Thank you, Cardinal!

[MariaChristi]

...Our mission, like that of each generation of Christians, is to make Christ known in the age in which we live, and we should celebrate the fact that the mysteries of faith are being proclaimed by word and witness to the ends of the earth. But we should not be surprised at the storms that occur when the divine wisdom of the Gospel confronts the human wisdom of this age...

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

I just read these words given by Cardinal Thomas Collins in a wonderful address to the Knights of Columbus in California. I would encourage everyone to read what he preached because he is speaking to all of us who have been baptized to evangelize:

...We proclaim the supernatural wisdom of the Gospel, which is in harmony with natural human wisdom, whether it be in affirming the sanctity of life, or of marriage as a covenant between a man and a woman, faithful in love and open to the gift of life, or of other fundamental realities that are clearly evident by the light of faith and reason.

But we do so in a social environment that is shaped by the false wisdom of this age that is increasingly antagonistic to Christian faith, and even blind to what human reason itself reveals.

More than that, public opinion polls indicate a disturbing phenomenon that personal experience confirms. While we are trying to evangelize this age, the rulers of this age, who shape popular culture, are effectively de-evangelizing many of the Christian people. Often the misguided ideas against which we speak are increasingly attractive, and the principles we affirm are unattractive, to Catholics as much as to any others, who are unconsciously absorbing the false wisdom of the age...

I urge everyone to take time to read this entire address for it gives great and practical help to effectively engage "in the struggle to evangelize" (Cardinal's phrase). Using the example and words of St. Dominic, the Cardinal insists on the fundamentals, beginning with prayer. When you finish reading the article, please share your thoughts. Thanks. Full text is [HERE](http://www.zenit.org/article-35347?l=english)

 

[Jeanne_S]

Thank you Maria Christi for posting this

 

[MariaChristi]

Thank you Maria Christi for posting this

Dear Jeanne,

And thank you for responding! Perhaps you’d like to share some thoughts on the Cardinal’s words. I was so blessed to read and be encouraged by all he had to say.

 

[Jeanne_S]

My thoughts are that the Cardinal stated very clearly,that it is incumbent upon all Catholics to be obedient to the truth and teachings of our faith and to vote accordingly,meaning we must not,cannot vote for Obama.My prayer is that the Church faithful will take these words to heart. I have been saying a prayer that my parish distributed last month re religious liberty. That is our only defense against what we and all Christians are facing right now,pray without ceasing.

 

[MariaChristi]

My thoughts are that the Cardinal stated very clearly,that it is incumbent upon all Catholics to be obedient to the truth and teachings of our faith and to vote accordingly,meaning we must not,cannot vote for Obama.My prayer is that the Church faithful will take these words to heart. I have been saying a prayer that my parish distributed last month re religious liberty. That is our only defense against what we and all Christians are facing right now,pray without ceasing.

Dear Jeanne,

Thanks again for sharing your thoughts. Yes, Cardinal Collins is calling all of us to live our Baptismal Promises, seriously. To vote for an abortion ticket, IS to go against our Catholic Faith; as President Obama and Vice-President Biden and the democratic ticket are consistently and increasingly pro-abortion. Our parish has been praying a “Patriotic Rosary” together every first Sunday of the month which ends in November after 9 months. We pray this election may be a “new birth” for our country!

Faith is a gift we received at Baptism but we either “use it or lose it”. We need to nourish our faith as all the saints before us have done. The Cardinal pointed especially to St. Dominic in his words:

We need to attend to the fundamentals. As we busily design strategies to advance the new evangelization, we need to build upon the bedrock of prayer, and not just give it lip service. As St. Benedict says in the Prologue of his Rule: “whatever good work you begin to do, beg of Him with most earnest prayer to perfect it.” This is not just pious icing on the cake; in many ways, it is the cake.

The sacramental encounter with Christ in the Eucharist, continued contemplatively through Eucharistic adoration, is essential to our life of faith. St. Dominic spent countless hours in prayer before the Lord. Bishop Sheen reminds us that the effective ministry of conversion flows from the Eucharist. What does that mean for you, and for me, in the days that lie ahead?

Another gateway to divine wisdom is the Rosary, a prayer deeply connected to the Dominican tradition. It immerses us in the mysteries of salvation and helps us to reach out for the intercession of Our Lady. In any great and seemingly overwhelming crisis, whether in St. Dominic’s time, or today, we need to pray the Rosary.

And we need to build our efforts upon the foundation of a prayerful meditation on the sacred scriptures. St. Dominic carried the words of St. Paul and the Gospels with him always. The ancient practice of “LectioDivina”, the praying of the Word of God, should inform all that we do, day by day, for we proclaim not the wisdom of this age, but holy wisdom, manifest in sacred scripture and most fully in the person of Our Lord Jesus himself, whom we encounter in Word and Sacrament.

The apostolic mission of the Knights of Columbus, at every level, must be rooted in fervent prayer if it is to be fruitful…

Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of Your faithful and kindle in us the Fire of Your Love; renew the Church and enable us by Your power working within us, to renew the face of the earth!