By Bishop Joseph Kopacz
Throughout the 50 days of the Easter Season the Catholic Church proclaims in Word and Worship the inception and growth of the Church in the first century after the crucifixion and resurrection of the Lord between 30 and 33 AD. The bloody sacrifice in death of Jesus the Nazorean was transformed by the loving power of God in resurrection into the greatest movement ever unleashed in human history. Sad divisions aside, the church has proclaimed the Gospel for nearly 2000 years, and presently there are around two billion Christians, more than half being Catholics, throughout the world. Granted many are Christian in name only, but there are countless millions whom the Holy Spirit has transformed into the living Body of Christ for the salvation of souls and the good of humanity.
Throughout the Easter Octave, or the eight days following Easter Sunday, the risen Lord appeared to his broken apostles and disciples in order to heal them, reconcile them to God and to one another in order to set them on their pilgrimage of faith, hope and love in His name. The Acts of the Apostles especially is a narration by Saint Luke of the persistent growth of the early Church from its humble beginnings in Jerusalem to the world stage in Rome, destined to follow the Lord’s command to teach all nations to the ends of the earth.
St. Peter and St. Paul, and the 11 other disciples, with the faithful support of many of the early disciples, laid the foundation for the early Church evident in the many communities that sprung up around the Mediterranean world. In solidarity with their Lord on the cross, the blood and the water continued to flow.
Jews and Gentiles alike experienced their second birth in the flowing waters of Baptism, and the blood of the martyrs became the spring of life for the early Church’s vitality. Early on in the Acts of the Apostles we hear of the water with the Baptism of thousands on Pentecost Sunday, and the blood, with the brutal killing by stoning of the deacon Stephen, the Church’s first martyr. The beheading of James, the brother of the Lord followed and the persecution began that went on for nearly 300 years.
St. Peter is featured in the first half of the Acts of the Apostles while St. Paul’s star rises in the second half of the book. In Chapter 10 the Holy Spirit set the stage through Peter for a second Pentecost day in the home of Cornelius by descending upon all the members of his household with an eruption of tongues and praise.
Peter could only stand by and marvel as God opened the door of faith to the first Gentiles to become Christians. Peter proceeded to baptize them, but that was the easy part. Afterwards, he had to return to Jerusalem with Paul and Barnabus to convince the others that the Gentiles, or pagans, that is non-Jews, did not have to become Jews first before becoming Christian. It was a fierce struggle but in the end God prevailed, and at the Council of Jerusalem only four restrictions laid upon the Gentiles: “You are to abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled animals and from sexual immorality. You will do well to avoid these things.” (Acts 15,29)
Of course the Ten Commandments remain fundamental for us but more than 600 laws were shed as the Christian tradition emerged. The command of the Lord to teach all nations was now unencumbered by an exacting Jewish tradition.
After Chapter 15 in the Acts of the Apostles St. Paul took up the torch from Peter and became the Apostle to the Gentiles, further empowered by the Jerusalem Council to be the missionary to the Greek and Roman worlds. Paul’s three missionary journeys are traced upon the pages of the Acts.
Many feared him, remembering his fierce persecution of the early Christians prior to his conversion, and many hated him because he was unrelenting in his zeal to set aside the Law of Moses in the light of Jesus Christ crucified and risen from the dead. Ultimately, this animosity led to his beheading in Rome.
In our era Pope Francis is calling us to be missionaries who bring the Good News, the joy of the Gospel, to many who are foundering in the world’s mire. This is our origin; this is our constant calling. As we hear about and/or read about the growth of the early church it is readily apparent that many had the missionary spirit. Saint Paul in particular was the missionary par excellence, who never tired of planting the seed of faith, and nurturing the young plant through his letters and pastoral visits. As he wrote in 1Corinthians: “I planted the seed in your hearts, and Apollos watered it, but it was God who made it grow.” (1Cor 3, 6)
As I reflect upon my new life as the 11th Bishop of Jackson during my many journeys throughout the diocese during the Easter season, whether it be for confirmations, graduations, anniversaries, etc., I appreciate that this is the life and ministry of a bishop, set in motion by the apostles and their successors.
I labor in the vineyard of the Lord, building upon the foundation laid by Bishop Chanche and a few others in the late 1830’s. Whether it was the original planters, or the later generations who followed, God is making it grow through the power of the Holy Spirit and in the name of Jesus, raised from the dead.
We are part of a tradition of faith with deep roots, nearly two thousand years young. “But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day.” (2Peter 3,8) So we are just approaching the beginning of the third day of the Christian era, and our call is to plant and build as long as we have life and breath. “And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns”. (Philippians 1,6)

