THE GOOD NEWS
ARCHBISHOP BELTRAN

June 4, 2006

The Good News

...There Is Much (Good News)!

Yes, there is much Good News to share with you today.  Today is Pentecost Sunday.  This is especially Good News because this is the celebration of the day on which Jesus fulfilled His promise.  To His apostles and to us, His followers, Jesus had said:  “I will not leave you orphans.  I will send my Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Truth, the Comforter, and He will confirm everything that I have taught you.  Yes, I will be with you always!”

On the first Christian Pentecost, the apostles were sealed with the gifts of the Holy Spirit as He descended upon them.  They were thus enabled to fulfill the Divine Command Jesus had given them:  “Go out into the whole world and proclaim the Good News to all people.”

Like the apostles, we too are charged to live and proclaim the Good News.  To live the fullness of our Catholic faith as well as sharing it with others would be impossible without the grace and help of Almighty God.  But we are very blessed because Jesus sends His Holy Spirit to us in many ways but especially in the sacrament of Confirmation.  The Holy Spirit is given to help us, to inspire us and to lead us to live good and holy and happy lives.  The Holy Spirit is God’s gift to us.  This is Good News!

Another item of Good News is that by the time you read this, we will have a new priest in our Archdiocese.  On Friday night, June 2nd at 7 p.m., I will ordain Deacon Dan Letourneau a priest for the service of the Church of our Archdiocese.  

Father Letourneau was born in Ponca City, went to college in Tonkawa and Stillwater, lived and worked in Oklahoma City and Edmond and did an internship in Enid.  He is truly a “native” son of our Archdiocese.  Now he will be assigned as an associate pastor at Saint John the Baptist Church in Edmond.

This is good news and there is further good news - young men of the Archdiocese who are being called by God to become priests, go talk to Father Letourneau or to one of our other priests or to me and discern how you too can joyfully prepare to become a good and holy priest.

Further Good News - Last week we reached our $3 million dollar goal for the 2006 Archdiocesan Development Fund appeal.  I want to thank everyone who joined with a gift or pledge to help us reach that goal.

I also want to assure the many of you who returned the prayer requests with your ADF pledge that these requests are now in my chapel where I have presented them to the Lord.  They will be kept there for the rest of this year as I continue to unite my prayers with yours for your special intentions.  I do this on a daily basis and will continue to thank God for you and your generosity as I pray that He will bless you and help you.

To all who are contributing to this year’s successful ADF appeal, I say “thank you and God bless you.”  This is good news.  We have reached our 2006 ADF goal!  Thank you.

Yes, on this Pentecost Sunday, there is much Good News because God loves each of us totally and completely.  Moreover, His love never falters so there is always Good News.  In this positive, joyful spirit, let us go forth today and everyday, gratefully accepting God’s love and sharing it with others!