Bishop Henry’s Homily – October 5, 2002

Mass of Thanksgiving for World Youth Day 2002

“Dear friends, the Church today looks to you with confidence and expects you to be the people of the Beatitudes.

Blessed are you if, like Jesus, you are poor in spirit, good and merciful; if you really seek what it just and right; if you are pure of heart, peacemakers, lovers of the poor and their servants. Blessed are you!

Only Jesus is the true Master, only Jesus speaks the unchanging message that responds to the deepest longings of the human heart, because he alone knows “what is in each person” (cf. Jn 2:25). Today he calls you to be the salt and light of the world, to choose goodness, to live in justice, to become instruments of love and peace. His call has always demanded a choice between good and evil, between light and darkness, between life and death. He makes the same invitation today to you” [Pope John Paul II].

The child had one line in the church program: “It is I. Be not afraid.” He practised in the car all the way to church, muttering to himself, “It is I. Be not afraid...It is I. Be not afraid...”

But when his big moment came, he panicked. Couldn’t remember a word. The teacher prompted from behind the curtain: “It is I. Be not afraid!” When he remained frozen, she hissed in a loud whisper, “It is I. Be not afraid.”

Coming suddenly to life, he blurted out, “Well, this is me, and I’m scared to death!”

Young people listening to me, answer the Lord with strong and generous hearts! He is counting on you. Never forget: Christ needs you to carry out his plan of salvation! Christ needs your youth and your generous enthusiasm to make his proclamation of joy resound in the new millennium. Answer his call by placing your lives at his service in your brothers and sisters! Trust Christ, because he trusts you.

The Beatitudes are for people whose hearts are set on having the Reign of God come about. Beatitudes are a way of life designed for those who want their lives to be a blessing. Beatitude people are searching people. They have this working with God on their minds and they can’t rest until the world is right and just and equitable for all. They urge us out of the comfortable and the ordinary. They invite us to risk in our daily living and meet the holy in the unsettling questions of the day. They tell us that God is forever in our midst as we bless the world with Beatitude living. The Beatitudes are values that come straight from the mind of Christ. Translated into simple language, Jesus said something like this:

Blessed are those who are convinced of their basic dependency on God, whose lives are emptied of all that doesn’t matter, those for whom the riches of this world just aren’t that important. The new reign of heaven is theirs.

Blessed are those who know that all they are is a gift from God, and so they can be content with their greatness and their smallness, knowing themselves and being true to themselves. For they shall have the earth for their heritage.

Blessed are those who wear compassion like a garment, those who have learned how to find themselves by losing themselves in another’s sorrow. For they too shall receive comfort.

Blessed are those who are hungry for goodness, those who never get enough of God and truth and righteousness. For they shall be satisfied.

Blessed are the merciful, those who remember how much has been forgiven them, and are able to extend this forgiveness into the lives of others. For they too shall receive God’s mercy.

Blessed are those whose hearts are free and simple, those who have smashed all false images and are seeking honestly for truth. For they shall see God.

Blessed are those whose love has been tried, like gold, in the furnace and found to be precious, genuine, and lasting, those who have lived their belief out loud, no matter what the cost or pain. For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

WYD2002 DEBT

After World Youth Day 2002, the Catholic Church in Canada ended up with a debt of $38,000,000.00 The Bishops of Canada agreed that any deficit would be apportioned to the dioceses of Canada in proportion to their respective percentage of the Canadian Catholic population.

Our share of the national debt has been set at $756,951.00 To that figure we must add the deficit of $161,758.00 from our Days in the Diocese, which represents our fund-raising shortfall for those highly successful days in our diocese. Hence the rounded off total amount which we must raise is $918,709.00*.

Wonderful things are indeed possible and thanks to the zeal and vigour that has been instilled in each of us, I am convinced that assuming our share of the debt will only allow us to put it behind us and concentrate on the real issue: to further develop the involvement of all people – young in age or young at heart – in the mission of the Church which Christ Himself entrusted to our care.

A diocesan collection at all parishes on December 7th and 8th will give opportunity to respond to this special appeal. Thank you for your generous support.

*For more information on how we incurred such a large debt, please refer to the December issue of The Carillon.