On Tuesday, I had the opportunity of meeting our future Bishop, His Excellency Bishop Nelson Perez. A number of the clergy were able to concelebrate with him and Bishop Thomas at the Cathedral, and then had lunch with him at the Cathedral rectory.
Though Bishop Thomas presided at the Mass, Bishop Perez preached on encountering Christ. He said, as Christ is filled with compassion and mercy, so too is the heart of the Church. The Lord meets us where we are. Whether we are trapped in sin or steadily progressing in sanctity. Whoever you are, you can “encounter” the Lord wherever we are. Pope Francis has spoken on that theme of "encuentro" - “encounter”, as well, and I think our new bishop will continue to expand on that theme as well.
The suffering, those in need, are to encounter the Lord, through us. This is why, in the Gospel, he sends his disciples out: to preach, to call to repentance, to cure the sick, raise the dead, cleans the lepers, and drive out demons. Those in need are to encounter the Lord’s mercy and compassion through us.
Going out and doing these things, being engaged in the works of mercy, is not just icing on the cake, these aren’t just activities to pass the time when we don’t have other things going on, they are our way of life. We are a missionary Church.
Missionary comes from the latin word, missio, which means ‘sent’—the greek word of course is apostein, from which we get the word, apostle. We are missioned, we are sent by the Lord, to do these things in his name, whether you are a prince or a pauper, a king or a farmer.
July 13 is the feast of a saintly King who took seriously the Lord’s command. King Henry II was Holy Roman Emperor became a saint, by acting justly, spreading the faith using the opportunities God gave him.
It was his custom to undertake nothing without prayer and often saw angels and martyrs guiding him—protecting him and his army who from the barbarian hoards which sought to ravage and pillage his land. He promoted monastic reform where needed, believing monasteries to be indispensable centers of prayer and focal points for the civilization of people. When Saint Henry was not ruling over his empire and leading his army to stabilize Europe, he was cultivating a holy marriage with his wife, St. Cunegunda.
His people encountered through his justice, through his protection, through his cultivation of the faith, through his holy marriage.
May St. Henry’s prayers help us to help others encounter Christ for the glory of God and salvation of souls.
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For Bishop Nelson Perez, the next shepherd of our diocese; for our Apostolic Administrator, Bishop Daniel Thomas; for Bishop-emeritus Richard Lennon; that the Holy Spirit will continue to enlighten and empower them with grace, confidence and hope. We pray.
That all Christians may take seriously the vocation of helping others encounter Christ. We pray.
For all earthly kings and government representatives, that they may use their temporal power responsibly for the true good of all. We pray.
That Christian spouses may reflect Christ’s love to each other and that they may be a sacrament of Christ’s love to the world.
That our young people may take seriously the missionary call of Christ, that they will turn away from the evils of our culture to spread the good news of Christ’s eternal kingdom.
That the love of Christ, the divine physician, may bring healing to the sick and comfort to all the suffering.
For the deceased members of our families, friends, and parish, and all the poor souls in purgatory, for deceased priests and religious, and for those who have fought and died for our freedom.
O God, who know that our life in this present age is subject to suffering and need, hear the prayers of those who cry to you and receive the prayers of those who believe in you. Through Christ our Lord.
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