My dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

Grace and peace to you all in Jesus Christ our Lord!

With these words, I greet each of you here present, as well as those watching on EWTN and other social media platforms.  Today, I am well aware that there are many who wanted to be physically present. The current times in which we find ourselves, leaves us with very limited options. I very much appreciate your understanding and your prayers.  In a particular way, I also give a shout out to my mother Mary and my brother Joseph who are watching on EWTN from Marquette, Michigan and other family members who are here on watching – I love you very much. Here in Birmingham, we surround you with much love and affection. You are all in my heart this day during this Mass of Installation. I also add the many friends from the Dioceses of Gaylord, Lansing and Marquette whose sentiments I received in letter, e-mail and phone messages. For my brother bishops who have come from near and far, I am gratified you are here. Thank you for your fraternity and collegiality. For the priests, deacons, and laity from the Dioceses of Gaylord and Lansing and beyond – as well as friends from various places around the country, welcome! I’m glad you made it! Are you feeling the warmth of Birmingham yet? There’s no snow in the forecast as far as I can see – so I didn’t need to bring my snow shoes! Coming here was no easy task with the disruptions of travel. I’m glad we are all pioneers and can figure these things out. I hope you can get home now!

May I also welcome Archbishop Thomas Rodi from the Archdiocese of Mobile – the Metropolitan for our province of Alabama and Mississippi. Welcome north, Archbishop!

In a particular way, I welcome Archbishop Christophe Pierre, the Apostolic Nuncio representing our Holy Father here in the United States. Thank you for your presence with us in Birmingham. You are no stranger here! Not long ago, you were here for the Eucharistic Congress, an event, I’m told that resulted in many graces and blessings and which left a significant impact on this diocese!  Please convey to Pope Francis the love and affection of the priests, religious and faithful of the Diocese of Birmingham in Alabama (not to be confused with the Archdiocese of Birmingham in the UK).

Thank you, Bishop Baker, for your tenure of faithful episcopal ministry here. The priests, deacons, religious and faithful of Birmingham have been truly blessed by your dedication to ministry and your steadfast discipleship with Christ our Lord! I can already see that I will have some big shoes to fill! [What size do you wear? I left my snowshoes back up north!]

While I couldn’t make it here for the announcement last March 25, [it was the day we learned out to do Zoom!] I finally was able to come down for a couple days of intensive orientation about one month ago. The priests, deacons, religious women and men, along with the faithful of northern Alabama form a vibrant symphony of our universal, that is - Catholic faith. We are people who have heard and responded generously to God’s call. From this day forward, I am committed to you and promise you my life – for better, for worse, in sickness and in health.  It’s a bit like a marriage, isn’t it?

There are many keys to help us unlock the precise meaning of our celebration today. I would focus my attention to three of them: 1) the “yes” that is required; 2) the “looking” for Christ; and 3) the “going forth” on mission. They are best described in three moments with three unique witnesses of faith: 1) Mary, the Mother of Christ, and Mother of the Incarnate Word; 2) St John the Baptist; and 3) St Paul, the principal patron of the Diocese of Birmingham.  

