COME TO WORSHIP – GO TO SERVE!
It was my first and only visit to Pennsylvania (USA) to visit my friends Michael and Olivia, and their children, who had moved from California. Michael was a Seventh Day Adventist and Olivia a devout Portuguese Catholic. They had two children, and I used to visit them like if we belonged to the same family. In spite of being Adventist, Michael never missed the Sunday Catholic Mass to accompany his children and his wife in their faith journey.
One day, he received orders from his work to move to Pennsylvania. Later on, I was surprised when I was invited to be Michael’s grandfather. Michael was going to be baptized in the Catholic Church! Of course when I visited this family in California, I always tried to behave like a Catholic, including prayer before meals. Also, I never pushed but I really, once in a while, invited him to become a Catholic and walk closer to his family in their faith journey.
During my visit to Pennsylvania, they took me around and of course I forgot many of the things I have seen. But there was one thing that I will never forget. This church was open and we decided to visit the church. I don’t remember the size or the structure of the church. But one thing I do remember: at the front door of the church there was a gigantic door mat. In the direction to the altar we could read these three words: COME TO WORSHIP. Then, on the same door mat, when leaving the church we could read, in big letters, these three words: GO TO SERVE. Then I thought to myself: this door mat and these words should be mandatory in every church of the world.
Today’s Gospel (Mark 6:7) starts like this «Jesus summoned the Twelve and began to send them out in pairs…». We don’t come to church mainly to be protected. We come to church mainly to be sent. The world is waiting for us. Go to serve.
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An important part of Evangelism is the simple act of inviting a friend or a family member to join us in worship. Let us try. You will be surprised to see how many people are going to feel happy to say one day: «I was very lucky to find a friend like him or like her». And this person can be you or me.
TURN YOUR SCARS INTO STARS
When, last Sunday, I met Dr. Luisa, MD, for the first time, I immediately realized that I was standing before a golden vase.
Very gently she approached me with such a beautiful smile, to inform me that she was going to spend part of the Mass looking at her telephone. The reason was that she was deaf and she was going to use the telephone to accompany the celebration of the Eucharist, especially the readings.
I didn’t resist the temptation to ask her if she wouldn’t mind to give her testimony to our congregation; if she wouldn’t mind to tell her story. Dr. Luisa immediately said yes. Before the Mass ended, I invited her to come to the pulpit and tell her story. It was a very moving story.
Her grandfather had been a physician. Her father had been a physician. She never doubted that her way of staying in this world would be to become a physician too.
Dr. Luisa is a Medical Doctor and spends the best of her time and the best of her skills in helping deaf people like herself.
That reminds me of a 13-year-old girl in California, daughter of a Protestant Minister, Dr. Robert Schuller, who lost one of her legs in a motorcycle accident. After a long and painful recovery journey, she told her story by writing a book called “TURN YOUR SCARS INTO STARS”. This is what Dr. Luisa did. She turned her scar into a brilliant STAR.
Since I am saying Mass in this Chapel I have seen people many times applauding other people and other stories. Last Sunday July 8th was the first time that I saw people standing for a long applause to Dr. Luisa who for a few times repeated that she lived to help people. Thank you Dr. Luisa for turning your scar into a beautiful and brilliant STAR.
Thank you Dr. Rui and Dr. Cristina Silva for being the guiding star that guided Dr. Luisa to our Mass. Thank you Dr. Rui, my personal friend, for being the Guardian Angel (as she called you) of Dr. Luisa in her professional life as a Medical Doctor.
Love & Peace, Fr. Bernardino Andrade