Dedication of the Lateran Basilica in Rome
8 November 2003
Praise be Jesus Christ! Now and forever!
Dear Friends in Christ,
On the last Sunday of October (kept by our separated Protestant brethren as Reformation Sunday), I preached about our need for a New Catholic Reformation, and in the months and years ahead, I will work to explain in detail what I mean by that phrase. For now, let me begin by renewing my invitation to each man, woman, and child in our parish to begin the transformation from Church member by convention to Christian disciple by conviction. All genuine, Catholic reformation always begins here: personal conversion to the Lord Jesus and fidelity to His Gospel. Without the conviction that comes from a personal decision to follow Christ in the Way of the Cross, there can be no true Christian living and hence no evangelical freedom from the power of sin and the mystery of evil in our lives.
In the coming months, I will be working with our parish staff, the Pastoral and Finance Councils, and the seven new Teams to shape every area of life at St. Mary’s according to the principles of the New Evangelization and a New Catholic Reformation. Our goal is breathtaking in scope: to reform the Church and renew the world by helping every human person surrender his or her life without reservation to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. On first hearing, such a project may sound absurd, but this is none other than the Great Commission given by Christ to His Church, and we each have our part to play in this great drama of the true story of mankind.
A New Catholic Reformation must start with a conscious choice by each of us to see and understand the world from the point of view of the Gospel, rather than seeing the Gospel according to the point of view of the world. (The world here understood as that part of creation in rebellion against the Creator.) To assist all at St. Mary’s in making this choice, I am presently designing several tools for our use, including: a Basic Course in Christian Discipleship, a Simple Rule for Christian Living, and a Re-Introduction to Catholicism. As we work together to help each soul in our parish family live more deeply and completely in the Paschal Mystery, I ask your generous cooperation in responding to the call of the Lord Jesus to make disciples of all nations, starting right here.
Father Newman
Our Lady of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, pray for us.