Cardinal Wuerl celebrates the Opening Mass of the Archdiocesan Synod.

Today we celebrate Pentecost, the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the Apostles, sometimes referred to as the birthday of the Church.

If you were to envision in your minds’ eye an image of the Holy Spirit what would it be?  One very common symbol of the Holy Spirit is the dove described in the Gospels.  We are told that at the baptism of Jesus the heavens were opened and “the Spirit, like a dove, descended upon him” (Mk 1:10).

Another equally dramatic image might very well be the “tongues of fire which parted and came to rest on each of them” (Acts 2:3-4).  The traditionally red vestments of Pentecost are symbolic of that flame.

In the coming year, I ask all of us to think of another image as a sign of the presence of the Holy Spirit among us – in the Church of Washington.  My hope is that all of us will see in the work of our Archdiocesan Synod the action of God’s Holy Spirit.

As we prepare to experience God’s grace, the Holy Spirit, in this action of our archdiocesan Church we should perhaps begin with an explanation of what is a synod.  An archdiocesan synod is defined as, “a group of priests, religious and lay faithful who offer assistance to the bishop for the good of the whole diocesan community.”

On August 15, 2012 I announced my intention to convoke a Synod for the Archdiocese of Washington.  In anticipation, a number of steps were taken including the appointment of those who would work closely with me in the direction of this effort and a number of other steps including listening sessions conducted either in parishes or deaneries and online.

Today, with this Mass we open in a formal manner the preparatory work of our Archdiocesan Synod.  The synod delegates will make an extended profession of faith and following this Mass they will receive their commission and letter of appointment.

Yet as we can see when we look at the definition of an Archdiocesan Synod it involves everyone.  Such an event provides an opportunity to look at the life of the local Church, to evaluate areas where the ministry of the Church is successful and areas where there may be need for more attention so that we can better prepare ourselves to carry forward the work of the Church into the future.

Our Archdiocesan Synod gives the Christian faithful – all of us – an opportunity to participate in the work of our local Church as we examine its mission in manifesting the kingdom of God here in our community.  All of us are invited to reflect on how the Archdiocese of Washington can be the best local Church that the Church calls us to be.

The Church’s celebration of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit is a fitting time for us to initiate this stage in our work.  It is the faith of the Church that our very identity as followers of Christ, as Christians, comes only through the power of the Holy Spirit.

If we look at the readings for this celebration, we see in the First Letter of Paul to the Corinthians – a letter written very early in the life of the Church – the recognition that “No one can say ‘Jesus is Lord,’ except by the Holy Spirit” (1 Cor 12:3).

This statement refers to our profession, declaration, confirmation in faith that Jesus is the Risen Lord – God and man.  No one can profess this in faith except through the gift of the Holy Spirit.  Faith is a different kind of knowledge.  It is Spirit-revealed, Spirit-empowered and Spirit-nourished.

Where do we hear this proclamation of the faith that Jesus is the Son of God, and how do we embrace this truth and try to reflect it in our lives?  Embedded in the earliest consciousness of the Church is the Profession of Faith – the Creed.  Saint Paul in writing to the Corinthians spells out for them the primordial elements of the Creed.  We are taught that the death, burial and Resurrection of Jesus are foundational doctrines of the tradition that Paul faithfully transmitted to the local churches that he founded.

You and I are familiar with the Apostles’ Creed and most regularly with the Nicene Creed that we profess at Sunday Mass.  In this Year of Faith we are asked to take the time not only to recite the Creed, prayerfully and thoughtfully, but to reflect on the articles of our Profession of Faith that defines for us who we are.  In the Creed we profess that we believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord and giver of life and that we also believe in the one holy catholic and apostolic Church.

In answer to the question, where and how do we receive the Holy Spirit – the third person of the Blessed Trinity – we look to the readings for this liturgy.  Today’s Gospel tells us that Jesus, on the evening of that first day of the week after his Resurrection came to his Apostles and said to them, “Peace be with you.  As the Father has sent me, so I send you…he breathed on them and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit’” (Jn 20:21-22).

The first outpouring of the Holy Spirit was on the Apostles in a way that empowered them to begin their mission.  As the first reading today from the Acts of the Apostles makes clear, it was only through the gift of the Holy Spirit that the Apostles were “enabled” to carry out their mission.  The Holy Spirit “appeared to them as tongues of fire which parted and came to rest on each of them” (Acts 2:3).

