As I write this to you, we are about to enter the most unique week in our liturgical year, the week so profound and special that we call it Holy Week. Christ redeemed us all and gave perfect glory to God principally through his paschal mystery: dying he destroyed our death and rising he restored our life. Each year, this most special of all weeks, this most holy of all weeks, culminates in what we call the Easter Triduum. The Easter Triduum begins with the Evening Mass of the Lord’s Last Supper, reaches its high point in the Easter Vigil and culminates on Easter Sunday. This triduum of days, the high point of our liturgical year, leads us in a direct and most profound way into the center of the mystery of our faith and life.

On Holy Thursday, we will celebrate the Mass of the Lord’s Last Supper. At this supper on the night before he was betrayed, Jesus, loving those who were his own in the world even to the end, offered his body and blood to the Father under the appearances of bread and wine, gave them to the apostles to eat and drink, then enjoined the apostles and their successors in the priesthood to offer them in turn. The Mass of the Lord’s Last Supper is a memorial of the institution of the Eucharist. At this Mass each year, we also remember in a special way the institution of the priesthood by which Christ’s sacrifice and mission are perpetuated in the world. In addition, at this Mass we particularly remember Jesus’ gift of the new commandment of love. “I give you a new commandment; love one another as I have loved you.” While every Mass is a memorial of what Jesus did the night before he died, the intertwining themes of the Eucharist are seen more clearly and powerfully at the beginning of the Easter Triduum.

On Good Friday we gather to celebrate in a solemn way the Lord’s Passion. The celebration takes place in three parts: the liturgy of the word, the veneration of the cross and Holy Communion. In contemplating the cross of its Lord and Bridegroom, the Church commemorates its own origin and its mission to extend to all peoples the blessed effects of Christ’s passion that it celebrates on this day in a spirit of gratitude for his marvelous gift.

In accord with ancient tradition, the night of Holy Saturday is a night of vigil for the Lord and, as a memorial of the holy night of Christ’s resurrection, this vigil is the “mother of all holy vigils” (St. Augustine). The Church this night awaits the Lord’s resurrection and celebrates it with the sacraments of Christian initiation. The vigil celebration has four parts: the blessing of the fire and procession with the Easter candle and singing of the Exultet; the Liturgy of the Word during which we remember creation and the whole of salvation history; the baptismal liturgy with the blessing of the water and renewal of baptismal promises; and the Eucharistic liturgy which opens us up into the celebration of the Masses of Easter Sunday.

While it is certainly true that the events at the center of our life of faith, that we celebrate in a unique way in Holy Week, are indeed historical events, what is most important to remember is that what we gather to celebrate is mystery not history! Our celebrations in Holy Week (as well as each time we gather for liturgical celebrations during the year) do not take us back to the upper room or to the tomb. Rather, our celebrations insert us into the mystery of what Christ is doing now. They celebrate that Jesus Christ, in the power of the Holy Spirit, is now taking possession of our hearts and our lives at our deepest core, recreating us in new life.

As I have prayed that all of you would have a most grace-filled Lenten journey this year, I pray now that you will have a most grace-filled and holy Holy Week. To fully enter into and benefit fully from the mystery of Holy Week, we must free ourselves from the distractions and preoccupations of our normal daily routines. Our efforts to do so will be greatly rewarded by the wonders of this holiest of all weeks.

February 10, the First Sunday of Lent, I was privileged as bishop to celebrate the Rite of Election and the Rite of Call To Continuing Conversion along with 15 catechumens, and 51 candidates who are already baptized Christians now seeking full communion with us in the Catholic Church. Their godparents and sponsors as well as other members of Christ’s faithful were also present for the wonderful celebration at our Cathedral of the

Immaculate Conception.

Catechumens are non-baptized persons who have been studying and praying about becoming Catholic Christians. In the Rite of Election they approach the Church and ask for the sacraments of initiation. The Rite is called Election because in it, the Church officially accepts them for a period of more intense preparation leading to the sacraments of initiation, i.e. baptism, confirmation and Eucharist. The Church’s election is founded on the election by God, in whose name the Church acts. The Rite is also called Enrollment of Names because as a pledge of fidelity the catechumens, now called the elect, inscribe their names in a book that lists those who have been chosen for initiation.

In the Rite, godparents testify that the catechumens have faithfully listened to God’s word proclaimed by the Church, have responded to that word, and have begun to walk in God’s presence. They have shared the company of their Christian brothers and sisters, and joined with them in prayer. Those already initiated Catholic Christians are then asked to support the testimony expressed about these catechumens, and include them in their prayer and affection as we move toward Easter.

The Rite of Call To Continuing Conversion of Candidates addresses those who are already baptized but whom now, after study and prayer, approach the Catholic Church and ask to become full members through reception of the sacraments of confirmation and Eucharist. As bishop, in this rite, I asked the sponsors if these candidates for full communion have faithfully listened to the apostles’ instruction proclaimed by the Church, and if they had come to a deeper appreciation of their baptism. I also asked if they had reflected sufficiently on the tradition of the Church; joined with their brothers and sisters in prayer; and advanced in a life of love and service to others. The members of the assembly then pledged their support of the candidates. They promised to include them in their prayer and affection as we move toward Easter.

What a blessing to see how God has worked so wonderfully in the hearts and minds of our elect, and that God continues to lead them to become full members of God’s family, the Church. What a blessing it is that God has worked in the minds and hearts of our candidates who now desire so much to come to full communion with us in the Catholic Church through the reception of confirmation and Eucharist.

As the elect and candidates join us as we move toward Easter, we are reminded that we, as faithful members of God’s Church, must ourselves mark our own Lenten days with ardent prayer and careful listening to God’s word. Our journey will be of help to them if we ourselves listen to God’s word, and study our tradition and the instruction of the apostles. Our journey will help the elect and candidates if we ourselves advance in love and service to others. They will profoundly appreciate the great gift of baptism if we, the baptized and full members, truly appreciate our own baptism and sacramental life.

Every Easter as members of God’s family, the Church, we renew our baptismal promises. We do so, after having spent the period of Lent reflecting and praying on the demands of the new life Jesus shares with us in baptism, and after renewing our own efforts to live that life more fully.

Let me ask all the faithful of this local church to include the elect in your prayers and affections as they journey with us toward Easter.

Let us ourselves be faithful to our Lenten journey and so too, grow in God’s grace.

Greetings and God’s blessings to you these special days of our Lenten journey, 2008. I do hope that these days of the Church’s annual retreat before the celebration of Easter are grace-filled for you. They will be, of course, if you have embraced the discipline that comes with this season. More ardent prayer and penance are a means for us to examine our lives and make progress on the road of conversion. We expressed our desire for this greater turning to God on Ash Wednesday when we came forward to be marked with ashes and hear the words: “turn away from sin and be faithful to the Gospel.”

Operation Rice Bowl: I hope that you and all of our families are actively involved in Operation Rice Bowl this year. Each year, Catholic Relief Services’ Operation Rice Bowl helps us observe the Lenten call to pray, fast and reach out to the poor and vulnerable. Participation is easily accomplished. Each day, those participating place a donation into a cardboard bowl – or rice bowl – which are then collected and donated to projects that alleviate hunger in 40 countries in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the United States too. You need to get a rice bowl and participation materials. They are available at your parish church. On the Fridays of Lent, prepare one of the five featured meatless meals described on the materials. Each member of the family then places a contribution in the rice bowl that represents the amount of money saved by preparing the simple meal. At the meal, read about the country featured for that week and pray the included prayer. At the end of Lent, bring the rice bowl to your parish church. What a wonderful way Operation Rice Bowl is to unite ourselves with the poor and those so much less fortunate than ourselves throughout the world. “When you did it for one of these least ones, you did it for me” Jesus reminds us.

Youth: You’ll remember that one of the three areas of emphasis that our Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI asked that I pay particular attention to is the area of youth. I am scheduled to have Mass and visit with the students at the St. Thomas Aquinas Newman Center in Moorhead this coming Sunday. I look forward to this visit and to the opportunity to have a conversation with the young students there. Last month, Pope Benedict XVI accepted an invitation to speak at La Sapienza University in Rome but postponed going there when opposition arose among some of the faculty and students. Our Holy Father said, “I am attached to the university environment, which was my own world for many years, by love for the search for the truth, by comparison, by the frank and respectful dialogue between reciprocal positions. All this is also the mission of the Church, which is committed to faithfully following Jesus, Teacher of life, truth and love.” I look forward to speaking to the students at the Newman Center about their life of faith and the pursuit of truth.

Faith: There is, of course, a difference between the theological virtue of faith which we hold as followers of Christ and the belief that persons of other religions hold. Theological faith is the acceptance in grace of revealed truth and belief as found in other religions is “the sum of experience and thought that constitutes the human treasury of wisdom and religious aspiration, which man in his search for truth has conceived and acted upon in his relationship to God and the Absolute” (John Paul II – Encyclical Letter Fides et ratio). Pope Benedict XVI, in addressing students in St. Peter’s Square, encouraged them “always to show respect for the opinions of others and to seek goodness and truth in a free and responsible spirit.” I look forward to having a conversation with our young people on their pursuit of truth and their faith.

In the name of the Lord Jesus,

Bishop Hoeppner

Greetings. What a fun week Catholic Schools Week was! What a wonderful gift our Catholic schools are to our young people. I thoroughly enjoyed visiting one school ad day during the week. I met so many wonderful young people, teachers and staff. Thanks to all who sacrifice to make our Catholic schools possible.

