A message from your Interim Rector 8/26/2026

For the Common Good

I hope that you received your invitation letter to explore mission and ministry at St. Catherine’s. This past Sunday, we each had the opportunity to explore ministries of the parish in more depth and to begin our discernment about what actions we are to take in the coming year for God’s kingdom.

As I was reading this week’s Sunday lectionary readings, I was struck by the words of the author who wrote to the early Christians in Rome (Romans 12:1-8). The writer makes two

striking points. First we are to present ourselves, our bodies, as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God. And second, we are reminded once again that we are one body with many members and that each of us have been given gifts for the common good. Paul’s first letter to the church in Corinth also states that there is one body, but many members. (I Cor.12:12-31a) He goes on to say that each member of the body is no more nor less important than another. Paul stresses that it takes all the members of the body working together for the common good.

There is a prayer in the Book of Common Prayer Collect for Labor Day which begins with these words: “Almighty God, you have so linked our lives one with another that all we do affects, for good or ill, all other lives; so guide us in the work we do, that we may do it not for self alone, but for the common good....”

For the common good, that is not a sentiment we often hear or see in our secular world; yet it is the common thread of God’s kingdom. The late Queen Elizabeth II spoke repeatedly about her service to God and to the realm, as one of serving the common good. Imagine for a moment if we all placed the common good equal to our own desires. The world would likely be a far more loving and caring place to live and to work.

Consumerism in all its forms draws us away from a Christ-centered life. Consumerism is more than what we buy or what we consume, it is about whose interests are being considered in our decisions. If our decisions are solely for our own good, then we are consumers and not benefitting the common good. This week consider what actions and decisions that you might make which put God first and which promote the common good, For truly our lives are linked one to another; and what we do impacts not only ourselves and our families, but impacts the world around us. Even if we can not see the impact of our actions, the ripple effect is there and will change the world around us “for good or for ill”.

May your life be so centered on God’s will that you continue to be a light to the world.

Blessings on your work and play.

Mother Pat+