From the Heart of the Shepherd
- Church of St. Mark
- Sep 24
- 3 min read
From the bulletin for The Twenty-Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time (2025 September 21)
September 21st: 25th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Sometimes I ask my penitents deep and unexpected questions. They are waiting for their three Hail Marys and instead are blindsided by, “What is this life all about?” In case you find yourself in this position, here is one acceptable answer: life is about interpersonal communion, Father!
This is true in the deepest sense. Divine Life is the “intra-communion” of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. It’s also true about human life. We were made for communion with one another and with God.
One fruit of the 20th Century was a deeper appreciation for what it means to be a person. It means to be gift. A person is a some one who is meant to be given, received, revealed, known, cherished, and delighted in. “Interpersonal communion” is just a $5 way of referring to the state of being given to others, to know and to be known, to love and to be loved. More simply: it’s to be with other persons.
As spouses know, communication is what makes for communion. Persons communicate when they (sincerely) reveal their hearts to one another–sharing and receiving the person that each is. Jesus Himself says this. “Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent” (Jn 17:3). Eternal life, enduring communion with God, comes from knowing Father and Son and the Spirit who reveals them both. Communication = salvation!
As we get back to work life here at St. Mark’s, we have started off by getting back to prayer. This is because what we so casually refer to as “prayer” is nothing less than opening ourselves to interpersonal communion with God. Prayer is our “yes” to the invitation of grace. Again, Our Lord shows us this. “At that time,” we read in Matthew’s Gospel, “Jesus answered and said, ‘I thank thee Father…” (Matt 11:25). God is always revealing Himself to man; prayer is to “answer” and therefore to enter the dialogue. Prayer is how we let the God who knows all “know” us in that intimate, personal way, lest one day He say to us, “Depart from me, I never knew you” (Mat 7:21). As St. Alphonsus said, prayer is the difference between salvation and perdition.
But we are not saved by ourselves. Jesus did not set up an economy of salvation in which men and women come to know Him and the Father independent from contact with creatures. No, He established a Church. And to the Church He said, “He who hears you hears Me, he who rejects you rejects Me, and he who rejects Me rejects Him who sent Me” (Lk 10:16). God reveals Himself to us through the Church, which faithfully hands on what He has revealed about Himself. Likewise, we give ourselves back to God in and through the Church.
It is fitting, then, that in this “Month of Communion” we flow from a focus on prayer to one on small groups. By prayer we establish and maintain our “channel of communication” with God. By intentional Christian fellowship we do so with other members of the Church. True, we are united by faith and the Spirit wherever we are, including in the Sunday Mass or every time we pray the Our Father. But it’s really only in a small group setting that we can know and be known by other disciples. In small groups we gather in Christ’s name, pray with one another, and share our hearts with one another. Over time, this brings about true “synodality,” i.e. “walking with” one another in the Way of Jesus. Small groups enrich our insight into the Heart of God as we hear how He is at work in the lives of our brothers or sisters. And in small groups we experience the benefits He has promised to those who gather in Jesus’ name: His special presence (Matt 18:20), the answer to prayers voiced in common (Matt 18:19), even the sending of His Spirit (Acts 1:14), the shaking of the earth, and the boldness to speak God’s word–and extend His communion–to others (Acts 4:31). If you don’t have a small group yet, get one! The purpose of life is at stake!
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