Denver Catholic

31 DENVER CATHOLIC | AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2024 the pews who's discerning not only 'What are my gifts? What am I pas- sionate about?' but also 'What is the need of the parish?'" he said. "This is a mutual discernment going on. If you're going to have a healthy parish and a thriving team, then that means we're going to be constantly discerning," he continued. Father Schmitz pointed out that ongoing discernment is not easy. Sometimes, the answer to one's desire to serve might be a "no" or a "not yet" as the parish communit y grows and develops. In those difficult scenarios, trust is important for dis- cernment – trust in the communit y, team and Holy Spirit. In short, though difficult and time-consuming, discerning the "why" and "how" is necessary. "It's painful, but I think it's going to be necessary," Father Schmitz said, pointing to Jesus' own promise to prune the trees that bear fruit. "Jesus says that those trees that bear fruit are going to get pruned so they can bear more fruit. It's not like if you're bearing fruit, you get left alone. No, Jesus said if you're bearing fruit, you're going to get pruned so you can bear more fruit. So those living teams, those healthy teams, it's going to be an ongoing process." YOU MATTE R, AND THE CHURCH NE E DS YOU Lest the burden of discernment cause even the most highly engaged Catholic to balk, it's important to consider one resounding truth: You Matter. The God who created the universe and set the planets in orbit also counted every hair on your head; he deigned to become one of us and, even more, to become food for us in the Eucharist. And because we matter, we have a part to play, Father Schmitz said. ⊲

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