Called to serve…

My dear people,

Thank you for coming to what I can only describe as such a momentous day in my life. As I stood before the bishops who were about to consecrate me, I felt the weight of the office I was about to receive. This is an office which I take to heart as my mission: to serve all of you and, as an episkopos, to build up and strengthen the Body of Christ.

To take on the episcopate is to assume a great responsibility within the Body of Christ. This is why the ordinand’s head is placed beneath the Book of the Gospel: to signify that he has taken on the role of a chief shepherd, called to lead people to Christ. This is no easy task, so please remember me in your prayers, as I remember all of you in mine.

To bear the weight of the Gospel upon one’s shoulders is a tremendous responsibility, but it is one that I bear with joy in my heart. I have chosen as my episcopal motto: “Rejoice in the Lord always.” Why have I chosen this motto? Simply put, the Christian life is meant to be a life of joy. We are called to rejoice in the Lord and to live constantly in joyful Christian hope. We must be humble and acknowledge when we fail, but our greatest gift is the love and forgiveness of God.

The life of a Christian is not meant to be spent ruminating upon past failures, but rather celebrating the wonderful gifts God has given us. This is why so many of the great saints were caught up in ecstasy: God is a God of love. Yes, we fail, and probably will do so many times throughout our lives, but we have the promise of God’s forgiveness and love.

To this end, constantly reflect, ask God for His forgiveness, and be grateful for the wondrous gifts He gives you. He truly is the God who loves mankind. This is our greatest joy: that the All-Holy Trinity loves us, even to the point that the Second Person of the All-Holy Trinity ascended the Holy Cross so that we might have life within us and be raised with Him.

Therefore, be a people of joy who shine the light of Christ upon others. We are not called to condemn, but to love and to show this love to others, so that we might become icons of Christ in this broken world.

Finally, I will be beginning a series of homilies on the lives of the pre-Schism Western saints, so that we may learn from their faith and discover the great spiritual patrimony they have left to us.

May God bless you and make His face shine upon you this week.