Faith the size of a mustard seed

Our Holy Father has asked the entire Church to pay particular attention to missionary activity during this month of October.  In fact, he has designated it as an Extra-ordinary Missionary Month.  On Tuesday evening of this past week, there was a special celebration of Vespers (Evening Prayer) inside the Vatican Basilica.  In his homily, Pope Francis explained: This extraordinary missionary month seeks to be a shock to provoke us to become active in doing good deeds (Homily at Vespers, 1 October 2019).  Throughout this month, we need to focus our attention on the call that Jesus addresses to all of us.

The gospel passage we have heard today puts it this way: The apostles came to Jesus and said, 'Increase our faith'.  The Lord replied: 'If you had faith the size of a mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, 'Be uprooted and planted in the sea', and it would obey you' (Lk 17:5-6).  One mustard seed is almost invisible to the naked eye, and yet Jesus says that even with that much faith - the smallest amount of faith - we can do amazing things.

When we think about missionaries, the first people we might think of are those throughout the history of the Church who have travelled to foreign lands to proclaim the gospel and to introduce others to the person of Jesus Christ.  Here in Canada, we might think of Saint Jean de Brebeuf and his Jesuit companions who lived among the Huron tribe on the shores of Lake Huron, not far from here.  Even today, the seven Jesuit Martyrs still provide us with an inspiring example that waters the faith of all Canadians.  When we think of their dedication and their faith, some of us may think that our own faith is weak, or we might wonder what we could possibly do to provide so heroic a witness.

Travel to foreign lands is one way in which we can be missionaries, but it is not always necessary for us to travel in order to share our faith.  We can begin doing this right here, at home, in the place where we live.  This parish of Saint Bernadette is still in its infancy here in Elliot Lake.  Over the past few months, we have begun to familiarize ourselves with new surroundings, with new faces of brothers and sisters who gather with us to celebrate the Eucharist and to strengthen our faith.  As pastor of this parish community, my hope and dream is that we can create a space here in this parish where everyone will feel safe, at home and welcome.  In order to create this space, we will first need to establish a new Parish Pastoral Council who I will invite to help me put in place all the building blocks that we need to create this special environment of hospitality.

In the coming weeks, we will elect a new Parish Pastoral Council, so I would invite you to consider the possibility that God may be inviting you to lend your voices to this form of strengthening the faith of all our parishioners.

When a new Parish Pastoral Council is to be established, the Diocesan Norms permit the Pastor of the parish to determine the number of members who will partake in that assembly.  The pastor is also permitted to appoint up to 50% of the membership, while others are to be chosen by election from the parish at large.  Keeping this in mind, I believe that we can begin with a total of six people who are part of the Parish Pastoral Council.  In the coming weeks, I will choose three of those persons, and the remaining three will be elected.  Beginning today, I invite you to consider who you might wish to nominate for a position on the newly-formed Pastoral Council.  Nominations may be submitted in writing either at the parish office or via the collection baskets until Friday, October 18.  On the weekend of October 19 and 20, ballots will be provided and all those who are in attendance will be invited to cast their votes.  I will announce the names of the members of the Parish Pastoral Council on the weekend of October 26 and 27.

Saint Paul reminds us all today that in calling us to be his children, and in sending us out with the mission to share the good news of the gospel, God did not give us a spirit of cowardice, but rather of power, love and self-control (2 Tim 1:7).  I encourage you then to take these words seriously.  In the coming week, ask the Holy Spirit to help you consider carefully whether God is inviting you to share your talents as part of our new Parish Pastoral Council.  If so, I invite you to be courageous in offering your candidacy, knowing that this call to service is also a call to love.