The Holy Spirit was poured out upon the Apostles but that same Spirit continues to enliven the Church and be present today – as we await the coming of the Lord Jesus in glory.  The ongoing continuous visible presence of Jesus in the world today continues in his Church – in the sacraments and word.

This brings us to reflect today on our local/diocesan Church.  This archdiocese, as is every diocese, is described as the faithful gathered with their pastors around the chief pastor of the diocese.  This takes place in smaller faith communities, primarily our parishes where the faithful gather for worship/the Eucharist, instruction in the Word/education and acts of love, charity and service.

Thus it is so appropriate that today as we embark on this process of self-examination and renewal that is the synod, we gather in a formal manner to ask the prayers of everyone in the Church for the success of this endeavor and assign specific tasks to those who we are asking to work closely with me as we reflect on how well are we being the Church that the Church asks us to be, particularly in the areas of worship, education, service, community and stewardship/administration

Last January, I wrote to all of the members of the Church inviting the faithful throughout the archdiocese to participate in listening sessions in each of the parishes and across the archdiocese in order to reflect on and indicate areas where it appears that all of us are more or less successfully accomplishing the goals of the Church’s mission and those areas that need greater attention.  The Pastoral Preparatory Commission and the Canonical Preparatory Commission and their various sub-committees have been working to review and synthesize the fruit of the listening sessions.

Beginning today, synodal sessions will be held through Pentecost 2014 to reflect on all of the observations that have been received in order to prepare the conclusions of this process.  The synod will be convened on Pentecost 2014 when the priorities of this archdiocesan Church, and any formalized statements of them will be promulgated.

Thus we will use this year culminating in Pentecost 2014 to review, renew, confirm and challenge so that the elements of the New Evangelization that is at the very heart of the focus of the life of the Church going into the future, might permeate every aspect of our ecclesial life.  This time will be an occasion for: the renewal of our faith, the strengthening of our confidence in its truth and our commitment to share the Good News.

Our Pentecost celebration today is also a time for us to prepare for 2014 which will also mark the 75th anniversary of the founding of the Archdiocese of Washington.  We are a young Church in many ways, but we are also a Church of achievement, accomplishment and experience.

What we begin today should allow us a year from now in the context of the solemn convocation of our Archdiocesan Synod and our 75th jubilee to affirm and to continue the work that began on that first Pentecost when the Spirit breathed life into the Church in a way that continues to be the breath of spiritual life for each one of us.

Our prayer today is not just that we remember well the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the Apostles, but that we embrace as fully as we can the Holy Spirit poured out on each of us and manifested in the gifts and talents of everyone in this Church.

We ask God at this Pentecost to help us “receive the Holy Spirit.”  We pray that the Holy Spirit empower us in this coming year to be part of a renewal that would ensure for generations yet to come the ability to proclaim “Jesus is Lord.”

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Parishioners from Holy Comforter-Saint Cyprian shared their feedback at a parish listening session earlier this spring.

The celebration of our birthday often prompts us to spend some time reviewing the past year and setting some goals for the year to come.  Similarly, as we prepare to celebrate the great Solemnity of Pentecost on Sunday – sometimes called the birthday of the Church – the Archdiocese of Washington has been reviewing its work and examining its mission.

In receiving the Spirit that had been promised by Jesus, the Apostles were able to go out and preach the Gospel, forgive sins and teach in the name of Christ.  In every age, through the power of the Spirit, the Church continues to fulfill the mission it was given by the Lord.

Pentecost this year marks a special moment in the life of our local Church.  At the 11:30 am Mass at the Cathedral of Saint Matthew the Apostle, I will formally call for an Archdiocesan Synod to be held on Pentecost 2014.

Over the last eight months, in preparation for the synod, parishioners have been gathering in parishes all over the archdiocese for listening sessions.  In these meetings, participants have been asked to identify the strengths of their parish in five areas: worship, education, community, service and administration/stewardship. How do they perceive the fruits of their prayer and worship? How robust is their outreach to our brothers and sisters who need assistance with food and housing and emergency needs? Where is the parish strong in the area of education and faith formation? These are just a sample of the questions people were asked to consider.

Recognizing the strengths of their particular parish, participants were then asked to consider where they need to grow and develop in order to be the best Church that we can be.  Like looking at the year ahead on a birthday, it was a time for parishioners to say we can grow, as good as we are, we can, with the help of Our Lord, be a better parish. For example, parishioners have talked about how to be a more welcoming community to newcomers, communicate better the needs of the parish so that everyone can contribute gifts of time, talent and treasure and consider adding more time for prayer and devotions.

