The Shepherd's Voice with Archbishop George J. Lucas

Ash Wednesday is here - which means Lent has begun! Archbishop George J. Lucas expands upon the holy season.

"Rend your hearts, not your garments, and return to the Lord, your God. For gracious and merciful is he." - Book of Joel

We should not ritualize Lent, but find our own meaning and purpose.

What is Jesus offering you? Listen!

In this episode, Most Rev. George J. Lucas explains how the diocesan phase of the synod is complete. Over 8,000 Catholics in the Omaha Archdiocese participated in the questionnaire. Go to archomaha.org/synod for more details.

A production of the Archdiocese of Omaha
Hosts: Most Rev. George J. Lucas & Jimmy Carroll
Editor: Jimmy Carroll

The 2022 priesthood ordination is happening Saturday, June 4, 2022 at St. Cecilia Cathedral. Two amazing transitional deacons will be ordained in the Archdiocese of Omaha. The episode is divided into 3 parts: (1) Archbishop Lucas talking about the importance of priestly vocations, (2) both transitional deacons explaining their experience throughout the seminary, and (3) a conversation with retiring priest Father Lloyd Gnirk. Congratulations to Deacon Brett Jamrog and Deacon Minh Tran!

A production of the Archdiocese of Omaha
Hosts: Most Rev. George J. Lucas & Jimmy Carroll
Editor: Jimmy Carroll

Special Guests: Deacon Brett Jamrog and Deacon Minh Tran.

We are full swing into the Easter season. The Most Rev. George J. Lucas explains how Catholics can better experience and encounter the Lord in his Resurrection. He also explains the upcoming feast days in the liturgical calendar. And yes, Pentecost is Sunday, June 5!

A production of the Archdiocese of Omaha
Hosts: Most Rev. George J. Lucas & Jimmy Carroll
Editor: Jimmy Carroll

Lent 2022 is here! What is the true meaning of the smudge of ash on our foreheads? Most Rev. George J. Lucas gives us his thoughts on how Catholics can deepen their spiritual lives during the Lenten season.

Recalling the words of Genesis 3:19 used during the administering of ashes, “Remember that you are dust and unto dust you shall return,” how does that verse really put this awareness into people’s minds as something that they can really reflect upon?

A production of the Archdiocese of Omaha
Hosts: Most Rev. George J. Lucas & Jimmy Carroll
Editor: Jimmy Carroll

Catholic Schools Week was January 30 - February 5 and all 70 Catholic schools in the Archdiocese of Omaha are celebrating the greatness of their school, through fun activities and what it means to attend a Catholic school in Northeast Nebraska. Jimmy Carroll, Most Rev. George J. Lucas and Superintendent of Catholic Schools Vickie Kauffold talk about why Catholic Schools Week is vitally important to the well-being of administrators, teachers and students. It's a week to celebrate! Have a listen.

A production of the Archdiocese of Omaha
Hosts: Most Rev. George J. Lucas & Jimmy Carroll
Editor: Jimmy Carroll

A production of the Archdiocese of Omaha
Hosts: Most Rev. George J. Lucas & Jimmy Carroll
Editor: Jimmy Carroll (Digital Media Specialist at Archdiocese of Omaha)

2021 is coming to an end....but will 2022 look any different? Most Rev. George J. Lucas talks about families and friends gathering for important feast days during the Christmas season. Furthermore, the New Year brings Catholics more exciting feast days to celebrate. Keep the volume up as Archbishop Lucas reflects on 2021 and what 2022 will bring for the Archdiocese of Omaha.

A production of the Archdiocese of Omaha
Hosts: Most Rev. George J. Lucas & Jimmy Carroll
Editor: Jimmy Carroll

The Advent season is here. Archbishop George J. Lucas shares his thoughts on the incarnation of Jesus in history and what his taking on human form means for us today.

Merry Christmas and Blessings to all!

A production of the Archdiocese of Omaha
Hosts: Most Rev. George J. Lucas & Jimmy Carroll
Editor: Jimmy Carroll

"Simple tolerance is easier, but the Holy Father is calling us beyond that to really create the bonds of social friendship within the human family."
Archbishop Lucas offers an introduction to Pope Francis' latest encyclical letter, 'Fratelli Tutti'.

In America today, we hear people lament frequently about how divided people are. In the news media, we see and hear division constantly. Catholics, however, are supposed to be one--Jesus prayed that we would be one; we profess one faith, one baptism, one Lord.

So what does it mean to be united with one another in a time of such evident divisions and disagreements? How do we engage in honest debate and discussion about matters of policy and morality without harboring uncharitable judgments against our fellow Christians?

