Your Excellency Bishop John, Sherry (beloved spouse), daughter Becky, son Phillip and spouse Becky and their children Ellie, Robby and Teddy, son Andrew and spouse Brianna and their children Adeline and Shelby, sisters Felecia and Laurie and brother James, Holy Mother of the Rosary parishioners, friends and all.
I discovered something special about your Bishop Mack. At our recent travels to San Antonio, Texas, he was invited by St. Jude’s parish to confirm several young people and adults, then offer First Holy Communion to a young girl. The following day he ordained Father Robert Gizzelli to the Priesthood, and on the third day he presided at Fr. Robert’s First Mass. After the confirmation ceremony, this Hispanic community hosted and served homemade authentic Mexican foods in their parish hall. However, to his surprise as he walked into the parish hall, he was greeted by the music of a Mexican mariachi band to honor his 40th anniversary as a priest with the people cheering, Then, while the music was playing, he was presented with a gift of a Mexican sombrero as the sound of Mexican music played on. Latter I learned from Sherry that in a prior visit to San Antonio he bought himself a pair of cowboy boots. In his vocation serving in various pastoral positions and now as bishop of 20 parishes scattered throughout the country, your bishop has humbly learned to adapt to different cultures and ethic traditions. Bishop John has always had a desire to serve as a priest and now shepherd of our Buffalo-Pittsburg Diocese.
My dear brothers and sisters in Christ, what an extraordinary joy it is to celebrate this sacred milestone today! Forty years! Four decades of faithful service! Forty years of bringing Christ to God's people and God's people to Christ!
Today we celebrate not just an anniversary, but a living testament to God's faithfulness and love. And we do so on this magnificent Solemnity of Christ the King – how fitting that we honor a priest's four decades of service on the very day we proclaim Jesus as our eternal King!
Look at today's Gospel with fresh eyes. Here is Jesus, hanging on the cross, appearing at His weakest moment by any worldly standard. The sign above His head reads "This is the King of the Jews" – meant as cruel mockery, as bitter sarcasm. The soldiers are gambling for His clothes. The leaders are sneering. Even one of the criminals crucified beside Him hurls insults at Him. By every measure of earthly power and prestige, this looks like complete and utter defeat!
But brothers and sisters, this is precisely where Christ's royal authority shines most brilliantly! This is where we see what true kingship really means! Because what does Jesus do from that cross? He forgives! "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do." He pardons! He tells the repentant thief, "Today you will be with me in Paradise." He shows up! He is present in the darkest moment, sharing our suffering, our pain, our very death itself!
This is the King we serve! A King whose throne is a cross! A King whose crown is made of thorns! A King whose royal power is revealed not in domination but in self-giving love! A King who rules not by force or fear but by mercy!
And for forty years, bishop has lived out this same royal priesthood! Think about what that means! For four decades, he has been configured to Christ the King through his priestly ordination. The words spoken at his ordination remain eternally true: "You are a priest forever, according to the order of Melchizedek." Forever! That sacred character is stamped on his soul for all eternity!
But what kind of priesthood? Not a priesthood of earthly power or personal glory! No! A priesthood modeled on Christ the King hanging on the cross! A priesthood of service, of sacrifice, of showing up for God's people in their moments of greatest need!
Last weekend I took over 1000 photos of three celebrations, Confirmation, Ordination of a Priest and his First Mass. I edited to the best 100 taking out closed eyes, opened mouths or expressions you would be embarrassed to have posted on Facebook. When I am looking through my camera lens I am praying. There are over a million photos posted daily on the internet, but the most stunning are the ones that tell a story. There were three sacred moments that I captured that occurred in a blink of an eye.
One, the moment the bishop laid his hands on the head of Father Robert at 11:43am. Yes, I check my watched at that precise moment for that is the split second the Holy Spirit came down upon Robert to make him a disciple of the Lord with the power to forgive sins. I can’t imagine what it must be like for Bishop John to feel that power coming from his hands as he pressed on the forehead of Robert. It is truly humbling and a sacred moment.
The second photo is when Bishop Mack was offered obedience by his new priest and he placed his hands over the hands of his new priest offering his brotherly support and strength. He understands and knows after 40 years the sacrifice and trials this young man will face for the rest of his priesthood.
The third was the moment, Father Robert’s wife MacKenzie shared with me privately. It was when her husband made his vow of obedience and the bishop got off his chair, bent over and kissed her husband on the forehead. For her it was a gesture of humility and profound love and appreciation for her husband’s willingness to witness to Christ and say yes to serve the church and the bishop. It’s like those times when Bishop John sheds a tear delivering a homily when he says: “he’s gets choked up” meaning he knows what this man will face in his priesthood. It will not be easy and he knows that he will need the support the bishop can give him.
