It’s a Great Time to Be Catholic:
Let’s Witness to Our Faith as Pope Visits U.S.
Editor’s Note: Today we welcome Teresa Tomeo to our site with her post urging us to witness to our faith, and the World Meeting of Families and the Pope’s visit to the U.S. Many of you know her from her great work at EWTN and also from her own television and radio shows, books, speaking engagements and all the many ways in which she has said yes to the Lord (see her biographical information below). Please welcome her warmly and make her feel at home.
As it says in the Old Testament Book of Esther, “for such a time as this,” and what a great time it is to be Catholic. Given all the hits the faith has taken in recent months and years for being allegedly “out of touch” and “irrelevant” when it comes to things like the teachings on marriage and sexuality, you might be wondering how I can be so upbeat.
I guess I am just the type of person who chooses to see the glass as half-full rather than half-empty. For starters, if the Church is so “backward” as many in the culture have and continue to claim, then why is it that every news outlet in the country, and practically around the world, is dedicating so much time, effort, and money to the World Meeting of Families 
gathering this week, and to the historic visit of the Pope to the United States? Several networks are actually dedicating entire channels, yes entire channels, on Sirius/XM Satellite and other venues for nothing but round-the-clock coverage of the events? Go figure.
It could be, of course, that the off-the-charts interest is due to the fact that some wrongly believe the Pope is coming to America to make some shocking announcements that will change core Church teaching. That can’t and won’t happen, of course, as the Church and Her teachings are guided and protected by the Holy Spirit. But if the Church is as out of touch, irrelevant, and backward as some claim then why bother at all? What does it matter what she teaches or what her leader does or doesn’t do? Who cares? It’s quite clear that despite some of the negative labeling that goes on; at the end of the day people do care because the Church does matter.
Secondly, given all of the attention on us right now, what better time to witness about the beauty of Catholicism? Everyone from the cashier at the grocery store to the folks at the gym, as well as fellow parishioners at the coffee and donut social, will be talking about, well, whatever the Pope is talking about right now. You and I will no doubt be a part of at least a few discussions in the next two weeks, so shame on us if we’re not ready to answer some questions, dispel myths, and most importantly welcome someone home to the Church compliments of the Roman Pontiff.
You can get the whole truth and nothing but by staying close to us at Ave Maria Radio and the Eternal Word Television Network (EWTN). I will be broadcasting my Catholic Connection radio program live from the World Meeting of Families (WMOF) Monday through Friday. You’ll also enjoy great live TV coverage from EWTN’s Doug Keck and Johnnette Benkovic throughout the gathering in Philadelphia. Make sure to also follow every step of the Pope’s journey through top notch radio, TV, and on-line reporting from our EWTN team.
Whether you’re in New York, D.C., Philadelphia, or at home, we’ve got you covered as we cover the historic happenings from start to finish giving you all the information you need to make a difference in your faith and hopefully someone else’s. Let’s not let this huge evangelization opportunity pass us by. For such a time as this probably won’t pass this way again anytime soon.
Art: Teresa Tomeo picture and World Meeting of Families Logo used with permission.