Injustice. Violence. Division. The fallen-ness of humanity is obvious, and it can be easy to lose hope. But the formula for announcing the world's salvation is simple, says Archbishop Lucas: "The Holy Spirit and you."

In this episode (recorded June 4, 2020), the archbishop reminds us that our mission is communion, and that it is possible. He also points out encouraging signs of the life of the Spirit here and now.

Archbishop George J. Lucas and communications manager David Hazen recall last year's ArchOmaha Unite celebration, where thousands of Catholics from across the archdiocese came together to ask for a new outpouring of the Holy Spirit. The Archbishop discusses how we see the Spirit at work now in very different circumstances, and how the encouragement experienced at that event can be very useful as we face the difficulties of the coronavirus pandemic.

We've seen unprecedented rises in the level of unemployment over recent weeks as many segments of the economy have ground to a halt. "It looks bad on a graph, but it's really a terrible experience for the people who are now out of work - those who may be furloughed, may be fired, without a clear sense of a path into the future for their own security and for their families," says Archbishop Lucas.

The feast of Saint Joseph the Worker gives those of us who do have work the chance to appreciate it more fully, and should help us to notice and pray specifically for those who are suffering the loss of work at this time. Joseph is also a refuge and model for those who are facing the loss of gainful employment.

Archbishop Lucas gave this homily during the Easter Vigil Mass at St. Cecilia Cathedral on April 11, 2020.

Transcript:

I wish a very happy Easter to all of you on behalf of Father Grewe, our pastor, my brother priests and deacons, and in my own name, the joy and the peace of our Risen Savior be with you. Thank you to all of you who are joining us via livestream on this holiest night of the year. We miss having all of you here at the cathedral.

Such a beautiful liturgy has been prepared and it's such a privilege to celebrate it and a privilege to share it with you as we can, even as we all pray, asking God's mercy that before long, we can be delivered from the worst of the pandemic and can have the chance to come together again to celebrate all kinds of good things, but especially to celebrate the sacred liturgy together. I'm grateful that we've been able to bring these liturgies to you electronically these days of Holy Week, but I think we've all felt that we've been missing something as blessed as we have been to be together in this way.

I know last evening when we celebrated the liturgy of the Lord's Passion and Death, that I missed being able to sit in the cathedra and watch so many people who always come here to the cathedral for Good Friday, missed being able to see each of them come forward and venerate the Lord's cross–so many different backgrounds, so many different kinds of piety, so many different stages of people in relationship to the Lord and to the church, but all welcome in the embrace of the crucified Lord.
And tonight I miss in a special way what would have been the baptism of the elect here in the cathedral parish–those who have been preparing for the Easter sacraments, the others who are ready and anxious to come into full communion with the Catholic Church. We're missing the elect and these candidates in our parish churches all across the archdiocese tonight.
Really, baptism is central focus of the liturgy of the Easter Vigil. So we're missing something, but of course the Lord is always offering us something. Always offering us an opportunity. I know when I'm performing the rites of baptism, –it's a great privilege to do that–I'm focused on what I'm doing. I'm focused on the one being baptized and others who are there witnessing it are also focused on the elect and focused on surrounding that person with prayer and with faith during the ceremony. Maybe tonight, then, since we're not participating in a baptism, we have the opportunity to think about ourselves, not to focus on someone else, but to recall our own Baptism, to recall the beautiful truth that we have been baptized into the death and resurrection of our savior, Jesus Christ.

We have the opportunity to reflect for a few moments on what this means for us. What does this fact that we have been baptized tell us about God? What does it tell us about ourselves?

One of the things that it tells us about God–we've been baptized, you and I–it tells us that God has not given up on the human family, the family of Adam and Eve, and he's not giving up on you and me. We heard in the readings earlier in the liturgy how lovingly God created everything that we see in the world around us, but He gave special care in the creation of man and woman, creating them, creating us in his own divine image and likeness. But Adam and Eve turned their back on the plan of God, and we've all done that in turn. We created a separation between ourselves and God, but God's not ready to settle for that separation. God has not given up on the children of Adam and Eve. Rather, he claims us as his own sons and daughters.
Through the power of the death and resurrection of Jesus, God's favor rests upon us and we receive in baptism promises of life in Christ, not only in this world, but eternal life in the world to come. Eter

It can be easy to see the sacrament of penance as a chore, a sort of spiritual spring cleaning. But as we head into Lent, Archbishop Lucas invites us to see this sacrament as a path to freedom, as something great Jesus wants to do for us.

Archbishop Lucas reflects on his recent meeting with Pope Francis in Rome, and his subsequent trip to the annual March for Life with hundreds of young Nebraskans.

