Bishop-elect J. Mark Beckman

On Friday, July 26, Bishop-elect Mark Beckman will be ordained as the new bishop of the Diocese of Knoxville. The readings for Sunday, July 21, were appropriate for preaching on the role of the bishop in his diocese, and the occasion called for it. So, this is my homily for Sunday, July 21:

This Friday, Bishop-elect Mark Beckman will become Bishop Mark Beckman, the fourth bishop of the Diocese of Knoxville. Our readings today are rather providential, in that they speak of God appointing a shepherd for His people and of Jesus bemoaning that the people longing to follow Him were like a sheep without a shepherd. In short order, we will have a new shepherd.

I believe Bishop Beckman will find the Catholics of east Tennessee eager for his leadership and open and willing to take the Church in the Knoxville diocese in directions that will ensure the continued proclamation of the gospel of Jesus Christ in word and deed.

The proclamation of the gospel of Jesus Christ in word and deed is the mission of the Church. That mission cannot be fulfilled without the leadership of our chief shepherd, the bishop. From the very beginnings of the Church, even while Jesus still walked the earth, He chose men from among the ranks of His disciples to lead as apostles, as those “sent out” to “make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you” (Mt 28:19-20a).

The bishops are the successors of the apostles, with the same mission given to the first Twelve by Jesus. In the earliest years of the Church, it was the bishop who preached the gospel and administered the sacraments. The Christians of a particular city or town would gather under his leadership to hear the word of God proclaimed, to celebrate the Eucharist, and to collect goods that would be distributed to the poor. As the Church grew in numbers, the bishop, not being able to be everywhere at the same time, chose men among the ranks of his disciples to serve as priests and deacons, taking the sacraments to the people and serving the poor, the widows and orphans, the imprisoned, the homeless, and all those in need (Mt. 25:31-46). Shortly after the death and resurrection of Jesus, the three ranks of holy Orders were established: bishop, priest, and deacon. St. Paul, in his first letter to Timothy, speaks of the qualifications of a bishop (1 Tim 3:1-7) and of a deacon (1 Tim 3:8-10). He also speaks of the responsibility of priests to teach, preach, and administer the sacraments (1 Tim 5:17; Jas 5:14-15).

According to Lumen Gentium, the Second Vatican Council’s document on the Church, a bishop has three primary functions, each in accord with the Christian’s identity as priest, prophet, and king.

As priest, the bishop is to sanctify the people under his care. How does he do this? Lumen Gentium says, “through the sacraments, the regular and fruitful distribution of which the bishops regulate by their authority, they sanctify the faithful” (para. 26). The sacraments are the ordinary means by which Christ pours out His grace to the faithful. The bishop is in charge of the regulation of the sacraments in his diocese. It is through his authority that the sacraments are administered to the faithful by himself and by the priests and deacons who are given their faculties by the bishop. “A bishop,” Lumen Gentium says, “marked with the fullness of the sacrament of Orders, is ‘the steward of the grace of the supreme priesthood,’ especially in the Eucharist, which he offers or causes to be offered, and by which the Church continually lives and grows” (para. 26). Because we have a bishop, the sacraments are regularly made available to the People of God according to his divinely appointed ministry. The bishop is priest, with the ministry of sanctifying his people by means of the sacraments.

As prophet, the bishop is to teach the people under his care the ways of God. Lumen Gentium again: “By the ministry of the word the bishops communicate God’s power to those who believe unto salvation” (para. 26). The bishop is the one in whom we should have confidence that the revelation of God given through His Church is communicated correctly, in all its fullness, and with a passion for the salvation of souls. We are saved by the gospel of Jesus Christ, and only by the gospel of Jesus Christ, given to us through the Church, which is the instrument of God’s revelation in Christ (Eph. 3:10; 1 Tim 3:15). It is the charge of the bishop to ensure that that gospel is preached in its fullness and in its truth. The bishop is prophet, with the ministry of teaching his people the gospel of Jesus Christ and ensuring that those who minister in his name do the same.

As king, the bishop is to govern the people under his care according to the laws of the Church and for the sake of their salvation. “Bishops, as vicars and ambassadors of Christ,” Lumen Gentium says, “govern the particular churches entrusted to them by their counsel, exhortations, example, and even by their authority and sacred power, which indeed they use only for the edification of their flock in truth and holiness, remembering that he who is greater should become as the lesser and he who is the chief become as the servant” (para. 27). The bishop is the Vicar of Christ for his diocese. The pope, of course, is the Vicar of Christ for the universal Church, but the bishop is the Vicar of Christ for his diocese. That means he stands as Christ the king in the governance of his diocese. And what kind of king was Jesus? He was a king who gave His very life for the sake of our salvation. The bishop, then, is to dedicate his very life for the sake of the salvation of the local Church under his care. He is to govern as a servant, because that is how Christ governed. But his servanthood is not for our worldly comfort, or power, or preferences. His servanthood is for the salvation of our souls. Peter Maurin, co-founder with Dorothy Day of the Catholic Worker Movement, spoke of making a society where it is easier for people to be good. Just so, the bishop governs the local Church in such a way that it easier for his people to get to heaven. The bishop is king, with the ministry of governing the local church by counsel, exhortation, authority, and most especially, by his example of one who strives to live a life that gives glory to God.

St. Ignatius of Antioch, as he was en route as a prisoner to be executed in Rome in the year 107, (less than eighty years after the death and resurrection of Christ) wrote to his confreres in the city of Smyrna in Asia Minor: “Let no man do anything connected with the Church without the bishop. Let that be deemed a proper Eucharist, which is administered either by the bishop, or by one to whom he has entrusted it. Wherever the bishop shall appear, there let the multitude of the people also be; even as, wherever Jesus Christ is, there is the Catholic Church. (Letter to the Smyrnaeans, chapter 8).

And, again, to the church in the city of Tralles: “In like manner let everyone respect the deacons as they would respect Jesus Christ, and just as they respect the bishop as a type of the Father, and the presbyters as the council of God and college of the apostles. Without these, it cannot be called a church” (Letter to the Trallians, chapter 3).

“Without these, it cannot be called a church.” Those are strong words, but true. Without the bishop, there can be no local Church. Without the bishop, there are no sacraments. Without the bishop, there is no preaching of the gospel. Without the bishop, there are no Catholic schools, no Catholic healthcare, no Catholic Charities, etc. It is under the authority of the bishop that all the ministries of the local Church are possible, and under his authority that priests and deacons carry out their respective ministries.

As a deacon of the diocese, it is essential that everything I do as a deacon is in line with the teachings and the disciplines of the Church, and in accord with the directives of the bishop. I act, preach, and write only under the bishop’s authority. Why? Because no one is saved by the gospel of Bob. We are saved by the gospel of Jesus Christ, given to us through His Church, the instrument of God’s revelation in Christ (Eph 3:10; 1 Tim 3:15). If then, my actions or words are contrary to the gospel, who am I serving? I desire only to serve Christ, and Christ has given us the Church as the ordinary instrument by which His gospel is proclaimed, and His grace is poured out. If my actions or words are contrary to the teachings and disciplines of the Church, then they are contrary to Christ. Christ is the Head of the Church, and the Church is His Body. A body, nor any member of that body, cannot act contrary to its head without confusion. There must be no confusion in the Body of Christ.

Our prayers are with Bishop-elect Mark Beckman as he takes his place as bishop of the Diocese of Knoxville. May God grant him holiness to sanctify us with the sacraments, fervor to teach us the gospel of Jesus Christ, and wisdom to govern us well for the sake of our salvation.

Be Christ for all. Bring Christ to all. See Christ in all.