"Sometimes we repeat churchy language without really grasping what it means. How many sentences are constructed using the words of Pope Francis -- 'encounter, 'accompaniment,' 'discernment' -- yet they lead to nothing.
"In the process of parroting the lingo," he continued, "one may well lose sight of the mission that the Risen Lord entrusted to the church on the cusp of his Ascension. 'Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations' (Mt 28:19). No wonder Pope Benedict and Pope Francis have both warned us against a type of pastoral planning that has more do with Babel than Pentecost."
He then cited the day's Gospel reading, Mk 8:34-9:1, which begins: "Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me."
"The folks at Babel sought to gain the whole world and lost everything," Archbishop Lori said. "We are called to lose everything for the sake of our gaining Christ -- for we are convinced that we are blessed to the extent that we are his faithful witnesses.
"This is truly the joy of the Gospel and this is truly the way in which the church is built up from generation to generation. All of our plans, all of our meetings, all our writings and strategies -- all of this will profit us nothing unless we heed the call to discipleship in its most radical form as presented for us in today's Gospel."
Concelebrants included retired Auxiliary Bishop Denis J. Madden and Auxiliary Bishop Adam J. Parker, both of Baltimore.
The Mid-Atlantic Congress attracted more than 1,400, including repeat attendees such as Amy Kanich, the director of campus ministry at Mount Aloysius College in Crescent, Pennsylvania, in the Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown.
She praised not just the lessons brought by keynote speakers such as Sister Regina Marie of the Carmelite Sisters of the Most Sacred Heart of Los Angeles, but the spirit shared.
"From morning assembly to adoration to the Eucharist, the initiative of the (Holy) Spirit is so woven into everything here," Kanich told the Catholic Review, Baltimore's archdiocesan news outlet. "I don't know who plans this, but their heart is being called and informed.
"It's not just a conference to sell books. You feel the love of the people who put on this conference."
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McMullen is managing editor of the Catholic Review, the news website and magazine of the Archdiocese of Baltimore.