Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Admittedly, while August involves a lot of getting ready for September, there’s not a ton of material for a bulletin letter right at the moment. Rather than try and shoehorn something in, I’m going to take a slightly different approach and use this as an opportunity to talk about something a bit more universal. I hope it offers you something to reflect upon for the week ahead.
One of the aspects of Catholicism that in some ways differentiates it from other faith tradition is its communal focus. Whereas other faiths and religions certainly gather together and draw strength from their community, we as Catholics seem to place the community as an essential element of the overall faith experience. We describe ourselves as a flock, as the Body of Christ, as the People of God, and in doing so, demonstrate how critical belonging to the community really is, in terms of living the faith.
But like any grouping of people, there are individual differences that we must be aware of. Not everyone is the same; in their political opinions, in their economic status, in how they interact with others, and the world around them. And yet, for all those differences and many more, there’s a need to work together and participate in the parish community. This means that there’s a need to try and understand each other, in and through our differences. And while we might not always be uniform in our opinions and outlooks, rather than being challenged by differences, we should strive to embrace and celebrate the greater whole that comes from them.
One of the major distinctions psychologically among people is whether they are an introvert, an extrovert, or the somewhat rarer ambivert. Unfortunately, I fear that sometimes these terms convey a meaning that goes beyond what is intended. Introverts are those who gain energy from more solitary situations, extroverts gain energy from more social situations, and ambiverts can gain energy from both. I recently heard a talk, however, speaking about an added dimension to these characteristics, namely being socially adept or socially inept. Introverts tend to be thought of as being socially awkward, and sometimes they are. But it is possible to have an introvert who is good at interacting with others, as well as an extrovert who is not. It’s important to recognize in our parish community and in the way we offer activities and ministries, that offering activities and ministries that appeal to both introverted and extroverted people is important. Speaking as an introvert (who hopefully does well in interacting with others), it’s tempting at times to be focused on big events, with lots of people and social interaction as a parish community, like the Carnival or even coffee and donuts after Mass. But we should keep our introverts and ambiverts in mind too, and make sure the needs of the whole community are met by what we offer.
Peace and Goodness,
Fr. Dan
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