This coming Holy Week we are going to celebrate the drama of our salvation that once took place in time, and that now continues sacramentally until the end of time.

Familiarity with the story can blind us to the overwhelming and decisive reality of these great events for the world and in our own individual lives. The Paschal Mystery (the passion, death, resurrection and ascension of Christ) is not just past history or a myth. It is not a morality play with some lessons for everyday life. The Paschal Mystery remains what it has always been — an invitation to conquer sin and death by uniting ourselves through faith to Jesus Christ crucified and risen.

The Passion reads like a catalog of human horrors. Jesus experiences betrayal, total abandonment by His own, malicious distortions of His words and works, false accusations, the perversion of justice, beatings, spitting, scourging, mockery, stripping and one of the most cruel forms of execution ever devised — crucifixion. And He says, “Come follow Me!” Only faith can make so great a leap as to follow a crucified God.

The human heart recoils at the prospect of enduring even a small part of the cross. We all yearn for a quiet and peaceful life, free of illness, material want, danger, turmoil and misfortune. This is normal. It is good. It is our yearning for the way God created us to be before sin and death entered the world. Original sin, however, and the multiplication of sin, have brought us a long way from Paradise.

In the Paschal Mystery, the Most Holy Trinity is fully revealed as a God of total self-giving love. The Father gives His Son for us. The Son gives His all for us. And the Holy Spirit is the gift that unites us to the divine love. Self-sacrificing love unto death, even death on the cross, is the only path to redemption, to resurrection and life. It is the only way out of human misery, the only answer to the longings of the human heart.

On one occasion in the Gospel (Mk 5:35ff), when a little girl had died, Jesus said to the distraught family, “Do not be afraid, just have faith.” Another translation reads: “Fear is useless; what is needed is trust.” Faith alone can overcome the great fear we all have of making a leap into self-sacrifice, into self-surrender, of making a leap of trust to the cross as the only means of resurrection.

As the Paschal Mystery is celebrated in this year of our Lord 2009, fear looms large over much of our country and the world.

There is grave economic fear. Our hearts — and our help as neighbor to neighbor — go out to families and individuals who are struggling with job losses, foreclosures and serious setbacks to their hopes and plans.

It is sometimes a great test of faith for people who are hurting to hear our Lord’s words: “Do not worry and say, ‘What are we to eat?’ or ‘What are we to drink?’ or ‘What are we to wear? … Your heavenly Father knows you need them all. But seek first the kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given you besides.” (Mt 6:31-33)

When it comes to the mystery of God and the teachings of the church, we often find what appear to be “opposites” held together in dynamic unity.

For example, we believe that Jesus Christ is both “true God” and “true man.” We believe in both human free will and divine foreknowledge of all our actions. We believe in marriage as a divinely instituted sacrament, yet we are obliged by Christ’s own words and example to uphold celibacy “for the sake of the Kingdom of heaven.”

Most heresies and schisms arise as a result of putting all the emphasis on one thing to the exclusion of its complement.

This applies to the spiritual life as well. The present season of Lent gives us a good example. In last month’s Chronicle I offered for your reflection Our Lord’s words in the Gospel of Matthew: “Your light must shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your heavenly Father” (5:16). Now, for Lent, in the same Gospel we hear Jesus saying: “Take care not to perform religious deeds in order that people may see them; otherwise you will have no recompense from your heavenly Father.” (6:1).

At first glance, these two texts may seem to contradict one another. If we probe the Gospel more deeply, however, we will see that a correct understanding of these passages hinges on whose glory we are seeking. If our actions lead others to glorify and praise God, then we are on the right path. If they lead others to glorify and praise us, or if we promote ourselves, then we are on the wrong path.

In the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C., there are many significant works of art. One of the most striking is the massive sculpture that covers the wall under the choir loft.

Titled “The Universal Call to Holiness,” it is meant to illustrate an important truth expressed in the Second Vatican Council document Lumen Gentium: “All Christians in any state of life are called to the fullness of Christian life and to the perfection of love, and by this holiness a more human manner of life is fostered in earthly society.”

In the sculpture, people are shown from various walks of life, social classes and ethnic origins, all being drawn toward the Holy Spirit. Among the nearly 50 figures are the Virgin Mary, Pope John Paul II and Mother Teresa of Calcutta.

It is one thing to see the “universal call to holiness” depicted in marble. It is quite another to catch a glimpse of it in flesh and blood, as I did on Jan. 21.  That evening I was present in the Basilica of the National Shrine for the annual Mass on the occasion of the “March for Life” in our nation’s capital. Several hundred members of our diocese, including many young adults, were participants with people from every part of our country.

This event is a living model of the “universal call to holiness” not because the Catholics of every age group, ethnicity and state of life who went to Washington are holier than other people (and in any case, only God knows the true state of any individual’s soul). Rather, what is striking is the public witness that is given to Christian holiness as a call to the “perfection of love” beyond the private sphere.  It is a call that leads to “a more human manner of life … in earthly society.” It is a call to work and pray, to speak up and to stand up for our neighbor, both unborn and born, in keeping with the most fundamental truth from God about the dignity and rights of every human person.

