THE GOOD NEWS
ARCHBISHOP BELTRAN
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October 26, 2008 The Good News... Investiture
Mass My dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ: One month ago, I was very blessed to be on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. Our group of thirty six pilgrims went first to the Galilee area. It was there that Jesus lived; there He gathered His apostles; there He performed a number of miracles and proclaimed the Good News of the Kingdom of God. Then, after a short stay in Jordan, we had a long and tiring day's journey before we arrived in Jerusalem. For most people in our group, this was their first pilgrimage to the Holy Land. Therefore, there was great excitement as we made our initial entrance into the Holy City of Jerusalem. Although we were scheduled to visit the shrines in the Old City the next day and despite the fact that everyone was tired, immediately after supper, the pilgrims were anxious to enter and walk in the Old City. A large group of them followed directions and headed directly to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. Upon arriving at the basilica, they were disappointed as the large entrance door was being closed for the night. The Basilica of the Holy Sepulchre is sacred to all Christians because of the many historically accurate religious sites it contains. Moreover, these are the places where the most important events of the history of salvation occurred. These include Golgotha (Calvary), the place where Jesus was crucified. Nearby and beneath Calvary is the site of the Pieta. Here Mary would receive the dead body of her Son Jesus as they prepared His body for burial. Also within the basilica is the Holy Sepulchre where Jesus' body was buried. It was there that Jesus rose from the dead and brought new life for us. By His life, death and resurrection, Jesus redeemed us from sin and saved us from eternal death. Standing in the courtyard of that most sacred shrine, the pilgrims gratefully and humbly began to pray. They prayed as Jesus taught us: "Our Father, etc." Much to their dismay, however, the door keeper came to them, telling them they could not pray there. Can you imagine the horror of those pilgrims who came peacefully to praise and worship God? How sad it is that the Eternal Son of God, the Prince of Peace, the Savior of the World, is so often unknown or ignored or even despised. You and I have much to do to change this. We must proclaim the Good News of Jesus and share His love and peace with others. This is precisely what the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre is all about. I am pleased to tell you that even though my pilgrims were unjustly confronted and told not to pray in the courtyard of the Holy Sepulchre, their pilgrimage was most rewarding. During the remaining days in Jerusalem, we prayed at the Holy Sepulchre several times and celebrated Mass on Calvary itself. While waiting in line to visit the Tomb of Christ, we listened to and meditated on the Gospel account of the Passion. As we knelt to touch those sacred places, we felt the Lord Himself touch us and heal us. How good and gracious God is! You and I, as Knights and Ladies and all new candidates for the Order, must be people with a strong conviction. We must recognize and appreciate the tenets of our Catholic faith and be committed to observe them. It was this strong faith which once inspired people hundreds of years ago to respond to the urgent plea of the Holy Father. The Sacred Shrines and especially the Holy Sepulchre had been violated. The Popes asked people to help reclaim and open these shrines. Thus the Knights of old sacrificed much. They had to leave their homelands and travel great distances under very dangerous conditions. They generously gave of their resources. Sometimes even their lives. Above all, they prayed. They prayed for God's blessing. They prayed to fulfill His Will. Thus, their motto: Deus lo vult. God wills it. The families and especially the wives of these Knights shared the same faith and commitment. They too made sacrifices and offered generous assistance. But above all, they too prayed that God's Will would be accomplished. The strong faith of men and women, Knights and Ladies, accomplished much to regain and protect the Sacred Shrines. That same strong faith should guide and direct us, the Knights and Ladies of the Holy Sepulchre today. Sometime after Pope Paul VI concluded the II Vatican Council, he made a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. He prayed at the shrines and visited the Christians living there. He urged the Church and especially our Order to become more aware of this land where Jesus was born, lived, suffered and died and rose from the dead. Here it was that Jesus established His Church and sent the Apostles to proclaim the Good News. Following the direction that Pope Paul VI gave us and the similar counsels of Pope John Paul II, it is very clear that we, Knights and Ladies of the Holy Sepulchre should have three specific goals: One - We should pray daily for peace and harmony in the Holy Land. We should be especially concerned for the well-being of the Christians of the Holy Land. These people live in difficult circumstances and they need and deserve our prayers and our support. Two - We should help preserve the actual shrines by our generous contributions so that these sacred places of biblical renown will remain open and accessible for prayer, contemplation and meditation. Three - If at all possible, we should make a pilgrimage to the Holy Land so that we can walk in the footsteps of Jesus and grow in faith and hope and love. In this Investiture Service today, you who are new members will be challenged to proclaim and live the fullness of our Catholic faith. You will be reminded that you must practice every means to achieve the perfection of a truly Christian life. You will be asked to remain faithful to the Lord and to His teachings. Knights and Ladies who are already members of the Order, I want you to rejoice with those who are about to be invested. See in their enthusiasm and dedication a call for renewal that as they dedicate themselves to the Lord and His Church, we do the very same thing. By our prayers, our actions and our commitment, we proclaim that Jesus Christ is Lord and we are His people. |