Oct. 3, 2026
Brothers and sisters: Have no anxiety at all, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, make your requests known to God. Then the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.
Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. Keep on doing what you have learned and received and heard and seen in me. Then the God of peace will be with you. — Philippians 4:6–9
The historical Paul whom we meet in the Acts of the Apostles, and perhaps even more personally in his own letters, was a man who knew something about conflict, especially in times of change and renewal. He could find himself at odds even with figures such as St. Peter. After beginning as a notorious persecutor of the early Christians, his encounter with Christ transformed his life and eventually made him the great Apostle to the Gentiles. His ministry sometimes placed him in the middle of difficult questions about Jewish tradition and the influence of the Gentiles.
This passage is one of my favorites and part of its beauty stems from knowing the story of Paul. The man who tells us, “Have no anxiety at all,” was not a man who lived an anxiety-free life! Somehow, by following his lead and example, we discover that the God of peace can grant us the peace of God, just as that peace was gradually gifted to Paul.
The paradoxes within Paul's journey actually delight me because I aspire to “keep on doing” what I have learned and received and heard and seen in him. I suspect I am not alone. All of us aspire to the virtues he describes, and all of us have dealt with the consequences when we have fallen short. Often our misgivings and shortcomings grow out of the anxiety we carry and our inability to pray as we know we should. Sometimes we experience an emptiness and forget to look to God to fill it.
If you have been keeping up with news from the Diocese of Albany through The Evangelist and other media, you may have heard that we are beginning a new process that will engage our parishes in the months and years ahead. Bishop Mark recently sent a letter to all pastors introducing the “Parish Sustainability and Growth Discipline”. It is a call to gather our parish leadership and begin looking thoughtfully and prayerfully at the future of our parish communities.
Words like sustainability, planning and five-year plans can naturally cause a little anxiety. I also confess that I respond to the phrase “five-year plan” a little differently at 65 than I might have at 35! Still, I see this as a wonderful opportunity. When I received the letter, I was already looking at the readings for this blog and I could not help but realize how well they fit this weekend.
In our first reading, Isaiah sings about a vineyard planted on a fertile hillside. The owner clears the stones, plants choice vines, builds a watchtower and prepares a wine press. He has lovingly provided what the vineyard needs to flourish and provide a rich harvest. Jesus uses that same image in the Gospel. A landowner plants a vineyard, surrounds it with a hedge, digs a wine press and builds a tower. But this time the problem is not simply the fruit. The tenants begin behaving as though the vineyard belongs to them.
Our parishes do not belong to the pastor or even to the present families; we have been entrusted with something precious belonging to Jesus Christ. Generations before us planted, sacrificed, built, prayed and worshiped. They handed the vineyard on to us, and now it is our privilege to tend it for a while before handing it to another generation. This is how I hope we will approach this new process.
Yes, we will look honestly at our parish communities. We will celebrate what is strong and successful and consider where we can grow. We will look at our ministries, our worship, faith formation, outreach, hospitality and stewardship. We will ask what continues to bear good fruit and where perhaps some pruning, new planting or new imagination might allow even more fruit to grow. We have been tending to these matters for some time and now the season is upon us when we will take the next steps.
Sunday this weekend falls on October 4th, the day we celebrate the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi. What a role model is this great saint who reminds us that all reform is built on tradition and service. He also reminds us that in a world of anxiety, we are called to be ‘instruments of peace’, serving the God of Peace as St. Paul reminds us. Let us be the true, the honorable, the just, the pure, the lovely, and the gracious. Let us remember and celebrate as we sing in our hymn today, ‘Our God is Here.’ And let us go forth as instruments of peace sharing God’s love with others. God bless you.