Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

The Catholic Book Blogger

Home
About
Publications
Contact
The Open Book Podcast
Children's and Teen Book Reviews
Interviews
The Clergy Speaks
More
- 2015 Book Reviews
  - 2014 Book Reviews
  - 2013 Book Reviews
- Author Interviews
- Archive Index

Home
Catholic
CBB Interview with Cardinal Donald Wuerl

CBB Interview with Cardinal Donald Wuerl

Last updated on: September 22, 2014 at 6:33 pm by Pete Socks

CBB Interview with Cardinal Donald Wuerl 2014-09-22T18:33:59-05:00 Pete Socks

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

PETE: In your latest book, The Feasts, you point out that the Church calendar of feasts is a sort of living catechism of our faith. How much have the feasts played in your own faith journey as priest, bishop and now cardinal?

CARDINAL WUERL: I couldn’t begin to calculate the degree of influence the calendar has had on my life. Every year, since I was an infant, I’ve reviewed and meditated upon the life of Jesus Christ, simply by living in a Christian family. Through the wonder of Christmas I learned the incarnation. Through the splendor of Easter I learned the Resurrection. Over decades I have been able to ponder the mysteries more deeply by marking the customs with my neighbors. Our tradition gives us a way to grow in holiness and knowledge just by paying attention to the date on the calendar.

PETE: This is the third in a series of books, similarly titled, that you’ve written with Mike Aquilina: The Mass, The Church, and now The Feasts. Is the arrangement intentional?

CARDINAL WUERL: The arrangement is indeed intentional. The books focus on three fundamental ways the Church passes on the tradition received from the Apostles.

The primary way is through the liturgy, especially the Mass. At every Sunday Mass we review basic doctrine when we recite the creed; we listen to four readings from Sacred Scripture; we listen to a homily that interprets the Scripture and supplies us with practical spiritual advice; and we offer prayers that Catholics have prayed since the first century. The Mass is not a CCD class, but we can’t deny that it’s one of the chief ways we’re educated in the faith.

In a similar way, our churches are constructed to teach us the saving truths. They do this through representational art, like the Stations of the Cross, but also through the very shape of the building. Our buildings, like our ritual, serve as our tutors in the faith.

Finally, there are the feasts of the Church’s calendar. At the beginning of our book we quote a rabbi who said that the calendar is like a catechism. I couldn’t agree more. As I said a moment ago, when we celebrate Christmas, we are — effortlessly — reviewing our doctrine of the incarnation of the Son of God. When we celebrate the saints, we are schooling ourselves about our own salvation.

PETE: Are there plans for more books in this series?

CARDINAL WUERL: We conceived the series as a trilogy. But I’m always willing to be surprised by movements of the Spirit.

PETE: I saw a recent study that showed some 70% of Catholics between 18 and 44 felt attending weekly Mass was not necessary. Can a better understanding of the Mass and the feasts of the Church help resolve this and how can your books aid in that?

CARDINAL WUERL: It’s sad that so many people are not fulfilling their obligations as Catholics. But it’s much sadder that they’re denying themselves the joy that comes with communion, with celebration, and with contemplation of Jesus. He has good news for them; but they’re limiting themselves to the bad news they get in the papers, on TV, and on the Web. In my books I try to remind readers of the joys and gifts that come with the ordinary life of ordinary Catholics.

PETE: With your undoubtedly busy schedule as a Cardinal of the Church, how do you find time to write?

CARDINAL WUERL: When I was a young man I served as Rome correspondent for a U.S. newspaper. I produced a fair share of copy. In my several decades as a priest, I’ve prepared thousands of homilies. As a graduate student and as a young academic, I wrote still more, for theological journals and popular magazines. In more than twenty years as a bishop, I’ve produced a number of pastoral letters. And for 18 years I had the joy of doing a weekly television program, the transcripts of which are now part of my electronic library. At this stage of my life, I’m often adapting, updating, and improving material I wrote long ago. One of the beautiful things about the Catholic faith is that its essential doctrine never changes. It helps, too, to have a co-author, like Mike Aquilina, who is an old friend, who shares my interests, who enjoys the task of pulling all of this material together and who brings his own gifts, knowledge and experience to the task.

PETE: What is your greatest hope for this trilogy of books you have written?

CARDINAL WUERL: I hope people will discover or rediscover the joy of being Catholic — the profound beauty, the rich history, and the treasures of culture, music, and art. My greatest hope is that, through all of these things, people encounter Jesus Christ, love him, and glorify him through their lives.

PETE: I have not asked you this lately so, time for signature ending question. This is a blog about books. What is currently on your bookshelf to read?

CARDINAL WUERL: As you might suspect, since I am preparing to go to Rome to participate in the Synod on the Family with the theme, “The Pastoral Challenges to the Family in the Context of Evangelization,” I would be doing some very topic specific reading. Among the books stacked on my desk to be read in the next weeks include The Meaning of Marriage Family, State, Market, and Morals, a volume edited by Robert T. George and Jean Bethke Elshtain. This volume is a collection of thought-provoking articles touching on family, marriage and our current culture. Another helpful work is The Church of Mercy: A Vision for the Church. This book is a collection of statements by our Holy Father, Pope Francis, woven together and published by Loyola Press. It gives insight into the mind and heart of Pope Francis.

Another heavier work is the Summer 2014 issue of Communio: International Catholic Review entitled, Marriage: Theological and Pastor Considerations.

With those more concentrated works there are a couple of other volumes that I would recommend, including Special Heart: A Journey of Faith, Hope, Courage and Love by Bret Baier, the Fox News Anchor, who beautifully tells the story of his son’s struggle with congenital heart disease and the renewal of faith. Another very handy volume always within reach is A Year with the Church Fathers: Patristic Wisdom for Daily Living by Mike Aquilina and published by Saint Benedict Press. Here, you can find for each day a meditation on some aspect of Christian living in the light of the wisdom of the Church Fathers. Finally, I have pulled off the bookshelf and have ready for light reading when I have to travel an old friend, Death Comes for the Archbishop, Willa Cather’s classic on the life of Bishop Lamy. I think I read this book once every couple years. It is just that good a read with a wonderful message.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Other books by this author:

The Mass: The Glory, the Mystery, the Tradition

The Church: Unlocking the Secrets to the Places Catholics Call Home

The Light Is On For You: The Life-Changing Power of Confession

Interview

Cardinal Donald Wuerl

Image Books

interview

The Feasts

Previous Post

September 21, 2014

Church Fathers, Day Sixty-Two: St. Leo the Great advises to put the right value on created things

Next Post

September 22, 2014 Church Fathers, Day Sixty-Three: St. Ephrem says to imitate God, not animals

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category A Year with Mary A Year with the Angels A Year with the Church Fathers Book News Children's Review Featured CD Giveaway Guest Post Interview Linked Review Media review Movie Review New Releases Off the Shelf Review speakers Teen Review The Clergy Speaks The Laity Speaks The Open Book Podcast Uncategorized

Select a Month October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz