Advent Mission 2009

By Mike Lambrecht

      As many of you know, this past week we were privileged to have the opportunity to listen to Deacon Thomas Kinnick speak on Communion, Conversion, and Mission. I hope that many of you took advantage of our Advent Mission and came out to see him.

      Deacon Kinnick began the mission by stressing the importance of “being in communion.” He noted that this occurs on more than one level. It is of utmost importance to be in communion with God. We achieve this by being in a state of grace and through reception of the sacrament of the Eucharist. However, many people often forget that when we receive the Eucharist at Mass, that we are in communion with each other as well.

      This may not always be easy for us to acknowledge. We do not always get along with those around us. For this reason, Deacon Kinnick pointed out that while we are not called to like everyone around us, we are called to love them. Love is philosophically defined as “the willing the good of another.” We can do this without necessarily liking another person.

      I could write for pages on the presentations that were given. However, there was far too much great theology presented by Deacon Kinnick to touch on it all here. For those of you who may have missed the opportunity to see him live, the talks were recorded and should be available in the parish library by the time you are reading this. Don’t be afraid to check them out.