In my visits to the classrooms, we reviewed a number of important topics. You’ll be happy to hear that our young people know the sacraments. I’d ask them how many sacraments are there, and they’d answer seven. I’d say, “wrong.” I’d get this horrible look on my face and say, “Seven? Who told you that? There are 10!” I’d ask the teacher “why did you teach them there are seven sacraments?” Together, then, we’d count them off: Baptism, Eucharist, Penance, Confirmation, Holy Matrimony, Holy Orders, Anointing of the Sick and then I’d add the last three: “popping of the popcorn, making of the apple pie, and dishing out of the ice cream.” The kids would laugh and the teachers would sigh in relief. They’d taught them correctly. We certainly had fun reviewing the three major signs of the bishop, the seven sacraments, the three levels of the Sacrament of Holy Orders, knowing Jesus’ voice in our hearts and knowing Jesus’ voice in our minds. I look forward to visiting each and every one of our schools. What a fine job our administrators, teachers and staff are doing.

Lent. Since it’s beginning, Lent has been seen as a joyful preparation for the annual celebration of Easter. God sent his Son to us for our salvation. Jesus accomplished the mission for which he was sent principally by his passion, death and resurrection. The passover of Christ is the summit of salvation history. Easter each year celebrates in a special way this passover and the salvation it brings. Easter celebrates our movement from death to life through our participation in the death and resurrection of Jesus. At Easter, the church welcomes new members through baptism and the profession of faith. At Easter, those already baptized renew their commitment to walk as children of light.

A Lenten journey which would result in our returning to the place we began would be of little use. A Lenten journey in which we truly move from one place to another, from one state of discipleship to a better state of discipleship is of great use. This is what Lent hopes to accomplish each year. Lent is a journey to reform ourselves, to make good progress in the life of holiness. As a preparation for Easter, Lent is a path we take toward personal and communal renewal and growth. Lent is about removing everything in our lives which tarnishes Christ’s image. Lent is about looking at our ways of judging, at our attitudes, ways of behaving, personal and communal habits. The ultimate goal is that we are able to better love God and our neighbor.

The bishops of the Second Vatican Council described Lent as a period of more attentive listening to the Word of God and of more ardent prayer. These are the two chief means by which we move forward in our Lenten journey. In addition, fasting and sharing have always been associated with prayer. All of these practices will lead us to know and love God more and free us to recognize the need of our neighbors and love them better.

I pray that each and every one has the grace of a blessed Lent. Lent is a serious time. It is the only liturgical season that begins on a weekday, with a solemn celebration marked by fasting and ashes. It is serious time because it leads us to confront ourselves. Yet, it is a joyful time for if we are willing to sincerely take up this task, we will soon discover in a fresh way the loving mercy of God and a renewed joy in the resurrected Christ present in our hearts. May this be a treasure each and every one of us finds this Lent and Easter.

A New Year. I hope that each and every one enjoyed a very blessed Christmas and a happy New Year celebration these past days. Thank you to the many who sent their new bishop a card, note and/or present this Christmas. There were so many that it would take me months to respond personally to each and every one. Therefore, let me say a heart-felt and sincere “thank you” to all who wrote me. Your new bishop prayed for you all at each of the Christmas liturgies he participated in: the 5:00 p.m. Christmas Eve Mass at the Cathedral, the 10:00 p.m. Midnight Mass at the Cathedral and the 8:00 a.m. Mass of Christmas Morning at Sacred Heart, East Grand Forks.

We begin each new calendar year by celebrating the Feast of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God. January 1 is also for us the World Day of Prayer for Peace. May we all enjoy a peace-filled 2008. May all lands know true peace in 2008. May the new year be one of great hope that the Gospel message of salvation for all in Christ Jesus be clearly announced throughout the world and take greater root in the hearts of the peoples of the world. Pope Benedict’s address to the world on January 1 was entitled: “The Human Family, a Community of Peace.” He said, “In a healthy family life, we experience some of the fundamental elements of peace: justice and love between brothers and sisters, the role of authority expressed by parents, loving concern for the members who are weaker because of youth, sickness or old age, mutual help in the necessities of life, readiness to accept others and, if necessary, to forgive them. For this reason, the family is the first and indispensable teacher of peace.”

In his letter to me, appointing me as the seventh bishop of Crookston, the letter read by Archbishop Sambi at my ordination liturgy on November 30, 2007, Pope Benedict directed that I “be solicitous for the pastoral care of the family, for priestly vocations, and, especially, for the Christian education of young people who are the hope of the Church and of all humanity.” Over the next weeks in Our Northern Diocese, I will share with you some thoughts on each of these themes: family, vocations and Catholic education.

For now, just one thought about family. I have no doubt that the number one factor that contributed the most to my own delightful family life as I grew up in Winona, Minnesota, was the fact that we prayed together as a family every day. “A family that prays together, stays together” was a mantra we youngsters heard often from dad and mom. Of course, we prayed together before each meal. In addition, though, we prayed together every morning as we went together to Mass and we prayed together every evening as we prayed together the Rosary. Let me share with you the prayer we all prayed together at the end of the Rosary. Oh, yes, it’s an old prayer, with old language, with “Thee” and “Thy” and “Thine” and other older expressions, but notice how it beautifully entrusts family and family life to God.

O Sacred Heart of Jesus, humbly prostrate before Thee, in deepest gratitude for all Thy blessings and with fervent love for Thy unspeakable goodness, to hasten in our land the rule of Thy most sacred heart over society, we consecrate to Thee, under the patronage of St. Joseph, our entire family. May our home, like Thine, ever be the shrine of peace, purity, love and faith, house-hold order and prayer. Be Thou the sovereign ruler of all our actions and the watchful protector of all our interests. We consecrate to Thee, O Jesus of love, all the trials and joys of our family life. We beseech Thee to pour out Thy best blessings on all our members present, absent, living and dead. We entrust them forever to the watchfulness of Thy divine heart and the immaculate heart of Thy most gracious mother. If one among us should have the unhappiness to grieve Thy holy love, we now make atonement for the sin. In the name of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, accept our repentance and grant have mercy. We pray Thee also for the families of the world: to guard the new born, the school children, the vocations of youth, be strength to the weak, a staff to the aged, support to widow, father to orphan. Do Thou Thyself watch in every home at the pillow of the sick and the dying. But most of all, Oh Jesus of love, we ask you to guard us at the hour of death. Be our shelter, our refuge and our resting place. One after another we shall fall asleep in Thy blessed bosom. May each of us in paradise find again one another safe in Thy Sacred Heart.

Our praying together reminded us that God is most important to life, that God was center to all life, that God is the true center of all family life. If God was to be the center of our family life, then we needed to give God time and attention each day as a family. We needed to take the time to pray together as a family.

In many ways, of course, life is different than it was half a century ago. In many ways, the face of its projects has changed as has the pace of those projects. Yet, an unchanging truth is that God is the real center of all life and that if God is to be the center of family life, time and attention for God each day in family prayer is the best way to help that happen. Now as grown-ups, each of my own family members can still pray from memory the prayer we prayed every day consecrating our family to Jesus. I still faithfully pray it after each Rosary. I hope you all have the prayers you need to use to be sure your family is praying together and giving God the center of your family life. If you’re looking for a tried and true one, you might try the one to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

Greetings and God’s blessings to all.

The Ordination

What a wonderful ordination liturgy we celebrated Friday, November 30, 2007. So many archbishops and bishops, so many priests and deacons, so many guests from all over the country and from right here too, and so many of the faithful of this local church of Crookston. We packed the church and praised God in prayer and song. And we received from God a new bishop, a new successor to the apostles, a new shepherd for our journey. A young lad who had experienced the two and a half hour liturgy was asked what he enjoyed the most. Was it the singing? Was it the wonderful prayers? Was it the shear size of the congregation? “No,” he said, “None of that. I liked the pointed hats.” He was referring, of course, to the miters the bishops wore. Ha, I can identify with that. I love my new hat!

Thank You

Once again, I want to thank everyone for the many gifts and cards, for the warm welcome I have received. From Bishop Balke and the staff at the chancery to all who were able to join in the ordination liturgy, to the many who sent cards of welcome, to all who have come to the deanery Masses and receptions, to all who took the time to stand in the reception lines to say hello, to those of the media, I truly appreciate all you have done to make my move here so wonderful. Thank you once again to all who worked long and hard hours to make all the arrangements for our guests and thank you to all who worked long and hard hours planning our liturgies. I hope you are proud of the job you did. I certainly am. Thank you one and all.

Advent

We begin a new church year. The season of Advent that begins the year was initiated and given shape as early as the end of the fourth century in Gaul and Spain and by the sixth century in Rome. The church slowly began to formalize and encourage the celebrations of Christmas-Epiphany. Pope Gregory the Great (591-604) set the number of Sundays before Christmas for Advent at four, reducing them from what had been six. He wanted to simplify and clearly distinguish the differences between Advent and Lent. In the Roman Catholic Church, Advent has a two-fold purpose: as a season to prepare for Christmas when that remembrance directs the mind and heart to await Christ’s Second Coming at the end of time.” (The Roman Calendar) The Sunday liturgies we celebrate in Advent direct our attention to this two-fold purpose, the First and Second Sundays accenting the second coming of the Lord and the Third and Fourth Sundays accenting the immediate preparation for Christmas. “We look then beyond the first coming and await the second. At the first coming we said, `Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.’ At the second we shall say it again; we shall go out with the angels to meet the Lord and cry out in adoration: “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.” (St. Cyril of Jerusalem)

I pray that each of you will know the grace of a good Advent this year. Christmas is about Christ who has come to us with the gift of salvation and who will come again for us, to take us to be with God forever in heaven. In this Advent Season, we prepare. We put our house in even better order for celebrating Christ as Christmas, for welcoming the Christ who will come at the end of time to take us to the home he has prepared for us for eternity. The sentiments of Advent are those of anticipation, excitement and joy. St. John the Baptist directs us to give some evidence of our reform, to give evidence of the preparations we are making. Those preparations can take many forms but, ultimately, will be concrete manifestations of our true love for God and sincere love for our neighbor. I pray that each of you will use the grace God gives during this Advent Season creatively, finding wonderful ways to show love of God and love of neighbor. What joy we find in such love.