Another step in the process has involved participants looking at all of the strengths and possibilities for growth and identifying three or four priorities that are important at this time in their parish, and may also be important in other parishes across the archdiocese.

People who participated in the listening sessions say they found them very enjoyable and energizing. They also said that they are very interested in seeing how the priorities of their parish will match those from other parishes. What will be some common areas of need for the whole Church of Washington?

Many groups realized that they might have some unique needs for various reasons. While those needs may not match the needs of many other parishes, they remain a priority and the particular parish can begin to think about meeting these specific needs. One group reported that their pastoral council members left the listening session ready to get to work on establishing goals for newly identified priorities. This is the power of the Holy Spirit moving through our parishes.

Certainly, not everyone was able to be present for a parish listening session, but anyone who would like to participate may do so by clicking this link and following the directions.

This coming Sunday, when the preparatory phase of the Archdiocesan Synod is formally initiated, the work of identifying common priorities that will direct the ministry of the archdiocese in the future will be put into the capable hands of some 200 delegates, including over 125 lay women and men and religious sisters and brothers. Chosen from parishes and agencies from every part of our archdiocese, they will read through the information and priorities that have been gathered and make note of common priorities, unique opportunities for growth in particular regions of the archdiocese and areas of strength that should be sustained and supported.  This part of the Synod will take some months.

Next fall, the delegates will present to me their findings and suggest priorities for each area of parish life.  On Pentecost 2014, we will gather to promulgate the priorities, thanking God for sending us the gift of the Holy Spirit to guide and direct our work in serving his Church.

Please join me in prayer for the success of the Synod.

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Mary was there at the foot of the Cross when Jesus died, but when he was lifted up to heaven, 40 days after his Resurrection, the Bible does not record his mother as being physically present (Lk 24:51-52; Acts 1:1-11).  One might think that she would want to be there to say farewell, but it is not as simple as that.  For one thing, in his Ascension, Jesus did not leave Mary or us.  He did not go away, but entered into the transcendence of communion with God.  He kept his word to the Apostles, and to us, “Behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age” (Mt 28:20).

In his Confessions, Saint Augustine explains:  “Our life himself came down into this world and took away our death. He slew it with his own abounding life, and with thunder in his voice he called us from this world to return to him in heaven. . . .  He departed from our sight, so that we should turn to our hearts and find him there.  He departed, but he is here with us.  He would not stay long with us, but he did not leave us. He went back to the place which he had never left.”

What is true for us – that Jesus did not leave us in “ascending” into the intimacy of communion with God, but that we can find him in our hearts by allowing him and his love to enter into our being – was especially true for the Virgin Mother of Jesus, who is joined to him in a special way by her unique maternity, such that when he was nailed to the Cross, her own heart was pierced (cf. Lk 2:35).  Indeed, we can relate to this in our personal lives with our own mothers.

The first and most immediate human relationship we experience is with our mothers.  Through their cooperation with God, together with our fathers, they give us life.  In an ongoing commitment that nurtures the family and provides a context for our life, our mothers devote their time, energy, resources and love so we can grow, develop and mature.

As the saying goes, we are our mothers’ children.  We will always be a part of our mothers and our mothers will always be a part of us.  Even after we have left the family nest, we can find our mothers present in our hearts.  Even after our mother has passed from this world, still we can feel her within us.  There is a bond of love that cannot be broken by distance or time or even death.  If she is in God and he is in us, then she is in our heart as well, and she continues to be a mother, looking out for us from the Father’s house.

Again, as we not only celebrate Mother’s Day today, but the entire month of May as Mary’s month, what is true in our personal lives is especially true with respect to her, who is Mother not only to Jesus, but to John and all the faithful.  When the Apostles returned to Jerusalem, they devoted themselves with one accord to prayer with the Blessed Virgin, who by her maternal charity and prayers implored the gift of the Holy Spirit upon them.  Even after the end of her worldly sojourn, our Mother Mary continues to care for her spiritual children “who still journey on earth surrounded by dangers and difficulties, until they are led into the happiness of their true home” (Lumen Gentium 59, 62).

We see this, for example, in the appearance of Our Lady of Fatima to the three humble shepherd children Lucia, Blessed Francisco, and Blessed Jacinta, which the Church celebrates tomorrow.  Her message was an exhortation to penance, conversion, and prayer for the salvation for souls.  At the time, the world was suffering horribly in World War I and she warned of even worse things to come, including persecution of the Church.  However, evil and suffering will not have the last word:  offering us loving words of hope, our Blessed Mother promised that her Immaculate Heart will triumph in the end.

