Most Reverend Jerome E. Listecki
Archbishop of Milwaukee
I remember when I was a child, and my parents would ask me to do something. It could be a visit to an elderly relative, accompanying my mother to the store or watching my little cousin. My immediate response was, “I don’t wanna!,” but my parents’ authority would prevail. Surprisingly, days, months or even years later, I would recognize how good it was that I fulfilled the request. As painful as the tasks were, they represented memories spent with a relative now deceased, a deeper appreciation of my mother’s sacrifice or bonding with a cousin that would later grow into an adult friendship.
In life, we are often asked to do tasks that make a demand on our time that we don’t always enjoy, or at times, perceive their purposefulness. But, we often find ourselves glad that we fulfilled the requests – demonstrating our responsibility, our faithfulness or the importance of our relationship to the person making the request.
On Sept. 13, 2018, Pope Francis requested that the American Bishops make a joint retreat. Now, many bishops plan their schedule a year, or even a year-and-a-half, in advance. Even the yearly regional retreat is scheduled a year in advance. To suddenly take a week out of an already jammed-packed itinerary is at least inconvenient, and at worst, extremely difficult to rearrange. However, this was a request made by the Holy Father.
What would be the response of the bishops? Arriving at the University of St. Mary of the Lake in Mundelein, IL, I was surprised to see how many bishops dutifully responded. Some came in solidarity with other bishops in a prayerful response to the sexual abuse crisis, others in obedience to the Pope, and still others to initiate a new moment going forward as the Church grounded in the Gospel.
When a Christian is invited to pray, there can only be one response. Pope Francis recommended that the master for the week-long retreat be Capuchin Father Raniero Cantalamessa, the Preacher of the Papal Household. The emphasis of the retreat was on the person of the Holy Spirit, the third person of the Blessed Trinity. I remember, as a seminarian in theological studies, that the great theologian, Karl Rahner SJ, stated that we will only truly realize the fullness of the Christian message when we discover the Holy Spirit in our prayer life. The Holy Spirit was sometimes referred to as the “forgotten person of the Blessed Trinity.” The retreat master began each of his talks with a prayer to the Holy Spirit. In his talks, he reflected on the gifts of the Holy Spirit on the Gospels. He made application of his insights to the Apostolic Ministry in the formation of the role of the bishop.
The Pope offered each bishop a letter to accompany our retreat journey. It’s interesting that a journalist characterizes the letter as a chastisement, yet I read it as a reflection of a brother bishop who has experienced the same challenges, disappointments and hopes, which now leads us to a new moment based on the Gospel reflection.
Pope Francis quotes Pope Paul VI: “If we want to be pastors, fathers and teachers, we must also behave as their brothers. Dialogue thrives on friendship, and most especially on service. All this we must remember and strive to put into practice on the example and precept of Christ (Ecclesiam Suam, 87).” This was my brother, the bishop of Rome (the Pope), speaking to me, a bishop.
Now, as the retreat closes, I am glad once again that I fulfilled the task requested. This was a moment for spiritual reflection, and an opportunity for confession. It was time spent with brother bishops, and gave me the ability to pray for you, my dear Love One Another friends, and the faithful of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee, so that we might spiritually grow as we strive to LOVE ONE ANOTHER.
Note: This blog originally appeared as the January 8, 2019 "Love One Another" email sent to Catholics throughout the Archdiocese of Milwaukee by Archbishop Jerome E. Listecki. If you are interested in signing up for these email messages, please click here.