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Dear Friends,
Thanks to all who joined in prayerful support of us bishops as we recently met in Baltimore for our annual fall assembly. The meeting was very upbeat and very joyful – in very large part due to Archbishop Timothy Dolan, his wonderful wit and sense of humor, and his determination to expedite our proceedings using every possible tactic. The archbishop’s approach meant that we bishops had more time for fraternal companionship, and that the meeting was a time when the Holy Spirit, though Archbishop Dolan and our new, gracious, and warm Apostolic Nuncio, confirmed us in our faith.
Next Sunday, of course, we move to praying the Mass in the more sacral vocabulary of the new translation, which is a renewed invitation to greater reverence at Mass on the part of all of us.
In some parishes, further changes will be noticeable as we continue our effort to bring our worship into complete conformity with the liturgical practices given to us by the Holy Spirit, through the Church, in the new Roman Missal. As I have indicated regularly in recent days, it is the leadership of the local pastor in moving to any necessary changes in the worship of the local parish which is key, so that each pastor can assure that any changes come with the appropriate catechesis.
Once again, I ask all to cooperate with any changes in a very positive spirit. After all, we say constantly that the liturgy is the “source and summit” of our life as disciples of Jesus. It follows that if the source and summit is not itself in good, holy order, the rest of our efforts to fulfill the mission of Christ might go without fruit. It is the Lord that is building this current moment of liturgical renewal, and unless the Lord builds this particular house, those who build it labor in vain. Let us proceed together with the humility, obedience, and joy which characterize those who truly want to become saints.
Lastly, this is the week of our Thanksgiving holiday. The Eucharist itself, as we know, is the great Sacrifice of Thanksgiving, and is the best was for us to express our thanks to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit on Thanksgiving Day.
We thank God for the blessings and even the sufferings which family life and, indeed, our whole life in this world bring as our unique path to sainthood in Christ. I thank God for every one of you, in particular for my brother priests, as we live and work together so that a mighty hymn of thanksgiving might arise to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, from all the living here on Earth. Have a wonderful and blessed Thanksgiving celebration with your loved ones!
Thank you for reading this! God bless each one of you! Praised be Jesus Christ!