What is a parishioner? The Psalm says,
“Here am I, Lord; I come to do your will.”
Before we were baptized, we were under a death sentence. Without baptism we cannot hope for eternal life. Eternal life is only possible with God. Adam and Eve rejected God, and as a result, their children were shut out of Heaven. Because of our baptism our sins have been forgiven and we are admitted to life with God, life with the Sacraments, eternal life. Baptism makes us citizens of God’s Kingdom, citizens of Heaven; citizens of His Church. St. Paul writes,
“… to the church of God that is in Corinth,
to you who have been sanctified in Christ Jesus,
called to be holy, with all those everywhere who
call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,
their Lord and ours.”
Because of their baptism, they are called to live in God’s Kingdom, called to be Holy. Because of their Baptism, they have been redeemed from the death sentence of sin, with only mortal life until death.
This gift of eternal life is given to all whose sins have been forgiven by their Baptism. If we sin, then we are given the Sacrament of Reconciliation. After we are baptized we are admitted to the Altar to receive food for eternal life in the Eucharist. John the Baptist tells his disciples today when they see Jesus coming toward them,
“Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world….
… he is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’
Now I have seen and testified that he is the Son of God.”
So, what does it mean to be a parishioner?
Being a parishioner is our response, our acceptance of being admitted into the Church founded by Jesus. The Church is not just some general, theoretical group of the baptized. The Church is geographical and local. St. Paul says to the Baptized in Corinth, in the south of Greece,
“to the church of God that is in Corinth, …”
It is a specific, local Church, with all the Christian believers, parishioners in Corinth. In his letters to them, Paul calls them to work together, to be of one mind, one Baptism, one Faith.
What does it mean to be a parishioner? The Psalm tells us,
“Here am I, Lord; I come to do your will.”
If you accept your Baptism and the redemption from sin and death, then we need to respond! We should thank God for this precious gift! We need to say to God,
“Here am I, Lord; I come to do your will.”
You already have your redemption and promise. But you need to respond.
When we become parishioners we say to the Church, “Count on me. Here am I; I come to do your Will.”
We tell the parish we are not simply visiting. We declare that we are not simply en “Union Libre”, in some liberal union with them, present but with no publicly declared commitment. When we register as parishoners we say, “I’m committed to you”, and, “You can count on me”, much like we do in the Sacrament of Holy Matrimony.
When I was ordained a priest, I said “yes” and publicly committed my self to you, the Church of the Diocese of Austin.
You, in turn, are not baptized to simply come to Church, uncommitted to look for something to feed you. It is wrong to simply justify your lack of commitment by saying, “I shop around until I find a church that gives me what I need”. Church shopping should not be our criteria, but instead to say,
“Here am I, Lord; I come to do your will.”
When you register with your parish you are telling us who you are and that you want the Church to know you are here, and that the church can count on you. Too many people wish to remain anonymous, disconnected, independent. That is OK, but it is not a sign of commitment. It is a sign of independence.
The way to register with our parish is to use the white envelopes available at the entrance to the Church, providing your personal information with your tithe, and to put them into the collection baskets for at least six months. After that time period please go to the Church office and register, giving us all of the information of yourself and your family and the Sacraments you have received and how you would like to serve the Church of Jesus Christ. It is up to you to know when you have been coming here for at least six months, and up to you to take the step to register yourself and your family. Otherwise, we don’t know who you are, even if you have been coming for years. We don’t know if we can count on you. If you don’t make the commitment, and say, “Here I am, count on me”, then we can only assume that you do not want to be a parishioner, and do not want us to count on you to give your commitment. Always know that we do not share your information outside the Church.
Only if you do register as a parishioner, can we know for certain that you want to be considered part of the parish family and for the parish and diocese to know we can count on you. We know that you want us to know you are committed. We know how many families we have in the parish community. For all registered families the parish provides, free of charge, tithing envelopes, and the Diocesan newspaper, the Catholic Spirit. We may also mail out information from time to time.
If you are not sure if you are registered with the parish, please contact the parish office. If you have not already registered with the parish, I invite you to do so and to say,
“Here am I, Lord; I come to do your will. Count on me.”