Dec 312012

Encounter 2012 of the Eastern Catholic Churches
Midwest-Cleveland, OH – September 20 – 23, 2012
East-Hillsborough, NJ – October 11-14, 2012
West-Los Angeles, CA – November 1-4, 2012
This is a real-time transcription of the welcome address at the Eastern Encounter 2012 (November 3rd) by Father Edward Cimbala, the Administrator of the Byzantine Catholic Eparchy of Passaic as well as the pastor of St. Mary Byzantine Catholic Church in Hillsborough, NJ. He is currently the Eparchial Director of Deacon Formation and the Assistant Vocation Director of Vocations, and the Chairperson of the Saints Cyril and Methodius Seminary Advisory Committee. Although it has been reviewed, it may contain errors, for which the webmaster unreservedly apologizes.
Fr. Ed asked for prayers for the parishes and parishioners in their eparchy who are still without power, some of whom have not been in contact with their parishes so they do not know of their safety, following Hurricane Sandy.
Blueprint for Church Growth
Everybody has a different theory on how churches grow. There are piles of books out there! Example: A great pastor grew a huge church and it was so successful that he wrote books about it. He was asked to become the president of a Christian college. When he left, the church fell apart. The new pastor was blamed, but it is obvious that the original pastor had built a church on personality, not on God, so that without the old pastor’s presence, the church had nothing to sustain it and collapsed. Acts 17: Paul came to preach in Thessalonica. He invited everyone to come. Paul, being Paul, irritated quite a few in the process. They were so angry, they tried to seize him and take him to the authorities. When they couldn’t find Paul, they took Jason instead because he hosted Paul. In charging Jason, they said, “These men who have turned the world upside down have come here also…”- That’s what we’re called to do. Wouldn’t it be great if people said YOU turn the world upside down?
Creating Leaders and Disciples—People who Turn the World Upside Down
Discipleship is not what you do, but an attitude that asks what you must do. What is our passion? We Eastern Catholics truly want to have the kind of churches where people are equipped and filled with joy, worshipping God and serving others. 2 Corinthians 9:7: God loves a cheerful giver- It’s a mistake to think about this as money alone. We must cheerfully give of our time, talent, effort, and expertise, too.
- We must do this with joy, laughter, and excitement.
- God loves a cheerful giver.
- Finding our passion
- Finding our gifts
- Finding our place
- Your own passions, gifts, and style will energize you and allow you to enjoy the work.
- Paul recognized his passion was to preach to the Gentiles. This step is crucial.
- Passion is God-given.
- Paul said God set him apart.
- Passion compels you to make a difference.
- Everyone can have a passion. A passion isn’t necessarily loud or active.
- Let’s not step on passion. Let it happen!
- This was a ripening of Paul’s passion to preach to the Gentiles.
- Paul took the time to think and pray.
- When we recognize people’s passions and help them to grow in their passion, we see them ripen and mature.
- Example: A young teen in his parish was guided in her passion to work with her peers when she was in high school, then when she went to college she was guided in her passion to work with her peers there. The books and support she was given through those years allow her now to serve the church teaching ECF.
- If you serve God cheerfully with your whole heart, people will want to know God because they know that you know Him.
- People will praise God for your presence.
- Don’t do it for you own glory, but for the glory of God.
- Sometimes priests have hard or bad days, too.
- Be wise. If you’re turned down, do what his parishioners do: come back in a few weeks and present it again. He joked that then he thinks it was his idea and he supports it.
- The Church is like a symphony. God gives each of us the gift to play an instrument perfectly.
- There are a diversity of instruments and activities, but it is the same God.
- These gifts, manifested in the Mysteries of Initiation, are given to all by God.
- Spiritual gifts are often exercised in an area where natural talents already exist.
- Spiritual gifts are given for the common good, not to glorify oneself.
- We are each enabled by God to use a supernatural gift to make a difference.
- While a person doesn’t have all the gifts, all of the spiritual gifts are present within our community.
How to Discover our Spiritual Gifts
- Prayer
- Fr. Ed had difficulty with this one. His confessor told him to set his iPhone timer for 15 minutes, to set it aside, and then to pray. He found this very helpful because he no longer had to think about how long he had prayed and he could focus on his prayers. He now shares this with others in case it helps someone else.
- Trial and Error
- There is nothing wrong with failure.
- Ask someone
- What do you see in me? Watch out! Your friends and family will be honest, but that’s what you need.
- Assessment tools online
- Don’t take it to heart, but see what they recommend and discuss it with your pastor.
- When you go home, pray and discover where it is God wants you.
- Now is a time to reflect on the gifts our Eastern Catholic Churches have brought to our country. And on what we can bring to our Church.
- The message of Christ needs the seeds to continue to be sown and watered. This is the New Evangelization.
- Our Number One responsibility is to share the Good News.
- The Christian faith is not a marathon, it is a relay. We need to take it and pass the faith from generation to generation.
- Our beliefs, our creed, and our relationship with God must be passed on.
- Identify your personality
- Identify your spiritual gifts
- Identify what God wants you to do
- Grow in your relationship with Christ
- Pass it on