Over 300 Holy Cross priests and brothers gathered at the University of Notre Dame for a province assembly. It wasn’t a meeting to make decisions, nor was it exactly a spiritual retreat. Many described it as a family reunion.

But in a way, even though not legislative or a retreat, it provides the opportunity to reflect on our values and decide how we should act on them. Bishop Robert Lynch, the retired bishop of St. Petersburg, FL, provided some thoughts to help us to think and to guide us.

He spoke of the Church entering a new epoch. It’s a time for a Christian Humanism. Our values of faith need to guide us to heal, not hurt.

The bishop of San Diego talks about an economy that kills. One might say that’s an overstatement, but the reality is that some people cannot afford both food and medicine; the result is that they die sooner than they should. There are others who live in fear of their families being torn apart by deportation. There are others who are caught up in mass incarceration and who may never fully participate in society again.

Our call is to help heal, not hurt.

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