In the name of the Lord Jesus…

Bishop Hoeppner

This will be my final article for the OND. Cookie, the editor, says that I never missed an article in all my 31+ years. I must admit that I can’t remember missing any either, but I know I missed some deadlines.

For this last article, I’ve decided to print here my homily at the Farewell Mass on November 4th at the Cathedral. I believe it’s a fitting way to end my time as your Voice of the Valley.

Farewell Mass, Nov. 4, 2007
As I began to think about this homily, I thought to myself: this is as close as it gets to preaching at your own funeral. One reason for this is that people are saying: May he rest in peace. As you can see, I’m not dead yet, but in a sense, I am dying: I’m dying to one way of being bishop, but I’m rising to another way of being bishop. There is pain in the dying, but joy in the rising; the Paschal Mystery is everywhere.
One of the one-liners I read recently was this: “Don’t cry because it’s over now; rather, be glad because it happened.” I thought that this little bit of wisdom fit my situation very well. Don’t cry because the 31+ years of being your bishop are over now, but instead, be glad and rejoice because those 31 years happened.
And so I rejoice in my Father-God who, through Jesus in the Holy Church, guided by the Holy Spirit, called me here to the Diocese of Crookston. From the beginning I felt and thought that this call was a sign of my heavenly Father’s love for me, but I must admit that sometimes I lost sight of this, especially in the winter time, and at other trying times too, which I need not elaborate on.
I rejoice, too, in you, the People of God in this diocesan church. I have had a spousal relationship with you for 31+ years. When I was ordained a bishop on September 2, 1976, Archbishop Roach put this ring on my finger, and said: “Take this ring, the seal of your fidelity. With faith and love protect the bride of God, his holy Church.”
I believe I can honestly say that I have watched over this holy Church of Crookston with faith and with love—with a faith that, no doubt, could have been stronger at times and with a love that could have been more sacrificial at times. But for these 31 years, echoing St. Paul’s words to the Thessalonians that we heard, I have prayed for you, “that our God may make you worthy of his calling, and powerfully bring to fulfillment every good purpose and every effort of faith, that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, in accord with the grace of our God and Lord Jesus Christ.”
I think I have had a good relationship with the laity, the religious communities and the diaconal community, and I’m grateful to all of you for your kindnesses and love. But there are two groups with whom I have had a special relationship, and the first of these is the presbyterate, that is, the community of priests of the diocese, both diocesan and religious. If my count is correct, I’ve ordained 23 of the priests now belonging to our presbyterate, Fr. John Kleinwachter being the first and Fr. Mario Prada the last. For the most part, I think we, as bishop and presbyterate, have prayed and worked together very well for the good of the Diocese and the glory of God. In my relationship with individual priests, as in any one-to-one relationship, there have been ups and downs, joys and sorrows, hopes and disappointments, successes and failures, understandings and misunderstandings. Just as I know that we forgive one another for any offense ever given, so I know as well that we are grateful to one another for the grace and the gift that we have been to each other.
The other group with whom I’ve had a special relationship is the diocesan staff—comprised over the years of various priests, deacons, religious and laity. Some of them have been at the Chancery longer than I have. Whether they have been with me for a long time or a short time, I am grateful to them all for their dedication and zeal. As diocesan staff, they really serve you, the people of this diocese, more than they serve me. And most of all, they serve the Lord and the coming of His Kingdom.
In today’s Gospel we heard about the encounter between Jesus and Zacchaeus. As a result of that encounter, Zacchaeus experienced a profound conversion; he would never be the same. For 31 years you and I together, as Church, have been encountering the Lord in his Word and in the celebration of the Holy Eucharist and the other Sacraments, notably that of Reconciliation or Penance. We are not the same as we were 31 years ago, because these encounters with the Lord have led us all, individually and as a People, to an ever deeper conversion to Christ and to an ever deeper discipleship. This is why over these years I have strongly encouraged the best possible parish liturgies, convinced that good liturgy leads to strong faith. This is also why I have supported such spiritual movements as TEC, Cursillo, Koinonia, Marriage Encounter—spiritual movements where the Word of God and the Sacraments play such an important part. This also explains why we invited RENEW into the Diocese some years ago, and have now invited WHY CATHOLIC?
These movements and faith-sharing moments are not ends in themselves, but means to an end, namely, encountering the Lord in all his beauty, truth, and loving goodness, as Zacchaeus did. Embracing Him in the depths of our hearts as the Good, the True and the Beautiful, we turn away from all that is unlike Him in our lives. And then, by his call and in his company, which is ours through Word and Sacrament, we give witness to Him as our Lord and Savior by following Him, cross upon our shoulders and glory in our hearts, through death into resurrection and eternal life.
In less than a month you will have a new bishop. I know that all of you—priests, deacons, religious, laity—will not only welcome him with warmth and sincerity, but also pray and work with him for the coming of the Kingdom. And I too, still a part of this diocese, though in a different role, will be praying and working with you, under the authority and leadership of Bishop-elect Hoeppner.
I do not cry because his time has come; I rejoice that it has. Nor do I cry because my time is over now; I rejoice because it happened. God bless you all.
Postscript: With Thanksgiving Day just a week away, let me say to all of you: THANK YOU FOR 31 WONDERFUL AND BLESSED YEARS!

Last month an important statement was made by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. It came as a result of two questions from the Catholic Bishops of our country. Both questions deal with the end-of-life issues.

The first question was this: Is the administration of food and water (whether by natural or artificial means) to a patient in a “vegetative state” morally obligatory except when they cannot be assimilated by the patient’s body or cannot be administered to the patient without causing significant physical discomfort?

The answer to this question was: “Yes. The administration of food and water even by artificial means is, in principle, an ordinary and proportionate means of preserving life. It is therefore obligatory to the extent to which, and for as long as, it is shown to accomplish its proper finality, which is the hydration and nourishment of the patient. In this way suffering and death by starvation and dehydration are prevented.”

The second question was this: When nutrition and hydration are being supplied by artificial means to a patient in a “permanent vegetative state,” may they be discontinued when competent physicians judge with moral certainty that the patient will never recover consciousness?

The answer to this question was: “No. A patient in a ‘permanent vegetative state’ is a person with fundamental human dignity and must, therefore, receive ordinary and proportionate care which includes, in principle, the administration of water and food even by artificial means.”

Pope Benedict XVI approved of these responses and ordered them to be published.

I wish the terms “vegetative state” and “permanent vegetative state” had never been coined. (The “vegetative state” lasting over a year is considered to be a “permanent vegetative state.”) These terms lead one to believe that a patient in such a state is no longer a person with human rights, but is something less than human, in other words, a “vegetable.”

But as the commentary accompanying the above questions and answers noted: patients in a “vegetative state” breathe spontaneously, digest food naturally, carry on other metabolic functions, and are in a stable condition.

Patients, even if seriously ill or disabled in the exercise of their highest functions, are and always will be persons, and they will never become a “vegetable” or an “animal.”

Such persons, however, are not able to feed themselves. If they are not provided artificially with food and liquids, they will die, and the cause of their death will be neither an illness nor the “vegetative state” itself, but solely starvation and dehydration.

But some doctors doubt the “human quality” of patients in a “permanent vegetative state,” and they therefore suggest the discontinuance of nutrition and hydration. They are suggesting, in effect, that the person should be left to die of starvation and/or dehydration. This is totally immoral.

In response to such doctors (and other like-minded persons), it is necessary to reaffirm that the intrinsic value and personal dignity of every human being do not change, no matter what the concrete circumstances of his or her life.

You will note that the above responses both use the phrase “in principle.” This raises the question: Are there exceptions “in practice” to the “in principle”?

The commentary responds to this question. It says that “the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith does not exclude the possibility that, in very remote places or in situations of extreme poverty, the artificial provision of food and water maybe physically impossible, and then ad impossibilia nemo tenetur [that is, no one is held to do the impossible]. However, the obligation to offer the minimal treatments that are available remains in place.

“Nor is the possibility excluded that, due to emerging complications, a patient may be unable to assimilate food and liquids, so that their provision becomes altogether useless.

“Finally, the possibility is not absolutely excluded that, in some rare cases, artificial nourishment and hydration may be excessively burdensome for the patient or may cause significant physical discomfort, for example resulting from complication in the use of the means employed.”

Today is September 28, and on this day at a news conference held at Mt. St. Benedict Center I announced that the Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI, had accepted my request to resign as Bishop of Crookston and to go into retirement. I had asked for this even before reaching the age of 75, when, according to Canon Law, bishops are expected to submit their resignation.

So I am grateful to the Holy Father for granting this permission to retire on the day before my 76th birthday, September 29. Is it his birthday gift to me? I consider it as such, but I’m sure it’s by accident and not by design.

I will continue to administer the Diocese under the title of Apostolic Administrator. According to the decree I received, I still have the rights and duties of a diocesan bishop according to the norms of Canon Law.

The new bishop is Fr. Michael J. Hoeppner. He is 58 and has been serving as the Vicar General of the Diocese of Winona. He will be ordained and installed as the seventh Bishop of Crookston on November 30, feast of St. Andrew the Apostle. This is an appropriate day since bishops are successors to the apostles.

Bishop-elect Hoeppner, who was present for the news conference, is a wonderfully qualified and gifted person, and the Diocese has been truly blessed by his appointment. He is energetic and enthusiastic, and will no doubt be a Christ-like shepherd for the priest, deacons, religious and laity of the diocese.

