Experiencing Our Church In Faraway Places
My family and I recently vacationed in Florida. The white sand and surf were refreshing for the spirit. One of the first plans we make when on vacation is to find the nearest Catholic church. It’s just one of those things that is a non-option. The experience of attending a church far from home always gives me fresh perspective and renewed vigor.
This particular parish, St. Bernadette, was large and open with a lot of wood on the interior. It was quickly apparent that there were a lot of vacationers present, as is probably the case on most Sundays. However, the locals were very pleasant as they greeted us at the door.
At the front of the church, I immediately noticed a large tapestry of the Sacred Heart, as well as the Tabernacle front and center. For such a large gathering, I was pleasantly greeted with a reverent quiet. Being somewhat prone to have my thoughts easily distracted, the quiet allowed me to gather my thoughts and ready myself for the Sacred Liturgy.
And so, even though my family and I were four states away from our home parish, we were able to celebrate a coming together of the faithful at this one table we call the Eucharist. And that really is one of the core foundations of faith that was fully manifested in this experience.
Although we as Catholics are separated by distance and time, we continue to celebrate the Liturgy of the Mass in an unbroken continuum reaching back to the Last Supper. To bring this point home even further, there was a priest from Vietnam who was visiting the parish and took part in the celebration as well. In this, there was also, in some small way, a connection to our brothers in sisters in Asia. Amazing.
What I took away from this experience was a renewed view of our catholic (universal) Church. We are truly the body of Christ around the world, and our experience is so much richer when seen through the collective lens of community. We are never alone in our faith journeys or even our human journeys, for that matter. We are, and will always be, parts of something so much greater than our own interior faith.
When our faith journeys are viewed from this global perspective, we are better able to understand our places in this community of believers, as well as our responsibilities.
Our abilities to impact our local communities are great indeed; and yet when we gather as a global community, our potential impacts are undeniable. So, where does this leave us? My take-away is to not sweat the small stuff and focus on what is truly important. Again, for me that involves the Liturgies of the Word and Eucharist, and from these the forward movement to reach out to those oppressed by poverty, illness, addiction, loneliness, persecution…and the list goes on.
My dearest brothers and sisters in Jesus Christ, when we put aside our differences and work in coordination with one another at various levels of involvement (e.g. parish, diocese, regional, national, global), we become clear instruments of Jesus, allowing Him to wash across the face of a globe in great need of healing. What a fantastic mission. What a fantastic way to live one’s life.
