Faith calls us to the ministry of charity, Archbishop Buechlein says at closing Mass for kickoff event

Archbishop Daniel M. Buechlein delivers the homily on Oct. 1 during Mass on the feast of St. Thérèse of the Child Jesus at the conclusion of the “Spreading Hope in Neighborhoods Everywhere” conference at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. (Photo by Mary Ann Wyand)

By Mary Ann Wyand

Change often begins with a single person, Archbishop Daniel M. Buechlein explained in his homily during the Mass to conclude the “Spreading Hope in Neighborhoods Everywhere” conference on Oct. 1 at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.

St. Thérèse of the Child Jesus, who was known as the Little Flower, is an example of how one person can make a difference in the world, the archbishop said, even though she died early of tuberculosis at the age of 24 at a Carmelite monastery in Lisieux, France.

Her feast day is celebrated on Oct. 1.

“It’s remarkable that she was canonized within a few decades of her death,” Archbishop Buechlein said. “It’s remarkable that she is one of the most popular saints of modern times and that she is a patroness of the missions. Yet, her very short life was lived in obscurity.

“Her autobiography, The Story of a Soul, urged a life of simple charity, which she called ‘the Little Way,’ ” the archbishop said. “St. Thérèse’s life was an austere and sacrificial embodiment of what Pope Benedict XVI referred to as ‘the essence of the Church’s mission,’ namely the proclamation of the Gospel, the celebration of the sacraments and the ministry of charity. The mystical mystery of love was the heart and soul of the life of St. Thérèse.”

The archdiocesan “Spreading Hope in Neighborhoods Everywhere” conference “proposed for our consideration the various ways in which our communities of faith are called to the ministry of charity,” Archbishop Buechlein said, “which itself is rooted in the proclamation of the word and the celebration of the sacraments.”

The celebration of the Eucharist at the conclusion of the conference is a fitting culmination for the day, the archbishop said, because it witnesses to the fact that the ministry of charity flows from the Eucharist.

“As we leave with a blessing on our future participation in our call to the ministry of charity, it should not be surprising that the call to share hope in neighborhoods everywhere might be daunting to us as individuals and as communities of faith,” Archbishop Buechlein said. “We’re not always convinced of our individual or even our communal ability to make a difference.”

Jesus teaches us that, by the grace of God, individual people of faith can do great things, he said, together with our human family.

“We are called to be witnesses of faith in our day,” the archbishop said. “We are called to stand up for what is and should be the right thing. We are called to do the right thing.

“To proclaim our Catholic faith and to take part in the mission of charity today takes courage,” Archbishop Buechlein said. “It begins by trying to do something good for others, by sharing hope in our own neighborhoods, and then the power of one and one and one and one together works wonders. Let’s pray for that grace.” †