There are many distractions this time of year, but during Advent and Christmas, the Church repeatedly points us toward Jesus’ proclamation of the Kingdom. How can we receive this announcement anew this Christmas? How do we see the glory of the Lord here and now, especially in the faces of the poor?

"The Lord was very clear in telling us that in the kingdom of God, as we experience it now, he reveals himself to us in the poor, and in the lonely, and in the outcast, and that's where we're to look for him. And if we're open to seeing him there, again, if we're humble enough to meet him as he reveals himself humbly, then something very beautiful is revealed to us. We experience something very powerful." -- Archbishop Lucas

Many Catholics struggle to "get something" out of their experience of Mass, with huge numbers reporting (according to recent surveys) that they don't believe the Church's pivotal claims about the Eucharist. Archbishop Lucas offers an introduction to the practice of Lectio Divina, and discusses why and how praying with the Word helps us to receive the Word both spiritually and physically.

October is Respect Life Month! For the first of two podcasts on that theme, Archbishop Lucas talks with Whitney Bradley, coordinator of the Archdiocese of Omaha's Respect Life Apostolate, about how she goes about encouraging fellow Catholics to give witness to human dignity.

Editor's note:
Please pardon some inconsistencies in recording volume. We encountered some unexpected technical difficulties; the next episode will be much improved.

Special Guest: Whitney Bradley.

In this mid-summer episode, Archbishop Lucas talks about

• the display of faith evident at the ArchOmaha Unite event
• the US Bishops' June meeting in Baltimore
• how he sees the local Church after 10 years in ministry here
• advancing the vision and mission of our Archdiocese, and the key role the laity play in sharing the Gospel

Spring may be wedding and graduation season, but it’s also ordination season. In this episode, Archbishop Lucas takes this opportunity to tackle important questions about fostering a culture of vocations, such as:

• What are the biggest challenges facing young men who might discern a call to the priesthood?
• How can young people grow in certainty about their vocations?
• We often hear talk of a “priest shortage,” but how do we know whether or not we have the right number of priests?

The month of May is dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary. In this episode, Archbishop Lucas talks about Mary as the "first, best disciple," and how to relate to her in the here-and-now, not simply as an important historical figure.

Archbishop George J. Lucas explores the Gospel readings from Luke for the first two Sundays of Lent to help us immerse ourselves into this liturgical season.

Highlights:

• How Jesus faces down the devil, and what that has to do with our own temptations ("Just push the Father out of the way for a moment...")
• Why the glory of the Transfiguration fits with this penitential season

We are flooded with communications. It's increasingly clear that the technology we rely on--social media, the smartphones we carry everywhere--can help us to build up real human communion and can just as readily thwart it. How can we begin to critically engage our relationship with media and technology? As Archbishop Lucas says in this episode, "We have to step back every so often like I’m doing with you now, and ask, 'What is this tool and how do I use it as a member of the body of Christ to deepen the bonds of communion?'"

In several parts of archdiocese - both metro and rural - populations have shifted or are declining. We also know that the number of active priests will continue to decrease over the coming years. It is easy to fall into a defensive posture: "How will we protect what we have? How are we going to keep our parish open?”

But that isn't the attitude of the Gospel, which is always missionary.

Happy new year, and happy Feast of the Epiphany!

"The coming of the Magi reminds us that there might be an opportunity to share Jesus with people who seem to us unlikely to be looking for him. It is God who creates an opening in the minds and hearts of others and we shouldn’t be reticent or stingy about sharing the joy of the Gospel."

In this first episode of 2019, Archbishop Lucas talks about the importance of the Feast of the Epiphany (Jan. 6) and what it tells us about our mission as Christians.

In October, Archbishop George J. Lucas conducted listening sessions on the sexual abuse scandals with parishioners across the Archdiocese of Omaha. In this week’s interview, communications manager David Hazen speaks with him about what he learned at those meetings and his commitment to even higher standards of ministerial and personal conduct on the part of bishops and priests.

Archbishop Lucas is joined by Fr. Jeff Lorig to talk about the archdiocese's upcoming ArchOmaha Unite event.

On Oct. 17 the church celebrates the feast of St. Ignatius of Antioch (35 – 108 A.D.). In one of his letters, he wrote, “See that you all follow the bishop just as Jesus Christ does the Father,” and “Let no man do anything connected with the Church without the bishop.” While we have talked a lot recently about the sins and failures of church leaders, Ignatius brings us back to fundamental questions: What is a bishop, and what is his vocation?

In this episode, Archbishop Lucas helps us understand what it means to be charged with teaching, governing, and sanctifying the people of God in a particular local Church.