From the Archbishop

We are about to begin a new year. For many people a new year brings a sense of hope. There can be a feeling that this new year will be better than the last. There’s a clean slate before us. People make resolutions ranging from dieting and exercise to praying and personal change all aimed at making 2022 better than 2021.

Dear Brothers and Sisters in the Lord, I recently read on social media a statement by an unbeliever who wrote: “How can Christians believe that God was a little baby who dirtied his diapers and had to be helplessly fed by one of His creatures? Their God is a weak and puny God.”

Last month I attended our annual meeting of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB). Each November the U.S. bishops gather in Baltimore to discuss the state of the Church in our country. Baltimore is an appropriate place to come together since it is our nation’s oldest diocese. This is the traditional place for our bishops to meet. Older Americans would remember the “Baltimore Catechism” which was widely used in the 1940s and 1950s. Its name reflects that it was written by the bishops at a Baltimore meeting.

In my last article I wrote on the Synod which Pope Francis has called for 2023 and has invited the people of each diocese to have input into its preparation. In doing so, I mentioned that one of the most significant insights in the documents of the Second Vatican Council is that each of us, because of our baptism, shares in the Christ’s three roles as priest (sanctifier), prophet (teacher), and king (servant leader).

Pope Francis has called for a synod. The word “synod” means to walk together on a road, and Popes will call synods to discuss how the Church is walking together as the Family of God. The Pope has called for a synod to be held in 2023, two years from now. Synods can address different topics. The people who are selected to attend the meeting depends on the topic. The synod may be about the Church in Europe or the Church in Africa or it may be about the youth of the Church, etc.