Denver Catholic

4 I OPINION FEBRUARY 5, 2014 I DENVER CATHOLIC REGISTER THE CATHOLIC DIFFERENCE GEORGE WEIGEL Papal approbation being no bad thing, I was delighted to learn that Pope Francis, in a homily a few weeks ago, had sug- gested that his congregants learn the date of their baptisms and celebrate it—which is precisely what I have been pro- posing to audiences around the country this past year, when discussing my book, "Evangelical Catholicism." I usually begin by confessing that marking and honoring the date of my baptism hadn't really occurred to me until a quarter-century or so ago, when I began working with evangelical Protestants on pro-life and religious freedom issues and noted that some of them had an interesting way of introducing themselves at a meeting. Whereas the normal American way of breaking-the-ice is to say, "I'm John Doe and I work at Boeing" or "I'm Jane Smith and I'm an attorney," these folks would begin rather differently: "I'm John Doe/ Jane Smith and I was born again on such-and-such-a- date," usually in the past 10 or 15 years. Contrarian that I can be on occasion, when things got around the table to me, I'd say, "I'm George Weigel and I was born again on April 29, 1951 … at which point I was 12 days old." Which got a few interesting conversations going about sacramental regeneration, etc. Then, when I was working on the biography of John Paul II and was reminded that the first thing he had done on return- ing to his home parish in Wadowice as pope was to kneel and kiss the baptismal font, memories of those men and women who remembered the day of their rebirth in Christ as a crucial way of identifying themselves came back to me. And I started taking April 29 much more seriously (shocking an usher when, on the 50th anniversary of my baptism, I went to the church where the deed had been done—amidst great cater- wauling on my part, I'm reliably informed—and asked him to help me find the baptismal font, which had been moved in a post-conciliar wreckovation, so that I could kiss it). As I explain to my audiences after I ask how many of them know the date of their baptism (average "yes" response: 3 percent of any group), baptism and the new evangelization, baptism and mission, go together. We are baptized into mis- sion and for mission. Indeed, viewed through the prism of the new evangelization, the day of our baptism is the day of our being commissioned as missionary disciples. This link between baptism and mission is made explicit in the biblical readings at Mass for the feast of the Baptism of the Lord. In the A cycle, which we are using this liturgical year, the Old Testament reading is from one of the Servant Songs in Isaiah, establishing the link between the baptism of Jesus and the mission of the Servant of the Lord: "Behold my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights; I have put my Spirit upon him, he will bring forth justice to the nations…." Then, in the reading from Acts, Peter tells Cornelius about "the word which was proclaimed throughout all Judea, be- ginning from Galilee after the baptism which John preached: how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power; how he went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil; and God was with him." The very next verse—"And we are witnesses to all that he did"—points out our responsibilities as missionary disciples: we, too, are to "do good" and to help heal "all those who [are] oppressed by the devil." As Pope Francis reminds us, we are to be like medical workers in a battlefield hospital after a terrible battle. We are to offer others the possibility of encountering the mercy of God, and the possibility of learning the truths about right-living that the encounter with the divine mercy affords us. Baptism is baptism-into-mission. Thus a papally-endorsed suggestion from your scribe: learn the date of your baptism, celebrate it each year—and be re-energized for mission be- cause of that celebration. George Weigel is Distinguished Senior Fellow of the Ethics and Public Policy Center in Washington, D.C. Weigel's column is distributed by the Denver Catholic Register, the official newspaper of the Denver Archdiocese. Phone: 303-715-3215. A date to remember ARCHBISHOP AQUILA'S SCHEDULE Feb. 5: Fifth-Grade Liturgy, Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception (10 a.m.) DENVER CATHOLIC REGISTER CIRCULATION CUSTOMER SERVICE: 303-722-4687 OR CIRCULATION@ARCHDEN.ORG Published by the Archdiocese of Denver, 1300 S. Steele St., Denver, CO 80210 Denver Catholic Register (USPS 557-020) is published weekly except the last week of December and the first week of January, and in June, July and August when it goes bi-weekly. The Register is printed by Signature Offset in Denver. Periodical postage paid in Denver, CO. Subscriptions: $35 a year in Colorado; $42 per year out of state. Foreign countries: $42 surface, all