Articles by Archbishop Thomas Wenski
Remember those denied 'dignity' of decent work, fair wages
Sep 5, 2013 / 00:00 amOn Labor Day, we honor the working man (and woman) and the dignity of human work. Work in God’s plan is not a punishment for sin but the means for men and women to participate in God’s own work of creation. Through work, we necessarily seek to meet our material needs and provide for our families; but through work, we also seek to contribute to our communities. As Pope Francis recently said, "work is fundamental to the dignity of a person...it gives one the ability to maintain oneself, one's family and to contribute to the growth of one's own nation." In a word, our work as a participation in God’s continuing creation promotes the common good and reflects our human dignity.Work should strengthen our family life, providing resources and respect, benefits and health care for families. Work should enhance our families, our communities, and our spiritual lives. Work, worthy of the human person, should allow us and our families to live in dignity. In other words, work must be honest but also decent work.If Labor Day honors the dignity of human work, we do well to remind ourselves that because of unemployment or underemployment, millions here in America are still denied the honor and respect that comes from decent work. Many low wage earners do not have the decent work that would afford them the means of meeting their families’ basic needs. While some herald the end of the "great recession", our economy still is not creating an adequate number of jobs and, albeit unintended, the Affordable Care Act (aka Obamacare) has made "full time employment" an increasingly unattainable goal for thousands of workers. Stalemate in Congress prevents a rational and humane solution to the millions of irregular immigrant workers whose lack of legal status leave them vulnerable to exploitation and abuse. And, half of those Americans fortunate enough to be working earn less than $27,000 a year!We recall with appreciation the historic contributions of our nation’s labor movement in securing better wages and working conditions for workers in our country. Catholic social teaching has long supported the right of workers to choose to organize themselves into unions. But today unions and entrepreneurs who help create jobs can and should help workers not only “get” more, but “be” more by seeking for them greater participation and a real voice in both the workplace and in society.Even those higher up on the economic ladder must remember that the purpose of work is about more than “getting more.” In seeking to meet their own economic aspirations, even the relatively affluent can consume so much time and energy at work, away from their family and away from their home, that raising children and contributing to their communities are neglected.We must remind ourselves of the connection between our work and holiness – between what most people do for a living: i.e., our employment, and fulfilling God’s purpose for our lives: i.e., our call to holiness. In the face of the various scandals of recent years in the Church, in the corporate world and in politics, we must continue to resist what the bishops at the Second Vatican Council 50 years ago called: “one of the gravest errors of our time… the dichotomy between the faith which many profess and their day-to-day conduct.”Whatever our work or status, each one of us is called by faith to shape the world in which we live and labor. Whatever work we do has moral purpose: what we do contributes to or detracts from God's creation and the common good. Each one of us must “take up the cross” and live out what our faith teaches about human life and dignity, about economic and social justice, about reconciliation and peace. We are called to apply our values and our moral principles in our lives and in our work – if we do this, the work we will do will be honest and worthy of our dignity as creatures made in God's own image and likeness; if we do this, our observance of Labor Day will mean more than just the "official" end of summer. Reprinted with permission from the Florida Catholic, official newspaper for the diocese of Miami.
Mary, our hope
Sep 6, 2012 / 00:00 amChristian poets over the centuries have sung the praises of Mary, the Mother of God and our Mother. The American poet, Longfellow, described her as our fallen human nature’s “solitary boast,” for Mary was sinless from the first moment of her conception. The solemnity of Mary’s Assumption, celebrated on August 15, is properly understood in light of her Immaculate Conception. The Second Vatican Council, reaffirming the tradition (and Pius XII’s infallibly declaring the Assumption as a dogma of Catholic faith in 1950), taught that “the Immaculate Virgin, preserved free from all stain of original sin, was taken up body and soul into heavenly glory when her earthly life was over and exalted by the Lord as Queen over all things.” (Lumen Gentium #59)God, in view of her special role in the history of salvation as the Mother of the Incarnate Word, anticipated the fruits of Christ’s redemption and preserved Mary from all sin — original and actual. In celebrating this Marian feast day, observed as a holy day of obligation, we acknowledge that God does indeed keep his promises. The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin “anchors” our hope that God created the human race for more than just death. As we learned in the catechism of our youth, “God has made us to know Him, to love Him and to serve Him in this life and to be happy with him in the next.” Like Mary, each one of us is created in the image and likeness of God; and, like Mary, each one of us is called to a future of hope, realized in the vision of God in heaven. Through her Assumption into heaven, Mary already participates in that future of hope to which we as a pilgrim people aspire — thanks to the grace of baptism which has made us children of God and heirs to the promises of Christ. In his second encyclical, "Spe Salvi," Pope Benedict XVI urged that the Christian community — as a counterpoint to the secularism of our age — rediscover this eschatological perspective that has always been at the heart of the Gospel proclamation. St. Paul writes: “We know that all things work for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose. For those he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, so that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. And those he predestined he also called; and those he called he also justified; and those he justified he also glorified.” (Rom 8:28-30) These words are more than fulfilled in the life of the Virgin Mary who became the Mother of our Savior, “the first born among many brothers and sisters.” Indeed, Paul’s words have a unique application to Mary: for in her Immaculate Conception, she was “predestined”; in the mystery of the Annunciation, she was “called”; in her Assumption, body and soul into heaven, she was “justified”; and in her coronation as Queen of Heaven and Earth, she was “glorified.” By the will of her Son from the cross, we are her children. And though we are sinners, we make Mary our boast. We turn to her in confidence and we ask that, through her prayers and by following her example of obedient trust in God’s will, we too might be conformed to the image of Jesus, her Son. O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us sinners that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ! Reprinted with permission from the Florida Catholic, official newspaper for the Archdiocese of Miami.
