Family

I received a long e-mail from my sister Kathie on Mother’s Day afternoon, writing about memories of our Mother when Kathie was ten years old. This could spark a series of e-mails back and forth between us seven siblings. Among fond memories, Kathie, now herself a Great-grandmother, bemoaned the fact that some of her grandchildren, as well as her great-granddaughter, all born in Germany where her daughter Betsy and husband Jürgen have lived for more than thirty years, are unavailable for Mother’s Day visits. They usually come to the States in the summer, but last year’s plans were canceled, and it appears the same will be true for this year.
 
The remainder of the month of May is usually given to extended-family visits for First Communions, Confirmations, and, less frequently, Graduations. These might or might not happen. I have twenty-six nieces and nephews, all but four married and raising families of their own, and have lost count of their children, all growing fast, as I miss these family faith events, living at too great a distance. I have performed the Weddings of almost all of them (at least their first weddings). I see the possibility of a priestly vocation in grand-nephew Andrew, but that Ordination ceremony will be a long way off. I hope I’m still around should it come to pass. (He’s thinking he wants be an astronaut… for now, anyway.)
 
We, as a parish, form a family of sorts: a family of faith. It’s important that we share our faith by attending Sunday Mass as well as other parish functions. The pandemic closed us down for several months, but some who have been homebound are beginning to return. Our Catholic faith is essentially communal. By this I mean that while we all have an individual relationship with Our Lord, with the Blessed Mother and other Saints, we actually belong to each other, connected, as we are, by a bond of Baptism. Although there are some who continue to be isolated, no one truly lives their Catholic faith in a vacuum. Therefore, we must maintain contact with those members of our parish family who still remain at a safe distance. Give them a call or a visit, if possible.
 
It will still be a while before we can resurrect our Coffee Hours, Potluck Suppers and Knights of Columbus Dinners. So we have to “visit” our fellow parishioners in prayer, lifting each other to the Lord. People occasionally speak to me of getting things “back to normal,” but I have a few ideas in mind that will actually go beyond the former “normal” and improve the observance of our faith. The first will be the introduction of a new hymnal next week, which will replace the missalettes we’ve been using. They offer a sense of permanence, since we won’t need to replace them annually (which will also save thousands of dollars over the long run). In time, we will learn a new Mass Setting or two, and perhaps increase our repertoire of hymns. Once we learn these, it will be wonderful to hear you singing without a mask muffling your dulcet tones. 
 
So, we look forward in faith, in hope, and in charity, becoming “family" for one another, especially for those who have no one else, offering to God our praise, and to one another our kindness and love.