By From our hearts to yours! (CLT)
When I first heard of the word ‘Landings’ in one of the church announcements after Sunday Mass, it caught my attention. Landings? Isn’t that only for describing a plane landing? I was intrigued. I later learned that Landings is a ministry of welcoming ‘returning Catholics’ who have been away from the Catholic Church wishing to seek and reconnect with God. It is a ministry that when you share your faith story, the others in the group will listen compassionately (no interruptions and no questions asked). There is no judgement, and whatever is shared in each group is kept confidential. It is a “safe place to land,” so to speak. By listening to other people’s life journey in the faith, it gives a person who is considering of returning to the faith an insight into how other Catholics live their faith, and in turn grow in their own faith.
How? Let me explain. I am a cradle Catholic. Attending Sunday Masses dutifully and participating in all the required religious activities were a norm for me. I never questioned nor had doubts about my Catholic faith; it was good enough for me. My faith lacked depth and zeal; however, I was comfortable with it.
As time went by, I began to yearn for a deeper and more personal relationship with God. Just attending Sunday Masses was no longer enough. I started to hunger for more. That was when Landings came into the picture. Before knowing about Landings, I would not have considered myself a ‘returning Catholic.’ Why should I? I was at Mass every Sunday. When I began to explore my faith through Landings, although I might not be somewhere far in the wilderness, lost and afraid, I came to understand that due to my lack of passion for my faith, I was indeed a lost sheep in search of my shepherd from whom I had wandered away; perhaps not physically, but spiritually.
As I learned more about this new ministry, I came across this phrase in the Landings introduction note that says, “the first thing a returning Catholic need is not to be re-catechized but a personal encounter with the love of God.” That touched me. Isn’t this what I had been looking for, a personal encounter with the love of God? Indeed, it is!
A typical weekly Landings session starts off with a check-in, gauging how each member has been feeling during the week. It was quite uplifting for me to feel the care and support shown by those around me. We then move on to faith sharing. Initially, I found it quite daunting and felt vulnerable to share my faith story. Eventually, after weeks of sharing and hearing faith stories from the other returnees, I began to realize that sharing my faith story to others was akin to confessing to God my past mistakes, my remorse for offending Him and it helped to relieve the guilt baggage that I had been carrying. It was a process of reconciling my past with God. Hearing the faith stories from other returnees was also a humbling experience for me. With the understanding and support of fellow compassionate listeners, I no longer had the fear of being judged by others, and that my stories were in safe hands. I felt understood and loved. Additionally, it made me realize that God had been there with me all the time, loving and blessing me. That is the power of faith sharing as it helped open my eyes and see things from a new perspective. This realization was faith-transforming for me and helped me to have a closer relationship with my Creator, the Holy One.
With this realization, how can I turn back to my old ways? As each day passes, I just want to grow deeper in my faith, to love God more and be a better Catholic. To be so, I am now more aware of the need of daily and fervent prayers, to be in communion with God by reading God’s Word more frequently, to attend Mass with a spirit of expectation, loving and receiving the Holy Eucharist with deep reverence and fondness. I have also learned to be more merciful, charitable, and aware of the suffering of others and praying for them. At the same time, I am deeply moved to pray earnestly for the conversion of sinners and for the return of Catholics who have drifted away from the Church and God.
Taking that first step is never easy, but it is worth it. Sharing our life journey (the good, the bad and the ugly) can be uncomfortable and maybe painful especially opening our past wounds with other fellow Catholics, but it is through faith sharing that we will realize that God wants to have us back in His embrace, just like the story of the Prodigal Father; a father who welcomes his son home, not with questions, but with open arms and a merciful heart.
Landings Ministry is a Catholic ministry, that focuses on welcoming returning Catholics back into active participation in the Church. It is a reconciliation ministry designed to help inactive Catholics re-enter the Church. It creates a “safe place to land” where returning Catholics can share their stories, explore their faith, and be supported by a compassionate community. If you are keen to find out more about the Landings Ministry, feel free to contact Ruth at 017-810-0688 or Martin at 016-832-2188. We look forward to journeying with you in faith.