I’ve been Bishop here for a little over 31 years, a long time by anybody’s reckoning. As it is with any other vocation, I have had successes and failures, joys and sorrows, good times and bad times. But all times have been blessed times, for God has been part of it all even when sometimes I overlooked his presence.

After 31 years, this Diocese is home to me, and I have decided to remain in the Diocese but not in the city of Crookston itself. I will be living in Moorhead, a parishioner of St. Joseph’s Parish. I’ll probably get a box of offertory envelopes from the pastor.

I was asked at the press conference what I was going to do. My answer was that I would be available to substitute for priests who may want to go on retreat or attend some seminar or go on vacation. But I will most probably spend some time during January, after our bishops’ retreat in Jacksonville, enjoying Florida’s sunshine.

Anyway, I thank God for these 31 years, and I thank all of you—the priests, deacons, religious and laity—for all you have done for me and with me in trying to make this Diocese a visible and credible sign of the Kingdom—a kingdom of truth and life, of grace and light, a kingdom of justice and love and peace.

I will continue to write this column through November, and then you will be hearing another voice from the valley. In the meantime, let’s all be one in prayer for Bishop-elect Hoeppner, God’s gift to us all.

The war in Iraq has been in the news more than usual in recent days since General Petraeus and others gave their testimony to Congress.

While you and I may surely express our opinion on what should be done now, it’s really up to the President, the other politicians, and the military leaders to make those decisions.

I have said before, and I say it again, President Bush made a terrible mistake in invading Iraq. That decision was never morally defensible, and he was repeatedly warned, even by Pope John Paul II, not to invade Iraq.

But now that we are trying to stabilize the country against the terrorist groups and the in-fighting among the various Muslim sects, what should be done—pull our troops out entirely? pull them out partially? or stay the present course, including the surge in military build-up?

Remaining in Iraq militarily, whether entirely or partially, will mean more deaths of American military personnel. I have presided at the funerals of three military men killed in Iraq: Corey Rystad of Red Lake Falls, Greg Riewer of Frazee, and most recently Andrew Nelson of Moorhead. May they rest forever in God’s peace!

The families of these men experience deep, deep grief—such grief that it is tempting to say, “Enough of this! Let’s get out of Iraq altogether, and let whatever happens happen.”

But would it happen that Osama bin Laden and his ilk take over Iraq? Would it happen that Iran, with its own brand of political and military radicalism, takes over? And there are probably other equally bad possibilities.

As I said earlier, while we may have our own thoughts about what to do, ultimately the decision belongs to our elected officials in concert with the military.

Does that mean we can do nothing? Not at all! To say that we can do nothing is to say that we no longer believe in the power of prayer.

We can and, as Christians who are called upon to be peace-makers, we must pray for peace in Iraq. I dare say, and this is saying a lot, that we can and must pray that the terrorists, even Osama bin Laden, will turn from their violent ways to thoughts and works of peace based on justice. Nothing is impossible for God!

October will soon be here, and October is the month dedicated to praying the Rosary. The reason for this is that we celebrate the memorial of Our Lady of the Rosary on October 7. Since this falls on a Sunday this year, the Mass of the twenty-seventh Sunday will most probably be celebrated in our parishes.

Still, I invite everyone and every family to pray the Rosary for peace on October 7, and then to continue praying the Rosary for that intention for the rest of the month. And if the Rosary isn’t a form of prayer that, for some reason, suits you and/or your family, then by all means gather in the name of Jesus for other prayers for peace. “Where two or three are gathered in my name,” Jesus said, “I am there in their midst.”

The opening prayer for the Mass in honor of Our Lady of the Rosary is this: “Lord, fill our hearts with your love, and as you revealed to us by an angel the coming of your Son as man, so lead us through [his ministry,] his suffering and death, to the glory of his resurrection, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever.”

This prayer refers to the Joyful Mysteries of the Rosary (“the coming of your Son as man”), the Sorrowful Mysteries (“his suffering and death”), and the Glorious Mysteries (“the glory of his resurrection”). I added the words “his ministry” in light of the five luminous mysteries that Pope John Paul II decreed: Jesus’ baptism in the Jordan, the wedding at Cana where he worked his first miracle, his proclamation of the kingdom, the Transfiguration and the Last Supper.

Blessed are the peace-makers, for they will be called children of God. Everyone can be a peace-maker through prayer.

I’ve heard it said several times, and I’ve said it myself, “Where has the summer gone?” June, July and August seem to fly by with a supersonic speed.

And that means that school and religious education classes begin again. In other words, our children and young people once again gather to “learn Christ,” as Paul said to the Ephesians (4, 20).

They will gather in our Catholic schools to learn other things too, but the primary purpose of both our schools and our religious educations (r.e.) classes is “to learn Christ.” If this isn’t accomplished, then lots of time, energy and money are being wasted.

This learning process takes place under the leadership of well-trained principals, teachers, staff, with the pastor ordinarily being the local school superintendent.

I encourage the parents of our children and young people to take a deep interest in the educational and formational enterprise offered by the parish. Cooperation between parents and school/r.e. personnel is extremely important. With parents keeping informed about the objectives of the school and the r.e. classes, working together will insure a good year of learning and development for children.

It should also be remembered that the parents are the primary educators of their children, especially in faith and morality. The schools and r.e. classes are there to supplement their efforts, not to supplant them.

I pray that everyone involved in this new school year will have a wonderful year ahead, a prayerful year, a year of favor from the Lord.

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Why Catholic?

Adults, too, have an opportunity to learn Christ. During the week of September 16, important gatherings will be held in four places for Year II of “Why Catholic?”

These sessions of “leader training” will be held at Holy Rosary in Detroit Lakes on the 17th, at St. Mary’s in Fosston and St. Joseph’s in Bagley on the 18th, at Sacred Heart in East Grand Forks on the 19th, and at St. Joseph’s in Moorhead on the 20th. The time for all of these sessions is 7:00 p.m., except for the one at Fosston, which is at 2:00 p.m.

I dare say that this “semester” of “Why Catholic?” may be the most important of them all. The reason is that this semester is focused on the Liturgy and an understanding of the Sacraments.

Liturgy and Sacraments are absolutely central to our Catholic life, and each of the Sacraments will be prayerfully studied in some detail.

I strongly encourage all our people to become involved in “Why Catholic?” this fall. I am convinced that your prayer-life, your liturgical life, your sacramental life, will be greatly enhanced.

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A.I.

A.I. stands for Amnesty International. I referred to this once before in an article, but not the A.I. has made it official: it is supporting so-called abortion rights. Without consulting its members, it changed its policy of neutrality on abortion to a policy of approval and support.

This was done at the organization’s meeting in Mexico City, where the delegates overwhelmingly approved the new policy. According to the Catholic News Agency, “the new protocol calls for abortion to be made available in the case of rape and requires the organization to push for the legalization of abortion in countries where it is currently outlawed.”

I encourage everyone who has been supporting A. I. financially (I once did) or in any other way to stop doing so immediately. As Cardinal Bertone, the Pope’s right-hand man, said: We cannot ever destroy life; we must always save life even if it is the fruit of violence.” A.I. has lost its moral compass.

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Mother Theresa

In light of the publication of some of Mother Theresa’s letters, some silly things have been said and printed by the media about her spiritual life and journey.

I have a wonderful book entitled “The Impact of God: Soundings from St. John of the Cross” by Iain Matthew. One of the chapters is called “Night.” The author speaks of two ideas of John; one is “contemplation” and the other is “dark night.” This, in part, is what it says:

“Contemplation: prayer where I am no longer a tourist, where sense has shifted to spirit—where plenty of insights and aspirations have given way to a less picturesque, more total form of togetherness with God. [The author quotes St. John of the Cross :] ‘Contemplation is nothing but a hidden, peaceful, loving inflow of God. `If it is given room, it will inflame the spirit with love.’

“If God is a self-bestowing God, then his gift is liable to engage us. If he is active, then, in prayer, provided we stay around, he is liable to act.”

Then the author speaks of the other idea, the dark night. “Night: if God is beyond us, his approach is also liable to leave us feeling out of our depth. When the divine engages us more deeply, our minds and feelings will have less to take hold of, accustomed as they are to controlling the agenda, to meeting God on their terms and in portions they can handle. A deeper gift will feel like no gift at all. His ‘loving inflow’ is ‘hidden’; it is night.

“If anything is felt it will probably be our own selfishness and narrowness (wood crackling and twisting as the fire makes progress). When God approaches as who he is, I am liable to feel myself for what I am. As a physical sign of growth is growing pains, so a sign of God’s gift is the pain of being widened. This is the blessedness of night, that God, who wants to give, undertakes to make space in us for his gift.

“That, then, is the terminology--contemplation: a loving inflow of God; night: his love felt as pain.”

This, I dare say, is what Mother Theresa experienced. And this, I dare say, is what the media, given their ignorance of spiritual realities, totally missed.

