And Are United in the One Baptism. We Are Called to Live As One Body. We Are Called To

You may have noticed posters around the church which speak about St. Jerome’s being a “Covenant Community.” By our baptism and being washed in the Blood of the Lamb we enter a Covenant relationship with God and each other. We acknowledge the One Lord, the one faith and are united in the one baptism. We are called to live as one Body. We are called to live in one Spirit. We consciously and intentionally work, pray and play together to do our part in continuing the mission and ministry of Jesus Christ: building the Kingdom of God. Although all the baptized are part of this “New Covenant” we at St. Jerome’s make an effort to keep this relationship with Jesus and each other in our awareness and our daily life. To develop this we have “commissions” made of different people from the various groups involved in all the different aspects of our parish’s life. These commissions help communicate what is going on, what might need to be ad- dressed, and how we can better coordinate our efforts to continue being Christ’s instruments of peace and good news in the world. Some members of the various commissions make up the Parish Council which is an advisory board for the pastor… helping him to better understand and appreciate the situation (where we have been, where we are and where we hope to be headed)… the blessings and opportunities which are present in our parish and our community. This being a Covenant Community cannot be the work of a few, but needs the participation of all who are members of this Body of Christ which gathers together at St. Jerome’s. Baptisms which we celebrate at Sunday Liturgies remind us we all have connection and responsibility (our covenant) to the newly baptized and their family. Our Communion… receiving the One Body… sharing as One Body reminds us again of our covenant relationship with Our Lord and one another. We each have a part in the Body of Christ. My not being involved in some way, limits the effectiveness and fullness of God’s presence. My standing apart dilutes what the Sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation and Eucharist proclaim us to be. As we each have this responsibility I ask you to examine and consider a few things for yourself: How am I working on my relationship with God? Am I maintaining it with daily prayer, Sunday Eucharist and regular confessions? Am I deepening my relationship with God through study, group prayer, reflection and discussion? Am I occasionally making an appearance at church but am overwhelmed by so much that I feel there is no time to waste on a relationship which doesn’t seem to matter in my daily life? Relationships are living things. When we stop learning about someone else, it is safe to say our relationship with them is being taken for granted or is in decline. Or as with any talent or skill, if you don’t use it you will lose it. We know our relationships with God and each other do matter. As members of the Body of Christ we have a responsibility to pray with and for each other, and to nurture and strengthen our relationship with God’s Son and His Body, the church. At Saint Jerome’s we offer adults a variety of opportunities to allow individuals the chance to get a spiritual workout, help firm up their core and build up the skills/tools they need to live our covenant as a disciple of Jesus.

Mondays: YAM Presentations (2nd Monday of each month) at 7pm – skills needed to live as a Catholic in the world. JustFaith (Beginning in October) developing a spirituality which is more than words. Tuesdays: Bible Study in the morning at 10am – focus on the next Sunday’s scriptures and Bible Study evenings at 7pm – this fall focusing on the Old Testament (Begins September 13th). Wednesdays: Holy Hour and Our Lady of Perpetual Help Novena at 7pm. Make some time during the busyness to get re- centered on Christ and to pray with Our Blessed Mother. Fridays: “Thy Kingdom Come” (Life In The Spirit Seminar) at 7pm beginning September 16th. Why not join a choir? Our youth meet Sunday at 4pm. Our Nigerian Choir practices Tuesday at 7pm. Our Adult Choir practices Thursday at 7pm. How about going to the parish picnic? Your being there does make a difference. Gathering in the Lord’s name is always good. These are some of the upcoming opportunities to enhance our experience of being members of the Body of Christ. If you can’t get involved in these groups, I understand… but do take care of your soul. Don’t presume Christ’s gift of salvation. Do make time for daily prayer. Take a few moments to find a good thought from scripture. Daily ask our Blessed Mother to pray with and for you. And each day try to pray with at least one other person (e.g. grace at meals) for when two or three are gathered in His Name, Christ is present.

Sacraments aren’t magic done to us but A way of living life with the Spirit flowing through us.