Denver Catholic

2 I CATHOLIC LIFE NOVEMBER 26, 2014 I DENVER CATHOLIC REGISTER ARCHBISHOP'S COLUMN MOST REV. SAMUEL J. AQUILA "Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, his mercy endures forever," sings the Psalmist as he praises God for keeping him safe in spite of his trials. This week we will celebrate Thanks- giving, a time when we should give thanks for all that the Lord has done for us. If you are able to attend Mass on Thanksgiving Day, you will hear St. Luke recall Jesus' encounter with the 10 lepers who came to him for healing. This powerful story serves as a reminder of the importance of making thanks a part of our prayer life–even a daily part. Not much has changed between Jesus' time and ours. As he was entering a village, 10 men with leprosy called out, "Jesus, Master! Have pity on us!" This is how prayer begins for many of us–we start by asking the Lord for what we want or need, but we seldom begin with giving thanks. Jesus tells the 10 lepers to go and show themselves to the priests, in keeping with the Law of Moses which required priests to declare lepers clean. Out of 10 men, only one responded by "glorifying God in a loud voice." When our prayers are heard, do we respond by giving thanks to God? In our secular culture, the most fre- quent response we hear to good news is something like, "how lucky for you," or "I'm happy for you," but it is rare to hear someone attribute their blessing to God. In a society that is increasingly forgetting God, our faith in the Father's active love for us calls us to be countercultural, to be like the Samaritan leper, who recognized God's presence in his life with thanks. As Jesus said in response to the lepers' different reactions, "Ten were cleansed, were they not? Where are the other nine? Has none but this foreigner returned to give thanks to God?" To help you grow in a spirituality of thanksgiving, I want to share some of the things that I am thankful for this year. During the past year I have had the chance to visit 34 parish- es in the archdiocese. It has been uplifting to see the witness of Catholics living in places like Rifle and Silt, to celebrate the 125th anniversary of St. Nicholas Parish in Platteville, to dedicate a beautiful new church in Steamboat Springs, and to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Sacred Heart in Peetz. Throughout the year I also had the chance to preside over the funerals of priests and deacons whose pastoral charity and service to Christ and his Church have impacted the lives of so many. I am thankful for each one of our 74 seminarians, as well as the 331 priests (active and retired), over 200 permanent deacons and the dozens of consecrated religious who have responded to God's call to serve his people. I am grateful, too, for the laity of the archdiocese who give witness to Jesus Christ in their families, parishes, neighbor- hoods and in the public square. The Lord has also richly blessed the archdiocese with more than 40 lay apostolates that are helping form authentic disci- ples of Christ. Some of them, such as Catholic Charities, are making a tremendous impact on the local level, while others like the Augustine Institute, FOCUS and Endow are making an impact locally, nationally and internationally. Finally, I am thankful for my parents who are now deceased, whose openness to life brought me into the world. I am also grateful for all the men and women who helped me grow in my spiritual life. Because of them I have a relationship with Jesus Christ, I am able to hear God the Father call me his son, and I am able to receive the gifts that the Holy Spirit pours out upon me, including the priesthood and the episcopate. This Thanksgiving, I ask you to look for ways that you can grow in a spirituality of thanks that acknowledges God's gifts in your life and your family. Take some quiet time at Mass or during the week to thank the Father for all of the blessings you have. Even better, make a daily practice of recognizing the action of God in your life. If we cultivate the virtue of gratitude in our lives, then we will hear Jesus respond in our hearts as he did to the thankful leper, "Stand up and go; your faith has saved you." Be countercultural and thank God Archbishop shares antidote to push for physician-assisted suicide in state BY NISSA LAPOINT After two Colorado lawmak- ers announced plans to bring the physician-assisted suicide debate to the Capitol next year, Archbishop Samuel Aquila warned legalization would lead to a more self-centered, "throw- away" culture. "When the weak and suffer- ing are removed from a society, opportunities for loving, sac- rificing and caring for those in need decrease and society be- comes more self-centered," the archbishop told a crowd at a Denver Catholic Medical Associ- ation meeting Nov. 19. "To use an analogy: our charitable muscles atrophy when suffering is seen as something to be avoided at all costs. A culture that shuns the sick and suffering becomes even more of a 'throwaway culture' that Pope Francis consistently warns us about." His comments came on the heels of local reports that Dem- ocratic Reps. Joann Ginal of Fort A deadly 'compassion' PHOTO BY NISSA LAPOINT/DCR A WOMAN listens to Archbishop Samuel Aquila's comments last week on physician-assisted suicide and the push for its legalization in Colorado. See Antidote, Page 10 BY DENVER CATHOLIC REGISTER While the United States is in urgent need of immigration reform, changes should be made through the legislative process, Archbishop Samuel Aquila noted in the wake of President Barack Obama's ex- ecutive action last week that offered some temporary relief to an estimated 5 million un- documented immigrants who live in fear of deportation. On Nov. 20, the president announced that he would stay the deportation of undocu- mented immigrant parents for up to three years, and allow them to work legally. To be eli- gible, the applicants must have lived in the U.S. for at least five years, have children who are citizens or legal residents, pass a criminal background check and agree to pay taxes. The archbishop told the Denver Catholic Register that the Church "supports any measure that respects the dig- nity of the human person." "Even though undocument- ed immigrants have failed to observe our immigration laws," he continued, "they do not lose their God-given dig- nity as children of the Father. Our laws should reflect this reality, while also allowing for our country to enforce legiti- mate border controls." The archbishop noted, how- ever, that "society is better served when the legislative process operates as it is meant to—meaning all branches of the government have time to review any proposal, debate its merits and make necessary changes." "We also need legislators to make decisions and act on leg- islation even if it is a difficult issue," he added. The president said he would also increase border security and continue to deport more recent immigrants who had crossed illegally. His executive action did not grant any path to citizenship for undocu- mented persons, or give them access to welfare benefits. "I am deeply joyful for the hundreds of thousands of fam- ilies who will benefit from this decision of the president," said Luis Soto, executive director of Centro San Juan Diego and the Hispanic Ministry Office. "Those who will benefit are working families who are only seeking the good of their loved ones. The families won't fear deportation and the efforts of the government will focus on criminals and not on the sep- aration of families." "It's also bittersweet," he noted, "because we know that this is not a solution to the im- migration crisis in this country. This does not represent status for those who qualify." In October 2013, Archbish- op Aquila and Bishop Michael Sheridan of Colorado Springs issued a pastoral letter on immigration, which outlines seven key principles to keep in mind for any discussion on immigration reform. That let- ter can be found at www.arch den.org/archbishop. Click on "pastoral letters." Immigration reform needs all branches involved, archbishop says PHOTO BY KEVIN HAGEN/GETTY IMAGES MARTHA MORAN, with her 6-year-old son Tonatiuh, listens to President Barack Obama's speech on executive action for immigration policy reform Nov. 20 at a workers' union in New York City. An Advent and beautiful mark the celebration foster an the home. Candles ly each which begins until all Sunday lighting symbolizes hope surrounding coming anticipation to judge Weeks purple known Catholic

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