Bishop Cantú poses with teens from St. Brigid Church after the liturgy. A large contingent of youth from the parish took part in the teen track, and youth from St. James Parish in Seguin helped with the children’s track. Sarah Weaver | Today’s Catholic

SAN ANTONIO • On the feast of Sts. Joachim and Anne, parents of Mary, the mother of God, the archdiocese continued its efforts to spread the good news of Humanae Vitae, “Of Human Life,” with a 40th anniversary celebration at St. Mark the Evangelist Church on July 26.

The day began with a Mass celebrated by Auxiliary Bishop Oscar Cantú, followed by lunch and exhibits in the parish’s Family Life Center, which was filled to overflowing with more than 600 attendees.

A youth, teen and adult tracks offered something for everyone. Face painting, balloon animals, a magic show and bouncy inflatables were available for the tots, while the older youth heard a talk on “Passion, Purity and the Meaning of Life” from Jason and Elise Angelette, directors of Faith and Marriage for the Willwoods Community in New Orleans.

Presentations for adults centered on the themes of “To Love as God Loves” from the Angelettes and “The Most Important Encyclical of the 20th Century,” by Father Daniel McCaffrey, a priest of the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City, who has worked in the apostolate of marriage enrichment by establishing successful Natural Family Planning programs at the diocesan and parish levels.

In his homily at the morning liturgy, Bishop Cantú told of a very good conversation he had with a young adult from San Antonio who went on the World Youth Day pilgrimage to Australia. The young man had several theological questions about the faith, according to the bishop, including, “How can the Catholic Church place Mary as a model for humanity when, unlike us, she was born and conceived without sin?”

He quoted the pilgrim as saying, “She was given that special grace that allowed her to say ‘yes’ throughout her life and to remain sinless. So for us to compare ourselves to her is not quite fair. How can we follow the example of someone who was born without sin?”

Bishop Cantú’s explanation to him was that it was not so much the comparison between us and her, but rather the comparison between her and Eve.

“They were on an equal plane, so to speak, and had the opportunity to respond in freedom to our Lord. Eve, of course, disobeyed God. Mary, the new Eve, said ‘yes,’ and she continued the opportunity for eternal life,” said the bishop.

Bishop Cantú continued, “If we learn to observe reality in the way that it is given to us, we can see God’s hand, and we can see how he works and what his will is. If we observe human nature and creation, we can see the imprint of the Creator. Creation leads us to the Creator in the way that creation is formed.”

The bishop urged listeners to see the wisdom in which God created them and to cooperate with him. “We are born into families. We don’t simply drop out of the sky. We are essentially social beings. We are communal,” he explained. “We are created in God’s image and likeness. God is Father, Son and Holy Spirit — in communion for all eternity. And so we are created in his image in likeness. We too are in communion.”

Bishop Cantú went on to detail his time in the seminary, in which he spent nine years preparing for the priesthood at two different institutions. “That was a time where I learned lots of things — world history, philosophy, literature, Scriptures, teachings of the church — and I grew personally in my relationship with God and my relationship with the church. It was a very important time to grow.”

But before he entered that seminary, he emphasized, he was in another kind of seminary for 18 years. “I call that the seminary of my family,” said a smiling Bishop Cantú. “The word seminary comes from the word that means seed — the place where we plant a seed in order to grow. In our families, in our own lives, is where we plant seeds. It is very important. We nourish it with that rich soil of God’s love.”

He repeated remarks from John Paul the Great, who used to say that the first place where children encountered God is in the lives of their parents. “Those are the natural ways in which God nourishes us so that we can grow,” the bishop added. “Sometimes it is at the family table.”

Bishop Cantú fondly recalled some great memories he had of his family table while growing up. “My father used to give us discourses about what we needed to do with our lives while my sister and I kicked each other underneath the table,” he laughed. “It was the place where we learned who we are. We are children. We are brothers and sisters. We are relational. In all, we are sons and daughters of God.”

Relating the household table to the Eucharistic table, the bishop described how Catholics gather around the altar to be nourished in God’s grace, by his word and by his Body and Blood.

Bishop Cantú recounted the Gospel reading from the Mass, Matthew 13:16-17, saying, “It tells us that it is important for those who have ears to hear, and for those who have eyes to see. The church has put its ear to the ground to hear the reality of human nature and life. It has observed and heard the voice that calls us to be one with him.”

He concluded by acknowledging that life takes sacrifice. “A grain of wheat that does not fall to the ground and die gives no food. That is the example Jesus gives us on the cross,” he emphasized. “Rejoice in the gift he gave to the world. Let us pray that we too may always say ‘yes’ to the Father.”

After the liturgy, in a presentation to teens in the youth room, Karen Angelette offered a true to life talk about her dating relationship with her husband Jason, and the ups and downs they experienced in dealing with bouts of temptation. The Angelettes had the young adults laughing and applauding with an admitted “cheesy” skit they performed called, “Popcorn,” dealing with three different dating scenarios which entailed watching a movie.

Caption: Bishop Cantú poses with teens from St. Brigid Church after the liturgy. A large contingent of youth from the parish took part in the teen track, and youth from St. James Parish in Seguin helped with the children’s track.

Sarah Weaver | Today’s Catholic