Gift of Time, Gift of Relationship -- click here for full text

Time is one of God’s most precious gifts to us. Three hundred and sixty-five days each year. Fifty-two weeks each year. Seven days each week. Twenty-four hours each day. Sixty minutes each hour. And yet so many of us struggle with finding time to respond to this abundant gift with what God desires from us: quiet time in prayer (conversation); one hour at Mass on Sunday; merciful outreach to those less fortunate than ourselves.

In the next few weeks at St. Joseph’s, we focus on how we go forth from the Eucharist to responsibly and generously respond to God’s gifts of time and of our talents. Our ministries have identified ways you can immediately offer your time and talent. This is an excellent way to respond to God’s gifts. You can check out how you might get started on our website: http://www.sjcpenfield.com/time-talent-commitment.

Two weeks ago, I had the opportunity to contemplate how I will return God’s gift of time to me, along with several others in the parish, at a training conference for ChristLife, a Catholic ministry of evangelization. It provides the opportunity for all of us to come together for an initial program called Discovering Christ and to ponder the meaning of life, the role of the Holy Spirit, and the relationship Jesus desires to have with each of us. (You can learn more about ChristLife here.)

I traveled to the Diocese of Steubenville with Eric Heinen, Jeanne Mooney, Mike Nesbitt, Claudia Reyda, and Ned Sayegh. We heard inspiring talks and homilies, learned a lot of practical information about offering this parish journey, and, most importantly, had the opportunity to pray. A part of the Discovering Christ journey is being open to praying with a prayer team, being open to being prayed over by two other people while committing all of yourself to the mission and ministry of Christ. This was the most powerful part of the training for me and already has changed how I find myself praying for others and for how I respond to God’s gifts.

Discovering Christ requires that each of us commit one evening a week for seven weeks and one Saturday to “asking, seeking and knocking” as the Scriptures invite us to do. Is that an unreasonable request of our time? Or is it a very minimal commitment to make in the face of all the time that God has lavished upon us in our blessed lives?

For some, Discovering Christ offers the opportunity to give even a bit more time – the opportunity to be part of the core team that helps make this possible for our parish community. There are many ways to contribute to the team, from being a welcoming face as others arrive to coordinating food and décor to being part of the prayer team or a table facilitator. All are invited to contribute to this amazing opportunity and be part of a Fall pilot program. If you’d like to learn more, contact me; if you’re ready to sign up, go to our ChristLife webpage: http://www.sjcpenfield.com/christlife. We would love to have you on the journey with us! Pray for the success of ChristLife at St. Joe’s!