Like all first-rate public speaking, this homily was both
perennial and up to the moment. The spirit of our age was summed up in this
way:
Today’s regnant agnosticism has its own dogmas and is extremely intolerant regarding anything that would question it and the criteria it employs.
Yes, this is exactly the case. And what is a bishop to do in
this situation? The answer is simple: He must be a Christian. He must be a man
of faith, first and foremost. This is the perennial, Scriptural demand that the
bishop be a "man of God."
And yet, in light of the Feast of the Magi and in our
current situation, this simple answer is enormously complex. It is
process-oriented. The man of God does not have all the answers at once. He is
decidedly not a man at ease. He is restless for God, for the truth, and for the
good of everyone.
Like the Wise Men from the East, a Bishop must not be someone who merely does his job and is content with that. No, he must be gripped by God’s concern for men and women. He must in some way think and feel with God. Human beings have an innate restlessness for God, but this restlessness is a participation in God’s own restlessness for us. Since God is concerned about us, he follows us even to the crib, even to the Cross. "Thou with weary steps hast sought me, crucified hast dearly bought me, may thy pains not be in vain", the Church prays in the Dies Irae. The restlessness of men for God and hence the restlessness of God for men must unsettle the Bishop. This is what we mean when we say that, above all else the Bishop must be a man of faith.
Hearing the Dies Irae in a homily points to the seriousness
of the matter, and here the seriousness is doubled and tripled. There are
deaths to be considered: first of all, the death of Christ, which the bishop
must take care was not endured in vain. The deaths of the faithful entrusted to
the bishop's care can be the gate to eternal life. The bishop himself is once
again taking a further step, making further promises, usque ad mortem. And there will be a judgment for him, too.
There is much more that could be said about this homily, and
hopefully will be, better than this small appreciation. It is certainly worth
reading the entire homily.