  First of all, I want to thank you for your generous contributions to the special collection we had for the benefit of our retired priests, especially in regard to their health care insurance. Most of the parishes have forwarded the collection to the Diocese, and as of this date, July 18, ****** have been contributed.
This is wonderful generosity! Some people sent their contributions directly to my office, and I know from the checks sent to me that many, many people responded with great love and appreciation for our retired priests.
So, again, I want to express my sincere appreciation to all of you who contributed so wonderfully and, no doubt, sacrificially. I know our retired priests are also grateful to you for your affirming support and love.
Several people sent me a letter indicating that they thought our health care premiums were very high. I asked Chad Ryan, who attends to all our insurance needs, to prepare something that I could include in this article. This is what he wrote:
“ Some concerned parishioners have inquired as to why the medical insurance premiums for the retired priests are higher than what they are paying for their own Medicare supplement.
“ The reason is that the retired priests do not have a true ‘Medicare supplement’; they continue to be covered under the diocesan group health insurance plan. They have the exact same insurance as the active priests, except that their plan pays secondary to Medicare.
“ The retired priests receive a higher level of benefits than is offered under a regular Medicare supplement plan, particularly in the areas of prescriptions and nursing home coverage. Since the benefits are better, the premiums are higher.
“ The idea of moving the retired priests out of the diocesan group plan and into a standard Medicare supplement has been raised (with Unicare in particular being recommended by a number of people). Making a move like this will reduce premiums, but it will also reduce coverage, meaning higher medical bills for the retired priests.
“ There are also other issues, e.g., the geographic area a plan covers (over a quarter of our retired priests live in areas not covered by Unicare), that would have to be addressed before a decision to change to another plan could be made.”
I hope the above explanation about the high premiums is adequate, but if anyone has other questions or suggestions, please write to me or to Chad Ryan.
I hope your summer is going well. Summer is always an “iffy” time for farmers. I believe the big IF is this: IF we get the right balance of sunshine and rain, everything will be just right, and we’ll have good crops.
So I am praying for that good balance of sun and rain. There have been times this summer, at least in some places, when that balance may not have been achieved. Hard rains and strong storms hit some places.
But, in the end, it’s a matter of trust and faith in God, whose Son, Jesus, said: “If God clothes in such splendor the grass of the field, which grows today and is thrown on the fire tomorrow, how much more will he provide for you, O weak in faith!”
Maybe the “iffiness” of summer is really this: “IF we have faith and trust in our loving God, all will be well!” As Jesus said on one occasion: “Fear is useless; what is needed is trust.”
May the rest of your summer go well!

Our newspaper in Crookston had this provocative headline on the last page of its July 13th issue: “Pope Benedict XVI reasserts other Christian denominations are not true churches.” Similar headlines appeared in other papers too.
The article in our local paper was written by Nicole Winfield of the AP from Italy, and it refers to a statement issued by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith and approved by Pope Benedict XVI.
The headline above needs clarification, and in order to clarify it, I would like to quote from Cardinal Walter Kasper, President of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity.
Cardinal Kasper notes that a “first and quick reaction among Protestant Christians . . . has been one of irritation.” But he also notes that the statement or document does not say anything new. It re-affirms what a previous document in 2000 said about Christ and the Church. Therefore, he says, there is no “objective reason for outrage, or the feeling of being offended.”
Cardinal Kasper then writes: “A thorough reading of the text makes clear that the document does not say that the Protestant churches are not churches, but that they are not churches in the proper sense, that is, they are not churches in the sense in which the Catholic Church understand itself as church.” This is self-evident, he says, for anyone “even partly informed,” and he explains why.
“ The Protestant churches do not want to be a church at all in the sense of the Catholic Church; they speak strongly of having another understanding of church and ministry in the church which . . . Catholics frankly do not consider to be the original one.”
“ The declaration of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith does nothing else than to show that we do not use the one and same word Church completely in the same sense. Such a statement helps to clarify and to promote dialogue.” The declaration, he insists, is “an urgent invitation to an objective dialogue that will help us move ahead.”
The critics of the document in 2000 and of this latest statement seem to ignore what the Catholic Church holds “about the Protestant churches, namely, that Jesus Christ is effectively present within them for the salvation of their members.”
This latest document, like the one before it about seven years ago, is simply and honestly stating what we Catholics believe to be the truth about ourselves as Church and what we understand to be the truth about Protestant churches or ecclesial communities. We need such honesty if we are going to have sincere and authentic ecumenical dialogue.
In light of the above, I think the World Alliance of Reformed Churches over-reacted when it said that this latest statement “makes us question the seriousness with which the Roman Catholic Church takes its dialogues with the reformed family and other families of the church.” Some people take offense when none is given.
The statement, rather than being considered a setback to ecumenical discussion, should, in fact, be considered an honest and genuine invitation to a dialogue “that will help us move ahead.”
After I had written the above, I discovered on the editorial page of the Grand Forks Herald another article, this one written by Rod Dreher of the Dallas Morning News. Rod got it right.
He wrote about the consternation, even among Catholics, that the Pope’s views caused. He said: “Well, what did they expect? It’s the pope’s job to explain and defend Catholic teaching. . . . Benedict was clarifying an important point of Catholic theology: that you cannot have a real church without a valid Eucharist. You can’t have a valid Eucharist without a sacramentally legitimate priesthood. And you can’t have that in ecclesial bodies that have severed the line of apostolic succession, as Protestant communions have.”
The writer also noted that Metropolitan Kirill, “leader of the ecumenical office of the Russian Orthodox Church,” welcomed Benedict’s directive as an ‘honest statement.’” Then he paraphrased what Kirill said: “Better to know where we really stand with one another than to gloss over fundamental theological differences for the sake of making nicey-nice.”
As Rod Dreher wrote: “Good relations among believers must be built, but only on a foundation of honesty.”

Last week I wrote about the recent document of the Holy See dealing with the Catholic understanding of other churches and ecclesial communities.
Another recent document from the Holy See, this one from the Pope himself rather than from a Congregation, was about the use of the Tridentine Mass (I will call it the Latin Mass) that is, the kind of Mass that was celebrated prior to the Second Vatican Council—in Latin, the altar against the wall of the apse, the priest’s back to the people, many prayers in silence, etc.
I would like to summarize the Pope’s letter. First of all, our current liturgy is to be considered the ordinary and normative way to offer Mass. The Latin Mass is to be considered as “extraordinary,” that is, not the normative way of offering Mass.
Secondly, in Masses celebrated without people, any priest of the Latin rite may use either the Roman Missal published by Blessed John XXIII in 1962 or the Roman Missal promulgated by Pope Paul VI in 1970, except during the Holy Triduum (Holy Thursday evening through Easter Sunday evening).
Thirdly, “in parishes where a group of faithful attached to the previous liturgical tradition [the Latin Mass] exists stably,” the pastor should be willing, if asked, to celebrate Mass according to the rite of the Roman Missal of 1962. This Missal may be used on weekdays and once on Sundays and on feast days. It may also be used at weddings, funerals, or occasional celebration, e.g., pilgrimages, when the faithful or priests request it.
I do not know of any “group of faithful [in this Diocese] attached to the previous liturgical tradition” that “exists stably.” Even if there were, I know of no priest, including myself, who would be comfortable celebrating the Latin Mass without considerable study and practice.
I applaud Pope Benedict’s motivation in issuing his letter. In a cover letter to Bishops, he said: “It is a matter of coming to an interior reconciliation in the heart of the Church.”
I know that we all want this reconciliation, especially with the group that resulted from “the movement led by Archbishop Lefebvre,” the Society of St. Pius X, that the Pope referred to. This group is not even “in the heart of the Church,” since they are a schismatic group.
Moreover, as far as I can determine, this group fails to meet the requirement of Pope Benedict, who wrote in his letter to all the Bishops: “Needless to say, in order to experience full communion, also the priests of the communities adhering to the former usage cannot, as a matter of principle, exclude celebrating according to the new books. The total exclusion of the new rite would not in fact be consistent with the recognition of its value and holiness.”
This is precisely what the Society of St. Pius X does: it excludes celebrating Mass according to the reforms of the Second Vatican Council. If this Society would sincerely profess the “value and holiness” of the liturgy approved after the Second Vatican Council, I think a rapprochement with it could be reached. Let us hope and pray this happens.

   On May 19 we will ordain Deacon Mario Prada a priest for service in the Diocese of Crookston. His ordination invitation has these words on it: “Let my Spirit find joy in God, who is my Savior.”
Mario was born into a Catholic family of seven in Colombia, South American. He himself is a U. S. citizen and has lived in this country for many years. He receive all his graduate education (Masters, Specialist, Ph.D.) in the U. S. and has worked as a faculty member and administrator in U.S. colleges and universities in Illinois and Minnesota.
Deacon Mario was married and has three children; the marriage was later declared null. All three children were born in Illinois.
He writes: “The catalyst that hastened my decision was when a priest from our diocese approached me after Mass and said (in words like these): ‘brother, are you ready to consider religious life as a deacon or as a priest?’”
He pondered these words for some time, and from that point on his discernment began. He said: “I felt strongly that the Lord was calling me to a ministry of service and evangelization.”
His ordination, scheduled for 10:30 am at the Cathedral on Saturday, May 19, is cause for all of us saying, “Let my Spirit find joy in God, who is my Savior.” All are welcome!

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The rest of this article is about Mother’s Day, and I am re-printing it from last year since last year’s article is still timely, given that the violence in Iraq and elsewhere still rages.
Julia Ward Howe wrote the original Mother’s Day Proclamation as a call for peace and disarmament. Since Mother’s Day is this coming Sunday, I thought an excerpt from the Proclamation would be appropriate.

From the voice of a devastated Earth a voice goes up with
our own. It says: “Disarm! Disarm!
The sword of murder is not the balance of justice.”
Blood does not wipe our dishonor,
Nor violence indicate possession.
As men have often forsaken the plough and the anvil at the summons
of war,
Let women now leave all that may be left of home
For a great and earnest day of counsel.
Let them meet first, as women, to bewail and commemorate the dead.
Let them solemnly take counsel with each other as to the means
Whereby the great human family can live in peace.

