Denver Catholic

3 DENVER CATHOLIC | SEPTEMBER 8-21, 2018 From here to eternity. Giving for the Kingdom of God ® Planning Your Will and Special Gifts Personally — Leave a legacy of what matters to you most. Financially — Wisely manage the assets that God has entrusted to you, in full compliance with the doctrine of the Catholic Church. Spiritually — Strengthen our parishes and our Catholic community through your charitable giving. The Catholic Foundation of Northern Colorado is here to help you plan your Will, including the opportunity for special gifts that you may not be able to create on your own. As Catholic faithful, we believe our earthly treasure is a gift from God, and we can give it a way to serve the greater good. Give alms. Provide money bags for yourselves that do not wear out, an inexhaustible treasure in heaven. LUKE 12:33–34 Jean Finegan | Deacon Steve Stemper 303.468.9885 | TheCatholicFoundation.com giving@TheCatholicFoundation.com A rchbishop Samuel J. Aquila issued the following letter Aug. 30 expressing his support for USCCB President Cardinal Daniel DiNardo's and the Executive Commit- tee's call for an independent investiga- tion into the many questions surround- ing Archbishop Theodore McCarrick. For Cardinal DiNardo's full statement, see page 4. Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, Many of you are aware that two weeks ago, the former papal representative to the United States, Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò, released a testimony that makes serious allegations about the Archbishop McCarrick abuse case. In my interactions with Archbishop Viganò I have found him to be a man of deep faith and integrity. I join Cardi- nal DiNardo and the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' Executive Committee in calling for the Holy See to conduct a thorough investigation that includes granting authority to a lay commission to examine the many questions that surround Archbishop McCarrick, such as who was involved in covering-up his gravely immoral behavior or failed to act to stop it. As Cardinal DiNardo said on August 27, "The questions raised deserve answers that are conclusive and based on evidence. Without those answers, innocent men may be tainted by false accusation and the guilty may be left to repeat sins of the past." While righteous anger, deep frustra- tion, and deep sorrow are understand- able, and my heart breaks for the victims of abuse as well as for you that you must su‹er this trial, we must all "keep our eyes fixed on Jesus Christ the perfecter of faith." He is our strength! He is the truth who will set us free! Jesus asks each of us, "Who are you going to serve?" Will it be the Lord, or the false gods of today – power, careerism, entitlement, sexual promiscuousness, and so many others? While we are in the world, we are not of the world and we are called to be of Christ alone, deepening our closeness to him in the sacramental life of the Church! The call to holiness is real and possi- ble, as Jesus tells us, "for God all things are possible!" Yet, when we let the ways of the world form us rather than the Gospel and Jesus, when we put more trust in the world than in Jesus, we end up where we are today. While, this is not the first time in the history of the Church that she has been rocked by a lack of faith and immorality among her clergy, as history teaches, only a strong return to Jesus Christ and his ways will heal the horrific sinful breach that has taken place! The Gospel reading from John 6 last Sunday presents us with Jesus' chal- lenging question after he taught about his Real Presence in the Eucharist. He asked Peter and the other disciples: "Do you also want to leave?" Peter responded with his great statement of faith that gets to the heart of the matter. "Master, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and are convinced that you are the Holy One of God." We must pray for a deep faith in Jesus Christ, one that grows and deepens each day. We must live our lives in intimacy with Jesus, the Holy One of God! It is Jesus who will see us through this time of trial and purification, who will help us to live out the Beatitudes and be faithful to the commandments. Know, my brothers and sisters, that you are in my prayers. Know that I am deeply grateful to you for your fidelity. I pray that your hearts and the heart of every disciple may be ever more con- formed to the heart of Christ! Sincerely yours in Christ, Archbishop Samuel J. Aquila Archbishop Aquila supports USCCB Executive Committee's call for independent investigation

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