Washington D.C., May 19, 2005 / 22:00 pm
Joining President George Bush, Denver Archbishop Charles Chaput, and an estimated 2,000 attendees at this morning’s National Catholic Prayer Breakfast in Washington, Archbishop Jose Gomez called on Catholics “to live our faith in Jesus Christ fully, faithfully -- and without excuses.”
The San Antonio Archbishop, who was the main celebrant for this morning’s Mass, reflected in his homily on a reading from the book of Sirach, which says that, “A faithful friend is a sturdy (strong) shelter; he who finds one finds a treasure”.
He spoke of the friendship of Christ, who chose to “lay down His life for His friends” and called especially on public leaders to imitate this love.
“For all of us in public leadership,” he said, “the first reading today should make us very uneasy. What kind of friendship do we give to other people? What kind of friends do we draw to ourselves? And do our public actions and private choices add up to the kind of behavior that leads anyone else to love and fear God?”