There is great hardship and suffering in the world, but we do not despair because her Son, the Risen Christ, came to save us from death and destruction.  More than that, in his Ascension, Jesus raised up the human body to heaven and thus raised up mankind to heaven, opening up within God a space for humanity, opening up for us eternal life (Pope Benedict XVI, Jesus of Nazareth, Vol. Two, p. 287).  But all that is possible only because of a mother’s love.

This day, let us say thank you to our mothers and our Blessed Mother for their enduring love.  May God bless them and keep them, forever holding them in his loving embrace.

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This is the time of year when people begin to look forward to their summer vacations.  During tourist season here in Washington, DC, the National Mall becomes a sea of humanity.  Those who visit the U.S. Capitol will find the statues of many important people in our nation’s history, among them Saint Damien de Veuster, a Belgian missionary priest of the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary, who represents the state of Hawaii.

Those who have visited Hawaii will tell you that it is quite beautiful.  But in the midst of that paradise of islands was once a place that was a hell of despair – the “leper colony” on the Kalaupapa peninsula of the island of Molokai.  Historically, those who contracted leprosy, now called Hansen’s disease, were banished from their communities, literally treated as “untouchable.”  In the mid-1860s, the Hawaiian government began abandoning the afflicted on Molokai, leaving them without medical treatment, shelter or life-sustaining supplies.  Many people wore rags and were forced to sleep outside, in the elements, on the ground.

Knowing of the wretched conditions there, Father Damien volunteered to go to Molokai to tend to the suffering.  He was not the first priest to go there, but he was the first to stay.  He arrived in 1873 on May 10, which is now his feast day.  At the time, there were more than 600 inhabitants. When he came ashore, Father Damien brought the hope and the love of Christ.

He was not only a priest to them, but he took on the role of doctor and builder as well.  He provided medical care, built homes, established farms, and dug graves.  But more than that, Damien touched them, spiritually and physically.  Told not to touch the residents, he soon overcame any qualms he had and embraced them, literally – he dined with them, he put his arms around them.  Damien also began to identify as one of them, writing to his brother, “I make myself a leper with the lepers to gain all to Jesus Christ. That is why, in preaching, I say ‘we lepers,’ not, ‘my brethren.’”

Now, the term “leper” has come to be regarded as offensive, inasmuch as it dehumanizes the person, reducing him or her to the disease and an object of repulsion. But that is precisely the point in using it here. The world has historically cast out “lepers” of all types.  But Jesus embraces these outcasts and takes not only their medical hardships but also their persecutions upon himself and he heals them with his love (cf. Mk 1:40-42).  Recognizing the beauty in the disfigured face of our Crucified Lord, Father Damien allowed himself to be a vessel of his love.

Merely to be physically touched, to no longer be untouchable, but to be a person, a person who is loved – this transformed the experience of the residents of Molokai from one of wretched misery to one of hope and the possibility of joy.  When Damien contracted the disease himself after 12 years on Molokai, he declared, “I am calm and resigned, and very happy in the midst of my people. The good God knows what is best for my sanctification. I daily repeat from my heart, Thy will be done.”  He died four years later in 1889.

Few experiences in life are worse than being rejected, outcast, forgotten, unloved, unwanted, uncared for, and marginalized, thrown away like society’s refuse.  We can encounter these wretched poor, these “lepers,” in every corner of society and in every station of life.  But Father Damien teaches us that everyone is uniquely precious and should be embraced and loved by us, even those horribly disfigured, whether it is because of medical disease or social standing or sin.

At the Mass for Father Damien’s canonization, Pope Benedict XVI said of him, “He invites us to open our eyes to the forms of leprosy that disfigure the humanity of our brethren and still today call for the charity of our presence as servants, beyond that of our generosity.”  And Pope Francis added at his inauguration Mass that our Christian vocation “means protecting people, showing loving concern for each and every person, especially children, the elderly, those in need, who are often the last we think about.”

The Christian witness of Father Damien encouraged others to join him during his lifetime, including Saint Mother Marianne Cope.  Like the Good Samaritan, Father Damien is an example for us all, encouraging us to join him now, to not simply walk past those broken people lying in a ditch saying “let someone else take care of them, let the government or some charity do it,” but to get involved personally, touching their lives and offering them our compassion and consolation, confidence and hope.  In this way we can transform their lives and the world, by the infinite and merciful love of God, curing them of their despair and allowing them to know the joy of the Risen Christ.