By Bishop Joseph Kopacz
During 2015 we are marking anniversaries of life’s beginnings and endings of three significant Christians and Americans whose legacy will endure for generations to come. These outstanding citizens in hope of the Kingdom are Sister Thea Bowman, Thomas Merton, and Abraham Lincoln. Sister Thea succumbed to cancer 25 years ago; Thomas Merton, born one hundred years ago, died unexpectedly in Bangkok, Thailand, by accidental electrocution in 1968, and Abraham Lincoln passed at the hand of an assassin’s bullet 150 years ago. The lives of all three were cut short but their words and their deeds are likely to inspire for as long as people of good will and transcendent faith search for meaning in their lives.
A series of local events have marked the 25th anniversary of Sister Thea’s death, and there are many alive today who walked and served with her in the Diocese of Jackson. Recently “Thea’s Turn” was staged at Madison St. Joseph School, and the brilliance of the presentation captured the ordinariness of the young Bertha and the saintliness and historic virtue of Thea, the passionate religious. Her little light shone brightly during this and other commemorative events held locally and in many settings throughout our region and nation. In 1987, a few years before here death, Sister Thea appeared on 60 Minutes with Mike Wallace. She inspired him and many viewers with the following.
“I think the difference between me and some people is that I’m content to do my little bit. Sometimes people think they have to do big things in order to make change. But if each one would light a candle we’d have a tremendous light.”
Many of the Christian faith, especially in the Catholic Church, but also throughout the inter-faith world and among people of no religious faith, are commemorating the 100th anniversary of the birth of Thomas Merton, the Trappist monk who was passionately committed to a life of solitude and social justice on the world stage. Out of solitude as a monk in Gethsemane, Kentucky, he wrote prodigiously as an author (more than 70 books), a poet and a letter writer, corresponding with people in all walks of life from all corners of the globe. His way of life as a monk, combined with his prophetic world view on issues of justice and peace, and his personal letters in response to all who wrote to him, proclaimed to the world what he believed, that “We are already One.” This vision for humanity resounds in the following quotation from his works.
“What can we gain by sailing to the moon if we are not able to cross the abyss that separates us from ourselves? This is the most important of all voyages of discovery, and without it, all the rest are not only useless, but also disastrous.”
Abraham Lincoln was the determined public servant who sought the highest office in the land at the time when the nation was on the brink of Civil War. He became, in life and in death, the symbol of its blood soaked struggle for unity as the 16th president, the first in a line of four assassinated presidents. Throughout his adult life he experienced enormous setbacks, including a failed business, the death of his son, a nervous breakdown, election defeats for the State Legislature of Illinois, the U.S. Congress, the U.S. Senate, as well as nomination for the Vice Presidency. He finally achieved electoral success as the President of the United States, and the rest is history. He was passionately committed to the preservation of the Union as he proclaimed at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, in the aftermath of that brutal battle. We recall a portion of his address.
Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal… It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work, which they who fought here, have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us – that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion – that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain – that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom – and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.”
Whenever we probe more deeply into the lives of people we consider worthy of honor and emulation we discover that their lives were not without struggle, suffering and sacrifice. Let us not forget during this Easter Season to look no further than the suffering and death of the Lord on the cross, and his ultimate triumph in the resurrection. In earthly terms, Jesus the Nazarene was put to death at a much younger age than Sister Thea, Brother Thomas, and President Abraham, but his sacrificial death raises up all who lay down their lives for the salvation and advancement of humanity.
Certainly, our three great souled men and woman would be the first to acknowledge that they were “earthen vessels” holding an eternal treasure as Saint Paul writes so poetically to the Corinthians. In a colloquial manner of speaking, they had “clay feet” but their vision for humanity was eternal. They understood the mandate of Jesus to his disciples in the Sermon on the Mount in St. Matthew’s Gospel. “Let your light shine before all, so that others may see goodness in your acts, and give praise to your Heavenly Father.” Likewise, may the Lord inspire us during this season of Easter hope to reflect his light in our time upon the earth.

