I do not know if it was New Year’s resolutions or what, but the Masses last weekend were happily crowded! If you happen to be someone who is just getting back into the swing of things, welcome home! I remember when I belonged to a gym (and actually went!), the very beginning of January would be a mob scene, but would quickly return to normal within a week. If you’re trying to make Mass a part of your life again, be faithful to it for two months. That’s a good amount of time to form a good habit. Then, it gets easier. Remember also that the urge you had to return to Mass is itself a grace from God, so you are not doing this alone. He is giving you His help. I mentioned last week at the Noon Mass how encouraged I am by seeing you all at Mass. St. Paul tells us that we should encourage one another and build each other up. When I look out from the altar and see all of you praying together, helping one another, and living lives of faith, I really am so encouraged. Your presence makes me want to be a holier man, a better priest, and a more faithful disciple of the Lord. In each of your hearts there is a remarkable drama taking place. The Lord Jesus is calling you, drawing you out into the deep life of faith, and immersing you more fully into His Saving Passion, Death, and Resurrection. When I look out and see you, that is what I see, and it fills my heart with a deep affection for you. This Drama of Salvation sometimes gets forgotten by us. We get distracted. We focus on “what needs to get done,” but we forget that all of the other things in life—our families, our work, our obligations, our hobbies, our politics etc.—are all taking place within something much greater, the Drama of our being disciples of Jesus Christ. Every so often, I realize that this can be true even of parish life. In a big parish like ours, it is true that things have to get done. Sometimes, however, we go through the motions, doing the work, doing the same things etc., but forgetting the “why.” A lot of time and energy in parish life can be spent “doing things” because "we have always done them like this," but we forget that the reason we should do anything at all as a parish is in order to form lifelong disciples of Jesus Christ. When Jesus called his first disciples, he spent time with them. They lived a friendship together. It was through this small, intimate friendship that he taught them and formed them. This method is still the method. I see the fruits of this method in the life of our parish. The other evening some members of the young couples and family group had a small potluck supper. It wasn’t huge, but it was beautiful. In the simplicity of that meal together, Christ was forming them and meeting them. I won’t list them all out, but there are various small groups—both official and unofficial—of which many of you are a part. Through these small friendships and companionships, Christ is forming you into his disciples. Do I love a crowded Sunday Mass? Absolutely! When I see the crowds, however, I also see how important and formative small groups are in the parish. In these intentional communities people become more attracted to Christ and the desire to remain with Him deepens within them. In these small friendships we learn from one another how to follow Christ. My hope in writing all of this today is simply to put in front of all of us the reason we exist as a parish. It is to form lifelong disciples of Jesus Christ. It might seem like that is totally obvious, but it feels like we somehow lose sight of it at times. I want to commit myself to making every aspect of our life as a parish centered on that mission. I’d be happy if you would join me in that. Your Brother in Christ, Fr. David Barnes