Following is a homily I gave during my Jan. 24 to 30 visit to Vietnam as a representative of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.
My warm greetings to the Vietnamese Catholic community of the Diocese of Vinh, representing today’s 540,000 Catholics. Special thanks to Bishop Paul Hop for his warm welcome and blessings during this third day of TET.
I also wish to thank the Most Reverend Paul Thuyen, former Bishop of Vinh; Auxiliary Bishop Peter Vien, diocesan priests, religious sisters and brothers, seminarians, and all of the faithful. May God bless you all!
It is my joy to greet all who take part in this special eucharistic celebration and who ask for blessings. As a Catholic, I often say, “God bless you,” and I mean that. I wish the best for you.
In your deep cultural celebration, this request for blessing is ancient: a wish that the crops will be fruitful and plentiful for the coming year; the wish that all will live in peace and harmony; and the wish that all will grow in maturity, considering not only our individual good but truly seeking the good of all — the common good.
When I ask that God be the source of blessing, it is not only a wish but the request for a gift. I humbly ask that God will be with you and me and will give what is needed for all our prayers: for fruitful harvest in the new year; for peace and harmony; for the good of each individual and each family; for respect to grow.
I come from the United States of America, from the Commonwealth of Kentucky (some say famous for Kentucky Fried Chicken!) and from the city of Louisville and the Archdiocese of Louisville.
I come with great joy and enthusiasm. I bring the prayers and wishes of so many families who have made a new home in the United States, but who with love recall their homes, families and loved ones in Vietnam. Both Father Anthony and I bring greetings from them.
I also come as former president of the USCCB and bring greetings and solidarity to the Catholic Bishops Conference of Vietnam. We seek to join with you in solidarity — in joy as you begin a new lunar year and in gratitude as you thank God for blessings.
The readings of sacred Scripture guide us in our celebration. First in Genesis, as we reflect on God our Creator from whom all creation has its source, we hear that God spoke to the first man and gave the double command to “cultivate and care for” the earth.
Today we ask God’s blessings that we might do both. We cultivate the earth, using all the gifts and talents we have been given in our daily work. This cultivation helps all of us prosper and care for one another, for each of our families and for those who have little and depend on our generosity. As we cultivate, we also care for the earth.
In his encyclical, “Laudato Si’,” Pope Francis calls us to promote a human ecology: one in which we both care for God’s creation, our natural resources, and care for the people who inhabit this good earth. With Adam and Eve, we commit ourselves to both cultivating and caring for the earth.
The second reading from Saint Paul’s 2nd letter to the Corinthians calls us a step farther: We must always give thanks to God for it is God who “makes every grace abundant.” And we will know that we are properly thanking God when we see in our hearts the clear sign of thanksgiving. Saint Paul thanked the Corinthian Christians because their thankful hearts made them generous to one another.
He says, “We are enriched for your generosity.” In this new year, may our hearts overflow with this generosity.
The Gospel passage gives us the truly familiar words of the “Our Father” — the particular prayer that Jesus Himself taught His followers to say. We pray, “Our Father, holy is Your name. Your kingdom will come, and Your will done. Make us grateful for our daily bread.”
We are told that in the desert the chosen people were fed by manna each day. However, they were able to gather only enough for each day. They could not be greedy, but the gathering taught them to share with each other and to ask each day for daily bread. We want that gift.
Finally the Lord’s Prayer reminds us to forgive each other as we seek for God to forgive us. This New Year’s celebration would not be complete if we carry resentment and hurt. New Year’s Day is a time to seek and give forgiveness, to begin this year with a fresh and pure heart, desiring only to serve unselfishly.
So many of you have had suffering and hardships in your lives. You have deep sentiments of faith in your heart, too. And you have the example of the holy martyrs who held fast to their faith despite hardships.
We in the United States of America admire your faith and your dedication to the truth and to love. As we honor Saint Andrew Dung-Lac and the 117 holy martyrs, we thank you for your devotion to your faith. Religious freedom is a gift that must be exercised and, when it is expressed well, it brings forth a people who sacrifice for one another and who pass on the faith.
There is a great dignity to coming together on New Year’s Day on the third day of the New Year. We give thanks to God for all His blessings; we honor our ancestors who go before us; we thank God for the work of our hands that we might both prosper and care for each other and our land. And as Saint Paul reminds us, may our thankful hearts overflow into a generous spirit.
God love you; God bless your beloved Diocese of Vinh!
