Some years ago at St. Benedict the African Church in Chicago I heard a homily by a visiting priest who said that he had seen this sign on a bus in San Francisco: THE MAIN THING IS TO KEEP THE MAIN THING THE MAIN THING. He went on to challenge us on what we believe is the “main thing” in our life…and to live it.
As I travel the country in my ministry I have observed that we have many ways of celebrating the liturgies of our faith. Recently, I was at a parish where they continue to celebrate Mass with the altar facing away from the people, and communion is received at the communion rail. At other parishes, I have found a more open approach and a more active role by the laity in the celebration of the Mass.
Whether charismatic or contemplative, more fundamentalist or liberal, and whether Mass is celebrated in Latin or English, what I have found most of all is lots of good, faith-filled people. We may have our preferences in how we connect with God, but there is no denying our desire to grow in our faith and to experience the Holy Presence.
I see this goodness in how fervent people are in prayer, and in how so many give generously to help the homeless and hungry. I have also seen that we have more in common than we may believe – in the Confessional. Regardless of location, and the way that we celebrate our faith, the sins which I hear tend to be the same. And I am sure that if somehow I were to listen to the sins of those of other faith traditions I would probably say the same thing. No one group seems to have a monopoly on goodness or sinfulness.
This raises two questions for me. First of all, why do we beat each other over the way others celebrate their way of connecting with God? Secondly, it is obvious that none of us is perfect. We are each a masterpiece in progress, but in the meantime we fall from time to time to one or another temptation. Still it is worth asking, have we really discovered what the “main thing” is for us, and are we living it?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
You capture so well the HEART of living! We WASTE our days with complaints, grudges, objections, which too often become simply unkind, and pass them off as justice or some equivalent! Bravo for naming our sins! -- and suggesting what we can do about it.
ReplyDeleteWow….my favorite phrase…”the main thing”. I remember when you first told me about that phrase. I rarely lose sight of that phrase now. When I think of that…I think of you…and I smile.
ReplyDeleteAnd you know what??? I still don’t think I know what that means, but I’ll tell ya it surely has helped me to decipher which things in my life are NOT the main thing.
In the end, if we are true to ourselves, "the main thing” should allow us to simplify our life...and then be more at peace with ourselves….and with God.
Thank you. I love you.