For forty years, as a priest and now bishop he has exercised the royal power Christ gave to His Church! He has granted pardon through the Sacrament of Reconciliation – how many souls has he welcomed back to God's embrace? How many times has he spoken those beautiful words, "I absolve you from your sins"? How many hearts has he helped to heal through God's merciful forgiveness?
He has bestowed honor on God's people! Through Baptism, he has welcomed new members into God's royal family! Through Confirmation, he has strengthened young people with the gifts of the Holy Spirit! Through Marriage, he has blessed couples and honored their covenant of love! Through the Anointing of the Sick, he has brought Christ's healing presence to those who suffer!
And above all, he has shown up! Day after day, year after year, decade after decade! In hospital rooms and at bedsides! At weddings and funerals! In moments of joy and in times of crushing sorrow! In the everyday routine and in the unexpected crisis! He has been present as Christ is present – faithfully, consistently, lovingly!
This is what forty years of priesthood looks like! It's not about personal achievement or worldly success. It's about being "always for others" – never for yourself, but always for others! It's about making Christ's love visible and tangible in this world! It's about bringing the royal presence of Christ the King to every person you encounter! Being there for others also means “showing up for your family.” This is what I discovered about In the Bishop John‘s from his children:
Becky remembered her dad taking them to places they were interested in like museums, basketball games and concerts. Andrew shared a funny story about a time his dad took him deer hunting, but he swore in the back of his dad’s head he was thinking “I hope we don’t have to drag anything out of the woods today!” Other moments included taking Andrew out to watch Phil’s hockey games, but no matter how late they lasted -dad would buy the hot chocolate and soft pretzels which became a special treat he enjoyed at the cold rink. There were also the times visiting Carnegie Science Center and going on the military submarine that was really cool. And Phillip shared his dad’s love for music. He would spend time with the kids helping them practice and develop their skills and attend their recitals, concerts and musicals to cheer them on. That’s what good dads’ do, they show up for their kids despite the fact you got endless bishop meetings, conferences and consultations to attend.
And brothers and sisters, we share in this royal priesthood too! Through our Baptism, we are united to Christ the King! We too have been given royal authority and power! We too can forgive those who have hurt us! We too can bestow honor on others by seeing Christ in them and treating them with dignity and love! We too can show up for one another in times of need!
Bishop has modeled this for us for forty years! He has shown us what it means to live as subjects of Christ the King! He has demonstrated that true power lies not in dominating others but in serving them! Not in being served but in serving! Not in seeking honor but in giving it away!
Sometimes, I am humbled to travel with the bishop to celebrate special occasions like the dedication of a new church in Las Vegas, or an ordination to Priesthood in San Antonio. Then there are other more challenging travels that deal with a community in stress or a parish hurting from financial or legal difficulties. While in the plane, he’s not a crewmember but he always offers me a sandwich or a homemade blueberry muffin from his goodie bag. Then once we are on the ground, he is the best uber driver while I serve as navigator with google maps on our way to church.
Today we give thanks to God for the gift of bishop's priesthood! We thank God for his faithfulness through all these years! We thank God for every Mass he has celebrated, every homily he has preached, every sacrament he has administered, every person he has counseled, every prayer he has offered, every blessing he has given!
We also thank bishop himself for saying "yes" to God's call forty years ago and for continuing to say "yes" every single day since then! Thank you, bishop, for your dedication, your sacrifice, your love! Thank you for being Christ's presence among us! Thank you for showing us what it means to serve Christ the King!
And we pray for you today! We pray that God will continue to bless you with good health, with wisdom, with strength, and with renewed zeal for your sacred ministry! We pray that the years ahead will be filled with abundant grace and deep joy! We pray that God will grant you many more fruitful years of service.
My dear friends, as we continue this Mass, let us renew our own commitment to Christ the King! Let us embrace the royal authority He has given us! Let us forgive as Christ forgives! Let us honor others as Christ honors them! Let us show up for one another as Christ shows up for us!
And let us thank God for the gift of priesthood – for bishop's priesthood and for the priesthood of all believers! May we all live as loyal subjects of Christ the King, whose reign is eternal and whose love knows no bounds!
Blessed be Jesus Christ, true God and true man! Blessed be His holy priesthood! And blessed be this faithful priest who has served God's people for forty wonderful years!
At the end of every concert performance, the conductor turns to the audience and the audience stands. Let me kindly invite you to please stand and show our appreciation to Bishop John for his 40 years of ministry to God and his people.
