My Dear Brothers in Christ

I want to commend the “God Squad” for planing the 2010 Men’s Conference “Walking with Hope into the Future”.

What brings men together for this conference is not some political program or ideological agenda, but the Word of God, the teachings of His church, and a commitment to help people live their faith in the world. The best expression of our common mission is  found St. Luke's Gospel.

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because be has anointed me to bring glad tidings to the poor He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, and to proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord.”  (Luke 4:18-19)

These words describe not just Jesus' mission on earth but the task of Christian groups and parish communities today. How do we proclaim "good news" in a world with so much bad news? How do we bring good news to the poor in one of the richest nation on earth. What does it mean to bring "liberty to captives" when so many sisters and brothers are enslaved by discrimination, dependency, depression or addiction?

What does it mean to bring "new sight to the blind" in a society where materialism, prejudice and thirst for power and pleasure can blind us to the dignity of millions? And how can we “set the downtrodden free”  in a society where joblessness, disinvestment and self-destructive behavior leave whole neighborhoods and rural communities without any real sense of hope?

These questions are not just for popes and bishops but for every believer and certainly for every group and parish community.

We can all draw hope from the lead of Pope Benedict who wrote:

Christ died for all. To live for him means allowing oneself to be drawn into his being for others. For Augustine this meant a totally new life. He once described his daily life in the following terms: “The turbulent have to be corrected, the faint-hearted cheered up, the weak supported; the Gospel's opponents need to be refuted, its insidious enemies guarded against; the unlearned need to be taught, the indolent stirred up, the argumentative checked; the proud must be put in their place, the desperate set on their feet, those engaged in quarrels reconciled; the needy have to be helped, the oppressed to be liberated, the good to be encouraged, the bad to be tolerated; all must be loved” “The Gospel terrifies me”—producing that healthy fear which prevents us from living for ourselves alone and compels us to pass on the hope we hold in common. ( On Christian Hope 28-29)

Wishing you all the best, I remain,

                                                                                                                                Sincerely  yours in Christ,

                                                                                                                                † F.B. Henry

                                                                                                                                Bishop of Calgary