Denver Catholic

2 I PASTORAL LETTER NOVEMBER 20, 2013 I DENVER CATHOLIC REGISTER 'From Faith Comes Witness' Nov. 21, 2013 Memorial of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary to love unconditionally within families and in society at large is lost. Furthermore, the Second Vatican Council teaches us that, "Christ, the final Adam, by the revelation of the mystery Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, of the Father and his love, fully reveals man to man himself and makes his he end of the Year of Faith supreme calling clear."4 is upon us, and it has been a time of great grace Thus, when God is ignored and a that has created spiriChristian worldview is replaced with tual momentum in the a secular one, people begin to lose the Church. Many have asked sense of what it means to be human, me—"What comes next?" as well as an understanding of their final goal and the meaning of their and this pastoral letter is my reply. lives. Relationships become shallower This past September when I went to and the desire for the true good of the Our Lady of Guadalupe's Shrine for our other is set aside in favor of personal Year of Faith archdiocesan pilgrimage, profit in this life. In families, the most I saw the graces of the year at work basic cell of society, self-sacrifice for among the pilgrims. One couple had the sake of eternal reward is replaced dedicated their marriage to Our Lady with the temporary pleasures this life of Guadalupe 58 years ago on their offers. In a word, our vision becomes honeymoon and came back with us The Year of Faith and history earth-bound; we become self-focused to give thanks to her for leading them When he published "Porta Fidei," and satisfied with the world, we forget to Christ and bringing his blessings to Benedict XVI revealed that the main heaven and at times our neighbor. their marriage. reason he convoked the Year of Faith But we are created in the image and Other faithful from the archdiocese was the way Western culture has forlikeness of God and we will only be experienced peace, healing and congotten God. truly fulfilled by eternal union with firmation in their faith at the holy sites He noted that "Whereas in the past him. Jesus reveals to us our true idenwe visited, especially the house of St. it was possible to recognize a unitary Juan Diego's uncle, Juan Bernardino, cultural matrix, broadly accepted in its tity as the beloved sons and daughters of the Father and invites us to live with who was healed of an illness through appeal to the content of the faith and him in the heart of the Trinity. Our Lady's intercession. Many learned the values inspired by it, today this no The second unprecedented change for the first time of Blessed Miguel Pro, longer seems to be the case in large our culture has undergone is the S.J., and the Cristo Rey Martyrs. swathes of society, because of a proexplosion in technological advances, I, too, received grace as I stood found crisis of faith that has affected particularly in the realm of communibefore the image of Our Lady of Guamany people."2 cations. These advances are morally dalupe and was reminded of the first This situation presents enormous time I stood in front of her in 1996. I challenges for the Church. As Benedict neutral, but they can be used in ways that help or harm society. will never forget that moment, when XVI put it, "in vast areas of the earth For example, we have seen that the I was struck with awe and wonder at the faith risks being extinguished, like Church is able to bring the Gospel to the realization of Mary's real presence a flame without fuel."3 the farthest corners of the globe, but in both my life, and in the life of the While this situation is similar to at the same time the sheer volume of Church. I experienced her love for me that of the early Church, the time that messages and the convincing way that in a personal and tender way, and I we live in is different in key ways that some of them are presented has creatwas drawn by her to love Jesus and make it historically unprecedented. receive his love for me even more. The Never before in history has a society ed confusion about some of the most fundamental questions in life. This has miracle of the image continued in my tried to exist without any reference to raised the question today that Pilate own heart. God or a deity of some kind, as Westposed to Jesus, 'What is truth?'5 In this Year of Faith, we have all had ern society is attempting to do now. the opportunity to encounter Jesus Now the truth must compete with Even in primitive societies, people anew at the personal and communal many destructive answers to those worshipped what they believed to be levels. questions: What does it mean to be hunature gods that gave them an estabman? What is the meaning of freedom? Catholics throughout the Archdilished set of values that differentiated What will make me happy? And what ocese of Denver participated in the between right and wrong. In contemis truth? Pilgrim Passport program, which took porary Western society, good and evil Pope Francis described the narrathem to seven churches and a shrine are being cast aside in favor of followtive that is competing with a Christian and offered them the chance to deeping passions and indulging desires. en their encounter with Jesus. Each person is left to personally decide understanding of truth in his first encyclical, "Lumen Fidei." Parishes throughout the archdiocese what is good and what is evil with no "Surely this