1. The first key that has been a source of reflection for me is this: The formal announcement of my transfer from Gaylord to Birmingham occurred on March 25^th, the Solemnity of the Annunciation. I suppose that there something fitting for an announcement to occur on the Solemnity of the Annunciation – the Solemnity of the Announcement! That announcement by the Archangel Gabriel to Mary is one of the most significant, and I dare say, the most revolutionary events in Christian history. No longer did we have to try to go and find God somewhere in the heavens, as if everything depended on our reaching out to a Mystery hoping that we might catch a glimpse of God. Rather, we are told, “The Word became Flesh”. God’s Son took on our flesh. He came to find us! He came with a familiarity of a child, conceived in the womb of Mary, thus underscoring the dignity of all unborn children, by which we, too, could find him, hear him, know him, follow him. He came as “one of us”, like us in all things but sin. This act of love, the concern for our destiny, opened for us a relationship that is now unbounded by time and dimension, but a reality that confronts us day in and day out. It allows us to see that a relationship with a person, whose voice we can know, invites us to know that our humanity is profoundly loved beyond anything we could ever imagine. It has a profound dignity because each human being, especially in light of our recent civil turmoil and unrest, reflects the very image and likeness of God regardless of our age, whether we are unborn or in our waning years, the color of our skin or economic status. All are part of the one human family with a mosaic of experiences and cultures. It is the very one that Christ himself took flesh to be born in the Jewish culture and tradition. Mary’s unequivocal and immediate “yes” to God’s plan brought that about.
2. The second key to consider is John the Baptist whose birth we commemorate throughout the Church tomorrow. Our votive Mass of St John the Baptist today, anticipating this event, brings this relationship into sharp focus. John is referred to as the “Precursor”, the one who “prepare[s] the way of the Lord”. From what we can tell, he lived an austere life focused on his mission and his deep abiding relationship with God. He recognized the presence of the Lord in the womb of Mary at the time of the Visitation when, it is recorded, he “leapt in the womb” of Elizabeth, so near was our salvation. John is the one who reminds us that “He must increase, I must decrease.” He pointed out the Lord when He came. The first chapter of John’s Gospel eloquently recalls the event with Andrew and John (we believe) who came to hear John speak. But as Jesus was passing by, John pointed out Him out: “Look, there’s the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.” The very first word in any method of evangelization is “Look!”.  Whenever there is an answer to a calling to faith, or a vocation, or to a deepened life of faith, it begins with “Look!” In fact, even during the Mass, we cite it before the very reception of Holy Communion: “Behold” = “Look” “The Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world”. During this time of coronavirus when we have been at home waiting, to keep everyone safe so that we can gather again, we are joyful to hear that word again: “Behold!” “Look” “The Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world” is here, today, now.  Open your eyes, open your ears, open your minds, open your hearts! Look no further. The One you have been waiting for … is here! … is here with you (Emmanuel – God-with-us) and is here for you!
3. A third key to consider is that of St Paul, the patron of the Diocese of Birmingham.  St Paul – who lived boldly and righteously – at first, strongly and stridently opposed to the Christian movement, trying hard to eradicate it. Then, after his life changing experience on the road to Damascus, and some time to reflect on what had just occurred to him, Paul became its most ardent evangelist, proclaiming the saving power and grace of Christ on mission throughout the northeastern Mediterranean – from Rome to Greece, to Turkey and Palestine and Malta. He was on the move establishing Christian faith communities and moving on to another place on land and sea, risking it all with shipwrecks and even imprisonment.  His zeal and enthusiasm for ministry must be noted even here. He went from persecutor-in-chief against Christians to evangelizer of Christ and defender of Christian liberty. His witness to the faith, his letters, and his very life have become a point of reference in mission. We have to remember that at the time he was going from community to community, the form of Christian faith was passed on by the power of witnessing. They didn’t have the luxury of Zoom or Teams meetings. Over the course of time, Christians lived a new way, a different way than others. It began to be noticed. It was either welcomed as a cultural advancement or viewed as a threat to the established order. Either way, he didn’t stop. He proclaimed Christ. So, must we. He boasted of his weakness noting “All have sinned and have fallen short of the glory of God (Rm 3:23)”, but he also proclaimed the power of Christ – “… the gift of God, through the redemption wrought by Christ Jesus (Rm 3:24).” 
   1. Our time here is short. We are on pilgrimage together. May we go together as a great community of faith! As St John Paul II noted, “We are not the sum of our weaknesses and failures, we are the sum of the Father’s love for us and our real capacity to become the image of His Son Jesus.” It is precisely what Paul experienced! My dear friends: may we never ever be satisfied with the least we can do. [You know, like in some classes we go to the teacher or professor and ask what is the least we must do, just to get by.] Our faith doesn’t settle for minimums but demands a total engagement with reality. May we be bold to live up to the noble calling of becoming truly ourselves, what God has planned and purposed for each of us: people who are redeemed, joyful, fulfilled and free.

That represents the three keys to open the door for a fruitful life as a Christian here in the Diocese of Birmingham. To say “yes” to God’s invitation, to “look” and see Christ around us as the answer to our hearts deepest longing; and, to “go” out and embark on a mission of witnessing God’s love by our lives, i.e., through the joy of the Gospel, becoming a “missionary disciple” offering hope to a world marred by violence, hate and lack of respect for others. That is a noble mission and one we should not shirk from each and every day, leaving a unique mark behind that says – through me, one could see Christ, know Christ and experience Christ’s love. A “yes” to God’s invitation, to “look” and see Christ around and with us, and “going out” on mission.  May God provide us with the grace and strength to live for Him, each and every day!

                        +Steven J Raica
                        Bishop of Birmingham in Alabama