Dear sisters and brothers in Christ,
Have you ever noticed that you go to church and nothing changes? Faithfully attending Sunday Mass, you sing, you listen to the readings and the homily, and you receive Communion.
By the time your car pulls into the driveway, though, the good feelings have faded. You come home and pick up right where you left off. Troubles in marriage, struggles with the kids, arguments about money. Sunday after Sunday you go to Mass, and your life does not change.
To you who are stuck, take to heart these words from the Letter of James, “Be doers of the word” (James 1:22a).
James says it is like this: Too early on Monday morning, the alarm blasts. Sleepwalking, you flip on the unholy bathroom light. You squint at your reflection in the bathroom mirror and think, “You. Need. Work.”
You wouldn’t dare leave home in such a condition that the Starbucks clerk cannot help but ask, “Are you okay? You look terrible. Your clothes are wrinkled. Is there someone I can call?” Would you then humbly respond, “Pray for me”?
No. You take action. Standing on two feet in front of the tell-all bathroom mirror, you brush out the bedhead hair, knead in hair gel, shave the stubble, and brush your teeth. You. Take. Action.
“For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his own face in a mirror. He sees himself, then goes off and promptly forgets what he looked like” (James 1:23-24).
Be doers of the word, James tells us, and things will change. Forgive, and things will change. Ask forgiveness, and things will change. Pray every day, and things will change. Deny yourself, take up your cross, follow the Lord, and things will change.
Easier said than done. Anyone who has ever gone on a diet knows the hard truth: change is really, really, really hard. The reason that change is so rare is that we skip an essential ingredient. Let me tell you a true story.
During the Great Depression, a little group with a common problem was born. One of the suggested names for the little group was the “James Movement.” Their leaders, Bill and Bob, liked the Letter of James’ stress on actions flowing from faith as a river flows from a spring. They believed in action and more action.
Their program was not a self-help program. In fact, self-help was the problem. It was for those who, insistent on solving their own problem, wrecked everything they held dear. The spiritual program of faith and action offered friendship, accountability, and wisdom.
Bill and Bob laid out the key sequential actions into twelve steps. Not twelve bright ideas. Not twelve good intentions. Twelve steps.
Those who went to meetings, got a mentor, and worked the twelve steps of the program saw their lives change. They quit drinking. Their defects of character slowly loosened their death grip. They could hold a job, stay married, and be a decent father once again.
The “James Movement” name did not stick. Countless grateful men and women in recovery know it today by another name, Alcoholics Anonymous.
Groups like AA have the power to change our life. We grow in groups.
Why go to a gym? We can work out on equipment at home and run around the neighborhood. Chances are that, within a month, the treadmill has become a clothes rack in the corner of the garage. When we go to a gym and hang around fit people, we get more fit.
Spiritually, the same principle holds true. Groups make us grow. Church takes this principle to heart: get out of rows and get into circles. Rows are good, circles are better.
When we go to church and stare only at the backs of heads in the pew before us, no wonder nothing changes. What kind of family only looks at the backs of each other’s heads?
Pews put us in rows, groups get us into circles. Church groups such as scripture study, the Saturday afternoon rosary group, the Sunday morning coffee klatch, and family faith formation are the secret ingredient to change. If your life is good and you want nothing to change, do not join a group. Groups change us.
Jesus did more than heal and teach. He did more than suffer, die and rise to take away the sins of the world. He called fishermen and other characters—Peter and Andrew, James and John, Thomas and Philip and Bartholomew, Simon and Judas—and made them into a group. Being part of Jesus’ group changed them. As a bonus, through that small group, the Lord changed the world.
What group are you part of? How has it changed you? Be doers of the word. Get out of rows, get into circles, and watch the world change.
In Christ,
Father David
NATVITY UPDATE
This weekend we will take up a collection during Mass to replace the leaky roofs for the Parish Center, parish office, and rectory. The cost is $65,000.
Let's help drive down the positivity rate below 8%. At the request of our Bishop and to continue to keep each other safe, we updated our Face Mask Policy yesterday. Face masks are now required indoors at all parish activities. Also, food consumption at the parish will be limited to outdoor spaces only (i.e. Coffee & Donuts, Men's Group breakfast, etc.). Face masks indoors, food and drink outdoors!
The Florida Catholic is the official news voice of Bishop Noonan. Some recent articles: “Men called to sacrifice at Rite of Candidacy,” about the 18 men preparing for the permanent diaconate. “Choosing God is a commitment”, written by Bishop Noonan. And, “Be doers of the word”, the weekly homily by yours truly. You can subscribe at https://www.thefloridacatholic.org/.