29th Sunday of Ordinary Time
Cycle B
October 17, 2021
Our Lady of Grace Parish, Parkton 5pm, 8:30 and 11am
Taxi Driver and Preacher
Have you ever heard the story about the taxi driver and the preacher?
The story goes that a preacher dies and goes to the pearly gates of heaven. Ahead of him in line is a guy dressed in a red print shirt, a leather jacket, blue jeans, and sunglasses.
Saint Peter asks the man, “What is your name, so I can see if you’re on the list to be admitted to heaven.” The guy says, “I’m Tony Stromboli and I was a taxi driver in New York.”
Saint Peter checks the list and says, “Oh yes! Here, take this fancy embroidered robe and gold staff and enter.”
With that, the preacher steps forward for his turn. “I’m Father Michael Schleupner and I was a preacher for forty-nine years.”
Saint Peter again checks the list and says, “Oh yes! Here, take this simple tan robe and wooden staff and enter.”
But the preacher interrupts, “Wait a minute! How come the taxi driver got an embroidered robe and a gold staff? Why does he get better stuff that I get?”
Saint Peter quickly answers, “Well, you see, up here, we go by results. When you preached, people slept. When he drove, people prayed.”
Preaching This Weekend
Well, this weekend, I am preaching at all three of our Masses, and I hope I will not put you to sleep.
I want to say a few things about our parish – about our mission and about our support for our mission. Most of what I want to say can be wrapped up in two very brief sentences.
1.We need to give. And: 2. We give to need.
We Need to Give
First, we need to give.
Giving something of ourselves fulfills who we are as persons. It brings us a sense of wholeness and satisfaction.
I can still remember buying a little fifty-cent gift for my mother and father when I was five-years-old. The giving of the gift made me very happy.
Just think of it this way. Genesis tells us that we are made in God’s image and likeness.
Well, it is of the very nature of God to give of himself in the act of creation and in Jesus Christ. The result is that we who are made in God’s image and likeness have a built-in need to give something of ourselves.
This expresses and fulfills who we are as persons. So, we need to give.
We Give to Need
And second, we also give to need.
We as a parish have a need, and this need is based on the mission that Christ has entrusted us to do. Over the past year, the Parish Pastoral Council and Father Jim worked very hard to develop a mission statement and a plan for the parish.
It is very well done. It is a path forward for the parish for this year and the years to come.
This year especially, the plan focuses on our being a welcoming community of faith. We want to include everyone in the mission of Our Lady of Grace.
So, we want to reach out and be welcoming to all in the community – those currently participating, part-time members, past members, and potential new members. There are specifics for doing this in the plan.
The plan for this year also emphasizes music. We can be grateful for the good musicians that we have, and we want to continue and grow our program to reach all persons, especially our youth and young adults.
The parish plan recognizes the need for good communications. We want to make sure that we communicate to all in a way that is clear, consistent, and accessible.
Of course, when we talk about giving to need, we have to remember that we as a parish also want to give to those in need. The plan specifically says this: “We believe we are called to serve those in need.”
Summary
I am asking each of you or each family to reflect on this in a prayerful way during the coming week.
Consider your financial commitment to Our Lady of Grace Parish and also consider your personal commitment of time and talent. Try to decide on your commitment during this coming week.
Next weekend, after each of the Masses, some members of the Pastoral Council and I will be in the gathering space. Commitment cards will be offered to you there, but, more important, we will have a chance to meet and talk with one another.
We are a community of faith. As our Mission Statement says: “Rooted, Living, Serving – in Love, Through Christ, by Grace.”
Together we can do some great things and fulfill the mission Christ has given us. I thank you for all that you are and all that you do.
It is a pleasure for me to be here with you. And let’s remember: We Need to Give, and We Give to Need.
