THE GOOD NEWS
ARCHBISHOP BELTRAN

January 6, 2008

The Good News...

 ...New Year 2008

Even though it seems that one day melts into the next and an old year into the new one, yet a New Year does challenge us to New Beginnings! In that spirit of moving forward, once again I wish to express my very best personal greetings to you and your loved ones.  I pray that this New Year of 2008 will be a very special year of God’s grace and love for you.

Our Archdiocese is blessed by Almighty God with many, many good and faithful people who enthusiasti-cally, joyfully and competently minister in and for the Church. These people — ordained, religious or lay — do more than work.  They are committed to the Church.  They are people of faith.  They are dedicated to the ministry of service.  Consequently we have wonderful parishes, missions and schools. There are programs and services of all kinds from preschool activities through nursing home care. Catholic Charities and other organizations of the Church are ministering to people all over our Arch-diocese. Religious education programs are conducted at most parish sites, at every school and at the Catholic Pastoral Center.

Precisely because we do have so many dedicated people in this Archdio-cese, there are countless opportunities for every single Catholic person to grow in faith. Opportunities to learn more about our Catholic religion and to become involved in the life of the Church are readily available.  There-fore, as your Archbishop, I am issuing an invitation to every Catholic person living in the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City. In fact, I will extend this invitation in increments throughout this New Year. Basically my invitation to you is that you strive to live the fullness of our Catholic faith throughout 2008.  This is a new year with new opportunities for you and me to discover and to follow God’s plan for us.

My first 2008 invitation to you is a reminder that the Mass, the celebration of the Holy Eucharist, is the heart of our Catholic faith.  The value and worth of the Mass comes from Jesus since it is the re-enactment of His life, death and resurrection. Through the sacrifice of the Mass, Jesus offers Himself to His Father in heaven for us.  He also offers Himself to us in Holy Communion under the appearance of bread and wine which has been changed into His Body and Blood.

The beauty, the meaning and the effectiveness of the Eucharistic celebration comes directly from God through His Son Jesus for our salvation. We need the Eucharist to be healed and    forgiven. We need Jesus to strengthen and help us. He and He alone can lead us safely on the path of daily life. Only Jesus can grant us eternal peace and life in heaven.

At the Last Supper, Jesus entrusted the Catholic Church that He was forming with the care and custody of the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist.  Shortly after the Resurrection of Jesus from the dead, the Apostles and their followers recognized the significant, in-deed the necessity, to gather regularly on the first day of the week to celebrate Mass and receive Holy Communion.  The Church realized that through the Sunday Eucharistic celebration, they were best able to keep the command of the Lord:  “Keep holy the Sabbath!”  

As Catholic people in 2008, we continue to gather to celebrate weekend Masses in our parishes.  Because of the need we have for the Eucharist and out of reverence for the Lord Jesus who gives Himself to us, the Sunday Mass is not one option among many devotions.  The celebration of the Sunday Eucharist is an essential act of worship.  If we are to be loyal, faithful Catholic people, we must respond to the invitation of Jesus to participate and to celebrate Sunday Mass.

This New Year 2008 can be the best year of our lives if we make our Sunday Mass a priority. We do this not simply because it is a serious obligation binding us under mortal sin.  We participate and celebrate Sunday Mass every single weekend because it is the most positive way that we can receive God’s love and love Him in return. The Church, in its official teaching and legislation, has given us the serious obligation to celebrate Mass every Sunday so that we could properly praise and honor Almighty God and grow in His love.

Celebrate Sunday Mass every weekend in 2008 and you will have a truly happy, holy and blessed New Year.  The Lord is with you and will remain with you!