Together on the Journey: A Weekly Word from Archbishop Hebda
It’s summer. Hurray!
Not infrequently, folks ask if things slow down in the archdiocese in summer. I’m hoping that will be the case this year for our priests, who have been serving so generously in the first half of this year. Lent, Easter, and a steady stream of first Communions, confirmations, and graduations can be exhausting for our pastors. And yet I experienced such joy among them when we got together last week for our summer gathering at St. Joseph in Rosemount. I’m always grateful for priestly fraternity.
A good number of our priests, while welcoming Ordinary Time as a moment to catch their breath, noted that there seems to be an uptick in weddings this year. How wonderful is that! I know that even I am looking forward to a few more weddings than usual this summer (bringing back great memories from when I was a parish priest).
In my pastoral letter to families, Only One Thing Is Necessary, I refer to sacramental marriage as “the essential foundation for a family of disciples.” This is not to take away from the gifts that those of us who aren’t married can bring to the Church, reflecting the various vocations or stages of life in which we find ourselves. But it’s appropriate to recognize how those called to the vocation of marriage bring a unique gift to our world and to our Church. As St. John Chrysostom reflected, “When husband and wife are united in marriage, they no longer seem like something earthly, but rather like the image of God Himself.”
While this is a mystery that we probably cannot fully grasp in this life, it certainly makes sense in light of our understanding of the Most Holy Trinity. Given that our God is a community of persons—Father, Son and Holy Spirit—it’s not surprising that we, created in the image and likeness of God, are created for communion. As designed by God, sacramental marriage responds to the hunger God has placed within our hearts for communion—communion with Him and with others. It’s one of the ways in which God leads us to go beyond ourselves and to imitate him in a selfless love that grows when it is given away—first of all to a spouse and then to any children that God brings to their union.
St. John Paul II famously expressed, “As the family goes, so goes the nation and so goes the whole world in which we live.” For that reason, all of us in a parish (a reality that Pope Francis called a “family of families”) would do well to invest in the families around us and to do our part to help strengthen marriages, whether that be through our prayers, our example, or even acts of kindness. That is true for each person in the Body of Christ, whether we be married, single, ordained or consecrated, raising children, empty nesters, even widows and widowers.
In a world where all of us experience the effects of our own limitations and brokenness every day, that kind of support for married couples and families might not be easy. But I am confident that there are ways each of us can do our part.
For our parish priests and for the hardworking staff and lay ministers who collaborate with them, this might mean offering more parish “date nights” or formation opportunities designed for married couples of all ages. I felt privileged earlier this year to visit a small group at St. John the Baptist in New Brighton consisting of young married couples and was delighted to hear what a support the opportunity was for those participating. I often hear, moreover, the gratitude of couples involved at their parishes in Teams of Our Lady or Cana Dinners and of those who discover opportunities at the parish to work together in serving the marginalized. I see in the zeal of our young adults how fruitful singlehood can be a time of great mission; likewise, we have surely experienced graces from a separated individual who, in faith and trust, unites his or her sufferings with Christ’s.
For the rest of us, it might mean simply investing the time to discern our role in the “village” it takes to support a marriage or raise a child: being present for the families in our midst, offering support and perhaps even opportunities for mentorship. I was so inspired to see the members of our parishes step up to assist families and children who were negatively impacted by the tragedy at Annunciation last August and by the unprecedented turmoil that erupted in our community earlier this year.
Please join me in thanking all in our Catholic community who generously support married couples and families. I would encourage your prayers, moreover, for all of the couples from our archdiocese who are preparing for marriage this summer and for all those anniversary couples that will be honored at the Cathedral this Saturday morning at our annual Marriage Day celebration. May they experience in their relationships the closeness of our Lord and his mother, who brought such joy to the wedding in Cana.
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