Psalm
31
Hebrews
5:7-9
John 19:25-27
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O san-ctís-si-ma,
O pi-ís-si-ma,
Dul-cis vir-go Ma-rí-a!
Ma-ter a-má-ta,
In-te-me-rá-ta,
O-ra, o-ra, pro-no-bis.
As you may
have suspected, the last two Scripture readings which we have just heard are
those prescribed for the Feast of Our Lady of Sorrows.
Yet, in each,
the primary focus is not on her, but it is rather on Jesus—as is always the
case. Mary, from the very movement of
her fiat—“Thy will be done”—lived her life as a disciple of the very one whom
she carried for nine months in her womb, lying just below her heart.
Her son,
Jesus, who pleaded with his heavenly Father to have his chalice of suffering
pass him by, nevertheless “learned obedience from what he suffered . . . and
when made perfect . . . became the source of eternal salvation
for all who obey him.”
Bishop LeVoir, remember this
passage. You have been called to
obedience in faith, just as Jesus was.
And because he was not spared the chalice of suffering, neither shall
you be. But, at the same time, never
forget that it is through Christ’s obedience that eternal salvation is offered
for all who likewise obey.
Moreover from
the moment I received these Scriptures which I was told your Excellency had chosen,
I knew immediately that the first one had to have been especially selected by your
own hand.
For what
priest being called to Episcopal service in this day and age would not protest
in the words of Jeremiah, “Ah, Lord, God!
I am too young!”
Well, maybe in
your case, Bishop, those would not exactly be the words you’d choose, but the
idea is the same. “Ah, Lord, God! I’m just a parish priest!” “Ah, Lord, God! I’m just a common man!” “Ah, Lord, God! Do not ask this of me!”
But whatever
the complaint, the Lord surely gives the same response, “Don’t tell me
that! To whomever I send you, you shall
go; whatever I command you, you shall speak!”
Remember, my
dear Bishop, this is not your ministry any more than it is your Church. We stand in persona Christi capitas—the
Church, our ministry, all of it belongs to Christ and He will never let us
down. Be not afraid—He is with you to
deliver you.
Finally, it is
so providential that this Episcopal ordination and consecration happens
on a Marian feast—for just as Jesus consigned the Mother He loved so much to
His beloved disciple, so, I believe, He does again to you today.
Fifty years
ago, your predecessor and mine, Bishop Alphonse Schladweiler, consecrated the
Diocese of New Ulm to the Blessed Virgin from the first moment of its
establishment. The document testifying
to this fact is hidden in the base of the wooden statue of Mary that sits in
your office.
Now, fifty
years later may I, your predecessor in this Diocese, ask you to reconsecrate
the wonderful priests, deacons, religious, pastoral educators and laity of this
local Church to the loving protection of Mary, Mother of God and Mother of the
Church. At the same time and in a
particular way, I ask abundant blessings upon Monsignor Douglas Grams, who has
served so faithfully and so successfully as Diocesan Administrator since
Finally,
Bishop LeVoir, may Mary, Mother of the Church and our Mother, continue to be
for you all that she has been and is for me—a mother, a mentor, a protectress
and a guide.
Tu so-lá-ti-um
Et re-fú-gi-um,
Vir-go māter Ma-rí-a!
Quid quid op-tá-mus,
Per te spe-rá-mus,
O-ra, o-ra, pro-no-bis.