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On the 40th day after he rose from the dead, Jesus appeared to the Apostles and said, “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, throughout Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8).  The Lord then ascended to heaven.  Liturgically, much of the Church will celebrate the Ascension of the Lord this coming Sunday, although some dioceses observe this Solemnity today.

The Ascension brings to a conclusion the earthly life of Jesus, but the New Testament presents this event not as merely as an ending, but as a beginning. It is the concluding episode in the Gospels of Mark and Luke, but it is the opening  story  in  the Acts of the Apostles, the story of the early Church.  At the Ascension, Jesus tells his apostles that it is now their turn to live the life of Christ in the world. They know that it is an impossible task. But he reassures them, promising to send the Holy Spirit to live in them and act in them, to give them everything they need.

I love Saint Luke’s account of what happens next. While the apostles “were looking intently at the sky,” he says, “suddenly two men dressed in white garments stood beside them. They said, ‘Men of Galilee, why are you standing there looking at the sky? This Jesus who has been taken up from you into heaven will return in the same way as you have seen him going into heaven’” (Acts 1:10-11).  The apostles are standing there, jaws dropping in amazement, and the angels tell them, in so many words: “Don’t just stand there – do something! You have your commission. Do what you’ve been told to do.”

Those words are addressed to you and to me. We have inherited the task of those first disciples. Why are we standing idle when we have so much to do? Each one of us can do something positive to manifest the kingdom of Christ – to make it visible and present in the world today. Each one of us can take on some aspect of spreading the kingdom of God, of bearing witness to what Jesus came to reveal. Some can teach. Some can give example. All of us can live the Christian message.

The Ascension is directed to us as a challenge.  We are commissioned to deliver the good news to the ends of the earth. That is most especially the role of the laity. The “end of the earth” is the place where you live. It’s the place where you work. It’s the place where you socialize and spend your leisure time.

Don’t just stand there, the angels tell us as we look up at heaven. Jesus has told us to do something. God wants to transform you and me by the gift of the Holy Spirit. Then he wants us to live our faith and share it with others. In this way we help transform the world.

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In addition to some of the usual engagements one might expect to find on the calendar of the Archbishop of Washington – Confirmations of youth at parishes across the archdiocese, baccalaureate Masses and commencement addresses – there’s one event on my schedule that stands out from the norm: a talk on May 7 for Theology on Tap at Buffalo Billiards near Washington’s Dupont Circle Metro Station.

Some might wonder what an archbishop is doing giving an address at a bar.  It’s all part of the effort to bring the Good News of Jesus to people (in this case, young adults) where they are.  For several years now, the Office of Young Adult Ministry of the Archdiocese of Washington has sponsored the Theology on Tap program which reaches out to young adults who want to explore and expand the role of faith in their everyday lives.  Theology on Tap takes place at local pubs and begins with a happy hour followed by a talk.

The theme of this spring’s Theology on Tap series, Habemus Papam!, uses the Latin phrase that was spoken from the balcony of Saint Peter’s Basilica to announce that we have a new pope, and I will be sharing my experience of participating in the conclave that elected Pope Francis and witnessing his first days as our new Holy Father.

Granted, it’s not every day that one finds a member of the clergy talking about the faith at a place like Buffalo Billiards, where people can also play pool, throw darts, and compete in ping pong; nor is it often the case that members of the “congregation” to whom I’m speaking are simultaneously enjoying burgers and beer.

When you think about it, though, Jesus did not just proclaim God’s word in the temple.  He shared his Good News on the shore of a lake, on a mountainside, in people’s homes, and as he walked with his friends.  Our Lord didn’t just preach to the choir, as it were, he asked fishermen and even a tax collector to follow him.  He reached out to a woman at a well.  His first miracle was at a wedding.  He met people where they were in their daily lives.

Before he ascended into heaven, the risen Lord asked his disciples to be his witnesses and bring his Good News to the ends of the earth.  His story was not over, it was just beginning, and it was their turn to share his story.  Those first disciples included young adult women and men who walked with Jesus and, as members of the early Church, helped spread the faith to the world, in some cases sacrificing their lives so others would come to know and love Jesus.  We recognize some of them now as saints.

Today’s Catholic young adults living in the Washington area are called to be Jesus’ disciples now and share his life and his love in their homes, their workplaces and their communities. Many are at a crossroads in their lives.  Having come from a different state or country after graduating from college, they have found a new home and employment in our nation’s capital, or perhaps they grew up here and are now finding their way as adults.  Like the first disciples, they are searching for the truth and the right path for their lives.  In a secular, materialistic and individualistic world, they understand that there is more to life than the here and now.

