By Lavida Mischel (talk from for our recent parish Koinonia retreat)
I want to remind you what the church is Not… it is not the building, not the hierarchy, not the Bishop or Pope and not the Priest and staff.
The church is US – the People!! Not just the holy people, but all of us; the broken, the lost, the faithful, the confused….and in our case, we are blessed to have the Hispanic community at part of US! We are the universal church.
Romans 12:15: So we, who are many, are one body in Christ; and individual members one of another. There is one Body: that body is the Body of Christ. Every true Christian is to Christ; what a man’s foot, hand or arm is to that man. We need Christ and the People of God, to be whole. Nowhere in scripture do we read or find the idea of Baptists, or Methodists, or Presbyterians – or any other body. The only thing found there is that there is One Body of Christ; formed by the One Spirit of God. And that Body makes up His Church. The church is a community. A community that has no selection process. No qualifications. No test or tryouts. By the grace and mercy of God … you are a member. The church is a living, breathing body – it’s breath being the Holy Spirit. When I reflected on this is when I realized the church was its members and not the building, I have to go back many years. In grade school I knew I was a member of the church but felt like more of a spectator – watching from a distance. I lectored for the first time in high school and several years later I married, settled in and became very involved: lector, Eucharistic Minister, committees, bible study, etc, etc. I felt like I was maturing in my faith and in the church. But still, even then, I knew I was experiencing church and community on a very small level. I realized that I had very little diversity in my life and I felt that I lived in a small box. All my friends and regular acquaintances were white, Catholic, heterosexual, conservative, middle class people, just like me. I know that I serve a BIG GOD and I wanted to serve Him BIGGER ! So I began praying the prayer of Jabez.
1 Chronicles 4:9-10: “And Jabez called on the God of Israel saying, ‘Oh, that You would bless me indeed, and enlarge my territory, that Your hand would be with me, and that You would keep me from evil, that I may not cause pain.’ So God granted him what he requested.” (this prayer isn’t really about Jabez, it is about God wanting to fulfill our requests.) The first year I prayed the prayer of Jabez, I saw a change around me. My box began to expand in many ways. God was indeed…expanding my territory, as well as my thoughts and my heart. Then came 2012 and the 125th Anniversary of our beautiful, historical church. In showing our gratitude to God for 125 years, the anniversary committee agreed to sponsor a parish in Lalomas, Haiti. As a church, we have been gifted with so much, it was our hope to go beyond our church doors and minister to others.
I attended the first information meeting with 15 or 20 others parishioners, not really knowing if I was serious about going to Haiti. Then the 2nd meeting of 15 people. Then the 3rd meeting of 10 people. Parishioners were dropping out for several reasons, the largest reason being ‘fear’. Fear of the unknown. Fear of disease and bad water. I was no different. The closer the day of commitment came, the more anxious I became, still, however, saying the prayer of Jabez. A month went by and it was time to either commit or move on. With nerves on end, I arrived at work that Monday morning realizing that today was the day I would HAVE to tell Fr. Carl of my decision. As I prepared for the call, still not knowing for certain what would come out of my mouth, I flipped my ‘One Day at a Time Meditation calendar’ that was on my desk and what do I see for that day?? The Prayer of Jabez. I HAD TO GO!! God said yes to expanding my territory.
In January 2019, I made my 11th trip to Haiti. Thanks be to God. The beautiful part of Haiti is that the church is the center of their lives and they speak their faith aloud. When asked, “how are you?” the response is most often, “With Jesus, I am fine.” Young children and young adults often hold hands when walking. They care for one another. And when you visit – people are home, ready to happily greet you. The sad reality of Haiti is very visible. Parents wake in the morning, not knowing if they will be able to feed their children before nightfall. With no financial means, most are undereducated. The desire for education is strong, but money is scarce. There is no electricity, no health care and no clean water. The water that the animals drink and urinate in, is the same river water that families use in their home. In 2018, Herod, a 23 year old student who was sponsored by a local missionary, died from an abscess tooth. He died the day before his graduation. On February 21, 2019, 4 year old preschool student, Sazeline died, for reasons unknown. Yet the Haitian people accept God’s will for them and continue to share their joy, their faith and their hope.
We suffer with the people of Haiti, the Congo, Mexico, China and the world, because we are One Body in Christ. When one part of the body suffers… all suffer. The Church, The people of God, are in every corner…. We need only to ask God to ‘expand our territory’. This brings us full circle and the question is: What is your role in the church? (not the 4 walled church) We are anointed people: Priest, Prophet, King. Priest: one who makes an offering. What do You have to offer? Prophet: one who speaks for Christ. Who do You speak for? King: one who leads. Do You lead by example? Do you look for the opportunity to lead others to Christ? Question: If today you were arrested and tried for being an active member of Christ’s Body, the Church…What type of evidence could be brought against you ?
