Denver Catholic

T oday, you're invited deeper into that Trinitarian love. God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit pours himself out for love of you and yearns for a rela- tionship with you, that you might receive and live in that love. In his farewell discourse, his final words to his apos- tles before his Paschal Mystery, Jesus tells the apostles – and us – to draw near to him: "As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you. Abide in my love" (Jn 15:9). As close as the branches are to the vine, we are called to remain close to Jesus, the Father and the Holy Spirit (Jn 15:1-8). Through abiding in relationship with the Trinit y, we are offered lasting joy, Jesus tells us (Jn 15:11). And having received the love and the joy of the Trinit y, we can abide in relationship with one another, even going so far as to lay our lives down for our friends (Jn 15:12-13). Jesus' call to abide in his love, an inward movement toward the Trinit y, is complemented by his out ward call to witness to that love, to "go therefore and make disci- ples of all nations" (Mt 28:19). Having encountered the Lord and having grown in love for him, we are called to share this profound love with others. Dear reader, YOU are called to share this love with others! You matter to this mission. You are part of the cavalry that is to go forth and spread the Good News! In some sense, the Church can't do it without you. In your uniqueness, with your gifts, skills, charisms and experi- ences, you are "plan A." In his infinite wisdom, God can bring about a "plan B" to accomplish his mission, but you are his first choice! W H Y M E ? Aren't there more qualified people? That's a job for priests, religious and consecrated. The Church tells us quite the opposite in her Dogmatic Constitution on the Church Lumen Gentium: "The lait y are called in a special way to make the Church present and operative in those places and circumstances where only through them can it become the salt of the earth. Thus, every layman, in virtue of the very gifts bestowed upon him, is at the same time a witness and a living instrument of the mission of the Church itself 'according to the measure of Christ's bestowal '" (33). The mission and charism of our priests, religious and consecrated are vital to the mission of Jesus and his Church. But your mission as part of the lait y is just as necessary. Why you? Why me? Because, in the words of the great saint-bishop John Neumann, "Each person brings some unique dimension to helping the world hear and respond to the Good News." St. John Neumann, the fourth bishop of Philadel- phia, was known for his pastoral care of his people, even learning Gaelic – his seventh language – to hear the confessions of the Irish immigrants arriving in the cit y. He organized a diocesan Catholic school system, opened dozens of parishes and schools, and lived a simple, holy life. He even died in service to his people, collapsing on the cold street after sorting out a misunderstanding and ensuring one of his priests would receive a chalice. ⊲ Dear reader, I have good news: YOU are loved by the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. YOU are loved by the Trinity with a love that poured forth in Creation, that led the Son to become man, suffer and die to redeem you, that impels the Holy Spirit to remain present in and through the Church that the Son established. YOU are loved. Each person brings some unique dimension to helping the world hear and respond to the Good News." ST. JOHN NEUMANN Why you? Why me? 5 DENVER CATHOLIC | JUNE-JULY 2024

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