By Gretchen Keiser

In an interview March 15 Archbishop-Designate Eugene A. Marino said that he believed the most critical need for Catholics today is to recognize the hope given them by their faith and to find meaning for their lives in their faith.

In a world dominated by “many adverse signs,” he said, “people need to see a sign of hope and I think that’s what our faith is.”

War, violence, drug and alcohol abuse, teen suicide, illegitimate pregnancy, the continuous cycle of poverty, homelessness and helplessness overshadow modern lives, he said. “The problems seem to become more and more entrenched,” he added. “Over all of this hangs the dark cloud of abortion…the destruction of human life in its most defenseless moment.”

However, by faith Christians know that “Jesus conquered sin. Jesus overcame death.” At the heart of Catholic teaching is “the victory of Jesus over sin and over death. We need to proclaim that with as much energy and as much force as we possibly can,” he said. Then, he added, the Good News proclaimed by word is “not poetry” which simply is beautiful to hear. Christians must “bring forth the fruits of that (Good News) in our world.”

Catholics must also remember as they become involved in social outreach why they are doing this work and who they are, he said. “We need to remember we engage in our ministry of social outreach because of who we are and what we believe. What we do is not all that different: from the social work engaged in by governmental and philanthropic groups, he said. “What makes the difference is who we are and why we do it.” The conviction of faith, the energy supplied by prayer and the sacraments, and the optimism and hope of Christian belief sustain and empower good works, he emphasized, including his own work as a bishop.

When he was appointed auxiliary bishop of Washington, D.C. in 1974. Archbishop-Designate Marino chose as his episcopal motto, “Feed My Lambs,” the words Jesus spoke to Peter after His Resurrection as a summation of the work given to the apostle and, if carried out, the true sign of the apostle’s love of Jesus.

To the bishop, the words “sort of sum up the mission of the apostle among God’s people,” pointing him toward the “little ones, the most defenseless ones” and with gentleness “summoning that kind of concern and pastoral solicitude from Peter.”