Baptism of Jesus
The Baptism of Jesus marks the beginning of His public life and ministry and also tells us about His true identity. The Heavens, which for so long seemed closed to every cry, are now torn apart, split open, and the voice of God is heard, and the Spirit of God descends. The heavenly voice proclaims that Jesus is God’s Son, God’s Beloved. In a new and unexpected way, Jesus has been sent into our world as God’s servant to proclaim and to bring about the presence of The Kingdom of God.
We can imagine Jesus having to say goodbye to one part of his life and then moving on into the unknown part. He had to say goodbye to childhood, to adolescence, to early adulthood and now as a mature adult of 30-something take on new responsibilities given him by God. It’s a bit like you and I saying goodbye to 08 and welcoming in 09 not knowing what lies ahead.
When I look to the future for our Church and Parish a number of things come to mind which will pre-occupy us over the year and years ahead. We need to take the long view with regards to our planning. For instance, in 10 years time there won’t be a priest living in every Parish. Therefore there couldn’t be anything like as many Masses on Sundays or weekdays. A priest might not be able to attend all stages of a funeral. We will all be 10 years older. And so on…
However we have already begun a process of adaptation in this time of change. The process has three stages:
Stage I is Clustering.
This has happened already in 2008. The Parish of Kilcullen along with our neighbouring Parishes of Ballymore and Dunlavin now form a cluster. The purpose of the cluster is to share resources and personnel. To that end the Pastoral Councils of the three Parishes have begun to meet.
Stage II is Clustering in Partnership.
This is what we have to do in 2009. This involves the actual sharing of resources and personnel for the sake of the mission of the Church in our three Parishes. We have to explore questions like the number of Masses to be celebrated at the weekend and on weekdays in each church in the cluster. And there are seven churches in the cluster. How many priests will be available to serve in the cluster? What resources are to be allocated to the employment of lay leaders in the cluster? These are the kinds of questions before us now.
Stage III is New Parish Ministries and Structures.
The ongoing task now is to identify and develop new opportunities for ministry and new structures that will enable the cluster to effectively continue to carry on the mission of Jesus Christ in the 21st century.
People in Parishes will have to be trained to do many of the Ministries which the Priest now does. John the Baptist serves as a role model here. His ministry was to prepare people for Jesus’ coming and to point the way towards Jesus. The Ministry to which People in Parishes are now being called is very much along those lines, such as:
Preparation for the Sacraments
Ministry to the Bereaved
Ministry to the Sick
Maintenance and Finance
School Management
Leadership in Prayer
Worship Ministry.
There is a growing awareness that because of our Baptism we all share in the mission of Jesus Christ. There has been a shift in emphasis from “that’s the priest’s job” to “together we share in the mission of Jesus Christ”.
In all this the Spirit of Jesus Christ is at work. We must adapt to the changing numbers of priests and we must foster the development of lay ministry so that we can continue the renewal of faith in our time.
To put it in the words of this Sunday’s Gospel, it’s a matter of being baptized both with water and with the Holy Spirit. Or in the image of 1R: ‘Come to the water’ and receive the Gifts only God can give.
The reflection of that image is a question for all Parishioners: What percentage of my time, my talent and my treasure am I willing to invest in my Parish to guarantee its future?
None of us knows all the questions that need to be asked and none of us has all the answers. It’s more a matter of a journey we travel together into the unknown. The 1R puts it beautifully:
‘My thoughts are not your thoughts,
My ways not your ways –
It is the Lord who speaks’.
As we look ahead to the unknown future of 2009 and beyond we could take a little inspiration from these words from one of Brendan Kennelly’s poem called Begin:
Though we live in a world that dreams of ending
That always seems about to give in
Something that will not acknowledge conclusion
Insists that we forever begin.
Fr Michael Murphy.
