Parishes Must Be Welcoming Communities

By Bishop Paul S. Loverde
Herald Columnist
(From the issue of 6/30/05)

The following homily was given by Arlington Bishop Paul S. Loverde on the 13th Sunday in Ordinary time at the Cathedral of St. Thomas More in Arlington June 25-26.

The following is a true story. An American Priest, writing about his parish, described the success with which his parish had been built up. Liturgy groups, prayer groups, social groups and the parish council did their work with great efficiency and enthusiasm. Everything in the parish was well-ordered; everything was in its right place. And the priest, as he himself confessed, was congratulating himself on what he considered the perfect parish.

Until, one Sunday morning, all his illusions were shattered. The previous day a group of refugees had arrived in the small town and a civic appeal was made for homes in which the refugees could be temporarily housed. Not one family in the parish offered to open their house to one of those refugees. The priest realized that his parish was little more than an empty shell. The parish was unable to share its life by extending a welcome to others.

The message of today’s liturgy is simply this: as disciples of Christ, as His Church, we are to be a welcoming community. And a welcoming community is clearly marked by three qualities mentioned in the Scripture readings just proclaimed in our hearing: loyalty, hospitality and generosity.

1. Loyalty. Are we loyal to Christ and to one another as members of His Body the Church? Are we loyal to Christ? Do we love Him more than anyone else or anything else? In today’s Gospel account, Jesus says; "Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me … ." Does Jesus mean that we are not to love our family members? Of course not. But, He is saying that our relationship with Him must take priority over anyone else. No person or thing can take over that first place in our hearts which belongs to Him. Our loyalty also involves our willingness to take up our cross and follow after Jesus. The cross differs for each of us, but keeping our eye on Jesus, and trusting in His grace, we must pick up that cross and follow Him.

Are we loyal to one another as members of Christ’s Body the Church? Yes, the Church is imperfect because we who form her membership are imperfect and prone to sin. Nonetheless, we remain family members, brothers and sisters in the Lord. Do we seek to deepen our unity despite the faults and failures we encounter in one another? Do we stand by one anther in the bad times as well as in the good?

2. Hospitality. Are we hospitable to God and to others? Do we welcome them? Are we hospitable to God, welcoming Him as He comes to us in His word in the Scriptures and, above all, in the Incarnate Word, Jesus Himself, Who comes to us in the Sacraments, especially in the Holy Eucharist? Do we welcome the Lord in prayer each day? Notice how the woman in Shunem welcomes Elisha the prophet, as recorded in today’s first reading. Elisha was only a prophet, but the Lord Jesus is the Son of God, our only Savior.

Are we hospitable to others? Newcomers come to our parishes; do we welcome them? Refugees continue to come to our diocese as do people from different countries and cultures; do we welcome them? Do we seek out opportunities to make them feel welcome, so that they who arrive as strangers become to us brothers and sisters in the Lord?

3. Generosity. Are we generous, to God and to all our brothers and sisters, both within the Church and in the human family? Are we generous to Our Lord, giving Him our time in prayer and our very selves in the surrender of obedient faith to His will?

For His sake, are we generous to others, especially those in need of our support?

(June 25) Today, among us, are numerous volunteers, who have given so generously of their time and talent as members of boards, committees and organizations, in the service of our diocesan family. I again thank you and ask the Lord to bless you as He alone can.

(June 26) Today, among us are numerous donors, who have given so generously of their resources to support the ever-growing needs of our diocesan Church. I again thank you and ask the Lord to bless you as He alone can.

Loyalty, hospitality and generosity are marks of a welcoming Church only when these are done in His Name. Ever since baptism, we belong to Christ, because we have shared in His Dying and Rising. As St. Paul reminds us in today’s second reading, because we have died and have risen with Christ, we now "live in newness of life." So in His Name, let us truly be loyal, hospitable and generous to both Him, the Lord of our hearts, and to all our sisters and brothers within the Church and in the human family. Then, as a parish, as a diocese, we will not be an empty shell, but rather, a welcoming community, pulsating with life — because we are "living for God in Christ Jesus."

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