countries, 6-8 weeks for delivery; $135 air, all other countries (average). Mexico, $48 air; Canada, $55 air. Postmaster: Send address changes to: Denver Catholic Register, Circulation Dept., 1300 S. Steele St., Denver, CO 80210 or e-mail circulation@archden.org. Editorial: 303-715-3215 or editor@archden.org Advertising: 303-715-3253 or dcrads@archden.org Circulation: 303-715-3211 or circulation@archden.org Online: www.DenverCatholicRegister.org General Manager Karna Swanson Editor Roxanne King Business Manager Michael O'Neill LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Clarence Miller, who died Jan. 14 at 63, was a ubiquitous presence in Denver's Capitol Hill area. He was often seen at St. John's Episcopal Cathedral, where he was known by all of the clergy and staff members as simply "Clarence." His dis- appearance from there many years ago led some to believe that he had died; however, that was not the case. I came upon him on the street one day and he told me he had "moved" to the Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception, a few blocks away. (He had convert- ed to Catholicism.) Although I would see him occasionally on Capitol Hill (he spent much time at the Legislature), he once again disappeared and was not seen again. Colorado's "101st legislator" will not be forgotten. Brian Stuckey Denver LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Letters should be no more than 250 words and should include the writer's name, address and telephone number. We rely on our readers to recognize that the opinions expressed in letters to the editor are those of the author and are not necessarily those of the Archdiocese of Denver. Letters containing plainly mis- stated facts, misinformation or libelous statements will not be printed. Unsigned letters will not be printed. Letters may be edited. Send letters to: Editor, Denver Catholic Register, 1300 S. Steele St., Denver, CO 80210 or fax to 303-715- 2045. E-mail us at: editor@archden.org. Denver's unforgettable 'Clarence' Germany's treasure of relics A quiz on Catholic things under the patronage of the "Doctor of Prayer," St. Teresa of Avila. For each question there is one right answer, but the answer for one question is "None of the Above." Germany is home to churches where a treasury of relics are venerated. This quiz takes a look at some of these churches. 1. The Cathedral Basilica at Trier was built over the palace of St. Helena. What relic brought by St. Helena from the Holy Land is kept in this church? A. The scourge that was used to carry out Pilate's order to chastise Jesus. B. The Holy Tunic—Christ's seam- less garment. C. The placard put on the cross that proclaimed Christ to be the King of the Jews, written in three languages. 2. In Trier Cathedral is a famous tympanum (a semicircular space enclosed by an arch over a door) in which there are three figures represented: Jesus, Mary and the one for whom the church is named. Who is this third figure? A. St. Peter B. St. Ambrose C. St. Mark 3. Which apostle, whose joining the Twelve is told in the Acts of the Apostles, has his bones interred at the Benedictine monastery church of St. Eucharius? (St. Eucharius was the first bishop of Trier.) A. St. Simon B. St. Philip C. St. Matthias 4. The bones of this saint, known as the "Apostle of Germany," are kept in a copper case in the Cathedral in Fulda. Who is this saint? A. St. Conrad B. St. Ulrich C. St. John Nepomucene 5. What major city's cathedral, which is the largest Gothic cathedral in the world, boasts the relics of the three Magi: Melchior, Balthasar and Kaspar? A. Cologne B. Frankfurt C. Stuttgart 6. From the cathedral where the relics of the Wise Men are kept, a Corpus Christi procession is be- gun, but then continues outside in this striking fashion: A. The procession continues on the Rhine River with hun- dreds of boats following the one which carries the monstrance with Our Lord. B. The procession proceeds to the top of Mount Zugspitze, and adoration con- tinues all night at the summit. C. The procession winds its way through the old part of the city where adorers strew rose petals on the cobblestones in advance of the Eucharist. 7. The Regensburg Cathedral dedicated to St. Peter is the burial place of a number of bishops. It is also here that Pope Emeritus Ben- edict XVI's brother Georg directed the choir for 30 years. The choir goes by the name of "Domspat- zen." What does this mean? A. Angels in the Loft B. Cathedral Sparrows C. The Lord's Minstrels BY PETER WESTHOFF "The relics of the saints are traces of that invisible but real presence which sheds light upon the shadows of the world. They cry out, 'Come Lord Jesus.'" —Pope Benedict XVI 1. B, 2. A, 3. C, 4. None of the Above - St. Boniface, as we learned in a previous quiz, is known as the "Apostle of Germa- ny." 5. A, 6. A, 7. B

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