Bishop’s Letter: Spread peace, forgiveness of Christ to each other

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Nov 27, 2024

My Sisters and Brothers in Christ:

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Like St. Paul and his co-workers, I always pray for you with thanksgiving. I pray that by all our efforts in God’s name that our ministry will bring forth the grace of God, glorified in you and you in Him. My prayer begins around the table of the Lord as we consecrate the offering of ourselves through, with and in Christ, brought before Him in the form of bread and wine to become His Body and Blood. As we receive this wondrous Gift of the Eucharist, we share His salvation through all ages. In this reception of Christ, we take Him into our world and share His generous mercy — His matchless love — as we meet each other in our homes, workplaces, chores, recreation and rest.

The Gift of Christ is not something which we can return, like something purchased in the marketplace. The Eucharist we accept and receive is boundless as we live in Christ. We belong to God as we receive Him, and we agree to serve Him evermore. His mercy shines forth through us and we turn any negativity and discord into God’s powerful goodness.

The transfiguration of our world then, depends upon our response to Jesus. We are ready to respond wholeheartedly to His love when we begin to live according to the Gospel. When we let go of ‘things,’ we find our heart liberated to follow Jesus without doubt or encumbrance.

As we receive Jesus in the Eucharist, we agree to journey toward heaven; to extend His love to all people; even those about whom we have spoken against or treated poorly. Think about the last time you scorned a person or spread gossip or fought with someone. Jesus asks us to return to that person and ask for forgiveness. We are called to spread peace, the forgiveness of Christ to each other. Think about the time you were impatient because someone did not serve you as quickly as you wanted, and you let him/her know about your dissatisfaction. Pray for that person and his/her needs. Perhaps he/she needed a smile at that moment, and you were unable to provide that in Christ’s name. There are many ways in which we can bring Jesus to each other.  How are you called to be His light?

In the encyclical, Dilexit nos, we learn that “our acts of love, service and reconciliation, in order to be truly reparative, need to be inspired, motivated and empowered by Christ” (184). A spirit of reparation thus “leads us to hope that every wound can be healed, however deep it may be” (186).

Our Redeemer always loves us into being. He pardons our daily faults against Him. He transfigures humankind by His eternal love as He relies upon us to bring His love to each other.  The practice of letting go of our ‘things,’ of all that is not of God, is a continual struggle for each one of us. Yet, we can renew ourselves through the Gift of the Eucharist, we consecrate ourselves again to God’s love. By our reception, we can help renew and restore others.

Let us begin each day praising God and asking Him to sanctify our every work. As we gather with family and friends on Thanksgiving Day, we remember and honor the faith-filled journey of our loved one(s) whose deliverance of God’s goodness on earth showers God’s ubiquitous love upon us from heaven.