Julia Ward Howe failed in her attempt to get formal recognition of a Mother’s Day for Peace. But other women kept working on the idea of a Mother’s Day, until President Woodrow Wilson declared the first national Mother’s Day in 1914.
I like Julia Ward Howe’s idea of connecting Mother’s Day to a call for peace and disarmament. How many mothers, and not only American Mothers, are suffering and grieving right now because of the heroic death or injury of a son or a daughter resulting either from the unjustified, preemptive assault on Iraq, or from the current insurgency by heartless and cruel terrorists!
The Church has spoken many times about the dangers of weapons of destruction, not only WMD, but ordinary weapons as well. The temptation to settle disputes through such weaponry is sometimes too great for some leaders to resist.
And so, rather than settle their disputes through negotiation and arbitration, some leaders of nations try to settle them through weaponry, seemingly not caring about the loss of human life and the grieving that flows from such loss.
Peace is a Resurrection-value. How often Jesus announced “Peace” in his Resurrection appearances! Peace is a pro-life value.
War, violence, and vengefulness are anti-Resurrection and anti-life; they are pro-death and a part of the culture of death.
Perhaps mothers, more than others, sense this; Julia Ward Howe, mother of six children (four surviving into adulthood), surely did.
As we celebrate our mothers this weekend for all the loving sacrifices they readily and willingly make, let us also celebrate their desire and work for peace: peace in the family, peace in the Church, peace in the world.
Together with them, let us all “solemnly take counsel with each other as to the means / Whereby the great human family can live in peace.”

    I recently purchased a book of meditations written by Pope Benedict XVI when he was still a Cardinal. One of these meditations is on Easter, and he begins it with a brief poem; it’s not a poem of faith, but a poem of doubt, if not unbelief. This is it:

The bells rang,
As if they were clanging for joy
over the empty grave

Over that which once
so consoled,

and that has sustained astonishment for 2000 years

However even though the bells
hammered so forcefully against the midnight—
nothing in the darkness changed.

The poet remembers a time when the Easter bells announcing the Resurrection of the Lord gave great consolation and sustained a sense of wonder and awe. But now the Easter bells seem to have lost their power to console us and to sustain our wonderment. In spite of the bells hammering against the midnight, nothing in the darkness changed. The ringing of the bells has no meaning; it serves no useful purpose anymore.
According to the Cardinal, now our Pope, this poem expresses quite accurately the sentiments of our time in regard to the Easter proclamation that we heard on Holy Saturday night.
This is not unlike the thought of Matthew Arnold’s “Dover Beach” (1867), where he said: “The Sea of Faith / Was once, too, at the full, and round earth’s shore / . . . / But now I only hear / Its melancholy, long, withdrawing roar / Retreating . . . .”
Faith in the Resurrection of Christ once guided and governed the moral tenor of our times, at least in the western world. For centuries the western world had a center, and that center was Christ, the risen One. This is reflected in the art, the architecture and the literature of those centuries, all of which Europe still treasures, but no longer as signs of faith.
In addition, because the western world once believed in the Resurrection of Christ as the promise of our own, most people, by and large, sincerely tried to live according to the Gospel of Christ. Christ was accepted as the Way, the Truth and the Life, but, sad to say, no more.
The Parliament of the European Union, e.g., even refuses to recognize the Christian foundations of Europe, something which Pope John Paul II and Benedict XVI have been urging for a long time. The President of France, Jacque Chirac, even said, “The lay character of French institutions does not allow them to accept a religious reference.” France and other European nations have may be described as neo-pagan.
Given the vast number of Muslims moving to Europe, it may be that the religion of Islam will replace Christianity. Those who identify themselves as Muslim are far more religious than those who still identify themselves as Christian.
Pope Benedict is not alone in his assessment that Europe has lost its way. Marcello Pera, when he was president of the Italian Senate, said: “I began to realize that if we cannot recognize the fact that Christianity shaped our culture, then we lose our identity. Europe is losing its soul. Not only are we no longer Christian, we’re anti-Christian. So we don’t know who we are.”
As a result, I believe that the religious and moral life of Europe has sunk to a new low. It is a continent that has embraced secularism, relativism, hedonism. And, it seems to me, the moral and religious life of our own country has followed suit.
What is the evidence for this? Abortion, euthanasia, assisted suicide, same-sex couples, co-habitation, drugs of every kind, pornography, pre-marital sexual activity, sexual abuse, and many other kinds of violence, such as the high number of murders and other serious crimes against persons and property. Add to this the fact that significantly less than half of the population regularly attends a worship service on the weekend, and in Europe hardly more than 10 percent attend weekend worship.
With all this, with little or no faith being “at the full, and round earth’s shore,” is it any wonder that Easter bells seem to ring without meaning for so many people? Is it any wonder that nothing seems changed in the darkness? Is it any wonder that the wonder that once surrounded the Resurrection seems to be gone?
But we should not let all these signs of a weakened Christian faith in the western world dismay or depress us. We should see them as a challenge, moving us to express our own faith in the Resurrection through lives that are clearly Christian and Catholic.
In this way we can be witnesses to the Risen Christ, proclaiming his Resurrection, his victory over sin and death. Our very lives must be the Easter bells that not only hammer against the midnight but also change things in the darkness of our world.
We give witness to the Risen Lord through love, Christ-like love, wherever we are—at home, in school, at work, at play, in all our relationships.
As I told the young people at the Chrism Mass, a Christ-like love is a love that reaches out to people in need; it’s a love that forgive hurts and offenses against us; it’s a love that is peaceful, non-violent in word and in deed; it’s a love that is chaste and pure; it’s a love that speaks out on behalf of the poor and the oppressed, and on behalf of those who are bullied at school or anywhere else.
Lives lived in such love change things in the darkness. They announce and proclaim that Christ is risen! They are like bells joyfully, clearly, and loudly pealing out the good news of the Resurrection.

     By the time you read this, we will have just two weeks of Lent left. We will soon be in Holy Week. My article for this issue of OND is a poetic prayer, originally in Latin, attributed to St. Francis Xavier, S.J. Two translations are below; the first one (on the left), the one I prefer, is by Gerard Manley Hopkins, S.J., and the second one is by Fr. Edward Caswall.
    The prayer/poem is about the love of Jesus for us, shown in his sufferings, and why we, though sinners, love Him in return.
I believe this prayer gives us a lot to think about and reflect upon, in a spirit of praise and thanksgiving, as we approach Holy Week and the Easter Season.

O DEUS, EGO AMO TE
(O God, I Love Thee)

O God, I love thee, I love thee—
Not out of hope of heaven for me
Nor fearing not to love and be
       In the everlasting burning.

Thou, thou, my Jesus, after me
       Didst reach thine arms out dying,
For my sake sufferedst nail and lance,
Mocked and marred countenance,
       Sorrows passing number,
       Sweat and care and cumber,
Yea and death, and this for me,
       And thou couldst see me sinning:

Then I, why should not I love thee,
Jesu, so much in love with me?

Not for heaven’s sake; not to be
Out of hell by loving thee;
Not for any gains I see;
But just the way that thou didst me
I do love and I will love thee;

What must I love thee, Lord, for then?
For being my king and God. Amen.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church says this: “Jesus’ call to conversion and penance, like that of the prophets before him, does not aim first at outward works, ‘sackcloth and ashes,’ fasting and mortification, but at the conversion of the heart, interior conversion. Without this, such penances remain sterile and false; however, interior conversion urges expression in visible signs, gestures and works of penance.”

Lent is a time when we are to hear Jesus’ call to conversion and penance anew, and then respond to that call generously so that God can give us a new heart and a new spirit.

For us who are already baptized, the Lord’s call to conversion and penance is, at bottom a call to renew wholeheartedly our commitment to the promises of our baptism. It was at our baptism, after all, that we first left sin behind and began to live a new life of faith, hope and love in relationship to our Triune God, Father and Son and Holy Spirit, within the Church.

We all know from experience, though, how sin can subtly worm its way back into our lives. And it’s the capital sins (so-called because they engender other sins) that we must be especially concerned about.

Let me mention these capital sins, one at a time, and give some remedies for them. (I am taking this from a hand-out I received on retreat years ago, but I’ve added scripture passages that support the remedy.)

First, the remedies for PRIDE:
* renewing my sense of dependency on God (John 15, 4-5; 1 Cor. 4, 7)
* preferring others to myself (Philippians 2, 3-11)
* seeking to serve others habitually

Second: the remedies for COVETOUSNESS or GREED:
* cultivate simple tastes (Matt. 5, 3; Luke 12, 22-34)
* avoid superfluous, unneeded things; curb consumerist tendencies
* pray for the desire to imitate Christ’s poverty
* share what I have with others (Matt. 25, 31-46.

Third: the remedies for ANGETR (Matt 5, 21-243):
* keep Christ suffering and crucified habitually in mind (Acts 8, 32)
* do little acts of charity for those who annoy you
* keep quiet when annoyed.

Fourth: the remedies for SLOTH:
* be faithful to daily prayer (Matt. 7, 7-11; Luke 18, 1-8)
* keep to a schedule
* do immediately what you tend to put off
* do little acts of self-discipline (Mark 8, 34-38).

Fifth: the remedies for ENVY (Galatians 5, 13-25):
* thank God for others’ gifts
* pray for those you envy
* speak well of those you envy.

Sixth: the remedies for GLUTTONY (Proverbs 23, 21; Sirach 31, 12-13):
* pray for self-control
* decide ahead of time how much to take and stick to it
* deny yourself something at each meal
* eat or drink in God’s presence (1 Cor. 11, 17-34).

Seventh: the remedies for LUST (Matt. 5, 27-30):
* develop a real personal love of the Lord (John 15, 9-10; 21, 15-19)
* avoid occasions of sin
* love and live for others (John 15, 1-17; Romans 12, 9-21)
* discipline the body or “crucify the flesh” (Galatians 5, 24-26)

All in all, the rock-bottom remedy for all these sins, it seems to me, may be summed up this way: Let’s get out of ourselves; let’s not be self-addicted; let’s reach out in constructive ways to other people; let’s live more and more selflessly; let’s be persons for God and for others.

