Pastoral letter explained: Part 1

With this issue of our Dakota Catholic Action, I plan to devote some space to the pastoral letter I published recently to all of the Catholic faithful in the Diocese of Bismarck. Of the five pastoral letters I have written since becoming Bishop of Bismarck, it is the longest and thus, I would like to explain it a bit further section by section.

I will begin by reviewing what I said in both the preface and introduction (pp. 1-4) and then I will conclude with one or two questions about our Faith and the Church. I do this so you can test your own knowledge and feel free to use both Sacred Scripture and The Catechism of the Catholic Church in answering the questions. I will publish the correct answers in the next month’s issue.

There is a common saying that “knowledge is power;” however, for Catholics, “faith infused with knowledge is even more powerful.” The difference for us is that knowledge alone without a foundation in faith is sterile and can be lifeless. Faith upon which we gain knowledge has a double benefit; first, faith reinforced with knowledge becomes the anchor of our daily lives and we can rely on our faith in every circumstance. Second, knowledge grounded in faith gives us a confident hope that what we believe and do in daily life generates in us real virtue and increases our desire for greater virtue.

Thus, faith and knowledge for Catholics go together and when they are separated, confusion reigns. As I said in the preface, the pandemic revealed to me that there is good faith among Catholics but a lack of real knowledge of the faith, why we believe what we do and how and why we put what we believe into practice. This is not a reason to despair but a reason for all of us to recommit ourselves to the prayerful study of both Sacred Scripture and Holy Tradition which are the two sources for our Apostolic Faith and its daily living.

In the introduction, I said that the constant in every pastoral letter is the Person of Jesus Christ and His life and teaching. This pastoral letter is meant to help each Catholic understand this and to conform his or her daily life to Christ’s life. We cannot do this unless we know Him, His Church and the Faith we received as His gift to us in baptism. This takes regular prayer and study, and every Catholic has an obligation before God and the Church to strengthen their Faith and increase their knowledge of it throughout their lives. This is true discipleship because this is our life as baptized and confirmed Catholics. 

Question: Name the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit.   

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