Word to the Wise
Monday, July 25, 2011 - July 25 - St. James, Apostle
[2 Cor 4:7-15 and Matt 20:20-28,1228]You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and the great ones make their authority over them felt. But it shall not be so among you. Rather, whoever wishes to be great among you shall be your servant; whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave. Just so, the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.
These words were spoken by Jesus in the aftermath of a request by the "mother of the Sons of Zebedee" that Jesus "command that these two sons of mine sit, one at your right and the other at your left, in your Kingdom." One of those sons was today's honoree: James! Traditionally, he has been referred to as "James the Greater" to distinguish him from the other James, son of Alpheus (James the Lesser). In any case, Jesus seems to have had a particular liking for the Zebedee boys, whom he called "Sons of Thunder." In several instances in the gospels we know that Jesus took "Peter, James and John" with him at special moments, such as the Transfiguration. All three of these men seem to have had stormy temperaments! We consider the bishops of our church to be the "successors to the apostles." I wonder if we do a very good job of holding them accountable to the job description that Jesus gives in today's gospel?
There are plenty of fine examples for today's bishops to emulate. I am put in mind of the first bishop of Natchitoches, LA, my hometown. It was the "see city" of a diocese that included more than half of Louisiana from 1853 to 1910, when the headquarters was moved to Alexandria. Bishop Auguste Martin had only 3 or 4 priests with him to cover that vast territory on horseback! He had to contend with the Civil War and with desperate poverty and disease. The first bishop of Cincinnati, Edward Dominic Fenwick, O.P., a Dominican friar, had an even greater territory to cover in similar circumstances, as did the first bishop of Nashville, TN, also a Dominican, Richard Miles, O.P., had all of Tennessee and more to cover with just himself and two other priests when the diocese was established before the Civil War. These men were really completely dependent on the generosity of very poor people as they traveled by horseback through vast wilderness. No, they didn't have to deal with what today's bishops have to deal with. It's their attitude that made the difference. They could only afford the basic business of bringing sacramental life to the faithful. Nowadays bishops are expected to be CEO's of corporations, even as much of their independence is being stripped from them by a more centralized church authority in Rome! It's no wonder that most bishops report that their principal enjoyment is the sacramental ministry they exercise, and not the administrative! In our own time, bishops in "missionary territories" are closer to the examples I just mentioned. Bishops in places like Somalia or Sudan or rural Brazil or the vast frozen north of Canada are dealing with the fundamentals.
James and John, the sons of Zebedee, are asked by Jesus if they can "drink the chalice that I am going to drink?" They swear that they can and Jesus assures them that they will, but they had to give up any notions of power! That admonition should be read over and over again at the ordination of a bishop and posted on the wall of the chancery office in every diocese, including Rome! Since I have worked in diocesan offices I know that bishops are pummeled every day with incredible demands. Some become "prisoners" of the job and some become monarchs. Neither will do. Only servants of the People of God are needed. AMEN
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