My high school
didn't do traditional homecoming festivities. Instead we had Field
Day. I loved Field Day! Once a year, the entire class would join
together. We'd all dress alike, we'd learn a masterfully
choreographed march to a catchy beat and on that fall day we'd line
up along the road next to the high school. Each class had their
designated area. In my class, there were nearly 600 of us.
Impressive! Powerful!
The beat would
commence, and we'd begin to march, all in sync, along the road and
into the gym. It was great fun. What made it even more special was
that everyone mattered. No longer were we the rich, the poor, the
jocks, the greasers, the nerds, the burnouts, or whatever in between.
On that day, we blended into one class with one common goal, to
defeat the other classes. Field Day was the great equalizer of my
high school days. If anyone was missing we were less effective, we'd
show less of a united force and we were less likely to WIN!
As I was growing
up, I also loved my parish. I found sanctuary there and a true sense
of belonging. I was aware that I was part of something big and I
mattered. Today, I understand why. In the Body of Christ
everyone matters, all the time. No one is insignificant. It
is in this communion that we are formed as leaders and discover our
giftedness, our effectiveness and the mission to which we are sent.
Leadership
development in the parish is important. It is different than in the
secular world where leaders are often associated with authority,
power and a spirit of competition. In the parish, leadership is
developed with a sense of the sacred. We learn how we can lead others to the
Word of Life in a spirit of complementarity and we constantly seek to
develop more leaders. One way in which we lead is through our
charisms. God has empowered his faithful with charisms so He can
reach “the many” for whom Christ died. When we gather for the
Liturgy, hear the message to be taken out, are fed with the energy
from the Resurrected Body, we become a powerful force to be reckoned
with. At the Liturgy, we get in sync, we pay attention and we get our
marching orders. But are we even aware of this?
Pope Francis
referred to the Church as a Field Hospital. He said “ the thing the
Church needs most today is the ability to heal wounds and to warm the
hearts of the faithful.” He said we are to be “ministers of
mercy” and announced a Jubilee Year of Mercy to begin on the feast
of the Immaculate Conception on December 8, 2015.
It occurs to me
that every day in the Church must be like a Field Day. Everyday the
leaders (AKA disciples or apostles) must show up for the mission to
be accomplished. Every day we must be ready to make our contribution,
to say “yes” and to lead through our charisms which are destined
to accomplish great
things.
Field Day needs
everyone. No charism is insignificant as each works in harmony with
the others. Let us get in the line up, let us be lost in the crowd.
Let's let mercy lead! We can do this, together!
