God is sheer gift. As we begin a new year, our enthusiasm is charged, our motivation reaches new depths. In the joyous mysteries of Christmas we see with our inner eye and hear with our inner ear that God sends his Son Jesus Christ to save us, all of us.
Pope Benedict XVI, in his Christmas message to his brothers and sisters in Rome and throughout the world, Urbi et Orbi – To the City and the World, accents this reality. In his opening paragraph, he prays, "May all people hear an echo of the message of Bethlehem which the Catholic Church repeats in every continent, beyond the confines of every nation, language, and culture."
Here in the Archdiocese of Hartford, we are richly blessed by the tremendous variety of people who comprise our family; the Christmas Masses in the Cathedral of St. Joseph and in our other churches gather people with ancestral backgrounds from all over the world. People in large numbers from a wide expanse of national heritages, race, and colors gather to praise God in the wonder of his love.
Yes, we come feeling the ravages of our time. Our sons and daughters, brothers and sisters continue to protect our values across the world. Hurricane Irene and the 500-year Halloween storm Alfred still are afflicting many of us. The homes of 800,000 people continue to need repair. How many have lost their homes? Severe weather and home foreclosures have more than taken their toll. How many people do not have jobs? The extent of joblessness in our state, our country and our world is much worse than percentage points indicate. The effects on our people and our families are devastating. We are called to pray, and to do more.
The Holy Father draws our attention as well to places of stifling difficulties across the world: Southeast Asia, particularly Thailand and the Philippines; the Horn of Africa; Syria; Iraq; Afghanistan; North Africa; the Middle East in general; the Great Lakes region of Africa; South Sudan; and Myanmar; and to the tensions between the Israelis and the Palestinians.
The Pope proclaimed his Christmas greetings in 65 languages. He expressed the urgent prayer, "May the Lord come to the aid of our world torn by so many conflicts which even today stain the earth with blood." He called for people across the globe to respect the truth about God and the truth about us, in the ways of reconciliation, dialogue and cooperation. That counsel applies not only to nations but to individuals and families.
We know that work must continue to accompany our prayers. It is true that the Catholic Church in Connecticut is, after government, the largest provider of educational, charitable and medical services, not to mention pastoral services. What some may not realize is the fact that this is true of the Catholic Church across the globe.
Pope Benedict has already announced that a special "Year of Faith" will begin in 2012, on Oct. 11, the 50th anniversary of the opening of the Second Vatican Council, and conclude on Nov. 24, 2013, the feast of Christ the King. We will all be part of this celebration, the purpose of which is for us to appreciate more fully the gift of faith, to deepen our relationship with God and to strengthen our commitment to sharing faith with others.
The year 2012 will also be the 20th anniversary of the publication of the Catechism of the Catholic Church. There will be developments from Rome and from our Archdiocese to assist us in rediscovering the truth of our faith and in deepening our understanding of Church teaching. Our parishes in the Archdiocese have been creative in their use of technology to strengthen the knowledge of our faith and to expand the exercises of our commitment, and we will be continuing those efforts.
The work comes back to ourselves. At the beginning of the New Year, we recognize that in God’s grace it is our work and our prayers that create the unique world of our behavior. Reminded of the impressive variety of people in our Archdiocese, we pray that all together we may hear the call in the Book of Revelation (7:9): "After this I saw before me a huge crowd which no one could count from every nation and race, people and tongue." It is our call to the book of the living, the triumph of the elect in Jesus Christ Our Lord. With the deepest sentiments of gratitude, I wish you a Happy New Year!
