Vespers on the eve of installation Archbishop J. Peter Sartain Cathedral of Saint James Seattle November 30, 2010 Of You My Heart Has Spoken. Many years ago I don t remember exactly when that phrase from Psalm 27 gently emerged in my prayer as the way to capture what I am about and who I am to be. Although the words seemed to come from within me (my heart was speaking) at the same time I knew that they were coming from God: God was speaking through the desires of my heart. It was a profound grace to recognize that in the deepest part of me, my heart was speaking in unison with God. It was the realization of what it means to have a vocation, the realization that the most fundamental level of any vocation arises simply from the fact that we are made for God. That was one of the first truths I learned as a child studying catechism, but one day it simply came alive and took root in me. To be for God is the vocation you and I share with every other human person. In fact, To Live means to be desired and loved by God, moment after moment. The details of God s plan for me, my vocation, have unfolded in various ways as the years have passed. Sometimes they have been quite surprising, even frightening. But in every case without exception, even at life s most difficult moments, I have found that God s plan has stretched me, deepened my love and brought me joy. That is God s way: He offers 1
Himself in intimate friendship and calls us to what will fulfill us. He calls us to love. He calls us to sacrifice. Then with His wise, guiding hand he strengthens us along the way. Do not be afraid, He says, I have made you for myself. I desire your friendship, and I love you, moment after moment. At a certain point I recognized that God was calling me to be one with Christ the servant and priest. It dawned on me that not only are all of us called to be for God, but that in Jesus Christ our Heavenly Father revealed to us that He is for us in a perfect way. The Lord s words at the Last Supper began to take on new meaning for me: This is my body, given for you; my blood, shed for you. In diaconate and priestly ordination, God united me to Christ so completely that now everything about me is to be for you. Ordination was both a gift from God and a summons to be something I could not be on my own. Do not be afraid, he said, I will teach you how to give your life for others like my Son. On December 22, 1999, I learned that there was to be another unfolding of God s plan in my regard, the call to be bishop of Little Rock. On May 2, 2006, another call from the Papal Nuncio revealed that God was sending me to the Diocese of Joliet. And on September 7, 2010, I learned of still another unfolding the call to be your archbishop. More than one person has commented about my inability to hold down a job! But in the midst of the many thoughts that have passed through my mind since September 7, the words of Psalm 27 emerged quickly once again: Of You My Heart Has Spoken. My heart has spoken of the wonder of God, the goodness of God, the wisdom of God, the love of God, the compassion of God, the mercy of God, the humility of God and 2
of my unworthiness to have been given the vocation to be the bearer of such a mystery as your archbishop. My heart has spoken of his mysterious ways, of his love that sustains us, moment after moment; of the fact that we are made for him alone. My heart has spoken of the simple truth that we are to cooperate generously with God s plan, however or whenever he reveals it to us, and wherever it takes us. And my heart has spoken of you: You who hunger for holiness; you who strive to put your faith into practice each day in your families, your workplaces, your public lives; you who suffer because of bodily, spiritual, and emotional illness; you who want to discern God s will; you who are lonely or afraid, victims of poverty and racial prejudice; you who have turned away from God but desperately want to come back; you who worry about your children and implore God s protection and guidance over them; you who ponder a vocation to the priesthood, diaconate, or religious life; you whose ancestors are native to this land and you who have arrived only recently; you who have judged yourself unworthy of God s love; you who are poor and hunger for the basic necessities that many of us take for granted; you who do not know God but whom God seeks with all his heart; you young adults, teens, and little ones enlivening the Church with your gifts; you priests, you deacons, you religious sisters and brothers, whose vocations give singular witness to the gospel, who like me, know that you are fragile vessels of clay bearing a treasure beyond price. My heart has spoken of all of you. Esta noche les proclamo a ustedes: Paz! Jesús, Nuestro Salvador, está con 3
nosotros. Jesús, la Palabra de Dios, nos enseña. Jesús, el Pan de Vida, nos alimenta. Jesús nos ha llamado a la Iglesia y nos manda a seguir adelante. Él está con nosotros ahora, extendiéndonos su mano en señal de amistad. Nos llama a creer y a recibir lo que Él nos ofrece; nos ordena a que sigamos sus pasos de Amor. Jesús está vivo en la Iglesia! Cada vez que participamos en los sacramentos, nos encontramos con Jesús mismo, porque Él quiere darnos todo lo que necesitamos para tener una vida de paz y esperanza. Él quiere comprometerse en nuestras vidas; pero más aún, Él quiere ser nuestra vida. Tonight I proclaim to you, Peace! Jesus, our Savior, is with us. Jesus, the Word of God, teaches us. Jesus, the living Bread of Life, feeds us. Jesus has called us to the Church, and Jesus sends us forth. He extends his hand in a sign of friendship, calling us to believe and receive what he has to offer, inviting us to follow in his footsteps of love. Jesus is alive and at work in the Church! Each time we participate in the sacraments, we encounter Jesus himself, for he desires to give us everything we need to live a life of peace and hope. He wants to be involved in our lives no, even better, he wants to be our life. His Sacred Heart is speaking of us all. El Sagrado Corazón de Jesús está hablando de nosotros! Tomorrow I will begin to serve as Archbishop of Seattle. My heart has spoken of God, and my heart has spoken of you. Be not afraid, God says to us, I desire that you be filled 4
with my fullness, and my grace is enough. What will we do? We will be like Andrew, whose feast we celebrate today. We will take people to Jesus and introduce them to him, in whom they have life. We will proclaim Jesus Christ! Qué vamos a hacer? Seremos como Andrés, cuya fiesta la Iglesia celebra hoy! Llevaremos a las personas hacia Jesús y lo presentaremos, como Aquel que tiene la vida. Vamos a proclamar a Cristo Jesús! Saturday afternoon, I took a walk in the neighborhood and stopped by the Cathedral to pray. I wanted to try out the Cathedra, but I was afraid that others in the Church would think I was up to mischief. I must tell you that I had good reason to want to give the Cathedra a try before tomorrow you see, the first time I sat in the bishop s chair in the Cathedral of St. Andrew in Little Rock almost 11 years ago, I discovered with embarrassment that my feet did not reach the floor. It makes me smile to remember that day, because it reminded me that as I follow the path of the apostles and walk in their sandals, my legs will never be long enough. But neither were theirs. For it is Jesus at work, not I. His feet were nailed to a cross planted firmly in the ground and so they touch every place on earth. How beautiful on the mountains are the pierced feet of Jesus, who is good news to this beautiful land. Now to him who is able to accomplish far more than all we ask or imagine, by the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen. 5