Salt and Light Television - A Beacon of Hope

I arrived in Toronto from Tel Aviv Saturday evening, and now have a series of meetings both here and in Ottawa over the next couple of days before returning to Edmonton. This has given me the opportunity to drop by the Toronto studios of Salt and Light Television today. I saw their setup, met with the staff and celebrated Eucharist with them. Founded by Father Thomas Rosica in the wake of the 2002 World Youth Days in Toronto, this Catholic network is dedicated to being what the Lord has asked all of his followers to be: salt of the earth and light for the world.

Particularly striking is the youth of the entire team. (Except for Fr. Rosica, that is. Since he and I are the same age, we can only qualify for "young at heart".) At Salt and Light one encounters young adults who are truly committed to the new evangelization. When I met with them as a group, their questions revealed a real desire to make known to others the joy and excitement they have received from their relationship with the Lord and the service of His Church. And this is precisely what they are doing through their beautiful and very professional programming. If you are not yet familiar with them or their work, check them out at www.saltandlighttv.org. We owe a great debt of gratitude to Fr. Rosica and his team, together with their benefactors, for their ministry of evangelization and catechesis in the world of modern communications.

On another note, this is the annual Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. Christians throughout the world are gathering to pray for the unity so deeply desired by the Lord for his followers. The unity of the Church is inextricably linked to the new evangelization. As Jesus himself taught, it is precisely through the witness of unity among His followers that others will come to believe in Him. Division weakens our credibility before the world. Please be sure to offer prayers, not only this week but always, that the Holy Spirit will lead us to overcome our divisions and thus one day rejoice in the unity for which Christ gave His life.