We know that with the pandemic, many were not able to come to Mass in-person on a regular basis. We have to tried to meet that challenge through streaming Masses on the internet, and then for a year, we had Masses outside in cars. When I arrived at St Jude four years ago, when St Jude had two priests, we had three Masses on the weekend. Now we have five Masses every weekend, six Masses on the weekend that we have Latin Mass. With me saying Masses at Millsaps College most Sunday evenings and with me helping out at the Carmelite monastery with some of their daily Masses during the week, we have a lot of Mass opportunities going on. Many parishes are looking for ways to reach out to parishioners and to re-engage them. However, that being said, many parishioners are staying home from Mass. Baptism rates are down. Those getting married in the Catholic Church and those entering the Catholic Church through the RCIA program - those rates are down too. Down so much that it is very disturbing. In talking to other Protestant pastors, it is happening with Protestant denominations as well.
The reality I just described is in contrast to the message in the Gospel today that compares the kingdom of God to a small mustard that can grow at an astonishing rate into a huge bush. Jesus made this comparison in order to encourage his disciples in their proclamation of God’s kingdom and in their missionary efforts. Yet, we are reminded time and again that we are to trust in the Lord, to go about doing his work with great encouragement and enthusiasm. We always get a lot of encouragement from Pope Francis, who wants the Church to be inviting and welcoming. I remember that as a missionary, it was hard to see results most of the time, knowing that often we plant the seed, and then the harvest will take a long ways down the road, and the results may be very different than what we anticipated. May we feel the Lord encouraging us today in our Gospel reading, to never give up and to keep the faith.
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