The Israelites wandered in the desert for 40 years, after which time a new generation (which did not include the old Moses but rather the young Joshua) entered the Promised Land.
In November the Diocese of San Bernardino celebrates 40 years of existence, and it has been a time of testing and transition. There has certainly been a turnover of members. When I ask the people at Mass, very few of today’s parishioners were actually living in this diocese 40 years ago. Many priests and deacons have come and gone, as have many of our family members who have died or moved away. Our families of blood and faith do not look the same today as they did 40 years ago; the membership has changed greatly and it is mostly a new generation.
There have also been many sources of testing and trial over the past 40 years: the increase in the number of Catholics and the decrease in the number of priests, the variety of countries and states from which parishioners and clergy have come, and larger churches and faith communities which can lead to loneliness and a feeling of being lost and unimportant, to name a few of the trials. For those who have been members of the Diocese for most of these 40 years what is on trial is our hospitality and sense of welcoming the stranger; our patience and peace with the new and unfamiliar; and, ultimately, a faith that endures and grows in the face of exterior changes like the way we worship and how the parishes and the Diocese serve the people of God.
How has your faith fared in the face of these trials?
Because we are people of faith and reflection, any human experience can become a spiritual experience, and what is at first a trial can become a blessing and source of grace. Like Noah, Jesus, and the Israelites, with the gift of time and perspective we can view the tests and trials of the past 40 years also as moments of blessing and grace, and an invitation for us to move along in time with the changes God has in store for our Church and Diocese. But trials only become blessings if we meet them faithfully, gracefully, cheerfully, gratefully, and freely. There is no room for grudges, envy, bitterness, and close-mindedness, or at least no use for them. The flood waters destroyed everything in the past, the Israelites never returned to Egypt, and Jesus’ life was no longer anonymous. There was no going back for them; there’s no going back for us. And that’s okay, because beyond the changes and challenges of yesterday, there are graces and blessings today, as we relentlessly journey toward the Promised Land. As St. Junipero Serra would say, “Siempre adelante; nunca atrás.”
Father David Andel is the Judicial Vicar and Director of the Office of Canonical Services for the Diocese of San Bernardino.