DENVER CATHOLIC Groundbreaking Queen of Peace set for construction 21-23 Catholic Worker 8 Holy Week ummit £ th hur h ar 1 -17 2 DENVER CATHOLIC REGISTER April I . I 998 There is no Christian message of hope without the cross (j resurrection is no illusion. s Christians, we're never con­ "The Word became flesh and cemE:d with new media and new M A Archbishop's dwelt among us," and died for us and technologies simply for their own rose again for us, so that ' our sakes. They draw our interest because Column personhood - our flesh and spirit _ we see in them the means to bring By Most Rev. would be redeemed; so that every one more people to Jesus Christ, and to get of us, no matter how sinful or con­ T Charles J. Chaput closer to Him ourselves. INIEIWT IEICI fused or broken or handicapped and Jesus told us, "Go teach all na­ would be restored to the beauty God into tions." Preaching the Gospel of Jesus intended for each of us. Imn Christ is our main task as disciples. We can only be the persons God Mai is saved. Maybe there's a state or condi­ to heed these data, and to listen to the What does it mean to preach the Gos­ intended, we can only be fully h uman Car, tion corresponding to what traditionally voice of the Spirit allegedly speaking his 1 pel today? What is Jesus' m essage to by follow.ing Jesus C~rist. Following has been called hell, but no one is in dan­ there. the women and men of our times? Jesus Christ means being nailed to the elev We know that the Christian mes­ ger of going there at least, no one who N ow, it's certainly desirable - in B cross and dying to our selves. But it sage is a given. It is something to be hears the Christian message. fact it's essential - that those who him also means the empty tomb and Eas­ received and transmitted, not invented If this is true - if salvation is cer­ pre~ch the Gospel of Jesus Christ under­ ous ter. That is the good news. The real or changed. Still, how Jesus' message tain - how should Christians spend stand the terrain they hope to evange­ cele· good news; and it is urgent good news is communicated varies according to their time? The answer is: They should lize. That includes understanding, and witl for every person in every generation, time and place. work to build a better world, to reduce being thoroughly at home, in the world at the tum of this millennium and lOy Just recently, the Holy Father told the amount of unhappiness here and of technology and media. This is th~ en­ bish every millennium, until the day Our a group of American bishops making now, and to increase the current index vironment in which people today bve. thro their ad limina visits to Rome that the of human satisfaction. But the real, living person who is Lord returns. That is why we proclaim wer, Jesus Christ. That is why we preach "great achievement" of Second Vatican This has been the implied message Jesus Christ is not some sort of play­ Teel Him joyfully, passionately, without Council was to enable the Church to of one version of Christian preaching for dough figure who can be twisted and Pers compromise, and with hearts on fire "engage modernity with the truth several decades now. And of course, it changed to suit the attitudes of the world dud about the human condition " (L doesn't work. For if being ·a Christian we want to evangelize. Carried out con­ with hope. That is the meaning of wit­ "] ness. 'Osservatore Romano, March 4, 1998). comes down simply to building a better sistently, over a period of time, this mis­ muc As a key part of this work, differ­ world, why not join a purely secular en­ taken approach reduces the Gospel to That is how we must live as mis­ unfc ent aspects of the message will be terprise better equipped to do the job, nice sentiments about a man named sionaries. And it is missionaries Jesus StafJ stressed at different times; different rather than a Church which carries a lot Jesus who lived a long time ago and who calls each one of us to be. horn lessons drawn and applied to the situ­ of very inconvenient cultural baggage? - for reasons not entirely clear - was men ations of different audiences; different In fact, if salvation is assured, why a positive role model to us all. Is this the mad illustrations used according to the even bother about building a better message of Lent, Holy Week and Eas­ Archbishop's Schedule him backgrounds of the listeners and, of world? Why not just concentrate on our ter? Obviously not. the 1 course, different media and technolo­ own