Most Reverend Jerome E. Listecki
Archbishop of Milwaukee
 

If you felt a twinge of holiness last week, it might be because I was in Rome and had the opportunity to walk through the four holy doors of the great basilicas (St. Peter, St. John Lateran, St. Paul Outside the Walls and St. Mary Major).  Passing through each door, I prayed for the priests, deacons, religious and lay faithful of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee.  I didn’t pray for success because that’s an arbitrary secular standard.  I’m always aware of the advice given by Blessed Mother Theresa of Calcutta. It’s not our task to be successful but our responsibility to be faithful. Faithful means growing in “holiness.”  So, I prayed that our archdiocese might grow in holiness, and that we allow ourselves to be instruments of God’s mercy during this Jubilee Year of Mercy.
 
It’s interesting to meditate on the symbol of the “door.”  A door is an entrance – how often do we go through the doors of our homes?  We bring with us the baggage of our lives and the world into our homes; we receive strength and challenge in and through our families.  It is those same doors that we exit to form and fashion our communities.  When I walked through the Holy Doors in Rome, I envisioned a time in the future through the “Mercy of God” that I might be walking through the doors of heaven and know that I am home.  Until then, I walk through the Holy Doors, entering my home – the Church – challenged by my family, our brothers and sisters in faith, to again and again exit to fashion our community.
 
In this Jubilee Year of Mercy, Pope Francis, as our spiritual father, challenges us to come through the doors and incorporate the Corporal and Spiritual Works of Mercy in our daily lives.  We begin by understanding God’s Mercy that has been given as a “gift” to us and at the same is a time to share the gift which gives praise to the “giver” whose love defines us.  Please take the time to pass through one of our archdiocesan Holy Doors, pray for yourselves, your family and our archdiocese.
 
Dvorak’s “New World Symphony” has a haunting piece titled “Going Home.” In it, there is a longing in the hearts of all humanity who are on a pilgrimage – seeking that final destination – which is home.
 
As we make our way through life and seek the door that brings us to our final destination, let us anticipate that it will be home where we LOVE ONE ANOTHER.
 

Note: This blog originally appeared as the April 13, 2016 "Love One Another" email sent to Catholics throughout the Archdiocese of Milwaukee by Archbishop Jerome E. Listecki. If you are interested in signing up for these email messages, please click here.