Because zeal for your house has consumed me, I am scorned by those who scorn you. (Psalm 69:10)
November 11, 2025
Hello Everyone –
In his 1999 book entitled “The Holy Longing: The Search for a Christian Spirituality,” the author and theologian Fr. Ronald Rolheiser, O.M.I., wrote a wonderful reflection about what it means to be part of the “church”:
A young man and a young woman meet — fall in love — and get married. At this stage of their lives — their agenda is their own happiness. They are in all probability good natured and sincere — but they both possess the self-centeredness of youth.
Then — without realizing the implications on their lives — they begin a family. From the moment their first child is born — unless they are very calloused human beings — the young man and the young woman start to grow up. For the next twenty-five to fifty years — every time they turn around — any number of tiny and not so tiny hands will be reaching out to them — seeking their time — their energy — their money — their car keys — their sympathy — their understanding — their hearts.
As the kids grow up and mature — so will the parents. For the next five decades — the now not-so young woman and the not-so young man will think of others beyond themselves. They will sacrifice. They will suffer. They will grow. They will mature.
During the years of having and raising children — they will be baptized — consecrated — and sent forth. They will minister. They will bless. They will forgive and heal. They will be Jesus for their children — and for one another.
You see — they are “church.”
The word “church” comes from the Greek word ekklesia — and refers to a “called out assembly,” that is, a gathering of people for a specific purpose. Being baptized in the church of the Risen Christ is “to be called out” — to be called out of our own agendas and comfort zones — to be called out of our own me-centered worlds to an “other” centered existence — to be called out of what is comfortable and safe and protected.
Last Sunday, we celebrated the Dedication of the Basilica of St. John Lateran in Rome. It is the cathedral church of the Diocese of Rome (the Pope’s cathedral) and, as such, it can be argued that it is the mother church of every Catholic Church in the world — including our own in downtown Milwaukee.
The feast provides the invitation to consider seriously what it means to be part of the Church — to be part of a “parish” of the disciples of Jesus — who “calls us out of” ourselves — and our own self-interests — out of our own fears and heartaches — to be part of something greater than ourselves — the living body of Christ.
The challenge that faces many of us is the realization that it is not a matter of bricks and mortar — but of flesh and blood. Certainly, church buildings are where we gather — we pray — we receive the living God. But who we become in that sacred exchange is to be made manifest by us once we leave the building. It is not a safehouse. It is the doorway to mission.
As I do for you, please pray for me,
Most Reverend Jeffrey S. Grob
Archbishop of Milwaukee
P.S. Today is Veterans Day. It is a time for us to honor — to remember — to pray for all who have given themselves in service of our country. May we always be grateful for what others have done for us. May we never forget their patriotism, service, and sacrifice.
Subscribe to The Branches