It seems our session was quite timely, as it prepared us for the news we heard this week, that bishop Perez has been called by Pope Francis to be the new Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. Perhaps, next month we might look at the process of how the Pope calls forth a bishop, especially as we anticipate and pray for the next bishop of Cleveland, whomever that might be.
Why do we have bishops? Well, bishops, episkopoi as they are called in the Greek new testament, are as old the church. The episkopoi were the successors of the Apostles, and were tasked with preaching the Gospel and teaching and baptizing and ordering the growing Church. They were particularly tasked with maintaining unity among the diverse peoples of the Church. For from the beginning, the church was comprised of both converted jew and gentile, Greek and roman, rich and poor, from all the various cultures of the world.And the bishops, the episkopoi, worked to keep us all together, ensuring that with all of our diversity and differences of opinion on how the church and world should operate, we remain faithful to Christ.
We hear Paul, in today’s second reading, writing to the Church of Corinth with its many divisions—divisions which are contrary to the will of Our Lord who prayed at the Last Supper that we may be one with each other as he and the Father are one. Paul pleads with the Corintians to strive for agreement in matters of faith and charity, “so that there be no divisions among you, but that you might be of the same mind and same purpose, that there may be no rivalries among you.”
Why is division bad and Church unity important? If I were a non-believer, why would I consider joining a group that was divided in its purpose and core beliefs? Why would I consider joining a group where the members backstabbed each other, or fought over positions of power, why would I want to be a part of that? That’s what the world does, there’s nothing holy about that.
Unity, rather, is to be a sign that God’s power and God’s love has transformed us to be a people set apart from the ways and attitudes and sins of the world. Paul is combating the very toxic worldliness that had poisoned the Corinthian Church and that has the potential to poison any group of Catholics. The divisions in Corinth led to the justification of some very dysfunctional behavior. Paul saw this group of Christians at risk of falling back into slavery to sin, and forfeiting the gift of salvation, not to mention their failure to evangelize.
So, if we, are supposed to strive for unity and agreement, how do we know what to believe, what to agree on? Well, that’s where those episkopoi come in, the bishops. Vatican II and our Catechism reaffirm the role of the bishop in their diocese, saying, “The individual bishops are the visible principle and foundation of unity in their particular churches.” It’s the bishops most important job, to keep us united in the one faith of Jesus Christ.
The Church of Cleveland has had 11 bishops at the helm, since our founding on April 23, 1847. Over those 172 years, the bishops of Cleveland, 1 frenchman, 1 scotsman, 3 irish, 4 germans, a little Italian, and Cuban American have kept us united. Not that ethnicity matters. At his press conference in Philadelphia, bishop Perez was asked, how has being the son of Cuban immigrants affected his pastoral ministry. He answered that his work in Philadelphia for many years was focused on the Hispanic community and as a pastor he had a parish partially composed of hispanics. And then he said, when I was bishop in new York and then in Cleveland, I was asked the same question, “What does it feel to be a Hispanic bishop?” He said, I’m not a Hispanic bishop, I’m a Roman Catholic Bishop, who happens to speak Spanish. Whether in New York, Cleveland, or Philadelphia, I am called to be a Roman Catholic Bishop.”
Bishop Perez there certainly speaks of the Bishops role to lead not just one group of people in one aspect of the faith, but to lead the diverse Church to be united. May he be faithful to that calling in Philadelphia and may our next bishop do so as well.
And as we are saddened by the departure of Bishop Perez, we renew our trust in God Providence. For as the Holy Spirit brought us a good and faithful Bishop like Bishop Perez, he can bring us a new bishop to work for the needs of the Church of Cleveland in this next chapter of our diocesan history.
Within the Church there is such a rich and beautiful diversity of cultures and gifts. Our parish, since its establishment by the third bishop of Cleveland, Bishop Hoerstman, has always been a place where all people are welcome to seek their salvation. And the faith has flourished because of our unity.
Sadly, the Church of Cleveland has seen some division over the years. Groups have gone off into schism. Individuals have fallen into heresy, certainly more have fallen into indifference. Which is why we should always pray for our bishop, for his fidelity to his Apostolic mission and for our faithfulness to the one faith he preaches and teaches.
Did you know that the most prominent writer on the topic of Church unity in the early Church after St. Paul was our own parish patron, St. Ignatius of Antioch? Ignatius was bishop of Antioch, in modern day Turkey, when he was arrested during an early persecution. On his way to his martyrdom, like Paul, he wrote to the different Christian communities. And one of the topics he took up repeatedly was unity.
In his letter to the Ephesians, Ignatius writes: “It is right for you to give glory in every way to Jesus Christ who has given glory to you; you must be made holy in all things by being united in perfect obedience, in submission to the bishop and the presbyters. It is fitting, therefore, that you should be in agreement with the mind of the bishop. Presbyters, that is, priests, be attuned to the bishop as strings to a harp.”
We are to given glory to God in every way. Here he speaks of diversity. Glorify God in every way, in music, in art, architecture, in every work of mercy, every life, every culture, in every language, glorify God, practice every holy attitude of Christ. And if you want those gifts to flourish, remain united to the bishop. For through the bishop we have access to the sacraments of the Church and the fullness of Jesus’ teaching which unite us for our mission.
Concern for achieving unity "involves the whole Church, faithful and clergy alike." So let us pray for unity, work for unity, believing all the truths which the holy catholic Church teaches, striving to root out selfishness which is the cause of division in so many hearts, that we may be of one mind and purpose for the glory of God and salvation of souls.
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