Dear Fellow Parishioners, Last week I asked you to take time this summer to pray for the guidance of the Holy Spirit for our community and share the wisdom you have received with the parish office, others in the community, at coffee and, and of course with me. Here are some suggestions on how to get moving. Think about; What grabs your attention? What catches your eye? What concerns you? What causes you stress? OR What are your hopes and dreams for parish life? Where is God calling us? How is the Holy Spirit pushing us to move forward. These are some of the questions that we need to ask ourselves when we make the journey from maintenance to mission. The Holy Spirit never asks us to go back to the locked room. The Holy Spirit never asks us to retreat or dig in our heals or long for “the good old days!” If those thoughts are planted in our minds and hearts like false security blankets, we are not listening to the Holy Spirit. I am asking us all to listen to the urgings of the Holy Spirit, and how that Spirit is calling us to mission. It is easy to get stuck in maintenance mode, to just keep things the way they are. As I approach another birthday, it is easy for me to say, “Oh, I’ll let the next guy take care of that!” But I know that the Holy Spirit is urging us to move forward and focus not on ourselves, but into the community. We have many people in our community who are using their gifts, skills, and talents to make sure we are on mission for taking care of the spiritual needs of those members of our community. At the same time, I am asking us to spend time in prayer, quiet time sitting in the church, quiet time at home sitting in a comfy chair and listening to the urgings of the Holy Spirit. The question I sit with in my prayer time is: “Holy Spirit, what is your vision for the future of the Catholic Community of Sacred Heart?” I then shut up and listen. When I hear something, I write it down in my journal. Then I start talking with others about it to see if anyone else is hearing the same or a similar message. We need to pool our gifts, skills, and talents. At the same time, we need to pool our listening skills and share our faith time and what we hear from the Holy Spirit. Just because I am the pastor, or people are on staff, or the Pastoral Planning Team, doesn’t mean the Holy Spirit speaks to leadership alone. God speaks to all of us, we need but listen. As we continue our Summer Stories Homily series, I will share what I am hearing. Faithfully Listening, Fr. Bill