On Pentecost Sunday, 2016, Cardinal Wuerl, Archbishop of Washington, D.C., issued a pastoral letter to Catholics in the Archdiocese.
The letter is remarkable indeed. Remarkable for the clarity of its teaching about the essential nature, mission and responsibilities of the Church.
Cardinal Wuerl explains that the letter, Being Catholic Today: Catholic Identity in an Age of Challenge, “is about who we are as Catholics.” It is a reflection “on our identity as disciples of Jesus – followers of Christ – adopted children of God."
The Cardinal continues: “As Christians, we believe that there are deep and reliable answers to the perennial questions of self-identity as well as how we should live and what values grow out of our identity and form the basis for our choices.”
At the core of this understanding, Cardinal Wuerl makes reference to the Dogmatic Constitution on the Church of Vatican Council II.
He states: “ The Church is not a business, a club, or a special-interest group. The Church is not the result of like-minded people coming together and deciding to form an organization, nor are her moral teachings decided by popular vote or societal trends. The Catholic Church is not a man-made institution at all. Her origins are found in the will and actions of Christ. The Church, a people gathered into the unity of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, was instituted by our Lord Jesus Christ as a sacrament – a sign and instrument of communion with God and of unity among all people.” (Lumen Gentium, 1)
“To be a Catholic is to recognize the role of the Church as the very means created and given to us by Jesus so that his work, accomplished in his death and Resurrection, might be represented in our day and applied to us.”
“The purpose of our parishes, schools, ministries and other Catholic entities – and the task of those who work for them – is to lead people to Jesus,” the Cardinal insists.
Thank you, Cardinal Wuerl, for reminding me and all of us that the true mission of the Church is to manifest the Redemptive Love and Forgiveness of Christ Jesus, Our Savior.
May we never distract ourselves from this mission by adventures into social engineering as well as other tempting adventures which have nothing whatsoever to do with the proclamation of the Gospel and the sanctification of the world.
May we give witness to His Grace by living lives of compassion, pardon and peace.
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