Archbishop's  Column  by  Archbishop John G. Vlazny

Christmas is already in the air. Greetings from friends near and far brighten each day. The sounds of seasonal music warm our hearts. The beautiful liturgies of this Advent season deepen our sense of discipleship and intensify our longing for the coming of our God in grace and in glory. December will always be my favorite month.

This will be my final message for you in calendar year 2004. What a year it has been for all of us! Long ago Charles Dickens, Scrooge’s “maker,” described our lot best when he wrote, “It was the best of times. It was the worst of times.” It was the best of times because clergy, religious and laity of this archdiocese remained extraordinarily faithful to their evangelizing mission and are rallying around our new pastoral priorities of faith formation at all levels, youth and young adult ministry and multi-cultural ministry. It was the worst of times because of the lingering malaise associated with the child sexual abuse scandal and the inevitable filing for bankruptcy, because our nation has been divided over a violent uncertain war and contentious national elections, and because of a lingering lackluster economy, particularly in our own state, which has dramatically impacted the poor and the elderly.

But, through it all, we remained a people of hope. Our hopes are not based on our own individual or shared resources but on the providential care of the good and gracious God still present among us in the person of Jesus Christ, our Savior and Brother, whose coming in human flesh we celebrate again this Christmas.

The prophets of gloom and doom are having a heyday. Faith communities like our own are obsolete according to the secular pundits. We may not be as clever as they are, humanly speaking, but for some reason in God’s providence he has chosen to give you and me eyes of faith which help us to see our world and our human family as God does. That faith has been given to us to be shared. More than any other season of the year, Christmas enhances our opportunities for such faith-sharing.

Pope John Paul II called for a Year of the Eucharist to be observed in our Catholic family from October 2004 through October 2005. The Eucharist is the sacrament which helps Christmas become a daily event in the lives of Christians the world over. As surely as Christ was really and truly present to Mary and Joseph on that first Christmas night, so he is really and truly present to us whenever we gather at the Lord’s table for our Eucharistic celebration. When I visit our Catholic parishes, schools and institutions, I marvel at this splendid treasure entrusted to our church, whereby God chooses to dwell among His people in sacramental form just as Jesus dwelled among his friends and neighbors in human flesh and blood nearly 2,000 years ago.

But as we observe this Year of the Eucharist, we must be honest with ourselves. All is not well in Catholic Eucharistic practice. Some of us have become quite casual about the proper disposition expected of one who receives the Eucharist and even about Sunday church attendance itself. If we all took our faith seriously and were present for Sunday Eucharist each week in the same numbers as gather for Christmas and Easter, we would have a problem — a wonderful problem! But the truth of the matter is that church attendance is down here in the Archdiocese of Portland, as it is in many local churches in our own nation and across the world.

Between December 2001 and December 2003, weekly church attendance by Catholics in western Oregon declined more than 10 percent. It’s not too hard to figure out why. In early 2002 the scandal of child sexual abuse by clergy in this nation intensified with the news out of Boston. Ever since then, here in the Archdiocese of Portland, we have been inundated with plaintiffs’ claims and lawsuits. Almost daily, people are reminded of the sins of the Church. Many Catholics became frustrated and angry. Understandably, some have walked away. This is not the first time nor will it be the last. Centuries ago people walked away from Jesus too. There is no joy in diminished numbers.

As we prepare for Christmas 2004, more than ever we need to remind ourselves that it is the Lord Jesus who is the Rock of our salvation. We build our personal faith and our church community on Him. He is the foundation stone. When people base their faith on you or me or a particular parish or some special devotion, most of the time they will wind up disappointed. You and I are often sinful and unpredictable. Only the Lord is perfect. It is in him that we place our trust. It is on his shoulders, and only his, that we stand tall.

The realization that we have lost so many fellow worshipers on my watch was disheartening and humiliating. I can’t feel good about that and, I am sure, neither do you. Together we need to reach out and welcome back sisters and brothers who have turned their backs on us. You know them better than I. They are your children, your relatives, your neighbors, your co-workers. We invite friends to our home for a meal. We need to invite these dejected friends back to our family table for the celebration of the Sunday Eucharist each week. If you are looking for a significant way to observe the Year of the Eucharist, and I hope you are, I can think of no greater blessing for you and such a friend than an eventual reunion with other Catholic friends at the table of the Lord.

In closing, I take this opportunity to thank you for all your prayerful support during my years of service as your archbishop. Dec. 19 marks the seventh anniversary of my installation at St. Mary Cathedral. God willing, there should be several more years of walking together in the light of the star of our Catholic faith to that wonderful place in time and eternity where a gracious God awaits our eternal praise. May you be truly blessed throughout this Christmas season and may 2005, our Year of the Eucharist, be a time of peace, joy and solidarity here in our own archdiocese and the world over. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
 

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