New Bishop, Great Example
I just became aware of a new bishop for the Diocese of Springfield, Illinois. His name is Bishop Thomas John Paprocki. At the Illinois Catholic Prayer Breakfast last Friday, Bishop Paprocki addressed the crowd with the words found below. I firmly believe that we need more bishops like Bishop Paprocki, who will stand for the truth and will, if needed, give his life for the faith.
As you may know, Pope Benedict XVI has appointed me to serve as the ninth Bishop of Springfield in Illinois. As the date of my Installation Mass, I have chosen June 22nd, the Feast of the English martyrs, Saints Thomas More and John Fisher. This day is appropriate because St. John Fisher was a Bishop, while St. Thomas More is a special patron saint for me not only because I am named Thomas and I served as Chancellor, as Thomas More did, but also because Thomas More is the patron saint of lawyers and politicians. I think his intercession will be vitally needed in my pastoral ministry as shepherd of our state capital.
My favorite movie of all time is “A Man For All Seasons,” about the life of St. Thomas More. In the screenplay written by Robert Bolt, there is a very poignant scene towards the end of the story of the trial of Thomas More, who was charged for High Treason for his refusal to sign the Act of Supremacy, making King Henry VIII the head of the Church of England. Sir Richard Rich has just perjured himself on the witness stand by giving false testimony by which More would surely be convicted. Before Sir Richard leaves the witness stand, More says, “I have one question to ask the witness. That’s a chain of office you are wearing. May I see it?” Rich allows More to examine the medallion, whereupon More says, “The red dragon.” More then asks Cromwell, who is conducting the interrogation, “What’s this?” Cromwell answers, “Sir Richard is appointed Attorney-General of Wales.” More we are told, looks into Rich’s face with pain and amusement and asks, “For Wales? Why Richard, it profits a man nothing to give his soul for the whole world . . . But, for Wales!”
Unfortunately we live in a time when many other politicians are quite willing to give their souls for even less than Wales! As we gather for this Holy Sacrifice of the Mass preceding the Illinois Catholic Prayer Breakfast, we pray for the intercession of Saints Thomas More and Bishop John Fisher, that politicians and all government officials may follow their courageous example of faithful adherence to the teachings of the Catholic Church.
Today’s Mass is celebrated as a Memorial of Pope St. Pius V, who lived during the time of Saints Thomas More and Bishop John Fisher. The pontificate of Pope Pius V was one of the most glorious of the 16th century. He enforced the decrees of the Council of Trent, published the Roman Catechism and revised the Missal and Breviary. We pray for his intercession as well. Our liturgy today also continues the celebration of the Easter season. Our first reading from the Acts of the Apostles tells us of the life of the early Christian community. Then, as now, courtroom trials depended on the testimony of courtroom witnesses. Conviction or acquittal can depend on what a person has experienced and how credibly the person expresses that experience to a judge or jury. If we expect people to believe in the resurrection of Jesus, there have to be credible witnesses. St. Paul cites the companions of Jesus as witnesses to the resurrection. He passes on their testimony as well as their own. We are called to bear witness to Jesus as the way, the truth and the life. Jesus shows us how to live by His example of selfless sacrifice. He teaches us the truth
about God, about ourselves, and about the world. He gives us eternal life through faith and the living of our sacramental life. Everything we say and do should convince people of the Gospel message. The Eucharist we are about to receive fills us with the presence of Christ so that we may be credible witnesses to the good news of eternal life with our Risen Lord.
May God give us this grace.
Supposed To Do
I just returned from a weekend trip to a private midwestern university where I gave a talk on manliness and Christian brotherhood. I mentioned the topic of Adam from the creation story in Genesis. In the story, Adam disregards the command that God gave to him to “shamar” the garden. From his neglect, sin entered the world. This, naturally, led to discussion about gender roles. During the Q&A session, a young man in the front row asked me “what do you mean when you say ‘what a man should do’ and ‘what a woman should do’?” I think it’s a great question and deserves some explanation and distinction here on the site.
When I say one of those statements (‘what a man (or woman) should d0’), what I mean is that men and women have been called to a specific role in humanity. (For instance, fatherhood, or motherhood.) The young man wanted to know if I thought that women shouldn’t work, or be in leadership or do anything outside of mothering children, cleaning and cooking. Obviously, I am not of that opinion. I can understand the question though, because our society tells us constantly that it’s either one, but not both.
Being called to a specific role in humanity means that a male or a female is embracing their nature. Men are naturally designed to protect, guard and care for. We are more rugged. Our bodies are made for laborious tasks. Women are naturally more nurturing, motherly and tender. These differences aren’t pointed out to say one is better than the other, only that they are different. John Paul II said many times, “Men and women were created equal in dignity, but different in role.” This is an important distinction.
For men to be TrueMen, we must embrace what is naturally placed on our hearts by God and follow the commands that God has given to us.
TrueMan up!
