Bishop Tells Catholic Businessmen to Use Prism of Faith

By Michael F. Flach
HERALD Staff Writer
(From the issue of 2/14/02)

Arlington Bishop Paul S. Loverde (pictured at right) told Catholic business leaders Feb. 8 to use the prism of faith and their trust in God to help them meet life's uncertainties and challenges.

"No one know the future," the bishop said. "There are no easy solutions to what lies ahead. God is the only unchanging reality in our constantly changing world."

Trust and faith give us a prism that enables us to cope with this life and see beyond its limitations, he said. "In God we trust. United we stand."

Bishop Loverde was the guest speaker at the monthly gathering of the Catholic Business Network of Northern Virginia. The meeting took place at On the Border restaurant in Tysons Corner. CBN-NV President Maureen Dowling welcomed the bishop and presented him with a gift on behalf of the organization.

Bishop Loverde reflected on how the tragic events of Sept. 11 have forced most Americans to reprioritize their lives.

He said one line from a poem he learned in college keeps running through his head: "The things that mattered most have mattered least."

"In the critical moments, we come in touch with what is basic," most notably our relationship with God and our families, the bishop said.

"So much has changed since Sept. 11. One reality is without change — and that is God. He exists. He loves us and He goes with us all the way."

The Word of God found in the Old and New Testaments testifies that our God is with us, he said. "Prayer expresses the belief that God is with us."

"If our relationship with God is real and authentic, it will effect our relationship with others, especially our families," Bishop Loverde said. He mentioned communication, compromise, acceptance and forgiveness as key elements in a successful relationship.

"People are more important than things," he added. "In America, we measure our worth by what we own, but our real value is measured by who we are. In the end, we are measured not by things, but in the quality of life we have fashioned.

CBN-NV's March 8 speaker will be Chris Johnson, director of Catholics for Housing. The seventh annual Catholic Schools Awards Banquet will be held May 5 at the McLean Hylton. For additional information, visit the group's Web site at www.cbnnv.com

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