 I wish all of you a happy, healthy and prosperous New Year. Whatever 2009 may bring, it is my hope that together we will grow in faith, hope and the love of God and neighbor.

At the initiative of Pope Benedict XVI, the church is currently observing a special Jubilee Year of the Apostle Paul on the occasion of the bi-millennium of his birth. (Historians estimate he was born sometime between the years 7 and 10 A.D.) The celebration runs from June 2008 to June 2009.

There is so much that can be said about the life, mission, theology and spiritual greatness of St. Paul. I hope that through organized Bible study and individual reflection on his writings, all of us in the diocese will profit spiritually from the Jubilee Year. Many resources can be found on our diocesan Web site, and the Vatican and U.S. Bishops’ Web sites.

Various opportunities for spiritual enrichment also present themselves, as indicated elsewhere in today’s Chronicle, including the annual Feast of the Conversion of St. Paul Jan. 25, which, because of the exceptional nature of the Jubilee, we observe this year even though it falls on a Sunday.

There is one thing in particular that strikes me about St. Paul, something that is absolutely essential for understanding him, and it is simply this: Jesus Christ was Paul’s only source, center and reason for being.

On Nov. 13, during the annual fall meeting of the U.S. bishops, the church celebrated the feast of St. Francis Xavier Cabrini, the first U.S. citizen to be declared a saint (she died in 1917 and was canonized in 1946).

This intrepid sister, an immigrant from Italy, was responsible for tremendous works of charity to immigrants, the sick, the poor and the uneducated in our country and abroad. Having faced many obstacles in life, she once wrote: “Everyone can be serene when things run smoothly; it is in difficult situations that fidelity and constancy are proven.”

This was on my mind during our bishops’ meeting because both our country and our church are currently facing “difficult situations.”

On the one hand, there is the threat to our nation’s material well-being as a result of the current economic crisis and the actual or possible loss of jobs, health care benefits, homes and retirement savings. On the other hand, there is the moral threat of a potential extreme turn to abortion in our country.

These issues were addressed at our bishops’ meeting, and I would like to say something about both from the perspective of Mother Cabrini’s words on the “fidelity and constancy” that are required of us in difficult times as followers of Jesus Christ.

First, there is economic hardship.

With the endorsement of all the bishops, our Conference President Cardinal George of Chicago said: “This … situation brings home a universal truth: we are all children of God. We are our brothers’ and sisters’ keepers. We all are in this together. Hard times can isolate us or they can bring us together. The Catholic community will continue to reach out to those in need, stand with those who are hurt, and work for policies that bring greater compassion, accountability and justice to economic life.”

For many years now, people of faith have lamented the crass materialism and commercialization of Christmas. It is true that consumer spending at Christmas gives an important boost to the economy. However, this year, more than ever, it is important that each of us also be as generous as possible in support of those who are hurting as a result of economic turmoil.

I challenge myself and all of you, at the very least, to match what we spend on Christmas presents with a gift to the needy, directly or to food pantries, parish and diocesan charities, and groups like the Society of St. Vincent de Paul.

Not only are many savings accounts and food banks being depleted, but the spirits of many people are anxious and discouraged. All the more should we reach out on a personal level by our thoughtfulness and prayer for one another at Christmas. No one welcomes economic distress, but if it should deepen, may it bring us closer together and not increase the isolation that is already so much a part of modern life.

As I write, the Synod of Bishops in Rome is completing its reflections on the theme The Word of God in the Life and the Mission of the Church. Eventually, Pope Benedict will author an “exhortation” for the whole church based on the synod’s work.

What is meant by the “Word of God?”

Most Christians, including Catholics, immediately think of the Bible. However, the reality goes much deeper, and a fuller understanding of the Word of God is essential for knowing our faith and applying it to our own life and to the questions of our day.

The starting point is not a book but a living person, Jesus Christ. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God … And the Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us, and we saw His glory, the glory as of the Father’s only Son, full of grace and truth.” (Jn 1)

This should be obvious to a believer, yet how often people read the Bible as if it were just an ancient book of history, ethics or even religion. For Christianity, “all Sacred Scripture is but one book, and this book is Christ, because all Sacred Scripture speaks of Christ, and all Sacred Scripture is fulfilled in Christ.” (Hugh of St. Victor)

So, for example, in our catechetical language we do not use the terms “Hebrew Scriptures” and “Christian Scriptures” for the Old and New Testaments, as if the one pertained to the Jewish people and the other to Christians. Certainly we honor and respect the faith of the Jewish people contained in the Old Testament, which can be an object of study in its own right. However, when it comes to our formation in the faith, the Old Testament too is about Jesus Christ, Who from the beginning was destined to be its fulfillment.

In order to understand the full meaning of the Word of God we also need to consider how the mystery of Jesus Christ is “transmitted,” that is to say, “handed down” through time.

The Second Vatican Council summarized a great deal in one paragraph when it said: “Christ the Lord, in whom the entire revelation of the most high God is summed up, commanded the Apostles to preach the Gospel, which had been promised beforehand by the prophets, and which He fulfilled in His own person and promulgated with His own lips. In preaching the Gospel, they were to communicate the gifts of God to all men. This Gospel was to be the source of all saving truth and moral discipline.” (Dei Verbum, 7; also 8, 9)