THE GOOD NEWS
ARCHBISHOP BELTRAN

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May 2, 2010

The Good News...

           ...Homily, Mystogogy Mass

My dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ:

It is with great joy that I welcome you here today to our Catholic Pastoral Center.  I am especially pleased to extend that welcome to those of you who recently were baptized, received First Communion and were confirmed in your parish church. You entered the Catholic Church after a long and prayerful search. You heard the Lord calling and offering you new life. You dis-covered in the teachings of the Church the fulfillment of the Word of God.

In your RCIA instructions and formation, you learned that the human being is made in the Image and Likeness of God but we are not God. We are His creatures. We depend totally upon God as Jesus says: “Without Me, you can do nothing.”

When human beings first sinned, we rejected the plan that God had established for us. We were like branches cut off the vine. There was no hope for us, for without God, we can do nothing. But Almighty God, Who is good and gracious, looked upon us with love. He said: “I will send My Son and He will save you.” This promise of salvation was the Good News that suffering humanity could depend upon in its daily struggles against evil. This was the hope that faithful, loving people nourished for generations and even centuries. Then, at the appointed time, the angels proclaimed the Good News anew: “Behold, this day a Savior has been born to you. He is Christ the Lord.”

Jesus is the Christ. He is the Lord. He is the One and only Savior of the world. It is He Who offers us new life through the holy, Catholic Church which He established. Thus to become a member of the Catholic Church is radically different than joining any other group, society or institution. This is the uniqueness of the holy Catholic Church. While the Church is a community, an organization, a visible society, at the same time, it is, in the revealed plan of God, the Mystical Body of Christ. The Church is Divinely established, sustained and directed. Jesus is the Foundation and the Head of this Church. Therefore, when by the inspiration of God, we respond to His invitation and join the Church, we become not just members of a community but also members of the Mystical Body of Christ. This new and intimate relationship with Jesus is a communion, a coming together so that we truly share in His life and His love. It is through this unity with Christ that we receive the fulfillment of our human longing and nature.

In today’s Gospel, we heard the story of Jesus appearing to His disciples at the Sea of Galilee. They had fished all night and caught nothing. At dawn they met Jesus standing on the shore and He challenged them to cast their nets again and when they did, they pulled in such a large   number of fish that the boat was sinking. It was then that the disciples realized this was Jesus Who had risen from the dead.

Like the disciples, we too have been challenged by the Lord to place our trust and faith in Him. The Catholic Church may not answer all your questions as you would like them to be answered but it will always direct you to the Lord Himself because He is the Way, the Truth and the Life. Now that you share His life in the Eucharist, continue to follow Him all the days of your life.  

Therefore, I congratulate you for responding to the invitation of Jesus. I pray that you will be devout and active members of the Catholic Church. If so, I know that you will have life everlasting.  May God Who has begun this good work in you, bring it to fulfillment.