|
Tenth Anniversary Mass My dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ: At the turn of the twentieth century, people of faith, under the guidance of Bishop Meerschaert, planned and built this beautiful church as the first cathedral for the Diocese of Oklahoma. It was solemnly blessed and dedicated on December 18, 1904. At the end of the same century, on April 19, 1995, the large bomb which destroyed the Murrah building left this cathedral church in shambles. The roof was set askew, the plaster was ripped off the walls and the stained glass windows on the east side were shattered into countless pieces! Although the physical damage caused to this beautiful historic church was tremendous, it really was nothing in comparison to the human tragedies that resulted from the bombing. One hundred sixty-eight people were killed. Hundreds more were gravely injured. Sorrow, pain and suffering affected many thousands. Our city, our Archdiocese, indeed, the entire nation, reeled from what was then the greatest act of terrorism in the history of our country. The tragedy of April 19, 1995, touched all of us in various ways. While many of our emotions were negatively affected, there also arose a strong, generous and positive response almost immediately. You might say, that for people of faith, the bombing served as a wake-up call. We were visibly reminded that human failure and sin surrounded us. At the same time, it was so clear that God had not abandoned us. Rather, He continued to call us to repent of our own sins and to work more diligently for the establishment of peace and justice among all people. The Oklahoma City trauma of 1995 ushered in a decade of escalating violence, terrorism and fear. The whole world seems now to be under siege. What does it all mean? What are we to do? Fortunately, there are answers to these questions. These answers are timely and current. They are relevant. They are effective. The Liturgy this past Sunday presented Jesus to us as the Good Shepherd. Those Scriptures and the following give us encouragement and direction. Jesus Himself assured us: “The sheep that belong to me listen to My voice. I know them and they follow Me. I give them eternal life. They will never be lost! No one will ever steal them from My hand!” This proclamation of Good News – of God’s love and care for each one of us – is what has sustained and nurtured us over these past ten years. There is a place in the Bible where Jesus is shown weeping over the city of Jerusalem. It was His reaction to the lack of faith of those people. He wept for the sins of the people, for their failure to respond to His great love. Ten years ago, we wept with Jesus. We feared, we cried, we were hurt – but we did not lose faith. We did not close our hearts. Realizing that there is a time for sadness and a time for joy, a time to live and a time to die, we renewed our faith and our trust in Jesus. With Him our tears were dried and we found new hope and a renewed faith. We re-discovered the beautiful message proclaimed in today’s Gospel: “Blessed are the poor in spirit. Blessed are those who mourn. Blessed are the merciful and the peacemakers and those who are persecuted.” Yes, we heard our Good Shepherd Jesus inviting us to a new and a better life – and we responded. Through our parish communities, through our Catholic Charities, through various other involvements and by collaborating with our brothers and sisters of all backgrounds, we are able to observe the injunctions of these beatitudes. Therefore, today, April 19, 2005, on the tenth anniversary of the bombing, in faith and with hope and real love, we gather here to celebrate the Holy Eucharist. We come to pray for those who died and for those who live. We praise and we thank God. We cherish the promise which Jesus makes to us in today’s Gospel. “Rejoice and be glad for your reward is great in heaven.” Amen and Alleluia! Most Reverend Eusebius J. Beltran |