By Bishop Joseph Kopacz
In the year 2000, the Catholic Bishops of the United States wrote a Pastoral Letter, Responsibility, Rehabilitation-Restoration, in the spirit of jubilee justice for the new millennium that addressed the agonizing reality of crime, punishment, and recidivism afflicting far too many people in the United States of America.
More than a decade later most of these intractable problems remain with us, and as Christians and citizens committed to the common good, we are called to redouble our efforts to bring about a more just and humane society that allows for greater liberty and justice for all.
I want to cite in its entirety the introduction to the Pastoral Letter as a forum for reflection, and a call to action to our Catholic people who can point proudly to a strong commitment to social justice in our state.
“As Catholic bishops, our response to crime in the United States is a moral test for our nation and a challenge for our church. Although the FBI reports that the crime rate is falling, crime and fear of crime still touch many lives and polarize many communities. Putting more people in prison and, sadly, more people to death has not given Americans the security we seek. It is time for a new national dialogue on crime and corrections, justice and mercy, responsibility and treatment. As Catholics, we need to ask the following: How can we restore our respect for law and life? How can we protect and rebuild communities, confront crime without vengeance, and defend life without taking life? These questions challenge us as pastors and as teachers of the Gospel.
Our tasks are to restore a sense of civility and responsibility to everyday life, and promote crime prevention and genuine rehabilitation. The common good is undermined by criminal behavior that threatens the lives and dignity of others, and by policies that seem to give up on those who have broken the law (offering too little treatment and too few alternatives to either years in prison or the execution of those who have been convicted of terrible crimes).
New approaches must move beyond the slogans of the moment (such as “three strikes and you’re out”) and the excuses of the past (such as “criminals are simply trapped by their background”). Crime, corrections, and the search for real community require far more than the policy clichés of conservatives and liberals.
A Catholic approach begins with the recognition that the dignity of the human person applies to both victim and offender. As bishops, we believe that the current trend of more prisons and more executions, with too little education and drug treatment, does not truly reflect Christian values and will not really leave our communities safer. We are convinced that our tradition and our faith offer better alternatives that can hold offenders accountable and challenge them to change their lives; reach out to victims and reject vengeance; restore a sense of community and resist the violence that has engulfed so much of our culture.”
“We approach this topic, however, with caution and modesty. The causes of crime are complex. The ways to overcome violence are not simple. The chances of being misunderstood are many.”  However, the time is upon us to act.
“All those whom we consulted seemed to agree on one thing: the status quo is not really working — victims are often ignored, offenders are often not rehabilitated, and many communities have lost their sense of security. All of these committed people spoke with a sense of passion and urgency that the system is broken in many ways. We share their concern and believe that it does not live up to the best of our nation’s values and falls short of our religious principles.”
Lawmakers in Mississippi recently took a strong step forward in the state’s criminal justice system by changing the sentencing laws for non-violent offenders. This is a just and humane approach that places front and center the rehabilitation of the offender and his or her restoration to family and society as the primary goal.
However, much more needs to be done and an accompanying letter by C.J. Rhodes exposes the serious injustice of the prison-for-profit industry in the state of Mississippi. As Pastor Rhodes so rightly points out a for-profit industry “will lobby to lock up as many people as possible, keep them there as long as possible, and make sure they return as many times as possible.”  Fifteen years ago this industry was emerging around the country.  In 2015 it has mushroomed, especially in Mississippi.
For-profit prisons along with our state and federal prisons reveal an ongoing bleak picture for our minority brothers and sisters. Recent studies show that African, Hispanic, and Native Americans are often treated more harshly than other citizens in their encounters with the criminal justice system (including police activity, the handling of juvenile defendants and prosecution and sentencing). These studies confirm that the racism and discrimination that continue to haunt our nation are reflected in similar ways in the criminal justice system.  Moreover, our society seems to prefer punishment to rehabilitation and retribution to restoration thereby indicating a failure to recognize prisoners as human beings.
As we approach the culmination of Lent and the most sacred of days during Holy Week, a time when we celebrate the forgiveness of our sins, the promise of eternal life and the presence of the Kingdom of God in our midst, perhaps we can apply the wisdom of the Sacrament of Reconciliation as a model for personal responsibility, restoration and reconciliation in our society.
The four traditional elements of the Sacrament of Reconciliation have much to teach us about taking responsibility, making amends, and reintegrating into community:
Contrition – Genuine sorrow, regret, or grief over one’s wrongs and a serious resolution not to repeat the wrong.
Confession – Clear acknowledgment and true acceptance of responsibility for the hurtful behavior.
Satisfaction – The external sign of one’s desire to amend one’s life (this “satisfaction,” whether in the form of prayers or good deeds, is a form of “compensation” or restitution for the wrongs or harms caused by one’s sin).
Absolution – After someone has shown contrition, acknowledged his or her sin, and offered satisfaction, then Jesus, through the ministry of the priest and in the company of the church community, forgives the sin and welcomes that person back into “communion.”
The blood of the Innocent One poured out for the salvation of all from the cross is the reason for our hope that justice and peace on a grander scale are achievable, even in our broken world.
(On Friday, March 20 from 10:00-12:00 Noon the first hearing before the Governor’s Task Force on Prison Reform is to take place. Our Catholic voice will be heard on this occasion and moving forward.)

