One of the most beautiful and amazing aspects of the life of the Church
is that every day…
in rectories, churches, convents, and homes throughout the world…
priests, religious men and women and lay faithful
are praying the prayer of the Church: the Liturgy of the Hours.
I am amazed by the depth of these prayers…
The Liturgy of the Hours follows the cycle of the liturgical year.
We pray the same psalms, antiphons, canticles, Scriptures readings, and collects
over and over throughout our lives…
And yet each and every time we repeat the cycle we pray them with new insight
and gain from them new and ever richer food for spiritual nourishment.
I have prayed the Divine Office throughout my years as a seminarian.
A couple Easters ago a particular phrase that repeats throughout that holy season…
a phrase I had seen many times…
grabbed my attention and stirred my heart in a uniquely powerful way.
In my own spiritual situation…these words from God spoke to me…
that I must turn from all the passing desires of this world
and center my attention on the eternal realities of the Lord
and of His holy priesthood.
These same words which gave me a renewed understanding of my vocation…
are the words given to us by the Church today to nourish our souls.
Saint Paul writes…
“…seek what is above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.
Think of what is above, not what is on earth.
For…your life is hidden with Christ in God.”
In today’s First Reading the prophet Qoheleth proclaims all that is in the world is vanity
and that toiling solely in this world leads to no profit.
Jesus teaches us in the Holy Gospel that the treasures of this world do not last.
The man in Jesus’ story builds ever larger barns…
to store all he has horded for himself.
He takes great comfort in his earthly wealth and rejoices in his worldly possessions.
In different ways, we all store up things which make us happy in this life.
My weakness is books…
Recently I saw a postcard that pictured a hearse…pulling a U-Haul trailer…
through a cemetery.
The caption read: “Who says you can’t take it with you?”
The truth is we cannot take any of this “stuff” with us.
The good things of this world are gifts of God…
gifts to be respected and appreciated and enjoyed…
Yet we use the blessings of this life with our hearts set on eternal life.
We use what we have been given responsibly and moderately.
We look to our true home in heaven and store up our real treasures there.
Jesus tells us that what we take delight in…in this life…will pass away…
and so we must strive always to be rich in what matters to God.
We set our hearts on heavenly realities and eternal truth…
on what is above, where Christ lives and reigns.
What matters to God is that we continue to seek Him…
to unite ourselves more closely to Him…
and to fashion our lives around the truth of His teachings.
As the Vicar of Christ on earth…
our Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI guides the Church with great wisdom
and leads us toward the fullness of truth…
the truth taught by Christ and not by men…
the truth which has remained the foundation of the Church for 2,000 years.
As surely you all know from watching the news…
the Vatican recently released a document
containing questions and answers regarding the doctrine on the Church.
The document speaks about the reality of the Church.
It does not present new teachings but reaffirms the teaching of Vatican II.
It is important to understand the authentic teaching of the Church in this document
and to open our hearts to the blessings that come from embracing the truth.
It is critical to acknowledge that many people have been disturbed and confused
by this document…
or…more precisely…by what they understand the document have said.
The secular print, internet, and television media
have done the Church a great disservice by their misinterpretations.
Thus each of us must…for the sake of our own spiritual lives…
and for the sake of the good of the whole Church…
go to the sources and read the documents of the Church for ourselves.
Do not allow people outside the Church to teach you your own theology!
[PAUSE]
The essential teaching of the document on the Church is this:
Jesus Christ established on earth one Church…
creating it as a visible and spiritual community.
The Catholic Church…both Roman and Eastern Rites…
remains throughout history the same Church established by Christ.
The Catholic Church contains everything that Christ established and intended…
the priesthood…the Eucharist…the whole teaching of Christ…
and the teaching authority of the pope and bishops…
The Catholic Church is everything that Christ established…
as the way for all people to be united in Him and find the path to salvation.
[PAUSE]
Does this mean that those persons who belong to Protestant communities
are not able to be saved…are not able to go to heaven?
It absolutely does not.
The other communities…separated from the Catholic Church…
contain…as the Vatican document explains…
“elements of sanctification and truth.”
Though without the fullness of what Christ established…
there is much goodness in these communities.
The document from the Vatican is about the reality of the Church…
not the salvation of particular people.
The Church in no way judges the salvation of individual persons.
The grace of the Holy Spirit works in mysterious ways…
through the hearts and souls of all people…
to bring them to salvation and holiness.
Does this mean that Catholics may think of themselves as better than others?
Absolutely not.
Knowing and reflecting on the truth about what the Church is…
and the great gift of faith we have received…
does not inflate us or fill us with pride…
but brings us to our knees in humility before God.
It is our solemn duty to live the faith with integrity and charity…
so as to be living witnesses of the blessings we have received from the Lord.
Does this document mean an end to ecumenism…
to dialogue and working with people of other faiths?
Certainly not.
Authentic ecumenism must take into consideration
the realities of the various communities.
One religious group or another cannot deny who they are
in order to come to a common ground.
That is indifferentism rather than ecumenism.
The Church is clear about who she is.
She always invites charitable, scholarly dialogue with other religious communities. She remains open to working with people of other faiths
in any way that can bring about goodness and peace for humanity.
The Catholic Church…by no merit of its members…by no merit of ours…
remains the guardian of the fullness of the many beautiful gifts
that Jesus bestowed on the community He founded.
For this we give thanks and glory to God…
as we pray for the union of all God’s people
and strive to live the gift of our faith more fully and authentically…
and seek the kingdom of Christ!
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