August 2, 2020 - Pastor Message
04/19/2024THE YEAR OF DISCIPLESHIP INTERGENERATIONAL DISCIPLESHIP
“Do not rebuke an older man, but appeal to him as a father. Treat younger men as brothers, older women as mothers, and younger women as sisters with complete purity” (1 Timothy 5:12).
Paul’s advice to Timothy was meant to guide him in his ministry as the young leader of the Christian community in Ephesus, but it is also good advice for all of us as we discern how God is calling each of us to continue the saving mission of Christ. No matter what our particular vocation in God’s plan, we are all called to carry that mission out as part of the Christian community embodied in Christian families and in our parish family.
The Christian community does not have an age limit. From the time we are reborn into that community through our baptism until the time we are born into eternal life at our natural death, we all have rights and responsibilities in that community as we work together to serve the Lord. We all have a right to the support of the Christian community, and we all have a corresponding responsibility to offer that support to others.
The nature of these rights and responsibilities changes as we progress through life and our needs and abilities change. Babies, the youngest disciples, need the constant physical, emotional, and spiritual care of their parents and families and the patience and spiritual support of the rest of the community. Children, while still needing much of the same, enter into the world of being educated and catechised in the faith, which is primarily the gift and responsibility again of their parents with the assistance and support of the larger faith community. Young adults continue to need age appropriate formation in the faith but also need special guidance as they discern their vocation, explore relationships, and seek to find their place in the world. Adults need opportunities to continue to grow in their faith, to share in prayer and in meaningful relationships with others, and to share their gifts in the service of others, all of which is rooted in the home as they grow together with their families but also in the Christian community. The elderly may need physical assistance but more so they need connections with others, to know they are not forgotten, and opportunities to share their wisdom and faith with younger generations.
We all have our own families as we pass through the stages of life, but running through all of those stages is our participation in the one Christian community, our shared family of faith. As Jesus teaches, “Whoever does the will of my heavenly father is my brother, and sister, and mother” (Matthew 12:50). Being a disciple therefore means taking responsibility for my part as a member of that family, supporting others as I am called, and accepting support from others as I need it, throughout my pilgrimage in this life.
Fr. Marc Stockton
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