dJ The AKCHOR Vol. 19, No. 51-Fall River, Mass., Thursday, Dec. 18, 1975
Bishop's Residence December 15, 1975
An Anchor
of the Soul, Sure and Firm-St. Paul
"Rejoice in the Lord always; again I say, rejoiCe! The Lord is near. -Phillipians 4:4-5
Dearly Beloved in Christ, This text from Saint Paul is from the Liturgy of the Third Sunday of Advent. I make it my own as a brief Christmas message to you, my beloved brothers and sisters in Jesus Christ. Rejoice! We have much cause for joy! In our Cathedral of Saint Mary on the Saturday before Christmas, following an ancient tradition in the Church, I shall have the happy privilege of ordaining two young deacons to the Sacred Priesthood. This will bring to nine the number of young men of our diocesan clergy whom I shall have ordained to the Priesthood this year. What a special blessing for the Diocese of Fall River. This ordination ceremony, coming' as it does, so close to the birthday of the one High Priest of the New Covenant, Jesus Christ, in whose Priesthood all other priests share, makes us meditate on the words of the prophet Isaiah. "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me because He has anointed me. He has sent me to bring glad tidings to the lowly, to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and release to the prisoners, to announce a year of favor from the Lord and a day of vindication by our God." (Isaiah 61:1-2) These words remind us of the holy vocation that the consecrated priest, anointed by the Lord, follows in the service of the People of God. They also make us
reflect on the fact that this coming ordination ceremony, holy and solemn, even "awesome, as it is, provides a fitting participation in our Diocese in the conclusion of the Holy Year 1975 which, indeed, has been for us a year of favor from the Lord. We rejoice because the Lord is near us in our special effort to encourage vocations to the Priesthood and religious life. These vocations, however, will flourish only in homes where family life is strong. Good Christian family life, modeled on the Holy Family into which Christ was born, is so necessary for the spiritual development of the members of the family and for the strong moral fiber of our nation. So many of the moral ills of society and the faults of individuals, so many of the evils of which we are painfully aware could be avoided, if not totally eliminated, if once again the concept of the closely-knit family, living in a holy, loving manner, with mutual
responsibilities taken seriously by both parents and children, were to be given the priority it deserves. The Feast of Christmas, intimately involved as it is in the life of the Holy Family, should serve as a joyful reminder of and an effective stimulus to good family living. Here in these United States of America, with the New Year, we enter into our Bicentennial Year. Certainly urgent emphasis should be given in our nation to the need for the reintroduction of strict moral norms in family life. This, indeed, would be an appropriate manifestation of gratitude for the many favors with which our country has been blessed in the two centuries of its history. As Americans, we love our country and we are proud of it, and we should be. We acknowledge that all is not right in our country, and for this we accept responsibility, but with God's help, we shall continue to work for peace and justice in society both in our own nation and throughout the world. We know, in the midst of our anxieties and concerns, that God will be with us because it is in Him that we trust. Small wonder, then, that we can rejoice this Christmas. "Again I say, rejoice! The Lord is near." With heartfelt good wishes for Christmas and the New Year, I remain Devotedly yours in Christ,
Bishop of Fall River