Cardinal Wuerl Celebrates Annual Young Adult Mass

Sunday, October 26, 2014

WASHINGTON – Cardinal Donald Wuerl, archbishop of Washington, today celebrated Mass with hundreds of young adults from across the region and urged them to share Christ’s love and hope through their witness.

“Our task begins with each of us taking it upon ourselves to renew once again our understanding of the faith and our appropriation of it in a way that embraces the Gospel message and its application today,” said Cardinal Wuerl during his homily at the Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle. “The Gospel offers humanity a different way of seeing life and the world around us. We bring a fuller vision of life than that offered by an individualistic, secular society that lives as if God did not exist.”

“A deepened appreciation for our faith should lead us to a new level of confidence in its truth. The words of the Gospel are the words of everlasting life. The teaching of the Church is God’s word applied to our day. We need to be confident that we stand in the truth so that we are not shaken by every challenge to the Gospel message,” Cardinal Wuerl continued. “So much of what we learn from Christ is brushed aside today in our secular world. This is culture that challenges things as basic as marriage, family, an objective right and wrong, a moral law, obligations to one another, a common good. Our faith must be strong enough so that we are confident in the truth – to stand in the truth. Out of our knowledge of the faith and our confidence in it, we should be prepared to share it with others.”

“When we look around and see the vast field waiting for us to sow seeds of new life, we must do so with a radiant smile. Our message should be one that inspires others with joy to follow us along the path to the kingdom of God,” Cardinal Wuerl concluded. “We have every reason with both confidence and joy to announce the very simple but clear message at the heart of our faith: Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again.”

The Archdiocese of Washington’s Office of Young Adult Ministry hosts many social, spiritual and service opportunities for young adults throughout the year, including the Annual Young Adult Mass and Reception, Theology on Tap, Christ in the City and Seven Church Walk. For more information, visit http://www.adw.org/young-adult-ministry/.

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The Archdiocese of Washington is home to over 620,000 Catholics, 139 parishes and 95 Catholic schools, located in Washington, D.C., and five Maryland counties: Calvert, Charles, Montgomery, Prince George’s and St. Mary’s.

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