Seattle's new Archbishop J. Peter Sartain told the faithful that he
has nothing to offer them, except the faith he has received in an
unbroken tradition from the apostles.
“I have nothing at all of my own to offer you,” he told the
congregation at St. James Cathedral during his installation Mass on Dec.
1.
“Everything I have, I have received … What I have, I will offer you:
the gospel of Jesus Christ.”
The previous Bishop of Joliet, Ill. then reflected on his position of
leadership. He noted that the Church's leaders must see themselves
primarily as followers, walking in the footsteps of Jesus.
A bishop, he said, must first be led and taught by the Church, in
order to be a leader and teacher himself.
“It is the Lord Jesus who
leads, guides, protects, and nourishes the flock,” he explained.
“It is
first and foremost, in following him that we (bishops) shepherd the
portion of the flock entrusted to our care.”
In his first address to the Catholics in his diocese, the new
archbishop offered them clear and practical guidance for following
Christ more closely. He advised them to recall God's presence throughout
each day, and in all situations.
“He is always before us, and we are to follow,” Archbishop Sartain
exhorted. “The name of Jesus should be on our lips: in every homily, at
every meeting, in every counseling session, in every moment of prayer.”
“His name should be in every parish and school mission statement,” he
continued, “and as we go through the day, we should pray his name
silently to remind ourselves of his nearness, and seek his protection …
for Satan does not like to hear his name, and he flees.”
“In union with our Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI,” he announced,
“and with Catholics around the world, we will follow the one whose name
we call, day and night … We will proclaim his name, even when his name
meets rejection and ridicule.”
“We would not be the Church,” he noted, “were we to be bashful about proclaiming Christ.”
The archbishop, who learned to speak Spanish in order to minister
more effectively among Hispanic Catholics, delivered a portion of his
homily in that language before delivering the same remarks in English.
“Perhaps some of you have arrived recently in the state of
Washington,” he said in those remarks, “but you are not new to the
Church.”
Archbishop Sartain reflected on the expanding ethnic diversity of the
archdiocese and turned the observation into an object lesson on the
value of all human life. “In every culture, and through every language,
and in every human person, our heavenly Father reveals the face of his
beloved Son.”
The archbishop expressed gratitude for the timing of his
installation, during the first week of the Advent season that precedes
the celebration of Christmas.
He stressed the importance of taking time
to pray and take stock of one's life during the traditionally
penitential season, in order to appreciate the inestimable gift of
Jesus' birth.
Following his resolution to pass on the Church's tradition
faithfully, Archbishop Sartain explained the hope of Advent and the
essence of Christmas by quoting a traditional prayer: “Come, break down
the prison walls of death, for those who dwell in darkness … and lead
your captive people into freedom.”
The new archbishop also kept his opening promise to preach the unchanging message of the gospel, without alteration.
“By his birth, his death, and his resurrection, the Lord Jesus has opened the door shut by our sin,” he taught.
SIC: CNA/INT'L
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