It’s the time of year when many of us have slightly less hectic schedules, so maybe this summer we’ll have a little more time just to think. Well I want to give you two things to think about. The first thing to consider is—who do you want to invite to church this fall? Once the summer is over we need to get serious about inviting people to church. Saint Ambrose is a great place and we want to share it with more people. Maybe the person you want to invite is a friend, spouse, or neighbor who hasn’t been to church in a long time. I’m already planning a five week preaching series on why and how we can all be invitational disciples.
The other thing to think about is who you’d like to invite to become Catholic. Maybe it is you, or perhaps you know someone who comes to church but has not received the sacraments of Baptism, Eucharist, or Confirmation. Adults prepare for those sacraments through the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA). The RCIA is a discussion group that meets regularly during the school year. It will start again at the end of summer, but now is the time to pray about who you’re going to invite.
Further details about these two opportunities will be available after the summer, but for now, think and pray about them. We all have a responsibility to open doors and be hospitable to our brothers and sisters who are responding to God’s invitation to grace. So during your less hectic summer months, think about who you want to invite to church and who you want to invite to become Catholic. I’m sure you’ll have a wonderful summer now that I’ve given you a couple things to think about.