To say this in another way: out of love for God and neighbor, let’s commit ourselves during our Lenten journey to the spiritual and corporal works of mercy.
“ Instructing, advising, consoling, comforting are spiritual works of mercy, as are forgiving and bearing wrongs patiently.

“ The corporal works of mercy consist especially in feeding the hungry, sheltering the homeless, clothing the naked, visiting the sick and imprisoned, and burying the dead.“ Among all these, giving alms to the poor is one of the chief witnesses to fraternal charity; it is also a work of justice pleasing to God” (Catechism, #2447).
In all these ways, we become more and more “a new creation.” “The old order has passed away; now all is new” (2 Cor. 5, 17)!

A Note
In the last issue of OND I made a statement about the Alfonso Rodriguez case. Someone wrote me an anonymous letter accusing me of using diocesan money to defend Mr. Rodriguez in court, and therefore he/she will not contribute to the Diocesan Annual Appeal.

I’ve always thought that anonymous letters are cowardly letters, and I usually ignore them. But in this instance, I want to assure that person, and any other to whom he/she may have gossiped, that no diocesan funds were spent on the case.
The person asked: “who says you can’t buy your way to heaven?” No one can buy his/her way into heaven, but some people are more generous and less judgmental than others. I invite the anonymous writer to give to the poor what he/she would have given to the Annual Appeal.

By the time you read this, Lent will have begun. My article this time is not mine, but Pope Benedict XVI’s Lenten message to us for 2007. I think it is a wonderful message, one that re-visits his first Encyclical, “God is Love.”

At the end of the message, the Pope says: “May Lent be for every Christian a renewed experience of God’s love given to us in Christ, a love that each day we, in turn, must “regive” to our neighbor, especially to the one who suffers most and is in need.”

We have an opportunity to “regive” this coming Sunday, when we have the nation-wide Black and Indian Missions Collection. Our Diocese benefits significantly from this collection since we receive over $90,000 annually for the good works being done on our Indian Reservations. Thank you for being generous, and I pray for a good Lent for all of you.

Here is the Vatican text of Pope Benedict XVI’s message for Lent 2007. Dated Nov. 21, 2006, it was released Feb. 13 by Archbishop Paul Cordes, president of the Pontifical Council Cor Unum.

Dear Brothers and Sisters!
“ They shall look on him whom they have pierced” (Jn 19:37). This is the biblical theme that this year guides our Lenten reflection. Lent is a favorable time to learn to stay with Mary and John, the beloved disciple, close to him who on the cross consummated for all mankind the sacrifice of his life (cf. Jn 19:25). With a more fervent participation let us direct our gaze, therefore, in this time of penance and prayer, at Christ crucified who, dying on Calvary, revealed fully for us the love of God. In the encyclical “Deus Caritas Est,” I dwelt upon this theme of love highlighting its two fundamental forms: agape and eros.

God’s love: agape and eros
The term agape, which appears many times in the New Testament, indicates the self-giving love of one who looks exclusively for the good of the other. The word eros, on the other hand, denotes the love of one who desires to possess what he or she lacks and yearns for union with the beloved. The love with which God surrounds us is undoubtedly agape. Indeed, can man give to God some good that he does not already possess? All that the human creature is and has is divine gift. It is the creature, then, who is in need of God in everything. But God’s love is also eros. In the Old Testament, the Creator of the universe manifests toward the people whom he has chosen as his own a predilection that transcends every human motivation. The prophet Hosea expresses this divine passion with daring images such as the love of a man for an adulterous woman (cf. 3:1-3). For his part, Ezekiel, speaking of God’s relationship with the people of Israel, is not afraid to use strong and passionate language (cf. 16:1-22). These biblical texts indicate that eros is part of God’s very heart: The Almighty awaits the “yes” of his creatures as a young bridegroom that of his bride. Unfortunately, from its very origins, mankind, seduced by the lies of the evil one, rejected God’s love in the illusion of a self-sufficiency that is impossible (cf. Gn 3:1-7). Turning in on himself, Adam withdrew from that source of life who is God himself, and became the first of “those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong bondage” (Heb 2:15). God, however, did not give up. On the contrary, man’s “no” was the decisive impulse that moved him to manifest his love in all of its redeeming strength.
The cross reveals the fullness of God’s love
It is in the mystery of the cross that the overwhelming power of the heavenly Father’s mercy is revealed in all of its fullness. In order to win back the love of his creature, he accepted to pay a very high price: the blood of his only begotten son. Death, which for the first Adam was an extreme sign of loneliness and powerlessness, was thus transformed in the supreme act of love and freedom of the new Adam. One could very well assert, therefore, together with St. Maximus the Confessor, that Christ “died, if one could say so, divinely, because he died freely” (Ambigua, 91, 1956). On the cross, God’s eros for us is made manifest. Eros is indeed — as Pseudo-Dionysius expresses it — that force “that does not allow the lover to remain in himself but moves him to become one with the beloved” (De divinis nominibus, IV, 13: PG 3, 712). Is there more “mad eros” (N. Cabasilas, Vita in Cristo, 648) than that which led the Son of God to make himself one with us even to the point of suffering as his own the consequences of our offenses?
“ Him whom they have pierced”
Dear brothers and sisters, let us look at Christ pierced in the cross! He is the unsurpassing revelation of God’s love, a love in which eros and agape, far from being opposed, enlighten each other. On the cross, it is God himself who begs the love of his creature: He is thirsty for the love of every one of us. The apostle Thomas recognized Jesus as “Lord and God” when he put his hand into the wound of his side. Not surprisingly, many of the saints found in the heart of Jesus the deepest expression of this mystery of love. One could rightly say that the revelation of God’s eros toward man is, in reality, the supreme expression of his agape. In all truth, only the love that unites the free gift of oneself with the impassioned desire for reciprocity instills a joy, which eases the heaviest of burdens. Jesus said: “When I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw all men to myself” (Jn 12:32). The response the Lord ardently desires of us is above all that we welcome his love and allow ourselves to be drawn to him. Accepting his love, however, is not enough. We need to respond to such love and devote ourselves to communicating it to others. Christ “draws me to himself” in order to unite himself to me, so that I learn to love the brothers with his own love.
Blood and water
“ They shall look on him whom they have pierced.” Let us look with trust at the pierced side of Jesus from which flow “blood and water” (Jn 19:34)! The Fathers of the Church considered these elements as symbols of the sacraments of baptism and the Eucharist. Through the water of baptism, thanks to the action of the Holy Spirit, we are given access to the intimacy of Trinitarian love. In the Lenten journey, memorial of our baptism, we are exhorted to come out of ourselves in order to open ourselves, in trustful abandonment, to the merciful embrace of the Father (cf. St. John Chrysostom, Catecheses, 3,14ff). Blood, symbol of the love of the Good Shepherd, flows into us especially in the eucharistic mystery: “The Eucharist draws us into Jesus’ act of self-oblation ... we enter into the very dynamic of his self-giving” (“Deus Caritas Est,” 13). Let us live Lent then, as a “eucharistic” time in which, welcoming the love of Jesus, we learn to spread it around us with every word and deed. Contemplating “him whom they have pierced” moves us in this way to open our hearts to others, recognizing the wounds inflicted upon the dignity of the human person; it moves us, in particular, to fight every form of contempt for life and human exploitation and to alleviate the tragedies of loneliness and abandonment of so many people. May Lent be for every Christian a renewed experience of God’s love given to us in Christ, a love that each day we, in turn, must “regive” to our neighbor, especially to the one who suffers most and is in need. Only in this way will we be able to participate fully in the joy of Easter. May Mary, mother of beautiful love, guide us in this Lenten journey, a journey of authentic conversion to the love of Christ. I wish you, dear brothers and sisters, a fruitful Lenten journey, imparting with affection to all of you a special apostolic blessing.

On the last weekend of January, I offered the Masses and preached at St. Joseph’s Parish in Moorhead. Someone suggested that I publish the homily as my OND column. I decided to follow his suggestion. What follows is the homily.
“ Amen, I say to you, no prophet is accepted in his own native place.” Prophets have never had an easy time of it. Whether it was Jeremiah or Isaiah, whether it was Hosea or Amos, whether it was Zephaniah or Micah, whether it was John the Baptist or Jesus, not one of them had an easy time of it.
True prophets tell the truth, the truth of God, the truth that comes from God, the truth that lots of people don’t want to hear.
Jesus said that prophets are not accepted in their own native place. As Church, our native place is the world, and this is a place that has lost its way on many moral issues. It’s a place that has given in to what Pope Benedict XVI calls the dictatorship of relativism, which denies the existence of objective truth.
So when we, as Church, fulfilling our prophetic vocation, speak out prophetically against abortion, saying that human life from the moment of conception is sacred and inviolable, so often we are not accepted, and our message is rejected. When we speak out prophetically against capital punishment, saying that even the life of a criminal is sacred and inviolable, we and our message are not accepted. When we speak out against embryonic stem-cell research which destroys embryonic human life, we are not accepted.
When we speak out against war, including the Iraq war, as we did, saying with Pope John Paul II that war is always a defeat for humanity, we and our message are rejected, and our political leaders go their own violent way.
When we speak out prophetically against cohabitation and pre-marital sexual activity, saying not only that this is simply wrong but saying also that this is unwise and emotionally unhealthy since it amounts to each one using the other without any long-term commitment, we are not accepted; we are considered passé, out of date. When we speak prophetically against so-called gay marriage, saying that it distorts the truth about marriage and about God’s plan for man and woman and family life, we are not accepted.
When we speak out against the injustices that some migrants and migrant families experience, even though they may be here illegally, when we condemn the inhuman ways in which they are sometimes treated, we are not accepted.
It is true, I think, that our Church, because of our own problems, our scandals, has lost some of its moral authority. We, as Church, have lost some of our prophetic power. But we must continue as Church, and as individual members of the Church, to speak out prophetically in favor of the sacredness of all human life, in favor of peace and diplomacy, in favor of chastity and self-control, in favor of marriage as intended by God, and in favor of justice for the oppressed.
At the same time, we must remember that true prophets must be people of love, of love even for those who reject us and our teaching. Ours must be a love that, in the words of St. Paul in today’s second reading, is patient, kind, not jealous, not pompous, not inflated, not rude, not self-serving, not quick-tempered, not brooding, not vengeful.
No, it’s not easy being a prophet. The greatest prophet of all was Jesus, and we read in today’s Gospel that the people wanted to throw him off a cliff. In the end, of course, he was crucified, and it is his death that we proclaim as we celebrate this Eucharist, where his once-for-all sacrifice is made present to us under the symbols of bread and wine becoming his Body and Blood. As we eat his Body given up for us and drink his Blood poured out for us, we need to pray a prophet’s prayer, something like this: “Lord, give us your love, for sometimes people reject us as they rejected you, and we are tempted to hate. Lord, give us your strength and courage, for sometimes situations get so very difficult and pressures upon us get so heavy that we are tempted to compromise the truth or give in through silence. Lord, help us to be true prophets telling the truth and living the truth. Lord, in a world of falsehood and darkness and false prophets, help us to shine like stars in the night sky.

