Day 213: Bishops and the Episcopacy (1554-1561)

• It’s Day 213!!

• THE THREE DEGREES OF THE SACRAMENT OF HOLY ORDERS

• The Episcopate aka the bishops

• The Presbyterate aka the priests

• The Diaconate aka the deacons

• EPISCOPAL ORDINATION-FULLNESS OF THE SACRAMENT OF HOLY ORDERS

• We are going to talk about the bishops today

• The bishop participates FULLY in that one great high priesthood of Jesus

• Let’s pray!!

Prayer by Fr. Mike: “Father in Heaven, we give you praise and glory. Thank you. Thank you so much for bringing us to this day. Thank you for bringing us into your Church and for giving us the gift of Holy Orders. Thank you for giving us the gift of our local bishop and the universal bishop, our Holy Father, the Pope. We ask that you please, on this day, please bless this man in a powerful and unique way. You have called him to serve. You have called him to participate as fully as possible in your great priesthood. Your high priesthood. Please, preserve and protect him. Give him zeal and love. Lord God, make up for what he lacks, and give him every good gift so that he can teach, sanctify, and govern your Church as you would teach, sanctify, and govern your Church. We pray for him, and all bishops, in Jesus’ name. Amen”

• So there we have it!!

• Are you approaching this like Fr. Mike approaches this?

• We may not do a lot of thinking about Holy Orders

• God has established His Church in this way  

• Paragraph 1554 says, “‘The divinely instituted ecclesiastical ministry is exercised in different degrees by those who even from ancient times have been called bishops, priests, and deacons.’ Catholic doctrine, expressed in the liturgy, the Magisterium, and the constant practice of the Church, recognizes that there are two degrees of ministerial participation in the priesthood of Christ: the episcopacy and the presbyterate.”

• Bishops

• Priests

• The diaconate is the deacons who are intended to serve the bishops and priests

• The call to service through Holy Orders goes back to the Bible

• When the Tribe of Levi was made priests, it was not the entire tribe that was called to serve at the altar

• Those of the household of Aaron were going to be the priests

• The ones who offered sacrifice

• The other Levites had different families and were in charge of the vessels

• Some were in charge of the tent

• Some were in charge of service

• All these different degrees were there in the Old Covenant priesthood

• This is a reminder that when God Himself established the Levitical priesthood, there were those who offered the sacrifice and there were those who would serve those who were offering the sacrifice

• Maybe that’s exciting for you

• The New Testament priesthood has its root and seeds in the Old Covenant

• Jesus is the absolute fulfillment

• Jesus gives the priesthood to us to continue to serve the Church

• IN FACT…

• St. Ignatius of Antioch died around 107-110 AD

• Tradition says that he was a disciple of St. Polycarp

• Tradition says that St. Polycarp was a disciple of John the Evangelist, who wrote the Gospel of John and the Book of Revelation

• St. Ignatius of Antioch says in Paragraph 1554, “Let everyone revere the deacons as Jesus Christ, the bishop as the image of the Father, and the presbyters as the senate of God and the assembly of the apostles. For without them one cannot speak of the Church.”

• Without bishops, priests, and deacons, you do not have a Church

• Why?

• Because you need the bishop and priest to have the Eucharist

• You cannot speak of the Church without talking about the episcopacy, presbyterate, and the diaconate

• The priesthood is not a late invention

• The priesthood has its roots in the Old Covenant

• It is fulfilled in Jesus and given to us from the very very beginning

• Not just because of the Eucharist

• The bishop has the fullness of Holy Orders and has a triple primary mission

• TRIMARY

• NEW WORD!!

• TRIMARY MISSION

• It is the office of sanctifying, teaching, and governing

• Paragraph 1558 says, “‘Episcopal consecration confers, together with the office of sanctifying, also the offices of teaching and ruling…”

• The bishop is supposed to be the one who is given this office of sanctifying

• Bringing the People of God to God and bringing God to the People of God

• One of his jobs is to continue to teach

• There are so many bishops who do that well

• They try to communicate in such a way that brings God’s Word alive to people

• Teaching that the mission of Jesus is alive and well right now

• Sanctifying

• Teaching

• Governing

• These are the roles of PRIEST, PROPHET, AND KING

• When the bishop makes a declaration in a diocese or makes a hard statement about a public figure who is making a public sin or even a movement in our culture that goes contrary to the Gospel and calling Catholics away from that movement and towards the Gospel

• The bishop has to do that as part of his TRIMARY task

• If he does not do that, it is at the risk of his own soul and at the risk of every soul entrusted to him

• The bishop is responsible for EVERY SOUL in his diocese

• Paragraph 1560 says, “As Christ’s vicar, each bishop has the pastoral care of the particular Church entrusted to him, but at the same time he bears collegially with all his brothers in the episcopacy the solicitude for all the Churches…”

• The bishop is not just responsible for the Catholics

• He is actually responsible for EVERY PERSON IN THE DIOCESE

• James Ch 3 says, “Do not aspire to be a teacher because you will be liable to a more strict judgment.”

• The triple office of sanctifying, teaching, and governing carries a lot of responsibility   

• If he says yes to that, then that is the responsibility he has said yes to

• Just like the office of parent

• Father or mother

• It carries so much responsibility

• All throughout the world moms and dads say yes to that responsibility

• Saying yes to the call of Jesus

• In the episcopacy of being a bishop, priest, deacon, as well as a mom or dad, as well as a husband or wife, you are a teacher who is responsible for other people

• If you are responsible for anyone, you are liable to a greater judgment

• We are so grateful to the Lord for calling these men to be bishops, and to be our bishop

• We have to pray for each other

• Pray for moms and dads who are responsible for their kids

• Pray for deacons and priests who are responsible for their parishes

• Pray for our bishops who are responsible for the entire diocese, EVERY SOUL LIVING IN THOSE BORDERS

• We have to pray for them because this is a dangerous world and this world needs HOLY SHEPHERDS 

• THAT IS A FACT!!

• We could each probably name a deacon, priest, or bishop who hurt us either in small ways or horrible ways

• We all need each other

• We all need God’s grace

• Let’s make a commitment today to pray for our local bishop, our Holy Father, and for each other

• Fr. Mike is praying FOR YOU!!

• Please pray for Fr. Mike and for each other!!

• I cannot WAIT to see you tomorrow!!