archbishop o'brien

New Baltimore Archbishop Speaks at Theology on Tap

By HENRIETTA GOMES
HERALD Staff Writer
(From the Issue of 7/26/07) archbishop o'brien

With beer in hand, young adults crowded Pat Troy’s Ireland’s Own Restaurant and Bar in Old Town Alexandria Monday night to listen to newly appointed Baltimore Archbishop Edwin F. O’Brien speak about the mystery of evil.
“Without Jesus Christ there is no adequate explanation of suffering,” Archbishop O’Brien told the Theology on Tap crowd. He said he did not pretend to have the answer to the question of why evil exists in the world, but did discuss the merits of redemptive suffering.
Evil often stems from free will and original sin, but other types of evil beyond control of human beings are a mystery, he said. When pain and suffering are embraced they can be redemptive, he told his attentive audience as they sipped cold brews and ate dinner in the standing room only restaurant.
“We preach Christ crucified,” said Archbishop O’Brien. He served 1.5 million Catholics as the archbishop of the Military Services before being named bishop of Baltimore earlier this month. Three hundred priests in uniform serve as chaplains for the archdiocese. “Christ became sin for us. He embraced evil in its dire form.”
Archbishop O’Brien noted the three stages in dealing with evil — prayer, rage and coping.
“Suffering goes to the heart of Christ … His whole life points to the cross,” the archbishop said.
Speaking about St. Paul, he said, “Paul didn’t just cope, he embraced the cross.” In a world that tries to escape the reality of suffering, it does not necessarily make sense to embrace it, but “Christ has invited us to take part in the act of redemption … We can be co-joiners with Him.”
The archbishop reminded the crowds that continued to spill into the bar during the talk that “nothing is so wasted as wasted pain.”
Archbishop O’Brien, who has also served as chaplain at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, N.Y.; Fort Bragg, N.C. and in Vietnam, said he gave the talk to “strengthen my own conviction of what I’m preaching.”
The pope appointed Archbishop O’Brien the new archbishop of Baltimore after accepting the resignation of Cardinal William Keeler. Archbishop O’Brien, who has served as the archbishop of Military Services since 1997, will be installed in Baltimore on Oct. 1.
After his talk, the bishop fielded questions from the crowd on topics including suicide, free will, healing and Harry Potter.
“Is it right to ask for healing?” one patron asked. Archbishop O’Brien clarified that embracing suffering and the cross does not mean one should yield to sickness and setbacks in life. It is only human nature to ask for specific things in prayer, however, he said, the “bottom line is ‘thy will be done.’ It all comes down to that.”
“We do our best to get all the help we can, but finally it’s the will of God,” he said. Invoking laughter from his audience he admitted that, “sometimes we might not like the will of God.”
Answering a question about which candidate to vote for in the next presidential election, the bishop directed his listeners to the voter’s guide published by the Bishop’s Conference. He also spoke of the importance of speaking out especially when it comes to the dignity of the human person. “I hope we don’t pull into a shell.”
At the end of the evening, Pat Troy, the owner of the bar, thanked the archbishop for serving as the Archbishop of the Military Services and asked the bishop to share some of his favorite moments serving the military.
“I don’t want to get emotional,” he said after a brief pause. He then slowly spoke of his admiration of the “culture of generosity,” and “spirit of self-sacrifice” of the military. He referred to it as the “typical ethos of our military. … The military is an institution that can draw the best out of people.”
Troy asked all the patrons to stand and led them in praying three Hail Mary’s for the archbishop as he prepares for his new assignment.
Of the new appointment to Baltimore, Archbishop O’Brien said he looks forward to taking on God’s challenge. I’m grateful to the pope for appointing me.” His immediate positive response to the new appointment is part of the priesthood. “We say yes to God’s will.”
Theology on Tap is a six-week program for young adults held on Monday evenings at 7:30 p.m. through Aug. 27 at Pat Troys, 111 N. Pitt St., Alexandria.

Henrietta Gomes can be reached at hgomes@catholicherald.com.