We all know the saying, “No man is an island.” This applies to every human being and every walk of life. Years ago, when I was a deacon, I wrote the following verses of the poet T.S. Eliot in the front of my breviary (the book of the Liturgy of the Hours that the clergy are obliged to pray every day): “Even the anchorite who meditates alone / For whom the days and nights repeat the praise of God / Prays for the Church, the Body of Christ incarnate.”

The more a believer reflects on the theology and spiritual doctrine of the church, the more he or she will come to appreciate the interconnectedness of the Body of Christ and of all its visible institutions.

When a man is ordained a diocesan priest, he is not sent out as “a lone ranger” to do his own thing, but as a member of the presbyterate, with the bishop as both “father and brother” to his priests. Similarly, when I became a bishop, I was appointed and sent by the pope, who as the successor of St. Peter is the head of the college of bishops, of which I became a member. As part of a presbyterate, every priest has to be concerned about the good of the whole diocese to which he belongs, and not just his own parish. Every bishop has to be concerned about the whole church throughout the world, not just his own diocese or country.

In just a few days, Pope Benedict XVI will be making an apostolic visit to the United States. By his office — the office conferred by Jesus on St. Peter — the pope is a universal pastor and “the perpetual and visible source and foundation of the unity both of the bishops and of the whole company of the faithful.” (Vatican II, Lumen Gentium, 23)

This interconnectedness embraces every member of the church, not just the clergy. No individual Catholic or individual parish is an island either, self-creating or self-contained. We are all “one” at a very profound spiritual level, the visible signs of which are a common creed, worship and church order. Also included is the mutual help we are to give to one another, as reflected at this time of year in our Annual Catholic Appeal (ACA). Unity even goes beyond the grave to include the communion of saints in heaven and purgatory, as well as on earth. 

“Communion” is really the right word to describe it. The church is a great communion of believers who are united by bonds which transcend what is merely human. The Second Vatican Council was only quoting an ancient father of the church, St. Cyprian, when it taught that the church is “a people made one with the unity of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.”

The mystery of redemption, and the unity of those who are redeemed, is a work of God. The Eternal Father sent the Son to “draw all people to Himself,” “to gather into one the scattered children of God,” by the power of the Holy Spirit. Thank heaven that this is so! Left to ourselves, and from an earthly perspective, unity — in the deepest sense of communion with God and with one another — seems impossible. The devil was a divider from the beginning, and in our contentious world only the grace of God can do what fallen human nature cannot do.

Christ’s redemptive mission from the Father, which we solemnly commemorate at Eastertide, reaches its completion on Pentecost Sunday, when the Holy Spirit came down powerfully and visibly on the apostles, transforming them into courageous witnesses of the gospel “to the ends of the earth.” The Catechism tells us that “the church’s mission is not an addition to that of Christ and the Holy Spirit, but is its sacrament: in her whole being and in all her members, the church is sent to announce, bear witness, make present, and spread the mystery of the communion of the Holy Trinity.” (n. 738)

The signs of our times are calling us to renew our mission of drawing all people into communion with God and with one another in the church. In the face of social, cultural and ecclesiastical upheaval, we are awakening to the urgency of evangelization. The Gospel (evangelium in Latin) is the “good news” of unity with God and of the whole human race. This is our faith!

Now, in the first years of the third Christian millennium, how vigorous is the flame of faith, in your heart and mine, in our diocese, in our parishes and communities, our schools and homes? This flame is not for ourselves alone, but for the life of the world, its redemption, for the salvation of souls. This is our mission. Where the flame is smoldering among us, it needs a rush of air. Where the fire has gone out, it needs a new spark.

This year I am asking that our whole diocese, and every parish publicly, participate in a novena of prayer for the gift of the Holy Spirit on the nine days leading up to Pentecost Sunday, that is, from May 2-10. A diocesan novena booklet is being sent to each parish for distribution. Besides offering these novena prayers publicly in church, everyone is encouraged to participate at home.

May our heart’s desire be for a new Pentecost in our time, in our diocese, in our world. God bless you.

+ MOST REVEREND LEONARD P. BLAIR
   BISHOP OF TOLEDO