Pope Francis, from his sick bed has asked all Bishops of the world to promote the vision of the recent Synod gathering in Rome for the future of the parishes.
This is an enormous step forward for the Church. All of us as members of parishes are part of the mission of the Church and if we can believe that and take our “baptism” seriously we can make a real blessing to the people of the world.
It has to happen at every level in our parishes and schools. This is a new moment of grace in the Catholic Church. Every baptized person is asked to continue the mission of Jesus and put His love in the world everyday starting in the families.
We are coming from a place where we have failed and where there is sin and abuse but a place where you are vulnerable and asking for forgiveness is a wonderful place to start from. We have been humiliated before the world. We have to get on with our great mission to bring the kingdom of God to all the world.
We have to do this together. No one can do this alone; no priest, no religious sister, or brother – it is the people of God together doing a new thing. This new vision of Pope Francis centres the Church on a mission; proclaiming Christ to the world in how we live in our families, our professions, in how we enter marriage and in how we die – full of confident trust in the waiting love of God beyond the grave. We come to a new awareness that we are disciples of the Lord, of his Gospel life on earth.
The true promoter of this new future for the Church is the Holy Spirit.
Fr. Harry Clarke