Bishop’s message of hope from 1947 resonates today
Friday, Jan. 17, 2025
Diocese of Salt Lake City Archives photo
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Monsignor Duane G. Hunt delivers his homily to listeners on KSL Radio, October 1929. He was consecrated fifth Bishop of Salt Lake on Oct. 28, 1937.
Michael Courtney
Diocese of Salt Lake City archivist
Editor’s note: This article is the first of a series to celebrate the Jubilee Year of Hope by exploring the historical aspects of the jubilee theme “Pilgrims of Hope.” The first group of pilgrims to make their journey are journalists, bloggers, radio DJs and other media specialists; worldwide members of this group will gather Jan. 24-26 in Rome for the Jubilee of the World of Communications.
In the field of communications, the Diocese of Salt Lake City played a major role in the development of radio as an instrument for evangelization. In 1926, Monsignor (Bishop 1937) Duane G. Hunt, then vicar general of the diocese, began an experiment by reading his homilies on KSL Radio. These homilies were broadcast weekly from 1927 to 1949, except for 1942.
Three years after the beginning of his broadcasts, 5 million listeners tuned into Msgr. Hunt’s broadcast from all over the western United States, making him one of the first American priests to successfully use radio as an evangelizing tool.
The subject of his sermons included the need for religion, original sin, the primacy of the pope, devotion to Mary, Church unity, and the Church and sciences.
One of his homilies, given on Easter Sunday April 6, 1947, covered the topic of hope. Just like today, the world of 1947 needed hope. World War II had ended two years earlier and the Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union was just starting. In his homily, Msgr. Hunt argued that individuals can, like the Lord did, turn Good Friday into Easter Sunday through making sacrifices for the common good.
The Dawn of Hope
The following sermon, titled “The Dawn of Hope,” was delivered by the Most Rev. Daune G. Hunt, Bishop of Salt Lake, over KSL NewsRadio on Easter Sunday, April 6, 1947:
“Do not be afraid: for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here, for he has risen even as he said.” These are the words of the angel spoken to the first visitors to Our Lord’s tomb on Easter morning. They may serve as my text this evening.
On Good Friday afternoon our Lord was ignominiously defeated. On Easter Sunday morning he was gloriously victorious. On Friday he was executed by his enemies. On Sunday he was welcomed and greeted by his friends. On Friday his followers were crushed in spirit, heart-broken, and despairing. On Sunday they were lifted to new heights of joy and gladness. On Friday the air was filled with noisy maledictions and brutal cries for his death. On Sunday the silence was broken by the voice of the angel announcing that he lived again. Friday was the day of violence and hatred. Sunday was the day of peace and love. From the blackness of despair to the brilliant sunrise of hope; such was the change from Good Friday to Easter.
An extraordinary event had occurred, a miracle from heaven, the most important and necessary miracle in all of God’s dealings with his human family. It was not so much the conversion of death into life. Our Lord had performed that miracle on several occasions during his ministry. It was rather that the Resurrection on Easter was the confirmation of all that he had preached and of all that he had claimed about himself. He had foretold to his followers that he would be crucified and that he would rise from the grave on the third day. The literal fulfillment of this prediction put the seal of God’s approval on him. It was God’s way of saying, “This is my beloved Son; hear him.” More than any other one fact it testified to our Lord’s divinity, thus establishing the solid bases for our Christian faith. It is as the basis of hope, however, more than that of faith, that I now call attention to the meaning of Easter.
Hope is the mainspring of life. It is the motive power by which we push ahead. We can endure hardships, grief and disaster, so long as we can hope for something better. We can look at evil rushing toward us and remain calm and patient and courageous, if only we can see ahead the dawn of a brighter day. Without hope, on the other hand, we would be crushed by evil and overwhelmed; we would be cast down into the depths of helplessness and impotent despair. Without hope there would be nothing worth living for; without hope no one would care to live.
Death Not End
To those of Christian faith Easter brings this blessed hope. It tells us that no matter how black is the night all about us, and no matter how formidable are the forces of evil, God is still in his heaven and miracles of deliverance will yet come. Easter gives the promise that forces of evil cannot destroy us. It tells us that death is not the end, but that our souls will live on and can enjoy the presence of God. It tells us that, just as our Lord arose from the dead in glory and triumph, so also will each of us rise from the dead, with body and soul again united.
