ARCHDIOCESE OF PHILADELPHIA

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

It is a great joy to welcome so many of you, our immigrant and Native American brothers and sisters, to our Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul, especially during this year in which we celebrate and honor Saint Paul.  As a missionary, Saint Paul traveled to many lands and peoples that were not familiar to him.  He knew what it meant to be a stranger in a strange land and yet he did not let the fear of the unknown stop him from following his call to bring the good news of our Lord Jesus Christ to all people.

In our first reading this afternoon we hear the familiar story of Abraham, our Father in Faith, being asked to sacrifice his son Isaac.  We know that God stopped him from harming Isaac and promised him that his descendants would be as countless as the stars of the sky and “in your descendants all the nations of the earth shall find blessing.”

We gather today at this Liturgy celebrating the fact that we come from many nations on different continents of the earth and we are truly blessed.  We are from the many countries of Europe, Asia and Oceania, North and South America and the nations of Africa. Our languages and cultures differ greatly and yet we all share one thing in common, our belief in Jesus Christ.  We are diverse in culture but united in the one Faith.

Our Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI, during his Apostolic Visit to the United States last April recognized this unique situation and said in his homily:  “The Church in America can rightfully praise the accomplishment of past generations in bringing together widely differing immigrant groups within the unity of the Catholic faith and in a common commitment to the spread of the Gospel.  At the same time, conscious of its rich diversity, the Catholic community in this country has come to appreciate ever more fully the importance of each individual and group offering its own particular gifts to the whole.  The Church in the United States is now called to look to the future, firmly grounded in the faith passed on by previous generations, and ready to meet new challenges--challenges no less demanding than those faced by your forebears--with the hope born of God’s love, poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit” (cf. Rom 5:5).

We are now experiencing some of the challenges that our Holy Father referred to in his homily.  So many of you came to this country to seek a better life for yourselves and your families.  Because, however, of the economic crisis faced not only here in the United States but in your countries of origin, many people are becoming fearful and worried.

Our Gospel account of the Transfiguration of Jesus shows us a glimpse of the future glory we can anticipate as people of faith.  Our faith gives us the hope that we can overcome our fears and worries.  So often in Scripture Jesus tells us not to be afraid.  Saint Paul says in our second reading from the Letter to the Romans, “If God is for us, who can be against us?”

My brothers and sisters, we must always remember that our God is for us.  We need to turn to our faith in Jesus Christ and trust that our God will see us through the difficult days ahead and lead us to the glory of the Resurrection shown to us in the Transfiguration.  Just as the previous generations have handed the faith onto us, it is important for us to hand on, not only our cultural traditions and customs, but our faith traditions as well.  Another great challenge of our time for the immigrant community is that many of our young people become “Americanized”so quickly and lose some of their cultural heritage.  We cannot let that happen with their faith as well. 

So many of you have come here in your traditional dress.  We are singing hymns in your native languages, and our intercessions are reflective of the many nations present today.  In so many ways, your faith is being expressed as you lived it in your home country.  This is a beautiful gift to be shared with our young people.  Let them know the rich cultural tradition of our faith.  But more important, by your living out your faith in your home you help them to know Jesus Christ, who is the Son of God, the Son of the Virgin Mary and the Savior of the world.

Finally, we ask the intercession of our Blessed Mother under the many and various titles that are hers. May she pray to her Son Jesus that all God=s faithful children will continue to grow as numerous as the stars of the sky, as promised to Abraham.  And may all the nations of the earth be blessed because we believe in the promise of future glory given to us in the Resurrection of Jesus Christ and shown to us in the Transfiguration.

My Brothers and Sisters, let us heed the words of Saint Paul and always trust that our God is for us.  May God continue to bless you on your continuing journey of faith.  Amen.