Oklahoma State Council
of the
Knights of Columbus
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From the State Chaplain's Desk September 25, 2007
Greetings to all the Knights, families, friends and supporters of the
Knights of Columbus:
May the blessings of God be with each of you!
In August, at the K of C National Convention in Nashville, we had the
opportunity to hear His Eminence Tarcisio Cardinal Bertone, S.D.B., speak
to the priests and those present about the future of the Church. What he
spoke of that night was a spark of fire that inspired and ignited all
present to be on fire for the faith and the future of the Catholic
Church. What an awesome night, and a profoundly spiritual uplifting his
words to us were! Cardinal Bertone spoke about friendship as one key that leads faith into
action. He further emphasized that with friendship comes joy because God
is a familiar friend to us. He is speaking to us and accompanying us in
our joys and sorrows. He then simply stated that it simply beautiful to
be a Christian! He then invited us to reach out to our parishes and communities and
Knights of Columbus and remind them that it is through our joy and faith
that we can keep the faith alive and inspire the laity to be
faith-filled, happy, joyful and committed to the Church. Cardinal Bertone
reminds us that all of us need to stay committed to the beautiful Church
and to the YES of proclaiming the joy of the friendship of God. We are
all called to be proud of the Church, the Catholic Church to which we
belong! Cardinal Bertone also advocates that all of us work together to spread
the Word of God. He stated that we are to encourage and inspire others to
come to know and believe in the friendship of God which provides great
joy for us. For this to happen, we are called to be patient, to have the
humility of Christ and to be filled with hope. In doing so, we have
grounds and support to find the courage in keeping the mantra to Never
Give Up on our Faith and Church! There were many other points he talked about, particularly regarding the
laity, which I will save for a future column. The point of Cardinal
Bertone's talk is to invite all Catholics to be on fire for the faith and
the Church. We must never give up on preaching and teaching the truth
about the Church. We must never let the joy of God's friendship and love
become dim in our hearts and souls! My hope and prayer for each Knight of Columbus Council is this: that
through your active participation in your parish, along with your prayer
and works of charity; the flame and fire of faith will be kept burning
brightly for all to be attracted to. Only when we strive to keep the
Catholic Faith first and foremost in our lives, will Christ's love and
presence inspire us to carry this faith forward. Cardinal Bertone in his
wisdom and words inspired all present to be filled with a deeper love for
God and for the Church!
Vivat Jesus!
Fr. Jim Caldwell
State Chaplain
Archives of Father Jim's Previous Letters
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Copyright 2006 Oklahoma State Council of the Knights of Columbus |