Do you like change? Or would you rather everything stay the same? There are people who are always looking for something new and different. On the other side, there are people who resist any change (“if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it).
Today, I visited the fifth grade classes at Holy Family Elementary School and we talked about change. Next year, they will be changing buildings to the middle school (this is not any change in the Catholic Schools here – fifth grade goes to the elementary and sixth grade goes to the middle school). I also talked to them about the change I will be making as I move to a new assignment (yet to be determined).
Change means something unknown. Perhaps one of the biggest changes I talked about with the fifth graders is moving from one city to another. When we make significant moves we might lose all our friends and don’t know anyone in the new place. Yet, we also talked about how when we make changes seldom is everything totally new. For example, when we change schools we have some idea what the new school will be like. There will be a teacher, books, desks, gym, blackboard, and the purpose of school is always to learn.
When we move to a new church the same is true (especially for us in the Catholic Church). There is always an altar, an ambo (pulpit), tabernacle, crucifix, the Stations of the Cross, and pews in a church. They may be in different places but we can find some comfort in knowing these things are there.
No matter what Catholic Church we go to on any given Sunday the same readings will be heard. In general we know what to expect. I remember going to a Mass that was done in Vietnamese once. Because it was a Latin Rite Catholic Mass, even though I didn’t understand a single word, I knew what was going on because I could tell when we moved from one part of Mass to the next.
Most of all when we move from one Catholic Church to another, we know God is always present. God is our reason for going to church and he is always there to welcome us.
I admit I can be resistant to change but I also see change as a normal, and at times a necessary, part of life. For instance, I like to have a daily routine. However, I also know if I do the same routine day after day after day I go through the motions of my daily routine without really thinking about it. A little change in routine helps me to think about why I do something.
I have been at St. Mary’s for three years and it is standard procedure in our diocese that newly ordained priests move after three years to gain experience in a different parish. Each parish is always a Latin Rite Catholic parish but the people are different with different needs and different local customs. For me, to see these differences, while remaining true to the teachings of Jesus, helps me to know what it truly means to be a Catholic and to serve God’s people according to his will.
For me, change (within proper boundaries) can mean growth; even when it is difficult and undesired. Going through change can lead me to deeper prayer as I count on the Holy Spirit to lead me through the change. Through the change, God is constantly loving me and helping me to know and do his will as a priest in service to his people.
Peace,
Fr. Jeff