No vacation from sunday mass
Jul 26, 2012 / 00:00 amWhen I was a young seminarian, the rector, before dismissing us for our summer break, would admonish us: remember, guys, there’s no vacation from a vocation. This was certainly wise advice -- we were after all still seminarians even when away from the structured environment of the seminary with its fixed times for prayer and daily Mass. And I think this is wise counsel to all of us Catholics even as we plan for vacations that take us away from our homes and parishes. There can be no vacation from our fundamental Christian vocation to holiness. Fidelity to weekly Mass attendance is inextricably linked to that vocation. When I was bishop in Central Florida, I was edified by those Catholics who came to the many attractions of that area and sought out Sunday Mass even though they were far from their homes. The Basilica Shrine of Mary, Queen of the Universe, still welcomes thousands of such visitors each week. The priests of the Shrine provide an important service to these vacationers in making the Sacrament of Penance readily available to them and providing them the opportunity of participation in Sunday Mass. (And, when I had the occasion to celebrate Mass there, I often met many of you from South Florida at Sunday Mass.)While there might not be a Shrine Church like Mary, Queen of the Universe, at our particular vacation destination, we too must make every effort to make sure that we attend Mass on Sunday. Participation in the Sunday Eucharist is an obligation for every practicing Catholic -- and vacation does not dispense us from this weekly encounter with Christ in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass -- for it is only through these sacramental encounters with the Lord that we can grow in the grace necessary to be faithful to our baptismal vocation to holiness. Finding a place to attend Mass while far from home may often not be easy -- but with the help of some advance planning, we can usually find one wherever we may go. The website www.Masstimes.org has a listing of Mass schedules in parishes throughout the United States. Also, most tourist friendly places readily offer information as to the location of the nearest Catholic Church. As Catholics we belong to more than just our parish -- we are members of a universal Church and therefore we are never strangers when we meet with other Catholics to celebrate the great Mystery of our Faith which is the Holy Mass. Vacations are a time of rest -- a time to recharge our batteries so to speak. But as we take advantage of our vacation days to spend time with our loved ones and to rest from the everyday demands and routines of work, let us not neglect to also “rest in the Lord” on the day in which we commemorate his love for us in the Sunday Eucharist. If we are serious about our Christian commitment, we cannot neglect to recharge our spiritual batteries in the central act of our worship, the source and summit of all Christian life: the Mass. There can never be a vacation from our vocation. Reprinted with permission from the official website for the Archdiocese of Miami.
All Catholics must 'cultivate' priestly vocations
May 19, 2011 / 00:00 amThere is much talk regarding the crisis of vocations to the priesthood. And here in the United States, we are rightly concerned given that our priests are aging and ordinations continue to be admittedly too few. In 2011, there will be no one ordained for the diocesan priesthood here in South Florida. Here in the Archdiocese of Miami, we have a goodly number of priests serving as pastors who are over 70 years of age. Thank God for them, but who will step in their shoes?Young Americans today, many of whom have suffered the consequences of the divorce of their parents, fear making any long-term commitments. This fear to assume risks in the face of an apparently uncertain future also accounts for the contemporary crisis in marriage today. In the West (North America and Western Europe), young people caught in a culture of instant gratification and fleeting interests are in no rush to marry much less enter a seminary or convent.Yet, on a global level, the total number of seminarians is higher today than it was in 1978 when John Paul II became Pope. During the almost 27 years of his pontificate, he inspired many young people to embrace a vocation to the priesthood or consecrated life. As he said in “Novo Milenio Ineunte,” “Young people, whatever their possible ambiguities, have a profound longing for those genuine values which find their fullness in Christ. ...If Christ is presented to young people as he really is, they experience him as an answer that is convincing and they can accept his message, even when it is demanding and bears the mark of the cross” (NMI, No. 9).This worldwide resurgence of vocations is a hopeful sign. But it is also a challenge to us who live in what is called the West, where the numbers of vocations have yet to significantly grow. And I use the word “grow” deliberately, for vocations must be cultivated if the numbers are to grow. And that is a task for the entire Catholic community.Priests should not only invite young men to consider a vocation to the priesthood, but also attract them by their priestly integrity and joy. Parents also should be willing to encourage their children if and when they wish to discern a vocation to priesthood or consecrated life. At the same time, teachers and just simple Catholics, when they see a particularly promising youth, should also encourage him or her to