A Place At The Table

Last weekend, Archbishop of Washington Cardinal Donald Wuerl preached to a number of disabled communities in attendance at the Archdiocese’s fourth annual White Mass. In his homily, he said:

Just as all of us are created by God as we are, and all of us have a place at the table of the Lord through baptism, so those with special needs bring their own particular gifts to the Church and to our celebration today…

Each of us is in need of the other, and each of us is enriched by the others, and we depend upon and are complemented by others.

As Blessed John Paul II often taught us, the human person is a sacred and necessary part of God’s creation. Cardinal Wuerl echoed this truth, saying that each one of us, with our abilities and disabilities, has a place at the table of the Lord and a place in one another’s lives.

Re-Proposing Christ

According to Cardinal Donald Wuerl, Archbishop of Washington, D.C., the New Evangelization:

…begins with a personal renewal of our own faith, which brings with it fresh confidence and, therefore, a willingness to share it with others, re-proposing Christ and his Church in a comprehensible and convincing way.

Read more about Cardinal Wuerl’s talk, “Implications of the New Evangelization Today,” here.

What They're Saying About the Synod

At the close of the Synod of the New Evangelization, our Church looks to the future with hope. We have come together as a Church, we have come together open to the Holy Spirit, and we have come together as a people earnestly seeking the Lord’s help in bringing a scattered people closer to Him.

Look at some of the helpful and hope-filled things our leaders said about the new evangelization in the past weeks:

The Gospel … is true and can therefore never wear out. In each period of history it reveals new dimensions … as it responds to the needs of the heart and mind of human beings, who can walk in this truth and so discover themselves…It is for this reason, therefore, that I am convinced there will also be a new springtime for Christianity.

-Pope Benedict XVI, Oct 15 afternoon session

Many Synod Fathers called for a new Pentecost…of seeing the action of the Church today, enlivened by the Holy Spirit. Many of the fathers spoke of the similarity between those early days of the Church and our moment in time today.

-Cardinal Donald Wuerl of Washington, DC, Oct 17 interview

Let Freedom Ring!

Today we celebrate Independence Day! On this day in 1776, the United States declared independence from a tyrannical England—solidifying the young country’s commitment to liberty and justice for all.

Today also marks the end of the Fortnight for Freedom, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ campaign to help the faithful understand how important religious liberty is to America and to point out the current threats to our most precious freedom.

In an interview with Vatican Radio, Archbishop of Washington D.C., His Eminence Cardinal Donald Wuerl said, “We have always had these rights – they are guaranteed in our Constitution…We need to lift up for people to see, that some of [these rights] are being eroded.”

Dioceses throughout the country held Bible Studies, rallies, and other educational events in order to “lift up” the challenges our Church faces today. And at noon Eastern (9am Pacific) today, all houses of worship are asked to ring their bells—to “let freedom ring.” The faithful will be united, and they will make their presence known.

Most appropriately, the Fortnight will close with the sacrifice of the Mass—our highest form of prayer. This closing Mass will be celebrated at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception here in Washington, D.C. The celebrants and the congregation will offer up their efforts and ask God for His favor in securing the right to religious freedom in America.

Let us pray with them today, that our right to live like Christ in the public square is upheld and protected.

Our First and Most Precious Freedom

Shouldn’t a widow be allowed to hold a Christian burial for her veteran husband? Shouldn’t a man be able to choose a health care plan that doesn’t violate his religious beliefs? And shouldn’t timeless religious memorials be allowed to stand?

One would think. But in a country founded on religious liberty, the government now says “no” in every single one of those situations.

This is why our U.S. Bishops have called upon American Catholics to use our voices, our votes, and our prayers to fight for our first and most cherished freedom.

Two weeks ago, 43 Catholic institutions filed 12 separate lawsuits challenging the federal government’s healthcare rule. The Archdiocese of Washington is one of those institutions, and the Archbishop of Washington, His Eminence, Cardinal Donald Wuerl, gave a clear and powerful explanation of why they are suing:

[The] mandate, issued in February by the Department of Health and Human Services… requires religious organizations to provide health-care coverage for abortion-inducing drugs, contraceptives and sterilization procedures, even if their faith teaches that those drugs and procedures are wrong. That is what has prompted the Archdiocese of Washington to go to court to protect our First Amendment right to practice our religion without government interference.