Week of August 3, 2008

The Olive Branch	Fr. Seamus Murtagh, Pastor
Go Make Disciples         We are in dire need to shed the notion of volunteerism within the Church.  The mindset that sees us as volunteers, as mere members of a community, cuts the ground from under the true cost of being a Christian.  This is the world of options, the world of convenience, the world of on and off according to whim, the world where contributions are as far as it gets, on our own terms and in our own way.         We are not baptized volunteers, but we are baptized disciples, called by God to live a life based on commitment to love.  This commitment is a dynamic reality, always developing and unfolding through life’s experiences.  As we pray in the universal prayer, “To do what you ask of me, the way you ask, for as long as you ask, because you ask it.”  This is what our election as disciples means as in the Parables of the Treasure in the Field and the Priceless Pearl we are called to be single minded, to be pure of heart and to willingly give ourselves over to the service of the Kingdom.         There are no half measures here, no compromises; no bargains, cheap and grace are mutually exclusive terms.  How could it be otherwise for a Church born on the cross!          The complexity of our lives pushes true commitment into the background and makes us settle for a contribution.  The structure and theology of stewardship counteracts this trend in laying out steps that, if followed, will ensure the Gospel is a lifestyle, not an occasional response.  Setting the biblical standard of tithing of time, talent and treasure as a minimum takes on directly the tendency just to get by.  With gratitude as the primary motivation our lives are rooted in our surrender to God.  Christ's Peace, Rev. Seamus Murtagh, Pastor