Lift Up Your Voice Mightily

Are you serving in parish ministry? Are you a DRE, RCIA leader or sponsor, catechist, or youth minister? Do you volunteer with respect life, marriage preparation, baptism classes, youth group, or parish council? I thank you for your service! And I pray for you! Because “from him to whom they entrusted much, they will demand the more.” Luke 12:48

I thank you, and I demand MORE of you! Because, I wish someone had cared enough about me, and the souls entrusted to me, during my brief stint in parish ministry, to ask more of me.

It was in the late 70’s, and I was teaching a Sunday parish preschool program. True to the examples I had in my own formation in the faith in the early 70’s, we talked a lot about how God loves us, played guitar and sang together, and played games. Maybe we did introduce them to God in meaningful ways (we must have, right?) but the song I remember singing was Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed, and the games I recall playing with them were three legged races (we could have at least tied it in to the trinity? lol). Now, in our defense, they were 3, 4 and 5 years old, but you and I know, there is a LOT you can do to introduce preschoolers to God, and I am ashamed to say, I do not think I did that well. Maybe parents were just happy their children were entertained while they went to Mass, maybe it was just the low expectations we all had of catechesis in the 70’s, but no one ever demanded I offer something more substantial. I wish they had. I regret we did not plant many seeds of faith with the little souls entrusted to us those Sunday mornings.

Thank God for those youth ministers out there, who, like Andreya in this edition, are teaching the revolutionary Theology of the Body. Thank God for the pastors out there, who, like Fr. Toschi and Fr.. Berg in this edition, understand that Natural Family Planning must be included in parish religious education, youth ministry, marriage preparation, etc. Thank God for the physicians who, like Dr. Golez in this edition, are educating physicians in training on a restorative mindset in women’s healthcare.

And thank God for the supporters of CANFP listed in this edition, for without our statewide CANFP network, how would we learn from each other, and be aware of and access such resources?

Because the sad truth is, most parishes are NOT offering Church teaching on married love, or the resources to live it. While preparing this edition, I put out the call for testimonies from people who were first introduced to NFP through a parish ministry. Crickets. Oh, I got responses, but they were from people lamenting they never got this information at their parish, not in RCIA, not even in marriage prep. I got plenty of offers to write THAT article—of how hard it was to find the tools to live married love in a contraception free zone, or even know why they should!

Why is that? Sometimes it is ignorance of the teachings, or maybe lack of confidence in articulating them, or fear of proclaiming them. I exhort all in parish ministry, do not let ignorance, lack of confidence, or fear, prevent you from being the bearer of good news! We are here to help you be educated, be confident, and lift up the truth without fear! If you are in parish ministry, you are on that high mountain, lift up your voice mightily! You have been entrusted with the souls of those you serve. You are the bearer of good news, fear not!