Diocese Weekly Mailing 1.27.12

Dear Father:

Our Gospel from St. Mark notes that Jesus casts out the demon-possessed man in the synagogue “with authority.” This is not simply the authority in which orders are given and commands followed. No, something far more is at stake. Building on the previous Sunday’s Gospel with the call of the disciples, St. Mark the Evangelist seems to suggest that this authority is one of attraction.

“What do you want to be when you grow up?” That’s not simply the question our school children often hear from adults. It’s also a question about “authority” in the biblical sense. We are asking our young people what they find most compelling, most authentic and most authoritative in the world around them. In a certain sense we are asking our young people whom they want to imitate and follow.

This is the authority Jesus holds as he calls his first disciples and it is the same authority Jesus holds as he cast out demons and encounters evil. It’s an authority not based on might, power, prestige, wealth, pomp, pressure or pushiness. No. It is an evocative power.

This is a bit of the kind of authority our own Monsignor Desmond Dillon has for all of us. I have the honor of presiding at Mass this coming Sunday at St. Joseph in Kennewick and will be joining parishioners for his 97th birthday party. I have nick-named him my “pen-pal” because he constantly sends me letters and e-mails, thanks to his trusty bevy of volunteers.

But I also know in talking with you – and especially with our seminarians – he holds great authority in the biblical sense. We all need steady and long-term points of reference to guide us in life. The witness of Monsignor Dillon’s longevity is that for all of us. And he’s the only priest here in Yakima who – like me – was first ordained for Seattle since – when he was ordained – what is now the town of Yakima was part of the Diocese of Seattle.

Having Monsignor Dillon as a kind of icon gives us the assurance that fidelity is possible, that long-term commitments can deepen us, help us flourish and grow, mature us, and even knock the rougher edges off our personalities. Over these six and a half years, as I’ve grown into the office of bishop visiting with priests that have served our parishes, I’ve seen how the parishioners have helped our priests grow. It’s a bit like a rock-polishing process. Daily parish life tumbles us around and it can sometimes feel a bit emotionally rough through deaths of key people, departures and moves, conflicts and stresses. Certainly there are those moments of joy too: weddings and baptisms, first communions and parish fiestas.

Our people help us grow as priests. They authenticate us and help us grow in the kind of authority Jesus exhibits in these opening Sunday Gospels from St. Mark the Evangelist. And I would also be quick to add that Monsignor Dillon reminds me that it is priests like him – and priests like you – who touch my own life and ministry, helping me grow into the kind of bishop God intends me to become. For him and for you I am deeply grateful.

Let us ask God to help us lead with authority. To be “Good Leaders and Good Shepherds.”

Fraternally yours in Christ,

Most Reverend Joseph J. Tyson

Bishop of Yakima

 With all this said, here are the items I’d like to highlight for you this week.