| Home | | Directions | | February Testament | Contact Us | |
INSIGHTS
By Father Pat
Each and every Sunday, we, as Americans, have become engrossed in a most curious behavior. It centers around an object 16½" to 18"x 36" to 72", and can weigh from 2lbs. - 5 lbs. It is called a newspaper. This intriguing object has all sorts of information, and despite all the information one can glean from the internet, the Sunday newspaper seems to gather the most pertinent information and, rather concisely, print it into interesting, fold out sections. There is a section for comics or "funny pages", a section for sports, metropolitan news, arts and leisure, entertainment, science and research, editorials, colorful television and movie magazines, real estate, business, classified, and specially designed advertisements, which come packaged as multi-colored, booklet-style inserts all wrapped around a main section which contains most of the important world, national, and local news. Ironically, like children opening packages on Christmas morn, we tend to break the newspaper apart, finding our favorite section or advertisement, and ignore the most important section until we have painstakingly exhausted all other optional news. Interestingly, it is the wraparound section of the world, national, and local news that is the most important newsworthy and informational section of the paper. It is truly the meat and potatoes of the Sunday news, and it is usually tossed to the side, pried away, or simply discarded to the side until we find time for it. Mostly, we simply ignore it all together relegating this noteworthy section for the recycle bin, or worse, condemning it to the trash or fireplace. How interesting it is to watch any individual male, female, child or adolescent dissect, with the precision of a surgeon performing an intricate operation, the Sunday newspaper. Even more curious is watching the most noteworthy section tossed aside like a useless piece of paper.
Church is like a newspaper. There is something for everyone. There is a section which we enjoy perusing and participating in. It might be dancing. Who doesn’t like to express themselves through dance? Why it has probably been a part of human culture from the very beginning. Even the Psalms of David mention the timbrel, flute, cymbals, and harp. Dance would have also been a part of the ensemble, and last time I looked there were more dance groups and dances offered at the Church than hot chocolate on a cold morning. Maybe it is singing? Why there is a choir in Church almost every week. There is usually a chanter on hand, and even the kids can belong. Singing has been a way man has expressed himself from the time Eve coaxed Adam into eating fruit from the tree of knowledge. How about recreation? There is a section in the Church for recreation also. There are youth groups, senior citizen groups, and even Tuesday women’s coffee klatches, where one can partake of fine home-baked pastries and later toss about pieces of paper and practice math skills in counting up who can organize the multicolored designs into patterns best.
Education is also offered at the Church. Want to learn a language, or maybe study something about the past? The Church has it. How about food? There is an abundance of food at all times. We even organize the presentation into Festivals, Souvlaki Fests, and makaries. Want to be philanthropic? The Church has a venue for that also. Individuals are always gathering to decide, plan, implement and organize ways to help one another. Sports what we look for? There is basketball, golf, and even the ancient tradition observed by our youth in the form of Olympic Games. Still, there is more to be found inside the Church.
How about politics? The ancient Greeks invented politics and the Agora as their forum for discussions. The Church too has her debate and decision making process in the form of a parish council, as well as being seen through our General Assemblies. How about a miscellaneous section to get involved with? There is always a misc. section. There is volunteerism, visiting individuals hospitalized or shut-in, baking bread, and even stuffing envelopes. Maybe it is economics? Stewardship anyone? How about capital campaigns or candle stands? Imagine? Just like a Sunday newspaper there is so much contained within the Church that we sometimes forget the most important section of all, and that Is the Church.
There are many facets which comprise the Church. No matter how many sections we may participate in, thumb through, or seek out, the most commanding section is not the activities on the inside, but the activities contained on the front page. It is our road to salvation and eternal life.
Next time we look at the Sunday newspaper and begin to dismantle it piece by piece, I hope we will remember the Church and the price Jesus paid to give us a front page. The inside is nice, but the main section is the best.