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August
2003
Dear Friend of THE WAY HOME,
Blessed
be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ!
It is through the wondrous gift of redemption through His Son, that we,
too, may call him “Abba, Father!”
The fatherhood of God revealed in our Christian faith is an amazing truth to
contemplate, unique among all religions, powerful, liberating and offering
infinite blessing.
I
remember Fr. Paul Hinnebusch, O.P., our dearly departed friend and wise teacher
here in Dallas, who said that the sure sign of baptism in the Holy Spirit was
the soul’s immediate cry of “Abba, Father!”
The sacraments of the Church bring us into that relationship with God;
the special gift of the Holy Spirit, the “stirring up” of the sacramental
grace, awakens us to that reality in a profound way.
And what a reality! That this
God – infinite, all-powerful, majestic and awesome Creator and Judge of all
– loves you. Fiercely, yet
tenderly, He loves you. You
are His child. Whatever your
trials and tribulations, whatever your past sins and current temptations, He is
there to care for you, forgive you, guide you and draw you into His eternal
embrace.
This month on THE WAY HOME we are featuring a beautiful series of teachings by
Fr. Tom Forrest on “The Merciful Heart of God the Father.”
I hope you won’t miss these reflections on that well-loved Gospel story
of the Prodigal Son, which could just as well be named, “The Merciful
Father.” (Remember, if you can’t see the program when it airs on your usual
station, you can view it on our website, www.lumen2000.com.)
The
world is spiritually starving for this message.
This is why THE WAY HOME exists, to spread the good news of our loving
Father’s plan of salvation. And
we’re getting the job done, my friends, thanks to your much-needed support.
Since last fall, EWTN has put our program on their satellite channels
in Asia, Africa, India and Europe! Every
episode of THE WAY HOME that you see on your local EWTN broadcast is also being
shown in all these international locations. We
are truly reaching the ends of the earth!
I don’t need to tell you how important it is that we keep quality Christian
programming and the unique, hope-filled vision of the Catholic charismatic
renewal on the airwaves. We are all too familiar with the media sewage – and I
am not exaggerating in my use of that word – that displays pornography,
debauchery, graphic and cruel violence and every kind of evil that Satan can
dredge up as “entertainment.” And
those horrible images are spreading across the globe.
Syndicated columnist L. Brent Bozell recently summed up the problem:
“Everyone who watches more than a few minutes of television a day has
noticed the way cable TV is driving our mass culture into a morass of shock
value, cashing in on voyeurism, milking the profits from sensation, perversion,
ultraviolence, ultrasexuality. We are growing numb from the mental poking and
prodding and ripping at our every vulnerable sensibility, our every notion of
prim propriety. As a way of dragging eyeballs to the next set of commercials for
yuppie consumer goods, cable-show producers hit their labs to create a bigger
buzz, a riper spectacle, an addiction that craves the next gaudy high or
atrocious low. In the end, what we're getting is TV designed for degenerates.”
And what exactly are we called to do about this?
Shrink in fear? Sit and wring our hands?
No! God gives us the answer in His
word: “Go into all the world and
preach the gospel to the whole creation.”
(Mark
16: 15
)
Our brothers and sisters worldwide are depending on us to bring light
into the darkness. God has given THE
WAY HOME special gifts – a history, a worldwide network, and talented
personnel to do great things for the Kingdom!
With your financial support, we can continue the special mission of THE
WAY HOME, which is first and foremost to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ to
the nations by drawing on – and sharing with others – the particular gifts
of the charismatic renewal. No
other show on the air does this.
Here
are a few of the comments we received recently on our website, from as near as
San Antonio
to as far away as the
Philippines
,
India
and
Australia
:
I just finished watching “THE WAY HOME” on CTSA television. Was very moved
by the show. I am going through a very difficult time in my life.
I pray at all times to get me through this suffering.
--A viewer
in
Selma
,
Texas
This
year while celebrating my first ordination anniversary I stumbled upon your
program and found great consolation in recognizing how many of the gifts of the
Holy Spirit I was given in just such a short time…
--A
young priest in
Lakewood
,
Ohio
I saw an episode of THE WAY HOME early one morning on EWTN. The show was about
the Holy Spirit. I found it very inspiring and comforting in its message as I am
a returned-to-our-faith Catholic after many years of being away…
--A viewer from South
Belmar
,
N.J.
I am so grateful to God that He has blessed us with a talented team of
producers, plus gifted evangelizers like Fr. Tom Forrest, Fr. Ed Dougherty and
Fr. Raniero Cantalamessa so we can reach people with inspirational programming
that renews their hearts. But because this is a work of God, there is more.
He is our Father, and He wants us to love one another in and through this
ministry.
You
know that in our mailing to you (and on our website), we invite you to send in
your prayer requests. And these
prayer intentions are prayed for personally and also lifted up at the Masses
celebrated here by Fr. Bob Hilz, T.O.R. in our little chapel here In THE WAY
HOME television studio
My
friend, to read these requests could just about break your heart.
We often complain that the cross we carry is the heaviest.
But all you would have to do is read some of these intentions to know
that people very near us and also far away are enduring terrible suffering, many
times much worse than some of our troubles.
Our friends are struggling with very difficult emotional issues:
abandonment by spouses, drug addiction of family members, abuse by trusted
individuals, inability to conceive a child, loved ones who have left the Church.
Many of our friends are suffering physically and need God’s healing.
So today, I am asking two things of you, our much-appreciated partner and
supporter of THE WAY HOME. I ask
you to please pray for our ministry, as well as for all those who present
their prayer needs to us. And I
ask you to give generously today so that our ministry can continue to fill
the darkened world with the light of Christ.
In
the past, you have heard from us on a monthly basis.
Due to a number of transitions going on here at THE WAY HOME our last
letter was in March. Because of that
long stretch through the lean summer months, I am asking you today to please
give over and above what you normally give each month. If you give $50,
please seek the Lord about giving $100; if you give $35, ask Him if he is
providing for you to give $70; if you have not given at all in a long time,
please give us even a small amount as your testimony to us that you want the
special mission of THE WAY HOME to continue.
I
thank you for whatever you can give today. And
may God, the Father of mercies, watch over you and keep you.
Sincerely
Mike Wagner
Executive Council Leader
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