October 2013 - Diocese of Bridgeport

October 20137Building Spiritual BridgesInstallation homily inspires the faithfulSeptember 19, 2013Your Eminences, Cardinal Dolanand Cardinal Egan, ArchbishopViganó; my brother bishops, priestsand deacons; women and men inconsecrated life; honored guests andmy brothers and sisters in the Lord:It is an iconic symbol of theborough of my birth: it was builtover 125 years ago as a marvel ofengineering, representing the largeststeel suspension bridge in theworld at that time. After muchhard work and even the lossof human life, itopened to greatfanfare on May24, 1883.Of course,what I amspeaking of isthe BrooklynBridge, abridge that Iam told hasanother greatdistinction:it has beenbought bymore unsuspecting people overthe years than any other bridge inthe world—not that anything likethat ever happens in Brooklyn!Looking back at those firstyears, it is very hard to describethe transformative power of thatone bridge in the life of NewYork City. Immediately, it createda sense of unity and sharedpurpose; people once divided hadease of access, building a newsense of community. Businessboomed because the transportof goods and services was nowfeasible and easy. The politicaldivide that marked the life ofthese two cities quickly gave wayto a unified city only 15 yearslater, in 1898.For bridges unite people, openopportunities and can even transformlives.Here in Bridgeport, we, too,are no strangers to the power ofbridge-building. The very city forwhom our diocese is named carriesthe name “Bridgeport” preciselyin commemoration of the erectionof the first drawbridge over thePequonnock River, uniting communitiestogether and allowing theexpansion of the city in its earliestyears, a city that grew dramaticallythroughout the 19th century inpopulation and commerce.It all began with the creationof a single bridge.And as we recall how bridgesmade by human hands can havesuch a profound effect, today onthis day of grace in our life as adiocesan Church, let us reflectupon the transformative powerthat the spiritual bridges madeby the hand of God have hadin our lives and will continue todo so in your life and mine. Forat the very heart of our lives asCatholic Christians, and at thecenter of the mission given by theLord himself, there is much todo with thebuilding andstrengtheningof spiritualbridges in ourmidst.For let usrecall thatour Catholicfaith teachesthat the onetrue God, inthe fullness oftime, freelyand generously,revealed himself as a LovingTrinity of Divine Persons:A Gracious Father, unbegottenbefore all ages, who despitethe sins and shadows that humanitycarries in our hearts, choosesto love you and me generously, alove that we could never earn butis freely given;A Loving Father who senthis beloved son as Savior andRedeemer, who allowed himselfto be nailed to the tree in a freeact of self gift, so that through hisPassion, Death and Resurrection,we might be set free from sin anddeath; who gives us a share inhis divine life and allows us tobecome part of his Living Body,the Church, through Baptism,Confirmation and the receptionof his Body and Blood, Souland Divinity offered to us in theEucharist;A God who comes to us asa gentle Holy Spirit who hasinspired us, blessed us and unitedus in an unbreakable bond ofgrace that has made us brothersand sisters, the Body of Christ,the People of God.Our Gracious God has freelyreached out to us and built aspiritual bridge into your heartand mine, uniting us to himselfand asking us “to walk by faith“The Spirit has chosenevery single oneof us ... so there canbe no one who is leftbehind, no one left tofend for themselves.”and not by sight” alone; to be ledever deeper into his heart, to betransformed by his grace, and toone day be given a share in theglory of everlasting life.This spiritual bridge God hasoffered us is not some thing, but ashare in his very life who is love,and he has asked us to be hisvehicles of grace and “to do untoothers what he has done for youand me.”For your life and mine mustbe about building bridges notmade by hand, but spiritual bridgescreated through the sharing ofGod’s love, inviting every humanheart to receive what we havealready graciously received.As I begin my ministry in yourmidst as your shepherd, I ask thatyou join me in two great tasks:To strengthen the spiritual bridgesthat exist among us already, andto build new bridges to those whohave left our community of faithand to all who seek God with asincere heart.Let us build as many bridges(PHOTO BY AMY MORTENSEN)as God will give us the strengthand grace to build.Let us begin by strengtheningthe unity that we already shareas a Church. For our unity is notthe product of our own laborsalone. But it is a work of gracethat comes through the power ofthe Holy Spirit in our midst. Suchunity is strengthened by gratefulprayer and right worship, faithfulpreaching of the Gospel, lives ofwitness, integrity and service.St. Paul teaches us that we areall members of the living Body ofChrist—his Mystical Presence inthe world.The Spirit has chosen everysingle one of us, each with a differentvocation, each offering adifferent service in the Body, sothere can be no one who is leftbehind, no one left to fend forthemselves, no one to be tossedinto the shadows of our parishesand schools.All have been called, all mustbe served, all must be strengthenedin faith, hope and love.For just as our earthly bridgesare made up of stone and mortar,so, too, the spiritual bridgeswe form as the community ofbelievers are made up of spiritualstones… you and me, andevery stone is needed; united inthe power of the Holy Spirit, ifthe bridge is to be strong enoughto allow those far away, thoseseeking God, those who wish toreturn to the practice of their faithto encounter Christ.Let us together discover newways to love and serve oneanother, especially those in needin our midst: the poor, the sick,the lonely, the disabled, theunborn; those who live with fear,distress or may have given up“For I believe with all my heart that whenGod’s mercy is offered to anyone burdenedby loneliness, indifference, fear or sin, sucha person will leap forward to take the handof the Lord and cross the bridge into his grace.”hope in life.Every human life is precious,needed, and must be cared for byour loving service.➤ CONTINUED ON PAGE 12