In this Sunday's Gospel, Jesus describes two kinds of people: those who initially say “no”, but then follow through on what they were asked; and those who say “yes” immediately, but fail to follow through. Which of these descriptions fits you more accurately? With which of these people would you rather work, or serve on a parish committee? Obviously, it isn’t enough just to say “yes”; we have to really mean it, and follow through on it. If we can’t do something, we save ourselves and others a lot of grief if we admit that up front, without raising false expectations. We need to “walk the talk!”

As we launch our pastoral year this weekend, our adult faith coordinator Anna Diodati introduces our theme, “Sacramental Living”. She reminds us: “What is a sacrament? It is a visible sign, given by Christ, of an inner grace. But what does this mean concretely? God gives us gifts, talents and abilities to fulfill the mission He has planned for our lives. When we receive the sacraments, we acknowledge and become more conscious of this sacred connection.

But is it enough to merely acknowledge the existence of these gifts? To fully appreciate the value of the sacraments and their transformative power in our lives, we must take ownership of them, and then live them out. To take responsibility for our sacramental life is to live in true relationship with God. We not only passively accept the graces He bestows upon us, we actively respond to them. When we live in dialogue with God, we find Him present in everyone, in every circumstance we encounter. Life takes on a more meaningful and empowering perspective. We learn to live abundant lives!”

St. Paul invites us today to be of the same mind, sharing the same love, looking not only to our own interests, but those of others. He concludes: “Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus.” This is what it means to live sacramentally: putting on the mind of Christ, the heart of Christ, the attitudes of Christ. The banner placed over the altar, reminding us of the Church’s seven sacraments; the various adult faith events planned throughout the year, the movie evenings, the homilies – all of this will be geared this year to helping us live out our relationship with Jesus by consciously embracing prayerful and sacramental living.

So please check out our adult faith brochure, read it over carefully, have a look around the website and choose what you will do this year to nourish and grow in your faith. It promises to be an exciting journey!