ARCHDIOCESE OF PHILADELPHIA

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

What a joy it is for us to gather here today with so many people of different lands, cultures and languages, all praying to our God with ONE voice. Today we acknowledge and celebrate the great diversity that we find in our Archdiocese and at the same time we realize that we are all members of ONE universal Catholic Church. Among us are native peoples who inhabited and lived on this land for many centuries. We are descendants of many generations of immigrants who came to call this land home. We are newcomers to this "land of the free" seeking the promise freedom brings. We are ONE in our belief in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of the living God, the Son of the Virgin Mary.

Today we give thanks to Almighty God for the gifts that our native and immigrant communities share with our local Church in Philadelphia. Gifts of spirituality, music, art, popular religious customs, and family traditions add so much to the setting for this Eucharistic celebration. These same gifts enrich and enliven our multicultural sensitivity. Today, as in the past, the United States of America embraces so many peoples. We come from a community of nations and live in unity under one flag.

Our readings from Sacred Scripture today speak of a journey, a journey out of darkness into wonderful light. Many gathered here in this Cathedral Basilica have also made a difficult journey from the darkness of religious persecution, political oppression and abject poverty to the promise of light and hope in America. Many of you came to this country to seek the light of freedom that was denied you in the past.

In many ways, the story of the man born blind is our story. We are all on a similar journey, a journey of faith. And that common journey leads us to the Light, the Light that is Jesus Christ. The man in Saint John’s Gospel experienced the darkness that comes from not knowing Jesus. However, once he comes to know Jesus, his blindness is taken away and the Light becomes his guide. Where there is no faith in Jesus there is only darkness, but where faith in Jesus abounds, so too does the light.

Saint Paul, in his letter to the Ephesians, implores us to live as children of the light. He tells us: "You were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord." Now that so many of you have come to this land of freedom and established a new life for yourselves and your families, a new darkness threatens to overshadow you. Some of you might have a fear of being sent home because of our nation’s immigration laws. This can be a very real and justified fear that projects a shadow on your lives. In these and other circumstances we still need to live a life of faith and Christian love, working hard at remaining in the Light that is Jesus Christ.

Our responsorial psalm reminds us that Jesus is our Shepherd leading us out of the darkness of fear. Even in this new homeland there are many trials and challenges. Many gathered in this church today struggle to work and support a family. You live good moral lives and add to our common good by being productive members of the community, and yet the issues of prejudice and discrimination still affect so many of our ethnic communities.

In the reading from the first book of Samuel we see the call of David. David was chosen by God from all his brothers to be the leader of God’s chosen people. God calls each of us to some form of service to His people. Many of us will do that service through the simple and ordinary actions of our daily lives. However, there are those whom God calls to extraordinary service to the Church and to all His people.

In this Bicentennial year of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia we call to mind two such individuals: Saint John Neumann, an immigrant to this country, called to serve the newcomers of this nation. He was called to shepherd the people of this Archdiocese until God called him to his heavenly home.

Secondly, we remember Saint Katharine Drexel whose feast we celebrate tomorrow. Saint Katharine was born here in Philadelphia. She dedicated her life to serving the needs of the Native American community as well as the African American descendants of immigrant African slaves. Like David, these two humble people affected the lives of so many because they did not let any obstacles stop them from following Jesus the Good Shepherd.

My Brothers and Sisters: let us heed the call of Saint Paul and always live as children of the Light, the Light that is Jesus Christ. And may Mary, the Mother of Jesus guide and protect you all on your journey of faith. Amen.