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Letter from Bishop Kurt on Publication of Fiducia Supplicans
Pastor's Message
GOD'S SEAL

Believers are accustomed to making their prayers to the Lord personal by their own inimitable style and personal life. People are accustomed to putting some special mark on things they make to identify them as their own. Manufacturers have their trademark, governments have their seal, corporations have their logo and certainly all of us have our own individualized personality and unique signature.

In all of this we are but imitating our Heavenly Father Who has put His signature and hallmark on everything in creation. His very name is glorious in all the earth. No wonder, then, David of old was inspired to write: "O Lord our God, how glorious is your name over all the earth." (Psalm 8:11)

All creation rings forth with His praise. Go where we will, we will discover His majesty. There is no way to separate ourselves from His goodness, greatness, power and wisdom. He made us, we belong to Him and we are His people, the sheep of His flock. He has put His signature and hallmark on us, guaranteeing our glory with Him. He has signed us with the Cross of redemption in our baptism so that even when we received our names, our uniqueness, it is coupled and associated with Him.

As creatures of free will, we must put our signature with His and keep it there, signifying our acceptance of all that He has given us: salvation and redemption in the name of His Son and our Saviour Whom we are pledged to follow.

In the Mystery of Chrismation, we were sealed with the name of our Lord when the consecrated Chrism anointed our small bodies. Have we now as adults outgrown God’s grace, the need to be saved and redeemed and strengthened? Let us return to our origins and recognize what a gift we have in Jesus Christ. Let us above all know how special we are that the Creator of all comes to us personally and desires our joy and salvation. Welcome to our Byzantine Catholic Church where He invites us forward to receive Him from the chalice of salvation.