As Thanksgiving 2010 Approaches . . .

As Thanksgiving Day approaches, I fondly recall the first parish-based ministry I volunteered to lead: the Comfort Food ministry. Can't remember if it was always called that, but that's what we called it when I stepped up to the plate ─ pun shamelessly intended.

It was a food bank of sorts, developed for parishioners in distress. Comfort Food ministers kept the parish freezer stocked with home-cooked dinners. Those in our healthcare, bereavement and Elizabeth ministries took these good-to-go meals with them to parishioners as needed.

It was generally known that anyone could take a meal; generally understood that the rationale for doing so was more dire than, "I'm tired of pizza delivery and the same goes double for Chinese take-out."

Thanksgiving was always somewhat challenging. Despite extraordinarily "robust" levels of academic achievement, parishioners needed weekly reminders about dropping off whole, uncooked and frozen turkeys, as in: Don't do this! Bulletin blurbs became increasingly less gentle by the 4th Sunday of Advent.

Although I rued this annual situation, as well as the inevitability of baked ziti, I had more pressing gustatory concerns.

And so it came to pass that I began my tenure as head of the Comfort Food ministry proclaiming: No meal shall ever be glued together with cream-of-anything soup.

I never faced any overt push-back from the casserole crowd. Perhaps I imagined hearing a huge sigh of relief ─ other than mine.

Ministry: What's Mood Got to Do With It?

The Lector and EMoE schedules are constructed months in advance, so I never know how I'll feel when it's my turn to serve. Truth the tell, I'm often not in the mood to get up, wash up, and show up for the 12:10 weekday Mass.

By 11:30 am, I'll have had a half dozen conversations via different media. I'll have forgotten to eat and be hypoglycemically cranky. I'll be loathe to drive, although living within walking distance of church probably wouldn't make a huge difference in my mood -- or my ability to show up on time.

This morning, I posted this thought on Twitter: "Wonder what God has in mind for me today & how it will be revealed."

My open embrace of divine providence? Pretty much shut down by the time I got into my car. Plus, the prospect of reading what was scheduled didn't elevate my mood at all.

So, imagine my delight to race in late to find: 1) the credence table had already been set up by another parishioner; 2) because it's the Feast Day of St. Catherine of Siena, I'd be proclaiming special readings; and 3) Friday night's movie had been changed from Chocolat to The Bells of St. Mary's. "You announce that," said the Chief Operating Priest, "you're standing closer to the ambo."

Hard to feel anything but joy while reading, "God is light; in him there is no darkness at all" (1 John 1:5) and "Praise the Lord, O my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name" (Psalm 103:1). These words, during today's homily about St. Catherine of Siena, generated grateful relief: "She proved that prayer and activism go together."

Today, God has revealed how faith has nothing to do with mood. Nor, should my mood determine if, when, and how I serve God and the people of God. I wonder how often God will have to re- reveal this revelation to me. According to the Lector schedule, probably Sunday morning.

Read *her* rant!

You don't have to be raising children to appreciate Ironic Catholic's recent post, "Theological Rant 5.0: Youth evangelization isn't rocket science." Any and every adult can serve as a role model; that goes double for those serving as pastoral associates. Of her many fine points, this is probably my fave:

"Stop using teens as volunteer fodder for every dang aspect of parish programming [so] they can check off the Confirmation checksheet. Because frankly, the Israelites didn't like being slave labor either."

And it should comes as no surprise that I loved her points about how what happens in the home generally has more impact on kids than what goes on in the building we call "church." Hope you'll click over to read her great rant.