In the business of the morning, attempting to get my gaggle of children ready for school and mass, I forgot that today was October 4th, one of my favorite feast days. But it seems that even in the craziness of the morning, God was planting seeds for me to better embrace the message that He had for St Francis so many ages ago.
As I was attempting to make sure all of my children were awake this morning, I passed by our little library nook in our upstairs hallway. My 4 year old was sitting in the nook, looking at books. Books were strewn all over the floor around his lap. A book about William Wilberforce caught my eye. William Wilberforce was an English politician who was instrumental in ending the slave trade in England. His life story is told in the movie Amazing Grace. After the slave trade was ended, Sir James Mackintosh wrote this to Wilberforce,
"We ought, rather, to marvel that the short span of the life of one man, when well and wisely directed, is sufficient to remedy the miseries of millions for ages."
This line to Wilberforce has remained with me since I read it. Don’t we all want our lives to be “well and wisely directed,” in alignment with God’s will?
This thought was still in my head when mass began and I was happily reminded that today is the Feast of St Francis. And then the words Christ spoke to Francis rang in my heart.
Rebuild My Church
And my immediate thought was, “Lord, please send another Francis to rebuild Your Church right now, she could sure use it.” We need another Saint willing to say Yes to You Lord, yes to the big mission of healing Your Church.
In that moment, “Rebuild My Church” was echoed in my heart again. I began to get what He was trying to teach me through St Francis and William Wilberforce today. Rebuilding His Church, affecting the lives of millions of others, begins with one moment, one yes, one stone. When St Francis heard Christ ask him to rebuild His church, he saw a church near him, in shambles, and began there. He didn’t envision a big movement that would touch the lives of millions over time. He started with the concrete (literally); what was right in front of him.
Our church needs a lot of rebuilding today. And Christ is asking each of us to roll up our sleeves and to begin with the “church” closest to us. He is giving us this Saint’s feast day to remind us to pick up the stones that have fallen and to begin the work.
Rebuild My Church
Maybe today Christ is asking you to reach out to that neighbor that hasn’t been to church for years, to invite him into your home and show him Christ’s love by simply being kind.
Maybe he is asking you to lend your talents to begin a bible study in your church.
Maybe He is calling you to reach out to your parish priest, who is heavily burdened by the brokenness of the Church. Send him a letter to let him know you are praying for him. Thank him for his service. Invite him to dinner with your family.
Or maybe there is a new family at your parish that you have seen but never talked to, never welcomed. Rush after them this weekend and introduce yourself.
Or maybe it is your domestic church that needs its walls shored up. Go on a date night this weekend. Spend quality time with your teen who needs some extra time with you. Read one more book to your toddler before bed.
Rebuilding His church does not begin with grand gestures. It begins with the small. Those ones that we often miss because they are right under our noses when we are looking far off for something grander. But just like William Wilberforce and St Francis, begin with what is right in front of you. Order your actions today, well. Begin with the “church” that needs rebuilding right in front of you. Take the first step, pick up that first stone and begin the rebuilding process. Don’t worry about what may come from it a year from now, or even tomorrow, just take that first step today and allow God use your efforts to fully rebuild His church.
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