March 2004

Dear Friend of The Way Home,

We have begun the journey, we have taken up our cross, we have entered Lent.

For us who are graced by God to be called His sons and daughters, this is the most sacred season of the year. In our daily prayers and sacrifices, we are walking with Jesus to the cross of Calvary. By sharing spiritually in His dreadful death, we hope to share with Him the glorious hope of resurrection. He has won it all; He has done it all! Yet in His mercy He grants us the grace to participate in our own salvation and the salvation of others. And so, in our little way, our imperfect way, we do.

I pray for you, as a faithful friend of THE WAY HOME, that this will be a special Lenten season for you and your family. By the time you receive this letter you may have experienced the remarkable film, "The Passion of the Christ." And if you have, I am certain you have found, like so many others, that you didn't just "see a movie." "The Passion" is, instead, a work of high art about the most noble of subjects. It is a prayer.

When one's heart soars upon hearing a beautiful symphony, he might be moved to think, "This is what notes and instruments were created for," or if she sees a spectacular painting, she might ponder, "This is why there are colors and canvas; they were meant for this." So, too, it can be said that "The Passion of the Christ," as a deep and disturbing cinematic poem of love to our beloved Lord, is why the art of movie-making exists.

There is power in the communications media, and there is a purpose. Media should shine the light of truth. Move the heart. Inform the mind. And in their highest form, be a channel of grace. This is what THE WAY HOME exists to do.

Will you bless the world by your continued support of THE WAY HOME with a generous gift today? Will you follow up on this historic moment of grace - the wide release of "The Passion" - with food for the journey for those hungering to know more? Those who see our programs will be nurtured in the gospel. THE WAY HOME is the kind of Spirit-filled, Scriptural, prayerful and practical sustenance that is ideal for a new or renewed Christian.

In last month's featured program, Father Ed Dougherty, S.J., from Brazil, spoke movingly of the need for us to be a "blessing" person, not a "cursing" person. A cursing person is one who is harsh, using bad words, speaking evil, staying stuck in the negative. But a blessing person is like Mary, our model and Mother, so trusting, open to God, unfailingly positive. We can just imagine the Holy Family - Jesus, Mary and Joseph - living together that life of blessing - praying the Psalms, praising God, trusting and speaking joyfully and hopefully at all times. They were blessed, and so they became a blessing to others. (You may order a VHS tape or a DVD of "A Blessing People" by filling out the enclosed card.)

Thanks to you, THE WAY HOME is blessing many! We've shared with you how our program is reaching the "ends of the earth." In addition to reaching people through television, during the past year THE WAY HOME received 57,397 unique visits to its website. That works out to an average of 157 people per day. In addition, 309 people registered in the guestbook, and 385 people asked us to pray for them - more than one person a day!

Guestbook comments in February -from Ohio, the Philippines, Wisconsin, Maryland, Texas, and Australia - show us the variety of souls we are touching. We heard from a friend who wants to imitate Father Dougherty's beautiful successes in Brazil, one who was challenged by the concept of social justice, and another who wants to return to the faith after 30 years. We heard from those who are suffering for love of drug-addicted children, struggling with raising grandchildren, or who just wanted to tell us in their own way how much our programs help them in their walk with Jesus.

Here's a comment from a grateful viewer in Tennessee: "Your programs on EWTN are so spiritually challenging that I watch them at 5:30AM. Your theme music is very comforting and prepares me to receive HIS message. Thank you…Your web site is fantastic! I am drinking it all in and my printer will run out of ink soon." Praise God! We know that His word never returns void, and that this viewer will share what she has received.

This Lent, I would like to humbly encourage you to do two things.

First, I hope that you will consider how you have been blessed by God - infinitely blessed - and how you can respond by being more of a blessing to others. I'm thinking - in my own life - have I fallen into habits of negativity? How can I be more positive, ready to speak a good word, determined to trust God's goodness even in the midst of difficulty? How can I bless my family, friends, co-workers, fellow parishioners, and neighbors?

Second, please help us here at THE WAY HOME with whatever generous gift you can send today. I guarantee that whatever you give will be appreciated and immediately put to good use in spreading God's kingdom here on earth. Please, seize this moment of evangelization!

Finally, let me extend to you this blessing, offered by Father Dougherty for our viewers:

"We thank you, Heavenly Father, for the infinite blessing that you have prepared for every person who is watching this program. We ask that Jesus be truly alive in each and every one of us, that the Holy Spirit flow through our spirits and through our faculties and through our bodies, that life and love and inspiration take us over…May the blessing, the love, the fullness of God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit be upon each and every one of you, and in a very special way upon your families."

Yours, in the love of our Savior,

Mike Wagner

PS. This month's television programs feature a four part series on the Eucharist from Dr. Marcellino D'Ambrosio. The talks on "The Sacrifice of the Mass," "The Real Presence," "Preparation for the Mass," and "Adoration" are designed to help enrich your participation in Eucharistic celebrations.