Archbishop Lori's Homily Text 

Commitment Weekend 

February 15-16, 2014 

Dear Friends,

I’m happy to have this opportunity, as your Archbishop, to visit with you today.  One of my great joys in my service here in Baltimore is personally visiting the wonderful and vibrant parishes that make up our Archdiocese. I’m in the process of making my way around to all of our parishes.  So if I’ve been to your parish, of if I’m still on my way, I’m coming soon - to a parish near you.

You know, these days are especially inspiring days to be Catholic. It seems that every day, our Holy Father, Pope Francis, is opening minds and hearts to the Gospel, opening the world's eyes to the compassion which is lived out by our Church. This has moved Catholics around the world to become more in touch with their relationship with Christ and the Church, reinvigorating our faithful and bringing back many who had been away.

When he was installed as Pope on Saint Joseph's Day, last March, in Vatican City, the Holy Father called on all of us to 'Be Protectors of God's Gifts.' He said that the vocation of being a "protector" ... means respecting each of God's creatures and respecting the environment in which we live. It means protecting people, showing loving concern for each and every person, especially children, the elderly, and those in need, who are often the last we think about. It means caring for one another in our families: husbands and wives first protect one another, and then, as parents, they care for their children, and children themselves, in time, protect their parents." The Holy Father continued, "It means building sincere friendships in which we protect one another in trust, respect, and goodness. In the end, everything has been entrusted to our protection, and all of us are responsible for it. Be protectors, "he said, "of God's Gifts!"

Certainly, this is a call to stewardship - examples of which are found countless times in the Gospels - stewardship of our community, our family and our faith. For this reason, we have chosen "Be Protectors of God's Gifts" as the theme for the Archbishop's Annual Appeal this year.

This is most fitting, as the focus of the Appeal is stewardship - a very responsible and loving way of caring for God's Gifts that have been entrusted to us: defending them from harm ... helping them to grow ... and making them better so they can be handed on to the next generation.

The Archbishop's Annual Appeal helps us protect, foster, and sustain the essential services and ministries of the Archdiocese of Baltimore so that we can proclaim the Gospel, celebrate the Sacraments, and extend the love, mercy, and charity of Jesus Christ in the world.

I'm happy to have this opportunity, as your Archbishop, to visit with you today. One of my great joys in my service here in Baltimore is personally visiting the wonderful and vibrant parishes that make up our Archdiocese. I'm in the process of making my way around to all of our parishes. So if I've been to your parish, or if I'm still on my way, I'm coming soon - to a parish near you!

The Appeal allows us to share our good works and spread the Good News of God's love throughout our Archdiocese, from its westernmost reaches Garrett and Allegheny County, to Tyndall, to Harford County, to Annapolis, to Clarksville, to Frederick, and to Baltimore City itself.

The Appeal helps us sustain the essential mission of the Church - to evangelize, to teach the faith, to ensure that there's a strong sacramental life in the Archdiocese ... to keep our schools strong ... to carry on a vibrant program of nurturing and forming priestly vocations ... to supporting our retired priests, and to extending a helping hand through our charitable outreach to the less fortunate members of our community.

         

In other words, the Appeal touches all the cylinders of the engine that is the Archdiocese of Baltimore, helping them to fire properly and keep everything running smoothly. The generosity of those who give to the Appeal in many ways transforms lives, bringing hope to those who have none, bringing comfort to those for whom day-to-day life is a struggle, and, most importantly, bringing God into the lives of those who have lost their spiritual way, guiding them to the path that leads to the Lord Jesus Christ.

Yet, I'd also like everyone to regard the Appeal as a call for each one of us, in our own lives and vocations, to "Be Protectors of God's Gifts." Parents protect God's Gifts by providing an example to their children of living lives of faith and virtue.

Parishioners are called to active involvement in the life of their parishes, and doing all they can to help see that every member of your spiritual community becomes more in touch with God's love. And for all of us, protecting God's Gifts is a matter of prayer, as we ask God's blessing, and the intercession of Our Lady and the Saints, as we go about the work of the Lord.

A moment ago, I mentioned that the inaugural homily of Pope Francis was delivered on the Solemnity of Saint Joseph. The Holy Father describes how St. Joseph was, in many ways, the ultimate-protector of God's Gifts, safeguarding Mary, Jesus and the Church. Saint Joseph, the Pope said, was "constantly attentive to God, open to the signs of God's presence and receptive to God's plans, and not simply to his own ... Joseph is a "protector" because he is able to hear God's voice and be guided by His will ... " The pope continued, "in him, dear friends, we learn how to respond to "God's call, readily and willingly, but we also see the core of the Christian vocation, which is Christ! Let us protect Christ in our lives, so that we can protect others, so that we can protect creation!"

I ask that you reflect with me on these words from our Holy Father, Pope Francis. I am confident they will inspire you, as they inspire me, and encourage us together to take on this role of "Protector." Ours is the privilege, and the responsibility, of preserving our Catholic faith and assuring that our children, and their children, will encounter Christ and His love through it, just as we have. I confidently ask your generosity, and your participation in this year's Archbishop's Annual Appeal. Let us all join together in being "Protector of God's Gifts."

Thank you, dear friends, and may God bless us, and keep us always in His love!