More than this, however, Easter is the assurance that sacrifices for a good and holy cause are not lost. Through his uncompromising devotion to truth and duty, through his sacrifice of himself for mankind, our Lord brought into the world the greatest of all blessings, sanctifying grace. In imitation of his example we, also, in our very limited spheres and with our human capacities, can make our unselfish sacrifices. We, too, can serve God and our fellow men. Easter tells us that our efforts are never in vain. Nothing good is completely lost. We of today inherit blessings from all generations of our Christian forefathers; those who follow us will, in turn, be blessed by our present heroism.
Atheism Threatens
With the problems of war behind us, we are now confronted with the problems of peace. They are different in form, no doubt, but are none the less serious and formidable. Today the evil that threatens all of us is atheism, militant and aggressive atheism. It has come upon the world with renewed vigor, supported by the gigantic physical power of Russia and swept ahead with the fanaticism of a conquering crusade. It has brutally overwhelmed whole countries. It is insinuating itself into other countries, seeking to undermine them and to prepare for the revolution. That it plans to overthrow our government by violence and force is openly and boastfully proclaimed.
Atheistic communism is stirring up trouble in every quarter of the globe. It takes advantage of every condition of distress to foment protests and disturbance. It is doing so at this very moment in England, in France, in Italy, in Greece and other countries. It is back of the disturbances in China and Korea. It blocks every move of the other nations to create an international brotherhood. It alone prevents a workable program of harmony and good will.
Civilization Crucified
The present era is a tragic Good Friday for eastern Europe. Human liberty, freedom and democracy are being scourged at the pillar. Truth, honor, justice and charity are being crowned with thorns. Civilization itself is being crucified. It is being laid away in a closely guarded sepulchre and hidden behind the iron curtain of mysterious intrigue. But we know, we of faith, and the atheistic tyrants also should know, that this is not the end. Some day the angel of God will push back the curtain and the light from heaven will shine again. Good Friday will be followed some day by a new Easter.
To no one else in the world does Easter mean so much as to the suffering and afflicted people of the countries of persecution. They have gone into their churches today, those that are not closed, they have knelt before the altars, those that have not been destroyed, and through their tears have prayed to the risen Savior and asked for new miracles of deliverance. Even those Christians who are compelled to work in concentration camps, and those who are exiled and imprisoned, have looked into the faces of their captors with the inner assurance that justice will some day return to vindicate them.
What about us? Here we are more or less on the circumference of the evil. To be sure, it is moving toward us, but for the moment we can act freely. We still have freedom of speech and press and association; we are not physically afraid. We are not dogged by secret police; we are not arrested on trumped-up charges of disloyalty; we are not thrown into prison for criticizing communist rulers. Because of these advantages we have a wonderful opportunity. We can shout to the world our devotion to the principles of democracy, justice and brotherhood. We can speak so eloquently that all men will hear us. Such is our duty.
Risk of War
We must be aware, however, that we face a most difficult and perplexing problem, we and other Christian peoples. On the one hand, we wish to preserve for ourselves and others the ideals of democracy and the traditional liberties for which we have had to fight so often. On the other hand, we wish to preserve for ourselves and others harmony and peace. The question is how to do both. If we undertake to hold back communism and protect human rights where they are assailed, do we not run the risk of war? And if, for the sake of peace, we give in constantly to the demand of atheistic governments, shall we not compromise away our security and our blessings of freedom? Rarely if ever before have Christian statesmen been confronted with such a difficult choice.
Today, Easter of 1947, I hold before you a hope, for this is the day of hope. It is the hope that the problem will be solved in the Christian way. There must be a Christian way; we must find it. That way, the Christian way to every blessing, is one of religious devotion, of sacrifice for the sake of principle, and of prayers to Almighty God for his help. It is to imitate the example of the Master, who lived and died for his fellow men. Only thus is any Good Friday turned into Easter.
U.S. Must Lead
For us in the United States, who for the moment should take the lead, our part begins with ourselves as individuals. It is to rid ourselves of terrible sins which now enervate us and hold us back. It is to establish a right relationship with God and to follow the dictates of conscience against everything else. It is to find our place in God’s great scheme of things. It is to remove from our hearts all selfishness and narrowness and weakness. It is to promote a great revival of faith and humble return to original Christianity. It is to dedicate ourselves to the brotherhood of all men. It is to amaze the world by our unselfishness. On such a wonderful path, do you doubt that others will follow us? Our example will be contagious. Our good deeds and those of our neighbors, our prayers and theirs, will surely draw blessings from above. In some unexpected way God will yet save the world. He will work miracles if we do our part. This is our only hope.
This homily was reprinted in the April 13, 1947 Intermountain Catholic.
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