Bishop John T. Steinbock
May 2008
My Dear People of God,
On April 18, I had the great privilege of being one of some 300 bishops
concelebrating Mass with the Holy Father in Nationals Park Stadium in
Washington, D.C. The stadium was
overflowing with 47,000 people. It
is impossible to describe the joy and enthusiasm of those in attendance.
The Holy Father is truly loved by us Catholics and rightly so.
For us he represents Christ Himself; he is the vicar of Christ on this
earth; the successor of St. Peter the first head of the Apostles, and as all the
Holy Fathers describe themselves, the servant of the servants of God.
I was overwhelmed with a sense of my own role as bishop, united with my many
fellow bishops, as successors of the Apostles.
In unity with the Holy Father, the role of the bishops is to keep us true
to the teaching of Christ handed down to us from the Apostles and to be an
effective sign of our unity in faith and love.
The one thought that dominated me during the liturgy was the great privilege and
joy we all have to be part of this Holy, Roman, Catholic and Apostolic Church.
How blest we are with the richness of our faith, handed down from
Apostolic times. Thousands upon
thousands responded to the prayers, listened to the Word of God and sang with
one voice the glory and praise of God.
Everyone was truly united in faith and love, young and old, rich and
poor, from every class of society and from every ethnic group imaginable;
clergy, religious and laity all united as one.
The music, ritual, art and the symbols and words of the liturgy, the word of God
being proclaimed, receiving the gift of the Eucharist, all spoke so strongly of
the heritage of the ages that is ours in our liturgical celebrations.
The diversity of so many languages and music spoke of the many ethnic
groups that comprise our Church, each group enriching us all, speaking so
strongly of the bond of Christ’s love that unites us all as brothers and sisters
of the Lord.
How blest we our in our Catholic faith.
How enriched are our lives because of our heritage as Catholics.
The Vicar of Christ brings Christ to us and reminds us that Christ is
with us and within us, and that we are all called to proclaim the Truth of
Christ’s love to all around us.
May God bless us all very, very much.