As a priest, I am happy to meet with them where they are, and share Jesus’ words of everlasting life.  The task of our new Holy Father, and of all of us, is to engage fully in the New Evangelization – to grow in our Catholic faith and then share it with others.  In our young adults, I really do sense that a new Pentecost, a fresh moment in the life of the Church, is unfolding. Among these Catholic young people, I have found an increasing openness to Christ, to his Gospel and to his Church.  They pray and volunteer at our parishes and generously serve those in need.  With my upcoming talk, I hope to “tap” into that spirit of faith!

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In the chapel of the Catholic Information Center in downtown Washington, a statue depicts Saint Joseph the Worker, cradling the sleeping baby Jesus in his arms, while he himself wears an apron and belt bearing the tools of his trade as a carpenter.

The feast of Saint Joseph the Worker, which we celebrate today, offers a time to reflect on the patron saint of workers and on the spirituality of work.

Our Holy Father, Pope Francis, celebrated his inaugural Mass on March 19, the Solemnity of Saint Joseph, and he spoke about the special role of the spouse of Mary, the foster-father of Jesus who is not only the protector of the Holy Family, but the patron of the universal Church.

In his homily, Pope Francis said, “How does Joseph respond to his calling to be the protector of Mary, Jesus and the Church?  By being constantly attentive to God, open to the signs of God’s presence and receptive to God’s plans and not simply to his own…. Joseph is a ‘protector’ because he is able to hear God’s voice and be guided by his will.”

Pope Francis also noted, “In the Gospels, Saint Joseph appears as a strong and courageous man, a working man, yet in his heart we see great tenderness, which is not the virtue of the weak but rather a sign of strength of spirit and a capacity for concern, for compassion, for genuine openness to others, for love. We must not be afraid of goodness, of tenderness!” Our new Holy Father said that the faithful, loving service of Saint Joseph is a model for the pope, who must serve others, especially the poor.

In 2005 Pope Francis’s predecessor, Pope Benedict XVI, offered his first Sunday blessing on May 1, the feast of Saint Joseph the Worker.  Pope Benedict pointed out that Pope Pius XII established that feast day “to stress the importance of work and of the presence of Christ and the church in the labor world.” Pope Benedict underscored how essential it is in today’s world to witness to the “Gospel of work” described in Pope John Paul II’s 1981 encyclical, Laborem Exercens (On Human Work).

In that encyclical, Blessed John Paul II, who worked in a limestone quarry and in a water purification plant as a young man, emphasized the God-given dignity of human work and of workers themselves, and he also wrote about a spirituality of work.  He said that our daily work should present us with an opportunity to see how we share in the work of Christ, to see our work in light of the cross and resurrection of Christ.  Our daily activity, then, takes on a deeper and fuller meaning when it is seen as part of Christ’s effort to renew the face of the earth.

Saint Joseph was a simple carpenter whose love and faith taught Jesus important lessons about dedicating one’s life and work to the service of God and others.  Whatever our occupation, we have the opportunity to honor God through our work.  As Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., once said, “If a man is called to be a street sweeper, he should sweep streets even as Michelangelo painted, or Beethoven composed music, or Shakespeare wrote poetry.  He should sweep streets so well that all the hosts of heaven and earth will pause to say, here lived a great street sweeper who did his job well.”

Saint Joseph showed us how our work can be holy.  A wood carving at Saint Peter Church in Olney depicts Saint Joseph working at his carpenter’s table, teaching the trade to a young Jesus.  Whether we work at a bench or with a computer, we can follow his example by making Jesus present in our work day and lifting up our work to God’s glory, following the example of Saint Joseph the Worker.

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Part of the Easter season is a celebration of the Sacrament of Baptism.  At each Mass, the Easter Candle is lit, and the baptismal font is placed front and center or richly decorated throughout the fifty days of Easter.  In Baptism, we receive the gift of new life won for us in Jesus’ death and resurrection and we are called to a life-long mission – to be courageous witnesses to the truth of the Gospel.

In our day, it is not easy to stand for the truth.  For many of us it means difficult conversations with family members and close friends about the meaning of marriage, human sexuality, and the public practice of our faith.  It often means opening the newspaper and reading accounts of our faith and our Church that are sometimes hard to explain, defend, or refute – or are simply mischaracterizations of what we believe and why.  In the face of this, we may be tempted to protect ourselves by becoming quiet about our beliefs, finding comfort in a circle of people who we know live and think like us. We can be easily tempted to hide the practice of our faith.  Yet, this is not the way of the Christian.  Courage is the mark of the disciple of Jesus.