comfort and success? Make no mistake about it: The good April 1: Confirmation for St. "] ;, gies will be employed, depending on Another possibility is to rewrite the news of Jesus Christ is bad news for the James and Blessed Sacrament par­ will ,, the circumstances. message of Jesus Christ in a way that enemies of God, who is the source of all ishes (7p.m.); April 2: Presbyteral smil Granted that, I believe that some suits the people who find it uncomfort­ truth and mercy, justice and human dig­ Council meeting (10 a.m.), College said. very different approaches can be out­ able. These days, we're constantly be­ nity. That's why Golgotha happened. of Consultors (12:30 p.m.); April my I lined in preaching the Christian mes­ ing reminded of these or those poll data That's why there is no Christian message 3· Catholic Scouting Awards in the the 1 sage. And they're not all equally which show that large numbers of of hope without the bloody nails of the apel at JPII (7:30 p .m .); April 5: thinJ helpful. Catholics don't accept Catholic teaching cross. There was no "virtual reality" in aim Sunday Mass at Cathedral ing < One message is to tell people their on various matters and ignore the au­ the crucifixion. The blood and the dy­ 0:30 a.m.). atW eternal destiny is secure - everyone thority of the Church. We're counseled ing were real. And that's also why the C, bish 96, dent Vatican document on Holocaust prompts praise, criticism cil f 1996 ATICAN CITY (CNS) - The tion, especially from Jewish leaders who call to penitence. W de ply r gret the Rabbi David Rosen, h ead of the Coll V Vatican's release of a landmark felt the two phenomena were historically rrors and failure of tho e son and Jerusalem office of the Anti-Defamation document on the Holocaust, expressing linked. And its defense of Pope Pius XII daughters of th Church," it aid. League of B'nai B'rith, said the repentance for some Christians' failure re-opened a bitter debate about the role In that sen e, the current document is document's expression of error and re­ to o ppose the persecution of Jews, of the wartime pontiff and whether he "an act of repentance," it aid . gret was significant. But he said the text prompted a week of praise, criticism did all he should have done to save Jew­ Addres ed to all atholic , the Vati­ made it sound as if Christians were and reflection from Catholic and Jew­ ish lives. can d cument wa also sent to J wish merely indifferent to the persecution of ish leaders. Titled, "We Remember: A Reflection leaders around the world. It a ked Jews European Jews; he said that others, in­ The document drew universal ap­ on the Shoah," the 14-page text was re­ to "hear us with open heart ." cluding the Pope, have used stronger proval for its "mea culpa" about past leased March 16. One of the main con­ Reaction poured in immediately, not language about Christian inaction dur­ Christian discrimination against Jews clusions of the text was that centurie of all .ofit fa arable. Many Jewi hr pre n- ing that period. and its s trong condemnation of the prac­ anti-Jewish attitudes in the Church may tati call d it a p iti tep, but on Rabbi Leon Klenicki, an AOL official tices and ideas that led to the Nazis' "fi­ have contributed to Christians' lack of that did n t meet all their expectation . in ew York, challenged the document' nal solution." Many saw the text as an resistance to the azi policies, which left Typical was th statem nt of the Euro- anti-Judaism/ anti-Semitism distinction, important teaching tool for the future. some 6 million Jews dead. p an nf r n fRabbi , hich nth a ing: "Th Nazis nouri h d them- Its distinction b tw n hri tian "For Chri tian , this h avy burd n . n hand aid th t t w di app int­ lv s with what th y aw ar und th m " anti-Judaism" and Nazi ''anti­ conscience of their brother and sisters ~g and. on th. oth r call d it a "first t p in the textbooks, in the cathedrals, in the Semitism" met with a more mixed reac- during the Second World War must be a m the nght direction." pa ion plays (of the Catholic hurch). They didn't have to go far. It was th re." i All are called to defend life Year of the Holy Spirit I Denver Catholic Register (US PS By Hi Holiness, Pop John Paul II , A time of hope in the definitive Denver Catholic 557-020) is published weekly except o sin r on or group ha a monopoly on th ' coming of the kingdom of God Register the last week of December and the first week of January by the Arch· N d f and promotion of life.