kind of truth—we hear it were also involved in bringing people reference to any objective criteria. said—is what was claimed by the great closer to Christ. Many of them hosted I believe there are three developtotalitarian movements of the last Bible studies, classes on the catechism, ments that make our cultural context century, a truth that imposed its own and talks on the documents of Vatican different from any other. These need world view in order to crush the actual II throughout the year. Parishioners to be understood, especially because lives of individuals. In the end, what were also able to attend retreats, they illuminate the importance of we are left with is relativism, in which seminars and conferences, as well as the Year of Faith and how crucial our the question of universal truth—and participate in missionary activities and response to its graces is for the future ultimately this means the question of pilgrimages. of our Church and society. God—is no longer relevant. It would At the international level, more than The first difference is the loss of a be logical, from this point of view, to 8 million pilgrims traveled to Vatican sense of community, which results in attempt to sever the bond between reCity to visit the tomb of St. Peter and people feeling less sure about their ligion and truth, because it seems to lie participate in the numerous events identity and the duties they have at the root of fanaticism, which proves held each month. The groups that detoward others. While there are many oppressive for anyone who does not scended on the Eternal City included contributing factors to this loss, the share the same beliefs." Church movements, seminarians and removal of God strikes at the core "In this regard, though, we can speak novices, families, pro-life groups, cate- of our collective understanding of of a massive amnesia in our contempochists and people entering the Church, community. to name a few. God, in the three Persons of the Trin- rary world," Pope Francis concluded. When Benedict XVI introduced the ity, is the perfect community. When he Indeed, we are experiencing a "massive Year of Faith with his apostolic letter amnesia" at this time in history! is removed, the perfect model of how T "Porta Fidei" in October 2011, he called it "a summons to an authentic and renewed conversion to the Lord, the one Savior of the world."1 The fact that the Year of Faith has taken place at this point in history is no accident. Every one of us has been willed by the Father to live in these times, and we have been given the challenge by Pope Emeritus Benedict and Pope Francis to ask for the gift of increased faith. I believe that faith has been deepened in the hearts of many of the faithful during this time of grace. And this is vital for the future of our archdiocese, our country and our Church, because the cultural context we live in is becoming increasingly dismissive of faith. PASTORAL LETTER To read the pastoral letter online, scan the QR code or go to www.Denver CatholicRegister.org. "The question of truth," he clarified, "is really a question of memory, deep memory, for it deals with something prior to ourselves and can succeed in uniting us in a way that transcends our petty and limited individual consciousness."6 The flood of new technological abilities has also given people the false perception that perfection is attainable in this life, if only they have the right tools. This is the heresy that man can save himself, simply dressed up in more futuristic-looking clothes. Finally, one other major difference of our time is the perception that Christianity has been tried and found insufficient. In reality, as G.K. Chesterton put it, "The Christian ideal has not been tried and found wanting; it has been found difficult and left untried."7 As God is increasingly pushed out of our society in favor of a self-centered, technology-driven existence, our collective moral compass loses its bearings. The new poles of orientation are feelings, usefulness or the ever-changing fashions of the moment. 'If it feels good, do it,' is one modern slogan that captures this well. The future pope, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, famously captured this phenomenon in his homily for the funeral Mass of Blessed Pope John Paul II in April 2005. "Today, having a clear faith based on the creed of the Church is often labeled as fundamentalism. Whereas relativism, that is, letting oneself be 'tossed here and there, carried about by every wind of doctrine,' seems the only attitude that can cope with modern times. We are building a dictatorship of relativism that does not recognize anything as definitive and whose ultimate goal consists solely of one's own ego and desires."8 Given this context, I think it is obvious why the Year of Faith has been so important and why the answer to "What comes after this?" is even more crucial for the Church to succeed in bringing the truth about man, as revealed by Christ, to as many people as possible. What comes next? The Year of Faith will end with a closing Mass in St. Peter's Square on Nov. 24, the solemnity of Christ the King. The evening before, Pope Francis will welcome people preparing to enter the Church this coming Easter through the Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults. In many ways, this ceremony is the perfect final event for the Year of Faith. It is an illustration of how the search for truth and the gift of faith can lead to Christ and his Church.

• Cover