Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
In the month of September, the Diocese of Fort Worth has been blessed to host the national conventions of two important organizations that do vital work in the area of Catholic Social Teaching. First, the Society of St. Vincent de Paul held their national conference in Grapevine Aug. 31 through Sept. 3.
In my years of priestly ministry, and now as the Bishop of the Diocese of Fort Worth, I have always greatly valued the work of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul. When I was a student at Kenrick Seminary in St. Louis, Missouri, I learned much about the heritage and life of St. Vincent de Paul, and the Vincentian family (including Frederick Ozanam and the Society of St. Vincent de Paul) from the priests of the Congregation of the Mission and the Daughters of Charity. That was an important part of my formation that is with me to this day. I have an icon both of St. Vincent de Paul and St. Louise De Marillac in my chapel in the Cathedral Rectory here in Fort Worth.
The Society is a true witness to the mission of the Church to reach out to those who are in need and to do so with the compassion and love of Jesus himself. Through their work the Society of St. Vincent de Paul helps to make the life and spirit of St. Vincent continue to be alive in our world today. I want to thank the Society for their invaluable work in the life of the Church and know that your compassionate work is truly making a difference in many lives throughout the United States and beyond.
I am also very pleased that the Diocese of Fort Worth has hosted Catholic Charities USA’s annual Gathering and Poverty Summit “Think and Act Anew” held here in Fort Worth from Sept. 18 to 21. This gathering of participants from across the country offered us the opportunity to renew and refine our own efforts as we address and assist those who are suffering from poverty and to affirm our solidarity with those doing this important work of the Church across the country. Catholic Charities throughout the United States has done and continues to do incredible work in providing both the corporal and spiritual works of mercy to the poor and those in need in a wide variety of areas and circumstances. Catholic Charities in many ways has been the backbone of the Church’s efforts to be a continuous presence to the poor and, as Blessed Pope John Paul II so often called for, has engaged in the building of a true civilization of love. Pope Benedict XVI, in his first encyclical Deus Caritas Est, also highlighted the importance of the work of organizations like Catholic Charities:
Whoever loves Christ loves the Church, and desires the Church to be increasingly the image and instrument of the love which flows from Christ. The personnel of every Catholic charitable organization want to work with the Church and therefore with the Bishop, so that the love of God can spread throughout the world. By their sharing in the Church's practice of love, they wish to be witnesses of God and of Christ, and they wish for this very reason freely to do good to all. (33)
I know firsthand that the presence of Catholic Charities in the Diocese of Fort Worth continues to be an instrument of mercy and hope to thousands each year. I am grateful for their work and presence here in the Diocese and all across the country. Thank you to Heather Reynolds and all of her staff and board members for all that they do, and for the work that was entailed in hosting Catholic Charities USA here in Fort Worth. This has been an honor for us. It was an honor having them with us, and especially to have welcomed so many involved in living the Church's social teaching. A special thanks also to Father Larry Snyder, director of Catholic Charities USA.
All of this serves to remind us of the richness of the Church’s social teaching, which has its foundation in the dignity of each and every human person. The Church has always been, from her beginning, concerned with the dignity of the human person as created in the image and likeness of God, and the Church exists to see that this dignity is promoted, protected, and served at all times and in all circumstances. Catholic Social Teaching has developed from the 2,000 year teaching Tradition of the Church, but has been more explicitly developed over the past 120 years especially by the Papal Magisterium. The first social encyclical Rerum Novarum by Pope Leo XIII in 1891 was a foundational document in the history of the Church’s social teaching and primarily addressed the rights of workers during the peak of the industrial revolution. The popes of the twentieth century have continued to draw from the richness of Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition to expound upon the Church’s social teachings and apply them to the present day economic and societal issues faced by modern man. There are a number of great social encyclicals written by most of the Popes of the twentieth century, many of them on specific anniversaries of the promulgation of Rerum Novarum. The most recently issued social encyclical was Caritas in Veritate or Love in Truth by Pope Benedict XVI in 2009. As developed by the modern popes, these social teachings provide guidelines and criteria to be used in the varying times, circumstances, and situations in which the dignity of the human person may be threatened or diminished. These guidelines are to be used so that true justice and peace may be established by a proper ordering of the state, the family, and the rights of persons. Catholic Social Teaching calls all of us to work to establish a civilization of love in which the dignity of every person is promoted and protected, and teaches that all of us, as members of the Body of Christ, the Church, are called upon to follow the example of the Good Samaritan and respond to the suffering of others and to unleash the love of Christ. As Blessed Pope John Paul II teaches:
Following the parable of the Gospel, we could say that suffering, which is present under so many different forms in our human world, is also present in order to unleash love in the human person, that unselfish gift of one's "I" on behalf of other people, especially those who suffer. The world of human suffering unceasingly calls for, so to speak, another world: the world of human love; and in a certain sense man owes to suffering that unselfish love which stirs in his heart and actions. The person who is a " neighbor" cannot indifferently pass by the suffering of another: this in the name of fundamental human solidarity, still more in the name of love of neighbor. He must "stop", "sympathize", just like the Samaritan of the Gospel parable. The parable in itself expresses a deeply Christian truth, but one that at the same time is very universally human. It is not without reason that, also in ordinary speech, any activity on behalf of the suffering and needy is called "Good Samaritan" work.
— On the Christian Meaning of Human Suffering, Salvifici Doloris, 29
I encourage all to take some time to study the Church’s social teaching as presented in the Catechism of the Catholic Church as well as some of the more recent Papal social encyclicals. The Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace has also published the Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church which is another excellent resource to study Catholic social teaching. This resource can be purchased through USCCB publishing at www.usccbpublishing.org.
Finally, I also wanted to take this opportunity to reflect upon the tenth anniversary of the September 11, 2001 terror attacks. As we have once again watched the horror that unfolded upon that terrible day, we need to pray for the many who died that day and that healing, faith, and forgiveness may continue in their families and loved ones. We also need to continue to remember with great gratitude and love the fallen heroes of that day: the firefighters, police, and other brave responders who gave the ultimate sacrifice in helping others to safety. They truly lived out the words of our Lord, “No one has greater love than this, to lay down his life for one’s friends” (John 15:13). I would like to conclude with the words of Blessed Pope John Paul II from his General Audience of September 12, 2001, the day after the attack on our country, for our prayerful reflection as we again remember the events of September 11, 2001:
Yesterday was a dark day in the history of humanity, a terrible affront to human dignity. After receiving the news, I followed with intense concern the developing situation, with heartfelt prayers to the Lord. How is it possible to commit acts of such savage cruelty? The human heart has depths from which schemes of unheard-of ferocity sometimes emerge, capable of destroying in a moment the normal daily life of a people. But faith comes to our aid at these times when words seem to fail. Christ’s word is the only one that can give a response to the questions which trouble our spirit. Even if the forces of darkness appear to prevail, those who believe in God know that evil and death do not have the final say. Christian hope is based on this truth; at this time our prayerful trust draws strength from it.
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