“. . . Live a Life Worthy of the Calling You Have Received . . .”

Editor’s note: This article is the conclusion of Bishop Kagan’s commentary (which began in the Aug. 2021 issue) on his recent pastoral letter regarding knowledge of the Catholic faith.

As I conclude my commentary on my pastoral letter published this last Pentecost Sunday, I wish to thank so many of you, my brothers and sisters in Christ, for having read it and for having continued to apply yourselves to deepening your knowledge and understanding of our Catholic faith. It is truly a life-long effort that requires prayer and perseverance.

This last part in which I offer some conclusions not so much by way of endings but for things each of us should and must do to be true to our vocations, three general conclusions are apparent. First, all of us need to return to the true and reliable sources of our faith: sacred Scripture and holy Tradition. Read your Catholic bible daily and read what the Church has taught and continues to teach us with the authority of Jesus Christ in matters of faith and morals. This is where the truth lies, not on the internet or in loosely Catholic or self-proclaimed Catholic media.

Second, all of us who are clergy and consecrated religious have an especially weighty responsibility to never stop learning more of our faith and refining our preaching and teaching skills so as to be able to communicate the truths of the Catholic faith to all. To all priests both diocesan and religious, you have an obligation before Almighty God and the Church to celebrate all of our sacred rites always and only according to the directives of the Church. To do otherwise is sinful as it deprives the Catholic faithful of the right celebration of the sacraments, it causes confusion and worse, an indifferentism to the Catholic faith.

Third, to all of our beloved lay women and men, you have the great privilege and responsibility of being baptized and confirmed Catholics living in the world but not being of the world. Your lives, whether married or single, are to be such that when others see and hear you, they should see and hear Christ. You are to be His intentional disciples who are not afraid to be Catholic.

Finally, what this means for all of us is that knowing and understanding our Catholic faith and living it daily with courage, joy and fidelity, we are to elevate the culture to God, and we are not to adopt the ways of the world. We can do this. We must do this! May God bless and keep you always.

The answer to last month’s question: There are 73 books in the Catholic Canon of Sacred Scripture, 46 Old Testament books and 27 New Testament books.

To read the pastoral letter online go to the diocesan website at bismarckdiocese.com/letters and scroll to the bottom of the page.