ARCHDIOCESE OF PHILADELPHIA

Bishop Thomas,
Brother Priests,
Dear Deacons, dear Wives,
Dear Fellow-Servants of the Lord,

It is in the spirit of joy that we lift up our hearts to the Lord God who has blessed us with faith in His Son Jesus Christ. It is with hope that we confidently expect faith's increase, and it is in love that we respond to the wondrous calling we have received?me as your Bishop, our dedicated priests, you as the faithful deacons serving this Archdiocese, your spouses and families living the life of grace with you, and supporting you in the call to serve the wider Christian community in charity.

The Apostle, in his Second Letter to Timothy exhorts the young Bishop in these words: "Beloved, be reminded to stir into flame the gift of God that you have through the imposition of my hands." It is an exhortation to Timothy and to each of us that we have a responsibility to be solicitous of the gift freely bestowed upon us. Any hint of carelessness, indifference or neglect of the ministry which is entrusted to us must be vigorously resisted. St. Paul alludes to the reality that by our diligence in sincere worship and prayer, by our personal effort and care to cultivate the rich gifts we have, these gifts grow even more abundant through divine grace. We are thus renewed in strength and zeal for the demands of the ministry which are indeed ceaseless, wide-ranging, at times sublime, and at other times very ordinary. So we beseech the Lord, saying: "Lord, Increase our faith!"

St. Paul offers to Timothy a tender, sympathetic, and solemn appeal, bringing all that there is in his own character, age, and strong relationship, to bear on Timothy, in order to encourage him to be faithful to his charge. It is with a like heart that, as your bishop, I enjoin you deacons to be thankful for, and faithful to your charge. My heart is enlivened at the knowledge that so many wonderful works of charity and of service are being carried out by you, my dear brothers in the vineyard of our Savior.

You and I know that in receiving this call you have made your share of sacrifices for love of Christ's Church. This has stretched from the time of your initial formation with your wives by your side, to the present moment where we pause to consider how the Lord has graced and sustained you in your journey.

You have enjoyed successes and achievements of which you may rightly be proud, but even more so, grateful. At times you have also been humbled by apparent failures, personal shortcomings and yet unrealized hopes. The latter is no reason for discouragement but is indeed part of every person's challenging journey of faith. Take courage, then, in St. Paul's exhortation: "Do not be ashamed of your testimony to our Lord.but bear your share of hardship for the gospel with the strength that comes from God."

The Apostles, humbled at their own limitations, had the great sense to turn away from an over-reliance on their own resources and to trust more completely in the Lord as they begged of Jesus in Luke's Gospel account: "Lord, Increase our faith." It is only Jesus who has the power to increase the faith of His people. All strength comes from Jesus, especially strength to accept the Gospel and to be faithful to its just demands. Hence, Jesus is called in the twelfth chapter of the Letter to the Hebrews the "Author and Finisher" of our faith.

So we are in this world, embracing the good in it, reaching out to promote and protect life in it, all the while recognizing that we are not of this world but pilgrims in it. This supernatural knowledge that faith gives us is dismissed outright by some whose voices are loud and constant. Nonetheless we hear the inspired words of Habakkuk, so important that Paul quotes them in no less than three of his letters: "The rash one has no integrity; but the just one, because of his faith, shall live." With this exhortation we continue to pray: "Lord, Increase our faith!"

Indeed we live now with the God of life, and we shall live with Him in eternity. This is what animates our apostolate and allows us to bear fruit and to be constant "doers of the word." Yet we credit none of this to ourselves as the Lord Himself instructs: "When you have done all you have been commanded, say, 'We are unprofitable servants; we have done what we were obliged to do.'"

In essence, the Lord Jesus, our Savior, is saying to us: be humble, and know who you are before your God. The Angelic Doctor, St. Thomas Aquinas, held that after faith, hope and love?humility is the most important of virtues, and that humility prepares the soul for the greatest outpouring of gifts. Humility is central to Christian existence. It is central to the ministry of every deacon, priest and bishop. Our Seminary Patron, St. Charles Borromeo, reminds us of this each time we look at his crest, across which is emblazoned the word "humility," Humilitas. When we know who we are in the sight of the Lord, and confess it in our heart and on our lips, He will increase our faith.

When we have done all we have been commanded, should we dare make a claim on the Lord? A sound theology reveals to us that God cannot be enriched by our service, and therefore cannot be made a debtor by it. He has no essential need of us, nor can our service make any addition to His perfections. And yet He is willing to use our service and through it build up His Church and lead His people to eternal life. Still it is most fitting for us to recognize that we are unprofitable servants, and to cry out to Him, saying: "Lord, Increase our faith!"

God's love is so great, His mercy so abundant! May it continue to enliven your hearts and the hearts of your spouses and children, and all those you love. May your charity overflow in the service you give at the altar and pulpit, in the community, the nursing home, the funeral parlor and all those places where you endeavor to minister with self-effacing and persevering love.

Dear Deacons: may the Lord Jesus constantly increase your faith, so that you may realize and fulfill ever more the challenging demands of your sacramental ministry?a ministry which is to bear witness to and to share in His sacred servanthood. Amen.