Hope in the Lord — Vibrant Catholic faith in Vietnam – my homily
Following is a homily I gave during my Jan. 24 to 30 visit to Vietnam as a representative of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.
My warm greetings to the Vietnamese Catholic community of the Diocese of Vinh, representing today’s 540,000 Catholics. Special thanks to Bishop Paul Hop for his warm welcome and blessings during this third day of TET.
I also wish to thank the Most Reverend Paul Thuyen, former Bishop of Vinh; Auxiliary Bishop Peter Vien, diocesan priests, religious sisters and brothers, seminarians, and all of the faithful. May God bless you all!
It is my joy to greet all who take part in this special eucharistic celebration and who ask for blessings. As a Catholic, I often say, “God bless you,” and I mean that. I wish the best for you.
In your deep cultural celebration, this request for blessing is ancient: a wish that the crops will be fruitful and plentiful for the coming year; the wish that all will live in peace and harmony; and the wish that all will grow in maturity, considering not only our individual good but truly seeking the good of all — the common good.
When I ask that God be the source of blessing, it is not only a wish but the request for a gift. I humbly ask that God will be with you and me and will give what is needed for all our prayers: for fruitful harvest in the new year; for peace and harmony; for the good of each individual and each family; for respect to grow.
I come from the United States of America, from the Commonwealth of Kentucky (some say famous for Kentucky Fried Chicken!) and from the city of Louisville and the Archdiocese of Louisville.
I come with great joy and enthusiasm. I bring the prayers and wishes of so many families who have made a new home in the United States, but who with love recall their homes, families and loved ones in Vietnam. Both Father Anthony and I bring greetings from them.
I also come as former president of the USCCB and bring greetings and solidarity to the Catholic Bishops Conference of Vietnam. We seek to join with you in solidarity — in joy as you begin a new lunar year and in gratitude as you thank God for blessings.
The readings of sacred Scripture guide us in our celebration. First in Genesis, as we reflect on God our Creator from whom all creation has its source, we hear that God spoke to the first man and gave the double command to “cultivate and care for” the earth.
Today we ask God’s blessings that we might do both. We cultivate the earth, using all the gifts and talents we have been given in our daily work. This cultivation helps all of us prosper and care for one another, for each of our families and for those who have little and depend on our generosity. As we cultivate, we also care for the earth.
In his encyclical, “Laudato Si’,” Pope Francis calls us to promote a human ecology: one in which we both care for God’s creation, our natural resources, and care for the people who inhabit this good earth. With Adam and Eve, we commit ourselves to both cultivating and caring for the earth.
The second reading from Saint Paul’s 2nd letter to the Corinthians calls us a step farther: We must always give thanks to God for it is God who “makes every grace abundant.” And we will know that we are properly thanking God when we see in our hearts the clear sign of thanksgiving. Saint Paul thanked the Corinthian Christians because their thankful hearts made them generous to one another.
He says, “We are enriched for your generosity.” In this new year, may our hearts overflow with this generosity.
The Gospel passage gives us the truly familiar words of the “Our Father” — the particular prayer that Jesus Himself taught His followers to say. We pray, “Our Father, holy is Your name. Your kingdom will come, and Your will done. Make us grateful for our daily bread.”
We are told that in the desert the chosen people were fed by manna each day. However, they were able to gather only enough for each day. They could not be greedy, but the gathering taught them to share with each other and to ask each day for daily bread. We want that gift.
Finally the Lord’s Prayer reminds us to forgive each other as we seek for God to forgive us. This New Year’s celebration would not be complete if we carry resentment and hurt. New Year’s Day is a time to seek and give forgiveness, to begin this year with a fresh and pure heart, desiring only to serve unselfishly.
So many of you have had suffering and hardships in your lives. You have deep sentiments of faith in your heart, too. And you have the example of the holy martyrs who held fast to their faith despite hardships.
We in the United States of America admire your faith and your dedication to the truth and to love. As we honor Saint Andrew Dung-Lac and the 117 holy martyrs, we thank you for your devotion to your faith. Religious freedom is a gift that must be exercised and, when it is expressed well, it brings forth a people who sacrifice for one another and who pass on the faith.
There is a great dignity to coming together on New Year’s Day on the third day of the New Year. We give thanks to God for all His blessings; we honor our ancestors who go before us; we thank God for the work of our hands that we might both prosper and care for each other and our land. And as Saint Paul reminds us, may our thankful hearts overflow into a generous spirit.
God love you; God bless your beloved Diocese of Vinh!
Sister Alice Casper, who served as a pastoral associate, dies