Now and Forever, God Has Been With Us
- Archbishop James Golka
- 2 hours ago
- 3 min read
The story of America and Colorado is ultimately a story of God’s faithfulness, mercy and invitation to holiness.
Blessed be the name of the Lord, now and forever.
Our help is in the name of the Lord, who made Heaven and earth.
That formula for an apostolic blessing, a benediction that bishops give, has a lot to teach us as we reflect on our country’s last 250 years and our state’s last 150 — years marked by courage, sacrifice and perseverance — and as we look forward to the next stage of our history.
It reminds us of a simple truth: God is good, and he is with us, yesterday, today and forever.
That gives us great hope! The Lord who made Heaven and earth is with us, guiding, blessing, challenging and loving you and me, our families, communities, state and country. Blessed be the name of the Lord.
As we look back on our country’s 250 years and our state’s 150 years, we can see how God has been with us. We thank God for our country’s founding, not without its flaws, but rooted in freedom and dignity, which provides for the growth of a faithful people. We thank him for the many times he has given us faithful Americans and Coloradans who have loved their neighbors, raised holy families and built communities of hope. Whether in challenging or joyful times, God leads us ever closer to himself.
We see this most vividly in the lives of the great saints and witnesses he’s raised up that have connections to our own country: Denver’s very own Servant of God Julia Greeley; St. Frances Xavier Cabrini; St. Elizabeth Ann Seton; Venerable (soon to be Blessed) Fulton Sheen; Blessed Michael McGivney and so many others. By letting Christ claim them each day and living his love in the world, each saint and witness became a light of God’s truth, beauty and goodness.
We have much to be hopeful for as we look forward to the future of our nation and state. Our nation has raised up its first Holy Father in Pope Leo XIV, a tremendous honor and blessing, and a great gift to the global Church. Around the country and the world, we are seeing unprecedented numbers of souls seeking Jesus, several of whom are joining us as full brothers and sisters in the Catholic Church — many of them young people. Locally, we are even seeing demand for several new churches across our archdiocese, giving those souls new spiritual homes.
President John F. Kennedy’s famous quote comes to mind: “Ask not what your country can do for you. Ask what you can do for your country.” I would add: What can you do, through Christ, for your country?
How might you, as a faithful Catholic, be called to live your faith more publicly, in gratitude for our great nation?
With an eye towards faithful participation in our civil institutions, perhaps? While all eyes tend to focus on Washington, do you consider what’s happening in your own town hall or school board that could benefit from a faithful voice or even direct participation in office?
Or, maybe with a heart open to those in your community, on your street or in your parish? Do you welcome the opportunity to love your neighbor, pewmate or coworker out of your love for God?
Sisters and brothers, God is on the move, in and through us. His Church is alive. God is as good today as he has been throughout the Scriptures, at our nation’s founding and throughout the last 250 years.
Only God knows what he has in store for the next 250 years, but one thing is clear: God will be with us. Our nation’s future will depend, as it always has, on whether we open our hearts to God’s work, whether we let him be with us, guide us, bless us, love us and through us, love our neighbors and change the world.