Today, the Church celebrates the life of a woman who gave courageous witness to the truth.  Her life paints a picture of the way we are to live our baptismal vocation in our homes and in our communities.  Catherine of Siena is an unlikely Saint and Doctor of the Church.  She was uneducated, lived only to age 33, was not trained as a public speaker or teacher or nurse and yet she undertook all of these activities in a way that changed the world around her.  Her extraordinary life was simply the result of her desire to live fully her baptismal vocation.  Catherine writes “You have made me a new creation in the blood of your Son…(The Dialogue).”  Though Catherine had a desire to live a quiet life, enclosed in her family’s home and spending her day in prayer and adoration of the Eucharist, God had something else in mind.

In God’s plan, Catherine’s holiness would be a sign to the world of his truth and his love.  Catherine gave courageous witness to the truth – through acts of love for neighbors and friends, in testimony in public forums, by calling for peace among Italian states that were embroiled in conflict and by admonishing leaders of a Church marked by scandal.  Experts on Catherine’s life write that her courage sprang from her passion for “the truth of things.”  She lived always close to Jesus, using Our Lord and his teaching as her reference for making sense of the rest of her life. Faithful to the truth of things, she not only found the courage to give witness to that truth, but the holiness of her daily life imbued her with an authority that influenced the leaders of the Church and even the Pope.

What is striking in Catherine’s life is how she did not worry about her lack of formal education or training or whether people would find her believable. She was faithful to prayer, to the reception of the sacraments, to a desire to live fully a Catholic way of life.  Witness to the truth was one more expression of her fidelity to Our Lord and to the Church, one more way for her to prove her love for Jesus.  Her authority and her “power” grew as people recognized the holiness of her daily life and her deep understanding of the truth.  The strength of her influence flowed from the witness of her life.  This is the mark of every Christian completely open to the graces of Baptism.

The post Saint Catherine of Siena appeared first on Seek First the Kingdom: Catholic Blog by Cardinal Donald Wuerl - Archdiocese of Washington, DC.

Today, we celebrate the feast of Saint Mark the Evangelist, who is symbolically depicted in Christian literature and art by a lion.  Saint Jerome reports that “Mark the disciple and interpreter of Peter wrote a short gospel at the request of the brethren at Rome embodying what he had heard Peter tell.”  In his first letter, Peter calls him “my son” (1 Pet 5:13) and he is mentioned in various letters from Saint Paul (Col 4:10; 2 Tim 4:11; Phlm 24), who was also in Rome when Peter was there, both being martyred during the persecution of the Emperor Nero.  Moreover, tradition holds that he is the same Mark whose mother Mary took in Peter after he was released from prison by an angel (Acts 12:12).

Accordingly, we can see that Mark knew well the challenges of proclaiming the Good News in difficult and hostile times.  Many scripture scholars believe that one goal of the Gospel according to Mark was to bolster the courage of Jesus’ followers to remain faithful witnesses in the face of persecution  This message is still timely today.

Part of the opposition, if not hostility, that our Catholic faith faces today is because our society places so much emphasis on individual choice and preference.  Unfortunately, that same mindset is too often applied to God’s word. The assertion is made that everyone should be free to interpret the Scriptures in his or her own manner. The temptation is to open up the Bible and come to a purely personal interpretation.  Yet, history has demonstrated that if instead of seeking a definitive, authoritative interpretation, it is left to each individual’s opinion, the message of the Bible is fragmented into a never-ending variety of conflicting and even contradictory opinions – all proclaimed as God’s word and will.  Communion and unity in the One God are destroyed.

On the other hand, it is evident that God’s word was entrusted to the whole Body of Christ.  Thus, we must read and study Scripture with the Church, which is guided in this interpretation by the Holy Spirit.  We are really not supposed to be in a position of having to figure out Scripture all by ourselves and determining what it means. We have a 2,000-year lived tradition to help us do that.  That is one of the reasons why there are Bible study programs at many of our parishes, where people can come together in the continuity of the Church.

When conducted with the Church, the prayerful study of the Bible by groups or individuals becomes an occasion for God’s continuous grace and enlightenment.  One fruitful thing that people might consider doing – something which would be especially appropriate as part of the renewal of faith in this Year of Faith – is to open the Bible, perhaps the Gospel of Mark, take a sentence or two, read it, and carry that with them to reflect on in the course of the day.  In the busyness of life, find a moment to pause and reflect on a spiritual gem, for example, while you are waiting in traffic.  Let it be a source of spiritual nourishment.