There are two important weeks coming up this month. One is the “Week of
Prayer for Christian Unity, always Jan. 18 to 25. The other is the National
Migration Week, observed this year from Jan. 7 to 13, which will be over by
the time you read this.

I cannot write on both because of space limitation. Assuming that we
Catholics are unanimous in believing that prayer for Christian Unity is part
and parcel of being Catholic and Christian, I am going to write on the issue
of migrants in our country—an issue where unanimity may still be lacking.
The theme this year for this Week is “Welcoming Christ in the Migrant.”
This is something the official of Immigration and Customs Enforcement
certainly did not do on Dec.12, feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, which is so
sacred to Hispanics, especially those of Mexican origin or descent.
These officials raided several places in our country, one of them being the
Swift plant in Worthington, Minn. They tried to justify these raids as part
of their investigation of a large-scale identity theft scheme. In fact,
however, few of the workers arrested in Worthington were charged as
perpetrators in this scheme.

The bishops of Minnesota issued a letter, about the raids, dated Dec. 22,
and I am giving it here in its entirety.

As the Catholic bishops of the State of Minnesota, we are distressed and
disheartened by the work place raids that took place in Worthington,
Minnesota and other communities this past week. To add insult to injury,
immigration officials chose the feast day of Our Lady of Guadalupe, a patron
saint of the Americas, as the day to target these workers and their
families.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers justified these raids as part
of their investigation of a large-scale identity theft scheme. In fact, few
of the workers arrested at the Swift plant in Worthington were charged as
perpetrators of the identity theft scheme.

The U.S. and Mexican Catholic bishops have called for an overhaul of the
U.S. immigration system. Criteria for reform include:
• a broad-based earned legalization program (permanent residency) for the
undocumented of all nationalities;
• a reform of our family-based immigration system to allow family members to
reunite with loved ones in the United States;
• a reform of the employment-based immigration system to allow family
members to reunite with loved ones in the United States;
• a reform of the employment-based immigration system to provide legal
pathways for migrants to come and work in a safe, humane and orderly manner;
and,
• a restoration of due process protections for immigrants.

The raids did nothing to advance needed reform. Instead, the raids
heartlessly divided families, disrupted the whole community of Worthington
and undermined progress that that city had made toward bridging racial and
cultural differences.

We call for an end to such raids which violate the rights of workers and the
dignity of work. These men and women are our brothers and sisters; as
workers, they provide our food; as residents, they support our local
businesses and communities. We must always remember that their dignity as
human beings must be foremost in our thinking as we address the critical
issues surrounding immigration. Our faith calls us to overcome all forms of
discrimination and violence so that we may build relationships that are just
and loving.

Comprehevsive immigration reform, including a broad legalization program,
should be a policy priority when Congress meets in the new year.
Archbishop Harry Flynn, Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis; Bishop
Richard Pates, Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis; Bishop Victor Balke,
Diocese of Crookston; Bishop Dennis Schnurr, Diocese of Duluth; Bishop John
Nienstedt, Diocese of New Ulm; Bishop John Kinney, Diocese of St. Cloud;
Bishop Bernard Harrington, Diocese of Winona.

The migrant is our neighbor! Welcoming the immigrant is to welcome Christ!
Much, much more could be said about migrants and immigration, and I refer
you to www.justiceforimmigrants.org on the Internet.

In the Proclamation of the Birth of Christ, sometimes recited or sung before
the first Mass of Christmas, we hear this: “The whole world being at peace,
Jesus Christ the eternal God and Son of the eternal Father, desiring to
sanctify the world by his most merciful coming, being conceived by the Holy
Spirit, and nine months having passed since his conception, was born in
Bethlehem of Judea of the Virgin Mary, being made flesh.”

In the first reading of Midnight Mass we hear: “For a child is born to us, a
son is given us; upon his shoulder dominion rests. They name him . . .
Prince of Peace. His dominion is vast and forever peaceful.”
We hear from the Gospel reading of the Midnight Mass: “Glory to God in the
highest and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”
The notion of peace permeates our celebration of Christmas, our celebration
of the first coming of God’s Son into our world, our celebration of the
Birth of Jesus, born of Mary.

Over two thousand years have passed since the birth of Jesus. How wonderful
it would be if we could say, “The whole world being at peace, we celebrate
that the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.”
But we can’t say that, can we? We can’t say that the whole world is at
peace, and so our celebration of Christmas is muted.

We have the conflict in the Darfur region of Sudan, where thousands are
homeless and starving, and the nations just look on, or look away. We have
the conflict between the Israelis and the Palestinians, and a conflict
within the Palestinian community. We have the conflict in Iraq, which we
should never have invaded, made worse by the sectarian conflict between one
Islamic group and another. We have conflict with terrorist groups,
especially Al Queda. We have conflicts between radical Islamists, committed
to violence, and Christians in various parts of the world.

In spite of all these conflicts, we still celebrate the birth of the Prince
of Peace, and we still hope that the message of peace he proclaimed during
his ministry will prevail in the hearts of men and women everywhere.
Peace, however, flows from justice informed by love. As Pope Paul VI said:
If you want peace, work for justice! This means justice between one person
and another, justice between one group and another, justice between one
nation and another and among all the nations.

What is “justice informed by love”? It’s when the unjust sincerely repent
of their injustice, seek forgiveness, and make amends, and it’s when the
victims of injustice grant forgiveness no matter how serious the offense.
Justice informed by love is, in other words, genuine reconciliation; it’s a
restoration of friendship and harmony between or among those who were at
odds.

I know it’s idealistic, but what a world we could have if, to quote Isaiah,
the nations would “beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into
pruning hooks!” What a world we could have if, paraphrasing Isaiah, no
nation would ever raise the sword against another and not even train for war
again! Isn’t this the dream and the hope of Christmas?

Even if this dream and hope is not realized any time soon in our big world,
it can be realized in our own little world, the world of our personal
relationships. Are we at odds with someone else—a family member, a friend,
an acquaintance, a fellow parishioner, a fellow worker?

We could make our celebration of the birth of the Prince of Peace so much
more joyful if we would only reconcile with those whom we have offended,
seeking their forgiveness, or with those who have offended us, granting them
forgiveness in our hearts.
Then the peace that Christ was born to give would be ours, and the angels’
song to the shepherds would echo in our hearts: “On earth peace to those on
whom God’s favor rests.”

A Blessed Christmas Season to all!

The national collection known as the Catholic Campaign for Human Development (CCHD) will take place on November 19, 2006.

For 36 years the CCHD has stood with poor and low-income people, helping them create permanent solutions to poverty. Our Diocese has been a part of this nation-wide effort from the beginning.

We send 75% of the collection to the CCHD national office to support anti-poverty projects across the country. We keep 25% here in our Diocese to fund local initiatives that benefit our local communities.

In 2006, nine organizations received grants from our local fund totaling $4,500. This may not sound like much, but to people in need, it is significant.

Some of the places within our Diocese that received a grant are Dorothy Day House of Hospitality in Moorhead, Pregnancy Resource Center-Abstinence Program in Park Rapids, Ministry of Mothers Sharing in Thief River Falls, Mujeres Unidas-Fiesta de Familia in Moorhead, ADAPT of Northern Minnesota in Crookston, and Life Choice—Youth Rally in Park Rapids.

Pope Benedict XVI’s words in his encyclical letter, God is Love, should move us to contribute generously to CCHD. He said: “Within the community of believers there can never be room for a poverty that denies anyone what is needed for a dignified life” (no. 20).

He repeated this idea later: “The Church is God’s family in the world. In this family no one ought to go without the necessities of life.” He said that while the Parable of the Good Samaritan calls us to a universal love towards the needy, the Church has as specific responsibility to see to it that “within the ecclesial family no member should suffer through being in need” (no. 25).

We can all respond generously, according to our means, to the Pope’s plea for the poor by participating in the CCHD for this year.

There is a great deal of information on the Internet about CCHD and its many works. Just go to www.usccb.org/cchd and you will find many interesting facts about poverty in the U.S.
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Before the next issue of OND comes out, Thanksgiving Day will have come and gone. So let me take this opportunity to wish you all a very wonderful Thanksgiving weekend.

And let me suggest, too, that participating in the CCHD on November 19 is one way of making your Thanksgiving very meaningful. Our contribution to the CCHD on behalf of the least of Christ’s brothers and sisters can be our way of giving thanks to God for all he has given to us.

Sharing what we have received from God with those in need is an act of gratitude to God that God will not forget. In fact, God, never outdone