think about dedicating their lives to God’s service.Despite conventional wisdom to the contrary, the priest shortage is not the result of celibacy, but of a crisis of faith and the closing of the window of man’s mind to infinity or transcendence. The desire to become a priest is nourished essentially from intimacy with the Lord, in a really personal relationship, which is expressed above all by the desire to be with him.A superficial knowledge of Christ — the fruit of an inadequate or faulty religious formation — is a formidable obstacle to fostering vocations. Whatever can foster in children and youths the authentic discovery of the person of Jesus and of the vital relationship with him will be beneficial to awakening vocations.World Youth Days — on a global level — have done just that, and we look forward to next World Youth Day in Madrid. A countless number of young priests and women religious attribute the “discovery” of their vocation because they went to one of these events where first John Paul II and now Benedict XVI have presented Christ “as he really is,” and they were able to experience him “as an answer that is convincing.”Young people, whether in our parishes, campus ministries, schools or religious education programs, can and will respond to God who does not fail to call — for he is not outdone in generosity. They will be able to overcome “their possible ambiguities” with the confidence that Christian hope inspires — if all of us continue to support the ordained ministry of our priests, and if all of us support the young by introducing them to a personal and real relationship with Christ, a relationship that is nurtured with a solid catechesis and sacramental life.Reprinted with permission from the Archdiocese of Miami.
'New Age' is old Gnosticism
Mar 3, 2011 / 00:00 amDespite the secularism of our age — or perhaps, because of it — many people are rediscovering an interest in spirituality. One can go to almost any commercial bookstore and discover whole sections devoted to the theme.Unfortunately, most of what sells as “spiritual reading,” usually classified under the heading of “New Age,” does not demand any more faith or belief than going to the movies. Not all that is marketed under the rubric “spirituality” is “chicken soup” for the Christian soul. Indeed, much of it, if consumed indiscriminately or unwarily, could prove poisonous to the life of faith. While New Age writings may seductively appeal to the legitimate longing of human nature, they are fundamentally opposed to Christian revelation.Spirituality in our Catholic tradition is more than just narcissistic navel gazing. It is not a self-absorbed seeking after self-fulfillment found through esoteric teachings or practices. Christianity’s invitation is to look outwardly and beyond — to a “New Advent” of the God who calls us to a dialogue of love, a dialogue which invites us to conversion and submission to his will.Authentic spirituality for the Christian is not so much about our search for God, but God’s search for us. Spiritual life is a relationship with the Triune God entered into through our participation in Christ’s passion, death and resurrection through baptism and the living of a life of discipleship. This personal relationship with God grows through his free gift of grace and sheds light on our relationship to our fellow men and women and indeed on our relationship to the world.New Age spirituality — born as a reaction to contemporary culture but nevertheless its child — certainly represents a new challenge to the Church today. Yet, there is very little that is “new” in New Age teachings. A joint statement issued a few years ago by the Pontifical Council for Culture as well as the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue quotes the Holy Father, who warns with regard to the “return of ancient Gnostic ideas under the guise of the so-called New Age: We cannot delude ourselves that this will lead toward a renewal of religion. It is only a new way of practicing Gnosticism — that attitude of the spirit that, in the name of a profound knowledge of God, results in distorting His Word and replacing it with purely human words.”That statement titled “Jesus Christ, the Bearer of the Water of Life,” offers an insightful analysis of the New Age movement and its incompatibility with sound Christian doctrine and practice. It specifically cautions against using the Enneagram, which in recent years has enjoyed some popularity among Christian groups and has even been promoted by some Catholic religious communities. The Enneagram, a pseudo-psychological exercise supposedly based on Eastern mysticism, introduces ambiguity into the doctrine and life of the Christian faith and therefore cannot be happily used to promote growth in an authentic Christian spirituality.In “Novo Milenio Ineunte,” John Paul II urged parishes to become “authentic schools of prayer.” As he says, “…we who have received the grace of believing in Christ, the revealer of the Father and the Savior of the world, have a duty to show to what depths the relationship with Christ can lead” (No. 33).As “Jesus Christ, the Bearer of the Water of Life” says: “To those shopping around in the world’s fair of religious proposals, the appeal of Christianity will be felt first of all in the witness of the members of the Church, in their trust, calm, patience and cheerfulness, and in their concrete love of neighbors, all the fruit of their faith nourished in authentic personal prayer.”Reprinted with permission from The Florida Catholic.