ARCHDIOCESE OF PHILADELPHIA

Dear Brother Priests and all of you, dear Brothers and Sisters
of the Neocatechumenal Communities,

Let me express my joy at being with you this evening in our Cathedral Basilica. We gather in the name of Jesus to proclaim and be challenged by the Word of God, to celebrate the Eucharist as we commemorate the Death and Resurrection of the Lord in the community of the Church. The Author of the Letter to the Hebrews introduces us to Eucharistic theology: Jesus Christ takes away sins by His Sacrifice. He offered Himself only once to take away sins. But He will appear a second time, not to take away sins, but to bring salvation to those who eagerly await Him.

So much of your mission, dear members of the Neocatechumenal Way is contained herein—a way of life lived in eagerly awaiting Jesus, who brings us to salvation. You have so much to contribute. Like the woman—the poor widow in the Gospel—you are called to contribute your whole livelihood. You bring to your mission all you are, all you have. You are engaged in the work of conversion and evangelization with your families—in the fullness of your identity.

We give thanks to God for the definitive approval of your Statutes—a gift of the Church, a gift of Pope Benedict XVI, but long since prepared for by Pope John Paul II. We give thanks to God for the priests who assist you to live the triple catechetical synthesis: the Word of God, the Liturgy, the Community.

We give praise to God for all the blessings of your lives and activities, and your sustained efforts. How worthy of praise: to have as the goal of your Neocatechumenal Way to lead the faithful gradually to intimacy with Jesus Christ; to be active subjects of the Church; to be credible witnesses of the Gospel; to promote the mission “ad gentes” of the Church within the confines of the secular city as well as in the outreaches of the Church’s expansion.

We praise God for the fruits of grace produced and yet to come—an evangelical radicalism that proclaims Jesus Christ as all: the Way, the Truth and the Life. We praise God for the efforts of life-giving communion with the Church in her archdiocesan reality here in Philadelphia.

We offer back to the Holy Spirit, from whom it came, this “itinerary of Catholic formation,” this “way after Baptism.” We thank and praise the Blessed Trinity for the copious fruits of personal conversion and fruitful missionary impulse, for the gift of your being a sign of the missionary Church and a hope of being evangelizers even for those who had almost abandoned the Christian life.

We praise God for the love of the local Church and for the spirit of service to the local Ordinary, in communion with him and in the context of the unity of the universal Church, shown by so many members of the Neocatechumenal Way. We acknowledge the Neocatechumenal Way as one of the valid instruments envisioned by the spirit of Vatican II to form living cells of the Church for living the faith radically.

Finally for the luminous sign of the beauty of Christ and His Church offered by the Neocatechumenal Way we praise God through Jesus Christ, invoking Mary the Mother of God.

Yes, we acknowledge in the Neocatechumenal Way a gift of the Lord as we appreciate your missionary enthusiasm, dear friends, your witness of faithfulness and obedience to the Church and a special sensitivity to the needs of the poor. We remember the advice received by Saint Paul and recorded in his Letter to the Galatians: Be mindful of the poor.

And so, dear friends, in the unity of the Church, you are striving to give all you have, as the widow of Zarephath and the widow in the Gospel.

Yes, your goal is indeed to contribute everything for the glory of the Most Blessed Trinity, as Jesus the Lord of life sustains you by the power of His Resurrection and by His sacred Body and Blood, enabling you to collaborate with Him in His Church to build His kingdom.

In so doing you will always be mindful of the priorities of His Church, which include prayer, and today, special prayer for good healthcare legislation for America. Your help is greatly needed.

And finally, dear friends, may you always be conscious of being valued associates of our Lord Jesus Christ in the application of His work of salvation. Amen.