Too Busy To Be in Ministry, Too Busy Not To Be in Ministry

Have you ever noticed the ages of those involved in Church ministry programs?

 
There's the high school youth, who are involved in youth group activities, and then there's the near-retirement age group, who handle the crux of parish ministry. Where are the in-betweens?

The in-betweens are busy with babies. And work. And school and after-school activities. And keeping the house. And somehow carving out a moment for family time. And they would really love to be involved in ministry but there just has to be family time. I haven't been there, I am here. And I know other couples who are here as well.

Family time is important. We all know this. It's important, necessary, and healthy for the marriage, as well as the individual family relationship. But what concerns me is the dwindling participation in the communal church life, our spiritual family. This concern challenges my way of thinking: maybe the very reason I give myself not to be involved in my church community is the very reason I should be. 

Let me explain. As parents we have the most important job in the world. We have been entrusted with these little lives to shape and mold in accordance to the teachings of His revealed truth, to His Church. They are the now-Church, and they are the future leaders of the Church. It's a stressful job that we don't want to mess up. I'm realizing, though, that there is no easier way for me to mess up than to mess myself up. If I am not fed and supported spiritually than how can I raise these little ones to be spiritually equipped? It's like building a house without tools.

We are communal people. The Catechism of the Catholic Church says,

"The human person needs to live in society. Society is not for him an extraneous addition but a requirement of his nature. Through the exchange with others, mutual service and dialogue with his brethren, man develops his potential; he thus responds to his vocation. (CCC 1879)"

It is in our very nature as human beings to live and thrive in a society of people. We live in a community to support our social needs; to be healthy emotionally and physiologically, we all need some degree of human connection and friendship. We live in a community for the support and sustenance of our physical needs like food, clothing, electricity, medical health, and a job. Communal support is essential. Isn't it important to live in a spiritual community for our spiritual health and needs?

But how do we do this? This is the question that has plagued me since our first baby was born. How do I find time to minister, and be ministered to, without compromising the health of our family in other ways? The best answer that I can think of that actually works is becoming involved in our Church family as a family.

Note: This is not Lucy, but it could have been.

I'll never forget trying to live out the idea of a family ministry. I brought my firstborn, Lucy, along for a ministry my husband was involved in. He taught/teaches Adult Catechesis classes at St. Mary's and I wanted to help and support him. I'd bring Lucy to the parish office, set out some drinks and make some coffee, enjoy conversation with fellow parishioners, and then the class would start. At first Lucy was pretty well behaved, but after the first hour I was almost tempted to let her climb the fake potted tree in the corner. I'd dumped the diaper bag, which contained A LOT of things (our first-child parenting skills at that point consisted of packing a lot of stuff to keep the baby perpetually entertained) but Lucy had decided that she was going to be fussy until I let her under the conference table to pull at people's shoe-laces and eat the crud off of their shoes. So naturally, I would leave and sit in the next room with her, where I couldn't hear much of the class anyway.



My husband and I are not the only ones who have this same dilemma. There is a need in our Church to support these stages of adulthood that raise children because this stage of child rearing has the greatest influence on future generations. Young and Marrieds Ministry seeks to do this by enabling young families to partake in a ministry together, focusing on the communal nature of man.


Everyone has to eat, why not eat together? Our Second Sunday lunches are intended to unite young, faith-filled couples and individuals in community with one another in a setting  that enables families to partake in parish life together (i.e., children are wanted, invited, and welcomed)! In a world that is so divided--where our beautiful Catholic faith is stifled and misunderstood, and likened to things such as hate-crimes, misogyny, anti-freedom, and where we become so isolated because of the fast-paced society that we live in, we especially need the communal faith support. We need to be reminded that we do not fight the battle for our children's souls, and our own, alone. In bonding with other Catholic Young and Marrieds, we can receive encouragement and hope, helping keep each other's spiritual candles lit to light up a dark world and pass the light onto our children. 



After all, Christ spoke of a special grace gained in joining with others in faith: "For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them." (Matt 18:20)