The Jubilee of Bishops is an opportunity to recognise the important role that bishops have in continuing the work of Jesus Christ in the world.
PRAYER
Almighty and ever-living God,
who alone gives life to the Church and the world,
send down upon the Bishops of your Church [and especially N. our Bishop],
and all people who are entrusted to their care,
the spirit of your saving grace;
and that they may truly please you,
pour out upon them your continual blessing.
Through our Lord, Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God, for ever and ever. Amen.
(Adapted from The Catholic Prayer Book and Manual of Meditations)
TEACHING
From the Decree Concerning the Pastoral Office of Bishops in the Church, Christus Dominus (1965):
“2. The bishops themselves, however, having been appointed by the Holy Spirit, are successors of the Apostles as pastors of souls. Together with the supreme pontiff and under his authority they are sent to continue throughout the ages the work of Christ, the eternal pastor. Christ gave the Apostles and their successors the command and the power to teach all nations, to hallow men in the truth, and to feed them. Bishops, therefore, have been made true and authentic teachers of the faith, pontiffs, and pastors through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to them.
“6. As legitimate successors of the Apostles and members of the episcopal college, bishops should realize that they are bound together and should manifest a concern for all the churches.
For by divine institution and the rule of the apostolic office each one together with all the other bishops is responsible for the Church. They should especially be concerned about those parts of
the world where the word of God has not yet been proclaimed or where the faithful, particularly because of the small number of priests, are in danger of departing from the precepts of the Christian life, and even of losing the faith itself.
“Let bishops, therefore, make every effort to have the faithful actively support and promote works of evangelization and the apostolate. Let them strive, moreover, to see to it that suitable sacred ministers as well as auxiliaries, both religious and lay, be prepared for the missions and other areas suffering from a lack of clergy. They should also see to it, as much as possible, that some of their own priests go to the above-mentioned missions or dioceses to exercise the sacred ministry there either permanently or for a set period of time.
“Bishops should also be mindful, in administering ecclesiastical property, of the needs not only of their own dioceses but also of the other particular churches, for they are also a part of the one Church of Christ. Finally, they should direct their attention, according to their means, to the relief of disasters by which other dioceses and regions are affected.
“7. Let them especially embrace in brotherly affection those bishops who, for the sake of Christ, are plagued with slander and indigence, detained in prisons, or held back from their ministry. They should take an active brotherly interest in them so that their sufferings may be assuaged and alleviated through the prayers and good works of their confreres.”
TESTIMONY
“Bishops are the successors of the Apostles, in lineage, as well as in commission.
“The episcopy is a gift from God, to be fanned into a flame. It comes from the Spirit of the Lord as strength, love and self-control; it is not a spirit of timidity or reticence about the Gospel. To be a bishop is to be a witness to the Lord in his death and resurrection; it is a call to holiness: to being a willing herald, a faithful apostle, a sound teacher.
“To draw directly from the words and purposes of Jesus himself, given to his apostles, ‘You did not choose me; no, I chose you; and I commissioned you to go out and to bear fruit, fruit that will last … What I command you is to love one another.’
“As I listen myself to this description of a bishop, I am personally confronted by what this call entails. Who can possibly live up to it? Yet, it is God’s call, Christ’s choosing, the Spirit’s gift. A gift! No wonder Paul, as he acknowledges the hardships he was enduring, spoke to Timothy of his entrustment and confidence in the care Jesus Christ holds for us, a grace granted from the beginning of time, that overcomes death and professes life.”
– Archbishop Peter Comensoli’s homily at the Episcopal Consecration of Bishop Thinh Nguyen and Bishop Rene Ramirez RCJ on 1 February, 2025 (From Melbourne Catholic).
PRAYERS OF INTERCESSION
For all the bishops of Australia, that they may lead their people with humility and love.
We pray to the Lord.
For all leaders within the Church, that they may imitate the servant leadership of Jesus.
We pray to the Lord.
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
Decree Concerning the Pastoral Office of Bishops in the Church, Christus Dominus, 1965
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