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A Message of Hope
How does one prepare for a visit from the Vicar of Christ on Earth? What should we expect Pope Benedict XVI to say when he arrives in the United States, April 15? How can we participate in the visit of the Holy Father?
The last question can be answered easily. We can participate in this unique time in the history of the Church in America by watching each event as it is brought to you by television. The Prayer Channel will have continuous coverage of the pope’s visit to America, both in Washington, D.C., and in New York. Technicians, producers and planners at the diocesan station have been working for months as they prepare to bring this papal trip live into your living rooms.
Not only will there be full coverage from the sites of the events themselves, but The Prayer Channel will maintain an anchor booth in its studios to stay on top of all the happenings, and it has been preparing special segments to be shown during down times in the papal itinerary. There also will be special pre-papal shows and a post-trip wrap-up show on Monday evening, April 21. The times of all these programs can be found on the custom-designed website www.watchthepope.com.
We also can participate in the visit by attending Mass and offering special prayers for the Holy Father as he makes his way from stop to stop.
His speech at the United Nations will be a unique opportunity for him to offer a message of peace to the world. We should pray that he and the world’s leaders will be inspired to pursue ways of peace.
Pope Benedict already has told us that his message to America will be one of hope, which is in keeping with his most recent encyclical to the world, Spes Salvi, “The Hope of Salvation.” The entire text of the Holy Father’s preliminary message to America can be found on page 6.
The pope comes to us as a spiritual leader. In his message, he emphasizes hope for peace, for justice and for freedom. “But this hope can never be fulfilled without obedience to the law of God, which Christ brought to fulfillment in the commandment to love one another. Do to others as you would have them do to you, and avoid doing what you would not want them to do,” he points out.
When he meets with President George W. Bush in Washington, you can expect that Benedict will urge the president to follow a path to peace, and to help protect human rights around the world. How specific he gets when it comes to Iraq will be interesting for all to watch, but the Holy Father certainly will push for a peaceful settlement in the Middle East with an emphasis on the human rights of all the peoples of the region.
The pope is not expected to enter the field of partisan politics. He will speak to issues, with the emphasis on justice and love. He will bring the message of Jesus – “Love One Another” – to the entire nation for consideration.
For sure, the secular press will attempt to read into every nuanced word from this pope. Although he has occupied the Chair of Peter for three years, he is still something of a new entity, following in the great footsteps of the charismatic John Paul II.
To be sure, Benedict already has shown himself to be more than up to the task of communicating the Christian message to the world. He has been straightforward and has not pulled punches when it comes to proclaiming Jesus as the Lord of Light to a world that lives very much in darkness. He will not step gingerly around issues but instead will meet them head-on, properly proclaiming the message of love and hope to be the way to save the world.
Our hope is for a safe and successful visit from Pope Benedict XVI. We put our faith and trust in him and his words as he speaks about hope. We will follow closely his words as he walks among us. We pray that others will do the same and see in the Church the same beacon of hope that we proclaim it to be.
Outrageous Abortion Proposal
Although Eliot Spitzer is no longer governor of New York, he left behind a piece of legislation, the Reproductive Health and Privacy Protection Act (RHAPP), which cannot be ignored.
Kathleen Gallagher, director of Pro-Life Activities for the New York State Catholic Conference, presented two information sessions in the diocese this week to raise awareness of this bill which, if passed, “would elevate abortion to a fundamental right in New York State.”
RHAPP is so extreme that it seeks to ensure that abortions are legal throughout all nine months of pregnancy and would allow “any health care practitioner” to perform an abortion.
“Anyone who calls themselves pro-life should be outraged at this bill,” Gallagher warned. RHAPP would undo any progress that has been made by pro-life forces in the state against abortion over the past 30 years.
Current Governor David Paterson is unfortunately a strong supporter of abortion rights and so the bill lives on.
Contact your state senator and tell him or her that you do not want to see S. 5829, the Republican version, or S. 6045A, the Democratic version, move any further in the law-making process.
Because the legislature is bogged down with the budget, this bill may not be acted on before this legislative session ends in June. Or it may come back in the next session.
To make sure your voice is heard against the passage of the RHAPP Act, send a letter through the New York Sate Catholic Conference website at www.nyscatholic.org.
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