Mass of
Thanksgiving for Pope Benedict XVI
Feast of St. Mark –
Monday -
by The Most
Reverend John C. Nienstedt
When I proposed the date for this
Diocesan Mass of Thanksgiving, I was not originally aware that it fell on this
feast of St. Mark. What a fortunate
convergence! St. Mark was an interpreter
for and a close collaborator of St. Peter in his mission to preach the Gospel
to the ends of the earth.
We come together as a diocesan Church
tonight to give thanks and praise to Almighty God for the gift of our new Holy
Father, Pope Benedict XVI. In many ways,
it seems strange to speak those words, as accustomed as I am to refer to John
Paul II as our Pope.
But I believe that it is precisely through
those feelings of attachment that the appreciation for our Catholic faith is nurtured. For as forceful and as high profile as Pope
John Paul II was for us these past 26 years, he was still only Christ’s “Vicar.” He was not the Christ. Jesus is head of our Church and to him alone
belongs our adoration and our primary devotion.
Yet, this is a Jesus who did not deem equality with God something to be
grasped at, but rather emptied himself taking on the likeness of man. And in so doing, through the great mystery of
the Incarnation, Jesus entrusted to his apostles a direct share in his work of
salvation.
I sensed this insight immediately about
our new Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI, when he stood on the loggia of St.
Peter’s Basilica and declared himself a “simple, humble laborer in the vineyard
of the Lord.”
What an appropriate description for what
all of us are – disciples, followers, servants of the Master.
In that light, I was particularly struck
by the words of tonight’s Gospel that set up a clear dichotomy in terms of our Christian
faith:
“The one who
believes in me and accepts baptism will be saved;
the one who refuses to believe will be
condemned.”
It seems to me one of the greatest
challenges for the present Holy Father is the conversion of the rather large number
of our Catholic population who are straddling the fence between belief and
non-belief.
So often, I hear:
“Oh, Bishop, I’m a good
Catholic, I just don’t go to Mass every Sunday.”
Or, “Oh, Bishop, I’m a Catholic,
but I’d never tell my sins to a priest.”
Or, “Oh, Bishop, I’m a
Catholic, but I’m just too busy to be concerned about the poor.”
Or, “Oh, Bishop, I’m a
Catholic, I’m just not so sure abortion is always so wrong.”
The media is now calling this kind of
person a “Cafeteria Catholic,” one who prefers to pick and choose among the
teachings of Christ depending on how a particular doctrine strikes him or her at
the moment. But you see, integrity demands consistency. In the Book of Revelation, Jesus says to the
“I know you are neither hot nor cold. How
I wish you were one or the other . . . But because you are lukewarm . . . I
will spew you out of my mouth.” (Rev
3:15-16)
If we are to be Catholic in a way that is
worthy of the name we need to accept all that the Church teaches. Doing otherwise is to reject the share of
Christ’s Cross that is being offered to us.
At the same time, however, there is definitely
something in this historic moment that offers a new opportunity for God’s grace
of conversion.
Many of us, I dare say most of us, have
been spiritually awakened these past few weeks in the events surrounding the
death and burial of Pope John Paul II, the Papal Conclave and the quick
succession of Pope Benedict XVI. Our
hearts have been touched, not by mere pageantry and ceremony, but by the
irresistible person of Jesus, The Risen Christ who makes himself present in
these human events. And if our hearts
have been so stirred, then might it not be that others, who have been lukewarm
in the faith or struggling to accept and live the demands of the Gospel or
perhaps didn’t even know if they believed in God, that they too have been
likewise touched? Among these may be
your relatives, friends, co-workers or neighbors. Thus, I urge you: Seize the moment! Reach out to them! Invite them to come to Christ with a new
heart, to come home to the family of the Church or even come to see Christ in
his Church for the first time! Be pro-active
witnesses to the faith – by bringing those searching hearts to the Lord Jesus
who is the way, the life and the truth!
Spanish:
Dada la situación
hoy en día en el mundo y en la Iglesia, muchos católicos no encuentran la
contraria para profesar que son católicos, pero luego sostienen sus opiniones
que son contrarios a lo que la Iglesia nos enseña. Esto es una situación muy
seria ya que Jesús nos dió la Iglesia para guiarnos camino al cielo. La manera
más segura de ir al cielo es ser fiel a las enseñanzas de Jesús que es a travez
de la Iglesia Católica.
A reporter asked me the other day why I had
earlier told him that these were exciting days to be alive.
I answered: Why do married couples think their honeymoon
is exciting? Why does a newly ordained priest find his first Mass exciting? Why
do a couple feel excitement in the baptism of their first child?
We are at the beginning of a new chapter
in the age-old history of our Catholic Church. There is a freshness in the air,
there is a sense of newness in the moment.
Let our hearts grasp the opportunity that
is ours to be renewed in our Catholic faith so that we may live it joyfully –
with passion and without compromise. And
may Mary, ever vigilant on behalf of her Son’s Church, watch over and guard his
newly installed Vicar – that simple, humble laborer in the vineyard of the Lord.