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A very common expression of authority among fathers, mothers, children or parish priests is “I am in charge here”, leaving aside the fact that only he who serves and who sacrifices himself is in charge, Bishop Fabio Colindres of San Miguel, El Salvador said during a mass of January 28, which was celebrated in the Cathedral of San Miguel on January 28, 2024
During his sermon, Bishop Colindres added more details and explanations as he reflected on the authority of Jesus.
“The issue of authority is very current, because human beings dream of having authority,” said Bishop Colindres, adding that “only those who love, those who sacrifice themselves to the point of giving their life, do what Christ Jesus did, who is the “the only one who rules in the life of the world.”
The Mass in El Salvador was offered during a pastoral visit to that country late last month by officials of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington; the Archdiocese of Baltimore; the Archdiocese of the Military Services, USA; the Diocese of Arlington, Virginia; the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston, West Virginia; and Catholic Relief Services.
Representatives of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington included Washington Bishop Evelio Menjívar, a native of El Salvador and the first native of that country to serve as bishop in the United States; Father Anthony Lickteig, Vicar for Clergy and Secretary for Ministerial Leadership; and Wendi Williams, executive director of the Office of Diversity and Cultural Outreach.
Wheeling-Charleston Bishop Mark Brennan, a former priest of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington, was also among those who made the pastoral visit.
In recognizing the visiting delegation, Bishop Colindres thanked the two bishops, priests and lay people for their visit to El Salvador and for their mission to work and help the Salvadoran community in the United States.
“They are the ones who take care of our relatives, their parents and their children abroad. They are the ones who announce the Good News to you,” the bishop told the congregation.
During the Mass, Bishop Menjívar and Bishop Brennan shared their own stories. Bishop Menjívar spoke of being an undocumented immigrant who, after working in construction, then embraced the priesthood. Bishop Brennan related that he is the great-grandson of Irish immigrants who emigrated because of war and famine.
In his homily, Bishop Colindres emphasized that an authoritarian style of governing does not work and that “the Pope and the bishops, like priests, do not command, they serve. Faithful and committed lay people are not leaders to command, they are leaders to serve the community.”
The bishop noted that Jesus taught with an authority that the people had not seen before.
“Jesus does everything he says, everything he announces, he does… He has come to give us life in abundance and to teach us to overcome evils in our lives, families and marriages,” the bishop said. “Jesus is a man who lives, proclaims, preaches and serves… What he proclaims, he does. That, and no other, is the only way to serve in the Church.”
A huge crowd filled St. Michael’s Cathedral, where before mass, Bishop Colindres blessed and presented two babies accompanied by their parents.
Bishop Colindres lamented that in our time “there are many men, women, young people and children possessed by the ‘spirit of the world’ that leads them to the conclusion that they do not need God to be happy.”
“They no longer go to mass, they no longer confess and they take lightly their marital fidelity, their example for their children, their commitment to the community of faith from which they have distanced themselves, without realizing that the worst that can happen to them “A human being must try to be happy without God,” he stated.
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