From Archbishop Donoghue

Mass of Thanksgiving, Rites of Christian Initiation
April 29, 1998
Cathedral of Christ the King
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Dear Friends in Christ,

Tonight, the Catholic Church in North Georgia celebrates a great joy - the joy of putting the finishing touch upon a doorway - a doorway that we have been building over the period of the last year - a doorway through which you, the newly baptized and confirmed of our Church, have made your way - guided and sometimes urged, by the hands and well wishes of your sponsors - and by the prayers of those already on the inside - the prayers of the Faithful for those entering the Faith.

The doorway was a beautiful one - an entry-way built of memorable events - the blessing and anointing, the election and enrollment of names - the scrutinies - and all the learning, of catechism and Scripture, which filled the shape of this doorway with meaning and solidity, making it stand firmly, so that there will be no danger of its crumbling in the future, as it withstands the test of time, and the frequent battering that the world and the devil will make upon it's surface, trying to get in - trying to bring confusion and turmoil, where we have planted certainty and peace.

And finally, at the Vigil celebration of our Lord's resurrection, we put in the key, and turned the lock, and opened the door - and through the grace that comes from the holy sacraments of baptism and confirmation, you, our newest Catholics, entered this House - this holy and well built house, where the Lord dwells and will dwell, every day, truly present, until the end of time.

That sacred doorway through which you have entered the Church - the ceremonies and wisdoms conferred by your participation in the Rites of Initiation, and the Sacraments of Initiation, now passes, with all our thanks, and all our appreciation, into the past. You may always recall, with fondness, those times of discovery, of learning, and of the unique events of your own Baptism and Confirmation, but they will never come again. God gave them once, and once was all that was needed, for after them, we are never the same again - we can never go back to the state of being outside the saving grace of God, of His Son Jesus Christ, and of the living Gospel, the Holy Spirit. Now, our life is here, on the inside of the Church, and our life no longer looks to the past, but to the future - for everything that is meaningful about Christian salvation is made meaningful because we believe in our future, in our ultimate union with God the Father in heaven, and in the eternal life that we

shall spend together, drawn into oneness, into perfect unity, by the love of Jesus Christ, who is our Lord.

Everything we do now is colored by these two truths - that we live in the Church, and that we look for the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come. When the Lord raised His eyes to heaven - when the Lord prayed to the Father for US - He said: "O Father most holy. . . protect them with your name. . . Consecrate them by means of truth."

All of us, no matter age, or profession, or health or talents - all of us need the truth, and in great doses (dosages). or as the Rite of Initiation says, we need to "grow in deepening our grasp of the paschal mystery and in making it a part of our lives." We do this best by "meditation on the Gospel, sharing in the Eucharist, and doing the works of charity." - meditation on the Gospel - sharing in the Eucharist - doing the works of Charity.

The place to do these things is in our parishes, and within the context of a strong parish life. If I can urge one thing upon you tonight, gleaned from my experience as a priest and as a bishop, it is to develop in every way possible, your participation in the community life of the Church. For most, this will be how you now increase and sustain your activities in your local parish - for some, this life in the Church may progress in the direction of a Religious Community or an Apostolic Society. But regardless of how the Holy Spirit builds and shapes the vocation that is present in our individual lives, we must always be worthy of, and seek His Divine Influence over us. We will do this, if we live a responsible parish life, taking advantage of all the opportunities offered in the local church - opportunities to hear and to meditate on the Gospel - to partake of the Body and Blood of Christ at the Holy Mass - and to share our own blessings with others who are in need, in need of our love and attention and care.

Dear friends, Christ has given us every good means to attain holiness and peace in our lives - He has given us the Church, and He has given us the promised reward of eternal life. He has lifted His own voice to heaven, and prayed, "Father, I have given them," - us - "the glory you gave me, that they may be one, as we are one - i living in them, you living in me - that their unity may be complete." Theses are deep and mysterious words, but they ring with the truth - the truth that we have studied, the truth that has changed us from orphans into the Children of God - and the truth that we will know and feel, as we receive the Body and Blood of our Lord in Holy Communion this very evening. May the grace that flows from this union, of our bodies and souls with the Body and Soul of Christ, sustain us all, and give us a full life in the Church, and in the goodness of God, until that day when we will joyfully enter through the final door, the door of eternal life, and be at home at last. Amen.

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