Fr Bob Writes – November 13, 2016

This Sunday after 10.30 am Mass, we will have our annual Ministry Fair. This is the opportunity for our parish members to contribute to the vitality of our parish community by signing up for one of the many ministries available at the parish. Reader, Eucharistic Minister, Altar Server, Children’s Liturgy, Pastoral Outreach, Adult Faith Formation, Knights of Columbus, Catholic Women’s League, Choir, etc.

A couple of weekends ago, Fr Ben St Croix led us in a weekend seminar on the Gifts of the Spirit. He showed us from Scripture that everyone in the Church has one or more such gifts, and they are given to us so we can all contribute to the upbuilding of the Church and the carrying-out of its mission to bring the gospel to the ends of the earth. No one person has all the gifts, so we need each other to pool our gifts so we can function fully as a vibrant community. Each gift is directed towards a particular ministry, so that in carrying out that particular ministry, we are exercising our particular gifts and feeling fulfilled as a result.

As you go around the different ministry stalls this Sunday in the hall, you might well feel a drawing to a particular ministry. That would be a sign from the Holy Spirit that he has given you gifts necessary for the joyful carrying out of that ministry. Please take the step forward of introducing yourself to the person at that particular stall and finding out what is involved in it.

There used to be in England, during the Second World War, a picture of an army captain pointing a finger outwards and saying “Your country needs YOU.”  Let me take a leaf out of his book, and point a finger at you and say “Your parish community needs YOU- to be the best version of itself that it can be.”