April, 2008

A Shepherd’s Care
By Bishop John F. Kinney


May Pope Benedict inspire us with ‘a new springtime’

My brothers and sisters in Christ,

In the Liturgy of the Word his past Sunday, April 13, we listened to a reading from an early sermon of Peter from the Acts of the Apostles:
Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice, and proclaimed: “... know for certain that God has made both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified. ... Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is made to you and to your children and to all those far off, whomever the Lord our God will call.” (2:14a, 36-41)

Those fiery words of Saint Peter help us realize the significance of what Jesus had done much earlier at Caesarea Philippi:
He asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” They replied, “Some say John the Baptist, others Elijah, still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter said in reply, “you are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” Jesus said to him in reply, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah. For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father. And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” (Matthew 16: 13-19)

With Jesus’ words to Peter ringing in our ears, it is our joy in these days to welcome to our country the successor of the fisherman Peter, our Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI. As Bishop of Rome and Vicar of Christ, he is the “visible source and foundation of the unity both of the bishops and of the whole company of the faithful.” (Lumen Gentium # 23)

The theme of the Holy Father’s visit to us is “Christ, Our Hope.” His latest encyclical as Holy Father in 2007 was on Christian hope:

“ ... the Gospel is not merely a communication of things that can be known — it is one that makes things happen and is life-changing. The dark door of time, of the future, has been thrown open. The one who has hope lives differently; the one who hopes has been granted the gift of a new life.” (Spe Salvi, # 2) Since his arrival Tuesday, the Holy Father has been in Washington, D.C., the nation’s capitol. He met with President Bush, gathered with and addressed the bishops of the United States, spoke to educators from all the dioceses and Catholic colleges and universities of our country and dialogued with religious leaders of other faiths. In New York, Pope Benedict will speak to the General Assembly of the United Nations, meet and pray with young people, priests, religious and seminarians, pray with the Jewish community, and visit Ground Zero. In both cities huge open-air celebrations of the Eucharist will afford thousands the opportunity to gather with our Holy Father around the Table of God’s Word and the Table of the Holy Eucharist.

However we are able to connect with the many events of his visit here, the pastoral presence and teaching of Pope Benedict XVI to our country is a tremendous gift and grace for all of us. May his time with us and his words inspire in us a “new youthfulness, a new springtime” for our Diocese of Saint Cloud and for the Church throughout the United States!

+John F. Kinney
Bishop of Saint Cloud

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+John F. Kinney
Bishop of Saint Cloud