One of the key themes of Mark’s Gospel is a sense of urgency.  The word “immediately” is used again and again.  Prominent also are the many miraculous healings by Jesus.  Here we are invited to be urgent in our own lives, seeking the healing grace of Jesus.  In our present day, this message is greatly needed and, like Saint Mark, we too are called to proclaim this Good News to the world.

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Today, the Archdiocese of Washington celebrates the World Day of Prayer for Vocations with a Mass at the Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle in downtown Washington, D.C., honoring 14 area women and men in consecrated life who are marking milestone anniversaries.

These jubilarians come from many different backgrounds and represent numerous religious communities, and combined they have given 620 years of service. This World Day of Prayer for Vocations marks a time to offer thanks for lives spent bringing Christ to others, and also to pray for those who have answered Jesus’s call today and are preparing for religious life or for the priesthood, including the Archdiocese of Washington’s 76 seminarians studying to be the next generation of our priests serving our Catholic family of faith here. (For more information on our seminarians, see www.dcpriest.org.)

When Pope Benedict XVI announced the World Day of Prayer for Vocations last December, he said that vocations to the priesthood and consecrated life “are born out of the experience of a personal encounter with Christ,” and from a dialogue with him through prayer and the sacraments.

“The love of God sometimes follows paths one could never have imagined, but it always reaches those who are willing to be found,” Pope Benedict said then.

Those words ring true when considering the lives of love and service of the jubilee religious, which we can see in biographical information compiled by our archdiocesan Office for Consecrated Life. Those marking their 60th (diamond) anniversaries include:

-Visitation Sister Mary Berchmans Hannan, a longtime president and principal of her alma mater, Georgetown Visitation Preparatory School, where she now serves as president emerita and director of mission and ministry.

-Brother Leonard Konopka, the cofounder of the Marian Home of Prayer known for his promotion of Divine Mercy Sunday, who is on the staff of the Marian Fathers’ major seminary in Washington, where he provides spiritual direction.

-Dominican Brother Jude Locchetto, a teacher for many years and then a longtime chef for his community, the Dominican Friars of the St. Joseph Province, with whom he lives in retirement.

-Franciscan Brother Roger Petras, who served in the Holy Land for 35 years, and now shares his insights as a pilgrimage guide for visitors to the Franciscan Monastery of the Holy Land in Washington.

The golden jubilarians marking their 50^th anniversaries include:

-Brother Jordan Baxter, the treasurer of his community, the Missionary Servants of the Most Holy Trinity, who has been a financial consultant to other religious communities.

-Sister Miriam Joseph Boylan, a Franciscan Sister of the Atonement, who ministers in the Washington Retreat House sponsored by her community.

-Carmelite Father Leopold Glueckert, who teaches Church history at the Catholic University of America.

-Sister Inocencia Olmeda, a member of the Dominican Sisters of Our Lady of the Rosary of Fatima, who is a pastoral associate and Hispanic ministries coordinator at St. Martin of Tours Parish in Gaithersburg.

The religious marking their ruby jubilees (40^th anniversaries) include:

-Franciscan Brother Thomas Courtney, who served in the Holy Land for 30 years and is now a tour guide at the Franciscan Monastery of the Holy Land in Washington.

-Brother Thomas Sweeney, a member of the Salesians of Don Bosco, who teaches theology and is the Corporate Work Study Program coordinator at Don Bosco Cristo Rey High School in Takoma Park.

The religious celebrating their silver (25^th) anniversaries include:

-Sister Judith Maldonado, a Dominican Sister of Our Lady of the Rosary of Fatima who serves as pastoral associate, director of religious education and Hispanic ministries coordinator at St. Rose of Lima Parish in Gaithersburg. Her twin sister, Sister Maristella Maldonado, belongs to that same religious order and is also marking her 25th jubilee. Sister Maristella serves as a pastoral associate and Hispanic ministries coordinator at St. Martin of Tours Parish in Gaithersburg.

-Sister Patricia Ralph, a member of the Sisters of St. Joseph, teaches fifth grade at Center City Public Charter Schools’ Trinidad campus and earlier served as principal at Holy Name School.

-Sister Mary Jo Stein, a member of the Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul, is a family nurse practitioner at the Perry Family Health Center of Providence Hospital in Washington.

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