News - February 2020 RSS Feed

Article 134 - Catechism of the Catholic Church Series Paragraphs 1762 -1770 Many of you may recall your excitement as a teenager that the day finally arrived when you received your “learners permit” to drive a car. For me, following a meticulous reading of the driving manual from the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV), and then the written test, my next challenge was to convince my dad to teach me how to actually drive. An empty church parking lot on a Sunday afternoon became the initial place where I sat behind the wheel for the first time and began my driving lessons. Later, I graduated to a quiet neighborhood with few moving vehicles before moving onto a regular thoroughfare.

In the 1944, Harold Arken and Johnny Mercer wrote the music and lyrics to a song entitled: “Ac-cent-Tchu-Ate The Positive.” Bing Crosby recorded the tune and it was a big hit. The key to happiness sings the crooner is contained in the lyrics: “you’ve got to accentuate the positive, eliminate the negative and watch out for Mr. In-Between.” Initially written to console a war-tired nation, the song was embraced with enthusiasm by the Forgotten Generation. Still, it has perennial value for us today.

My dear brothers and sisters in Christ, Presenting the 2019 Financial Report and statistics about the life of our diocese in this edition of “The Catholic Spirit” obviously caused me to reflect upon the vast array of things that are taking place in service to the Kingdom of God here in our local Church of Metuchen. While the many blessings of the year easily came to mind, as you well know, the year also had serious challenges. Gratefully, God’s promise that He will be with us in all of our trials was equally true. I am truly grateful, too, for all who labor to build up the Kingdom of God in our diocese including our clergy, those in consecrated life and the talented lay faithful who assist me in shepherding my flock.

What does it mean to live a moral life? Most of us would immediately answer by invoking the name of Jesus and stating that following in the footsteps of Christ is to live a moral life. This includes, among other things, that we must make sacrifices if we want to be followers of Jesus. In the Gospel of Luke, we read: “If anyone wishes to come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me” (Lk 9:23). That doesn’t mean we have to do something so big that it makes it onto the evening news. Neither do we have to fast all of the time or pray most of the day into the night.

Curiously, the Jews have no feast for any of the patriarchs: Abraham, Isaac or Jacob. They have no special festival in honor of Moses. There is nothing prescribed on the Jewish religious calendar to pay tribute to the three great kings: Saul, David or Solomon. They do however, have a yearly observance of the life of a great queen.

January is a month when we take time to reflect on the sanctity of human life at all stages and in all conditions. I recently had the privilege of joining with more than 100,000 people from across our country standing up for life in Washington, D.C., including hundreds from our own diocese — from our parishes, the Catholic Center at Rutgers University, home school families and our high schools. The opening vigil Mass at the Basilica Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, along with the Mass the morning of the March at the Capital One Arena were so moving. The Mass at the Shrine had about 10,000 in attendance while some 17,000 youth and young adults filled the Capital One Arena. After Mass, many young people filled the streets of Washington as the March began. It was such a sign of hope for our country and encouraging for all who attended. Many people are willing to stand up for life!