"We Need to Be Catholics First" - Archbishop Chaput

I want to share with you powerful homily recently given by Archbishop Charles Chaput during the Mass for his installation as the new head of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. I have respected and admired Archbishop Chaput for many years because of the courage he has shown in standing for the truth and defending the Church.

His homily further exemplified his courage and conviction as he addressed the beginning of his difficult task to rebuild an archdiocese that has been plagued with scandals. Below is my favorite quote from this inspirational homily:

But the Church is not defined by her failures.  And you and I are not defined by critics or by those who dislike us.  What we do in the coming months and years to respond to these challenges – that will define who we really are.  And in engaging that work, we need to be Catholics first.  Jesus Christ is the center of our lives, and the Church is our mother and teacher.  Everything we do should flow from that.

(Click here to read the full homily.)

We need to be Catholics first. Everything we do should flow from that. That is a message that we as Catholic men should always focus on, especially in a world were faith is under attack and belief in God is marginalized and even seen as offensive to some. It gives me a sense of hope to see our Church blessed with more leaders like Archbishop Chaput.

Please pray for God blessings on Archbishop Chaput as he faces the difficult challenges that lie ahead.