The Rev. Billy Graham's Crusade

My Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Dr. Billy Graham, the famous Protestant evangelical preacher, is leading the Greater New York Prayer Crusade this weekend at Flushing Meadows Corona Park. Over 70,000 people are expected to attend what will most likely be Dr. Graham's last personal Crusade in New York. For Dr. Graham, it represents the culmination of a ministry that has spanned over fifty years, inviting Christians of every denomination and people of all faiths to commit themselves to accept Jesus as their Savior and Lord.

A fundamental belief among all evangelical Protestants is the need for every person to make a personal commitment to the Lord Jesus. Dr. Graham has led countless crusades both on television and in person to help motivate those who attend to make this commitment to accept Jesus Christ both as their personal Savior and the Savior of the world. This is also the prime spiritual goal for this weekend's Crusade.

As an evangelical Protestant, Dr. Graham preaches the Gospel from a very particular viewpoint. During an interview with the New York Times published two weeks ago, Dr. Graham expressed gratitude for the friendship that he shared with Pope John Paul II, our beloved Holy Father of happy memory. Dr. Graham admired Pope John Paul as a man of deep faith and conviction. However, he noted that there are significant theological differences between his preaching and that of the Catholic Church. These differences are important to understand, especially for those who may have chosen to attend any of Dr. Graham's talks.

Protestant theology in general and evangelical Protestants in particular believe that human nature is essentially corrupt. Left to ourselves, we cannot find our way to God because our hearts and mind have been fatally wounded by both original sin and our own personal sins. It is only through the sacrificial death of Christ that human corruption finds its antidote. More specifically, when we stand in judgment before God, the only way that we can enter eternal life is through the merits of Christ's death. What we have done in life can never be acceptable to God apart from Christ. Thus, without a personal commitment to possess "Christ in our hearts" and live the Gospel, we would lack the only ingredient for our salvation. For this reason, the only assurance that evangelical Protestants have of the gift of salvation is the quality of a person's commitment to embrace Jesus as one's personal savior. Thus, Protestant theology holds that unless you make such a personal choice to accept Christ in your heart as Savior and embrace His offer of salvation that comes principally through the Scriptures, you cannot be saved.

The differences with our Catholic faith are clear. We believe that human nature, while damaged through both original and personal sin, remains essentially good. The grace that flows from Christ's death and resurrection, first given to us in the sacrament of Baptism, builds upon and sanctifies our human qualities and allows us, through the gift of faith and our good works, to cooperate with the gift of salvation that can come only from Christ. We also believe that every Catholic is intimately connected to the Lord precisely through membership in the Church that is Christ's enduring and living presence in the world. This connection is initiated by God as a free gift of His love, made real through the sacraments of the Church, most especially Holy Eucharist, and allows us the strength to live and share the new life of Christ that we have received. Thus, we believe that God's love gives us the grace we need to make a commitment to Christ that occurs not solely once in our lives but countless times every day of our lives.

I expect that a number of Catholics will attend Dr. Graham's Crusade, drawn by the sincerity and integrity of this Christian man of faith. Dr. Graham's has repeatedly discouraged those who attend from converting or changing their church affiliation. Rather, he encourages all Christians to make a personal commitment to Christ and return to their home churches for additional pastoral care.

I am grateful to the organizers of the Crusade for their cooperation in offering to provide our Diocese the registration information for all Catholics who attend the Crusade. Plans are already under way by the Vicariate for Evangelization and Pastoral Life to provide follow-up pastoral care for all Catholics who may attend any of the Crusade events. Special listening sessions, local revival missions and Catholic evangelization prayer services will be held throughout the Diocese in the Fall for all who wish to attend, especially those who attended the Crusade. All pastors will also be forwarded the registration information for those who attended from their parish. I ask that a special effort be made to address these individuals' spiritual and pastoral needs.

In the spirit of ecumenical cooperation, I warmly welcome Dr. Billy Graham to our Diocese during this special weekend. As a fellow Christian, I pray that the Lord will continue to bless him in his ministry to preach the Gospel to all who are willing to listen. He has been a faithful disciple of the Lord putting out into the deep for the many years of his exemplary evangelical career.