By Bishop Joseph Kopacz
Our first Covenant with God began in the moment of our Baptism. Whatever our vocation in life, we all live this common ground, and at the beginning of Lent the Church, the Body of Christ, proclaims the Lord’s faithful and undying love for us, and the challenge to come back to him with all our heart.
It is the season of the renewal of our vows of Baptism that will be our pledge at the Easter Masses. After his own Baptism and temptation in the desert, Jesus walks through our lives as he walked through Galilee two thousand years ago, “this is the time of fulfillment, repent and believe in the Gospel.”
Whatever our vocation in life we are all called to repentance. We can never become complacent or indifferent to the urgency of the Lord’s call in our lives. The call is to turn away from sin, to die to self, to resist the temptation of selfishness, and self-centeredness that can be deadly to all other relationship in our lives. We are able to die to self in this life-giving way because Jesus Christ has made this possible at the core of our lives in his life giving death and resurrection.
In the midst of this grass roots annual renewal the Church finds herself in the midst of the year of consecrated life, and in the middle of the process of broad-based consultation on the vocation and mission of the family in the Church and in the modern world. All of it works together because although we are hearing the call of the Lord at a deeply personal level, we are all connected to one another in family, work places, neighborhoods, and communities of faith. Whatever change happens in an individual’s life, for better or for worse, is going to affect others in our circle of life.
The Diocese of Jackson is now participating in the worldwide preparatory document on the Vocation and Mission of the Family in the Church and the Modern World that will contribute to the dialogue, discernment and decision-making later this autumn during the 14th Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops on the family with Pope Francis presiding. (Through Monday, March 16, we are inviting the Catholic faithful to participate in this preparatory document through the diocesan website. See page 1 for details.)

The Synod is pastoral in its purpose and this becomes clear by examining some of the chapter headings in the preparatory document.

Part II
Looking at Christ: the Gospel of the Family
Looking at Jesus and divine teaching in the
Gospel
The family in God’ salvific plan
The family in the Church’s documents
Indissolubility of Marriage and the joy of sharing
life together
The truth and beauty of the family
Mercy toward broken and fragile families

Part III
Confronting the situation: pastoral perspectives
Proclaiming the gospel of the family today in
various contexts
Guiding engaged couples in their preparation
for marriage
Pastoral care for couples civilly married or living
together
Caring for wounded families: separated, divorced
and not remarried, divorced and remarried,
single parent families
Pastoral attention towards persons with
homosexual tendencies
The transmission of life and the challenges of
the declining birthrate
Upbringing and the role of the family in
evangelization

The call of the Lord in our lives during Lent permeates the particular circumstances of our vocations and responsibilities. Marriage is unique in that it best represents the undying love of Jesus Christ for all of humanity, but especially the Church. This is sacred. Jesus Christ is not ‘yes’ today, and ‘no’ tomorrow. He is ‘yes’ forever.
Man and woman in marriage strive to embody the heart and mind of Jesus Christ by raising up permanency and fidelity in their sacramental covenant. Two weeks ago we gathered in our Cathedral of Saint Peter the Apostle for World Marriage Day with couples who were celebrating 25 to 71 years of marriage. The renewal of their covenant in God mirrors what we are about in Lent.
As male and female complement one another in marriage, the vocations of married life & religious life compliment one another in the Church and in the world.  Marriage in its essence reveals the Lord’s active love for his church every moment of every day, the here and now of life in this world. Consecrated religious life in its essence reveals that ultimately we are all destined for heaven so that even the blessings of marriage and family life can be sacrificed for the blessing that surpasses all that we know in this life, our eternal home and salvation.
We also know that many single people serve the Lord in ways often known only to God. They who are single are not just spending time before getting a real life. Rather we know that the call of the Lord can be just as real in a way of life that enjoys greater freedom and flexibility. They are in the marketplaces and public squares of our world with an opportunity to bring the Lord out onto the fringes of societies, as Pope Francis is fond of saying.
Another way in which we can appreciate the diversity of lifestyles and gifts in the Church is the opportunity to be inspired by each other. The daily sacrifices that support our faithful living, the ordinariness of our lives graced by God, and the joyful spirit of our calling are signs of the Word of God made Flesh. Often we need one another to stay on the path as we follow the Lord each day. Let us pray for one another as we walk further along on the Lenten journey.