This Week’s Election…

We celebrate an amazing election this week. Thankfully, it’s on Wednesday, November 6. On that day, in our Cathedral of St. Raymond in Joliet, Fr. Dennis Spies will be consecrated as a bishop. He has been elected, chosen, to be a successor of the original Twelve Apostles. Looking back at our church history, recent and farther back, we might not like the candidates who were elected. In the midst of corruption and political maneuvering, can we put any confidence in these men?

Maybe it’s best to return to the election of the original Twelve to get some insight. As St. Luke tells it (Luke 6:12-16):

Jesus went up to the mountain to pray, and he spent the night in prayer to God. When day came, he called his disciples to himself, and from them he chose Twelve, whom he also named Apostles: Simon, whom he named Peter, and his brother Andrew, James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, Simon who was called a Zealot, and Judas the son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor.

Let’s never lose sight of the fact that the Twelve Apostles are the fruit of the prayer of Jesus, a deep conversation with his Father in the Holy Spirit. As God the Son, Jesus certainly foresees the betrayal of Judas. On top of that, he sees the denials of Peter and the abandonment by the others when he was most in need. He will see their almost constant bickering and ambition for the highest honors. None of that keeps Jesus from praying for them and choosing them. Maybe it moved him to pray even more. He knows he will need these men to serve the whole of humanity with the mercy and the grace that come from heaven. Those treasures are offered to you and me today in our holy Catholic Church. Yes, in spite of, and probably because of, the sins of the world, Christ remains with his Church and is able to pour out his holiness upon you. You, too, are the fruit of the prayer of Jesus.

We have to remember that Jesus has Sacred Eyes. Just as he has a Sacred Heart and a Sacred Head, so the whole of his humanity is sacred, united to his divinity. With his human eyes, Jesus also sees as God the Son. At the Last Supper, he saw you. In fact, he began the Sacrament of the Eucharist and entrusted it to his Apostles so that he could feed not only them and that early Christian community, but to feed all people of all time. The Apostles handed on their ministry to their successors through the laying on of hands. What they received from the Lord, they handed on. We continue to celebrate the Eucharist in our own parish church. Our priests who serve us as our parish Church of St. Petronille could never do this on their own. It is only because they have been ordained by a Catholic bishop that they are able to offer you the Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Why would Jesus do this? Because you have been chosen by him. YOU won the election of Jesus Christ! We say, “Lord, I am not worthy,” trying to stir up in our hearts a spirit of humility as we prepare to receive him at Mass. We realize, “Blessed, happy, are those called to the Supper of the Lamb!” Be happy because Jesus comes to you.

What an amazing grace that we see the election of a new bishop in our days! May God grant Bishop Dennis Spies the grace to serve his flock according to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. What an amazing grace to recognize the presence of Jesus among us in his sacraments through the successors of the Apostles. Yes, the national election fills many with worry. But the heavenly election provides you with the companionship of Jesus. He presides over the entire universe. From his original Twelve Apostles, eleven became saints. By their ministry they helped countless people grow in holiness all throughout history. Look closely and you’ll Jesus with us, helping us to live in greater faith, hope, and love.

With my prayers,

I’m Fr. Jerome Kish, and I approve this message.