcome in the church. Lastly, the visitor information card that has been placed in the pews at Our Lady of the Black Hills comes to mind. On it they have this statement:
“To parents of young children: RELAX! God put the wiggle in children; don’t feel you have to suppress those wiggles in God’s house. If you must leave with your child during the Mass, please be sure to come back! We want both of you to be part of our church family celebration time. Please encourage your child to sing, pray and join the spoken responses. They can also worship by moving to the music or clapping.
To our Parishioners: REMINDER, the way we welcome children in Church directly affects the way they respond to the Church, to God, to Christ and to one another. The presence of children is a gift to the Church and they are a reminder that our parish is growing. A smile of encouragement is always welcome to parents with small, active children!”
As adults, we often times think of our role as teachers and leaders of children; sometimes we forget that they are given to us as a gift and there are many ways in which they teach and lead us as well. In fact, this is by God’s design. Children are one way God reaches down to us to lead us to Himself. We can be grateful for the gift of children in our day; for the beautiful way they witness to us the Joy of the Gospel and the how their enthusiasm, sense of wonder and willingness to live fully in the moment is truly the way we are all called to live. Often, children remind us of truths we have forgotten. This Sunday, and every Sunday, let’s lift our hearts to God in gratitude for the gift of the children in our midst and let us welcome them as Jesus was welcomed by Simeon and Anna in the Temple. Let us be generous in our gratitude and in our hospitality to them and to their parents who accompany them.
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Generous Hospitality
Several weeks ago, I
heard this story about a young family who is desperately trying to get more
involved in the life of their parish community in New Orleans. The story goes
something like this, and as you read it, keep in mind the saying: three strikes
and you’re out.
The
parish was advertising that they needed more adorers for perpetual adoration.
She and her husband prayed to the Lord about answering this invitation. In the
end, they felt like the Lord was inviting them to say yes. So they decided to
accept the invitation from the pastor and were really quite excited to be
spending time with the Lord in the Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament. When
she called the parish secretary to sign up for an hour of adoration each week
from 6:00 PM to 7 PM, the secretary found out that this young mother would be
bringing her eight-month-old with her. The parish secretary said that would not
be possible for her to sign up because they don’t allow young infants or
toddlers during the hours of perpetual adoration because they do not want to
disturb the silence of others praying in front of the Lord. Strike one.
This
really caught them off guard and they were quite hurt by it all, which made
them even more hesitant to offer their help to the parish again. However,
several months later another opportunity in the parish arose. They were looking
for people to help clean the church. Again she and her husband prayed about it
and felt the Lord was inviting them to say yes. So she called the parish again
saying that she and her four-year-old boy would be willing to help clean the
church. She told the parish secretary that my four-year-old loves to dust. The
parish secretary said that she could not volunteer because the parish does not allow
young children to clean the church even with parent’s supervision. Strike two.
When
I heard this story, I was shocked by such inhospitality. The story of how Jesus related to the children
in the Gospels came rushing to the forefront of my heart. People were bringing
little children to Jesus for him to place his hands on them, but the disciples
rebuked them. When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said to
them, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the
kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Truly I tell you, anyone
who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter
it.” And he took the children in his arms, placed his hands on them
and blessed them (Mark 10:13-16)
What
do you think about the latest statistics: 6.5 people leave Catholicism for
every 1 that joins, 50% of young people who are raised Catholic are no longer
Catholic today, 79% of former Catholics leave the church before age of 23? I
wonder if we are losing our people, especially our young people and young
families, because of a lack of hospitality and an unwillingness to welcome all into our midst.
Our
diocesan stewardship initiative began first with generous hospitality. We need
to get this piece right before we can begin to invite people into lively faith and
dedicated discipleship.
Fr. Mark’s Musings
