Remember: God Is On Our Side

Homily for the Second Sunday of Lent, Year B
Genesis 22.1-18 Psalm 116 Romans 8.31b-34 Mark 9.2-10

If you’re like me, you’ve had about enough bad news, most of it about the economy. Even with promises that things will get better, that the economic stimulus package will make a difference and that jobs will be created, it seems like there continues to be a daily dose of bad news of some kind or other – and you don’t need me to read off a litany of our troubles. What we all do need is some good news, some hope, and a positive plan for the future. And I think we can find that good news, right here in our parish. Yes, these are challenging times, more so for some than for others, but really they are challenging for us all. As members of this parish, you have a right to know where we stand financially and what measures we are taking to ensure that our ministries will continue in their work of spreading the gospel message. And even with the challenges we face as a parish, there is much good news to share.

Recently, our parish Finance Council met to review the first six months of the fiscal year, from July through December 2008. The good news of this review is that our parish is in a very stable financial position. The great generosity and stewardship of our parishioners has resulted in several years of income exceeding expenses, and the first six months of this fiscal year continue that trend. On the other side of the equation, our parish and school staff members are committed to a responsible use of the resources that are entrusted to us, and we have been able to watch our expenses carefully while also providing quality ministries and programs for our parishioners and students. Everything that we do as a parish is made possible by your generosity. To share time, talent, and treasure with our parish community is a direct way of giving back to God some of the many blessings he has given us. We recognize that the state of the economy has made it more difficult for some people to give what they would like. But we also know that we are called to share the first-fruits, to give to God out of our abundance, whatever that abundance may be, not our leftovers. And the good news is that our weekly collections as of right now are exactly where they were last year – we have not seen a dramatic change in collections over the past year. Please know that everything you give to the parish is a sacred gift, which is why we place the collection basket at the foot of the altar during Mass. Our staff and Finance Council are committed to using these gifts wisely and well, and for your generosity, we are grateful.

But we also recognize the challenges that individuals and families are facing. Over the past several months, our Pastoral Council, Finance Council, School Commission, and parish staff have been carefully considering how we can be the best stewards of our parish resources. In December, we announced that the tuition for our grade school will be frozen for the 2009-2010 school year at the current year’s levels. We hope that the stable tuition will be one small way that will help families afford a Catholic education. A little over a week ago, our Finance Council and I decided to follow the recommendation of the Archdiocese of Indianapolis in freezing all staff salaries for the parish and school. This freeze is across the board – from myself to our teachers to our staff members. We are grateful to the dedicated staff and faculty that we have, and the salary freeze is a precautionary measure not knowing exactly what the future will bring. It was a difficult decision to make, but a necessary one.

Perhaps the most exciting new development in our parish right now is the launching of the Kingdom Builders Program. All parishioners should have received a postcard in the mail recently inviting you to a dinner on Saturday, April 4. The Kingdom Builders Program is a new tuition assistance program for our parish school. The dinner on April 4 will launch the program and will be an opportunity to hear about the great things happening in our Catholic school while also having the opportunity to pledge a financial gift that will go directly into a tuition assistance fund. Our hope is to have more money available for tuition assistance so that a Catholic education will be available to all parishioners who desire it and that money will not be an obstacle to enrollment in our school. Such a program is needed now more than ever, and we invite you to prayerfully consider participating in the Kingdom Builders Program. And please join us on April 4 to launch the program and to celebrate our Catholic school. For those who are struggling with tuition payments or who may be hesitant about the cost of Catholic education, please call me or our principal, Terry Horton. Your call is always confidential. We want you here, we want you a part of our school, and through the generosity of our parishioners, we will make it happen.

Now is also a good time to give an update on two capital projects that are currently being planned. The next phase of projects funded by the Legacy for Our Mission Capital Campaign is the construction of a handicapped-accessible restroom on the main level of the church, upgrades to the church narthex, and replacement of the interior and exterior doors at all three entrances into the church. We have finalized the plans for these projects and are awaiting approval from the Archdiocese. We are blessed that the pledges for the Capital Campaign continue to come in and make projects like this possible. This project will be scheduled in the coming months, and I will be sure to keep you updated. At the same time, we are also moving forward with the construction of a new Baptismal Font for the church. Made possible by the generosity of an anonymous donation, the font will be located here in the sanctuary and will be a permanent structure allowing for the baptism of both infants and adults. Some of the marble that will be used in the new font is from our former communion rail, and it is the same marble that is used in the altar and ambo. At all the entrances to the church, you can view for the first time this weekend a photo rendering of the new baptismal font, which is based on a design by our parishioner Ray Day. Both of these projects are funded either through specific donations or the Capital Campaign – they are not a part of our regular operating budget. This is all good news – and we are excited to be able to move forward with these projects.

There is so much more good news that we could talk about – from the extraordinary work of our St. Vincent de Paul Society in service to the poor of our community, to the massive number of volunteers from our parish who help to staff two local soup kitchens; from the ministries that are provided by our parish Faith Formation and Youth Ministry offices, all of which have financial assistance available for those who need it, to the countless hours of volunteer work given to keep our grounds clean, to plan for the future, and to make sure that the good news of the gospel is spread throughout our community. As a parish, we are here to spread the gospel, to get one another to heaven, and to serve you, our parishioners. If there are ways we can do any of that better, ways we can better serve your needs, please let me know – because we are in this together – from now to eternity. And whenever we get bogged down in the struggles and challenges of life, we just need to look to St. Paul. In his letter to the Romans, St. Paul asks a simple yet profound question: “If God is for us, who can be against us?” In the big picture, all we need is the love and support of God. In the big picture, the houses that we live in, the cars that we drive, and the food that we eat is of little importance. Money comes and goes, possessions come and go, but the love of God endures for ever. And as long as God is on our side, then we have nothing to fear. There is still good news in the world. And the best news of all is that God is on our side, God is for us, and God will provide.